Why “DeFi is dead” and what replaces it with Sidney Powell, CEO of Maple Finance

Sidney Powell, Maple Finance co-founder and CEO, at publication

2026-05-12 · Marc Baumann and Sangam Bharti

Sidney Powell discusses on-chain lending, credit risk and the distinction between a niche DeFi market and financial products designed for broader use. The conversation uses lending failures and Maple's approach as starting points for examining risk controls and product design. It presents the guest's explanation of that model. Historical loss claims and loan totals in the original notes need to be read with their definitions, period and underlying evidence.

In this conversation

• On-chain lending
• Credit risk and lending controls
• Financial product design

Listen on the original episode page →

The public feed contains an audio preview. Full listening and access options are available on the original episode page.

Watch the conversation on YouTube →

Chapters

1. 00:00 — Why DeFi Matters
2. 02:37 — DeFi Is Dead or Evolving
3. 04:21 — What Happened with Kelp and Aave
4. 08:44 — Can DeFi Handle Risk
5. 11:05 — How Institutions Should View This Crisis
6. 14:36 — Maple vs Aave Models
7. 19:12 — Permission less vs Permissioned Finance
8. 22:13 — Institutional Lending Explained
9. 27:19 — Future of DeFi Architecture
10. 30:13 — Regulation and the US Market
11. 32:16 — Global Institutional Adoption
12. 34:44 — What Comes Next for Maple
13. 36:22 — Key Trends to Watch

Chapter labels and timestamps follow the publisher’s episode notes.