[DigitalToday reporter Chi-gyu Hwang] Ether.fi, an Ethereum-based liquid restaking protocol, removes all restaking exposure from its flagship weETH product, turning it into a pure liquid staking token, and limits restaking to a separate Symbiotic-based token, weETHs, The Defiant reported on Thursday.

The change effectively means Ether.fi has given up its position as the biggest operator built on the EigenLayer restaking model, the report said.

Ether.fi grew rapidly in 2024 by bundling Ethereum staking yield and EigenLayer restaking exposure into a single token. It now separates staking and restaking. Holders who want restaking must choose a separate token.

According to DefiLlama, Ether.fi’s staking segment is worth $3.3 billion, making it the biggest liquid restaking protocol. Across liquid staking and restaking combined, it ranks third after Lido and Binance staked ETH. Circulating supply of weETH is 1.72 million tokens, and supply of weETHs is 9,136.

Ether.fi CEO Mike Silagadze (마이크 실라가제) said, "An era has ended. It is unfortunate." He said restaking seems likely to return in some form, but "this time it was too early."

Ether.fi said existing holders now have a clearer choice between basic staking and additional restaking, and the split makes the structure easier for new users to understand. EigenLabs, the operator of EigenLayer, and Symbiotic had not commented as of the time of the report.