EigenLayer, a restaking protocol, has seen a significant rise in the total value of locked assets (TVL), indicating a surge of more than 170% within the past week. This growth has resulted in EigenLayer exceeding the TVL of Uniswap, the largest decentralized cryptocurrency exchange. The anticipated AirDrop seems to be the primary catalyst driving the rapid accumulation of assets within the protocol.
Staking Limit Removal Sparks Growth
The growth in EigenLayer’s TVL follows the protocol’s announcement on February 5th that it would eliminate the 200,000 ETH staking limit per protocol. The announcement led to a spike in interest and a subsequent increase in TVL. DeFiLlama, a Decentralized Finance data platform, reports that EigenLayer’s TVL has reached $5.66 billion, a 171% increase from the $2 billion recorded before the staking limit was lifted.
With the current TVL, EigenLayer has not only surpassed Uniswap but also climbed to become the fifth-largest protocol in terms of asset holdings. As deposits continue to flow into the protocol, there is potential for an even greater increase in TVL.
Anticipation of AirDrop Fuels Activity
The mainnet transition of EigenLayer in June 2023 set the stage for the expected AirDrop, which is driving users to engage more actively on the network. They are staking their assets in the protocol, aiming to maximize potential gains from the AirDrop. This has led to an uptick in transactions and a significant boost in the protocol’s TVL.
EigenLayer supports the earning of extra income through the restaking of tokens acquired from liquid staking protocols. Presently, the most restaked asset within the protocol is stETH from Lido DAO or Swell’s swETH, highlighting EigenLayer’s support for the staking of these tokens.