DeFi TVL nears 2021 highs on liquid restaking, Bitcoin L2s

Total value locked (TVL) across the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem is approaching highs not seen since 2021, according to data from DefiLlama. 

The TVL spike has been driven by the adoption of liquid restaking tokens (LRTs) and the growth of Bitcoin-native layer 2 networks (L2s), the data shows. Rising cryptocurrency prices due to 2024’s bull market also drove TVL higher. 

As of Dec. 9, aggregate DeFi TVL stands at upward of $134 billion, marking a nearly 150% increase year-to-date. according to DefiLlama. It still lags 2021’s highs of $170 billion, the data shows. 

“We’re still in the early innings for not only restaking, but crypto at large. In the future institutions will have a plethora of risk-adjusted strategies to get the most out of staking their [Ether],” Kairos Research said in a Dec. 9 report shared with Cointelegraph. 

Restaking involves taking a token that has already been staked — posted as collateral with a validator in exchange for rewards — and using it to secure other protocols simultaneously. 

Related: Anchorage Digital to support liquid Ether staking

Liquid restaking tokens

EigenLayer, the largest restaking protocol, launched in 2023 and has subsequently bootstrapped more than $17 billion in TVL, according to DefILlama.

It has also given rise to an ecosystem of LRT protocols, such as Ether.Fi, which mints tradeable tokens representing claims on restaked assets.

As of Dec. 9, Ether.Fi holds more than $9 billion in TVL. Other LRT protocols include Renzo and Kelp.

“Overall [Ether] TVL for the top 5 LRTs currently sits at around 3.38m ETH, worth around $12.5bn,” Kairos Research said. 

Total LRT TVL, including for other types of restaking tokens, stands at more than $16 billion, according to DefiLlama.

Lido, an Ether (ETH) liquid staking token (LST) protocol, has been DeFi’s single biggest TVL source, with nearly $40 billion staked.

Roughly 10% of Lido’s stETH LST has been restaked on EigenLayer, according to data from EigenLayer’s website.

Bitcoin L2s

Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC) liquid staking tokens (LSTs) command upward of $2.5 billion in TVL and are growing quickly, according to Staking Rewards.

Bitcoin LSTs are tokenized claims on Bitcoin staked to L2s, including CoreChain and Babylon. CoreChain started issuing staking rewards this year and Babylon will start soon.

At around $1.15 billion in TVL, Lombard is the most popular among Bitcoin LSTs. It is followed by Solv, with a TVL of approximately $1 billion.

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