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Avalanche is a high-performance, layer-one blockchain designed for superior speed, sub-second transaction finality, and high-throughput dApp development. Avalanche uses a multi-chain architecture with specialized chains (X, C, and P-chains) to enhance scalability and interoperability while remaining fully compatible with Ethereum’s smart contracts.

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Overview

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Specialized chains

  • P-Chain (Platform Chain) — the layer responsible for staking. Anchorage labels the P-Chain native asset AVAX_PCHAIN.
  • C-Chain (Contract Chain) — an EVM-compatible smart contract layer used for deploying decentralized applications (dApps) and executing standard DeFi transactions. Anchorage labels the C-Chain native asset AVAX.

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Supported features

FeatureDetails
C-Chain custodyDeposit and withdrawals
P-Chain custodyDeposits only
C-Chain stakingNot supported
P-Chain stakingStaking AVAX_PCHAIN from Anchorage Digital
Liquid stakingAVAX staking via the BENQI liquid staking protocol
BridgingBridging both ways between C-Chain and P-Chain
No support for transfers for AVAX_PCHAIN. Once you deposit or bridge AVAX to a P-Chain address, you can only bridge back to C-Chain to access funds. If you need to split AVAX across different P-Chain addresses, you will need to bridge separately to the different addresses from C-Chain or directly transfer P-Chain AVAX to those addresses.
No unstaking AVAX. The AVAX validator you stake to has staked for a specific time period. If you stake to a validator, your assets will be staked to that validator for the duration of the staking period. No unstaking is possible on the Avalanche network. Plan accordingly when choosing the validator you will stake to, depending on when the validator’s staking period ends.
Operate your own validator. Anchorage Digital also supports operating your own AVAX validator. If you are interested in operating your own validator, contact your Relationship Manager for more details.
Bridging is a two-part process. When you bridge AVAX between C- and P-Chain, the bridging requires two separate operations that need to be initiated. For example, you first need to export from C-Chain (Part 1) and then go to your P-Chain wallet and initiate the import operation (Part 2) to complete bridging.

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General steps to stake AVAX

  1. Deposit AVAX to your Anchorage wallet.
  2. Bridge AVAX to your Anchorage P-Chain wallet.
  3. Stake AVAX_PCHAIN to any validator on the Avalanche network (you will stake for the duration of the validator’s staking period).
  4. At the end of the staking period, your staked principal AVAX plus your staking rewards will return to the P-Chain wallet you staked from.
  5. You can bridge back from P-Chain to C-Chain or re-stake.

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Bridge from C-Chain to P-Chain

1

Create your P-Chain wallet

Create a P-Chain wallet (AVAX_PCHAIN) that will receive your bridged assets.
2

Navigate to your C-Chain wallet

Navigate to your C-Chain AVAX wallet.
3

Export to P-Chain

Tap the Stake button, then tap Export to p-chain. Enter the amount to bridge and select the P-Chain wallet that will be your Destination Address.
4

Initiate and approve

Initiate the operation and gather quorum approvals.
5

Import to P-Chain

After the operation completes, navigate to the Destination Address P-Chain wallet. Tap Import from c-chain, then tap Next. The amount you exported is automatically populated. Add an optional comment, then tap Review. Review the operation and tap Submit and approve.

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Bridge from P-Chain to C-Chain

You need to deposit a tiny amount of AVAX into the destination C-Chain wallet in order to complete the bridging process.
1

Create your C-Chain wallet

Create a C-Chain wallet (AVAX) that will receive your bridged assets. Deposit a small amount of AVAX to the wallet.
2

Navigate to your P-Chain wallet

Navigate to your P-Chain AVAX_PCHAIN wallet.
3

Export to C-Chain

Tap the Stake button, then tap Export to c-chain. Enter the amount to bridge and select the AVAX wallet that will be your Destination Address (you must select a C-Chain wallet with a tiny amount of AVAX to complete bridging).
4

Initiate and approve

Initiate the operation and gather quorum approvals.
5

Import to C-Chain

After the operation completes, navigate to the Destination Address C-Chain wallet and tap the Stake button.
If the Stake button is greyed out, tap the Hide card link below it to see the additional options.
Tap Import AVAX from p-chain, then tap Next to complete the import. Review the amount to import (automatically populated for you), add an optional comment, then tap Review. Review the operation and tap Submit and approve.

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Stake AVAX_PCHAIN

1

Navigate to your P-Chain wallet

Navigate to your AVAX_PCHAIN wallet.
2

Initiate staking

Tap the Stake button, then tap Stake in the drop-down.
3

Enter validator address

Enter the validator address that you wish to stake to.
Your staked amount will be locked to this validator for the duration of the validator’s staking period. Choose a validator that matches your need for staking and liquidity.
4

Enter stake amount

Enter the amount you wish to stake.
Minimum stake amount is 25 AVAX + 0.05 AVAX for fees.
5

Preview and submit

Tap Preview operation, then tap Confirm and submit for approval.
6

Quorum approval

Have your team members quorum approve the operation.

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Unstake AVAX_PCHAIN

No unstaking operations exist on the Avalanche network. When you stake, you must stake for the duration of the period that validator is staking. Review the list of active Avalanche validators to find one that meets your staking duration needs.

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AVAX_PCHAIN staking rewards

Rewards are distributed at the end of the staking period. They do not auto-compound during the lockup; you must restake them after they unlock to compound your returns. Staking rewards will be recognized at the end of the staking duration period with a specific operation.