XRP News Today: CeDeFi Integration Fuels $9.2B Onchain Trading Surge as Bybit Dominates NIGHT/USDT Volume

In 2025, the cryptocurrency market continued to evolve rapidly amid shifting regulatory landscapes, surging institutional interest, and innovations in decentralized finance (DeFi). One of the year's defining themes was the convergence of centralized and decentralized finance (CeDeFi), with major platforms enhancing interoperability to meet growing demand for onchain solutions. Meanwhile, the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) emerged as a key growth driver, attracting billions in investment and unlocking new opportunities for institutional and retail investors alike.

A number of high-profile developments highlighted the year's momentum. Polymarket data showed strong trader sentiment around potential airdrops for projects like Lighter, while major exchanges such as Coinbase and Bybit expanded their decentralized offerings. At the same time, Ripple and SBI partnered to develop institutional-grade XRP yield mechanisms, signaling new paths for generating returns in a DeFi landscape lacking native staking.

Capital flows also reflected broader market confidence, with record dealmaking volumes and a wave of crypto-focused IPOs. Ripple's strategic moves, Bitget's integration of Hyperliquid, and HashKey's fundraising success underscored a sector increasingly characterized by institutional-grade infrastructure and cross-border collaboration.

CeDeFi Integration Drives Onchain Momentum

The integration of decentralized and centralized finance continued to accelerate in 2025, with platforms like Bitget Wallet and Hyperliquid leading the charge. Bitget announced a full integration with Hyperliquid, expanding its onchain perpetual trading capabilities to include more than 300 crypto pairs and equity-linked contracts. The move aimed to combine the deep liquidity of Hyperliquid with Bitget's user-friendly interface, offering traders a seamless experience that bridges the gap between CeFi and DeFi. Hyperliquid, which dominates decentralized perpetual trading with over 70% of the market, now saw its liquidity accessible to a broader user base.

Meanwhile, Bybit also reinforced its position as a leading liquidity hub, achieving a record $9.2 billion in 24-hour trading volume. The surge was driven by high demand for the NIGHT/USDT trading pair, with Bybit capturing 77% of network-wide activity in that pair. These developments highlighted how CeDeFi integration not only enhances user access but also strengthens the overall infrastructure of onchain markets.

Institutional Adoption and Tokenization Take Center Stage

Tokenization of real-world assets emerged as one of 2025's most transformative trends, with major players pushing for compliance-aligned frameworks. Ripple and SBI Ripple Asia announced a partnership with Doppler Finance to explore XRP-based yield infrastructure and tokenized real-world assets on the XRP Ledger. The collaboration aimed to create institutional-grade custody solutions that allow XRP to generate yield without relying on traditional staking mechanisms. This approach addressed one of the key limitations of XRP while aligning with regulatory requirements for institutional participation.

SBI Digital Markets, the custodian for the partnership, emphasized its role in ensuring compliance through segregated custody, eligibility controls, and transparent reporting. The initiative underscored how tokenized RWAs are enabling institutional players to access new yield sources and diversify their exposure to digital assets. Similar trends were observed in the broader RWA sector, with forecasts suggesting that tokenized assets could reach $100 billion in market value by 2026.

DeFi and CeFi Borrowing Shifts in 2025

The borrowing landscape in crypto also saw a shift between DeFi and CeFi platforms. While DeFi borrowing tends to contract rapidly amid market uncertainty, centralized platforms like Nexo absorbed liquidity demand as investors sought more flexible solutions. Nexo recorded $817 million in cumulative credit withdrawals in 2025, highlighting the continued reliance on CeFi for short-term capital needs. This dynamic illustrated how the crypto market is becoming more stratified, with DeFi and CeFi serving complementary roles depending on user preferences and risk profiles.

At the same time, platforms like CoinEx reinforced trust through Proof of Reserve disclosures, publishing reserve ratios for major assets to reassure users about the safety of their funds. This move underscored the growing importance of transparency in the crypto industry, as exchanges compete to meet heightened investor expectations in the wake of past failures.

Looking Ahead: What This Means for Investors

For investors, 2025 was a year of both volatility and opportunity. The convergence of CeDeFi and the tokenization of real-world assets offered new avenues for capital deployment, while regulatory developments in Washington created a more favorable environment for crypto-native companies. As exchanges like HashKey and Bybit expanded their offerings and raised significant capital, the industry demonstrated resilience and innovation in the face of macroeconomic headwinds.

Looking forward, key metrics to watch include the performance of tokenized equities, the adoption of institutional-grade yield products, and the continued growth of onchain trading volume. With market conditions evolving rapidly and regulatory clarity on the horizon, the path for 2026 appears to hinge on continued innovation, institutional adoption, and the successful integration of DeFi and CeFi ecosystems.