DeFi lending TVL surged past $50B (approaching $60B), up 60% in a year, driven by institutionalization.
‘DeFi mullet’ trend sees apps embed DeFi for yield/loans (e.g., Coinbase-Morpho originated $300M loans).
Tokenized Real-World Assets (RWAs) like US Treasuries are increasingly used as collateral and yield sources in DeFi.

A significant, albeit understated, transformation is reshaping the landscape of decentralized finance (DeFi).

Moving beyond the speculative frenzy and often dubious high yields that characterized its previous bull market, the current growth in DeFi is being fueled by its evolution into a foundational financial layer for user-facing applications and a notable increase in institutional participation.

This maturation is particularly evident in the DeFi lending sector, which has seen its total value locked (TVL) soar.

According to a Wednesday report by analytics firm Artemis and on-chain yield platform Vaults.fyi, the TVL across top DeFi lending protocols—including prominent names like Aave, Euler, Spark, and Morpho—has surged past the $50 billion mark and is now approaching $60 billion.

This represents a substantial 60% growth over the past year alone. The report attributes this impressive expansion to “rapid institutionalization and increasingly sophisticated risk management tools.”

“These are not merely yield platforms; they are evolving into modular financial networks undergoing rapid institutionalization,” the authors of the report stated, highlighting a fundamental shift in how these protocols are being utilized and perceived.

The ‘DeFi mullet’: seamless integration for mainstream users

One of the key trends identified in the report is the rise of the “DeFi mullet” – a strategy where user-facing applications quietly embed DeFi infrastructure on their backend to offer financial services like yield generation or loans.

These complex DeFi operations are abstracted away from the end-user, creating a more seamless and familiar experience, akin to traditional fintech applications.

The report describes this as: “fintech front-end, DeFi backend.”

A prime example of this is Coinbase, where users can borrow against their Bitcoin (BTC) holdings through a system powered by DeFi lender Morpho’s backend infrastructure.

This integration has already originated over $300 million in loans as of this month, the report pointed out.

Similarly, Bitget Wallet’s integration with lending protocol Aave offers users a 5% yield on their USDC and USDT stablecoin holdings across various chains, all without requiring them to leave the crypto wallet app.

While not strictly DeFi, PayPal is also employing a similar model with its PYUSD stablecoin, offering yields near 3.7% to PayPal and Venmo wallet users.

The report suggests that other crypto-friendly fintech firms boasting large user bases, such as Robinhood or Revolut, may soon adopt this strategy.

By offering services like stablecoin credit lines and asset-backed loans through DeFi markets, these firms could tap into new fee-based revenue streams while introducing DeFi’s benefits to a wider audience.

Bridging worlds: tokenized Real-World Assets (RWAs) enter DeFi

A significant development fueling DeFi’s growth is the increasing integration of tokenized versions of traditional financial instruments, commonly referred to as real-world assets (RWAs).

DeFi protocols are progressively introducing use cases for tokenized US Treasuries, credit funds, and other conventional assets.

These tokenized RWAs can serve as collateral for loans, earn yield directly within DeFi protocols, or be bundled into more complex investment strategies, thereby bridging the gap between traditional finance and the decentralized digital economy.

The tokenization of investment strategies is also gaining traction.

Pendle, a protocol that allows users to split yield streams from the principal of an asset, now manages over $4 billion in TVL, a significant portion of which is in tokenized stablecoin yield products.

Meanwhile, platforms like Ethena, with its sUSDe and similar yield-bearing tokens, have introduced products that deliver returns exceeding 8% through sophisticated strategies such as cash-and-carry trades, all while abstracting the operational complexities away from the end-user.

The rise of on-chain asset managers: professionalizing DeFi investment

A less visible but critically important trend highlighted in the report is the emergence of crypto-native asset managers.

Firms such as Gauntlet, Re7, and Steakhouse Financial are playing an increasingly influential role by allocating capital across DeFi ecosystems using professionally managed strategies.

Their function closely resembles that of traditional asset managers in conventional finance.

These on-chain asset managers are becoming deeply embedded in the governance of DeFi protocols.

They actively participate in fine-tuning risk parameters and strategically deploy capital across a diverse range of structured yield products, tokenized RWAs, and modular lending markets.

The report noted that the capital under management within this specialized sector has grown fourfold since January, ballooning from $1 billion to over $4 billion, underscoring the rapid professionalization and institutionalization of DeFi investment strategies.