Interview - Cardano DeFi #014: Cerra

Original Placement:

Today’s guest on the Cardano DeFi column is a project with the goal of revolutionising finance on Cardano with their innovative Decentralised Profit Sharing Finance Hub: Cerra.

The previous guest was a DeFi solution that allows users to mint derivative or synthetic digital assets by putting up collateral.

This column is where I invite Decentralized Finance (DeFi) projects to introduce themselves and share their vision, allowing me to connect with and learn about the Cardano Ecosystem.

Hey, glad to have you here. Please introduce your team, where are you from, what are your backgrounds?

We’re delighted to connect! At Cerra.io, we’re an enthusiastic team deeply rooted in the Cardano ecosystem. With a collective investment spanning multiple cycles**, our members bring diverse expertise from backgrounds including Fintech, Traditional Banking, and IT**.

While our team predominantly resides in Europe, we’re empowered by the region’s vibrant atmosphere, enabling us to effortlessly traverse and thrive within its dynamic borders.

What is Cerra? Why Cardano? And what problems does your solution address?

Cerra.io is revolutionising finance on Cardano with our innovative Decentralised Profit Sharing Finance Hub. While the concept may sound sophisticated, it’s elegantly simple: all ADA profit fees generated by our suite of products — including Swaps, Lending, Derivatives, and Copy Trading — are distributed among CERRA token holders. We’re staunch believers in decentralisation and its fundamental principles.

By pioneering this unique model on Cardano, we distinguish ourselves from the crowd. Plus, instead of complicating matters with multiple tokens, we offer multiple products powered by just ONE token, streamlining the user experience for our community.

For those who don’t know, what is an ISPO (Initial Stake Pool Offering)?

An Initial Stake Pool Offering (ISPO) is a unique way for a project to raise funds by using Cardano’s delegated Proof-of-Stake mechanism in which the project operates a stake pool and gives its tokens to delegators in exchange for their periodical staking rewards.

Why have you opted for this distribution model? Please share the details of your ISPO.

Implementing an Initial Stake Pool Offering (ISPO) has been a key part of our strategy from the outset. Leveraging Single Pool Operators for fundraising aligns perfectly with the decentralised ethos, particularly within the Cardano ecosystem.

At Cerra.io, community involvement is paramount, and our community actively shapes the direction of our initiatives. The decision to proceed with the ISPO was resoundingly supported by our community, reflecting its strong endorsement of our approach.

Tell us about your $CERRA token, what role does it play in the ecosystem? How can people earn it?

As previously highlighted, the CERRA token lies at the heart of our ecosystem. In essence, holders of any quantity of CERRA tokens who choose to stake them on our platform through app.cerra.io (launching soon) for a predetermined period will receive a portion of the ADA fees generated by the platform.

It’s important to note that we’re not distributing CERRA tokens as a profit share; instead, we’re distributing ADA directly via a smart contract mechanism, ensuring transparency and efficiency in the process.

You can read a bit more around this here.

Amazing. Any closing thoughts? Where can people learn more about Cerra?

Entering the Cardano ecosystem, our vision was crystal clear: to establish ourselves as the premier DeFi platform. While acknowledging there’s still a considerable journey ahead, we’re proud of our substantial progress over the past six months.

Our P2P-Lending functionality is already live on the mainnet, with AMM Swaps undergoing testing on the testnet, both having undergone rigorous third-party audits.

What sets us apart is our pioneering use of Decentralised Oracles on Cardano, showcasing our commitment to cutting-edge technology.

With the foundation firmly laid, our focus now expands towards amplifying our visibility and reaching a wider audience. It’s time to shine a spotlight on what we’ve built.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views of the people interviewed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cardano Foundation or IOG. Moreover, this content is for educational purposes, it doesn’t constitute financial advice.