Deep Dive
1. sPENDLE Token Transition (January 2026)
Overview: Pendle is executing a major tokenomics upgrade, replacing the two-year locked vePENDLE with liquid staking token sPENDLE (Pendle). The new model introduces a 14-day withdrawal period (or instant redemption for a 5% fee) and routes up to 80% of protocol revenue to PENDLE buybacks distributed to sPENDLE holders. Emissions are algorithmically managed, targeting a ~30% reduction. Existing vePENDLE holders receive up to 4x boosted virtual sPENDLE balances, which decay over two years.
What this means: This is bullish for PENDLE because it dramatically improves liquidity and composability, potentially attracting institutional capital that was previously deterred by long lockups. The buyback mechanism directly ties protocol revenue to token demand. A key risk is execution; if the new emissions model fails to efficiently allocate incentives, pool profitability could suffer.
2. Citadels Expansion (2025–2026)
Overview: Citadels are Pendle's strategy to expand beyond EVM ecosystems and capture trillions in traditional finance yield (Pendle Team). The initiative has three outposts: PT offerings on non-EVM chains (e.g., Solana, TON), a KYCed product for regulated institutions, and Shariah-compliant yield for Islamic finance. These are in various stages of exploration and production.
What this means: This is bullish for PENDLE as it opens massive, untapped addressable markets and diversifies revenue streams. Success here could drive exponential TVL growth. However, it's a long-term play with significant regulatory and operational complexity; timelines are uncertain and dependent on partner integrations.
3. Boros Scaling (2025–2026)
Overview: Boros is a new vertical aiming to tokenize and trade the yield from perpetual futures funding rates—a market with over $150B in daily open interest (Pendle Team). Launched in late 2025, it has already processed billions in notional volume. The roadmap includes listing more equity perps (e.g., S&P500, NASDAQ) and targeting up to 10x open interest penetration.
What this means: This is bullish for PENDLE because it captures yield from the high-volume derivatives sector, offering a new, substantial fee stream. If adoption grows, it could significantly boost protocol revenue. The bearish angle is product-market fit risk; demand for hedging funding rates at scale is still being proven.
Conclusion
Pendle's roadmap focuses on scaling its core yield-trading infrastructure while aggressively expanding into new asset classes and investor segments through liquid staking, cross-chain distribution, and derivatives yield. Will the successful execution of Citadels and Boros be the catalyst that reverses PENDLE's prolonged downtrend?