According to CoinDesk, Maple Finance, a crypto lending protocol, has shifted its focus to risk management and Real World Assets (RWAs) after the fall of Alameda Research and the subsequent crypto crash of 2022. Maple Finance's syndicated loan product, which aimed to capture yield from Alameda's trading activities, launched in November 2021 as the crypto market reached its peak. However, the company's Total Value Locked (TVL) was wiped out as borrowers defaulted and lenders fled following the crash.
Maple Finance co-founder and CEO Sid Powell emphasized the importance of diversifying and branching out into uncorrelated sectors to reduce reliance on the volatile crypto market. In January, the company launched a $100 million liquidity pool for trade receivables, marking a shift from uncollateralized crypto lending to traditional financial investments. Maple has also introduced tokenized treasury bills as an investment option.
Despite the challenges, Maple Finance remains committed to bridging the gap between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi) for investors and fund managers. Powell envisions a future where the company can offer credit and lending products with lower fees than traditional credit funds, while abstracting away the complexity of crypto.
