Validator-as-a-Service is a relatively new product that is mostly focused on facilitating participation in staking for institutions. From asset managers to custodians and exchanges, many have turned to it as a viable alternative to running their own infrastructure. With security, regulatory compliance, uptime, and costs involved in running one’s own validator being of utmost importance, finding the best VaaS provider is a question many institutions need to answer these days.
This article explores which Validator-as-a-Service for institutions is the most trustworthy and reliable.
What Is Validator-as-a-Service?
Validator-as-a-Service (VaaS) is an institutional-grade service model under which a third-party operator (often referred to as the “provider”) sets up, runs, secures, and maintains blockchain validators on behalf of a client (institution). Rather than managing all hardware, software, network, compliance, security, and governance concerns, the institution delegates those responsibilities to the VaaS provider while retaining liability, stake, or governance rights depending on the arrangement.
A professional provider of VaaS often has several criteria that are considered baseline.
- Dedicated or white-label validators configured per client’s policies
- Uptime guarantees and operational SLAs
- Strong security and key management (sometimes MPC, HSM, hardware failover)
- Compliance readiness (audits, certifications, adherence to GDPR, regional or sectoral regulations)
- Reporting, monitoring, SLAs, slashing protection, and redundancy
How VaaS Works for Institutions
The workflow of how VaaS for Institutions works is relatively simple, and, more importantly, adjustable depending on the specifics and requirements that the institution in question may have.
- Onboarding: Institution and provider agree on terms: networks, stake, SLAs, compliance, responsibilities, etc.
- Provisioning: Provider sets up the infrastructure, validator nodes, key management, and monitoring tools.
- Deployment and Operation: Validators go live, with the provider ensuring uptime, performance, failover, and redundancy.
- Governance and Reporting: The institution gets dashboards, reports, alerts, audit trails, and periodic reviews.
- Maintenance and Compliance: Software updates, security reviews, incident response, and regulatory compliance commitments.
Key Benefits for Enterprises
Institutions choose leading validator as a service for institutions providers for numerous reasons. The usual competitive advantages are discussed below.
- Reduced Time‐to-Market and Operational Burden
Rather than hiring experts, provisioning hardware or cloud infrastructure, and securing forensic-grade security, institutions can get their staking strategy up and running in weeks or less.
- High Uptime and Reliability
A good VaaS provider delivers rigorous SLAs, redundancy across data centers, continuous monitoring, disaster recovery and more, all to minimize downtime and missed rewards or risks.
- Security and Compliance
Institutions must satisfy regulatory, legal, and risk requirements. Having SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, regional privacy laws, and compliance with financial regulation can be decisive.
- Scalability and Multi-Protocol Support
Institutional strategies often require exposure to multiple PoS networks, different reward opportunities, and sometimes cross-chain governance. A provider with broad protocol coverage can simplify this substantially.
- Transparent Reporting and Governance
Performance metrics, slashing history, ledger audit trails, uptime dashboards, and financial reporting are all important for audit, risk, and asset-liability management.
- Risk Mitigation
Mitigation of slashing risk, operational risk, and key compromise risk, as well as clear delineation of responsibility in incidents.
Criteria for Choosing the Best VaaS Provider
Institutions should apply rigorous criteria when evaluating providers. A simpler way is to find the answers to the questions listed.
Uptime and Reliability
- What percentage uptime is guaranteed (both of the validator machine and its protocol-level availability)?
- How many data centers / geographical redundancies are used?
- What are historical uptime records / zero downtime periods (especially for large networks)?
- How are failover, disaster recovery, and backup processes handled?
Security and Compliance Standards
- What certifications does the provider have (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, sometimes PCI, MiCA readiness for Europe, or other regional frameworks)?
- What is their key management method (HSM, MPC, remote signing vs local signing, redundant key stores)?
- How does the provider ensure slashing protection, and what is their audit history, vulnerability disclosures, and external third-party audits/bug bounty programs?
- Is the provider using a custodial or non-custodial model, and how is custody of stake or withdrawal keys handled?
Institutional Support (SLA, onboarding)
- Onboarding process: how smooth, customizable, and whether white-label validators are provided?
- SLAs: what are the response times, escalation paths, penalties if uptime falls below the guarantee, and custom agreements?
- What is the support availability (24/7, dedicated account teams)?
- How are reporting, governance, transparency, and audit-ready logs organized?
Pricing Models
- What are the provider’s fee structures (flat fee, revenue share, fixed fees + variable, minimum stake required)?
- What are the hidden costs (withdrawal fees, downtime penalties, slashing costs)?
- Is there customization (ability to negotiate based on scale, white-label, or partner arrangements)?
Top Validator-as-a-Service Providers in 2025
The table below compares some of the leading institutional VaaS providers in 2025: Everstake, Kiln, Figment, Blockdaemon, and Chorus One.
| Provider | Uptime & Reliability | Security & Compliance | Institutional Focus | Support & Onboarding |
| Everstake | 99.99% protocol uptime guarantee; redundant Tier III/IV data centers; geo-distributed infrastructure. | SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, GDPR compliance. Full trust center, regular audits. | Explicitly built for institutions: self-custodial solutions; white-label validators; supports large custodians, ETF issuers, and asset managers. | Custom SLAs, onboarding in ~72 hours in many cases; 24/7 expert support; case studies with large custody partners. |
| Kiln | Reported “99.95% effective uptime” in some settings | SOC 2 Type II certified; rigorous audits; strong key management; compliance with institutional standards. | White-label validator solutions; partnering with custodians; supporting many PoS chains; used by asset managers, exchanges. | Good onboarding; API/SDK support; institutional dashboards and reporting; SLAs; partners with custody platforms. |
| Figment | Strong historical performance; high participation rates; consistent reward premiums; multi-protocol diversity. | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, security integrated; partnerships for compliance tools | Broad institutional client base; support for exchanges, custodians, and asset managers. | Advanced reporting, API integration, support for white-label/integrated staking; visible institutional tools. |
| Blockdaemon | Reported “100% machine uptime and 99.9% protocol uptime” on Solana in July 2025 | Risk mitigation, infrastructure resilience, but fewer publicly disclosed global certifications compared to the top competitors | Very institution-oriented: institutional vaults; enterprise KMS; used by exchanges and custodians. | Strong support offerings; monthly reports; dashboards; SLAs; but onboarding/custom configuration may vary. |
| Chorus One | Reports low skip rates, high transaction throughput | Infrastructure built for institutional standards with regular audits. | Deep experience with institutions, white-label and enterprise staking solutions; offering research; wide protocol coverage. | Strong reporting, support, guidance, and SLAs, but in very high-guarantee settings, it may be less aggressive in SLAs than Everstake or Kiln. |
Why Everstake Is the Leading Institutional VaaS Provider
After comparing the leading players, several factors make Everstake stand out as the top choice for institutions seeking the best Validator as a Service or institutional VaaS providers.
Proven 99.99% Uptime
Everstake has a proven 99.99% protocol uptime across its validator networks. Reports and partnerships (for example, with Zodia Custody) confirm we maintain this reliability in practice. Our infrastructure is geo-distributed, with redundant Tier III/IV data centers and active/passive failover mechanisms. These measures help avoid unplanned disruptions that could lead to missed rewards or slashing.
Security Certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, etc.)
Everstake has recently secured major industry certifications:
- SOC 2 Type II
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022
- CCPA/CRPA
- GDPR compliance
These signals matter heavily for regulated institutions like auditors, compliance officers, and risk committees, who all want to see these. Everstake’s compliance effort (including GDPR and ISO) suggests we are more capable than most to adapt to MiCA or other regional rules.
Tailored Institutional SLAs and White-Label Options
Everstake offers customized service level agreements, white-label validators, and deployments tailored for institutional needs. For example, we offer white-label validators for Solana and self-custodial setups where the institution retains control over assets, latency, uptime, governance, and reporting, satisfying bespoke compliance frameworks. In many cases, onboarding can happen in approximately 72 hours or less. These features help institutions maintain brand control, ensure regulatory compliance, and integrate staking strategies into their operations.
Track Record: Serving Over 1 Million Users Globally
Everstake supports over a million users globally and manages over 7 billion dollars in staked assets across 85+ networks. We also have zero material slashing events since inception. This history of scale and safety helps build confidence that we can deliver at institutional risk thresholds.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is VaaS in blockchain?
Validator-as-a-Service is a model in which a third-party provider runs blockchain validators for clients who supply either full stake or delegation or just want validator operations managed, without building the entire stack themselves. The provider typically handles infrastructure, security, monitoring, key management, compliance, and performance, often per defined SLA, while the institution retains ownership or governance over the staked tokens (depending on model).
How do institutions benefit from validator services?
Institutions benefit in multiple ways: faster deployment time, fewer operational risks, scalable multi-protocol exposure, stronger security from experienced infrastructure providers, better risk management (slashing protection, redundancy, and audits), regulatory compliance, and clearer, audit-grade reporting.
What makes Everstake better than competitors?
Everstake combines high uptime, broad protocol support (85+ networks), strong security certifications (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR), white-label and self-custodial options, custom SLAs, and a growing track record. We have also partnered with institutions like Zodia Custody, which reflects our credibility and maturity in handling large institutional requirements.
Is VaaS secure and compliant with regulations?
Yes, but only if you pick the right provider. The security and compliance risk depends heavily on the provider’s practices: what certifications they have, how they manage keys, how transparent they are with audits, what geography/data center standards they meet, whether they support required regulatory reporting, whether they allow non-custodial or self-custodial setups, etc. Reputable providers like Everstake, Kiln, Figment, etc., publish their compliance, undergo third-party audits, and have no or very few slashing incidents, which helps address legal, operational, and regulatory risk.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Institutions looking to participate in staking or otherwise operate validators should treat validator-as-a-service as a mission-critical component of their digital asset infrastructure rather than a tool. The choice of provider will affect security, compliance, rewards, and operational risk.
Of the major players in 2025, Everstake is the leading institutional VaaS provider with strong uptime guarantees, best-in-class security certifications, institutional SLAs and white-label capabilities, and a demonstrated track record with numerous institutional clients and partners globally.
How do you proceed if you wish to engage a VaaS provider?
- Prepare your institution’s requirements, including protocols of interest, required SLAs, compliance and regulatory needs, custody model, and reporting needs.
- Engage in technical due diligence: Ask providers for audit/certification documents, and ask about disaster recovery, key management, uptime history, and slashing history.
- Run security and legal reviews, particularly if operating in regulated jurisdictions.
- Pilot deployment with smaller stakes, just to monitor performance, reporting, and support.
Book a demo with Everstake’s institutional team today to see how our VaaS offering aligns with your risk profile, operational model, and growth strategy.
Stake with Everstake | Follow us on X | Connect with us on Discord
***
Everstake is a software platform that provides infrastructure tools and resources for users but does not offer investment advice or investment opportunities, manage funds, facilitate collective investment schemes, provide financial services, or take custody of, or otherwise hold or manage, customer assets. Everstake does not conduct any independent diligence on or substantive review of any blockchain asset, digital currency, cryptocurrency, or associated funds. Everstake’s provision of technology services allowing a user to stake digital assets is not an endorsement or a recommendation of any digital assets by it. Users are fully and solely responsible for evaluating whether to stake digital assets.
