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Verified Operators

What are Verified Operators?​

Verified Operators (VOs) are a DAO-curated list of operators that meet defined program requirements. In most cases, they are established teams with experience running PoS staking and blockchain infrastructure services.

SSV Network is an open protocol in which stakers can freely choose among operators. As the network grows, comparing operators becomes more difficult.

In addition, operating a validator requires constant monitoring, maintenance, and uptime to avoid penalties and slashing. As such, validators require stability and consistency from the operators managing their distributed validator.

To address this, the SSV DAO maintains a curated list of Verified Operators. For stakers, this provides an additional filter during operator selection.

Verified Operators are marked in the operator selection list in the Web App with this badge:

How are they selected?​

The Verified Operator Committee (VOC) is responsible for screening and nominating new verified operators. The criteria and standards expected from Verified Operators should be accessible and transparent to the community and operators applying to be included in the verified group.

Requirements:

  • Have at least 1 active Validator assigned to your operator for >90 days
  • Keep performance above 98% for >30 days

How the list of Verified Operators is maintained?​

Verified operators are periodically re-evaluated to ensure they continue to meet DAO-defined requirements and standards. This may include reviewing performance metrics, updating company metadata, and confirming continued operational quality.

Requirements:

  • A verified operator shall not have their performance degraded below 98% for more than 14-days.
  • In case of degraded performance for >14-days, the Operator Committee shall, at its discretion, notify the Operator directly to resolve the performance issue
  • A notified Operator has another 14-days to mediate the issue.
  • If within those two periods (28-days) the performance is still not >98%, the Verified Operator classification will be removed.

How to apply​

If you are interested in becoming a verified operator, please go to the application page.