• DeFi projects had numerous hacks and one of the most disastrous collapses in tech/internet history in 2022, leading to a significant market decline.
• However, NFTs and GameFi overtook DeFi in public and investor interest in the second half of the year, indicating DeFi is far from dead.
• This article provides 25 important stats about the DeFi industry from 2022 to aid with informed investments and analyses.
The DeFi industry had a tumultuous year in 2022, with numerous hacks and one of the most disastrous collapses in tech/internet history with Terra. This caused the DeFi market to decline significantly, even more than other blockchain sectors, leading many to question the future of the industry. Despite the downturn, NFTs and GameFi overtook DeFi in public and investor interest in the second half of the year, indicating DeFi is far from dead.
In order to make informed investments and analyses, Footprint Analytics has collected the most important stats about the DeFi industry from 2022. The total TVL (Total Value Locked) in DeFi decreased from $267B at the beginning of January to $53B by the end of the year. This decrease was kicked off with Fed rate hikes, exacerbated by the collapse of Terra and continued hacks, collapses, and macro conditions. Furthermore, the total number of active DeFi protocols dropped from 94 in January to just 16 in December.
Despite the significant decrease in the number of active protocols, some categories performed well throughout the year. In particular, lending protocols such as Compound and Aave maintained relatively high TVL, with Aave having an increase in TVL of 1,410% since the beginning of the year. This indicates that the DeFi industry is far from dead and is likely to survive the bear market and thrive in the future.
The DeFi sector also had some standout success stories in 2022. The biggest success was Uniswap, which had a TVL increase of 1,755% since January. The DeFi token Uniswap also experienced a significant growth, increasing by 9,381%. Other success stories included Balancer, with a TVL increase of 1,073% since January, and Curve, with a TVL increase of 1,038%.
Overall, the DeFi industry had a tumultuous year in 2022, but is far from dead. Despite the significant decrease in the number of active protocols and the TVL, some categories have performed well and there have been some standout success stories. These statistics provide a valuable insight into the DeFi industry in 2022 and can be used to inform investments and analyses in the future.