Deep Dive
1. sPENDLE Tokenomics Rollout (Q1 2026)
Overview: Pendle completed a major tokenomics overhaul, replacing the rigid vePENDLE model with sPENDLE. The new system went live for staking on January 20, 2026, and the transition for existing holders was finalized on January 29 (Pendle). The near-term roadmap involves the full market adoption of this model. Key features include a 14-day unstaking period (or instant exit for a 5% fee), protocol revenue buybacks distributed to active sPENDLE holders, and an algorithmic emissions model that cuts PENDLE incentives by roughly 30% for greater efficiency.
What this means: This is bullish for PENDLE because it dramatically improves token liquidity and composability, potentially attracting a wider base of users and institutional capital. The shift to revenue buybacks directly ties protocol success to token demand. The risk is that the new model must prove it can maintain strong governance participation and incentive alignment without the forced long-term locks of the old system.
2. Boros Launch Targeting Perpetual Funding Rates (2026)
Overview: Boros (formerly referred to as Pendle V3) is the protocol's next major product, designed to tokenize and trade the funding rates from perpetual futures contracts—a market with over $150 billion in daily volume (NullTX). It will allow users to gain fixed or leveraged exposure to this yield type. The platform has been in development, with a test version showing significant early traction.
What this means: This is bullish for PENDLE because it opens a massive, untapped yield market, diversifying Pendle's revenue streams beyond liquid staking and stablecoins. Success here could drive substantial fee growth. The bearish risk is execution complexity and competition from native derivatives platforms, which could limit adoption.
3. Multi-Chain and Ecosystem Expansion (Ongoing)
Overview: Pendle's strategic vision includes expanding its yield-trading infrastructure across more blockchains. It has already deployed on Ethereum, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, Mantle, Blast, BeraChain, and HyperEVM (Pendle). The ongoing roadmap focuses on deepening these integrations, adding support for more asset types (like Real World Assets or RWAs), and fostering partnerships that drive liquidity and use cases, such as collateralized PT usage in money markets.
What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish for PENDLE because cross-chain growth is essential for capturing the full DeFi yield universe and can significantly increase Total Value Locked (TVL). However, it carries execution risk and dilutes development resources, potentially slowing innovation on the core protocol.
Conclusion
Pendle's roadmap is strategically pivoting from a foundational tokenomics upgrade to product expansion into derivatives funding rates, all while scaling its multi-chain presence. Will Boros successfully unlock the next multi-billion dollar yield market for Pendle's infrastructure?