Node Operator Admission: Kiln as stVault Professional Operator

Node Operators stVaults Identification
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1. Identification

Kiln is an enterprise-grade staking and restaking infrastructure provider serving over 250 businesses (exchanges, custodians, wallets and institutional platforms). Kiln operates globally distributed, multi-cloud, multi-region validator infrastructure across major PoS networks. The company has 100+ employees, is headquartered in Paris, France, SOC 2 Type II certified, and runs a fully non-custodial staking architecture.

Kiln has been an Ethereum node operator in Lido since 2021.

2. Business Case

Kiln has established a proven track record in running validators and staking infrastructure across Ethereum, Solana, Ton, Cosmos, and a lot of other ecosystems. By joining the stVault framework as a Professional Operator, Kiln aims to bring extensive validator operations experience, institutional client distribution (cross-selling into Kiln customer base), and integrations of stVaults with Kiln DeFi and Railnet, our institutional asset management protocol.

3. Ops & Decentralisation

Kiln operates validators under a “better down than slashed” philosophy, with strict change-management, multi-cloud redundancy, and dedicated monitoring/alerting systems.

Kiln maintains a neutral MEV posture compatible with stVault requirements.

Client & Infrastructure Model

  • non-custodial setup — clients retain control of funds at all times.

  • Ethereum client diversity strategy.

  • Validator infrastructure runs exclusively on dedicated bare-metal servers located in Europe, ensuring low latency, high reliability.

  • Remote signing via Web3Signer:

    • Keys are never exposed on validator hosts.

    • Policies enforce strict access control.

    • Web3Signer runs in hardened, isolated environments with controlled network access.

  • Fully automated GitOps deployments on an Infrastructure as Code environment.

  • Continuous monitoring & alerting tracks peer health, version consistency, and validator performance.

  • Infrastructure distributed across multiple data centers and cloud providers.

MEV & Neutrality Policy

  • Kiln follows a balanced, safety-first MEV posture using a diversified set of open, transparent, and regulated relays to maximise resilience while maintaining compliance.

  • Fallback to local block building for proposer availability.

4. Governance & Compliance

Kiln is a EU-based entity adhering to GDPR and operating under institutional security and compliance standards.

The company maintains SOC 2 Type II certification, a dedicated security portal, public status page, bug bounty program, and non-custodial staking design with protocol-controlled withdrawals.

5. Links

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Hi!

Thanks for applying — we’re glad to see you progressing with your onboarding as a Node Operator for stVaults.

As a member of the stVaults Committee, I confirm that the Committee has initiated the assessment process. We’ll keep you updated as it moves forward.

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As a delegate of the stVaults Committee, I am posting to confirm that the relevant ET motions establishing Kiln’s status as an stVaults Identified Node Operator have now been enacted.

Following the committee’s assessment of Kiln’s application, Kiln has been assigned to the Basic Identified Operator Category under the stVaults framework. A reassessment may be considered in the future upon request.