How Does DeFi Yield Farming Work?

Yield farming is a method of increasing cryptocurrency holdings by lending funds through smart contracts. In exchange, individuals earn fees in crypto. However, yield farming involves complex strategies, with farmers constantly moving their assets between lending platforms to maximize returns. The best practices are kept secret to maintain their effectiveness. Yield farming represents the competitive and unpredictable realm of Decentralized Finance (DeFi).

Basics

DeFi applications have brought innovation to the blockchain space. They offer unique features like being permissionless and trustless. This opens up new opportunities for users to interact with the applications and earn rewards. One such development is yield farming, which allows people to earn passive income by utilizing cryptocurrency holdings in a decentralized ecosystem. This could potentially change the way investors hold onto their assets in the future.

What Is Yield Farming?

Yield farming, also known as liquidity mining, is a method of earning rewards by locking up cryptocurrency holdings. It involves liquidity providers (LPs) who contribute funds to liquidity pools, which are smart contracts containing the assets. In return for providing liquidity, LPs receive rewards, often in the form of fees generated by the underlying DeFi platform or from other sources.

The process can become intricate as some liquidity pools distribute rewards in multiple tokens. These reward tokens can then be deposited into other liquidity pools to earn additional rewards, creating complex strategies. However, at its core, yield farming involves depositing funds into a liquidity pool and receiving rewards in exchange.

Currently, yield farming predominantly takes place using ERC-20 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. However, advancements such as cross-chain bridges may enable DeFi applications to operate on different blockchains that support smart contracts, making them more blockchain-agnostic.

Yield farmers actively move their funds between various protocols in search of higher yields. Consequently, DeFi platforms often provide additional incentives to attract more capital, leveraging the principle that liquidity begets liquidity, similar to centralized exchanges. These economic incentives contribute to the competitiveness and growth of the yield farming ecosystem.

Where Did the Demand for Yield Farming Come From?

Yield farming gained popularity with the launch of the COMP token, which is used for governing the Compound Finance ecosystem. To make the network more decentralized, governance tokens are distributed through an algorithmic method that rewards liquidity providers. This approach incentivizes people to contribute liquidity to the protocol and participate in "farming" the new token.

The COMP token's introduction boosted the popularity of yield farming as a way to distribute tokens. Since then, other DeFi projects have implemented similar strategies to attract liquidity to their ecosystems. By offering incentives, these projects aim to encourage more people to participate and contribute to the growth of their platforms. The COMP token launch played a significant role in the rise of yield farming, inspiring other projects to adopt similar methods for distributing tokens and attracting liquidity.

Total Value Locked

To assess the overall health of the DeFi yield farming scene, Total Value Locked or TVL serves as a reliable measure. It quantifies the amount of cryptocurrency held in DeFi lending and other money marketplaces. Essentially, TVL represents the combined liquidity in liquidity pools, offering a comprehensive indicator of the DeFi and yield farming market's well-being. Additionally, TVL enables comparison of the "market share" held by different DeFi protocols.

DeFi Pulse is a valuable resource for tracking TVL. It provides insights into which platforms have the highest amount of Ethereum or other crypto assets locked in DeFi. Monitoring these figures can provide a general understanding of the current state of yield farming. Naturally, as the value locked increases, it indicates a higher level of activity in yield farming. It's important to note that TVL can be measured in various currencies such as ETH, USD, or BTC, each offering a different perspective on the state of the DeFi money markets.

Principles of Yield Farming

Yield farming is a process where liquidity providers deposit funds into a liquidity pool, which powers a marketplace for token lending, borrowing, and exchanging. By doing so, they can earn rewards in the form of fees collected from users. This system, known as an automated market maker (AMM), allows participants to contribute to the liquidity and functionality of DeFi platforms.

In some cases, yield farming offers additional incentives to liquidity providers. For example, they may receive a new token that cannot be easily obtained on the open market. These tokens are distributed based on the provider's contribution to a specific pool. Stablecoins like DAI or USDT are commonly used as deposited funds, and they can be converted into protocol-specific tokens such as cDAI (Compound DAI).

However, yield farming can involve complex interactions between different protocols, with tokens representing other tokens in a series of interconnected systems. Navigating these intricacies requires a good understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Nevertheless, yield farming provides an opportunity for individuals to participate in the growth of DeFi platforms, earn rewards for their contributions, and explore the evolving landscape of decentralized finance.

How Is Yield Farming Profitability Calculated?

When estimating yield farming returns, the calculations are typically done on an annualized basis to provide an estimate of what you could potentially earn in a year.

Two commonly used metrics for these calculations are Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and Annual Percentage Yield (APY). APR does not consider the impact of compounding, whereas APY takes compounding into account. Compounding refers to reinvesting profits to generate additional returns. However, it's important to note that APR and APY are sometimes used interchangeably.

Keep in mind that these estimations and projections are not guaranteed. Even short-term rewards can be challenging to accurately predict. The yield farming market is highly competitive and dynamic, with rewards fluctuating rapidly. When a particular yield farming strategy becomes successful, many participants join in, potentially reducing the returns.

Given the fast-paced nature of DeFi, it may be necessary to develop new metrics specific to the DeFi ecosystem. Weekly or even daily estimated returns could be more relevant in the context of DeFi rapid evolution and constant market activity.

DeFi Collateralization

When borrowing assets in DeFi, you typically need to provide collateral to secure your loan. The collateral acts as insurance, protecting the lender in case of default. It's important to monitor your collateralization ratio, which varies depending on the protocol you use.

If the value of your collateral falls below the required threshold set by the protocol, your collateral may be sold off on the open market to cover the loan. To avoid liquidation, you can add more collateral to maintain a safe ratio.

Each platform has its own rules and required collateralization ratio. Many platforms also implement overcollateralization, where borrowers must deposit more value than they wish to borrow. This reduces the risk of sudden market crashes causing a significant amount of collateral to be liquidated.

For instance, if a lending protocol requires a collateralization ratio of 150%, you can borrow 66.67 USD for every 100 USD of collateral. However, it is recommended to add more collateral than necessary to further reduce the risk of liquidation. Some platforms may even set higher collateralization ratios, such as 200%, to ensure the overall system's safety from liquidation risks.

Yield Farming Risks

Yield farming is a complex strategy that requires advanced knowledge and a significant amount of capital to be truly profitable. It may not be suitable for beginners or those with limited resources. While it may appear straightforward, yield farming carries various risks that need to be carefully understood.

One major risk is associated with the smart contracts that underpin DeFi protocols. Many of these protocols are developed by small teams with limited budgets, increasing the potential for smart contract bugs and vulnerabilities. Even larger protocols audited by reputable firms can still encounter issues that result in the loss of user funds. Therefore, it's crucial to consider the risks associated with locking funds in smart contracts.

Another risk lies in the composability of the DeFi ecosystem. The seamless integration of different protocols enables them to work together harmoniously, but it also means that if one component fails or experiences issues, it can impact the entire ecosystem. This poses a significant risk for yield farmers and liquidity pools, as they must not only trust the specific protocol they engage with but also the interconnected protocols it relies on.

Yield farming requires expertise, substantial capital, and an understanding of the risks involved. Smart contract vulnerabilities and the interdependence of protocols within the DeFi ecosystem are important factors to consider when participating in yield farming. Diligence and caution are necessary to navigate the complexities and mitigate potential risks.

Yield Farming Platforms Examples

To earn rewards through yield farming, you must understand how decentralized liquidity protocols work. There is no fixed way to do yield farming, as strategies can change rapidly. Each platform has its own rules and risks. It's important to be in control of your investments and not blindly deposit funds without understanding the potential rewards and risks. Educate yourself about decentralized liquidity protocols and assess the associated risks to make informed decisions and maximize your returns.

Here is a list of key protocols in the yield farming ecosystem:

1. Compound: An algorithmic money market where users can lend and borrow assets. It adjusts interest rates based on supply and demand.
2. MakerDAO: A decentralized credit platform that supports the creation of the stablecoin DAI. Users can lock collateral assets to generate DAI as debt.
3. Synthetix: A synthetic asset protocol that allows users to lock collateral and mint synthetic assets. It supports various financial assets with reliable price feeds.
4. Aave: A decentralized protocol for lending and borrowing that offers interest-earning tokens (aTokens) to lenders. Interest rates are adjusted algorithmically.
5. Uniswap: A DEX protocol for trustless token swaps. Liquidity providers create markets and earn fees from trades in their pools.
6. Curve Finance: A DEX protocol designed for efficient stablecoin swaps. It allows high-value stablecoin swaps with low slippage.
7. Balancer: A liquidity protocol similar to Uniswap but with customizable token allocations in liquidity pools. Liquidity providers earn fees from trades.
8. Yearn.finance: An ecosystem of aggregators that optimize token lending by finding the most profitable services. It automatically rebalances funds to maximize profit.

These protocols offer different opportunities for yield farmers to participate in lending, borrowing, liquidity provision, and asset trading, each with its own unique features and benefits.

Conclusion

Yield farming has brought about a decentralized financial revolution. Its potential is far-reaching, with new applications constantly emerging. Trustless liquidity protocols and other DeFi products are driving this cutting-edge innovation in finance, crypto economics, and computer science. Through DeFi money markets, we are building a more accessible and inclusive financial system. With just an Internet connection, anyone can participate in these open platforms. The future holds endless possibilities as we continue to explore the possibilities of this exciting realm.