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.


Tech

Deposits in 'Monetary Experiment' Meme Token YAM Break $460M

YAM, DeFi’s latest farm-fresh product, has never been audited. Yet, that’s not holding back traders from pumping the token’s price to a high of $138 since it launched Tuesday.

(Louis Hansel/Unsplash)

Finance

Alchemy Goes Public With Developer Platform in Bid to Grow DeFi Ecosystem

Blockchain infrastructure startup Alchemy just launched its full suite of products to the public, after a two-year closed beta serving teams like MakerDAO and Kyber Network.

Alchemy staffers pose for a team photo.

Markets

DEX Aggregator 1inch Raises $2.8M From Binance Labs, Galaxy Digital and More

Launched by software engineers from Porsche and NEAR Protocol, the startup has raised $2.8 million in a funding round led by Binance Labs.

Left to right: 1inch co-founder Anton Bukov, co-founder Sergej Kunz and smart contract developer Mikhail Melnik.

Finance

Chia Network Raises $5M to Rival New Crop of DeFi-Friendly Base Layers

Chia Network, led by BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen, just raised another $5 million in an equity round led by Slow Ventures.

Chia pudding (Marc Mintel/Unsplash)

Markets

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Tests $12K; DeFi Debt Outstanding Hits Record

Bitcoin’s back on the price roller coaster and DeFi borrowing is hitting a new high.

CoinDesk 20 Bitcoin Price Index

Markets

ParaFi Invests and Begins Staking in Bitfinex Spin-Out Exchange

ParaFi and D1 have invested a total of $450,000 into Bitfinex spin-out DeversiFi and will now play a governance role in the project's DAO.

(DeversiFi)

Markets

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Trudges Past $11.7K as DeFi Lending Rates Gyrate

Bitcoin’s price is trending up. Meanwhile, interest rates for lending crypto in DeFi are still unpredictable.

Source: CoinDesk 20 Bitcoin Price Index

Tech

DeFi Traders Are Gaming Ethereum for Higher Profits, Researchers Say

DeFi trading bots create "walls of executions," resulting in higher rewards for Ethereum miners, higher profits for traders and higher fees for everyone.

(Keenan Constance/Unsplash)

Markets

Two Reasons Crypto's Bull Market Is Coming

Capital from dying token projects and an inflationary environment provide conditions for crypto's march towards a $1 trillion market cap.

(Shutterstock)

Tech

ETH Lite: Reflexer Labs Raises $1.7M to Build a Somewhat-Stable Coin for DeFi

Reflexer Labs, a new decentralized finance project aimed at softening volatility, has closed a $1.68 million seed round led by Paradigm.

(Loic Leray/Unsplash)