Economic uncertainty and a major crypto exchange hack pushed down the total value locked in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to $156 billion in the first quarter of 2025, but AI and social apps gained ground with a rise in network users, according to a crypto analytics firm.“Broader economic uncertainty and lingering aftershocks from the Bybit exploit” were the main contributing factors to the DeFi sector’s 27% quarter-on-quarter fall in TVL, according to an April 3 report from DappRadar, which noted that Ether (ETH) fell 45% to $1,820 over the same period.
The monthly average of DUAWs interacting on the AI and social protocols rose to 2.6 million and 2.8 million, while DeFi and GameFi protocols fell double-digits. DappRadar said there was “explosive growth” in AI agent protocols, stating that they’re “no longer a concept.”“They’re here, and they’re shaping new user behaviors,” said the firm. Change in DeFi total value locked between Jan.2024 and March 2025.
Source: DappRadarRelated: Avalanche stablecoins up 70% to $2.5B, AVAX demand lacks DeFi deploymentMeanwhile, NFT trading volume fell 25% to $1.5 billion, with OKX’s NFT marketplace taking in the most sales at $606 million, while OpenSea and Blur saw $599 million and $565 million, respectively.
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Author / Journalist: Cointelegraph by Brayden Lindrea
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