BlackRock, Apollo, Citadel Enter the Market in the Same Week, Investing Real Money in DeFi Governance Tokens
In February 2026, major financial institutions including BlackRock, Apollo, and Citadel made significant moves into DeFi by directly purchasing governance tokens and integrating their products with decentralized infrastructure. Citadel invested in LayerZero’s ZRO token, BlackRock listed its $2.5B BUIDL fund on UniswapX and acquired UNI tokens, and Apollo committed to acquiring up to 9% of Morpho’s token supply over four years. These actions mark a shift from exploratory partnerships to tangible on-chain engagement, emphasizing economic alignment through token ownership and the use of live, revenue-generating DeFi protocols. The trend reflects growing institutional confidence in public, permissionless DeFi infrastructure, driven by proven scalability and network effects. Regulatory developments, such as the potential passage of the CLARITY Act, could further accelerate this institutional adoption of DeFi.
marsbit03/25 05:11