DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, January 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Interest around Mutuum Finance (MUTM) has increased as the project approaches its first protocol release. The new DeFi crypto recently surpassed 19,000 investors, marking one of the largest pre-sale participation numbers of the 2025-2026 cycle. The growth has been steady rather than sudden, which observers consider remarkable for a project that has yet to activate its core protocol.
Mutuum Finance is building a decentralized lending system that allows users to borrow against their crypto assets and provide capital to earn a return. The protocol includes collateral rules, liquidation systems and debt accounting designed to make borrowing safer for lenders and more flexible for borrowers. The team has confirmed that its V1 protocol will enter a testing window on the Sepolia testnet in the first quarter of 2026.
Pre-sale structure and price progression
Presale began in early 2025 at the initial MUTM price of $0.01. Since its launch, the sale has gone through structured pricing stages and is now in phase 7 at $0.04. This represents an increase of 300% compared to the first phase. The structured pricing model prevented early buyers from dominating supply and created clear entry brackets as the pre-sale matured.
Funding has progressed in parallel. Mutuum Finance raised over $19.9 million during the pre-sale period. The distribution was broad rather than concentrated, with more than 19,000 investors participating. Around 830 million tokens have been sold to date. MUTM’s total supply is 4 billion tokens, and 45.5% of this supply is allocated to pre-sale distribution, which equates to approximately 1.82 billion tokens.
Participation mechanisms and demand signals
Demand was also influenced by operational mechanisms within presale. Mutuum Finance offers a 24-hour ranking that presents the biggest contributor of the day. The daily winner receives a $500 MUTM reward. This format encouraged continued participation and became a visible indicator of further interest. Leaderboard activity increased as Phase 7 progressed.
Card payment support also played a role in the integration. Many early-stage token launches only allow crypto payments, requiring new users to route funds through exchanges. Mutuum Finance has introduced card support as part of its distribution strategy, reducing friction and allowing non-crypto users to enter directly.
Security and development validation before launch
Security was a central topic during development due to the protocol’s ready design. Lending platforms must manage collateral, liquidations and borrowing in volatile markets. Mutual Finance carried out an independent audit with Halborn Security and achieved a token analysis score of 90 out of 100 from CertiK. A $50,000 bug bounty is active for external code review.
The roadmap indicates that the project is at the end of Phase 2, which has been focused on security validation, Oracle integration and contract logic. With these components almost complete, V1 is preparing to be activated. The team said V1 will support pooled lending, collateralized borrowing, mtToken yield accounting, and liquidation execution.
Acceleration of phase 7 and allocations to whales
Phase 7 sold out faster than previous phases. Several six-figure whale allocations have been recorded, including a $115,000 allocation highlighted in community reports. Whale participation typically increases in later stages of pre-sales, when development risk is lower and activation timelines are visible.
The tightening of distribution is visible in the pre-sale measures. With over 830 million tokens already placed and a cap of 1.82 billion for the presale allocation, the available inventory has shrunk as V1 approaches. This contributed to increased leaderboard activity and increased participation rates in the final weeks of Phase 7.
Investors tracking upcoming crypto cycles often focus on whether a protocol has reached the activation phase. Activation refers to the period when the code is finalized, security is validated, and distribution is almost complete. Mutuum Finance appears to be entering this stage. With over 19,000 investors, nearly $20 million raised, advanced distribution, and verified security layers, the project has positioned itself as a new low-cost crypto gearing up for execution in Q1 2026.
For more information on Mutuum Finance (MUTM), visit the links below:
Website: https://www.mutuum.com
Link tree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance
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