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

Your Crypto Project Needs a Sheriff, Not a Bounty Hunter

Avi Eisenberg’s centi-million dollar exploit of the decentralized Mango Markets trading platform revealed the perverse incentives of bug bounties.

By Steven WalbroehlApr 24, 2024

Still from Sergio Leone's 1965 classic spaghetti western "For a Few Dollars More," where Clint Eastwood plays an antihero character with an unorthodox sense of justice. (Wikimedia Commons)

Finance

Crypto Custody Firm Fireblocks Now Offers DeFi Threat Detection for Institutions

The dApp Protection and Transaction Simulation products can check decentralized applications across 40+ blockchains via WalletConnect, Fireblocks’ browser extension, and MetaMask Institutional.

By Ian AllisonApr 24, 2024

Fireblocks sign at Miami airport during Bitcoin Miami conference 2022 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Finance

ZKasino Users Plead for Refunds as $33M of Bridged Ether Sent to Lido

Depositors were originally told that bridged ether would be returned once the bridging phase was over.

By Oliver KnightApr 22, 2024

ZKasino sents $33M to Lido (Carl Raw/Unsplash)

Opinion

Bitcoin Will Power the Next DeFi Summer

The blockchain is emerging as a critical security-provider for decentralized apps and as an asset with newfound utility and interoperability.

By Brendon SedoApr 19, 2024

Token unlocks are usually bearish events, increasing a token's supply.(FLY:D/Unsplash)

Finance

Aptos Strikes DeFi Partnership With Microsoft, Brevan Howard, SK Telecom

The aim is to offer banks and large institutions a gateway to decentralized finance on Aptos.

By Lyllah LedesmaApr 18, 2024

Aptos founders Mo Shaikh, left, and Avery Ching (Aptos Labs)

Finance

DeFi’s Path to Mass Adoption Goes Through Fintech Firms, Centralized Exchanges, Morpho Labs Chief Says

Paul Frambot, CEO of DeFi lending firm Morpho Labs, says fintechs, having relied on traditional finance rails until now, are all optimizing for layer-2 infrastructure.

By Ian AllisonApr 18, 2024

Finance

Tokenized Credit Platform Centrifuge Plans Institutional RWA Lending on Coinbase's Base, Raises $15M in VC Investment

CFG, the protocol's native token, spiked as much as 14% after the announcement before paring gains and outperformed other DeFi tokens.

By Krisztian SandorApr 17, 2024

Centrifuge is one of the largest blockchain-based credit platform with $270 million of active loans. (Mae Mu/Unsplash)

Finance

DeFi Firm Usual Labs Raises $7M Round Led by Kraken Ventures and IOSG Ventures

The firm has received a commitment of $75 million in total value locked for the launch of its stablecoin USD0.

By Will CannyApr 17, 2024

Opinion

The SEC’s Suit Against Uniswap Is an Opening Attack Against DeFi

The DEX received a Wells Notice from the regulator, suggesting an enforcement action is imminent. While we don’t know the nature of the potential charges, the news raises the threat of legal jeopardy for decentralized finance.

By Daniel KuhnApr 11, 2024