Pool DAO Targets corporate treasuries and tokenized assets over three years Challenge Plan
The plan, detailed in the GOOSE-3 governance proposal released on November 24, 2025, sets four priorities: expanding stETH adoption, upgrading the protocol’s infrastructure, increasing new revenue through Lido Earn, and creating products that connect off-chain corporate finance activity with on-chain. liquidity.
Lido remains Ethereum’s largest liquid. staking supplier. The protocol holds approximately 28-30% of all stakes ETHwith a total value locked fluctuating between $18 billion and $40 billion depending on market conditions.
Staking yields have compressed as more validators enter the network. Base APRs are now 3-5%, down from higher levels in previous cycles. Lido governance cited this pressure as the main reason for diversifying its revenue base.
Lido V3 and its stVaults product launched on Ethereum mainnet on January 30, 2026. The upgrade replaces Lido’s previous single product. staking model with a modular infrastructure that allows institutional operators to customize safes to meet specific retention, compliance or performance requirements.
Two Lido Earn products, EarnETH and EarnUSD, are also live. They offer structured return strategies with daily compounding, targeting both retail Challenge users and stable coin holders seek returns above base staking prices.
The $60 million budget is divided into $43.8 million for core operations and growth, and $16.2 million in discretionary funds for high-impact items, including liquidity incentives and development of institutional products.
On the infrastructure side, the protocol plans to deliver Curated Module v2, Staking Router v3 and a new tool called ValMart, a validator routing system designed to simultaneously optimize performance, cost and decentralization. Lido is currently operating with over 683 unique visitors node operators.
Institutional access is a separate pathway. Vaneck filed an S-1 with the US SEC on October 20, 2025 for a Lido Staked ETH exchange-traded fund (ETF), the first US ETF proposal directly referencing stETH. The filing remains pending in March 2026.
In Europe, Wisdomtree launched a Physical Lido Staked Ether ETP in December 2025. The product is 100% backed by stETH, listed on Xetra, SIX and Euronext, and open with assets under management between $36 million and $50 million.
Lido’s participation in Cryptocurrency Council for Innovation and Proof of Stake Alliance supported both filings. The GOOSE-3 proposal calls for more ETF and ETP partnerships to bring stETH and stVaults together for traditional capital markets.
The proposal’s three-year vision describes staking becoming a stable core revenue line while the protocol creates products for business cash management, borrowing and tokenized assets.
Key performance indicators for 2026 include stVaults TVL, Lido Earn revenue contribution, ETF and ETP approvals and early traction from actual commercial pilots.
FAQs 🔎
- What is the Lido’s GOOSE-3 proposal? This is a governance plan describing the Lido DAOthe 2026 strategy to extend beyond liquid staking in yield and institutional products Challenge infrastructure.
- What is Lido DAO 2026 budget? Lido DAO approved $60 million for 2026, split between $43.8 million in core spending and $16.2 million in discretionary funds.
- Is there a Lido stETH ETF in the US? Vaneck filed an S-1 for a Lido Staked ETH ETF with the SEC on October 20, 2025; the request remains under review in March 2026.
- What is Lido Earn? Lido Earn is a suite of structured yield products, including EarnETH and EarnUSD, offering higher returns than basic staking through daily compounding strategies.
