CIAN is a pioneering platform that empowers users to maximize the potential of their crypto assets, seeking the proverbial One Piece (its previous name), through advanced automation tools and strategic partnerships. This article delves into CIAN's journey, strategic initiatives, and its critical role in shaping the landscape of liquid staking tokens (LST). It also explores how users can take advantage of CIAN’s DeFi yield strategies.

CIAN was founded by a team previously managing a sizeable crypto asset business. Now, Luffy and his crew are on a mission to democratize access to sophisticated DeFi strategies, ensuring users can benefit without extensive technical knowledge. The platform is built on three core principles:

1. Simplicity: By automating complex processes, CIAN significantly reduces the operational burden on users, making DeFi accessible to a broader audience.

2. Optimization: Enabling users to improve their staking yields with CIAN’s advanced yield strategies built around stETH and stETH LRTs.

3. Security: CIAN’s strategies are built on long-term, battle-tested DeFi protocols and have undergone peer reviews by top DeFi teams and rigorous audits by trusted security experts.

CIAN aims to reduce operational complexity by up to 80%, cover 80% of users’ frequent on-chain operations, and enhance capital efficiency by up to 50% through innovative automation and strategic integrations.

LRT yield layer is defined by CIAN as a virtual layer that consolidates, and reorganizes all the secure and sustainable yield sources across the entire crypto into structured yields and redistributes the yields to LRT holders. The yield layer: 

• Focuses on scalable and sustainable yield sources

• Eliminates mismatches between yield sources and assets

• Dynamically (re)matches assets with a vector of yield sources and strategies in a decentralized way for optimized APY

Architecturally, the LRT yield layer is a vertical layer consisting of two segments: the asset allocation module and the strategy building module. All strategies are in smart contracts to maximize transparency.

2. Algorithmic Strategy Vaults

CIAN’s algorithmic strategy vaults provide users with sustainable, delta-neutral yield strategies that maximize returns from liquid staking tokens (LST) and liquid restaking tokens (LRT) and enhance annual percentage yields (APY) by organically managing the yield sources from the broader DeFi ecosystem.

• Delta-Neutral Strategies: These strategies balance risks and returns by using leveraged positions and advanced automation tools, allowing users to earn higher yields without significant price volatility.

• Sustainable Yield Optimization: CIAN’s strategy vaults ensure sustainable yield optimization by continuously adjusting strategies to capture arbitrage opportunities and maximize returns.

These tools enable users to build, manage, and optimize multi-protocol strategies across various cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, stablecoins, and prominent liquid staking tokens such as stETH, MaticX, and sAVAX. They also recently launched the stETH/LRT yield layer to address the expanding LRT market. The key features include:

• Multi-Protocol Strategy Management: Users can seamlessly integrate and manage their investments across multiple DeFi protocols, ensuring optimal returns.

• Risk Management Tools: Advanced automation tools help users manage and mitigate risks associated with their investments, such as liquidation and impermanent loss.

CIAN’s partnerships play a crucial role in its ecosystem:

• Lido: Enhances the liquidity and stability of stETH, providing users with better opportunities and reducing market volatility.

• Kelp DAO: a leader in liquid staking protocols on Ethereum with nearly $1 billion in TVL and over 44k users, enhances liquidity and yield opportunities for CIAN users through rsETH Yield Layer.

• Affine: Collaborates with CIAN to introduce ultraETHs, an advanced LRT focused on optimizing restaking rewards for stETH holders. Affine’s Risk Engine ensures robust risk management, tackling challenges like depegging and limited withdrawal options.

• Symbiotic: Partners with CIAN to enhance the Symbiotic restaking economy by optimizing LRT APRs and providing additional incentives through leveraged and hybrid yield strategies. Noteworthy Initiatives and Events

CIAN has embarked on several noteworthy events and initiatives that have significantly contributed to its prominence in the DeFi space and highlighted the brand's community-centric approach that drives its growth. Here’s a comprehensive overview of these events and initiatives from a marketing perspective.

The alpha test marked a pivotal moment in CIAN’s journey, allowing a select group of users to experience its decentralized automation tools and algorithmic strategy vaults. Participants tested various DeFi yield strategies, providing crucial insights for refining CIAN’s offerings.

The top 500 participants were rewarded with non-tradeable NFTs, divided into five tiers: S, A, B, C, and D. Despite the high entry barrier, the community saw over 1,000 new users in just two and a half weeks.

The introduction of the CIAN Points System was another significant milestone. This system was designed to reward users for their active participation and contributions within the CIAN ecosystem. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the components and benefits of the points system:

The CIAN Ambassador Program was the brand's first point initiative directed at onboarding loyalists who joined the brand's loyal fleet and assisted in spreading the brand's gospel.

Ambassadors earn points through their contributions by carrying out several activities, which can be converted to voyage points at specified ratios. The basic conversion rate is 5 ambassador points to 1 voyage point, with enhanced rates for active and loyal ambassadors.

Joining the program allows users to contribute actively and earn points, enhancing their status within the ecosystem.

Interested individuals can easily apply by clicking this link and filling out the Google form. Upon reviewing the application form, you will receive a response via email. If selected, you will earn the “Guardian” role in Discord. 

Users can earn points by depositing in CIAN DeFi strategies. This is the most direct and efficient way to accumulate points. Deposits made from 2022 onwards are counted, with bonuses available for long-term loyal supporters. Users can choose a strategy that they prefer and deposit to begin earning CIAN points, to minimize the impact of leverage differences and price fluctuations across different coins, points are calculated based solely on unleveraged value, using Personal Unleveraged TVL divided by CIAN Unleveraged TVL ensuring fairness and consistency. 

Campaign OATs (On-Chain Achievement Tokens) are awarded for participation in various CIAN campaigns on Galxe and Zealy.

There are only two ways to get a WL: through the Zealy Campaign and through certain events like Twitter Space or Community Call, where WLs are given as rewards.

Gamifying any system has always been effective in promoting community growth, and CIAN’s Voyage Points system is the peak of that. The voyage points system is designed to incentivize user engagement and reward contributions. By including all the previous point systems and also introducing new gamified elements like the CIAN Grand Adventure, the team brought together all incentive mediums in their platform under one banner. The benefits of earning the voyage points include:

• Leaderboard Honor: Recognition within the CIAN global community.

• Future Rewards: Points can be redeemed for future CIAN rewards.

• CIAN Pirate League: Entry into a monthly league with various honors.

To earn the Voyage points users must  earn the other subsidiary points, where:

Voyage Points = CIAN Points + OAT Points + Ambassador Points + WL Points

The CIAN Grand Adventure is an engaging initiative designed to deepen user involvement. Users embark on a journey to various “islands,” each representing different DeFi strategies and opportunities, earning exclusive OATs that can be converted into voyage points. The Grand Adventure has several key components:

1. DeFi Islands Voyage: Users embark on a journey to various “islands,” each representing different DeFi strategies and opportunities. Successful completion of quests on these islands rewards users with exclusive OATs, which can be converted into voyage points.
With the first island being the Mysterious Island of sDAI, users are required to navigate through sDAI Vault’s thrilling quests and earn exclusive OATs that can later be converted to CIAN Voyage Points.

2. Voyage Point Leaderboard: Users accumulate voyage points as a mark of active participation and contributions in the CIAN Grand Adventure. These points not only showcase your honor on the leaderboard within CIAN but also act as your key to unlocking extraordinary rewards, including access to the exclusive CIAN Pirate League and eligibility for future CIAN rewards. 

3. CIAN Pirate League: This is an honor system that recognizes the most committed members of the CIAN community. Participants can climb the ranks to achieve prestigious titles such as CIAN Quartermaster and CIAN Captain, earning respect and recognition within the community.

4. CIAN Pirate NFT Series: This unique, transferable series celebrates the spirit of adventure and community. Inspired by the values of honesty, courage, and solidarity, these NFTs symbolize the unity and diversity of the CIAN community.

The team introduced Yield Racer, where yield gamification transforms static returns into thrilling predictive challenges. This was made possible with CIAN’s Yield Layer for rstETH,

Take the rsETH yield layer as an example, the rsETH yield layer enables rsETH holders to access multiple yield sources through a range of strategies with just one click. rsETH holders have the option to use CIAN's rsETH Yield Layer rather than keeping their rsETH idle or putting them in a single strategy vault. Assets are transparently and dynamically distributed among many yield methods and sources to optimize APY. 

Beyond that, the points depositors owned can be used to predict the “TVL growth” for the next round. Depositors can thus earn more points by guessing the right TVL growth rate. By gamifying its yield layer, CIAN’s point system took on an exciting twist and addresses the major pain points that DeFi protocols usually have low engagement.

1. Deposit to Play: Start by depositing assets (e.g., @KelpDAO rsETH) into the CIAN Yield Layer to earn high yields, partially converted to points.

   • Deposit Now

   

2. Place Your Prediction: Select your game on the 'Coupons' page, predict the TVL growth percentage, and stake your yields accordingly.

   • Choose Your Game

     

Each game lasts 7 days, divided into a 4-day prediction window followed by a 3-day freeze period.

• Winning and Rewards: Winners are those who predict correctly. Rewards are distributed based on the percentage of yields wagered on the winning outcome.

• Reward Pool: Funded by yields from losing participants. Rollover mechanics apply for future games if no winner is determined.

• Roll-Over Points: 50% of rolled-over points are added to the current prize pool, while the remaining 50% continue to roll over.

CIAN’s recursive strategies, such as the wstETH/ETH leveraged staking strategy, exemplify its commitment to innovation. These strategies leverage advanced automation tools to amplify staking rewards while mitigating risks through features like liquidation protection and position adjustment.

• Amplified Yields: By repeatedly leveraging staked assets while dynamically balancing the borrowing cost and marginal staking returns, users can significantly increase their returns compared to traditional staking.

• Risk Mitigation: Automation tools ensure that users’ positions are protected against common risks such as liquidation and impermanent loss.

Over two years, CIAN has developed to be a blossoming protocol focused on staking strategies with over $79 million worth of tokens in TVL on several chains across the Ethereum network.

As CIAN continues to evolve, it remains dedicated to revolutionizing DeFi automation through cutting-edge technologies and strategic partnerships. 

With a focus on liquid staking tokens and user-centric design, CIAN is poised to shape the future of decentralized finance by empowering users worldwide to optimize their crypto investments securely and efficiently. Through its innovative automation tools, strategic partnerships, and community-driven approach, CIAN is set to become a leading force in the DeFi ecosystem.

Absinthe Labs is building the first incentives affiliate network, and our first product is a no-code points-as-a-service platform. In addition to rewarding on-chain actions, it makes tracking campaigns easy by aggregating points from questing platforms like Galxe and Layer3 into the project's native points. Absinthe also allows for easy allocating to communities such as token holders, stakers, NFT holders, and Discord roles. 

1. What inspired the creation of CIAN, and how did the journey from your previous crypto asset management business influence the platform's development?

Our journey began in the crypto asset management sector, where we quickly recognized the potential and the challenges of managing digital assets. Initially, CIAN was established as an asset management tool aimed at optimizing returns for clients through advanced strategies and risk management techniques.

However, as we delved deeper into the DeFi ecosystem, it became evident that there was a significant gap in the market—retail users lacked access to the same high-yield opportunities that were available to institutions. The complexity and technical barriers often excluded these users from participating in the benefits of decentralized finance. This realization inspired us to pivot and expand our mission.

CIAN was then reimagined as a platform designed to bring these sophisticated yield strategies directly to retail users. Our goal is to consolidate yields from various sources and redistribute them in a way that caters to different risk appetites, making it easier for users to achieve their financial goals without needing extensive knowledge of DeFi. By leveraging our experience in asset management, we developed tools that simplify the process while maintaining robust risk management frameworks.

This journey from a specialized asset management tool to a retail-focused yield platform has deeply influenced CIAN’s development. We’ve retained our commitment to excellence in strategy and risk management, but we’ve also embraced a new mission—to make DeFi accessible, transparent, and rewarding for everyone.

2. The CIAN Yield Racer is an innovative way to engage users. How have these initiatives impacted user growth and engagement so far?

Rather than just keeping the points depositors own idle, they can participate in guessing what the “TVL growth” of the next round game. 

3. How do strategic partnerships with entities like Lido, AAVE, Mellow, and Loopring enhance CIAN's offerings? Can you share any upcoming collaborations we should look out for?

CIAN's yield layer thrives on the integration of diverse building blocks within the DeFi space, creating a seamless and powerful experience for our users. Our strategic partnerships with entities like Lido, AAVE, Mellow, top LRTs etc. are crucial in enhancing our offerings by providing access to the best-in-class protocols and technologies.

For example, our stETH yield layer is a sophisticated product that leverages Lido’s stETH, AAVE’s lending protocol, and LRT protocols to deliver optimized yields. This consolidation of different DeFi components into a single, accessible layer allows our users to benefit from complex strategies without the need for deep technical expertise. Each partner brings a unique strength to the table, enabling CIAN to offer a wide range of high-yield opportunities while maintaining security and efficiency.

As for upcoming collaborations, we are always exploring new partnerships that align with our mission to simplify and enhance the DeFi experience for our users. While we can’t share specific details just yet, you can expect more integrations that will further diversify our yield offerings and provide even greater flexibility and returns for our users. Stay tuned for announcements as we continue to expand our network of strategic partnerships.

4. How do you see the future of DeFi evolving, and what role do you envision for CIAN in shaping this landscape? What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for the industry?

We believe that DeFi will revolutionize the way retail users manage their assets, offering unparalleled access, transparency, and control. As the space matures, decentralization will emerge as the dominant trend, driving innovation and adoption across the financial sector. The future of DeFi will be characterized by increased user autonomy, with smart contracts and decentralized platforms replacing traditional intermediaries.

CIAN is committed to being at the forefront of this evolution by simplifying access to sophisticated yield strategies. Our yield layer empowers users with one-click solutions, enabling them to maximize returns while minimizing complexity. By integrating cutting-edge strategies like leveraged staking, hybrid long-short strategies, and the use of LSTs and LRTs, CIAN is poised to become a key player in making DeFi accessible to a broader audience, bridging the gap between complexity and usability.

One of the most significant challenges facing the DeFi industry today is the inherent complexity of its products. While DeFi offers powerful tools for financial management and growth, the steep learning curve can be a barrier for many users. Navigating through various protocols, understanding yield strategies, and managing risks requires a level of expertise that not all users possess. This complexity can limit adoption, as new users may feel overwhelmed by the intricacies of DeFi.

However, this challenge also presents a tremendous opportunity for innovation. Simplifying the user experience and making DeFi more accessible to a broader audience is a critical goal for the industry. At CIAN, we see this as our mission. By developing intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and offering one-click access to sophisticated yield strategies, we are breaking down the barriers that complexity creates. Our yield layer is designed to demystify DeFi, enabling users to take advantage of advanced financial tools without needing deep technical knowledge.