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.


Markets

Cardano, Polkadot Jump as Bitcoin Holds Above $50K

Major cryptocurrencies including bitcoin and ether regained price levels from Friday after seeing a slight dip over an otherwise quiet Christmas weekend.

Price chart for Cardano's ADA token over past month. (CoinDesk)

Tech

Cardano Founder Charles Hoskinson Lays Out 2022 Plans

Hoskinson said the creation of a formal open-source project structure for Cardano is on the cards, among other developments.

Charles Hoskinson, CEO and founder of IOHK, the lead developer of Cardano.

Opinion

10 2022 Predictions From PwC’s Henri Arslanian

El Salvador. The metaverse. Web 3 catalysts. Ethereum’s future.

(Arthur Chauvineau/Unsplash)

Markets

DeFi Value on Terra Surges to Record $21B as LUNA Tops $100

Thursday’s dip to $85 for LUNA tokens was erased overnight.

(Annie Spratt/Unsplash)

Tech

Dfinity’s Internet Computer Opens Ethereum Bridge

Ethereum-based assets can now natively exist on Internet Computer via the new bridge that connects the blockchains.

Multichain is building bridges for shuttling crypto across networks. (Modestas Urbonas/Unsplash)

Videos

Teenage Suspect in $16M DeFi Hack Wanted for Arrest in Canada

A warrant has been issued for 19-year-old Andean "Andy" Medjedovic to appear before an Ontario court. He allegedly used flash loans to drain $16 million from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Indexed Finance in October. Medjedovic argues "code is law," as he did not violate any contracts. "The Hash" panel discusses the latest in the world of DeFi law.

Recent Videos

Tech

BNB Burns Will Now Better Reflect DeFi Activity on Binance Smart Chain

Starting Thursday, Binance will burn its BNB tokens continuously instead of once a quarter.

(H. Armstrong Roberts/Getty Images)

Markets

NEAR Token Jumps Over 20% After UST Integration

Tokens of the layer 1 blockchain are up 23% after Terra said its UST stablecoins would be supported on the network.

A Near sign in Lisbon, Portugal (Zack Seward/CoinDesk)

Videos

Is Bitcoin ‘Its Own Asset Class’?

Genesis Institutional Lending Associate Eugene Chang discusses institutional investment activity in digital assets, sharing insights into bitcoin’s response to macro factors like inflation and the omicron variant. Plus, his take on DeFi lending rates and what lies ahead for cryptocurrency investing in 2022.

Recent Videos

Policy

Teenage Suspect in $16M DeFi Hack Wanted for Arrest in Canada

In a possible DeFi first, Canadian law enforcement is now looking to track down a suspected hacker.

(Daniel Crump/Bloomberg via Getty Images)