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Liquid Staking

Coinbase Wrapped Staked ETH

Best for independently tracked protocol

Total value locked:$356m at this checkChains:1Audits recorded:0Audit report linked:Not foundRubric:v2.0 · verified 9 Aug 2026
Kayla PetersonKayla PetersonDeFi Research Analyst· Last verified August 9, 2026
Confidence ARubric v2.0Verified August 9, 2026
4.5
out of 10
Open account
Scorecard

How it rates

Counterparty & contract risk · 35%3.0
Cost transparency · 20%4.0
Market quality · 15%6.0
Transparency & track record · 20%6.0
Public documentation surface · 10%5.0
Pros
  • TVL of $356m recorded independently
Cons
  • No audit report linked in the public dataset at this check
  • No accounting methodology published at this check
  • Single-chain deployment
How this score was built

Each indicator scores 2, 1 or 0. A pillar is the points earned over the points available; the overall score is the weighted sum. Every source below is public — check any of them yourself.

Counterparty & contract risk · 35% weight3/10 points · 3.0/10
Cost transparency · 20% weight4/10 points · 4.0/10
Market quality · 15% weight6/10 points · 6.0/10
Transparency & track record · 20% weight6/10 points · 6.0/10
Public documentation surface · 10% weight5/10 points · 5.0/10

A liquid staking derivative issued by a US-listed exchange, holding $356m with limited protocol-level disclosure retrievable publicly.

Our assessment

cbETH holds $356m and is issued by a US-listed exchange that files audited financial statements. That corporate accountability is genuine, and it does not substitute for protocol-level disclosure — which is what our rubric measures and what we could not retrieve.

Two different kinds of evidence

An SEC filing tells you about the company's finances. It does not tell you how the staking contracts work, which validators are used, how rewards accrue to the token, or what happens to holders if the issuer is compelled to halt redemptions. Those are the questions a staking derivative holder needs answered, and corporate reporting does not reach them.

The derivative and the issuer are one risk

cbETH's value depends on the issuer honouring redemption. Unlike a protocol derivative backed by inspectable contracts, there is no on-chain mechanism a holder can rely on independently of the company. For anyone who chose self-custody deliberately, this reintroduces exactly the dependency they were avoiding.

What the score records

No audit report at a public address and thin protocol-level transparency indicators. This is a strong company and a weakly documented staking product, and our rubric scores the product.

Who it suits

cbETH fits users who prefer a listed, regulated issuer and want a staking derivative usable in DeFi. Users who want verifiable on-chain backing should use Lido, Rocket Pool or StakeWise.

Alternatives

How rivals compare

ServiceScoreBest for
Lido9.6audited protocol with published methodologyRead →
Stader9.5audited protocol with published methodologyRead →
StakeWise V29.4audited protocol with published methodologyRead →
Reference

Frequently asked

Does this score mean Coinbase Wrapped Staked ETH is safe?

No. It measures what an outsider can verify: linked audits, published methodology and independently recorded market data. Contract risk is not tested by us.

Where do the TVL and audit figures come from?

A public analytics dataset queried at the verification date, plus the audit reports it links. Both are re-runnable by anyone.

Why do some protocols score zero on audits?

Because no audit report is linked in the public record. The indicator records what a user can reach, not a claim that no audit exists.