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How to Make Money Onchain for Noobs

A Down-to-Earth Guide

Hey there! I’m Connor, and today, I want to show you how to make money in crypto and Web3 without falling for scams or getting caught up in risky trading. I get it — a lot of people think crypto is all about high-risk tokens and meme coins, but that’s just scratching the surface. In reality, there are solid, practical ways to use crypto to grow your wealth.

What’s the Real Deal with Crypto and DeFi?

At its core, crypto and decentralized finance (DeFi) were created to give people more control over their money. It’s about becoming your own bank, bypassing the fees and restrictions of traditional banking. Over the years, as crypto has grown, so have its real-world applications. Now, it’s more than just buying and selling tokens. There are multiple ways you can put your money to work and earn real returns without diving into speculative coins.

Let’s dive into some of the best ways to make money in crypto:

1. Lending: Earn Interest with Low Risk

Crypto lending is one of the easiest ways to earn passive income. Here’s how it works: You lend out your crypto to borrowers on a lending platform, and in return, you earn interest. The borrowers may need crypto to trade, hedge positions, or even finance projects, and you’re essentially acting as the bank. What’s great about lending is that you don’t need to worry about price volatility — your profits come from interest, not the price movements of the crypto itself.

How Lending Platforms Work

When you lend your crypto, you do so through a smart contract on a DeFi platform, such as Aave, Compound, or BlockFi. These platforms match lenders with borrowers and automatically manage the loan. Borrowers typically provide collateral, often in the form of another cryptocurrency, so if they default, your assets are protected. It’s low risk and gives you the flexibility to lend or withdraw your assets as needed.

Where Does the Money Come From?

The interest you earn comes from the fees borrowers pay to use your crypto. These rates are often much higher than the 1-2% you’d get from a traditional savings account because crypto loans typically involve higher-risk borrowers or projects. However, lending platforms require borrowers to over-collateralize their loans, which reduces your exposure to risk.

2. Yield Farming: Maximize Your Returns

Yield farming, also known as liquidity mining, takes lending to the next level. In yield farming, you provide liquidity to decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap or SushiSwap, enabling users to trade cryptocurrencies without relying on a central authority. In return, you earn a portion of the trading fees, plus any additional rewards that the platform offers (often in the form of governance tokens).

How Yield Farming Works

Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to provide liquidity for a trading pair, such as Ethereum (ETH) and USDC (a stablecoin). You deposit equal amounts of both assets into a liquidity pool on a DEX. When users trade between ETH and USDC, a small fee is collected on each transaction, and as a liquidity provider, you earn a share of these fees based on how much liquidity you’ve contributed to the pool.

Additionally, many platforms incentivize liquidity providers with bonus tokens, increasing your overall return.

Where Does the Money Come From?

In yield farming, your profits come from two sources: trading fees generated by the exchange and any rewards offered by the platform. The more trading activity in the pool, the more fees you’ll collect. Yield farming can be highly profitable, but it does carry some risk, such as “impermanent loss,” which occurs when the value of one of the assets in the pool changes significantly.

3. Staking: Support the Network and Earn Rewards

Staking is another great way to earn passive income in crypto. When you stake your assets, you’re helping secure a blockchain network by locking up your tokens to validate transactions. In return for your contribution, you earn rewards — usually in the form of the same token you’re staking.

How Staking Works

Let’s take Ethereum as an example. With Ethereum 2.0, you can stake your ETH by locking it into the network’s proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism. Validators are chosen to confirm transactions based on the number of tokens they’ve staked. As a staker, you’ll earn a return (currently around 4% annually for ETH staking) just for holding your tokens in the network.

Unlike traditional savings accounts that restrict access to your funds, staking gives you flexibility. While your tokens are locked for staking, you can usually unstake them after a certain period if you need liquidity.

### Where Does the Money Come From?

Staking rewards come from network fees paid by users who transact on the blockchain. Validators who successfully confirm transactions earn these fees, which are then distributed to everyone staking on the network. The more people use the blockchain, the more rewards there are to go around.

Why Traditional Banking Doesn’t Cut It Anymore

Traditional banks offer very low interest rates, typically around 1-2%, and impose restrictions on how often you can withdraw your funds. For example, in a typical U.S. savings account, you might only be allowed to make a few transfers each month, and the returns you earn are often negligible.

On the flip side, decentralized finance offers higher returns and greater flexibility. For instance, staking stablecoins like USDC can yield around 5% annually, with no restrictions on accessing your funds. And some platforms even offer FDIC protection, similar to what you’d get with a traditional bank account.

Stablecoins: The Best of Both Worlds

Stablecoins like USDC are tied to the value of the U.S. dollar, making them much less volatile than traditional cryptocurrencies. This makes them ideal for risk-averse investors who want to benefit from the high returns of DeFi without worrying about price fluctuations.

By staking stablecoins, you get to enjoy both the stability of a regular currency and the higher interest rates that come with crypto. It’s like having the best of both worlds — reliable value and strong returns.

Real-World Use Cases That Show Crypto’s Potential

As crypto and Web3 continue to grow, new real-world use cases are emerging:

- Ethereum Staking: Earning around 4% annually by securing the Ethereum network.

- Web3 Games and Prediction Markets: Earn crypto by participating in games or betting on real-world events like elections.

- Decentralized Finance for All: Crypto’s promise to help the unbanked is evolving into a broader mission — giving everyone, banked or unbanked, access to better financial tools.

Becoming Your Own Bank: It’s Easier Than You Think

With Web3, you can truly become your own bank. Smart wallets make managing crypto simple, allowing you to deposit funds, stake, lend, or provide liquidity all from one platform. No more dealing with cumbersome bank approvals or hidden fees — you have full control over your money, 24/7.

Ready to Jump In?

If the idea of earning better returns and becoming your own bank excites you, then it’s time to dive into the world of Web3. Whether it’s staking stablecoins, providing liquidity, or lending your assets, there are plenty of opportunities to grow your wealth.

To help make things easier, I’ve created a platform called MyMoonBags, designed to introduce these concepts to everyone — even if you’re brand new to crypto. Ready to take control of your finances? Visit MyMoonBags.com and start your journey today! Your future self will thank you.

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