Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered U.S. crypto bank, has added support for Ethereum liquid staking protocol Lido.

According to a recent report by The Block, the integration will allow institutional clients to directly access Lido’s wrapped staked ether token, wstETH, on the Anchorage platform. Clients can connect to Lido’s decentralised application (dApp) to mint and burn wstETH. They can also use Anchorage custody and governance control functions.

Nathan McCauley (네이선 매컬리), co-founder and CEO of Anchorage, said, "Liquid staking has become one of the most important components in institutional Ethereum participation." He added, "Lido integration has enabled large investors to access wstETH without operational and security issues that have made them hesitant to participate."

Traditional Ethereum staking requires running validator infrastructure and locking up ether for long periods, which reduces liquidity and capital efficiency. Lido liquid staking addresses this by issuing wstETH in exchange for staked ether. Holders can continue to receive staking rewards while using the tradable token as collateral or in decentralised finance applications.

Kin Gilbert (킨 길버트), head of institutions at the Lido Ecosystem Foundation, said, "Anchorage Digital integration has brought wstETH onto a major U.S. institutional platform." He added, "It has also strengthened the role of stETH and the Lido protocol in institutional Ethereum staking."