DeFi and the Future of Finance | Campbell R. Harvey - Ashwin Ramachandran - Joey Santoro - Vitalik Buterin - Fred Ehrsam

During the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, our financial infrastructure failed.

Govern­ments bailed out the very institutions that let the economy down. This episode spurred a serious rethink of our financial system. Does it make any sense that it takes two days to settle a stock transaction? Why do retailers, operating on razor thin margins, have to pay 3% for every customer credit card swipe? Why does it take two days to transfer money from a bank account to a brokerage—or any other company? Why are savings rates miniscule or negative? Why is it so difficult for entrepreneurs to get financ­ing at traditional banks?

In DeFi and the Future of Finance, Campbell R. Harvey, Ashwin Ramachandran and Joey Santoro, introduce the new world of Decen­tralized Finance. The book argues that the current financial landscape is ripe for dis­ruption and we are seeing, in real time, the reinvention of finance.

The authors provide the reader with a clear assessment of the problems with the current financial system and how DeFi solves many of these problems. The essence of DeFi is that we interact with peers—there is no brick and mortar and all of the associated costs. Savings and lending are reinvented. Trading takes place with algorithms far re­moved from traditional brokerages.

The book conducts a deep dive on some of the most innovative protocols such as Uniswap and Compound. Many of the companies featured in the book you might not have heard of—however, you will in the future.

As with any new technology, there are a myriad of risks and the authors carefully catalogue these risks and assess which ones can be successfully mitigated.

Ideally suited for people working in any part of the finance industry as well as finan­cial policy makers, DeFi and the Future of Finance gives readers a vision of the future. The world of finance will fundamentally be changed over the coming decade. The book enables you to become part of the disruption – not the target of the disruption.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A powerful vision of the future democratization of finance. Details of the winners and the losers.

“DeFi, like the internet, will likely make financial services cheaper, faster, secure,personalized, and more. The future has yet to be written. This book provides a peek into it, and you, the reader, hold the power to create it.”

—FRED EHRSAM, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Paradigm; Co-founder, Coinbase

“For newcomers, DeFi is often difficult to approach and understand. The lack of general resources adds additional hurdles for beginners looking to dip their toes into the space. This book gives the reader clear, concise descriptions of some of the most popular DeFi protocols today including lending, Automated Market Makers, and more.Highly recommended.”

—STANI KULECHOV, Founder and CEO, Aave

“Arguably the single best survey of decentralized finance circa mid-2021. Recommended.”

—balaji s. srinivasan, Angel Investor and Entrepreneur; former General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

“This book provides both a principled explanation of key DeFi primitives, as well as a deep-dive into the most popular DeFi projects. It’s a key resource that will get you up to speed on DeFi in no time!”

—IVAN BOGATYY, Ethereum researcher and angel investor; former General Partner, Metastable Capital

While cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are frequently featured in the media, there is an underground movement that has a bull’s eye on the current financial infrastructure. This financial system, including commercial banks, stock exchanges, and insurance companies,is not substantially different today than it was one hundred years ago. It is ripe for change.

DeFi and the Future of Finance presents a roadmap to a new future. It is a future of financial inclusion and financial democracy. It is a future that excises the countless middle people that profit at the cost of consumers, investors and entrepreneurs and stifle economic growth. The book reimagines all basic financial functions from savings and lending to exchange. In the future, almost everything from physical assets to virtual assets will be tokenized.

Ideal for those that work in the finance industry or anyone that deals with the financial infrastructure, DeFi and the Future of Finance is a powerful introduction to an exciting and constantly evolving space.

From the Back Cover

During the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, our financial infrastructure failed. Governments bailed out the very institutions that let the economy down. This episode spurred a serious rethink of our financial system. Does it make any sense that it takes two days to settle a stock transaction? Why do retailers, operating on razor thin margins, have to pay 3% for every customer credit card swipe? Why does it take two days to transfer money from a bank account to a brokerage—or any other company? Why are savings rates miniscule or negative? Why is it so difficult for entrepreneurs to get financing at traditional banks?

In DeFi and the Future of Finance, Campbell R. Harvey, Ashwin Ramachandran, and Joey Santoro, introduce the new world of Decentralized Finance. The book argues that the current financial landscape is ripe for disruption and we are seeing, in real time, the reinvention of finance.

The authors provide the reader with a clear assessment of the problems with the current financial system and how DeFi solves many of these problems. The essence of DeFi is that we interact directly with our peers—there are no intermediaries or associated costs. Savings and lending are reinvented. Trading takes place with automated algorithms far removed from traditional brokerages.

This book conducts a deep dive into some of the most innovative protocols in the DeFi space such as Uniswap and Compound.

As with any new technology, there are a myriad of risks and the authors carefully catalog these risks and assess which ones can be successfully mitigated.

Ideally suited for people working in any part of the finance industry as well as financial policy makers, DeFi and the Future of Finance gives readers a vision of the future. The world of finance will fundamentally be changed over the coming decade. This book enables you to become part of the disruption—not the target of the disruption.

About the Author

CAMPBELL R. HARVEY, PHD, is Distinguished Professor of Finance at Duke University and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Since 2013, he has been a teaching pioneer in the blockchain space winning the UBRI Global Blockchain Educator of the Year in 2020.

ASHWIN RAMACHANDRAN is a General Partner at Dragonfly Capital. He is a graduate of Duke University.

JOEY SANTORO is the founder of Fei Labs. He is a graduate of Duke University.