What Is ERC-4626?

ERC-4626 is an Ethereum smart contract standard that defines a uniform interface for tokenized vaults in decentralised finance. Introduced as an Ethereum Improvement Proposal, it standardizes how yield-bearing vaults interact with underlying assets, creating consistency across different DeFi protocols.

ERC-4626 is self-custodial and offers onchain trading strategies.

The standard enables:

  • Vault aggregators to easily integrate multiple yield sources

  • Portfolio management tools to track vault positions uniformly

  • Cross-protocol strategies that move assets between different vaults

  • Automated yield optimization across various platforms

Common ERC-4626 vault applications:

  • Yield farming vaults that deploy assets across multiple protocols

  • Lending optimisation representing deposits in money markets

  • Liquidity provision for automated market makers

  • Strategy vaults implementing complex DeFi trading strategies

ERC-4626 cannot be applied for all strategies, as it need syncrhonous withdrawals and this is not possible for all trading. There exist ERC-7540 extension for these applications, and this extension is implemented e.g. bt Lagoon protocol.

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