IPOR Labs

As a DeFi protocol, IPOR refers to a series of smart contracts that provide a benchmark interest rate and enable users to access Interest Rates Derivatives on the Ethereum blockchain. That is possible by combining 3 core pieces of infrastructure: the IPOR Index, the IPOR AMM and liquidity pools, and Asset Management smart contracts.

IPOR is an abbreviation for Inter Protocol Over-block Rate. It derives its name from major indices from traditional finance like the LIBOR - the London Interbank Offered Rate, and the SOFR - Secured Overnight Financing Rate and adapts it to DeFi. The IPOR is a mid-market (not offered) rate that is sourced block-over-block, the closest proxy to real-time possible in blockchain.

The IPOR Protocol is built on the premise that if decentralized finance (DeFi) is a global disruptive sandbox, credit will be the catalyst. For the DeFi credit markets to evolve into the fixed-income markets of tomorrow they must provide the same risk management tools that traditional financial (TradFi) institutions require. The IPOR Protocol delivers those with the IPOR indices and interest rate derivates such as swaps that reference the index. Interest rate derivatives provide stability for fixed-income players giving them the ability to manage their interest rate risk.

IPOR’s mission is to become the foundational layer of the DeFi credit markets. Calculated and published on-chain, the IPOR indices are a public good that anyone can reference and build upon. The methodology is transparent, public, and auditable. At the same time, the interest rate swaps that reference the IPORs can be used as an input to bootstrap the DeFi yield curve, a prerequisite for liquid and mature financial markets. The Index and Derivatives provide tools for other builders for more complex financial products.