Build with DeFi
In this guide you can explore tooling and infrastructure for building DeFi on Celo.
Overview
Stablecoins play a crucial role in decentralized finance (DeFi) by providing price stability, reducing volatility, and enabling seamless financial transactions. Celo has built an ecosystem optimized for stablecoins, making it a leading platform for real-world DeFi applications. With a focus on financial inclusion, building on Celo means enabling accessible and affordable financial tools for people around the world.
Why Stablecoins Matter
Stablecoins are digital assets pegged to a stable reserve, such as fiat currency or a basket of assets. They provide key benefits in DeFi and financial transactions and financial inclusion:
- Price Stability – Unlike volatile cryptocurrencies, stablecoins maintain a predictable value.
- Low-Cost Transactions – Sending stablecoins on Celo costs significantly less than on traditional blockchains.
- Borderless Access – Users can send and receive stablecoins globally, without needing a bank account.
- Programmability – Stablecoins can be used in smart contracts to enable lending, savings, and remittances.
- Financial Inclusion – Stablecoins empower unbanked and underbanked populations with access to digital financial services.
Examples of DeFi Applications on Celo
Celo supports a vibrant ecosystem of DeFi protocols that utilize stablecoins:
Lending & Borrowing
- Aave – Decentralized lending and borrowing using stablecoins.
Decentralized Exchanges (DEX)
Find all Exchanges and Bridges in the tooling section.
- Uniswap – Swaps and liquidity pools for stablecoins.
- Ubeswap – A Celo-native DEX optimized for mobile users.
Liquidity Incentives
- Steer Protocol – Automated liquidity strategies.
- Merkl – Rewarding liquidity providers with stablecoin incentives.
Celo Stablecoin Ecosystem
Celo offers multiple stablecoin options for different use cases:
| Stablecoin | Issuer | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| cUSD | Mento | Dollar-pegged digital cash |
| cEUR | Mento | Euro-pegged stablecoin |
| cREAL | Mento | Brazilian Real-pegged stablecoin |
| eXOF | Mento | CFA Franc-pegged stablecoin |
| cKES | Mento | Kenya Shilling-pegged stablecoin |
| PUSO | Mento | Philippine Peso-pegged stablecoin |
| cCOP | Mento | Colombia Peso-pegged stablecoin |
| USDT | Tether | Popular stablecoin on multiple blockchains |
| USDC | Circle | Widely used stablecoin with high liquidity |
| Glo Dollar | Glo Foundation | Impact-driven stablecoin supporting global causes |
| Good Dollar | GoodDollar | UBI-focused stablecoin for financial inclusion |
| USDM | Mountain Protocol | Yield-bearing stablecoin |
| BRLA Digital | BRLA | Brazil-based stablecoin |
Get Started
Developers and entrepreneurs can leverage Celo’s infrastructure to build next-generation stablecoin applications.
By building on Celo, you’re not just creating DeFi applications—you’re enabling real-world financial inclusion and empowering users globally.