The year 2020 marked a pivotal moment in the trajectory of decentralized finance (DeFi), introducing a surge of projects vying for recognition and success in this domain. Amidst this wave, Yearn Finance emerged as a standout contender, distinguished by its innovative use of automation to amplify the returns yielded by yield farming. Rapidly capturing market attention, the project achieved an impressive $1 billion Total Value Locked (TVL) within just two months of its launch.
What is Yearn Finance
Yearn Finance operates as a dynamic aggregator service within decentralized finance (DeFi). This pioneering platform revolutionizes the pursuit of optimized yield farming returns by harnessing the power of automation. Alongside its commitment to forging partnerships and strategic collaborations, Yearn Finance strives to democratize passive income generation within the DeFi ecosystem. Its inclusive approach extends even to those less versed in technical intricacies, setting the stage for enhanced accessibility and participation in the DeFi sector.
The Yearn Finance team
Yearn Finance (previously iEarn) was founded by Andre Cronje. Cronje's extensive experience in the crypto sector, particularly in DeFi, propelled him into prominence, with affiliations extending to Fantom and CryptoBriefing.
How does Yearn Finance work
The protocol's architecture centers around three core components: Earn, Zap, and APY. The Earn platform offers users access to optimal lending interest rates through a cross-protocol search. The innovative Zap feature streamlines the process, allowing users to execute multiple transactions with a single click. Meanwhile, the APY (annual percentage yield) product maximizes lending opportunities across various protocols, ensuring users benefit from the best-in-market services.
Yearn Finance’s native token: YFI
At the core of Yearn Finance's ecosystem lies its native cryptocurrency, YFI, which debuted in mid-July 2020 amidst the explosive rise of DeFi. It originally has a capped supply of 30,000 YFI tokens. Responding to community consensus, an additional 6,666 YFI tokens were subsequently minted.
YFI use cases
YFI serves as a multi-faceted token within Yearn Finance's ecosystem. Primarily, it incentivizes liquidity providers. Beyond this, YFI operates as a governance token, granting holders the power to participate in project-related decision-making processes. Furthermore, YFI is tradable, enabling users to engage in crypto trading and utilize it as a store of value.
YFI distribution
The YFI token is distributed as follows:
- 27.3 percent: yCRV liquidity pool
- 54.6 percent: Balancer liquidity pools
- 18.1 percent: This represents the 6,666 tokens that were minted after launch. One-third of these were given to key protocol contributors and the other two-thirds to the platform’s governance-operated treasury.
