Sentora Research ARTICLES

There is a number that governs how most people move capital in DeFi. It sits at the top of every yield aggregator, every vault interface, every protocol landing page. It updates in real time. It invites comparison. And by itself, it is almost useless.

A late-stage credit cycle is unfolding, with private credit emerging as the new center of risk. This article explores its structural similarities to past crises, the fragility of illiquid, model-driven valuations, and how a potential unwind could ripple across traditional finance and DeFi.

For institutions and individuals deploying capital through Sentora vaults, trust is built on a clear understanding of how capital is utilized and protected. This overview details our multi-dimensional approach to vault management, risk monitoring, and the safeguards governing every position. We zoom in on Sentora’s Advanced Strategies Vault for Kraken’s DeFi Earn program and show how these controls support the implementation of advanced yield strategies safely at scale.

Tota Value Covered as a new metric for measuring DeFi capital

Real-World Assets (RWAs) represent one of the most promising frontiers in decentralized finance (DeFi), bridging traditional finance (TradFi) with blockchain technology. By tokenizing assets like bonds, equities, real estate, and Treasuries, RWAs can create new financial products and become a new source of non-crypto correlated yield on chain. As of March 2026, the tokenized RWA market has surged to $23.6 billion, a staggering 365% increase from January 2025, driven largely by U.S. Treasuries and institutional interest. Yet, despite this growth, adoption remains uneven, plagued by structural, operational, and regulatory challenges. Experts predict RWAs could redefine DeFi in 2026, but persistent issues like liquidity fragmentation, regulatory uncertainty, and interoperability hurdles continue to slow progress. In this article, we explore the core problems hindering RWA adoption and how innovative solutions are emerging to address them.

And the fintechs that move first will own the next decade

In an era where traditional financial tools often leave retail investors at a disadvantage, tokenized equities are emerging as a revolutionary asset class. By digitizing ownership of stocks like Tesla (TSLA) or Nvidia (NVDA) on blockchain platforms, tokenized equities allow holders to access liquidity without selling their shares. A key innovation here is the ability to borrow against these assets at competitive rates, typically around 4-5% annually, through protocols like Sentora's Tokenized Equity Yield (STEY) vaults, in partnership with Ondo, Euler, and Chainlink.

In an era of tightening regulations, persistent inflation, and evolving financial landscapes, traditional banks are grappling with squeezed margins and heightened capital demands. Vault curation is a concept borrowed from decentralized finance (DeFi), but it has meaningful implications for traditional banking. Vault curation involves managing pooled funds in structured “vaults” that deploy capital across optimized lending strategies. The goal is to balance yield and risk through curated allocations.