DeFi & lending
Checklist before you deposit
Most DeFi losses come from not understanding the position, not from a spectacular hack. This checklist takes half an hour.
The protocol
Check how long the contracts have run unchanged and how much value they secured without incident.
Find out who can change the contract. Admin keys mean you trust people, not only code — look for a timelock.
Read where prices come from. A thin-market oracle is manipulable regardless of code quality.
Your position
Decide your maximum loss up front and diversify across protocols, not just coins.
Review wallet approvals; unlimited allowances turn a later bug into a total loss. Revoke periodically.
Test the exit with a small amount before scaling up.
The environment
Front-ends can disappear or geoblock; know how to reach the contract directly.
Account for stablecoin risk — a technically perfect pool still loses if the peg breaks.
Record every transaction in euros as you go; reconstructing DeFi history later is close to impossible.
Recommended by our newsroom
External parties. Block #9 does not hold or manage your assets at these providers. Not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does an audit protect me?
It lowers the odds of known bugs but does not cover economic attacks or later changes.
Is a hardware wallet useful in DeFi?
Yes — signing off-device protects you from a compromised browser.
How often should I revoke approvals?
Quarterly, and immediately after experimenting with a new protocol.
Read next
DeFi explained
DeFi lets you lend, borrow and trade through code instead of a bank. How it works, where the yield comes from and where it breaks.
Borrowing against crypto collateral
How borrowing against crypto works: loan-to-value, health factor, variable rates and the point where your position is liquidated.
Decomposing APY
From trading fees and borrowing rates to token emissions: how to decompose an advertised APY and judge whether it is sustainable.