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Decentralized finance needs alternatives to blockchain

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Decentralized finance needs alternatives to blockchain

One of the laziest and most frustrating criticisms of digital currencies — particularly Bitcoin (BTC) — is when pundits liken it to a pyramid scheme dependent on the “greater fool” joining to make a quick buck. While some people do indeed purchase digital assets purely for speculative purposes, it’s unfair to ignore many of the great services and achievements that are being made by developers in areas such as remittances, logistics, financial inclusion and intellectual property.

A fairer criticism of blockchains is that, for all proponents say about decentralization, blockchains are still dependent on miners or other powerful players that control their networks. Whether it be factories filled with servers for proof-of-work (PoW), pools of PoW miners, large pools of tokens for proof-of-stake (PoS), or the fact that at times, more than 50% of transactions that run on the Ethereum network run through the Infura API, there’s no ignoring these massive centralized points of failure.

Granted, the design of popular PoW and PoS blockchains has been incentivized to ensure bad actors are punished, yet it remains to be seen how they will operate when the value of digital assets operating on certain blockchains exceeds the value of the underlying ledger’s native coin.

Related: Ethereum’s Merge will affect more than just its blockchain

Imagine, for instance, if a popular stablecoin grew so large that its total value exceeded that of the native coin of the underlying blockchain it operated on. Essentially, it would create an inverse pyramid whereby the holders of the native token could control the transactions of the said stablecoin. Given the concentration of many crypto assets among “whales” who have a vested interest in their blockchain’s native token (and price), this could become a very real problem.

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In Ethereum, as a PoS ledger, miners’ stakes are in Ether (ETH). Should Tether (USDT) or USD Coin (USDC) become larger than Ether in market value, they could theoretically pull off a double-spend in those respective digital currencies, lose their Ether stake, and still profit more from the double-spend. Although it still remains hypothetical, it’s by no means unimaginable.

This then poses a question regarding how we should rethink distributed ledger technology (DLT) architecture and the role mining or staking assets should play.

Tether now boasts a market capitalization of over $80 billion, Circle just under $30 billion, while the Ethereum blockchain it’s programmed on has a market capitalization of Ether over $220 billion — not that far, given how quickly things can change in crypto.

Related: Tax on income you never earned? It’s possible after Ethereum’s Merge

This problem might seem theoretical and far off from being a potential issue; however, the rapid growth of cryptocurrencies as an asset class over the last decade should make people pause to consider what could happen if stablecoins enter the mainstream. Although DLT remains a very young industry, the last 14 years have given us their fair share of unexpected surprises, unintended consequences and shocks that, in hindsight, seemed obvious.

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Developers might consider whether now is the time to rethink the architecture underpinning digital assets. Dependency on centralized miners or servers, mistakes made by coders writing smart contracts, and the potential for double-spend when projects exceed the value of their underlying blockchains mean decentralized finance needs to look at alternatives to blockchain. Post-blockchain distributed ledgers, such as directed acyclic graphs (DAG), which allow access to anyone and don’t rely on block producers, could provide an insight into how this industry evolves over the next decade.

Whatever form the new architecture takes is a prize waiting to be claimed. Only then will the industry finally live up to its promise and stop being associated with pyramid schemes.

Anton Churyumo is the founder of Obyte. He previously served as the co-founder and CEO of companies including Teddy ID, SMS Traffic and Platron. He graduated from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute before obtaining a graduate degree in math and theoretical physics.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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Kinatico Ltd’s (ASX:KYP) Stock Has Shown Weakness Lately But Financial Prospects Look Decent: Is The Market Wrong?

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Kinatico Ltd’s (ASX:KYP) Stock Has Shown Weakness Lately But Financial Prospects Look Decent: Is The Market Wrong?

Kinatico (ASX:KYP) has had a rough month with its share price down 7.7%. But if you pay close attention, you might find that its key financial indicators look quite decent, which could mean that the stock could potentially rise in the long-term given how markets usually reward more resilient long-term fundamentals. Specifically, we decided to study Kinatico’s ROE in this article.

Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. In simpler terms, it measures the profitability of a company in relation to shareholder’s equity.

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The formula for return on equity is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) ÷ Shareholders’ Equity

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So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Kinatico is:

3.2% = AU$840k ÷ AU$26m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2024).

The ‘return’ is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. One way to conceptualize this is that for each A$1 of shareholders’ capital it has, the company made A$0.03 in profit.

See our latest analysis for Kinatico

So far, we’ve learned that ROE is a measure of a company’s profitability. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or “retains” for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don’t necessarily bear these characteristics.

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It is hard to argue that Kinatico’s ROE is much good in and of itself. Not just that, even compared to the industry average of 5.0%, the company’s ROE is entirely unremarkable. Despite this, surprisingly, Kinatico saw an exceptional 44% net income growth over the past five years. We reckon that there could be other factors at play here. Such as – high earnings retention or an efficient management in place.

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Kinatico’s growth is quite high when compared to the industry average growth of 24% in the same period, which is great to see.

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Mutuum Finance Short-Term Price Forecast: Will It Be The Next Crypto To Hit $1?

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Mutuum Finance Short-Term Price Forecast: Will It Be The Next Crypto To Hit ?
Mutuum Finance Short-Term Price Forecast reveals a surging altcoin capturing investor attention in the crypto market. Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is soaring through phase 5 of its 11-phase presale, raising $10,550,000 and selling over 550 million tokens to 12,000 holders. Priced at $0.03, the token has tripled from its opening phase at $0.01, signaling r…
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The Best $100 Gen Z Can Spend on Retirement Planning

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The Best 0 Gen Z Can Spend on Retirement Planning

Gen Z may be decades away from retirement, but the steps they take today can significantly impact their future financial freedom.

Learn More: The Money You Need To Save Monthly To Retire Comfortably in Every State

Read Next: The New Retirement Problem Boomers Are Facing

With time on their side, small, smart investments can now compound into significant returns later. Whether it’s spending $100 on a one-time financial consult, a subscription to a savvy budgeting app or even investing in a starter index fund, the key is starting early and wisely.

Here’s the best $100 Gen Z can spend on retirement planning.

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Budgeting apps and robo-advisors can turn passive habits into active wealth-building strategies. For Gen Z, investing a small fee in the right tool can lead to consistent savings, long-term growth and financial stability.

“Paid tools can be worthwhile when they nudge you into better habits or automate tasks you’d otherwise skip,” said Lily Vittayarukskul, CEO and co-founder of Waterlily.

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Vittayarukskul said budgeting apps like YNAB come with a small subscription cost, but can help users become more deliberate with their spending. Meanwhile, robo-advisors like Betterment and Wealthfront offer automated investing services for a low annual fee. This approach appeals to around 40% of Gen Z investors who prefer a hands-off approach.

“The price tag is usually minor compared to the value of disciplined saving and diversified investing they facilitate,” Vittayarukskul said. “I personally use Copilot, and I like that the finally added savings goals last month, but I think that most of the options out there have become very comprehensive and user friendly.”

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She added, “Just make sure any app you pay for truly gets you to invest and track your spending in a way that is compounding your wealth and taking care of any high interest debts.”

I’m a Financial Expert: This Is the No. 1 Mistake Americans Make With Their 401(k)

Gen Z can skip the hype and spend $100 opening an account with a reputable brokerage that offers diversified, long-term investment options.

“The biggest mistakes I see younger adults making when trying to get ahead financially are listening to the wrong people and chasing outsized returns,” said Tyler End, a certified financial planner and CEO of Retirable.

Starting with a solid, low-cost platform keeps new investors focused on sustainable growth without the distractions of viral trends or high-risk bets. Some examples include:

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  • Fidelity: No minimum investment for many accounts, zero-commission trades and strong educational tools. Offers Roth IRAs and index funds with no expense ratio.

  • Vanguard: Known for low-cost index funds and long-term investing. Best suited for those who prefer a simple, set-it-and-forget-it approach.

  • Charles Schwab: $0 account minimums, a wide range of low-fee ETFs and mutual funds, and solid customer support.

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