What Is a “Collateralized Debt Position” (CDP) in Decentralized Finance?

A Collateralized Debt Position (CDP) is a smart contract that allows a user to lock up a volatile cryptocurrency (collateral) and, in return, mint or borrow a decentralized stablecoin. The value of the collateral must exceed the value of the stablecoin borrowed (over-collateralization).

The CDP functions as a self-service loan where the user creates debt in the form of the stablecoin. To reclaim their collateral, the user must repay the stablecoin plus any accrued interest or stability fees.

Explain the Role of a Collateralized Debt Position (CDP) in Creating Synthetic Derivatives
What Is the Risk of Using Volatile Crypto as Collateral for a Stablecoin?
Why Might a Derivatives Exchange Accept a Volatile Cryptocurrency as Collateral Instead of a Stablecoin with High Run Risk?
What Is the Concept of a Collateralized Debt Position (CDP) in DeFi?
How Does a USD-denominated Derivative Contract Differ from a Stablecoin-Collateralized One?
In a Tokenized Options Protocol, How Is the Collateral or Margin for the Contract Managed by the NFT’s Smart Contract?
In a Fractional Reserve Stablecoin, How Does the Mint and Burn Process Operate?
What Happens to the Excess Collateral When a User Burns Over-Collateralized Stablecoins?

Glossar