Development activity across DeFi is starting to thin out as 2025 approaches its final stretch, but a small group of projects continues to stand out.
New data shared by Santiment highlights which protocols are still seeing consistent developer engagement, based on notable GitHub events tracked over the past 30 days.
Key Takeaways
Chainlink leads DeFi development activity by a significant margin, highlighting its infrastructure role.
Mid-tier projects like DeFiChain and DeepBook show consistent building despite weaker market momentum.
Major DeFi platforms remain active, but development is more focused on refinement than expansion.
The rankings suggest that while market attention often shifts toward price action and narratives, long-term builders are concentrating around a handful of established and infrastructure-heavy DeFi platforms.
Chainlink holds a clear lead in development
Chainlink tops Santiment’s list with a wide margin, recording the highest development activity score among DeFi projects. The gap between Chainlink and the rest of the field underscores its continued role as core infrastructure, with ongoing upgrades and integrations across multiple ecosystems.
This sustained pace places Chainlink well ahead of competitors, reinforcing the idea that oracle development remains a critical layer for DeFi growth even as broader activity slows.
Mid-tier projects maintain steady progress
Behind Chainlink, projects like DeFiChain and DeepBook form a second cluster with solid, though lower, development scores. Their presence near the top suggests that more specialized or ecosystem-focused protocols are still attracting developer attention despite quieter market conditions.
Lido DAO also remains firmly positioned, reflecting ongoing work tied to liquid staking mechanics and governance updates as staking demand continues to evolve.
Established DeFi names still active, but trailing
Well-known Ethereum-based platforms including Aave, Uniswap, Curve Finance, and Euler all appear in the lower half of the top ten.
While these protocols no longer dominate development rankings, their continued presence suggests maintenance, incremental upgrades, and risk-related improvements rather than aggressive expansion.
What the rankings signal for DeFi
Santiment’s data does not measure price performance or user growth, but it offers a snapshot of where builders are spending time. The results point to a market where development is becoming more concentrated, favoring infrastructure-heavy and battle-tested protocols over experimental launches.
As DeFi heads into 2026, sustained developer activity may become an increasingly important signal for long-term relevance, especially if market conditions remain selective.
