Kraken has added Avalanche (AVAX) staking for eligible users worldwide, offering a tiered set of Earn products that include a limited-time promotional yield as it expands staking access.
What’s new
- Launched May 21, Kraken’s AVAX staking comes in three options:
- Bonded Staking: up to 10% APY for a limited promotional period, falling to 7% APY thereafter (locked/bonded positions).
- Auto Earn: up to 3.5% APY.
- Flexible Staking: up to 3.5% APY.
- Rewards from all three products are automatically restaked, so returns compound without user intervention.
- Kraken operates the validator infrastructure, handling validator operations, infrastructure management and reward distribution for users.
Why it matters
“Staking AVAX has always been possible, but for most holders it’s meant managing validators and technical complexity. We made it simple for clients to participate in protocol staking across various Earn offerings. Kraken runs the infrastructure,” said John Zettler, Kraken’s Director of Earn Products. John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs, added that simplifying staking removes technical barriers and should broaden participation in Avalanche’s network security while enabling holders to earn rewards.
Market and ecosystem context
- Avalanche staking returned roughly 7% on average in 2025, so Kraken’s 10% promotional bonded rate sits above historical network yields for the introductory period.
- The launch arrives as other tradable Avalanche-linked staking products have debuted: Crypto.news previously covered Bitwise’s BAVA ETP on the NYSE (April 2026), targeting a 5.4% staking yield, and Grayscale’s GAVA Avalanche Staking ETF (March 2026) with zero fees and embedded staking.
- Avalanche’s enterprise footprint includes deployments by BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Apollo, FIFA and the state of Wyoming.
- AVAX trades near $9.39, down about 58.7% over the past year as broader efforts to expand staking access and roll out ETF-like products try to spur renewed demand.
Bottom line: Kraken’s new AVAX staking packages lower the technical bar for participation, offering an attractively high short-term bonded APY to draw capital in while providing simpler, auto-compounding options for more flexible users.
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