- DeFi faced a 27% TVL drop; Bybit hack worsened investor confidence.
- Key blockchains saw over 30% TVL reductions.
- Liquidity withdrawals impacted altcoin prices, affecting market stability.

DeFi platforms experience a significant downturn in Q1 2025, with Total Value Locked falling 27% to $156 billion. The Bybit hack contributed to the widespread drop across various blockchains, including Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum.
Market shocks affect DeFi TVL and liquidity, but resilience seen in projects like Berachain provides optimism amid volatility.
DeFi experienced a marked contraction
in Q1 2025 with a significant 27% drop in Total Value Locked (TVL). Factors such as the Bybit hack and macroeconomic uncertainty drove this trend. Ethereum’s TVL declined to $96 billion, cascading impacts across the sector.
Key players faced challenges
due to macroeconomic pressures and security breaches. Major platforms like Aave, Compound, and Blockchains like Solana and Arbitrum suffered significant liquidity withdrawals. Ethereum saw its TVL reduced, affecting interconnected protocols.
The financial impact reached individual investors and the broader market. Ethereum prices dropped by 45%, declining to $1,820. Altcoins linked to these ecosystems faced steep price reductions, with liquidity tightening amid lower stablecoin concentrations.
Business and financial implications
extend to disrupted yields, as seen in Aave and Spark Protocol. These declines reached historically low levels, prompting moves towards traditional investments with higher returns.
Aave, Leadership Team – “Yields plummeted to historically low levels, dipping below 3.1% for USD vault benchmarks, far behind traditional Treasury yields, signaling suppressed demand for DeFi products.” : CoinDesk
Historical trends show patterns similar to the 2022 Terra collapse. However, technological resilience and new innovations within DeFi platforms such as Berachain highlight enduring growth potential and adaptability.