Upshift.fi, Powered by August Digital, Eyes $1 Billion in Deposits as Institutional DeFi Surges

Upshift.fi, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform focused on democratizing institutional-grade yield, is targeting $1 billion in deposits, building on its current $250 million in assets under management. The platform operates on the infrastructure of August Digital, a leading DeFi prime brokerage that recently secured $10 million in Series A funding led by Dragonfly Ventures. This development highlights a broader industry trend of traditional finance moving on-chain, with tokenization and institutional participation driving significant growth.

Aya Kantorovich, Co-CEO of August Digital, articulated a strong belief in the burgeoning DeFi landscape, stating in a recent tweet, "There has never been a better time to build in DeFi." She further emphasized the rapid evolution of the sector, noting, "Fast forward to 2025: private funds are being tokenized. Users can borrow and pay mortgages against BTC. Banks are launching stablecoins. Finance is moving onchain. DeFi is winning."

Upshift.fi aims to address the growing demand for transparent and scalable yield opportunities across various blockchain networks and assets. The platform offers access to curated yield strategies managed by top DeFi funds, leveraging August Digital's robust smart contract infrastructure, which handles over $7 billion in monthly transaction volume for institutional clients. This non-custodial approach allows users to maintain control of their assets while participating in sophisticated yield-generating strategies.

The company's strategic partnerships with prominent DeFi protocols such as MorphoLabs, Euler Finance, Pendle Finance, 0xHyperBeat, and KelpDAO enable its vaults to integrate with a wide array of yield sources. "Our vaults are integrated wherever you can find yield: 20 chains, 65 protocols, 700+ assets," Kantorovich highlighted, underscoring the platform's extensive reach. This broad integration allows users to access diverse earning opportunities, from new lending protocols to exposure in emerging HyperEVM ecosystems.

August Digital's successful Series A funding round, which saw participation from investors including SCB Limited, 6th Man Ventures, Foresight Ventures, FinTech Collective, Robot Ventures, and Maven11, reflects strong investor confidence in the institutional DeFi sector. Co-founded by Aya Kantorovich and Alexandre Elkrief, August Digital provides a comprehensive suite of on-chain financial tools, including multi-signature smart accounts, trade execution, and collateral management, crucial for bridging traditional finance with decentralized applications.

The growth of platforms like Upshift.fi and August Digital signals a pivotal shift in the financial industry, where the transparency and efficiency of blockchain technology are increasingly being adopted by institutional players. This movement towards tokenizing real-world assets and enabling on-chain financial services is setting the stage for a new era of decentralized finance.