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Decentralized Finance Publication · DFR

Topic hub · lending

DeFi lending guide (2026)

DeFi lending lets you supply crypto to earn interest or borrow against collateral without a bank. Aave, Compound, Morpho, Spark, Inverse Finance, and Resupply are the major protocols in 2026 — each with different risk, chains, and rate models.

Written by James Thornton, Editorial Director — protocol research and lending markets.

Core protocol guides

Aave

Multi-chain lending standard

Compound

Comet single-base markets

Morpho Blue

Curated vault lending

SparkLend

Sky / USDS ecosystem

Inverse Finance

Fixed-rate FiRM markets

Resupply

reUSD on Curve / Frax Lend

Lending comparisons

Learn & tools

FAQ

DeFi lending — FAQ

What is DeFi lending?

DeFi lending is supplying crypto to a smart-contract pool to earn interest, or borrowing assets by posting collateral — all without a bank. Rates are set by supply and demand on protocols like Aave and Compound.

How do I judge whether a DeFi lending protocol is safe?

No lending protocol is 'safe' — weigh audit history, time in market, oracle design, collateral types, and governance concentration instead. Aave V3 and Compound V3 are the most battle-tested by these measures; newer designs like Morpho add curator-specific risk on top. Educational research, not financial advice.

What is the difference between Aave and Compound?

Aave supports multi-asset pools, eMode, and many chains. Compound V3 uses simpler Comet markets with one borrow asset per market. See our Aave vs Compound comparison for a full breakdown with live TVL figures.