August Modules Updates

Community Staking Module

Unlock Exclusive CSM Benefits as an Identified Community Staker

The Identified Community Staker (ICS) application is now live on mainnet! By verifying your identity as a Community Staker, you benefit from enhanced parameters — designed to reward independence, align incentives, and strengthen protocol decentralization — within the CSM.

Why Apply?

ICS Node Operator type offers exclusive parameters as compared to Permissionless CSM Operators. Folowing the DAO-approved CSM v2 fee structure, ICS operators receive:

These parameters were designed to incentivize the growth of the staking community, keeping low barriers of entry and empowering Community Stakers:

How It Works

The ICS applications are evaluated using the Community Stakers Identification Framework, which scores applicants based on three categories — experience, community engagement and humanity verification — that provide a straightforward and robust way for operators to identify themselves.

The process is simple and transparent — just four steps:

A Path Toward Greater Decentralization

As Lido continues evolving toward a permissionless staking future, frameworks like ICS ensure that decentralization isn’t just theoretical — it’s practical and meaningful — and enables inclusion of Community Stakers into this highly competitive landscape.

For independent stakers, verifying as an Identified Community Staker is more than just a label — it’s the key to an easier, more rewarding experience within CSM. Better rewards, lower bonds, priority access — it’s well worth the effort to apply.

Become Identified Community Staker Now

Applications are open, and the first review round concludes on October 1.

Take the leap and become part of a more decentralized staking future.

SafeStake DVT Testnet: CSM Operators Invited

SafeStake, a DVT protocol designed to remove reliance on a single validator key through the DKG implementation at the protocol level, has launched an incentive program for its Cluster Node Module (CNM) testnet.

CSM Node Operators are invited to join the testnet, contributing to SafeStake’s evolution and earning $DVT rewards for their participation. This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience with emerging DVT infrastructure and further strengthen the decentralization of Ethereum staking.

The testnet runs until September 15, 2025. Full details can be found in the SafeStake blog.

Simple DVT Module

Distributed Validator Vault

In the final week of August, the DVV crossed a major milestone — $100 million in deposits, marking a new all-time high.

As of September 1, 2025, over 13,300 ETH has been staked via the Mellow Distributed Validator Vault (DVV).

New deposits accelerate the growth of DVT-based validator setups powered by Obol and SSV Network providers. As new validators are activated, eligible Mellow Vault users receive additional rewards in the form of Obol and SSV tokens, based on the number of active DVT validators running through the Lido protocol.

More resilience — stronger Ethereum.

Node Operator Community

Lido Tokenholder Update Call

The latest Lido Tokenholder Update Call covered the current state of Lido, including updates on the Lido Labs Foundation’s leadership structure, and its evolving business strategy. Vasiliy, Executive Director of Lido Labs, shared a high-level staking market overview, strategic growth priorities and a proposed approach to recent buyback proposals. This was followed by a community Q&A session with Isidoros Passadis, Chief of Staking, and Sam Kim, COO.

Dive into the highlights in the recap or watch the full 50-minute recording on YouTube.

The next Tokenholder Update Call will take place in Q4 2025.

Stay tuned to the Lido X account to be the first to hear what's coming next!

Validator Ejector Updates

Oracle Allowlist Update

If you're a Curated or Simple DVT Node Operator using Ejector or referencing the Lido Oracle Allowlist in a custom setup, please update your mainnet Ejector ORACLE_ADDRESSES_ALLOWLIST configuration immediately.

These changes are mandatory, as the rotation has already been executed. If you haven’t applied them yet, action is required ASAP to ensure continued functionality.

Oracle Allowlist Changes

Reminder: After updating your allowlist, don’t forget to restart your Ejector to apply the changes.

How to Verify the Updated Allowlist?

You can confirm the new allowlist using the getMembers() method on the VEBO contract, accessible via Etherscan. Full instructions are available in this guide.

Validator Ejector 1.9.0 Pre-release Announcement

A new Lido Validator Ejector v1.9.0 is now available and ready for testing — but please note it is intended for use on the Hoodi testnet only. Do not use this version on mainnet.

This version supports new features introduced with the Triggerable Withdrawals (TW) release. Check out detailed resources:

Test It on Hoodi

If you’re running infrastructure on Hoodi, Lido contributors encourage you to start testing this new version in your setup. Your feedback will be incredibly valuable in ensuring a smooth rollout ahead of the future mainnet release. Please share any issues, insights, or suggestions directly in the respective Lido channels.

Community Sentiment Around Raising the Gas Limit

Lido Node Operators are continuing to raise gas limits on Ethereum mainnet. As of September 1st, 94% of Lido validators are now voting for a 45M+ gas limit, marking an +11.6 percentage point increase month-over-month. The breakdown is as follows:

• 87.6% (+10.3pp.) voting for 45M
• 6.3% (+1.3pp.) voting for 60M

This reflects a shared commitment to improving Ethereum’s transaction throughput, as well as the outcome of a deliberate and cautious process focused on client readiness, testnet validation, and incorporating broader ecosystem feedback.

Track It Live

Stay on top of Lido gas limit voting with the Lido Pumped Gas Dashboard. It provides:

• Real-time and 14-day historical views
• Data available both at an aggregated level and for individual blocks
• Fully verifiable on-chain

VaNOM Q2 Update

The Q2 2025 Node Operator & Validator Metrics (VaNOM) report is now live — offering a deep dive into validator performance, infrastructure trends, and decentralization progress across the Lido ecosystem. Quick highlights:

• New section: Quarterly and cumulative stETH rewards earned by Lido Node Operators, which also develop Ethereum clients.
• Client Share Shifts: Reth client adoption doubled across the Curated & Simple DVT Modules, balancing client diversity further.
• Infrastructure Trends: Public cloud at 51.86% in the Curated Module, retaining the largest share; dedicated servers most used (61.97%) in the Simple DVT; home setups, 59.1%, preferred by the CSM.

Explore the full data-rich experience in the Q2 VaNOM report or catch more highlights here.

Bonus Content

Dmitry, Staking Modules Lead at the Lido Labs Foundation, joined the Blueprints by Symbiotic podcast to unpack the future of Ethereum staking. In the episode, he shares insights into the evolving decentralization landscape, how Lido is pioneering the space and why the CSM plays a pivotal role in empowering independent stakers and strengthening Ethereum’s validator set.