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New vault architecture introduces standardized rails for DeFi and CEX strategies, anchored by stETH as the flagship asset.
Mellow today announces the launch of Core Vaults, a next-generation vault architecture designed to give institutions and curators a programmable surface for building and deploying onchain structured products.
Opportunities to generate yield across DeFi protocols and centralized exchanges are plentiful, but the landscape is highly fragmented and difficult for institutions to navigate. Core Vaults bring them together into a single framework with standardized strategy design, embedded risk controls, and plug-and-play integrations across protocols and exchanges. At launch, the system is anchored with Lido’s stETH, the most widely used staking token on Ethereum, as the flagship asset.
“Structured products are going to be the native language of institutional DeFi. Core Vaults give allocators and builders a fluent vocabulary – modular, transparent, and ready for any market condition.” – Nick S., founder of Mellow.
Institutional-grade infrastructure
Core Vaults address one of the most persistent challenges facing professional allocators: the need for clarity, control and compliance in an environment that is often messy.
Proof in practice: the Lido stRATEGY Vault
One of the first strategies built on Core Vaults is the Lido stRATEGY Vault available through the Earn tab on https://stake.lido.fi/earn.
Users can deposit ETH, WETH or wstETH and receive strETH in return, representing their share of the vault. Capital is then programmatically allocated across established DeFi venues such as Aave, Ethena, Uniswap and others. Rewards accrue in the background and are supplemented by Mellow Points.
In effect, the stRATEGY Vault shows how Core Vaults can be used in practice. Instead of managing multiple dashboards and manual integrations, depositors interact once and access a diversified, risk-isolated strategy built on Ethereum’s largest liquid staking token.
“Lido Protocol’s stETH already underpins much of DeFi, and the stRATEGY Vault builds on that foundation. Powered by Mellow’s Core Vaults, it gives users a simple way to access a diversified set of strategies built around stETH in one place.” – Jakov Buratović, Master of DeFi, Lido Ecosystem Foundation.
Why it matters
The launch of Core Vaults comes at a moment when institutional inflows into Ethereum are accelerating. Spot ETH ETFs in the United States have drawn billions in recent months, while MiCA in Europe and stablecoin regulation on the horizon are creating clearer rules of the road.
Institutions are seeking structured access and defined risk, not a patchwork of venues. Core Vaults consolidate this landscape bringing fragmented yield opportunities into a single trustless framework. Protocols connect without custom adapters or added engineering. The vault design abstracts execution, reducing integration timelines to near-zero.
For institutions, they provide auditability and trustless custody. For curators and protocol teams, they unlock a broader design space where curators can plug in protocols without writing a single line of code. And for end-users, they deliver accessible, user-friendly routes to strategies powered by stETH and other assets.
About Mellow
Mellow is a modular infrastructure protocol for building onchain structured products. Founded in 2021, Mellow enables asset managers, curators, and protocols to design and operate vaults with full control over strategy, risk, and fees. The platform supports both DeFi and centralized exchange integrations, with features such as risk isolation, compliance tooling, and plug-and-play connectivity. Backed by leading investors, Mellow has evolved from early work in automated liquidity management to become a leading provider of institutional-grade vault infrastructure.
Users can learn more:
Vaults documentation: https://mellowprotocol.notion.site/Mellow-Core-Vaults-23302ad8627680d794b4dbfd4d6810ec
About Lido
Lido is an open-source, liquid-staking middleware that provides a way to participate in the blockchain network validation process and reap rewards for this activity. With a mission to democratize staking, Lido middleware lets users connect with node operators and stake their digital assets without the need to individually maintain hardware. Lido users can interact with various third-party DeFi applications that have independently integrated and support the liquid staking tokens. For further information, users can visit https://lido.fi
