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.


Technology

Valid Points: The Success of Ethereum’s Alternative Ecosystems

Also: Decentralization in DeFi is becoming more accessible

D3Damon/E+/Getty Images

Markets

Synthetix’s SNX Token Jumps as DeFi Project Lyra Sets New Rewards Program

“This shows a growing community of participants for the Synthetix ecosystem,” said one analyst.

Lyra's new rewards program is music to the ears of SNX holders. (Creative Commons, modified by CoinDesk)

Technology

Layer 2 Network Arbitrum Experiences Hourlong Network Outage

The Ethereum scaling solution overcame an hourlong outage on its beta mainnet this morning as TVL continues to soar.

(Olena Poliakevych/iStock /Getty Images Plus)

Finance

Huobi Ventures Sets Up $10M GameFi Fund

The crypto exchange’s VC affiliate wants in on the “play-to-earn” hype.

Huobi OTC

Technology

MetaDrop Taps Investor ‘Loomdart’ to Stand Out From NFT Pack

With new NFT platforms launching every week, MetaDrop is hoping to distinguish itself with an influencer collaboration and some unique distribution methods.

(K Fraser/Unsplash)

Mga video

Kevin O’Leary: US Regulators Unlikely to Approve Bitcoin ETF; Excited About NFTs, DeFi

“Shark Tank” star, entrepreneur, and O’Shares chairman Kevin O’Leary joins “All About Bitcoin” live from the 2021 SALT Conference in New York to discuss why he’s “more excited about NFTs than anything else.”

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Markets

DeFi and the 3 Cs

The purely collateral-based type of lending practiced so far in decentralized finance has limitations. Reputation systems may widen the possibilities.

Daniel Thomas/Unsplash

Finance

Andreessen Horowitz Seeks Token Delegate Applicants for Uniswap, Other DeFi Holdings

The venture capital giant is spearheading a new framework for decentralized governance.

DeFiance Capital's Arthur Cheong is raising a new liquid venture capital fund.

Finance

Algorand Foundation Launches $300M DeFi Innovation Fund

The Viridis DeFi Fund will support development of DeFi applications such as exchanges, money markets and NFT platforms.

US Dollars

Mga video

UK Post Office to Offer Crypto Purchases to Some Customers Starting Next Week

Beginning next week, the U.K.’s Post Office will offer users the ability to purchase crypto through its identity-verification service, EasyID, using a voucher system from Swarm Markets. Some suggest the integration may expose more people to decentralized finance (DeFi) through Swarm’s yield farming offering.

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