EigenLayer to begin 'slashing' restakers in April
EigenLayer will implement slashing for restakers on April 17, marking the Ethereum restaking protocol's first feature-complete iteration. This step is crucial for establishing EigenLayer as infrastructure for verifiable apps and services on the Verifiable Cloud. In 2024, EigenLayer began distributing rewards, including its native EIGEN token, to incentivize restakers, though slashing has only been tested on testnets. Node operators and restakers can voluntarily opt-in to slashing, facilitating a gradual user transition. EigenLayer secures third-party protocols, known as actively validated services (AVSs), using restaked cryptocurrencies as collateral. Slashing penalizes node operators for poor performance, while successful operation can lead to rewards. Over 30 AVSs are currently live, with more in development, including EigenDA and ARPA Network. EigenLayer aims to onboard crypto-native apps in DeFi and gaming before expanding to broader consumer markets.
