DeFi

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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.

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Compound founder Robert Leshner
DeFi Startup Compound Finance Raises $25 Million Series A Led by A16z
It's one of the largest venture capital investments in a decentralized finance (DeFi) startup to date.
Compound founder Robert Leshner

(Primakov/Shutterstock)
Bithumb Wants User-Created DEXs With Its New Blockchain Ecosystem
Bithumb Global is launching an "exchange-as-a-service" platform through its new namesake blockchain platform.
(Primakov/Shutterstock)

Varun_Deshpande
Lending Protocol Founders to Launch 'Neo-Bank' Offering Interest on USDC
The founders of Nuo are launching Juno, which will offer a smart-contract wallet with 5.5 percent interest on USDC in a bid to attract retail users.
Varun_Deshpande

Instadapp co-founders Sowmay Jain and Samyak Jain in a photo from 2019.
InstaDApp DeFi Site Raises $2.4 Million From Prominent Crypto Investors
The fourth-largest dapp in DeFi, InstaDApp, is now backed by Naval Ravikant, Balaji Srinivasan, Coinbase Ventures and others.
Instadapp co-founders Sowmay Jain and Samyak Jain in a photo from 2019.

The Band Protocol team in 2019.
Sequoia-Backed Startup Enters DeFi Market With Bitcoin Binary Options
Band Protocol launched its binary options dapp Monday, allowing users to make predictions on bitcoin's price swings.
The Band Protocol team in 2019.

David_Schwartz
Ripple's Xpring Looks to Build XRP DeFi Products With New Acquisition
Nine Logos engineers are joining Xpring to develop DeFi products based on XRP.
David_Schwartz

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WATCH: Chainlink CEO Talks Data Oracles
"The ability for a developer to make all the choices the way he wants about inputs and outputs is what oracles really provide," Nazarov said at Invest: Asia.
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Jeremy Rubin
What the Holy Land Reveals About Bitcoin
Israel's political backdrop gave attendees of Tel Aviv Blockchain Week an opportunity to ponder the duality of today's bitcoin movement.
Jeremy Rubin

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ConsenSys Announces Codefi Project to Boost DeFi Adoption
ConsenSys is doubling down on the DeFi ecosystem with a new product suite called Codefi.
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Tim Ogilvie (right) at Consensus 2019, New York City.
Staked Automates the Best DeFi Returns With Launch of Robo Advisor
The firm's new robo advisor, RAY, automates the process of finding high-yielding opportunities.
Tim Ogilvie (right) at Consensus 2019, New York City.