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iExec

RLC · Field entry
Storage & computeAIInfrastructure

A marketplace for running apps and AI models on data sealed inside secure hardware

By

$0.70860.88%Snapshot · October 20, 2026 · updates live
Market cap
$61.65M
24h volume
$13.30M
Rank
#390
Circulating
87.00M RLC
Max supply
87.00M RLC
All-time high
$15.51 May 10, 2021

RLC price chart

7-day snapshot. Chart data from CoinGecko.

What is iExec?

iExec is a network where developers run code, including AI models, on encrypted data inside trusted execution environments (TEEs), so the person operating the machine never sees the raw data. Tasks are matched and recorded on-chain, and payment settles in RLC. The project has been building since 2017 and brought its privacy tools to Arbitrum in 2025.

Utility Lens

What iExec actually does

Lets apps and AI models compute on private data inside hardware enclaves, with payment settled in RLC.

Real-world usage
earlyThe tools are live and iExec reports over 100 deployed apps, but independent evidence of large, sustained paid demand is limited.
Token necessity
integralTask payments settle in RLC and requesters lock RLC while a task runs, though vouchers let developers use preloaded RLC without handling it directly.
Decentralization
limitedWorkers are independent machines, but iExec leads development, outside workerpools must follow iExec's governance and standards, and enclave security rests on Intel hardware.
Track record
longRLC was sold to the public in April 2017, and the protocol has gone through several major versions since, including the V8 upgrade in 2023.

How we rate

What it’s used for

A data owner encrypts a dataset with DataProtector, a developer packages code as an iApp, and a requester asks for a run. A workerpool executes the job inside an Intel TDX enclave and sends back an encrypted result, and the RLC paid for the task is shared among the app, data and computing providers. iExec says more than 100 apps have been deployed, and Arbitrum projects such as DexPal and ApeBond use its tools.

Role of the RLC token:

paymentsstaking security

Evidence of real use

  • Each RLC task payment is split among the app provider, the protected-data provider and the worker that ran the job. Source
  • In September 2025 iExec deployed its TEE-based privacy tooling on Arbitrum, where projects such as DexPal and ApeBond were already using it. Source
  • Workers put up a stake to take part, several independent workers must agree on a result, and the job is paid for in RLC. Source

The AI angle

AI role
compute marketplace
What actually happens
iExec does not build AI models. It rents out confidential computing that AI developers can use for inference, fine-tuning or agents, keeping the data hidden from the model's owner and the model hidden from the data's owner. AI is one use case alongside private messaging and DeFi tools, and payments for those runs settle in RLC.

AI crypto, explained

How iExec works

iExec's protocol is called Proof of Contribution (PoCo). It works as a marketplace with three kinds of sellers: developers who offer an app (an iApp), owners who offer access to an encrypted dataset, and workerpools that offer computing time. A buyer submits a request, and a smart contract pulls together a matching app, dataset and workerpool into a single deal. Each provider sets its own terms in its marketplace orders, and the RLC paid for the task is shared out on that basis.

The privacy comes from trusted execution environments. Workers run each iApp inside an Intel TDX trust domain, an isolated area of the processor that lets code use the data while keeping it hidden from the machine's owner. Data owners encrypt a dataset once and then decide which apps and which users may use it, and can withdraw that permission later. Results go back to the requester encrypted, and every run leaves an on-chain record, with independent workers confirming results by consensus.

RLC ties the pieces together. To start a task, the requester locks RLC in the protocol and receives staked RLC (sRLC) in return; any RLC not spent on the task can be recovered afterward. Workers stake to take part and earn RLC for finished jobs. After a closed beta with builders in 2024, iExec widened its voucher program in 2025, letting developers draw on preloaded RLC at fixed prices, and it brought its toolkit to Arbitrum, an Ethereum layer-2 network, which it described as the opening step in expanding to more EVM networks.

Key moments

  1. 2017iExec holds its RLC token sale in April to fund a decentralized cloud computing marketplace.
  2. 2018iExec starts working with Intel and shows a combined blockchain and confidential computing solution at Consensus 2018.
  3. 2023The V8 upgrade overhauls the confidential computing stack and adds support for Intel SGX2.
  4. 2025iExec brings its privacy tools to Arbitrum in September, its first step toward running on more EVM chains.

Supply

RLC has a fixed maximum supply of 87 million tokens, and the project says the entire supply has already been minted, with no pending unlocks or private allocations. There is no inflation; RLC simply moves between requesters, providers and stakers as tasks are paid for.

Risks to understand

  • Privacy depends on Intel's TEE hardware; any serious flaw found in that enclave technology could weaken the guarantees iExec offers.
  • Most usage figures come from iExec itself, and independent data on paying demand is thin.
  • Incentive programs such as vouchers and builder rewards can lift activity that may not reflect organic demand.
  • Large cloud providers also sell confidential computing, which puts iExec in direct competition with much bigger companies.

iExec FAQ

Is iExec an AI coin?

Partly. It sells confidential computing that AI apps can use, but the same tools also serve private messaging, data sharing and DeFi apps.

What is RLC used for?

It pays for tasks on the network. A requester locks RLC while a task runs, and the payment is shared among the app, data and computing providers.

Can more RLC be created?

No. The project says the full 87 million supply has already been minted and there are no scheduled unlocks.

Sources

  1. RLC Token — iExec documentation
  2. What is iExec? — iExec documentation
  3. Confidential Computing — iExec
  4. iExec Tokenomics: New Ways to Use & Earn RLC — iExec
  5. Milestones, Partnerships, and What's Next for iExec, RLC and AI in 2025 — iExec
  6. iExec Brings TEE-Based Privacy Tools to Arbitrum — Decrypt (Chainwire press release)
  7. iExec — IQ.wiki
  8. iExec RLC price — Coinbase

Last reviewed October 20, 2026. Written by . Utility Lens ratings are editorial judgments, not investment advice. Market data from CoinGecko. Spot an error? Request a correction.

About the author

Dave McNaught has worked in IT since 1999 and founded All Business Technologies (ABT) in 2003, a Boston-area firm providing Managed IT, Cybersecurity, Managed AI, Web Design and App Development. He publishes The Crypto Guide.

Full bio