This report, State of Blockchain Validators: Enterprise Edition, highlights the significant and growing trend of large, well-known enterprises embracing public blockchains by participating as validators.
Download the full report at https://www.bcw.group/2025-state-of-blockchain-validators-enterprise-edition/
The report, published by BCW Research, emphasizes how enterprises are adjusting their blockchain strategies away from a historical focus on private, permissioned blockchains towards active involvement in the core infrastructure of public networks. This new wave of adoption is characterized by enterprises contributing to validation services, which is identified as a powerful signal to the market that enterprises are increasingly sharing a belief in the future of decentralized networks.
Validators are described as a fundamental component of any decentralized blockchain network, providing computational services to verify transactions and create new blocks, thereby ensuring the network’s security and consensus. In return for these services, validators earn token rewards.
The report notes that the proof-of-stake (PoS) staking market capitalization for the top 95 networks is substantial, sitting at $210B USD, with an annualized market opportunity for staking rewards calculated at $11B USD. While the validator market has been primarily dominated by web3-native node operators, a diversification is occurring with large organizations launching their own validator businesses.
To illustrate the current state of enterprise validator participation, BCW Research sampled 30 of the largest PoS blockchain networks and found that:
- 15 unique enterprise validators are present on the sampled networks.
- 60% of sampled networks have at least one enterprise validator.
- 7 enterprises are running validators on two or more of the sampled networks.
- 13% of the sampled networks have at least four enterprise validators.
Examples of enterprises participating as validators include Worldpay, Google Cloud, NTT Digital, Deutsche Telekom, and Infosys. The report underscores that this level of enterprise activity in core blockchain infrastructure indicates market maturation, with large organizations demonstrating a fundamental belief in decentralized networks beyond mere application layer experiments.
Looking ahead, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of enterprise involvement in blockchain validation. The report predicts a 50% increase in the number of enterprise validators on the top 30 PoS blockchains by April 2026. This trend signifies a pivotal shift in the blockchain industry, demonstrating a fundamental belief in decentralized networks and paving the way for mainstream adoption and innovation, ultimately benefiting the end-user by creating a more seamless experience between their onchain and offchain lives.
Download the full report at https://www.bcw.group/2025-state-of-blockchain-validators-enterprise-edition/
About BCW
BCW Group is an enterprise solutions firm & venture studio dedicated to building cloud, web3 & AI infrastructure that connects and interacts with the on-demand digital universe.
Our business lines include infrastructure service technologies, products, enterprise solutioning, and ventures. We have launched products in the areas of blockchain interoperability (BCW DVN & hashport), APIs and infrastructure tools (Arkhia), blockchain naming service (HNS), and institutional validators and staking (stakeFi).
Learn more about BCW Group at bcw.group or follow us on X and LinkedIn.
