What is Lombard’s role in BTC liquid staking
Lombard is a leading BTC liquid staking platform with over 20,000 BTC in total value locked (TVL). By depositing BTC, users receive LBTC – a liquid staked version of Bitcoin they can use across DeFi platforms to earn staking rewards or provide liquidity – while the original Bitcoin remains securely locked.
To ensure security and flexibility, Lombard’s approach leverages multi-party authorization (MPA), hardware-enshrined policies via CubeSigner, and transparent governance through a Security Consortium. This combination allows users to earn additional yield on their BTC without compromising its core security.
What it means to be a signer
Signers are essential to Lombard’s Security Consortium. They validate deposits, confirm staking transactions, and authorize the minting and burning of LBTC. This multi-party framework prevents any single entity from controlling user funds or altering protocol rules unilaterally. Signers also participate in governance, voting on protocol upgrades and onboarding new members to further decentralize the network.
Membership Requirements
To become a signer, a prospective member must:
- Roll out infrastructure: Deploy a Lombard Ledger node, CubeSigner hardware, and relevant Bitcoin/destination chain nodes.
- Undergo consortium review: Exchange public keys and organizational details with existing members, who perform thorough reviews (including KYB checks).
- Obtain consortium approval: Receive a majority vote from current signers to join the Proof-of-Authority network.
- Update smart contracts: Once approved, the Lombard Protocol multisig wallet incorporates the new signer’s public keys for on-chain signature verification.
Bringing institutional expertise to BTC liquid staking
Kiln brings deep experience in institutional staking services, operating validators on major proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains, with over $13 billion in crypto assets staked by the end of 2024. By integrating its node infrastructure with Cubesigner, Kiln will help manage secure BTC address creation, enforce strict transaction policies, and maintain high uptime. This partnership cements Kiln’s commitment to Bitcoin staking infrastructure while boosting Lombard’s multi-party security and decentralized governance model.
How to get involved
For users: Lombard offers a user-friendly way to stake BTC and benefit from LBTC’s liquidity. Visit Lombard’s page to get started.
For institutions: Institutions looking to stake BTC at scale can leverage Kiln’s and Lombard’s combined infrastructure for a secure, compliant, and highly available solution.
This announcement is part of Kiln’s ongoing Bitcoin Liquid Staking article series. For an in-depth look at the evolving BTC Liquid Staking ecosystem, check out our first article, “Exploring Bitcoin Liquid Staking Protocols.”
