How P2P.org Manages $10B+ in Staked Assets: An Interview with CRO Alex Loktev

Welcome to our Behind the Startup series, where we explore groundbreaking innovations in the Web3 space. Today, we have Alex Loktev, CRO at P2P.org, a leading blockchain infrastructure provider that has managed over $10 billion in staked and restaked assets across more than 40 blockchain networks. In this interview, Alex shares insights into the strategic vision, security innovations, and Ethereum Pectra upgrade, providing a deep dive into the future of PoS staking.

Ishan Pandey: Hi Alex Loktev, CRO at P2P.org, welcome to our "Behind the Startup" series. Since launching in 2018, P2P.org has managed over $10 billion in staked and restaked assets across more than 40 blockchain networks. Can you share the strategic vision and key milestones that have propelled P2P.org to its current leadership position in the PoS ecosystem?

\ Alex Loktev: Thanks for having me!

\ When we launched P2P.org in 2018, we saw how complex staking was for most users and businesses, and we knew there had to be a better way. Our vision wasn't just about building another staking service – we wanted to make blockchain participation accessible to everyone. Being among the first to recognize PoS as the future of blockchain sustainability, we moved early to build robust infrastructure, and today we're actively securing 40 different networks.

\ What I'm particularly proud of is our commitment to security while scaling. We've maintained a perfect security record while innovating with solutions like liquid staking, which gives users more flexibility with their staked assets. Now, with over $10 billion in staked and restaked assets for hundreds of partners, we're focused on emerging technologies, but our core mission remains the same – making staking accessible, secure, and rewarding for everyone.

Ishan Pandey: P2P.org is renowned for its institutional-grade security and transparency. What innovative technologies and governance practices have you implemented to ensure the utmost security and operational excellence for your stakers?

\ Alex Loktev: Our approach to security is built around a core innovation in key management - our implementation of Threshold Signature Schemes (TSS). Rather than handling raw validator keys, which creates significant risk, we split each key into three separate shards, requiring any two to create a valid signature. This 2-of-3 approach eliminates single points of failure while maintaining operational resilience - even if one shard is compromised, the system stays secure.

\ But what really sets us apart is how we've integrated this with our 24/7 monitoring and response protocols. We've developed sophisticated slashing protection systems that can respond to potential issues within a single slot - which our data shows can reduce stake impact by up to 5x compared to slower response times. For context, in a 4096 ETH cluster, our 25-minute response time affects only 0.02% of stake, versus 0.1% with a 3-hour response.

\ As stakers move toward consolidated validators under Pectra, this kind of rapid response capability becomes even more crucial for protecting larger stakes. When you combine this with our track record of zero security incidents and our position as one of the top-performing operators by RAVER effectiveness, it demonstrates how our security-first approach directly translates to better returns for our institutional clients.

Ishan Pandey: The upcoming Ethereum Pectra upgrade is set to redefine staking mechanics with features like larger validators and auto-compounding. Could you explain how these changes will impact validator operations and overall user experience?

\ Alex Loktev: The Pectra upgrade is a big moment for Ethereum staking, and what really excites me is how it's going to transform the user experience through auto-compounding and validator consolidation. With the new ability to merge validators and increase their size up to 2048 ETH, we're unlocking unprecedented efficiency for our users. Instead of managing multiple 32 ETH validators, they can consolidate them into a single, more powerful validator while maintaining the same network influence.

\ But here's where it gets particularly interesting: these larger validators enable true auto-compounding for Ethereum staking. Instead of sending the Consensus Layer rewards to withdrawal addresses, they are automatically reinvested into the validator. Starting from a base network rate of 3.2%, users can see their APR climb to 3.42% over five years through auto-compounding.

\ At P2P.org, we've optimized this even further by strategically capping validator balances at 1,920 ETH, giving our users a two-year runway of uninterrupted compounding before reaching the protocol limit. It's all part of our commitment to making staking more rewarding while maintaining the security our users trust us for.

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Ishan Pandey: With Pectra introducing enhanced features such as partial withdrawals and increased validator capacities, how is P2P.org adapting its infrastructure and validator strategies to maximize staking efficiency and returns for your clients?

\ Alex Loktev: When it comes to Pectra, we're taking a comprehensive approach to infrastructure adaptation that goes well beyond just supporting the new features. Our engineering teams have been working for the past six months to build out sophisticated validator merging flows and enhanced monitoring systems specifically designed for the new 2048 ETH validator capacity. This preparation ensures we can help our clients seamlessly consolidate their existing validators while maintaining optimal performance.

\ What's particularly exciting is how we're leveraging these changes to boost returns across our entire staking suite. We're not just implementing auto-compounding – we're optimizing it by setting strategic balance caps at 1,920 ETH to ensure sustainable long-term compounding benefits. By expanding our execution layer reward strategies and collaborating with preconfirmation protocols like Bolt and Primev to significantly increase validator returns, we can further optimize staking strategies for our clients. Our current position as the #1 ranked provider for 7-day and 30-day RAVER effectiveness among major operators demonstrates our commitment to maximizing performance, and we're building on this foundation to ensure our clients capture the full potential of Pectra's improvements.

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Ishan Pandey: Beyond the technical advancements, P2P.org offers comprehensive analytics and round-the-clock monitoring. How do these insights empower both individual investors and institutional partners to optimize their staking strategies in a rapidly evolving market?

\ Alex Loktev: Our monitoring and analytics capabilities shine in how they translate complex staking data into actionable insights for our clients. We've built a comprehensive system that goes beyond basic performance metrics to provide real-time visibility into validator health, reward optimization opportunities, and risk analytics. For institutional clients specifically, we've found that this granular level of data has become essential for their risk management and reporting requirements.

\ What makes our approach unique is how we combine these technical insights with personalized risk assessment and strategy optimization. For instance, our monitoring systems don't just track basic validator performance – they provide detailed analysis of execution layer rewards, network participation rates, and potential MEV opportunities. This allows us to work with each client to design staking strategies that align with their specific risk tolerance while maximizing returns.

\ Looking at the Pectra upgrade, for example, our analytics are helping clients make informed decisions about validator consolidation and auto-compounding strategies, ensuring they capture the full benefits of these new features while maintaining their desired risk profile. It's this combination of sophisticated monitoring and personalized strategy optimization that has made us a trusted partner for both individual and institutional stakers.

Ishan Pandey: Looking ahead, what emerging trends in PoS technologies do you believe will shape the future of digital asset staking, and how is P2P.org positioning itself to leverage these opportunities for growth?

\ Alex Loktev: From our perspective, the future of PoS is heading toward what I call 'intelligent consolidation' - where we're seeing the convergence of restaking, liquid staking, and sophisticated validator management. The Pectra upgrade is just the beginning of this evolution. With its introduction of 2048 ETH validators and auto-compounding, we're seeing the first steps toward a more capital-efficient staking ecosystem that better serves institutional needs.

\ What's particularly exciting is how these developments align with our long-term vision at P2P.org. We're already working towards distributed validator technology (DVT) and SSV-based solutions, which we believe will become crucial for the next phase of staking infrastructure.

\ There is a growing institutional interest in cross-chain staking opportunities, and we're positioning ourselves to be at the forefront of these innovations. Our current focus on building sophisticated monitoring tools and optimizing execution layer rewards is about laying the groundwork for these future developments. By maintaining our position as a top-performing operator while continuously evolving our infrastructure, we're ensuring our clients are well-positioned to capture value from emerging PoS technologies as they develop.

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:::tip Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR

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