After the euphoric highs of Q2, fear and doubt have crept back into crypto markets in recent months.

Amidst the uncertainty Solana’s DeFi ecosystem has shed layers of TVL (Total Value Locked), with the majority of protocol’s losing between 13-18% in USD value on a monthly time frame.

However, despite the market-wide pullback, outperformers have emerged. Which protocols created a liquidity vacuum and expanded their TVL despite ailing markets?

NX FINANCE, LULO LEAD MONTHLY TVL GROWTH
Solana’s DeFi scene has enjoyed newfound momentum and attention throughout 2024. However, the last 30 days indicate a charge in sentiment, with the bulk of Solana protocols suffering significant drops in their TVL.

Despite challenging conditions, several outliers have outperformed the wider market and witnessed continued growth in the face of adversity.

Lending aggregator NX Finance led the charge, enjoying consistent growth in the face of difficult markets. Courtesy of its incentivized rewards program, NX Finance TVL rose 65% in the last 30 days, leading Solana’s top 50 DeFi applications by TVL.

Meanwhile, fellow lending aggregator Lulo Finance continued to rise through the ranks, securing over $30M in Directed Liquidity (DL). With over 92% of its DL, a similar metric similar to TVL, held in stablecoins, Lulo-managed value has increased by 32.27% in the last 30 days.

At first glance, DeFiLlama data suggests that Jupiter’s TVL has risen by 47.22% in the last 30 days. However, this increase is due to the popular analytics platform integrating $jupSOL into Jupiter’s total TVL on August 16, adding approximately $300M worth of funds to the platform.

According to Step Finance data, $jupSOL supply has risen 0.36% in the last 30 days. Coupled with the 2.22% decline in Jupiter perpetual TVL in the same time period, it can be concluded that Jupiter’s total TVL has remained relatively stable in the face of challenging market conditions.

Kamino TVL Climbs Despite Falling Prices
Kamino Finance has been one of Solana DeFi’s most solid performers throughout Q3’s volatility. While lending aggregators like NX Finance and Lulo predominantly hold stablecoins, making them more resilient to market downturn, Kamino accepts deposits from a wider range of more volatile assets.

Despite falling asset prices across the industry, Kamino has emerged as one of Solana’s standout DeFi protocols.

While $SOL price has dropped over 36% since its March 18 high of $202 , Kamino TVL has increased by 12% in USD terms. Denominated in SOL, Kamino TVL has risen by 76% in the same time frame.

JUPITER DOMINATES PERPETUAL TVL ACROSS THE INDUSTRY
Jupiter’s perpetual DEX platform shows no sign of relinquishing its iron grip on derivatives dominance. One of Solana’s largest DeFi protocols, Jupiter’s perpetual DEX is currently the largest onchain derivatives market in the crypto industry.

Boasting over $657M in TVL, Jupiter dominates perpetual market share. According to DeFiLlama data, the Solana-based platform currently accounts for 18.82% of onchain derivatives TVL across the industry.

While Jupiter boasts the highest TVL across all perpetual DEXes, its closest rival still witnesses higher trading volumes. During August, Hyperliquid handled $34 .6B in trading volume compared to Jupiter’s $15 .1B. It’s worth noting that Hyperliquid’s high volume could attributed to its points program, which is expected to influence token allocations ahead of the protocol’s upcoming airdrop