Altcoins and decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens take been on a tear for the last two weeks and, as the cease of August approaches, many projects are seeing their tokens accomplish all-fourth dimension highs.

Information shows that a bulk of the summit-ten DeFi tokens gained more than than 20% in the past 30-days, with projects like Bancor (BNT) and THORChain (RUNE) seeing gains in excess of 115%.

Top 10 DeFi assets past price. Source: Messari

Here's a wait at some of the factors behind the current heave to DeFi tokens and the projects that are leading the way in terms of protocol upgrades and cross-concatenation interoperability.

Total value locked reaches a new all-time high

Data from DeFi Llama shows that the total value locked (TVL) in all DeFi protocols reached an all-time high at $157.06 billion on Aug. 22, and many analysts believe TVL is i of the all-time measures of sentiment within the DeFi ecosystem.

Full value locked in DeFi. Source: DeFi Llama

During the previous run-upwards, the TVL reaching an all-time high coincided with the surging prices of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), both of which reached their all-time highs around the same time.

This time effectually, Bitcoin and Ether are more than 24% below their all-time highs, even so the TVL in DeFi has surpassed its previous record.

This suggests that popular DeFi-related tokens with a multi-faceted utility within the crypto and DeFi ecosystem have attracted investors' attending. Typically, Uniswap (UNI) and SushiSwap (SUSHI) pb among DeFi tokens, but a few other stiff gainers this week include a 22% increase for Convex Finance and a 17.84% increase from PancakeSwap.

Related: This time it'southward unlike: When DeFi meets NFTs

New protocols attract attention

The past three months have also seen the arrival of popular new DeFi protocols like DinoSwap and the ascent of Ethereum-network competitors, similar Barrage (AVAX), that accept brought fresh free energy and funds to the DeFi ecosystem.

DinoSwap and Barrage have benefited from users fleeing the loftier fees on the Ethereum network due to the reduced transaction costs and faster processing times through their cantankerous-chain bridges.

Barrage launched its 'Barrage Rush' DeFi incentive program on Aug. xviii, which has brought a flurry of activity to the protocols involved, including Aave, Curve and SushiSwap. This liquidity mining event has proven quite popular and has helped to lift its native AVAX token back above $fifty for the commencement fourth dimension since February.

In the first half of the year, DeFi tokens rallied early and were followed past a surge in the cost of NFTs and NFT-related avails. As summer draws to a close and NFTs notch new eye-watering record sales and volumes each mean solar day, information technology'southward possible that a sector rotation could occur soon and the DeFi sector may be warming up for a run of its own.

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