DeFi

DeFi, short for decentralized finance, represents a shift in the financial sector by leveraging blockchain technology, primarily Ethereum, to eliminate traditional financial intermediaries. It enables various financial applications, from simple transactions to complex contracts, through smart contracts that execute automatically under specific conditions. Key DeFi applications include decentralized exchanges (DEXs), stablecoins, lending platforms, and prediction markets. DeFi offers financial services like loans and interest-earning opportunities without traditional identity verification, relying instead on collateral, usually in cryptocurrency. This innovative sector promises increased accessibility and efficiency but comes with risks, such as market volatility and unregulated projects.


Finance

Enterprises Would Use DeFi, if It Weren't so Public

For DeFi to go mainstream, it needs to adopt the privacy large enterprises require.

(Stefan Steinbauer/Unsplash)

Tech

Newest DAO Project Was Thrown a Curve, but the Team Is Rolling With It Anyway

An anonymous DeFi user deployed Curve Finance’s DAO and token smart contracts without the team’s permission, but the Curve team is adopting it anyway.

(Jose Morales/Unsplash)

Tech

Lending Protocol Aave Eyes Tokenized Mortgages With Launch of V2

Tokenized mortgages may be coming to decentralized finance (DeFi) following Aave v2’s specification announcement Friday.

Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave, speaks at Consensus 2019.

Markets

First Mover: As Wall Street Goes Topsy-Turvy, Crypto Traders Are Bullish as Ever

Crypto traders are enjoying their own version of the market’s madness, from bitcoin’s bull run to the collapse of YAM to Dave Portnoy.

Illustration from "The World Turned Upside Down." (Alamy/Photomosh)

Markets

Market Wrap: Stuck at $11.5K, Bitcoin Surpasses 25K Locked in DeFi

A dull bitcoin market contrasts with increasing use of the cryptocurrency in DeFi applications.

CoinDesk 20 Bitcoin Price Index

Tech

How DeFi 'Degens' Are Gaming Ethereum's Money Legos

From first heartbeat to last breath, YAM lasted less than 48 hours. But those are the rules of DeFi’s newest toy: “minimally viable monetary experiments.”

(Ghouls/Based.Money)

Tech

Crypto VC Firm Assesses the 'State of Blockchain Governance'

Greenfield One, an early-stage venture capital firm, just published a comprehensive new resource on the topic of blockchain governance.

Inside the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament. (Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash)

Markets

YAM's Market Cap Falls From $60M to Zero in 35 Minutes

YAM’s market cap fell to zero just minutes after the co-founder pronounced the yield farming project dead. A rescue plan is now in the cards.

YAM Market Cap (CoinGecko)

Markets

DeFi Meme Coin YAM Succumbs to Fatal 'Rebase' Bug, Makes Plans for 'YAM 2.0'

DeFi meme coin YAM has lost control of its on-chain governance feature following a reported bug.

(Amuzujoe/Wikimedia Commons)

Markets

Decentralized Finance Frenzy Drives Ethereum Transaction Fees to All-Time Highs

Average transaction fees broke all-time highs as median fees hover just below its high.

Average and median Ethereum transaction fees since July 2015