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.


Policy

BIS Signals Central Banks to Start Work on CBDCs

The head of the BIS Innovation Hub says central banks must retain the ability to uphold financial stability.

Benoit Coeure, executive board member of the European Central Bank (ECB), pauses at the central, eastern and south-eastern European economies (CESEE) conference at the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. International Monetary Fund leader Christine Lagarde called on governments to de-escalate current trade disputes and instead work to fix the global system. Photographer: Andreas Arnold/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tech

DEX Aggregator ParaSwap Deploys on Avalanche

It’s already on Ethereum, Polygon and Binance Smart Chain. Now ParaSwap is expanding to Avalanche – with incentivized products in the works.

ParaSwap is parachuting onto the Avalanche blockchain. (Tomas Sobek/Unsplash)

Tech

Fractionalized NFTs Get Funding Boost as SZNS Raises $4M From Framework, Dragonfly

As PleasrDAO and Paperclip grab headlines, a new service is aiming to popularize DAO-governed NFT collecting and investing.

(Unsplash/Christina Rumpf)

Tech

Harmony Has $300M for Projects Looking to Expand Beyond Ethereum

The blockchain’s Harmony Foundation is offering a boatload of ONE tokens to attract top projects.

CELEBRATING ONE: The Harmony team. (Courtesy photo)

Finance

Solana-Based Game Raises $4.1M to Teach You How to DeFi

DeFi Land is a farm simulator teaching the basics of decentralized finance. Can it be a game-changer for new crypto users?

A look inside the game. (DeFi Land)

Finance

MetaMask Hit 10M Monthly User Mark in July With Asia Leading Growth

The firm said the launch of its mobile version last September has boosted its business.

MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet application on a smartphone arranged in New Hyde Park, New York, U.S., on Thursday, July 29, 2021. Lending on cryptocurrency platforms rose 7.6% from last week to $29.40 billion, according to data compiled by DeFi Pulse. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Finance

Coinbase Has Words for the SEC. Is It Listening?

The crypto exchange says a surprise legal warning came after months of transparency about its lending plans.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09:  (L-R) Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gary Gensler, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew share a moment during a Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) meeting December 9, 2013 at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC. Members of FSOC met to discuss cybersecurity and receive a presentation from the Office of Financial Research on financial market developments.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Markets

Large Investors Are Behind Binance Smart Chain’s Rapid Growth: Nansen

The report by the blockchain data firm counters the widespread belief that retail investors were largely responsible for Binance Smart Chain’s rapid growth.

Whale Shark feeding

Tech

Valid Points: SEC Probes DeFi, Gas Fees Stabilize

Also: The rise of layer 2s and a comeback in total value locked (TVL) on Ethereum

(TEK IMAGE/SPL/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Plus)

Policy

State of Crypto: The SEC Takes on DeFi

The SEC’s investigation into DeFi platforms is unsurprising. The question is whether the U.S. regulator will bring charges.

Meritt Thomas/Unsplash