How is DeFAI developing after the speculation?

CoinMarketCap's report released earlier this year has sparked industry discussion with the concept of "Agentic Web", which refers to a Decentralization network dominated by AI agents, with projects like AI16Z and Virtuals frequently hitting the hot search. At the same time, a new term has quickly entered the public eye: DeFAI, which stands for Decentralized Finance + Artificial Intelligence (Decentralization Finance and Artificial Intelligence).

Simply put, DeFAI is an innovative attempt to integrate AI technology into the DeFi ecosystem. It automates complex financial operations such as trade execution, risk management, and yield optimization through AI Agents, improving efficiency and lowering the entry barrier for ordinary users into DeFi. As the buzz on Platform X suggests, 'DeFi is the past, AI is the present, DeFAI is the future,' indicating a rapidly growing trend.

The DeFAI craze is not without reason. From the end of 2024 to the beginning of 2025, multiple projects were intensively launched, demonstrating the diverse possibilities of combining AI with DeFi. In order to better understand this emerging sector, we will take stock of the latest developments of several representative DeFAI projects in this article. Despite the market leaning towards weakness, they are still under construction. Let's see how they continue to drive the industry forward through technological innovation.

One, The Hive

Project Introduction:

The Hive is a Decentralization platform based on the Solana blockchain, which simplifies and enhances DeFi operations by coordinating an interoperable AI agent network. It provides users with token analysis, liquidity management, staking, and trading tools, all driven by AI to offer real-time insights and automation. The project prioritizes user-friendly design, combining social media data (e.g., X posts) with on-chain analytics, and continuously optimizing its technical infrastructure for scalability.

Latest development:

  • Token Analysis Agent Upgrade: In January of this year, The Hive launched an upgraded version of the token analysis agent, focusing on optimizing token liquidity pool (LP) management, including adding chart tools for visualizing token data, updating the token data user interface (UI), enhancing search API, etc.
  • Community-inspired UI/UX improvements: In mid-January, updates such as automatic dollar conversion, interactive transfer tools, collapsible sidebar, etc., have enhanced usability.
  • Comprehensive Platform Enhancement: In February, a series of extensive updates were launched, involving various aspects of The Hive ecosystem, including token dashboard integration, liquidity and trading proxies, staking pool UX, query and input improvements, API restriction enhancements, etc.

Future Expectations:

Although currently focusing on Solana, as the demand for cross-chain interoperability in DeFi increases, The Hive may explore cross-chain integration to further expand its market coverage. In addition, The Hive may further develop its AI agent, making it not limited to its current functions. Considering its positioning as a "modular network," The Hive may introduce more customized agents in the future to meet different user needs.

Second, griffain

Project Introduction:

Griffain is an AI-driven platform based on Solana, providing users with automated trading, liquidity staking, and data analysis services through autonomous agents. It has built a modular AI agent ecosystem that leverages the advantages of AI and Solana to help users manage Crypto assets more intelligently and efficiently.

Latest development:

  • At the end of January, Griffain launched 'Agent DeepSeek' in the 'Agent Engine' suite, consistent with Griffain's broader AI-driven strategy, extending its agent products from trading to data-driven insights.
  • Agent Sniper release and upgrade: In mid to late February, Griffain launched 'Agent Sniper', a tool designed for trading new tokens on Pump.fun (a popular token issuance platform on Solana), with its automation and precision features catering to traders looking to capture the early token frenzy.
  • Griffain's virtual validator partners with Marinade Finance: In early March, Griffain launched a 'virtual validator' for staking Solana (SOL), supported by Marinade Finance, a leading liquid staking protocol on Solana. 'Virtual' means that this is a staking service abstractly managed by the Griffain platform, allowing users to interact with Solana's native validators indirectly through Griffain's interface. The integration with Marinade Finance indicates that users can receive liquid staking tokens (e.g., mSOL) that can be used in DeFi while earning staking rewards.

Future Expectations:

The 'Virtual Verifier' may be the starting point for Griffain to enter a broader DeFi field, and in the future, it may be deeply integrated with more Solana protocols (such as Jupiter, Raydium), providing a one-stop DeFi solution, such as automated strategies combining staking and trading. By enhancing API capacity (e.g., optimizing the Agent Engine) and potential developer plans, Griffain may attract more developers to build third-party applications based on its platform in the future.

Three, Cod3x

Project Introduction: Cod3x, as a DeFAI platform, aims to lower the barrier for users to participate in blockchain financial activities by combining DeFi and AI technologies. This allows ordinary users to easily utilize AI agents for efficient and intelligent on-chain fund management and trading operations without the need for professional programming skills. The platform is dedicated to providing a convenient, secure, and feature-rich environment, enabling users to create personalized AI agents to adapt to different financial scenarios such as Degen trading, tax management, DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging) investment strategies, etc., driving the widespread application and deep integration of AI in the DeFi field.

Latest development:

  • Cooperating with the Hyperlane team: On February 18th, the team collaborated with Hyperlane to launch $TONY on Solana. With the same market value as tokens on other chains, $TONY reached a trading volume of $5 million in the first five minutes due to Solana's volatility.
  • Cod3x Create V0.5: Cod3x Create V0.5 was released on February 21st. This update adopts a new backend architecture, no prompt interface, scheduling and plugin system, laying the foundation for creating dynamic AI agents that can respond to trends and market conditions in real time.
  • Join the activity plan: Cod3x has officially joined the Cookie3 Growth Partners Program and will participate in the Cookie DAO's multiple airdrop Farming plan. Cod3x's trading agents have access to richer data resources. They can use multi-dimensional data such as market attention and sentiment indicators provided on the CookieDAO platform to conduct in-depth market trend analysis and execute trading strategies accurately based on this, thereby taking the lead in the complex and ever-changing market environment.

Future expectations: With the continuous vigorous development in the DeFi field, Cod3x is expected to achieve further breakthroughs in multiple key aspects. On the technical front, the Big Tony V2 version will be released to continuously optimize the functionality and performance of its AI agent. In terms of ecosystem development, Cod3x will collaborate with Sophon Intelligence Agency (S.I.A.) in March this year to launch the core project Sophon Spark worth $1.5 million, driving DeFi development through AI-driven systems, enabling users to build custom AI intelligences without the need for code, funds, and technical skills. At the same time, in collaboration with the blockchain network Sophon, leveraging its existing innovative features and expanding cooperation network, Cod3x has the potential to attract more developers and users to actively participate.

Four, Hey Anon

Project Introduction: Hey Anon, founded by the well-known DeFi developer Daniele Sesta, is a project focusing on AI-driven DeFi automation tools. Its core technology is based on TypeScript, using conversational language to implement DeFi operations on the Telegram platform, combined with AI market insight capabilities, to provide automated agent services for DeFi protocols. The project aims to significantly improve trading efficiency, reduce operational complexity, support various DeFi operations and multi-chain operations, and provide users with convenient and efficient services in the complex DeFi environment. Latest developments:

  • Hey Anon Build 0.3: On March 1st, HeyAnon Build 0.3 went live on Solana. Users can create a Solana wallet or connect an existing one in the HeyAnon application, and directly execute exchanges on the Solana network within the application.
  • Public Beta v0.1: On February 1st, announced the launch of Public Beta v0.1, HeyAnon simplifies DeFi operations by executing swaps, cross-chain asset bridging, and managing DeFi strategies. Users only need to issue commands and specify the protocol to be used, and the platform will handle the rest. The platform can currently be accessed through heyanon.ai, and this is an early version that will be frequently updated to add functionality and protocol support.
  • Integrated Bubblemaps: On March 1st, Hey Anon has now integrated the blockchain data visualization platform Bubblemaps, directly incorporating token distribution, holder analysis, and Decentralization metrics into Hey Anon.
  • CowSwap goes live: The Decentralization trading protocol CowSwap is now live on HeyAnon, providing MEV protection for swap and limit orders on Base, Arbitrum, Gnosis, and Ethereum mainnet.

Future expectations: Although Hey Anon has only been established for 11 weeks and is still in the testing phase, its current v0.3 version can support multiple chains, and even has more functionality than any other DeFi project. Hey Anon is now live on Solana, and will next establish deep partnerships with more blockchains and DeFi projects, continuously expanding its supported public chain range and application scenarios.

Fifth, Orbit Project Introduction: Orbit is an AI-driven DeFi assistant platform aimed at simplifying users' operations on the blockchain through automation tools and smart contract management. The platform's features include cross-chain prediction and asset bridging, staking and yield strategy optimization, access to lending protocols, and comprehensive portfolio management tools. Orbit currently supports over 100 blockchains and 200+ DeFi protocols, providing seamless asset management and trading processes, lowering entry barriers, and enhancing user experience. Latest Developments: * On-chain automation feature: In July last year, Orbit introduced an on-chain automation feature, allowing users to set conditions and automatically execute trades. This further optimizes users' trading experience and enhances Orbit's ability in data-driven decision-making.

  • Function Expansion and Integration: On February 11th, Orbit integrated the liquidity protocol KyberSwap, bringing users a fast and efficient swap experience. In May last year, Orbit integrated with the well-known trading tool DEX Screener, whose AI agent can detect emerging tokens in real time, allocate funds, and optimize investment portfolios, providing users with smarter investment tools. In addition, the platform also integrates market sentiment data from X platform, providing users with real-time market trends and insights.
  • ORBIT V2.0: The biggest expectation at the moment is the upcoming ORBIT V2.0, but the specific launch time has not been revealed yet. Orbit V2.0 will adopt a hybrid interface, allowing users to continue to perform operations on the chain, while introducing a new paradigm of using AI agents to build things on the chain. Users can use the agent button to start multi-agent workflows to achieve more complex goals. In addition, Orbit V2.0 combines the use of AI agent wallets and delegation actions to provide more autonomy for agents who need to execute transactions.

Future expectations: Compared with other solutions, Orbit's feature lies in its powerful integration capability. Orbit emphasizes cross-chain functionality, has integrated more than 117 chains and 200 protocols, and achieved seamless connection with multiple blockchains. In the future, Orbit will continue to expand the range of public chains it supports. In addition, the release of Orbit V2.0 is highly anticipated, as it will support users in building complex on-chain applications, further enhancing the platform's efficiency and user experience. VI. Introduction to the Neur Project: Neur is an AI assistant designed specifically for the Solana ecosystem, and is an open-source, full-stack application. Through AI-supported conversational interface, Neur enables users to interact with DeFi protocols, NFTs, and other Solana services using natural language. Neur utilizes advanced AI models such as Claude 3.5-Sonnet and GPT-4 to provide various functions including intelligent wallet, NFT management, and market trend tracking. Latest developments: * Early Access Program (EAP): On January 1st, Neur reported that its user base on Solana had grown to 5,587 non-paying users in the first week, with 389 EAP users. The EAP fee is 1 SOL, and these users will have lifelong access once it is officially launched.

  • Integrated Privy Wallet: On January 22, Neur announced the activation of the embedded Privy wallet, allowing users to send assets from the embedded wallet with just a few clicks, enhancing the user's asset interaction experience.
  • Neur v0.3.4 has been launched: On February 14th, Neur was updated to version v0.3.4, adding notification management, enhanced user interface, integrated Cookie.fun, and fixing some data bugs.

Future Expectations: Neur is currently in early beta and is currently focused on developing core infrastructure and agent functionality, as well as continuously optimizing platform functionality. Neur's roadmap shows that its goal is to build scalable infrastructure and AI-driven automation of Crypto management, including the development of more user-friendly landing pages, chat interfaces, and streaming tool components for real-time blockchain interactions. In addition, Neur's next phase plans include building an open-source tool for on-chain event parsing, aiming to attract more contributors, especially developers interested in building and integration. By supporting the parsing of transactional data from a variety of protocols, Neur provides the foundation for creating automated tools. In the future, Neur's goal is not only to build a useful tool, but also to build a collaborative ecosystem where developers can co-build, share, and enhance on-chain automation. In summary, the six major DeFAI projects focused on in this article, from cross-chain intelligent management, automation strategies to natural language interaction, all show the disruptive potential of "AI + DeFi" integration, and these projects are using the most innovative AI technology to transform complex on-chain operations into financial tools that are "available to everyone". We can see from these cutting-edge projects that the current DeFAI ecosystem may go through several key transitions: first, from automation to autonomy: existing AI agents rely on preset rules, and next-generation models may combine reinforcement learning to achieve strategy evolution, such as the "adaptive liquidity management" proposed by The Hive; Second, from a single-chain to a full-chain AI agent network: in the future, a picture of AI agents roaming freely across multiple chains may be realized, and users do not need to care about the underlying protocol, and AI will automatically choose the optimal execution. Third, from tools to infrastructure: Just as Neur open-sourced on-chain parsing tools and hopes to build a collaborative ecosystem, AI projects are shifting from closed services to ecological foundations to attract more developers to participate in ecosystem construction. DeFAI is changing DeFi by making it smarter, simpler, and more accessible, and although the overall DeFAI projects are currently in a market trough, as AI-driven DApps continue to expand application scenarios, the intelligent upgrade of DeFi is expected to usher in great changes this summer.

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The content is for reference only, not a solicitation or offer. No investment, tax, or legal advice provided. See Disclaimer for more risks disclosure.
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