ERC-4626: A New Way to Earn Yield on Crypto Assets

WP Smart Contracts
Coinmonks
3 min readSep 27, 2023

--

ERC-4626 is a new standard for yield-bearing vaults on Ethereum. It makes it easier for users to earn yield on their crypto assets by providing a standard API for vaults.

Vaults are contracts that hold a pool of underlying assets and issue shares to users in exchange for their deposits. Shares represent a proportional ownership stake in the vault’s assets.

ERC-4626 vaults can be used to implement a variety of yield-bearing strategies, such as lending, staking, and liquidity provisioning. They can also be used to create more complex financial products, such as yield aggregators and decentralized asset managers.

Benefits

There are a number of benefits to using ERC-4626 vaults, including:

  • Convenience: Users can easily deposit their assets into a vault and start earning yield without having to manage their own investments.
  • Diversification: Vaults typically invest in a diversified basket of assets, which can help to reduce risk.
  • Transparency: Vaults are required to provide transparent information about their holdings and performance.
  • Efficiency: Vaults can help to optimize the use of capital and improve the efficiency of the DeFi ecosystem.

How it works

Here is an example of how ERC-4626 vaults work:

  • A user deposits 100 ETH into a vault.
  • The vault manager deploys the ETH into a lending protocol.
  • The vault issues the user 100 shares, which represent their ownership stake in the vault’s assets.
  • The user earns yield on their ETH through the lending protocol.
  • The user can redeem their shares at any time for 100 ETH, plus any accrued interest.

ERC-4626 is a new and innovative technology that has the potential to revolutionize the way that users earn yield on their crypto assets. By providing a standard API for yield-bearing vaults, ERC-4626 is making it easier for developers to create new and innovative financial products, and making it easier for users to choose the best yield-bearing solution for their needs.

Real-world use cases for ERC-4626 vaults

ERC-4626 vaults are still a relatively new technology, but they are already being used in a number of real-world applications. Here are a few examples:

  • Yield aggregators: ERC-4626 vaults can be used to create yield aggregators that automatically invest user funds in the highest-yielding opportunities. This allows users to earn maximum yield on their assets without having to manage their own investments.
  • Decentralized asset managers: ERC-4626 vaults can be used to create decentralized asset managers that implement a variety of investment strategies. This allows users to invest in complex strategies without having to trust a centralized intermediary.
  • Institutional DeFi: ERC-4626 vaults can be used to make DeFi more accessible to institutional investors. By providing a standard API for vaults, ERC-4626 makes it easier for institutional investors to integrate DeFi into their existing investment workflows.

Conclusion

ERC-4626 is a promising new technology with the potential to revolutionize the way that users earn yield on their crypto assets. By providing a standard API for yield-bearing vaults, ERC-4626 makes it easier for developers to create new and innovative financial products. It also makes it easier for users to choose the best yield-bearing solution for their needs.

--

--