Altcoin Roundup: DeFi token prices are down, but utility is on the rise

2 years ago

The decentralized concern (DeFi) assemblage has been sitting successful the backseat since whipping up a frenzy successful the summertime of 2020 done the archetypal 4th of 2021. Currently, investors are debating whether the crypto assemblage is successful a bull oregon carnivore market, meaning, it’s a bully clip to cheque successful connected the authorities of DeFi and place which protocols mightiness beryllium mounting caller trends.

Here’s a look astatine the top-ranking DeFi protocols and a reappraisal of the strategies utilized by users of these protocols.

Stablecoins are the instauration of DeFi

Stablecoin-related DeFi protocols are the cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem and Curve is till the go-to protocol erstwhile it comes to staking stalbecoins.

Top 5 protocols by full worth locked. Source: Defi Llama

Data from Defi Llama shows 4 retired of the apical 5 protocols successful presumption of full worth locked (TVL) are connected to the instauration and absorption of stablecoins.

It’s important to enactment that portion these protocols person emerged connected apical erstwhile it comes to TVL, the worth of their autochthonal tokens for the astir portion are importantly down from their 2021 all-time highs.

The main takeaway is that engaging with the stablecoin facet of the DeFi marketplace done staking and farming has offered dependable yields portion besides earning the governance tokens for these platforms arsenic an added bonus to assistance mitigate the driblet successful token values.

As it stands now, stablecoins play an integral relation successful the wide steadfast functioning of DeFi which continues to grow arsenic newer protocols similar Frax Share and Neutrino ascent the TVL ranks amidst the expanding fig of interconnected blockchain networks.

Lending and borrowing is astatine the halfway of DeFi’s worth proposition

Lending platforms are different cardinal constituent of the DeFi ecosystem and 1 of the cardinal features that investors tin interact with adjacent during a carnivore market. AAVE and Compound are the existent leaders with respective TVLs astatine $12.09 cardinal and $6.65 billion.

Like different stablecoin protocols, AAVE and Compound saw the worth of their autochthonal tokens highest successful 2021 and some person been successful a prolonged downturn for months.

AAVE/USDT vs. COMP/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView

AAVE’s TVL maturation outpaced Compound mostly owed to its cross-chain integration of Polygon and Avalanche, which accrued the fig of supported assets and allowed users to debar the precocious state fees connected the Ethereum network.

Long-term crypto hodlers who are hazard averse tin payment from simply lending their tokens for a humble yield.

Aave vs. Compound stablecoin yields. Source: DeFi Prime

Related: Altcoin Roundup: JunoSwap, Solidly and VVS Finance springiness DeFi a much-needed refresh

Liquid staking adds much inferior to DeFi

The increasing popularity of liquid staking is besides adding caller inferior to decentralized finance. Liquid staking protocols similar Lido Finance, which primitively launched arsenic an Ethereum staking solution but has since expanded enactment to Terra (LUNA), Solana (SOL), Kusama (KSM) and Polygon (MATIC).

Data from Defi Llama shows the TVL connected Lido reaching a caller all-time precocious of $14.96 cardinal connected March 10 arsenic the summation of caller assets continues to pull much worth to the protocol.

Total worth locked connected Lido. Source: DeFi Llama.

On Lido, users tin involvement Ether and Solana and person stETH oregon stSOL, which tin past beryllium utilized arsenic collateral connected AAVE to get stablecoins. Those assets tin past beryllium utilized for trading oregon output farming purposes, frankincense expanding the wide output earned from the archetypal staked asset.

Other notable liquid staking protocols see the Eth2 staking supplier StakeWise, the Cosmos-based pStake protocol and Stader Labs.

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