It is essential for users to stake their PoS tokens with dependable and highly performant validators, which is why we have rolled out our Staking Rewards Verified Staking Provider (VSP) Program in June 2022. Through this program, we thoroughly scrutinize potential validators, evaluating factors such as security measures, their on-chain reliability, their provider setup, and value-added services for the whole ecosystem.

There are many metrics to consider when selecting a validator to delegate to:

Commission Rates: The commission rate a validator charges is the % of your reward that the validator keeps for themselves. A high commission rate means your rewards will be lower, whilst a low commission rate could mean that the validator is not profitable and could cause issues for them in the future. Keep in mind that validators can adjust their commission rates up or down over time. 

Number of Users: A high number of delegators could indicate positive sentiment towards a validator. 

Validators Self-Staked Balance: A provider with a high amount of staked tokens likely has more incentive to continue operating their services as they have more to lose than those with low self-staked balances. This metric has some limitations as Validators can choose to delegate to their own validator from another wallet, which is done to increase the security of their funds. 

Current Status: To check if a validator is currently active, go to the Quicksilver Validator Dashboard on Mintscan. The default view on this page is for “Active” validators, but you can also filter to view inactive validators in the top right corner of the page.

Network Share: You typically don’t want to choose a validator with the highest or a low network share. Delegating to the most popular validators increases centralization risks within the network as those validators will have more say in governance and produce a larger share of the blocks. A validator with a low network share might not be profitable, increasing the risk of discontinuing their services. If a validator drops out of the eligible set, they also stop earning rewards. However, if you are willing to put more time in, delegating to a smaller validator helps support the network's decentralization. You would just have to make sure to check regularly if the provider is still active and operating. 

Performance: Make sure you pick a validator with the highest possible performance. Further, please check individual validators’ uptime, and our recommendation is only to choose those with a >=99% uptime and a long history of not getting slashed. 

Value Add to the Ecosystem: Some providers offer extra services to their delegators, such as tax reporting tools or explorers. This can be another great way to filter for long-term validators invested in the Quicksilver Ecosystem. By delegating to a validator who is strongly dedicated, you are supporting their development which indirectly impacts the value of your QCK investment beyond the rewards from staking.

Staking rewards for QCK are composed of:

Inflation: QCK tokens are emitted as Staking Rewards to reward validators and their delegators for securing the Quicksilver network. A portion of the QCK inflation is allocated to Participation Rewards - a mechanism that will distribute QCK tokens every epoch to stakers that choose to stake with smaller, performant validators that are active in governance.

Protocol Revenue: Quicksilver protocol charges a fee of 3.5% on staking rewards. Fees are taken when the protocol auto-compounds rewards at the end of each epoch. The protocol takes fees in the native chain token. Fees are re-distributed to QCK stakers. Additionally, the QCK token is used to pay fees for transactions submitted to the network. These fees are paid to block producers on the network as compensation including transactions in a block.

You are welcome to play around with our QCK Staking Calculator to get a better feel of how these metrics can influence your rewards.

We strive to make staking as safe and transparent as possible, however, it's important to consider factors that may influence whether a particular staking option is appropriate for you.

Slashing risk: In the event of a slashing affecting one validator, the impact is shared by all holders of the related qAsset through a negative adjustment in the Asset:qAsset redemption rate. This means that the consequences of a validator's misbehavior or failure are distributed among all holders equally, rather than being concentrated on those who delegated to the specific validator. However, the effect of a slashing event can be effectively mitigated through sufficient decentralization across validators. By spreading delegations across multiple validators, the impact of any single validator's failure is minimized.

Unbonding risk: When staking QCK tokens, there is a lockup period of 21 days. This means that investors will not be able to sell their tokens immediately, but instead need to wait 21 days after initiating unbonding before they can be traded again. This is something to keep in mind when deciding to stake, as crypto markets are highly volatile. Consider keeping funds liquid if you do not intend to hold QCK long-term. 

Dropping out of the active set: A validator could drop out of the eligible set, meaning they no longer earn any rewards. Ensure you check back frequently to ensure your validator is active, not jailed, and has not unreasonably raised their commission fees.

Protocol security risks: There is an inherent risk that the protocol could contain unknown bugs, this risk applies not only to staking but also to the investment in QCK.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all the risks related to staking.

• Firstly, delegating from one validator to another can be done without waiting for the unbonding period. You might consider redelegating if your current validator raises their commission rate or gets jailed for misbehavior on-chain.
• Secondly, rewards are not auto-compounded. To get the most out of your tokens, you should consider claiming and staking your rewards more frequently, but consider that each transaction will cost you some gas. By using our Quicksilver staking calculator, you can calculate the optimal re-stake frequency for your amount of QCK.
• Lastly, as a participant in the Quicksilver Ecosystem, once you have staked your tokens, you can vote on Governance Proposals. While your contribution and vote are highly valuable to the ecosystem, participating does not affect the sum of your rewards.
• By delegating to a good long-term oriented validator, you can reduce most of your maintenance and only have to check back to restake your rewards.

The Quicksilver native token is QCK, operating on adaptable tokenomics governed by community input. Its distribution aims for decentralization through mechanisms like Participation Rewards and Airdrops. It has three specific roles:

Governance: It is a critical component of the Quicksilver network. Onboarding of new zones and corresponding incentivization, spending of community-controlled funds, changing of network parameters, and control of the upgrade process are all events handled by the governance process. QCK token holders can use their assets to vote in governance.

Security: QCK token holders can use their assets to secure the Quicksilver chain by delegating them to Validators that stake them to provide PoS consensus to the Network. The Quicksilver chain is a sovereign Cosmos-SDK chain, leveraging IBC.

Fee Payment: QCK token is used to pay fees for transactions submitted to the network. These fees are paid to block producers on the network as compensation including transactions in a block.

Quicksilver adopts the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC), marking the transition of its block production from its own validator set to that of the Cosmos Hub. Consequently, the economic security of the Quicksilver blockchain shifted from being based on staked QCK to staked ATOM. The primary reason for this shift was to enhance Quicksilver’s economic security to match that of the Cosmos Hub.

Cosmos is powered by Tendermint BFT. Tendermint BFT is a Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus engine developed by Tendermint. It offers instant finality, is horizontally scalable, and is secure against malicious actors. It is also open-source, meaning anyone can inspect and use the code. Additionally, it is simple to set up and use, allowing developers to quickly and easily build distributed applications. The active validator set consists of the 100 highest-ranked validators by staked tokens, from which 1 validator is randomly selected to propose a block with 66% of the remaining active validators being required to attest the block for it to become final. The higher the stake, the more likely they are to be selected.