Introduction: From Summer Frenzy to a Renaissance of Value The story of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is one of cycles, of dizzying highs and gut-wrenching lows. Not long ago, the ecosystem was alight with the "DeFi Summer" of 2020 and 2021, a period of explosive, almost surreal, growth. It was a time when DeFi shed its theoretical skin and became a living, breathing product, with pioneers like Aave, Uniswap, and MakerDAO leading a charge that saw the total value locked (TVL) in the ecosystem ...