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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A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution could end up in the hands of a DAO. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
‘I Think We’re Doing This’: Inside One DAO’s $20M Plot to Purchase the US Constitution
What started as 10 internet friends is now an 8,000-strong Discord channel. Is this the new face of participatory democracy?
A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution could end up in the hands of a DAO. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

The pawnbrokers' symbol (Bethany Clarke/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk)
VCs Back ‘Pawn Shop of the Metaverse’ With $3M Raise
Pawnfi lets customers take out loans against their NFTs while also providing appraisal and liquidation services.
The pawnbrokers' symbol (Bethany Clarke/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk)

(Moe Zoyari/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Alex Raises $5.8M to Bring DeFi to the Bitcoin Ecosystem
Alex aims to be a one-stop DeFi platform for fixed-rate and fixed-term bitcoin lending and borrowing.
(Moe Zoyari/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CREAM has fallen off not one, but two cliffs in recent weeks. (Messari)
Cream Plunges on News That Hack Compensation Will Inflate Token Supply
The price of CREAM has fallen off two cliffs in less than a month.
CREAM has fallen off not one, but two cliffs in recent weeks. (Messari)

(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk)
Is Jack Dorsey About to Announce a Bitcoin DeFi Platform?
Or is Square’s TBD launch of its white paper just days after the Taproot upgrade a coincidence?
(Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk)

(Jonny Clow/Unsplash)
xDai Wants a Gnosis Merger to Stay Relevant, but Some Tokenholders Are Crying Foul
Project leads see a potentially historic DeFi merger as a way to fend off the competition. Speculators are complaining they’ve been shortchanged.
(Jonny Clow/Unsplash)

(Hasan Almasi/Unsplash)
‘Curve Wars’ Heat Up: Emergency DAO Invoked After ‘Clear Governance Attack’
In a governance first, Curve has halted rewards emissions to a pool after it deemed a protocol’s behavior a “clear governance attack.”
(Hasan Almasi/Unsplash)

(Shutterstock)
Saddle Raises $7.5M to Reduce Slippage in DeFi Trading
The automated market maker wants to minimize the spread on stablecoin trades.
(Shutterstock)

One of the options DOT holders can vote on. (Polkadot)
Polkadot DeFi Darling Acala Has Gathered Over $600M and Counting
Acala is likely to win the first Polkadot parachain slot in the auction process beginning Thursday.
One of the options DOT holders can vote on. (Polkadot)

MakerDAO founder Rune Christensen on CoinDesk TV
MakerDAO’s Christensen Turns Optimistic After US Stablecoin Report
The founder of the crypto lender and stablecoin issuer had feared the worst about potential regulation.
MakerDAO founder Rune Christensen on CoinDesk TV