What Exactly Is DeFi? What You Must Know About Decentralized Finance

What Exactly Is DeFi? What You Must Know About Decentralized Finance

While billionaire investors may have greater access to resources, they are not immune to risk when it comes to decentralized finance or DeFi. Even though DeFi has been generating a lot of hype recently and you may be experiencing FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) about investing, it’s critical to conduct research and understand the risks first. A general idea of what to expect from DeFi is provided in this article.

Today, practically every facet of banking, lending, and trade is controlled by centralized systems. Consumers must deal with financial middlemen to obtain anything from auto loans and mortgages to stock and bond trading. 

As a result, customers have limited access to finance and financial services. They can’t avoid financial intermediaries like banks, exchanges, and lenders who benefit from every financial transaction. Playing requires a fee.

By disempowering intermediaries and gatekeepers and empowering common people through peer-to-peer trades, DeFi threatens this centralized financial system. Some DeFi platforms allow users to directly lend funds to others, removing the 2.5 percent fee margin and obtaining the full 3 percent return. While this is still case-to-case, it is important to learn about DeFi as it may lead to possible earning opportunities. So, let’s define it.

Let’s Define DeFi

DeFi applications are designed to replicate existing financial systems, such as banks and exchanges, using cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange. The Ethereum blockchain is used by the vast majority of them.

The distinction is that DeFi applications run “without a centralized entity exerting control over the entire system,” according to John Wu, head of Ava Labs, a company that supports the creation of DeFi applications on the Avalanche blockchain.

Using DeFi lending, users may lend cryptocurrency and earn interest, just like a bank does with fiat currency. In addition to traditional borrowing and lending, DeFi applications allow users to become liquidity providers for decentralized exchanges.

Interest rates are often higher than in traditional banks, and borrowing is easier than in a traditional system. The capacity to provide collateral with other crypto assets is usually the only criterion for a DeFi loan. Depending on the DeFi protocol, users can present their nonfungible tokens as collateral.

DeFi Runs on Blockchain Technology

Blockchain and cryptocurrency are the foundational technologies for decentralized finance.

A transaction in a traditional checking account is logged in a private ledger owned and managed by a large financial organization. In a blockchain, financial transactions are recorded in computer code.

Using a DeFi application gives all users an identical copy of the public ledger, which records all transactions in encrypted code. This protects the system by ensuring user privacy, payment verification, and a record of asset ownership that is nearly impossible to falsify.

When we state that blockchain is decentralized, we are referring to the absence of a middleman or gatekeeper who manages the system. Through a process of solving complicated arithmetic problems and adding new blocks of transactions to the chain, parties that use the same blockchain verify and record transactions.

How risky of a deal is it?

DeFi is a new phenomenon that involves numerous risks. Decentralized finance, as a recent idea, has not been subjected to long-term or widespread application. Additionally, national authorities are scrutinizing the systems they are implementing with an eye toward regulation. Among the additional dangers associated with DeFi are the following:

Technology-related risk –  While a blockchain is essentially impenetrable, other components of DeFi are extremely vulnerable to hacking, which could result in funds theft or loss. All of the decentralized finance’s possible use cases rely on hackable software platforms. Smart contracts, which are collections of code that execute a set of instructions on the blockchain, are required for the operation of DeFi applications. However, if there is a problem with a developer’s code, there may be vulnerabilities inside the DeFi protocol. 

Asset-based risk – When applying for a DeFi loan, you often submit collateral in the form of other crypto assets. For instance, DeFi protocol Maker demands borrowers to collateralize their loans to the tune of at least 150 percent of the loan value. Due to the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies, their value varies regularly. If there is a downturn, the crypto assets utilized as collateral may experience a rapid decrease in value, resulting in some holders liquidating their positions. That is why some people utilize stablecoins, which are supposed to be tethered to fiat and hence have lower volatility.

Risk associated with a product – Unlike a regular bank, there is no regulation or insurance on your money when using DeFi. Despite the fact that DeFi loans are secured by other crypto assets, borrowers using DeFi protocols cannot be held liable if they fail to repay a loan. These risks are why experts advise investing just what you can afford to lose and doing comprehensive research before investing.

What do beginners need to know

If you decide to invest in a DeFi application, the first step is to assess the applications you’re considering to ensure they’re secure and thoroughly vetted.

When selecting an underlying network, such as a blockchain, protocol, or exchange, Wu advises opting for one that is not dominated by a small number of participants, is capable of handling high user demand, and has reasonable transaction fees.

Applications that do not provide their source code or that ignore security concerns reported in their forums and social media feeds are among the “red flags” to look out for. And if anything does not feel right, it most often is.

Because DeFi is developing at such a rapid clip and the yields are so high, possibilities sometimes appear to be too good to be true. When in doubt, follow your gut or seek out more objective members of the community with technical skills to do a thorough code review,” Wu advised.

What’s Next for DeFi?

From eliminating the middleman to converting basketball video into monetary-valued digital goods, DeFi’s future appears to be bright. DeFi’s research and development team see both the promise and potential of DeFi as far-reaching, despite the fact that its capabilities are still in their infancy.

Investors will soon get greater autonomy, enabling them to “use [assets] in novel ways that seem unthinkable today.” DeFi also has significant ramifications for the big data sector, which is maturing to enable new methods of data commodification.

Despite its promise, DeFi faces a long road ahead, particularly in terms of public adoption.

It is our responsibility to continue educating people about the possibilities, but we must also work diligently to develop the tools that will enable them to perceive it for themselves.

About RoboFi

RoboFi (https://robofi.io/home/) is a Defi platform that envisions a marketplace for revolutionary Dao crypto trading bots. Through its IBO (Initial Bot Offering) system, community members can maximize their earnings in an easy, simple, and secure way. We create a safe and transparent environment based on blockchain technologies that help developers bring crypto trading bot platforms to the market. In addition, individuals will have easy access to these bot applications, thereby generating more earning opportunities. RoboFi ecosystem is fueled by the VICS token.

About VICS

VICS token has a distinctive and enticing concept. VICS is the BEP-20 token, built on the Binance smart chain. It is a core utility token in the RoboFi ecosystem, the reliable crypto trading bot marketplace. One important utility is to own the governance token of DABots and participate in an IBO (Initial Bot Offering) to receive additional incentives. VICS is available on major exchanges for trading.

Official Link

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