# Staking

TaraPerps is owned and managed by Meridian Finance.  As such, fees earned through the TaraPerps platform are shared between investors in $MST, the governance token of Meridian Finance.

To deposit to the Staking pool and start earning fees users first need to acquire MST. This can be achieved by purchasing MST on the open market via leading DEXs.

After staking $MST. you will start earning a pro-rata share of the fees generated by the Meridian Finance portal, while also enjoying the upward pressure caused by weekly MST buybacks.

### How much will my staked MST earn? <a href="#how-much-will-my-staked-mst-earn" id="how-much-will-my-staked-mst-earn"></a>

MST provides its stakers with a share of the fees generated from any Meridian Finance product:

* 100% of the minting and redemption fees from USDM are distributed to MST stakers ([Meridian Mint](https://docs.meridianfinance.net/welcome-to-meridian/meridian-mint)) or towards weekly MST buybacks.
* 21% of borrower fees are allocated to MST stakers ([Meridian Lend)](https://docs.meridianfinance.net/welcome-to-meridian/meridian-lend).
* 30% of the fees from opening and closing leveraged positions go to MST stakers. ([Meridian Trade](https://docs.meridianfinance.net/welcome-to-meridian/meridian-trade) & [TaraPerps](https://taraperps.com/))

### Is there a lock-up period? <a href="#is-there-a-lock-up-period" id="is-there-a-lock-up-period"></a>

You have the option to lock your MST tokens for amplified yield, though it's not mandatory. The maximum staking period currently available is 12 months.

### Are staked MST tokens used to backstop the system? <a href="#are-staked-mst-tokens-used-to-backstop-the-system" id="are-staked-mst-tokens-used-to-backstop-the-system"></a>

No, staked MST are not used to backstop the Meridian system.

### How to stake MST using Meridian's Staking Portal <a href="#how-to-stake-mst-using-meridians-staking-portal" id="how-to-stake-mst-using-meridians-staking-portal"></a>

* Go to the Staking portal & connect your wallet.
* Click 'Stake', choose your preferred lock time (which will increase your net pro-rata allocation in fees accumulated)
* Confirm the amount of MST to stake, click 'Approve, and confirm the transaction on your wallet.
* Click 'Stake' and confirm that transaction as well.
* Once the transaction is confirmed you will be shown your staking dashboard, this includes the size of your stake, your lock time, and your accumulated gains,

<figure><img src="https://docs.meridianfinance.net/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F2791058162-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FznH0wmdBqe8s23j9vKpZ%252Fuploads%252FclVl6zGYOGaZh6YqsapY%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D36e66a1f-4caf-46f7-96a4-b54d9ad9529c&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=4&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=8dd5def5&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### &#x20; <a href="#how-to-stake-mst-on-meridian-mint-telos-and-base-only" id="how-to-stake-mst-on-meridian-mint-telos-and-base-only"></a>
