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

Can Everyday Traders Trust DeFi's Automated Market Makers?

Decentralized finance needs to embrace user-friendly and secure solutions,

By Connor O'SheaNov 10, 2023

Opinion

The Trading Tools Institutions Need to Enter DeFi

There is an equilibrium challenge between privacy and transparency in crypto.

By Antoni ZolciakNov 9, 2023

suits, ties, business. corporate hell (SEC, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

Can Stablecoins Get Past Their Instability?

Moody's Head of DeFi Rajeev Bamra considers the role stablecoins play cryptocurrency markets, and the risks posed by "depegging" events.

By Rajeev BamraNov 9, 2023

(Sammie Chaffin/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

Why an Ether Staking Rate Will Increase Crypto Adoption

Ethereum’s integrated staking rate is now part of the investment case for ether. Understanding and measuring it is key to driving innovation and acceptance of ETH-based financial products.

By Andy BaehrNov 8, 2023

Markets

DeFi’s Next Frontier: The Untapped Potential of On-chain Structured Products

The last bull market saw the launch of a raft of on-chain structured products. The next bull-run will see more liquidity going into these projects, says Jordan Tonani from The Index Coop.

By Jordan TonaniNov 8, 2023

Videos

Injective Survey Suggests Many Traders Use Both Centralized and Decentralized Exchanges

As part of CoinDesk's Trading Week 2023, presented by CME Group, Injective Labs co-founder and CEO Eric Chen joins "First Mover" to share insights into some of the strategies for DeFi traders, including 64% saying they trade on both a centralized and decentralized exchange. Injective says the data was collected from hundreds of traders contacted via multiple channels. After the preliminary data verification, answers were included from 224 qualified respondents.

Nov 8, 2023

Markets

Crypto Traders Are Earning 165% Yields by Staking a Token Named After Elon Musk’s Pet

Developers are trying to capture a piece of the global asset tokenization market as part of a new product in the Floki ecosystem.

By Shaurya MalwaNov 7, 2023

Videos

Curve Finance’s Stablecoin Maintains Peg as Others Struggle: Kaiko

Curve Finance's stablecoin, crvUSD, is maintaining its peg as other stablecoins struggle, emerging as a rare bright spot amidst a bear market that has hit DeFi protocols especially hard, according to Kaiko data. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie presents "The Chart of the Day."

Nov 2, 2023