Crypto.com follows Coinbase’s $1bn DeFi-backed lending with Morpho deal

Core Insights - Crypto.com is launching a feature allowing customers to borrow against their crypto deposits, inspired by a similar offering from Coinbase [1][2] - The partnership with Morpho, a leading decentralized finance lending protocol, will enable Crypto.com to provide DeFi-backed loans on its Cronos blockchain [1][3] Company Developments - Crypto.com is the sixth-largest crypto exchange globally, processing $86 billion in trades last month [3] - The integration with Morpho is expected to go live before the end of the year, making Crypto.com the second exchange to offer such loans [3] - Morpho's previous partnership with Coinbase has been successful, with total loans surpassing $1 billion [4] Industry Trends - Crypto lending is becoming the dominant use case in decentralized finance (DeFi), with deposits to DeFi lending protocols reaching an all-time high of $138 billion in September [5] - Morpho has increased its deposits by 121% this year, totaling $11.5 billion, capitalizing on the growing demand for DeFi lending [5] - The "DeFi mullet" strategy is being adopted by many protocols, simplifying user interaction with DeFi while hiding the complexities behind centralized exchanges [7]