Balancer is a decentralised finance (DeFi) protocol operating on the Ethereum blockchain. It functions as an automated market maker (AMM) and a self-balancing portfolio management tool, allowing users to manage liquidity pools and conduct token swaps.
Balancer works by allowing users to create and manage liquidity pools that can contain up to eight different cryptocurrencies. These pools are governed by smart contracts that enable automated market-making and maintain specified ratios of assets through constant rebalancing. The protocol uses the Constant Function Market Maker (CFPM) algorithm to ensure efficient and cost-effective token swaps, adapting the asset proportions automatically with each trade.
Balancer provides several use cases in the DeFi sector, including:
The history of Balancer dates back to 2018, with Fernando Martinelli and Mike McDonald exploring a new type of decentralised exchange. The first version of the Balancer protocol was introduced in 2019. In June 2020, Balancer launched its native BAL token to reward liquidity providers and facilitate governance. Since then, the protocol has become a prominent player in the DeFi space, continuously evolving its technologies and expanding its market presence with partnerships and listings on major exchanges.