DeFi Latest News, Research and Analysis
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
Arbitrum Launches with Full DeFi Ecosystem Locked and Loaded
Arbitrum, one of the most awaited Ethereum scaling solutions, has attracted $2.9M on its first day after launch, becoming the 11th largest so-called Layer 2
Fantom’s Liquidity Mining Program Almost Doubled TVL in Three Days
Fantom’s liquidity mining program is once more showcasing the power incentives can have in markets as total value locked in the smart contract chain’s DeFi
Startup Uses Facebook Approach to Build Social Network for NFT Collectors
In Facebook’s early days, it famously limited membership to students in colleges and universities, opening a few at a time. Hyype, a new social network
The Problem with Voting in DAOs
The first major blockchain conference I attended in person was this July at EthCC 4 in Paris. It was an amazing experience. I met so
MetaMask Posts Torrid Growth As Users Flock to Ethereum
Metamask has broken 10 million monthly active users, according to the blockchain infrastructure company ConsenSys. Metamask is the leading Ethereum wallet, working both in browsers
Yearn Finance Backs Atlantis World to Draw Degens Into the Metaverse
What’s the answer to make decentralized finance more fun and immersive than its current incarnation of websites and bulletin boards? Apparently it’s community environments reminiscent
Scaling DAOs Won’t Be Easy: Five Major Challenges to Overcome
The only thing cooler than working for one DAO is working for all the DAOs. But to do that you need to figure out what
Three Arrows Founders and Mysterious Collector ‘Vincent Van Dough’ Launch $100M NFT Fund
On August 29, a prolific NFT collector who goes by the pseudonym VincentVanDough (VVD) announced that they would be launching a new NFT fund in
CREAM Finance Attack Leads to $23 Million Loss in AMP and ETH
New token standards introduce complexity that DeFi applications are still learning how to grapple with. Prime example: Money market CREAM Finance was hit with a
Owners of Internet Domain Names Can Start Receiving Crypto With Their Addresses
Domain name owners can now start receiving crypto, including BTC, ETH and NFTs thanks to an integration with Ethereum Name Service. Any domain name, including
Axie Infinity Maker Reminds Players to Pay Taxes
Axie Infinity, the gigantically popular play-to-earn game in the style of Pokemon, is helping gamers supplement their incomes and even make a living. Now the
Bug in Leading Ethereum Node Software Has Caused the Chain to Fork
A bug in outdated versions of the leading Ethereum client for node operators, Geth, is causing forks on the chain, according to research by the
Lyra Plunges into Layer 2 Options Pool with Offering for Hedge Hungry Investors
With the market for Layer 1 tokens such as AVAX red hot this month, it would be easy to overlook a development on the Layer
48,000% Returns? Popping the Hood on NFT Mania
On-Chain Markets Update by Lucas Outumuro, IntoTheBlock NFT mania continues to grow, with new drops popping up everyday and Ethereum’s gas prices consistently back above
The Uniswap of Avalanche Is Having its Biggest Week Ever
The decentralized exchange Pangolin, the Uniswap of the Avalanche blockchain, is having its biggest week to date, and the week isn’t over. According to the
Resist Hierarchy and Protect Financial Freedom: A Metaverse Manifesto
While I don’t agree that we are already in the metaverse, it is true that we are staring v1.0 in the face. Humans have already
Can Anyone Say Exponential? OpenSea Doubles NFT Sales for Second Straight Month
It wasn’t too long ago — two-and-a-half weeks, to be precise — that Nate Chastain urged restraint. The NFT market had yet to reach an
Decentralized Domain Name Sales Jump 300% Amid Budweiser’s Buy of ‘Beer.eth’
Anheuser-Busch InBev now owns the Web3 domain “beer.eth.” Meanwhile, no one is doing anything with Web 1.0’s beer.com. Beer.eth sold for 30 ETH on August
Layer 1 Boom Drives Terra’s LUNA Token to the Moon
And you thought Solana was hot. Well, it is, but Terra’s LUNA token has eclipsed SOL in the last month. LUNA has skyrocketed about 265%
Washington Forgets About Crypto With Infrastructure Bill Set to Pass
The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on Tuesday committed to pass the President’s bipartisan infrastructure bill by the end of September. Many in the
Circle Dials Back Risk in USDC Reserves Ahead of Going Public
Corporate debt is no longer good enough for Circle, the blockchain powerhouse. That’s the upshot of a move Circle announced on Sunday as it unveiled
Defiers Are Apeing Into Avalanche Pushing Benqi Finance to $1B in TVL
Avalanche, a smart contracts platform, now has its first DeFi protocol with $1B in total value locked. The protocol, Benqi Finance, launched just four days
NFT Rally Paves Way for Fractionalization and Derivatives
NFTs are a simple idea, but not for long. We’ve already seen how they’re being tapped as collateral for loans. Now more complex instruments are
NFT Roundup: Floors Up 2X, Visa Apes In, and a Fidenza Sells for $3.3M
NFTs have pulled in huge money and a notable financial incumbent fan in the past couple days. Investor appetite for NFT art and collectibles shows
The Lowly Fixed Income Interest Rate is the Magical Motor DeFi Needs
Have you watched Howl’s Moving Castle from Hayao Miyazaki? If you haven’t, please go check it out, it’s an amazing movie. As the name suggests,
9 SXSW Panels the DeFi Crowd Can Get Behind
DeFi can be part of the conversation at South by Southwest — if you demand it. Organizers allow the public to weigh in on the
Uniswap Proposal Stirs Up Controversy in DeFi on DAO Fund Management
A Uniswap governance proposal riled up the DeFi community this week. The proposal, which has since been canceled, would have used yield generated from $25M
Defiant Degens: How to Earn Up to 16.5% Interest with Stablecoins on Orion Saver
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
Will Booming NFT Market Spur New DeFi Lending Wave?
The whole world is struggling to wrap its head around non-fungible tokens (NFTs), including DeFi. But DeFi is trying. “Over the last two weeks NFT
Crypto Laws, Lobbying & Activism: The Time Has Come For DeFi to Get Serious About D.C.
Earlier this month when the infrastructure bill came with a provision to broadly expand the definition of brokers to include blockchain ecosystem participants such as
It’s Been a Killer Week for ‘Ethereum Killers’
This is shaping up to be a killer week for so-called “Ethereum killers.” Of the 100 largest tokens in terms of market capitalization, seven of
Layer 1 Player Avalanche Offers $180M in Incentives to Woo Defiers
Layer 1 blockchains are making extraordinary offers to attract DeFi protocols and juice liquidity. It was Harmony earlier this week, and now it’s Avalanche. The
SuperRare Drops Token Amid Series of Moves to Empower Artists
SuperRare, the influential NFT art platform, is taking a big step forward in its plan to progressively decentralize with the launch of its RARE token
TikTok Chooses Blockchain-Powered Audius for First Music Integration
If TikTok is a window into what teens are up to these days, then crypto has a place beside dance videos. On Aug. 17, blockchain-based
Balancer’s New Kind of Pool Enters Battle for Crypto Liquidity
Automated portfolio manager Balancer introduced a new mechanism to improve capital efficiency for liquidity providers as it aims to take a larger bite of the
Harmony One Invites Curve and Aave to Join its Blockchain
Five months after opening the door to SushiSwap, Harmony One is inviting more major DeFi apps to hop on its blockchain. Harmony One, one of
Sad Frog NFT Holders Furie-ous After OpenSea Delisting
A copyright battle is being waged in the NFT space. On August 16, Sad Frogs District, a collection of 7,000 Ethereum-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs), was
Solana’s SOL Breaks All-Time High as Ecosystem Comes Together
The Solana blockchain’s SOL token is soaring to an all-time high, climbing the ranks to become the tenth largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization.
Tokens Don’t Make a Democracy: Buterin Critiques On-Chain Voting
Vitalik Buterin, criticized the state of on-chain governance today on his blog, arguing blockchain projects have become overly reliant on token-based voting as they try
DAOs Will be Ready the Next Time Washington Comes After Crypto
It didn’t take long for DeFi’s rank-and-file to mobilize after the U.S. Senate ran roughshod over the community’s concerns last week. An array of players
Inside the Data Driving Axie Infinity’s Torrid Growth
On-Chain Markets Update by Juan Pellicer, IntoTheBlock Axie Infinity has recorded unprecedented growth in the crypto space. This week the data confirmed that it surpassed
For Its Birthday the Curve DAO Is Dramatically Cutting Daily CRV Rewards
For the first time, the circulating supply of the CRV token will grow far less quickly today. The Curve DAO started with the release of
How Nuts is the NFT Market? New Project Makes $2M in Its First Four Sales
A new NFT project that auctions off one digital asset per day made four sales in its debut. The total spent? 764.75 ETH, worth around
Hackers Wanted: $1M Bounties Entice White Hats to Hunt for DeFi Bugs
Should I just steal the money? There’s a vulnerability in the code… Of a DeFi protocol with $3B in TVL. I was just looking at
Solana DEX Mango Markets Raised $70M in Token Sale
Mango Markets, a decentralized exchange (DEX) on Solana, raised $70M from the sale of its governance token $MNGO. Over a two-day sale period ending on
Rarible Shakes Up NFT Race with New Protocol
Rarible is lowering the barrier to entry for developers looking to launch NFTs projects. On August 12, the NFT platform launched Rarible Protocol, an open-source
Token Thieves Mint Hundreds of Illicit NFTs in Radical Heist
There’s been an art theft of NFTs! Yesterday, an attacker stole tokens from a DAO called Bright Moments and used them to mint the remaining
There’s Now an App for Bribing Curve Token Holders
Curve Finance, the decentralized automated market maker (AMM) focused on stablecoin swaps, continues to cement its position as one of the cornerstones of DeFi and
Axie Infinity Has Beaten Even Ethereum in Network Fees Thanks to its Sidechain
Facebook may be grabbing headlines with its talk about the metaverse as the basis for the company’s future, but blockchain game Axie Infinity already has
The Bulls are Back Despite Crypto’s Washington Woes
The crypto rally is raging even as regulation that has the potential to clampdown on the industry looms in the U.S. Digital assets are up
Sushi Won’t Launch on L2 Optimism, Citing Preferential Treatment of Uniswap
Sushi is drawing back from plans to deploy on Optimism after a dispute over the Ethereum L2 solution’s launch process. On August 11, SushiSwap CTO
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