DeFi | Crypto

DefiLlama’s RWA category data puts the RWA tokenization market near $30 billion on-chain, with only $2.47 billion appearing as DeFi active TVL, the value actually deposited or pooled inside third-party DeFi protocols the platform tracks. The rest of the tokenized real-world assets market sits outside the lending markets and collateral vaults that make crypto assets […] The post Why the $30 billion RWA tokenization boom is barely reaching DeFi appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Two security companies have flagged the address where the stolen funds are allegedly being held, showing the cryptocurrencies have been converted into 5,402 Ether. Verus Protocol’s Ethereum bridge was reportedly exploited on Monday through a fake cross-chain transfer message that allowed a hacker to fraudulently transfer out at least $11.58 million in cryptocurrency. Onchain security platform Blockaid said in an X post on Monday that its detection system identified an ongoing exploit on the Verus-Ethereum bridge and shared a transaction on Etherscan showing a transfer of 1,625 Ether (ETH), 147,659 USDC (USDC) and 103.57 tBTC v2, worth over $11.5 million. Blockchain security company PeckShield also called the transfer an exploit, with onchain data showing the funds have since been converted into Ether. The wallet shows a balance of 5,402 Ether, worth over $11.4 million, according to Etherscan. Read more

THORChain’s suspected multichain exploit and emergency halt on May 15 has turned into another DeFi security incident, and another test of cross-chain trust. Emergency controls moved through chain-specific halts, Halt All Trading, Halt Signing, Halt Chain Global, Halt Churning, and repeated global node-pause updates. One public alert described the likely exploit affecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, BSC, and Base, […] The post THORChain exploit turns emergency chain halt into a DeFi trust test appeared first on CryptoSlate.

For protocol founders and security researchers, the incident reinforced a broader shift underway across crypto: DeFi is no longer primarily battling coding bugs. It’s battling complexity.

Kraken is moving its wrapped Bitcoin (kBTC) to Chainlink CCIP as bridge-security fears continue spreading across DeFi, turning the bridge-security debate into a decision about wrapped-Bitcoin infrastructure. In a recent announcement, the exchange said it is deprecating its existing cross-chain provider and moving all Kraken Wrapped Bitcoin to Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol. CCIP will become […] The post Kraken moves Bitcoin to Chainlink as bridge fears spread across DeFi appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Freezing crypto stolen in a hack might be the right thing to do, but it can expose DeFi protocols to major legal risks.

“The product that wins isn’t the one that explains crypto better, it’s the one that hides it completely,” said CEO Jayson Hobby. Decentralized finance mobile “superapp” Legend has announced it is winding down after about two years of operation, adding to a string of crypto apps deciding to shut down this year.  Legend was a DeFi aggregator that aimed to bring DeFi to its users rather than forcing them to sign into multiple different wallets or applications to use their crypto.  “We believed the right interface could put DeFi’s most powerful primitives in front of mainstream users.” Legend co-founder Jayson Hobby said on Tuesday.  Read more

ETH futures and options signal quiet confidence among pros despite macro headwinds and DeFi exploits, keeping the $2,600 price target in play. Key takeaways: Ether (ETH) price failed to sustain bullish momentum after peaking near $2,380 on Sunday. Repeated failures to break the $2,400 mark over the past four weeks have gradually drained confidence, suggesting professional ETH traders might be jumping ship despite several derivatives and onchain metrics supporting further upside. Read more

A fund manager, treasury desk, custodian, or regulated fintech function with vault accounts, policy-based approvals, granular access controls, audit trails, API access, and operational continuity when employees rotate. That structure is reshaping how capital is allocated within DeFi, and it explains why Cardano's latest infrastructure push via Iagon's Cardano Vault, built with Fireblocks, is a […] The post Cardano to focus on tokenized institutional vaults as DeFi’s retail focus fades appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Sharplink will contribute $100 million in staked Ether to a Galaxy-managed fund as institutions seek to earn yield from crypto holdings without selling ETH. Digital asset company Galaxy and Ethereum treasury platform Sharplink will launch a private fund that will invest Ether in decentralized finance (DeFi) strategies, signaling growing institutional interest in earning onchain yield from crypto holdings. The proposed fund, called the Galaxy Sharplink Onchain Yield Fund, is expected to launch in the coming weeks with $125 million in initial commitments, the companies said Monday. Sharplink plans to contribute $100 million from its staked Ether (ETH) treasury, while Galaxy will commit $25 million and serve as the fund’s manager. Read more

Crypto projects with more than $3 billion in total value locked have migrated their cross-chain infrastructure to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) following a $292 million exploit at KelpDAO, which heightened scrutiny of bridge security across decentralized finance. Chainlink confirmed the migration wave, saying four protocols, including KelpDAO, Solv Protocol, Re, and Tydro, had begun […] The post Chainlink emerges as the unlikely $3B winner of KelpDAO exploit as DeFi projects dump LayerZero appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The rsETH crisis resulted in $200 million in bad debt on Aave's books, despite not a single line of its contracts misbehaving. On Apr. 18, attackers that Chainalysis preliminarily linked to Lazarus compromised RPC infrastructure, forced a failover to poisoned nodes via DDoS, and injected false data into a 1-of-1 DVN configuration on KelpDAO's rsETH […] The post After the $16.5 billion in exploits, DeFi is now being forced toward the controls it once resisted appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Hyperliquid, EdgeX and Pump.fun returned a combined $96 million to token holders in 30 days, as the crypto community shifts its focus from transaction volumes to real earnings. Three of DeFi’s relatively young applications, including Hyperliquid, EdgeX and Pump.fun, have distributed a combined $96.3 million to token holders over the past 30 days, as the sector’s focus shifts to actual earnings. Hyperliquid led the pack, generating $50.95 million in revenue over the period, all of which went directly to token holders with zero spent on incentives, according to data from DefiLlama. Pump.fun came in second with $22.09 million returned to holders out of $38.81 million in total revenue. EdgeX followed with $23.26 million distributed to holders from $8.26 million in protocol revenue, suggesting that the platform is drawing on reserves or alternative income streams to reward holders. On an annualized basis, Hyperliquid has generated $945.87 million in revenue over the past year, all returned to holders, while Pump.f...

Ethereum's share of the total value locked (TVL) in DeFi compressed from 63.5% at the start of 2025 to around 54% as of May 7, hovering near the lowest level recorded since May 2025. DefiLlama puts Ethereum's current TVL at $45.4 billion, while the chains absorbing share have each staked out a distinct function, such […] The post Ethereum loses 10% of its DeFi market share as rival chains close in appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Solv Protocol and other DeFi projects are migrating to Chainlink infrastructure after the $293 million exploit exposed risks in third-party bridge and oracle setups. Decentralized finance protocols are reevaluating their blockchain oracle providers’ security after the fallout from the $293 million Kelp DAO exploit last month. Several protocols have announced migrations to Chainlink infrastructure in recent days, citing security concerns around third-party oracle and bridge providers. On Thursday, Bitcoin DeFi platform Solv Protocol announced it would migrate to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and replace LayerZero bridges, citing an “extensive security review” concluding that CCIP provided the “strongest security assurances.”  A day earlier, liquidity protocol Tydro also said it was moving to Chainlink after its previous oracle provider, Chaos Labs, suffered an incident that prompted Tydro to pause markets over concerns about inaccurate price feeds. Read more

DeFi and its underlying technology have already proved themselves at scale, said eToro CEO Yoni Assia.

In 2026, choosing where to deposit in DeFi starts with a question that audits and total value locked (TVL) leave unresolved: what breaks under stress? That is the shift behind any serious trust check this year. A Q1 2026 security report counted $482 million stolen across 44 incidents and said six audited protocols were still […] The post How to choose a safe DeFi platform before you deposit in 2026 appeared first on CryptoSlate.

With $114 trillion in custodied liquid assets, Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation looks to position tokenization as future of existing financial system. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) plans to pilot trading of tokenized securities in July with a goal of a full service launch in October. The post-trade market infrastructure giant said Monday that more than 50 TradFi and DeFi firms will play a role in the design and deployment of the service. That DTCC Industry Working Group includes Alpaca, Anchorage Digital, BitGo Bank & Trust, BlackRock, Circle and Fireblocks, along with some of the biggest banks in the country. Source: DTCC Read more

Crypto faces backlash for freezing stolen funds and for doing nothing, with expectations pulling in opposite directions. Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols are stepping in to freeze stolen funds while centralized issuers face criticism for holding back. A recent intervention on Arbitrum saw attacker-linked assets frozen after a major exploit, while some stablecoin issuers, including Circle, have faced public backlash for slower or more limited responses in similar situations. Connor Howe, CEO and co-founder of cross-chain infrastructure project Enso, said that crypto protocols are not that different from centralized platforms or banks if a small group of people can freeze funds. Read more

Carrot's total value locked has collapsed 93% in a month, from $28 million to $1.99 million, leaving the protocol financially unable to continue. Solana-based decentralized finance yield protocol Carrot said Thursday that it is shutting down permanently, becoming one of the first DeFi protocols to fall due to contagion from the Drift Protocol exploit in early April.  In an X post on Thursday, Carrot said the Drift exploit was “catastrophic” for the protocol and had left it financially unable to continue operating. The platform set a May 14 deadline for users to withdraw remaining funds. It said it will continue to help recovery efforts related to Drift and distribute assets once they become available. “We are setting May 14th as the deadline to withdraw any remaining funds from Boost, Turbo, and CRT before we will then begin to deleverage the system. Your deposited funds are still yours, but all leverage will be reduced to zero, freeing up all liquidity for CRT redemption,” the protocol’s team said. Read more