# Stake ADA without giving it up, and pay for AI with the rewards

> You can stake ADA for AI inference without giving up custody by delegating it from your own wallet to the Gatewayz stake pool. Delegation is a certificate on your stake key, so your ADA stays spendable with no lock-up. The pool's rewards fund a discount: 95% of what your stake earns Gatewayz is credited to your account, and requests then cost 1% of list price.

**In one line:** Delegation moves no ADA: one certificate points your stake at the Gatewayz pool, and the pool's rewards come back to you as an inference discount.

You stake ADA for AI inference by [delegating](/yield/glossary#delegation) it to the Gatewayz [stake pool](/yield/glossary#stake-pool) from the wallet you already use. Delegation assigns your stake to a pool without transferring your ADA, so it stays in your wallet, spendable at any time, with no lock-up. Instead of paying ADA rewards out, the pool turns them into an [inference discount balance](/yield/glossary#inference-discount-balance) on your Gatewayz account: 95% of the rewards your stake earns Gatewayz, used to cover 99% of each request's [list price](/yield/glossary#list-price).

**Pre-launch.** The program is built and switched off on mainnet. A working demo runs on Cardano's preprod testnet with test ADA, by invitation. Not available to US or Canadian persons. Every participant must confirm they are not a US or Canadian person before linking a wallet.

## Key takeaways

- Delegating takes one transaction with a [delegation certificate](/yield/glossary#delegation-certificate) and costs only the usual transaction fees, plus a one-time 2 ADA [stake address deposit](/yield/glossary#stake-address-deposit) that is returned in full if you deregister.
- Your ADA never moves. Cardano staking is [non-custodial](/yield/glossary#non-custodial), has no lock-up and no [slashing](/yield/glossary#slashing), and you can switch pools whenever you like.
- The Gatewayz pool keeps nearly all of its rewards as its fee, a 99% [margin](/yield/glossary#margin) plus the minimum [fixed cost](/yield/glossary#fixed-cost), and that fee funds your discount.
- Cardano pays rewards with a lag: a delegation made in epoch N is paid for the first time at the start of epoch N+4, about 15 to 20 days later.
- Any CIP-30 wallet that can delegate works, including Lace, Eternl, Yoroi, VESPR and Typhon.

## What happens to my ADA when I delegate it?

Nothing moves. Delegation tells the network which pool your stake supports; your ADA stays at your address under your keys, and you can spend it normally however it is delegated.

On Cardano, your wallet has a [stake key](/yield/glossary#stake-key) separate from the keys that spend funds. The first time you stake, your wallet registers a [stake address](/yield/glossary#stake-address) and pays a 2 ADA deposit, which is for registration, not for delegating. After that, changing pools costs only transaction fees. Because the ADA never leaves your wallet, Gatewayz has no contract holding it and no way to move it. [Non-custodial vs custodial staking](/yield/learn/non-custodial-vs-custodial-staking) compares this with exchange staking.

## How does the Gatewayz pool turn rewards into a discount?

Through its fee. Cardano splits each pool's rewards in a fixed order: the declared fixed cost goes to the operator first, then the declared margin, and the remainder is shared among delegators by stake. The Gatewayz pool sets its margin at 99% on top of the minimum fixed cost, which is 170 ADA per epoch on mainnet today.

So nearly all of the rewards your stake earns are paid to Gatewayz as [pool fees](/yield/glossary#pool-fees) rather than to your reward account. Each day, after a finished epoch's rewards are recorded, Gatewayz splits what it actually received across linked wallets by stake and credits 95% of your share, in USD at the time of recording, to your discount balance. On each request you then pay 1% of the list price; the other 99% comes from the balance until it runs out.

| | A typical pool | The Gatewayz pool |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Margin | A percentage the operator declares | 99% |
| Fixed cost | At least 170 ADA per epoch | The minimum |
| What you receive | ADA in your reward account | An inference discount worth 95% of the rewards your stake earned Gatewayz |
| Can you withdraw it? | Yes, as ADA | No: the discount is not cash and cannot be withdrawn, transferred or exchanged |

[Staking rewards vs an inference discount](/yield/learn/staking-rewards-vs-inference-discount) works through the trade-off.

## How do I delegate ADA to the Gatewayz pool?

Four steps, and only the first is a transaction.

1. **Delegate.** Point your ADA at the Gatewayz stake pool from any CIP-30 wallet (Lace, Eternl, Yoroi, Vespr). Your ADA stays in your wallet.
2. **Link.** Sign a message with your stake key to link the wallet to your Gatewayz account. No transaction, no deposit.
3. **Convert.** After each epoch, Gatewayz splits the pool rewards it received by stake and adds 95% of your share to your discount balance.
4. **Use.** Every request on Gatewayz costs 1% of its list price while the balance lasts, through one API key, or by your agents.

Wallets connect to websites through CIP-30, the standard that lets a site read addresses and request signatures without ever handling your keys. Its implementors include Eternl, Lace and Yoroi, and Cardano.org notes that VESPR, Typhon and others speak it too. Linking uses CIP-8 message signing, which proves you control the stake address without sending a transaction or paying a fee.

## When does the first discount arrive?

About two to three weeks after you delegate. Cardano does not use live delegations; it pays from a [stake snapshot](/yield/glossary#stake-snapshot) taken at each [epoch](/yield/glossary#epoch) boundary, and an epoch lasts 432,000 one-second slots, or 5 days.

| Epoch | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| N | You submit the delegation certificate |
| N+1 | Your stake is counted in the snapshot |
| N+2 | Your stake becomes active |
| N+3 | Rewards for N+2 are calculated |
| N+4 | Rewards are paid, and Gatewayz records them |

After that, rewards arrive every epoch. This [reward lag](/yield/glossary#reward-lag) is covered in [Cardano epochs and reward timing](/yield/learn/cardano-epochs-and-reward-timing).

## What does pool size mean for my rewards?

A pool's size changes how often it mints blocks and how much each block is worth to delegators. Two limits matter. [Saturation](/yield/glossary#saturation) is total stake divided by the [k parameter](/yield/glossary#k-parameter), which is 500 on mainnet; in epoch 664 that is roughly 77.9 million ADA, and past it extra stake stops increasing a pool's rewards. [Pledge](/yield/glossary#pledge) is ADA the operator commits to its own pool; pools with meaningful pledge earn slightly more, and if owners delegate less than the declared pledge, the pool earns nothing that epoch.

At the other end, small pools mint blocks less often, so their rewards vary more from epoch to epoch, and a pool that is offline when elected misses that block. A new pool is small, so expect uneven epochs at first.

Estimate for your own amount: `usd_per_month = min(amount_ada * network_rewards_per_ada_per_epoch * reward_share * epochs_per_month * ada_usd, per_account_daily_usd * 30)`.

Example only, for 100,000 ADA at $0.2033 (CoinGecko simple price, 2026-10-27): $32.91 to $34.45 of discount per month.

Interactive calculator: https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/calculator

## Do I need to choose a DRep?

Only to withdraw ADA rewards, which matters little here. Since the Plomin hard fork, enacted on 29 January 2025, staking rewards can only be withdrawn once your stake key also has an active vote delegation: to a [DRep](/yield/glossary#drep), abstain or no confidence. Rewards keep accumulating either way.

Members of a pool with a 99% margin receive almost no ADA rewards, because nearly everything goes to the pool's fee and comes back to you as a discount instead. You can still set a vote delegation in your wallet if you want to withdraw the small remainder or take part in governance.

## What are the risks?

Your ADA is not at risk from Gatewayz, because delegation never moves it. The trade-offs are the rewards you give up, the pool's performance, the ADA price and program changes.

- **Your ADA.** Delegation never moves your ADA. There is no Gatewayz contract holding it and no lock-up. Your ADA's market price still moves, as it would in your wallet anyway.
- **Rewards you give up.** The pool takes nearly all of its rewards as its fee (99% margin plus Cardano's minimum fixed cost), so you do not receive ADA staking rewards while delegated. You receive an inference discount instead.
- **Pool performance.** Rewards depend on the blocks the pool mints. A new or small pool mints blocks less often, so its rewards vary more from epoch to epoch, and an epoch with no blocks has nothing to share.
- **ADA price.** Rewards are converted to USD when they are recorded, so the size of your discount moves with ADA.
- **Program changes.** The reward share, the discount, the limits and the program itself can change or be paused. The program also pauses automatically if discounts granted ever exceed 95% of rewards received.
- **Smart contracts.** None for ADA: delegation is a native Cardano certificate, not a smart contract. Future assets that use contracts or lending protocols will list their contract risk on their own page.
- **Your Gatewayz account.** The discount balance lives on your Gatewayz account. Anyone with your API key can spend it, so treat the key like a password.

The full list is on [Risks](/yield/risks), and what Gatewayz can and cannot touch is on [Security](/yield/security).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is staking ADA with Gatewayz non-custodial?

Yes. Delegation is a certificate on your own stake key, not a transfer, so your ADA stays in your wallet under your keys. You can spend it, move it or redelegate at any time, and Gatewayz has no way to move it.

### How much does it cost to delegate ADA?

Delegating costs the usual transaction fee. If your stake address is not registered yet, your wallet also pays a 2 ADA deposit, which is returned in full when the stake address is deregistered. Changing pools later costs only transaction fees.

### Do I still receive ADA staking rewards?

Almost none. The Gatewayz pool takes a 99% margin plus the minimum fixed cost, so nearly all rewards go to the pool's fee. You receive an inference discount worth 95% of what your stake earned Gatewayz instead. If you would rather accumulate ADA, delegate to a pool that pays rewards out.

### What happens if I switch to another pool?

A redelegation becomes active in the epoch after next, and your old pool still earns for you for three more payouts, so there is no gap. Discounts already credited stay on your Gatewayz account after you leave.

### Which wallets can delegate to the Gatewayz pool?

Any Cardano wallet that can delegate and speaks CIP-30, the standard browser-wallet bridge. Lace, Eternl and Yoroi implement it, and Cardano.org names VESPR and Typhon among the wallets that work with CIP-30 sites.

### Can I use the program from the United States or Canada?

No. The program is not available to US or Canadian persons, and every participant confirms this before linking a wallet. It is also pre-launch: a working demo runs on Cardano's preprod testnet by invitation.

## Apply for the demo

We are walking a small group of ADA holders, treasuries and agent builders through the preprod demo before launch.

Apply for the demo at https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield#apply, or write to hello@gatewayz.ai. Not available to US or Canadian persons. Every participant must confirm they are not a US or Canadian person before linking a wallet.

## Sources

- [Cardano.org Glossary: Staking](https://cardano.org/glossary/staking/), as of 2026-10-28
- [Cardano Developer Portal: Staking](https://developers.cardano.org/docs/developers/curriculum/staking-governance/staking/), as of 2026-10-28
- [Cardano.org Glossary: Delegation](https://cardano.org/glossary/delegation/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano Docs: Delegation](https://docs.cardano.org/about-cardano/learn/delegation), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org: Stake your ada on Cardano](https://cardano.org/stake-pool-delegation/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: Stake Address Deposit](https://cardano.org/glossary/stake-address-deposit/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano Docs: Cardano node (Slots and epochs)](https://docs.cardano.org/about-cardano/learn/cardano-node), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: Stake Snapshot](https://cardano.org/glossary/stake-snapshot/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano Docs: Pledging and rewards](https://docs.cardano.org/about-cardano/learn/pledging-rewards), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: Minimum Pool Cost](https://cardano.org/glossary/min-pool-cost/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: Pledge](https://cardano.org/glossary/pledge/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: k parameter](https://cardano.org/glossary/k-parameter/), as of 2026-10-27
- [Koios API: totals (epoch 664)](https://api.koios.rest/api/v1/totals?_epoch_no=664), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: Pool Saturation](https://cardano.org/glossary/pool-saturation/), as of 2026-10-27
- [CIP-0030: Cardano dApp-Wallet Web Bridge](https://cips.cardano.org/cip/CIP-0030), as of 2026-10-27
- [Cardano.org Glossary: CIP-30](https://cardano.org/glossary/cip-30/), as of 2026-10-27
- [CIP-0008: Message Signing](https://cips.cardano.org/cip/CIP-0008), as of 2026-10-27

## Related

- [How yield-as-inference works](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/how-it-works)
- [ADA staking calculator for AI inference](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/calculator)
- [How Cardano staking works](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/learn/how-cardano-staking-works)
- [When do Cardano staking rewards arrive?](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/learn/cardano-epochs-and-reward-timing)
- [The risks of ADA delegation with Gatewayz](https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/risks)

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Discounts are a share of staking rewards Gatewayz actually received, can change at any time, and are not a guaranteed return. Not available to US or Canadian persons. Every participant must confirm they are not a US or Canadian person before linking a wallet. Not investment, legal or tax advice. Figures as of 2026-10-27.

Updated 2026-10-28. Canonical page: https://www.gatewayz.ai/yield/assets/ada