DeFi Lending Soars 72% Driven by Institutional Investment, RWA Adoption

Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocols are experiencing explosive growth, fueled by increased institutional interest in stablecoins and tokenized assets. According to Binance Research, total value locked (TVL) for these platforms has surged over 72% year-to-date, rising from $53 billion at the start of 2025 to over $127 billion this week. This significant increase is attributed to DeFi lending protocols gaining traction with institutional investors adopting stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).