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About DeFi

What is DeFi?

Decentralised Finance (DeFi) is a blockchain-based financial system that allows people to access financial services without relying on traditional intermediaries such as banks, brokers, or other centralised institutions. Instead, DeFi uses smart contracts and blockchain technology to enable activities such as trading, lending, borrowing, earning yield, and staking.

DeFi has become an important part of the crypto ecosystem, offering open and permissionless access to financial applications. Users can interact with DeFi protocols directly through a crypto wallet, although these applications also carry risks such as smart contract vulnerabilities, market volatility, and impermanent loss.

DeFi defined: finance without intermediaries

Traditional finance typically relies on banks and financial institutions to facilitate transactions and manage funds. DeFi replaces many of these intermediaries with smart contracts, which are self-executing programmes deployed on a blockchain.

This allows users to access financial services directly through decentralised applications (dApps). Transactions are generally recorded transparently on the blockchain, while users retain control of their assets through their crypto wallets.

How DeFi works: smart contracts, DEXs, and lending pools

DeFi applications operate using smart contracts, which automatically execute predefined rules when certain conditions are met. This removes the need for a central authority to approve or process every transaction.

Decentralised exchanges (DEXs) allow users to trade crypto assets directly from their wallets without depositing funds with a centralised exchange. Platforms typically use liquidity pools, where users provide assets that facilitate trading.

DeFi lending protocols use liquidity pools to connect lenders and borrowers. Users can deposit crypto assets into a pool and potentially earn interest, while borrowers can access funds by providing the required collateral.

What are the types of DeFi: DEXs, lending, yield farming, liquid staking, and stablecoins

The DeFi ecosystem includes several types of protocols and applications:

  • DEXs: Enable peer-to-peer crypto trading without a centralised exchange.
  • DeFi lending: Allows users to lend or borrow crypto assets through smart contracts.
  • Yield farming: Involves providing liquidity to DeFi protocols in exchange for potential rewards or returns.
  • Liquid staking: Allows users to stake crypto assets while receiving a liquid token that can potentially be used elsewhere within DeFi.
  • Stablecoins: Crypto assets designed to maintain a relatively stable value, often by tracking assets such as the US dollar, and widely used across DeFi applications.

Together, these applications form a financial ecosystem where users can trade, lend, borrow, stake, and earn yield using blockchain-based protocols rather than traditional financial intermediaries.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is DeFi (Decentralised Finance) in simple terms?

DeFi, or Decentralised Finance, refers to financial services built on blockchain networks that allow users to trade, lend, borrow, stake, and earn returns without relying on traditional financial institutions. Instead of banks or brokers, DeFi applications use smart contracts to automate transactions and manage funds.

How does DeFi work without banks or intermediaries?

DeFi uses blockchain technology, smart contracts, and decentralised applications (dApps) to provide financial services. Smart contracts automatically execute transactions based on predefined rules, while users interact with protocols directly through their crypto wallets. This allows activities such as lending, borrowing, and trading to take place without a traditional intermediary approving each transaction.

What is the difference between DeFi and CeFi (centralised finance)?

The main difference is who controls and manages the financial service. DeFi operates through decentralised protocols and smart contracts, allowing users to interact directly with blockchain applications. CeFi, or Centralised Finance, relies on companies or institutions such as crypto exchanges and financial platforms to manage accounts, transactions, and user funds. DeFi generally offers greater user control and transparency, while CeFi often provides a more familiar and managed user experience.

What is the difference between a DeFi coin and a DeFi token?

A DeFi coin generally refers to a cryptocurrency that operates on its own blockchain, while a DeFi token is typically issued on an existing blockchain such as Ethereum. For example, a blockchain's native asset can be considered a coin, whereas tokens can represent governance rights, utility, rewards, or other functions within a DeFi protocol. In practice, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, so it is important to check the specific asset and protocol.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ICR Score?

The ICR Score is a comprehensive rating system that evaluates crypto assets on a scale of 0 to 100 using a mix of on-chain and off-chain data. It reflects a token’s liquidity, valuation, market activity, adoption, and on-chain performance to offer a reliable, research-backed snapshot of its fundamentals.

Score Bands:
  • Above 70: Strong fundamentals and stable market presence
  • 55–70: Decent fundamentals, but certain aspects may need monitoring
  • Below 55: Cryptos facing structural or adoption-related challenges

ICR uses a five-step methodology that includes rigorous data collection, verification, functional categorization, and a custom scoring framework to ensure transparency and accuracy.
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How can I interpret the price and market cap trends shown on this page?

Each crypto listed on the ICR Cryptos page features its live market price and real-time market capitalization, giving you an up-to-date view of its financial strength. Alongside these figures, a trendline chart visually represents the asset’s performance over multiple timeframes, including 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month, and 1 year, making it easy to analyze short-term volatility and long-term growth at a glance.

What do the 24H, 7D, 1M, and 1Y columns mean for each crypto asset?

The 24H, 7D, 1M, and 1Y columns represent the percentage change in a crypto asset’s price over the past 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month, and 1 year. These performance indicators help users quickly understand a token’s short-term momentum and long-term growth trends, making it easier to compare and evaluate market behavior across timeframes

How is the 'Trending', 'Top Gainers', and 'Top Losers' tab determined?

The Trending tab showcases crypto assets experiencing a surge in user interest, trading volume, and market activity in real time.
The Top Gainers tab highlights tokens with the highest percentage price increases over the past 24 hours, helping users spot strong upward momentum.
The Top Losers tab features tokens with the largest price declines in the same 24-hour period, offering insight into underperforming or high-volatility assets

Can I filter tokens by category, like DeFi, NFTs, or Smart Contracts?

Yes, the ICR Cryptos page allows you to filter tokens by category, including DeFi, NFTs, Smart Contracts, and more. This makes it easy to explore and compare crypto assets based on their core functionality and real-world use cases

What does the volume (24H) data represent for a crypto token?

The 24H volume reflects the total trading value of a crypto token across supported exchanges over the last 24 hours. It serves as a key indicator of a token’s liquidity, trading activity, and overall market demand

How often is the data on the Cryptos page updated?

All data on the ICR Cryptos page—including live price, market cap, volume, and the ICR Score—is updated every 5 minutes, ensuring near real-time accuracy for better decision-making