Pendle Announces Token Upgrade to Scale Its DeFi Yield Platform

marsbitPublished on 2026-01-20Last updated on 2026-01-20

Abstract

Pendle, the largest crypto yield trading platform, has announced a major upgrade to its native tokenomics with the introduction of sPENDLE. This update aims to unlock deeper liquidity, diversify revenue streams, and strengthen Pendle’s leadership in on-chain yield and interest rate markets. The upgrade follows a record-breaking performance in 2025, with $5.7B average TVL (up 76% YoY), $4.46B in cumulative protocol fees (up 134% YoY), and $54B in monthly nominal trading volume. Key features of the upgrade include protocol revenue being used to buy back and distribute $PENDLE to active sPENDLE holders, a flexible exit mechanism for sPENDLE (14-day no-penalty or 5% fee for instant redemption), and improved voting via an algorithmic emissions model aimed at reducing PENDLE emissions by 20–30%. The vePENDLE lock mechanism will be paused on January 29. The upgrade also supports Boros, Pendle’s innovative platform for tokenizing perpetual funding rates, which has reached $6.9B in notional open interest and $91M in OI within four months of launch. Pendle aims to bridge DeFi with traditional fixed-income markets, offering tools like Principal Tokens (PT), Yield Tokens (YT), and funding rate derivatives to expand access to global yield opportunities.

The world's largest crypto yield trading platform, Pendle, has announced an upgrade to its native tokenomics with the introduction of sPENDLE. This update aims to unlock deeper liquidity, diversify revenue streams, and further solidify Pendle's leading position in the on-chain yield and interest rate space. Combined with Pendle and Boros's recent performance data, this upgrade highlights the platform's long-term strategic goals in decentralized finance and its expansion into related markets.

Record Performance and Protocol Dominance in 2025

In 2025, Pendle achieved significant milestones across multiple core network and financial metrics, demonstrating strong usage and sustained market share in the yield trading sector:


· Average Total Value Locked (TVL): Approximately $5.7 billion, a 76% year-over-year increase, with a peak TVL of $13.4 billion, reflecting robust liquidity participation in the yield market, placing it alongside top DeFi protocols like Uniswap, Aave, and Hyperliquid
· Cumulative Protocol Fees: Approximately $44.6 million, a 134% year-over-year increase, with about $34.9 million distributed to token holders
· Monthly Nominal Trading Volume: Approximately $54 billion (90-day rolling average), with daily trading volume frequently reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, indicating strong demand for fixed yield

This data shows that Pendle has become a major platform for tokenized yield and funding rate trading, with realized fee revenue and liquidity depth surpassing many platforms in the fixed yield space.

Highlights of Pendle's New Token Upgrade

The upgraded $PENDLE token brings a simpler and fairer overall solution to the ecosystem:


· Protocol revenue will be used to buy back $PENDLE tokens and distribute them to active sPENDLE holders
· Optimized Liquidity Model: sPENDLE supports a 14-day no-penalty exit period, or a 5% fee for instant redemption
· sPENDLE will be a composable, fungible token that can be integrated with any dApp, eliminating the trade-off between participation and liquidity, regardless of lock-up period
· Voting Mechanism Upgrade: The previous manual voting will be upgraded to an algorithmic emissions model, aiming to improve allocation efficiency while reducing PENDLE emissions by 20–30%
· The vePENDLE lock-up mechanism will be paused on January 29. Users holding vePENDLE before this date will receive a special multiplier (up to 4x) on their virtual sPENDLE balance based on the remaining lock-up period. Rewards will be distributed based on this virtual sPENDLE balance, providing vePENDLE holders with higher returns during the transition period

TN Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Pendle, stated:

"This upgrade is a structural enhancement in Pendle and Boros's expansion. Our goal has always been to bring the efficiency and scale of traditional fixed income markets to DeFi. With this upgrade, Pendle will become a more robust, sustainable, and institutionally-oriented yield infrastructure."

Boros: The New Frontier of On-Chain Interest Rate Trading

Another key catalyst driving the $PENDLE token architecture upgrade is Boros—a pioneering on-chain platform that tokenizes perpetual contract funding rates, converting previously untradeable yield streams into tradable assets. Boros's data shows rapid organic growth and significant potential:


· Key Metrics: 4 months after launch, Boros achieved:
Approximately $6.9 billion in notional open interest
$91 million in OI
$6.8 million in deposits (as of the end of 2025)


· Generated approximately $301,000 in fees in emerging markets, providing initial validation of product-market fit for on-chain interest rate derivatives
· With the current perpetual contract market open interest around $63 billion, Boros is still in its early stages and is projected to achieve a 10x OI penetration rate
· In addition to mainstream pairs like BTC/ETH/BNB/HYPE, Boros has listed NVDAUSDC–Hyperliquid, allowing users to trade the funding rate of the HIP-3 NVIDIA perpetual contract. Future expansions will include more exotic assets and stock index perpetual contracts, such as S&P 500, NASDAQ, AMZN, and TSLA

By tapping into a massive, underutilized yield source in DeFi—funding rate exposure—Boros further strengthens Pendle's growth trajectory, making its revenue structure less reliant solely on TVL and traditional yield fees.

Strategic Vision: From DeFi Yield to Global Fixed Income Infrastructure

This Pendle token upgrade is designed to support its expansion as a DeFi yield layer infrastructure and bridge to centralized and traditional financial markets. Fixed income is one of the largest segments of the global financial system. Pendle has built a comprehensive toolkit—from Principal Tokens (PT) and Yield Tokens (YT) to funding rate derivatives—to help users access this market more easily.

In the future, Pendle will continue to expand its ecosystem integration directions, including leverage strategies, AI applications, PT collateral usage, and cross-chain liquidity mechanisms.

About Pendle

Pendle is the world's largest crypto yield trading platform, dedicated to the tokenization and trading of yield assets. Pendle provides highly sophisticated yield strategies for individual and institutional users, redefining the future of on-chain fixed income.

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Related Questions

QWhat is the main purpose of Pendle's new token upgrade and the introduction of sPENDLE?

AThe main purpose is to unlock deeper liquidity, diversify revenue streams, and solidify Pendle's leading position in the on-chain yield and interest rate space, supporting its long-term strategic goals in DeFi.

QWhat were some of Pendle's key performance milestones in 2025 mentioned in the article?

AIn 2025, Pendle achieved an average TVL of approximately $5.7 billion (a 76% year-over-year increase), cumulative protocol fees of about $44.6 million (a 134% YoY increase), and a 90-day rolling average monthly notional trading volume of around $54 billion.

QHow does the new sPENDLE token improve liquidity model for holders?

AsPENDLE supports a 14-day penalty-free exit period or an option for instant redemption with a 5% fee. It is a composable, fungible token that can be integrated with any dApp, eliminating the trade-off between participation and liquidity.

QWhat is Boros and how does it contribute to Pendle's growth strategy?

ABoros is a pioneering on-chain platform that tokenizes perpetual funding rates, converting untradable yield streams into tradable assets. It represents a new frontier in on-chain interest rate trading and diversifies Pendle's revenue beyond traditional yield fees, with significant growth potential in the derivatives market.

QWhat is Pendle's broader strategic vision according to the announcement?

APendle's strategic vision is to expand its DeFi yield layer infrastructure and connect with centralized and traditional financial markets, aiming to become a global fixed-income infrastructure by leveraging its suite of tools like Principal Tokens (PT), Yield Tokens (YT), and funding rate derivatives.

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