According to experts, the convergence between decentralized finance (DeFi) and artificial intelligence (AI) is set to redefine the cryptocurrency market by 2025. Furthermore, dubbed DeFAI, this emerging sector is already making waves, with leading platforms such as CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap dedicating entire sections to tracking its growth.
Given this, industry experts predict that DeFAI will solve long-standing challenges in DeFi, becoming the standout narrative in the crypto market in the coming year.
DeFAI is ready for growth
Although DeFAI is still in its early stages, it has a market cap of nearly $1 billion. According to Messari, Griffain leads the industry with a $450 million valuation — an impressive 135% increase quarter over quarter.
Griffain Leader or Setor DeFAI. Source: Messari no X
Crypto analyst Hitesh.eth claims that this nascent market is set to grow tenfold in the coming months. The analyst predicts a potential increase in value to a market cap of $10 billion.
The real winner will be the infrastructure, frameworks and marketplaces for such agents. On the agentic side, we will see a general enthusiasm on the speculation side, he said.
How AI is simplifying DeFi
DeFAI represents the fusion of AI and DeFi, simplifying the notoriously complex user experience of decentralized finance. According to Daniele, a prominent DeFAI advocate, by leveraging AI, DeFAI introduces three transformative applications:
AI-Powered Interfaces – While traditional DeFi processes like token swaps or liquidity provision often involve navigating complicated interfaces and protocols, DeFAI replaces these processes with natural language commands like “Exchange 3 ETH for USDC,” allowing AI to handle the underlying complexities. This simplifies transactions and reduces user error.
DeFi Autonomous Agents – DeFAI takes automation to a new level with autonomous agents capable of executing complex, multi-step strategies. For example, an agent could transfer ETH to another network, exchange it for a stablecoin, create a liquidity pool, and return LP tokens — all from a single command. In short, these agents prioritize security and cost efficiency, significantly improving the DeFi experience.
Research and Communications Agents – Staying informed in DeFi requires monitoring multiple data streams, from price feeds to governance forums. DeFAI’s research agents search and analyze data, offering personalized insights such as optimal yield strategies or asset comparisons. This innovation empowers users to make data-driven decisions quickly and confidently.
By leveraging sophisticated AI tools to simplify the user experience and speed up decision-making, DeFAI aims to lower barriers to entry and enable truly autonomous and user-friendly financial interactions, Daniele commented.
Main DeFAI projects and platforms
According to analysts, Griffain, Orbit, and Neur are among the early leaders in DeFAI. Griffain’s proprietary platform offers automation tools for tasks such as dollar-cost averaging (DCA) and token launches. Orbit emphasizes cross-chain functionality, integrating over 200 protocols. Meanwhile, Neur, which focuses on the Solana ecosystem, has increased its valuation due to its open-source model.
Heyanon.ai is another promising player that is developing tools such as AI-powered transaction interfaces and autonomous agents. Its ANON token has skyrocketed from a market cap of $10 million to $130 million, reflecting growing investor confidence.
Meanwhile, DeFi has long been considered the backbone of Web3, offering borderless financial services and empowering the unbanked. However, its complexity has discouraged mass adoption.
The potential of DeFi has always been there, but the learning curve is steep, commented Jeff, a popular DeFi commentator.
Millions of new users
Jeff also indicated that DeFAI fills this gap by making decentralized finance as accessible as chatting with AI tools like ChatGPT.
As DeFAI adoption becomes more mainstream, projects like Almanak and Cod3x are exploring advanced applications, from institutional-grade AI agents to no-code trading strategies. These developments promise to democratize financial tools, allowing both novices and experienced investors to navigate DeFi with ease.
Crypto analyst yyy summed it up succinctly. He indicated that by leveraging AI to automate and optimize financial decisions, DeFAI has the potential to unlock the full capabilities of DeFi for millions of new users.
DeFAI is a tangible way to implement intent-centric execution, the analyst said.
With its ability to simplify interfaces, automate transactions, and provide actionable insights, DeFAI is poised to revolutionize the crypto industry by 2025. As adoption accelerates, this narrative will likely become the cornerstone of a more inclusive and user-friendly decentralized financial system.
The article Experts point to DeFAI as a major highlight in 2025 was first seen on BeInCrypto Brasil.
