When you mint an OLTA index, you hold a position token that tracks the basket. When you stake that position, you commit it to the protocol for a period in exchange for a share of fees, rebalancing rewards, and governance weight.

What you earn

Staking rewards come from three sources. Management fees collected at rebalance. A share of the protocol's revenue from custom mandates. Governance incentives that reward staked holders for participating in methodology votes.

Why stake instead of just holding

If you're holding the index for a year anyway, staking adds yield on top of price exposure without changing your underlying bet. The opportunity cost is liquidity. Staked positions have a notice period before they can be redeemed. If your time horizon is long, that's not a real cost.