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.

Finance

PayPal Taps Spark to Boost PYUSD Liquidity by $1B Through DeFi Lending

Partnership targets deep liquidity for PayPal USD on SparkLend, with $100M already deposited

By Ian Allison, AI BoostSep 25, 2025

Opinion

Wall Street Wants in on DeFi. Here’s How to Make It Happen

Programmable yield, automated compliance, and access to FedNow could bring decentralized finance, or “DeFi,” into the financial mainstream.

By Tuongvy LeSep 25, 2025

Wall street signs, traffic light, New York City

Finance

DeFi TVL Rebounds to $170B, Erasing Terra-Era Bear Market Losses

After three years of rebuilding, decentralized finance has returned to pre-Terra levels with more measured growth and rising institutional adoption.

By Oliver KnightSep 18, 2025

TVL recovery since Terra crash (DefiLlama)

Finance

Tether Co-Founder, Tokenization Pioneer Unveil Startup for GENIUS-Aligned Digital Dollars

STBL transforms tokenized securities such as money market funds into freely usable stablecoins, and allow-listed, interest-accruing NFTs.

By Ian AllisonSep 18, 2025

Avtar Sehra sits on a chair in front of a microphone (Libre)

Finance

Curve Finance Pitches Yield Basis, a $60M Plan to Turn CRV Into an Income Asset

A Curve DAO proposal seeks to introduce Yield Basis, a protocol with a $60 million stablecoin mint that offers direct rewards to veCRV token holders.

By Oliver KnightSep 17, 2025

Tech

Is Ethereum’s DeFi Future on L2s? Liquidity, Innovation Say Perhaps Yes

Ethereum is in the midst of a paradox. Even as ether hit record highs in late August, decentralized finance (DeFi) activity on Ethereum’s layer-1 (L1) looks muted compared to its peak in late 2021. Meanwhile, layer-2 (L2) networks like Arbitrum and Base are booming, with billions in total value locked (TVL).

By Margaux NijkerkSep 16, 2025

Markets

Ethena's ENA Rallies to 7-Month High on Binance Listing Fueling $500M Buyback Hopes

Listing the protocol's USDe token on major exchanges like Binance is a key requirement to enable a mechanism to share protocol revenues with token holders.

By Krisztian SandorSep 9, 2025

Charts signal 2024-like massive BTC bull run ahead. (NASA-Imagery/Pixabay)

CoinDesk Indices

Crypto for Advisors: The Mechanics of Generating Yield On-Chain

Ethena, Pendle, and Aave form a powerful DeFi yield engine. This article explores how they work together and how Hyperliquid could expand this system.

By Elisabeth Phizackerley, Ilan SolotSep 4, 2025