DeFi lending protocols hold nearly $60B in assets amid new wave of adoption: report

  • 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.

The post DeFi lending protocols hold nearly $60B in assets amid new wave of adoption: report appeared first on CoinJournal.

Crypto scams spike as meme coins, weak laws fuel $2.1B crime wave

  • Over 50% of some crypto protocol volumes involve stolen funds.
  • $2.1 billion stolen via crypto hacks so far in 2025.
  • Tron blockchain “Black U” market worth up to $10 billion.

The crypto industry is facing a fresh wave of crime, driven by a rise in politically backed meme coins and legal loopholes that continue to shield malicious actors.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT, known for tracking on-chain fraud, warned in a recent post on X that crypto-related crimes have entered a “supercycle”, with fraudulent activities becoming more sophisticated and widespread.

His comments come amid a broader industry reckoning, as high-value hacks, phishing schemes, and the misuse of decentralised protocols threaten to undermine trust in the space.

Outdated court rulings and unchecked influencers add to the problem

According to ZachXBT, one of the major reasons behind the crime surge is the way courts continue to side with exploiters of smart contracts due to obsolete legal frameworks.

In many cases, those who manipulate decentralised systems walk free because judges interpret code-based exploits as fair use rather than theft.

He also highlighted the role of influencers and key opinion leaders (KOLs) who promote fraudulent crypto projects without facing any consequences.

In jurisdictions where failing to disclose paid advertisements is illegal, enforcement remains weak or non-existent.

ZachXBT estimated that regulators could have made between $50 million and $100 million in fines over the years by holding such individuals and projects accountable.

In a tweet, he remarked that “if you ever wanted the opportunity to extract from the industry, there’s not been much of a better time,” referencing the sense of lawlessness currently dominating the ecosystem.

He added that over half of all transaction volume in certain protocols involves stolen funds, and yet teams continue to collect fees without scrutiny.

Criminals exploit blockchain transparency and weak oversight

While blockchain technology allows for full transaction transparency, which helps trace illicit funds, ZachXBT said that it also enables crime by giving bad actors insight into network activity and vulnerabilities.

North Korean-linked groups such as Lazarus have allegedly taken advantage of this.

ZachXBT suggested that laundering groups and OTC brokers have successfully processed stolen funds from platforms like Bybit, DMM Bitcoin, and WazirX.

These operations often go undetected for extended periods due to the volume and complexity of transactions involved.

He also claimed that a shadow market, dubbed “Black U,” has emerged on the Tron blockchain, with an estimated value between $5 billion and $10 billion.

Much of this activity is suspected to involve laundering operations that are difficult to track despite blockchain records.

Losses continue to mount across the industry in 2025

ZachXBT’s warning coincides with mounting evidence of damage. According to blockchain security firm CertiK, more than $2.1 billion has been lost to crypto attacks in 2025 so far.

In May alone, cybersecurity company PeckShield reported 20 significant crypto hacks amounting to $244.1 million in stolen assets.

Although this marks a 39.29% decrease from April, the scale of ongoing theft remains alarming.

The recent rise in data leaks has further exposed user vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for stronger protections.

ZachXBT concluded his remarks by questioning whether systemic change would only occur after large-scale losses force regulators to act.

For now, the combination of speculative mania, regulatory gaps, and unchecked promotion continues to create a fertile environment for crypto-related crime.

The post Crypto scams spike as meme coins, weak laws fuel $2.1B crime wave appeared first on CoinJournal.

SUI price prediction amid fears of an extended correction

  • SUI has broken below a key support as bearish sentiment intensifies.
  • Derivatives data shows declining interest and rising short positions.
  • Network activity has dropped sharply, signalling weak fundamental support.

The price of Sui (SUI) has come under intense pressure in recent days, stirring concerns among traders and investors about the possibility of a deeper correction in the near term.

After what appeared to be a promising rally above the $4 mark, SUI has since reversed its gains and now flirts with a crucial support zone that could decide the token’s next major move.

Notably, SUI opened the week on a bearish note, and it has continued to drop, shedding over 5% in the last 24 hours to trade around $2.75. This marks a significant pullback from its recent high of $3.51.

Although the token still maintains an impressive 255% gain over the past year, its short-term momentum has notably weakened.

SUI price analysis signals caution

SUI recently broke down from a triangle pattern, triggering a wave of selling that has pulled the token back to a familiar support level at $2.78, which acted as a floor in late March.

SUI price analysis

A failure to hold this zone on a daily close could trigger a steep drop toward the $2.24 level, which aligns with the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level from the all-time high of $5.35 and the year-to-date low of $1.71.

Adding to the concern, momentum indicators are flashing mixed but generally negative signals.

While the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is nearing oversold levels at 33.64, it has also formed a bullish divergence that some traders believe could signal a reversal.

However, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remains in bearish territory, showing no clear sign of upward momentum just yet.

SUI derivatives market shows a bearish market sentiment

Data from Coinglass highlights a significant drop in Open Interest (OI) for SUI, which currently stands at $1.15 billion — the lowest in nearly two months.

Sui open interest

This marks a 43% decline from its peak of $2.05 billion recorded in May, indicating a clear outflow of capital from the derivatives market.

The declining OI is accompanied by a falling OI-weighted funding rate, currently at 0.0060%, further suggesting reduced bullish enthusiasm.

Additionally, the taker buy/sell volume reveals that short positions now dominate, accounting for 55% of volume, compared to 45% for longs.

These figures point to a decisive shift in trader sentiment, with the long/short ratio at 0.8195 indicating a prevailing bearish bias.

Unless sentiment improves, the pressure on spot prices is likely to persist.

Head-and-shoulders pattern points to a $2.20 target

Technical analysts have noted the emergence of a head-and-shoulders pattern on SUI’s daily chart, adding weight to the bearish narrative.

According to market analyst NebraskanGooner, this classic reversal setup could push SUI down to the $2.20 region by early July.

The breakdown from the right shoulder coincided with a rejection at the 99-day simple moving average, highlighting a failure to maintain key technical levels.

The $3.00–$3.10 region, which previously served as support, now acts as a significant resistance barrier.

If bulls fail to reclaim this area in the coming sessions, the bearish pattern may continue to play out, putting further pressure on price action in the short term.

Fading network activity fuels more doubt

On-chain metrics also paint a bleak picture for SUI’s near-term prospects.

Daily transaction volumes on the network have plummeted from over 19 million to just 9 million, while daily active accounts have dropped from 1.66 million to around 320,000 according to data from SuiVision.

This sharp decline in network activity reflects waning interest and suggests that the earlier rally may have been driven more by speculation than sustained demand.

The loss of momentum in both price and usage underscores the difficulty SUI may face in mounting a swift recovery.

Despite a slight rebound in futures market exposure, with open interest still hovering around $1.2 billion, the broader outlook remains cautious.

Market participants appear to be waiting for clearer signals before committing to new positions.

What to look out for going forward

All eyes are now on the $2.78 support level. A successful bounce from this area could open the door for a move back to the psychological $3 level and possibly toward the monthly high of $3.55.

However, a breakdown followed by a failed retest could pave the way for a drop to $2.20 or even lower.

Looking further ahead, analysts like CoinLore forecast a potential price range of $3.77 to $5.80 by the end of 2025.

However, while this suggests room for long-term growth, the near-term path remains clouded by technical weakness and shrinking on-chain activity.

For now, until bulls reclaim key resistance levels and network fundamentals stabilise, SUI’s short-term outlook will likely remain fragile.

Traders should closely monitor both technical support zones and broader market sentiment before making high-conviction moves.

The post SUI price prediction amid fears of an extended correction appeared first on CoinJournal.

PEPE price prediction: can the memecoin break from the bear trend?

  • PEPE continues to trend downwards with a 21% price drop this week.
  • Key support at POC could decide short-term direction.
  • Geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran are driving risk-off sentiment in memecoins.

Pepe (PEPE), the wildly popular Ethereum memecoin, has once again found itself at the centre of market volatility as traders confront a renewed wave of bearish pressure.

Despite its meme status and vibrant community support, the token has entered a critical technical zone following a series of steep daily losses that raise pressing questions about its short-term prospects.

Selling pressure intensifies as technical structure weakens

PEPE has posted a sharp 21% weekly correction, confirming a lower low on the weekly chart and cementing its place in a broader bearish structure that has been developing over several weeks.

After failing to reclaim its value area high, the token faced an aggressive rejection at the key 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level, which triggered a swift sell-off that erased earlier gains and pushed price action further into negative territory.

With each failed attempt to recover key levels, the token has continued to print lower highs and lower lows, a pattern that strongly signals bearish continuation under current conditions.

This sequence of breakdowns reflects not only waning technical momentum but also growing risk aversion among traders, particularly in the high-beta memecoin segment.

All eyes are on the point of control

The market’s next focal point is the point of control (POC), a zone that combines the 0.786 Fibonacci retracement with historically high trading volume and a long-standing monthly support level.

As PEPE approaches this critical level, market watchers are keenly observing whether buyers will step in with enough conviction to halt the decline and engineer a bounce.

If price finds stability at the POC with sufficient volume support, a short-term reversal may emerge, offering the potential for a structural shift in the trend and a retest of prior resistance zones.

However, should this support fail, the door will open to further downside, possibly leading to a full rotation toward the value area low, a level that could mark a deeper correction phase.

The importance of the POC cannot be overstated, as it represents a decisive battleground between bulls and bears in the current cycle.

Geopolitical shocks compound PEPE’s weakness

Beyond technical indicators, recent geopolitical events have dramatically worsened the outlook for speculative assets like PEPE, as traders react sharply to escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The ongoing military escalation between Iran and Israel, including massive missile exchanges and direct assaults on key infrastructure, has shaken global markets and prompted a risk-off shift that has particularly impacted memecoins.

PEPE, along with other notable meme assets like FLOKI and WIF, has led the market losses, with PEPE alone plunging over 4% within 24 hours, according to Coingecko, as investor sentiment deteriorated.

Notably, memecoins are typically the first to suffer in such scenarios due to their highly speculative nature and the absence of strong fundamental backing.

Whale activity further illustrates this vulnerability, with PEPE’s whale netflow collapsing by a staggering 97%, indicating large holders are distributing rather than accumulating.

Even positive developments, such as FLOKI’s 15 billion token burn, failed to buoy sentiment as traders used the news as an opportunity to exit rather than buy.

PEPE price outlook remains cautious

While some market observers believe PEPE’s pullback remains within historical volatility norms, the ongoing risk-off environment and weak technical structure point to continued caution in the near term.

In addition, the broader macroeconomic triggers, such as the upcoming FOMC decision, could play a decisive role in shaping short-term price action across crypto markets, including memecoins.

Until then, the fate of PEPE hinges on whether the point of control can hold firm, allowing price action to stabilise and reverse the current trajectory.

If the POC fails, the memecoin’s bearish trend is likely to deepen, with heightened volatility and further losses remaining a strong possibility.

For traders, the coming days will be pivotal in determining whether PEPE can defy the odds and reclaim lost ground or continue spiralling toward lower support zones.

The post PEPE price prediction: can the memecoin break from the bear trend? appeared first on CoinJournal.

Hyperliquid price outlook amid Eyenovia’s $50M HYPE treasury strategy

  • Hyperliquid (HYPE) price fell below $40 amid profit-taking and crypto sell-off.
  • Despite positive news with Eyenovia announcing plans to add HYPE to treasury strategy, the price dipped 5%.
  • Bears may target deeper price dips if bulls give up territory.

Hyperliquid (HYPE) dropped more than 5% on June 18, 2025, falling below the $40 mark even as Eyenovia, Inc.—a Nasdaq-listed ophthalmic technology firm—announced a $50 million investment in the token as part of its crypto treasury strategy.

The move marks a significant milestone for both firms.

Eyenovia’s announcement aligns with a broader trend of publicly traded companies increasing exposure to digital assets, adding crypto to their balance sheets amid growing institutional interest.

Despite the bullish headline, HYPE extended losses following a recent all-time high, with the decline largely attributed to profit-taking.

The price action leaves the Hyperliquid token vulnerable to further downside if selling pressure persists.

Big news as Eyenovia plans HYPE treasury strategy

On June 17, 2025, Eyenovia announced its plans for a private placement as it looks to establish a cryptocurrency treasury reserve.

Specifically, the company wants its balance sheet to include Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE.

This strategic pivot, which includes rebranding to Hyperion DeFi, aims to position Eyenovia as a leading validator on the Hyperliquid blockchain..

Notably, Eyenovia’s $50 million investment targets the acquisition of 1 million HYPE tokens.

Once executed, the company will become one of the top global validators on Hyperliquid’s layer-1 blockchain.

The $50 million financing, secured through a private placement in public equity (PIPE) with institutional investors, involves issuing convertible preferred stock at $3.25 per share, potentially raising up to $150 million if warrants are fully exercised.

Eyenovia has appointed Hyunsu Jung as Chief Investment Officer to lead this initiative, with plans to stake HYPE tokens via Anchorage Digital’s platform.

Eyenovia’s chief executive officer, Michael Rowe, emphasized the strategy’s focus on long-term capital appreciation and shareholder value, citing Hyperliquid’s rapid growth and $8.4 million daily revenue.

This move aligns with a growing trend among publicly traded companies diversifying into cryptocurrency treasuries.

Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, is the biggest player with its over $60 billion Bitcoin (BTC) haul.

Other companies have announced strategies for Ethereum, XRP, and Solana.

Eyenovia stands out as the first US public company to adopt HYPE, potentially setting a precedent for decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens.

“We are pleased to join the growing number of companies who have adopted similar strategies for the diversification, liquidity and long-term capital appreciation potential that cryptocurrency represents,” stated Michael Rowe, chief executive officer of Eyenovia.

“Following a thorough review of all available alternatives, the Board and I have concluded that this transaction is in the best interests of our shareholders.”

What is the outlook for the HYPE price?

HYPE’s price has struggled to maintain momentum above $40, dropping to $39.89 after failing to sustain a recent peak of $45.50.

On the daily chart, technical indicators paint a bearish picture, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) sitting at 45.6, indicating neutral momentum with a slight bearish tilt, while the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) shows weakening bullish momentum.

HYPE price chart by TradingView

Open Interest (OI) on Hyperliquid futures has also declined, signaling reduced trader confidence, according to Coinglass data.

Despite the current price dip, analysts forecast that such institutional endorsements could drive HYPE’s value higher.

Moreover, Hyperliquid remains a strong project with massive perpetuals volume and revenue.

The post Hyperliquid price outlook amid Eyenovia’s $50M HYPE treasury strategy appeared first on CoinJournal.