Exchange Yield

Coinbase USDC Rewards pays eligible users a yield simply for holding USDC on Coinbase, funded from the interest Circle earns on the stablecoin's Treasury reserves rather than from the token itself. There is no lock-up and balances stay fully liquid. This programme scores 88/100 (Tier 2) on the RWTS Trust Score, among the safest yield routes we track, because the underlying is fully reserved USDC and the operator is a regulated, US-listed exchange. The yield is set by Coinbase and can change with policy and rates; it is a platform reward, not a property of USDC.

Coinbase ETH Staking (cbETH) lets users earn Ethereum staking rewards through Coinbase, which runs the validators and issues a liquid token representing the staked position. It is a custodial, exchange-operated route to ETH yield, simpler than running a validator but reliant on Coinbase. cbETH scores 85/100 (Tier 3) on the RWTS Trust Score, high for a staking product, reflecting Coinbase's status as a regulated, US-listed operator with strong controls. The trade-offs are custodial and counterparty risk, an unstaking queue measured in days, and the usual validator-slashing exposure beneath the wrapper.

Kraken ETH Staking lets users earn Ethereum staking rewards through the Kraken exchange, which operates the validators on their behalf and returns a staked ETH position. It is a custodial route to ETH yield from an established global exchange. It scores 79/100 (Tier 3) on the RWTS Trust Score: Kraken is a long-running, security-focused operator, but the product carries custodial and counterparty risk, a bonded unbonding period of roughly two to four weeks on exit, and the underlying validator-slashing risk. US availability has been shaped by past regulatory action against exchange staking.

Binance Simple Earn (USDT) pays a yield on USDT deposited with Binance, which lends the balance to margin traders and institutional borrowers on its platform. It offers flexible and fixed-term options at rates that move with borrowing demand. It scores 70/100 (Tier 3) on the RWTS Trust Score: Binance is the largest exchange by volume with deep liquidity, but the product is fully custodial, the yield depends on opaque internal lending, and counterparty and regulatory risk sit behind it. This is an exchange earn product, not a reserved or on-chain instrument, so funds rely entirely on Binance's solvency.

OKX Simple Earn (USDT) pays a yield on USDT deposited with the OKX exchange, which deploys the balance into its lending and structured-product programmes. Flexible and fixed-term options are available at variable rates. It scores 65/100 (Tier 3) on the RWTS Trust Score: OKX is a major global exchange with substantial liquidity, but the product is custodial, the yield depends on internal lending activity, and counterparty and regulatory risk apply. As with all exchange earn products, the return is a platform offering backed by the exchange's solvency, not a claim on a segregated reserve.

Bybit Earn (USDT) pays a yield on USDT held with the Bybit exchange, generated by lending deposits to the platform's borrowers and routing them into structured products. It offers flexible and fixed-term tiers at competitive rates. It scores 60/100 (Tier 3) on the RWTS Trust Score: Bybit is a large derivatives-focused exchange, but the product is custodial, the yield comes from opaque internal lending, and counterparty plus regulatory risk are material. The relatively high rate reflects that depositors are taking exchange credit risk rather than holding a reserved or independently custodied asset.

Kinesis Velocity Token (KVT) is a revenue-share token from Kinesis that entitles holders to a fixed 20% pool of the platform's total transaction-fee revenue, split across a capped supply of tokens. It is a claim on platform activity rather than a backed asset or stablecoin, paid monthly with no lock-up. KVT scores 55/100 (Tier 4) on the RWTS Trust Score: the revenue share is contractual, but the yield is entirely dependent on Kinesis trading volumes, the token has no asset backing, and secondary liquidity is thin. Returns rise and fall with platform usage.