Crypto Oracles Flying Under The Radar: Why They Are Essential To Blockchain Ecosystems
In my recent post, I mentioned how projects such as Chainlink and Band Protocol seemed to be excluded from the bull run of 2020 and 2021. There were very modest gains in the oracle sector as a whole, and yet Chainlink, in particular, has had an amazing 2021 in terms of growth and partnerships. I said I would do some research into Chainlink and others, as I was fairly certain that some interesting developments must have occurred during this time.
Because oracles play such a vital role in connecting the on-chain world with the real world, it’s difficult to imagine that the sector as a whole was such a poor performer. However, as I mentioned in the post above, Chainlink and other oracles appeared to front-run the broader crypto market, experiencing significant upside in late 2019 and early 2020. In many ways, these projects served as a signal regarding the 2021 bull market.
Chainlink Ecosystem Surpasses 1000 Project Partnerships
Chainlink began making some serious moves in 2019 regarding token valuation. As the idea of oracles began to garner more attention, LINK managed to take center stage. When you consider that more than half of these 1,000+ partnerships were secured in 2021, you can understand how bullish and productive that year was for Chainlink. Unfortunately, the price action was not that bullish. When you look at the graphs below from Chainlink’s official blog, you will notice that absolutely everything is experiencing exponential growth besides the price!
It is actually quite impressive, especially given how quiet things were on the Chainlink front. As mentioned in my previous post, that could be largely due to the NFTs and metaverse boom. It is also in keeping with Sergey’s approach of focusing on building, rather than the token price.
Chainlink Total Value Secured Grew 10x In 2021: What It Means For Crypto Oracles
At the beginning of 2021, the TVS across the ecosystem was $7 billion. By the close of 2021, the TVS had grown to $75 billion, more than 10X in a year. Data points delivered in 2021 totaled a whopping 1.1 billion, revealing exponential growth for Chainlink. The data clearly paints a picture of significant, exponential growth for Chainlink over the course of 2021 and leaves one wondering how the market has managed to miss it.
This is actually a good thing in my opinion. Great investment opportunities exist where performance or excellence has yet to be observed. This is the concept known as value investing, a strategy that great investors like Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham became well known for. In fact, Buffett learned the art of value investing by reading Graham’s books. If oracles like Chainlink continue to deliver such results, it could signal a price surge.
Chainlink Dominating DeFi
Looking further into the TVS reveals that Chainlink secures 58% of all value across the DeFi sector. This is massive. This is larger than Bitcoin’s dominance in relation to market cap and altcoins. TVS is one of the many metrics investors use to identify strong investment opportunities such as Chainlink. LINK remains a firm favorite among altcoin investors, especially as a leading project in a much-needed niche blockchain sector.
Investors, specifically DeFi investors, can make use of tools and platforms such as DefiLlama, a metrics platform exclusively for DeFi, and CoinGlass. Alternatively, TradingView also offers helpful tools, especially in its subscription packages. There are, however, free versions, but they offer limited resources.
This is a significant percentage, underscoring LINK’s dominance in the DeFi realm. Band Protocol ranks in the Top 5 and secures approximately 3% of the total value across the DeFi sector. Pyth is likely a project that potential investors will be monitoring in the future, especially since it has grown to almost 5% from out of nowhere. Pyth (PYTH) is a Solana-based oracle project with strong partnerships with Coinbase, Fidelity, Binance, and other leading industry names.
Chainlink Price
Looking at the LINK price, it appears we could see a bullish breakout relatively soon. This is obviously largely dependent on the crypto market in general, especially Bitcoin. The daily graph suggests a possible breakout toward approximately $20. The next target would be in the $25 region if the price were able to find support at $20 and then look to push higher. It looks as if BTC could remain sideways until May unless it breaks out soon.
This would be quite bullish for altcoins, including Chainlink. Altcoins will perform against USD during a BTC pump and in sideways price action for Bitcoin, provided sentiment is not overly bearish.
Staking Chainlink (LINK) In 2026: How It Works, Rewards, & Risks Explained
Chainlink staking is a security mechanism that allows token holders to lock up their LINK tokens to help secure the Chainlink oracle network. Staking assets via a custodial platform such as Nexo can offer rewards that differ from those of native on-chain staking. The current APR of LINK staking is 4.3% and is best done via the official Chainlink staking portal. Currently, there are almost 41 million LINK locked in the current community staking protocol.
Best Exchanges & Wallets To Buy & Store Chainlink (LINK) In 2026
When it comes to trading LINK in 2026, it’s best to stick with industry leaders such as Binance and Bybit. Traders and crypto enthusiasts often choose these exchanges for two primary reasons:
- Leading exchanges have strong liquidity and optimal trade execution.
- Leading exchanges also have a strong track record of safeguarding funds and assets.
Despite having a good reputation as a custodial service, it’s always advisable to remove one’s assets from a centralized exchange and secure them in a self-custody solution, such as a mobile wallet or, ideally, a hardware wallet. Because LINK is an ERC-20 token, hardware wallets such as Ledger (for mainstream adoption), Tangem (for its user-friendly system), and Trezor (for its open-source security focus) are good options to explore.
SafePal is also a noteworthy solution, especially as an air-gapped wallet. It provides an additional layer of security. Many of these wallets often come with additional promotional offers such as free crypto or specially priced packages. The Ledger Nano S Plus is a viable solution for newcomers and seasoned crypto investors alike and can be purchased directly from Ledger for around $59.
Final Thoughts
When will the market wake up to the data I presented in this article? It looks as if ChainLink is on the brink of a solid move higher. A confirmed breakout could draw fresh eyes to the project and ultimately spark an awakening to the progress and growth achieved over the past year. ChainLink appears to have the fundamentals in place for a strong move higher. As always, do your own research and enjoy the journey!
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