DeFi tokens are crypto tokens representing access to decentralised financial platforms and services. They operate on automated, blockchain-based platforms, offering a range of financial applications and services. DeFi coins are an exciting investment idea for investors with interests beyond cryptocurrency. The global DeFi market cap surges 3.7% to $143.12 Billion in the past 24 hours with trade volume of $7.911B.
However, with the numerous coins available on the market, it can be challenging to determine which coins are worthwhile investments. To guide you along this process, here is a few min read on the best DeFi coins to invest in 2025.
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1. Stellar (XLM)
Stellar, founded in 2014 by Joyce Kim and Jed McCaleb who also co-founded XRP, shares some technological roots with XRP but has since taken its own path. Unlike most blockchains, Stellar uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol — a unique mechanism that doesn’t rely on Proof-of-Work or Proof-of-Stake — enabling ultra-fast and low-cost transactions, with fees as low as 0.00001 XLM (typically around 0.0001 XLM).
The Stellar ecosystem is rapidly expanding through major partnerships, including PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin and initiatives to tokenize $3 billion in real-world assets. Recently, Stellar joined the TAC council to help onboard the next trillion dollars in on-chain assets. XLM has surged 70.78% over the past month. XLM price prediction for August 2025: $1.029.
2. Ethena (ENA)
Ethena is a protocol built on Ethereum that issues a synthetic stablecoin called USDe, along with a yield-bearing version known as sUSDe. To maintain USDe's stability, Ethena uses a hedging strategy with futures contracts. ENA, the native token of the ecosystem, has seen explosive growth—surging 142% over the past 30 days—mirroring the rapid expansion of the Ethena platform.
Since July 18, following the signing of the GENIUS Act by U.S. President Donald Trump, USDe’s supply has increased by 2.73 billion, surpassing the growth of even Tether’s USDT. With a market cap of $9.3 billion, USDe now ranks as the 15th largest crypto asset.
Ethena recently launched its Liquid Leverage feature on Aave, enabling users to supply equal amounts of USDe and sUSDe to unlock multi-layered rewards. ENA has also gained momentum through major exchange listings, including Coinbase and South Korea’s UPbit, significantly boosting its liquidity and accessibility. ENA price prediction for August 2025: $2
3. Uniswap (UNI)
Launched in 2018, Uniswap (UNI) is one of the leading decentralized trading protocols in crypto, best known for pioneering the automated market maker (AMM) model. This innovation eliminated the need for traditional order books, allowing users to swap tokens directly on-chain without intermediaries.
Uniswap has now revealed plans to launch Unichain, a Layer 2 blockchain built using Optimism’s OP Stack. As part of the broader "Superchain" ecosystem, Unichain is designed specifically for DeFi, offering ultra-fast 250 ms block times and transaction fees up to 20x lower than Ethereum. It’s currently live on testnet, supporting test token swaps.
Unichain will also introduce UNI staking, allowing token holders to earn a share of sequencer revenue. The announcement has sparked renewed interest in UNI, pushing its price above $8 for the first time since July. With enhanced utility through Unichain, UNI could see sustained long-term demand. UNI price prediction for August 2025: $20.
4. Aave (AAVE)
Aave is one of the most prominent decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, offering fully decentralized lending and borrowing of cryptocurrencies and real-world assets (RWAs). With a total value locked (TVL) of $34.41 billion, it currently stands as the largest DeFi protocol in the space.
Aave is also among the most profitable projects in crypto, with weekly fees climbing to $17.7 million last week, up from $17 million the week prior — reflecting consistent growth. Meanwhile, AAVE, the native token of Aave, has strong momentum in the broader DeFi ecosystem. AAVE price prediction for August 2025: $320.
5. Zebec Network (ZBCN)
Zebec is positioning itself as a key player in the crypto payments space with two main offerings. First, its payroll processing solution streamlines global payments for companies with remote teams. Second, its card business allows users to load funds and spend them worldwide—recently strengthened through the acquisition of U.S.-based fintech startup, Science Card.
The company is actively expanding through new partnerships and integrations, including upcoming support on Algorand and a collaboration with OctaSpace (OCTA). Its governance and utility token, ZBCN, has surged 92.1% in the past month. Zebec Network also reached a major milestone with over 79,200 ZBCN holders, highlighting its accelerating growth. ZBCN price prediction for August 2025: $0.023456.
6. Tezos (XTZ)
Tezos is a robust, open-source blockchain platform designed for secure smart contracts, on-chain governance, and true decentralization. Its native token, XTZ, has seen a notable rise in activity, with trading volume surging 64.16% in the past 24 hours to $36.49 million. XTZ’s price has climbed 3.2% to $0.7753, placing it at #89 globally. Tezos has a circulating supply of 1.05 billion XTZ from a total of 1.07 billion, with no fixed cap.
The Tezos Foundation recently launched a new staking and governance initiative tailored for institutional players such as hedge funds and custodians. The program aims to boost staking engagement and validator decentralization. Additionally, a multi-chain bridge—linking Tezos with Cosmos IBC and Polkadot parachains—is currently in testing, with full mainnet deployment scheduled for Q3 2025. This bridge will enable cross-chain asset transfers and contract interactions. XTZ price prediction for August 2025: $3
7. Babylon (BABYLON)
Babylon is the first DeFi protocol to enable Bitcoin staking through a self-custodial mechanism, allowing users to earn rewards while maintaining full control of their BTC. With over $4 billion already staked, the platform is gaining strong traction and has the potential to redefine Bitcoin’s role in the DeFi ecosystem through trustless staking.
In a major strategic move, Baby BTC Strategic Capital—backed by the Babylon Foundation—has signed a $100 million term sheet to acquire control of NASDAQ-listed ATA Creativity Global (AACG), with $30 million in equity and $70 million in warrants. As part of the deal, AACG will adopt BTC and BABY tokens as core treasury assets, supporting Babylon’s mission to scale Bitcoin staking and BTCFi. BABYLON has surged 27.99% over the past month. BABYLON price prediction for August 2025: $0.1506.
Conclusion
As DeFi continues to reshape the financial landscape, these seven tokens stand out for their innovation, strong fundamentals, and growing adoption. From Bitcoin staking to synthetic stablecoins and Layer 2 scalability, each project offers unique value in the evolving DeFi ecosystem. With strong momentum and ambitious roadmaps, these picks could offer significant upside potential for investors in August 2025 and beyond.
