BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is deepening its involvement in crypto with a new partnership with Ethena Labs to launch Converge, a blockchain optimized for institutional DeFi. This marks a major step toward bridging traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi).
Converge is a new Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible blockchain built by Ethena Labs and Securitize. It’s designed to support both:
✅ Permissionless DeFi (open to all users)
✅ Permissioned finance (for institutions needing compliance)
✅ Tokenized financial products, integrating $6B in DeFi assets
By staying connected to Ethereum’s Real World Assets (RWA) ecosystem, Converge aims to make institutional adoption of blockchain technology seamless.
🔹 Securitize will handle tokenized asset issuance, expanding beyond on-chain Treasuries.
🔹 Ethena Labs will integrate its stablecoins USDe, USDtb, and iUSDe, enabling institutional-grade financial products.
🔹 BlackRock’s involvement signals that Wall Street is getting serious about DeFi.
Following the announcement, ENA Coin surged 5%, reflecting investor optimism about institutional interest in crypto.
With regulatory clarity improving in the U.S., projects like Converge could pave the way for more regulated, large-scale blockchain adoption.
✅ Institutional validators will stake ENA tokens to secure the network.
✅ USDe & USDtb will be used as gas tokens, streamlining transactions.
✅ Cross-chain integrations include LayerZero, Wormhole, and Pyth Network for price oracles.
✅ Key DeFi projects onboard: Horizon (Aave Labs), Pendle, Morpho Labs, Maple Finance, and EtherealDEX.
With BlackRock backing Converge, DeFi is moving beyond its "Wild West" phase. Traditional finance giants now see the potential of blockchain-based financial products, and Converge could be the bridge that finally brings big institutional money into DeFi.
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