DeFiLlama has severed all ties with DL News after unidentified buyers acquired the outlet's website and X (Twitter) account. According to reports from BeInCrypto, the analytics platform announced in a July 1 statement on X that new owners have taken over the @dlnews website and assets. DeFiLlama stated it expects the new owners to resume posting soon but emphasized they are no longer affiliated with DeFiLlama in any way. The platform warned that no posts should be considered to be endorsed by us and advised users not to trust anything published under the DL News name. DeFiLlama's pseudonymous lead developer 0xngmi went even further, urging users in an X post not to trust DL News, without elaborating on the matter, and added in a follow-up post they wouldn't have sold DL News, though no details were given.
The ownership transfer occurred after DL News ended editorial operations in May 2026, as reported by BeInCrypto. The relationship between DeFiLlama and DL News had been strained since March 2023, when core developer 0xngmi publicly threatened a fork over a LLAMA token plan the team opposed. The sides reconciled within days, but the newsroom operated separately for the next two years. Director Paige Aarhus announced the closure on May 7, citing shrinking readership and AI's damage to search traffic. DL Research, the 2024 commercial arm, grew revenue by 270% in 2025 and crossed the seven-figure mark, but this growth failed to offset the audience collapse. The acquisition comes less than two months after DL News said it was closing, though DeFiLlama didn't disclose who bought the website or how much they paid.
According to BeInCrypto reports, DeFiLlama attempted to purchase the assets after the shutdown but failed in its buyback attempt. The purchase failed because the brand belonged to Llama Corp, a Dubai-based entity, not the analytics team. Core developer 0xngmi explained that new ownership doesn't guarantee bad journalism, but warned users not to trust anything published under the DL News name. The site still lists Llama Corp in its footer and displays the closure notice, with the buyers remaining unidentified. DeFiLlama also said it couldn't corroborate any information about outreach regarding the new ownership.
As reported by BeInCrypto, the failed buyback reflects broader challenges in the crypto news market. An April 2026 analysis of 107 crypto news sites found more than 40 with zero organic traffic, with five outlets capturing 78% of search visits. The acquisition comes amid a broader decline in crypto media traffic, with Aarhus noting in May that traffic across crypto and tech media had fallen sharply, while AI-driven aggregation made it harder for original journalism to reach readers. The company began layoffs in mid-April and told staff on May 1 that DL News would close at the end of the month. DeFiLlama continues to operate normally, recently drawing scrutiny for relisting Aster perpetual data, highlighting how closely users watch its neutrality.
