CeFi, DeFi, and Everything In Between
Over the past two weeks, we have seen the bear markets bringing out the worst in digital asset markets. Rumors of insolvency flew rampant in the face of volatility, affecting behemoths that were previously deemed ‘too sophisticated/large to fail.’
Celsius, which we covered in detail in The Tide Pulling Out, was one of the first to waver, fueling fears of contagion in this nascent space. We then wrote about 3AC’s unwinding in Three Arrows (Right to the Chest), noting how even behemoths in the space are susceptible to hubris and mental bias.
It is more important now than ever to discern the rumors from the truth, the guilty from the innocent. Only by continually identifying (ir)responsible actors and extracting learnings from each black swan event, can we advance the space towards mainstream adoption.
CeFi & DeFi
Before diving into the specifics, we attempt to define and outline the differences and similarities of these entities that are crucial infrastructures in digital asset markets. Centralized Finance (CeFi) encompasses intermediaries that work with other centralized service providers to offer financial products and services to their customers. Some prominent examples include crypto exchanges ...Unlock this article by joining our Community!
An FSI Pro, or FSI Crypto subscription is required in order to access this content.
*Free trial available only on a monthly plan
Already a member?
We accept crypto via BitPay for yearly subscriptions.
Choose one of our yearly plans to save nearly 15%Webinars
We host over 12 LIVE webinars per year with our research team and high-profile special guests. Incredible value and market insights!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Fireside Chats
Weekly interviews with our research heads about market opportunities and important updates.
WEEKDAYS
Tom Lee's First Word
The best market research out there -- on a near-daily basis.
ON MARKET EVENTS
Tom Lee's Intraday Word
These are released periodically after crucial market developments.
DAILY
Daily Technical Strategy
Daily commentary on market trends and short term opportunities.
WEEKLY
Wall Street Whispers
Exclusive insights based on discussions with institutional clients.
WEEKLY
Quantitative Strategy
Quantitative market research utilizing industry-leading analytical methods.
WEEKLY
US Policy
Weekly update on developments in Washington DC and how they may impact Wall Street.
WEEKLY
Weekly Roadmap
Weekly summary of market events and updates on our key theses.
EARNINGS SEASON
Earnings Daily
A multi-faceted update of earnings developments.
UPDATED BI-WEEKLY
Signal From Noise
Highlights timely market themes and sectors with corresponding stocks, cutting through the day-to-day market “noise” for a distinct perspective.
UPDATED MONTHLY
FSI Sector Allocation
A sector allocation strategy that is designed to outperform the S&P 500 while taking minimal risk.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Factor Strategy
List of ETFs based on quantitative models that should outperform the S&P 500 on a monthly basis.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Newton's Upticks
Technically derived, intermediate-term picks of attractive risk/reward opportunities from the S&P 500.
FSI Academy
Thematic investment stock picks that aim to outperform the S&P 500.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the macro research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Webinars
Ongoing webinars exploring crypto opportunities, in depth research, and exclusive research offerings from our team of analysts and leading cryptocurrency firms.
WEEKLY
Crypto Comments
Digestible videos expanding on important market events and metrics that are shaping cryptocurrency markets.
DAILY
Crypto Market Update
Stay on top of the crypto markets with macro commentary, technical analysis, and the most relevant news.
INTRA MONTH
Crypto First Word from Tom Lee
Hear directly from Tom Lee about important cryptocurrency developments.
WEEKLY
Crypto Technical Strategy
From Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana to other coins, our Head of Technical Strategy highlights important price movement to help give you an edge.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
A must-read summarizing our key thoughts about the crypto market, price action, and developing trends.
WEEKLY
Funding Fridays
Are you looking for investment opportunities in the crypto space? We explore early-stage crypto opportunities in this note about where the smart money is being invested!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Crypto Events
Never miss another conference, a high-impact software update, or an event that could be market-moving!
NTRA-MONTH
Deep Research Reports
Our consulting business delivers incredible deep research reports to highlight the economics and viability of exciting crypto projects.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
Keep track of bitcoin sentiment to plan your digital assets strategy.
FSI Academy
Our main goal is to make you a better investor! This series will guide you through key financial concepts and topics in an understandable way.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the Crypto research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Webinars
We host over 12 LIVE webinars per year with our research team and high-profile special guests. Incredible value and market insights!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Fireside Chats
Weekly interviews with our research heads about market opportunities and important updates.
WEEKDAYS
Tom Lee's First Word
The best market research out there -- on a near-daily basis.
ON MARKET EVENTS
Tom Lee's Intraday Word
These are released periodically after crucial market developments.
DAILY
Daily Technical Strategy
Daily commentary on market trends and short term opportunities.
WEEKLY
Wall Street Whispers
Exclusive insights based on discussions with institutional clients.
WEEKLY
Quantitative Strategy
Quantitative market research utilizing industry-leading analytical methods.
WEEKLY
US Policy
Weekly update on developments in Washington DC and how they may impact Wall Street.
WEEKLY
Weekly Roadmap
Weekly summary of market events and updates on our key theses.
EARNINGS SEASON
Earnings Daily
A multi-faceted update of earnings developments.
UPDATED BI-WEEKLY
Signal From Noise
Highlights timely market themes and sectors with corresponding stocks, cutting through the day-to-day market “noise” for a distinct perspective.
UPDATED MONTHLY
FSI Sector Allocation
A sector allocation strategy that is designed to outperform the S&P 500 while taking minimal risk.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Factor Strategy
List of ETFs based on quantitative models that should outperform the S&P 500 on a monthly basis.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Newton's Upticks
Technically derived, intermediate-term picks of attractive risk/reward opportunities from the S&P 500.
FSI Academy
Thematic investment stock picks that aim to outperform the S&P 500.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the macro research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Webinars
Ongoing webinars exploring crypto opportunities, in depth research, and exclusive research offerings from our team of analysts and leading cryptocurrency firms.
WEEKLY
Crypto Comments
Digestible videos expanding on important market events and metrics that are shaping cryptocurrency markets.
DAILY
Crypto Market Update
Stay on top of the crypto markets with macro commentary, technical analysis, and the most relevant news.
INTRA MONTH
Crypto First Word from Tom Lee
Hear directly from Tom Lee about important cryptocurrency developments.
WEEKLY
Crypto Technical Strategy
From Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana to other coins, our Head of Technical Strategy highlights important price movement to help give you an edge.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
A must-read summarizing our key thoughts about the crypto market, price action, and developing trends.
WEEKLY
Funding Fridays
Are you looking for investment opportunities in the crypto space? We explore early-stage crypto opportunities in this note about where the smart money is being invested!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Crypto Events
Never miss another conference, a high-impact software update, or an event that could be market-moving!
NTRA-MONTH
Deep Research Reports
Our consulting business delivers incredible deep research reports to highlight the economics and viability of exciting crypto projects.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
Keep track of bitcoin sentiment to plan your digital assets strategy.
FSI Academy
Our main goal is to make you a better investor! This series will guide you through key financial concepts and topics in an understandable way.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the Crypto research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Reports you may have missed
FIGURE: PEPE CROSSING BRIDGES TO EXPLORE ALTERNATE LAYER 1S / LAYER 2S Although ETH remains the dominant Layer 1 for most on-chain activity, alternate Layer 1s have demonstrated product-market fit throughout the bull market run of ‘20/’21. Solana (SOL 3.30% ) emerged as the ‘high-throughput chain’ focused on complex DeFi / gaming, BNB Chain (BNB) offers easy fiat on/off-ramps through Binance CEX, while Avalanche (AVAX) and Cosmos (ATOM -0.26% ) are building application-specific blockchains...
CORRECTION: IN THE FIRST DISTRIBUTION OF ‘DEFI DIGEST 14: A REFLECTION ON LIQUIDITY DYNAMICS THROUGH THE CONTAGION & GHO STABLECOIN’, WE INCORRECTLY REFERENCED VOYAGER INSTEAD OF CELSIUS AS HAVING A 1.2B HOLE IN ITS BALANCE SHEET. THE AMOUNT LENT TO 3AC BY VOYAGER WAS $350M IN USDC AND 15,250 IN BTC, WITH THEIR CURRENT ASSET-LIABILITY MISMATCH UNKNOWN. In last week’s DeFi Digest, the team discussed liquidity dynamics that were prevalent...
FIGURE: GHO LAUNCHING AMIDST THE BLOWUPS AROUND IT Seeing the CeFi realm blowing up around us, it is perhaps pertinent to reflect and hammer the lessons into our collective crypto consciousness. Drawing from CeFi, DeFi and Everything in Between, it is clear now that Celsius, BlockFi, and Voyager Digital function as ‘CeDeFi,’ similarly to TradFi banking entities and are prone to the same weaknesses such as position opacity and human...
FIGURE: GCR, GALOIS CAPITAL, 0XHAMZ, FREDDIE RAYNOLDS & CO. EMERGING VICTORIOUS AGAINST TERRA Source: Fundstrat CLOSING THOUGHTS ON TERRA Earlier readers of DeFi Digest will remember our initial primer on Anchor Protocol and the update we published when Anchor introduced the Dynamic Earn Rate. While we attempted to quantify the runway LFG had before they needed to replenish the Yield Reserve, LUNA 7.93% ’s sudden death spiral was difficult to predict. Instead,...