Saga is a Layer 1 blockchain protocol that allows developers to design their own dedicated chains for running applications. Learn more in this article.

 universe right now is the lack of accessible tools for developers. Many people interested in designing new 

 projects struggle to find the right software developer kits (SDKs) for their projects. The Saga ecosystem aims to fix this issue by providing unparalleled support to app and game developers. 

Can the Saga ecosystem really become the premier chain for web3 development? Keep reading to learn how it works and see whether it's likely to attract new developers.

 blockchain protocol. It allows developers to design their own dedicated chains for running applications. People who work on Saga all share the same security, scaling solutions and SDKs, but they each get their own unique chain that they can customize to suit their needs.

 of technology, crypto and finance enthusiasts. CEO Rebecca Liao is a co-founder of the Skuchain project, the designer of the 

 and a former international corporate attorney. Other members of the founding team include former Tendermint executive Jin Kwon, Blocktech Ventures founder Bogdan Alexandrescu and 

. They realized that there was a major need for a development-focused blockchain specifically designed for game project development. Saga's mission has attracted many major investors, 

Saga aims to create a new system for web3 project developers. Currently, most developers have to choose between the ease of working on an established chain like 

 versus the convenience and customization of designing their own chain. The Saga team realized that the most effective option for game developers would actually be a combination of the two types of development environments.

Saga wants to let developers set up their own sovereign blockchain so they can decide how things like 

 and transaction fees work. However, Saga also aims to provide extensive support for developers in its ecosystem. Its underlying framework ensures that people still have excellent security and a reliable validator set, no matter what their gaming project is.

 ecosystem, whose interchain web development standard is a set of protocols that allows a broad variety of blockchains to communicate with each other. The Saga network uses the 

 and the shared security system of the Cosmos ecosystem to manage the network, and has created its own Layer 1 chain that runs the entire Saga ecosystem and can do things like automatically launching 

The Saga Mainnet handles each developer's compiled smart contract binary. However, it also runs parallel dedicated chains that function as virtual machine (VM) modules capable of handling a specific set of smart contracts. End users for blockchain games and other apps interact only with the dedicated blockchain, while the developer's system manages the fees and individual transactions on the Saga Mainnet.

All of the chains on Saga are validated through optimistic coordination, which requires every Saga validator to validate each chain in the Saga ecosystem via 

 validation, verifying transactions by temporarily locking Saga tokens.

The Saga network contains a lot more than just the basic features offered through the Cosmos SDK and ecosystem. In addition to the software development tools and helpful interface for Saga's validators and developers, the ecosystem also contains the following features.

The overall layout of the Saga ecosystem starts with the Saga Mainnet. Built on the Cosmos hub, this framework includes a full validator set and a dedicated blockchain for handling all smart contracts. The basic protocols are passed on to each child chain in the system, and information is relayed back and forth between the main chain and all of the secondary chains. Saga's validators stake tokens, and then check to make sure every element of the topology follows Saga’s regulations.

 are a method for creating a dedicated blockspace that a developer can manage. These chainlets function as virtual machines that can handle smart contracts and automatically launch Celestia rollups. Each chainlet is its own blockchain that handles nothing but a specific gaming project. Developers decide on the gas fees they'll charge users, and can add chainlets as their projects expand and require more throughput from the remaining validators.

Saga's shared security relies on both the Cosmos hub and its own set of validators to secure the network. Validators on Saga’s network are monitored by auditors who can catch potential issues with individual dedicated chains. If anyone in the validator set fails to properly confirm a smart contract, their staked tokens are automatically confiscated.

 is a publishing system for gaming developers who want to create their own blockchains with help from Saga. It offers infinite scalability, seamless 

 and transactions without gas fees. In addition to use of the Cosmos SDK, developers who choose to publish their game through Saga Origins receive access to a variety of helpful marketing and distribution tools.

 is an interconnected blend of all the developers and projects in the Saga system. Though each sovereign blockchain is fully independent of others, they all join together to offer users a variety of exciting web3 projects. People interested in checking out the latest blockchain designs can join the Multiverse and browse all the neat concepts built on Saga.

To help get the Saga validator system started, Saga released 

 to its community members. People were eligible for the 

 if they had participated in the staking program or played in tournaments to promote Saga ecosystem games. The airdrop eligibility period required remaining validators and other participants to be active between January and October of 2023. Once the airdrop began allowing people to claim tokens, it continued to run until Mar 27, 2024.

 consists of four separate phases. The company has already completed the Andromeda and Cassiopeia phases, which focused on designing the Mainnet and setting up the system of Saga validators. Currently, the Saga team is in the Pegasus phase, which is about releasing tokens and opening the Saga Mainnet to the public. Sometime in late 2022, Saga’s team hopes to reach their Mainnet V2 phase, which will prioritize a new version of the Saga Mainnet with more features and options for dedicated blockspace.

SAGA tokens are the primary method for paying fees on the Saga network. These tokens are also used for staking, and function as a method of confirming Saga transactions. There are a total of 

, of which around 90 million have thus far been released. Saga plans to distribute its tokens as follows:

SAGA is still in the early stages of its token launch. However, it’s already surprised investors, having debuted at $4.91 on Apr 9, 2024 before quickly surging to its ATH to date of $7.60. It then steadily declined over the next few days to its current price of $3.06 as of Apr 19, 2024.

 SAGA, with its experts believing SAGA’s price will reach $15.73 by 2025 and decrease in 2027 to $6.27, before rising again to $13.45 by 2030. This bullish sentiment is amplified by analysts at Changelly, 

 SAGA’s price will increase to $6.91 in 2025, $14.21 in 2027 and $44.36 in 2030.

Looking to trade Saga tokens? Bybit now offers SAGAUSDT Perpetual contracts. To get started, you’ll first need to 

, then fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

SAGA has done an extremely impressive job of attracting users, and seems poised to become the big coin debut of April 2024 with its high price.

However, it's hard to say whether SAGA can maintain its price in the long run. It's quite common for new startups to have a strong start and then drop in price once their project fails to take off. If the Saga ecosystem can’t attract new developers and continue to release impressive projects, investors could see some major SAGA losses in the future.

Since this coin is so volatile right now, investors need to 

. It has the potential for both big profits and big losses, so you’ll want to carefully consider how these price shifts might affect your portfolio. For best results, avoid investing more than you can afford to lose, make sure you diversify your investments — and 

By offering developers the chance to create their own dedicated chains, Saga offers a more convenient and scalable system for blockchain gaming. Its helpful features and low transaction fees have already attracted many people, and it's no surprise that many others are interested in the project. Furthermore, SAGA tokens have had a promising start with extremely impressive growth. If the Saga company can successfully capitalize on its early buzz, it has a bright future.

Intermediate

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Saga (SAGA): Catalyzing the Multiverse With Scalable Chains

Discover Masa, a platform empowering individuals to control and monetize their data, decentralizing AI storage and promoting ethical data sharing.

Few areas of the crypto industry are as popular these days as artificial intelligence (AI). AI-related tokens and projects experience some of the highest growth rates, with particular interest attached to generative AI technology and large language models (LLMs), all thanks to OpenAI's massively popular ChatGPT tool. This is no surprise, as blockchain technology has the potential to address many of the limitations of LLM algorithms, particularly those related to the issues of data and centralization of AI models.

The Masa network (MASA) is a new AI-focused crypto platform that brings a fresh paradigm to the world by allowing individuals to control and monetize their personal data. Its platform also contributes to the AI revolution by decentralizing the storage of both the user data and the LLMs utilizing it.

 (MASA) is a blockchain platform that provides access to user-consented, hyper-specific behavioral and personal data and decentralized LLM algorithms. 

The platform launched its operations on Apr 11, 2024. Masa operates as a subnet on the 

 (AVAX) blockchain. To enable cross-chain functionality, it has also integrated 

 technology. This lets Masa bridge assets, initially to two key blockchains, 

 (BSC), with additional chains to be added in the future.

Masa provides user-consented AI data that’s stored in a decentralized way. As of mid-April 2024, more than 40 million data points from over 1.4 million 

 user wallets are available via its permissionless data layer. Masa represents an entirely new decentralized AI paradigm: while most data providers use centralized storage solutions, its platform's data is always stored in a decentralized, blockchain-based format.

The data made available via Masa’s platform is user-consented for collection and privacy-protected using its Zero-Knowledge 

 (zkSBT) technology, which allows users to share their personal data securely and confidentially by storing this encrypted data on the blockchain. Thanks to the zkSBT, users can share fairly detailed personal data while protecting their identities and the specifics of their online activities.

This user-consented data is directly sourced from users through the Masa App and Masa Chrome browser extension with their consent. Users have complete control over their data, which is collected in a highly detailed, verified and ethical manner. 

As such, it's different from the typical user-aggregated data collected from the internet by companies. Compared to user-consented data, user-aggregated data tends to be less granular and, obviously, has ethical strings attached to it: in most cases, users don't consent to the collection of such data, or (at best) provide reluctant consent by clicking on annoying "Accept All Cookies" buttons.

While focusing mostly on user-consented data, the Masa platform also offers developers a way to access user-aggregated data for a richer data network. Using Masa's web data scraper, developers can extract data from websites, social media posts, blogs and online databases.

User-aggregated data is collected by data node workers via the Masa Oracle network and Masa Chrome extension and stored on the platform, benefiting from the 

In addition to datasets, Masa enables the decentralized execution of LLM algorithms, facilitated by the Oracle node workers, who leverage their surplus CPU and GPU computing power to run open-source LLMs for fine-tuning AI models.

The Masa project aspires to achieve goals crucial to the development of all data and AI industries. First, Masa allows individuals to completely control their own personal data by choosing what to share with the outside world while protecting their confidentiality. The blockchain-based storage mode also ensures the security of the stored data. Additionally, users can monetize access to their personal data, becoming a major beneficiary of its use.

All of these benefits are in stark contrast to the traditional way user data is collected, stored and used on Web 2.0 platforms. In this traditional mode, one is often unaware of what personal data is collected about them, as well as when and by whom. Although the data used for analytics purposes might be in an aggregated form, together with the details of other online users, individual users are still part of the "guinea pig" cohort whose details have been unceremoniously extracted and utilized without their knowledge or consent.

Moreover, when hit online with some fairly relevant advertising based on past search phrases, one begins to realize that data isn't always used in an aggregated format. In fact, its utilization can be quite personalized. And of course, in the traditional mode of data collection, we’re all rarely reimbursed for the data we share.

Another aim of the Masa project is to provide a secure and efficient decentralized infrastructure for running LLM algorithms. Traditional, centralized hosting solutions for AI models face challenges, such as technical capacity and security issues. For instance, many centrally hosted LLM-based solutions suffer from performance degradation when large numbers of users access them simultaneously. Masa's approach to leveraging decentralized resources for running open-source LLMs efficiently addresses these capacity limitations, providing enhanced scalability and reliability for AI applications.

Masa operates as a subnet on the Avalanche blockchain, using cross-chain communications supported by LayerZero to access other networks as well. Avalanche subnets are completely independent 

 networks with their own set of rules and functionalities. Subnets, including Masa, use Avalanche's validators, or a subset of validators, to secure the network and achieve consensus.

Besides the validators, the Masa network has another type of functional nodes — 

. These special Masa nodes play a critical role in providing structured data and advanced AI models while prioritizing data privacy.

The Masa Oracle network acts as a decentralized web scraper, gathering data from the internet and organizing it for AI training and development. This approach gives developers access to hyper-personalized training data to improve language model performance. It also supports the decentralization of LLMs, making them easily accessible without complex setup.

As mentioned above, users can manage access to and monetization of their personal data via Zero-Knowledge Soulbound Tokens (zkSBTs), which provide a secure way of providing access to users’ personal data without compromising their privacy.

 is the main gateway for users to interact with the Masa platform. It lets them provide access to personal data and earn crypto rewards by staking data in four different ways:

Masa’s native cryptocurrency, MASA, is a utility and 

 used to reward users for providing their data to the network. 

 MASA also earns you crypto rewards. Entities who wish to utilize data held by the network pay for access to it in MASA tokens. The token is also used to reward the Oracle nodes.

As a governance token, MASA lets you participate in votes on any changes and upgrades to the platform's rules or fee structure.

The token's supply economics doesn't specify a maximum cap. MASA's total supply is 1,588,866,523, which will be released gradually over a period of around four years starting in April 2024. Token supply allocation shares are per the table below.

The MASA token is available on Bybit via a 

. Bybit's Spot and Derivatives markets provide you with opportunities to trade hundreds of cryptocurrencies and crypto-based products. If you don’t have a Bybit account, you can easily 

 to access Bybit's range of crypto products and assets.

The Masa network is a refreshing addition to the data industry, whose user consent and privacy have been under attack for many years. The Masa platform puts data ownership in users' hands, allowing them to control access to their data and benefit from its monetization. As online privacy concerns and invasive Web 2.0 advertising shenanigans grow, more users will be attracted to Masa's unique data concept.

In addition to allowing individuals to control and monetize their data, Masa also contributes significantly to the development of 

, which is important because the decentralized mode of data and model storage championed by the platform has the potential to solve many technical limitations of LLMs and other types of AI algorithms. This is a network full of merit and promise; all it needs now is wider recognition and user adoption.

Advanced

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Masa (MASA): Powering AI With User-Centric Data Monetization

Today’s outperformer is LSK, which jumped 17.63% after Lisk partners with Velodrome to enhance blockchain access and drive ecosystem growth.

The SPX index is down 0.22% as the market anticipates less Federal Reserve rate cuts, considering the possibility of no cuts this year. The broader cryptocurrency market is up, with Bitcoin and Ether rising by 4.18% and 3.19%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Lisk (LSK), launched on May 2016, is a cryptocurrency platform that enables developers to build decentralized applications (dapps) using JavaScript and TypeScript. It supports custom "sidechains" within its network, offering tools like a software development kit. Lisk has announced a partnership with Velodrome to support and expand its blockchain ecosystem. Lisk will purchase and lock $VELO tokens for voting, directing VELO emissions to key pairs on Lisk. This collaboration aims to support existing protocols on Lisk, attract new developers, and enhance blockchain accessibility and adoption in emerging markets. Velodrome will back Lisk's Layer 2 initiatives, aligning with the goal of creating a scalable, interoperable Ethereum future.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

The Runes protocol is set to debut alongside Bitcoin's 2024 halving, heralding a new phase in Bitcoin's evolution by enabling the creation of fungible tokens directly on its network. This follows the impactful Ordinals protocol, which significantly expanded Bitcoin's functionalities. The Runes protocol will spark competition among developers to issue and acquire the first tokens, with global exchanges ready to support these tokens from day one. The halving event will also feature a race to mine a highly valuable "Epic" satoshi. As Bitcoin approaches this transformative era, extensive preparations and educational initiatives are underway to equip users for the forthcoming changes, marking a profound shift in Bitcoin's operational and cultural landscape.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have yet another day of outflow, however, yesterday’s outflow was close to neutral. The market has seen fluctuating flows in these ETFs, with significant activity in some and none in others, reflecting mixed investor reactions. Recent substantial outflows echo trends from March, but analysts regard such fluctuations as typical for ETFs and not indicative of failure. Despite this volatility, the outlook for Bitcoin ETFs remains positive as they continue to draw institutional interest and shape market dynamics.

Avail, a blockchain data-availability protocol developed using Polygon’s SDK, has announced an airdrop of 600 million AVAIL tokens, marking its one-year anniversary since spinning off from Polygon Labs. The "Unification Drop" aims to bring together various blockchain communities by rewarding developers, governance contributors, educators, rollup users, stakers, and others who have significantly contributed to the ecosystem. Avail's infrastructure includes three segments: Nexus for cross-chain transactions, Fusion for liquid staking on chains like Ethereum and Bitcoin, and DA for scaling rollups through technologies like KZG commitments. The airdrop will distribute tokens to 354,605 wallet addresses and includes significant allocations for various roles across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and more, emphasizing a unified Web3 environment.

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Runes Protocol Revolutionizes Bitcoin with New Token Capabilities Ahead of 2024 Halving

Nolus is a decentralized finance lending protocol with cross-chain capabilities. Learn more about how it works in this article.

One of the big advantages of decentralized finance (

) is that it provides more options for users. People who cannot get traditional loans because a typical bank deems them "high-risk" can turn to the DeFi sector to borrow crypto assets. The Nolus Protocol is a new DeFi lender that offers users all sorts of exciting opportunities. To see how this intriguing project works, explore this guide to learn all about Nolus.

 is a DeFi lending protocol. It has cross-chain capabilities that let people choose the most favorable rates possible and avoid the need to save up funds for liquidity.

Nolus was founded by Ivan Kostov and Kamen Trendafilov. Kostov worked in traditional finance, while Trendafilov has a background in marketing and business. During their time in these sectors, Nolus's founders realized that blockchain networks had the potential to revolutionize banking. They decided to join together and create a new leasing system that makes the most of DeFi products instead of just trying to mimic past banking methods.

Nolus started work on its plans in 2022 and officially launched its mainnet in 2023, having successfully completed several investing rounds and receiving 

 Token Metrics, Autonomy Capital, Everstake and more.

Nolus aims to tackle three problems common in crypto lending markets:

 software developer kit (SDK). Its code is entirely open sourced, and is updated and changed only when all stakeholders in the Nolus community vote to do so. According to the Nolus white paper, its ecosystem’s goal is “to build a novel user experience–driven automated money market” that facilitates direct interactions between lenders and borrowers without involving any other users.

The Nolus lending method starts with lenders choosing to supply 

 to the system. Any borrower who submits a down payment can get a loan from this supply of stablecoins. Both the coins and the down payment are 

, and interest is determined based on the value of the items. There’s no fixed repayment schedule, but the smart contracts ensure that interest is automatically removed from the collateral, and then paid to the lender at regular intervals. Once the user decides to repay the lease, the original assets are released from the smart contract.

Nolus's lending protocol includes many ways for customers to profit and enjoy convenient services. Here are the main DeFi products you can access through Nolus.

DeFi leasing on Nolus is designed to be as convenient as possible. Customers don’t have to go through a lengthy application or pay a lot of fees to other users. You just enter your collateral and get a loan of up to three times the value of the initial investment. Interest rates vary between 11% and 18%, based on the market value of the digital assets. The 

 allow the loan to be repaid on your own schedule. However, keep in mind that you pay more interest if you wait a longer amount of time to repay the loan.

If you want to earn money based on your existing crypto, you can join one of the many 

 on Nolus by submitting stablecoins in exchange for interest-bearing Nolus crypto. When you're ready to withdraw your funds and stop participating in DeFi leasing, you can cash out your Nolus tokens to receive your initial asset, plus any additional interest or network fees you’ve earned.

Nolus's system of money markets isn't the only thing they provide. Users who decide to 

 a crypto asset on Nolus can earn more money. The Nolus ecosystem offers the option of staking NLS tokens in exchange for various incentives. Lenders receive higher amounts of rewards for lending stablecoins, and borrowers get a lower interest rate.

Nolus has had some impressive growth since its launch in 2023. In just six months, the lending protocol has assisted with thousands of loans, collectively worth $8.6 million in total. Its team calculates that they've managed to achieve an average 

Nolus hopes to expand on this momentum in 2024. Its main plan is to continue marketing the lending protocol heavily, attracting more users who want to do their own research and find the best possible loans. To further attract users from the DeFi sector, Nolus aims to add more support for other crypto tokens and increase network liquidity. Nolus stands for community-led governance, so they don't have a long-term road map in place. Instead, they plan to evolve and adjust to suit whatever community needs arise in the future.

. It allows users to adjust their interest rates, and it's also a 

. People with NLS tokens can vote on how the platform is run and help implement new changes for the platform. The NLS token has a total supply of 1 billion. Nolus’s plan is to gradually mint tokens over a ten-year period, and implement a token buyback program to help maintain value. NLS token distribution will be as follows:

When the NLS token was released in the summer of 2023, Nolus prices were fairly stable. However, now that investors can sell their NLS tokens, prices have become more volatile. Starting in December 2023, NLS prices 

, and although the token currently seems to be dropping from its all-time high of $0.10, more price increases seem likely in the future.

Not only is the market for the NLS token quite bullish right now, but the Nolus lending protocol is also attracting a lot of positive attention in the crypto space. If the network can maintain its positive attention and attract more users, prices seem likely to rise even further. CoinCodex predicts Nolus prices will stay in the $0.04 to $0.19 range for 2025, and hit 

. This attitude is backed up by crypto influencers such as Crypto Revolution, 

 an underrated crypto with a lot of potential for growth.

The Nolus project is a well-thought-out crypto protocol that offers users significant advantages. Its innovative approach to lending could potentially attract a lot of users from the DeFi space. In addition to having a reliable system backed with effective technology and a detailed white paper, NLS digital assets have also experienced some promising growth patterns. The crypto asset has had a slow yet steady climb in price, and now that it's trending in crypto news, it seems poised to take off.

However, keep in mind that it's still important to 

 on digital assets. Some crypto investors might find it concerning that the Nolus project is mostly backed by marketers, instead of blockchain enthusiasts. There have also been some tech issues, such as the 

 that led to some unnecessary margin calls. Subsequent issues could limit price appreciation of its crypto assets. Therefore, it's necessary to approach Nolus with caution and not overextend your finances.

Nolus's DeFi lease system allows people to obtain easy access to crypto. Its innovative approach provides investors with significant advantages. Unlike traditional finance, there's no lengthy application process, and in contrast to many other blockchain networks Nolus doesn't have frequent margin calls or high network fees. As long as Nolus doesn't run into any technological issues or financial problems, its network is likely to have a lot of success in the DeFi space.

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Nolus (NLS): Crafting Liquidity's Future With Leading DeFi Leases

Trading

DeFi

Investing

Crypto rug pulls often happen in DEXs, and they are notorious for your investment. Learn how it happens & spot the rug pull signs before it's too late.

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If you’re standing on a rug and it’s suddenly pulled out from under you, unless it’s a magic carpet, you’d fall on the floor. Worse yet, you might spill or lose everything you were holding onto at that moment. That’s exactly why you need to be aware of rug pulls, especially when you’re trading a volatile crypto asset.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a rug pull is, how it happens and how you can avoid them. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead and minimize risks.

A crypto rug pull happens when developers create a token paired with a valuable cryptocurrency, list the token on 

 (DEXs), and then pull all the funds out after the investor’s buy-in. 

Rug pulls are usually perpetrated by malicious scammers who create hype around a coin and then abandon the project, running away with the money. These cryptocurrencies are usually paired with reliable utility blockchains, be it on 

 or Binance Chain. This is because investors who swapped their ETH for the listed token gives the creators of the token a chance to withdraw the ETH from liquidity quickly. For example, meme coins are one of the craters that cause investors to concede into the FOMO spirit and get rug-pulled.

) space by pulling funds from a liquidity pool. To understand this in-depth, we need to know how liquidity pools function.

A liquidity pool is effectively a market maker for DEXs, meaning it provides buy and sell orders for a given token. Because there is no centralized system for facilitating trades, crypto exchanges need a way to keep order flow going. It’s also easy to list tokens on a decentralized exchange because there’s no one to audit the token. 

At its core, a liquidity pool is a pile of investor funds locked in crypto pairs that allow users to trade between different cryptocurrencies. Crypto pairs usually include a popular cryptocurrency like Ethereum’s (ETH) because it’s a well-established platform token with high availability. 

To encourage investors to pool their resources and act as a liquidity provider (LP), a trading fee is charged on orders and awarded based on the total value lent to the pool (similar to a dividend). In exchange for the crypto in their wallet dedicated to the pool, each user is entitled to a percentage of the overall fee. The higher the amount lent, the more money an investor stands to make. 

Creators of liquidity pools vie for more investors by offering higher yields. The below graphic depicts simply how liquidity pools function.

Once the creators of a rug pull have amassed a large amount of liquidity providers with substantial capital, they pull all the available assets out. The coins are then exchanged in another marketplace and made untraceable to the victims. Because Ether is often used as the exchange currency, it’s easy to transfer between other wallets and “disappear” to other users. This removes all crypto assets — leaving the pool empty and the liquidity providers with nothing but disappointment. 

Why DeFi Became a Common Space for Rug Pulls 

As the name suggests, DeFi protocols have no centralized oversight relying only on smart contracts, making it a prime target for DeFi rug. In the first seven months of 2021 alone, 

. However, investors are getting savvier, and the amount of crypto stolen on DeFi platforms is down 64%.

With DeFi projects, bad actors can create tokens, raise their profile and recruit investors. By using 

, the tokens are created and listed without audit. All the scammers need to do is create a token with some apparent value, promise use cases, and create a market appeal for investors to buy it. 

As soon as money starts flowing into the project, its value shoots up and the creators sell these tokens, draining the value of the tokens to zero. They essentially take the money promised to the project in token sales for themselves, pack their bags and flee — in other words, pulling the rug from underneath their buyers. 

Since the DeFi space isn’t regulated, it’s easily targeted for crimes.

Rug pulls in cryptocurrency markets are easy to pinpoint — 

In August 2021, a criminal group walked away with 

 of funds taken from investors in one of the largest cryptocurrency DeFi scams to date. All social media accounts and the website for Luna Yield, a project on the DeFi platform Solana, were closed down. When users withdrew (or “unstake”) their funds, they found the pools were empty. They had fallen victim to a rug pull.

In one of the most publicized cases of 2021, Thodex, a Turkish-based platform, was closed, and its founder, Faruk Fatih Özer, is rumored to have 

. Özer is still on the run, but is being pursued internationally by

. Thodex built an active user base of 390,000 financial users. In April, the DEX was unexpectedly closed. It’s still unknown where the missing funds went.

2021 also saw DeFi platform Compounder Finance 

worth over $10.8 million in stolen customer funds. A breakdown revealed that contracts worth $5 million in Dai, $4.8 million in Ether and $750,000 in Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) were drained from Compounder Finance. In a scheme that sounds like something out of a thriller, the team replaced their secure and audited contracts with malicious ones that enabled them to steal locked investor money. They also cleverly mimicked the name of Compound Finance, a legit DeFi interest-earning protocol, to lure their marks into investing.

In March 2021, Meerkat Finance, a DeFi yield project using a forked cryptocurrency of 

, perpetrated a rug pull worth $31 million in crypto assets. The platform’s official Telegram channel claimed that its smart contract vault had been compromised. Investigations suggested that either the private key of the Meerkat deployer was compromised or the incident was self-directed by the owners of the project. 

In June of this year WhaleFarm, a DeFi project token 

 in exchange for staking its pool, crashed 99% in a matter of minutes (chart below), scamming investors out of $2.3 million worth of cryptocurrencies. The team, which was entirely anonymous from the start, is still unidentified.

. These range from small value scams in the thousands to 

Image credit: TradingView and Reddit. An example of WhaleFarm Token Rug Pull.

Signs That an Exit Scam and Rug Pull Is About to Happen

 the total monetary amount stolen is dropping because investors are learning to watch for the signs. If you know what you’re looking for, it becomes easier to avoid these schemes. Below are some common signals to help you avoid falling victim to such an exit scheme.

Many DeFi pools offer to facilitate the trade of tokens and lend them inside, creating extra yield to investors in the pool. WhaleFarm, for instance, 

. If you see a yield farm offering returns that are too good to be true, they probably are.

There may be a rationale for creators to remain anonymous, 

 to personal reasons. However, anonymity also makes it harder for bad actors to be tracked after pulling off a scam. If a project is started anonymously, with new social media accounts created within days or hours of a launch — that’s a big red flag. 

If projects have no ties to other successful projects or the crypto community as a whole, that’s also a red flag. Look on a project’s website for meaningful information about the team. If it’s just a bunch of fluff, proceed (if at all) with caution.

With any asset, if you can’t see why the value is rapidly increasing, beware. Scammers can inflate a project by either putting in funds or creating false hype to get people involved in it by exploiting the “FOMO” — fear of missing out. Look for legitimate reasons such as new exchange listings, partnership announcements, or other good news that could be driving the spike. If these are non-existent, it may be a rug pull or 

. Remain skeptical unless you have a good reason not to be.

Most crypto scams are designed with a rug pull in mind. Because of this, the use case for the token or pool is vague and unpractical. Instead, the creators rely on social media posts, crypto influencers and paid advertisements to gain support. Try to understand the legitimate use case for a project before jumping into a new token or pool. All sizzle and no steak won’t provide anyone with a good meal.

Most legitimate liquidity pools lock in investor money for a certain amount of time. This does two things. First, the pool liquidity needed for token swapping, lending and other activities is ensured, so that the pool can continue to function. Second, it keeps the creators from quickly emptying the pool once it gets to a certain size — and running away with the money. A locked pool helps to safeguard investor interests. If there’s no lockup, it’s another red flag. 

By exercising caution and looking for the signs above, investors can mitigate the risk of becoming entrapped by a rug pull. Prudent investors exercise caution when entering new markets or investing in new pools. Greed can make poor business decisions seem much safer than otherwise, so knowing the signs of foul play will decrease one’s chances of falling prey.

Avoiding scams and potential rug pulls in crypto projects ultimately boils down to awareness before investing and doing your own research. Here are a few more ways to check the legitimacy of any project. 

One way to assess a token’s legitimacy is to check its liquidity. Legitimate projects usually have millions in liquidity. These projects lock up a significant amount of tokens for a long time — and again, they cannot be withdrawn from the liquidity pool during that time frame. Check the project’s staking period, and verify the amount of liquidity belonging to a project’s owners. Legitimate platforms like PancakeSwap and Uniswap usually have liquidity information readily available. 

Review Github, Whitepaper and Social Media Channels 

Github is the code base hub for DeFi projects, usually containing their development activities. It’s well worth keeping an eye on these, as well as a project’s social media channels including Telegram, Twitter, etc. If the project is apparently not going through any active development and is a fork of another project, it might be a bad sign.

Any project that’s potentially a rug pull is defined by its owners and creators. Their relevance to the cryptocurrency space, as well as their previous involvements, track records, social media and industry history and connections must add up if they are to gain credibility. The more questions than answers about the owners and team, the more likely the project is to be a scam. 

Look at Holders and Listings on DEX Platforms

If a token has only a few token holders and isn’t actively traded on multiple platforms, it’s possible that it might be a rug pull waiting. Tools like Etherscan and CoinGecko can reveal more information about a token. 

DeFi is a young industry with great potential. It offers the freedom to borrow without any restrictions on credit history. All you need to borrow is collateral. Moreover, DeFi banking is truly private, as there is no centralized authority involved in dictating terms or taking high transaction fees. However, the downside of such an unregulated space is that anyone can list an asset with no central control over it. There’s no one to tell if a project is out to scam people, and that’s where rug pulls come in. 

As with any new technology, unethical players in the crypto space will try their best to con people who have less knowledge and experience. With many new projects, prices can be inflated short-term, and sometimes it can be difficult to separate hype from reality.

Investing in DeFi ultimately comes down to your available funds and your risk appetite. Make sure you do proper research before investing in a project, and really understand what the project is about. Online platforms and tools like 

 can help you evaluate the legitimacy of investments. 

Rug pulls are usually very well planned and blatantly executed. The tokens that have been created promise exciting developments and garner a lot of attention in a short span of time. Instead of executing token sales, however, the teams behind the hoax are orchestrating an exit scam. Investors often don’t realize it until the token is drained of all value and its creators have long disappeared.

With growing interest in crypto, the stakes are becoming increasingly high. Scam artists are constantly looking for ways to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting victims. By keeping track of common signs of exit scams and conducting due diligence on prospective projects, you can decrease the chances that their next victim will be you.

Why Crypto Rug Pulls Happen in DeFi — and How to Avoid Them

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