Yala Monthly Update: July

July was absolutely explosive for Yala. 

We officially launched the $YALA token, paving the way for the future of the Yala yield ecosystem. $YALA was successfully airdropped to thousands of early protocol participants, building the foundation for the long-term governance of Yala. 

But that’s not all. Yala shattered the $200 million TVL milestone, hitting $220+ million, whilst $YU Cap 3 propelled the total $YU cap beyond $110 million. $118.41 million in $YU now powers DeFi strategies across chains.

The numbers speak volumes: Yala Lite Mode Phase 1 ($1M cap, 12% APR) sold out in 59 seconds, with Phase 2 seeing equally intense demand. Our Soul-bound Yeti NFTs? Gone in just 100 seconds. 

But the real magic happened in our community. 

We launched Yeti Footprints – a revolutionary "Yapping" program that rewards authentic voices, not just influencers. Result? Grassroots energy that obliterated traditional marketing playbooks, and we are getting real insights from Yetis all over the world to help make Yala better. 

In This Update:

• $YALA Token Introduction
• Ecosystem and Adoption Expansion
• Protocol Developments
• Community Momentum
• What's Next

$YALA: Hello World

This July marked a pivotal moment as we introduced $YALA and its role within the Yala ecosystem. As both a governance and utility token, $YALA underpins our long-term vision of decentralized governance and sustainable protocol growth. Designed to unlock Bitcoin’s untapped liquidity for DeFi and real-world applications, the token fulfills three core functions:

• Incentivizing participation through Stability Pool rewards and ecosystem incentives
• Securing protocol infrastructure via staking to validator nodes and LayerZero-powered Decentralized Verifier Networks
• Enabling decentralized governance with voting rights, proposal submissions, and $veYALA locking mechanisms

Key Tokenomics:

• Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 $YALA (fixed)
• Strategic Distribution: 20% Ecosystem & Community, 29.12% Foundation & Treasury
• Sustainability Design: Controlled vesting prevents supply shocks while protocol fees create buy pressure

From Vision to Reality: Our Season 1  Distribution

With the tokenomics framework established, July marked the moment we transformed theory into practice. The first major milestone in our token distribution strategy was recognizing the community that made Yala possible.

On July 15th, we successfully executed our Season 1 airdrop, representing 3.4% of total supply (34 million $YALA tokens) with full unlock at Token Generation Event (TGE). This carefully crafted distribution rewarded genuine and meaningful contributions across both Yala testnet and mainnet environments, as well as participants in our innovative Yeti Footprints program.This marked the first practical step toward a community-governed future.

Ecosystem and Adoption Expansion

Just over two months since our mainnet launch, Yala's TVL has climbed over $210 million according to DeFiLlama. Bitcoin holders are increasingly turning to Yala to unlock yield opportunities that were previously beyond their grasp, putting their BTC to work like never before.

By the end of July, $118.41 million in $YU had been minted, with liquidity flowing directly into DeFi protocols and providing essential infrastructure for the Yala ecosystem. Our liquidity infrastructure remains robust and healthy across multiple venues.

Liquidity Infrastructure Strength

Our Peg Stability Module (PSM) has reached $10+ million, representing a significant milestone for protocol stability. Due to its slippage-free, single-sided design, the PSM provides twice the redemption efficiency of typical DEX liquidity, effectively matching the utility of over $20 million in common LP on AMMs.

Complementing the PSM, our external liquidity positions continue to grow: Ethereum's Uniswap maintains approximately $884K in liquidity, while Solana's Raydium has reached $5.9 million, reflecting strong cross-chain adoption.

Ecosystem Growth & New Integrations

Euler, a leading Ethereum-native lending protocol, joined the Yala DeFi Marketplace this month, bringing sophisticated DeFi strategy paths including automated looping. While PT-YU already offers attractive implied yields on Pendle, Euler enables users to amplify returns further.

Raydium, Solana's leading automated market maker and decentralized exchange, brings a unique hybrid model that fuses traditional AMM liquidity pools with a central limit order book. This integration leverages Solana's lightning-fast speed and ultra-low fees, allowing users to deploy $YU into Raydium's swap pools to earn LP fees, boost capital efficiency, and accumulate Berries for exclusive campaign eligibility.

Yala joined the Circle Alliance Program, a global community focused on bringing the world on-chain. This partnership with the regulated stablecoin USDC provides $YU with a compliance-focused and regulated channel for massive adoption, strengthening our institutional appeal.

Introducing PayFi: The Future of Bitcoin Spending

We've unlocked Bitcoin yield through DeFi, RWAs, and automated strategies. This July, we took the final leap: launching PayFi to bridge yield with real-world spending.

The Yala PayFi Universe

This month, we unveiled the Yeti Card: your Bitcoin-yield-powered payment card that changes everything.

What We Launched:

• Buy Now, Pay Never: Fund your lifestyle with Bitcoin yield, principal untouched
• Global Acceptance: Works anywhere Visa or Mastercard does
• Seamlessly Integrated: Apple Pay, Google Pay, mobile wallets – all covered
• Borderless: Groceries, travel, business expenses – your Bitcoin earnings, everywhere

By partnering with Alchemy Pay's global infrastructure, we're building the bridge between on-chain yield and real-world spending, all powered by USDC for maximum stability and acceptance.

Explosive Retail Demand

Lite Mode Phenomenon

Yala Lite Mode became the stuff of legends. Phase 1's $1 million cap offering 12% APR? Obliterated in 59 seconds – faster than most people could even connect their wallets.

Phase 2 launched July 22nd with double the capacity ($2 million) and 10% APR. Gone within hours. The message was crystal clear: there's massive hunger for simple, safe Bitcoin yield.

Cap 3 Success 

$YU Debut Cap 3 opened on July 9th with an additional capacity of $40 million, bringing the total $YU cap to $110 million. Demonstrating continued strong institutional and retail demand, the entire cap was filled in less than 48 hours.

Protocol Developments

July marked a crucial month of product shipping and ecosystem growth across institutional adoption, retail access, and multi-chain infrastructure development.

Cross-Chain & Liquidity Infrastructure

Solana Native Minting Protocol

We completed smart contract development for the native minting protocol on Solana, enabling BTC to be bridged directly from the Bitcoin network. Front-end development has begun in parallel to support end-user deployment. This native bridging capability brings us closer to unlocking seamless BTC liquidity within Solana's high-speed, low-fee environment.

Enhanced Solana Integration

Development began for Solana wallet integration into the main user dashboard, allowing users to view real-time point balances and activity directly through their Solana wallets. This represents a key step toward comprehensive multi-chain rewards tracking.

Institutional Infrastructure & Adoption

Major Institutional Onboarding

We successfully onboarded several major institutional clients into Yala's Cap 3 program. These new participants validate our compliance-focused architecture and bring substantial capital depth to the BTC-backed ecosystem, positioning Yala as the premier institutional Bitcoin liquidity solution.

Growth Campaigns & Token Infrastructure

Airdrop Portal & Fair Distribution

We launched the token airdrop portal for both testnet and mainnet users, powered by advanced anti-Sybil detection technologies in collaboration with the TokenTable (by Sign) team. 

Berries System Evolution

We transitioned the Yala Points-Berries and Ice Berries program to Season 2, completing a comprehensive data migration and separating historical data from Season 1. This foundation enables new engagement campaigns, enhanced gamification, and expanded future reward mechanisms.

Security & Governance

$YALA Token Security Audit

Zenith Auditors completed a comprehensive security audit for Yala's governance token, $YALA, paving the way for the Yala DAO and enabling decentralized governance. All identified issues were resolved or appropriately acknowledged, ensuring robust security for our governance infrastructure.

Community Momentum

July proved to be a breakthrough month for community growth, authentic engagement, and global expansion, particularly in the Asian markets.

Revolutionary Community Program: Yeti Footprints

We launched the Yeti Footprints mindshare program – a revolutionary approach to community engagement that rewards honest voices rather than just influencer partnerships. Unlike traditional programs that rely on platforms like Kaito, we built our own standards for authentic "Yapping," giving genuine community members opportunities previously reserved for KOLs.

Three-Phase Program Launch:

• June 27: Yeti Yell – Rewarding community members who provide authentic opinions and voices
• July 4: Yeti Lens – Second phase focusing on analytical content and insights
• July 11: Yeti Echo – Third phase amplifying community-generated discussions

The response has been extraordinary. Community members, tired of KOL-centralized programs, embraced Yala's revolutionary approach. This grassroots mindshare program generated significantly more authentic engagement compared to traditional advertising spend, demonstrating the true power of the Yala community.

Global Community Expansion

Korean Market Breakthrough

July saw prominent Korean community growth, with influential South Korean crypto communities actively discussing Yala and participating in our programs. The Yala team also engaged directly with Korean communities through initiatives like AMA sessions, establishing a strong foundation in this crucial market.

The momentum reached institutional levels when Meritz Securities, one of South Korea's most respected financial institutions, released a research report titled "The Next Asset: RWA," naming Yala as a representative infrastructure player bridging Bitcoin and real-world assets. This institutional recognition validates our growing influence in the Korean market.

Soul-bound Yeti NFTs: A New Standard

We launched 10,000 Soul-bound Yetis – unique, non-transferable NFTs permanently bound to user wallets, representing authentic participation in the BTC lifestyle rather than farming behavior.

Key Features:

• Soul-bound: Non-transferable, eternally connected to holder wallets
• Limited Supply: Only 10,000 Yetis will ever exist across three phased releases
• Community Badge: On-chain visualization of ecosystem status and contribution

The first release of 1,500 NFTs (300 reserved for KOL whitelist, 1,200 for free mint) sold out in approximately 100 seconds, demonstrating massive community enthusiasm.

https://x.com/yalaorg/status/1944699163339522530 

What's Next

Looking ahead to August, we're focused on expanding our ecosystem reach, enhancing user experience, and delivering the infrastructure that will define the future of Bitcoin utility.

DeFi Ecosystem Expansion

We'll continue integrating with leading DeFi protocols to ensure $YU penetration across the ecosystem. Several lending protocols are next in line for cooperation, including NX Finance and so on. As more protocols join, we'll continuously enhance our points system with increasingly rewarding opportunities.

More protocols = More yield opportunities + More Berries

Product Development Pipeline

YU Savings Pool Launch

Development begins for the YU Savings Pool, offering users a streamlined way to earn steady returns on their $YU holdings with minimal complexity.

Omnichain PSM Design

We'll initiate design work for Omnichain PSM, enabling $YU to work seamlessly across even more blockchain networks, further expanding Bitcoin liquidity accessibility.

Solana Infrastructure Completion

We'll complete all deployment and development work on Solana, targeting full lending protocol deployment with comprehensive testing finished by August. This will establish Solana as a premier destination for BTC liquidity.

PayFi Infrastructure Expansion

Co-branded Card Partnerships

We'll collaborate with strategic partners to issue co-branded Yeti Cards, bringing the iconic Yeti brand directly to users' physical payment experiences.

Join the Yala Community

Yala is a native Bitcoin liquidity protocol that channels BTC into yield opportunities across DeFi and RWAs. 

Bitcoin holders unlock capital through self-custodial, liquidation-free borrowing by minting $YU, a BTC-backed liquidity asset. In this process, they pay a stability fee directly to $YU depositors, effectively exchanging BTC-backed exposure for portable, capital-efficient liquidity and access to yield without giving up ownership.

Yala’s SmartVault module manages system risk and ensures efficient yield distribution.

Website | Twitter | Telegram | Discord | Docs