We might be talking about two different things here when using the term "staking".
I'm referring to coins that are staked by validators in a proof-of-stake chain. The "other side of the trade" is not someone borrowing the coins, but are the transaction fees on the chain and for some chains also the artificial inflation (due to newly created coins).
There is risk involved, but not traditional counterparty risk (when excluding the exchange itself), as nobody is "borrowing" the coins.
I'm referring to coins that are staked by validators in a proof-of-stake chain. The "other side of the trade" is not someone borrowing the coins, but are the transaction fees on the chain and for some chains also the artificial inflation (due to newly created coins).
There is risk involved, but not traditional counterparty risk (when excluding the exchange itself), as nobody is "borrowing" the coins.