Frequently Asked Questions

Alkemi Network FAQ

What is Alkemi Network?

Alkemi is a decentralized liquidity network running on the Ethereum blockchain, offering DeFi access to everyone through a suite of tools and products that serve as onramps to a new financial infrastructure. Alkemi technology utilizes Web3 innovation to facilitate the migration from the legacy financial system to the future of natively-digital capital coordination.

What problem does Alkemi Network solve?

Alkemi Network solves the friction points for CeFi institutions to participate in DeFi, enabling their contribution to a global, decentralized liquidity network that can be accessed and governed by the network's community tokenholders. Alkemi enables the coexistence of both permissioned 'Verified' and permissionless 'Open' liquidity pools linked to protocols governed by the network's native multi-utility token.

What is the rollout strategy for Alkemi Network?

In order to achieve a decentralized liquidity network, all counterparties must be able to interact freely within the financial ecosystem. However, the initially retail-focused innovations of decentralized finance were not designed for institutional participation requirements. The flagship protocol, Alkemi Earn (Earn) is tailored to provide CeFi institutions with a frictionless portal to DeFi, integrating advanced reporting and risk management features within a trusted-counterparty permissioned environment secured by a KYC / AML partner. Earn enables the wall of institutional capital to permeate the market; CeFi institutions can now participate in the DeFi revolution. This constitutes the first chapter of the network rollout strategy.

With rising institutional participation, access has been extended to other non-KYC / AML approved users wishing to participate in Alkemi Network via a secondary permissionless pool, 'Open', for the Earn protocol. This open pool was made available at the token generation event for the network's native multi-utility token, ALK. This constitutes the second chapter of the rollout strategy.

Alkemi Network is structured as a decentralised community-governed DAO, where ALK token holders have the authority to create and vote on proposals. The network is features and parameters are in the hands of the community, with the role of the Alkemi team as “facilitators”. The Alkemi Network will offer limited voting functionalities at the beginning, but is intended to transition towards a fully decentralised, self-governing DAO in a legally compliant manner, in particular ensuring that the native ALK token is not deemed in any circumstances to be a security or equity-like interest.

Is there a native token for Alkemi Network?

The native permissionless multi-utility ALK community token accompanies the formation of the Alkemi Foundation and establishment of the formal DAO structure of the network. The Token Generation Event (TGE) marks a further step towards progressive decentralization.

What was the ALK token TGE?

ALK was initially generated and issued as ERC-20 standard compliant multi-utility tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.'.

What are the utility features of the 'ALK' token?

Governance: One utility component of the ALK token is its use in governing the Alkemi Network. Each token entitles the holder to one vote on all Alkemi Improvement Proposals (AIPs).

Staking: In addition to bestowing voting rights, ALK tokens will also carry the future utility of unlocking staking rewards within the Alkemi Network. ALK token holders will be able to stake their utility tokens in the Alkemi Vault as collateral to provide an additional security/insurance layer to Alkemi Network protocols and access certain preferential terms, including improved collateralization rates for borrowing.

Note: ALK tokens will continue to confer voting rights to holders upon staking.

Access: Additional utility functionality features will be established as the network evolves.

More details are available within the 'Tokenomics' ('Token Economics') explainer paper.

Will there be bounty programs?

As part of the vision to be technologically and financially decentralized, opportunities will be made available for participants to become members of the Alkemi Network community. Initiatives including bug bounties, hackathons and other programs will be established, allocating tokens from the Alkemi Foundation towards developing our community. More details will be provided in due course.

Alkemi Earn FAQ

What is Alkemi Earn?

Alkemi Earn is an institution-grade DeFi borrowing and lending protocol featuring permissioned and permissionless liquidity pools.

The permissioned pool, 'Verified', is tailored for institutional clients, solving the friction points of capital, connectivity and control and enabling their participation in the emerging on-chain structured financial product yields of Decentralized Finance. Integrating advanced reporting and risk management features with a trusted-counterparty environment secured by the KYC / AML partner, Earn permissioned facilitates CeFi institution participation in the DeFi revolution.

Earn's permissionless pool, 'Open', provides open borrowing and lending DeFi access for everyone.

What is the cost of using Earn?

Borrowers pay 0.1% of the borrow amount as an origination fee, which is added to the total borrow amount in its respective currency.

Liquidations carry a 10% fee paid to the liquidator. All transactions incur Ethereum blockchain-related gas fees paid by the transactor.

It is important to reiterate that a pool simply comprises a set of autonomous Alkemi smart contracts deployed on the relevant blockchain network, operated directly by users calling functions on it (which allows them to interact with other users and/or pool their own selected assets in a peer-to- peer manner). There is no further control by or interaction with the original entity which had deployed the smart contract (which entity solely functions as a provider of technical tools for users, and is not offering any sort of securities product or regulated service).

Where are my deposited funds stored?

Funds are deposited into the Alkemi Earn smart contract. Alkemi Network technology facilitates non-custodial transactions by design; every network participant retains custody and allocates their own funds. The code of the smart contract is public, open source, formally verified and audited by third party auditors. Depositors may withdraw funds from the pool at any time, on-demand. Please note: full withdrawal of funds may be impacted by any depositor borrowing or liquidity mining activities.

Is there any risk?

Whilst Alkemi Network has gone to great lengths to maximize security for participants, smart contract risk (the risk of a bug within the protocol code) and liquidation risk (risk on the collateral liquidation process) are still present., and the Company and Distributor express disclaims any liability in connection with the same. The following risk mitigation procedures have been undertaken:

• Internal testing, real-time monitoring.

• Utilization of security-trialled, community-reviewed code libraries where available, continuously improved and tested by developers worldwide.

• Alkemi Network utilizes Zeppelin Defender.

• The smart contract audit by Quantstamp is complete.

Additionally, a bug bounty campaign will be unveiled in due course.

Please see the Security Statement for more detail.

What is the liquidity rewards program?

Liquidity Mining is available to Alkemi Earn participants depositing and borrowing within the ETH, WBTC, USDC and DAI digital asset markets in the 'Verified' pool. It is also available to participants depositing and borrowing within the ETH and USDC markets in the 'Open' pool. Please see the Liquidity Mining Program for more details.

What wallets are currently accepted?

Alkemi Earn currently supports MetaMask, and Gnosis Safe via Wallet Connect.