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Writer's pictureSarah Dixon

DeFi TVL down 80%, revival possible?


DeFi TVL down 80%, revival possible?

Back in 2021, the decentralized finance (DeFi) space experienced explosive growth which led to a rapid rise in total value locked (TVL). The TVL would continue to grow into 2022 and maintain a decent level even through the initial bear market triggered by the Terra collapse. However, the glory days are long over now and the DeFi TVL is barely holding up, to say the least.


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DeFi TVL down 80%, revival possible? DeFi TVL Crashes 78% In One Year

In January 2022, the DeFi TVL reached its highest level at over $212 billion worth of tokens locked across various decentralized finance protocols. However, the same month witnessed one of the largest crashes in the TVL, which fell to $159 billion by January 31, 2023, marking the end of an era for the sector. The TVL continued to plummet throughout the year 2022, exacerbated by the crashes of Terra, Celsius, and eventually FTX.


As of 2023, the DeFi space has been struggling to recover as the TVL has further declined to one-year lows, currently sitting at $43.45 billion, which is an 80% drop from its all-time high. This decline is in line with the general bearish trend of the year, with the highest TVL being $64 billion.



TVL falls 80% from peak | Source: DefiLlama

The decline in the space can be attributed to falling prices and exploitation of multiple protocols. Although the rate of exploits is said to have slowed down in 2023, Multichain still lost $126 million. Curve also fell victim to an exploit that resulted in the attacker stealing over $60 million, but a significant portion of the lost funds have been recovered since then.


Can Decentralized Finance Ever Recover?

The decentralized finance sector, like the rest of the crypto industry, has been impacted by the prolonged bear market that began in 2022. As a result, the dollar value of the Total Value Locked (TVL) has decreased along with the falling prices. However, metrics like tokens staked present a different perspective.


For instance, the total number of ADA locked on the Cardano network reached new all-time highs in 2023, increasing from 424 million ADA locked in May 2022 to over 724 million locked in August 2023. Despite this, the price of ADA has fallen over 91% from its ATH, leading to a decline of over 50% in its TVL in terms of dollar value since May 2022.


Nevertheless, the DeFi space is expected to flourish again under more favorable market conditions. A bull market and token prices surpassing their all-time high prices will likely result in the DeFi TVL returning to its former glory.


Total market cap jumps to $1.071 | Source: Crypto Total Market Cap on Tradingview.com



Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

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