Crypto lending just hit a new all-time high- $73.6B in Q3 2025, topping the 2021 peak by 6%.
But the real story is the structural shift underneath it.
DeFi now controls 66.9% of the market. Four years ago, that share was 48.6%.
This isn't the same cycle running again. The 2021 boom was built on uncollateralized credit and opaque
#cefi lenders- most of which blew up in 2022.
What's driving growth today:
On-chain protocols like
#AAVE and
#Compound , point farming, keeping borrow demand sticky, better collateral assets enabling efficient looping, and rising crypto prices, all unlock more borrowing power against existing holdings.
Aave alone pulled $3B+ in borrows on the Plasma blockchain within 5 weeks of launch.
#defi lending apps grew $14.5B in a single quarter.
CeFi is still here.
#Tether holds $14.6B in secured loans, and the top 3 lenders control 75% of the CeFi market, but the era of unsecured institutional credit is over.
Capital is moving on-chain. And it's accelerating.