Lido Launches Direct ETH Staking on Four Layer-2 Networks

Lido launched direct ETH staking through its interface on four layer-two networks – Arbitrum, Base, Linea, and Optimism. The integration, announced on October 15, eliminates manual bridging, while staking operations are still conducted on the Ethereum mainnet via Chainlink CCIP (Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol).

Users deposit ETH into their account through the interface and receive wstETH, representing their staking position. Its exchange value increases as rewards accumulate. Previously, it was necessary to transfer ETH to the mainnet and then return the staking tokens back. Lido initially launched the same route through third-party platforms and only later in its own interface. Users receive wstETH from liquidity pools in the same L2 network where they deposited ETH: the system deposits ETH behind the interface, stakes it in Lido on the mainnet, and returns the newly created wstETH to the original network to replenish the pool.

Conversion rates are determined by Chainlink price feeds based on Lido's protocol rate, not exchange market prices. The integration follows the recent launch of Chainlink CCIP Vault Adapters – another application of cross-chain infrastructure.

The staking economy has not changed: Lido continues to process transactions through existing contracts on the mainnet, retaining 10% of the rewards and leaving 90% to stakers. Users pay gas in the chosen L2 network, and cross-chain expenses are covered by separate contract funding and not from staking deposits.

The launch followed VanEck's withdrawal of its application for a Lido staked Ethereum ETF on October 14: the management company filed a withdrawal before obtaining regulatory approval for the fund. In October 2024, Lido announced direct staking for three networks – Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism; Linea was integrated with XSwap, OpenOcean, and Interport in October 2025.