DeFi

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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.

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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)
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.
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)

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

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

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

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

Paul Frambot, CEO Morpho Labs (Morpho)
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.
Paul Frambot, CEO Morpho Labs (Morpho)

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

Usual Labs founding team. (Usual labs)
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.
Usual Labs founding team. (Usual labs)

Uniswap booth at ETHDenver 2023 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
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...
Uniswap booth at ETHDenver 2023 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

marginFi banner (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)
Chaos at MarginFi Shakes up Solana DeFi's Borrow-and-Lend Landscape
Solend and Kamino were the biggest winners in the Solana DeFi landscape.
marginFi banner (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)