Best LRT Protocols in 2026

DeFi Intel Research Desk · Updated 2026-07-15 · ranked by TVL and track record

Liquid restaking tokens (LRTs) wrap staked-and-restaked positions — ETH or BTC secured through protocols like EigenLayer, Symbiotic, and Babylon — into transferable tokens that keep earning restaking rewards while remaining usable as DeFi collateral. This list ranks the top LRT protocols by total value locked (TVL) and proven track record.

Leading the pack is ether.fi, whose eETH/weETH stack holds roughly $3.2B in TVL as of July 2026 (DefiLlama), well ahead of Kelp DAO (~$1B) and the BTC-focused Bedrock (~$0.3B); Puffer Finance has contracted to roughly $50M. The category's defining 2026 event was a security failure: on April 18, 2026, Kelp DAO's LayerZero-powered rsETH bridge was exploited for roughly $292 million after attackers defeated its single-verifier (1-of-1 DVN) configuration, prompting rsETH market freezes at Aave, SparkLend, and Fluid. Kelp's core Ethereum contracts were not breached, but the incident underlined that an LRT is only as secure as its weakest bridge. Figures below are as of July 2026 and reflect post-incident levels.

  1. #1 ether.fi $3.2B TVL 5 chains · 3 audits · since 2023

    Largest liquid restaking protocol. eETH/weETH are non-custodial restaked positions on EigenLayer. Adds Cash card, Liquid vaults, and a payments stack on top of restaking.

  2. #2 Kelp DAO $1B TVL 3 chains · 2 audits · since 2024

    Liquid restaking protocol issuing rsETH backed by ETH and LSTs restaked on EigenLayer, plus the Kelp Gain auto-compounding vault. Its LayerZero-powered rsETH bridge was exploited for ~$292M on April 18, 2026 via a compromised 1-of-1 verifier setup; the core Ethereum restaking contracts were not breached.

  3. #3 Bedrock (uniBTC) $0.3B TVL 6 chains · 2 audits · since 2023

    Multi-asset liquid restaking. uniBTC tokenizes restaked BTC; uniETH and uniIOTX cover ETH and IoTeX. Built with RockX; integrates with Babylon, EigenLayer, Symbiotic.

  4. #4 Renzo $0.09B TVL 7 chains · 2 audits · since 2024

    Liquid restaking protocol issuing ezETH. Manages operator selection and AVS allocations on behalf of users; integrates with Connext / Hyperlane for multi-chain ezETH.

  5. #5 Puffer Finance $0.05B TVL 2 chains · 3 audits · since 2024

    Native restaking with anti-slashing tech (Secure-Signer). pufETH is the LRT; Puffer UniFi is a based rollup that returns sequencer revenue to the Ethereum community.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best LRT protocol?

Based on TVL and track record, the top LRT protocol is ether.fi, with roughly $3.2B TVL as of July 2026, 5 chains, 3 audits, and has been operating since 2023.

How are LRT protocols ranked?

LRT protocols are ranked by total value locked (TVL) and track record, including number of chains, audits, and years since launch.

Which LRT protocol has the highest TVL?

ether.fi has the highest TVL at roughly $3.2B as of July 2026, per DefiLlama.

How many chains does ether.fi support?

ether.fi supports 5 chains.

When was ether.fi launched?

ether.fi was launched in 2023.