Beyond Boundaries: The Folks Finance 2026 Roadmap
The following piece was written by Benedetto Biondi, CEO of Folks Finance, outlining his direct vision for where Folks is heading in 2026.
Over the last few years, DeFi has grown fast but not cleanly, with more chains, products, and options than ever before. What we didn’t solve was how all of this works together efficiently and securely.
We have seen major products defaulting, as we didn’t bleed enough in 2022. After the Terra-Luna crash, liquidity is still fragmented, incentives are wasted to attract mercenary capital, and users still need to bounce between a dozen apps. Builders have to choose between safety and flexibility. That tradeoff has shaped most DeFi designs so far.
Monolithic systems like Aave give security, but make evolution slow. Flexible models like Morpho unlock new strategies, but also introduce risks when pushed too far. Neither approach, on its own, is enough for the next phase of DeFi.
A different approach with @FolksFinance’s xChain V2
xChain proved that crosschain lending can work, but even with unified liquidity pools, V1 is built as a monolithic system, limiting the flexibility that vault-based designs offer. V2 is about scaling.
With xChain V2 we’re combining what works from both monolithic & vault systems, while keeping the innovative crosschain infrastructure. xChain V2 takes the foundations of crosschain lending and prepares them for a hybrid expansion:
- expand beyond the current limits of monolithic DeFi lending
- connect EVM and non-EVM environments in one system
- offer for the first time crosschain vault-based loans
This opens the door to strategies that were previously impractical, while keeping a structure to manage risk properly. It also creates something DeFi still lacks: crosschain lending infrastructure other teams can use to build on without rebuilding the same components every time.
To support the rollout, we’re allocating 1,000,000 FOLKS in incentives to bootstrap V2 TVL growth, and reward exploration of the new system as it scales toward the $1B TVL target.
@FolksMobile: making DeFi usable beyond current DeFi users
DeFi will not reach mainstream adoption because more people learn what DeFi is. It will reach mainstream adoption when people can use its benefits without needing to understand the mechanics. Folks Mobile is building toward that direction.
The product goal is straightforward:
- a mobile experience that feels normal from the first tap
- practical tools like DeFi loans-backed spending on debit card (and much more)
- complexities running quietly in the background
By leveraging the licensed VASP, Folks Mobile is being built under a regulated framework where Folks Finance’s onchain markets are integrated directly into the Folks Mobile experience. The goal is not to expose users to DeFi interfaces, but to let DeFi efficient infrastructure power familiar financial actions in the background.
The long-term bet here is simple:
Protocols can build the best infrastructure in the world and still lose if they don’t reach users. Distribution matters. Folks Mobile is how we plan to do distribution correctly.
A New EVM Liquid Staking Token: expanding where capital and yield already live
We’re also developing a new EVM liquid staking token arriving in 2026.
Liquid staking is already a core part of how capital moves in DeFi. If Folks wants to be a real home for capital-efficient strategies, we need to be present there with a product that is built for composability and can integrate properly into the broader system.
Alongside the LST, one-click strategy vaults will be built around the ways people actually use LSTs:
- looping-style strategies
- LST-backed borrowing setups
- stablecoin-based strategies designed to be flexible and easy to unwind
The new LST brings better control, better liquidity, better user experience, higher efficiency and stronger performance.
What we believe
We have been working on Folks for the past 5+ years.
The first mainnet went live shortly after the Terra/Luna crash. That timing mattered.
It forced a clear mindset early on: focus on building reliable products, not on chasing attention. Markets change. Hype comes and goes. Genuine infrastructure stays. That approach has shaped everything we’ve built since.
Folks has grown significantly over the years, reaching over $400M in TVL ATH, serving 200k+ active users, and becoming the leading crosschain lending protocol.
But relative to what we’re building toward, this is still Day 1.
If we execute well, three things will be true in the next phase of DeFi:
- Liquidity and products will behave like one unified system, even across hundreds of chains.
- The best DeFi products will be built on top of shared infrastructure like Folks Finance’s xChain V2, not isolated apps.
- The mainstream will come through distribution channels like Folks Mobile, and distribution requires hiding complexity.
xChain V2 → scales the infrastructure.
Folks Mobile → scales distribution.
New EVM LST → expands our presence where yield and strategies already live.
With the 2026 roadmap, we can scale Folks from where it is today to serving the next millions of users.
Benedetto Biondi
CEO, Folks Finance
