Indian Crypto Industry 2025 Review & 2026 Outlook

India’s crypto story in 2025 matured beyond the hype cycle. Participation widened outside metros, investors shifted toward disciplined, longer-term behavior, and the conversation moved from “if” to “how” crypto integrates with mainstream finance and compliance. The next year hinges on regulatory clarity and institutional-grade infrastructure catching up with grassroots demand.

2025 snapshot: Adoption, behavior, and geography

• Non-metro surge: Tier-2, -3, and -4 cities accounted for roughly three-quarters of activity, signaling diffusion from metro-centric early adopters to broader “Bharat” participation. Uttar Pradesh led state contributions at around 13% in some datasets, reflecting heightened engagement beyond traditional hubs.
• Investor resilience despite taxes: Even with India’s 30% flat tax on crypto gains, retail activity persisted as investors adapted with more cautious, long-term strategies and diversified portfolios emphasizing Bitcoin’s renewed dominance.
• Youth-driven participation: The user base remained skewed younger, mirroring trends in India’s expanding equity participation, but with crypto increasingly treated as one allocation within a broader wealth plan rather than a standalone speculative bet.
• Scale and maturity narrative: India remained among the largest global markets by adoption, with 2025 characterized by high transaction volumes and growing exchange competition under strict tax rules and evolving compliance expectations.

Policy and compliance realities in 2025

• Tax regime anchoring behavior: The 30% tax and compliance requirements pushed retail toward fewer, higher-conviction trades, longer holding periods, and cleaner audit trails—reducing churn while sustaining participation.
• Regulatory posture: Industry operated under taxation-first oversight with an expectation of clearer licensing and consumer-risk frameworks ahead, as domestic growth and global coordination pressures mounted.

Market structure and infrastructure trends

• Exchange-led localization: Platforms focused on regional onboarding, vernacular content, and simplified KYC flows to tap non-metro demand at scale, aligning crypto adoption with broader digital finance penetration.
• Mainstreaming use cases: Tokenization narratives and Bitcoin’s “treasury” framing gained mindshare as institutions globally explored structured participation, setting the stage for India’s infrastructure upgrades in custody, reporting, and compliance in the next phase.

2026 outlook: What changes, what persists

• Institutional tilt accelerates: Expect a gradual shift from retail-dominated flows to institution-ready structures—better custody, auditability, and risk controls—driven by global regulatory convergence and tokenization use cases gaining operational traction.
• Macro and thematic drivers: Higher-quality assets and clear narratives (Bitcoin as macro hedge or treasury asset; real-world asset tokenization; compliant yield) likely lead performance and capital allocation, with risk premia compressing as rules clarify.
• Domestic regulatory clarity: India faces mounting pressure to move from tax-only oversight to licensing, consumer protection, standardized disclosures, and onshore compliance rails—critical to enabling safer participation and attracting institutional capital.
• Geographic depth sustains growth: Non-metro adoption remains the engine, aided by vernacular education, agent networks, and simplified compliance experiences—keeping India’s user expansion resilient even without immediate policy liberalization.
• Scale trajectory: Analyses of India’s evolution suggest multi-year revenue growth and user expansion potential as frameworks mature; projections vary, but the directional trend points to sustained growth into the late 2020s under clearer rules.

Risks and watchlist for 2026

• Regulatory timing risk: Delay in licensing and consumer-risk frameworks could cap institutional participation and keep costs high for compliant operators.
• Global spillovers: External shocks (macro tightening, cross-border enforcement actions) can propagate quickly into Indian retail sentiment and liquidity.
• Operational compliance: KYC, AML, and tax reporting burdens remain a moat and an execution challenge; firms that productize compliance will gain advantage.

Practical moves: For companies and investors

• For companies:
  • Compliance-first rails: Build audit-ready custody, reporting, and disclosure systems anticipating licensing and standardized safeguards.
  • Regional distribution: Invest in vernacular education, lightweight onboarding, and agent-assisted support to deepen non-metro growth.
  • Institutional partnerships: Align with banks, fintechs, and custodians to bridge crypto with mainstream finance and tokenization pilots.
• For investors:
  • Core-satellite discipline: Anchor allocations in higher-quality assets (e.g., BTC) with measured exposure to tokenization and yield themes; prioritize compliance and documentation given tax realities.
  • Hold-period focus: Favor longer horizons and transparent record-keeping to mitigate tax friction and volatility impacts.
  • Regulatory readiness: Track licensing developments and platform safeguards; shift toward institution-grade venues as they emerge.

Views by Industry Leaders

Nischal Shetty, Founder, WazirX

Looking back at 2025, the crypto industry paints a mixed but hopeful picture. On one hand, the industry saw real progress: growth in DeFi projects, expansion of stablecoins, new CBDC-infrastructure pilots, and rising developer activity across APAC and globally, with millions committing to code on-chain. On the other hand, after early-year optimism from retail investors, the October correction was a reminder that sentiment remains fragile and that hype without real delivery can still hurt the industry... 

... Institutional shifts and policy signals, however, brought meaningful momentum. Vanguard reversed its long-standing prohibition on crypto, opening its platform to Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana ETFs, triggering a surge in mainstream adoption. The CFTC’s approval of spot crypto ETFs added another boost, reflecting a steady move toward giving traditional financial investors regulated crypto exposure. Firms like BlackRock continued their disciplined investment push into digital assets.

Looking ahead to 2026, there might be reason for optimism just yet. In India, the foundation stone of the CBDC project could be laid soon. The RBI has announced a hackathon in October to nurture tech talents in the emerging technology space, which will encourage more Indians to see emerging tech as a promising career prospect. A clearer regulatory framework for VDAs, potentially paired with supportive tax measures, support for stablecoin initiatives alongside CBDC measures, could unlock real-world blockchain use cases from Indian builders to kickstart on-chain growth for Indians.

So, while 2025 wasn’t a clean breakout year, it was undeniably transformative. Infrastructure matured, institutional participation widened, and policy debates sharpened worldwide.

In 2026, globally, institutional appetite for regulated digital-asset products will continue to increase, driving capital inflows and contributing to market stability. At the same time, domestic policies for countries will be key in shaping their respective investor sentiment.”

Raj Karkara, COO, ZebPay

2025 has shaped up to be a landmark year for crypto, a year where digital assets moved decisively from niche innovation toward foundational financial infrastructure. The start of the year saw the establishment of the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, a bold signal of Bitcoin’s growing strategic importance. By mid-year, the passage of the GENIUS Act provided a clear regulatory framework for USD-backed stablecoins, fostering trust and laying the groundwork for broader adoption. October brought a historic moment as Bitcoin surpassed $125,000 to record a new all-time high, while tokenized real-world assets spanning real estate, commodities, and financial instruments surged, demonstrating how blockchain is bridging traditional finance and the digital economy... 

...Regulatory and institutional progress continued to gain momentum as the year advanced. The CFTC’s December 4 announcement allowing listed spot crypto products on registered futures exchanges marked a pivotal step in evolving the ecosystem from regulated ETFs to clearer cross-border compliance frameworks and deeper institutional participation. These milestones underscore a global shift toward credibility, transparency, and scalable adoption of digital assets, positioning crypto to play an increasingly integral role in the years ahead.

This year, as we celebrated ZebPay’s 11th anniversary, we unveiled our new identity, “Bitcoin Mein Pro.” Since 2014, Bitcoin has been central to what we do, and with this reaffirmation of our long standing conviction, we have made Bitcoin investing our clear and enduring purpose. Throughout 2025, we upheld education as a core priority, through workshops, explainers, and platform-led initiatives, with the aim of helping users understand the true essence of Bitcoin as an asset class, build confidence, embrace long-term thinking, and develop an investor mindset that looks beyond short-term market movements, as they progress in their ‘Pro’ journey. Furthermore, we strengthened our security architecture through advanced, multi-layered protections, complemented by enhanced KYC/AML frameworks that ensure a fully compliant and trustworthy environment for every user.

We are committed to helping people embrace Bitcoin with confidence while building long-term trust in digital assets. Moving into 2026, we anticipate exciting opportunities to expand adoption, introduce innovative solutions, and strengthen the infrastructure that will support the next generation of crypto investors. ZebPay’s mission is to guide this journey with clarity, reliability, and a focus on sustainable growth that creates long-term value.

Beyond the Hype: Unraveling the Real-World Applications of Algorand's Blockchain

Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

Algorand has emerged as a viable platform among the rising fervor surrounding blockchain technology, going beyond the hype to provide practical real-world applications. Businesses, developers, and governments are all interested in Algorand's blockchain because of its scalability, security, and decentralization. This essay will examine the numerous and useful uses of Algorand's blockchain, illuminating how it is reshaping numerous industries and stimulating innovation.

Enhancing Financial Transaction Speed

• High transaction speed of Algorand: Algorand's distinct consensus algorithm allows it to perform thousands of transactions per second, allowing for almost immediate settlement. In the financial markets, where quick transactions are essential, this speed is especially valuable
• Algorand is suited for microtransactions due to its cheap transaction fees, which opens up new opportunities in the growing economy, such as internet-of-things (IoT) micropayments and pay-per-use services

Supply Chain Management Streamlining

• Enhanced traceability: Algorand's blockchain offers complete supply chain tracking for products and items. Businesses can use Algorand to trace and verify the origin and movement of products, from food safety to luxury goods verification
• Reducing the danger of fraud and counterfeiting: Algorand helps reduce the risk of fraud and counterfeiting by recording every step in the supply chain on an immutable ledger, improving consumer confidence and safety

Revolution in Decentralised Finance (DeFi)

• Staking and yield farming are both possible on the Algorand blockchain because to the DeFi protocols, which let users receive rewards for staking their tokens and taking part in yield farming on the network
• Decentralized exchanges (DEXs): Algorand's blockchain serves as the basis for DEXs, giving consumers access to safe and transparent trading environments without the involvement of middlemen

Digital Identity Security

• Self-sovereign identity: With Algorand's blockchain, people may be in charge of their online personas, lowering the possibility of identity theft and preserving their privacy
• Credentials that can be verified: Algorand uses the tamper-resistant characteristics of blockchain to enable the issuance and verification of digital credentials like diplomas and licenses

Governance and Elections

Photo by fabio on Unsplash

• Voting that is open and impenetrable: Governments and organizations can use Algorand's blockchain to create safe, open, and transparent voting procedures that improve election integrity and lower the risk of fraud
• Decentralized governance: Algorand's governance features allow users to take part in protocol updates and decision-making, promoting a decentralized and user-driven ecosystem

Asset Tokenization

• Asset digitization: Algorand makes it possible to tokenize physical assets like real estate, artwork, and commodities. Due to this, markets that were previously illiquid are now more liquid and allow for fractional ownership
• Lowering barriers: Algorand lowers entry hurdles for investors by digitizing assets, enabling them to access formerly exclusive investment possibilities

Tokenization of Real Estate and Fractional Ownership

• By enabling asset tokenization, Algorand's blockchain is revolutionizing the real estate sector. Traditional real estate investments frequently demand sizable sums of money, which restricts access to expensive homes. However, Algorand's blockchain enables the tokenization of real estate assets, dividing them into smaller parts that are simple to sell. A wider range of investors now have access to investment options, which encourages more liquidity in the real estate market
• Additionally, property transfers become simpler thanks to tokenization on the blockchain of Algorand. It simplifies the acquisition, sale, and transfer of ownership, increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of real estate investments. Algorand also uses smart contracts to make sure that everyone abides by the agreements that have been agreed upon, which increases security and confidence in real estate transactions

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and Gaming

• An increasingly common option for gaming platforms and NFT marketplaces is Algorand. NFTs are distinctive digital assets that signify ownership of digital or tangible goods, including virtual properties, in-game objects, and pieces of art The scalability and affordability of Algorand's blockchain make it the ideal platform for NFTs
• Algorand's blockchain is being used by gaming companies to produce verifiable and limited-edition in-game goods. These assets can be safely owned and traded by users, and developers can quickly include blockchain technology to improve the value of their gaming environments
• Artists, musicians, and other creators are given the ability to tokenize and sell their digital works directly to collectors through the NFT markets built on Algorand. By enabling artists to directly connect with a worldwide audience without the need of middlemen and by guaranteeing the provenance and authenticity of their work, this democratizes the arts and creative industries

Medical Records and Healthcare

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

• Through the safe management of medical records and health data, Algorand's blockchain is demonstrating its potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry Algorand makes sure that patient data is kept private and accurate by storing it on an immutable, tamper-proof ledger
• Patients are in charge of their medical records, giving consent for healthcare professionals to view particular data. The risk of data breaches and unauthorized access is reduced thanks to this patient-centered approach's improved data security and confidentiality
• Algorand's blockchain's interoperability further enables frictionless data interchange between healthcare organizations, boosting care coordination and advancing medical research

Beyond the hype and conjecture, Algorand's blockchain is significantly advancing the transformation of companies and fostering innovation in a variety of fields. Algorand is enabling practical applications outside of traditional financial transactions by putting a strong emphasis on scalability, security, and decentralization. Algorand's blockchain is proven to be a game-changer in a variety of fields, from secure digital identity and voting systems to decentralized banking and supply chain management. It is anticipated that Algorand's technology will continue to have an increasing impact on the world economy and society as more companies, developers, and governments realize its potential. The advantages and usefulness of Algorand's blockchain are building the groundwork for a decentralized and open future where security, efficiency, and trust are of utmost importance.

Newrl Floats KYC Integration Solutions for Public Blockchains

First development for blockchain ever globally

Innovative, secure and simplified processing of KYC

Newrl, a leading public blockchain for mainstream decentralized finance (DeFi), has announced KYC integration solutions for public blockchains in a first globally. Newrl will now enable compliance for businesses and regulators by removing the anonymity on blockchains. This opens the doors for typical businesses to start embracing blockchain to improve their processes and expand their markets.

The solution is built in a manner where businesses don't have to necessarily integrate the KYC solution within their own application which relieves them from any security concerns. Users themselves will be responsible for keeping KYC records and information in their database for frequent and easy access. The information is readily available for existing and new businesses, by requesting users to provide temporary “view-only” access. Even from the consumer perspective, the process has been simplified where they don't have to verify their KYC multiple times.

No other blockchain at present enforces KYC norms at the chain level. Owing to their libertarian foundation starting with Bitcoin, most public blockchains are built on the premise of anonymity. While this avoids the censorship, it also opens these chains to abuse by money launderers and terrorist financiers.

Newrl addresses concerns by incorporating digital fingerprints of KYC documents (called “hashes”) for each wallet on it, along with information about the jurisdiction of the owner. The wallet owner is required to either use a centralised authentication service or use a non-custodial wallet application to ensure authenticity of the KYC documents. Actual documents, and information like name and tax-id, however, are not public. In this way, Newrl manages to maintain privacy while still ensuring adherence to KYC/AML norms.

Commenting on the development, Swapnil Pawar, Founder of Newrl said, “In recent years, several important milestones have been achieved in the fight against black money - through the efforts of institutions like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). It is important to not lose ground to the money laundering ecosystems through purely anonymous transactions on blockchains. The identity at the chain layer brought in by Newrl is aimed at ensuring that mainstream use of blockchain is compliant with KYC/AML norms.”

Newrl is a 'Trust Network' blockchain built for decentralized social finance founded by Swapnil Pawar. Swapnil has over 18 years of experience in the intersection of technology and financial services. He is an IIT Bombay and IIM Ahmedabad graduate and is an expert in the field of blockchain technology, macroeconomics, decentralized finance and quantitative investing.

The company enables individuals and small businesses to access capital from their communities using their credibility and tokenized assets as a collateral. Newrl simplifies legally robust tokenization of assets like stocks, properties, and startup equity. It also enables individuals and small businesses to tokenize new forms of assets like personal creditworthiness, social media revenue inflows, patents, invoices, brands, warehouse receipts, etc. For illiquid assets, Newrl supports a mutualization mechanism to facilitate liquidity, also helping their use as collateral in a loan. Newrl focusses more upon real-world assets, with backing from physical assets which reduces the scope of many types of fraud (eg. double lien frauds, etc.), furthering the belief in the ‘trust network’.

Website - https://newrl.net/

CUDOS Announces Top-3 Winners of Hack-a-Nauts Hackathon Who'll Receive Grants from Pool of $50K

Top 3 teams MySpace, Debook, Digital Verse presented their Web3.0 projects to the judges panel of CUDOS Hack-a-nauts hackathon launched in partnership with Lumos Labs in order to receive prizes from $50,000.

After several months of active participation from over 1000 registrations, Cudos Hack-a-nauts, a Hackathon launched by CUDOS network - a next-generation decentralized cloud platform, in partnership with Lumos Labs - leading experts in running blockchain-based open innovation programmes in India, announced its top 3 solutions that stand to win grants from a pool of $50,000.

Cudos Hack-a-nauts was launched to introduce developers to Cudos' robust computing infrastructure enabling them to innovate decentralized solutions built on the Cudos network. The hackathon saw various Web3 ideas across different tracks such as Gaming, NFTs, Distributed Computing platforms, and DeFi, with the potential to provide users with solutions to the real world complications.

The final demo day of the Hackathon saw 3 ingenious teams pitching their unique Web3.0 solutions LIVE. The top 3 projects were ranked in the respective order-

1. MySpace3.0: A Metaverse NFT-based personalized space creation platform
2. Debook: A decentralized ticketing platform on the CUDOS blockchain.
3. Digital Verse Solution: An NFT marketplace of digital faces with Cudos platform for AI video generation.

"The amount of participation and the solutions these teams presented during the Cudos Hack-a-nauts hackathon have given us insight into the Indian developer ecosystem. This hackathon has made us even more determined towards exploring this developer pool further and we hope to do it soon. I hope that the projects selected continue to work on their solutions and strive for providing more robust and effective solutions to the ecosystem." - Matt Hawkins, CEO and Founder, CUDOS

"With the CUDOS Hack-a-nauts hackathon, we challenged the developer community in India to build on a unique platform. ‌Throughout the hackathon, we equipped them with the right knowledge, resources, ongoing support, and guidance to developers who are excited about creating decentralized smart devices. ‌Hopefully, the winners of this Hackathon will scale up further and optimize various ‌sectors. ‌ Organizing more such innovative learning experiences for the vast Indian developer pool and helping them develop more visionary ideas into robust solutions is a goal we look forward to." said Kaavya Prasad, Co-founder, Lumos Labs.

CUDOS is a layer two computation and oracle network that is focused on bridging the gap between blockchain and cloud computing. Its mission is to connect various blockchain developers and the decentralized sector to the global computing space in an environmentally sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, in order to strengthen its community, Cudos also has an ambassador program, Cudos Ranger. Through this program, the various ambassadors will be entitled to monetary benefits of up to $2000 monthly and other rewards, in addition to exclusive access to Ranger channels and more. There are various categories of rangers namely, Developer, Security, Social, Creative and Omni Ranger performing different functions and entitled to diverse incentives. For more information visit to their website CUDOS Rangers Program.

About CUDOS:

The Cudos Network is a layer 2 oracle network, governed by smart contracts, connecting blockchain developers and services including DeFi, to a global footprint of computing power on the Cudos Network. The Cudos Network is a distributed computing platform already providing customers around the World with up to 10x more cost effective computing, whilst also providing more equity for hardware owners.

For more details, visit: https://www.cudos.org/

About Lumos Labs:

Lumos Labs is a Singapore based innovation management firm that specialises in running technology open innovation programs. Founded in 2018, the company has run several accelerators and open innovation programs for multiple Indian and international technology firms, corporates, governments and investment firms. Their services include Growth Services, Open Innovation, Start-up Enablement, and organizing large scale developer & technology conferences & hackathons. Their clients include Aeternity Starfleet Blockchain startup accelerator, T-block blockchain startup accelerator, Genesis Hack - A Blockchain Hackathon, Binance Build for Bharat Accelerator

For more details, visit - https://www.lumoslabs.co/

UniFarm Announces Fellowship Program for DeFi and Crypto Explorers to Learn Skills and Earn Crypto, Token Bounties

UniFarm, a group staking and yield farming protocol that recently launched multiple IDOs to augment potential decentralized finance (DeFi) and other Web3 startups, has announced its fellowship program for Web3.0 explorers, "BullsHit Fellowship Program". This program is a one-stop destination for all DeFi and crypto explorers to learn skills, and earn crypto and token bounties for tasks and tutorials.

The BullsHit Fellowship Program, launched for the first time, will be a hybrid between an ambassador and a fellowship program with 40 limited seats from 26 countries. The selected developers will then be eligible for monetary rewards and stand a chance to have ownership of the BullsHit NFT. Additionally, they will also get the opportunity to have monthly calls with Mohit Madan, CEO and Co-founder of UniFarm for guidance, UniFarm fellowship certificate, IDO allocation, co-creation opportunities, and Testnet access.

India's software developers are betting big on learning about blockchain technology as it rapidly emerges. According to a market analysis conducted by Dappros, a London-based blockchain consulting firm, the country has the second highest number of blockchain developers in the world with 19K+ developers. By equipping the participants with the right tools and opportunities, the BullsHit Fellowship Program is focused on enabling developers to explore, experiment, and innovate in the DeFi and Web3 space.

“UniFarm has always been determined towards contributing to the development of DeFi in India. The aim behind this Fellowship Program is to equip developers with the requisite tools and skill set and allow them to explore the blockchain ecosystem and be a part of the next wave of innovation.” said Mohit Madan, CEO & Founder, UniFarm and OroPocket.

The program will allow select developers to interact with the global Web3 community on various platforms as an ambassador of UniFarm while researching innovative projects across the sector which can then be referred to the UniFarm ecosystem. The shortlisted fellows will also get networking and monetary incentives that can help them scale their solutions and ideas better as well as hiring opportunities for multiple roles at UniFarm itself. This group staking protocol aimed at allowing its users crypto-based investment alternatives will also share frequent insider crypto investment tips for the developers to share within their circles.

UniFarm has recently launched several IDOs this year including 3 back-to-back IDOs for its rapidly growing community. It has also initiated a merger with the asset-backed NFT Platform ‘OpenDeFi’ to create a single ecosystem which offers multiple Web3 services including staking, lending, borrowing, and tap into the NFT and Metaverse spaces as well.

To know more about the program, visit: https://fellowship-program.super.site/

Blockchain Gaming Platform Hacked, Stealing $625 Mn worth of Cryptos

$625 million worth of cryptocurrency has been stolen in a fearless attack on Axie Infinity, an NFT -based and blockchain-based online video game developed by Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, known for its in-game economy which uses Ethereum-based cryptocurrencies.

Axie Infinity is built on the Ronin Network, an Ethereum-linked sidechain developed by Sky Mavis. A sidechain is a separate blockchain which runs in parallel to Ethereum Mainnet and operates independently.

Axie Infinity is a video game in which players collect and mint NFTs which represent axolotl-inspired digital pets.

The Ronin bridge has been exploited for 173,600 Ethereum and 25.5M USDC, said the Ronin Network, in a newsletter, this week's Tuesday.,

Sky Mavis says it’s working with law enforcement to recover 173,600 Ethereum (currently worth around $600 million) and 25.5 million USDC (a cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar) from the culprit, who withdrew it from the network on March 23rd.

According to Sky Mavis, an attacker used hacked private security keys to compromise the network nodes that validate transfers to and from the Ronin blockchain. That let the attacker quietly withdraw large quantities of Ethereum and USDC. The transfer was discovered today — nearly a week later — when another user attempted to withdraw 5,000 Ethereum through the bridge.

Ronin Network said, "We are in the process of conducting a thorough investigation; working with Chainalysis to monitor the stolen funds and Crowdstrike to handle forensics and the setup of surveillance tools."

It is being speculated that this is the largest hack to date of "decentralized finance" (DeFi) networks. Last year in August, Hackers stole more than $600 million in Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. This is the biggest theft ever in the decentralized finance or DeFi space.

Struct Finance Secures $3.9 Mn to Enable Structured Products on DeFi

DeFi protocol Struct Finance announced the closure of a $3.9 million seed round to develop the tools that will allow the ecosystem to customize, compose, and invest in decentralized structured products.

A total of twenty-four top name companies have taken part in the funding round for Struct Finance, as follows: Antler, Arcanum Capital, Assymetries Technologies, Avalaunch,

AVentures Dao, Bison Fund, Bixin Ventures, Blizzard Fund, Double Peak, FBG Capital, Finality Capital Partners, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Keychain Capital, Lancer Capital, Lucidblue, MC Ventures, QCP Capital, SCC Investments, Skyvision Capital, Spark Digital, Wintermute, Woodstock, Zokyo, and 0xVentures.

Struct Finance will use this fresh injection of capital to build out the tools for institutions to easily customize their interest rate products and compose them with options to construct structured products that are better suited to the profiles of different investors.

Structured Products

Structured products utilize a permutation of different interest rate products, options, and other financial instruments to construct investments that can be adapted to different risk profiles, market expectations, and asset classes. With the emergence of derivatives in the crypto markets, structured products are a natural evolution for the space. These sophisticated products have been growing in popularity (over $7 trillion in TradFi), and have recently started gaining traction in DeFi, predominantly in the form of covered calls and cash-margined puts.

Challenges in creating structured products on DeFi

Today, many of the parameters available on different derivative instruments are static in nature, predominantly set by protocol developers, leaving investors with no choice but to take it or leave it. Furthermore, many of the protocols offering these instruments experience fragmented liquidity as a result of having multiple maturity dates yet continue to utilize conservation functions that result in either high slippage or considerable changes to discount rates if larger volumes are transacted under low market depth.

What is Struct Finance

Struct Finance further expands the spectrum of on-chain structured products by offering users a way to customize interest rate instruments and compose them with options available in the ecosystem to construct superior financial products. The platform opens up the number of investment choices available, enabling varying protection levels, abstracts risk management and complex pricing away from its users while providing highly-competitive yields on various digital assets. The team is currently launching on Avalanche but intends to scale into other EVM compatible chains in the near future.

What investors say

“Struct Finance marks our first DeFi Investment into the AVAX Ecosystem. Through the leadership of Louis, Ersin and Miguel, we believe Struct Finance will set the gold standard of templated smart contracts. Thus, allowing people to easily release their own structured financial products either on AVAX or various other ecosystems. Double Peak Group is very excited to be a part of this journey in bringing mainstream adoption to DeFi and in the long term, support a multichain future for Struct Finance.” - Galen Law-Kun, Founding Partner - Double Peak.

“As crypto markets mature and DeFi takes root, the need for sophisticated instruments which are capable of supporting the demands of institutional and retail investors becomes paramount. Struct not only offers this, but also allows users to compose existing instruments together, opening an endless array of strategies. The team behind Struct has done nothing but build and execute around these novel concepts, and it’s an honour to be able to support them on their journey.” Mark Stanwyck, Co-Founder, Avalaunch.

“As new capital enters the market, the need for customized structured products will keep growing. Struct Finance is building the core pillars to enable creation of such customized structured products and we are impressed by Struct’s expertise to simplify complex on-chain transactions. We deeply believe Struct will be the go-to platform for all structured products on Avalanche and are thrilled to back the brilliant team.” - Himanshu Yadav, Founding Partner and CIO at Woodstock.

“IVC is thrilled to support Struct Finance’s pioneering vision to introduce and institute structured products within the booming DeFi ecosystem.” Brian Lu, Founding Partner at IVC.

“As Defi goes to the next level, the market for derivatives will grow significantly in the future, and the Struct Finance team has the right products to fit the market needs. We are delighted to support this very promising team.” - Jingcheng Li, Managing Director at FBG Capital.

“We are excited by the innovation taking place with Struct and its utility across the Avalanche. We at 0xVentures are deeply committed to power holistic evolution of the DeFi space. We are proud to be a part of the rapid growth of the protocol, and look forward at collaborating further in the near future.” - 0xVentures

“Investors and institutions are forever faced with large swings in yields and token prices, or uncertainty and unquantification created by overly complex derivative protocols. Struct Finance is bringing structured financial products to DeFi, providing investors with attractive and simplified stablecoin yields. I am an admirer of their team, and I believe that fixed- income related products will become the first choice for institutional investors, " Candice Zhao, Managing Partner at Lancer Capital.

"Struct Finance makes creating a custom derivative on-chain easy, fast and cost effective. In the traditional financial system, the process for creating and listing a new derivative is very complex. Struct Finance’s roadmap on allowing investors to create their own structured product is very exciting for our institutional clients!” - Mustafa Yilham, Partner at Bixin Ventures

“Since Satoshi Nakamoto published his white paper on A Peer-To-Peer Electronic Cash System, the question has been how to make the crypto space safe for institutional fund managers, pension funds, and consumers to use. Struct Finance provides the key technology layer to finally allow investors to de-risk their crypto investment decisions while profiting from the promise of this (not-so) new asset class.” - S. Dean.

“The Struct Finance team met in the Antler Singapore program. Upon strong validation of their business idea, the team founded Struct Finance and received pre-Seed funding by Antler. As the DeFi infrastructure evolves, there is a need for more flexible investment products. Struct Finance is addressing this with their innovative protocol layer for structured derivatives in DeFi” - Markus Bruderer, Partner, Antler

"As DeFi matures and scales, Struct Finance helps fill the gaps by supporting the demands of institutional and retail investors. By enabling the seamless customization of structured products, the platform will help accelerate mainstream adoption. Zokyp and Buidl Capital are happy to support Struct's efforts to secure and simplify complex on-chain transactions." Hartej Sawhney, CEO at Zokyo and Principal at Buidl Capital

“We decided to support Struct Finance because we feel they are creating a much needed cross-chain solution for both institutional and retail participants to launch their own structured products with fewer design limitations, allowing for more innovative investment products.” - Karthik Bupathi, Founding Partner - Arcanum Capital

“With the Defi markets developing, customized structured products will be flourishing. Struct Finance is building the core products to meet this growing demand. We are delighted to support this professional and brilliant team to build structured products on Avalanche.” Justin Huang, Founder of Asymmetries Technologies

"We are very excited to support Struct Finance, as they are filling a gap in Avalanche DeFi offerings by the instruments and tools that will enable structured products in that space. We believe the next wave of growth in DeFi will be from Options, Perpetuals and Structured Finance where Struct Finance will be a key protocol” - Tamer Ovutmen, Founder - AVentures DAO.

In An India's First, Asgard Launches DAO Bringing Metaverse, DeFi and NFTs Under One Roof

Asgard Launches Version 2.0 to Shape the Next Chapter in the Blockchain Gaming Industry

In an attempt to bring the metaverse, DeFi and NFTs under one roof, decentralized currency reserve protocol Asgard today announced the launch of a DAO, that focuses on providing a holistic platform to users.

The Metaverse, built on the concept of Norse mythology, brings the old characters to life, where users can submit their ideas of which character should be added next and a storyline representing the Nordic mythology. The community members who hold the token of the Metaverse will then vote and approve the character. The artists will create a design for the character with different color themes and innovation. The community will again vote for the best character, which will be added to the storyline in six months.

Kiran Dommeti, CEO and Founder said the metaverse is going to lead the next wave of crypto and DeFi adoption in the world as gamification elements and play to earn concepts are thriving in the blockchain space. “Asgard Dao will be the first Metaverse solution providing all functionalities which will help us in capturing the rapidly growing space of the Metaverse,” Dommeti, who is the first person of Indian origin to launch a DAO, said.

He added that the metaverse has taken center stage in the crypto industry in 2022 and is shaping the industry in a new direction. However, most Metaverse projects are currently just implementing a non-immersive ecosystem, or if they are providing an immersive experience, they are not providing a one-stop solution," Dommeti said.

Version 2 of the platform that has new and improved features, updates and upgraded security protocols focuses on providing a holistic platform to the users where they have access to all the elements in the metaverse under one roof.

The tokenomics of Version 2 is based on sell, buy and unstake tax, where the default sell tax will be 10 percent, buy and unstake tax will be 2 percent each.

Every user whose concept gets approved and every creator whose designs get approved will receive a special reward in the form of a loot box in the game. A unique, rare loot box that will contain many exclusive rewards. The voters will get loot boxes regularly as a token of appreciation for their contribution to the ecosystem.

Totality Corp Launches Its Very 1st Playable NFT on Goddess Lakshmi

Totality Corp, a playable NFT gaming startup with a Confluence of Indian mythology in the gaming metaverse known as ZionVerse, has launched its first Playable NFT, Goddess Lakshmi NFT Lootbox, which focuses on giving monetary reward incentives, a robust community, and game-play. Users will be able to earn monetary rewards and gain access to the gaming platform, which will include play-to-earn games, through the NFT. The company is also launching a brand campaign about ZionVerse, a fully decentralised metaverse gaming ecosystem that includes DeFi, playable NFTs, Play to Earn, and a planetary DAO.

The project is based on Indian culture, and it aims to bring the richness of these old legends to life by making them interactive and accessible to everyone. Therefore, the Lakshmi NFT lootbox consist of Asht-Lakshmi models (8-3D avatars) and 3D model of Ganesha along with spatial music based on the rarity of the NFT. Lakshmi, as the goddess of fortune, represents wealth and prosperity. Similarly, the Lakshmi NFT opens the door to a slew of other gifts and bonus prizes in addition to the regular monthly awards, all of which contribute to life's prosperity and abundance.

Speaking on the NFT launch, an excited Anshul Rustaggi, Founder, Totality Corp, said, “We're bringing Indian culture and mythology to the forefront in a way that everyone can understand through this project. Our main goal is to build a strong, diverse community that shares our passion for NFTs gameplay and mythology. In India, the NFT gaming industry is relatively young, and with more and more people flocking to cryptocurrencies, there is enormous potential for employing NFTs in gaming to build and extend the country's NFT gaming ecosystem.”

Users will own their intellectual property and digital assets in the ZionVerse metaverse. To get hands on this NFT, one requires Lakshmi NFT website account along with a Valid account for transactions. It also has monetary value for its users. They will be able to exchange their NFTs with other ZionVerse members as well as other platforms such as OpenSea.

About Totality:

Totality Media Pvt. Ltd, (better known as Totality Corp) founded in 2019, is an Indian company that is wholly owned by Totality Corp PTE Ltd, a Singapore firm. Anshul Rustaggi, ex-hedge fund manager, lawyer and gaming aficionado, has founded Totality Corp. The company was founded with the intention of capitalizing on the Global gaming market, whilst building it from the great tech and gaming resource pool of India. Totality Corp believes that people are more engaged in the digital world and spend the majority of their time in it. It is, therefore, critical to improve digital experiences by converting transactional and social status experiences into holistic experiences that allow people to earn, spend, communicate, deal, and socialise in their daily lives.


Website: www.totalitycorp.com

Pollen DeFi Announces ‘Beta’ Release of Platform

Decentralized asset management protocol Pollen DeFi, which enables community members to create their own indexes or portfolios based on popular crypto coins or tokens, today announced that its ‘Beta’ release will enable users to contribute to the continual balancing and rebalancing of a singular central asset pool that will back up a tradable asset token.

In a statement issued here today, Pollen DeFi stated that the protocol will be open to whitelisted users who can begin building community credibility (in the form of a ‘reputation’ score), compete for a position on the community leaderboard, and, in turn, will have a chance to earn mainnet Pollen ($PLN) governance tokens.

It added that Pollen DeFi aims to push ‘DeFi’ into the ‘DeFi 2.0’ era by moving beyond institutional imitation and removing centralized “middlemen” and that the platform instead empowers user-curated cryptocurrency asset pools that are constantly refined via a merit-based balancing of users’ portfolio suggestions.

Community members are rewarded for making good decisions and subsequently gain more influence over the dynamically-rebalancing portfolio.  Alternatively, users who would prefer to turn to more qualified traders (based on proven reputation, scored by the platform) can delegate their voting power accordingly. These ‘hivemind approved’ asset portfolios then back up ‘asset pool tokens’ listed as easily accessible financial instruments capable of outperforming market fluctuations, Pollen stated.

“Our focus has been on rebuilding asset management from the ground up; reducing risk and volatility, while also maximizing yield and creating dynamic opportunity for anyone, regardless of their experience level; [Pollen DeFi] aims to be the embodiment of what we believe will be the next step in DeFi, and reflect the core principles of truly decentralized finance,” Pollen DeFi Project Lead and Co-Founder, Philip Verrien said. 

He added that beginning in December, whitelisted users will be able to actively contribute suggestions to Pollen DeFi’s first community-managed portfolio and associated asset pool token, Portfolio Asset Index ($PAI); reputation points earned during this part-testnet, part-mainnet ‘Community Release Incentivised Beta’ will be ported over as part of full mainnet launch in Q1 2022.

UniFarm Listed on MEXC Global Exchange

After the successful listing of $UFARM on various leading DEXs, $UFARM gets listed on MEXC Global exchange

UniFarm, a unique decentralized farming solution with a pool of DeFi’s top projects, has been listed on MEXC Global, a leading centralized exchange that employs high-performance mega-transaction matching technology. This comes after the successful listing of $UFARM, UniFarm’s native token, on various other global decentralized exchanges such as PancakeSwap, UniSwap, and Defyn Network and would be the protocol’s first Centralized Exchange listing.

“The aim behind UniFarm has been to provide a win-win solution for both, investors and innovators, alike. The mechanism of UniFarm allows reputed DeFi projects to get ample exposure to grow and build while the investors get to stake and interact with multiple tokens. This provides a holistic growth infrastructure where both parties benefit. With our organic listing at a centralized exchange such as MEXC Global, we look forward to becoming mainstream players in the near future and providing this benefit to more investors and ingenious developers. We are in conversation with several large exchanges and look forward to more such exciting announcements,” said Tarusha Mittal, COO and Co-founder, UniFarm, OroPocket, and Open DeFi.

The $UFARM token has been listed in the Innovation Zone of MEXC Global and is trading in the UFARM/USDT pair with 1 billion UFARM tokens in supply. This unique protocol is part of OroPocket, a fintech platform that tokenizes gold, silver, and other precious metals, and also includes a decentralized finance platform, Open DeFi, that tokenizes assets and allows its users to interact and trade in the DeFi spectrum.

Learn more about the listing here.

About UniFarm

Unifarm is a one-of-a-kind staking protocol that brings together various DeFi projects in a single space and helps in long-term holdings. It has a user base of 12000+ and has partnered up with numerous projects to form a reward pool of all their tokens combined; a user can stake one of these and get rewarded in all tokens within a given pool. It is a 100% decentralized system, where a user can stake or unstake any time. UniFarm is currently working on various features, including cross-chain farming, liquidity farming, Loans, Index Funds, etc.

Learn more about UniFarm: https://unifarm.co/

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is Now A $200 Bn Industry

Decentralized finance (DeFi) is financial services running on public blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana. It is an emerging ecosystem of financial applications and protocols built on blockchain technology with programmable capabilities. The transactions get executed automatically through smart contracts on the blockchain, which includes the agreement of the deal.

In a latest, Total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols is now a little over $200 billion, to date, according to tracking site DefiLlama.

Total value locked (TVL) refers to the dollar value of the tokens held in smart contracts within DeFi protocols, such as lending or trading platforms. It is to be noted that these estimates are not perfect, since such trackers can count the same coins more than once.

According to DefiLlama, the total value locked in DeFi platforms across multiple blockchains has exceeded $200 billion. The majority of this resides on the Ethereum blockchain followed by Solana, Polygon, Fantom and Avalanche. 

In September 2020, Bloomberg said that DeFi made up two-thirds of the cryptocurrency market in terms of price changes and that DeFi collateral levels had reached $9 billion. 

MakerDAO, a stablecoin-based lending platform, is considered the first DeFi application to receive significant use. 

Last year, Ethereum saw a rise in developers due to the increased interest in DeFi. However, despite Ethereum's strong market share and growing TVL, it has lost significant dominance due to the emergence of DeFi protocols on other chains. It has declined from 98% dominance in January'21 to 68.5% today. During that timeframe, however, its TVL increased by four times.

Bridging Nature and Metaverse: Project OASIS to Provide Nature-Lovers a One-Stop Shop Gaming Experience

Project OASIS seeks to gather DeFi nature-loving gaming enthusiasts to create, own, play and grow in the nostalgic 2D metaverse

Multi-chain community-driven launchpad Starter (https://starter.xyz) today announced it will host the launch of Project OASIS, a cryptocurrency-based project in which users, otherwise known as Natives, are each equipped with an exclusive avatar and wallet allowing full ownership and custody to create in-game characters, avatars, equipment and accessories. The OASIS Metaverse will harness the power of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and bridge social gaming with decentralized finance (DeFi).

Serving as a one-stop blockchain realm to offer a gamified blockchain services and products, OASIS will serve as a script-less adventure with an in-game economy allowing users to create and develop their own adventure with infinite possibilities. Each unique avatar will later be provided with its own, personalized NFT character allowing users to further communicate, connect, trade, transact and obtain rare NFTs in the metaverse.

“We believe that ProjectOASIS has a great potential for growth as the blockchain metaverse offers a variety of gamified blockchain services and products,” said Lionel Iruk, Special Counsel at Starter. “OASIS will become a progressive and comprehensive ecosystem, allowing nature-loving token holders and Natives to gather, create and play in a metaverse that was created by nostalgia to bring back easy, light and fun games back into the cryptosphere.”

To facilitate yield farming, liquidity mining and rewards, native users can farm tokens and perform swaps in OASIS. OASIS has already integrated Pancakeswap and Apeswap to follow next as the primary DEXes on OASIS. Farms and staking pools will be integrated shortly after the OASIS IDO.

OASIS also offers ‘OLá’, its very own launchpad, which will be integrated into the metaverse, allowing other projects to grow and flourish and also allowing Natives to participate in additional projects within the community. The OASIS metaverse will have a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO), which will be run by OASIS COUNCIL and governed by $OASIS token holders.

During the Initial Dex Announcement (IDO), 1,500,000 $OASIS tokens will be made available for purchase at $0.20 USD. Inspired by the games of yesteryears, OASIS metaverse seeks to attract a new generation of DeFi adopters through the social gamification of DeFi to build a community that brings earnings and rewards beyond entertainment.

The proceeds generated from the token sale will be utilized for game development.

Starter’s community has provided hassle-free funding to over 35 IDO launches and now adds Project Oasis. For more information on Starter’s IDO launch of Project OASIS, please visit https://starter.xyz/.

IDO Platform Starter Launches Its First Defi Game, Starchi, Inspired by Tamagotchi

Play-to-earn game features nostalgic battle leagues that promote societal values

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - September 9, 2021, 5AM EST- Starter (https://starter.xyz), which supports interoperability of Initial DEX Offering (IDO) launches across several major blockchains, today announced the launch of its game Starchi, a DeFi game inspired by the original Tamagotchi. The purposeful game aims to remind society of the lost values of humanity, and that humans are not the sole inhabitants of the planet. Starchi is a play-to-earn game, with a dual-token economy. It characterizes Starchi as a species of never-before-seen, sun thriving creatures that have long dwelled on Earth and are now facing an existential crisis unable to survive as humanity has lost its way, spreading darkness across the planet.

In the game, Starchi’s are first abhorred by humans as they wander in search of food, love and a new home. In time, they are befriended by children exuding sympathy, empathy and goodwill constructing a tight bond between the two while establishing Starchi as adoptable pets that need to be raised, fed and entertained. The game further delves into creating friendly battle leagues with the goal of re-establishing the light energy and positivity back onto earth.

The game provides Starchi collectors with earnings based on task completion of everyday responsibilities such as growing and nurturing the Starchi, taking part in battles, staking their income or raising Starchi’s to avoid their extinction.

"Starter’s first game, Starchi, was inspired by the tamagotchi-era associated nostalgia combined with the isolation many of us have felt during this world-wide pandemic,” said Lionel Iruk, special counsel at Starter. “Our hope is to bring back the light, not only in the DeFi game, but to also connect our users and community members by creating a lively and cheerful atmosphere that re-introduces the lost hope and purpose to save the Starchi world and help us reconnect with one another.”

Starchi will operate on a dual token economy, where the first token ‘$START’ will be used to grant access to the game and trade Starchi, and the second token, otherwise known as Starchi Liquid Luck, ‘$ELIXIR’ will provide in-game economic incentives. While in possession of the token, the Collector will be wealthier until the token runs out. The built-in play-to-earn model combined with a fair set of fee redistribution rules allows Starchi Collectors to compound their earnings while remaining active in the game.

To begin your adventure with Starchi visit https://starchi.gg/ and for more details regarding Starter’s Starchi game, please visit https://starter.xyz/.

ABOUT Starter

Starter (https://starter.xyz) is a multi-chain community-driven launchpad, supporting interoperability of IDO launches on 7 blockchains (Binance Smart Chain, Ethereum, Cardano, Solana, Polygon, Fantom, and Avalanche) and providing projects access to funding opportunities without the hassle of bureaucratic hurdles, complex KYC requirements and a manual selection process. Starter consists of four separate branches: venture arm Starter.capital, decentralized launchpad Starter.xyz, decentralized exchange StarterSwap.xyz, and token vesting and liquidity locking StartVesting.xyz.

Cashaa and Chainlink Collaborate to Bring Crypto and Defi Solutions to the Masses

Mr. Kumar Gauarav Founder & CEO Cashaa

Cashaa, a crypto-friendly neo-bank, has now integrated Chainlink a crypto project which has a market cap of 12 Billion USD—open-source, and decentralized price feeds on its platform, available across various cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, indices, commodities, and more. The price feeds shall provide users with more accurate, tamper-proof exchange rates on the platform. Cashaa aims at staying transparent with the users, and the association with Chainlink comes in line with the same.

Cashaa started as a peer to peer money transfer platform but over time we have become the preferred business banker of the crypto industry in 2020. As Cashaa’s vision is to also empower everyone to take control of their finances and provide them the benefit of Defi, In 2021, Cashaa started to roll out personal accounts across the globe powered by CAS token. Cashaa personal accounts will provide banking services including- payments, lending, and NFT solutions.The collaboration with Chainlink will set an example on how banking platforms can use blockchain infrastructure to create trustless systems.

The partnership with Chainlink comes after the partnership with Polygon which highlights the brand’s effort towards creating a stringent economic structure for the end-users so that they can participate in the digital economy by using NFTs, DeFi without any hesitation.

“Chainlink Price feeds are used because they are the most time-tested and provably reliable solution in the blockchain industry, securing tens of billions of dollars for numerous leading projects, even during the times of extreme market volatility. While Chainlink Price Feeds are widely used today throughout decentralized finance (DeFi), as traditional finance (TradeFi) platform it will help Cashaa to build interoperable solutions across our partners,” said Mr. Kumar Gaurav- Founder and CEO, Cashaa.

While Cashaa was reviewing various options to build the world's first interest-free lending solution, Chainlink Price feeds stood out in terms of a unique combination of data quality, security, decentralization, and transparency. Some of the unique benefits of Chainlink Price Feeds include - High-Quality Data, Secure Node Operators, Decentralized Network, and Reputation.

About Cashaa

Cashaa launched in 2017 with a singular vision — to aid the adoption of blockchain-based financial products. Cashaa has been helping businesses exposed to cryptocurrencies access crucial banking infrastructure and deliver powerful products to their users. In the last two years, Cashaa has onboarded more than 250 crypto-native businesses who transacted over $1 billion using the Cashaa solution — helping to power the banking features used by heavyweights like Nexo, Paxful, Kucoin, Coindcx, Unocoin, Bitbns etc.

As part of Cashaa’s vision to empower individuals to take control of their finances and access the latest in DeFi technologies, In 2021, Cashaa will be rolling out personal accounts across the globe — starting with India.

About Chainlink

Chainlink is the industry standard oracle network for powering hybrid smart contracts. Chainlink Decentralized Oracle Networks provide developers with the largest collection of high-quality data sources and secure off-chain computations to expand the capabilities of smart contracts on any blockchain. Managed by a global, decentralized community, Chainlink currently secures billions of dollars in value for smart contracts across decentralized finance (DeFi), insurance, gaming, and other major industries.

Chainlink is trusted by hundreds of organizations, from global enterprises to projects at the forefront of the blockchain economy, to deliver definitive truth via secure, reliable oracle networks. To learn more about Chainlink, visit chain.link and subscribe to the Chainlink newsletter. To understand the full vision of the Chainlink Network, read the Chainlink 2.0 whitepaper. Want to discuss an integration? Talk to an expert.

Y Combinator and Citadel Alums Launch DeFi Lending Protocol Algofi on the Algorand Blockchain

BOSTON, Aug. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Algofi today announces the upcoming launch of its fast, low-cost, decentralized lending market on the Algorand blockchain. The protocol is currently live on Algorand's TestNet, with plans to launch on MainNet by Q4 of this year. The simple-to-use platform allows everyone from crypto-native traders to less tech-savvy retail users to earn high-interest yield on their cryptocurrency. Algofi will also feature seamless on-ramps for fiat currency into crypto on Algorand, allowing users to begin earning yield on Algofi almost instantly.

 

Founders John Clarke and Owen Colegrove bring traditional finance backgrounds to Algofi, having worked on Citadel's fixed income team before leaving to ideate a new decentralized finance solution, which took shape within Y Combinator's summer 2021 accelerator and launched as Algofi in August 2021.

Algofi selected Algorand as its underlying technology partner due to the ready availability of robust developer tools which enabled the simple creation of smart contracts that power Algofi; the active and engaged community around Algorand; and the technology's proven success in real-world financial use cases. In order to create a platform that is user-friendly on a mass scale, points of friction like high transaction fees and confusing bridging processes are untenable:

"Building on Algorand enables < $0.01 transactions compared to ~$15 or more on other incumbent networks," said Algofi cofounder John Clarke. "High costs and slow transactions make decentralized lending markets inaccessible to the majority of potential users, so going with a Layer-1 proof of stake protocol like Algorand just made sense. We're also excited to be a part of Algorand's burgeoning DeFi ecosystem alongside the likes of Yieldly, Tinyman and Algodex, where we already see a lot of synergies."

"Innovative thinkers like Algofi are building thoughtful and accessible DeFi solutions on Algorand," said David Markley, Director of Business Solutions at Algorand. "Algorand's secure, decentralized technology makes it easy and efficient for the development of disruptive financial products, and we are thrilled to see Algofi joining the expanding ecosystem of DeFi offerings that are based on Algorand's open source technology."

Algofi aims to be the first crypto-native bank to truly bridge the gap between traditional and decentralized finance. The initial lending protocol will launch for users everywhere in Q4 of 2021, with additional fiat on- and off-ramp solutions, and more, forthcoming.

"Using Algorand will allow us to do things that you can't even dream of doing on, say, Ethereum," Algofi cofounder Owen Colegrove told KryptoNurd's Monty Allen. "You can start imagining high-speed transactions where you're making real world payments against your balances, or drawing a line of credit very seamlessly against your holdings in the [Algofi] platform....just facilitating real world interactions very cleanly."

About Algofi

Algofi is building a fast, low-cost crypto lending market on the Algorand blockchain. Building on Algorand enables sub-cent transactions compared to ~$15 on the incumbent Ethereum network. High costs and slow transactions made previous decentralized lending markets inaccessible to the majority of potential users. Traders can use Algofi to go short or to trade with leverage. In addition, users can use the simple fiat on-ramp to begin earning interest on their cryptos. Algofi is planning to offer traditional banking services like savings accounts and credit cards that will be powered by Algorand's growing DeFi ecosystem.

About Algorand, Inc.

Algorand is building the technology to power the Future of Finance (FutureFi), the convergence of traditional and decentralized models into a unified system that is inclusive, frictionless, and secure. Founded by Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, Algorand developed a blockchain infrastructure that offers the interoperability and capacity to handle the volume of transactions needed for defi, financial institutions and governments to smoothly transition into FutureFi. The technology of choice for more than 700 global organizations, Algorand is enabling the simple creation of next generation financial products, protocols and exchange of value. For more information, visit www.algorand.com.

DeFi Lending Protocol Euler Closes $8M Series A Round Led By Paradigm

Business Wire India

The developers of Euler, the first lending protocol that allows users to create their own lending markets in a permissionless fashion, announced today that they have completed an $8 million Series A round led by Paradigm. The new funding will help to grow the Euler developer team in anticipation of the protocol’s launch later this year and provide support to help integrate the protocol into the wider DeFi ecosystem.

"The long tail of DeFi assets is enormous and underserved by existing lending protocols,” said Charlie Noyes, investment partner at Paradigm. “The Euler team is creating something that meets the need in a novel, scalable way, and we're excited to support the development." Lead seed round investor Lemniscap joined the round, which also included other leading angel investors such as Anthony Sassano from The Daily Gwei, Ryan Sean Adams from Bankless, Kain Warwick from Synthetix and Hasu from Uncommon Core.

Michael Bentley, co-founder of Euler said that the protocol had been, “Custom-built to support permissionless listing of almost any crypto asset, without governance limiting what people can lend or borrow.”

"A lot of research and development time has gone into figuring out how to allow users to lend and borrow almost any crypto asset in a capital-efficient way, whilst limiting the risks that some of these more volatile assets sometimes pose. Euler is purpose-built for people and organizations looking for long-term storage and yield opportunities.” added the co-founder of Euler.

Euler was incubated by Encode Club, a worldwide community of blockchain developers primarily associated with universities. It was at an Encode hackathon last summer that Bentley, himself a former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, met his co-founders, Jack Prior and Doug Hoyte.

The team’s goal is now to launch the protocol by the end of the year, integrate the protocol into the wider DeFi ecosystem, and start on the path to handing control of the protocol over to a decentralized community of custodians.

About Euler 

Euler is a capital-efficient permissionless lending protocol that helps users to earn interest on their crypto assets or hedge against volatile markets without the need for a trusted third-party. Euler features a number of innovations not seen before in DeFi, including permissionless lending markets, reactive interest rates, protected collateral, MEV-resistant liquidations, multi-collateral stability pools, sub-accounts, risk-adjusted loans and much more. For more information, visit euler.finance.

About Paradigm 

Founded in 2018, Paradigm is a leading crypto-focused investment firm based in San Francisco. The firm invests in crypto assets and businesses from the earliest stages of idea formation through maturity. Paradigm is driven by the conviction that crypto has the potential to bring greater freedom, autonomy, and economic benefit to people around the world, and supports that belief through investments in founders and projects that move the crypto ecosystem forward. For more information, visit paradigm.xyz.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005642/en/