Jito is Solana's leading liquid staking protocol and MEV infrastructure layer. It operates a stake pool model where users deposit SOL and receive JitoSOL, a liquid token that earns both staking rewards and MEV (Maximum Extractable Value) income from transaction ordering. By late 2023, Jito commanded over 40% of Solana's total stake weight, making it the second-largest DeFi protocol on Solana by TVL.
Beyond liquid staking, Jito runs the dominant MEV infrastructure for Solana's validator network, operating an auction system where MEV searchers bid for transaction ordering rights. The JTO token governs this entire ecosystem and was distributed in December 2023 to early users who had supported the network's bootstrapping phase.
Jito kept the majority of supply focused on growing and sustaining the network rather than rewarding insiders. The largest allocation at 34.3% goes to Community Growth, which includes the 10% retroactive airdrop and a further 24.3% controlled by DAO governance for future distribution. Ecosystem Development at 25% funds protocol expansion, validator incentives, and staking infrastructure all governed by JTO holders. Core Contributors hold 24.5% on a vesting schedule, and investors take a relatively lean 16.2%. The tiered airdrop design, which gave smaller holders a proportionally larger share than whales, reflects a distribution philosophy focused on genuine decentralisation rather than concentration of value at the top.
Hold JitoSOL
Use JitoSOL in DeFi
Run a Jito Validator
Be an MEV Searcher
Yes and the tier structure made it especially generous to smaller participants.
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