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Lending

Lending protocols form the backbone of the decentralized money market, allowing users to lend or borrow digital assets without intermediaries. Using smart contracts, platforms like Aave and Morpho automate interest rates based on supply and demand while requiring over-collateralization for security. The 2026 lending landscape features advanced permissionless vaults and institutional-grade credit lines. This tag covers the evolution of capital efficiency, liquidations, and the integration of diverse collateral types, including LSTs and tokenized RWAs.

14208 Articles
Created: 2026/02/02 18:52
Updated: 2026/02/02 18:52
Centrifuge COO Jürgen Blumberg: “DeFi Is Having Its ETF Moment”

Centrifuge COO Jürgen Blumberg: “DeFi Is Having Its ETF Moment”

After more than two decades scaling exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and capital markets businesses at Goldman Sachs, Invesco, and BlackRock, Jürgen Blumberg has joined Centrifuge as chief operating officer. Centrifuge is a DeFi platform for tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) and using them as collateral in decentralized lending. Blumberg believes the decentralized finance sector is now experiencing a turning point—one that mirrors the transformative rise of ETFs in traditional finance. From ETFs to DeFi Disruption Asked why he chose this moment to leave traditional finance for DeFi, Blumberg frames it in the context of what he calls the industry’s “ETF moment.” He sees clear parallels between the early skepticism around ETFs and the current perceptions of DeFi, noting that both began as disruptive innovations challenging entrenched systems. “I was always fascinated by the markets—how order books work, how instruments exchange on different venues,” Blumberg says. “The first five years of my career were in trading, and then I moved into my first ETF role. Even back then, I was convinced ETFs would replace mutual funds. It took 15 years, but now ETFs as a category are bigger than mutual funds.” He sees parallels between ETFs’ early days and the current DeFi sector : “ETFs were a new technology in traditional finance. Today, DeFi is a completely new ecosystem aiming to disrupt, offering solutions to the cost, time, and access limitations of traditional products. In DeFi, everybody can access markets—24/7.” Clearing Misconceptions About DeFi Blumberg explains that many in traditional finance view DeFi as volatile or risky, but that perception overlooks its structural advantages. “Those who take the time to understand DeFi will see it’s similar to traditional finance—just with different terminology. TVL is the same as AUM, liquidity pools are like exchanges, and derivatives exist on both sides. It’s a fascinating world with the power to disrupt how things are done today.” Tokenization: Not All Tokens Are Equal Recalling an old ETF industry saying—“not every ETF is created equal”—Blumberg applies it to tokenization. The phrase means that while all ETFs fall under the same general category, their structure, risk profile, and quality can vary. “There are tokens that are derivative structures and not fully backed by the underlying asset. Then there are fund tokens, like ours, that are fully backed, giving holders direct access to the assets. Just because something is called a token doesn’t mean it carries the same structure or risk.” Global Regulatory Competition and Centrifuge’s Growth Blumberg also sees regulatory momentum happening worldwide. “At the moment, progress is coming from the U.S. But Europe is moving forward too—Luxembourg is making progress, the EU has MiCA , and many ETP issuers choose Switzerland as their domicile. In Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore are advancing in certain areas. There’s a global competition to attract the smartest ideas and allow controlled innovation.” Centrifuge, he adds, is on the cusp of major progress. “We’re approaching the $1 billion TVL mark. With partnerships such as S&P and others we’ll soon announce, we’re well positioned to keep growing.” ONE. BILLION. DOLLARS. TVL.🔥 The flywheel is spinning. We've been heads down building since 2017, and now our onchain ecosystem has hit its first billion. The first billy was the hardest. The next ones are inevitable. 🚀 Onwards and upwards!!! pic.twitter.com/Ip4pq0qDzY — Centrifuge (@centrifuge) August 12, 2025 For Blumberg, the decisive reason to leave the security of large financial institutions was his conviction that the most meaningful innovation in the next decade will come from startups, not incumbents.

Author: CryptoNews

2025/08/14

Revitalizing the Polkadot ecosystem starts with reducing inflation

Revitalizing the Polkadot ecosystem starts with reducing inflation

TL;DR Polkadot's current annual inflation rate is approximately 8% , with a total supply of 1.6 billion tokens and only 20 million destroyed. High inflation leads to static capital, hindering

Author: PANews

2025/08/13

Crypto X divided on Do Kwon’s guilty plea

Crypto X divided on Do Kwon’s guilty plea

Do Kwon’s fall from crypto wunderkind to fraudster has recently reached its final act. The Terraform Labs co-founder, once hailed as a visionary, has pleaded guilty to charges tied to the $40 billion collapse of TerraUSD and Luna. As one…

Author: Crypto.news

2025/08/13

The best Bitcoin treasury companies will evolve into outliers | Opinion

The best Bitcoin treasury companies will evolve into outliers | Opinion

Public Bitcoin-holding companies now have the opportunity to become both the benefactors and beneficiaries of a new wave of Bitcoin-enabled product innovation.

Author: Crypto.news

2025/08/13

Ethereum breaks through $4,600 to hit a multi-year high as corporate and institutional interest continues to grow

Ethereum breaks through $4,600 to hit a multi-year high as corporate and institutional interest continues to grow

‍On August 12, Ethereum (ETH) rose more than 5%, breaking through $4,600, setting its highest price since December 2021. The rally coincided with corporate treasury purchases of currency, record inflows

Author: PANews

2025/08/13

Coinbase relaunches Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund to boost DeFi liquidity

Coinbase relaunches Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund to boost DeFi liquidity

Coinbase has brought back its Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund, injecting capital into the decentralized finance ecosystem to enhance liquidity for both USDC and EURC.  Announced on Aug. 12, the initiative represents the fund’s first significant activity in more than four years…

Author: Crypto.news

2025/08/13

Mesh Adds RLUSD Support, Setting Stage for Merchant Adoption Surge

Mesh Adds RLUSD Support, Setting Stage for Merchant Adoption Surge

Ripple USD’s arrival on Mesh’s expansive crypto payments network signals a powerful step toward mainstream adoption, blending regulatory trust with seamless, stable digital transactions for global commerce. RLUSD Joins Mesh’s Growing List of Supported Tokens Mesh, a digital payments and crypto infrastructure provider, announced on Aug. 12, 2025, that it has integrated Ripple USD (RLUSD), […]

Author: Bitcoin.com News

2025/08/13

Aave Protocol TVL Soars to Nearly $50 Billion, Dominating Ethereum’s Decentralized Lending Market

Aave Protocol TVL Soars to Nearly $50 Billion, Dominating Ethereum’s Decentralized Lending Market

PANews reported on August 12th that, according to The Block , the Aave protocol's total value locked ( TVL ) has surged from $ 8 billion to $ 47 billion

Author: PANews

2025/08/12

Building businesses, not just hype, defines today’s token launches | Opinion

Building businesses, not just hype, defines today’s token launches | Opinion

In a complete contrast to previous cycles, the market is rewarding builders who prove value before seeking speculation.

Author: Crypto.news

2025/08/12

Clearpool, Cicada Partner to Boost Risk Management in PayFi Lending

Clearpool, Cicada Partner to Boost Risk Management in PayFi Lending

Clearpool, a decentralized capital markets ecosystem, has partnered with on-chain credit risk management company Cicada in a move to institutionalize PayFi lending with improved risk management. In an announcement shared with Cryptonews on Monday, the partnership will boost Clearpool’s credibility and risk management in PayFi lending. Cicada will structure and underwrite PayFi lending opportunities and serve as the administrative agent for select Credit Pools. Cicada has underwritten more than $850m in loans at a 1.2% default rate during the prior cycle. 🤝 Clearpool has partnered with Cicada to institutionalize PayFi lending with risk-managed Credit Pools Cicada is an on-chain credit risk management company founded by a seasoned team of former buy- and sell-side credit professionals. Cicada’s co-founders have deep crypto… pic.twitter.com/JY79tNCVqE — Clearpool (@ClearpoolFin) August 11, 2025 Clearpool’s partnership with Cicada could shake up the lending space, bringing more institutional players into the DeFi fold. Clearpool Expands to Payment Financing or PayFi According to Jakob Kronbichler, CEO of Clearpool, Cicada’s risk management integration would strengthen Clearpool’s institutional infrastructure for PayFi lending. “While stablecoin settlements are instant, underlying fiat flows are not, forcing fintechs to bridge liquidity gaps,” he said. “This partnership enhances our proven credit framework and supports the growth of the emerging trillion-dollar stablecoin payment ecosystem.” Clearpool will be launching PayFi Credit Pools for users to access these highly liquid, real-world yield opportunities. This means facilitating credit to institutional lenders specializing in short-term stablecoin-based working capital to fintech operators. It will also launch cpUSD, a permissionless, yield-bearing asset, which will enable retail to tap into real-world stablecoin payments. Cicada offers Risk-as-a-Service (RaaS) Solutions to DeFi Protocols On the other hand, Cicada offers Risk-as-a-Service (RaaS) solutions, including third-party underwriting, pool management for DeFi protocols and risk structuring. “Partnering with Clearpool allows us to elevate PayFi lending by combining our underwriting and risk management expertise with their innovative credit products,” said Sefton Kincaid, Managing Partner of Cicada Partners. The partnership will accelerate the adoption of PayFi by laying the groundwork for more safer, transparent and scalable stablecoin ecosystem. “Together, we’re advancing professionally managed Credit Pools and strengthening Clearpool’s offering to borrowers and lenders in the growing stablecoin economy,” Kincaid added.

Author: CryptoNews

2025/08/12

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