Lit Protocol

Lit Protocol operates a programmable key management and confidential compute network in which private keys are generated and used only inside sealed trusted execution environments (TEEs). A key's authority is defined by on-chain state and smart contracts on Base, so a key signs only what an immutable, content-addressed policy permits, and every signature produces a hardware-attested record. The company states that it runs the network but cannot silently change what it runs, because upgrades are whitelisted on-chain by a multisig visible on Base and auditable via Basescan.

The core developer primitive is a "Lit Action": JavaScript deployed once and executed inside the network's TEE, which can read off-chain data from any HTTP API or oracle, read on-chain state, and then sign and broadcast transactions on other chains. Settlement is supported across EVM chains, Solana, Bitcoin and Cosmos. Beyond signing, Lit offers confidential microVMs (using Intel TDX enclaves) in which arbitrary workloads can run with inputs sealed from operators, with the code hash measured on-chain and an attestation proving exactly what executed. Attestation is hardened by a mechanism the company calls Proof of Cloud. The stack is described as open source and can be self-hosted in a customer's own cloud (AWS, Google Cloud) or on-premise, or consumed as managed infrastructure. Advertised characteristics include sub-second signing and on-chain code-hash auditability.

Business model

Lit sells access to managed verifiable compute and signing infrastructure, priced by usage at $0.01 per second with lower rates on annual plans, while also allowing customers to self-host the same software in their own cloud or on-premise environments. Confidential microVM workloads are, per the company, live with design partners under hands-on onboarding.

Usage-based pricing of $0.01 per second of compute, with discounts on annual plans.

Traction

The company reports over $400M secured, more than 1.6M wallets and over $135M in volume. Named projects building on Lit include Emblem Vault (AI agents operating across chains), Beacon Protocol (private data layer for AI models and agents), Tria (chain-abstracted, wallet-agnostic payments) and Genius Bridge Protocol / Genius Terminal (universal cross-VM solver and non-custodial multi-wallet management with DCAs, limit orders and stop losses). Confidential microVM capability is live with design partners.