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.


Markets

Red-Hot DeFi Platform Usual Faces Backlash as Protocol Update Triggers Sell-Off

An unexpected change in the redemption mechanism of the protocol's yield-generating token caught investors off-guard, throwing the DeFi community into disarray.

FLASH: Balances on the Lightning Network can be revealed by relatively straightforward cyberattacks, researchers say. (Credit: Shutterstock)

Tech

Ripple Aims to Boost RLUSD Stablecoin's DeFi Utility with Chainlink Standard

Chainlink will provide crucial pricing data for Ripple's U.S. dollar stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse (Suzanne Cordiero/Shutterstock)

Markets

DeFi Protocol Usual's Surge Catapults Hashnote's Tokenized Treasury Over BlackRock's BUIDL

Hashnote's USYC is the primary backing asset of the red-hot decentralized finance protocol Usual, whose USD0 stablecoin zoomed over $1 billion market capitalization in a few months.

(Ryan Quintal/Unsplash, Modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

How Aggregation and Decentralized AI Will Completely Reshape Blockchains in 2025

Transformative breakthroughs will finally enable blockchains to scale seamlessly and deliver on the promise of a fully connected “Internet of Value.”

(Mike Alonzo/ Unsplash)

Opinion

Three Predictions For 2025

2024 has been a pivotal year for crypto. However, the real turning point is still to come. Here are three predictions for 2025 that could help ignite it, says Marcin Kazmierczak.

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Markets

Ethena Rolls Out Stablecoin Backed by BlackRock's BUIDL Token

The protocol's governance token ENA rallied over the weekend as Donald Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial invested in the token.

(Ryan Quintal/Unsplash, Modified by CoinDesk)

Tech

Botanix Labs' Mission to Bring Bitcoin to Defi Moves to Final Testnet Phase

The Aragog testnet as it is known, introduces a set of tools that will form the basis for the mainnet's DeFi offering.

Spiderchain, a Bitcoin layer 2 blockchain. (Shutterstock)

Opinion

Should SOL Be Trading at a 70% Discount to ETH?

Solana's SOL is starting to rival Ethereum's ether in terms of on-chain activity and network usage metrics, raising questions about whether the market is dislocated, says Michael Nadeau.

Metal Yurt in Nature

Videos

Why the TON Ecosystem Could Be Crypto's Dark Horse in 2025

Maple Finance CEO and co-founder Sid Powell joins CoinDesk to discuss the recent rally across the broader crypto market. Plus, insights into stablecoin holdings, increasing demand for leverage and a potential resurgence of DeFi. This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes.

Recent Videos

Opinion

DeFi’s Renaissance

Pro-crypto legislation could allow DeFi to potentially connect with mainstream financial systems, says Toe Bautista.

(Alicia Steels/Unsplash)