Total Value Locked (TVL)
Also known as: TVL, Locked Liquidity, Protocol Value
A metric that measures the total amount of assets deposited in a DeFi protocol or ecosystem.
Total Value Locked (TVL) refers to the cumulative amount of assets locked in a DeFi protocol, typically measured in USD. It represents user trust, protocol activity, and liquidity across services like lending, staking, and DEXs. High TVL can indicate strong utility and adoption, while sudden changes may signal market shifts or security events. TVL is a core metric in DeFi analytics platforms such as DeFiLlama and DappRadar. It's important to note that TVL doesn’t account for risks or unique users, and high TVL doesn’t always equate to protocol safety.