# Espresso Foundation Seeds Liquidity for New ESP/stESP Curve Pool *stESP, stake.link's liquid staking token for ESP, is now liquid* By [Espresso Foundation](https://paragraph.com/@espressofndn) · 2026-08-13 --- The Espresso Foundation has seeded [a new ESP/stESP Curve pool](https://www.curve.finance/dex/ethereum/pools/0xf1b9d331d54118d4d5ddfd7454a888f4f0afed88) with approximately $230,000 of initial liquidity, split 50/50 between the two assets, to deepen trading depth for stESP, [stake.link](http://stake.link)’s liquid staking token for ESP. Stake.link in March [launched stESP](https://x.com/stakedotlink/status/2033256951497502882?s=20) to enable stakers to earn rewards for securing Espresso while keeping their position liquid. The liquid staking token is designed for broader DeFi use as more integrations come online. Why this matters ---------------- A liquid staking token like stESP lets ESP holders [earn staking rewards](https://paragraph.com/@espressofndn/secure-espresso-earn-rewards-a-guide-to-staking-esp-and-boosted-bonuses) for contributing to the security of Espresso's proof-of-stake network while maintaining high levels of liquidity and optionality. Seeding this Curve pool creates several benefits for the Espresso ecosystem: * **Lower opportunity cost for staking ESP:** Holders maintain liquidity while earning staking rewards. * **Stronger network security:** More staked ESP directly strengthens Espresso's proof-of-stake consensus network. * **DeFi composability:** Deeper liquidity for stESP encourages more integrations across borrowing, lending, and trading platforms. The bottom line is that the ecosystem becomes healthier. More staking means a more secure network. More liquidity makes stESP and ESP easier to trade. More composability attracts more builders and more opportunities in DeFi. How the pool works ------------------ Curve's stable-swap design is purpose-built for assets like ESP and stESP that are expected to trade near parity, yielding the following benefits: * **Concentrated liquidity:** Compared to a general-purpose AMM, a Curve pool focuses capital tightly around parity rather than spread infinitely, enabling minimal slippage on swaps. * **LP fee generation:** Liquidity providers can deposit ESP or stESP to earn trading fees from pool activity. Where to get stESP ------------------ Holders can mint stESP by staking ESP at [stake.link's portal](https://stake.link/esp/stake). Currently, stake.link delegates all ESP staked via its portal to LinkPool, a validator in the Espresso Foundation's delegation program, but could expand the set of validators it supports as adoption grows. A healthy and secure network needs a diverse validator set, so we also encourage holders to use the [Espresso Staking Dashboard](https://stake.espresso.network/), which provides standard native staking without a liquid token. Whichever staking option you choose, you're contributing to Espresso’s security and earning staking rewards; stake.link just makes that position liquid. A note on security ------------------ The ESP/stESP pool was deployed through Curve's permissionless infrastructure and is not administered by [stake.link](http://stake.link) or the Espresso Foundation. Critical stake.link protocol operations are secured by a 6-of-8 multisig with a 24-hour timelock, with signers representing multiple independent organizations (details in [stake.link's FAQ](https://docs.stake.link/faq#id-4.who-are-the-signers-on-the-multi-sig-wallet)). The stESP staking contracts underwent an independent security audit by Cyfrin, available [here](https://github.com/stakedotlink/contracts/blob/main/audits/%5B2026-02-04%5D%20Cyfrin%20-%20Espresso%20Staking.pdf). How to participate ------------------ 1. **Stake ESP:** Mint stESP at [stake.link/esp/stake](https://stake.link/esp/stake) 2. **Trade & Provide Liquidity on** [**the ESP/stESP Curve pool**](https://www.curve.finance/dex/ethereum/pools/0xf1b9d331d54118d4d5ddfd7454a888f4f0afed88) 3. **Build & Integrate:** Integrate stESP into your DeFi protocol or ecosystem application A liquid staking token for ESP is just one example of the infrastructure being built by validators across the Espresso delegation program. The Foundation expects to keep supporting projects like this as the ecosystem grows. --- *Originally published on [Espresso Foundation](https://paragraph.com/@espressofndn/seeding-stesp-curve-pool)*