DeFi Sector Suffers from Compressed Yields and Dwindling Liquidity
The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector experienced a significant downturn in spring 2026, marked by compressed yields and dwindling liquidity. This collapse was particularly pronounced in liquid staking tokens, which saw their total value locked plummet by more than 66% between late 2025 and June 2026.
The core sources of DeFi yield are lending, automated market maker (AMM) swap fees, proof-of-stake rewards, delta-neutral strategies, real-world asset-backed returns, and token emissions. However, the decline in borrowing demand led to falling interest rates and reduced returns for lenders. Perpetual funding rates also normalized, eliminating a significant yield source.
Usage-driven protocols, such as Aave, Compound, Morpho, Curve, Uniswap, MakerDAO/Spark, and yield aggregators like Yearn and Beefy, were more resilient than emission-driven farming platforms. The latter often experience a predictable lifecycle of high yields followed by declining token prices and APYs.
Ethena's sUSDe product occupies an interesting middle ground, relying on market conditions rather than token emissions for its returns.