MONEY EVERY DAY

Most blockchains have a governance problem. When developers want to upgrade the network — change the rules, add features, fix flaws — they publish new software and hope everyone agrees to run it. If a significant portion of the community disagrees, they simply don't upgrade. The result is a permanent split: two incompatible versions of the same blockchain, dividing the community, the developers, and the value. This has happened repeatedly to major blockchains. Bitcoin has split into Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, and others. Ethereum split from Ethereum Classic. These aren't clean divorces — they create confusion, dilute trust, and leave users choosing sides in technical disputes they didn't sign up for.

Tezos was designed to avoid this entirely. Upgrades to the Tezos protocol are proposed on-chain, voted on by XTZ holders, tested in a sandboxed environment, and only then deployed across the network — automatically, with everyone on the same version. No splits, no factions, no competing chains. The network has upgraded itself this way twenty times since launch, each time reducing fees, improving performance, or adding new capabilities — all without breaking anything for existing users.

Tezos isn't just a trading token — it's infrastructure that real organisations depend on.

• Myloby is a Paris-based startup that manages the transfer of physical keys and object responsibility for real estate agencies and property developers like Nexity and Sergic. Every handover is recorded on the Tezos blockchain for tamper-proof accountability. They chose Tezos because it "guarantees the security of the data and certifies and authenticates transfers through smart contracts" — and they've now processed over 100,000 such transactions.
• Fraktion raised €1.1 million in seed funding to build a platform for tokenising real-world assets on Tezos — giving investors fractional ownership of physical assets like property, all on-chain and regulatory-compliant.
• Xalts, an enterprise blockchain platform, partnered with the Tezos Foundation to make it easier for financial institutions and governments to build tokenisation infrastructure on Tezos and its Layer 2, Etherlink.
• fxhash, a generative art platform built on Tezos, raised a $5 million oversubscribed seed round and has become one of the most active on-chain art markets in the world.

These aren't pilots or proofs-of-concept — they're production systems running today.

If your Tezos is sitting on a crypto exchange, you don't actually own it. You own a number on a screen that the exchange controls. This matters for several reasons:

• Exchanges can freeze withdrawals. This has happened repeatedly during market stress events. When you need your funds, "temporarily unavailable" is a gut-punch.
• Exchanges have been hacked, collapsed, and defrauded. Billions of dollars in user funds have been lost to exchange failures. The funds aren't insured the way a bank deposit would be.
• You're earning nothing. XTZ sitting idle on an exchange earns you no staking rewards. You're holding an appreciating asset and getting none of the yield it could be generating.
• You don't control your keys. In crypto, the phrase is "not your keys, not your coins." A Tezos wallet that you control means only you can move your XTZ — no exchange decision, hack, or insolvency can touch it.

Getting your XTZ into your own wallet takes about 10 minutes and costs almost nothing. The peace of mind and the rewards are well worth it.

Staking is how you put your XTZ to work.

The Tezos network is secured by "bakers" — participants who validate transactions and produce new blocks. When you stake your XTZ with a baker, you're contributing to network security, and the network rewards you for it with newly minted XTZ deposited directly into your wallet.

After the Paris protocol upgrade in mid-2024, Tezos introduced a more rewarding form of staking alongside the older delegation system. Here's the difference:

• Delegation is liquid staking. Your XTZ stays fully accessible at all times. You earn rewards, but at a lower rate — roughly one-third the return of full staking.
• Staking gives you up to 3× the rewards of delegation. Your XTZ is locked for a short unbonding period of around 4 days if you decide to exit. This is still extraordinarily short compared to most blockchains. Staking rewards accrue immediately and automatically to your wallet every day, compounding as they go.

There's no minimum amount to stake, and transaction fees on Tezos are so low they're almost invisible — typically less than a cent.

1. Sign up to a crypto exchange
   Create an account on a reputable exchange that lists XTZ. Popular options include Kraken, Coinbase, and Binance. You'll need to verify your identity (a standard regulatory requirement).
2. Buy XTZ
   Deposit Australian dollars (or your local currency) via bank transfer and convert to XTZ. This is straightforward — just like buying a foreign currency, except it settles in minutes.
3. Set up a Tezos wallet
   Download a Tezos wallet that you control. Kukai is a popular browser and mobile wallet. Temple Wallet is another solid option. Write down your seed phrase (the 24 words that give you access) and store it somewhere secure and offline. This is your master key.
4. Send your XTZ to your wallet
   From the exchange, initiate a withdrawal to your Tezos wallet address. Your XTZ will arrive within minutes. Once it's there, it's yours — no exchange, no middleman.

Once your XTZ is in your wallet, staking takes about three minutes.

1. Go to stake.tezos.com
   This is the official Tezos staking interface. Connect your wallet by clicking "Connect Wallet" and selecting your wallet app.
2. Delegate to a baker
   If you haven't delegated before, you'll need to choose a baker first. Think of a baker like choosing which bank branch handles your account — your XTZ stays in your wallet, the baker simply earns the right to represent your stake. Money Every Day is an Australian baker you can delegate to directly. Delegation is free and does not send your tezos anywhere.
3. Stake an amount
   Once delegated, click "Stake" and choose how much XTZ you want to stake. You can stake any portion of your delegated balance — you don't have to stake everything. Leave a small amount unstaked to cover transaction fees (a few tez is more than enough).
4. Watch the rewards arrive
   Staking rewards accrue automatically to your wallet address every cycle — roughly every 2–3 days. You don't need to do anything else. The XTZ simply accumulates in your wallet.

To unstake, just click "Unstake" on the dashboard. Your funds are available again after approximately 4 days.

Staking rewards on Tezos vary depending on network participation rates and your baker's fee structure. As a general guide, staking currently offers meaningfully better returns than delegation. Check tzkt.io for live network reward rates.

Speak to a crypto-aware accountant if you want specific tax guidance.