Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

DL News

Crypto-industry trade press (UK/Europe-based, closed)

Owned byLaunched in 2022 as the news arm of DefiLlama, the DeFi analytics platform, and run as a separate operation. After it closed in May 2026, its website and X account were reportedly sold to unidentified buyers. DefiLlama says it has no connection to the brand now. I could not confirm who the current owners are.
FundingBacked by DefiLlama's founders at launch. It later earned revenue from DL Research, a commercial research and consulting arm. Reports say that arm grew revenue 270% in 2025 and passed seven figures. Subscriptions and advertising were not enough to cover the newsroom. I did not find details of any outside investors.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

DL News launched in 2022 as the news arm of DefiLlama, an open-source platform that tracks the total value locked in DeFi. It formally started its newsroom in January 2023, with about 10 to 12 journalists across Europe, led by editor Paige Aarhus. Its founders said they wanted to avoid both the condescension of mainstream media toward crypto and the heavy promotion common in crypto media. In March 2023 a dispute over a proposed LLAMA token briefly strained ties between DefiLlama's lead developer and the project's other contributors. The sides reconciled within days, but the newsroom then operated separately from DefiLlama for about two years. In 2024 it launched DL Research, a commercial arm that sold research and consulting to crypto firms. The outlet covered DeFi, markets, regulation and deals, and was known for investigative and scoop-driven crypto reporting. Aarhus said the main cause of the closure was a collapse in search traffic, which she tied to AI, along with a subscription model that could not sustain the business. Staff were told on May 1, 2026 that it would close at the end of the month, and the closure was announced on May 7. A DefiLlama attempt to buy and retire the brand failed. On July 1, 2026, DefiLlama said unidentified buyers had acquired the website and X account, and that it was cutting all ties. Because the outlet drew revenue from crypto-industry clients and covered the industry closely, readers may want to weigh that relationship when reading its coverage.

Sources

  1. Crypto currency site DL News launching with 12-strong team - Press Gazette
  2. DL News is closing
  3. DefiLlama Cuts Ties With DL News After Mystery Ownership Sale
  4. DefiLlama Cuts Ties With DL News After Mystery Ownership Sale (BeInCrypto)
  5. Crypto news site DL News is closing - Talking Biz News
  6. Popular news outlet closes after three years of breaking stories - TheStreet Crypto
  7. A conversation with Paige Aarhus, Director, DL News

Profile compiled 2026-10-25; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record