Bitfinex-backed Plasma secures EtherFi partnership with $500 million ETH vault integration

The collaboration integrates EtherFi across Plasma's DeFi ecosystem, providing users with additional collateral options for lending and borrowing.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

Bitfinex-backed Plasma announced a strategic partnership with EtherFi on Aug. 29, positioning the stablecoin-focused neobank as a day-one launch partner for the blockchain’s mainnet beta.

EtherFi will transfer over $500 million from its Ethereum (ETH) staking vault to Plasma’s platform, providing liquidity for stablecoin-backed yield strategies.

The collaboration integrates EtherFi across Plasma’s DeFi ecosystem, providing users with additional collateral options for lending and borrowing while offering access to ETH-backed yield products.

Plasma’s announcement emphasized how the partnership complements both platforms’ objectives in the stablecoin infrastructure space. The protocol stated:

“Stablecoins give everyone, everywhere permissionless access to the financial service of saving money safely and reliably.”

EtherFi is the sixth-largest DeFi protocol, with a total value locked of over $11 billion as of Aug. 29. The protocol reached an all-time high of nearly $12.6 billion on Aug. 14.

Stablecoin-focused infrastructure

Plasma operates as a Bitcoin sidechain with full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, engineered specifically for stablecoin payments and cross-border transactions.

The platform offers zero-fee USDT transfers through a dual-validator architecture that processes gasless transactions.

Recent market activity demonstrates significant institutional interest in Plasma’s approach. The platform raised $1 billion in deposits within 30 minutes during its June expansion, with 70% of funds concentrated among the top 100 wallets according to analytics firm Sealaunch.

Initial deposits in June totaled $500 million, with over 1,100 participating wallets.

Further, Plasma is backed by high-profile names. The protocol $24 million funding round attracted backing from Framework Ventures, Bitfinex, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.

DeFi ecosystem integration

The EtherFi partnership extends beyond simple vault migration. Plasma users will be able to leverage EtherFi’s liquid staking tokens as collateral while accessing stablecoin features, including custom gas tokens and confidential transactions.

Additionally, the partnership positions both platforms to capture the growing demand for stablecoin infrastructure as the sector surpasses a total supply of $280 billion.

Former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes recently noted that EtherFi is one of three DeFi protocols that could capture significant value from the expansion of US dollar-pegged stablecoins.

EtherFi’s commitment to move $500 million in ETH staking assets represents confidence in Plasma’s technical architecture and market positioning within the expanding stablecoin ecosystem.

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