According to @CryptoMichNL, the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by institutional participation. A report by Artemis and Vaults.fyi reveals that the total value locked (TVL) in top DeFi lending protocols like Aave (AAVE), Euler, Spark, and Morpho has surged past $50 billion, marking a 60% increase over the past year. This growth is fueled by trends like the "DeFi mullet," where fintech applications use DeFi infrastructure on the backend. For instance, Coinbase's BTC-backed loans, powered by Morpho, have already originated over $300 million. Another key driver is the rise of on-chain asset managers, whose capital under management has quadrupled from $1 billion to over $4 billion since January. Concurrently, OP Labs, the builder of Optimism (OP), predicts that every crypto exchange and fintech firm will operate its own Layer-2 blockchain within five years, following the success of Coinbase's Base. This allows for the monetization of custodied assets and improved user experiences. Market data shows OPUSDT trading at $0.5280, down 5.714% in 24 hours, while AAVEUSDT is at $259.95, a 5.579% decrease.