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Blockdaemon, a blockchain infrastructure firm serving major financial institutions and exchanges, expands its offerings with the launch of the Earn Stack, a unified platform combining staking and decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities.
Blockdaemon Evolution
Photo from LinkedIn
In an interview with BitPinas, Demo Skalkotos, the chief DeFi and protocols officer of Blockdaemon, said the new platform represents the company’s evolution from node operations to a comprehensive infrastructure provider for institutional digital asset management.
Skalkotos said Blockdaemon’s operations now span four key business units: nodes, staking, wallets, and DeFi infrastructure, which positions the company as a comprehensive service provider for institutions entering the digital asset market.
“Blockdaemon has been in business for about eight years now, and we got our start running nodes. After starting the node business, we logically morphed into a staking business. We’re probably one of the largest institutional staking providers on the globe.
Then, about three years ago, we bought an MPC wallet company out of Denmark, so we provide a lot of wallet technology for people to secure and stake their assets.
And just recently, this past May, we acquired a DeFi infrastructure company that I was running called Expand Network to really create the Blockdaemon Earn Stack.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
He described the Earn Stack as the next stage in the firm’s evolution, designed to unify staking and yield-generating opportunities under one secure and integrated platform.
“It is a very secure, integrated way for people to use our platform and have multiple earning capabilities. That’s really what the Earn Stack is all about. It is about listening to our customers, understanding exactly what they’re asking us to do, and then delivering that on the product development side.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
Institutional Adoption and Risk Management
While most headlines focus on corporations holding BTC in their treasuries, Skalkotos said institutional clients are now actively exploring DeFi strategies through platforms like the Earn Stack.
According to him, Blockdaemon responds to client demand by offering a range of yield solutions, including BTC-focused options through Babylon and Stacks, as well as stablecoin yield opportunities through partnerships with decentralized lending systems Aave, Compound, and Morpho.
“We provide the infrastructure where they can swap their Ethereum for USDC or USDT, get their USDT on whatever chain they are trading on, and then put it into the Earn Stack to earn a yield on that USDC or USDT.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
Addressing questions about risk and security, Skalkotos stressed that Blockdaemon operates strictly as a noncustodial technology infrastructure provider, integrating with custodians rather than holding assets directly. This model, he said, ensures that institutional clients can securely interact with staking and yield platforms while maintaining full control of their funds.
The Blockdaemon executive also highlighted the company’s strong compliance and security framework, noting that Blockdaemon is ISO 27001 certified, SOC 2 Type II certified, and OFAC compliant—standards required to work with major financial institutions such as Citi, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Bank of New York Mellon, and platforms including Revolut and KuCoin.
“We are not here to take any risk or make any calculations on our own. We are partnering with the best-in-class and most reputable firms in the marketplace and providing that middleware connectivity so clients can interact directly with the protocols they choose.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
TradFi Meets DeFi
Speaking about the merging of traditional finance (TradFi) and DeFi, Skalkotos emphasized that it is “no longer theoretical—it’s happening now.” According to him, institutional engagement with web3 technologies such as staking is no longer in its early stages but has moved into active implementation and adoption.
The executive pointed out that the regulatory environment across key regions, particularly in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States, has become increasingly supportive of digital assets, creating momentum for broader institutional participation.
“We are past the testing phase… The APAC region has been very forward-thinking, Europe is evolving quickly, and the U.S. now has a positive administration passing supportive legislation for the crypto industry. All of this is helping bridge traditional finance and DeFi.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
He also added that the introduction of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and exchange-traded products is accelerating the integration of TradFi with the digital asset ecosystem, offering investors a compliant and familiar way to gain crypto exposure.
“That is how you go mainstream… Most people may not know how to buy bitcoin or ethereum directly, but if their bank or investment account offers a bitcoin ETF, it gives them a conservative and secure way to participate.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
Skalkotos emphasized that Blockdaemon supports this convergence by prioritizing regulatory compliance and engaging with policymakers to help shape frameworks that enable mass adoption of digital assets through secure and transparent infrastructure.
He added that the long-term goal is to abstract blockchain complexity so that users, both retail and institutional, can interact with digital assets seamlessly, without needing to know which network they are on.
Looking Ahead
Meanwhile, over the next six months, Blockdaemon will focus on refining its core offerings while continuing to innovate based on customer needs, Skalkotos said.
“We are focused on continuous improvement, not revolution… Our goal is to execute flawlessly across all business lines and provide scalable, compliant, and secure access to digital assets.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
When asked about bitcoin’s price outlook for the end of the year, Skalkotos declined to make a prediction but remained optimistic about the industry’s direction.
“I’m bullish on the industry… All indicators are positive, and momentum is moving upward thanks to more supportive government policies in the U.S., Europe, MENA, and the APAC region. But markets move in cycles—there will always be ups and downs.”
Demo Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer, Blockdaemon
This article is published on BitPinas: Interview: Blockdaemon’s ‘Earn Stack’ to Bridge Staking and DeFi for Institutions
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