X @Bankless

Ethena's Core Strategy - Ethena is reimagining stablecoins by designing USDe to generate yield for traders using it as collateral across major exchanges [1] - The protocol employs a delta-neutral strategy, using crypto collateral and short positions to maintain USDe's peg [2] - Ethena generates yield from funding rates and staking rewards, passing these on to sUSDe holders, resulting in a 19% average return in 2024 [3] USDe's Unique Positioning - USDe differs from traditional stablecoins like USDT and USDC, focusing on yield generation and capital efficiency rather than payment velocity [3][4] - Approximately 78% of USDe is positioned to earn yield, with 42% in the sUSDe staking contract and 26% in centralized exchanges [5] - During market crashes, Ethena retained an average of 762% of its TVL, exceeding blue-chip lending protocols like Aave at ~62% [5] Derivatives Market Focus - Ethena's primary growth strategy is to become the default collateral for derivatives trading, which accounted for 68% of all cryptocurrency trading in 2024 [7] - USDe offers capital efficiency by allowing traders to cover trading costs with yield and build collateral buffers automatically [7][8] - Major exchanges like Bybit, Deribit, MEXC, Gate, Binance, Kraken, and Coinone have integrated USDe as collateral [8] Regulatory Strategy - Ethena is building inroads with TradFi through USDtb, which is backed by tokenized U S Treasuries [9][10] - USDtb offers regulatory clarity for institutional players, aligning with current and proposed regulatory standards [10] - USDtb accounts for approximately 125% of Ethena's total stablecoin supply, serving as a bridge to traditional finance [11]