Starke Finance Solana Validator Report - September 2025

Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

Summary

Starke Finance stands out as one of the top-performing validators in the Solana staking ecosystem. In September, we delivered a 7.02% APY, outperforming the network average while maintaining 100% uptime, zero skipped leader slots, and a 100% vote success rate - clear proof of our technical efficiency and robust infrastructure. This flawless performance maximizes rewards for delegators and reinforces our reputation for reliability and precision.

Although short-term stake fluctuations have reflected broader network adjustments, our community continues to grow, supported by transparency and consistent results. Looking ahead, the upcoming tokenized fund service will drive further growth and innovation, strengthening our position as a dependable, high-performance, and forward-looking validator.

General Overview

Starke Finance has been an active participant in the Solana validator ecosystem since April 2024, maintaining a strong and consistent operational record throughout our time on the network. We have demonstrated reliability, stability, and a commitment to best practices, contributing to the overall security and decentralization of the Solana ecosystem.

Operating from Amsterdam, our validator - under the identity key 3s97yjq2MhoPVPC3U9VeE3Z5S643Pweovg88ysvrQPw5 - runs on version 3.0.6, ensuring full alignment with the latest network updates and performance enhancements.

With a 0% commission on both standard staking rewards and Jito MEV rewards, we enable delegators to maximize their yield from their stake. This competitive reward structure, combined with our consistent operational performance, reinforces Starke Finance's reputation as a dependable, performance-driven validator and a trusted contributor to the network.

In addition to our technical excellence, we place a strong emphasis on security and regulatory compliance. We adhere to ISO 27001 and SOC 2 standards, underscoring our dedication to maintaining the highest levels of operational integrity and data protection.

Source: Starke Finance (As of September 30, 2025).

Validator Performance

This section details key Solana validator performance metrics from Starke Finance's operations over Epochs 842-856 (August 31 - September 30, 2025), providing an in-depth look at yield for delegators, uptime, and overall staking efficiency during the month.

APY

In September, Starke Finance once again delivered above-average returns for delegators. Our validator achieved an annualized percentage yield (APY) of 7.02%, outperforming the network average of 6.78% by 24 basis points.

Our zero-commission structure supports this performance, 100% uptime, and high consensus participation - key factors driving reliable staking rewards and sustainable growth.

Source: JPool. APY is based on a 10-epoch median, combining base staking and Jito MEV yields.

Why is Solana's average APY declining?

• More staked SOL, same reward pool: As total staked SOL grows, inflation-based rewards are shared among more stakers, reducing per-SOL yield.
• Less MEV and fewer priority fees: Earlier yield boosts from MEV and network congestion have normalized as Solana stabilized.
• Tighter competition: With more validators running at near 100% uptime, yield differentials have narrowed - a sign of a stronger, more efficient network.

What to expect next

Short-term yields may trend slightly lower due to ongoing inflation adjustments, a steady increase in total staked SOL, and cluster-wide efficiency gains. Still, higher transaction volumes could support recovery due to an increase in block inclusion competition, generating higher MEV yields.

Amid these shifts, Starke Finance remains positioned to lead - combining robust infrastructure, full MEV revenue share, and a zero-commission model to deliver consistent, above-average rewards for our community of starkers.

Timely Vote Credits (TVC)

Over the past month, Starke Finance maintained Timely Vote Credit (TVC) levels around 6.9 million, consistently ahead of the cluster average of 6.8 million. This strong metric highlights our optimized infrastructure, low network latency, and precise vote timing, which enhance Solana's overall efficiency and stability.

Our average rank places us within the top 10-25 percent of all validators, with multiple epochs ranking within the top 100 globally. For stakers, this translates into more consistent rewards and higher reliability, since timely voting directly impacts staking yield under Solana's new TVC-based reward model.

Overall, Starke Finance's TVC profile underscores a highly efficient and competitive validator operation, ensuring every delegated SOL works at peak effectiveness.

Source: JPool

Skipped Leader Slots

Starke Finance has consistently maintained a 0% skipped leader slot rate across the past 15 Solana epochs - meaning we've produced every single block assigned to us. Over the same period, the cluster average skip rate ranged between 0.04% and 0.20%, so our node has outperformed the network average in every epoch. This perfect execution translates directly into maximum staking rewards, since no leader opportunities were missed.

Source: JPool

Uptime (30 days)

Starke Finance sustained 100% uptime during September, ensuring uninterrupted participation in Solana's consensus process. This flawless record demonstrates the strength of our infrastructure and ensures continuous reward accrual for all who stake with us.

Backed by advanced monitoring, robust systems, and an unwavering commitment to network integrity, we provide a secure and dependable environment for your stake - giving you the confidence to delegate to a validator that consistently delivers excellence.

Vote Success Rate

With a vote success rate of 100%, Starke Finance consistently confirmed transactions and blocks with perfect precision, ensuring that every vote we cast contributed to network consensus and generated rewards for our delegators. By maintaining such operational excellence, our validator maximizes real yield for stakers while reinforcing the overall security and efficiency of the Solana ecosystem.

Source: Solana Beach

Average Block Reward (SOL)

Throughout Epochs 842-856, Starke Finance maintained competitive and consistent block rewards, averaging 0.025 SOL per block - closely aligned with or exceeding the network average in several epochs. Even during periods of cluster variability, Starke Finance continued to deliver reliable, above-average rewards, reinforcing our reputation as a trusted, high-performance Solana validator focused on maximizing real yield for stakers.
It's also worth noting that in previous months, Starke consistently captured significantly higher block rewards compared to the network average. However, the growing adoption of the Firedancer client (currently operating as "Frankendancer," since it still relies on Agave consensus) has led to improved block reward capture capabilities across the network.

Source: SolanaCompass

Staking & Market Share

This section provides a detailed overview of Starke Finance's staking activity and position within the Solana network during September. It examines the evolution of total stake, market share, delegator distribution, stake movements across epochs, and stake account activity. Together, these indicators offer a transparent snapshot of how Starke Finance is performing in a dynamic environment - combining operational strength, consistent yields, and growing community engagement to reinforce our validator's stability and independence within the Solana ecosystem.

Stake Accounts

The number of Starke Finance stake accounts grew steadily throughout September, rising from 172 at the start of the month to 204 by month's end - a 10.27% increase, despite some mid-month volatility mainly driven by Marinade, which temporarily reduced its delegation before later redelegating stake to Starke Finance. Because Marinade manages its position through multiple stake accounts, even partial adjustments can cause noticeable fluctuations in the total account count. This temporary movement does not reflect a real change in independent delegator activity. Despite these short-term variations, the underlying trend remains positive, with steady growth in community participation and continued confidence in Starke Finance's performance.

Source: Solana Beach

Total SOL Staked

In September, the total stake delegated to Starke Finance decreased from 330,620 SOL to 306,962 SOL, representing a 7.98% decline over the month. This change reflected a broader shift in Solana's staking landscape, as the Solana Foundation continued to scale back its validator delegations to redirect resources toward other ecosystem initiatives. While the network's overall staked amount has remained stable, this policy adjustment reduced the Foundation's share across all validators, including ours. At the same time, JPool temporarily paused its staking partnership with us until the launch of our upcoming managed tokenized fund service - an innovative, first-of-its-kind solution in Solana that will combine traditional asset management principles with on-chain efficiency. Additionally, Sanctum adjusted its allocation after rkSOL, our liquid staking token, reduced distributed rewards following the recent decline in network-wide staking yields.

Looking ahead, a slight short-term decrease in stake may still occur as delegation patterns across Solana continue to evolve. Yet this period of adjustment is creating new opportunities for Starke Finance to strengthen its position within the network and expand its community base. Encouragingly, our APY has remained consistently above the network average, demonstrating that our validator continues to deliver strong and stable returns even amid shifting market dynamics.

Source: Stakewiz, Blockworks

Stake Market Share

At the end of September, Starke Finance accounted for approximately 0.07% of the total SOL staked across the Solana network and 0.09% of the total SOL staked through native (non-liquid) staking. Although modest in relative terms, this level of participation reflects a stable position within a highly competitive validator landscape and provides a strong foundation for future growth. With the upcoming launch of our managed tokenized fund service and continued focus on increasing organic delegations, we aim to steadily grow our share of network stake while maintaining above-average performance and reliability.

Active SOL Stake Distribution by Delegator

Starke Finance's active stake reflects a broad mix of institutional and community delegations. The Solana Foundation Delegation Program remains the largest contributor with 39.87%, followed by rkSOL, our liquid staking pool, at 31.92%. Other key participants include DoubleZero (9.87%), The Vault (3.89%), JPool (3.83%), Jito (3.44%), and DynoSOL (3.25%), along with a growing group of smaller delegators representing 3.32% of the total stake. This composition highlights our ongoing diversification and the steady increase in support from individual stakers - a positive trend that strengthens Starke Finance's position within the Solana network.

Source: Solscan

Net Change in Stake

Stake movement across Epochs 842-856 reflects a period of transition marked by overall net outflows totaling -6,562 SOL. Early epochs recorded steady withdrawals as part of the broader realignment in validator delegations across the network, while the final epochs showed encouraging inflows - including a strong +11,600 SOL increase in Epoch 856. Although these gains were not sufficient to offset earlier reductions, the late-epoch activity indicates stabilization and renewed confidence among delegators. This shift suggests that, despite temporary adjustments linked to wider ecosystem trends, Starke Finance continues to demonstrate solid performance and strengthen its position within the Solana validator landscape.

Source: SolanaCompass

Maximize your Solana rewards with Starke Finance

Starke Finance provides a next-generation staking experience designed for both institutional and individual participants who want to earn more from their Solana (SOL) holdings. Our mission is to make staking simple, transparent, and rewarding - offering direct access to high-performance validation with zero complexity.

Through non-custodial staking, you always maintain full control of your assets while benefiting from enterprise-grade infrastructure, optimized uptime, and secure reward distribution. Our validator is built to maximize real yield through efficient performance, seamless operation, and fair reward structures.

When staking with Starke Finance, you can expect:

• Higher yield potential: our infrastructure is optimized to capture every possible reward, including Jito MEV returns.
• Zero fees: 0% validator commission - you keep 100% of your earned SOL.
• Transparency & control: track your rewards at any time.
• Reliable Infrastructure: professionally operated systems built for speed, security, and consistency.

Whether you're a seasoned investor or a new participant in the Solana ecosystem, Starke Finance delivers the performance, transparency, and confidence you need to grow your stake securely.

Stake with Starke Finance - earn more, stay in control, and be part of a validator built for the future of Solana.

Disclaimer

This report has been prepared by Starke Finance to provide transparency and insight into the performance of its Solana validator. The information presented is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered as financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. While all data and metrics are derived from reliable sources and on-chain analytics, Starke Finance makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or future reliability of this information. Validator performance, rewards, and staking yields are subject to change based on network conditions and protocol updates. Readers and delegators are encouraged to conduct their own due diligence before making staking or investment decisions.