Why 2.2 million verified identities could reshape who profits most in Lido ETH staking

Lido launched Identified Community Staker applications on Ethereum mainnet, creating a verification track that gives individuals priority terms in the protocol’s Community Staking Module.

Per Lido, ICS uses a points system across experience, engagement, and humanity. Applicants must meet minimum thresholds in each category and reach at least 15 points to qualify.

The program is designed to tilt CSM capacity toward independent operators after the permissionless opening earlier this year brought a wave of registrations. Lido reports that about 450 operators signed up following the January permissionless shift, which reduced room for smaller setups to deposit validator keys.

ICS applicants who pass review unlock parameters set for CSM v2, including a 6% reward share on the first 16 keys, a 1.5 ETH bond for the first key, priority deposits for the first 10 keys, and wider acceptable performance ranges compared with the default permissionless track.

Lido says the application is based on an identification framework that relies on ecosystem data. Proof of experience can come from EthStaker or StakeCat solo-staker lists, participation in Obol’s Techne and SSV’s operator programs, and historic CSM activity. Engagement draws on HighSignal metrics and verified contributions through GitPOAP.

Proof of humanity for Ethereum staking

Proof of humanity includes verification through Human Passport and Circles, converted to ICS points via a dedicated interface inside Passport that outputs a Unique Humanity score aligned with the ICS model. Per Lido, Human Passport has more than 2.2 million users, and the ICS weighting increases some credentials where the program seeks higher confidence for staker identification.

CSM remains permissionless, participation without ICS is still available, and the new process does not replace open access. ICS functions as an additional operator type in v2, with differentiated parameters that aim to route early capacity to verified individuals while…