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

DEX Aggregator 1inch Raises $175M in Funding Round Led by Amber Group

The Series B comes ahead of the launch of 1inch Pro, which will cater to institutional investors.

1inch co-founders Anton Bukov (left) and Sergej Kunz (1inch Network)

Layer 2

Ethereum in 2022: What Is Money in the Metaverse?

DeFi, NFTs, stablecoins – most of it started on Ethereum. What about next year? This post is part of CoinDesk’s Future of Money Week.

(Yunha Lee/CoinDesk)

Markets

UST Stablecoin Demand, DeFi Incentives Drive Terra’s LUNA to New All-Time High

Following a network upgrade in October, it’s the second time this month LUNA has logged record highs.

(Annie Spratt/Unsplash)

Finance

Three Arrows Backs Money-Streaming Mean DAO to Boost DeFi Payments on Solana

The $3.5 million funding round included SoftBank and DeFiance Capital.

Mean DAO co-founders Michel Triana and Eydel Rivero Ruiz (Mean DAO)

Tech

Elrond Leapfrogs Into DeFi’s Top 10 as Users Chase Ridiculously Large Incentive Program

What was a $1.29 billion sweetener package when announced is now worth $7.32 billion as the MEX token surges. It has dragged an afterthought chain’s TVL into the big leagues.

(Ariel/Unsplash)

Tech

Which Comes First: DeFi Utility or Yield?

Also: Tackling Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) on Ethereum

(PIER/Stone/Getty Images)

Finance

German VC Greenfield One Raises $160M Crypto Fund With Backing From Swisscom, Others

The VC’s third fund is its biggest yet, and most likely one of the largest crypto funds in Europe.

Berlin (Adam Vradenburg/Unsplash)

Videos

El Salvador Wants to Build ‘Bitcoin City’ With Major Tax Incentives

El Salvador, the only country where bitcoin is a legal tender, is going to build an entire city based on the largest cryptocurrency by market value. “Bitcoin City” will have no income, property, capital gains or payroll taxes.

CoinDesk placeholder image

Tech

Rari Capital, Fei Protocol Look to Overcome Bagholder Bias in Ambitious DeFi Merger

Two teams are looking to form a $2.4 billion DeFi powerhouse. What’s the holdup?

(Alex Padurariu/Unsplash)