{"slug":"steth-vs-wsteth","question":"stETH or wstETH — what is the difference, and which one should I hold?","answer":"stETH (Lido DAO) yields ~2.25% (in ETH), no minimum, can be bought on a DEX without KYC.","shortAnswer":"stETH (Lido DAO) yields ~2.25% (in ETH), no minimum, can be bought on a DEX without KYC.","asOf":"2026-11-09","faq":[{"q":"Why does wstETH exist?","a":"Many DeFi protocols and most layer-2 networks cannot handle a token whose balance changes by itself. wstETH keeps a fixed balance, so it can be lent, used as collateral or bridged without losing the reward along the way."},{"q":"Which one should I hold?","a":"In a wallet on Ethereum, either works — stETH makes the reward visible as a growing balance. For DeFi, lending markets and layer-2 networks, wstETH is the one that is supported."}],"count":1,"rows":[{"ticker":"stETH","name":"Lido Staked ETH","issuer":"Lido DAO","category":"Staking","yield":"~2.25% (in ETH)","yieldPct":2.25,"yieldKind":"variable","minimumUsd":0,"size":"Largest liquid-staking protocol","chains":"Ethereum (+L2s)","country":"Decentralized protocol","kycSecondary":"none","maturity":null,"lifecycle":"live","isin":null,"contract":null,"source":"https://lido.fi","lastVerified":"2026-11-09","tier":"curated","page":"https://tokenbank.world/token/stETH","json":"https://tokenbank.world/api/tokens/stETH"}],"programs":[],"underlyings":[],"sources":[],"_links":{"page":"https://tokenbank.world/answers/steth-vs-wsteth","index":"https://tokenbank.world/api/v1/answers"},"_citation":"TokenBank, “stETH or wstETH — what is the difference, and which one should I hold?”, https://tokenbank.world/answers/steth-vs-wsteth (data as of 2026-11-09), CC BY 4.0.","_license":"CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","_disclaimer":"Computed from sourced data; yields are variable and not guaranteed. Not investment advice. Verify each row’s source before relying on it."}