Inside Kujira's DeFi Universe

In this article, we will continue to explore the Kujira project and uncover all the layers of the Kujira ecosystem to give you an insight into the exciting developments and initiatives shaping its future.

Brief intro

• Layer 1 blockchain in Cosmos Network: Kujira functions as a Layer 1 blockchain within the expansive Cosmos network, establishing a robust base for next-level DeFi solutions.
• Semi-Permissioned Approach: Kujira stands out with its semi-permissioned model, that require governance votes for launching projects on the network. This unique approach ensures a sustainable and decentralized ecosystem, mitigating potential risks and enhancing community decision-making processes.
• The Native Non-Inflationary Token: At the core of Kujira's ecosystem is the $KUJI utility token with multifaceted functionalities. Beyond traditional trading roles, $KUJI serves as a means for staking, covering network fees, participating in governance decisions and DeFi ecosystem.
• Project Interoperability: Kujira's future vision includes strategic integrations that emphasize interoperability with other blockchain networks. This forward-looking approach aims to provide users with a comprehensive DeFi experience, leveraging synergies across different blockchain platforms.

If you want to learn more about Kujira check out our recent blog post:
Grown-Up DeFi: Kujira Innovations

Mission and Values

With the development of the DeFi industry, cryptocurrencies are gaining traction and becoming an alternative to traditional financial solutions. However, market manipulation and unfair approaches show the vulnerability of this sector.

Having faced such a situation on the Terra blockchain, the Kujira project team decided to change the approach and create a platform that differs from the majority with its principles and solutions.

The main mission and idea of the Kujira project is to create a DeFi ecosystem based on the principles of fairness and equal opportunities for all market participants.

This was achieved by launching its own Level 1 blockchain and a network of interconnected DeFi services, as well as solutions that minimize the advantage of bots.

Kujira Ecosystem

In our previous article, we explored in details Kujira's native applications, which serve as the core of its ecosystem and empowering each other.

• ORCA - Liquidations Engine
• BOW - Liquidity Engine
• FIN - DEX
• PILOT - Launchpad
• GHOST - Money Market
• POD - Staking
• BLUE - Central Hub
• Finder - Explorer

All these services work on the Kuji blockchain in synergy as a well-balanced mechanism, supporting each other and providing seamless interaction within the ecosystem.

Nevertheless, the ecosystem extends beyond this and incorporates other projects that complement and broaden its scope.

As Kujira operates as a semi-permissioned blockchain, it is presumed that all projects undergo pre-screening. The projects listed here are sourced from the official Kujira website. It's worth noting that there could be additional projects beyond this list, as third-party projects may implement Kujira solutions without approval or not listed yet.

Taking a quick look at the ecosystem via DefiLama, we see 7 projects in the list and Kujira Protocol at the top with TVL at $116,84m blocked funds in Kujira native services (ORCA, BOW, FIN, etc.). Let's take a closer look at these and other projects in each category.

Kujira’s DeFi

Kujira continues to foster groundbreaking user-centered DeFi developments that provide essential tools, new decentralized solutions and innovative features.

Coinhall serves as a trading hub for the Cosmos ecosystem, actively deployed on Neutron, Injective, Terra Classic, Osmosis, Juno, Kujira and other chains. It provides users with access to real-time price charts, Liquidity Pool Analytics, and the capability to execute aggregated swaps across supported networks.

Calculated Finance (CALC) is a platform that provides users with a variety of sophisticated automated trading strategies. The protocol has not only developed advanced DCA algorithms that leverage machine learning to outperform regular DCA strategies, but also swaps assets directly on decentralized exchanges & has a seamless user interface.

Plasma is an Over-The-Counter marketplace developed by the Fuzion team, that offers users a secure and impartial platform for creating peer-to-peer OTC deals. This innovative system allows for the trading of any token for another token at user-defined prices without causing disruptions to the market price. It is particularly advantageous for users involved in substantial trades as it provides a mechanism to execute transactions without exposing their positions to slippage or negatively impacting the broader marketplace, especially on pairs with low volume.

Bonds is the new project of the Fuzion team, offering a dynamic platform for Deal Makers and Takers. Much like OTC deals on Plasma, Bonds empowers users to create and discover deals, unlocking a realm of strategic possibilities.

While Plasma caters to the retail audience, Bonds takes center stage for projects with diverse strategic goals. Whether it's a Protocol seeking capital for a groundbreaking project or a forward-thinking DAO diversifying its treasury.

MantaDAO is a community-owned decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) committed to enhancing the Kujira ecosystem. Its primary objective is to elevate the trading experience on FIN (Kujira’s orderbook DEX) while ensuring profitability for MNTA stakers.

MantaDAO operates on two fronts: its development arm focuses on building applications and tooling to enhance user experience and opportunities across the Kujira ecosystem. Meanwhile, its market-making arm is dedicated to deepening liquidity on FIN's orderbook through long-term Protocol-Owned Liquidity (POL) and sustainable market-making programs.

For seamless oversight of your Kujira portfolio assets, consider Pulsar, offering a comprehensive cross-chain portfolio dashboard inclusive of NFT support. Pulsar empowers users to monitor their DeFi positions, including Staking, Debt, LPs, Farms, Futures, and Limit Orders, spanning across 80+ blockchains and 8 CEXes. Alternatively, Nansen provides a streamlined solution for monitoring and analyzing DeFi and NFT holdings across multiple wallets, covering 45+ chains and 400+ protocols.

Kado is a user-friendly fiat gateway platform that empowers users to enter and exit the DeFi ecosystem with ease. With Kado, users can seamlessly onboard onto Kujira directly from their bank accounts or cards, making the transition from fiat to crypto a breeze.

Local Money introduces a decentralized peer-to-peer marketplace designed to facilitate the buying and selling of cryptocurrency tokens for fiat currency. In October 2023 the project was relaunched as a DAO. Here is a more on what happened.

Liquid Staking

Liquid staking introduces a dynamic approach to earning staking rewards by enabling users to maintain liquidity for their assets. These projects offer diverse opportunities tailored to individual preferences, providing users with flexibility and choices in optimizing their staking experience.

The Quark project is native to the Kujira ecosystem with the integration of native dApps (GHOST, FIN, ORCA, etc.) This allows for a huge number of strategies including cash-flow manipulation, self-repaying loans, yield tokenization and more. Total Value Locked (TVL) $1 719 589,910

In turn, the Eris project launched the first Liquid Staked Token on the Kujira network, allowing users to be rewarded with $ampKUJ for staking $KUJI tokens. Total value locked $9 068 936.28.

The project Stride with Cosmos network support allows users to go beyond Kujira with $stATOM which is trading on FIN, providing LP (Liquidity Pools) on BOW and minting $USK (Stable Coin). Total value locked $83 014 789

Swap

Swap projects form a crucial part of the DeFi landscape, revolutionizing how users trade digital assets. From automated market makers (AMMs) to cross-chain interoperability, these projects, often facilitated by decentralized exchanges (DEXs), empower users with direct control over their transactions, fostering transparency and reducing reliance on central authorities.

RocketX is a hybrid (CEX and DEX) aggregator that works like a search engine for users looking for best prices on crypto swaps. You are able to swap KUJI tokens to BTC, ETH and other popular cryptocurrencies. It currently supports 129 networks with total volume of $347,691,356.

Rango is a simple multichain swap across 50+ blockchains. With integration into Kujira, Rango empowers users across different chains, ensuring efficient and smooth asset transfers between Kujira and other networks.

Maya Protocol is a decentralized liquidity protocol that allows users to swap cryptocurrencies across different chains. In October 2023, Maya announced its integration with Kujira and the creation of its own KUJI and USK liquidity pools (LPs), both of which are paired with CACAO. This allows decentralized swapping directly from KUJI or USK to/from any other assets on Maya. And the upcoming Dex aggregation will further expand the swapping capabilities by allowing swaps from assets on Maya to any long-tailed assets on Kujira.

Squid is a cross-chain swaps and liquidity routing protocol on the Axelar Network, that facilitates the effortless exchange of native tokens between diverse blockchains, supporting custom smart contracts for added flexibility.

Building on the Kujira x Squid partnership, Squid is set to unveil a game-changing 1-click solution. Users will be able to effortlessly deposit assets from any EVM chain directly into Kujira, all within the Sonar Wallet.

Terra Station is a web application to interact with Terra Core and other supported chains. Initially, Kujira users utilized Station when Kujira was a part of the Terra network. Following Kujira's migration to its independent blockchain, users gained the ability to access their old tokens and seamlessly transition to exchanging them for the new KUJI tokens.

Wallets

From self-custody options to interoperable interfaces, wallets offer a spectrum of functionalities designed to empower users with seamless control over their digital assets and interactions within the ecosystem.

Sonar is Kujira's native mobile wallet that is in beta testing phase.

Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, Sonar provides a user-friendly interface that goes beyond just a wallet. For power users, Sonar offers portfolio management, staking, trading, providing liquidity, secondary markets and derivatives. Easy account funding, direct deposits from various blockchains (Ethereum, Bitcoin and other), wallet creation, swap, multiple wallet management, seed phrase import and customizable security settings.

Leap Wallet is a multi-currency wallet for Cosmos network (15+ blockchains) that is available in a web version, as browser extension and mobile app.

The Kujira network is integrated with Leap Wallet, including the mobile app. In addition to storing and transferring assets, users have access to staking, swap and crosschain swap to EVM networks, NFTs, IBC transfers.  Furthermore, directly from the app you can interact with dApps including Kujira services (FIN, ORCA, BOW, POD).

Keplr Wallet is also a gateway to the Cosmos ecosystem, similar in functionality to the previous wallet and with multi-chain account management, account synchronization, staking, participation in governance and access to DeFi. There is also support for hardware wallets (Ledger Nano X and Keystone), connection to Web3 apps via WalletConnect, and more. We covered Keplr in our previous post in detail, describing the process of purchasing ATOM tokens, swapping to KUJI, and staking. Available as a browser extension and mobile app.

Other wallets that are not in list, but also integrated into Kujira's native apps (Fin, BOW, etc.):

XDEFI is a multicurrency wallet across 200+ networks, including Kujira with NFT support. Available as a browser extension, it provides the ability to swap and buy cryptocurrencies.

MetaMask stands as the forefront self-custodial wallet in the crypto sphere. With the advent of MetaMask Snap, the MetaMask wallet has evolved into a foundational application for numerous other platforms. MetaMask Snaps, which are Javascript applications featuring prepackaged utilities, now facilitate user connections to non-EVM networks directly from their MetaMask wallet.

For instance, users can seamlessly integrate Kujira network into their MetaMask wallet with Leap Wallet. This integration allows users to engage with Kujira dApps and securely store supported assets using their MetaMask account.

Station Wallet is the official wallet for managing native Terra assets and tokens.

NFT

Kujirans - is a Kujira community NFT project started by two passionate community members, Velcro and D who desired to thank the team for their actions after the unfortunate events with Terra in this way.

The initial collection of 4,444 NFTs, consisted of 4 species that represent the  inherent diversity in the Kujira community: whales, sharks, kraken, turtles and a hidden species of ORCAs. Despite launching the same week that FTX quit, Kujirans successfully minted NFTs, generating 50% of the revenue for KUJI stakers.

In total, Kujirans NFT has returned over $100k to the Kujira ecosystem with no funding other than from successful minting and with the support of the close-knit KUJI community.

Stargaze is a sovereign NFT-focused marketplace in the Cosmos ecosystem and an official NFT partner of Kujira. Stargaze has hosted a series of mints including KujiransNFT, Kujira Hero, Shrimp Gang & more to come. All of these are available on their marketplace.

Bridges

Axelar Network provides a robust infrastructure that simplifies interactions for users with any asset or application within the Kujira network and other blockchains, enabling cross-chain communication and asset transfers.

Gravity Bridge stands out as a crucial bridge partner for Kujira. It facilitates the bridging of assets like $PAXG to Kujira, which are then employed as collateral for minting $USK. Furthermore, Gravity plays a vital role in bridging KUJI onto the Ethereum network.  Tokens, including Ethereum and EVM compatible assets, traverse the Gravity Bridge to reach a Cosmos wallet or DEXs such as FIN or Gravity DEX. Similarly, Cosmos SDK-based blockchains can leverage Gravity Bridge to transfer tokens to the Ethereum ecosystem.

Nomic provides a secure and efficient Bitcoin bridge for dApp users, allowing them to bridge their BTC to Kujira using IBC. The native token, $NBTC, serves as a collateral option for minting $USK.

Other Projects on Kujira

Developers willing to build projects on the Kujira network can utilize the Coinweb platform. The consensus-free interoperable protocol provided by Coinweb empowers developers to construct decentralized applications (dApps) and enables token issuance on the Kujira network.

Additionally, the Coinweb Wallet is designed to extend support for Kujira tokens.

Coinweb's protocol seamlessly integrates multiple blockchains to elevate the functionality and scalability of decentralized applications (dApps) through unified interoperability and computation. This integration fosters the creation and operation of dApps across diverse blockchain platforms, promoting enhanced interoperability and flexibility within the development ecosystem.

Creative users will find WinkHUB intriguing and valuable for their endeavors.

WinkHUB stands as the dynamic content epicenter within the Kujira ecosystem, where influencers, writers, filmmakers, and creators converge to showcase their talents. From films and documentaries to educational content, blogs, podcasts, live streams, and art.

WINK, the native currency of WinkHUB, fuels the platform's ecosystem. Users can utilize WINK to tip, donate, and follow their favorite creators, fostering an economy of content. Revenues generated by the platform are distributed to KUJI stakers, WINK stakers, and the treasury for further growth investments.

WinkHUB offers creators superior SEO and greater control over their work. Future updates will introduce videos, a gallery, and various content types. The platform aims to incorporate features from Patreon, Kickstarter, Fiverr, and more. WinkHUB's collaboration with key Kujira ecosystem protocols, such as Local and Fuzion, positions it as a pivotal element in the ecosystem's future.

Community Tools

In the dynamic realm of Kujira, where community support and unity thrive, an array of innovative tools has emerged to empower users and enhance their experience within the ecosystem. These essential projects play a pivotal role in providing valuable insights, real-time updates, and a unique blend of entertainment and information.

1. KUJIRA Track: A Hub of Real-Time Insights

KUJIRA Track stands as a comprehensive portal offering crucial data on the performance of the Kujira ecosystem. Through intuitive graphs, charts, and real-time information, users gain valuable insights into the blockchain's health and overall dynamics.

2. Smart Stake: Unveiling Blockchain Wisdom

At the heart of community benefits, Smart Stake emerges as a beacon of information. This project shares an extensive array of data about the blockchain, including statistics, decentralization metrics, Validator and network performance, contributing to a well-informed Kujira community.

3. SeaShanty: Real-Time Telegram Updates

Navigate the waves of KUJIRA updates seamlessly with SeaShanty. This Telegram bot provides real-time notifications for FIN orders, Blue proposals, ORCA liquidations, and updates from various KUJIRA dApps, ensuring users stay informed and engaged.

4. Cosmobot: Guardian of Community Safety

In the ever-evolving landscape of community interactions, Cosmobot steps in as a guardian. This bot actively removes scammers and spammers from Telegram chats, offering valuable information through a variety of commands. Users can even express appreciation with a #tip to fellow chat group members.

5. Kuji Kast: The Entertainment Hub

Dive into the world of Kujira through the lens of Kuji Kast, a team of YouTube creators crafting captivating videos. With skits, interviews, and thought-provoking discussions, Kuji Kast blends shrewd insight with irreverent humor, making the Kujira experience both educational and entertaining.

Upcoming projects

DLOYAL injects a new dimension into Web3 with its innovative approach to a marketing. This platform pioneers performance-based marketing in the decentralized realm, offering businesses a tool to incentivize advocates for user acquisition while granting marketers a tangible measure of their marketing ROI.

Performance-based marketing is a form of advertising in which the purchaser pays only when there are measurable results

DLOYAL's mission extends beyond mere transactions, striving to instigate sustainable growth within the Kujira ecosystem. What sets DLOYAL apart is its commitment to community values, refraining from revenue generation until it fulfills its community grant obligations. This community-centric approach, coupled with a generous 10% revenue share for stakers, transforms DLOYAL into more than just a marketing platform—it becomes a collaborative force propelling positive change in the Web3 landscape.

Blend Protocol is planned as an innovative platform in the DeFi landscape, offering users unparalleled access to advanced yield strategies across various Kujira and Cosmos protocols. The platform will empower users to create custom baskets of assets, dictating the rules that govern the basket's maintenance while allowing others to copy their strategies, thus generating revenue in the process. Inspired by the concept of blending assets seamlessly, Blend Protocol will simplify the DeFi experience with its user-friendly interface and automated processes.

Despite facing challenges during development, Blend Protocol remains committed to delivering a high-quality product to the Kujira community, as evidenced by its closed-beta testing phase and ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable development for the future.

In the near future, the DeFi space will welcome a groundbreaking project known as NAMI Protocol. NAMI is poised to revolutionize the high-yield stablecoin market by simplifying access to decentralized finance for everyone. Its core mission is to eliminate the complexities often associated with DeFi, offering a secure and user-friendly platform for enhanced earnings.

By focusing on savings and retirement accounts, NAMI aims to streamline the process of depositing funds and putting them to work through innovative vault strategies and GHOST lending mechanisms.

Staking and bonding tokens have become integral elements of the DeFi landscape, offering unique advantages but often burdened by time-locked restrictions. Unstake Finance is set to revolutionize this norm by eliminating bonding periods for various tokens across all IBC-enabled chains.

Leveraging the distinctive infrastructure of the Kujira blockchain, particularly the Money Market GHOST, and harnessing the capabilities of interchain queries and accounts available to CosmWasm developers, Unstake Finance presents a groundbreaking solution. The primary goal is to provide users with instant access to their staked tokens, transforming the traditional waiting period of two to three weeks into a thing of the past.

YieldHarbour aims to revolutionize options trading, offering a transparent and user-friendly approach that caters to both seasoned traders and newcomers to DeFi options.

YieldHarbour is set to introduce an on-chain, Kujira-centric decentralized options platform, unlocking a new realm of possibilities for advanced DeFi strategies. This innovative platform will facilitate risk management through hedging techniques, providing users with enhanced capital efficiency. By seamlessly integrating with existing Kujira decentralized applications (dApps), YieldHarbour aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem that empowers users to navigate the intricate world of DeFi options effortlessly.

Aqualibre is an innovative 'Climatech' blockchain-driven digital carbon offset platform set to make waves in the sustainability space. Aqualibre's technology will be underpinned by multi-layered audits, harnessing the power of AI-driven geospatial and geo-political data to drive its mission.

As part of their commitment to environmental responsibility, Aqualibre is set to introduce $AQLA on the PILOT platform. This token, a heavyweight in the Carbon Credit RWA industry, will not only bring a significant injection of external capital to the Kujira ecosystem but also attract high-value investors. Aqualibre's proposal includes lending a portion of their raise and revenue from OTC deals on GHOST, fostering stablecoin borrowing in Kujira. In return, $AQLA stakers will be rewarded with yield-bearing xUSK and xUSDC.

Aqualibre's dedication to supporting the Kujira ecosystem aligns seamlessly with their commitment to sustainability.

In an exciting development for the Kujira ecosystem, Kujira Index is in the process of creating a groundbreaking platform for asset indexes, with its inaugural offering being $KJI. This innovative basket of Kujira assets is set to provide users with a diversified and comprehensive investment option. The UI development is nearing completion, and the contract development is in full swing, with the testnet launch on the horizon.

The framework for $KJI is well-established, and the asset weights will be meticulously calculated just before the official launch. This initiative brings a new dimension to the Kujira ecosystem, offering users the opportunity to engage with a curated selection of assets conveniently bundled into a single, manageable index.

Empowering Kujira's Developers

Within the fast-moving field of blockchain technology, a thriving developer community is the backbone of innovation. Recognizing the pivotal role developers play in the success of the Kujira ecosystem, several initiatives have been set in motion to create an environment that is not only supportive but also empowers developers to build seamlessly on Kujira.

A key stride in this journey is the partnership with Confio, a move that underscores the importance of backing the creators who craft the foundational tools for Kujira's myriad applications and protocols. By subscribing to Confio, Kujira aims not only to support these developers, but also to furnish every protocol developer on the platform with exclusive access to Confio's tailor-made "Tracing" tool. This tool promises to revolutionize the building process, making it 100 times more efficient, particularly given the inherently composable nature of Kujira's diverse suite of products.

Another remarkable addition to Kujira's developer-centric approach is POND. POND enables the creation of a Local Kujira Network, complete with price feeders and a ready-to-use dApp template, facilitating swift development. With just three simple commands, developers can set up the network, and the POND UI seamlessly configures itself, connecting to the local POND network. Pre-installed contracts for all Kujira dApps, coupled with a sample wallet connection for SONAR, streamline the development process and empower builders to dive straight into their projects.

In tandem with these partnerships and tools, Kujira is committed to nurturing a pool of skilled developers. A comprehensive developer curriculum and documentation are underway, designed to facilitate the onboarding process for new builders entering the ecosystem. This initiative is complemented by a forthcoming overhaul of the existing Kujira docs, further enriching the available resources.

Collectively, these endeavors manifest Kujira's dedication to making it the ultimate hub for developers. By fostering a supportive environment, providing cutting-edge tools, and investing in educational resources, Kujira is laying the foundation for a flourishing developer community that will drive continuous innovation within the ecosystem.

Conclusion

In our exploration of the dynamic Kujira ecosystem, we have uncovered a multitude of projects that collectively contribute to its vibrancy and promise. Anchored by robust governance and a unique tokenomics structure, Kujira stands as a beacon of resilience and innovation in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.

The governance framework, where KUJI stakers actively engage in decision-making, reflects the community-centric ethos of Kujira. Sentinel, acting as the technical Senate, further solidifies the ecosystem's commitment to effective oversight and continuous improvement. This governance sets the stage for a variety of upcoming projects, each with its own distinctive approach to enriching the Kujira landscape.

Kujira's tokenomics, marked by a fixed supply of 122.3 million tokens and zero inflation, brings stability and security to the ecosystem. The reduction in total supply through community voting underscores Kujira's proactive measures to safeguard the value of its native token, $KUJI.

With revenue-sharing mechanisms benefiting $KUJI stakers from every dApp within the ecosystem, loyalty and engagement remain the cornerstones of Kujira's success.

In summary, the Kujira ecosystem reveals itself as a dynamic landscape marked by robust governance structures, unique tokenomics, and a diverse range of projects. This exploration journey not only highlights a thriving DeFi ecosystem but also emphasizes the limitless possibilities and potential that Kujira presents to the broader crypto community.