DeFi is a tech-driven financial system that is transforming traditional banking as everyone knows it, changing perceptions on borrowing, lending, trading, and investing money. DeFi consists of financial platforms operating on public blockchains, which are essentially distributed ledgers that prevent data from being altered once recorded and eliminate the need for an intermediary.
The DeFi era started with the launch of Ethereum’s blockchain in 2015 and accelerated in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic driving massive expansion of access to the use of digital payments and financial services. Ethereum is the top blockchain network for DeFi, which is one of the things that makes the project so incredibly appealing. While there are people who convert eth to usd strictly because they want to profit from the cryptocurrency’s upward movements, some are more interested in its DeFi capabilities.
DeFi offers access to financial services outside of TradFi, making these services more transparent and inclusive for everyone, and it is based on evolving tech that introduces multifaceted security and regulatory challenges.
Exploring the differences between DeFi and traditional banking
DeFi offers a fundamental shift from the traditional banking process, eliminating intermediaries and relying on smart contracts and blockchain to execute transactions autonomously. Here are some of the differences between DeFi and traditional banking:
Centralization vs decentralization
In traditional banking, central and commercial banks have always been the ones to facilitate record keeping and transactions. However, this isn’t the case for DeFi, where such intermediaries do not exist. This is because DeFi platforms rely on decentralized networks that use blockchain, and smart contracts carry out transactions in an automated way, meaning there’s no need for third parties.
While in traditional banking, a person must wait for days for their transfers to be executed cross-border, this isn’t the case in DeFi, which enables near-instant transfers that are also more budget-friendly compared to the costs involved in traditional banking. Protocols like Ripple’s XRP expedite remittances, eliminate the need for correspondent banking, and make the transfers significantly cheaper.
Smart contracts vs manual processes
Smart contracts are the automation part of what would represent a human-based process in traditional banking. These self-executing contracts enforce the agreement’s terms automatically once specific conditions are met, without involving any approval department or loan officers in the process.
A smart contract can negotiate and manage a loan, verify collateral, and liquidate it if that’s the case, ensuring a faster process than conventional banking, which involves days of paperwork, credit verifications, and approval processes.
Transparency and accessibility vs opaque processes and limitations
In TradFi, most of the process is opaque, with banks regulating the information flow regarding fees, loans, and fund management, which can often leave customers in the dark. But this isn’t the case with DeFi, as all transactions under it are visible and open to any individual who wants to verify them. Users get insight into the creation of liquidity pools, management of funds, and execution of contracts.
Moreover, DeFi offers more accessibility than traditional banking, eliminating credit checks, geographical limitations, and minimum balances needed to participate. All it takes to get started with DeFI is an Internet connection, and this particularly benefits people in regions with underbanking services. For example, someone in some rural area who lacks access to formal banking will get to participate in global financial markets via DeFi platforms by using their smartphone.
Trust-based model vs trustless systems
While traditional banking uses a trust-based model, with customers trusting the bank to keep their funds safe and execute transactions effectively, DeFi is trustless. This means that it uses cryptographic algorithms and code instead of relying on institutions. When utilizing DeFi platforms, you don’t need to trust in any central authority, as the blockchain’s transparent code suffices.
For instance, in traditional investing, a bank or brokerage would hold and manage your funds, but in DeFi, this is a smart contract’s job, enabling you to have complete control over your investments, with the system executing loans or trades on your behalf.
Challenges of DeFi
Despite its disruptive nature, DeFi poses certain challenges that need to be tackled:
- Regulatory uncertainty. The DeFi landscape still lacks clear regulatory frameworks, and policymakers have a hard time keeping pace with fast-growing technologies. While some countries have started to set regulations for cryptocurrencies, there’s still lots of regulatory uncertainty within the DeFi space, which poses risks for users.
- Complexity. DeFi platforms are built on the crypto market, which is known for its significant volatility, which can affect the value and stability of DeFi assets. For new users, learning how to use digital wallets and DeFi applications, as well as any new technologies, can be genuinely daunting. This complexity can hinder the widespread adoption of DeFi.
- Security vulnerabilities. Traditional banks usually offer stronger regulatory oversight, consumer protections, and insurance, but DeFi users are responsible for managing their own security. Furthermore, smart contracts and platforms may be vulnerable to cybersecurity issues that can lead to financial losses.
DeFi trends to watch in 2025
As DeFi continues to grow, it will bring new opportunities into the financial and crypto space through its innovations. Here are some of the most exciting DeFi trends to keep an eye on:
- The fusion of AI and DeFi. This convergence is creating a revolutionary change in the crypto industry, as it enables the automation of complex financial tasks, translating into more personalized and efficient user experiences. AI-driven tools are emerging that are improving on-chain activities, from risk assessment to liquidity management, so that users can navigate the DeFi space with greater ease.
- Privacy DeFi and ZKPs. Privacy concerns have been a major barrier to DeFi’s widespread adoption, but ZKPs (zero-knowledge proofs) stand out as a powerful solution, allowing users to verify transactions while also maintaining confidentiality. Thanks to this cryptographic method, users can prove their knowledge of specific data without the exposure of the data itself, helping tackle privacy challenges in blockchain transactions.
- Cross-chain interoperability. This is one of the major trends to watch in 2025, enabling different blockchain networks to transact and communicate seamlessly with each other. With cross-chain interoperability, users can access different services and better lending rates as they are no longer confined to only one blockchain. Furthermore, it also allows developers to create dApps that leverage various chains, boosting performance and scalability.
The bottom line
DeFi has an indisputable impact on traditional banking. It disrupts everything from lending, savings, payments, and trading assets, offering cheaper, faster, and more transparent decentralized alternatives. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how DeFi will continue to evolve and reshape the traditional financial system.