What is Sanctum?

Sanctum is a protocol on the Solana blockchain focused on liquid staking and the management of Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs). By allowing users to stake SOL (or use existing LSTs) and receive yield-bearing tokens, Sanctum unlocks the value of staked SOL tokens while keeping them actively deployable in DeFi. 

Sanctum supports both retail users and validator partners, and is built to enable an LST-fueled ecosystem by creating infrastructure for LST issuance, liquidity routing, and swaps.

How Sanctum Works

Staking with Sanctum begins by depositing native SOL or approved LSTs into the application and then you receive a representation of what you have deposited in SOL stake token. These staked tokens continue to earn rewards, while the holder retains the flexibility that staked SOL does not have. With LSTs, the assets can be swapped, used as collateral, or deployed for any purpose in any DeFi protocol. At the core of the architecture of Sanctum are key components such as:

• A multi-LST liquidity pool (often referred to as the “Infinity” pool) that supports swaps between different LSTs and SOL with minimal slippage.
  
  
• A router or reserve mechanism that ensures deep liquidity and redemption channels which allows depositors to exit LST positions when needed without heavy penalties.
  
  
• A partnership and issuance infrastructure that lets validators or creators launch their own LST-based products using Sanctum’s framework.

Key Features of Sanctum

• Staking Rewards + Liquidity: Unlike traditional staking which locks capital, Sanctum lets you remain liquid while your stake earns rewards.
  
  
• Multi-LST Support & Swaps: With its Infinity pool, you can move between different staking derivatives (jupSOL, bonkSOL, etc.) or SOL itself, without needing to exit into a base token first.
  
  
• Validator & Creator Support: Validators can issue custom LSTs and creators can adopt dedicated staking products or loyalty tokens, all backed by real SOL.
  
  
• DeFi Integrations: LSTs issued or routed through Sanctum are usable in lending and trading protocols. This increases the composability and utility of these LSTs across Solana’s DeFi stack.

Using Sanctum

There are over 1,000 LSTs available to pick from, offering a certain percentage of Annual Percentage Yield. Browse through the available ones and select one of the LSTs. I’m picking the INF LST from the Sanctum team since it currently offers the best yield, and I get to earn from the trading, staking and MEV rewards generated on INF. The chart below shows the historical yield between INF and JitoSOL LST.

Sanctum offers a list of community programs for individuals who actively utilise their products. Participate in community quests and use one of Sanctum’s LST to get involved. Based on seasons, Sanctum offers incentives to its most loyal users.

Convert your SOL to a Liquid Staking Token of your choice by comparing the benefits of each available LST. In the screenshot below, I converted my SOL to INF LST.  

A Liquid Staking Token can be swapped for another LST supported on Sanctum. There are over 1,000 LSTs available for swaps on the exchange. 

For SOL stakers with an active staking account, Sanctum provides a means of converting the stake account into an LST. Additionally, apart from helping SOL native stakers migrate their accounts to LSTs, users can also use the “Unstake Instantly” button to convert staked SOL into SOL, rather than swapping it into an LST. 

Unlike native SOL stake accounts, unstaking your LST is a simple and immediate process. Select the LST in the wallet and input the total amount to unstake. Click unstake, approve the transaction and get your SOL back instantly.

Other Products offered by Sanctum

Apart from its main app for individuals, Sanctum offers some additional 

Sanctum Gateway

For developers, Gateway by Sanctum is a service that lets developers optimize their transaction data and route it directly using dedicated and customized routes that suit the needs of their application. Gateway provides a controlled method that ensures how an application’s transactions are processed on Solana. It also provides a real-time dashboard for monitoring the app's performance.

Ironforge

Ironforge is the infrastructure team and toolkit that Sanctum acquired to power its transaction delivery vertical. Once a standalone dev-ops firm handling a major portion of Solana’s traffic, Ironforge brings battle-tested transaction routing and monitoring to Sanctum’s stack.

Staking-as-a-service

Sanctum’s Staking-as-a-Service is a full-stack, white-label solution for teams that want to launch their own validator operations or their liquid staking token (LST) branded for them on Solana without building the infrastructure from scratch. With this service, you can also tap into validator reward streams such as inflation and MEV. 

Sanctum $CLOUD Token

Sanctum’s native token is $CLOUD, which powers governance and ecosystem coordination within the Sanctum network. It’s designed as a utility token that brings all ecosystem validators, partners, and liquidity providers under one governance framework. Holders of $CLOUD can vote on key protocol decisions, qualify for Sanctum’s partner programs (like Staking-as-a-Service or validator listings), and gain access to exclusive ecosystem rewards.

Conclusion

Sanctum is a piece of Solana’s staking and DeFi infrastructure. It helps remove the time constraint involved when unstaking SOL through its Liquid Staking Tokens. Sanctum offers a compelling solution for users who want to earn rewards while staying liquid. Whether you’re a retail staker seeking yield with immediate liquidity or a validator launching LSTs, Sanctum gives you the tools to make it possible without stress.

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