AVSs Won’t Scale Without Cross-Chain Liquidity. Here’s why:
Decentralized infrastructure is evolving fast. Oracles, bridges, and off-chain compute networks are no longer isolated tools. They are becoming part of a modular stack that powers everything from rollups to DeFi protocols.
At the center of this evolution is a new class of applications: Actively Validated Services, or AVSs.
AVSs are supposed to be the future. But they’re stuck.
Not because of poor design. Not because of lack of demand. But because they rely on a type of security that’s limited to just one chain: Ethereum.
And that’s a massive problem.
What Are AVSs, Really?
AVSs are not new blockchains or simple smart contracts. They are decentralized services, like oracles, bridges, and zero-knowledge coprocessors, that rely on existing validator networks for their security.
Instead of creating their own consensus layers, AVSs tap into trust that already exists in other networks.
This makes them lightweight, efficient, and modular. If you’re building a new oracle, you don’t need to launch a new blockchain. You can use AVSs that borrow security from Ethereum validators through restaking protocols like EigenLayer.
In simple terms,
AVSs offer a plug-and-play approach to decentralized infrastructure.
Why AVSs Matter More Than Most People Realize
The future of Web3 is moving toward modular design. Monolithic chains are being replaced by specialized, service-based components. Data availability, compute, and execution are now offered by separate infrastructure providers.
AVSs are the delivery layer for this new paradigm.
- Want an oracle? Use an AVS with shared security.
- Need off-chain computation? Use an AVS-powered coprocessor.
- Building a bridge? AVSs let you skip bootstrapping a validator set.
This shift lets developers focus on product, not consensus. But it comes with a tradeoff. The integrity of AVSs depends entirely on how much capital is securing them.
And capital is where the current problem begins.
The Problem: AVSs Are Starving for Security
Today, most restaked security comes only from Ethereum.
EigenLayer allows ETH stakers to restake their tokens and help secure AVSs in exchange for extra yield. It’s a powerful model that proves AVSs can work. But it only works for ETH.
That leaves every other ecosystem out.
SOL, BNB, ATOM, ADA, and many others have tens of billions of dollars in staked capital. But none of it can be used to support AVSs. These assets sit idle while Ethereum bears the full load.
This creates an artificial scarcity for AVSs, even as trillions of dollars in crypto capital wait on the sidelines.
Why Can’t AVSs Tap This Liquidity?
Because restaking today is limited to a single chain.
EigenLayer and similar protocols are built on Ethereum. To restake your capital, your assets must already be part of Ethereum’s staking ecosystem.
That leaves all non-Ethereum assets completely isolated.
If you’re staking Solana, BNB, or Cosmos, you have no native way to restake. You would need to wrap or bridge your assets, which creates unnecessary risk and complexity.
In practice, this locks AVSs into one capital pool. It limits their growth, fragments their user base, and adds friction for developers trying to build across chains.
What’s Needed: A Cross-Chain Restaking Layer
To grow beyond Ethereum, AVSs need access to capital wherever it lives.
This means building a system where stakers on any chain can contribute security without moving their funds or sacrificing base staking rewards.
Cross-chain restaking makes that possible. It allows users to restake assets like stSOL, stBNB, or stATOM into AVSs, while still earning their original staking yield.
This model does more than just expand capital. It unlocks capital efficiency, reduces systemic risk, and brings entire ecosystems into the AVS economy.
How Helix Is Building That Layer
Helix is creating the infrastructure that allows AVSs to tap into staked assets from any chain.
Here’s how it works:
- EigenFi Vaults lock and verify staked assets securely, even across chains.
- Liquid Restaked Tokens (LRTs) give users access to liquidity while they restake, without sacrificing their base yield.
- Modular infrastructure means AVSs don’t need to set up their own validators. They simply plug in and start using shared security.
With Helix, users stay in control of their assets. AVSs get the capital they need to scale. And the restaking model becomes inclusive by design, not exclusive by limitation.
Restaking Was Never Meant to Be ETH-Only
The idea behind restaking was to improve security, not restrict access.
But until now, the tools didn’t exist to make restaking a multichain reality. That left Ethereum carrying the weight of AVS security while the rest of crypto watched from the sidelines.
As the next generation of DeFi is built, capital that moves, earns, and contributes across ecosystems will be the new default.
Helix changes that.
By connecting AVSs with stakers from every chain, it builds a mesh of security that spans the entire crypto ecosystem. AVSs no longer have to compete over a single pool of ETH. They can access capital wherever it’s staked.
And that unlocks a more decentralized, scalable, and secure Web3.
Conclusion
AVSs are not just another feature in the Web3 stack. They are the foundation for a new class of decentralized services.
But they can’t grow without access to security. And right now, that security is limited by chain boundaries.
Ethereum alone can’t meet the demands of the entire ecosystem. The rest of the capital, amounting to billions of dollars staked across other chains, is ready to be activated.
Cross-chain restaking is the key. It transforms isolated assets into active security. It turns Helix into the missing layer that connects AVSs with the resources they need.