For years, cryptocurrency advocates have touted the world-changing capability of digital currency and blockchain technology. Yet with the passing of each market cycle, new projects come and go, and the promised utility of these “real-world use case” projects fails to satisfy. While a majority of tokens promise to solve real-world problems, only a few achieve this, and the others are mere speculative investments. Here’s a look at the three things cryptocurrency investors can actually “do” with their coins. Lending Perhaps the simplest use case offered to cryptocurrency holders is also one of the oldest monetary applications in finance: lending. Ever …

The community behind decentralized stablecoin platform MakerDAO is mulling over a major tokenomics shift that could replace its governance token, MKR. A proposal was made on the MakerDAO forum by community leader “monet-supply” on March 14, outlining an alternative token economic mechanism. If the proposal passes a full governance vote, the protocol could replace its current governance token, MKR, with a new token called stkMKR. There were many responses to the proposal within just a few hours of it being posted, most of which were positive and regarding the technicalities of the solution. From the proposal and discussion stage, it …

The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector has been sitting in the backseat since whipping up a frenzy in the summer of 2020 through the first quarter of 2021. Currently, investors are debating whether the crypto sector is in a bull or bear market, meaning, it’s a good time to check in on the state of DeFi and identify which protocols might be setting new trends. Here’s a look at the top-ranking DeFi protocols and a review of the strategies used by users of these protocols. Stablecoins are the foundation of DeFi Stablecoin-related DeFi protocols are the cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem …

MakerDAO has announced that it will begin offering a maximum of $10 million bounty to white hat hackers and cybersecurity specialists who point out legitimate security threats in its smart contracts. Maker’s (MAKER) plan to front-run attacks on its smart contracts is the largest ever on the bug bounty platform Immunefi. In fact if someone claimed the lot, it would equal the total amount of $10 million that Immunefi has paid out to date from active and inactive events. Its website claims the bugs found have averted up to $20 billion in damages from hacks. Whitehat hackers stand to gain …

Calls for the arrival of an altseason are growing louder on Nov. 3 after the price action for altcoins is on the rise and Bitcoin (BTC) price lingers at the $62,000 support level. At the moment, gaming tokens, supply chain-related projects and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols are scorching hot and as shown below, many altcoins are posting double and triple-digit gains today. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were OriginTrail (TRAC), XYO Network (XYO) and Maker (MKR). TRAC gets a boost from the “Coinbase effect” OriginTrail is a protocol that …

MakerDAO founder Rune Christensen has published an essay outlining measures that could be taken to make the protocol a vehicle for addressing climate change. In a lengthy Tuesday post published to the MakerDAO governance forum, Christensen asserts that MakerDAO should strive to ensure that all of its collateral comprises “sustainable and climate-aligned assets that consider the long-term impacts of financial activity on the environment.” Christensen asserts that the protocol’s collateral should be invested into sustainable real-world assets (RWAs) through senior credit positions in projects that build “solar farms, wind turbines, batteries, recharging stations and other cost-efficient renewable energy solutions, as …

One of France’s leading banks has turned to decentralized finance pioneer MakerDAO to propose the submission of bond tokens as collateral for a loan of the DAI stablecoin. The historic proposal, called “Security Tokens Refinancing,” was submitted to Maker’s governance forums by the international bank on Friday. It would be the first major collaboration between a traditional bank and a DeFi protocol, and could open the door for closer integration between the two sectors. Societe Generale (SG) labeled it as the “first experiment at the crossroads between regulated and open source initiatives.” The bank has proposed that it provide “OFH” …

Pioneering decentralized finance protocol, MakerDAO, has announced its foundation will formally dissolve in the coming months, marking one of the final milestones in the protocol’s roadmap to decentralized governance. A July 20 blog post describes Maker’s decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, as now being “fully self-sufficient” — with its globally distributed community “now responsible for every aspect of the Maker protocol.” “Complete decentralization of Maker means that future development and operation of the Protocol and the DAO will be determined by thousands or perhaps millions of engaged, enthusiastic community members, all determined to extend the benefits of digital currency to …

Decentralized finance lending and stablecoin protocol MakerDAO has adjusted stability fees across a wide range of crypto assets used as collateral on the platform. The move comes as the demand for DAI and other stablecoins has cooled amid the recent crypto market retracement, with Maker hoping to drive up demand for DAI minting through the reduction in fees. ⚠️Maker Protocol Changes ⚠️ (1/5) ETH-A Stability Fee: 5.5% → 3.5% ETH-B Stability Fee: 10% → 9% ETH-C Stability Fee: 3% → 1% WBTC-A Stability Fee: 4.5% → 3.5% LINK-A Stability Fee: 5% → 4% YFI-A Stability Fee: 5.5% → 4% — …

The decentralized finance (DeFi) sector faced its first real challenge during last week’s market sell-off that saw more than $1 trillion wiped from the global cryptocurrency market cap as traders feverishly ran for the safety of stablecoins amid tumbling prices. Despite rapidly declining token prices, the nascent DeFi sector held its own as decentralized exchanges experienced a record $11.7 billion in trading volume on May 19. Uniswap (UNI) led with $5.7 billion in volume, followed by SushiSwap (SUSHI) which saw $2.8 billion in 24-hour trading volume. According to the recent DeFi Uncovered report from Glassnode, blue-chip DeFi tokens including, UNI, …

Crypto traders were greeted by green markets on May 24 as the majority of altcoins saw their prices bounce back following last week's downturn that was the “largest deleveraging event since the March 2020 sell-off,” according to an on-chain report from Glassnode. After suffering the biggest monthly price drop in Bitcoin (BTC) history, bulls now look to stage a comeback with a significant amount of support forming near the $37,000 level, and within the last hour, Bitcoin's price pushed up back to the $40,000 level. The capitulation experienced last week was “one for the history books,” with data from Glassnode …

Altcoins and DeFi sprang back to life on May 24 after a handful of decentralized finance tokens saw their prices increase by more than 60% as Bitcoin bulls pushed BTC price to the $38,000 level. Some analysts are describing the move as a 'dead cat bounce' but despite those concerns, the bounce in prices seen across the market is likely a welcome sight for cryptocurrency investors who experienced last week’s historical capitulation event that saw nearly $1.3 trillion in value pulled from the total cryptocurrency market cap. The biggest bounce-back performance among the top 200 coins was seen in the …