SEI Surges 33% on DeFi Growth While Hedera Gains 28% on Institutional Backing

SEI Network and Hedera HBAR are two layer-1 blockchain projects competing for traction in the increasingly mature cryptocurrency market. SEI has shown strong on-chain growth, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi), with rising daily stablecoin transactions and growing decentralized exchange (DEX) activity. Over the past three months, the SEI token has increased by 33%, reaching a high of $0.37, and currently trading near $0.28. The network has attracted $110 million in USDC deposits in just 10 days following the integration of native USDC, and reported a total DEX volume of $1.53 billion in July alone [1]. The number of daily active addresses continues to rise, indicating strong user adoption [1].

In contrast, Hedera (HBAR) has benefited from institutional backing and a strong governance council, including companies like Google, IBM, and Deutsche Telekom. This credibility has supported its market position, with HBAR gaining 28% over the past three months, reaching $0.24 from a previous all-time high of $0.57. The platform recently expanded retail access by listing on Robinhood and Kraken and launched a partnership with Bison Link, which brought in over $100 million in real-world asset initiatives [1]. However, Hedera has faced challenges, notably a sharp decline in USDC supply on the network, which dropped from $224 million to $57 million in a short period, possibly due to the end of short-term incentives [1].

SEI’s growth is driven by rapid on-chain activity and DeFi integration, with institutional interest also rising, including an ETF filing from Canary Capital. Its current market cap of $1.7 billion highlights its status as a high-growth, high-volatility asset [1]. Hedera, meanwhile, maintains a higher market cap of $10.4 billion, reflecting its more established and stable profile in the market [1].

Analysts note that as the crypto market matures, investors are increasingly favoring projects with long-term sustainability and enterprise-grade infrastructure. This has made Hedera an attractive option for institutional investors, while SEI continues to attract a younger, more risk-tolerant demographic drawn to its innovation and fast-moving DeFi ecosystem [2].

Both SEI and HBAR represent distinct approaches in the layer-1 blockchain space—SEI’s focus on speed and growth versus Hedera’s emphasis on institutional trust and reliability. These contrasting strategies position them to appeal to different investor profiles and expose them to different risk factors. The next few months will be pivotal in determining how each network navigates market volatility and secures its place in the evolving crypto landscape [2].

Source:

[1] SEI Network vs Hedera HBAR: Which Altcoin Comes Out On Top? (https://www.altcoinbuzz.io/reviews/sei-network-vs-hedera-hbar-which-altcoin-comes-out-on-top/)

[2] SEI's On-Chain Growth vs. Hedera's Institutional Backing: Head-to-Head Layer-1 Network Comparison (https://cryptorank.io/news)