How do I stake ZIL?

Stake your ZIL with Atomic Wallet to earn rewards! With the launch of ZIL 2.0, staking mechanics have changed. This guide explains how to migrate your old ZIL and start staking on the new network. 

Contents

Getting started with staking

Staking looks pretty straightforward as a process—instead of just keeping your ZIL deposit on your balance, you're choosing to stake it and earn interest. Where does the interest come from, though? 

By delegating your ZIL to a validator of your choice, you're expressing your trust in them, which makes them more powerful on the Zilliqa blockchain. As validators get paid for confirming blockchain transactions, they in turn pay back to those who supported them. That's how you earn your rewards.

ZIL 2.0 101: the things you need to know

  • Old ZIL 1.0 cannot be staked or claimed in Atomic Wallet. Atomic Wallet does not support staking, unstaking, or claiming rewards on the old ZIL 1.0 network. If your ZIL is still staked on the old network, you must use Zillet wallet to manage it, including unstaking and claiming any remaining rewards on the old network.
  • Instant migration: send ZIL 1.0 to your ZIL EVM address to migrate on ZIL 2.0. Your ZIL 2.0 will be immediately available. You must send old ZIL as a regular transaction to your ZIL EVM address. After the transfer is complete, you can stake your ZIL again on the ZIL 2.0 network.
  • New staking is EVM-based, faster, and has no long unbonding period. ZIL 2.0 staking is built on an EVM-compatible architecture, which brings several changes. Faster interaction with the network. No long unstaking or lock-up periods. Improved compatibility with modern wallet infrastructure. This new model replaces the legacy staking system used on ZIL 1.0.
  • Keep an eye on fees when claiming old rewards in Zillet. If you have not claimed rewards on the old ZIL network for a long time, claiming or unstaking may require a higher available ZIL balance to cover network fees. Fees are paid from your available (unstaked) ZIL, not from the staked amount. If there is not enough available balance, the transaction may fail.
  • Rewards are earned continuously with no unbonding period. Rewards continue to be earned by delegating ZIL to validators, but now the process runs on the ZIL 2.0 network. When you stake ZIL EVM, your tokens are converted into shZIL (staked ZIL). Rewards accumulate through the growing exchange rate between shZIL and ZIL EVM — not as direct payouts to your balance. With ZIL 2.0 the previous unbonding period of ~24 days is removed and unstaking is instant. 

Migrating your old ZIL 1.0

If you have ZIL on the old network, you need to take action:

  • If your ZIL is unstaked on the old address, simply send it to your ZIL EVM address in Atomic Wallet as a normal transaction. Once it arrives, you can start staking immediately on ZIL 2.0.
  • If your ZIL is staked on the old address, then you can use Zillet wallet to manage it. To do that, you need to access the same ZIL address that is used in Atomic Wallet. Here is step-by-step guide on how to do this:

    1. Get your ZIL private key from Atomic Wallet

    - Open Atomic Wallet.

    - Go to Settings → Private Keys.

    - Select ZIL.

    - Copy the private key.


    2. Import into Zillet

    - Open Zillet

    - Go to the official Zillet interface.

    - Click Access Wallet.

    - In Zillet, select Private Key as the access method.

    - Paste your ZIL private key.


    3. Confirm and open the wallet.

    - Verify the address

    - Make sure the ZIL address shown in Zillet matches the address in Atomic Wallet.

    - You should now see your balance and staking information.

    4. You can now unstake your ZIL directly in Zillet. The unstaking process is instant. No waiting period. After unstaking, transfer your ZIL 1.0 from Zillet to your ZIL EVM address in Atomic Wallet.

    Note: Important: If you haven't claimed rewards on the old ZIL for a long time, ensure you have enough available ZIL on the old address to cover transaction fees in Zillet.

    How to stake ZIL 2.0 in Atomic Wallet

    1. Select the Staking tab and click ZIL EVM
    2. Click Stake ZIL

    3. Decide on the amount of ZIL to stake—and choose a validator (if applicable). You can also go with the default one, which is Atomic Wallet. Double-check everything and click Stake.

    4. Enter your password and click Confirm
    5. Success! Your ZIL EVM is now staked.
      You can click the transaction hash to track it on the blockchain. Allow a couple of minutes for the transaction to be confirmed. You will see your staked position displayed as shZIL — this is expected. shZIL represents your staked ZIL EVM and is how rewards accumulate on ZIL 2.0.
    1. Go to the Staking tab and select ZIL EVM
    2. Tap Stake
    3. Set the amount of ZIL EVM to stake and pick one of the available validators (if applicable);
    4. Enter your password and tap Confirm.
    5. Success! Your ZIL EVM is now staked. You can track it via the blockchain transaction hash. Your staked position will be displayed as shZIL — this is expected behavior and part of the ZIL 2.0 liquid staking mechanism.

    Rewards and claiming

    When you stake ZIL on the ZIL 2.0 network, your tokens are converted into shZIL (staked ZIL). Rewards are not distributed as separate payouts — instead, they accumulate through the growing exchange rate between shZIL and ZIL EVM. Each new block produced by the network contributes to this rate, meaning your rewards grow gradually over time.
    There is no manual claiming required. When you unstake, your shZIL is automatically converted back into ZIL EVM — and the returned amount will normally be higher than what you originally staked, reflecting the accumulated rewards.

    Note that you aren't paying that fee to Atomic Wallet, as we don't charge any commissions on staking. These network fees are charged by the blockchain. For more details on whom you're paying and why, check our guide here.

    Understanding shZIL on ZIL 2.0

    On ZIL 2.0, staking works differently from the old ZIL 1.0 model. When you stake your ZIL EVM, your tokens are converted into shZIL (staked ZIL). This is expected behavior and part of the new liquid staking mechanism.

    Because of this:

    • The amount of shZIL you receive may be lower than the amount of ZIL EVM you originally staked.
    • This does not mean that any funds are missing.

    Instead of receiving separate staking payouts directly to your balance, rewards are accumulated through the exchange rate between shZIL and ZIL EVM.

    Over time:

    • The value of 1 shZIL gradually increases relative to ZIL EVM.
    • Your staking rewards are reflected in this growing conversion rate.

    When you unstake:

    • Your shZIL is converted back into ZIL EVM.
    • The final amount of ZIL EVM you receive should normally be higher than the amount originally staked, assuming rewards were accumulated during the staking period.

    Example:

    • You stake 100 ZIL EVM.
    • You receive a smaller amount of shZIL based on the current conversion rate.
    • As rewards accumulate, the value of your shZIL increases.
    • When unstaking later, your shZIL converts back into more than 100 ZIL EVM.

    This mechanism is normal for liquid staking systems and allows rewards to accumulate automatically without requiring separate reward distributions.

    Unstaking ZIL 2.0

    Unstaking is instant. Click Unstake to stop earning rewards and make your ZIL available for withdrawal. There's no waiting period as in ZIL 1.0. When you unstake, your shZIL is automatically converted back into ZIL EVM — the returned amount will normally be higher than what you originally staked, as it includes accumulated rewards. Once unstaked, you can either: keep your ZIL on your EVM address, send it elsewhere, or restake with a different validator.

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