What Is DeFi? A Beginner's Guide
DeFi, short for decentralized finance, describes financial-style applications built with smart contracts. It can be transparent and composable, but it also carries serious software, market, and governance risks.
DeFi
Category
Decentralized finance concepts with careful attention to risks and limitations.
Content hub
DeFi and Stablecoins Hub
Learning path
Stablecoins and DeFi
Primary intent
DeFi concept research
DeFi, short for decentralized finance, describes financial-style applications built with smart contracts. It can be transparent and composable, but it also carries serious software, market, and governance risks.
DeFi
A DAO is an online organization that uses blockchain-based tools for membership, voting, treasury management, or coordination. The reality is often less automatic than the name suggests.
DeFi
Crypto bridges move assets or messages between blockchain networks. They can improve interoperability, but bridges have been one of crypto's highest-risk infrastructure areas.
DeFi
Liquidity describes how easily an asset can be bought or sold without sharply moving its price. In crypto, liquidity varies dramatically by asset, venue, and market conditions.
DeFi
Liquidity pools are smart-contract-based asset reserves that decentralized exchanges and DeFi protocols can use for swaps, lending, or other functions.
DeFi
Impermanent loss is a liquidity-provider risk that can occur when pooled asset prices move relative to each other.
DeFi
Yield farming involves using DeFi protocols to pursue rewards or fees, but advertised yields can hide smart contract, token, liquidity, and market risks.
DeFi
Decentralized exchanges let users swap assets through smart contracts or protocol rules, often without a traditional order-book exchange account.
DeFi
Crypto lending protocols let users supply or borrow assets through smart contracts, usually with collateral and liquidation rules.
DeFi
Governance tokens may let holders vote on protocol decisions, but voting power, legal rights, and practical influence vary widely.
DAOs and Governance