In a new article,  I examine how the role of derivatives in the crypto industry compares in terms of sophistication and leverage with their role in traditional finance.  Engaging in the first qualitative and empirical analysis of the issue, …

The promise of decentralized finance (DeFi) was that it would replace often conflict-ridden financial intermediaries and hierarchies with automated systems that we could trust. The reality, however, is that DeFi has not eradicated conflicts or trust issues but shifted them …

In a recent paper, I draw a rough map of the vast field of decentralized finance (DeFi). DeFi serves as an umbrella term for financial platform transactions that operate through automated protocols on blockchain and have prompted hard discussions …

The year 2022 was an annus horribilis for the crypto ecosystem. The combination of the collapse of the FTX group,[1] the failure of Terra’s UST stablecoin,[2] 3AC’s bankruptcy,[3] and crypto losing $2 trillion in market value became …

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) employs blockchain technology and smart contracts with the goal of enabling perfectly disintermediated financial markets. Despite the far-reaching ambition, DeFi markets are experiencing increasing intermediation recently, as a new type of intermediary, so-called Crypto Funds (henceforth, CFs), …