Maple Finance CEO and co-founder Sid Powell believes DeFi will no longer exist as a standalone sector, but instead evolve into the default infrastructure of global finance. He argues that within a few years, institutions will stop distinguishing between DeFi and traditional finance, as most capital market activity settles directly on public blockchains.

According to Powell, tokenized private credit — rather than tokenized Treasuries — will be the primary growth engine of onchain finance, potentially pushing DeFi’s market capitalization toward $1 trillion. He also predicts that 2026 could bring a high-profile onchain credit default, alongside a surge in stablecoin payments to as much as $50 trillion, driven by small businesses and neobanks seeking faster settlement and lower transaction fees.