Kintsu log in Monad: Creating a new generation of open yield market stake protocol

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Kintsu officially launched on the Monad mainnet, introducing the first liquid staking protocol that can evolve with Monad's expansion, and introducing a performance-driven validator open market on the network. The protocol operates with a single governance token, effectively balancing decentralization and yield maximization while ensuring transparency.

In the previous liquidity staking model, validators were usually selected by a centralized team or relied on fixed delegation allocation rules, which easily led to node power centralization, limited consensus, and difficulties in scaling. In these systems, the excessive reliance on a single node cluster for “liquidity staking” gradually evolved into centralized custody, undermining the decentralized attributes that PoS networks are supposed to have.

Traditional LST tokens have long maintained a staking ratio below 1/3 on their respective networks, while Kintsu aims to break this ceiling through a new model of “yield optimization + enhanced decentralization” to improve network security and attract a larger scale of liquidity into the on-chain staking market.

Kintsu's core innovation in this field is the complete removal of the protocol team from the delegated decision-making chain, with validator selection fully transitioning to on-chain governance, determined by transparent, quantitative performance metrics and governance voting together deciding delegation allocation. This design reshapes liquid staking from a “closed list” into a “public competitive market.”

Rebuilding the decentralized mechanism in liquid staking

Kintsu redefines the validator selection and delegation mechanism through a trustworthy and neutral on-chain governance system.

The delegation will no longer be decided internally by the team, but will be transparently allocated based on the performance data, participation, and operational performance of the validators.

This model allows validators to earn delegation through the following capabilities:

● High stability and online rate

● MEV Revenue Sharing

● Competitive Node Fees

● Open and transparent operational performance

The core asset of the agreement, sMON (the liquid staking token of Monad), allows for free participation in lending, trading, and other DeFi scenarios while ensuring the accumulation of returns, keeping capital circulating within the ecosystem without compromising network security.

Validators will not be “delegated by default” and can only rely on performance to win market share. The governance mechanism will continuously adjust the delegation rights dynamically based on performance, ensuring that the protocol's gains directly reflect the true quality of network operation.

In the field of MEV, Kintsu allows validators to use any secure MEV client, but they must return the MEV profits to the stakers, thereby avoiding monopolies and promoting technological innovation.

The governance token KSU plays a coordinating role in the entire validator market: it determines delegation weights, validator access, and protocol parameters through governance voting, making the staking allocation a public economic game process rather than an internal decision by a centralized team.

Ultimately, Kintsu has built a more decentralized, competitive, and yield-driven liquid staking system that aligns stakeholder incentives transparently on-chain.

The protocol is launched on the Monad mainnet, and the ecological incentives are simultaneously initiated.

After completing a $4 million seed round financing last year (with investors including Castle Island Ventures, F-Prime, Brevan Howard Digital, Spartan, Animoca, etc.), Kintsu has undergone multiple audits and launched its non-custodial staking system in sync with the Monad mainnet.

The Kintsu points program is now online, encouraging users to interact with sMON to promote the early growth of the Monad DeFi ecosystem, and it allows the accumulation of eligibility for future governance tokens KSU.

KSU will serve as the governance and coordination core of the Kintsu validator market, ensuring that key processes such as validator onboarding, delegation distribution, and parameter decision-making are fully governed on-chain.

The points program is the entry point for this mechanism:

Early participants in sMON who engage with the ecosystem will earn key points for future KSU allocations. As more users, validators, and liquidity participants join, the system will continue to evolve towards a more open and decentralized direction.