Escrowed ALB (esALB)

Escrowed ALB — what it is, what it does, and how to use it

esALB is the locked, non-transferable form of ALB. It's the asset that earns governance voting power, single-staking APR, and Real Yield (WETH from protocol fees). If you plan to hold ALB long-term, you almost certainly want it as esALB.

Last updated: July 6, 2026.

In one paragraph

You convert ALB → esALB 1:1 via Lock & Earn on the Dashboard. esALB is non-transferable. You can stake esALB to earn unlocked ALB, vote on Snapshot, and receive Real Yield in WETH. To convert back, you use one of two paths (mixable): 100% after a 30-day cooldown with no penalty, or 1% instantly every 24 hours. Both are documented below.

At a glance

esALB token	0x365c6d58…4113
Lock ratio	1 ALB → 1 esALB (and back)
Transferable?	No. esALB is bound to the address that minted it.
Voting weight	1× per esALB (10× per govALB once AIP-5 ships)
Earn while staking?	Yes — unlocked ALB rewards from the esALB single-stake vault
Real Yield?	Yes — pro-rata share of WETH protocol fees

What esALB is for

• Single-staking APR. Stake esALB under Locked earn on the Vaults page to farm unlocked ALB.

• Real Yield. Stakers earn a share of protocol fees, paid in WETH, USDC, and other liquid assets — not in extra ALB inflation. Details: Real Yield.

• Governance. Voting power on Snapshot is weighted by esALB. See Alien Base DAO.

• Airdrops & extra rewards. Targeted distributions (partner tokens, special-event drops) generally land in esALB holders' wallets.

How to lock ALB into esALB

1. Open the Dashboard and click Lock & Earn (also available from the Locked earn tab on the Vaults page via Lock & Stake).

2. Pick the Escrowed ALB (esALB) farm. A deposit modal opens.

3. Choose your input: Zap (any token), LP Tokens, or Lock existing ALB.

4. Enter the amount. The modal previews each step (e.g., swap → convert to esALB → stake in farm).

5. Approve and confirm the transactions (batch zap isn't supported, so expect one transaction per step).

Lock modal — converting ALB to esALB and staking in one flow

Your deposit is automatically staked in the esALB farm after conversion. You'll receive 1 esALB for every ALB locked. To see the esALB balance in your wallet, add the contract address 0x365c6d58…4113 as a custom token.

Staking esALB

After locking, head to the Vaults page → Locked earn tab. The esALB position is at the top, next to the escrowed ALB-WETH LP positions (Infinite and Backstop).

Locked earn

1. Click Enable to authorize the staking contract to move esALB.

2. Click Stake and choose the amount.

3. Rewards (unlocked ALB) accrue continuously. The APR is shown split by source (ALB emissions vs. Real Yield). Click Harvest (or Harvest all) any time to claim.

Your staked esALB still counts for governance voting and Real Yield.

How to unlock back to ALB

Open the Locked earn tab on the Dashboard, find your Escrowed ALB (esALB) farming position, and click the unstake icon. The unstake modal offers two redemption paths (mixable):

Unstake modal — instant 1% redemption or 30-day unlock

Path A — full unlock after a 30-day cooldown, no penalty

1. In the unstake modal, choose the amount to unstake (slider or 25/50/75/100% presets), leaving Instant 1% Redemption off.

2. Click Start Unlock Process. This is a multi-step transaction: unstake, then start the 30-day unlock period for the selected amount.

3. The position moves to Locked → Vested on the Dashboard, where you can track unlock progress. While vesting, you continue to earn rewards at a 30% reduction.

4. After 30 days, redeem the full amount as ALB.

You have 7 days to redeem after vesting completes. If you miss the window, the position re-locks and starts a new 30-day vesting cycle.

Path B — 1% instant redemption, every 12 hours

1. In the unstake modal, toggle Instant 1% Redemption on.

2. Confirm the transaction. You instantly receive 1% of your staked esALB back as ALB.

3. You can repeat every 24 hours.

The 1% is computed against your total esALB position, including any portion currently in 30-day vesting. You can use both paths simultaneously — e.g., put half into 30-day redemption and drip the rest 1% per day.

Common pitfalls

• "I don't see my locked esALB on the Dashboard." It's probably staked in the esALB Single Stake vault. Unstake first; it'll reappear under your portfolio.

• "My approve transaction succeeded but Lock still says I need to approve." Likely an allowance-cap quirk on Base. See Changing allowance.

• "I missed the 7-day redeem window." It auto-relocks. Re-trigger redemption to start a fresh 30-day cycle, or use Path B to drip out.

• "Why is my staking APR lower than expected?" APR includes the unlocked ALB stream from the vault. The Real Yield (WETH) is shown separately. Total economics is APR + WETH yield + governance optionality.

govALB (coming via AIP-5)

AIP-5 introduces govALB — a longer-locked variant of esALB that confers 10× voting weight. The trade-off is a longer effective lock (~2 years). It's designed for users who want maximum governance influence and are willing to commit time for it. Mechanics will be documented as it rolls out — see Alien Base 2.0.

Live data

The Dune dashboard tracks esALB live:

• esALB Holders — current count and growth over time.

• ALB locked on esALB and ALB in esALB — the supply view.

• ALB-esALB Lock/Unlock — daily inflows/outflows between ALB and esALB.

• Total Holders (ALB + esALB) — combined holder count, useful for evaluating decentralization.

See also

• esLP — locked LP positions (e.g., ALB-ETH).

• Vesting — long-form vesting schedules (team, advisors, contributors).

• Real Yield (WETH) — the protocol-fee distribution mechanism.

• Changing allowance — fixing the "approve but won't lock" issue.

• Data & Analytics — full data-source map.

• Introducing EsALB: The Next Phase of Alien Base Tokenomics — original launch article.