The decentralized finance lending platforms focus on offering crypto loans with a trustless approach, users could lock their crypto assets on the lending platforms without worrying about any intermediaries.Borrowers can take DeFi loans directly from the decentralized platform through P2P lending. In addition, the DeFi lending protocol also helps the lender in earning interest on the crypto assets they have locked in the protocol. Interestingly, <a href="https://101blockchains.com/top-defi-protocols/">DeFi lending protocols </a>have shown formidable levels of growth in comparison to other decentralized applications.

What are DeFi Loans?

With almost $20.46 billion locked in <a href="https://101blockchains.com/top-defi-protocols/">DeFi protocols </a>, the popularity of DeFi applications has definitely escalated by considerable margins. <a href="https://101blockchains.com/decentralized-vs-centralized/">Decentralized </a>finance loanshave taken center stage among other DeFi applications with many popular platforms such as Compound, Aave, and Maker. Let us take a deep dive into DeFi lending in the following discussion.

In the basic sense, DeFi basically refers to the ecosystem of financial services built on the foundation of <a href="https://101blockchains.com/blockchain-technology-explained/">blockchain technology </a>. DeFi offers freedom from intervention of third-party intermediaries in access to financial services. Any account of DeFi loans explained properly would show you how DeFi aims at offering a transparent, <a href="https://101blockchains.com/permissioned-vs-permissionless-blockchains/">permissionless </a>, and open-source financial services ecosystem. It is also important to note that <a href="https://101blockchains.com/smart-contracts/">smart contracts </a>serve as the foundation for DeFi due to their self-executing nature

Understanding DeFi

one sided and annoyingly incorrect copy, at least the list of protocols is of the big players

Decentralized finance has used blockchain for changing the way in which we see & use traditional financial services like loans. Let’s dive in to learn more about DeFi loans.

crypto

Cryptocurrency

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

books

Books

Everything you need to know About DeFi Loans

At the very least, marketing collateral for an IDO launch includes <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/funding-for-beginners/what-is-a-white-paper-a-beginners-guide-on-how-to-write-and-format-one">a website and a white paper </a>. A well-branded website that is visually pleasing can do wonders for investor confidence.A great white paper, in contrast, enhances investors' experience with specificity and facts. Doing so moves the investor closer down the pipeline. The purpose of a white paper is to sell by educating, which is why there is no hard-sell copy in the white paper, itself. Instead, the white paper presents statistical data, diagrams, tables and so on.

Step 2: Create marketing collateral

An initial DEX offering (IDO) is a fundraising approach that pools investment capital from retail investors. The IDO was created to compensate for the shortcomings of the "traditional" ICO crypto crowdfunding model. Because an IDO works with a DEX, as opposed to a centralized exchange, DEXs can be thought of as decentralized liquidity exchanges.IDOs are the newest model for crypto projects looking to raise funds from investors. DEXs are less scalable. It's not uncommon for ICOs and IEOs to be able to raise more than $1 billion. For DEXs, this is unheard of.

What is an initial DEX offering?

This section covers how users can launch their IDOs in a step-by-step fashion. To launch a successful IDO, users must also learn how to create a cryptocurrency.

How to launch an IDO

The maturation of the cryptocurrency industry as a whole has led to the creation of the initial DEX offering (IDO), one of many creative fundraising approaches. But the first fundraising approach in crypto was the initial coin offering (ICO), which in 2017 generated a lot of ill will. It also turned many early investors into overnight millionaires.An ICO is an unregulated approach to crowdsourcing funds from retail investors. The main challenges with ICOs concerned the lack of control and investor protections. Without any control mechanisms, project teams were not subject to any due diligence.

IDOs as an upgrade of ICOs

If the project meets the platform’s requirements (typically consensus and whitelisting), an IDO will be approved.

Step 3: Visit a DEX launchpad

The process for launching a cryptocurrency has become straightforward. Users might be able to discern from CoinTool that it doesn’t take much time at all. The difficulty isn’t in the token generation. Pretty much anyone can figure out how to make a cryptocurrency. The challenge is in convincing investors to put their money behind the project by discerning real-world value and utility. Upon successful completion of the IDO and Token Generation Event (TGE), the DEX lists the token for trading. Listing occurs via an automated market maker (AMM) like Sushiswap or PancakeSwap.

Step 4: Create the cryptocurrency

The DeFi space has experienced rapid proliferation in recent years. However, even popular DEXs like Uniswap and PancakeSwap have struggled to provide liquidity compared to their centralized counterparts like Binance. DEXs also tend to come with a much steeper learning curve. Too steep a learning curve can intimidate potential investors, especially those who are new to crypto.

Plan the token offering to be released over a DEX by creating a strategy that makes sense. The strategy should include the challenge the project aims to resolve, fund allocation, which blockchain the project will run on, the general marketing strategy and how to spearhead the project post-IDO and maintain that momentum.

Step 1: Devise a business strategy

Reading this article gives me all kind of red flags, beware, it seems to be a hard sell on IDOs argumented by the prospect o earning money instead of technical information and value.

The initial DEX offering (IDO) is the go-to fundraising approach for crypto projects. The IDO is considered a better alternative than ICOs.

Initial DEX offering (IDO): A beginner's guide on launching a cryptocurrency on a decentralized exchange

In November, Bitcoin is due for its first big upgrade in several years. Dubbed, <a href="https://decrypt.co/80904/new-bitcoin-core-release-adds-taproot-what-you-need-know">Taproot </a>, the changes will make it easier for smart contracts to be created on the protocolBitcoin fan Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter and payments company Square, is keen to take advantage. In July, he announced that Square is working on a DeFi platform to integrate Bitcoin, and dubbed <a href="https://decrypt.co/79633/square-decentralized-bitcoin-exchange-jack-dorsey">TBD</a>But all the activity has also captured the attention of regulators. They have raised concerns about the security and accountability of projects, and look to be <a href="https://decrypt.co/81515/occ-chief-calls-crypto-defi-fools-gold">doubling down </a>on their vigilance of the sizzling hot DeFi space

But Dfinity is not the only project working to integrate Bitcoin. Bridging technologies are the most popular method of doing so up to now. DeFi project <a href="https://decrypt.co/81409/coinbase-leads-8-5m-raise-crypto-project-bringing-defi-bitcoin">Portal </a>, is also looking to build out a DeFi ecosystem for Bitcoin. On Tuesday it announced an $8.5 million raise, with Coinbase Ventures and ArringtonXRP Capital participating in the funding round. “We're excited to see Portal's Bitcoin-native approach to multichain transfers go live and provide an alternative bridging mechanism to the growing number of active on-chain users,” Michael Arrington, founder of ArringtonXRP and TechCrunch, stated.

Bridging with Bitcoin

<ul><li>The Internet Computer will host Bitcoin smart contracts by the end of the year. </li><li>Smart contracts will enable lending, yield farming, derivatives, and other DeFi applications for Bitcoin. </li> </ul>“Internet Computer smart contracts will gain access to Bitcoin liquidity, and Bitcoin will gain powerful new smart contract functionality, without the need for insecure and cumbersome trusted bridging services,” said Dfinity founder Dominic Williams, in a statement accompanying the announcement.

In brief

Dfinity’s moves are part of a wider-scale industry initiative to make Bitcoin usable in various DeFi applications and Web 3.0.

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

Dfinity to Launch Bitcoin Smart Contracts on the Internet Computer - Decrypt

There are 60 companies worldwide on our 5-star list and Alibaba and Tencent are among the five to also have wide economic moats. These companies have the dual advantage of being signidicantly undervalued but with strong competitive advtanges. The other three are brewer Anheuser-Busch (ABI) and UK-listed tobacco firms Imperial Brands (IMB ) and British American Tobacco (BATS ). In contrast, the majority of the 5-star firms under Morningstar coverage have no economic moat, while 22 have a narrow economic moat.

Wide Moat, 5 Star

In terms of European companies, France’s Renault (<a dir="ltr" href="https://tools.morningstar.co.uk/ukp/stockreport/default.aspx?Site=uk&amp;id=0P0000AEX4&amp;LanguageId=en-GB&amp;SecurityToken=0P0000AEX4%5d3%5d0%5dE0WWE$$ALL">RNO </a>) is the second most undervalued, according to Morningstar estimates. It’s joined on this list Japan’s Nissan (<a dir="ltr" href="https://tools.morningstar.co.uk/ukp/stockreport/default.aspx?Site=uk&amp;id=0P0000AEX4&amp;LanguageId=en-GB&amp;SecurityToken=0P0000AEX4%5d3%5d0%5dE0WWE$$ALL">7201 </a>) and two companies are part of a wider Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, which makes almost 8 million vehicles a year. Germany’s Volkswagen (<a dir="ltr" href="https://tools.morningstar.co.uk/ukp/stockreport/default.aspx?Site=uk&amp;id=0P0000CM6M&amp;LanguageId=en-GB&amp;SecurityToken=0P0000CM6M%5d3%5d0%5dE0WWE$$ALL">VOW3 </a>) is another automotive firm to join the 5-star cohort this month. Other EU firms on the wider list include Just Eat Takeaway (<a dir="ltr" href="https://tools.morningstar.co.uk/ukp/stockreport/default.aspx?Site=uk&amp;id=0P00018U3C&amp;LanguageId=en-GB&amp;SecurityToken=0P00018U3C%5d3%5d0%5dE0WWE$$ALL">JET </a>), French telecoms firm Orange (<a dir="ltr" href="https://tools.morningstar.co.uk/ukp/stockreport/default.aspx?Site=uk&amp;id=0P00009WH8&amp;LanguageId=en-GB&amp;SecurityToken=0P00009WH8%5d3%5d0%5dE0WWE$$ALL">ORA </a>) and Italian aerospace company Leonardo (<a dir="ltr" href="https://tools.morningstar.co.uk/ukp/stockreport/default.aspx?Site=uk&amp;id=0P00009DKB&amp;LanguageId=en-GB&amp;SecurityToken=0P00009DKB%5d3%5d0%5dE0WWE$$ALL">LDO </a>).

Europe

Many stock markets worldwide have reached record highs in August, but there have been some notable exceptions. Chinese equities in particular have been on the back foot all year after <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/214518/chinas-crackdown-time-to-sell.aspx">a regulatory crackdown on various industries </a>, including education and tech.

Using the price/fair value ratio, investors can get an idea of where a company's share price stands in relation to its estinated fair price. For example, a P/FV ratio of 1 suggests a stock is perfectly fairly valued, whereas one with a ratio 0.50 is 50% undervalued.“We believe appreciation beyond a fair risk-adjusted return is highly likely over a multiyear time frame. ... the current market price represents an excessively pessimistic outlook, limiting downside risk and maximizing upside potential. This rating encourages investors to consider an overweight position in the security”

How We Rate Stocks

UPDATED September 2021: Tencent and Alibaba have joined the list of the cheapest companies in the world, as rated by Morningstar

The World's Most Undervalued Stocks

Needless to say, SEO is incredibly important for bloggers. And I’m happy to say that the SEO options provided with Ghost are excellent.Easily add excerpts and metadata.&nbsp;Entire sections to customize the look of the Twitter and Facebook Cards. (What your post preview looks like when you share)The site itself is fast which is a huge boost to SEO.There is structured data built-in. You can see this using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool.Default Google AMP integration. Making the blog mobile-friendly.

The SEO

Right away Ghost wins this category, because you don’t really have any ability to customize your Medium blog. For a developer Ghost is perfect. You can change anything you want. As a non-developer though, you’re quite limited. I really expected Ghost to have more design functionality — various options to change the positions of content, ways to customize the header and footer, add social icons, maybe change some font sizes.

Customizing your Ghost blog design

<ul><li>The fonts look nicer. (Actually the font on Medium is beautiful and very hard to beat). </li><li>The editor is faster. The editor that pops up to make something bold or a title, is just half a second faster on Medium. </li><li>Phone Editing! While writing this article in Ghost I also realized that I can’t write from my phone, like I do with Medium. This is important for me, because I have little bits of inspiration throughout the day and I need to write them down. </li> </ul>

Editor: Medium wins because:

I feel like I should address this because Wordpress is mostly the go-to solution for building your own blog. I considered Wordpress, but my main priority was that my blog should be blazing fast. I come from an eCommerce development background so slow loading speed is a huge priority for me in my work. (For online stores, every second of loading speed means a <a dir="ltr" href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/page-load-time-conversion-rates">7% loss in revenue </a>). Also, more people are now reading blogs on their mobile phone. This is another reason why loading speed is important, and also why a site should be visually clean and lightweight.

Why Ghost and not Wordpress?

<ul><li>There’s no theme customizer. I expected to see a lot more under the design tab. Like at least a few options for changing the layout. </li><li>The setup on digital ocean was a bit difficult even for me as a front-end developer, because I don’t know anything about setting up servers. (That being said it only took 90 mins which is pretty good.) </li><li>The admin is very fast, and the writing interface is a joy to use. Very similar to Medium. </li><li>Only two social accounts by default. Facebook and Twitter. To add more you will need to edit the theme code. This seemed a bit weird to me. </li> </ul>

Cons

If you’re trying to be successful on Medium, you have to write content that appeals to paying Medium members. Whereas if you’re writing articles that will do well on Google then it might be best to use your own blog.

<ul><li>It is incredibly easy to use. It’s clean, and it’s fast, and I love when an admin is fast! It lets me work much smoother. </li><li>From a developer’s perspective, I like it. Very simple. </li><li>I like the code injections abilities. They allow you to quickly make CSS changes without touching the actual theme code. </li> </ul>

Pros

My impressions of both platforms as a Web Developer and Blogger.

Everything you need to know About DeFi Loans

Initial DEX offering (IDO): A beginner's guide on launching a cryptocurrency on a decentralized exchange

Dfinity to Launch Bitcoin Smart Contracts on the Internet Computer - Decrypt

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

The World's Most Undervalued Stocks

CURATED BY

Everything you need to know About DeFi Loans

Initial DEX offering (IDO): A beginner's guide on launching a cryptocurrency on a decentralized exchange

Dfinity to Launch Bitcoin Smart Contracts on the Internet Computer - Decrypt

It's time to Read like a Pro.

The World's Most Undervalued Stocks

CURATED BY

It's time to
Read like a Pro.