Onchain student loans could supercharge DeFi: Animoca’s Yat Siu

By: cointelegraph|2025/05/16 17:00:17

Bringing student loans onchain could increase the decentralized finance (DeFi) total value locked (TVL) by more than four times, supercharging the industry, according to Yat Siu, chairman of Animoca Brands. Speaking at Consensus 2025 in Toronto, Siu pointed to the $3 trillion global student loan market as an untapped opportunity for the crypto industry. He said moving even 10% of that market onchain could significantly boost DeFi’s growth. “You basically more than quadruple TVL in all of DeFi,” he said, underscoring how the industry is still in its early stages. Web3-based education tools to drive crypto adoption Siu also argued that Web3-based financial tools for the education sector could drive mass crypto adoption, especially among the young and unbanked. “The first unbanked are the kids,” he said. “If a student receives a loan onchain and pays it back onchain — which is regulated, better, faster, cheaper — they become onboarded for crypto for life.” Siu compared the situation to how PayPal and Venmo scaled by offering essential services to underserved users. The executive suggested that student loans could serve as crypto’s entry into the mainstream. The executive also highlighted Animoca Brands’ recent investment in Pencil Finance, a startup providing crypto-native student loans. Siu said the project operates in markets like the Philippines and Indonesia, with plans of expanding into the United States. On April 30, Pencil Finance announced a $10 million student loan financing initiative to provide cheaper, blockchain-backed loans. Siu previously said in an interview that the industry needs these “positive-sum use cases” that everyone understands. The executive said students would be more pro-crypto if they gained more opportunities through crypto loans. Related: NFT founder stole millions from Bitcoin project, investors allege Education is a natural Web3 use case Siu also told the Consensus audience that education is a natural use case for Web3. The executive highlighted YouTube and TikTok, platforms that were often dismissed as entertainment applications. Siu said these social media apps are now the largest informal learning platforms in the world. He argued that everything is tied to education and that Web3 could do something similar. “Education is actually fundamental, something we do all the time,” Siu said. He suggested that by integrating financial infrastructure into educational experiences, Web3 can turn learning communities and reputational networks into capital assets, forming the basis of a new, decentralized financial ecosystem. Magazine: Binance Wallet ‘killing’ MetaMask and airdrops, Chinese RWA tokens: Asia Express

On March 4, 2026, DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE American: DDC) today announced preliminary, unaudited full-year financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company expects to achieve record revenue and record positive adjusted EBITDA, primarily driven by continued growth in its core consumer food business and overall margin improvement. The final audited financial report is expected to be released in mid-April 2026.

2025 Full-Year Financial Highlights

Revenue: Expected to be between $39 million and $41 million, reaching a new company high.

Organic Growth: Excluding the impact of the company's strategic contraction of its U.S. operations, core revenue is expected to grow 11% to 17% year over year.

Gross Profit Margin: Expected to be between 28% and 30%, reflecting continued operational efficiency improvements.

Adjusted EBITDA: The company expects to achieve a positive full-year result in 2025, a significant improvement from a $3.5 million loss in 2024, mainly due to rigorous cost controls and a higher-margin sales mix.

Core Consumer Food Business Performance

In 2025, DDC's core consumer food business maintained strong operational performance.

The company also disclosed Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that further excludes costs related to its Bitcoin reserve strategy and non-cash fair value adjustments related to its Bitcoin holdings from adjusted EBITDA to more accurately reflect the core business performance.

In 2025, Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.

Bitcoin Reserve Update

In the first half of 2025, DDC initiated a long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset.

As of December 31, 2025: The company holds 1,183 BTC.

As of February 28, 2026: Holdings increased to 2,118 BTC

Today's additional purchase of 65 BTC brings the company's total holdings to 2,183 BTC

DDC Founder, Chairman, and CEO Norma Chu stated, "We are proud to have closed 2025 with record revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the steady growth of the company's consumer food business and the ongoing improvement in profitability. We are building a disciplined, growth-oriented food platform and strategically allocating capital to Bitcoin assets with a long-term view, aligning with our core beliefs. We believe that this dual-track model of 'Steady Consumer Business + Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' will help DDC create lasting long-term value for shareholders."

Adjusted EBITDA Definition
For the full year 2025, the company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" (a non-GAAP financial measure) as: Net income / (loss) excluding the following items:· Interest expense· Taxes· Foreign exchange gains/losses· Long-lived asset impairment· Depreciation and amortization· Non-cash fair value changes related to financial instruments (including Bitcoin holdings)· Stock-based compensation

About DDC Enterprise Limited

DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE: DDC) is actively implementing its corporate Bitcoin Treasury strategy while continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global Asian food platform.

The company has established Bitcoin as a core reserve asset and is executing a prudent, long-oriented accumulation strategy. While expanding its portfolio of food brands, DDC is gradually becoming one of the public company pioneers in integrating Bitcoin into its corporate financial architecture.

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DDC Enterprise Limited Announces 2025 Unaudited Preliminary Financial Performance: Record Revenue Achieved, Bitcoin Treasury Grows to 2183 Coins