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What Is Pendle (PENDLE)?
Key Takeaways
Pendle is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that lets people separate and trade the earnings (yield) they get from investing in certain crypto assets.
The platform breaks down these assets into two parts: Principal Tokens (PT), which represent the original investment, and Yield Tokens (YT), which represent the extra earnings from that investment.
The PENDLE token is used to reward users, help govern the platform, and share fees with people who lock their tokens (vePENDLE).
Introduction
In the world of crypto and DeFi, people are always looking for better ways to earn income from their investments. Pendle offers a way to handle this by separating the initial investment from the profits it generates, so users can trade or manage each part however they like. This breaks new ground by bringing ideas from traditional finance to DeFi, making yield trading more accessible and flexible.
What Is Pendle?
Pendle is an open platform where anyone can trade parts of their yield-bearing crypto assets. It splits these assets into:
Principal Tokens (PT): These represent your original amount invested and can be claimed back after a set period. Since the earnings part is taken out, PTs usually cost less than the full asset, offering a “fixed return” option.
Yield Tokens (YT): These represent the profits the asset makes, such as interest or rewards. Holding YT lets you collect those earnings and gives you a chance to bet on how profitable the asset will be.
This system gives users the freedom to choose whether they want a steady income, bet on higher earnings, or protect themselves against losses.
How Does Pendle Work?
Turning yield into tradable pieces
Pendle takes yield-generating tokens and wraps them into a standard form called SY (Standardized Yield). These are then broken down into PTs and YTs. For example, staking ether (ETH) with the Lido protocol gives you stETH, which earns staking rewards. Pendle wraps this into SY-stETH and creates PT-stETH (the original ETH you staked) and YT-stETH (the staking rewards).
Each token has a specific maturity date when you can claim your principal, and the yield token expires as earnings stop after that time.
Pendle’s automated market maker (AMM)
Pendle’s AMM facilitates efficient trading of PT and YT tokens through a single liquidity pool per asset. It uses flash swaps to enable simultaneous PT and YT trades with minimal slippage and reduced impermanent loss.
PENDLE and vePENDLE tokens
The PENDLE token encourages people to provide liquidity and participate in platform governance. Users who lock up their PENDLE tokens get vePENDLE, which gives them voting rights on how rewards are shared, boosts their earnings, and grants a share of protocol fees. This encourages users to stay engaged with the platform in the long term.
What Can You Do With Pendle?
Pendle offers several ways to manage your crypto earnings:
Lock in a fixed return: Buy PT tokens at a discount and hold them until maturity to secure a predictable profit.
Bet on yield changes: Purchase YT tokens to profit if the asset’s future earnings go up or remain steady.
Protect yourself against yield drops: Sell YT tokens or use advanced strategies to guard against falling yields.
Earn from providing liquidity: Supply funds to Pendle’s pools and get rewarded from the trading fees generated.
What’s Next for Pendle?
Pendle’s ongoing roadmap emphasizes scalability and market expansion:
Enhanced V2 features: Improving dynamic fee mechanisms, governance participation, and user interface to empower third-party pool creation and optimize liquidity balance.
Citadels: Expanding beyond EVM ecosystems to non-EVM chains like Solana and TON, alongside launching KYC-compliant products targeted at traditional financial institutions.
Boros: A new product vertical introducing yield perpetuals that enable users to trade floating versus fixed yield streams on various yield sources, starting with funding rate markets on perpetual futures, broadening the protocol’s reach into both CeFi and TradFi yield domains.
Risks to Keep in Mind
Like all DeFi platforms, Pendle has risks. Smart contracts are audited, but bugs or attacks are always possible. Also, the underlying assets that generate yield can be volatile. Tokenized yield products have expiration dates, so users need to track and manage their positions actively. Also, governance through vePENDLE could present risks if voting power becomes too concentrated.
Closing Thoughts
Pendle brings a fresh take to earning and managing crypto yields by breaking down investments into tradable pieces. This flexibility can suit many different users, from casual investors to sophisticated traders and institutions. With ongoing innovation and plans to expand across ecosystems, Pendle is an interesting project in the decentralized yield landscape, helping connect the crypto world with traditional finance concepts.
Further Reading
What Is Liquid Staking?
What Are DeFi Aggregators and How Do They Work?
What Is a Yield Curve and How to Use It?
Impermanent Loss Explained
Disclaimer: This content is presented to you on an “as is” basis for general information and educational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind. It should not be construed as financial, legal or other professional advice, nor is it intended to recommend the purchase of any specific product or service. You should seek your own advice from appropriate professional advisors. Products mentioned in this article may not be available in your region. Where the article is contributed by a third party contributor, please note that those views expressed belong to the third party contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Binance Academy. Please read our full disclaimer for further details. Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance Academy is not liable for any losses you may incur. This material should not be construed as financial, legal or other professional advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Risk Warning.
Pendle is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that lets people separate and trade the earnings (yield) they get from investing in certain crypto assets.
The platform breaks down these assets into two parts: Principal Tokens (PT), which represent the original investment, and Yield Tokens (YT), which represent the extra earnings from that investment.
The PENDLE token is used to reward users, help govern the platform, and share fees with people who lock their tokens (vePENDLE).
Introduction
In the world of crypto and DeFi, people are always looking for better ways to earn income from their investments. Pendle offers a way to handle this by separating the initial investment from the profits it generates, so users can trade or manage each part however they like. This breaks new ground by bringing ideas from traditional finance to DeFi, making yield trading more accessible and flexible.
What Is Pendle?
Pendle is an open platform where anyone can trade parts of their yield-bearing crypto assets. It splits these assets into:
Principal Tokens (PT): These represent your original amount invested and can be claimed back after a set period. Since the earnings part is taken out, PTs usually cost less than the full asset, offering a “fixed return” option.
Yield Tokens (YT): These represent the profits the asset makes, such as interest or rewards. Holding YT lets you collect those earnings and gives you a chance to bet on how profitable the asset will be.
This system gives users the freedom to choose whether they want a steady income, bet on higher earnings, or protect themselves against losses.
How Does Pendle Work?
Turning yield into tradable pieces
Pendle takes yield-generating tokens and wraps them into a standard form called SY (Standardized Yield). These are then broken down into PTs and YTs. For example, staking ether (ETH) with the Lido protocol gives you stETH, which earns staking rewards. Pendle wraps this into SY-stETH and creates PT-stETH (the original ETH you staked) and YT-stETH (the staking rewards).
Each token has a specific maturity date when you can claim your principal, and the yield token expires as earnings stop after that time.
Pendle’s automated market maker (AMM)
Pendle’s AMM facilitates efficient trading of PT and YT tokens through a single liquidity pool per asset. It uses flash swaps to enable simultaneous PT and YT trades with minimal slippage and reduced impermanent loss.
PENDLE and vePENDLE tokens
The PENDLE token encourages people to provide liquidity and participate in platform governance. Users who lock up their PENDLE tokens get vePENDLE, which gives them voting rights on how rewards are shared, boosts their earnings, and grants a share of protocol fees. This encourages users to stay engaged with the platform in the long term.
What Can You Do With Pendle?
Pendle offers several ways to manage your crypto earnings:
Lock in a fixed return: Buy PT tokens at a discount and hold them until maturity to secure a predictable profit.
Bet on yield changes: Purchase YT tokens to profit if the asset’s future earnings go up or remain steady.
Protect yourself against yield drops: Sell YT tokens or use advanced strategies to guard against falling yields.
Earn from providing liquidity: Supply funds to Pendle’s pools and get rewarded from the trading fees generated.
What’s Next for Pendle?
Pendle’s ongoing roadmap emphasizes scalability and market expansion:
Enhanced V2 features: Improving dynamic fee mechanisms, governance participation, and user interface to empower third-party pool creation and optimize liquidity balance.
Citadels: Expanding beyond EVM ecosystems to non-EVM chains like Solana and TON, alongside launching KYC-compliant products targeted at traditional financial institutions.
Boros: A new product vertical introducing yield perpetuals that enable users to trade floating versus fixed yield streams on various yield sources, starting with funding rate markets on perpetual futures, broadening the protocol’s reach into both CeFi and TradFi yield domains.
Risks to Keep in Mind
Like all DeFi platforms, Pendle has risks. Smart contracts are audited, but bugs or attacks are always possible. Also, the underlying assets that generate yield can be volatile. Tokenized yield products have expiration dates, so users need to track and manage their positions actively. Also, governance through vePENDLE could present risks if voting power becomes too concentrated.
Closing Thoughts
Pendle brings a fresh take to earning and managing crypto yields by breaking down investments into tradable pieces. This flexibility can suit many different users, from casual investors to sophisticated traders and institutions. With ongoing innovation and plans to expand across ecosystems, Pendle is an interesting project in the decentralized yield landscape, helping connect the crypto world with traditional finance concepts.
Further Reading
What Is Liquid Staking?
What Are DeFi Aggregators and How Do They Work?
What Is a Yield Curve and How to Use It?
Impermanent Loss Explained
Disclaimer: This content is presented to you on an “as is” basis for general information and educational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind. It should not be construed as financial, legal or other professional advice, nor is it intended to recommend the purchase of any specific product or service. You should seek your own advice from appropriate professional advisors. Products mentioned in this article may not be available in your region. Where the article is contributed by a third party contributor, please note that those views expressed belong to the third party contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Binance Academy. Please read our full disclaimer for further details. Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance Academy is not liable for any losses you may incur. This material should not be construed as financial, legal or other professional advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Risk Warning.
Disclaimer: Includes third-party opinions. No financial advice. May include sponsored content. See T&Cs.