Investing in crypto assets like ether, the native token of the Ethereum network, once followed a simple path: traders bought coins on platforms like Coinbase or Robinhood, or stored them in self-custody wallets such as MetaMask, and held them directly. Then came staking, or pledging a certain amount of cryptocurrencies to a network to validate transactions and earn rewards. This was seen as a way for investors to generate passive income while holding the tokens through crypto exchanges in anticipation of ...