For many years, the blockchain universe, despite offering freedom and absolute privacy to users, remained somewhat closed, being “allowed” only for people who had advanced knowledge in code or crypto technical language. Today, thankfully, this is no longer a reality.
Dharma is one of the platforms that are helping to change this concept, making the participation of users of any level in DeFi lending markets increasingly accessible.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Dharma is an easy and user-friendly layer sitting atop of Compound Finance protocol, that allows users to have more democratic access in DeFi lending markets.
The platform requires little or no cryptocurrency knowledge whatsoever, while still offer the opportunity for people that want to “taste” the benefits involved in DeFi interest rates.
We can highlight some key factors that make the experience within the platform stand out, such as easy simple access, high security throughout the whole process, remarkably interesting fiat gateways, and, of course, the benefits of the Compound protocol ecosystem.
Today Dharma is highly focused on stablecoin lending, supporting DAI and USDC.
UNDERSTANDING A BIT OF COMPOUND FINANCE:
One of the best-known Ethereum-based lending protocols today, Compound Finance enables the average user to lend and borrow cryptocurrencies like Ether exchanging it whether for interest or debt.
Users do not have a login, but rather connect into the protocol through web3 wallets. This specific protocol establishes money markets, which can be explained as asset pools with derived interest rates (using algorithm technology), all based on supply and demand for specific assets.
What Dharma does is to facilitate the process, putting a user-friendly layer over this to make things more interesting for more and more people.
DIG INTO IT:
With Dharma, things always can get easier when it comes to Compound Finance.
US users can start earning interest immediately, by just using their debit cards. Smart wallets (100% non-custodial) hold the funds, which earns interest on deposited assets continuously.
Tokens used on the project are dTokens, a version of cTokens (Compound Finance’s tokens). Both are remarkably similar, as it represents a claim on the assets supplied to the protocol. They also work similarly, however, dTokens can retain one-tenth of all interest earned as revenue for Dharma.
As the platform supports both DAI and USDC, all these specific tokens provided by users serve as a supply for the main protocol (Compound Finance), meaning that instead of just holding actual assets in their wallets, users are issued dTokens by Dharma.
HOW CAN I HAVE ACCESS TO IT?
Dharma requires little information, all you need to sign up is your name, country, and email address. Surprisingly, it does not require an existing wallet or additional tools. You can log-in simply by a simple email address and a password.
After the login, the whole process becomes even simpler. The user can immediately start depositing funds to begin earning interest, just requiring some clicks.
Also, users can fund their accounts with fiat currency, by using a debit card or cryptocurrency deposit from an existing wallet.
As an alternative, it is also possible to deposit DAI or USDC from an existing crypto wallet.
Security is also a priority for the team behind the idea; hence they have personal assistance for users who had lost accounts (account recovery assistance), their devices, or passwords.
WHO IS BEHIND THE IDEA?
Founded by software engineers Nadav Hollander and Brendan Forster, Dharma is a natural consequence of a previous project that ended up being adjusted over time.
Started in 2017, the project did not hold an ICO. They opted for a seed funding round, ending up with US$ 120000 to try to turn their ideas into reality.
The “beta version” of Dharma was called Dharma Lever and was launched in 2018. It worked to provide users a more friendly experience, supporting lending and borrowing ETH and USDC. They offered fixed interest rates and fixed-term loans, which made them have a strong initial kickstart, quickly passing $1 million in liquidity.
Although Compound Finance was initially a competitor, they decided to become a layer to the compound protocol one year later (2019).
CONCLUSION:
Now, to get involved in the DeFi ecosystem has become easier and more accessible for more people, especially those with no knowledge or deep experience with cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, exchanges, and all blockchain jargon, that sometimes may sound like rocket science.
Dharma brought to the market a user-friendly layer that sits atop of Compound Finance protocol, focused on stablecoin lending. The platform provides users their crypto wallets, allowing them to automatically earn interest on Dai or USDC (tokens supported by Dharma).