The short answerAnkr offers liquid staking on networks most protocols skip, backed by a genuine node infrastructure business. Its record includes a December 2022 incident in which a compromised deployer key was used to mint effectively unlimited aBNBc — an operational failure of the most basic kind, followed by compensation.
Best forLiquid staking across a long list of smaller chains
Validator decentralisationweight 25%
6.0avg 6.7
Contract securityweight 20%
5.5avg 7.9
Peg & liquidityweight 20%
5.5avg 7.1
Withdrawal designweight 15%
7.0avg 7.8
Feesweight 10%
7.5avg 7.4
Transparencyweight 10%
6.5avg 7.8
this service category average across 15Score = Σ mark × weight. Usable, but there are better options for most people. Methodology.
| Criterion | Mark | What we found | Source | Checked |
|---|
| Validator decentralisation | 6.0 | not sourced yet | not sourced yet | — |
| Contract security | 5.5 | not sourced yet | not sourced yet | — |
| Peg & liquidity | 5.5 | not sourced yet | not sourced yet | — |
| Withdrawal design | 7.0 | not sourced yet | not sourced yet | — |
| Fees | 7.5 | not sourced yet | not sourced yet | — |
| Transparency | 6.5 | not sourced yet | not sourced yet | — |
What we liked, and what fell short
Liked- Liquid staking on chains most protocols ignore
- Long-running infrastructure business behind it
- Working redemption across supported networks
Fell short- A December 2022 developer key compromise allowed unlimited aBNBc minting
- Thin liquidity on most of its LSTs
Why the marks landed where they did
Ankr's staking sits alongside an established RPC and node infrastructure business, which gives it the operational base to support liquid staking on chains where no specialist protocol exists. That coverage is its remaining advantage.
The 2022 incident
A former employee's access was used to obtain a deployer key, which was then used to mint an effectively unlimited supply of aBNBc, Ankr's BNB Chain liquid staking token. The token's value collapsed, associated pools were drained, and Ankr compensated affected users and reissued tokens. No smart contract was broken — the failure was key management and access control, which is the category of problem that should be easiest to prevent.
Where it stands now
Ankr rebuilt its key management, added multisig controls and continued operating. Its liquid staking tokens across several chains function, and there has been no repeat. But an operator that lost control of a deployer key is asking for trust that its processes have fundamentally changed, and the burden of proof sits with it.
Liquidity and integration
Thin across most of its token set, with limited DeFi integration compared with the leaders. Fee around 10%.
Who should use it
Users needing liquid staking on a chain with no better option, at sizes they could afford to lose. For any major network, better-run protocols exist.
FAQ
What happened to Ankr in 2022?+
A compromised deployer key was used to mint effectively unlimited aBNBc tokens, collapsing the token's value and draining associated pools. Ankr compensated users and rebuilt its key management.
Is Ankr safe to use now?+
It has operated without a repeat incident and added multisig controls, but the 2022 failure was basic access control rather than a subtle bug, which is why its security score remains low.
Which chains does Ankr support?+
A wide list including several that specialist liquid staking protocols do not cover, which is its main remaining advantage.
How liquid are Ankr's staking tokens?+
Thin across most of the set, with limited DeFi integration compared with the leading LSTs.
