Can Symbiotic revive the restaking narrative?

After two years of development, Symbiotic is out with the first feature-complete shared security protocol with slashing

article-image

Symbiotic co-founder Misha Putiatin | Permissionless III by Mike Lawrence for Blockworks

share


This is a segment from the 0xResearch newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


After two years of development, five independent audits and a rigorous code competition, Symbiotic officially launched on Ethereum mainnet yesterday. As the first feature-complete shared security protocol with slashing, Symbiotic provides an immutable, decentralized framework that eliminates single points of failure and external risks for networks looking to secure their ecosystems.

“The logic behind Symbiotic was quite simple,” one of its co-founders, Misha Putiatin, explained on The Edge podcast. “How do we do this protocol in a way that has the least amount of drawbacks?” The result is a security layer that is immutable and permissionless.

 “The core is immutable, we can’t gatekeep, we can’t change politics, add fees, do break-offs. Do any stuff that can be hurtful, and people should calculate before they choose Symbiotic,” Putiatin said.

While blockchain infrastructure has become more modular and accessible, security implementation around new networks has been a cutting-edge design space. Traditionally, these networks faced a difficult trade-off: either invest heavily in building bespoke security solutions or compromise sovereignty by adopting pre-packaged security frameworks.

Symbiotic resolves this dilemma by offering a neutral coordination framework that allows networks to define every aspect of their security model — from collateral selection and operator management to slashing mechanics — while maintaining full control. Its non-upgradeable core contracts ensure an immutable security foundation,  like Uniswap or Liquity, preventing governance takeovers and external interventions.

With its mainnet launch, Symbiotic has already integrated 13 networks spanning a wide variety of blockchain use cases. To give just a few examples: Capx is an Ethereum layer-2 for AI agent deployment, secured through Symbiotic. HyveDA is a high-throughput decentralized data availability protocol leveraging Symbiotic’s restaking infrastructure. Hyperlane is a cross-chain messaging framework for seamless interoperability. And iBTC (formerly DLC.Link) uses Symbiotic restaking to secure its Attestor Network, enabling trust-minimized bitcoin-backed DeFi participation.

Symbiotic cites nearly 50 networks, 78 operators and 55 vaults already integrating the protocol.

The architecture is centered around Vaults — smart contracts that facilitate stake delegation, ensuring economic security through configurable accounting and slashing mechanisms. Stakers deposit assets, operators receive delegations and networks access the security they need, enabling efficient capital utilization across multiple ecosystems while preserving decentralization.

Post-mainnet launch, Symbiotic’s focus is shifting to enhance user experience and tooling for network integrations. By standardizing shared security primitives, Symbiotic is positioning itself as the foundational layer that enables networks to achieve self-sovereignty while benefiting from a robust, shared security model.

“In the future, I see absolutely anybody being able to tap into this kind of shared network to build app chains or verify anything onchain that they need, on demand,” Putiatin said.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 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.

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.

recent research

Unlocked by Template (4).png

Research

Wormhole Settlement allows for a highly scalable liquidity venue to fill user intents into a multichain, multi-VM future. By concentrating solvers’ balance sheets on Solana, transaction costs associated with solvers rebalancing inventory across destinations are eliminated. With the ability to settle bridging, swapping, and arbitrary interactions, without the costs and frictions of fragmenting solver liquidity, Wormhole Settlement has the opportunity to settle a large share of volumes in the crosschain interoperability market with a beneficial framework for both users and solvers. 

article-image

On Supply Shock, Asymmetric founder Dan Held discussed why Bitcoin DeFi will take market share from Solana, Ethereum and other top blockchains

article-image

Pillsbury partner Brian Montgomery said that banks are mulling how to gain exposure to crypto

article-image

The company has now acquired three Solana validator operators since its September pivot into Solana

article-image

Those hoping for an executive order, a bill draft, or a major announcement from the CFTC or SEC were disappointed

article-image

Uncertainty around the US economy’s outlook is spurring a risk-off wave

article-image

The team says they’re still building despite the massive weekend selloff