Validation Cloud is excited to continue to build alongside the Obol Collective, the leading...
Alex sits down with Toma Heremans, CEO of Obol Association, to explore how distributed validators (DVs) are redefining staking infrastructure, the future of Ethereum resilience, and why institutional adoption is the next major unlock for proof-of-stake networks. Toma breaks down the complexities and misconceptions around DVs and shares his vision for a world where even your phone can help secure Ethereum. He also dives into the staking value chain, the impact of upcoming Ethereum upgrades, and his bold prediction for 2025.
Toma Heremans is the CEO of Obol Association, the largest Decentralized Operator Ecosystem. Under Toma’s leadership, Obol was the first to bring distributed validators to mainnet, helping secure over a billion dollars in stake, with a focus on improving performance, reducing slashing risk, and enabling institutional adoption.
Episode Overview
- Explanation of Obol and an overview of Distributed Validators (DVs)
- How DVs support institutional adoption and staking ETFs
- Top misconceptions about DVs: they’re not heavyweight infra—Obol’s middleware integrates seamlessly into existing stacks and actually improves validator performance
- How DV adoption can help Ethereum become more secure and decentralized, while fee structures shift and validator infrastructure professionalizes
- The future of DVs: Toma shares his vision of staking from your phone. Obol sees a future where anyone can passively join validator clusters and earn micro-rewards on the go
- Expanding beyond Ethereum: Obol is integrating with other PoS networks like Monad and Gnosis, bringing DVs to emerging ecosystems
- Toma’s High Stakes Hot Take for 2025
About Validation Cloud
Validation Cloud is a Web3 data x AI company that connects organizations into Web3 through a fast, scalable, and intelligent platform. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Validation Cloud offers highly performant and customizable products in staking, node, and data x AI. Learn more at Validationcloud.io | LinkedIn | X | Podcast | YouTube
