DeFi | Crypto

One of MiCA's architects said he sees no need to regulate DeFi as the European Commission gathers feedback on the framework's future. The European Union should focus on a broader digital asset framework covering real-world assets and tokenization instead of regulating decentralized finance through a second version of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), an adviser at the European Commission said. The European Commission launched a public consultation on MiCA in May, seeking feedback through Aug. 31. "I do not believe that [MiCA] is outdated now. That’s my personal opinion, but it does not matter. That’s why we have this consultation,” Peter Kerstens told Cointelegraph during a fireside chat at WAIB Summit Monaco 2026. Read more

The new wallet allows AI agents to execute transactions across DeFi protocols while operating within user-defined spending limits and security controls. MetaMask launched a self-custodial cryptocurrency wallet that allows artificial intelligence agents to transact across decentralized finance protocols within user-defined spending and security controls. Users can connect the Agent Wallet to AI agent frameworks and authorize software agents to operate within protocol allowlists. The wallet is compatible with frameworks including OpenAI Codex, Claude Code, OpenClaw and Hermes, according to MetaMask. MetaMask said transactions initiated by AI agents are screened through transaction simulation, threat detection and MEV protection systems before execution. Transactions flagged as malicious or outside a user's predefined rules require manual approval. Read more

Decentralized finance has gotten a lot safer over the past six years, and a new review of protocol losses from 2020 through 2025 puts a pretty large number behind that claim. Industry-wide DeFi losses peaked at $2.62 billion in 2022 and fell roughly 80% to $534 million by 2024. Bridge hacks that once produced billion-dollar […] The post DeFi’s old hack vectors are fading – But the new risk can hit six chains at once appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Apyx's apxUSD fell below its dollar reference on June 4 as Bitcoin traded near $63,000, putting DeFi dollar peg risk back in focus. A Bitget report said the token briefly touched $0.93 during the selloff. The report framed Apyx's response as a design point: apxUSD's reserve risk is largely borne by Strategy's STRC preferred stock, […] The post A stablecoin tied to Strategy stock depegs putting a new DeFi dollar risk in focus as Bitcoin sells off appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Vitalik Buterin is challenging one of DeFi's most familiar safety mechanisms: the automatic liquidation that closes a debt-backed position when collateral falls below the required backing for the loan. In a June 1 Ethereum Research post, Buterin proposed building synthetic, index-tracking assets on top of options, with collateralized debt removed from the base design. The […] The post Vitalik wants DeFi price crashes to stop triggering automatic liquidations appeared first on CryptoSlate.

In a research post published Monday, Buterin proposed creating index-tracking assets using options contracts rather than the debt-based structures that underpin much of DeFi today.

On May 28, Aave Labs announced that its UK subsidiaries Push Labs Ltd. and Push Virtual Assets Ltd. received FCA registration as cryptoasset exchange providers, layered on top of the group's existing Electronic Money Institution authorization. Combined with the MiCAR CASP license that Push Virtual Assets Ireland Limited secured from the Central Bank of Ireland […] The post Aave now has a regulated path from bank accounts to DeFi lending – The hard part is keeping users there appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A warning from one of decentralized finance’s (DeFi) early security figures has turned a difficult stretch of hacks into a broader test of how the industry can defend itself against artificial intelligence (AI). On May 27, Manuel Aráoz, co-founder and former chief technology officer of OpenZeppelin, advised investors to exit DeFi positions, including exposure to […] The post Have AI agents made the entire $148 billion DeFi sector unsafe? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

RWA standard ERC-7943 reaches final stage as Ethereum builders rethink how institutional finance move onchain. For years, crypto has thrived on speculative capital flows and the explosive popularity of decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens and applications. That still holds true for rising sectors such as perpetual decentralized exchanges and prediction markets. But as Wall Street pushes deeper into tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), not all of the industry’s existing systems cater to the kinds of financial products institutions want to bring onchain. An author of the newly finalized ERC-7943 (uRWA) token standard said that the fragmented infrastructure powering much of DeFi wasn’t designed for regulated financial assets, which often require identity frameworks and interoperability standards. Read more

DeFi protocols are increasingly adapting to host regulated, tokenized assets as tokenization is projected to bring trillions of dollars onchain.

Automated yield protocols built DeFi's most persuasive retail pitch that depositing into a vault was all a user needed to do, with the protocol handling everything else. For users wanting exposure to Curve's boosted yields without manually managing CRV locks, vote power, wrappers, gauges, and incentives, Stake DAO offered a product that packaged the full […] The post DeFi’s automated yield protocols were built for retail, now they just add another layer of risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

US commercial and industrial lending reached $2.89 trillion at commercial banks for the week ending May 13, up roughly $183 billion year-to-date and 8.19% above year-ago levels. Corporate America has borrowed heavily through rising rates and continues borrowing into tightening bank credit conditions, adding more to bank balance sheets in the first five months of […] The post Aave is bank-sized, but $2.9T in corporate loans reveals the risk DeFi still can’t price appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Socket's May 24 disclosure of TrapDoor found more than 34 malicious packages and over 384 related versions spread across npm, PyPI, and Crates.io, each targeting the developers who build and maintain protocols, and the credentials that govern access to the systems around them. What TrapDoor built is a route from a single developer's compromised machine […] The post The next big DeFi exploit will start before the code is deployed appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Repeated bridge exploits and shrinking yields are making institutions question whether DeFi’s risks still justify the returns, says Symbiotic’s Putiatin. Security exploits are weighing on institutional appetite for decentralized finance (DeFi), even as broader crypto adoption continues through stablecoins and tokenized assets. In an April research note, JPMorgan analysts said that bridge security remains a challenge for the industry, raising questions on whether DeFi can grow to support further institutional adoption.  The recent exploit on the Versus-Ethereum bridge was the eighth major attack against DeFi bridges in 2026 so far, with cumulative losses totalling $328.6 million. Read more

Cardano's next hard fork is arriving at a moment when crypto markets no longer reward blockchains for roadmap promises alone, especially as ADA price performance increasingly tracks real developer and DeFi activity. Protocol Version 11, known as Van Rossem, is already live on the Preview testnet and targets a mainnet governance action submission on May […] The post Cardano’s May 29 hard fork vote brings ADA’s DeFi weakness into view appeared first on CryptoSlate.

EU opens MiCA review as consultation probes stablecoin interest rules, DeFi risks and classification gaps ahead of July's crypto authorization deadline. The European Commission has opened a review of its landmark crypto regulation, signaling that the European Union is considering updates to its landmark digital asset framework just two years after it took effect. The commission on Wednesday launched a public consultation seeking feedback from the crypto industry and the wider public on whether the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) should be updated. The consultation will remain open until Aug. 31. The commission said crypto markets and the global regulatory environment have “continued to evolve” since MiCA took effect in 2024, prompting officials to assess whether the current framework remains “fit for purpose.” Read more

DefiLlama’s RWA category data puts the RWA tokenization market near $30 billion on-chain, with only $2.47 billion appearing as DeFi active TVL, the value actually deposited or pooled inside third-party DeFi protocols the platform tracks. The rest of the tokenized real-world assets market sits outside the lending markets and collateral vaults that make crypto assets […] The post Why the $30 billion RWA tokenization boom is barely reaching DeFi appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Two security companies have flagged the address where the stolen funds are allegedly being held, showing the cryptocurrencies have been converted into 5,402 Ether. Verus Protocol’s Ethereum bridge was reportedly exploited on Monday through a fake cross-chain transfer message that allowed a hacker to fraudulently transfer out at least $11.58 million in cryptocurrency. Onchain security platform Blockaid said in an X post on Monday that its detection system identified an ongoing exploit on the Verus-Ethereum bridge and shared a transaction on Etherscan showing a transfer of 1,625 Ether (ETH), 147,659 USDC (USDC) and 103.57 tBTC v2, worth over $11.5 million. Blockchain security company PeckShield also called the transfer an exploit, with onchain data showing the funds have since been converted into Ether. The wallet shows a balance of 5,402 Ether, worth over $11.4 million, according to Etherscan. Read more

THORChain’s suspected multichain exploit and emergency halt on May 15 has turned into another DeFi security incident, and another test of cross-chain trust. Emergency controls moved through chain-specific halts, Halt All Trading, Halt Signing, Halt Chain Global, Halt Churning, and repeated global node-pause updates. One public alert described the likely exploit affecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, BSC, and Base, […] The post THORChain exploit turns emergency chain halt into a DeFi trust test appeared first on CryptoSlate.

For protocol founders and security researchers, the incident reinforced a broader shift underway across crypto: DeFi is no longer primarily battling coding bugs. It’s battling complexity.