Altcoins News
By Maheen Hernandez
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Why Institutions Walked Away from DeFi. The shift didn't come out of nowhere. After crypto credit blew up in 2022, institutional investors…
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Custody Becomes the Deal-Breaker. Custody solutions are now make-or-break for institutional deals.
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DeFi Platforms Face an Adaptation Problem. So where does that leave DeFi? The platforms that built their reputations on decentralization and…
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At Consensus 2026 in Miami, executives from Two Prime, Ledn, and Lygos Finance told attendees that institutional borrowers are basically done with complex DeFi structures.
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Now those same institutions are shopping for crypto credit products that feel familiar. They want standardized agreements. They want third-party custodians they can verify.
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DeFi platforms offered innovation, sure. But innovation without clarity turned into a liability when markets got rough. Institutions learned that lesson fast.
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Custody solutions are now make-or-break for institutional deals. Borrowers want to see exactly how their digital assets are stored, who has access, and what happens if something…
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And those standards are high. Many institutions want segregated accounts. They want multi-signature controls. They want insurance policies that cover specific scenarios.
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Transparency works the same way. Institutions are asking for detailed reporting on collateral, loan-to-value ratios, and counterparty exposure.
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The focus on custody also reflects a broader concern about operational risk. Institutions saw what happened when centralized platforms commingled funds or used customer deposits…
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So where does that leave DeFi? The platforms that built their reputations on decentralization and permissionless access are now facing a market that wants the opposite.
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More context: Senate Eyes August Vote on Crypto CLARITY Act as Gillibrand Flags Insider Trading Risk
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Some DeFi projects are trying to bridge the gap. They're adding compliance layers, partnering with regulated custodians, and building interfaces that institutional clients can…
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The executives at Consensus didn't sugarcoat it—DeFi platforms that can't adapt will probably lose institutional market share.
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Not every DeFi platform will pivot. Some will stick to their decentralized roots and focus on retail users or crypto-native traders who value permissionless access.
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