VeChain’s staking program goes live with 5.48b VTHO in bonus rewards

VeChain, a layer 1 blockchain for enterprise decentralized applications, has officially unveiled its new staking platform StarGate, with up to $15 million in bonus rewards. StarGate goes live as the crypto industry lauds the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s landmark guidance that clarified protocol staking does not constitute securities offerings. Notably, VeChain ( VET )’s staking initiative aligns with market anticipation around the launch of the first staking exchange-traded fund in the U.S., all amid overall expectations that the SEC will give a nod to multiple crypto ETFs before the end of 2025. SEC had initially pushed back on exchang-traded funds with staking. “The SEC’s recent guidance validates what we’ve been building toward: a fully compliant, accessible staking model that treats rewards as compensation for network services rather than investment returns,” said Sunny Lu, chief executive officer and founder of VeChain. “Our innovative approach of leveraging NFTs to represent participation ensures both simplicity for users and full regulatory alignment.” You might also like: SOL spot ETF with staking could go live this week, expert says VeChain offers $15 million in bonus rewards As announced on July 1, network participants in VeChain’s staking ecosystem are set for a chance to win huge bonus rewards. In particular, the project has outlined a bonus reward campaign that will offer up 5.48 billion VTHO tokens worth about $15 million over the next six months. These bonus earnings are a major incentive for stakers as VeChain looks to bolster its platform with native staking that taps into non-fungible token technology “As regulatory clarity emerges globally, we’re positioned to lead the next wave of compliant, accessible blockchain participation,” Lu added. “The generous rewards pool ensures early adopters benefit while contributing to network decentralization.” To benefit from the staking offer, users have to withdraw their VET from exchanges to their self-custody wallets, including VeWorld, VeChain’s official wallet. Only staked VET in self-custody wallets will be eligible for the staking NFT required to activate the rewards. You might also like: Bitwise’s ETH staking ETF hits regulatory speed bump