Jito has become as important to Solana’s economic infrastructure as Lido is to Ethereum’s. The protocol operates on two deeply interconnected fronts: liquid staking (JitoSOL, a staked SOL derivative that accrues MEV rewards in addition to standard staking yield) and MEV infrastructure (a modified Solana validator client that enables tip auctions, ensuring searchers pay validators for priority block inclusion). In 2024, over 95% of Solana’s stake ran through Jito-modified validators, and JitoSOL overtook major LSTs to become one of Solana’s largest collateral assets. The JTO token launched in December 2023 via one of Solana’s most anticipated airdrops.
Jito’s Two Products
The protocol’s products are described below.
1. JitoSOL — Liquid Staking
JitoSOL is an LST (liquid staking token) representing staked Solana:
- Deposit SOL → receive JitoSOL
- JitoSOL accrues: staking rewards (standard ~7% APY) + MEV rewards
- JitoSOL is freely tradeable; underlying SOL earns yield continuously
- JitoSOL used as collateral in Solana DeFi (Kamino, MarginFi, Drift)
MEV reward add-on:
Standard Solana staking yields ~7% APY. JitoSOL earns additional MEV tips collected from searchers, historically adding 0.5-2% extra APY (fluctuates with Solana DeFi activity).
Jito StakePool:
The underlying mechanism is a Solana StakePool distributing stake across a set of validators running the Jito-Solana client. Tip revenue is pooled and distributed proportionally to JitoSOL holders.
2. Jito-Solana MEV Client
The more technically interesting product: Jito modified the official Solana validator software to add MEV infrastructure:
Block Engine:
- An off-chain auction service where searchers submit transaction bundles (ordered transactions) with SOL tips
- Validators running Jito-Solana accept the highest-tip bundle and include it in the next block
MEV mechanics on Solana:
- Arbitrageur detects profitable DEX trade (e.g., price discrepancy between Raydium and Orca)
- Sends bundle to Jito Block Engine with a SOL tip (e.g., 0.01 SOL)
- Competing arbitrageurs also submit bundles with tips
- Jito Block Engine selects the highest-tip bundle
- Winning searcher’s bundle is included first in the next block
- Tip goes to validator → distributed via JitoSOL mechanism
Impact:
- 95%+ of Solana stake runs Jito-Solana client (validators prefer it for extra tip revenue)
- In 2024, Jito MEV tips exceeded $1B annualized during peak Solana activity
- Largest source of validator economics beyond standard inflationary rewards
JTO Token
Launch: December 7, 2023 — large retroactive airdrop
Total supply: 1 billion JTO
Airdrop:
- ~10% of supply airdropped to:
JitoSOL holders (historical)
Jito StakePool delegators
Jito Block Engine searchers
DAOs and protocol users - JTO launched at ~$2.40; pumped to ~$4 on day 1
- All-time high: ~$6 (early 2024)
Utility:
- Governance: Vote on JitoSOL fee parameters, treasury deployment, protocol updates
- StakePool governance: Control which validators are in the JitoSOL pool
- Treasury: JTO DAO controls significant Jito treasury
MEV on Solana vs. Ethereum
| Solana (Jito) | Ethereum (PBS/MEV-Boost) | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Centralized block engine, single auction | Decentralized relay network (Flashbots, bloXroute) |
| MEV extraction | Tip auctions to validators | Proposer-builder separation; builders bid for blocks |
| Mempool | Private (most txs via bundles) | Public + private order flows |
| Centralization risk | High (95%+ run Jito client) | Moderate (multiple relays) |
| Value to stakers | JitoSOL tips | MEV-Boost relayer fees |
Jito’s centralized block engine is more efficient than Ethereum’s relay network but creates a significant single-point of influence. Jito has the ability (which they’ve exercised) to pause bundles — and did so during the January 2024 memecoin frenzy that caused network congestion.
Jito Re-staking (2024 Initiative)
Inspired by EigenLayer, Jito launched restaking on Solana:
- Restake JitoSOL or SOL to provide economic security to new Solana “node consensus networks” (NCNs)
- NCNs are the Solana equivalent of EigenLayer’s AVSes
- JTO governs NCN onboarding and slashing parameters
This positions Jito as both the liquid staking and the restaking hub for Solana — mirroring EigenLayer’s role on Ethereum.
Ecosystem Integrations
JitoSOL integrations across Solana DeFi:
- Kamino Finance: JitoSOL as collateral for borrowing
- Drift Protocol: JitoSOL as collateral margin
- MarginFi: JitoSOL deposits
- Orca/Raydium pools: JitoSOL/SOL concentrated liquidity
- Jupiter: JitoSOL in aggregator swap routes
How to Use Jito
Stake SOL for JitoSOL:
- Visit jito.network/stakepools
- Connect Phantom or Backpack wallet
- Deposit SOL → receive JitoSOL
- JitoSOL automatically earns staking + MEV rewards
Use JitoSOL in DeFi:
- Deposit JitoSOL as collateral on Kamino or Drift
- Borrow against JitoSOL position
- Loop for leveraged staking yield
Buy SOL at . Secure with (Ledger supports Solana).
Social Media Sentiment
Jito is universally respected in the Solana community as essential infrastructure. JitoSOL’s combined staking + MEV yield makes it the default choice for Solana holders who want yield. The MEV client adoption (95%+) is remarkable and reflects validators’ rational economic choices. Concerns focus on centralization: the Jito Block Engine is a single off-chain service that all block producers rely on — a targeted attack, regulatory action, or deliberate policy decision by Jito could affect 95% of Solana blocks. The January 2024 decision to pause bundles during memecoin frenzy was unilateral and revealed the power Jito has over Solana’s transaction ordering. JTO governance is supposed to address this, but JTO concentration among early investors and team is significant. Overall, Jito is a commercially successful, technically excellent protocol whose centralization is Solana’s most significant infrastructure concentration risk.
Last updated: 2026-04
Related Terms
Sources
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Buterin, V. (2021). Proposer-Builder Separation. Ethereum Research Forum.
Qin, K., Zhou, L., Livshits, B., & Gervais, A. (2022). Quantifying Blockchain Extractable Value: How Dark is the Forest? IEEE S&P.
Leshner, R. & Hayes, G. (2019). Compound: The Money Market Protocol. Compound Finance Whitepaper.