DeFiLlama Severs All Ties With DL News Following Undisclosed Asset Sale

DeFiLlama has formally disassociated itself from DL News after unidentified buyers acquired the publication's website and X (formerly Twitter) account. The analytics platform stated on July 1, 2026, that no content published under the DL News brand going forward carries its endorsement. Core developer 0xngmi separately warned users not to trust anything the outlet publishes under new ownership.

DL News was founded in 2022 as the editorial arm of DeFiLlama, the open-source analytics platform that tracks DeFi deposits. Unlike DeFiLlama itself, the newsroom was structured as a for-profit venture. The two operated as separate entities for most of their shared history.

In a July 1 post on X, DeFiLlama wrote: «New owners have taken over the @dlnews website and assets. We expect them to resume posting soon. They're no longer affiliated with DefiLlama in any way. We can't corroborate any information about outreach and no posts should be considered to be endorsed by us.»

The editorial relationship had been strained for years. In March 2023, 0xngmi publicly threatened to fork DeFiLlama over a proposed LLAMA token plan that the development team opposed. The two sides reconciled within days, but the newsroom continued operating independently for the following two years.

DL News director Paige Aarhus announced the publication's closure on May 7, 2026, citing declining readership and reduced search traffic attributed to AI-generated content. DL Research, the outlet's commercial division launched in 2024, had grown revenue by 270% in 2025 and surpassed seven figures — but the gains were insufficient to compensate for the collapse in audience.

After the shutdown, DeFiLlama attempted to purchase the DL News assets with the intent to shut them down permanently. The effort failed. As 0xngmi explained on July 2, 2026: «Obviously I wouldn't have sold it but it was not owned by me. After dlnews shut down we even tried to purchase it as defillama just to fully close it, but it wasn't possible.»

The purchase attempt was blocked because the DL News brand was owned by Llama Corp, a Dubai-based legal entity separate from the analytics team. The site's footer still lists Llama Corp and continues to display the original closure notice.

The buyers have not been publicly identified. Market data from an April 2026 analysis of 107 crypto news sites offers context for why a dormant brand still attracted a buyer: more than 40 of those sites had zero organic traffic, while five outlets captured 78% of all search visits. This concentration leaves dormant domains with residual value, particularly as AI tools now account for over 25% of referrals to US crypto media, giving citation-rich domains sustained discoverability.

Research also indicates that crypto press releases can influence prices of higher-risk assets, meaning an inherited news brand with an established reputation could carry meaningful market influence regardless of editorial continuity.

Some users questioned the basis for distrust. «Why does being sold mean it can't be trusted? Doesn't automatically follow, new ownership doesn't guarantee bad journalism,» one commenter wrote. 0xngmi did not respond to a request for comment from BeInCrypto at the time of publication.

DeFiLlama continues to operate normally. The platform recently drew attention after relisting Aster perpetual data, a move that underscored how closely its user base monitors its editorial and data neutrality. Whether the new DL News owners disclose their identities once publishing resumes is expected to be a key factor in how much credibility the brand retains.