DeFi (Decentralized Finance)
DeFi refers to financial services — lending, trading, yield generation — built on public blockchains using smart contracts, without traditional financial intermediaries.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is an ecosystem of financial applications built on blockchain networks (primarily Ethereum) using smart contracts. DeFi protocols enable lending (Aave, Compound), trading (Uniswap, Curve), yield generation, and stablecoin issuance — all without banks or brokers.
For international businesses, DeFi intersects with payments in several ways: stablecoins like USDC and DAI originated from DeFi ecosystems; contractors can earn yield on idle USDC balances through DeFi protocols; and cross-border liquidity pools can provide FX conversion without traditional correspondent banks. However, DeFi smart contract risks (hacks, protocol failures) make it unsuitable for primary payroll infrastructure. Bitwage uses regulated, audited stablecoin rails rather than DeFi protocols for contractor and vendor payments.
DeFi (Decentralized Finance) FAQ
Common questions about defi (decentralized finance) in the context of international payments.
No. Bitwage uses regulated financial infrastructure and audited stablecoins for payroll and vendor payments. DeFi protocols carry smart contract risks that are not appropriate for business payment infrastructure. We use usdc on audited, regulated rails.
More Crypto & Stablecoin Terms
Expand your knowledge of international payment terminology.
Bitcoin DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging)
Dollar-cost averaging into Bitcoin means buying a fixed dollar amount at regular intervals, regardless of price — reducing timing risk.
Bitcoin Payments
Bitcoin payments involve sending BTC as direct compensation to contractors or employees — either as a payroll split, a full salary, or a recurring investment via DCA.
Blockchain
A blockchain is a decentralized, immutable digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers without requiring a central authority.
CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency)
A CBDC is a digital form of a country's national currency, issued and backed directly by the central bank — combining the programmability of crypto with sovereign monetary backing.
Centralized Exchange (CEX)
A centralized exchange (CEX) is a crypto trading platform operated by a company that holds user funds and matches buy/sell orders through a central order book.
Cold Storage
Cold storage refers to keeping crypto private keys on devices or media that are never connected to the internet, providing maximum security against hacks.
Crypto Payroll
Crypto payroll is the practice of paying employees or contractors in cryptocurrency — Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins — either as full compensation or a partial allocation.
Crypto Treasury
Crypto treasury management involves holding stablecoins or cryptocurrency as part of a company's cash reserves for payments, yield, or hedging purposes.
Crypto Wallet
A crypto wallet is software or hardware that stores private keys and enables users to send, receive, and manage cryptocurrency and token balances on a blockchain.
Cryptocurrency Exchange
A cryptocurrency exchange is a platform where users buy, sell, and trade digital assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, and other tokens.
DAI
DAI is a decentralized USD-pegged stablecoin issued by the MakerDAO protocol, maintained through crypto collateral rather than bank reserves.
DAI Stablecoin
DAI is a decentralized, crypto-collateralized stablecoin issued by MakerDAO, designed to maintain a soft 1:1 peg to the US dollar without relying on fiat bank reserves.
Decentralized Exchange (DEX)
A decentralized exchange (DEX) enables peer-to-peer crypto trading via smart contracts without a central authority holding user funds.
Digital Dollar
The digital dollar refers to either a US CBDC (government-issued) or dollar-pegged stablecoins (USDC, USDT) that function as digital representations of USD.
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)
Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is a digital system for recording transactions across multiple locations simultaneously, with no central administrator.
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA)
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is an investment strategy of making recurring fixed-dollar purchases of an asset to reduce the impact of price volatility.
ERC-20 Token
ERC-20 is the standard token format on the Ethereum blockchain, used by USDC, USDT, DAI, and thousands of other tokens.
Ethereum Payments
Ethereum payments involve sending ETH or ERC-20 tokens (like USDC) to contractors and employees as compensation, leveraging Ethereum's programmable blockchain infrastructure.
Gas Fee
A gas fee is the transaction cost paid to blockchain validators for processing and confirming a cryptocurrency transaction on networks like Ethereum.
Gas Fees (Blockchain)
Gas fees are the transaction costs paid to blockchain validators to process and confirm a transaction on a proof-of-work or proof-of-stake network.
Layer 2 (L2)
Layer 2 (L2) networks are secondary blockchain protocols built on top of Layer 1 chains (like Ethereum) to increase speed and reduce transaction costs.
Layer 2 Payments
Layer 2 (L2) networks are blockchain scaling solutions built on top of a base layer (like Ethereum) that process transactions off-chain for lower fees and faster confirmation.
Lightning Network
The Lightning Network is a Layer 2 payment protocol built on Bitcoin, enabling instant, low-fee BTC transactions for everyday payments.
Off-Ramp
A crypto off-ramp converts cryptocurrency or stablecoins back into fiat currency, enabling users to access their crypto earnings in traditional bank accounts.
On-Chain Payment Tracking
On-chain tracking is real-time visibility into crypto payment status via blockchain explorers — providing immutable, publicly verifiable proof of every transaction.
On-Ramp
A crypto on-ramp is a service that converts traditional fiat currency (USD, EUR, etc.) into cryptocurrency or stablecoins, enabling entry into the crypto ecosystem.
Private Key
A private key is a secret cryptographic number that proves ownership of a blockchain address and authorizes transactions — the ultimate proof of ownership of crypto assets.
Smart Contract
A smart contract is self-executing code deployed on a blockchain that automatically enforces agreement terms when predefined conditions are met.
Stablecoin
A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value by pegging to a reserve asset like the US dollar, making it suitable for payments and payroll.
Stablecoin Payroll
Stablecoin payroll is paying contractors or employees in dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies like USDC or USDT instead of traditional bank transfers.
Stablecoin Peg
A stablecoin peg is the mechanism that maintains a stablecoin's value at a fixed ratio to a reference asset (usually $1 USD), using reserves, collateral, or algorithmic supply controls.
Tether (USDT)
Tether (USDT) is the world's largest stablecoin by market cap, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar and used extensively for crypto trading and international value transfer.
USDC
USDC is a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle, fully backed by cash and US Treasuries, and available on Ethereum, Solana, Base, and other blockchains.
USDT (Tether)
USDT is the world's largest stablecoin by market cap, issued by Tether Limited and widely used for international payments and crypto-to-fiat conversion.
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