By 2025, many DeFi projects are finally making their tokens truly useful. Token holders are no longer just tagging along—they can finally get a little taste of the rewards. 1/ Uniswap UNI Fee switch officially activated Protocol revenue will be used to buy back and burn UNI The OG DeFi project finally integrates value return into its mechanism 2/ Aave AAVE Launching a $50M buyback plan Also reducing token emissions through the Umbrella upgrade 3/ Mantle MNT MNT deeply integrated with Bybit Can be used to offset fees, upgrade VIP levels, and expand trading pairs—centralized traffic now directly benefiting the token 4/ EtherFi ETHFI $50M buyback + staking membership benefits Protocol revenue explicitly directed toward token holders 5/ Pendle PENDLE Token upgrade teased during community call Details haven’t been revealed yet, but the market is already waiting for them to deliver 6/ Hyperliquid HYPE Staking HYPE reduces fees New markets continuously launching Tokens are now strongly tied to real trading activity Projects are making money, and tokens are starting to share the profits—definitely progress.