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.

Podcasts

Square Sets Out to Bring DeFi to Bitcoin

By Nathaniel WhittemoreJul 16, 2021

Videos

Square to Create New Bitcoin Platform for Decentralized Financial Services

Payments services firm Square will open a new business focused on creating an “open developer platform” to make it easier to provide non-custodial, decentralized financial services, CEO Jack Dorsey said Thursday in a series of tweets. The division’s “primary focus” would be bitcoin.

Jul 16, 2021

Finance

Terra Attracts $150M for DeFi Ecosystem Fund

The decentralized stablecoin project is rapidly gaining momentum.

By Cheyenne LigonJul 16, 2021

Daniel Shin y Do Kwon, cofundadores de Terra. (Terraform Labs)

Videos

Timothy Massad: Bitcoin ETFs Could Lead to Greater Regulation

Responding to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s call for SEC to clarify its role on crypto regulations, former CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad suggests that the SEC, despite not having direct authority to regulate crypto exchanges, could approve bitcoin ETFs as a way to “bring some regulatory standards.”

Jul 16, 2021

Markets

Japan Increasing Efforts to Regulate Digital Currency: Report

The move is a sign of increasing concern that new forms of private money could disrupt Japan's financial system.

By Greg AhlstrandJul 16, 2021

Tech

DeFi Yield Farming Aggregator ApeRocket Suffers $1.26M 'Flash Loan' Attack

The attacks occurred on ApeRocket's Binance Smart Chain and Polygon networks within a few hours of each other on Wednesday.

By Jamie CrawleyJul 15, 2021

Videos

TradeStation Exec: Paradigm Shift in Labor Market Could Have Contributed to ShapeShift’s Shutdown

James Putra, TradeStation Head of Innovation Labs, discusses crypto leader ShapeShift decentralizing its corporate governance as signaling a paradigm shift to mobile labor forces. “The labor markets have fundamentally changed,” Putra said, adding, “[you] can earn a good income and not have to be tied to one central vehicle.”

Jul 15, 2021

Videos

Why Is ShapeShift Shutting Down?

Crypto trading pioneer ShapeShift is closing its doors, handing over its legacy to a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) controlled by holders of its FOX token. In the process, it will airdrop $98 million in crypto to decentralized finance (DeFi) investors.

Jul 14, 2021

Finance