Maple Finance’s yield-bearing stablecoin, syrupUSDC, is now live as margin collateral for perpetual futures trading on Drift Protocol, marking its first integration beyond lending markets and DEX liquidity pools.
The move opens a new growth channel for the token, which has over $2 billion in circulation and delivers institutional-grade yields from overcollateralized lending.
syrupUSDC is now available as collateral on Drift with $100K yield incentives.
Regardless of the trade, Drift users can now earn yield backed by institutional borrow demand and security.@DriftProtocol pic.twitter.com/xT6NYjlqRe
— Maple (@maplefinance) August 13, 2025
The integration allows crypto users to post syrupUSDC as collateral while continuing to earn 7–8% APY, providing a steady return even during inactive trading periods. Drift, which processed more than $16 billion in trading volume last month, will also run a $100,000 incentive program to encourage adoption. Rewards include $12,500 in USDC distributed during the first week and an initial $50 million supply cap to support sustainable growth.
This dual-purpose design offers both funding arbitrage and directional trading advantages. Arbitrage traders can keep positions open longer without being forced to exit prematurely, while directional traders benefit from yield that offsets negative funding rates, extending their runway to hold trades.
While other yield-bearing assets are supported on Drift, syrupUSDC’s returns stem from Maple’s regulated, institutional lending operations, which automatically compound without affecting trading positions. This provides a hedge against compressed funding rates, which have dropped from around 30% in early market cycles to 6–8% today.
The launch represents a strategic expansion for Maple Finance, positioning syrupUSDC within the fast-growing perpetual futures sector, where trading volumes regularly exceed spot markets. Maple expects additional exchange integrations as it scales its lending engine to support more complex trading strategies. The Drift Protocol integration is live, with incentive rewards already available to participants who deposit syrupUSDC as margin and trade across perpetual markets.
Notably, Maple Finance recently appointed Zodia Custody as its preferred custodian for global lending arrangements. Collateral pledged to Maple will be securely held within Zodia’s infrastructure, with support for Maple’s native token, a move aimed at meeting institutional demand for secure, yield-generating digital asset solutions in high-interest environments.
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