DeFi

Decentralized finance, or DeFi, uses blockchain applications to provide services such as swapping tokens, lending, borrowing and supplying liquidity. A wallet interacts with smart contracts that hold assets and apply the protocol’s rules.

DeFi decentralized finance illustrated with connected vaults and exchange arrows

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Buy ADO Protocol (ADO) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy ADO Protocol (ADO), you've come to the right place. ADO Protocol sits at an interesting crossroads of decentralized exchange technology, entertainment, and tourism — making...

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Buy LAB (LAB) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy LAB (LAB), you've come to the right place. LAB is building an all-in-one trading ecosystem on BNB Chain that combines trading, analytics, asset management, and community...

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Buy Alchemix (ALCX) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Alchemix (ALCX), you've come to the right place. ALCX is the governance token powering the Alchemix DeFi protocol, giving holders a say in how the platform evolves. It's...

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Buy Goldfinch (GFI) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Goldfinch (GFI), you've come to the right place. Goldfinch is one of the more unique projects in decentralized finance, focusing on bringing real-world lending to the...

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Buy Yei Finance (CLO) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Yei Finance (CLO), you've come to the right place. CLO is the token behind Yei Finance's Clovis protocol — a cross-chain liquidity and settlement layer designed to bring...

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Buy Nomina (NOM) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Nomina (NOM), you've come to the right place. Nomina is building a unified trading platform designed to execute complex strategies across decentralized exchanges, and its...

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Buy Bedrock (BR) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Bedrock (BR), you've come to the right place. BR is the governance token powering the Bedrock ecosystem — a liquid staking and DeFi protocol operating across BNB Chain,...

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Buy Strike (STRIKE) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Strike (STRIKE), you've come to the right place. Strike Finance is bringing something genuinely new to the Cardano ecosystem — on-chain derivatives trading including...

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Buy Marinade (MNDE) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Marinade (MNDE), you've come to the right place. MNDE is the governance token behind one of Solana's most innovative liquid staking protocols, giving holders a say in how...

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Buy Optio (OPT) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Optio (OPT), you've come to the right place. Optio is a Layer 1 blockchain project built around a simple but powerful idea: users should own and profit from their own data...

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Buy Wanchain (WAN) — A simple guide

If you're looking to buy Wanchain (WAN), you've come to the right place. WAN is the native token of Wanchain, a blockchain platform designed to connect different blockchain networks and enable...

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What are DeFi tokens?

Browse the buying guides

Access can be open, although websites, asset issuers and individual products may impose restrictions. DeFi describes the service, not a guarantee that every part of it is decentralized.

How it works

Tokens can represent a vote, a deposit, a debt position or a claim on a pool of assets. These roles are not interchangeable. A governance token may have no right to protocol revenue, while a liquidity-pool token exposes its holder to the assets and pricing of that pool. Returns can come from borrower interest, trading fees or newly issued incentives; unusually high rewards need a clear explanation. Smart-contract failures, price-oracle errors, liquidation and bridge dependencies can all affect a position.

Blockchain explained: connected blocks in a blockchain network
Cryptocurrency wallet and keys illustrating secure access and recovery

A little groundwork goes a long way

Before your next purchase or transfer, understand who controls access, where your crypto is going and what the trade will actually cost.

Protect access to your crypto

An exchange account and a self-custody wallet need different safeguards. Protect exchange logins with a unique password and strong two-factor authentication. For self-custody, your recovery backup is what lets you restore access.

Keep recovery words offline and private. A support agent or website asking for them is a reason to stop.

See a recovery example

Your phone breaks. An exchange may help you recover your account after identity checks. A self-custody wallet cannot reset your recovery phrase. Check your wallet’s official backup instructions before relying on it.

Choose the right transfer network

The asset, token version and network must be supported at the destination. A familiar ticker or a matching address format is not enough. Read the receiving platform’s deposit instructions before selecting a withdrawal network.

Check the address, any required memo or tag, fees and minimums. Consider a small test transfer first.

See a network example

Your destination accepts USDC on Ethereum. Selecting a cheaper network at the sending exchange does not make it an Ethereum transfer. Use a network both ends support; an ordinary withdrawal does not bridge tokens.

Understand the price you pay

Trading fees are only part of the cost. The spread, available liquidity and withdrawal charges also matter. A market order prioritizes execution; a limit order controls the price but may remain unfilled or fill only partly.

Check the order preview and the amount you will receive, then compare the full cost of your intended purchase and withdrawal.

Work through a cost example

Hypothetical example: a $200 trade with a 0.1% trading fee costs $0.20 in trading fees. A separate $5 withdrawal fee brings those charges to $5.20. Spread or slippage may add more; these are not quoted exchange rates.