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.

Opinion

The 5 Big Risk Vectors of DeFi

IntoTheBlock CEO Jesus Rodriguez offers a taxonomy for understanding risk in DeFI

By Jesus RodriguezFeb 3, 2022

Gladys Roy plays tennis with Ivan Unger (member of the "Flying Black Hats") as Frank Tomac pilots the plane at 3,000 feet. The only problem with this match is trying to retrieve a ball after it has bounced off the wing of the plane and plunged a few thousand feet.

Finance

Jump Trading Backstops Wormhole’s $320M Exploit Loss

Wormhole’s parent company has stepped in to prevent chaos across the Solana DeFi landscape.

By Andrew ThurmanFeb 3, 2022

Markets

Trader Joe's Native Coin Climbs as the DEX Unveils 'Modular Staking'

People want their DEX tokens to be "modular" in function, and they want to price those functions independently, one investment firm said.

By Omkar GodboleFeb 2, 2022

JOE's modular staking allows users to price token's multiple utilities differently. (Source: TradingView)

Tech

Cardano Developers Propose Block Size Increase

The proposal will increase Cardano’s block size to 80 KB from the current 72 KB in line with a broader plan for increasing network capacity.

By Shaurya MalwaFeb 2, 2022

(Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Videos

WisdomTree Exec on Bitcoin: ‘It’s an Adoption Game’

Will Peck, head of digital assets at WisdomTree, discusses his optimistic and bullish outlook for bitcoin. “It’s an adoption game,” Peck said. “Long-term, if you’re talking about continued adoption of an asset class and a technology … you’d see continued growth in it going forward.”

Feb 1, 2022

Policy

Hester Peirce Warns Proposed SEC Reform of Securities Trading Platforms Could Threaten DeFi

"Crypto Mom" believes a new 654-page plan designed to add oversight to trading government securities could also allow new powers to scrutinize DeFi platforms.

By Jamie CrawleyFeb 1, 2022