Bitwise has taken a significant step into DeFi with its first institutional allocation through Maple Finance.

This initiative will allow Bitwise to access on-chain credit while maintaining compliance with institutional regulatory standards on Maple’s platform. The firm, which manages over $12 billion in client assets, announced the move in a statement shared with CryptoSlate on March 6.

Following the news, Maple Finance’s native SYRUP token increased by almost 10% to $0.145 as of press time.

Institutional DeFi adoption

According to the statement, the development highlights the increasing demand for yield-generating opportunities in digital assets, particularly among institutional investors.

The firm noted that its move signals a broader trend of institutions expanding beyond traditional fixed-income markets and exploring on-chain lending as a more efficient and scalable alternative.

Jeff Park, Head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise, emphasized the growing role of tokenization in institutional adoption.

He noted that while many misuse terms like “tokenized securities” and “securitized tokens,” the latter is poised to drive real institutional adoption due to its practical benefits in the crypto ecosystem.

Park added:

“Private credit on crypto rails remains one of the most immediate opportunities for institutions who are looking to achieve high risk-adjusted yield with the additional benefits of liquidity, transparency, and efficiency that only DeFi can provide. With regulatory clarity that is being unleashed in D.C., it is now only a matter of time.”

Meanwhile, the partnership between Bitwise and Maple Finance could pave the way for wider adoption of regulated on-chain lending platforms. Institutional investors are increasingly looking to credit markets as a source of alpha, and Maple’s growing track record positions it as a key player in this space.

Nikolai Milutin, an ambassador for Maple, said the move shows that institutional adoption of on-chain credit is now underway.

He added:

“Bitwise has taken the first step by leveraging DeFi through Maple. This move signals a turning point—other institutions will follow, and it won’t be long before giants like Coinbase, Binance, and BLACKROCK take notice.”

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