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PENGU Validator is a Solana validator operated by the Pudgy Penguins team, the NFT and brand project behind the PENGU token; the validator carries 158,502 SOL of activated stake (0.0103% of network stake) and a 97.71 Wiz Score as of epoch 971 (per Stakewiz).

Identity

PENGU Validator is operated by Pudgy Penguins — the team behind the Pudgy Penguins NFT collection and the PENGU token. The operator self-describes (Stakewiz description field) as the "official coin of Pudgy Penguins," noting "global brand deals, billions of views, and appearances in ETF commercials." The validator was launched as the Pudgy Penguins team's own staking infrastructure, distinct from a third-party staking-as-a-service operator. The identity account is peNgUgnzs1jGogUPW8SThXMvzNpzKSNf3om78xVPAYx; the vote account is pENgUh4K9zNacyU3PXVE9KugW98XCqZsWpEvA8d8wzX.

Performance metrics

  • Wiz Score 97.71 (epoch 971, per Stakewiz).
  • 30-day trailing skip rate 0.00% vs. 0.14% network median at epoch 971 (Stakewiz wiz_skip_rate field and cluster_stats).
  • Vote success 99.62% with credit ratio 99.7% of cluster average (epoch 971, Stakewiz). Both clear the SFDP per-epoch vote-credit threshold of 97% of cluster average.
  • Uptime 100% at the current Stakewiz snapshot.
  • Delinquent: no at epoch 971 (Stakewiz delinquent field). A delinquent validator is one whose last vote lags the ledger tip by more than ~128 slots; PENGU Validator's last vote is current.

PENGU Validator's first epoch with stake was epoch 752, giving it 219 epochs of mainnet history at epoch 971 — approximately 14 months. The 30-day skip-rate window captures recent performance; longer-horizon stability comparisons against multi-year operators should account for the shorter total observation period available for this validator.

Economics

  • Base commission 0% (epoch 971, Stakewiz). Sits at the SFDP base-commission cap of ≤5%.
  • Jito MEV commission 3% (jito_commission_bps: 300, epoch 971). Below the SFDP Jito MEV cap of ≤10%.
  • Total APY 6.02% including Jito MEV rewards (epoch 971, per Stakewiz total_apy). Components: 5.89% base staking APY and 0.13% Jito MEV APY.

Total APY runs above the Stakewiz network average of ~4.4% (epoch 971, cluster_stats); the 3% Jito MEV commission means the operator retains 3% of Jito Block Engine MEV tips before passing the remainder to stakers.

Infrastructure

  • ASN: AS262287 — Latitude.sh.
  • Location: Chicago, United States.
  • Software version: Agave 4.0.0-rc.1 (version_valid: true at epoch 971, Stakewiz). The 4.0 release candidate places PENGU Validator on a current release-line client.

Decentralization signals

  • ASN concentration: 2.15% of network stake on AS262287 (Stakewiz asn_concentration).
  • City concentration: 1.81% of network stake in Chicago (Stakewiz city_concentration).
  • ASN+city concentration: 0.61% (asncity_concentration).

All three figures remain below SFDP's effective May 1, 2026 thresholds of ≤25% ASN concentration and ≤15% data-center concentration (per Solana Foundation delegation criteria). Chicago and Latitude.sh both register positive but modest concentration signals — neither is a flag against the May 2026 rules.

MEV policy

PENGU Validator runs the Jito client (is_jito: true, Stakewiz, epoch 971). The 3% Jito MEV commission means PENGU Validator retains 3% of Jito Block Engine tip distribution as operator revenue and passes the remaining 97% to stakers. At the current 0.13% Jito APY contribution, the gross MEV figure on this validator is small relative to base inflation rewards, but the 3% Jito commission is a structural cost the staker absorbs above the SFDP cap of ≤10%.

Delegation programs

  • SFDP status: PENGU Validator's metrics (skip rate 0.00%, base commission 0%, Jito MEV commission 3%, ASN concentration 2.15%) satisfy current SFDP performance and infrastructure thresholds; explicit enrollment status should be verified on the Solana Foundation delegation dashboard.
  • Marinade SAM participation: Per-epoch auction state on marinade.finance.
  • Stake pool inclusion: Jito Stake Pool and SolBlaze inclusion vary per epoch — verify against the respective stake-pool dashboards.

Stake history

PENGU Validator holds 158,502 SOL active stake (0.0103% of network) at epoch 971 (Stakewiz). First epoch with stake was epoch 752; the validator's on-chain history is 219 epochs — meaningfully shorter than multi-year operators elsewhere in this directory. Stakers comparing operators on stake-history depth should weight that gap. For live performance, see solana-scout.

Operator homepage

Operator homepage: pudgypenguins.com

Metrics cited reference Stakewiz at epoch 971, 2026-05-15. Verify on Stakewiz and Solana Beach for current values.