What is Velodrome Finance (VELO): why it's a next-gen AMM

While they were a popular and growing facet of the last crypto bull market, Automated Market Makers (AMM) are well-established these days, having become a staple in the DeFi space thanks to their 24/7 liquidity, low slippage, and access to various trading pairs. However, not all AMMs are created equal. A trailblazer like Velodrome Finance distinguishes itself by offering a unique blend of features and incentives that cater to both traders and liquidity providers. With a strong emphasis on community governance, Velodrome Finance empowers its users to map out the platform's direction, as native token holders can participate in decision-making processes and benefit from various rewards.

Interested in finding out more about how Velodrome Finance stands out from its peers? From exploring how Velodrome Finance works to covering what the VELO token is about, here’s your ultimate guide to what is Velodrome Finance and how it's managing to shake up the AMM game.

TL;DR

• Velodrome Finance is a decentralized exchange built on Optimism that aims to optimize liquidity and trading efficiency.

• Velodrome Finance's core features include gauge weights for community governance, the veVELO token for amplified rewards and voting power, and liquidity mining for incentivizing liquidity providers.

• By offering customizable fees, concentrated liquidity pools, and a focus on user experience, Velodrome Finance is popular in the competitive DeFi landscape.

• VELO is the platform's native token, and it plays a crucial role in governance and rewards, fostering a strong community and driving platform growth.

• Velodrome Finance is often compared to Aerodrome Finance, which is also on the Optimism Superchain and operates on Base.

What is Velodrome Finance?

Velodrome Finance is an advanced DEX designed to revolutionize the DeFi landscape. Built on the high-speed Optimism network, Velodrome serves as the liquidity hub for the Optimism Superchain and combines the best aspects of Curve, Convex, and Uniswap V2. By offering deep liquidity, ultra-low fees, and minimal slippage, Velodrome aims to foster a thriving ecosystem for traders and liquidity providers alike.

Unlike traditional AMMs, Velodrome’s innovative veVELO governance model empowers users to shape the platform's future through the VELO token. This community-centric approach, combined with the platform's focus on user experience, has attracted a rapidly growing user base. Designed for DeFi enthusiasts, Velodrome offers a suite of tools and features to optimize trading gains that keeps seasoned traders coming back for more.

What is Optimism Superchain?

To fully appreciate Velodrome Finance, it’s essential to understand what the Optimism Superchain is. As a network of interconnected Layer-2 solutions sharing a common development stack, the Optimism Superchain is a scalable and secure ecosystem designed to enhance the Ethereum network. By employing optimistic rollups, Optimism significantly reduces gas fees and increases transaction throughput. This underlying infrastructure provides the foundation for high-performance DeFi protocols like Velodrome Finance to thrive.

How Optimism Superchain benefits Velodrome Finance

Compared to other Layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum and Polygon, Optimism stands out due to its developer-friendly tools, robust security measures, and seamless integration with the Ethereum ecosystem. By harnessing the power of Optimism, Velodrome Finance experiences notably lower transaction costs, faster trade execution, and a smoother overall user experience. This combination of factors has been instrumental in attracting a growing community of traders and liquidity providers to the platform.

A deep dive into how Velodrome Finance works

Now that we’re familiar with the foundations Velodrome Finance is built upon, let's explore the mechanics of how Velodrome Finance works and understand what its key features are. At its core, Velodrome Finance functions as an AMM, and facilitates token swaps through liquidity pools. However, it goes beyond basic swapping by introducing a suite of innovative features designed to maximize returns for both traders and liquidity providers.

Gauge weights

A cornerstone of Velodrome Finance is the gauge weight system, which empowers users to directly influence the platform's trajectory and democratizes liquidity distribution. By staking the platform's native token, VELO, users can allocate voting power to determine how liquidity is distributed across different pools. This democratic approach makes sure the platform's resources are aligned with the community's preferences, because those who are staking VELO have the right to decide where the liquidity should be allocated.

For instance, if a community is particularly interested in a specific trading pair, they can allocate more voting power to that pool's gauge, incentivizing liquidity providers to add to that pool and ultimately improving the trading experience for everyone involved.

veVELO token

Previously known as ve(3,3) tokens, the veVELO token is an integral part of Velodrome Finance, amplifying the impact of governance and rewarding long-term commitment. By locking up VELO tokens for varying durations (typically 3, 6, or 9 months), users create veVELO tokens, which grant enhanced voting power and increased rewards.

To illustrate this better, a user who locks up VELO for nine months will receive a higher veVELO balance compared to someone who locks for three months. This means they’ll have a stronger influence on governance decisions and earn more rewards. This mechanism incentivizes users to strategically lock their VELO tokens, aligning their interests with the long-term health of the protocol.

Liquidity mining

Velodrome Finance offers a robust liquidity mining program to attract and retain liquidity providers beyond a share of trading fees. By depositing tokens into liquidity pools, users can unlock a multiplier effect on their gains in the form of VELO. This incentivized approach helps to ensure deep liquidity for swappers and tighter spreads, benefiting all participants in the ecosystem.

Here’s an in-depth look at Velodrome Finance’s liquidity mining system:

• Earn trading fees: As a liquidity provider, you’ll earn a portion of the trading fees generated within the pool you contribute to.

• VELO rewards: Velodrome Finance allocates a portion of its platform fees to be distributed as VELO rewards to liquidity providers. The amount of VELO received is proportional to the user’s contribution to the pool’s liquidity.

• Boosted VELO rewards with veVELO: By locking VELO tokens, users can create veVELO tokens, and significantly amplify their VELO rewards from liquidity mining. The longer the lock duration, the greater the boost in rewards.

This combined approach allows users to benefit from contributing liquidity and gain influence over the platform’s governance. By providing deep liquidity, liquidity providers enable efficient and low-slippage trades for users, while traders generate the fees that contribute to liquidity provider rewards. Ultimately, this symbiotic relationship between traders and liquidity providers benefits the entire Velodrome ecosystem.

By combining these elements, Velodrome Finance creates a unique user experience by empowering the community, incentivizing long-term engagement, and rewarding contributions to the platform’s liquidity. This three-pronged approach sets Velodrome apart from other AMMs and is a core reason for the AMM’s success.

Velodrome V2: what's new

In December 2022, Velodrome announced Velodrome V2, which represented a significant leap forward in decentralized exchange technology. Some noteworthy features include concentrated liquidity pools (clAMMs), customizable fees, and dynamic emissions rates with VELO FED. These features ultimately empower both traders and liquidity providers to optimize their strategies.

Customizable fees offer traders unprecedented flexibility. Regardless of whether they’re seeking the lowest possible slippage or prioritizing guaranteed trade execution, users can tailor fee structures to suit their specific needs. This dynamic approach to fee determination fosters a more competitive and efficient trading environment.

To further enhance the user experience, Velodrome V2 introduces VELO FED. As the name suggests, VELO FED is an onchain treasury designed to support the ecosystem's growth. It will give veVELO voters the power to set an overarching monetary policy for VELO supply and determine VELO emission rates. By strategically managing platform fees and rewards, VELO FED plays a crucial role in stabilizing the platform and providing additional incentives for liquidity providers and traders.

clAMMs revolutionize liquidity management by allowing liquidity providers to focus their capital within specific price ranges, ultimately enhancing capital efficiency and increasing potential returns. This innovation benefits liquidity providers and improves the overall trading experience by reducing slippage and ensuring deeper liquidity in high-demand price areas.

Together, these features position Velodrome V2 as a leading-edge platform that caters to the evolving needs of the DeFi ecosystem.

What is VELO and veVELO?

As the Velodrome Finance ecosystem’s native token, VELO is the lifeblood of the platform, powering governance, incentives, and overall value accrual. It’s a governance token that grants holders the right to participate in platform decisions, playing a crucial role in the protocol’s future.

VELO utility

To maximize the impact of their VELO holdings, users can stake their tokens to earn additional rewards and gain voting power. This dual functionality incentivizes long-term token holding and active participation in the community. Furthermore, VELO is instrumental in driving liquidity provision. By locking VELO to create veVELO tokens, users can amplify their voting power and earn boosted rewards, including a larger share of trading fees. This mechanism fosters a cycle where token holders are rewarded for contributing to the platform's growth and stability.

VELO tokenomics and distribution

Source: Velodrome Finance

VELO's tokenomics are designed to create a sustainable and equitable ecosystem. With an initial supply of 400 million, VELO's distribution was carefully managed to balance the interests of early supporters, the community, and the protocol itself. Of this 400 million, a bulk of it is allocated to the community as the team rewarded those who played the biggest role in incubating Velodrome Finance, and those who were most likely to contribute to its long-term success.

Source: Velodrome Finance

Since VELO's launch, VELO's total supply has grown considerably thanks to its weekly emissions of 15 million VELO. This caused the total supply of VELO to reach an estimated 1.8 billion after almost four years of constant weekly VELO emissions. This large token supply should be something to take into account if you’re intending to trade VELO for the long haul.

Velodrome vs Aerodrome

Velodrome or Aerodrome? This is a common question that comes up with Velodrome Finance being mentioned. Wondering how it differs from Aerodrome Finance? Let's now look at the similarities and differences between both DeFi protocols.

For starters, both DApps share a strong foundation, being built on the Solidly fork and operating on Layer-2 solutions. Their core mechanics are quite similar as both platforms introduce gauge voting, ve-style tokenomics, and liquidity incentives. However, they differentiate themselves based on the underlying blockchain, ecosystem focus, and specific features.

• Blockchain: Velodrome Finance operates on the Optimism network, while Aerodrome Finance is deployed on Base.

• Ecosystem focus: Velodrome Finance has established itself as a cornerstone of the Optimism ecosystem, while Aerodrome Finance aims to become the central liquidity hub for Base.

• User base: Velodrome Finance generally has a larger and more established user base due to its earlier launch and the maturity of the Optimism network.

• Pool creation: Velodrome Finance offers permissionless pool creation, allowing users to create new liquidity pools, while Aerodrome Finance's pool creation process might be more curated.

Key considerations for users

When choosing between Velodrome and Aerodrome, users should consider the following factors:

• Blockchain preference: If you’re invested in the Optimism ecosystem, Velodrome Finance might be a natural choice. If you’re interested in Base, Aerodrome Finance is the obvious option.

• Fee structure: Compare the fee structures of both platforms to determine which offers better value for your trading volume.

• Liquidity: Evaluate the depth of liquidity available for your desired trading pairs on both platforms.

• Governance model: Consider the governance mechanisms and tokenomics of each platform to assess your level of influence and potential rewards.

• Risk tolerance: Aerodrome Finance, as a newer platform, might carry higher risks but also potentially offer greater rewards.

The future of Velodrome Finance: : what lies ahead?

Velodrome Finance has positioned itself as a leading force in the Optimism ecosystem, demonstrating a strong commitment to innovation, community governance, and user experience. As the DeFi landscape continues to evolve, Velodrome is poised for significant growth and expansion. While there's no official Velodrome Finance roadmap available for reference, here are some possible areas of focus for Velodrome Finance's future based on the trajectory of their current updates and product releases.

• Product expansion focused on capital efficiency: Velodrome Finance intends to explore new financial derivatives, yield optimization strategies, and lending protocols to broaden its appeal and attract a wider user base. The introduction of clAMMs allows liquidity providers to optimize their capital allocation and potentially increase returns, but also suggests a continued focus on new developments that enhance efficiency within the platform.

• Ecosystem development: So far, Velodrome Finance has shown its commitment to the Optimism ecosystem by building itself as a central liquidity hub, leveraging the network's scalability and low transaction fees to provide a superior trading experience. Through fostering partnerships with other DeFi protocols and projects on the Optimism Superchain, Velodrome Finance will be able to unlock synergies and new opportunities in the ever-growing DeFi space.

• Improved user experience: Features like customizable fees empower users to tailor their trading experience based on their needs. This suggests a commitment to user-centric design and fostering a more competitive and efficient trading environment.

While Velodrome Finance faces competitive pressures from other DeFi platforms, its strong community foundation, innovative approach, and strategic focus on the Optimism ecosystem position it well to overcome challenges and achieve long-term success as a leading AMM and DeFi hub. As the Optimism Superchain continues to grow, we can expect Velodrome Finance to expand its offerings and attract more users over time.

Getting started with Velodrome Finance

Ready to enter the world of Velodrome Finance? Let’s break down the steps to get you started.

Connecting your wallet

The first step is to connect your wallet to the Velodrome platform. Velodrome supports a variety of popular wallets, including OKX Wallet and MetaMask. Once connected, you can interact with the platform and manage your assets.

Trading on Velodrome Finance

Trading on Velodrome is intuitive and straightforward. You can swap tokens by selecting the desired trading pair and inputting the amount you want to exchange. Velodrome provides real-time price information and slippage estimates to help you make informed decisions.

Providing liquidity

If you’re looking to earn rewards while contributing to the platform’s liquidity, providing liquidity on Velodrome Finance is a good option. You can add liquidity to existing pools or create new ones. As a liquidity provider, you’ll earn a portion of the trading fees generated within the pool in the form of VELO.

Final words and next steps

Velodrome Finance stands out as a influential force in the DeFi landscape, redefining the possibilities of automated market makers. By combining innovative features like gauge weights, veVELO, and liquidity mining, Velodrome has created a dynamic ecosystem that rewards both traders and liquidity providers. The platform's deep integration with the Optimism Superchain leverages the network's strengths to deliver a strong user experience. As the DeFi industry continues to evolve, Velodrome Finance's commitment to innovation, community governance, and user-centric design positions it as a leading contender. By understanding the platform's core mechanics and participating actively in its ecosystem, users can unlock the full potential of decentralized finance.

Interested in learning more about DeFi? Check out our guide to Injective and find out why it’s pegged as the blockchain built for finance. Alternatively, you can also read up about Ethena and the DeFi storm it’s starting with its synthetic dollar.