Diving into Locus’ Various Vault Offerings

Locus.Finance
5 min readApr 15, 2024

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Get started with Locus.finance by diving into our comprehensive onboarding guides. Here’s a brief overview of what you’ll find:

  1. An Introduction to Locus.finance and its Mission
  2. Diving into Locus’ Various Vault Offerings
  3. Yield Optimization with Locus.finance: Tailored Strategies for Diverse Market Conditions
  4. Locus Finance as a Gateway to Your DeFi Investments

These articles are packed with insights to help you make the most of your investments with Locus.finance. Check them out now to get started!

From the outside looking in, Locus.finance can be described as a future-ready decentralized finance (DeFi) platform featuring an innovative suite of products and services designed to empower individuals and institutions alike — helping them navigate the digital economy with ease and confidence. At the heart of Locus’ ecosystem lies its diverse range of investment offerings, called ‘Locus Vaults.’ From conservative blue-chip assets to the latest trending opportunities in the market, they are one-stop shops for individuals seeking to diversify and optimize their portfolios.

Understanding Locus Vaults

Locus Vaults are more than passive investment vehicles; they are meticulously designed, pre-made/on-chain tools housing a carefully curated selection of DeFi strategies. They are managed by smart contracts and harness the power of different DeFi protocols to generate consistent yields for investors.

By pooling user funds into these pre-constructed vaults, Locus eliminates the need for investors to manually navigate the complexities of managing multiple DeFi ecosystems, allowing them to focus on their investment objectives.

The true value of Locus Vaults lies in their ability to enhance portfolio diversification and drive investment returns. By allocating capital across a carefully curated selection of strategies, investors can mitigate the risks associated with individual assets while capturing the growth potential of the broader crypto ecosystem.

Moreover, the vaults’ automated rebalancing and compounding features ensure that investors’ capital is continuously working to generate earnings for them.

xUSD Vault: Stability and Yield

One of Locus’s flagship offerings is its xUSD vault. It is designed to expose investors to a basket of stablecoins offering a high degree of stability alongside lucrative investment returns. Assets in the vault are stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar, meaning the vault token price is expected to remain stable, gradually increasing as the rewards are accrued.

To elaborate, xUSD combines top-tier stablecoins alongside more niche and experimental ones to provide competitive returns. Utilized stablecoins are evaluated across several factors, such as protocol design, counterparty risk, smart contract security, decentralization, etc, and are weighted accordingly.

Moreover, the vault uses USDC as its notional token on the Arbitrum One network, offering an expected annual percentage yield (APY) of 5–10%, a medium risk level, and a maximum capacity of $500K. Lastly, it features cross-chain functionality — enabled by the integration of the Stargate bridge — which allows investors to seamlessly access stablecoin yields across multiple blockchain networks. This not only enhances the vault’s diversification but also opens up a wider range of revenue opportunities.

xDEFI Vault: Capturing DeFi Growth

Another notable offering available within the Locus ecosystem is the xDEFI Vault, a yield-bearing index consisting of major DeFi protocol tokens on Ethereum and LP positions. The vault aims to provide easy access to DeFi assets and yield farming opportunities. User assets are converted into FXS, CVX, and ETH and are deposited into LP positions in the respective protocols.

The vault uses USDC as its notional token on the ETH Mainnet, offering an expected annual percentage yield (APY) of 15–20%, a low risk level, and a maximum capacity of $800k. The tokens selected for the xDEFI Vault belong to the largest Ethereum DeFi protocols, with sound use cases, active user bases, and well-designed tokenomics poised for long-term growth and sustainability.

The Locus team closely monitors the underlying protocols and assets and remains competitive by adjusting or changing vault strategies if necessary. The end goal is to have a product with consistently high returns and relevant market exposure.

xARB Vault

The xARB vault is Locus’s offering focused on the Arbitrum ecosystem. It taps into the rapidly growing “real yield” narrative permeating the DeFi arena today, primarily by combining top-tier Arbitrum-based protocols, such as GMX, GNS, and Trader Joe, into a single investment vehicle.

Holding and staking each of these tokens makes users eligible for a share of the protocol revenue. GMX and GNS have pioneered a new approach to attracting DEX liquidity and trading volumes, while Trader Joe is innovating concentrated liquidity provision with the release of their V2 pools and liquidity bins.

Lastly, it bears mentioning that the vault uses USDC as its notional token on the Arbitrum One network, offering an expected annual percentage yield (APY) of 5–10%, a medium risk level, and a maximum capacity of $500K.

xETH Vault

The xETH vault is Locus’s offering focused on optimizing yields from Ethereum-based strategies, tapping into the power of yield farming, a technique that involves providing liquidity to decentralized exchanges and other DeFi protocols in exchange for rewards.

Moreover, the vault uses WETH as its notional token on the ETH Mainnet, offering an expected APY of 5–10% (estimated yield farming rewards, excluding ETH performance), a low-risk level, and a maximum capacity of ~750 ETH. Additionally, the vault taps into the power of yield farming, a technique that involves providing liquidity to decentralized exchanges and other DeFi protocols in exchange for rewards.

By diversifying across a carefully curated selection of Ethereum-centric yield farming strategies, the xETH vault aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors. The Locus team closely monitors market conditions and makes adjustments to the vault’s strategies to maintain its competitiveness.

How to invest in Locus Vaults

  1. Connect Your Wallet: Start by linking an Ethereum-compatible wallet, like MetaMask, to the Locus interface.
  2. Decide on Your Investment: Reflect on the amount you’re willing to commit. Remember the golden rule of investing: only invest what you’re prepared to part with, considering the inherent risks.
  3. Invest in Your Chosen Vault: With your investment amount in mind, you can move forward to invest in the Locus vault of your choice. The Locus platform will provide clear instructions for this process.
  4. Track Your Investment: Post-investment, the Locus platform enables you to monitor your investment’s performance. This includes tracking returns and noting any fluctuations in the investment’s value.
  5. Withdraw at Your Discretion: A key feature of Locus Vaults is the flexibility they offer; you can withdraw your investment whenever you choose, free from the constraints of lockup periods or intricate withdrawal procedures.

Empowering Investors with Locus Vaults

As highlighted above, Locus Vaults offer users a diverse range of investment opportunities, catering to the unique needs and preferences of crypto enthusiasts. From the stability-focused xUSD vault to the growth-oriented xDEFI and xARB vaults, and the yield-maximizing xETH vault, Locus provides investors with a comprehensive suite of options to build a well-rounded digital asset portfolio.

By leveraging Locus Vaults, investors can effortlessly access the vast and complex DeFi landscape, benefiting from the platform’s rigorous research, careful strategy selection, and automated rebalancing. Whether you’re a risk-averse investor seeking stable returns or a growth-oriented trader looking to capture the upside potential of emerging crypto markets, Locus offers a streamlined and efficient way to help users achieve their investment goals.

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Locus.Finance

Decentralized asset management powerhouse. Optimizing yields, simplifying DeFi strategies, and leading the charge in tokenized, yield-bearing vaults