Nexus Mutual to provide insurance coverage for Babylon's Bitcoin staking layer

Crypto insurance provider Nexus Mutual is developing a slashing protection product for Bitcoin-based Babylon’s proof-of-stake mechanism. Babylon Labs is advising the development, though not participating directly in the cover products.  

The companies say there will be several cover options “tailored to all of the different participants” on the Babylon network, including individual stakers and institutions. 

Babylon is a so-called “Bitcoin Secured Network,” i.e. a network that relies on Bitcoin’s proof-of-stake security model to power a more flexible proof-of-stake system that can support smart contracts. The protocol, which began rolling out its “Genesis” mainnet earlier this month, pays stakers to lock up funds used as economic security. 

Proof-of-stake systems rely on a process called “slashing” as a penalty mechanism that confiscates a portion of a validator's staked tokens for malicious or negligent behavior, like double-signing or being offline. While the process is designed to improve staking participation, theoretically, slashing itself has failure models. 

“We’re excited about Nexus Mutual’s upcoming slashing protection product and what it could mean for Bitcoin stakers,” said Clayton Menzel, head of BD at Babylon, said in a statement. “This collaboration supports our mission of unlocking bitcoin to secure the decentralized economy, offering bitcoin holders a way to participate in staking with greater peace of mind.”

Nexus Mutual, founded in 2019, calls itself “the largest and most trusted underwriter for crypto risk.” The company claims to underwrite over $5.5 billion worth of digital assets and to have paid out on “100% of valid claims,” totaling over $18 million.

Some 45,000 bitcoins are staked through Babylon, which is used to secure anything from other PoS chains to decentralized applications like asset wrapping services. Allnodes, Figment and Galaxy Digital are among the protocol’s 250 "finality providers," aka validators. Several major crypto firms plan to integrate Babylon's bitcoin staking layer, including custodians Anchorage and Bitgo, as well as exchanges like OKX. 

BABY currently trades at $0.083 and is up 7.82% over the last 24 hours, according to The Block's price data . 

Platforms like Blockdaemon or Chainproof offer similar slashing insurance products that compensate stakers for losses if and when they are penalized. These products generally offer premiums based on the value of the staked amount and validator reliability.