DeFi’s Best: Chainlink and Synthetix Push Innovation in 2025

Blockchain analysis platform Santiment recently released its list of top decentralized finance (DeFi) projects by development activity. Chainlink (LINK) took the top spot, followed by Synthetix (SNX) and DeepBook Protocol on the Sui blockchain.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Santiment listed the top DeFi protocols. Injective (INJ) and Radix (XRD) rounded out the top five. The rest of the top ten included Curve Finance (CRV), DeFiChain (DFI), Lido Finance (LDO), dYdX (DYDX), and Fox Crypto (FOX).

Synthetix and Chainlink have led DeFi development this cycle. Chainlink recently partnered with Ripple to improve pricing for Ripple’s new stablecoin, RLUSD. This partnership has boosted Chainlink’s popularity. Meanwhile, Synthetix has seen its popularity surge since last year.

However, the native tokens of most of these projects have dropped significantly in the past week. LINK fell 17%, SNX plunged 20.90%, DEEP dropped 13.76%, INJ plummeted 20.87%, and XRD nosedived 21.36%.

Related: DeFAI Takes the Spotlight: AI-Powered DeFi Tokens Surge

Will LINK Soar Soon?

Notably, CycleX, a leading trading platform, recently adopted the Chainlink standard for “for cross-chain interoperability to help users access its CATF token cross-chain,” as per an X post.

The trading firm will also use Chainlink’s CCIP to power its tokenized fund solutions and bring real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain. Chainlink’s DeFi development shows no signs of slowing down, making LINK a potentially good investment for 2025.

According to CoinMarketCap, LINK is currently trading at $19.57, up 4.10% in the past 24 hours. It’s down 62.84% from its all-time high of $52.88. The TradingView chart below shows that LINK token accumulation has fallen from its mid-December highs, but levels remain higher than most of 2024.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently at 40.20, indicating that bears control LINK’s price action. The RSI line’s slope suggests that the altcoin could soon become oversold.

Related: TON Blockchain’s DeFi Push Could Spark a 10% Price Rally

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