In-depth analysis, tutorials, and insights from our research team
USDai's TVL halved in a week, USD1 was knocked off peg, Pendle's order books emptied overnight. The common thread is mercenary capital — the yield-chasing hot money that swarms incentives and vanishes the moment they dry up.
DeFi Sentinel's Strategy Safety Score is our own risk evaluation framework. Here's how it works: a bottleneck-based Base Score from the weakest protocol and weakest asset, multiplied by a strategy-specific adjustment factor that reflects execution risk.
We rate DeFi assets on a AAA–C scale using five weighted pillars. Weights shift by asset class to reflect where risk actually lives. Eight hard override rules can cap any rating regardless of score.
A firsthand account of discovering and automating crypto arbitrage — from stumbling on a 5% price gap to running a bot that paid for itself on day one.
Learn why circular lending strategies in DeFi are dangerous and how they can lead to cascading liquidations and massive losses.
DeFi offers high yields but comes with significant risks. Understanding Smart Contract Risk, Impermanent Loss, and more.
What every beginner must understand before putting real money on-chain.
Learn how we evaluate and rate DeFi protocols using our comprehensive 5-dimensional risk framework.
Understanding what causes stablecoins to lose their peg and how to protect yourself during depeg events.
A data-driven ranking of the top smart contract auditors for DeFi in 2026, analyzing incident rates, trust scores, and research contributions.
The DeFi Sentinel Research Academy is a library of independent research articles covering DeFi protocol risk analysis, rating methodology, stablecoin design, smart contract auditor rankings, and yield strategy walkthroughs. Free articles are open to all readers; advanced research is reserved for members.
Each protocol receives a 0-100 safety score weighted across five risk dimensions: Smart Contract & Technical Risk (30%), Economic Design & Market Risk (25%), Governance & Centralization Risk (20%), Sustainability & Competitive Position (15%), and Reputation & Social Trust (10%). The score maps to letter grades from AAA (highest safety) to CCC (highest risk).
Most articles are free, including the rating methodology, common DeFi risks, and starter guides. A subset of in-depth research (marked Member Only) requires a DeFi Sentinel Pro membership, which mints a soulbound ERC-1155 badge to the reader's wallet.
Foundational explainers are reviewed quarterly. Methodology updates, auditor rankings, and risk-event analyses are published as conditions change. Each article displays its publish date and a 'Last updated' field where applicable.
