According to @bubblemaps, the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector is experiencing a new wave of growth, with the total value locked (TVL) in top lending protocols surging past $50 billion, a 60% increase over the past year. A report by Artemis and Vaults.fyi attributes this growth to increasing institutional participation and the integration of DeFi infrastructure into the backend of user-facing applications, a trend called the 'DeFi mullet'. For instance, Coinbase's BTC-backed loans are powered by Morpho, originating over $300 million in loans. Concurrently, the Nasdaq-listed firm Defi Development Corp (DFDV) announced it is raising $112.5 million through convertible notes, with proceeds intended for a stock buyback and the acquisition of more Solana (SOL) tokens. This move highlights a growing trend of public companies adding cryptocurrencies to their balance sheets. Following the announcement, DFDV shares traded down 12% in the early session.

According to @BitMEXResearch, Bitfinex Securities is expanding its Real World Asset (RWA) offerings with two new tokenized products in the UK, contrasting with the institutional trend led by firms like BlackRock. The first product, "TITAN1," offers investors a 20% annual dividend by investing in community banking debt, while "TITAN2" provides a 50% share of proceeds from litigation financing. Both tokens are issued on the Liquid Network, a Bitcoin (BTC) sidechain, making alternative investments accessible to a broader audience. Jesse Knutson of Bitfinex Securities emphasized that their goal is true disintermediation to fill capital gaps left by traditional banks, unlike institutional RWA products that often replicate existing financial structures. In separate news, Australia’s Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has initiated an inquiry into the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) following the costly failure of its blockchain-based CHESS settlement system upgrade in 2022. The probe addresses ongoing concerns about the exchange's operational stability and risk management. This development highlights the regulatory and execution risks associated with large-scale blockchain implementations in traditional finance. Market data indicates a slight bearish sentiment, with Bitcoin (BTC) down approximately 0.65% and Ethereum (ETH) down 1.05% against USDT in the last 24 hours.

According to Matt Hougan, blockchain technology offers a critical upgrade for asset managers, transforming outdated, manual fund operations into a streamlined, modern financial operating system. Hougan highlights that tokenization is already proving its value, with stablecoins like USDC achieving over $250 billion in circulating supply and serving as the backbone for key crypto trading pairs such as BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT. The next evolution, as noted by Hougan, is the rapid growth of tokenized money market funds, exemplified by BlackRock’s BUIDL fund which has surpassed $2.5 billion in assets under management. Looking ahead, the tokenization of private credit and funds, such as Apollo's ACRED, is poised to bring unprecedented transparency and efficiency by using smart contracts to automate complex processes like debt servicing and distributions. While regulatory and KYC/AML hurdles remain, Hougan asserts that tokenization is fundamentally reshaping investment products for a digital-native era.

According to @QCompounding, major asset managers are increasingly adopting blockchain to modernize operations and launch innovative products, signaling a significant shift in traditional finance (TradFi). The analysis highlights that BlackRock's tokenized institutional money market fund has already surpassed $2.5 billion in assets under management (AUM), while Apollo's tokenized private credit fund has moved over $100 million on-chain. Despite this growing institutional adoption, the author notes that valuing blockchain networks remains a complex challenge, much like valuing internet companies in the 1990s. The source proposes a new valuation framework focused on 'velocity and flow'—measuring economic activity like stablecoin turnover, DeFi lending, and Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization volumes—as a more robust metric than static measures. Current market data shows major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum (ETH) at $2521.93, BNB (BNB) at $656.36, and Solana (SOL) at $148.00, experiencing minor positive changes, suggesting a period of market consolidation.

According to @FoxNews, the successful revival of a ghost town into a tourist destination through street murals highlights a potential investment thesis in real estate and community-driven assets. This revitalization model can positively impact local property values, benefiting Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and hospitality stocks. For the crypto market, this serves as an analogy for how digital art, specifically NFTs, can build communities and create economic value in digital ecosystems, mirroring the impact of physical art on real-world assets. The trend also points to the growing potential of tokenizing real-world assets (RWA) to unlock liquidity and investment opportunities.

According to @QCompounding, asset managers are leveraging blockchain technology to modernize their outdated, spreadsheet-reliant operations into a streamlined, efficient system. The analysis highlights that a permissioned ledger can serve as a single source of truth for all parties, while smart contracts automate complex processes like capital calls and distributions, reducing errors and increasing transparency. Major financial institutions are already capitalizing on this trend; the source points to BlackRock's tokenized fund surpassing $2.5 billion in AUM, Apollo's on-chain private credit fund exceeding $100 million, and Franklin Templeton's platform enabling peer-to-peer transfers with stablecoins. Furthermore, the growth of stablecoins, which now represent 1% of the U.S. M2 money supply, is paving the way for a 'streaming economy' with near-instant, low-cost transactions. This shift could unlock trillions in corporate working capital. Market data indicates minor pullbacks, with ETH trading around $2,513, SOL near $148, and ADA at approximately $0.57, presenting a dynamic environment for these evolving ecosystems.

According to @MilkRoadDaily, a report by analytics firm Artemis and Vaults.fyi reveals that the total value locked (TVL) in top DeFi lending protocols has surged by 60% over the past year to nearly $60 billion. This growth is reportedly driven by increasing institutional participation and the integration of DeFi as a backend financial layer for user-facing apps, a trend known as the 'DeFi mullet'. Key examples cited include Coinbase using Morpho's infrastructure for Bitcoin (BTC) backed loans and the rise of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). Despite this underlying strength and improving macroeconomic conditions, the broader crypto market is showing signs of fatigue. Major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Solana (SOL) are experiencing short-term profit-taking, with traders cautiously locking in gains as tokens approach local resistance levels. Analysts like Jeffrey Ding from HashKey Group remain optimistic, suggesting digital assets will continue to grow as institutions further integrate into the industry.

According to @BitMEXResearch, Bitfinex Securities is expanding its Real World Asset (RWA) offerings with two new products, TITAN1 and TITAN2, issued on the Liquid Network, a Bitcoin sidechain. The TITAN1 product focuses on community banking debt, offering investors a 20% annual dividend, while TITAN2 invests in litigation financing with a 50% share of recovery proceeds for investors. Jesse Knutson, head of operations at Bitfinex Securities, highlighted that their approach focuses on disintermediation and providing capital access, contrasting with the institutional, fixed-income focus of firms like BlackRock. Concurrently, Malta's rapid, fast-track approach to granting Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licenses to major exchanges like OKX and Crypto.com is raising concerns about 'regulatory shopping' and insufficient oversight among other EU member states, notably France's AMF. This regulatory uncertainty unfolds as the broader crypto market experiences a downturn, with Bitcoin (BTC) trading down 2.09% and Ethereum (ETH) down 4.04% over the past 24 hours, according to provided market data.

According to @BitMEXResearch, the United Kingdom is moving towards stricter cryptocurrency regulations for its banking sector, with plans to propose new rules by 2026. David Bailey, an executive at the Bank of England, stated the country will be informed by the Basel Committee's standards, which suggest limiting banks' exposure to volatile crypto assets like Bitcoin (BTC) to just 1% of their capital to protect financial stability. This potential restriction on institutional investment contrasts with developments in the Real World Asset (RWA) space, where Bitfinex Securities is launching two new high-yield tokenized products in the UK. These products, issued on the Bitcoin sidechain Liquid Network, include a community banking debt token offering a 20% annual dividend and a litigation finance token, signaling a push towards democratizing access to alternative investments beyond traditional institutional offerings.

According to @CryptoMichNL, the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by institutional participation. A report by Artemis and Vaults.fyi reveals that the total value locked (TVL) in top DeFi lending protocols like Aave (AAVE), Euler, Spark, and Morpho has surged past $50 billion, marking a 60% increase over the past year. This growth is fueled by trends like the "DeFi mullet," where fintech applications use DeFi infrastructure on the backend. For instance, Coinbase's BTC-backed loans, powered by Morpho, have already originated over $300 million. Another key driver is the rise of on-chain asset managers, whose capital under management has quadrupled from $1 billion to over $4 billion since January. Concurrently, OP Labs, the builder of Optimism (OP), predicts that every crypto exchange and fintech firm will operate its own Layer-2 blockchain within five years, following the success of Coinbase's Base. This allows for the monetization of custodied assets and improved user experiences. Market data shows OPUSDT trading at $0.5280, down 5.714% in 24 hours, while AAVEUSDT is at $259.95, a 5.579% decrease.

According to @MilkRoadDaily, the decentralized finance (DeFi) lending sector is undergoing a significant transformation, with the total value locked (TVL) across top protocols like Aave (AAVE), Euler, Spark, and Morpho approaching $60 billion, marking a 60% increase over the past year. A report by Artemis and Vaults.fyi attributes this growth to increasing institutional participation and the integration of DeFi as a backend financial layer for user-facing applications, a trend known as the "DeFi mullet." For instance, Coinbase's BTC-backed loans are powered by Morpho's backend, originating over $300 million in loans. Further signaling market maturation, crypto-native asset managers have seen their capital under management grow fourfold to over $4 billion since January. In a key development for traders, lending protocol Morpho has unveiled Morpho V2, which aims to bridge DeFi with traditional finance by introducing market-driven, fixed-rate, fixed-term loans with customizable terms, and support for portfolio collateral including real-world assets (RWAs).

According to @MilkRoadDaily, Robinhood has expanded its crypto derivatives offering in the United States by launching micro futures contracts for bitcoin (BTC), solana (SOL), and XRP. These new products allow traders on its platform, which has nearly 26 million funded accounts, to take long or short positions with less required collateral, providing greater capital efficiency and flexibility for hedging or speculation. This launch follows the introduction of BTC and ETH futures in January and comes as Robinhood's crypto notional volumes hit $11.7 billion in May, a 65% year-over-year increase. In a separate development bridging traditional and decentralized finance, real-world asset (RWA) firm Backed Finance is launching approximately 60 tokenized stocks and ETFs on exchanges like Bybit and Kraken, as well as on Solana-based DeFi protocols including Kamino Swap and Raydium. This enables 24/7 on-chain trading of equities like Apple and Microsoft and sets the stage for their use as collateral in DeFi lending, reflecting a growing industry trend toward asset tokenization.

According to @KookCapitalLLC, the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector is experiencing a significant transformation, with total value locked (TVL) in top lending protocols like Aave and Morpho surging 60% over the past year to nearly $60 billion. A report from analytics firm Artemis and Vaults.fyi attributes this growth to increasing institutional participation and the integration of DeFi as a backend layer for user-facing apps, a trend known as the "DeFi mullet". For instance, Coinbase's integration with Morpho has originated over $300 million in Bitcoin (BTC) backed loans. The report also highlights the rise of on-chain asset managers, whose capital under management has quadrupled from $1 billion to over $4 billion since January, and the growing use of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). In specific market events, the Polyhedra protocol's ZKJ token plummeted over 80% following what the team described as a coordinated liquidity attack on PancakeSwap. The Polyhedra team responded by injecting approximately $30 million in USDT, USDC, and BNB to stabilize liquidity and announced an upcoming buyback plan. Other significant developments include JPMorgan piloting a permissioned USD deposit token (JPMD) on the Base network and the U.S. Senate passing a stablecoin bill with strong bipartisan support, signaling potential shifts in the regulatory landscape.

According to @jessepollak, the cryptocurrency market is seeing significant bullish signals from institutional and regulatory developments. A key catalyst is the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) ordering Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare to count cryptocurrency as a valid asset for mortgage applications, a move that could deeply integrate crypto into the U.S. housing market. This is complemented by 12 consecutive days of net inflows into spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs, totaling $548 million, indicating strong institutional demand. On the regulatory front, the U.S. SEC is reportedly working on an 'innovation exemption' to accommodate DeFi platforms. In ecosystem news, Polygon (MATIC) is undergoing a major strategic shift, with co-founder Sandeep Nailwal taking over as CEO of the Polygon Foundation to focus on the AggLayer protocol and retire the zkEVM network. Furthermore, Ant Group's plan to seek stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore and Plume's mainnet launch for real-world assets (RWA) underscore the growing integration of crypto with traditional finance.