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

DeFi Platforms Need to Beef Up Security, Former Prosecutor Says

Ari Redbord, who now works at crypto sleuthing firm TRM Labs, says attackers are becoming more sophisticated.

(Getty Images)

Markets

Alameda Research Liquidates Ethereum-Based Token Holdings for Bitcoin

Data from Arkham Intelligence indicated that $1.7 million worth of the tokens was sold.

Tokens vinculados con billeteras de Alameda se vendieron por bitcoin en el último día. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Videos

Mango Markets Exploiter Faces Fraud Charges, Filing Reveals

Court documents reveal Avraham Eisenberg, the crypto investor whose “highly profitable trading strategy” drained decentralized finance (DeFi) trading platform Mango Markets of crypto worth $110 million, was arrested Monday in Puerto Rico. "The Hash" panel discusses the details.

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Videos

Mango Markets Exploiter Arrested in Puerto Rico on Fraud Charges

Avraham Eisenberg, the crypto investor who drained DeFi trading platform Mango Markets of crypto worth $110 million, was arrested Monday in Puerto Rico on charges of commodities fraud and commodities manipulation. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses what we know so far.

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Finance

Crypto Investment Firm Midas Shutting Down Platform Following Losses

The collapse of Celsius Network and FTX led to more than 60% of Midas’ assets under management being withdrawn.

El toque de Midas. (Getty Images)

Finance

Defrost Finance Says Hacked Funds Have Been Returned

The hack, which some observers had characterized as a rug pull, was estimated to have netted $12 million.

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Finance

Defrost Finance Hacked in Attack Some Say May Have Been a Rug Pull

The total value of funds locked on the protocol had dropped to less $93,000 on Sunday from about $13 million, Defi Llama data shows.

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Opinion

DeFi Derivatives Trading Has Untapped Potential

If we learn to read the markets, make smart use of the data at our disposal and overcome a few speed bumps along the way, options will certainly drive the next era of DeFi to higher highs than ever before.

(Kanchanara/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

ZK Rollups Bring Ethereum's Decentralized Vision Into Focus

Polygon founder Mihailo Bjelic makes the case for zero knowledge technology.

Web3 world wide web based on blockchain incorporating decentralization and token based economics

Tech

Aave DAO Votes to Integrate Chainlink Proof of Reserves to Tighten Network Security

Although the decentralized lending protocol’s data is inherently on-chain, introducing Chainlink’s PoR would help mitigate the risk of attacks on the Aave protocol.

(MidJourney/CoinDesk)