Introduction to YFI
YFI is the secondary governance token of yearn.finance, created by Andre Cronje and his team. This innovative DeFi project operates with no pre-mining, no presales, and no investors—embodying the true spirit of decentralized finance.
Andre Cronje himself describes YFI as having "zero financial value," emphasizing its purely governance-focused nature:
"We released YFI, a completely valueless zero supply token. We reiterate, it has zero financial value. No pre-mine, no sale, no, you can't buy it, no, it won't be on Uniswap, no, there won't be an auction. We don't have any of it."
Yearn.finance is an ecosystem that integrates with multiple DeFi services including Aave, Balancer, Curve, Compound, Uniswap, and Synthetix. Its primary function allows users to stake stablecoins like DAI, USDC, and USDT to earn passive income while avoiding exposure to volatile crypto assets.
How to Acquire YFI
Purchasing YFI
The simplest methods to obtain YFI include:
- 1inch Exchange: A decentralized exchange (DEX) where you can swap DAI or ETH for YFI
- Balancer: For experienced DeFi users, buying directly with DAI often results in lower gas fees and reduced slippage
👉 Learn where to buy YFI with the lowest fees
Yield Farming with YFI
The current yield farming opportunities with YFI offer impressive APYs, historically reaching up to 5000% (currently around 900% at time of writing). There are three primary farming pools available:
Pool #1: yCRV Staking Pool
Earn YFI, CRV, plus Curve fees and lending rewards
- Become a liquidity provider in the Y Curve pool
- Receive yCRV tokens representing your stake
- Stake yCRV on ygov.finance to earn YFI rewards
Pool #2: BPT (98% DAI 2% YFI) Pool
Earn BAL, YFI, plus Balancer trading fees
- Provide liquidity to the Balancer pool
- Receive BPT tokens
- Stake BPT on ygov.finance
Pool #3: BPT (98% yCRV 2% YFI) Pool
Earn BAL, CRV, YFI plus multiple platform fees
- Provide liquidity to the Balancer pool
- Receive BPT tokens
- Stake on ygov.finance
- (Bonus) Stake earned YFI if you have >1000 BPT
Understanding Impermanent Loss
The YFI farming pools are designed to minimize impermanent loss. Even with significant YFI price drops:
- 5x price drop → ~3.2% value decrease
- 10x price drop → ~4.5% value decrease
- 100x price drop → ~8.8% value decrease
Governance Participation
Key aspects of YFI governance:
- Proposals can be submitted at gov.yearn.finance
- Voting requires staking in Pool #3
- Current debates include potential supply caps
- The system continues to evolve under Andre Cronje's development
👉 Discover advanced YFI staking strategies
FAQ Section
What makes YFI different from other governance tokens?
YFI uniquely launched with no pre-mine or investor allocations, making it one of the fairest distributions in DeFi history.
How risky is YFI yield farming?
While APYs can be extremely high, users should consider smart contract risks, impermanent loss (though minimized in these pools), and market volatility.
Can I participate in governance without staking?
No, currently you need to stake in Pool #3 to participate in yearn.finance governance decisions.
Where can I track my YFI farming rewards?
Use yieldfarming.info for detailed analytics on all YFI farming pools.
Additional Resources
- Yearn Finance Governance Forum: https://gov.yearn.finance/
- Unofficial Discord: https://discord.gg/xqKmMV5
- Yield Farming Analytics: https://yieldfarming.info/