‘No, DeFi Is Not Dead,’ Says Ex-Founder Of Yield Finance
February 01 2023 - 4:30AM
NEWSBTC
Andre Cronje, the co-founder of Fantom Foundation and the
ex-creator of Yield Finance, a DeFi protocol, disagrees with people
who say DeFi is dead and the period of high yields is gone. DeFi Is
Not Dead In a Medium post on February 1, Andre agrees
that the crypto bear market of the past year impacted activity and
forced users to preserve assets, swinging to stablecoins. Even with
this, at spot rates, he argues, on-chain metrics and yield readings
from various DeFi protocols, including in Yield Finance, point to a
possibly undervalued DeFi market. He compares the current yields of
various coins and stablecoins, including USDT, USDC, and DAI, an
algorithmic stablecoin issued by MakerDAO, with those of early 2020
as offered by Yield Finance. Daily APR
https://t.co/BAcrlUTqrQ$DAI 8.75% dominated by @bzxHQ. Static since
they introduced 9% fixed rate, they own it.@USDC ~4%
@compoundfinance and @dydxprotocol fighting over dominance.$USDT
comfy at 20.75% at @AaveAave (insane)@CurveFinance $DAI strong at
9.11% pic.twitter.com/dtadzP8Wx2 — yearn (@iearnfinance) February
5, 2020 Then, DeFi was gaining traction, and the total value locked
(TVL) had crossed the $1 billion mark. At present, DeFi TVL exceeds
$47 billion and, at one point, stood at over $170 billion at the
peak of the last rally. By late November 2021, BTC was trading at
over $69,000. Early 2020 marked the early stages of a protracted
bull market that lasted two years to the end of 2021.
Presently, the ETH, USDT, DAI, and USDC real yields are relatively
higher than in 2020. Andre notes that this is amid an inactive
market following the losses of last year. Generally, real yields
offered by DeFi protocols are from the lending market and trading
fees. At the moment, Andre assesses that everyone who had shorted
had sold their coins but appear not confident to exit, which is why
he is confident the current yields are “really low” despite being
relatively higher than in early 2020. Related Reading: Time To Sell
Bitcoin And Crypto? ‘Big Short’ Michael Burry Tweets ‘Sell’
Considering this development, he disagrees with people who think
DeFi is dead and periods of high yields are long gone. He argues
that this assertion is based on comparing the “current market with
an unsustainable and highly delusional market peak, and not its
progression.” He explained: If you plot a growth chart on TVL,
yield, and trade volume, and you flatten the curve to avoid
oscillating, it is a clear linear growth chart. Andre maintains
that DeFi works as designed and doesn’t need a new narrative or a
“shiny toy”. Taking Charge DeFi provides an alternative to
users who would otherwise not participate in traditional finance.
The ecosystem comprises decentralized exchanges, insurance
protocols, investment platforms, and more. Related Reading:
DeFi Begins Recovery As TVL Exceeds $45 Billion Because they depend
on smart contracts, DeFi protocols devolve control to the end user,
unlike centralized platforms like BlockFi or FTX, whose collapse
saw clients lose billions in crypto assets that were under the
custody of the exchange. Feature image from Canva, Chart from
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