DeFi Latest News, Research and Analysis
Fantom Surges 90% in 30 Days to Hit All-Time High and Challenge Elite Layer 1s
Fantom’s FTM token hit an all-time high this week and is a hot new entrant in the elite club of Layer 1 blockchains.
Layer 1s Better Watch Their Backs as L2s Surge in TVL
Smart contract platforms — Terra, Solana and Avalanche, to name a few — had a summer to remember. Terra’s LUNA rocketed 421% between June 1 and
Hey Bitcoin ETF! Say Hello to the 500 DeFi Index Funds Already Trading
The long wait for this one imperfect trading product shows exactly why DeFi will disrupt and upend traditional finance.
Arrival of Futures ETFs Stokes Bitcoin in DeFi
Bitcoin in decentralized finance has been surging since speculation strengthened that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission would finally approve an exchange-traded fund to invest
Fantom Deploys High-Speed PoS to Solve the ‘Blockchain Trilemma’
While the ever expansive world of decentralized finance is improving on its traditional counterpart the web3 is not without its problems. For example, to maintain
Most Top Crypto Exchanges’ Mistaken Deposit Policies are Either Unclear or Missing
Binance customers make erroneous deposits about 800 times a day, according to a spokesperson for the company. Mistaken deposits occur when a user indicates they
Terra and Abracadabra Team Up to Challenge Centralized Stablecoins
For an industry that has decentralization in its very name, DeFi’s reliance on centralized stablecoins remains an Achilles’ heel, making it an easy target for overzealous regulators.
Mekaverse Robots Top OpenSea’s Charts with $81M Surge Before Floor Price Drops
They came out of nowhere… the Mekaverse robots. Looking like metallic insects and inspired by the Japanese robots of sci-fi legend, the project’s NFTs rapidly
AXS Holders Have $2.5B Staked in Axie Infinity in Two Weeks
Axie Infinity has just under $2.5B of its governance token, staked on its Ronin sidechain. That’s more than a quarter of AXS’s total circulating supply.
Sotheby’s Ups NFT Game with Launch of Metaverse Auction Platform
Maybe it’s time to retire the tulip bubble analogies. Anyone out there who still dismisses NFTs as nothing more than a digital fetish might want
Infinity is Going After OpenSea With 600M Free Tokens
Infinity, a new NFT marketplace is taking aim at OpenSea with 600M tokens ready to give away. People who have made transactions on the biggest marketplace for digital collectibles will get free tokens, but only if they use the new competitor — and soon.
DeFi 2.0 Wave of New Projects Test Liquidity Mining Alternatives
Things aren’t getting easier for those struggling to stay current with the lightning quick DeFi space. Just when you think you’re up to speed with
Shell Protocol Jumps into ‘Concentrated Liquidity’ Just Like Uniswap and Curve
When decentralized exchanges started to take off in 2019, the designs were very simple, but simplicity in these marketplaces might soon be a distant memory.
Fractionalization Makes NFTs Affordable… and Big Targets for Securities Regulators
Fractionalisation of NFTs is a key development in a maturing market. These assets amount to more than just a craze for artists to sell digital
Investors to Reap $2M in Rewards as Curve Launches on Harmony Blockchain
Curve, the decentralized exchange known for specializing in tokens that should have roughly the same price, has launched on the sharding blockchain Harmony. There are
Binance Unveils $1B Growth Fund to Supercharge Blockchain Adoption
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has allocated $1 billion in funding to a new growth fund that aims to kickstart the next phase of
MakerDAO Ponders the Unthinkable as Members Debate Incorporation and Paying Taxes
Should DAOs pay taxes? And, if so: Where? There’s a conversation underway in MakerDAO about how it should relate to the governments of the world,
Rari Capital Launches Permissionless Lending Pools to Become Uniswap of Lending
Rari Capital, the DeFi protocol created by teenagers, has shipped perhaps its biggest product to date — permissionless lending pools. The new feature allows anyone
CyberKongz’ 13,000x Leap Spurs ‘Own to Earn’ NFTs But Regulatory Scrutiny Looms
The lines are getting blurred between NFTs and DeFi. Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), the Ethereum-based NFT collection that exploded over the summer, has announced
Axie Infinity is Up 223x This Year: Here’s the Skinny on What’s Propelling AXS
On-Chain Markets Update by Juan Pellicer, IntoTheBlock Since our last in-depth analysis of Axie Infinity almost two months ago the price of their AXS token has increased
Divergence Ventures Returns 702 ETH to Ribbon Finance After Gaming Airdrop
DeFi venture fund Divergence Ventures tried to game the airdrop of Ribbon Finance, one of its own portfolio companies, and it worked — but it’s
RBN Airdrop Holders Hit Jackpot as Ribbon’s Token Becomes Transferable
First DYDX, now RBN. After governance rejected a proposal to make RBN transferable in June, a second go-round passed, garnering over 99% support from voters.
Yearn Finance Launches on Red Hot Fantom and Goes Multichain
The yield aggregator, Yearn Finance announced last night that it has gone live on Fantom and incorporated the blockchain into the new version of its
NFTs Are Changing Everything But Are They Built to Last? (Hint: Some Are)
Are NFTs a bubble? That’s been the burning question ever since the first specimens of this breakthrough application on the Ethereum blockchain captured the imaginations
Fei Protocol is Still Swinging After Rocky Start and Launches v2
Fei Protocol is fighting to make a comeback. Back in April, the project’s stablecoin, meant to maintain a $1 peg, dropped as low as $0.92
Polygon Hikes its Minimum Gas Price by 30x in Bid to Foil Spammers
Polygon, the sixth-largest blockchain by assets locked, is increasing the minimum gas price for transactions on its network by a factor of 30. The move
MakerDAO Chases ‘Real World’ Deals and Assets in Major Test for DeFi
Société Générale’s request for a $20M loan from MakerDAO is just one of several real-world deals that the DeFi protocol has coming soon. The O.G.
Abracadabra’s Stablecoin Races Past $1B and Sparks Talk of Overtaking MakerDAO
New collateralized stablecoin, Magic Internet Money (MIM) is challenging MakerDAO, the grandaddy protocol of DeFi. MIM, issued by lending protocol Abracadabra, broke $1B in supply
A Call to Action: How to Mobilize and Save the Crypto Movement
Yesterday, Connor Spelliscy and Holmes Wilson argued that the cryptocurrency industry is confronting an existential crisis. In Part 2 of this Defiant Essay, Connor and
DeFi Powerhouses Curve and Aave Deploy on Avalanche to Profit from Incentives
Incentives work. Or at least they do in terms of wooing DeFi protocols to deploy on other blockchains. Case in point, Curve Finance, the automated
Crypto Endangered: Confronting An Existential Threat
In Part 1 of this Defiant Essay, Connor Spelliscy and Holmes Wilson argue that the cryptocurrency industry is confronting an existential crisis. The cause: unwise
Vibe! Cryptoadz Floor Price Soars as Snoop Dogg and Other NFT Buyers Pile In
If someone types “!vibe” into Cryptoadz’s Discord, a bot prints out what looks strangely like five turtles bobbing their heads. Why turtles? Who knows, and
The Defiant Terminal is Coming: Join the Waitlist
We’re excited. We’re getting ready to launch The Defiant Terminal, a platform for investors and analysts to track all DeFi data in one place. Join
Looking for a Bullish Signal? Fidelity and HSBC Shrug Off Crypto Angst and Scale DeFi Offerings
In 2017, the ICO boom helped propel crypto assets to record levels only to fall almost as precipitously. With that history it is perhaps only
DeFi Alliance Announces New Hires as Web3 Continues to Attract Talent
Web3’s growing market cap continues to serve as a magnet to bring talent into the blockchain-enabled space. DeFi Alliance, the startup accelerator akin to Y
Defiant Degens: Killing 2 Birds with 1 Farm: How to LP and Earn a Possible Future Arbitrum or Hop Token
This is a weekly tutorial on the most compelling opportunities in yield farming, written by our friend DeFi Dad, an advisor to The Defiant and
Rune Christensen Makes Rallying Cry for MakerDAO to Help Fix Climate Change
Climate change is the unifying challenge of the era and the biggest problem humanity is running out of time to solve — and MakerDAO can
Wintermute Wants to Become MKR Market-Maker Via Governance Vote
Market-making deals are usually sorted out in private, but DeFi might be making headway for transparency. Wintermute proposed a market-making deal with MakerDAO on Friday
SocGen Wants To Borrow 20M Dai on MakerDAO Using Tokenized Bonds as Collateral
There’s a meme on crypto Twitter that calls DeFi the “future of France” as a play on the phrase the future of finance. Well, there
New 1inch Feature Seeks to Keep US Users Away
1inch, a decentralized exchange aggregator, introduced a feature which pushes its users to verify whether they are US residents. The feature requires users to sign
Visa Sketches a Global Network of Central Bank Digital Currencies With Itself at the Center
You may never be able to send a message from Telegram to a friend on WhatsApp, but you might be able to send dollars from
NFT Profile Pics on Twitter: Will @Jack’s DeFi Move be a Game Changer?
A growing category of social media users now prefers using cartoons rather than their own photos to identify themselves online. They especially like cartoons that
Compound Finance Pays Out Millions in Excess COMP After Buggy Update
Compound Finance’s smart contracts paid users an excess of millions of dollars in COMP tokens after a protocol update was deployed with a flaw in
Avalanche’s AVAX Token is Set to be Listed on Coinbase Pro
Coinbase Pro is set to list Avalanche’s AVAX token for trading on Sept. 30, according to a Medium post from the company. Despite the listing,
Startup Icon AngelList Embraces DeFi by Opening Site to USDC
Add AngelList to the ever-lengthening list of mainstream tech outfits going crypto. On Tuesday it started letting investors use USDC-enabled funds on its site. It’s
dYdX Now Accounts for More Than All Other DEX Trading Combined
Non-custodial exchange dYdX has climbed to the top of the DEX rankings by trading volume, beating out Uniswap, for the first time. More than $9B
Liquidity Mining Set to Begin Friday on the Risk Tranching Gro Protocol
Everyone is looking for stronger yields in DeFi. Gro is a new yield platform that aims to offer boosted returns on leading stablecoins to users
This Minivan Won’t Let You Down: How Jay Pegs’ NFT Gave Birth to an Absurd Universe
I was told there would be explosions. There haven’t been any explosions, though, unless you count blown minds. As everyone else in the NFT space
DAOs Accelerate Token Swaps in Push to Diversify Their Treasuries
DeFi DAOs have made some serious cash in 2021 — but generally only in their native tokens. Now they’re looking to diversify. Fueled by a
Fireblocks Draws Closer to Getting Wall Street Cash on DeFi Giant Aave
Fireblocks, the digital asset security firm, has posted a proposal on Aave’s forum to scrutinize and approve participants on the DeFi giant’s platform. If Aave
How Decentralized Identity Can Take Crypto to the Next Level
Over the past year, there has been a notable increase of awareness and interest towards decentralized identity solutions. Decentralized identity solutions help users, amongst other
New York’s Downtown Art Scene Embraces NFTs with Online Auction Site
If Jean-Michel Basquiat were still alive, he probably would have loved NFTs. And the American painter who captured the hip-hop, graffiti zeitgeist of 1980s’ New
Anything But Smooth: Axie Infinity’s Love Potion Token Whipsaws Game Players
Axie Infinity is a blockchain-based game that’s become a smash hit with crypto users. It allows players to earn real money, and lots of it,
Exploring the Multi-Chain Universe Amid Incentives & Upgrades
On-Chain Markets Update by Lucas Outumuro, IntoTheBlock Smart contract platforms’ tokens have been amongst the top performers of 2021. While Ether has recorded a remarkable
Decentralization Now: Coppola Studio Brings Blockchain to the Movies
After four years of development, Decentralized Pictures — a new project from Frances Ford Coppola’s fabled American Zoetrope production company — is preparing to go
Twitter Goes Full Crypto With Bitcoin Tips and a NFT Avatar Tool
Twitter is going big into crypto starting today. Twitter is making two major updates that will make cryptocurrency integral to its product, with more likely
Robinhood’s New Crypto Policy Poised to Bolster DeFi and NFTs
Robinhood, the wildly popular brokerage app, just made a move that could be a shot in the arm for DeFi. It plans to introduce crypto
Oracle Pyth Goes Haywire on Solana with Bad Prices
The Pyth Network malfunctioned on Sep. 20 as the data provider reported a Bitcoin price of $5,402 on a day when other sources like CoinGecko
Crypto is Hungry for a Political Leader From its Own Ranks
The blockchain industry is ready for one of its own to join the U.S. Congress, whether it’s Messari founder Ryan Selkis or someone else. That’s
Gensler Vows Action Against DeFi Platforms That Operate ‘Outside the Perimeter’
All cryptocurrencies will be regulated. Or else. That was the clear and unambiguous message Gary Gensler, the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,
DeFi Market Stabilizes After White Knuckle Drops Monday
Crypto markets Tuesday morning appeared to be shaking off gut-wrenching falls in the last 24 hours. At one point Monday, At one point, ETH nosedived
Messari Founder Announces Senate Run as SEC Shadow Hangs Over Mainnet Conference
Messari founder Ryan Selkis announced plans to run for the U.S. Senate in 2024. Selkis has become increasingly vocal against stringent cryptocurrency regulation but the
Fears of Chinese Property Meltdown Trigger Broad Selloff in Equities and Crypto Markets
Crypto markets were in the red on Monday morning NY time, and DeFi names were taking a beating as investors worldwide turned bearish overnight. Pacesetter
Derivatives Protocol Raises $3.75M in Sale of Governance Token
The Tracer Protocol has completed a sale of 50M TCR tokens for 3.75M DAI, giving its total supply a valuation of $75M at the sales
DeFi Lending Venture Rides Solana’s High-Speed Chain to $100M in Deposits
Solend, a lending platform built on the proof-of-stake blockchain, Solana, has hit $100M in deposits, according to its team. Solend has done so without liquidity
Inside the Hunt for the Jay Pegs Auto Mart Thief and 865 ETH
It took the team at Jay Pegs Auto Mart basically zero time to identify and find the hacker responsible for stealing the proceeds from their
0xMaki Is Leaving Leadership at SushiSwap to Take on an Advisory Role
0xMaki is stepping down from leadership in the community-run decentralized automated market maker, SushiSwap, to take an advisory role in the decentralized autonomous organization, a
OpenSea’s Struggles Embolden Rivals with New Ways to Play Booming NFT Market
The insider buying scandal at OpenSea has hit just as a crop of rivals are circling the NFT marketplace leader. On Sept. 15, a startup
EBay Has BitBoy But Its ‘Strange’ NFT Strategy Risks Missing a Boom for the Ages
NFTs are huge here in crypto, but the old web is not sure. Digital collectibles on the blockchain have captured the imagination of crypto heads
OpenSea Vows to Probe ‘Incredibly Disappointing’ Insider NFT Buys
OpenSea, the world’s biggest NFT marketplace with $100M in daily volume, just learned a painful lesson — inside information can lead to unscrupulous trading by
Solana Outage Likely Caused by Bots Pursuing an Initial DEX Offering
At 2:01 AM New York time Wednesday morning, the Solana blockchain went live once again, according to @SolanaStatus. “The Solana validator community successfully completed a
XRP Holders to Get Huge Airdrop of New Blockchain Songbird
Not only is DOGE a very good boy, its coin is about to be very smart, too — as in, smart contract-ready. Flare is a
Cardano Launches Smart Contracts But Now Must Deliver on Ecosystem’s Promise
At long last, Cardano has smart contracts. Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), one of three companies backing Cardano, announced the release on Sep. 12 as
Upstart Project Helps Drive Up Arbitrum’s TVL 17 Times to $2.2B
Arbitrum, a Layer 2 which pushes Ethereum transactions onto a sidechain to enhance performance, is on fire. In the last five days, Arbitrum’s total value
Ethereum Layer-2 Chain Arbitrum Suffers Near Hour-Long Outage
Arbitrum experienced what its team is describing as an “outage” this morning, according to a Tweet posted by its main account at 10:43 AM New
Solana Blockchain Suffers Intermittent Stability
Solana, one of the biggest DeFi chains by value locked, suffered network outages Tuesday. The Solana team first alerted users to the issue on Twitter
Ape Diaries: The Early Bird Gets The Airdrop
It has historically paid to be early in DeFi — literally. Traders (including yours truly) are betting that will also be the case on Arbitrum
Billionaire Steven Cohen Goes Long in $50M Funding Deal for Sports NFT Player
Steven Cohen, the billionaire hedge fund manager and onetime crypto skeptic, has jumped into the NFT market in a move that could shake up sports
Punks or Toadz? Referential Art Project No.1 in 24-Hour Trading Volume
Another day, another NFT project, but with the strong network and idiosyncratic art behind this one, it might be in it for the long haul.
dYdX Drops Over $1B to Past Users in Airdrop
Margin trading protocol dYdX launched its native token with one of the largest distributions in decentralized finance. dYdX dropped 7.5% of its initial billion-strong token
The Founder of LOOT Wants to Throw Away the Keys to the Contract
The founder of Loot wants to throw out his most magical item: the smart contract keys that govern the nascent game. “I worry that the
Digital Beauty, Asset Flipping, and a Bad Case of the Shakes: Inside the Chase for Art Blocks NFTs
I started chasing Art Blocks NFTs on Aug. 25 during Radix’ Eccentrics 2: Orbits drop. That may sound like gobbledygook to some, but others, including
A Deep Dive on the Lessons and Surprises of the Recent Crash
On-Chain Markets Update by Juan Pellicer, IntoTheBlock DeFi protocols, apps and their stablecoins are a key area of the whole crypto markets. Even though the
Terraform Labs Creates $150M Fund to Advance Inter-blockchain Communication
Blockchain communities may never get along on Crypto Twitter, but that doesn’t mean the blockchains themselves can’t. Striving towards a world where all blockchains can
Harmony Opens the Throttle on Layer 1 with $300M Fund for Myriad Projects
The Layer 1 blockchain Harmony unveiled a $300M ecosystem fund today to back startups working on applications and protocols. There are many large blockchains now,
Opolis Deal Deepens Venture Capitalists’ Love Affair with DAOs
You probably missed it. It was a deal that didn’t involve a big NFT marketplace or a new decentralized crypto exchange. Yet the vote by
Solana Attracts Oracles as Momentum Builds for Next Phase of DeFi
Blockchains really only know themselves. That’s what blockchains are good at: knowing the current state of assets held by all the blockhain’s users with confidence
Christie’s to Accept Live Bids in ETH for Art Blocks NFTs
Wall Street and Washington may be in a panic about the advent of a crypto world. But not the venerable institutions in fine art —
Lido Brings Liquid Staking to Solana, Its Third Blockchain
Staking assets on a blockchain helps to secure the network, but losing that liquidity can be painful for traders and investors. So the team behind
Coinbase Braces for SEC Action as Regulatory Crackdown on DeFi Intensifies
Less than a week after news broke that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating Uniswap, Coinbase, the publicly traded crypto exchange that’s become
FTX Taps Solana and Sports Legends to Score Big in NFTs
OpenSea better watch its back. Crypto investors have known for weeks that FTX, the offshore exchange that handles about $40B in daily trading volume, was
Defiant Degens: How to Earn Future BETA Tokens Lending, Borrowing, and Short-Selling with Beta Finance
This is a weekly tutorial on the most compelling opportunities in yield farming, written by our friend DeFi Dad, an advisor to The Defiant and
Crypto Markets Keep Sliding As Traders Brace For A Volatile Autumn
Crypto markets continued to swoon in mid-morning trading New York time Wednesday, with top DeFi names such Ethereum and Solana skidding more than 8% in
Decentralized Exchanges Will Eventually Trade Everything: IOSG Report
This report was written by IOSG Ventures and published exclusively on The Defiant Early on, many believed DEXes would stand no chance against CEX giants
$830M Burned: A Month Into EIP-1559
It’s been a month, almost to the day, since Ethereum’s EIP-1559 upgrade went live, and the milestone was met with the first-ever deflationary day for
Two DeFi Projects Shut Down and Pledge to Return Users’ Funds
Two DeFi projects tasked with helping traders in the space hedge risk announced they are shutting down on Saturday. Cover, an insurance protocol, and Ruler,
SEC is Reported to Have Started Inquiries on Other DeFi Dapp Makers Beyond Uniswap
U.S. regulators are looking at more decentralized finance players than just Uniswap, according to a person familiar with the matter. Officials are making a broad-based
DeFi Giant Uniswap Takes Hit After News of SEC Investigation Breaks
Crypto traders are scrambling as news that Uniswap Labs is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission roiled the DeFi industry Friday. Uniswap,
Wall Street Swoons for Altcoins and the Drums Beat for Crypto ETFs: A DeFi Summer Roundup
Welcome to GDF’s FI Corner. We had a little break for the summer, but are back with a round up of the top stories from
NFT Traders are Dropping Millions on Text-Based LOOT Tokens
Pixelated jpegs going for millions of dollars were already blowing people’s minds. The latest NFT project goes one step further –– traders are dropping what
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