RociFi Labs Raises $2.7M to Enable On-Chain Credit Scoring for DeFi

The P2P lending protocol uses on-chain data, machine learning and decentralized identity information to calculate a non-fungible credit score for potential borrowers.

AccessTimeIconApr 12, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 7:13 p.m. UTC
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Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending protocol RociFi Labs has completed a $2.7 million seed funding round that included the participation of Arrington Capital, Goldentree, Nexo, LD Capital and Skynet Trading.

The anonymous nature of crypto means DeFi lending protocols typically use overcollateralized loans in which, for example, a borrower puts up $150 in collateral for a $100 loan. The setup is closer to a pawnshop than a traditional bank. RociFi will instead offer zero- to undercollateralized loans by using a borrower’s established DeFi presence to help lenders judge creditworthiness.

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  • The capital will be used to expand the RociFi team and take the product to market with a full-scale launch expected in the second quarter.

    “The biggest thing is being able to get the protocol to mainnet, but do it in a safe manner,” RociFi Labs CEO Christopher Brookins told CoinDesk in an interview. “We’re allocating the appropriate resources to make sure we’re not just spinning up a new protocol as fast as possible, which requires capital.”

    How it works

    The RociFi protocol leverages on-chain data, machine learning and decentralized identity data points, including Twitter and GitHub accounts, decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) participation and non-fungible token (NFT) ownership. RociFi relies on decentralized identity providers that use technology such as zero-knowledge proofs to only share pertinent user information.

    Borrowers are assigned a non-fungible credit score (NFCS) ranging from 1 to 10 with lower scores representing lower risk. Users can burn the nontransferrable NFCS token and associated addresses at any time if they’re concerned about privacy or no longer want to use it.

    “Undercollateralized capital markets represent one of the biggest opportunities to transform capital efficiency in crypto,” said Arrington Capital Partner Ninor Mansor in a press release. “The distinct lack of non-economic recourse in DeFi means other types of ‘social capital’ cannot be deployed by borrowers. RociFi changes the game, introducing the idea of on-chain credit scoring as well as NFT-based identity.”

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    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.


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