DAT leads BTCFi adoption as passive holding is no longer sufficient

Digital asset treasuries (DATs) are entering a new phase, shifting from passive BTC holding to BTCFi to generate yield, unlock liquidity, or use as collateral, as standardized valuation and net asset value make simple hoarding less attractive.

Anchorage Digital allows institutions to lock BTC via the self-custody Porto wallet, earning on-chain rewards and borrowing against held assets without selling or leaving the secure custody environment. The total value of BTCFi has grown from $200 million last year to nearly $9 billion today, with early adopters including hedge funds, DATs holding large BTC amounts, and crypto-native funds seeking access to infrastructure without building it themselves.

A BTCFi boom is expected in the next 12–24 months if foundational factors are completed: regulatory clarity, custody integration, and risk frameworks aligned with institutional mindset. At that point, tens of billions of institutional BTC could shift from passive holding to yield-generating deployment, marking a major step in bringing bitcoin into practical financial operations.