EigenLayer
EigenLayer lets holders of staked ether and of the token EIGEN pledge that stake a second time, to secure services outside Ethereum, and accept that it can be cut if an operator breaks the rules. Eigen Labs now presents it under the EigenCloud brand as "the trust layer": "Stake ETH & EIGEN. Secure the cloud powering verifiable apps, agents, and services. Earn rewards." Dated events on the topic are in the calendar below.
Restaking and AVSs
On Ethereum a validator puts up 32 ether as security, and the protocol can cut that stake if the validator signs conflicting blocks; the crypto staking page explains the mechanism. EigenLayer extends this pledge to other networks that need their own operators and their own guarantee, such as oracles, data availability layers and bridges. EigenLayer calls them AVSs. A restaker delegates stake to an operator, the operator runs the software of one or more AVSs, and the restaker earns rewards that those services pay.
Eigen Labs runs its own data availability service, EigenDA, which it describes as "tamper-resistant data availability at scale" with "high throughput and sub-second confirmations for rollups and applications". The data availability page explains why rollups need such a layer. When slashing went live, Eigen Labs counted 190 AVSs in development, 40 of them on mainnet, and more than 2,000 registered operators.
Slashing since April 2025
On April 17, 2025 slashing went live on EigenLayer's mainnet, which Eigen Labs called the protocol's "feature-complete" milestone. An operator's stake can now be burned if it fails its commitments to an AVS. Slashing is opt-in: an operator chooses which AVSs may slash it. With Unique Stake Allocation an operator earmarks portions of its delegated stake, and each portion can be slashed by only one AVS.
For a custodian or fund that stakes ether for clients, restaking adds slashing conditions that each AVS writes, on top of Ethereum's own. Before opting in, the operations and risk teams have to read those conditions and agree with clients who bears a loss. EigenCloud's site also states that "EIGEN emissions to the ETH quorum have ended". The institutional staking page covers custody and liability, and validator economics the rewards.
From restaking to verifiable compute
EigenCloud has added services that use the restaked security for computing. EigenCompute promises to "add cryptographic trust to any application with zero code changes", and EigenAI offers "AI results you can prove" with "deterministic inference with drop-in OpenAI API compatibility". A bank that runs AI models under the EU AI Act has to document how a result came about; EigenAI is one attempt to make an inference result checkable by a third party.
Upcoming blockchain infrastructure events in Germany
EigenLayer at Finance Loop
Finance Loop events on digital assets put key control, slashing liability and fund law on one agenda, the questions a fund has to answer before it stakes or restakes. The German Blockchain & AI Week 2025, which Finance Loop supported, brought blockchain and AI teams together in Berlin.
Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty
Investment & Digital Assets
Risk & Compliance
What is EigenLayer?
EigenLayer is a restaking protocol on Ethereum. Holders of staked ether or EIGEN delegate their stake to operators, who use it to secure other services, called AVSs.
What is restaking?
Restaking means pledging stake that already secures Ethereum a second time, to secure another service. The restaker earns extra rewards and accepts extra slashing conditions.
What is an AVS?
An AVS is a service secured through EigenLayer, such as an oracle, a data availability layer or a bridge. It sets the tasks for its operators and the conditions under which their stake can be slashed.
When can stake be slashed on EigenLayer?
Since April 17, 2025 an AVS can burn an operator's stake if the operator fails its commitments. Operators opt in to each AVS, and Unique Stake Allocation limits each portion of stake to one AVS.
EigenLayer and Finance Loop
Finance Loop covers EigenLayer in its Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty track, where blockchain security and cloud services for finance meet, and in Investment & Digital Assets for staking. Custodians and fund operators meet infrastructure teams at Finance Loop events in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
Finance Loop is a professional network and has the goal of driving the adoption of emerging technologies in finance, such as AI, digital payments, cloud and blockchain solutions. Finance Loop helps its members build skills and personal networks in these fields: Investment & Digital Assets, Payments & Digital Money, Digital Infrastructure & Sovereignty, and Risk & Compliance.