Staking basics

What are DeFi Tokens?

Shivendra Singh

Apr 14, 2023 • 4 min read

What is DeFi & How Does it Work?

Decentralized finance (DeFi) is a financial system which is built on top of blockchain technology. DeFi allows users to participate in financial services without the need for a third party, such as a bank or a traditional financial institution.

DeFi applications are built on smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts that are stored on a blockchain. This means that they can’t be controlled by any single entity, and they are transparent and auditable.

Also Read: Ethereum Virtual Machine

There are a wide variety of DeFi applications, including:

Decentralized exchanges (DEXs): DEXs allow users to swap or exchange their cryptocurrencies without requiring a central exchange.

Lending and borrowing protocols: These protocols allow users to lend and borrow cryptocurrencies without the need for a financial institution.

Staking protocols: These protocols allow the users to stake their cryptos and earn staking rewards

There are many other use cases of DeFi applications but as the DeFi ecosystem can have its own risks and regulations we should always be wary of its applications and invest once we have a full understanding of it.

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What Are DeFi Tokens?

Each DeFi protocol usually has their own token, which interact within their protocol, distribute fees earned by the protocol, reward liquidity mining in their dApp, etc. These tokens are called the DeFi tokens. DeFi tokens can be used for a variety of purposes within the DeFi applications. For example, they can be used to pay fees, to earn rewards, or to participate in governance. DeFi tokens offer a number of potential benefits, but they also have some risks which investors should carefully consider before investing in DeFi tokens. Some examples of DeFi tokens are $SD (Stader), $UNI (Uniswap), $AAVE (Aave) and $RPL (RocketPool)

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Uses of DeFi Tokens

DeFi tokens are used for a variety of purposes, including:

Staking - Staking is a process of locking up cryptocurrency in exchange for staking rewards. DeFi tokens can be staked on a variety of platforms, including various lending protocols, and decentralized exchanges.
Governance - Many DeFi tokens give holders the right to vote on important protocol decisions. This can include things like changes to the protocol's code, rewards distribution strategy, and treasury policy.
Access to various services - Some of the DeFi tokens give holders access to exclusive services, such as discounts on trading fees or early access to new features.
NFTs- Some of the DeFi tokens can be used to mint and trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs). NFTs are digital assets which can represent anything from music to art to in-game items and cannot be exchanged equivalently like other crypto currencies.

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How to buy DeFi tokens

There are a few different ways in which you buy DeFi tokens:

Centralized exchanges (CEXs): Centralized exchanges (CEXs) are traditional cryptocurrency exchanges that permit users to buy and sell DeFi tokens using fiat currencies or other cryptocurrencies of their choice. Some popular CEXs which offer DeFi tokens are Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs): A decentralized exchange (DEX) is an exchange that does not require users to create an account or provide any personal identifiable information. DEXs allow the users to buy and sell DeFi tokens directly from each other, without the need for a third party. Some popular DEXs that offer DeFi tokens include Uniswap, SushiSwap, and PancakeSwap.
DeFi lending protocols: DeFi lending protocols offer to lend and borrow cryptos without the need for a third party. These protocols often offer rewards to users who lend their cryptocurrencies.
DeFi Staking platform: DeFi Staking platforms allow users to earn rewards by providing liquidity to DEXs and DeFi lending protocols. These platforms do have high rewards but can also be risky in nature.

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Risks Associated with DeFi Tokens

Even if you’re buying your DeFi Tokens from a Centralized Exchange which offers a secure environment for buyers and sellers to complete transactions , you’ll always have DeFi risks aligned with whichever protocol the token represents. For example, if the token’s protocol has some underlying issues on their platform, there might be some effect on the token’s value. Apart from this, shifts in the market’s sentiments about the token, change in the protocol’s leadership can also be an important factor for the success of the token. Therefore, we should always have a thorough evaluation of the token and its risks associated before making any investments.

Also Read: Proof Of Stake

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Q) How are DeFi tokens different from other cryptocurrencies?

Ans) DeFi tokens are designed to be used in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, while other cryptocurrencies are not. DeFi applications allow users to access financial services without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or a government whereas cryptocurrencies can be controlled by a central authority that works as an intermediate between the crypto buyers and sellers.

Q) What are the benefits of investing in DeFi tokens?

Ans) Some of the benefits of investing in DeFi tokens:

DeFi tokens give you the freedom of trustless, permissionless, and censorship-resistant transactions.
Transparency: DeFi tokens are built on top of blockchain technology, which is a transparent and auditable ledger. This means that investors can see all of the transactions that have taken place on the network, which can help to reduce risk.
Higher rewards: DeFi tokens can offer higher rewards, as they often reward the users for providing liquidity, lending, or staking their tokens.

Q) What are some risks associated with investing in DeFi tokens?

Ans) Few of the risks associated with investing in DeFi tokens are:

Market Sentiments
Security risks
Regulatory risks