EigenLayer’s Exclusive $15 Billion Token Launch: Who’s In And Who’s Out?

Samuel Edyme

1 year ago

3 mins read

EigenLayer's Exclusive $15 Billion Token Launch

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The crypto world is currently abuzz with the launch of EigenLayer’s new token, EIGEN, which has quickly become one of the year’s most anticipated digital asset events.

According to Bloomberg, the project has attracted significant attention for its approach to decentralized finance (DeFi) and its “controversial” decision to exclude users from certain jurisdictions, including the US, China, and Canada, from participating in the token distribution.

EigenLayer Challenges And Opportunities in Token Distribution

EigenLayer, a DeFi protocol based in Seattle, has made waves in the industry by introducing a concept known as restaking. This method aims to increase rewards on the Ethereum blockchain by allowing users to deposit ETH to help operate the network.

According to data from DeFiLlama, since its debut in 2023, EigenLayer has attracted over $15 billion in assets, demonstrating the significant interest and potential of this new approach.

EigenLayer Total Value Locked. | Source: DeFillama

The launch of the EIGEN token is set to commence with an airdrop, a process where tokens are distributed to users based on certain criteria, including a points system that rewards early service adopters.

Kunal Goel, an analyst at Messari, noted that anticipating this airdrop was a “primary incentive” for users to place funds in EigenLayer’s service.

However, the excitement has been tempered by the fact that many participants who accumulated points are now barred from claiming their tokens due to using virtual private networks or residing in excluded countries.

Robert Drost, executive director at the Eigen Foundation, explained that the exclusions were a necessary step to adhere to regulatory guidelines, which are often unclear and challenging to navigate, noting:

It’s not possible to operate in the space without following regulatory guidelines and being responsible, and the challenging part is that there is not a lot of clarity.

This sentiment was echoed by Nick Cote, co-founder of Secondlane, who noted:

Issuers not being upfront with jurisdictional restrictions leaves a sour taste in people’s mouth when it comes time to receiving your rewards, and then you find out you’re disqualified for X, Y, Z reason.

Impact On The Broader DeFi Ecosystem

EigenLayer’s restaking service is not just a new feature in the Ethereum ecosystem; it represents a shift in how applications can leverage the deep pool of transaction validators that underpin Ethereum.

This service increases the yield from staking ETH – from a baseline of around 3% to higher rates, albeit with additional risks.

Ethereum (ETH) price chart on TradingView — ETH price is moving sideways on the 4-hour chart. Source: ETH/USDT on TradingView.com

As a result, EigenLayer has risen to become the “second most popular DeFi application,” as reported by Bloomberg, partly at the expense of liquid staking protocols like Lido and Rocket Pool, which have seen significant outflows in recent months.

According to DeFiLlama, liquid staking protocols have experienced a more than 20% decline in total value locked since their notable high above $63 billion in March.

Liquid Staking TVL. — Liquid Staking Total Value Locked. | Source: DeFiLlama

Meanwhile, according to a recent report from IntoTheblock, nearly 4% of all ETH is now restaked using EigenLayer, showcasing the project’s growing popularity.

EigenLayer recently surpassed $15B in TVL.

Nearly 4% of all ETH, and 40% of liquid staking tokens (LSTs) supply is currently being restaked into EigenLayer pic.twitter.com/LZ0vbp3L3z

— IntoTheBlock (@intotheblock) April 26, 2024

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView

Samuel Edyme

Meet Samuel Edyme, Nickname - HIM-buktu. A web3 content writer, journalist, and aspiring trader, Edyme is as versatile as they come. With a knack for words and a nose for trends, he has penned pieces for numerous industry player, including AMBCrypto, Blockchain.News, and Blockchain Reporter, among others.

Edyme’s foray into the crypto universe is nothing short of cinematic. His journey began not with a triumphant investment, but with a scam. Yes, a Ponzi scheme that used crypto as payment roped him in. Rather than retreating, he emerged wiser and more determined, channeling his experience into over three years of insightful market analysis.

Before becoming the voice of reason in the crypto space, Edyme was the quintessential crypto degen. He aped into anything that promised a quick buck, anything ape-able, learning the ropes the hard way. These hands-on experience through major market events—like the Terra Luna crash, the wave of bankruptcies in crypto firms, the notorious FTX collapse, and even CZ’s arrest—has honed his keen sense of market dynamics.

When he isn’t crafting engaging crypto content, you’ll find Edyme backtesting charts, studying both forex and synthetic indices. His dedication to mastering the art of trading is as relentless as his pursuit of the next big story. Away from his screens, he can be found in the gym, airpods in, working out and listening to his favorite artist, NF. Or maybe he’s catching some Z’s or scrolling through Elon Musk’s very own X platform—(oops, another screen activity, my bad…)

Well, being an introvert, Edyme thrives in the digital realm, preferring online interaction over offline encounters—(don’t judge, that’s just how he is built). His determination is quite unwavering to be honest, and he embodies the philosophy of continuous improvement, or “kaizen,” striving to be 1% better every day. His mantras, “God knows best” and “Everything is still on track,” reflect his resilient outlook and how he lives his life.

In a nutshell, Samuel Edyme was born efficient, driven by ambition, and perhaps a touch fierce. He’s neither artistic nor unrealistic, and certainly not chauvinistic. Think of him as Bruce Willis in a train wreck—unflappable. Edyme is like trading in your car for a jet—bold. He’s the guy who’d ask his boss for a pay cut just to prove a point—(uhhh…). He is like watching your kid take his first steps. Imagine Bill Gates struggling with rent—okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea, yeah. Unbelievable? Yes. Inconceivable? Perhaps.

Edyme sees himself as a fairly reasonable guy, albeit a bit stubborn. Normal to you is not to him. He is not the one to take the easy road, and why would he? That’s just not the way he roll. He has these favorite lyrics from NF’s “Clouds” that resonate deeply with him: “What you think's probably unfeasible, I've done already a hundredfold.”

PS—Edyme is HIM. HIM-buktu. Him-mulation. Him-Kardashian. Himon and Pumba. He even had his DNA tested, and guess what? He’s 100% Him-alayan. Screw it, he ate the opp.

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