CeFi vs. DeFi -- Comparing Centralized to Decentralized Finance
Authors: Kaihua Qin, Liyi Zhou, Yaroslav Afonin, Ludovico Lazzaretti, Arthur Gervais
AI-generated Key Points
- Centralized Finance (CeFi) has been the norm in finance
- Decentralized Finance (DeFi) promises transparency and control
- DeFi relies on blockchain technology and offers higher financial asset yields than CeFi
- Differences between CeFi and DeFi can be blurred in practice
- Researchers developed a methodology to differentiate between CeFi and DeFi services by analyzing differences across legal, economic security, privacy, and market manipulation dimensions
- Certain DeFi assets like USDC or USDT stablecoins may not classify as DeFi assets and could endanger the economic security of intertwined DeFi protocols
- Possible synergies between CeFi and DeFI could benefit both sides
Abstract: To non-experts, the traditional Centralized Finance (CeFi) ecosystem may seem obscure, because users are typically not aware of the underlying rules or agreements of financial assets and products. Decentralized Finance (DeFi), however, is making its debut as an ecosystem claiming to offer transparency and control, which are partially attributable to the underlying integrity-protected blockchain, as well as currently higher financial asset yields than CeFi. Yet, the boundaries between CeFi and DeFi may not be always so clear cut. In this work, we systematically analyze the differences between CeFi and DeFi, covering legal, economic, security, privacy and market manipulation. We provide a structured methodology to differentiate between a CeFi and a DeFi service. Our findings show that certain DeFi assets (such as USDC or USDT stablecoins) do not necessarily classify as DeFi assets, and may endanger the economic security of intertwined DeFi protocols. We conclude this work with the exploration of possible synergies between CeFi and DeFi.
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