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After the Merge (2022), Ethereum replaced Proof of Work with Proof of Stake. Validators stake ETH to secure consensus instead of burning hashpower.

32 ETH minimum for solo validators; smaller holders use pools like Lido or Rocket Pool and receive liquid staking tokens (LSTs).

Rewards come from protocol issuance, transaction tips, and MEV (depending on client setup). Pectra adds flexible stake sizes and compounding accounts.

Risks: downtime penalties, slashing for malicious behavior, LST depeg and contract risk, plus ETH price volatility as opportunity cost.

Staked ETH reduces circulating supply—potentially less sell pressure—but watch centralization and withdrawal events (large-scale unstaking).