DeFi

CoinDesk placeholder image

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.

Read less...

U.S. Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller says stablecoins may be doing the dollar a favor.  (Horacio Villalobos/Corbis via Getty Images)
U.S. Federal Reserve Gov. Waller Says DeFi Could Boost Dollar's Global Strength
Despite some fears in government circles that crypto could undermine the dollar, the Fed governor said that the use of dollar-dependent stablecoins can boost the dollar's reac...
U.S. Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller says stablecoins may be doing the dollar a favor.  (Horacio Villalobos/Corbis via Getty Images)

Founders of Fordefi (clockwise): Michael Volfman, Dima Kogan and Josh Schwartz (Fordefi)
Fordefi Raises $10M to Make Crypto Safer With Institutional-Grade Wallet to Retail-Facing Platforms
The company has onboarded institutional investors such as Pantera Capital, DeFiance Capital, Keyrock and Flare Network to its MPC wallet, and secured over $3 billion in blockc...
Founders of Fordefi (clockwise): Michael Volfman, Dima Kogan and Josh Schwartz (Fordefi)

(Jp Valery/Unsplash)
As Tokenization Takes off, Look to DAOs
DAO treasuries, the "indigenous crypto-native institutional investor," have faced a number of problems that institutional capital can avoid, Ainsley To writes.
(Jp Valery/Unsplash)

Sydney Opera House in Australia (Stanbalik/Pixabay)
Australian Judge Hands Split Decision in Market’s Regulator vs Block Earner
The court will determine the fine Block Earner will have to pay during a scheduled hearing on March 1, 2024.
Sydney Opera House in Australia (Stanbalik/Pixabay)

Treasure chest (Ashin K Suresh/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)
What Is ERC-404? The Experimental Standard Whose First Token Has Rocketed 12,000% in One Week
ERC-404 allows multiple wallets to directly own a single NFT and, in the future, create a use case where that specific exposure can be tokenized and used to take out loans or...
Treasure chest (Ashin K Suresh/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Pendle TVL. (DeFiLlama)
DeFi Platform Pendle Nears $1B in Total Value Locked
Pendle crossed the $100 million TVL mark in mid-June 2023.
Pendle TVL. (DeFiLlama)

Diogenes Casares (Teo Casares)
Activist DAO Investor Pivots to Building a Company
Diogenes Casares' new Stream Protocol is a trading platform he plans to eventually turn into a decentralized perpetual swaps exchange.
Diogenes Casares (Teo Casares)

(Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk, modified)
DeFi Shouldn't Have to Worry About the SEC’s Expanded Broker Rule
A move to expand regulatory oversight over hedge funds and market makers could also rope in AMMs, experts say. But if these protocols cannot comply, is it really a threat?
(Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk, modified)

While U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler celebrated the agency's new dealer rule, DeFi insiders tolled a warning. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)
U.S. SEC Clears 'Dealer' Rule Expansion That Could Rope in DeFi
The Securities and Exchange Commission approved a final rule Tuesday that DeFi interests call "hostile" to that sector, potentially requiring projects to register as dealers.
While U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler celebrated the agency's new dealer rule, DeFi insiders tolled a warning. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

DeFi, T-bill, Yield, Paradigm
Hashnote's U.S. Treasuries Token Now Available Through Crypto Custodian Copper
Not all the so-called “on-chain treasuries” in the market are created equal, warns Hashnote CEO Leo Mizuhara.
DeFi, T-bill, Yield, Paradigm