Aave Safety Module · ETH + BNB Chain · stkAAVE · aavestaking.com

Stake AAVE.
Earn Rewards.
Protect the Protocol.

Current Staking APY
— %
ETH Mainnet BNB Chain Live from CoinGecko

Stake AAVE tokens in the Aave Safety Module on Ethereum and BNB Chain. Earn continuous staking rewards as stkAAVE, participate in governance, and help secure the Aave protocol against shortfall events.

Non-custodial · 10-day cooldown · Governance included · No KYC

$—
AAVE price
$580M+
Safety Module TVL
10 days
Cooldown period
2 days
Unstake window
Safety Module APY —%
$—
AAVE price
$580M+
SM TVL
—
Daily yield
—
Monthly
—
Yearly
Stake AAVE Balance: — AAVE
—
AAVE
ERC-20
▾
You receivestkAAVE (1:1)
Current APY—
Governance weightFull voting power
Cooldown to unstake10 days
Rewards tokenAAVE
⏳
10-Day Cooldown Period
To unstake, you must first trigger a 10-day cooldown. After the cooldown, you have a 2-day window to withdraw. After 2 days, the cooldown resets and you must start again.

Rewards accrue per block · stkAAVE = 1:1 AAVE + governance rights

Secured by
Aave Safety Module · Ethereum L1 · Non-custodial
$—
AAVE price
—
—%
Safety Module APY
stkAAVE rewards
$580M+
SM TVL
Total value staked
10 days
Cooldown period
To unstake AAVE
2 days
Unstake window
After cooldown ends

Staking pools

Choose Your Staking Pool.

Three ways to stake in the Aave Safety Module — each with different risk, reward, and token profiles.

Ethereum + BNB
stkAAVE

The primary staking pool. Stake native AAVE tokens and receive stkAAVE 1:1. Earn AAVE rewards, retain full governance voting power, and protect the Aave protocol.

— %
APY · Live rate
TVL: $480M+
Ethereum
stkABPT

Stake the Aave/ETH 80/20 Balancer Pool Token (BPT). Higher risk exposure but typically higher APY. Earn both Balancer trading fees and Aave staking rewards.

— %
APY · Balancer + Aave rewards
TVL: $80M+
Ethereum
GHO Safety

Stake GHO stablecoins to help peg stability and the protocol. Earn AAVE rewards on staked GHO. Newer Safety Module pool with GHO utility integration.

— %
APY · GHO staking rewards
TVL: $20M+

How AAVE staking works

The Safety
Module Explained.

The Aave Safety Module is the protocol's defense layer. Stakers earn rewards in exchange for their AAVE acting as a backstop against protocol shortfall events.

01
Connect wallet & approve AAVE
Connect your Ethereum or BNB Chain wallet. Approve the Safety Module contract to use your AAVE tokens — a one-time transaction per wallet.
METAMASK · WALLETCONNECT · ONE APPROVAL
02
Stake AAVE → receive stkAAVE
Deposit AAVE into the Safety Module smart contract. You receive stkAAVE tokens 1:1 — these represent your staked position and carry full AAVE governance voting power.
stkAAVE · 1:1 RATIO · GOVERNANCE INCLUDED
03
Earn AAVE rewards per block
Staking rewards accrue every Ethereum block. Your stkAAVE balance generates AAVE rewards continuously. Claim at any time with a single transaction — no lockup for claiming rewards.
PER-BLOCK ACCRUAL · CLAIM ANYTIME · COMPOUND
04
Cooldown to unstake (10 days)
To withdraw your AAVE, trigger the 10-day cooldown period. After 10 days, you have a 2-day window to redeem stkAAVE for AAVE. If you miss the window, restart the cooldown.
10-DAY COOLDOWN · 2-DAY WINDOW · PLAN AHEAD
What is stkAAVE?
AAVE staked = stkAAVE
stkAAVE is the receipt token for staked AAVE. It is an ERC-20 token issued 1:1 when you stake AAVE in the Safety Module. stkAAVE accrues AAVE rewards per block, carries full governance voting power, and can be redeemed for AAVE after the 10-day cooldown. stkAAVE itself is transferable and can be used in some DeFi protocols.
Safety Module purpose
Backstop against shortfall events
In the event of a severe protocol shortfall (e.g., smart contract exploit, oracle failure causing bad debt), the Aave governance can vote to slash up to 30% of staked AAVE to cover losses. This is the risk stakers accept in exchange for rewards. No slashing has ever occurred on Aave's mainnet Safety Module.
BNB Chain staking
Aave V3 on BNB Chain
Aave V3 deployed on BNB Chain provides a separate staking context with its own Safety Module and reward parameters. Staking AAVE on BNB Chain follows the same model — stake AAVE, receive stkAAVE, earn rewards — with BNB Chain gas fees (significantly cheaper than Ethereum mainnet).

Why stake AAVE

Six Reasons to
Stake Now.

AAVE staking in the Safety Module combines yield, governance, and protocol contribution — a unique position in DeFi.

Earn AAVE Rewards

Staking AAVE in the Safety Module earns continuous AAVE token rewards, distributed per Ethereum block. APY is set by Aave governance and adjusts with protocol revenue and Safety Module parameters.

AAVE REWARDS · PER BLOCK
Governance Power

stkAAVE carries the same voting weight as AAVE in Aave governance. Stake and still vote on protocol upgrades, risk parameter changes, new market listings, and Safety Module reward rates.

FULL VOTING RIGHTS
Protect the Protocol

Safety Module stakers form the first defense against protocol shortfall events. In exchange for accepting up to 30% slashing risk, stakers receive guaranteed yield and contribute to Aave's $20B+ TVL security.

MAX 30% SLASH RISK
Ethereum + BNB Chain

Stake on Ethereum mainnet for maximum liquidity and DeFi integrations, or on BNB Chain for lower gas costs. Both networks use the same Aave Safety Module model with separate reward pools.

DUAL NETWORK
stkAAVE Utility

stkAAVE is more than a receipt token. It's transferable, usable in DeFi, and earns rewards automatically. Some protocols accept stkAAVE as collateral, allowing you to earn staking rewards while also accessing liquidity.

COMPOSABLE · TRANSFERABLE
stkABPT Bonus Yield

The stkABPT pool (Aave/ETH 80/20 Balancer BPT) offers higher yield by combining Balancer LP fees with Safety Module rewards. Higher risk exposure but the best APY in the Aave Safety Module ecosystem.

BALANCER + AAVE YIELD

FAQ

AAVE Staking Questions Answered

Everything about staking AAVE, the Safety Module, stkAAVE, APY, cooldown periods, slashing risk, GHO, and staking on ETH vs BNB Chain.

  • Aave staking refers to depositing AAVE tokens into the Aave Safety Module — a smart contract system that acts as a backstop for the Aave protocol against shortfall events. In exchange for accepting up to 30% slashing risk, stakers earn continuous AAVE token rewards. Staked AAVE becomes stkAAVE (a 1:1 receipt token) that carries full governance voting power and accrues rewards per Ethereum block. aavestaking.com provides the interface for this process on Ethereum and BNB Chain.
  • The Aave Safety Module (SM) is a protocol-level risk management mechanism built into Aave governance. It consists of pools where community members stake AAVE, stkABPT, and GHO. If the Aave protocol suffers a shortfall event (bad debt from market events, oracle failures, or smart contract exploits), governance can vote to use a portion of staked assets to cover the deficit — up to 30% of staked AAVE can be slashed. Stakers are compensated with AAVE rewards for accepting this risk.
  • stkAAVE is the ERC-20 receipt token issued when you stake AAVE in the Safety Module. It is minted 1:1 with staked AAVE — stake 100 AAVE, receive 100 stkAAVE. stkAAVE: (1) accrues AAVE staking rewards per Ethereum block; (2) carries the same governance voting power as AAVE; (3) is redeemable for AAVE after the 10-day cooldown period; (4) is transferable — you can send it to another address; (5) is accepted by some DeFi protocols as collateral. It is not the same as AAVE — it cannot be traded on DEXes at par without price impact.
  • The AAVE staking APY is a dynamic rate set by Aave governance. It fluctuates based on: the total AAVE staked in the Safety Module, the governance-approved AAVE emission rate, and the current AAVE price. Historical APY has ranged from approximately 4% to 12%. The live APY is displayed at the top of the aavestaking.com interface, updated in real time from CoinGecko and on-chain data. APY is paid in AAVE tokens — not USD — so the effective USD yield also depends on AAVE price movement.
  • On aavestaking.com: (1) Connect your wallet (MetaMask, WalletConnect, Coinbase Wallet) on Ethereum or BNB Chain. (2) Approve the Safety Module contract to access your AAVE (one-time per wallet). (3) Enter the amount of AAVE to stake in the widget. (4) Confirm the staking transaction in your wallet. You immediately receive stkAAVE 1:1 and rewards begin accruing with the next Ethereum block.
  • The 10-day cooldown is a fundamental safety design feature of the Safety Module. It prevents stakers from instantly withdrawing when a shortfall event is detected, ensuring the Safety Module has time to act. Without a cooldown, rational stakers would exit at the first sign of danger, removing the very protection the SM provides. The cooldown period means: (1) trigger cooldown; (2) wait 10 days; (3) withdraw within a 2-day window; (4) if you miss the window, the cooldown resets and you start over. Plan withdrawals ahead of time.
  • After the 10-day cooldown period ends, you have a 2-day (48-hour) window to submit your redeem transaction and withdraw your AAVE. If you do not withdraw within these 2 days, the cooldown period is reset — you must trigger a new 10-day cooldown and wait again. This 2-day window ensures stakers are actively managing their position and cannot indefinitely occupy a "ready to withdraw" state. Set a reminder for when your cooldown ends to avoid missing the window.
  • The Aave Safety Module can slash up to 30% of staked AAVE in the event of a severe protocol shortfall. This maximum slash percentage is set by governance and represents the worst-case scenario. Key facts: (1) No slashing has ever occurred on Aave's mainnet Safety Module since its launch. (2) Slashing requires an on-chain governance vote — it is not an automatic process. (3) The 30% maximum is a hard cap in the smart contract — slashing beyond 30% is impossible. (4) Staking rewards are compensation for accepting this risk.
  • stkABPT stands for staked Aave Balancer Pool Token. To obtain it, you first provide liquidity to the AAVE/ETH 80/20 pool on Balancer, receiving BPT (Balancer Pool Tokens). You then stake these BPT tokens in the Aave Safety Module, receiving stkABPT. stkABPT earns both Balancer trading fees (from the LP position) and Aave Safety Module rewards — typically a higher combined APY than stkAAVE alone. The additional risk is ETH price exposure from the LP position and potential impermanent loss relative to holding only AAVE.
  • Yes. Aave V3 deployed on BNB Chain includes its own Safety Module with AAVE staking. To stake on BNB Chain: bridge AAVE from Ethereum to BNB Chain via a cross-chain bridge, switch MetaMask to BNB Chain, and stake through aavestaking.com's BNB Chain tab. Key advantage: significantly lower gas fees on BNB Chain (typically under $0.10 per transaction vs. $5–20 on Ethereum). The BNB Chain Safety Module has its own reward emission rate set by governance, separate from Ethereum mainnet.
  • Aave is the world's largest decentralized lending protocol by TVL, with over $20 billion in assets deployed across 13+ blockchains. The AAVE token is its governance and utility token — holders vote on risk parameters, new market approvals, protocol upgrades, and Safety Module reward rates. AAVE is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum with a total supply of 16 million tokens. It was originally launched as LEND (by ETHLend) and rebranded to AAVE in 2020. Staking AAVE is one of the primary ways AAVE holders earn yield on their holdings.
  • AAVE staking rewards accrue per block automatically in your stkAAVE balance. To claim them: connect your wallet on aavestaking.com, navigate to the Claims section, and click "Claim Rewards." This sends a transaction that transfers your accrued AAVE rewards to your wallet. You can claim at any time without affecting your staked position or triggering the cooldown period. Claiming rewards is completely separate from unstaking — you can claim rewards while keeping your AAVE staked indefinitely.
  • Yes — you can manually compound by claiming your AAVE rewards and re-staking them into the Safety Module. This increases your stkAAVE balance and generates more rewards in the next period. Compounding frequency depends on gas costs vs. reward amounts — on Ethereum, compounding makes economic sense for larger positions (typically when rewards exceed $50–100 in gas). On BNB Chain, cheaper gas makes more frequent compounding viable. Some yield aggregator protocols automate compounding for Aave Safety Module positions.
  • No — staking AAVE does not reduce your governance power. stkAAVE carries the same voting weight as AAVE in Aave governance. When you vote on Aave Improvement Proposals (AIPs), your stkAAVE balance counts at 1:1 with AAVE. In fact, stakers often argue they should have stronger governance voice since they're accepting more risk through slashing exposure. You can vote on governance proposals at governance.aave.com using your stkAAVE balance with no unstaking required.
  • GHO is Aave's native decentralized stablecoin, issued by the Aave protocol on Ethereum. Users can borrow GHO at a governance-set interest rate by providing collateral in Aave markets. The GHO Safety staking pool allows GHO holders to stake their stablecoins in the Safety Module, earning AAVE rewards while also providing peg stability for GHO. GHO staking gives stablecoin holders access to AAVE yield without price exposure to AAVE volatility (though slashing risk applies to the GHO principal).
  • There is no protocol-imposed minimum for AAVE staking. You can stake as little as 0.000001 AAVE. However, practically speaking, Ethereum gas costs for the approval and staking transactions ($5–20 total) mean very small stakes are uneconomical. A practical minimum where staking makes sense economically is around 10–20 AAVE, where annual rewards meaningfully exceed gas costs. On BNB Chain with lower fees, even 1–5 AAVE stakes can be economical. Always calculate: (Annual rewards in USD) > (2× gas cost) before staking small amounts.
  • AAVE staking APY is calculated as: (Daily AAVE emissions × AAVE price × 365) / (Total AAVE staked × AAVE price). Simplified: APY = (Annual AAVE reward emission) / (Total AAVE in Safety Module). Governance sets the emission rate in AAVE per day. As more AAVE is staked, APY decreases (same rewards shared by more stakers). As AAVE is unstaked, APY increases. The AAVE price does not directly affect the APY percentage (it's AAVE-denominated) but does affect the USD equivalent yield. Live APY is shown on aavestaking.com updated from on-chain data.
  • Yes. Aave staking is fully non-custodial. Your AAVE is held by the Safety Module smart contracts on Ethereum — not by any company, including Aave Labs. aavestaking.com is a user interface that reads blockchain state and helps you construct transactions; it never has access to your private keys or funds. The Safety Module smart contracts are open source, audited, and deployed at fixed addresses on Ethereum. Your stkAAVE receipt tokens are always in your own wallet.
  • Unclaimed stkAAVE rewards never expire or disappear. They continue to accrue per block indefinitely. If you stake and don't claim for a year, all of that year's rewards will be available to claim at once. The only consideration is that unclaimed rewards are not compounding — they're sitting in the contract rather than being added to your staked balance and generating additional rewards. For large positions where compound growth matters, periodic claiming and re-staking maximizes long-term yield.
  • stkAAVE has limited DeFi integrations as collateral, but some protocols do accept it. Because stkAAVE has the 10-day cooldown requirement, it is less liquid than AAVE itself, which reduces its utility as collateral. Some DeFi protocols that accept stkAAVE account for this illiquidity in their loan-to-value ratios. Note that using stkAAVE as collateral adds liquidation risk on top of the existing slashing risk — if your collateral is liquidated during a shortfall slashing event, the combination could result in significant losses. Understand all risks before using stkAAVE in leveraged positions.
  • Aave V3 is the third major version of the Aave lending protocol, featuring improved capital efficiency, cross-chain portals, isolation mode, and enhanced risk management. Aave V3 is deployed on Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and other chains. V3 does not fundamentally change the Safety Module staking mechanism — stkAAVE and the 10-day cooldown remain the same. However, V3's improved protocol health means lower systemic risk of a shortfall event compared to V1/V2, making staking somewhat safer over time.
  • Tax treatment of AAVE staking rewards varies by jurisdiction. In the US, the IRS generally treats staking rewards as ordinary income at the time of receipt, valued at the AAVE market price when each reward accrues. Subsequent appreciation or depreciation is subject to capital gains tax. The 10-day cooldown period does not change the tax recognition moment. Consult a qualified tax professional familiar with DeFi in your jurisdiction. Track your AAVE reward accrual using DeFi tax tools like Koinly, TaxBit, or CoinTracker, which integrate with Ethereum wallet transaction history.
  • Aave lending and the Safety Module are two distinct mechanisms: Aave lending — you deposit assets (ETH, USDC, WBTC, etc.) into Aave markets and earn supply interest paid by borrowers. Your principal is at risk if borrower collateral fails. Safety Module staking — you deposit AAVE specifically into the Safety Module and earn AAVE emissions paid by governance. Your principal is at risk of up to 30% slashing. Lending returns are market-driven by supply/demand; staking returns are governance-set. Many AAVE holders do both: lend non-AAVE assets in Aave V3 and stake AAVE in the Safety Module.
  • AAVE has a total supply of 16 million tokens, with approximately 14.5 million in circulation. Staking emissions are funded from the Aave Ecosystem Reserve — a treasury of AAVE tokens set aside at protocol launch. The Safety Module draws on these reserves to pay staking rewards. As reserves are distributed, governance periodically votes to replenish them or adjust emission rates. Long-term, sustainable staking yields depend on protocol revenue growth (through treasury diversification) offsetting reserve drawdowns. AAVE buybacks from protocol revenue are also periodically discussed in governance.
  • The canonical Aave Safety Module with stkAAVE and stkABPT is deployed on Ethereum mainnet. A separate Safety Module exists on BNB Chain for Aave V3 deployments there. Other chains (Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Avalanche, Base) have Aave V3 lending markets but do not have a full Safety Module staking deployment as of 2025. Staking on aavestaking.com covers both Ethereum mainnet and BNB Chain. For staking on other networks, check the official Aave governance portal — additional Safety Module deployments are under continuous governance discussion.
  • Aave staking at aavestaking.com supports all major EVM wallets: MetaMask (most common), Coinbase Wallet, WalletConnect (200+ mobile wallets), Rabby Wallet, Rainbow, Ledger (hardware wallet via MetaMask), Trezor, Trust Wallet (via WalletConnect), and Phantom (EVM mode). For BNB Chain staking, switch your wallet to BNB Chain (Chain ID: 56). Ledger hardware wallets are strongly recommended for large AAVE positions — hardware security prevents private key theft that could drain staked AAVE.
  • Aave governance is on-chain — AAVE and stkAAVE holders vote directly on Aave Improvement Proposals (AIPs) at governance.aave.com. Each AAVE or stkAAVE token = 1 vote. Proposals go through a discussion phase on the Aave forum (governance.aave.com/forum), then a Snapshot off-chain vote, then an on-chain vote with a 3-day voting period. Passed proposals have a 24-hour timelock before execution. Governance controls: interest rate parameters, new market listings, Safety Module reward rates, fee distribution, risk parameter updates, and protocol upgrades. Stakers who stake AAVE are automatically registered as voters with their stkAAVE balance.
  • Ethereum gas costs for AAVE staking: AAVE approval: ~50,000 gas (~$2–8). Staking transaction: ~150,000 gas (~$5–15). Claim rewards: ~80,000 gas (~$3–8). Trigger cooldown: ~50,000 gas (~$2–5). Redeem AAVE: ~100,000 gas (~$4–10). Total lifecycle: ~$15–50 depending on Ethereum gas prices. On BNB Chain, all these transactions cost under $0.10 total. For large AAVE stakes on Ethereum, annual rewards significantly exceed lifecycle gas costs. For smaller stakes, BNB Chain staking may be more economical.
  • The Aave Ecosystem Reserve is a treasury of AAVE tokens set aside at protocol launch to fund ecosystem growth, including Safety Module staking rewards. It is controlled by Aave governance — AAVE holders vote on how to allocate reserves. The reserve funds: (1) Safety Module staking rewards (stkAAVE and stkABPT APY); (2) grants to developers building on Aave; (3) audits and security bounties; (4) marketing and ecosystem development. Reserve levels are publicly visible on-chain. Governance periodically reviews emission rates relative to reserve sustainability.
  • Directly using stkAAVE as collateral in Aave itself is not supported in standard Aave V3. However, you can: (1) Stake some AAVE in the Safety Module to earn yield; (2) Keep remaining AAVE unstaked to use as Aave V3 collateral for borrowing. This separates your staking position from your borrowing position. Some third-party DeFi protocols accept stkAAVE as collateral with certain LTV ratios — this lets you effectively borrow against staked AAVE but introduces additional liquidation risk on top of slashing risk. Always model worst-case scenarios before leveraging staking positions.
  • The official AAVE token contract address on Ethereum is 0x7Fc66500c84A76Ad7e9c93437bFc5Ac33E2DDaE9. Verify this at etherscan.io before any transactions. The stkAAVE contract is at 0x4da27a545c0c5b758a6ba100e3a049001de870f5. On BNB Chain, the AAVE token was bridged by the official Binance bridge — verify the contract address at bscscan.com by searching for "AAVE" with the official Aave Labs verification. Never trust a token contract shared through social media or unofficial sources — always verify independently.
  • AAVE staking rewards accrue every Ethereum block (~12 seconds). They are not "distributed" on a schedule — they accumulate continuously in the Safety Module smart contract, credited to each staker's proportional share. Your accrued rewards are visible on aavestaking.com at any time. Claiming rewards is a separate transaction you initiate whenever you want — there is no automatic distribution. The rewards emission rate (AAVE per day/second) is set by governance votes and can be changed by governance proposal. aavestaking.com displays the current emission rate alongside the live APY.
  • The Safety Module staking mechanism is largely independent of Aave V1/V2/V3 protocol versions — the stkAAVE and stkABPT contracts were established with the Aave V2 era Safety Module upgrade and remain in use. V2 to V3 migration involved significant improvements to lending markets but didn't fundamentally change the Safety Module structure. The main staking difference across versions: V3's improved risk parameters (isolation mode, supply caps) reduce the probability of shortfall events, making Safety Module slashing less likely. Always stake through aavestaking.com which uses the current canonical Safety Module contracts.
  • Like all DeFi protocols, AAVE staking smart contracts carry inherent smart contract risk — despite multiple audits, an undiscovered bug could theoretically be exploited. Key mitigations: (1) The Safety Module contracts have been running since 2020 without a critical exploit — battle-tested over 4+ years. (2) Multiple independent audits by Trail of Bits, OpenZeppelin, Certik, and others. (3) Aave governance-controlled timelock means any upgrade takes 24 hours — time for community to detect malicious changes. (4) Open source code — continuously reviewed by the global security research community. (5) Bug bounty program up to $250,000 for critical vulnerability disclosures.

Start Earning
AAVE Rewards.

Stake AAVE in the Safety Module on Ethereum or BNB Chain. Earn live APY in AAVE rewards. Keep your governance power. Protect the protocol. aavestaking.com — the premier Aave staking interface.

Non-custodial · No KYC · Governance included · aavestaking.com