StakedICP Review 2026: Non-Custodial Liquid Staking on ICP

StakedICP is a liquid staking protocol built on the Internet Computer, the blockchain run by DFINITY. It lets ICP holders stake their tokens and receive stICP in return, which keeps a claim on the staked position while the tokens are in use elsewhere.

The protocol has been around since at least 2022, when a community deep dive described its auto-compounding design. DefiLlama has listed it since June 2023 under the liquid staking category. A project post refers to a v2 launch and describes StakedICP as the first and only non-custodial liquid staking option for ICP, which is the project's own claim and not an independent ranking.

The project does not publish a team roster, fee schedule or audit report in the material available. Anyone considering it should check the official site and the protocol's documentation for current terms before staking.

Staking means locking a crypto asset to help secure a blockchain and earn rewards. On the Internet Computer, ICP holders can stake, but a standard stake usually ties up the tokens. Liquid staking solves this by giving the staker a receipt token that can be held or moved while the original ICP keeps earning.

StakedICP works this way. A user deposits ICP into the protocol and receives stICP. The project says the rewards from the staked ICP are auto-compounded inside the contract, so the value of stICP grows relative to ICP over time rather than paying out separate rewards.

The project describes itself as non-custodial. In practice, this means the smart contract, not a company, holds the staked ICP, and users control the wallet that holds their stICP. That design reduces counterparty risk but places more weight on the contract code itself.

The project does not publish its fee schedule in the material available. Users would normally find any staking fee or reward split on the official site or in the protocol's own documentation before staking.

The project describes StakedICP as non-custodial, so users keep control of their assets through their own wallets. Non-custodial does not mean risk-free. The protocol runs on smart contracts, and bugs or exploits in that code could affect staked funds.

DefiLlama lists no audits for StakedICP. The material available does not include an audit report, a bug bounty, or details of any past incidents, so these should be checked directly with the project before use.

The team is not named in the material available. Regulatory status is not described. Crypto staking carries price risk for both ICP and stICP, and it is not a guaranteed return. Only stake amounts you can afford to lose.

StakedICP suits ICP holders who want to earn staking rewards without locking tokens in a standard stake, and who are comfortable managing their own wallet and checking smart-contract risks themselves. It is less suitable for people who need audited, insured or fully documented products, or who want a named company to contact about problems.