Eigen Labs announced the implementation of slashing on EigenLayer mainnet, marking the first “feature-complete” iteration of the EigenLayer Protocol. EigenLayer is now one of the few Proof of Stake systems fully securable with live slashing. The upgrade provides stronger security for Autonomous Verifiable Service (AVS) designs and unlocks the potential for transformative, verifiable applications backed by economic assurances.
The launch follows a successful testnet phase that included a $2.5M bug bounty program with Cantina—the largest in crypto history—which processed over 800 submissions.
In the one year since its initial launch, the EigenLayer ecosystem has grown to encompass more than 190 AVSs with 40 live on mainnet, including major partners such as LayerZero and Infura. Today, over 80,000 restakers contribute to more than $7 billion in shared security for EigenLayer protocols.
EigenLayer’s impact spans across critical blockchain infrastructure and services.AVSs are already operational in a range of areas, including AI, data availability, oracles, EVM rollups, cross-chain functionality, etc.
With this upgrade, AVSs can design customized performance conditions that Operators can opt into. Operators who meet these conditions earn rewards, while those who fail to deliver face penalties.
The upgrade introduces several features unique to EigenLayer that enable Operators to isolate risks and strengthen security guarantees, such as Unique Stake Allocation – ensuring only one AVS has the ability to slash an individual operator’s stake; and Operator Sets – giving AVSs new tools to organize Operators into distinct groups aligned with their risk tolerance and competencies.
“With the launch of slashing, we’re unlocking the full power of EigenLayer — a general-purpose platform where any decentralized service can be secured, verified, and held accountable,” said Sreeram Kannan, Founder of EigenLayer and CEO of Eigen Labs. “This marks the next phase in our mission to transform Ethereum’s trust into a programmable primitive. Slashing enables developers to build powerful, verifiable applications — services that don’t just promise performance, but prove it. This is how we move from an economy of services to an economy of applications built on verifiability.”
“Slashing brings stronger enforcement guarantees to the AVS ecosystem and unlocks an interesting design space for coordinating security around decentralized services,” said Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero Labs. “For LayerZero, it lays the groundwork for cryptoeconomic verification of messages going between chains and could strengthen the trust model behind application-owned security. Congratulations to Eigen Labs on the launch. We’re excited to see the ecosystem evolve with slashing now live.”
“We launched our Decentralized Infrastructure Network as an AVS on EigenLayer to take advantage of Ethereum’s economic security,” said Tom Hay, head of product for Infura DIN. “With this protocol completion, we can now enforce verifiable Service Level Agreements for critical RPC services and guarantee uptime with economic backing. This creates a foundation of trust for developers through measurable performance guarantees, enabling us to deliver more reliable web3 infrastructure.”
To keep up to date with EigenLayer developments, visit official channels such as https://www.eigenlayer.xyz/.
About EigenLayer
EigenLayer is the world’s first verifiable cloud, enabling a new generation of applications that can make and keep credible commitments to users. By extending Ethereum’s security model, EigenLayer allows developers to build autonomous verifiable services (AVSs) that inherit Ethereum’s trust properties while unlocking new capabilities. With over $8B in staked assets and 39 AVSs deployed, EigenLayer has created a thriving marketplace where stakers, operators, and developers come together to build the future of decentralized infrastructure.