What is Curve DAO Token?

The Curve DAO Token (CRV) is a governance token on the Curve platform with time-weighted voting and value-accrual mechanisms. As an Ethereum token, CRV runs Curve.fi, a decentralised exchange and automated market maker (AMM) protocol, which aims to swap the exchange of comparable ERC-20 tokens, especially stablecoins (such as USDC and DAI) and Ethereum-based Bitcoin tokens (like WBTC and renBTC).

CRV is now available on DeFi Swap, and users can swap CRV and be CRV liquidity providers to earn fees and boost their yield by up to 20x when staking CRO.

A brief history of Curve DAO Token

Curve DAO was established and launched in January 2020, making it one of the most recent projects in the decentralised finance industry. Michael Egorov, a Russian scientist, invented and constructed Curve DAO and CRV.

CRV is an Ethereum token that runs Curve.fi, a decentralised exchange and automated market maker (AMM) protocol. The protocol aims to swap the exchange of comparable ERC-20 tokens, especially stablecoins (such as USDC and DAI) and Ethereum-based Bitcoin tokens (like WBTC and renBTC).

CRV was meant to debut on 14 August 2020. However, on 13 August 2020, an unknown developer with a freshly formed Twitter account stated they had installed Curve DAO smart contracts. The developer paid 19.9 ETH (US$8,000) to install the smart contracts on Ethereum.

When the contracts went live, some users began staking yCRV tokens, which is Curve Finance’s moniker for tokens representing shares in Curve’s liquidity pools. These users then proceeded to acquire CRV tokens. This scenario caused consternation and allegations of 'pre-mine' amongst the DeFi community. Before the Curve Finance team could validate its deployed smart contract, more than 80,000 CRV coins were pre-mined. Curve Finance was originally sceptical, but after seeing that the project deployed with the proper code, data, and admin keys, it declared via Twitter on 14 August 2020, that it was accepting the launch of CRV due to the traction CRV was receiving. CRV has an initial supply of around 1.3 billion, which is around 43% of the total supply of 3.03 billion.

How Curve DAO Token works

Curve’s primary purpose is to link users who wish to exchange ERC-20 tokens and stablecoins with exchange protocols. Curve’s financial platform is non-custodial, which means that users are in control of their tokens. The protocol incentivises liquidity providers to create pools and deposit tokens. Pools include comparable assets to minimise impermanent loss and increase the likelihood of returns.

CRV developers address a fundamental issue in the stablecoin community: a lack of specialised services. Today, there are several varieties of stablecoins in circulation. Curve specialises in stablecoins that tie to national currencies. It offers a lucrative market and structure that gears to capitalise on the unique properties of these currencies. Curve, therefore, serves as a bridge between centralised stablecoins like USDT and decentralised initiatives like DAI.

The exchange market is built on liquidity pools, and the protocol links customers to several exchange markets to get the cheapest fee rates. Curve.fi ensures reduced slippage and enables traders to maximise their returns. When a network user trades on the Curve network, the protocol compensates liquidity providers with a portion of the trading fee for their participation.

What is Curve DAO Token used for?

The Curve DAO Token is the Curve protocol’s utility token that incentivises liquidity providers, while holders may also utilise CRV to engage in network governance.

CRV is the engine that drives the Curve.fi financial platform, which functions as an AMM and exchange. AMMs provide a new trading paradigm in which assets may be exchanged permissionless and automatically. Instead of relying on order books, trading is conducted automatically through liquidity pools.