Web3 protocol Blast has reached $823 million in total value locked (TVL) just weeks after its controversial launch in mid-November, with a 26.5% gain over the past seven days, according to data from DefiLlama.
Behind Blast’s speedy growth is its unique business model. The protocol is a scaling solution for the Ethereum network and offers native yields to users who stake their funds. Users staking are promised a 4% yield on Ether (ETH) and a 5% yield on stablecoins.
However, the protocol’s emergence has been marked by challenges and unpopular developments. On Nov. 30, Blast revealed that a user staking on the protocol saw $100,000 disappear after converting a deposit to Dai (DAI). The issue was caused by a misconfigured slippage parameter on the user interface, resulting in Blast paying the user $10,000 in compensation.
The 10% compensation will be covered by some of Blast’s $20 million capital raised from investors such as Paradigm — the same venture capital firm that lost $278 million on bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. But Blast’s relationship with Paradigm faces its own challenges.
In late November, the head of research at the venture capital (VC) firm, Dan Robinson, shared…
