dYdX Foundation CEO Charles d’Haussy, forecasts DeFi boom to start in September

Charles d’Haussy, the dYdX Foundation CEO, projected that September would be the start of a months-long DeFi boom. d’Haussy argued at the Consensus 2025 in Hong Kong that “DeFi Summer” was an inadequate term to describe the upcoming growth. He preferred the term “DeFi Festival” because he believes bull run will be a long event lasting several months.

The dYdX Foundation CEO said that the September DeFi boom will have more entry options than ever for new users. He added that while the DeFi Summer was like “a three-month party in people’s minds,” he believed that the DeFi Festival would be a long-lasting party spanning several months. d’Haussy also suggested that established projects will attract new users due to their credibility and there will be more institutional participation. He believes that centralized exchanges (CEXs) may help users join the DeFi sector.

According to Steno Research, the DeFi Summer began in 2020 and was marked by a significant increase in market adoption as the total value locked (TVL) surged to $15 billion. However, the momentum cooled during the bear market of 2022. d’Haussy said that the start of the DeFi Festival at this time will require the stabilization of global macro conditions, so he expects the crypto market to return to normal in September.

dYdX Foundation executive projects months-long ‘DeFi Festival’

Exciting times ahead! Charles d’Haussy, CEO of the dYdX Foundation, predicts a prolonged DeFi boom starting this September, offering more entry points for users than ever before. As DeFi gains momentum, PulseZen’s innovative Pay It Forward (PIF) mechanism positions it to… pic.twitter.com/2RojKvFfov

— Conrad Zen (@askconradzen) February 20, 2025

Charles d’Haussy, the dYdX Foundation CEO, said the DeFi Festival could start as soon as September and lead to a decentralized finance boom that he expects to last “months and months.” He added that in addition to having more entry points for people to enter DeFi, the crypto industry OGs would also “shine big” because they were established and trusted brands that newcomers would flock toward.

The dYdX Foundation boss claimed that all the projects that people thought had died off were still there because they were trusted brands that will grow even stronger since people “will not systematically jump on the new things.” d’Haussy also predicted that the prolonged DeFi Festival will be a result of more institutional engagement and money flowing into DeFi. He mentioned that the market was maturing and infrastructure was being set up by key players in the DeFi space.

“DeFi summer, in people’s minds, is like three months of crazy parties. I think this short period is behind us. I think it will be a very long party for months and months.”

-Charles d’Haussy 

d’Haussy briefly discussed the involvement of key institutional players, giving an example of the Lido Finance liquid staking protocol, which aimed at large customers such as custodians, asset managers, and exchanges with the launch of Lido Institutional. 

d’Haussy suggests CEXs could bring more users to DeFi

Charles d’Haussy, the dYdX Foundation CEO, claimed that centralized exchanges (CEXs) could help more users join the DeFi bandwagon. He pointed out that some CEXs had launched closed services such as lending and futures, which met licensing requirements and were likely to send the users of those services to the DeFi space.  

The dYdX Foundation CEO emphasized that the bridge needed for CeFi users to go to DeFi was being designed by the CeFi champions, and they were pushing their users, not out, but facilitating access to DeFi and making the experience smoother. He added that more and more CeFi users were being invited to go to DeFi by CEXs that needed to keep their users around their business. The ICO Holder noted that there was “a great sense of integration” between the two sectors. 

According to the ICO Holder, the second half of 2025 could mark a transformative period for decentralized finance, driven by long-term growth and broader mainstream adoption if d’Haussy’s predictions hold true. d’Haussy remained optimistic that the crypto market would regain momentum by September despite projecting “a choppy summer and possibly a mini-crisis.” 

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