Share this article

MakerDAO Passes $1B Milestone in DeFi First

The total value of ether locked in DeFi's oldest project has surpassed $1 billion for the first time.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 9:36 a.m. Published Jul 27, 2020, 9:40 a.m.
Maker Foundation CEO Rune Christensen (CoinDesk archives)
Maker Foundation CEO Rune Christensen (CoinDesk archives)

The total value of cryptocurrency locked in decentralized finance's (DeFi) oldest project has surpassed $1 billion for the first time.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

  • MakerDAO, which is also the sector's largest protocol by a margin of $271 million locked in, crossed above $1 billion at around 18:00 UTC on Sunday, according to analytics aggregator DeFi Pulse.
  • The milestone, which represents how much money has been committed and not earned, demonstrates a rising interest in MakerDao and DeFi projects alike.
  • Collateral, locked up in the form of ether or , is used on Maker's protocol to undertake lending and generate DAI as debt against collateral.
  • Saying the news marked a "big day" for MakerDAO, David Freuden, co-author of "DAO: A Decentralized Governance Layer for the Internet of Value," told CoinDesk that innovation in DeFi will increasingly challenge the premise of centralized finance.
  • Maker's dominance over other projects in the sector stands at 27.1%, with the highly valued Compound protocol coming in second place at around $729 million total value locked up.
  • The DeFi industry has seen a significant rise in total value locked up with the sector's $1 billion milestone in all protocols having been surpassed on Feb. 7, now up by more than $3.3 billion at time of writing.

See also: Mempool Manipulation Enabled Theft of $8M in MakerDAO Collateral on Black Thursday: Report

More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

More For You

Bitcoin stuck near $88,000 as gold's and silver's record-breaking rallies show exhaustion signs

Bitcoin (BTC) price on Jan. 26 (CoinDesk)

"Gold and silver casually adding an entire bitcoin market cap in a single day," wrote one crypto analyst.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin is off its worst levels of the weekend, but still near the year's low at $87,700.
  • Facing the same news cycle as crypto, precious metals continued to surge higher, but a quick retreat from their highs on Monday suggested a bit of exhaustion was setting in.
  • Analysts remain dour on the outlook for crypto prices given the looming government shutdown as well as delays in passage of the Clarity Act.