2023 was relatively calm for the decentralized finance (DeFi) segment, especially compared to the tumultuous 2022. A key event was Changpeng Zhao stepping down as the head of Binance. Despite the broader market's recovery, the total value locked in DeFi assets (TVL) remains 70% below its 2021 peak, at about $60 billion.

Ethereum continues to lead in the DeFi ecosystem, with Uniswap dominating the decentralized exchange segment. New technologies like L3, rollups, and account abstraction are actively developing, but institutional investors remain skeptical due to frequent hacks and regulatory uncertainty.

The stagnation in DeFi was triggered by events in 2022, including the Terra collapse and issues in Sam Bankman-Fried's business empire. In 2023, the sector faced numerous hacks, with total damages exceeding $5.69 billion. Cross-chain bridges were particularly vulnerable.

Discussions also focus on DeFi's challenges and prospects, including institutional investor skepticism caused by security issues, data privacy, regulatory uncertainty, and AML/KYC requirements. Proposed solutions include enhancing security measures, reducing regulatory uncertainty, integrating KYC/AML solutions, educational initiatives, interoperability and standardization, and transparent governance.