The developers of the Ether fi protocol have changed the architecture of their products, eliminating the restaking function within the weETH token. This feature has been moved to a separate weETHs liquidity token based on the Symbiotic protocol. The project team confirmed the withdrawal of the entire restaking exposure from weETH, as a result of which this asset now serves as a tool exclusively for traditional liquid staking.

Ether fi explained that the separation of products is aimed at simplifying the choice for users between basic asset locking and additional recycling (restaking) capabilities. Previously, weETH holders simultaneously received exposure to both staking and restaking. Using the same coin in various services made it possible to claim additional remuneration, but this was also accompanied by increased risks, including the likelihood of fines (slashing) and partial loss of the deposit. The separation allows users to independently adjust the level of accepted risk and expected return. According to the DefiLlama analytical platform, the total amount of blocked funds (TVL) in the Ether fi protocol at the time of publication is about $ 3.55 billion. The decision to restructure the products coincided with the discussion of changes in the remuneration policy for staking on the Ethereum network. In early August, a group of researchers and developers proposed implementing EIP-8363, which provides for burning part of the consensus awards of validators as the total share of ETH in staking grows.

Mike Silagadze, the founder of Ether fi, criticized this initiative. He noted that the implementation of the EIP-8363 proposal may negatively affect small stakeholders and financial products, whose business model is built around rewards for blocking coins. Earlier, in June, the idea of allowing validators to redirect up to 10% of awards to ecosystem financing was also discussed on the Ethereum Research platform. The potential risks of that proposal included a cartel of validators, a conflict of interest between operators and ETH holders, as well as the risk of excessive emissions.