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Death by a Thousand Pools: How Liquidity Fragmentation Threatens DeFi

The maturation of DeFi technology has created a paradox: while battle-tested codebases and rising technical proficiency have lowered the barrier to entry for launching new protocols, securing sustainable liquidity has never been harder. As thousands of projects built on increasingly standardized infrastructure compete for a finite pool of capital, the ecosystem faces a systemic challenge that threatens genuine innovation and growth.
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The multi-dimensional fragmentation problem
Liquidity in DeFi is fragmented across protocols, chains and token pairs. For new protocols, securing adequate liquidity is existential — without it, user adoption stalls, costs rise, yields fall and the growth flywheel fails to accrete value. This creates a fundamental challenge: every new DEX, lending platform or yield farm must compete for the same finite pool of capital, further dividing available liquidity. The demand for liquidity vastly outstrips the influx of new capital.
The traditional finance concept of «cost of capital» has evolved into «cost of liquidity» in DeFi, but without standardized frameworks to price this risk, protocols struggle to acquire the capital they need to launch and grow effectively. Protocols use their native tokens, ecosystem funds and sometimes their own capital to attract early liquidity. Some under-incentivize, failing to attract liquidity providers. Others over-incentivize, depleting treasuries and creating sell pressure when token incentives unlock. Both approaches ultimately undermine long-term sustainability.
The VC-protocol tension
This mispricing creates a fundamental tension for projects with VC backing. Investors who fund portfolio companies via simple agreements for future tokens (SAFTs) want protocols to attract sufficient liquidity for growth and utility. However, aggressive liquidity incentive programs directly dilute their token holdings.
The result is often unsustainable tokenomics: high initial emissions to bootstrap liquidity, creating artificial success metrics that collapse when incentives decrease. This pattern hampers genuine innovation, as truly novel approaches face disproportionately higher costs to attract capital.
Market opacity and information asymmetry
The problem is compounded by lack of transparency. Most significant liquidity arrangements occur through private over-the-counter (OTC) deals with unclear terms. New protocols have no visibility into market rates for comparable arrangements, while established players and insider networks control capital flow.
Without standardized risk assessment frameworks, liquidity providers struggle to evaluate opportunities effectively. This leads to inconsistent risk premiums across similar protocols and capital concentration in projects with familiar designs rather than superior technology and innovation.
Toward a solution: a neutral liquidity layer
What the ecosystem needs is connectivity between capital and protocols — a chain-agnostic, protocol-neutral layer focused on efficient capital routing. Such a system would:
- Create visibility into liquidity costs across protocols and chains.
- Establish risk-adjusted benchmarks for different protocol categories.
- Enable protocols to structure sustainable incentive models.
- Help capital providers deploy strategically based on transparent risk metrics.
Establishing a system like this isn’t about introducing new financial products, but creating a shared understanding of liquidity pricing that aligns incentives between capital allocators and protocols.
Looking forward
As DeFi matures, standardizing liquidity coordination and risk assessment will be essential for capital efficiency. The protocols that thrive should be those that solve real problems and bring real innovation to the space, not necessarily those with the most aggressive incentives.
The challenge is clear: demand for liquidity in DeFi is effectively infinite and the finite supply is existentially important. Yet the infrastructure, services, and pricing mechanisms that determine how capital flows from holders to users have significantly lagged behind protocol innovation. Addressing this infrastructure gap represents not just an opportunity to increase efficiency, but a necessity for the sustainable growth of the entire DeFi ecosystem.
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XRP Price Surges After V-Shaped Recovery, Targets $3.40

Global economic tensions and regulatory developments continue to influence XRP’s price action, with the digital asset showing remarkable resilience despite recent volatility.
After experiencing a significant dip to $2.307 on high volume, XRP has established an upward trajectory with a series of higher lows, suggesting continued momentum as it approaches resistance levels.
Technical indicators point to a potential bullish breakout, with multiple analysts highlighting critical support at $2.35-$2.40 that must hold for upward continuation.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- Price experienced a 3.76% range ($2.307-$2.396) over 24 hours with a sharp sell-off at 16:00 dropping to $2.307 on high volume (77.9M).
- Strong support emerged at $2.32 level with buyers stepping in during high-volume periods, particularly during the 13:00-14:00 recovery.
- Asset established upward trajectory, forming higher lows from the bottom, with resistance around $2.39 tested during 07:00 session.
- In the last hour, XRP climbed from $2.358 to $2.368, representing a 0.42% gain with notable volume spikes at 01:52 and 01:55.
- Price surged past resistance at $2.36 to reach $2.366, later establishing new local highs at $2.369 during 02:03 session on substantial volume (539,987).
- Currently maintaining strength above $2.368 support level with decreasing volatility suggesting potential continuation of upward trajectory.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.
External References
- «XRP price path to $3.40 remains intact — Here is why«, Cointelegraph, published May 16, 2025.
- «XRP Price Watch: Bulls Eye $2.60 as Long-Term Trend Holds«, Bitcoin.com News, published May 17, 2025.
- «XRP Price Explosion To $5.9: Current Consolidation Won’t Stop XRP From Growing«, NewsBTC, published May 17, 2025.
Uncategorized
SUI Surges After Finding Strong Support at $3.75 Level

Global economic tensions and shifting trade policies continue to influence cryptocurrency markets, with SUI showing particular resilience.
The asset established a trading range of 4.46% between $3.70 and $3.86, finding strong volume support at the $3.755 level.
A notable bullish momentum emerged with price surging 1.9% on above-average volume, establishing resistance at $3.850.
The formation of higher lows throughout the latter part of the day suggests consolidation above the $3.775 support level.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- SUI established a 24-hour trading range of 0.165 (4.46%) between the low of 3.700 and high of 3.862.
- Strong volume support emerged at the 3.755 level during hours 17-18, with accumulation exceeding the 24-hour volume average by 45%.
- Notable bullish momentum occurred in the 20:00 hour with price surging 7.2 cents (1.9%) on above-average volume.
- Resistance established at 3.850 with higher lows forming throughout the latter part of the day.
- Decreasing volatility in the final hours suggests consolidation above the 3.775 support level.
- Significant buyer interest appeared between 01:27-01:30, forming a strong support zone at 3.756-3.760 with exceptionally high volume (over 300,000 units per minute).
- Decisive bullish reversal began at 01:42, establishing a series of higher lows and higher highs.
- Breakout above 3.780 occurred at 01:55, followed by consolidation near 3.785 with decreasing volume.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.
External References
- «Sui price up 5.16% intra-day: bullish structure remains strong«, crypto.news, published May 16, 2205.
- «SUI Set to Explode, But Don’t Sleep on XRP and Other Altcoins«, CoinPedia, May 16, 2025.
Uncategorized
Dogecoin (DOGE) Whales Accumulate 1 Billion DOGE Amid Critical Support Formation

Geopolitical tensions and evolving trade policies continue to influence cryptocurrency markets, with Dogecoin showing resilience amid broader economic uncertainty.
Despite macroeconomic headwinds, DOGE has maintained support above key moving averages while forming a potential bull flag pattern that could target $0.35 if validated by continued buying pressure.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- DOGE experienced significant volatility with a 4.3% range (0.211-0.220) over the past 24 hours, forming a key support zone around 0.212 validated by high volume rebounds at 13:00 and 22:00.
- The price action reveals a bullish recovery pattern from the 16:00 low, with resistance emerging at 0.217-0.220.
- The 20:00 candle’s strong volume surge above the 24-hour average confirms renewed buying interest, suggesting potential upward momentum if DOGE can maintain its position above the established support level.
- In the past hour, DOGE has demonstrated significant bullish momentum, climbing from 0.215 to 0.216 with notable volume spikes at 01:17, 01:21, and 01:54-01:55.
- The price established a strong support zone around 0.215 during the early minutes, followed by a decisive breakout at 01:16-01:17 where volume surged over 8 million.
- The uptrend continued with higher lows forming a clear ascending pattern, culminating in a new resistance test at 0.216-0.217 range.
- The final minutes saw particularly heavy trading activity with volumes exceeding 7 million at 02:01-02:02, confirming strong buyer interest and suggesting potential for further upside movement.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.
External References
- «Dogecoin Eyes $0.35 as Whale Accumulation Signals Bull Flag Breakout«, The Crypto Basic, published May 16, 2025.
- «Dogecoin Hovers at $0.22 Following Weeks of Gains, Analysts Share Mixed Outlooks«, NewsBTC, published May 17, 2025.
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