While Proof-of-Stake (PoS) provides a significant improvement in energy efficiency compared to Proof-of-Work (PoW), these have both advantages and disadvantages. According to the rules of many blockchain systems based on POS, the stakeholder must invariably have an online wallet if he wants to produce a block (mostly installed on a personal computer at home, generating extra energy consumption to leave it open all the time). In this configuration, a continually hanging on the network computer can cause power consumption and greatly increases the risk of hacker attacks. Thus, staking pools reduce these disadvantages, bringing a secure way to receive stakes more frequently than solo staking while ensuring a better ecological footprint with energy consumption reduction overall. Staking pools also help users get rid of the hassle to install and manage a crypto wallet to constantly receive daily stakes. The rewards are allocated to each staker on a daily basis (sometimes few times a day) proportionally to the amount of coins held on the staking pool platform. Despite the many advantages brought with staking pools, the risks of double spending or hacker attacks still remain significant with the centralization of user funds within a single platform. It is therefore important to consider the seriousness of a staking pool before depositing funds. In our previous article about staking, we presented several known exchanges offering the possibility to stake certain cryptocurrencies of the top 100. We are now introducing four new staking pools, rather oriented towards lower market cap coins: StakeCube, StackofStake, Midas and MyCointainer. 

The data stated in this article have been extracted from the staking pools official websites. These numbers or names might be erroneous or subject to change rapidly.

 

StakeCube

[caption id="attachment_8846" align="aligncenter" width="1159"] https://stakecube.net[/caption]StakeCube was initially launched in 2018 as a cloud staking platform and has then evolved to an official company during 2019. Since its inception, StakeCube has grown to more than 39,000 users across the world offering various services amongst 50+ cryptocurrencies and representing 180 BTC pool value.Diversified possibilities via several applicationsSince its launch as a staking pool, StakeCube has worked to introduce many new solutions to satisfy its community and to offer a multitude of additional services to improve the user experience. In this sense, StakeCube has introduced 9 different services focused around staking and cryptocurrencies:

• Wallet: Platform users can enjoy a free and secure wallet, offering multiple rewards and interest automatically for PoS coins. The wallet currently supports and manages more than 50 POS currencies in a single interface. The wallet also offers personal deposits address and detailed overview and information. Furthermore, the platform is offering a 4% staking fee for all coins, including a 0 fee ratio for withdrawal and many advantages with affiliates.
• Masternodes: Integrated masternode management hosting service that automatically updates data and rewards.
• Exchange: Stakecube offers you direct access to a crypto trading platform with several features, including integration in its ecosystem and links to all apps. The exchange features various trading pairs for all the coins listed on the platform.
• Interest: Compound interests. While user's funds are guarded using StakeCube cold storage technologies, investors can earn up to 12% interest per year. This rate is added daily and taken into account for the next staking period, offering a greater growth of individuals passive income.
• Academy: The StakeCube academy comes with free blockchain and crypto education. Users have access to good articles, internal platform tutorials, text to speech functionality and a further wide range of categories.
• Community: The platform features easy access to the community anywhere in the world while offering voting power for new coins and functions. Furthermore, self-refilling faucets allow investors to start staking early on trough free allocation of coins.
• GamePlace: On StakeCube platform, users can play classic retro games, leaderboard, jackpots and get the chance to win in weekly competitions. Game developers can submit their games and get rewarded for their contribution to the ecosystem.

Native StakeCube coin utilitiesThe StakeCube platform has its own native utility coin, fully integrated within the ecosystem and its independent blockchain. StakeCubeCoin is a peer-to-peer cash system available on many third party exchanges offering various incentives to use the currency as a payment system. StakeCube coin is used toward masternode registration, community votings, gameplace, interest and affiliate rates and offers discounts on both staking and trading fees. Team and PartnersThe team is growing rapidly since StakeCube launch and only works with highly qualified people in the cryptocurrency industry. The team has several divisions: core, tech, public relations, community management, and advisory board and is comprised of individuals with various experience amongst multiple market sectors. Therefore, to successfully develop this project, the team actively partnered with other key players including crypto.com, MeaTec, coinexplorer.net, and MMO Gameplace.

Midas.Investments

[caption id="attachment_8847" align="aligncenter" width="1331"] https://midas.investments[/caption]Midas.Investments is a masternode and staking pool service launched in January 2018 by a group of two individuals. Midas.Investments is widely known with the implementation of groundbreaking features, namely InstantShare and InstantBuy. After two years of exercise, Midas has 15,000 active users and is now working with more than 50 coins listed on the platform.Multiple services for passive income and crypto management

• An intuitive interface: The Midas.Investments platform has been designed to answer community demand and is offering easy-to-use interfaces to use the different services.
• A reliable web wallet: Midas is guaranteeing the safety of users funds with a reliable system and an intuitive web wallet to manage balance and portfolio.
• InstantBuy & InstantNode: While instant node allows to participate in a masternode in one click, Instantbuy is a feature that permits to buy coins directly from the platform with a cashback in BTC (set at 0,5%). Both solutions allow building a passive income easily with various coins based on MN or POS systems. The system also has reinvestment feature enable.
• Burn out feature: This feature brings an alternative to investing in the Midas coin, allowing direct investment in the growth of the platform user base. Users must “burn” 300 Midas coins to activate the feature. About 50% of these coins are permanently taken out of circulation, and the other 50% is distributed among users who already did this task.
• Integrated exchange: Midas has its own integrated exchange offering the possibility to trade quickly numerous pairs of cryptocurrencies on a single platform. The extra feature is that coins locked on order book are counted for the staking allocation.
• Fline Trading Bot: Fline bot is an integrated tool within Midas ecosystem that helps users taking the right trading decisions. Investors must own a Fline masternode and contact the team for more details.
• Referral system: Investors and users can receive a lifetime passive income from invited users on Midas.Investments with 20% of all service fees paid by referred investors.

Midas coinThe group has launched its own native coin, Midas, which in addition to burn out feature, brings two incentives to hold it. It offers reduction fees on the platform as well as a listing discount for project managers wishing to join the platform and the ecosystem.Team and PartnersThe team has a wide experience in launching start-ups, building products and creating investment tools. Originally started in early 2018 as 2, the team is now comprised of 14 individuals actively working for the project (only some are publicly known). Furthermore, even if the team has a solid experience in the crypto field, they haven’t created any partnership with a strong name in the sector yet.

MyCointainer

[caption id="attachment_8841" align="aligncenter" width="1161"] https://www.mycointainer.com[/caption]MyCointainer is a staking and masternode platform launched in 2018 and officially registered as a company in Estonia that helps investors building their portfolio and passive income easily. The platform is a simple all in one platform that allows users to choose their PoS coins and get staking rewards from multiple low market cap currencies. No data about the number of active users are available, but the platform has already listed around 60 currencies, including some well known from the top 50.A wide range of servicesMyContainer introduced various services to help the community in the path of staking coins :

• User-friendly interface: User-friendly interface with a clear design that helps investors quickly taking decisions for staking. Fees charged for using the platform are applied only on generated rewards.
• FIAT to Crypto gateway: Users can easily buy crypto with FIAT on MyCointainer directly. This feature is rarely implemented in the competitors’ platforms.
• Built-In exchange: The team has implemented an integrated exchange to easily buy, sell or swap many currencies.
• Shared Masternodes: Users are able to access shared masternodes staking involving a wide variety of coins. Each reward is also subject to compound interest thus increasing overall rewards.
• Direct Interest: This solution allows users to generate more profits in the long run.
• MyCointainer Power: A subscription-based services aimed for investors wishing to waive their fee based on a monthly subscription.
• A regulated platform: The platform is regulated by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and licensed (No. FVR000557 and FRK000469 ) to provide services of exchanging a virtual currency against Fiat and wallet management.
• Referral system: Any user will receive 20% from their affiliate rewards.
• Airdrop platform: While offering staking and masternode services, MyCointainer often implements various airdrops for the community.
• Mobile applications: Both Android and iOS versions are fully working and available to the public to stake easily

Native CoinMyCointainer has no official native coin associated with the platform and its services.Team and PartnersThe team hasn’t developed any official partnership or collaboration since its inception. As the group is registered in Estonia, all the details regarding the company or its members can be found here

StackOfStake

[caption id="attachment_8848" align="aligncenter" width="1238"] https://stackofstake.com[/caption]StackofStake is a shared masternode and staking service created by the SCRIV Network team in 2018. The core idea associated with StackOfStake is to offer an all-in-one easy-to-use platform to erase the barriers of solo staking. As of 2020, with more than 8000 active users , the platform offers a great variety of possibilities with more than 50 currencies listed. All-in-one services for stakingCompared to actual competitors, StackOfStake has focused its efforts towards build a stable and efficient platform without adding dozens of extra features. By keeping the interface smooth and intuitive, StackofStake helps users reaching the cryptocurrency world to develop a passive income simply without technical knowledge. The platform offers various interfaces and services listed below:

• My portfolio: The interface to track and manage overall portfolio balance, revenue for the last 24 hours, portfolio value change (based on weekly, monthly and yearly data analysis), and the distribution of the fiat value between the list of coins held in the user balance. Customized fees are applied on the platform and can be found here
• Explore: The explore tab is a marketplace-like book where users can explore and find new coins to invest in. The interface regroups the list of cryptocurrencies available for staking at StackOfStake with the related information. The deposit to start a new staking phase can be done either in the corresponding currency or directly with the equivalent in Bitcoin held on the platform.
• Performance: This interface provides detailed data about the various investments made. It allows analyzing the ROI change, investments returned, dividends distribution over a certain period and to measure more metrics over time.
• History: Finally, this tab gathers all information about deposits, withdrawals, dividends, and other operations made across the system and the StackofStake platform.
• Mobile applications: StackofStake, at the opposite of many competitors, currently offers amazing and intuitive mobile applications available for both Android and iOS users
• Referral program and Loyalty system: StackofStake has implemented two new tabs for new functionalities. The first, focused on referral, is currently activated and can be found in the main page of the platform. The second, the loyalty system is still under development and not officially implemented even if the tab can be seen in the main page as well.

Scriv Coin without uses-cases on platformAs the platform is officially owned by SCRIV network, the SCRIV coin is related to the group and the StackofStake entity. However, as of 2020, there are no uses-cases for the SCRIV coin on the platform even the coin is listed and can be used to stake like all the coins listed there.Team and PartnersThere is currently not a lot of public information around the team. From what is publicly known, the team is comprised of 3 members: Lova (Founder & COO), QLee ( Founder & CTO) and MSV ( Lead developer). Despite this small group, the entity has developed several partnerships to expand its brand and services with Know your Developer, Crypto Masters and Crypto World.