What is Ample?
Ample is a non-custodial, onchain prize-linked savings protocol built and operated by the Layer3 team. Users deposit supported assets into Ample vaults. Those deposits generate yield through overcollateralized onchain lending markets. Rather than crediting that yield proportionally to each depositor, Ample pools it and distributes it through a weekly draw.
The payout pool contains generated yield and, in some cases, additional contributions from Ample or campaign sponsors. Your deposited principal is not used to fund payouts. Whether or not you receive a payout, your vault balance remains yours and can be withdrawn at any time.
How Ample Works
The process begins when a user deposits a supported asset into an Ample vault. Each vault holds one asset on the chain and deploys deposits into a defined yield strategy. Ample currently uses overcollateralized lending markets as its core strategy. These vaults do not use leverage, directional positions, or other complex yield strategies. During each weekly cycle, a deposit generates yield for the payout pool, and it earns tickets for the depositor. At the end of the cycle, ticket balances are finalized and the draw selects recipients across four payout tiers. Results are committed onchain before claims begin, and selected users can claim their payouts from the contract. The next cycle then starts automatically.
Prize-Linked Savings
Prize-linked savings is not a new idea. The United Kingdom has operated a national version since 1956, with more than 20 million participants collectively holding over £100 billion. The model replaces individually paid interest with prize eligibility. Instead of everyone receiving a very small return, the generated interest is pooled so that some savers receive more meaningful amounts. Ample brings this model onchain. Stablecoins and other digital assets allow users in different markets to participate in shared vault infrastructure. At the same time, smart contracts and cryptographic proofs make deposits, ticket calculations, draw results, and claims publicly verifiable, with the prizes coming from yield and sponsored additions.
The Function of a Ticket on Ample
Tickets determine a depositor’s weight in Ample’s weekly draw and cannot be bought, transferred, or withdrawn. Every $1 held for a full week generates 100 tickets, meaning $1,000 earns 100,000 tickets. Ticket counts reflect your average balance throughout the cycle, so depositing halfway through the week earns roughly half the tickets. This prevents last-minute deposits from receiving full weight. Balances across eligible vaults are combined, with at least one hour of continuous holding required.
Home
The homepage contains the available vaults and bonus tickets. It also provides a summary of a user’s deposit on the left side of the page.
How to Deposit
To deposit into Ample:
- Choose Solana and connect a supported wallet.
- Select a vault to deposit into.
- Enter an amount and review the estimated ticket count and the amount to be deposited.
- Approve the asset or sign a supported permit.
- Confirm the deposit.
After confirmation, the dashboard displays the vault position, ticket count, multipliers, and countdown to the next payout. Ample currently charges no direct deposit fee. In the example below, I deposited $70 into its USDC vault on Solana.
How to Withdraw
Ample deposits have no protocol lockup, waiting period, or scheduled withdrawal penalty. To withdraw, open the relevant vault position or click on the menu under the “Action” column on the homepage. Select Withdraw and enter the amount. Review the ticket weight and multipliers that may be lost and confirm the transaction.
The vault redeems the corresponding shares, and the underlying asset is returned to the connected wallet. Withdrawing immediately reduces ticket weight because tickets follow the time-weighted balance. Withdrawing more than 10% of the balance also resets the loyalty multiplier.
Payouts
When a user receives a payout, Ample displays a notification and claim option in the app. To claim, open the win banner or claimable balance. Select “Claim” and confirm the transaction in the wallet. Allow the contract to verify the proof and release the payout. The payout is denominated in the relevant vault asset, and the claims do not expire. The screenshot below shows the past weekly payouts on Ample.
Rewards
This is where the rewards earned by users are displayed. rL3 is Ample’s reward token for users who deposit in eligible vaults during incentive campaigns. The rewards earned depend on deposit size and duration. You receive 20% immediately, while the remaining 80% vests over six months. Claiming early permanently forfeits the unvested portion. These rL3 rewards are separate from Ample’s weekly yield-funded payouts.
Team
Teams make saving more social by bringing members, deposits, milestones, and wins into a shared space. Users can create or join open teams by link or private teams by invitation code. Everyone keeps full ownership of their funds, tickets, and payouts, as teams never hold or pool deposits. As membership and combined deposits grow, all members receive a bigger ticket-weight boost. These teams are ranked by total deposits, encouraging members to recruit friends and reach the next level.
Amplify
Amplify makes it easy to move existing positions through one transaction flow from other DeFi protocols or blockchains into Ample. It reduces the need for multiple manual steps such as withdrawing, bridging, swapping, and depositing. Tokens that are eligible for migration may also include a bonus, giving users an extra incentive to transfer their assets into an Ample vault.
How the Weekly Draw Works
- Yield accumulates: Vault yield and sponsored funds form the weekly prize pool.
- Tickets are finalized: Each user’s balance, multipliers, boosts, and bonuses are recorded.
- Winners are selected: A verifiable random function selects recipients based on their share of total tickets.
- Prizes are divided: The pool is distributed across four tiers, including a Grand Prize.
- Results go onchain: Winners, amounts, and proofs are published before claims, making the results verifiable and unchangeable.
Security and Risks with Ample
Ample contracts have gone through multiple infrastructure audits. It currently has a $7.5 million bug bounty and two Pashov implementation reviews. However, audits cannot reduce the risks involved with the protocol, such as smart-contract failures, market insolvency, stablecoin depegging, and oracle issues. Users may also face changing fees, vault limits, and network problems. Because yield is distributed through draws, users could save for many weeks without receiving a payout.
Conclusion
Ample turns passive onchain yield into a weekly prize-linked savings experience. Deposits remain in users’ vault positions and can be withdrawn without a protocol lockup, while generated yield funds the prize pool. Consistent saving can increase ticket weight by up to 1.91× before boosts and bonuses. In return, users give up predictable individual yield for a chance at larger payouts. It is an onchain version of a savings model used for decades.
