About This Dashboard

This dashboard compares yields available in DeFi with traditional finance benchmarks to help you understand the risk-adjusted returns of different yield sources.

Data sources: DefiLlama and Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Metrics Explained

Stablecoin Yield: Median APY for lending USDC, USDT, or DAI on major protocols like Aave, Compound, and Spark. Live data from DefiLlama.
Bank Savings Rate: Average APY offered by US banks on savings accounts. This represents the "risk-free" yield for most retail savers. Based on historical FDIC data.
CPI Inflation: Consumer Price Index year-over-year change. Any yield below CPI means you're losing purchasing power. Data from the Federal Reserve (FRED CPIAUCSL series).
10Y Treasury Yield: The benchmark risk-free rate in traditional finance. Used as a baseline for comparing all other yields. Data from the Federal Reserve (FRED GS10 series).
Real Yield: Treasury yield minus CPI inflation. This shows the actual purchasing power gain from holding government bonds.

Key Insights

DeFi stablecoin yields typically offer a significant premium over bank savings rates, compensating for smart contract risk and complexity
During 2021-2022, bank savings rates were deeply negative in real terms (below CPI), while DeFi yields remained positive
The "DeFi premium" over treasuries represents compensation for smart contract risk, protocol risk, and operational complexity
When traditional rates are high (2023-2024), DeFi yields must also rise to remain competitive, as capital flows to the highest risk-adjusted returns
Stablecoin yields are volatile and depend on demand for leverage in crypto markets—high during bull runs, compressed during bear markets

Risk Considerations

Higher DeFi yields come with additional risks not present in traditional savings:

Smart contract risk (bugs, exploits)
Stablecoin depegging risk
Protocol governance risk
Regulatory uncertainty
No FDIC insurance protection

Related Tools & Guides

Stablecoin Yield Screener — Browse and compare live stablecoin yields across protocols
APR to APY Calculator — Convert between APR and APY for accurate yield comparisons
DeFi Lending Calculator — Calculate lending health factors and net yield
Real Yield Guide — Learn the difference between real and subsidized DeFi yield
TVL Explained — Understand protocol health beyond yield numbers
TVL vs Traditional Finance — See how DeFi compares to traditional banking at the macro level

Explore on DefiLlama

DeFi Yield Rankings — browse yields across every protocol and chain
DefiLlama — comprehensive DeFi analytics, TVL, and protocol data