arXiv subjects

Nicolas Oderbolz

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolas Oderbolz.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Towards a Formal Framework of the Ethereum Staking Market

This paper examines how various categories of Ethereum stakers respond to changes in the consensus issuance schedule, and the potential impact of such changes on the composition of the staking market. To this end, we have develop and calibrate a game-theoretic model of the Ethereum staking market, incorporating strategic interactions between various staking agents. Our findings suggest that solo stakers may be more sensitive to variations in staking rewards than ETH holders using centralized exchanges or liquid staking providers. This increased sensitivity is driven not only by the cost structure of solo staking, but also by the competitive dynamics between different staking solutions in the market. When faced with a downward-sloping issuance schedule, staking agents compete for limited staking yields, and their choice of staking supply affects the revenues of other stakers. Therefore, the presence of other staking methods with access to MEV revenues and other DeFi yield sources when staking, as well as inattentive stakers, puts competitive pressure on solo stakers. Consequently, our model predicts that a reduction in issuance is likely to crowd out solo stakers. We present preliminary empirical evidence to support this result, using an instrumental variable estimation approach to estimate the yield elasticity of staking supply for different staking categories.

econ.GN↗

arXiv2024

Towards an Optimal Staking Design: Balancing Security, User Growth, and Token Appreciation

This paper examines the economic and security implications of Proof-of-Stake (POS) designs, providing a survey of POS design choices and their underlying economic principles in prominent POS-blockchains. The paper argues that POS-blockchains are essentially platforms that connect three groups of agents: users, validators, and investors. To meet the needs of these groups, blockchains must balance trade-offs between security, user adoption, and investment into the protocol. We focus on the security aspect and identify two different strategies: increasing the quality of validators (static security) vs. increasing the quantity of stakes (dynamic security). We argue that quality comes at the cost of quantity, identifying a trade-off between the two strategies when designing POS systems. We test our qualitative findings using panel analysis on collected data. The analysis indicates that enhancing the quality of the validator set through security measures like slashing and minimum staking amounts may decrease dynamic security. Further, the analysis reveals a strategic divergence among blockchains, highlighting the absence of a single, universally optimal staking design solution. The optimal design hinges upon a platform's specific objectives and its developmental stage. This research compels blockchain developers to meticulously assess the trade-offs outlined in this paper when developing their staking designs.

econ.GN↗