Cryptocurrency exchange Binance said Tuesday it launched the mainnet of its smart contract-enabled blockchain and is introducing staking for its native Binance (BNB) token. 

• In a press statement emailed to CoinDesk, the crypto exchange said it hopes to foster the development of decentralized apps (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) products by adding these features. 
  
• The new blockchain will use a “Proof-of-Staked” Authority (PoSA) consensus mechanism, which Binance claims will allow the validators to receive rewards for their work on the chain without sacrificing transaction speed.