Staking FAQs

1. What is staking in Pear Protocol? What do users stake, and what do they receive?

Staking converts your $PEAR into $stPEAR (staked PEAR) at a 1:1 ratio. stPEAR is non-transferable and represents your stake. Holding $stPEAR unlocks fee discounts, priority access to Pear vaults, and governance weight. It no longer earns a share of protocol revenue in ETH (see Q8 below).

2. What do I get from staking today?

PIP-3 (ratified January 2026) sets three benefits:

1. Fee discounts: up to 50% off fees based on your staked balance (stPEAR-based trading discounts).
2. Vault access: priority entry into Pear vaults.
3. Governance weight: your staked balance drives voting power on proposals.

3. How does the exit process work? Is it FIFO (First-In, First-Out)?

Yes, the exit process is queue-based, effectively FIFO. When you unstake, exit fees are applied per stake entry based on how long each portion has been staked, oldest first.

For example, if you staked on multiple days, the protocol redeems the earliest staked amounts first, applying the exit fee (20%, 5%, 1%, or 0% depending on holding period) that matches how long each portion has been held:

Day 1: staked 10,000 PEAR · Day 9: staked 5,000 PEAR · Day 11: staked 2,000 PEAR

On Day 17 you exit 11,000 tokens:

• The 10,000 PEAR from Day 1 (16 days ago), beyond 7 days but under 30, so a 5% fee applies: 10,000 × 0.95 = 9,500 PEAR returned.
• 1,000 PEAR from the Day 9 stake (8 days ago), beyond 7 days but under 30, so a 5% fee applies: 1,000 × 0.95 = 950 PEAR returned.

Total returned: 10,450 PEAR. Total fee: 550 PEAR. The remaining 4,000 PEAR from Day 9 and the 2,000 PEAR from Day 11 stay staked.

4. Can I unstake at any time?

Yes, unstaking is always available, subject to the exit fee taper:

• 20% if held 0-1 days
• 5% if held 2-7 days
• 1% if held 8-30 days
• 0% if held 31+ days

5. How is the exit fee applied?

Exiting applies a fee when you redeem stPEAR to PEAR, based on the age of the stake being exited: 20% if held 0-1 days, 5% if held 2-7 days, 1% if held 8-30 days, 0% if held 31+ days. See Staking for a worked example.

6. Where do exit fees go?

The stPEAR paid as exit fees is redistributed automatically and pro rata among remaining stPEAR holders, rewarding longer-term stakers.

7. Can I add to my stake at any time?

Yes, each new stake is a separate entry in the staking queue with its own timestamp for exit fee purposes.

8. What happens to protocol revenue now?

Under PIP-3 (ratified January 2026), 70% of protocol revenue is applied to weekly $PEAR buybacks, permanent burns, and liquidity; 30% goes to the DAO treasury. This replaced the earlier model that distributed 80% of protocol revenue to stakers in ETH. Stakers are no longer paid in ETH. The buyback/burn loop is what accrues value to PEAR.

9. Is there a minimum staking amount?

No, you can stake any amount of $PEAR.

10. Can I partially unstake my stPEAR?

Yes, you can unstake any amount. The FIFO (first-in, first-out) queue applies to partial unstaking: your oldest stake entries are processed first, each with its own applicable exit fee.

11. What happens to my stake if I unstake?

You receive your redeemed PEAR (minus any applicable exit fee) immediately. Your remaining stake, if any, keeps its benefits.

12. Are there any risks associated with staking?

Staking involves opportunity cost (your PEAR is committed and early exit incurs a fee), and smart-contract risk cannot be entirely eliminated despite audits. Do your own research.