The DeFi landscape continues to evolve with blockchain ecosystems competing for dominance through innovative applications and strategic partnerships. Total Value Locked (TVL) is one of the key metrics to measure the health and attractiveness of these ecosystems. In this article, we have compiled a list of the top 10 blockchains in January 2026 by TVL growth, with a minimum Range of $10 million, using data from DefiLlama, a leading DeFi analytics platform. 

What is TVL?

Total Value Locked (TVL) is a key metric in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem that represents the total U.S. dollar value of digital assets that are currently locked in DeFi platforms. These assets can include cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, liquidity tokens, and other digital assets used for various purposes such as staking, liquidity provision, and yield farming. It serves as an indicator of a DeFi platform's health and popularity, reflecting user trust and engagement.

Top 10 Blockchains in January 2026 by TVL Growth

The Following chains saw the highest TVL growth in January 2026

1. MegaETH

2. Mezo

3. Gala

4. Provenance

5. PolyNetwork

6. Ethereal

7. Starknet

8. Polygon

9. Scroll

10. Hyperliquid L1

1. MegaETH

MegaETH tops the table with 120066% growth in January 2026. MegaETH is a real-time Ethereum L2 designed for Web2-scale performance, targeting sub-second (millisecond-level) latency and up to 100,000 TPS through a parallel, specialized node architecture, enabling instant UX for DeFi, gaming, and on-chain apps while retaining Ethereum security.​ Its TVL is now valued at $12.32 million.

Top protocol that drives TVL Growth for MagaETH:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Kumbaya	+120044%

2. Mezo

Mezo comes in Second place with 535% growth in January 2026. Mezo is a Bitcoin‑first, EVM‑compatible finance layer that lets you borrow, spend, and earn without selling BTC, using it as collateral to mint its 100% Bitcoin‑backed stablecoin MUSD for everyday, bank‑free finance and yield. Its TVL is now valued at $27.54 million.

Top protocols that drive TVL Growth for Mezo:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Upshift	24.79%
Tigris Mezo	+10.35%

3. Gala

Gala comes in third place with 340% growth in January 2026. Gala is a Layer 1 blockchain built by Gala as the core infrastructure for its Web3 entertainment ecosystem, spanning gaming, music, and film. Designed on Hyperledger Fabric with a proof‑of‑authority style, high‑throughput architecture, it offers near‑instant, low‑cost transactions to handle Web2‑scale workloads like real‑time games while adding Web3 features such as on‑chain asset ownership and rewards. Its TVL is now valued at $14.4 million.

Top protocols that drive TVL Growth for Gala:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Amber Finance	+785%

4. Provenance

Provenance comes in fourth place with 63.63% growth in January 2026. Provenance is a secure, scalable platform designed to enhance transparency and trust in financial services and supply chains. It enables easy asset tokenization, streamlined compliance, and verifiable data sharing, empowering businesses with decentralized trust and operational efficiency. Its TVL is now valued at $942.26 million.

Top protocols that drive TVL Growth for Provenance:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Figure Markets	+56.83%

5. PolyNetwork

PolyNetwork comes in fifth place with 57.71% growth in January 2026. PolyNetwork was a cross-chain interoperability protocol enabling asset transfers across over 20 blockchains like Ethereum, BSC, and Polygon via smart contracts and bridges, fostering DeFi and Web3 infrastructure. It gained notoriety in August 2021 after a massive $611 million hack exploited access control flaws in its cross-chain contracts. Facing repeated exploits and shifting market conditions, PolyNetwork fully terminated all services on September 30, 2024. Despite this, DefiLlama continues displaying its TVL at around $333.07 million as the platform tracks on-chain locked value via automated smart contract queries even for inactive or shutdown protocols, reflecting residual liquidity rather than active usage.

6. Ethereal

Ethereal comes in sixth place with 38.22% growth in January 2026. Ethereal is a Layer-1 blockchain designed for scalable, secure, and gas-free transactions. It supports EVM-compatible decentralized apps, DeFi protocols, and Web3 gaming with institutional-grade PoS BFT security. Ethereal also powers a decentralized exchange (DEX) offering deep liquidity and fast execution. Its TVL is now valued at $72.51 million.

Top protocols that drive TVL Growth for Ethereal:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Ethereal DEX	+38.60%

7. Starknet

Starknet comes in seventh place with 16.77% growth in January 2026. Starknet is an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) validity-rollup (ZK-rollup) using STARK proofs for massive scalability. It bundles transactions off-chain into a single proof verified on Ethereum, slashing costs and boosting throughput to thousands of TPS while preserving security. It powers dApps in DeFi, gaming, and beyond, with growing Bitcoin interoperability. Its TVL is valued at $301.03 million.

Top protocols that drive TVL Growth for Starknet:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Extended	+60.98%
ForgeYields	+31.88%

8. Polygon

Polygon comes in eighth place with 6.69% growth in January 2026. Polygon is a leading Ethereum Layer 2 network that delivers fast, low-cost transactions while inheriting Ethereum’s security, enabling scalable dApps, DeFi, and Web3 use cases across multiple interoperable chains like Polygon PoS and zkEVM. Its TVL is now valued at $1.171 billion.

Top protocol that drives TVL Growth for Polygon:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Messina.one	+30261%
Everclear	+1237%
WINK	+707%

9. Scroll

Scroll comes at ninth with 5.08% growth in January 2026. Scroll is an Ethereum Layer‑2 zkEVM rollup that scales the network with low fees and high throughput while remaining bytecode‑level compatible with Ethereum, so existing smart contracts can migrate seamlessly without changes. Its TVL is now valued at $210.95 million.

Top protocols that drive TVL Growth for Scroll:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
Morpho	+348%
Stargate Finance	+63.94%

10. Hyperliquid L1

Hyperliquid L1 comes at tenth with 4.38% growth in January 2026. Hyperliquid is a high‑performance Layer 1 blockchain purpose‑built for trading, using its HyperBFT consensus and dual HyperCore/HyperEVM architecture to deliver CEX‑like speed, on‑chain orderbooks, and EVM‑compatible smart contracts with sub‑second finality. Its TVL is now valued at $1.477 billion.

Top protocol that drives TVL Growth for Hyperliquid L1:

Protocol	TVL Growth (Jan 2026)
PrimeFi	+116%
Arkis	+62.24%

Conclusion

In the dynamic landscape of decentralized finance (DeFi), tracking the Total Value Locked (TVL) across various blockchains provides invaluable insights into market trends and investor confidence. This analysis, based on data from DeFi Llama, highlights the top 10 blockchains that have experienced significant growth in TVL over January 2026, with a minimum TVL of $10 million.