Wybo Wiersma – a 40-year-old Oxford University graduate – has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after scamming over $2 million in crypto from unsuspecting victims. Following his arrest in 2019, the Dutchman was extradited from the Netherlands back to the United Kingdom (UK) in 2021. Following a five-year investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), he pled guilty on January 26 to the Oxford Crown Court. A Five-Year Investigation As reported by…
Various DeFi Services Crypto Holders Can Access
Several types of services can be accessed in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space, including:
- Lending and borrowing: Platforms such as Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO allow users to lend and borrow cryptocurrencies, earning or paying interest.
- Trading: Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) such as Uniswap and SushiSwap allow users to trade cryptocurrencies in a decentralized manner without the need for a central authority.
- Stablecoins: Stablecoins such as DAI and USDC are designed to maintain a stable value and can be used as a store of value or as a means of exchange.
- Yield farming: Yield farming platforms such as Yearn Finance and SushiSwap allow users to earn interest on their cryptocurrencies by lending them to liquidity pools.
- Insurance: Platforms such as Nexus Mutual and Opyn allow users to purchase insurance on their DeFi investments to protect against potential losses.
- Prediction markets: Platforms such as Augur and Gnosis allow users to bet on the outcome of events and earn rewards for correctly predicting the outcome.
- Identity management: Platforms such as uPort and Civic allow users to manage their digital identity in a decentralized manner and can be used to access other DeFi services.
- Remittances: Platforms such as Western Union and MoneyGram allow users to send money to other countries. However, DeFi remittances, such as transfers, can be decentralized and more cost-effective.
- Crowdfunding: Platforms such as KickStart and GoFundMe allow users to raise funds for a project or idea. DeFi crowdfunding platforms such as MolochDAO and Gitcoin allow for a decentralized approach.
- Asset tokenization: Platforms such as Polymath allow users to tokenize real estate and art assets, making them more easily tradeable on the blockchain.
- Governance: Platforms such as Aragon and DAOstack allow for decentralized governance of a project or organization, where token holders can vote on proposals and make decisions collectively.
- Gaming: Platforms such as Enjin and The Sandbox allow users to create and trade in-game items and virtual worlds on the blockchain and can also be used to access other DeFi services.
- Wealth management: Platforms such as Set and bZx allow users to create and manage a diversified portfolio of digital assets and can also be used to access other DeFi services, such as lending and borrowing.
- Tax management: Platforms such as TaxBit and TokenTax allow users to manage their taxes for digital assets more efficiently.
- Compliance: Platforms such as ChainGuardian and Polymath allow users to comply with regulations such as KYC and AML for digital assets more efficiently.
- Escrow: Platforms such as OpenLaw and Kleros allow for trustless escrow services for digital assets, where a smart contract holds the assets and releases them based on predefined conditions.
- Privacy: Platforms such as Aztec Protocol allow users to perform private transactions with digital assets and can also be used to access other DeFi services.
- Analytics: Platforms such as CoinGecko and DeFi Lama allow users to track the performance of digital assets and can also be used to access other DeFi services, such as trading and lending.
- Derivatives: Platforms such as dYdX and Synthetix allow users to trade derivatives of digital assets, such as futures and options.
- Payroll: Platforms such as Bitwage and Binance Payroll allow companies and employees to handle payroll and other financial transactions in a decentralized way, using digital assets.
- Budgeting: Platforms such as Money on Chain and DeFiSaver allow users to manage their budgets and savings in a decentralized way using digital assets.
DeFi services use blockchain technology and smart contracts to provide a decentralized and trustless way to access financial services. They enable users to have more control over their assets and transactions, comply with regulations, perform private transactions and manage their credit score, budget and payroll in a decentralized way.