Meta Pool Review 2026: Liquid Staking on NEAR, Aurora and Ethereum

Meta Pool is a liquid staking protocol. Its main product lets holders of NEAR stake their tokens and receive a liquid token in return, so the position can still be traded or used while it earns rewards. The project's own FAQ names NEAR Protocol, Aurora and Ethereum as the chains where it is active.

The protocol also runs a liquidity pool for users who want their NEAR back before the normal unstaking period ends. Liquidity providers supply the pool and earn the liquid unstaking fee. The META token sits alongside the staking product and is used for community governance, with locked META earning voting rewards.

One company profile lists Meta Pool as founded in 2021 and based in Panama City. The project's documentation describes a security review and fuzz testing, which are covered in the safety section below. Several third-party write-ups describe the protocol as having grown in total value locked, but the figures vary by source and are not verified here.

The project is active in the material reviewed, with recent monthly updates and governance activity. Readers should treat the figures and claims in this review as a starting point and check the current state of the protocol in its app and documentation before depositing.

Staking means locking a proof-of-stake token so that validators can secure a network, and stakers earn rewards in return. The problem is that staked tokens are usually locked for a set period. Liquid staking solves this by issuing a receipt token that represents the staked position, so the holder still has something to trade or use while the underlying stake keeps earning.

Meta Pool applies this model to NEAR. A user sends NEAR to the protocol, which stakes it with validators and issues a liquid token that accrues rewards over time. The protocol also runs a liquidity pool. Liquidity providers deposit NEAR into that pool, so users who want their NEAR back before the unstaking period ends can swap against it, and the providers earn the liquid unstaking fee for doing so.

The protocol extends across NEAR, Aurora and Ethereum, and a separate META token is used for community governance and voting rewards. Holders who lock META can vote on protocol decisions, and the size of the reward depends on how much they lock.

Meta Pool describes a liquid unstaking fee that is paid to liquidity providers. The full schedule, including any share of staking rewards kept by the protocol, is not published in the material available. Users see fees within the app at metapool.app, where the staking and unstaking steps are shown before a transaction is signed. Network gas costs on each chain are separate from any protocol fee.

Meta Pool's documentation references a security review report, identified as NM-0434-METAPOOL. The material available does not summarise its findings or say whether every issue was fixed, so the report itself is the place to check scope and results. The project also describes fuzz tests that generate random operations and check a list of invariants, which is a useful practice but does not replace an independent audit.

Custody works through smart contracts. Staked NEAR is delegated to validators by the protocol's contracts, and the liquid token and the liquidity pool are also controlled by contracts. Smart-contract risk is the main concern: a bug in any contract could affect deposited funds. Counterparty risk applies to the validators the protocol uses and to the META governance process, since token holders can influence how the protocol changes.

No security incidents appear in the material reviewed. Regulatory status in each jurisdiction is not stated in the material available. Users should check the rules where they live before using the product.

Meta Pool is aimed at people who already hold NEAR and want to earn staking rewards while keeping their position usable. It also suits users who are comfortable with the extra risks of smart contracts and multiple chains, and who want to participate in governance through the META token.