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What is Cosmos
Cardano is a third-generation blockchain built on academic research and developed through peer-reviewed methodologies. Founded by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, it emphasizes security, scalability, and sustainability as its core principles. Cardano adopts a layered architecture consisting of the settlement layer (responsible for ADA transactions) and the computation layer (which handles smart contracts), allowing the system to upgrade and evolve with greater flexibility.
Its innovative Ouroboros Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism ensures both security and efficiency across the network. ADA, Cardano’s native token, is used for transaction fees, governance participation, and staking, serving as the driving force of the entire ecosystem.
What is Cardano (ADA) Staking
Cardano uses a fully decentralized Ouroboros Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, allowing ADA holders to delegate their tokens to a staking pool to help validate transactions and earn rewards. During the staking process, ADA never leaves the user’s wallet. Once delegation is completed, your ADA remains safely stored in your address and is neither locked nor moved, providing a high level of security and flexibility.
In practice, delegators are only assigning their “voting power” to a chosen staking pool rather than transferring ownership of their assets. Rewards are distributed every epoch (approximately five days), offering stable returns with relatively low risk. This makes staking one of the most common and accessible ways to participate in the Cardano ecosystem.
Why Stake ADA with CoolWallet
Supported Products
✅ Coolwallet HOT (hot wallet)
Benefits of Staking ADA with CoolWallet
Stake ADA with CoolWallet to enjoy stable rewards while keeping your assets safe and easily accessible!
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Self-custody security
CoolWallet is a self-custody wallet that gives you full control of your assets without relying on any centralized intermediary. -
High-level protection
With CoolWallet Pro or CoolWallet Go, your private keys are stored securely inside the card’s chipset, eliminating exposure risks and ensuring your funds stay safe. -
Mobile convenience
Through the CoolWallet App, you can easily stake, unstake, and check your ADA anytime, anywhere. Fast, simple, and intuitive. -
Full transparency
Track your staking status and accumulated rewards in real time, keeping all information at your fingertips. -
Claim rewards and unstake anytime
Staking rewards can be claimed at any time, and there is no mandatory lock-up period, giving you full flexibility to adjust your staking strategy whenever you need.
Instructions
Staking Guidelines
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Address-based staking
With CoolWallet’s ADA staking mechanism, staking is applied to the entire ADA address rather than individual transactions. This means all ADA stored at that address will automatically participate in staking once delegated.
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Flexible fund control
After delegation, your ADA remains safely in your wallet and is never locked or moved. You can still freely transfer ADA in or out, but rewards will be calculated based on the address balance at the time of reward distribution.
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Delegation and governance participation required
To start staking, you must first complete the address delegation and then perform the governance participation step (Abstain) before rewards can begin accumulating.
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Rewards must be claimed manually
During the staking period, rewards need to be claimed manually. Once claimed, rewards are sent back to the same delegated address. If you continue staking, newly claimed rewards will also be included in future reward calculations, generating a compounding effect.
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How rewards are calculated
Rewards are based on the amount of ADA held at the address at the time of calculation. By claiming rewards regularly and keeping them in the same address, your total ADA increases and subsequently boosts compounding returns.
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Registration fee
According to Cardano’s on-chain rules, staking requires a 2 ADA registration fee. This fee will be automatically refunded when you unregister the staking delegation.
How to Start Staking
Step 1. Open the CoolWallet App → Wallet → Earn → ADA to access the ADA Manage Stakes page.
Step 2. Tap Stake, review your Cardano address and the validator, then tap Continue to proceed with the staking process.
Step 3. Review the transaction details carefully, then verify the transaction. (CoolWallet Pro or CoolWallet Go users will need to have their cold wallet card ready to sign). According to Cardano’s on-chain rules, staking requires a 2 ADA registration fee, which will be automatically refunded when you unregister the delegation.
Step 4. After the transaction is confirmed, your address delegation will be completed. You must then finish the governance participation step (Abstain) before rewards start accumulating.
Step 5. Return to the ADA Manage Stakes page and tap “Not participating in governance yet. Click here to join.” Then select the address you want to use for paying the network fee.
Step 6. Review the transaction details carefully, then verify the transaction. (CoolWallet Pro or CoolWallet Go users will need to have their cold wallet card ready to sign).
Step 7. Once the verification is completed, your ADA staking setup is successful and rewards will begin to accumulate.
How to Check Staking Status
Once staking is successful and rewards begin accumulating, you can view your total accumulated rewards under the Earn tab on the Wallet page.
How to Claim Staking Rewards
Step 1. On the Manage Stakes page, tap Claim Rewards, then select the address you want to use to pay the network fee.
Step 2. Review the transaction details carefully, then verify the transaction. (CoolWallet Pro or CoolWallet Go users will need to have their cold wallet card ready to sign).
Step 3. After the reward is successfully claimed, your accumulated reward amount will reset to zero, and the claimed rewards will be sent to the same delegated address. If you continue staking, the claimed rewards will also be included in future reward calculations, creating a compounding effect.
How to Unstake
Step 1. On the Manage Stakes page, tap Request Unstaking, then select the wallet address you want to unregister from staking.
Step 2. Review the transaction details carefully, then verify the transaction. (CoolWallet Pro or CoolWallet Go users will need to have their cold wallet card ready to sign).
Step 3. Once the unstake process is completed, the staking record will be removed from the Manage Stakes page.
FAQs
Q1. Can I transfer ADA while staking?
Yes. Your ADA remains in your wallet during staking and is never locked or moved. You can freely transfer ADA in or out, but your staking rewards will vary based on your address balance at the time rewards are calculated.
Is staking based on individual amounts?
No. ADA staking is based on the entire wallet address. Once delegation is completed, all ADA in that address automatically participates in staking.
Q3: What is the minimum amount required to stake ADA?
The Cardano network does not require a minimum staking amount. However, your address must hold enough ADA to pay network fees and the 2 ADA registration fee (which is refunded when you unregister your delegation).
Q4: Can I unstake ADA at any time?
Yes. You can unstake at any time. After unstaking, your ADA remains in the same address.
Q5: When are ADA staking rewards distributed?
Your first reward is distributed approximately 20 days after staking begins. After that, rewards are distributed every five days (each epoch) based on the ADA balance in your address at the time of calculation.
Q6: Why is 2 ADA deducted when I stake?
According to Cardano’s on-chain rules, your first staking action requires a 2 ADA registration fee to activate staking for your address. This fee is automatically refunded when you unregister your staking delegation.
Q7: Do I need to claim rewards manually?
Yes. Rewards must be claimed manually. Once claimed, they are sent to the same delegated address. If you continue staking, claimed rewards will also be included in future reward calculations. Note: You must complete the governance participation step before claiming staking rewards.
Q8: What does governance participation mean?
ADA holders can influence Cardano's development, resource allocation, and protocol upgrades by voting on proposals, delegating votes, or abstaining. CoolWallet currently only supports the abstain option.
Q9: How are staking rewards calculated?
Rewards are calculated every epoch (about five days) based on the total ADA held in your address at that time. The more ADA you stake and the better the validator performs, the higher your potential rewards. After validator commissions are deducted, the remaining rewards are distributed proportionally to delegators.
Q10. Which validator can I choose?
When staking ADA on CoolWallet, the current validator partner is Everstake, a well-known professional validator service provider recognized for its stable and reliable operation.
Q11: Are there any risks associated with staking ADA?
According to Cardano’s staking rules, if a validator is penalized for misbehavior, a portion of your staked ADA may also be slashed as a penalty.
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