What is staking?
Staking is locking crypto assets to support a proof-of-stake network’s security and consensus in exchange for rewards. It comes in materially different forms: solo staking with your own validator, delegated staking through a protocol, custodial staking offered by exchanges, and liquid staking that issues a tradable receipt token. The legal and risk profile differs sharply across these forms even though the marketing word is the same.
What actually matters in staking
Three things decide the risk: who controls the keys, what the reward really is, and what can be lost. Custodial staking is a service relationship where you carry counterparty risk on the platform. Slashing can burn part of the stake when a validator misbehaves. Lock-up and unbonding periods mean the assets cannot be exited during exactly the market conditions that make you want to exit. Liquid staking adds a second layer: the receipt token has its own market and can trade away from the underlying.
Staking under Turkish law
Türkiye’s Law No. 7518 regime covers crypto asset services under CMB supervision, and platforms offering staking to Turkish customers operate within the licensed CASP framework, with custody rules front and centre. The tax treatment of staking rewards has no dedicated rule yet; characterisation questions remain open and conservative documentation is advisable for companies. Projects marketing yield to retail users should also assess whether the offer starts to resemble a regulated collective investment or deposit-like product, which is the analysis regulators worldwide apply first.
Is staking income taxable in Türkiye?
There is no staking-specific tax rule as of 2026. For companies the rewards flow through commercial income in practice; for individuals the position is less settled. Keep contemporaneous records of reward dates and values; characterisation debates are won on documentation.
What is the main legal difference between custodial and non-custodial staking?
Custodial staking creates a claim against a platform, so licensing, custody segregation and insolvency treatment dominate. Non-custodial staking leaves the asset with the user, shifting the analysis to protocol risk and slashing rather than counterparty risk.
What should a corporate treasury check before staking?
Platform licensing status, segregation of client assets, slashing and unbonding terms, and the accounting treatment of both the staked asset and the rewards. Board-level authorisation should reference these specifically.
Related terms: liquid staking, PoS rewards.
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