Is yearn.finance (YFI) a Good Investment?

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Contributor, Benzinga
December 28, 2021

Decided yearn.finance is a good investment? You can get YFI on Coinbase, FTX and Gemini today.

A huge benefit of cryptocurrency is that users can stake their tokens for huge rewards. Interest rates on crypto are often much higher than the risk-free rate, and users can generate steady income streams from this unique feature. Yearn.finance (YFI) hopes to bring staking and yield farming to the common investor and give everyone the opportunity to earn big.

What is yearn.finance (YFI)?

Staking and yield farming in crypto are a way for users to lend out their investment to receive a reward. While the system itself is similar to that of a savings account in a bank, the decentralized aspect of the program allows users to generate much higher returns. 

The staking and yield farming process can often be confusing as there are thousands of tokens to stake with and it can be difficult to find the best rates. yearn.finance is a unique project that hopes to bring this decentralized finance (DeFi) feature to the average investor. 

To generate the best rate for its users, yearn.finance combines several projects, such as Aave, Curve and Compound. This procedure also serves as a hedge, as investors do not have to put all of their investment into a single token. 

YFI is the governance token that powers the project. It is an ERC-20 token, meaning it is built on the Ethereum blockchain. It can harness the power of Ethereum while having the ability to make unique changes to the protocol.

YFI gives holders voting rights, which they can use to have a say in where the project goes in the future. A major issue that users can vote on is fees. yearn.finance currently charges a 0.5% withdrawal fee and a 5% gas fee. However, users can vote on these fees using their YFI holdings. It is worth noting that the developers hold a large stake in the token, so decisions are not made entirely by the community.

Right now, 100% of the YFI supply has been minted. No new tokens can be created without a vote from YFI holders. However, numerous proposals to mint new tokens have emerged, and a few of these have passed. While all current tokens are in circulation, new tokens could be minted at any time.

yearn.finance (YFI) Price History

YFI is currently trading for around $30,000, with a market capitalization of just over $1 billion. It ranks in the top 100 cryptocurrencies in terms of market cap.

In 2021, it saw lows of under $20,000 and highs of nearly $100,000. It is currently down nearly 70% from its all-time high. 

yearn.finance (YFI) Competition

The main competitors to yearn.finance are other platforms that generate the best staking rates. Perhaps the largest competitor is Harvest Finance (FARM). This project is similar to YFI with a few distinct differences. 

FARM offers a few tokens with much higher interest rates than YFI. However, these tokens have much less invested in them. For example, FARM offers a FARM/CRV staking pool that can generate over 100% APY, but it has a total deposit of less than $100,000. Conversely, yearn.finance’s largest APY is just over 50% APY, but there is nearly $15 million deposited. While FARM may offer higher rates, YFI offers much more liquidity and stability. 

FARM also offers a lot more tokens to stake. However, these often have far less deposited than YFI making them riskier to stake, as there is less collateral. 

Overall, FARM may provide higher rates but has higher risk because of its small size. YFI provides lower rates but offers the protection of large amounts of capital and a strong community.

How to Buy yearn.finance (YFI)

If you are looking to purchase yearn.finance (YFI), it is fairly easy to do. It is supported by a variety of prominent trading platforms and is readily available for purchase. Some of the best exchanges that support YFI are Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN), FTX and Gemini.

Opening an account on any of these platforms is simple, and you can typically begin trading within 24 hours. 

Best Hardware Wallet for yearn.finance (YFI)

While a trading platform is the easiest place to store crypto, a hardware wallet is often seen as the safest way to store crypto. Hardware wallets store private keys on a physical device. Without these private keys, crypto cannot be sent.

Best Hardware Wallet: Ledger

Ledger Hardware Wallet
Best For
  • ERC-20 tokens
securely through Ledger Hardware Wallet's website

Ledger is a leading hardware wallet brand. It is known globally for its safe, simple and easy-to-use hardware wallets. The wallets support the buying, sending and receiving of YFI.

Ledger currently offers Nano S and Nano X models. The Nano S has the basic safety features needed to store crypto, while the Nano X supports ease of use, with features such as bluetooth connectivity and a larger screen.

BZ

Bonus Section:

Keep an eye on the interest rates that YFI provides. The interest payouts are the main use for the token and can influence the price.

Cryptocurrency Market Outlook

After a volatile November 2021, crypto markets seem to be slowing down during the holiday season. A quiet end to 2021 may be a signal of a slow 2022 or the calm before the storm.

Either way, the first few months of 2022 will be very important for the future of crypto.

Is yearn.finance (YFI) a Good Investment?

YFI is a powerful tool that can attract new users to crypto and generate solid returns for its users. However, you want to make sure you understand the risks involved. If new users stop using crypto, then YFI may struggle to gain users. Additionally, if YFI holders vote to either lower fees or mint new tokens, the price could go down as the project would be less profitable and each token would be worth less. If you are willing to take on the risks of YFI, it may be a good investment.

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