On September 8, the 0x02 CSM public testnet went live, allowing Node Operators to test running accumulating validators with 0x02 Withdrawal Credential permissionlessly through the Lido protocol on Hoodi.

Following a smooth testnet rollout, 0x02 CSM is targeted for an October mainnet launch, subject to Lido DAO approval in the upcoming on-chain voting slot (the proposal has already received Snapshot support).

Once live, 0x02 CSM will introduce a new permissionless path for running validators with a maximum effective balance of up to 2,048 ETH through Lido Core. Its parameters provide

2,048 ETH through Lido Core. Its parameters provide approximately 2.26x capital efficiency compared with solo staking, outperforming ICS over 32 ETH bonds.

With 0x02 validators becoming accessible through a permissionless CSM module, the new instance expands the range of viable operating models within Lido Core and creates more room for independent operators to participate in Ethereum validation at scale.

The public testnet remains available, so operators are encouraged to try the new setup ahead of the planned mainnet launch:

September marked another milestone for permissionless participation in Lido Core, with the number of qualified Identified Community Stakers (ICS) reaching 400 following the conclusion of the sixth assessment round. Since the framework was introduced, a total of 497 applications have been evaluated.

During the latest round, 18 additional Node Operators qualified for ICS status. Applicants can check their results through the CSM interface:

• Eligible operators may claim their ICS operator type directly in the UI,
• New operators will have the ICS type assigned automatically upon creating their operator profile.

The second Identified DVT Cluster (IDVTC) assessment round concluded on September 28, with two additional cluster applications approved. Each cluster consists of four verified ICS operators, bringing eight independent operators together to run validators collaboratively through DVT.

With 400 approved ICS applications and six approved IDVTC clusters, the approach continue to empower independent operator participation in the protocol and Ethereum validation while supporting different operating models: from individual validation to DVT and 0x02 setups.

Another major Lido Core milestone arrived in September — the first validator consolidation of Lido Core was successfully completed, kicking off the migration of approximately 8.4M ETH from the legacy Curated Module (CMv1) to Curated Module v2 (CMv2).

Since then, consolidations from CM to CMv2 have been progressing smoothly,

with Curated Node Operators proceeding as their CMv2 validators become active, which depends on the individual operator position in the Ethereum activation queue. By the end of September, 917,438 ETH had already been migrated from CM to CMv2, which accounts for 10.4% of Curated Module stake.

Top-up deposits were also enabled for Curated Module v2 during the final week of September and have been operating successfully since. This allows newly activated 0x02 validators to receive additional stake as the migration progresses.

Curated Module consolidation progress can be tracked here:

Lido Consolidation UI

consolidation-ui.lido.fi

Lido x Obol

5 Super Clusters are active on mainnet, running 500 validators each

Lido x SSV

5 Super Clusters are active on mainnet, running 500 validators each

September’s Lido Poolside community call brought together industry titans Joseph Lubin from MetaMask and Joseph Chalom from Sharplink for a conversation on the latest developments in institutional Ethereum staking, including why one of the largest corporate holders of ETH selected Lido for a $200M staking allocation.

Then the call shifted to the first results of the recent Lido Core upgrade and showed how the CMv2 Operator Types Framework is already translating decentralization incentives into measurable improvements across Lido validator set: geographic distribution, client diversity, and infrastructure resilience.

In September, Lido contributors also hosted Operator Town Hall with Jérôme de Tychey, one of the authors of EIP-8363: Tapered Issuance Burn, creating an open forum for operators to ask questions, raise concerns, share feedback, and discuss the validator-level implications of the proposal directly with its author.

The Town Hall turned into a broad Ethereum validator community discussion, with teams and operators from Rocket Pool, StakeWise, EthCoordinate, Stereum, Dappnode, and others joining the conversation. Over 1.5 hours, participants representing different operator profiles — from solo and community stakers to professional staking service providers — were able to explore the proposal in depth, better understand the authors’ reasoning, and surface practical considerations from those running Ethereum validator infrastructure.

On October 1, the authors withdrew EIP-8363 from consideration for Hegotá, acknowledging concerns raised throughout the broader discussion and calling for a dedicated process to consider Ethereum’s issuance policy.

A big thank you to everyone who contributed by joining the Town Hall discussion or submitting questions in advance. Open dialogue between authors and operators is an important part of Ethereum’s governance and sustainable network evolution.

Onward and forward, let’s improve Ethereum.

Updated stVaults Documentation Center

New to stVaults or looking to dive deeper?

The stVaults Documentation Center has been updated with resources covering everything you need to get started.

Explore the docs across key topics, roles, concepts, references, and operational guides:

stVaults Documentation Center | Lido Docs