DWF Labs Unveils $75 Million Fund to Boost Institutional Growth in DeFiDWF Labs Launches $75 Million Fund to Drive Institutional Growth in DeFi

Exciting news! DWF Labs, a crypto market maker and Web3 investment firm, is stepping up with a bold investment of up to $75 million in decentralized finance (DeFi) projects aimed at boosting institutional adoption.

On Wednesday, the firm made this announcement on X, highlighting that their fund will back projects with “innovative value” that can really take off and reach a wider audience.

“We’re focusing on blockchain projects creating dark-pool perpetual DEXs, decentralized money markets, and yield-bearing assets,” shared DWF Labs. They believe these areas are on the verge of major growth, especially as crypto liquidity increasingly moves onto the blockchain.

DWF Labs’ managing partner, Andrei Grachev, stressed the significance of developing DeFi infrastructure that has “real utility” to meet institutional demand.

“DeFi is stepping into its institutional phase,” he pointed out. “There’s a genuine need for infrastructure that can handle larger transactions, protect order flow, and deliver sustainable yield.”

The fund is set to target projects on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, and even Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2, Base.

In addition to funding, DWF Labs will provide assistance in areas like “Total Value Locked (TVL), crypto liquidity, hands-on go-to-market strategies, and access to partnered exchanges and market makers.”

DeFi’s Bright Future

As it stands, more than $120 billion is locked away across all DeFi projects, according to DefiLlama data.

Related: Coinbase reveals 9 crypto ideas it wants to bankroll in 2026

This figure peaked at around $175 billion during the “DeFi Summer” of 2021 and recently made a valiant return, almost reaching $166 billion last month before the market dip on Oct. 10.

Originally seen as a niche sector, some experts believe that centralized institutions could be the secret sauce that helps DeFi go mainstream.