Staking Rewards in Flux: Ethereum, Polkadot, and Cosmos in the Spotlight

The staking landscape has changed significantly in 2026, with Polkadot and Aptos rewriting the rules for staking rewards.

Ethereum remains the largest staking network by value, with a reported base staking APR of 2.8% to 3.5% and optional MEV rewards.

Polkadot, on the other hand, has seen a significant reduction in its token issuance, from 120 million to 55 million, and has set a 2.1 billion supply cap.

Sui stands out for its flexibility, with no lock-up period and rewards compounding inside the validator pool.

Cosmos shows the highest headline rate, but inflation and a 21-day exit period take a bite out of the reward.