ZKnomics Staking Pilot Program - What It Is, why it matters & how to prepare
What is ZK Staking?
The ZKnomics Staking Pilot Program trials a ZK token staking rewards program over 2, 3-month seasons. Tokenholders stake ZK, delegate their voting power to active governance participants, and earn rewards.
The pilot program advances the ZKnomics Vision by serving two purposes: creating meaningful incentives for governance participation while testing the staking infrastructure required for ZKsync’s decentralized sequencer. The pilot staking system is forward compatible with decentralized sequencing, meaning what we’re deploying now becomes foundational infrastructure for the network’s future.
Program Mechanics
ZKsync governance has authorized rewards for the first two seasons:
- Season 1 (Q1 2026): Up to 10M ZK total distributed over 3 months, targeting 400M ZK total staked. APR will start at 3% (annualized). It can be increased up to 10% APR over the course of the season based on participation.
- Season 2 (Q2 2026): Up to 25M ZK total distributed over 3 months, targeting 1B ZK total staked. The APR will start at 3% (annualized). It can be increased up to 10% APR over the course of the season based on participation.
Please note that APY is not guaranteed - rates are managed, not fixed.
Delegate-to-Stake
Participants are required to delegate to a ZKsync Delegate in order to stake. Reward eligibility requires participants to delegate to an “active” Delegate. A Delegate is “active” if they have voted in at least 2 of the last 5 governance votes. Active Delegates will be clearly marked on the staking pilot interface.
The goal is to strengthen the protocol by pulling more voting power into governance. Active voting power currently sits around 1B ZK, and the goal is to double that. By tying rewards to active delegation, the program creates a direct incentive for tokenholders to support delegates who consistently participate in governance.
There is no locking period. Stakers can stake, unstake, or change their delegation at any time.
How to Prepare
Find an active Delegate:
If you’re a tokenholder looking to stake, now is a good time to evaluate Delegate activity. Which delegates are voting consistently? Who is engaged with proposals? Having a delegate in mind before Season 1 launches will ensure you’re ready to participate from day one. Take a look at the Participants page at vote.zknation.io to find Delegates with the “Active” tag.
Become an active Delegate:
If you’re an active Delegate, maintain your governance activity. If you are not an active Delegate, start participating in voting on upcoming governance proposals to meet the “participated in at least 2 out of 5 past votes” threshold to become an active Delegate. Learn more about becoming a ZKsync Delegate here.
Review the ZKnomics Staking Pilot FAQ:
Review the ZKnomics Staking Pilot FAQ to find key program details, answer all program questions, and find a demo of the delegate-to-stake mechanism on the staking pilot interface.
Thank you for your patience as we work through the final stages of preparation. Feel free to post any questions below.
Disclaimer: This is a time-limited pilot program intended for testing purposes. Staking functionality is not an inherent function of the ZK token itself. The rewards distributed during this Pilot are considered incentives for participation in a technical trial. They do not constitute a passive investment, a dividend, or a financial return.