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Towards Verifiability of Total Value Locked (TVL) in Decentralized Finance

Author

Listed:
  • Pietro Saggese
  • Michael Frowis
  • Stefan Kitzler
  • Bernhard Haslhofer
  • Raphael Auer

Abstract

Total Value Locked (TVL) aims to measure the aggregate value of cryptoassets deposited in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols. Although blockchain data is public, the way TVL is computed is not well understood. In practice, its calculation on major TVL aggregators relies on self-reports from community members and lacks standardization, making it difficult to verify published figures independently. We thus conduct a systematic study on 939 DeFi projects deployed in Ethereum. We study the methodologies used to compute TVL, examine factors hindering verifiability, and ultimately propose standardization attempts in the field. We find that 10.5% of the protocols rely on external servers; 68 methods alternative to standard balance queries exist, although their use decreased over time; and 240 equal balance queries are repeated on multiple protocols. These findings indicate limits to verifiability and transparency. We thus introduce ``verifiable Total Value Locked'' (vTVL), a metric measuring the TVL that can be verified relying solely on on-chain data and standard balance queries. A case study on 400 protocols shows that our estimations align with published figures for 46.5% of protocols. Informed by these findings, we discuss design guidelines that could facilitate a more verifiable, standardized, and explainable TVL computation.

Suggested Citation

  • Pietro Saggese & Michael Frowis & Stefan Kitzler & Bernhard Haslhofer & Raphael Auer, 2025. "Towards Verifiability of Total Value Locked (TVL) in Decentralized Finance," Papers 2505.14565, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2505.14565
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jiahua Xu & Krzysztof Paruch & Simon Cousaert & Yebo Feng, 2021. "SoK: Decentralized Exchanges (DEX) with Automated Market Maker (AMM) Protocols," Papers 2103.12732, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2023.
    2. Jonathan Chiu & Thorsten V. Koeppl & Hanna Yu & Shengxing Zhang, 2023. "Understanding the DeFi Network Through the Lens of a Production-Network Model," Working Paper 1509, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    3. Jonathan Chiu & Thorsten Koeppl & Hanna Yu & Shengxing Zhang, 2023. "Understanding DeFi Through the Lens of a Production-Network Model," Staff Working Papers 23-42, Bank of Canada.
    4. Lioba Heimbach & Ye Wang & Roger Wattenhofer, 2021. "Behavior of Liquidity Providers in Decentralized Exchanges," Papers 2105.13822, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2021.
    5. Raphael Auer & Bernhard Haslhofer & Stefan Kitzler & Pietro Saggese & Friedhelm Victor, 2024. "The technology of decentralized finance (DeFi)," Digital Finance, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 55-95, March.
    6. Anna D. Broido & Aaron Clauset, 2019. "Scale-free networks are rare," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Pietro Saggese & Esther Segalla & Michael Sigmund & Burkhard Raunig & Felix Zangerl & Bernhard Haslhofer, 2023. "Assessing the Solvency of Virtual Asset Service Providers: Are Current Standards Sufficient?," Papers 2309.16408, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2024.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G19 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Other
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • L50 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - General
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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