Deep Dive
1. Hayes Bets Big on DeFi (31 December 2025)
Overview:
Arthur Hayes sold 1,871 ETH ($5.53M) over two weeks, deploying ~$6M into PENDLE, LDO, ENA, and ETHFI. These tokens remain down 60–90% year-over-year, but Hayes cited confidence in DeFi outperformance if macro liquidity improves.
What this means:
This signals a high-risk bet on undervalued DeFi infrastructure over Ethereum itself. While whale moves can boost sentiment, Hayes’ history of selling at losses (e.g., November 2025) tempers optimism. PENDLE’s 14% weekly gain suggests short-term bullishness, but long-term success hinges on broader DeFi adoption.
(Lookonchain)
2. Multi-Chain Expansion (30 July 2025)
Overview:
Pendle integrated with BeraChain and HyperEVM, allowing users to bridge yield strategies across Ethereum, BeraChain, and Hyperliquid via Stargate Finance.
What this means:
Expanding to new chains diversifies Pendle’s user base and TVL sources. With HyperEVM hitting $515M TVL in weeks, this could drive liquidity for Pendle’s yield tokenization markets. However, competition from native yield protocols on these chains remains a risk.
(Pendle)
3. TVL Resilience (19 August 2025)
Overview:
Pendle’s TVL surged to $9.3B despite $1.5B in maturity outflows, fueled by Boros (funding-rate trading) and Citadels (institutional products).
What this means:
The protocol’s ability to recover TVL post-outflows underscores sticky demand for its yield products. Boros’ $35M daily open interest highlights Pendle’s push into derivatives, while Citadels’ Shariah compliance targets untapped institutional capital.
(NullTX)
Conclusion
Pendle balances whale-driven volatility with structural growth via cross-chain reach and institutional pipelines. While Hayes’ gamble amplifies DeFi narratives, Pendle’s real test lies in sustaining TVL momentum as Boros and Citadels mature. Will macro liquidity shifts finally reward its yield-tokenization bets in 2026?