Solana Achieves $8.6B in DeFi Total Value Locked, Liquid Staking Rises as NFTs Face Challenges
Written by Ohris M. Greyoon, Blockchain & Crypto Expert
Source: Coinmarketcap
Updated: Aug 19 2025
DeFi Growth: Solana's decentralized finance (DeFi) total value locked (TVL) increased by 30.4% in Q2 2025, reaching $8.6 billion, making it the second-largest blockchain for DeFi TVL.
Market Challenges: Despite DeFi growth, average daily trading volumes on decentralized exchanges fell by 45.4%, and the stablecoin market cap decreased by 17.4%, primarily due to reduced interest in memecoins.
Staking Success: Liquid staking participation rose to 12.2%, with 64.8% of SOL’s circulating supply staked, leading to an all-time high staked value of $102 billion earlier in the year.
NFT Struggles and Network Activity: The NFT market saw a significant decline in trading volume, dropping 46.4%, while overall network activity remained stable with a slight decrease in fee payers but an increase in non-vote transactions.
About the author
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Ohris M. Greyoon
Ohris M. Greyoon holds a Master’s in Computer Science from MIT and has 10 years of experience in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency markets. A pioneer in decentralized finance (DeFi) analysis, he leads Intellectia’s Crypto News, offering cutting-edge insights into digital assets.
