Revolutionize Your Savings: A Deep Dive into the World of cDAI!
cDAI provides an instance of a crypto-lending tool in the DeFi landscape. With a market cap of over $560M, it underscores the potential scale of these instruments. An APY of 1.78% further adds a data point to the diversity of returns within decentralized finance.
The Compound DAI, or cDAI, is an Ethereum blockchain smart contract utilized to borrow or loan crypto assets. The protocol mechanism involves using cToken contracts to supply the capital with ERC-20 or Ether tokens to receive yield in cTokens. The compound protocol also locks digital assets as collateral and profits from borrowing assets on the DeFi platform.
cDAI token key indicators as of May 17, 2023:
- Token name: cDAI
- cDAI price: $0.02224
- All-time low: $0.01399
- Fully diluted market cap: $45,031,567
- Market cap: $560,323,014
- All-time high: $0.0411
- Volume (24h): $3,577,211
- Total supply: 2,025,596,474 CDAI
- Circulating supply: 25,204,924,416 CDAI
Users supplying loans in digital assets are awarded from DAI pools with cDAI tokens. Next, creditors can dispose of the obtained tokens at their discretion, including swapping any other asset listed on the platform.
Pros and Cons of Compound DAI
Despite its high popularity, the cDAI protocol still has room for improvement. Here are some key positives and negatives to keep in mind.
Hits:
- Plain and simple reward mechanism
- High stability of lending protocols
- One of the most recognized lending protocols
- Convenient navigation within the platform
- Excess liquidity (zero borrowing issues)
Misses:
- Poor governance voting mechanism
- Relatively low APY (cDAI lenders get 1.78%)
Despite minor flaws, users seeking to avoid the surprising crypto market volatility often prefer cDAI borrowing. Moreover, this approach is excellent for netizens looking to make consistent profits over the long haul.
cDAI Origins
Compound Protocol is the brainchild of Geoffrey Hayes and Robert Leshner and was released in 2018. Every founder of the project possesses an impressive track record in the e-commerce field. In addition, both cDAI owners have earned unique expertise while occupying managerial positions at the notorious Britches company.
Historical Path from Compound to Compound DAI:
- September 2018: Compound protocol kick-start (as the user-to-protocol platform)
- May 2019: Announcement and launch of Compound II version with cTokens
- April 2020: Successful implementation of the community governance initiative
- June 2020: Start of Token distribution stage
- June 2022: The Compound III initialization
Currently, cDAI maintains a stable price level and is one of the most stable tools for earning money by borrowing crypto assets. Stability is a critical parameter that allows the platform to grow its client base year after year.
The cDAI Mechanism Explained
Compound DAI uses one of the most common earning-on-borrowing techniques. Platform users who are holders of digital assets can loan crypto funds in Compound pools. Depending on the types of coins lent, lenders claim different interest rates.
In turn, cDAI is a token allocated among all creditors to supply loans to other users. The good news is that lenders can borrow multiple assets simultaneously and earn various APYs in multiple pools as passive income.
Protocols Competing with cDAI
Tens of thousands of people use compound lending protocols worldwide, and the platform rewards creditors by offering a fixed APY%. As a result, cDAI as a decentralized finance protocol has impressive popularity in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. For example, Compound has secured the support of significant investment partners, including A16Z and Coinbase.
Meanwhile, the project has several notable competitors with equally advantageous offers for borrowers and lenders:
- AAVE
- Maker
In a recent announcement, the management of Compound revealed their strategy to expand the number of borrowing pools. As part of this plan, the protocol aims to broaden the current list of 20 digital assets, providing clients with a broader range of investment opportunities.
The cDAI Roadmap
Another unique feature of the Compound is that the protocol does not have a clearly structured roadmap. Robert Leshner, one of the project's architects, emphasized that the protocol was conceived as an experiment to test the hypothesis of its ability to overcome the shortcomings of the fiat market.
Thus, the project's future development falls entirely on the shoulders of the community. In the meantime, cDAI owners have stated four main goals that can be taken as a Compound DAI roadmap for the next few years:
- Expanding the list of digital assets available in DAI pools
- Encouraging each asset to have its collateral factor
- Transforming the platform to achieve a full-fledged DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) status
- Facilitating multiple asset DeFi systems
Moving forward, the implementation of the stated objectives might require a timeframe of up to three years. However, considering the straightforward tokenization mechanism for deposit valuation, the increasing popularity of the protocol, and the remarkable progress within the DeFi sector, Geoffrey Hayes and Robert Leshner may be inclined to expedite the introduction of new features and the expansion of the digital asset list down the road.
