weekly defi news

Last Week’s DeFi Launches and Updates:

DeBank launched DeBank Swap, Jito Launched BAM (Block Assembly Marketplace), Ether Machine Plans IPO, and many more...

Launches 🚀

• President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, marking the first major U.S. legislation regulating stablecoins. The bill establishes clear rules for issuing dollar-backed stablecoins and opens the market to banks and nonbanks, aiming to strengthen the U.S. dollar in digital finance. Trump hailed it as a milestone for crypto, calling it “a massive validation” of the industry.

  • The law is part of a broader “Crypto Week” initiative, which also saw the passage of the Clarity Act and Anti-CBDC Act, signaling a significant shift toward mainstream adoption of digital assets in the U.S.DeBank launched DeBank Swap, a new feature that scans top aggregators to deliver the best price with pre-trade simulations for accurate quotes. The tool aims to provide clear, reliable swaps without guesswork.

• TopCut Finance is now live on Arbitrum, launching its Precision Markets platform. The tool allows traders to predict crypto prices with high accuracy and up to 10x leverage, introducing a new DeFi primitive focused on precision-based trading.

• Hyperbeat introduced beHYPE, a liquid staking token for HYPE on Hyperliquid. Users can pre-deposit HYPE to earn 2.21% yield, Hearts, and ETHFI points, with a 2.5M HYPE cap. On August 31, deposits convert to beHYPE, enabling staked HYPE to remain secure while unlocking DeFi utility.

• Kaia released v2.0.3, finalizing its v2.0 mainnet upgrade with key features like Consensus Liquidity (dual staking + LP rewards), Gas Abstraction (pay gas in USDT/BORA), and Ethereum Prague hardfork compatibility. Node operators are urged to upgrade for improved performance, API fixes, and full EVM support

• Jito has launched BAM (Block Assembly Marketplace), a new system that transforms how transactions are processed on Solana by enabling encrypted, auditable execution with institutional-grade guarantees. BAM shifts value from extraction to creation, giving apps control over sequencing and driving revenue to validators, developers, and stakers.

  • All Jito fees from BAM and Block Engine will flow to the DAO treasury, benefiting token holders.

  • Launch partners include Drift, Pyth, and major validators like Triton and Figment.

• The Ether Machine has launched with $1.5B in capital as the first public company built to own and actively manage ETH through staking, restaking, and onchain participation. Unlike ETFs, it offers direct, yield-generating exposure, free from legacy constraints.

  • Backed by Ethereum veterans and $500M from its chairman, it brings institutional-grade access to ETH's native yield.

• Fogo has opened its public testnet, delivering 40ms block times, Solana wallet compatibility, and a high-speed trading UX. Launch dApps include Valiant (spot trading), FluxBeam (DEX/meta aggregator), and soon, Ambient Finance (perps DEX) and Pyron (lending).

  • Users can now test CEX-grade performance onchain with no new wallet setup needed.

• Fluid has introduced Fluid DEX Lite, the first credit-based protocol on the Fluid platform, designed to capture high-efficiency swap volume with just ~10,000 gas per swap. The USDC-USDT pool is bootstrapped via a credit line, generating fees for the protocol without relying on incentives. This launch lays the groundwork for a broader credit layer on Fluid, with governance approval pending ahead of next week’s rollout.

• Centrifuge V3 is now live on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Avalanche, BNB Chain, and Plume, with cross-chain functionality powered by Wormhole. The upgrade enables fund managers to manage liquidity across chains from one interface, while allocators can invest from any supported chain.

  • V3 introduces a modular framework for asset tokenization, fund distribution, and reserve management.

• Dexari has launched publicly on iOS and Android with no invite required. The self-custodial app offers spot and perp trading up to 40x leverage via Hyperliquid, with TradingView charts, no KYC, and MoonPay onramps.

  • The Pre-Season points campaign is ending soon, with bonus USDC rewards and social quests active.

  • Users can earn more through a $5K+ UGC contest, referral rewards, and an 80% fee discount.

• f(x) Protocol launched sPOSITIONs, offering native fixed-leverage short positions backed by fxUSD with 0% funding cost, no margin calls, and minimal liquidation risk. Users can short ETH (and soon BTC) with predictable fees in a trustless, on-chain setup.

• pump.fun launched Creator Fees for Community Takeovers (CTOs), allowing active community leads to claim fees from abandoned coins still on the bonding curve or migrated to PumpSwap. Eligibility requires clear, undisputed leadership, and applications must be submitted via the official form. Coins migrated to Raydium before March 20, 2025, are not eligible.

• Euler and Brahma launched Swype, a crypto-powered credit card on Base that lets users borrow in real time against their Euler positions. Funds remain productive until used, enabling just-in-time payments without selling crypto. Users need at least $1,000 in Euler to access the card.

• Newmoney Wallet is now live on Linea, offering gas-efficient bridging, swapping, and dApp support with 0% fees until TGE. The agentic smart wallet is designed for speed, security, and seamless Linea integration.

• The dYdX Foundation introduced a governance-approved Buyback Program that uses protocol revenue to acquire DYDX from the market and stake it on the dYdX Chain. The initiative reduces circulating supply, boosts validator incentives, and aligns protocol usage with token demand.

• Boundless announced that Risc Zero is joining to help build The Signal, an open-source ZK consensus client. The collaboration aims to enable trustless zero-knowledge interoperability across the Ethereum ecosystem.

• YieldFi is now live on Katana, offering up to 14% APY on stablecoins through on-chain, transparent strategies. Users can earn 9–12% with yUSD or up to 16% with vyUSD, while stacking 5x YieldFi Points for future rewards.

  • All strategies are fully on-chain and verifiable via YieldFi’s transparency dashboard.

• Echelon has joined Aptos’ LFM program, solidifying its role as the leading stablecoin and money market layer on Aptos with over $200M in TVL. Built on Move, Echelon enables lending, borrowing, and yield generation while driving DeFi growth across the ecosystem.

• Polymarket has acquired QCEX, a CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse, for $112M—marking a major step toward reentering the U.S. market. The acquisition grants Polymarket DCM and DCO status, enabling it to serve American traders and brokerages directly. Founder Shayne Coplan called it a “homecoming,” signaling a long-awaited return.

  • A waitlist for U.S. users is now open.

• Tren Finance is launching Malone, DeFi’s first AI-powered borrowing agent, in beta on July 21. Users can chat with Malone to analyze assets and borrowing strategies, while $TREN holders can access full testnet features, including AI-negotiated loans.

  • Only 10 testers will be selected due to compute limits; applications close July 18.

• Revert has launched "Discover Pools," a new feature that lets users filter and compare LP pools by APR, fees, and rewards to quickly identify top yield opportunities.

• USDT0 has launched the Legacy Mesh on Celo, linking its USDT deployment to a broader $160B+ cross-chain ecosystem via LayerZero. Users can now move USDT0 seamlessly across Celo, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Ton, and Tron, unlocking deeper liquidity and efficient stablecoin management.

• Lombard has upgraded LBTC into a yield-bearing asset, enabling it to accrue BTC-denominated staking rewards automatically via Babylon’s Bitcoin Staking Protocol. Yield is embedded—no claims needed—while maintaining full DeFi compatibility and a non-rebasing structure. Existing LBTC positions remain intact, with oracles and SDKs updated for a seamless transition.

  • LBTC holders who staked before April 6 must claim $BABY by July 22 before unclaimed tokens are redistributed as yield.

• Liminal has begun Epoch 1, moving to open access and introducing a referral program with up to 30% USDC revenue sharing. The protocol now reports over $50M in TVL, with increased asset caps, new asset listings including $PUMP, and expanded leverage options. Performance and builder fees are now active, supporting the referral system.

• Folks Finance is now live on Sei, offering native crosschain lending and borrowing with no bridges or wrapping. Users can access markets for SEI, iSEI, USDT0, wETH, and wBTC. To mark the launch, $50,000 in incentives are now live for depositors.

• Circle has launched Gateway on testnet for Avalanche, Base, and Ethereum, offering developers a unified USDC balance instantly accessible across chains. The service streamlines crosschain USDC access, aiming to simplify multi-chain app development.

• EigenLayer has launched Redistribution on mainnet, allowing slashed funds to be redirected instead of burned. This enables AVSs to build custom incentive systems for greater security and capital efficiency. Early adopter CapMoney integrates the feature to enhance stablecoin resilience.

• Bungee now supports swaps into tokenized real-world assets on Plume Network, including ETFs, private credit, and commodities. Users can access Plume from any chain with Bungee's gasless, wallet-free swapping experience.

• Revert Lend is now live on Ethereum, letting users borrow against Uniswap V3 LPs (USDC, USDT, WETH, WBTC). Capital efficiency for LPs unlocked, with Revert Points incentives for USDC lenders.

• Rabby Wallet has added support for revoking EIP-7702 delegation, giving users more control over smart account permissions and enhanced security.

• Resolv is activating a 10% fee on daily protocol profits, ramping up in stages from July 31 to August 21. The move links protocol revenue to long-term value creation, including ecosystem growth and buybacks.

  • Backed by over $20M in yield distributed and 9.5% lifetime returns, Resolv now ties performance to stakeholder upside, with fee governance to follow via $stRESOLV.

• Celestia Foundation acquired 43.45M TIA from Polychain Capital for $62.5M and will reassign the tokens to new investors under a rolling unlock schedule from Aug 16 to Nov 14. To complete the transaction, Polychain will fully undelegate its staked TIA.

  • The Foundation stated this structure ensures no net impact on its financial position while addressing stake concentration.

• Stake DAO launched Staking V2 on Curve for Fraxtal, Base, and Sonic, featuring instant boosted rewards, no dilution, and an improved UI. The upgrade is now live ahead of its mainnet release.

• Theo launched thBILL, a tokenized fund backed by short-term U.S. Treasuries, in partnership with Standard Chartered’s Libeara. Yield accrues passively and the token is fully composable across DeFi. It launches on Ethereum, Hyperliquid, Base, and Arbitrum, with LayerZero enabling bridging.

• deBridge DAO disclosed its Reserve and Treasury holdings totaling $28.65M, including USDC, SOL, ETH, and DBR. Assets are staked across Kamino, Aave, and Lido to preserve value, while ~$6M DBR-USDC liquidity on Meteora generates additional DAO revenue.

• USDC and CCTP V2 are now live on Sei, enabling native stablecoin access for DeFi, gaming, and payments. Day 1 partners include DragonSwap, OverHerd, Yei Finance, and Socket. USDC is now supported on 24 blockchains, with CCTP V2 bridging 13 of them.

• Berachain introduced Reward Vault Utilities, enabling BGT distribution without requiring deposit interactions. Built on Proof of Liquidity, these tools let protocols reward users based on any on- or offchain activity, including novel formats like loot boxes or real-time rewards.

• CoinDCX confirmed a $44.2M breach of an internal liquidity provisioning account, stating no customer funds were affected and losses will be covered from treasury. The incident, flagged earlier by ZachXBT, involved Tornado Cash-funded withdrawals bridged from Solana to Ethereum. CoinDCX has isolated the breach and is coordinating recovery with security partners.

• subs.fun announced it will shut down by July 31, citing the challenges of scaling a social layer around tokenized forums. The platform saw over $35M in trading volume and 72K posts, but the team said it isn’t ready to pursue the broader vision. Users can post farewells until month’s end and withdraw funds within 60 days.

Check out last week’s news for more details and narratives: