CIAN

What CIAN does

CIAN is a private DeFi protocol founded in 2019 and headquartered in Den Haag, Netherlands, that operates a yield aggregation platform branded as the "Yield Layer of DeFi." The company's core product, Yield Layer, deploys user-deposited assets across multiple DeFi protocols — including Aave V3, Lido, Ethena, Mantle Network, Babylon, Solv, and BSC — through automated strategies and real-time optimization, returning Receipt Tokens to depositors that represent their yield-bearing position. A specialized stETH Yield Layer product offers up to 13x capital efficiency versus direct Lido staking, while Mantle Vault, launched in December 2025 in partnership with Mantle and Bybit, provides market-neutral stablecoin yield strategies on USDC/USDT with a minimum entry threshold of $10.

CIAN's go-to-market is product-led and self-serve: users access products globally via the yieldlayer.cian.app web application with no KYC requirements, and Mantle Vault is also distributed through the Bybit On-Chain Earn platform, where Bybit serves as the global access layer and CIAN handles on-chain execution. Pricing is freemium with zero subscription fees on Mantle Vault, and revenue is generated through strategy management fees or yield spreads on assets under management. The company serves a horizontal segment of DeFi users — primarily stablecoin holders and ETH liquid staking token holders seeking automated yield optimization — and has reached US$200M AUM on Mantle Vault within 94 days of launch, demonstrating significant early traction on a small team of 11-50 employees. No revenue figures, headcount detail, or institutional investor composition beyond a 2022 funding round with 4WARD.VC, BitScale Capital, Fenbushi Capital, Loopring, and Mirana are disclosed.

Name

CIAN

Website

https://cian.app

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIAN is a DeFi yield aggregation platform that deploys user assets across protocols like Aave, Lido, Ethena, and Mantle to automate yield generation, serving global retail DeFi users with no-KYC, self-serve access via its Yield Layer and Mantle Vault products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

DeFi Yield Aggregation Platform

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Yield Aggregators, Auto-Compounding & Strategy Vaults (DeFi Yield) (FSADAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yield Aggregators & Strategy Vaults (FSADAMAF), Yield, Vaults & Asset Management (vault strategies, robo-vaults, structured yield) (FSAPAEAG)

Keywords

• Yield aggregation
• DeFi staking
• Liquid staking
• Stablecoin yield
• Decentralized finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Yield Management Fees: CIAN handles on-chain execution for the Mantle Vault product, generating yield through Ethena staking and Aave V3 leveraged staking. Revenue likely derived from strategy management fees or yield spread.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CIAN operates a DeFi yield aggregation platform that strategically deploys user-deposited assets across multiple protocols (Aave V3, Lido, Ethena, Mantle Network, BSC) to maximize returns through automated strategies. Users deposit assets, receive Receipt Tokens representing their position, and earn yield seamlessly without KYC. Specialized products include the stETH Yield Layer (up to 13x capital efficiency vs. direct Lido staking) and Mantle Vault (stablecoin yield targeting 5-25% APR through market-neutral strategies).

Product overview

CIAN operates as a Yield Layer of DeFi, offering a unified platform that provides sustainable yield redistribution through strategic asset deployment across multiple DeFi protocols. The core offering consists of Yield Layer, an advanced yield aggregation solution, complemented by specialized products including stETH Yield Layer for Ethereum liquid staking derivatives and Mantle Vault for stablecoin yield strategies built in partnership with Mantle and Bybit. Users deposit assets and receive Receipt Tokens while earning yield seamlessly through interconnected DeFi protocols.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yield Layer: Advanced yield aggregation solution that strategically deploys assets across multiple DeFi protocols to maximize returns
• Mantle Vault

Products and services

• Yield Layer Core yield aggregation platform that deploys deposited assets across multiple DeFi protocols (Aave V3, Lido, Ethena, Mantle Network, BSC) to maximize returns through automated strategies and real-time optimization. Users deposit assets, receive Receipt Tokens, and earn yield seamlessly.
• stETH Yield Layer Specialized yield product for stETH that enables multi-source yield per asset with up to 13x capital efficiency, offering significantly higher APY than direct Lido staking.
• Mantle Vault Native stablecoin yield product built on Mantle Network, offering market-neutral yield strategies with flexible liquidity. Generates yield through Ethena staking and Aave V3 leveraged staking of stablecoins. Targets 5-10% APR in bear markets and 10-25% in bull markets with zero subscription fees; accessible globally via Bybit On-Chain Earn.

Quantifiable outcome

• US$200 million AUM achieved in 94 days
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• BybitflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2025Bybit serves as the global access layer for Mantle Vault on Bybit On-Chain Earn. CIAN handles on-chain execution while Bybit provides the user interface and distribution. The product offers stablecoin yield strategies through market-neutral DeFi strategies.
• MantlecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2025Mantle provides scalable infrastructure for Mantle Vault, a native stablecoin yield product built on Mantle Network. CIAN's onboarding to Mantle expands access to structured stablecoin strategies within Mantle's ecosystem.
• AavecoreTechnology or IntegrationAave V3 on Ethereum is used for leveraged stablecoin staking strategies within CIAN's yield products.
• LidocoreTechnology or IntegrationLido staking integration for stETH Yield Layer product, enabling enhanced yields compared to direct Lido staking.
• EthenacoreTechnology or IntegrationEthena staking is used as a yield source for Mantle Vault's market-neutral stablecoin strategies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yearn Finance: The original DeFi yield aggregator, automating yield strategies across Aave, Compound, and other protocols via yVaults. Directly comparable to CIAN's Yield Layer as a strategy-orchestration platform, though Yearn is more established and Ethereum-centric.
• Convex Finance: Yield optimization layer built on top of Curve Finance, allowing users to earn boosted CRV rewards without locking CVX. Comparable as a capital-efficiency-focused aggregator, though narrower in scope (Curve-focused) than CIAN's broader protocol mix.
• Pendle Finance: DeFi protocol for yield tokenization and trading, enabling users to split yield-bearing assets into principal and yield tokens. Comparable as an advanced yield-architecture protocol using similar underlying primitives (Lido stETH, Ethena) and targeting sophisticated yield-seeking users.
• Stargate Finance: Cross-chain liquidity and yield protocol built on LayerZero. Comparable as a multi-chain yield and liquidity product integrated with major DeFi protocols, though focused more on bridging than yield aggregation.
• Beefy Finance: Multi-chain yield optimizer offering automated compounding vaults across dozens of chains including BSC and emerging L2s. Direct competitor to CIAN's cross-chain strategy deployment approach, particularly on BNB Chain where both operate.
• Instadapp Lite: DeFi strategy automation protocol offering leveraged staking and DeFi smart accounts (DSA). Directly comparable to CIAN's stETH Yield Layer for capital-efficient staking strategies, with similar Aave V3 and Lido integration patterns.

Broad incumbents

• Aave: One of the largest decentralized lending protocols and a core underlying yield source for CIAN's leveraged staking strategies. A potential competitor at the broader yield layer as Aave explores native yield products.
• Lido Finance: Largest liquid staking protocol for ETH, whose stETH is the primary asset for CIAN's stETH Yield Layer. Comparable at the category level (DeFi yield), though Lido is a single-protocol staking primitive while CIAN orchestrates across multiple sources.

Emerging players

• Ethena: Issuer of USDe synthetic dollar using delta-neutral strategies (long ETH spot, short perps). An underlying yield source for CIAN's Mantle Vault and partial competitor for stablecoin yield users seeking similar market-neutral returns.
• Sommelier Finance: Cosmos-based DeFi protocol offering actively managed yield strategies via smart-contract vaults. Comparable as a managed-yield product with multi-protocol exposure, though on a different tech stack (Cosmos appchain) than CIAN.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CIAN_protocol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CIAN