What is Centrifuge?

Centrifuge (CFG) is a decentralized asset financing protocol that aims to bridge the gap between decentralized finance (DeFi) and real-world assets (RWA). It strives to lower the cost of capital for small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) and provide participants with a stable source of compensation. Centrifuge's primary objective is to generate value that is not tied to volatile crypto assets, and it aims to transfer real monetary value from fiat to cryptocurrencies. Companies can use Centrifuge to access the liquidity that DeFi offers by tokenizing real assets and using these tokens as collateral to access financing through Tinlake, a decentralized application (DApp) lending protocol. The Centrifuge blockchain is built on Polkadot (DOT) for speed and low fees, while its financial DApp Tinlake is built to access Ethereum (ETH) liquidity.

How does Centrifuge work?

Centrifuge operates by tokenizing real-world assets, converting them into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and then funding them through Tinlake. Tinlake is the first DApp built on the Centrifuge chain, created to access liquidity on Ethereum, while CFG has its own bridge to Ethereum. Centrifuge integrates with other DeFi protocols, allowing users to get liquidity without slowdowns and protecting DeFi protocols from destabilizing events by adding uncorrelated collateral. This process aims to reduce cumulative risks and replace predatory lending and banks with smart contracts. Users compensate transaction aggregators on Polkadot with CFG tokens for processing and storing data.

What are the potential use cases for Centrifuge?

Centrifuge has several potential use cases, primarily revolving around the tokenization of real-world assets and their integration into the DeFi ecosystem. Companies can tokenize their real assets and use these tokens as collateral to access financing through Tinlake, a decentralized application (DApp) lending protocol. This process aims to provide liquidity to everyone, and participants may receive compensation in the form of CFG tokens. Centrifuge aims to link assets such as invoices, real estate, and royalties with decentralized finance (DeFi). Additionally, borrowers can finance their real assets without the need for banks or other intermediaries.

What is the history of Centrifuge?

Centrifuge was launched in 2017 by Lucas Vogelsang and Martin Quensel. Lucas Vogelsang, the founding engineer at Centrifuge and the company’s CEO, has a background in e-commerce startups and technical management. Martin Quensel, a co-founder at Centrifuge and its current COO, began his career as a software developer and architect. Centrifuge has had a significant total value locked (TVL) on the Polkadot ecosystem. The project also aims to be among the first to launch a parachain on Polkadot.