The DeFi lending protocol Morpho announced a cooperation agreement with asset manager Apollo, allowing Apollo to acquire up to 90 million MORPHO tokens over two years. The deal, worth approximately $115.2 million at current prices, elicited mixed reactions from industry experts. Market data shows a positive initial response, with the token’s price rising 12% in 24 hours amid flat exchange supply and significant spot market whale interest.
The DeFi lending and vault platform Morpho has secured a new institutional partnership in early 2026. The platform announced a deal with asset manager Apollo that permits the acquisition of 90 million MORPHO tokens over the next two years.
This potential purchase would be valued at roughly $115.2 million based on current token prices. The announcement generated diverging opinions from prominent fund managers within the crypto sector.
Digital Asset Capital Management CIO Richard Galvin viewed the institutional trend as bullish. Conversely, Arca CIO Jeff Dorman cautioned that the language was vague, stating, “I’d caution against assuming they are buying tokens.”
Market data indicated a positive reception despite the debate. Santiment data showed the Supply on Exchanges metric remained flat following the news, suggesting reduced immediate selling pressure.
Furthermore, CryptoQuant data revealed significant whale interest near the $1.0 to $1.3 consolidation zone. The derivatives market saw only a modest increase in open interest, suggesting the rally was spot-driven.
The MORPHO price chart showed a 12% gain over 24 hours, extending its recent recovery to 24%. The token’s price action reduced its losses from late 2025 to approximately 40%.
