Paradigm Invests $8.8M in DeFi’s Ribbon Finance

The protocol automates crypto derivatives strategies for the lay DeFi trader.

AccessTimeIconMar 22, 2022 at 1:01 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 7:11 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Ribbon Finance, a crypto structured products protocol backed by the RBN token, has raised $8.8 million under a new partnership with Paradigm, the venture capital firm that launched a record $2.5 billion crypto fund last November.

Under the partnership, Ribbon Finance and Paradigm will work to build new risk products native to decentralized finance (DeFi) and continue to scale the protocol, including doubling down on the project’s multi-chain approach.

  • How NEAR Enables Multichain Access From One Account
    00:56
    How NEAR Enables Multichain Access From One Account
  • Crypto Market Leaders and Laggards in 2023
    01:50
    Crypto Market Leaders and Laggards in 2023
  • DeFi Market Rebounds to $50B as Speculators Hunt for Yield
    01:11
    DeFi Market Rebounds to $50B as Speculators Hunt for Yield
  • How Spool Is Aiming to Help Institutions Enter DeFi
    11:05
    How Spool Is Aiming to Help Institutions Enter DeFi
  • “[Ribbon] is a simple way for users to earn high yield on bitcoin, ether and USDC,” co-founder and CEO Julian Koh told CoinDesk in an interview. “We help users create exposure to expert, complicated financial strategies under the hood, but we make that experience really easy for users.”

    In short, Ribbon Finance makes it easier for retail investors to benefit from the complicated world of crypto derivatives, Koh said.

    Investors deposit wrapped bitcoin (WBTC) or ETH into a vault that automates the “covered call” options strategy, where the strike price is higher than the current asset price. Ribbon writes the calls on a weekly basis and collects the premium. Ribbon says investors can expect double-digit annual percentage yield (APY) from Theta Vault, according to its website.

    Ribbon has $257.6 million in total value locked on the protocol, according to data from DeFi Llama.

    “Structured products are one of the most important categories of DeFi,” Paradigm research partner and Chief Technology Officer Georgios Konstantopoulos said in a statement. “We were impressed by the execution of the Ribbon team and are excited to back Julian and (co-founder) Ken (Chan) to make Ribbon the market leader in their category

    Looking forward

    Koh said the focus over the next six months is expanding to additional blockchains. Ribbon Finance recently deployed on Avalanche and Solana and is focused on building its presence on those chains.

    “We are just getting started,” said Koh. “The whole structured products industry in DeFi is less than a year old. So we have really just scratched the surface of the types of products that people can build.”

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Brandy Betz

    Brandy covered crypto-related venture capital deals for CoinDesk.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.