Behind the Stake #7: The Economic Layer Powering Radius

What if rollups could outsource security, censorship resistance, and MEV infrastructure - all in one layer? That’s the role Radius is starting to play in Ethereum’s modular future. And behind that capability? Staked capital through Inception.

In this seventh episode of Behind the Stake, we look at how Inception contributes to Radius’ security layer by enabling ETH and BTC holders to delegate assets as collateral via Symbiotic. This staked capital backs a decentralized network of sequencers that build fair blocks, protect transactions, and enforce slashing conditions across the rollup ecosystem.

TL;DR

• Radius provides shared sequencing infrastructure to rollups, with bonded validators slashed for misordering
• The network is secured by over $121M in staked ETH and BTC delegated through Symbiotic
• Inception users can stake assets and receive liquid tokens while contributing to Radius’ economic security
• Vault caps and asset quality help maintain sustainable, risk-adjusted incentives.

What Is Radius?

Radius is a decentralized shared sequencer designed to make launching secure rollups easier. Instead of spinning up their own validator sets, rollups can plug into Radius and instantly inherit:

• Fair block construction (through Secure Block Building)
• On-chain slashing for misbehavior
• MEV revenue-sharing
• Censorship resistance through a bonded validator network

It’s like giving every new rollup a battle-tested block builder, with economic guarantees baked in from day one.

Builders can drop in using SDKs compatible with CDK and OP Stack. Over time, Radius aims to connect many rollups into a shared sequencing layer that unlocks cross-rollup MEV, reduces duplication, and strengthens modular Ethereum.

By the Numbers

As of May 2025:

• $121.39M in economic security staked through Symbiotic
• 8 active vaults, primarily backed by wstETH (89.8%) and swETH (5.2%)
• Slashing is planned, designed to protect ordering guarantees

Radius Collateral Distribution & Max Limit's

Validator activity:

• 15 of 35 opted-in operators currently active (42.8%)
• Top 3 operators hold 57.8% of the stake
• The top 5 control 83.6%, with a Gini Index of 0.61

Radius's Vault, Collateral Types & Stake Distribution per Operator

Vault dynamics:

• Curator participation is relatively narrow: 3 curators manage 95% of deposits
• But vault caps are actively used, with a Gini Index of 0.39 across deposit limits to help balance concentration risk

Radius's Vault, Collateral Types & Stake Distribution per Curator

These figures highlight a network still early in its decentralization curve, but already live with strong economic backing and preparing to enforce slashing once audits on the feature are complete.

The Role of Stakers

Every block Radius builds is backed by a bonded validator set, and that bond is provided by stakers. Through Inception, users delegate ETH, BTC, or other supported assets into Symbiotic vaults aligned with Radius.

In return, they receive a liquid token (e.g. inwstETHs) that stays usable across DeFi while helping secure the network. This model enables:

• Passive exposure to the shared sequencer layer
• Participation in fair ordering infrastructure
• Real-time slashing protection and economic alignment with honest behavior

While Radius doesn’t currently distribute points or native incentives, the vaults are designed for capital efficiency and risk-aware growth.

Security by Design

Radius introduces Secure Block Building (SBB), where bonded validators collaborate with searchers to build blocks across rollups. SBB enables MEV extraction through backrunning in a 1:1 relationship between searchers and rollups, without interfering with user transactions or compromising ordering guarantees. Each block respects per-rollup policies and is monitored for misbehavior. While slashing is not yet active, it will be once audits are complete.

This logic will soon be extended with Lighthouse, a shared MEV auction system that aggregates bids across multiple rollups. Instead of letting MEV leak to centralized actors, Lighthouse turns it into a transparent, cross-domain revenue stream that benefits the entire ecosystem.

-> https://x.com/radius_xyz/status/1917570590099308979

All of this makes Radius not just a sequencer alternative, but a modular primitive that turns staked security into scalable infrastructure.

Get Involved

Rollup infrastructure doesn’t have to be bootstrapped from scratch. Radius shows that shared sequencing, when backed by delegated capital and enforced by slashing, can offer trust-minimized UX out of the box.

And through Inception, stakers help make that possible.

Stake your assets, stay liquid, and help power modular Ethereum. Start here