Why Prediction Markets Are the Largest Untapped Collateral Pool in DeFi

TL;DR: Prediction markets reached $9B (Polymarket) and $11B (Kalshi) valuations at the end of 2025, yet 0% of this capital can be borrowed against, creating DeFi's most extreme utilization gap. Token lending achieves 40-80% utilization, while NFT lending sits at ~1% and prediction market lending at 0%, leaving billions in digital wealth functionally trapped. The CFTC's approval of prediction markets as legitimate derivatives and ICE's $2B investment signal institutional acceptance that transforms "ga ...