Symbiotic, a leading universal staking protocol and a strong competitor to EigenLayer, has just unveiled Relay — an innovative software development kit (SDK) designed to revolutionize cross-chain staking and verification on Ethereum. This new tool empowers protocols to stake assets on Ethereum and verify that stake seamlessly across any blockchain, opening up exciting possibilities for developers and investors alike.
Staking plays a vital role in securing blockchain networks by allowing validators to commit collateral, known as “stake,” to process transactions and maintain network integrity. Restaking protocols like Symbiotic enable users to reuse their stake across multiple blockchains simultaneously, offering investors a chance to boost their yield without extra risk.
Relay takes this concept further by providing a flexible, generalized version of Symbiotic’s restaking technology. It acts as a comprehensive toolkit that can bring Symbiotic-style restaking capabilities to virtually any crypto ecosystem. According to the Symbiotic team, this SDK allows developers to craft verifiable, secure layers for decentralized applications (dApps) that operate seamlessly across multiple chains.
Under the hood, Relay connects developers directly to the Symbiotic network, allowing them to configure networks that use stake on one blockchain to verify activity on another. This means building bridges, oracles, rollups, or risk protocols secured by real stake becomes easier and more verifiable than ever, all without needing to bootstrap validator sets, trust multisig arrangements, or compromise on decentralization.
For users, this innovation translates into the ability to create multichain applications that are inherently secure and verifiable from day one — eliminating the fragmentation and complexity that previously plagued cross-chain projects.
The launch of Relay is a significant milestone in Symbiotic’s recent $29 million Series A funding round, led by Pantera Capital and supported by Coinbase Ventures along with over 100 angel investors. Co-founder Algys Ievlev emphasizes that until now, building secure multichain protocols involved expensive, bespoke infrastructure or relying on trusted relayers. Relay changes the game by enabling builders to use real stake to verify outcomes across chains efficiently, cost-effectively, and securely.
Symbiotic envisions Relay becoming the standard for cross-chain coordination, simplifying complex multi-layered blockchain interactions and unlocking new opportunities for innovation in the crypto space. This launch not only boosts the protocol’s capabilities but also signals a new era of interconnected, secure blockchain ecosystems accessible to developers and investors worldwide.
