DeFi

This page provides a quick reference glossary for many terms that are utilised in DeFi analysis.

Terminology	Synonyms	Description
AMMs	Automated Market Maker	A decentralized asset trading pool that enables market participants to buy or sell cryptocurrencies. Uniswap is the most well-known AMM.
BTC	Bitcoin	The first cryptocurrency, for which Blockchain was conceived and the forst blockchain platform created
CEX	Centralized Exchange	ith a physical address and a corporate structure, subject to applicable laws, codes of practice and regulations of the jurisdictions in which it operates.
DAO	Distributed Autonomous Organization	Can be defined as an ‘organisation’ on a blockchain, represented by a set of rules encoded as a computer program (on a blockchain) that is transparent, controlled by the organization members and not influenced by a central government.
DEX	Distributed Exchange	In DeFi a DEX is a type of cryptocurrency exchange that allows for direct peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions to take place online securely and without the need for an intermediary.
ETH	Ethereum	Ethereum launched in July 2015, allows for much more complexity using smart contracts, its own design protocols and programming language.
Fiat	Fiat Money	Fiat money is a government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity, such as gold or silver, but rather by the government that issued it. Fiat currency is legal tender in (at least) its home jurisdiction, whereas many or most cryptocurrencies are not.
GameFi		GameFi is an amalgam of two words: gaming and decentralized finance (DeFi). It is also referred to as play-to-earn (P2E) games.
Leverage		In DeFi it more specifically refers to the use of multipliers on exchanges
Slippage		Slippage refers to a difference in price between buyer and seller expectations. Slippage can lead to a final sale price of the asset that is either more or less than the requested transaction amount.
TVL/TLV	The Total Value Locked	Total Locked Value (TLV) is a measure of the dollar value of all the investor deposits in coins or tokens locked into a platform, protocol, lending program, yield farming program, or insurance liquidity pool.