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What is Centralized Finance (CeFi)?

Centralized Finance (CeFi) refers to the traditional financial system in which trusted intermediaries such as banks, brokerage firms and payment processors, facilitate and manage transactions, custody and lending.

These institutions offer reliability, security and regulatory compliance, and users depend on them to execute trades, store assets and deliver customer support. CeFi infrastructure is deeply integrated into global finance, offering familiar products and services governed by clear legal frameworks.

As a result of operating at this scale, CeFi can also be slower to innovate and more prone to issues like service outages or restrictive access, which has contributed to growing interest in decentralized alternatives built on blockchain technology.

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