What are Synthetic Assets?
Last updated
Last updated
Synthetic stablecoins, tokenized stocks and commodities, leveraged and inverse tokens, and yield-bearing synthetic assets are some examples of the different types of crypto synthetic assets.
Often referred to as "synthetic assets," crypto synthetic assets are a class of digital instruments designed to replicate the value and performance of real-world assets like stocks, commodities, currencies, and even other cryptocurrencies, without requiring ownership of the underlying assets.
These virtual assets are created primarily in decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems on blockchain platforms through the use of sophisticated financial derivatives and smart contracts. Important features of crypto synthetic assets include the capacity to build flexible leveraged or derivative products, use collateral to secure value, track target asset prices precisely, and create decentralized smart contracts on blockchain systems like Ethereum.
Conventional vs Digital Synthetic Assets
Traditional assets are material or paper-based, or physical goods traded on regulated financial markets, such as stocks, bonds, and commodities, whereas crypto synthetic assets are exclusively digital on blockchain networks, and are digital representations created using blockchain technology that are meant to mimic the performance and value of these traditional assets.
This is the main difference between traditional and crypto synthetic assets. Crypto synthetics have certain risks and complications of their own, even though they have advantages over traditional assets in terms of accessibility, liquidity, and programmability.
Leveraged and Inverse Tokens
Inverse tokens profit when the price of the underlying asset falls, while leveraged tokens increase both gains and losses. Synthetic assets, also referred to as leveraged and inverse tokens, are created to amplify or counteract price changes of an underlying asset.
Yield-bearing Assets
Within the DeFi ecosystem, yield-bearing synthetic assets give holders returns through staking or lending, providing a chance to generate passive income.
Yield-bearing synthetic assets in the DeFi ecosystem allow users to earn returns through lending or staking, allowing them to create passive revenue.
Synthetic stablecoins
Synthetic stablecoins are digital tokens designed to resemble fiat currencies like the US dollar and the euro in terms of value and stability. They provide a way for people to participate in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, trade goods and services, and store value without having to deal with the volatility of cryptocurrencies.
One example of a synthetic stablecoin is USDT. It aims to provide users with access to a stable form of digital cash that matches the value of the U.S. dollar.
Stocks and Commodities Tokenized
Tokenized stocks and commodities function as virtual equivalents of physical assets on blockchain networks, such as stocks, gold, oil, and other commodities. The decentralizedfractional ownership and exchange of traditional assets are made possible by these synthetic assets.
The most well-known asset for owning digital gold is Pax Gold or PAXG, each token is the equivalent of an ounce of gold, and can even be redeemed for physical gold at their partnering firms.
Trading and Investing
Synthetic assets for digital currencies provide access to a range of trading and investment opportunities. They make it possible for traders to trade with leverage, which exposes them to more market volatility and may result in larger profits—or losses—than they might from more traditional trading.
Furthermore, synthetic assets provide investors with an easy way to diversify their portfolios because they incorporate a wide range of underlying assets within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, such as stocks and commodities.
Supplying Liquidity and Farming
By actively participating in providing liquidity and DeFi operations, users who stake cryptographic synthetic assets in DeFi protocols can engage in yield farming, earning incentives in the form of additional synthetic assets or governance tokens.
In addition to helping to enable efficient trading, lending, and borrowing within the DeFi ecosystem, synthetic assets also dramatically boost liquidity pools and the overall liquidity of DeFi platforms.
Hedging and Risk Management
Hedging opportunities and effective risk management tools can be provided by synthetic assets. Inverse synthetic assets are effective hedges that traders and investors can use to shield their portfolios from crashes in the underlying assets.
In addition, synthetic stablecoins provide a decentralized substitute for traditional stablecoins, safeguarding asset values against the intrinsic volatility of the market.
Pros and Cons of Crypto Synthetic Assets
PROS
Cryptographic synthetic assets are very advantageous for the field of digital finance. The most significant of these benefits is the ability to give users access to a wide range of assets, such as conventional stocks, commodities, and currencies. This allows users to easily diversify their portfolios within the cryptocurrency space, lowering risk and enhancing investment strategies.
Additionally, these assets give traders access to leverage, which increases their exposure to asset price volatility and may result in higher returns. They are essential to DeFi because they let users actively engage in yield farming and liquidity provision while getting paid for it.
CONS
There are a lot of risks and concerns associated with using synthetic assets in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries, and these should be carefully considered. One of the key concerns is the potential for smart contract vulnerabilities or exploits, which could result in large losses.
Market liquidity is another problem since certain synthetic assets might have less of it than their real-world equivalents. This might lead to slippage or price manipulation during trading, which would undermine the overall stability of the market.
Also, as governments around the globe struggle to define and regulate these distinctive financial products, regulatory oversight remains a major concern.
Lastly, there are security risks associated with an over-reliance on Oracle systems, which give smart contracts access to real-world data. For example, if an oracle is compromised, it might provide false information, which could affect the usefulness and worth of artificial assets that depend on it.
