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

Meet the Yield Farmers Plowing Cryptocurrency's Riskiest Trend

Yield farming could result in promising developments in the DeFi ecosystem. Nonetheless, each yield farmer told CoinDesk the same thing: This stuff is really, really risky.

farming

Finance

CEXs vs. DEXs: The Future Battle Lines

The future will see DEXs challenge centralized exchanges by finally separating custody and exchange, says the co-founder of IDEX.

pawel-czerwinski-bX9B9c-YasY-unsplash

Markets

'Good Reason to Worry': What the BitMEX Indictment Means for DeFi and Bitcoin, Feat. Stephen Palley and Preston Byrne

Crypto legal experts join NLW to discuss the U.S. government’s case against BitMEX and its implications for the broader ecosystem.

Arthur Hayes, CEO of BitMEX

Markets

Bitcoin News Roundup for Oct. 2, 2020

With Pres. Trump testing positive and a systemically important exchange in the crosshairs, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back for your latest crypto news roundup!

Markets Daily Front Page Adam Lyllah

Tech

DeFi Degens Hit Hard by Eminence Exploit Will Be Partially Compensated

DeFi traders piled into a token that was still in testing. After an exploit sent Eminence to zero, affected users are receiving restitution.

GettyImages-826637644

Finance

Should DEXs Be Worried After BitMEX? DeFi Founders Weigh In

The sudden takedown of crypto exchange BitMEX has cast a new light on Ethereum’s decentralized finance (DeFi) markets.

Uniswap has become Ethereum's most prominent DEX.

Tech

Ethereum Layer SKALE Launches Mainnet Phase 2 With $78M Already Staked

The Ethereum-as-a-service platform has upgraded its mainnet and already has $78 million staked.

SKALE's elasticity is meant to accommodate high demand for Ethereum-based dapps.

Finance

Braintrust Raises $18M to Bring DeFi-Thinking to the Gig Economy

Braintrust, a tech talent marketplace that will essentially be owned by the IT freelancers and companies using it, has raised an $18 million strategic growth round.

A new approach to the talent marketplace.

Finance

CipherTrace Outlines Regulatory Gray Zones Plaguing Booming DeFi Sector

Here's how blockchain analytics firms like CipherTrace and Elliptic are viewing DeFi and DEXs after the KuCoin hack.

Where do DEXs sit with regulators?

Markets

Why Hardnosed Bitcoiners Can Learn to Love DeFi

Stacking sats and decentralized finance are more similar economic modes than most realize.

robert-hoffmann-Mo8mILU0EaE-unsplash