Data from Token Terminal shows that Hedera HBAR has quietly reached a milestone that signals both its technical strength and its long-term commitment to DeFi growth.
The network now boasts the largest core developer pool of any layer 1 network branching out onto Ethereum. These data indicate the network’s growing ecosystem and its readiness to power the next generation of institutional DeFi alongside other altcoin giants.
At the heart of any network’s DeFi success is its developer community and builders who deliver value to users and the broader ecosystem. Having the largest core developer base means that Hedera’s underlying infrastructure is constantly being improved, optimized, and expanded.
Web3 developers power the Hedera HBAR ecosystem
Hedera’s core developer growth means the chain can evolve faster than its competitors, especially in DeFi. Hedera’s developer depth is a key driver of consistent network performance and expansion of the project ecosystem across DeFi, tokenization, and enterprise solutions.
The robustness of Hashgraph’s consensus mechanism may attract the attention of developers looking for a stable environment for developing real-world applications and dApps.
From decentralized exchanges like SaucerSwap to lending platforms, tokenized real estate, carbon credits, and more, developers are leveraging Hedera’s efficiencies to build systems that can handle institutional-level needs when the time comes.
Hedera’s core development scale strongly supports Hedera Improvement Proposals (HIPs), a framework for proposing and integrating new features and standards.
Hedera’s DeFi and Institutional Adoption
For DeFi, a large and active developer base is a sign of stability, usage, and opportunity for users to create tools. Liquidity protocols, stablecoin issuers, and decentralized exchanges can grow with consistent users and stable infrastructure.
Hedera’s developer community ensures that the platform can evolve quickly while maintaining the performance that attracts businesses looking to build networks. As traditional finance moves towards tokenization at scale, Hedera’s robust ecosystem provides a significant advantage in securing institutional partnerships.
With the launch of the Canary HBAR ETF (HBR), the fund could serve as a slow-burn advertisement for the Hedera network and its capabilities.
As of November 5, the Canary HBAR ETF (HBR) holds over 380 million Hedera tokens, worth approximately $66 million. As the ETF grows, more HBAR tokens will be locked up by institutional investors, creating a loop of interest and stability for HBAR tokens.
With Hedera Council members such as IBM, Google, Dell, and Standard Bank, the network benefits from both deep technical expertise and a real-world implementation path. Hashgraph’s HEAT initiative, led by Rob Allen, aims to attract Hedera Council members to the DeFi space on HBAR and enable them to present and create new use cases on the network.
Collaboration between open source developers and enterprise engineers creates a feedback loop that strengthens Hedera’s credibility as a trusted public ledger.
Hedera’s position as Layer 1, with one of the largest pools of core developers outside of Ethereum, is also a sign that the broader Web3 ecosystem is maturing rapidly and that regulatory alignment is critical.
Innovation and institutional arrangements in DeFi can coexist, something many blockchain networks struggle to balance.