StrideMicro-cap
Moderate risk — well-audited and battle-tested liquid staking protocol with strong ICS security backing, though declining TVL and cross-chain dependencies warrant attention.
Top Risks
1
Stride relies on Interchain Accounts (ICA) across IBC to delegate tokens on host chains — IBC relayer failures or ICA bugs could freeze staked assets or disrupt reward distribution
2
TVL has declined significantly from peak levels, reducing protocol revenue and raising questions about long-term sustainability of the fee model
3
Dependence on Cosmos Hub Interchain Security means Stride's liveness is tied to Cosmos Hub validator set performance and governance decisions
Risk Breakdown
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stride safe to use?
Stride receives a B risk grade (23/100) from Hindenrank, where lower scores indicate lower risk. Moderate risk — well-audited and battle-tested liquid staking protocol with strong ICS security backing, though declining TVL and cross-chain dependencies warrant attention. Stride is the leading liquid staking protocol for the Cosmos ecosystem, supporting stATOM, stOSMO, stDYDX and other IBC-compatible tokens. Users stake their tokens and receive LSTs that automatically earn staking rewards while remaining usable in DeFi. Secured by Cosmos Hub validators through Interchain Security and audited by three firms, Stride has a strong security foundation despite declining TVL from its peak.
What are the main risks of using Stride?
The key risks identified for Stride are: (1) Stride relies on IBC Interchain Accounts to manage staked tokens across multiple blockchains — if IBC relayers go down, your tokens remain staked but you cannot redeem or manage them until connectivity is restored (2) TVL has declined significantly from peak levels, which may affect the protocol's economic sustainability and STRD token value over time (3) The protocol depends on Cosmos Hub governance decisions — changes to Interchain Security terms could alter Stride's fee structure and economics
What is Stride's risk score breakdown?
Stride scores 23/100 across eight risk dimensions: Mechanism Novelty: 3/15, Interaction Severity: 3/20, Oracle Surface: 2/10, Documentation Gaps: 2/10, Track Record: 5/15, Scale Exposure: 0/10, Regulatory Risk: 2/10, Vitality Risk: 6/10. The highest risk area is Vitality Risk at 6/10.
How does Stride compare to other Liquid Staking protocols?
Among 81 rated Liquid Staking protocols on Hindenrank, Stride ranks #9 by safety (lowest risk score = safest). Its 23/100 risk score and B grade place it among the safer Liquid Staking protocols.
Has Stride ever been hacked or exploited?
Stride scores 5/15 on the Track Record risk dimension, indicating some history of security incidents or exploits. Higher scores reflect more severe or frequent incidents. Review the full risk report for details.
Last scanned 2026-02-26