JPMorgan says repeated DeFi hacks, a $20B TVL drop after Kelp’s rsETH exploit, and flat ETH‑denominated TVL are souring institutional appetite for onchain lending and yield.
Summary
- JPMorgan says repeated DeFi exploits and flat ETH-denominated TVL are curbing institutional interest.
- A recent rsETH bridge exploit tied to Kelp DAO wiped roughly $20 billion from DeFi TVL in days.
- Attackers minted around $292 million of unsecured rsETH, leaving about $230 million in bad debt on Aave and pushing investors toward USDT.
JPMorgan analysts told The Block that “frequent security incidents in DeFi and the stagnation of total locked value (TVL) in ETH terms continue to limit institutional interest in DeFi,” highlighting how repeated exploits are eroding confidence at scale.
JPMorgan flags DeFi security drag on institutions
Citing the latest cross-chain bridge incident involving Kelp DAO’s rsETH, the bank said the episode “led to a loss of approximately $20 billion in DeFi TVL within a few days,” underscoring just how quickly nominal liquidity can evaporate when trust breaks.
In their note, the analysts described how attackers “minted about $292 million in unsecured rsETH and borrowed real ETH on Aave using it as collateral, resulting in approximately $230 million in bad debt,” turning what began as a smart contract loophole into a systemic hit across blue-chip lending markets.
Flight to USDT and stalled growth
JPMorgan also argued that these blow‑ups are changing user behavior, writing that “after security incidents, users tend to turn to Tether’s USDT for safety,” as capital rotates from riskier protocol-native assets and yield strategies into perceived stable harbors.
The bank pointed to the stagnation of DeFi TVL when measured in ether, rather than in dollar terms, as another structural warning sign, noting that flat or declining ETH-denominated TVL suggests “underlying activity is not growing even when token prices rise.”
According to The Block, the analysts concluded that until DeFi can demonstrate “sustained improvements in security, risk management, and insurance mechanisms,” large institutions will remain cautious about allocating more capital to on-chain lending, derivatives, and cross-chain infrastructure.
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