Vitalik Buterin advocates lower requirements to democratize Ethereum solo staking

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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has voiced his support for lowering the minimum Ether (ETH) deposit required for solo staking, recognizing its importance in allowing more crypto investors to earn passive income and strengthening the network’s security.

On October 3rd, Buterin joined a community discussion on X to support lowering the current minimum deposit of 32 ETH for solo bettors. Solo stakers run full nodes using private computing equipment without relying on third-party services or staking pools. However, the substantial 32 ETH requirement was a barrier to wider participation.

Buterin emphasized the critical role of solo players in improving Ethereum’s security and decentralization during the Ethereum Singapore 2024 event in September. He noted that even a small percentage of individual participants can provide an important decentralized level of protection for the network against potential 51% attacks.

Temporary solutions for a long-term vision

In the recent X discussion, Buterin proposed workarounds to nurture a larger community of solo stakers. One idea involved increasing bandwidth requirements in exchange for lowering the minimum stake deposit to 16 or 24 ETH. However, an Ethereum developer pointed out that bandwidth availability for home networks varies by location, potentially working against the intended goal.

“(…) once we realize the bandwidth requirements decrease again and once we realize the finality of a single slot (SSF) in orbit, the minimum deposit can drop to 1 ETH,” Buterin said, outlining the vision its long term.

In fact, lowering the individual stake requirement to 1 ETH could significantly boost participation and enhance Ethereum’s decentralization.

The push for lower stake requirements aligns with Buterin’s recent call for Ethereum projects claiming to be Tier 2 networks to reach “Stage 1” by the end of 2024 or risk losing that designation. These initiatives reflect ongoing efforts to improve Ethereum’s accessibility, security, and decentralization as the network continues to evolve.

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