What is EigenLayer ETH Restaking?
ETH Restaking allows your staked Ether to be used as crypto-economic security for protocols other than Ethereum and potentially receive additional restaking rewards in the process.
EigenLayer is a protocol built on top of Ethereum and acts as a middle layer that extends network validators' reach to provide security and a validating service for Ethereum Layer-2 applications thereby enhancing the utility of staked ETH. In this way, applications benefit from enhanced security without needing to manage their validation infrastructure. Additionally, validators can leverage their staked ETH for additional restaking rewards (i.e., fees paid by protocols). For ETH stakers, this enables them to delegate their staked ETH to validators and benefit from additional staking rewards: once from the main Ethereum network, and additionally from the protocol they are restaked to (by allowing additional slashing risks).
Key benefits of EigenLayer Restaking are improved capital efficiency and potentially higher staking rewards*. ETH stakers could earn additional staking rewards by securing more networks without needing to stake more tokens. Key risks of EigenLayer Restaking include additional slashing risks, the potential to lose some or all of your staked tokens and a longer unbonding period, which is detailed further below.
Learn more about EigenLayer and Restaking here.
*Note that for EigenLayer Restaking, there will be no additional yield except for the regular ETH yield for on-chain Staking until November 2024 or otherwise announced by Eigenlayer. You will be able to earn Restaked Points instead. See the section below “What reward can I get” for more information.
What is an EigenLayer Operator and Actively Validated Services (AVSs)?
In the context of EigenLayer, Operators register with EigenLayer and enable stakers to delegate their staked assets to them. They provide validation services similar to validators on Ethereum, and use the restaked assets to provide economic security. Operators opt-in to provide services and perform validation tasks for Actively Validated Services (AVSs).
AVSs are services built on EigenLayer and leverage Ethereum's shared security. They deliver services to AVS consumers and the broader Web3 ecosystem.
Risks of EigenLayer ETH Restaking
The key risks of EigenLayer ETH Restaking are:
Additional Slashing: Restaking introduces additional slashing conditions since your staked Ether will be securing and validating additional protocols. Depending on the protocol’s terms, slashing poses the risk of significant asset loss for network validators who may breach the rules. Stakers opting in to restaking are bound by the smart contract rules of the relevant protocol and face additional slashing penalties for malicious behaviour. The slashing risk for EigenLayer ETH Restaking may be higher than that for normal ETH staking. This means that you could possibly lose all of your staked ETH if there is a slashing event.
Liquidity Risk: Users should take note of the Activation Period for staking ETH on EigenLayer, as unstaking can only take place after the end of the Activation Period. In addition to the unbonding period for Ethereum, there is a seven day lock-up when exiting from EigenLayer restaking.
Technical Risk: There are technical risks associated with participating in restaking, which include risks associated with error or security failures (including smart contract failure, hacks, network critical delays or exploits), whether or not related to blockchain protocols. This may result in a loss of data or access to your staked Ether.
The risks listed above are non-exhaustive. As with all new concepts and innovation in the blockchain space, there may be more potential risks. These include smart contract risks, concentration risk, and other unanticipated risks. Please read the EigenLayer Risk FAQ here and the EigenLayer ETH Restaking Terms and Conditions here carefully, which apply to all users of EigenLayer. Do your own research and due diligence thoroughly before making any decisions to stake or restake your assets.
Participate in EigenLayer ETH Restaking via the Crypto.com Exchange
The Crypto.com Exchange offers a simple and easy way for you to participate in EigenLayer’s ETH Native Restaking. You must first be eligible for EigenLayer ETH Restaking and have available ETH in your Wallet. Choose “EigenLayer ETH Restaking” in the Staking page, input the amount of ETH you wish to commit, and agree to the relevant risks and terms and conditions. After confirmation, the Crypto.com Exchange will act on your instructions to facilitate the staking of your ETH on EigenLayer via Kiln, an Operator in the EigenLayer ecosystem which will perform validation tasks.
IMPORTANT: Please note that the Crypto.com Exchange only provides a pass-through service for you to participate in EigenLayer ETH Restaking. We may engage third-party service providers such as Kiln to provide this service - in particular, your ETH on EigenLayer is restaked to Kiln as the Operator. We will only act on your instructions and you retain ownership of your ETH at all times. It is important for you to do your own due diligence on EigenLayer and any third-party service providers. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the performance, failure, reliability, or consequences of any third party services and/ or any of the EigenLayer ETH Restaking protocol(s).
Learn more about Kiln here.
Learn more about details (including the types of actively validated services) in Kiln’s EigenLayer ETH Restaking service here. Please also note that the registered AVS supported by Kiln are subject to change without notice, users can find the list here.
What rewards can I get from EigenLayer Restaking?
You can expect regular ETH staking reward payouts* as a result of successful validations, and EigenLayer Restaked Points. As all withdrawals, including rewards, go through a 7 day withdrawal delay on EigenLayer, your receipt of your Estimated First Reward will take longer than regular ETH staking.
EigenLayer Restaked Points are seen as users’ contribution to the EigenLayer ecosystem, which qualifies users for an anticipated (but unconfirmed) airdrop allocation which will be determined and announced by EigenLayer at a later date. Crypto.com does not have control over and is not responsible for the timeline, certainty, or commercial value of any EigenLayer airdrops. Restaked Points are non-guaranteed, non-withdrawable, and non-transferable. You will receive the Restaked Points after deducting Crypto.com’s service fee.
EigenLayer Restaked Points may not result in any actual rewards, benefits, or returns. The value, availability, and terms of EigenLayer Restaked Points and associated rewards may change at any time without notice and is fully dependent on EigenLayer and/or its related protocols. By participating in EigenLayer ETH Restaking, you acknowledge and accept the inherent risks associated with EigenLayer ETH Restaking and holding or using EigenLayer Restaked Points.
The reward rates listed in the Exchange are estimates only, based on data provided to us from the operator excluding platform fees charged by Crypto.com. These are subject to change as well.
*Do note that as native restaking of ETH on EigenLayer requires periodic proofing of reward skimming events to confirm the ETH rewards comes from a consensus-layer activity of the validators, there are passthrough gas fees associated with the proof submission for partial and full withdrawals. Therefore you may observe that the reward rates differ from regular ETH staking due to pass through costs. EigenLayer has announced plans to redesign checkpoint proofs to address this issue, though there is no concrete release date.
How often do I receive rewards in the Crypto.com Exchange?
You will receive rewards up to three times a week, depending on the relevant blockchain protocol. Rewards must exceed 0.00000001 ETH to be credited. The Restaked Points will appear as EigenLayer Points in the EigenLayer line item on the Staking Dashboard. EigenLayer Points are not transferable or withdrawable. For a detailed breakdown of the rewards earned through restaking, you can apply a filter to the Rewards History tab using "EigenLayer." Airdrops in connection with the Restaked Points (if any) will only be disbursed to you after they have been received from the EigenLayer protocol.
Can I use my Staked ETH in the Crypto.com Exchange to participate in EigenLayer Restaking?
At this stage, you are not able to participate in ETH Restaking by using your ETH which has been staked in the Crypto.com Exchange (i.e. ETH (Staked) balance) directly. If you have staked ETH, you first have to unstake your ETH and wait for the unbonding period to be completed before staking your available ETH to EigenLayer ETH Restaking.
Who can participate in EigenLayer ETH Restaking?
Crypto.com Exchange users from the following locations and all sanctioned nations are prohibited from participating in EigenLayer Restaking.
Country | Country Code |
American Samoa | AS/ ASM |
Australia | AU / AUS |
Canada | CA / CAN |
Guam | GU/ GUM |
Hong Kong | HK/ HKG |
Kazakhstan | KZ / KAZ |
Malta | MT/ MLT |
Marshall Islands | MH/ MHL |
Minor Outlying Islands | UMI |
Northern Mariana Islands | MP/MNP |
Singapore | SG/ SGP |
Papua New Guinea | PG/PNG |
Puerto Rico | PR/ PRI |
Seychelles | SC/ SYC |
South Korea | KR/ KOR |
Thailand | TH/ THA |
United States | US/ USA |
US Virgin Islands | VI/ VIR |
*Crypto.com reserves the sole discretion to amend or update this list at any time.
What are the fees charged by Crypto.com Exchange?
A flat service fee of 15% charged by Crypto.com will be deducted from your EigenLayer ETH Restaking rewards and Eigen points.
Where can I find more information about EigenLayer and Kiln?
Crypto.com offers a pass-through service for EigenLayer ETH Restaking, and we engage Kiln as our third-party service provider. Please read through the materials below carefully and ensure you are aware of the risks and terms and conditions which may apply to you before participating in EigenLayer ETH Restaking.