EigenLayer deploys restaking protocol on Ethereum mainnet

Initial tokens supported in the mainnet launch are stETH, rETH and cbETH — native staking will also be available

article-image

Satheesh Sankaran/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Ethereum restaking protocol EigenLayer has launched on Ethereum mainnet.

The launch supports tokens including stETH, rETH, cbETH and solo-stakers.

EigenLayer is designed to extend Ethereum security to software modules such as bridges, oracle networks and consensus mechanisms by utilizing restaking to offer pooled security mechanisms. They’re built on top of the network. 

The EigenLayer protocol consists of stakers, who commit stake, and operators, who provide technical validation services for actively validated services (AVSs), Brianna Montgomery, head of strategy at Eigen Labs, told Blockworks.

Several AVSs are building on EigenLayer, and a handful have publicly pointed to their plans, Montgomery said. 

Known AVSs include EigenDA, Espresso, Witness Chain, Omni and Lagrange. 

“Others are building in private,” Montgomery said. “More details about projects building on EigenLayer will be shared as and when available.”

How does EigenLayer work?

Stakers can give permission to EigenLayer smart contracts, subjecting their staked ether to slashing conditions — and granting the opportunity to validate different software modules on top of the layer-1.

The design is such that additional rewards are meanwhile earned, and stakers can also delegate the validation to an operator of their choice. 

“In both scenarios, the Restaker retains the agency over their stake and chooses which AVSs they opt-in to validate for,” Montgomery said. 

To ensure honest operators opting in do not face slashing, Montgomery said a handful of checks and balances have been baked in. 

“For instance, we encourage AVSs deployed on EigenLayer to only have objectively attributable faults…Additionally, to prevent unintentional slashing caused by software bugs in the slashing contracts, there is a veto committee consisting of reputable members from the ecosystem,” she said. 

Added Montgomery: “Any AVS smart contract seeking to slash a validator must submit its request to the veto committee, who can veto or approve it based on the legitimacy of the request.”

Initial mainnet launch

The initial mainnet launch will only include restaking, with operators and validators being part of a second launch iteration in the works. Native staking will also be available in the initial launch. 

Usage limits of 3,200 of each asset, with a maximum of 32 token deposits for each unique user address will be set in the interest of protocol security, EigenLayer said in a statement. 

This means there will be a cap of 9,600 liquid staking tokens, coupled with a minimum of 300 unique deposits, able to participate across the three liquid staking tokens available at mainnet. 

Usage limits will be evaluated and raised over the coming weeks, with the goal of eventually being completely uncapped.

Native restaking will also be available through the creation of EigenPods — a smart contract that facilitates staking of the Beacon Chain layer, where stakers must direct their validator withdrawal credentials.

Although there are no restrictions on the number of validators that can link to EigenPods being placed, EigenPods will stop being created once native restaking reaches 9,600 ETH.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Nillion_DeSci_Report_Template.png

Research

Nillion’s Monad Integration is poised to catalyze the next phase of DeSci’s evolution by eliminating key privacy bottlenecks. This synergy allows researchers, institutions, and DAOs to exchange sensitive data and insights securely while managing governance and payments onchain.

article-image

Halliday CEO Griffin Dunaif said that there may be smaller margins on stablecoins, but lots of potential in the services around them

article-image

Discounted cash flow is as close as you can get to a fundamental truth in the art of financial valuation

article-image

Solana’s focus remains on fundamentals: stable usage, high yields, and expanding infrastructure

article-image

While new XRP futures ETFs are set to launch, the SEC could wait several months to greenlight more spot offerings

article-image

Bitcoin may have traded like a safe haven asset Wednesday, but analysts warn the trend may not last

article-image

The pixelated game Craft World is set in a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaurs live with humans