Decentralized finance—often called “DeFi”—refers to the shift from traditional, centralized financial systems to peer-to-peer finance enabled by decentralized technologies built on the Ethereum blockchain. From lending and borrowing platforms to stablecoins and tokenized BTC, the DeFi ecosystem has launched an expansive network of integrated protocols and financial instruments.
Now with over $13 billion worth of value locked in Ethereum smart contracts, decentralized finance has emerged as the most active sector in the blockchain space, with a wide range of use cases for individuals, developers, and institutions.
Whereas our traditional financial system runs on centralized infrastructure that is managed by central authorities, institutions, and intermediaries, decentralized finance is powered by code that is running on the decentralized infrastructure of the Ethereum blockchain. By deploying immutable smart contracts on Ethereum, DeFi developers can launch financial protocols and platforms that run exactly as programmed and that are available to anyone with an Internet connection.
The breakthrough of DeFi is that crypto assets can now be put to use in ways not possible with fiat or “real world” assets. Decentralized exchanges, synthetic assets, and flash loans are completely novel applications that can only exist on blockchains.
This paradigm shift in financial infrastructure presents a number of advantages with regard to risk, trust, and opportunity.
From DAOs to synthetic assets, decentralized finance protocols have unlocked a world of new economic activity and opportunity for users across the globe. The comprehensive list below covers some of the most popular DeFi applications and protocols in use today:
Asset management:
With DeFi protocols, you are the custodian of your own crypto funds. Crypto wallets like MetaMask, Gnosis Safe, and Argent help you easily and securely interact with decentralized applications to do everything from buying, selling, and transferring crypto to earning interest on your digital assets.
NOTE: Warning: Investing in any alternative cryptocurrency or digital asset is risky. Before investing, be sure to thoroughly research the asset and its associated technology, as well as any potential risks, such as loss of private keys and/or theft of assets. Additionally, be aware that all investments involve a certain degree of risk and you should never invest more than you can afford to lose.
In the DeFi space, you own your data: MetaMask, for example, stores your seed phrase, passwords, and private keys in an encrypted format locally on your device so that only you have access to your accounts and data.
Compliance and KYT:
In traditional finance, compliance around anti-money laundering (AML) and countering-the-financing-of-terrorism (CFT) relies on know-your-customer (KYC) guidelines. In the DeFi space, Ethereum’s decentralized infrastructure enables next-generation compliance analysis around the behavior of participating addresses rather than participant identity.
These know-your-transaction (KYT) mechanisms help assess risk in real time and protect against fraud and financial crimes. Kyber Network’s Receive Address Whitelisting (RAW) is one example of a KYT solution being used by a number of popular DeFi protocols.
DAOs:
A DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization that cooperates according to transparent rules encoded on the Ethereum blockchain, eliminating the need for a centralized, administrative entity. Several popular protocols in the DeFi space—such as MakerDAO, Compound Finance, Synthetix, yearn.finance—have launched DAOs to fundraise, manage financial operations decentralization governance decisions transparently on Ethereum. Several other popular protocols are currently in development as DAOs including Aave , InstaDapp , Nexus Mutual , Set Protocol , Balancer Labs , StakeHound .
dYdX . Melonport AG . MakerDAO is currently the largest DAO by total value locked (TVL), with over $1 billion worth of ETH locked in its Maker Vaults.
Conclusion – What Are Good Bitcoin Alternatives?
Bitcoin alternatives are becoming more popular as people look for ways to invest their money outside of traditional markets. Decentralized finance protocols offer a unique opportunity for users to access a wide range of financial instruments and platforms without having to go through traditional intermediaries. With over $13 billion worth of value locked in Ethereum smart contracts, decentralized finance has emerged as the most active sector in the blockchain space with a wide range of use cases for individuals developers institutions.
8 Related Question Answers Found
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to control its creation and management, rather than relying on central authorities. The presumed pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto integrated many existing ideas from the cypherpunk community when creating bitcoin. Over the course of bitcoin’s history, it has undergone rapid growth to become a significant currency both on- and offline – from the mid 2010s onward, some businesses began accepting bitcoin in addition to traditional currencies.
When it comes to which coin can beat Bitcoin, the answer is not as simple as it may seem. There are a number of different factors that need to be considered in order to make an accurate prediction. The first factor is the market cap of the coin.
Yes, you can trade options on Bitcoin. Bitcoin options are contracts that give the owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a set price on or before a certain date. Options are a type of derivative, which means their value is derived from the value of an underlying asset.
When it comes to investing, there are a lot of different options out there. But, two of the most popular options are gold and Bitcoin. So, which one is the better investment?
When it comes to investing, there are a lot of options to choose from. But if you’re looking for something with the potential to give you a good return on your investment, you may be wondering if Bitcoin is better than stocks. There are a few things to consider when making this decision.
Bitcoin options are a new financial instrument that is rapidly gaining popularity. Bitcoin options are similar to traditional options, but there are some key differences that make them unique. Bitcoin options are contracts that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specified price on or before a certain date.
When it comes to online investing, there are two main options available – forex and Bitcoin. Both options offer investors the potential to make a profit, but which one is better? In order to answer this question, it is important to understand the key differences between forex and Bitcoin.
When it comes to Bitcoin trading, there are a lot of different options available. You can go with a traditional exchange like Coinbase or Kraken, or you can choose a more modern option like Robinhood or eToro. There are also a lot of different ways to trade Bitcoin, so you need to make sure you pick the right one for you.