Venus Protocol Q3 2024 Review

Venus (XVS) is a borrow/lend protocol built on BNB Chain, recently launching on Ethereum in Q2 2024. At its core, Venus enables users to deposit various cryptoassets

Key Insights

Venus (XVS) is a borrow/lend protocol built on BNB Chain, recently launching on Ethereum in Q2 2024. At its core, Venus enables users to deposit various cryptoassets, which can then be borrowed. Unlike traditional financial systems, Venus employs a unique algorithmic approach, where central entities often set interest rates. The interest rates for borrowing and lending on Venus are dynamically adjusted based on a jump rate model and a whitepaper rate model. These models leverage the utilization ratio, which is the proportion of deposited assets that have been borrowed.

The utilization ratio is a critical component of the Venus Protocol. As borrowing demand rises, the ratio and interest rates increase. Conversely, lower demand decreases both, maintaining balance by incentivizing lenders in high demand and borrowers when demand wanes.

The Venus Protocol is governed by its DAO community and is enabled by the XVS governance token. Tokenholders can propose and vote on governance decisions. Furthermore, they can stake their tokens in a specialized vault to receive financial incentives, following the Venus tokenomics model. This model allocates a portion of the protocol’s revenue to stakers through a buyback and redistribution mechanism, rewarding active participation in governance. For a full primer on Venus, refer to our Initiation of Coverage report.

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Key Metrics

Performance Analysis

Financial Overview

Network Overview

Total Value Locked (TVL)

Total Value Locked (TVL) represents the total value of assets deposited into Venus Protocol across its supported markets. It serves as a key indicator of the platform’s size, liquidity, and overall user trust.

Venus saw a slight decrease in TVL, from $2.21 billion at the end of Q2'24 to $2.19 billion at the end of Q3'24, reflecting a 0.95% reduction QoQ. Despite this decline, Venus’s TVL remains on a generally positive uptrend. Most chains experienced moderate changes, with BTC experiencing the least change, only increasing 0.3%, USDT increasing 4.1%, and USDC increasing 7.2%. BNB retained its position as the largest collateral asset at $862.3 million, a 2.8% QoQ decrease, followed by Venus BTC at $662.7 million.

Two notable outliers emerged during the quarter. The "Other" category grew by 25.3%, increasing from $82.9 million at the end of Q2'24 to $103.8 million in Q3'24, potentially driven by the rising adoption of smaller collateral assets. In contrast, ETH saw a 21.7% decrease, dropping from $165.2 million in Q2'24 to $128.3 million in Q3'24, despite peaking at $232.0 million earlier in the quarter. The decline in ETH is likely due to market adjustments following the introduction of Venus Prime Boost and shifting user allocations within the protocol. This suggests that while Ethereum adoption is still growing, it may take additional time and incentives to stabilize collateral usage patterns.

Total Value Borrowed (TVB)

Total Value Borrowed (TVB) represents the aggregate value of all assets borrowed from Venus Protocol across its supported markets. It serves as a key metric for evaluating the protocol’s utilization and overall demand for its lending services. Unlike TVL, which measures deposits, TVB reflects the borrowing activity that drives revenue generation and lending efficiency.

Traditionally, TVB has shown significant fluctuations driven by shifting market demands and trading activity. Venus ended Q3'24 with $456.0 million, a 30.7% decline from $658.0 million QoQ, after peaking at $990.0 million during the quarter. BNB, known for its volatility due to its broad market exposure and varying regulatory frameworks, saw a 72.7% decrease QoQ, ending the quarter at $31.58 million after a notable spike earlier in Q3'24 to $571.68 million. USDC was the sole asset with growth, increasing 5.7% QoQ to $91.9 million, following its appeal as a stable and liquid borrowing asset, coming in second to USDT, which ended the quarter with $256.1 million, a modest 0.3% decrease QoQ.

User Activity

User activity refers to the total volume of user-driven transactions on Venus Protocol, including asset deposits, withdrawals, loan repayments, and new borrows. These activities directly impact metrics like Total Value Locked (TVL) and Total Value Borrowed (TVB), offering a clear picture of the protocol’s utilization and user engagement trends.

Deposits fell 41.9% from $127,354 in Q2'24 to $74