Staking looks like a yield product and behaves like an infrastructure contract. Two operators quoting the same nominal reward rate can deliver returns a full percentage point apart once missed attestations, downtime and commission are counted. Figment's case is that it consistently lands on the right side of that gap, and that it can prove it.
Performance and how it is evidenced
Figment publishes validator performance data and provides clients with attestation effectiveness, missed-block and reward-rate reporting benchmarked against network averages. That matters because staking underperformance is invisible without a benchmark — a validator that quietly misses attestations still pays something, and most delegators never notice the shortfall.
Slashing coverage and agreements
Institutional clients can contract for slashing coverage and service levels, which is a materially different proposition from delegating to an anonymous validator and hoping. Coverage is not insurance in the regulated sense; it is a commercial commitment backed by the operator's balance sheet, and its value depends on that balance sheet.
Custody and how staking risk works
On Cosmos-style networks, delegation never moves your coins — the validator can only affect rewards and, in a slashing event, a fraction of the stake. On Ethereum, staking through a provider usually means the provider operates the validator keys while withdrawal credentials can remain yours. Figment supports non-custodial arrangements for institutions, which is the configuration to insist on.
Who should use Figment
Funds, treasuries and companies that need documented performance, formal agreements and reporting their auditors will accept. Individuals will find stakefish or Allnodes more accessible and cheaper for the same networks.