DeFi is transforming the way forward

Following the debut of Bitcoin in 2009, a thriving industry grew up around the asset, its concept, and its underlying technology. The crypto and blockchain space has several niches where initiatives and businesses build solutions for diverse use cases.

The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, which was formed as an alternative to traditional financial services, is one such niche. DeFi is made up of smart contracts, which in turn power decentralized apps (DApps) and protocols. Many of the first DeFi applications were created on Ethereum, and the majority of the ecosystem's total value locked (TVL) remains there. Let's dig deeper into this.

What exactly is DeFi?

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is built on the peer-to-peer principle, which eliminates the need for intermediaries in the system. DeFi democratizes finance and substitutes traditional centralized institutions such as banks, brokerages, and NBFCs (Non-Banking Financial Companies) by relying on peer-to-peer philosophy and self-executing "smart contracts" on the blockchain network.

DeFi operates on the blockchain network using smart contract technology with no human interaction. This decreases the possibility of errors and boosts efficiency.

Related: Defi is more scalable than traditional finance: Hashkey Capital

DEX's growing popularity

DeFi has succeeded to bring about significant change in the financial industry in recent years. Transactions on DeFi and Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs) on the blockchain network have grown in popularity, with disintermediation being the key idea.

DEXs can have deep liquidity by offering asset-specific liquidity pools instead of order books on centralized exchanges, thanks to a technique known as "Automated Market Makers" (AMM). Users can supply liquidity for those assets in these liquidity pools and make substantial passive income through trading fees.

Unlike traditional banking, DeFi companies do not require intermediaries or custodians to conduct services such as buying, selling, lending, and borrowing crypto assets.

DEX users can connect with blockchain technology directly to perform transactions or obtain services. A DEX's non-custodial design allows users to keep their coin ownership and complete control of their assets in their wallets. DeFi and DEXs are based on self-regulating computer code known as "smart contracts," which run on a blockchain network.

Most DeFi initiatives are based on the Ethereum blockchain network since it was the first to provide an infrastructure that allows developers to create such decentralized applications (DApps). 

However, new blockchain networks such as Solana, Cardano, Polkadot, and others are in the works, gradually creating a more competitive DeFi industry.

Despite their complexity and high learning curve, DEXs and DeFi initiatives are gradually becoming a profitable choice for SMEs and startups in the FinTech field all around the world.

DeFi and DEXs around the world provide easier access to cheaper credit, and easy lending and borrowing operations, and are transforming the landscape of traditional financial institutions because of their low entry hurdles.

Also Read: DeFi's Inherent Challenges Inhibit its Growth

Crypto credit market influenced by DeFi

Crypto credit markets have been under pressure in recent months. Many market leaders in discretionary lending have gone out of business or are no longer in operation. As a result, creating new credit mechanisms in a transparent manner has become one of the most appealing options in the crypto market.

Building new types of undercollateralized or semi-collateralized lending is one strategy to boost credit in DeFi. While some initiatives have been made in this area, they are barely DeFi and have suffered from the inherent hazards of lending to market makers.

Alternatives that lend to parties with predictable on-chain activity, such as staking providers, miners, or DeFi protocols, may be worth investigating.

Game business is transformed by DeFi

DeFi, through platforms such as Augur, enables people to put wagers on global events. DeFi technologies have also found a home in games and eSports. DeFi tokens can now be used by game developers for in-app purchases and loot box features.

Collectible and trading games have grown in popularity on blockchain due to their ability to allow players to trade unique tokens and allow developers to construct their own ecosystems and economies.

The aforementioned benefits of adopting DeFi explain why it has experienced rapid growth in recent years, earning a market valuation of $128 billion.

While decentralized exchanges provide numerous game-changing benefits, they also pose some hazards. Unlike traditional banking, there is no regulation or insurance for DeFi investments.

Other crypto assets are used as collateral for DeFi loans. However, if the economy suffers a downturn, the value of these assets may plummet and could be liquidated. Furthermore, lost data and account information, such as passwords, can be recovered using centralized systems.

When trading on DEXs, if the seed phrase is lost, the user information and hence the funds may be irretrievably lost. As a result, as with any investment decision, users must first verify the applications they are considering to ensure they are safe and thoroughly vetted.

To summarise, while centralized systems continue to dominate market activity due to user-friendly interfaces, security, regulatory control, and insurance services, the growth of DeFi has made room for decentralized crypto exchange protocols.

As more people enter the digital asset industry, DeFi will need to increase its capabilities and become more secure and scalable. This has already begun with the Ethereum network's upgrade to Ethereum 2.0.

DEX is certain to make cryptocurrency trading more fair, private, and independent in the near future, hence boosting the growth of decentralized finance and its supporting mechanisms. The most recent advancements and trends in cryptocurrency investing appear to be encouraging for Decentralized Exchanges.

DeFi Extending to the insurance industry

One of the most significant DeFi use cases has been in the insurance industry. While the current insurance system is plagued by complex audit systems, paperwork, and cumbersome claims procedures, the use of smart contracts could significantly improve its efficiency.

Nexus Mutual, Opyn, and VouchForMe are DeFi ventures that provide insurance coverage for bitcoin on the blockchain network. Inflationary pressures and falling interest rates in fiat currencies have made it difficult for the world's middle classes to save and invest.

DeFi ventures such as PoolTogether, Dharma, and Argent have provided alternative solutions for risk-free savings and investments through no-loss saving mechanisms.

Borrowing and lending protocols have become one of DeFi's key applications since it has superseded traditional banking systems. Several DeFi ventures, like Compound and PoolTogether, are focused on the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and borrowing sector.

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) has accelerated transactions, particularly in the case of cross-border payments, where transaction costs and delays created bottlenecks for both senders and recipients.

DLT has democratized banking by allowing anyone to take out loans and even lend money in exchange for cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, the DeFi ecosystem has enabled tokenization, which allows digital assets to be created, issued, and controlled on a blockchain network.

This has resulted in the birth of a new type of economy. To produce, store, or trade value, digital assets are being tokenized in the form of NFTs. The emergence of DeFi-based prediction platforms, where users can trade value by projecting the outcome of future events, has resulted from the increased usage of DeFi.

Prudent regulation on DeFi

When it comes to DeFi, few things are as divisive as the debates around regulation. Regardless of which side of the regulatory debate you support, it is difficult to deny that recent developments in the crypto market makeup have catalyzed a more aggressive regulatory agenda that will impact DeFi at some time.

Regulation can obviously be detrimental to DeFi innovation, but when applied carefully, it represents an intriguing possibility for institutional adoption of the space. Many regulated financial institutions struggle to reconcile DeFi's financial perks and potential with the regulatory ambiguity that surrounds the industry.

Protocols that apply regulatory restrictions can undoubtedly fill that void. Most early efforts to impose know-your-customer (KYC) routines on DeFi protocols were met with minimal success, but there are intriguing prospects to use on-chain data for regulatory assessments of protocols.

Brute force regulation could be detrimental to DeFi, but intelligent regulatory constraints could pave the way for fresh waves of institutional adoption.

DeFi FAQs

Is there hope for DeFi?

Exciting times lie ahead: in the near future, financial and economic services will be powered by Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), which is a decentralized database administered by various participants with no central administrator.

What is the purpose of DeFi?

Decentralized finance (DeFi) is a new financial technology that is posing a threat to the current centralized banking system. DeFi reduces fees charged by banks and other financial institutions for using their services and encourages the use of peer-to-peer, or P2P, transactions.

Is DeFi actually decentralized?

A large number of DeFi protocols are not fully decentralized. They may operate autonomously, although they, like centralized entities, are controlled by a group or an individual.

Why is DeFi doomed?

DeFi is plagued by two fundamental issues: growth and value. First and foremost, growth has slowed to a halt. While DeFi saw exponential growth from the summer of 2020 through the end of 2021, growth in 2022 has been severely stifled due to market conditions and hesitancy among new entrants.

Will DeFi completely replace banks?

DeFi has the potential to replace traditional finance since it provides more security, faster transactions, and lower fees.

Is DeFi beneficial?

A "good investment" is determined by who it is for: each investor has varied timeframes, risk tolerance, and expected profits. DeFi may provide very large rewards, but it also carries very high risks.