> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.solayer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tokenomics

In 2024, with more than **\$500 million staked**, over **200,000 active users**, and **bluechip AVS partners**, we have become the **leading restaking platform** for enhancing internal Solana applications via **stake-weighted quality of service**.

In 2025, we are doubling down on our thesis with **hardware offloading of blockchain into programmable hardware chips** — presenting the **first 1M+ TPS network in the world, Solayer Chain**.

<br />

## \$LAYER - Connecting the Solayer Ecosystem

**Infrastructure on the bottom. Vertical stack on the top.**\
Our team is building both the infrastructure layer — **Solayer Chain** — and a suite of vertical products on top of it. **sSOL, sUSD, and Solayer Pay** are the first, with more in development.

Underpinning all of this is **\$LAYER**, which is both the **native token for Solayer Chain** as well as the **governance token for Solayer’s protocol suites**.

<br />

## Token Distribution

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/solayerlabsinc/ehaIHrCi02AamVTV/images/layer/glance.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ehaIHrCi02AamVTV&q=85&s=4fd476e66b09aa7ee0f0f3ba4cbfaed8" alt="$LAYER at a glance" width="2032" height="1147" data-path="images/layer/glance.png" />

To ensure **broad decentralization**, **\$LAYER** is being distributed through both the **community sale of our Solayer Pay** and our **genesis airdrop for early adopters**.

The **max supply** of $LAYER will be **1,000,000,000 tokens**, distributed across three main categories, 
with an **initial circulating supply of 220,000,000 $LAYER (22%)\*\*:

### **Community & Ecosystem** \[51.23%]

* **34.23%** is for **continued R\&D, developer programs, ecosystem growth**, and other user activities.
* **14%** is for **community events/incentives** (including **12% reserved for the Genesis Drop** to reward early adopters and initial claim activities).
* **3%** is distributed via the **Solayer Pay community sale**.

### **Core Contributors** \[17.11%]

* Reserved for **core contributors and advisors**.

### **Investors** \[16.66%]

* Allocation for **investors**.

### **Foundation** \[15%]

* Allocated to the **Solayer Foundation** to support **vertical product expansion** and **network development**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/solayerlabsinc/ehaIHrCi02AamVTV/images/layer/distribution.jpeg?fit=max&auto=format&n=ehaIHrCi02AamVTV&q=85&s=c81bb9535f498005332c14020e3eb497" alt="$LAYER Distribtuion" width="1460" height="824" data-path="images/layer/distribution.jpeg" />

<br />

## LAYER Vesting Schedule

\$LAYER tokens will be emitted over time, following the vesting schedule below:

* **Genesis Drop**: Fully **unvested** at launch.
* **Solayer Pay Community Sale**: Fully **unvested** at launch.
* **Community incentives**: **Linearly vested** for **6 months**.
* **Community & Ecosystem**: **Vested every 3 months** over **4 years**.
* **Foundation**: **Vested every 3 months** over **4 years**.
* **Team & Advisors**: **1-year cliff, 3 years linear vesting**.
* **Investors**: **1-year cliff, 2 years linear vesting**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/solayerlabsinc/ehaIHrCi02AamVTV/images/layer/vesting.jpeg?fit=max&auto=format&n=ehaIHrCi02AamVTV&q=85&s=81a9fa18071797f6e952e41f51b74083" alt="$LAYER Vesting" width="3000" height="1840" data-path="images/layer/vesting.jpeg" />

<br />

## Token Design

\$LAYER has **utility** across the entire **Solayer ecosystem**.\
At launch, the primary utility is **governance**, with **network-specific utility** becoming available with **Solayer Chain**, and **protocol-level utility** with our incoming **vertical product suites**.

### **Governance \[current]**

* **Protocol upgrades**, such as **adding supported assets**.
* **Key ecosystem initiatives**, such as **grants**.

### **Future Use Cases \[subject to design change]**

* **Participate in Proof of Stake consensus** for **Decentralized Verification** to **earn block rewards**.
* **Verifiers securing Solayer get rewarded with \$LAYER**.
* **\$LAYER as the gas token** for **transactions on the Solayer network**.

<br />

## **\$LAYER Genesis Drop**

The second **\$LAYER distribution** is for **existing community members** who’ve been with us since launching in 2024.

Solayer is reserving **12% total** for **community members, integration partners, and liquidity providers**, recognizing those who **bootstrapped the ecosystem** and will continue our journey in 2025.

### **Eligibility**

* **sSOL and sUSD holders**.
* **Users who delegated sSOL to AVS partners**.
* **Users who deposited sSOL or sUSD in partnered DeFi protocols**.
* **Users who deposited whitelisted LSTs on Solayer**.
* **Users who deposited with Solayer through partner and wallet campaigns**.
* **LRT protocols**.
* **Other claim initiatives**.

### **Vesting**

For **early and eligible community members**, the **genesis drop is immediately unlocked** at launch, with additional \$LAYER **claimable over the next 6 months by Epoch**.

<br />

## **\$LAYER and Hardware-Accelerated Blockchain**

With **over 250,000 unique holders** eligible at launch, \$LAYER is the shared incentive layer across the Solayer ecosystem.

Whether used to power Solayer Chain or govern protocol-level products, **\$LAYER aligns incentives** across validators, users, and developers as we build toward a high-performance, hardware-accelerated blockchain.