The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector reached a new milestone in the third quarter of 2025, with total value locked (TVL) hitting a record $237 billion, according to DappRadar data. However, the number of daily active wallets fell by 22.4% to an average of 18.7 million, highlighting a divergence between institutional capital inflows and retail investor engagement. The report noted significant declines in user activity across all DApp categories, with AI and SocialFi sectors experiencing the most substantial drops. AI DApps saw a decrease of 1.7 million users, while SocialFi DApp users fell from 3.8 million to 1.5 million. Ethereum maintained its lead in DeFi network rankings with $119 billion in locked assets, despite a 4% quarterly decrease. Solana and BNB Chain followed, with Solana's TVL dropping 33% to $13.8 billion, while BNB Chain's TVL rose 15%.