What Yearn.Finance does

Yearn.Finance is a decentralized finance (DeFi) yield aggregator founded in 2020, operating on Ethereum and pursuing multi-chain deployment through a modular vault architecture. The platform's core offering, Yearn Vaults, automates yield optimization by deploying user-deposited assets across DeFi lending protocols and DEXs, executing rebalancing and auto-compounding through smart contract strategies. This abstraction lets crypto holders earn risk-adjusted yields without manually managing positions across protocols. The company markets itself as 'DeFi's most battle tested yield aggregator' and prioritizes security via multiple independent audits and an active Immunefi bug bounty program.

Yearn operates as a self-serve, community-governed protocol with no traditional enterprise sales motion; users access vaults directly via yearn.fi by connecting Web3 wallets. The protocol holds approximately $205 million in total value locked, and revenue is generated through vault fees, with the 2024 stYFI governance overhaul redirecting up to 90% of protocol revenue to stakers via a buyback-and-build program. The fixed-supply YFI governance token (30,000 tokens) provides both voting rights and a revenue claim. The team's headcount is reported at 1-10, consistent with a lean, contributor-led organization anchored in Cape Town, South Africa.

Distribution and growth rely on protocol-to-protocol integrations: vaults are embedded as yield infrastructure within Curve, Alchemix, Origin, Katana, Trueo, Term, and Cap, functioning as B2B distribution rather than paid customer acquisition. Yearn's marketing channels (Discord, Discourse, GitHub, X, blog) and ongoing M&A activity (Cover Protocol in 2020, Pickle Finance re-merger in January 2024 following a $20M Dai drain at Pickle) reflect an ecosystem-driven strategy that combines organic protocol integration with consolidation moves to strengthen security and resource efficiency.

Name

Yearn.Finance

Legal name

Yearn.Finance

Website

https://yearn.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yearn.Finance is a DeFi yield aggregator built on Ethereum that uses automated smart contract vaults to optimize and compound yields across lending protocols and DEXs, serving crypto holders and partner protocols (Curve, Alchemix, Origin) seeking passive risk-adjusted returns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

DeFi Yield Aggregation

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Yield Aggregators & Strategy Vaults (FSADAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yield, Vaults & Asset Management (vault strategies, robo-vaults, structured yield) (FSAPAEAG), Yield Aggregators, Auto-Compounding & Strategy Vaults (DeFi Yield) (FSADAHAK)

Keywords

• DeFi yield aggregator
• Automated vaults
• Yield optimization
• Smart contract protocols
• Decentralized finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vault Fees: Yearn generates revenue through vault fees charged on yield generated within the protocol. Fees are distributed to stakers via a buyback-and-build program where stYFI holders receive 90% of protocol revenue.
2. Protocol Revenue Distribution: The YFI token provides governance rights and revenue-sharing through staking mechanisms. The governance token has a fixed supply of 30,000 tokens, creating scarcity for revenue distribution.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yearn.Finance is a DeFi yield aggregator built on Ethereum that deploys user-deposited crypto assets into automated smart contract vaults. These vaults execute yield-generating strategies across lending protocols and decentralized exchanges, automatically rebalancing and compounding returns to deliver risk-adjusted yields without users having to actively manage positions.

Product overview

Yearn.Finance is a DeFi yield aggregator platform offering a portfolio of products centered around its core vault system. The main offering consists of Yearn Vaults and Compounding Vaults that automatically optimize yield by deploying user deposits across various DeFi protocols. The platform provides over $205 million in total value deposited and is described as DeFi's most battle-tested yield aggregator. The ecosystem extends through partnerships with Curve, Alchemix, Origin, Katana, Trueo, Term, and Cap, with Yearn X representing strategic collaborations exploring yield opportunities. An app ecosystem built by contributors and the community further extends the platform's functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yearn Vaults A DeFi yield aggregation product that allows crypto holders to deposit assets and receive compounded returns through automated strategy execution across multiple DeFi protocols.
• Compounding Vaults Vaults that automatically rebalance and compound yields across DeFi lending protocols and DEXs to deliver optimized risk-adjusted returns for crypto depositors.

Quantifiable outcome

• $205.1M+ deposited in vaults
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pickle FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2024Yearn Finance and Pickle Finance announced a merger following a $20M Dai drain from Pickle. The merger consolidates resources and improves security through vault merging and new reward mechanisms. Market reactions showed significant rebound in Pickle tokens.
• Curve FinancecoreTechnology or IntegrationCurve is a partner actively using Yearn vaults. Curve is a stablecoin AMM platform known for deep, sustainable onchain liquidity.
• Alchemint (Alchemix)coreTechnology or IntegrationAlchemix is a partner actively using Yearn vaults. Alchemix offers self-repaying DeFi loans.
• Origin ProtocolcoreTechnology or IntegrationOrigin is a partner actively using Yearn vaults. Origin is building foundational infrastructure for onchain yield.
• KatanacoreTechnology or IntegrationKatana is a partner actively using Yearn vaults. Katana is a layer-2 blockchain built to generate real revenue and sustainable yield for users.
• TrueocoreTechnology or IntegrationTrueo is a partner actively using Yearn vaults. Trueo is a fully onchain, yield-bearing prediction market protocol. Also mentioned as integration partner for upcoming platform developments.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Beefy Finance: Beefy Finance is a multi-chain DeFi yield aggregator offering automated vault strategies across dozens of blockchains. It is the most direct competitor to Yearn, with a similar product (auto-compounding vaults), similar target users (DeFi yield seekers), and overlapping source protocols (Curve, Aave, etc.).
• Convex Finance: Convex Finance is a yield optimizer built on top of Curve Finance, allowing users to earn boosted CRV rewards without locking CRV themselves. It overlaps with Yearn's Curve-anchored yield strategies and competes for the same Curve LP depositor base.
• Autofarm: Autofarm is a cross-chain yield aggregator that auto-compounds yields across DeFi protocols, similar to Yearn Vaults. It directly competes with Yearn on multi-chain vault strategies and price-optimized yield routing.

Emerging players

• Stargate Finance: Stargate Finance is a cross-chain bridge and liquidity protocol that offers native yield on stable assets. It overlaps with Yearn's stablecoin strategies (USDC, USDS) and competes for stablecoin-bearing capital in DeFi.
• Pendle Finance: Pendle Finance is a yield-tokenization protocol that splits yield-bearing assets into principal and yield tokens for trading. While its mechanism is different, it competes with Yearn for sophisticated DeFi yield seekers looking to optimize or trade yield exposure.
• Enzyme Finance: Enzyme (formerly Melon) is an on-chain asset management protocol that lets users create and run automated investment strategies. It is comparable to Yearn in offering programmatic, on-chain yield strategies, though Enzyme targets managers building custom vaults while Yearn operates its own.
• Badger DAO: Badger DAO is a DeFi protocol focused on yield strategies for Bitcoin-denominated assets on Ethereum and other chains. It overlaps with Yearn in offering automated yield strategies and serves a similar DeFi yield-seeking persona.

Broad incumbents

• Curve Finance: Curve Finance is a leading stablecoin and LST-focused AMM and is both a core integration partner for Yearn vaults and a competing venue for the same yield-bearing liquidity. Curve's native yield offerings and CRV emissions overlap with Yearn's value proposition.
• Aave: Aave is the largest DeFi lending protocol and a source protocol for Yearn's lending-optimized vault strategies. While Aave is not a direct aggregator, it competes at the layer below by offering native variable/supply yields that diminish the value-add of aggregation.
• Compound Finance: Compound is a foundational DeFi lending market and is integrated into Yearn's lending strategy vaults. As a source protocol and competing venue for crypto deposits earning yield, it sits in the same DeFi capital-allocation stack as Yearn.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yearnfi
• GitHubgithub.com/yearn
• Facebookfacebook.com/YFIToken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iearn-finance

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Yearn.Finance