DeFi Lending Surges 959% Amid CeFi Decline and Memecoin Research Buzz

14.04.2025 23:27
A recent Galaxy Digital research report highlights a dramatic shift in the crypto lending market. The overall market remains down more than 43% from its 2021 peak of $64.4 billion, primarily due to the downturn in centralized finance (CeFi) platforms following bankruptcies of major lenders such as Genesis, Celsius Network, BlockFi, and Voyager. In contrast, decentralized finance (DeFi) borrowing has experienced a substantial rebound, rising nearly tenfold from a market low of $1.8 billion to $19.1 billion across 20 lending applications and 12 blockchains by the end of 2024. The recovery in DeFi is largely attributed to the permissionless nature of blockchain-based applications, which helped these platforms survive the severe bear market turmoil in CeFi. Additionally, separate media coverage noted an unconventional trend where memecoin interests are being channeled into groundbreaking anti-aging research, injecting a unique narrative into the overall crypto landscape.