Features TheBitTimes.com

Several collapses in the past year have highlighted centralization problems, while fragmentation remains another hurdle in this nascent sector. True decentralization is something that many crypto projects strive for, but the result is often too complicated for everyday users to rely on. So, what’s the solution? The high-profile failures of big industry players — namely the cryptocurrency exchange FTX — exposed just how centralized the crypto space has become. Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried now faces a flurry of criminal charges amid allegations that his decision-making directly affected the exchange’s collapse. Challenges of true decentralization While true decentralization has been touted as crucial for unlocking this nascent market’s potential, some protocols that meet this requirement are simply too complicated to use. Poor interfaces and convoluted mechanisms mean customers are at a higher risk of making costly mistakes or even losing their funds altogether. It’s little wonder t...

The top 100 DeFi tokens didn’t see much change in price over the past week, with the majority posting minor weekly gains. Welcome to Finance Redefined, your weekly dose of essential decentralized finance (DeFi) insights — a newsletter crafted to bring you the most significant developments from the past week. The second quarter of 2023 saw over $208 million exploited and hacked from DeFi protocols, and with just $4.5 million of funds recovered, total losses to exploits were over $204 million. The DeFi ecosystem is an ever-growing industry with billions of dollars in daily trading volume. Still, it remains niche to a small population in the crypto industry and out of reach for some. For a thorough overview of DeFi, check out the new report from Cointelegraph Research titled: “Investing in DeFi: A Comprehensive Guide.” The DeFi lending protocol Maple Finance has decided to offer direct loans to some borrowers instead of relying solely on pool delegates to provide capital to fill the void...

At a London fintech conference, CEO Brian Armstrong disclosed that Coinbase might consider leaving the U.S. due to the lack of regulatory clarity in the country. United States cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is gearing up for a lengthy legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the regulator warned the company of potential securities law violations, CEO Brian Armstrong told CNBC in an interview on April 18. Coinbase received a Wells notice from the U.S. SEC on March 22, indicating a possible enforcement action. The notice is usually the last step before the regulator files charges. In response, Armstrong expressed disappointment and revealed that the company had not received any clear details from the SEC about the alleged violations. He told CNBC: “We’ve met with them over 30 times in the last year … never got a single piece of feedback from them about what we can be doing better or differently, and then this Wells Notice arrived. I think we’re going to ha...

Price slippage occurs in both centralized and decentralized exchanges, but what are the causes and risks associated with it? Price slippage is a constant risk in trading on centralized exchanges (CEXs) and decentralized exchanges (DEXs) alike. It occurs when a trader’s order is executed at a different price than the one intended. It can happen due to high volatility, low liquidity or delays in order execution, resulting in a noticeable difference between the expected and actual transaction price. The DeFi ecosystem prioritizes decentralization and transparency, so the price slippage problem is more prominent than on centralized platforms. Price slippage on CEXs and DEXs On CEXs, price slippage is caused by factors such as low liquidity, high volatility and order book depth. CEXs are platforms that connect buyers and sellers of digital assets, with order books being a key element. An order book is a record of all buy and sell orders placed by traders for a particular cryptocurrency. It...

Blockchain’s transparency and traceability can aid sustainability and reduce carbon emissions for climate change. With rising temperatures, melting ice caps and more frequent and intense extreme weather events, the effects of climate change are becoming more and more obvious. There is an urgent need to prevent climate change, and numerous technologies and methods are being investigated to do so. Blockchain technology is one of these possibilities, and it has the potential to be very effective in the fight against climate change. At its core, blockchain is a decentralized ledger that can securely and transparently record transactions and store data. This technology has already been used in a variety of applications, from cryptocurrency to supply chain management. However, its potential applications in combating climate change are still being explored. Here are a few ways in which blockchain can help combat climate change. Bring it on, Global Warming! The United Citizens Organization la...

Find out how blockchain technology can aid in preventing deforestation from the ground up. Block chain Technology has long been a part of the revolution in global Supply Chain management and the agricultural business. However, as the world continues to face the adverse effects of global warming and the increasing need to change how companies approach natural resources, this Technology has an even larger role to play. Deforestation is one of the main contributing factors to the rapid increase in the net global temperature. Forests make up an essential part of the flora and biological diversity of the planet, and as industrialization and urbanization set in, deforestation is becoming an evident problem. Blockchain technology and AgTech can play a significant role in helping slow down the rates of deforestation globally. What’s more, companies and businesses are starting to take notice, and more entrepreneurs are utilizing this type of technology at the very core of their operations. Su...

Achieving complete decentralization can happen through cross-chain liquidity aggregation. Many decentralized exchanges boast cross-chain capabilities, but in fact, the majority of them simply use bridging technology to perform swaps. To bring complete decentralization to crypto trading, one exchange has developed a fully cross-chain liquidity aggregation mechanic that does not rely on bridging. Find out more about cross-chain liquidity in the latest Cointelegraph interview with Chainge founder Dejun Qian. Q: What is the biggest problem facing DEXes at the moment, and why is it such a challenge? DEXs have several problems, among which the most notable are: lack of liquidity, inefficient/hazardous interoperability solutions, and user experience. The first two issues are partially correlated: Lack of liquidity is one of the primary reasons why some traders still prefer using CEXs. And it’s pretty difficult for DEXs to catch up since they have to rely on liquidity providers and can only a...

HNS aims to provide a decentralized alternative to the traditional domain name system (DNS) — here’s how. A particular topic of interest in the blockchain space is the emergence of blockchain-related projects in the domain name system (DNS) and domain ecosystem. Handshake, in particular, has been gaining attention among decentralized technology enthusiasts for its potential to revolutionize how people think about and interact with domains, especially in the context of Web3. What is a handshake (HNS) domain? Handshake (HNS) is a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol that allows for peer-to-peer communication and provides an accessible alternative to centrally managed domain names, such as .com, country-code domains and other generic domains. As a decentralized peer-to-peer domain naming protocol, Handshake aims to serve as a DNS chain alternative to the current default root chain. Also, the creation of top-level domains (TLDs) such as .agency, .gov, .edu and the like are curren...