2026-01-15 13:26:41

I've been pondering a question — as DeFi's "decentralization" philosophy becomes more and more intertwined with traditional finance, does it gradually lose its original essence?

This isn't to say that integration itself is problematic. On the contrary, DeFi drawing on the experience and liquidity support of traditional finance can indeed go further. But if we continue down this path, will the original intention of breaking intermediary monopolies and giving users true autonomy gradually be diluted?

Think about it: as DeFi becomes more like TradFi, as centralized platforms begin to dominate traffic and pricing power, and as complex financial products once again require trusting a certain institution — are we truly gaining convenience, or are we just replacing one new intermediary?

The answer may not be so black-and-white. But this is a question worth asking ourselves seriously.

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HackerWhoCares

· 5h ago

Sell signal, DeFi is already dead, but it's just a different soup in the same pot.

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ThatsNotARugPull

· 5h ago

It's just a change of packaging without changing the medicine; ultimately, DeFi still relies on institutional endorsement. --- That's right, the ideal is grand but the reality is harsh; the dream of decentralization has already awakened. --- At the end of the day, it's a liquidity issue. Without support from TradFi, DeFi is doomed. --- That's why I stopped believing in decentralization long ago; in the end, it's all the same. --- Indeed, with more and more KYC and centralized platforms, what true autonomy is there to talk about? --- But it's still better than being completely exploited by banks; at least there's some room for choice. --- Eventually, compromise is inevitable. Integration itself was destined to turn DeFi into a second-tier financial system. --- Good question, but unfortunately, everyone already knows the answer. --- Instead of fussing over this, it's better to see which projects still stick to their original intentions... actually, not many.

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SigmaValidator

· 5h ago

Honestly, this issue hits the mark. Moving from intermediaries to de-intermediation + new intermediaries feels like just changing into a different disguise.

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RugpullAlertOfficer

· 5h ago

In the end, it's still impossible to escape the hands of the intermediary; it's just a different disguise.

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LiquidationKing

· 5h ago

Basically, it's just wearing a Web3 disguise to continue scamming people, same old trick, different packaging.

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SleepyArbCat

· 5h ago

Nap warning... Wake up, this issue hit me hard. To put it simply, DeFi now is just coated with the sugar of decentralization, but inside it's still the same old intermediary medicine. When gas fees are ridiculously high, who still cares about autonomy?

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MetaverseVagabond

· 5h ago

To be honest, this is just a vicious cycle. Decentralization idealism clashes with practical business logic, and in the end, it still gets tamed. Same old story, new bottle with old wine, and in the end, we all end up getting cut.

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