The Polygon neighborhood has determined towards a proposal to deploy $1.3 billion in stablecoins from its Proof of Stake (PoS) bridge into yield-generating applications on Morpho, an Ethereum-based DeFi platform.
The announcement, made on Dec. 17 via Polygon’s official social media account, highlighted issues raised by customers relating to the dearth of a consent mechanism and potential dangers to the community.
Polygon said:
“Given the neighborhood’s concern across the pre-PIP, it appears unlikely for this proposal to progress. Nevertheless, it doesn’t imply progressive and even aggressive concepts shouldn’t be explored sooner or later.”
Safety and ecosystem dangers
The proposal, often called a preliminary proposal (pre-PIP), sought to make the most of stablecoin reserves at present held in Polygon’s PoS bridge to incentivize liquidity and drive development within the platform’s DeFi ecosystem.
Backed by Allez Labs, Morpho Affiliation, and Yearn, the proposal claimed these idle funds may generate an estimated $70 million yearly by being deployed into Morpho’s liquidity swimming pools.
Nevertheless, critics of the proposal cited vital dangers to the steadiness of Polygon’s ecosystem. Former Polygon worker Pranav Maheshwari outlined issues concerning the potential fallout of deploying bridge property into high-risk protocols.
He famous that vulnerabilities within the underlying programs, equivalent to hacks or monetary instability, may jeopardize the worth of property secured by Polygon’s bridge.
Maheshwari wrote in a social media submit:
“Any assault on the underlying protocol may destabilize the ecosystem, risking consumer property and undermining confidence.”
He warned such eventualities may result in liquidity crises akin to a “financial institution run.”
Disagreements
The proposal additionally triggered a dispute with DeFi protocol Aave, a key participant in Polygon’s ecosystem.
Aave-Chan Initiative founder Marc Zeller submitted a counter-proposal suggesting that Aave exit Polygon as a consequence of issues over safety dangers tied to the initiative. His response famous that deploying funds into Morpho may gain advantage Aave’s opponents.
Polygon Labs responded with disappointment, declaring that Aave had beforehand proposed the same strategy for deploying stablecoin reserves into yield-generating mechanisms. It additionally accused the Aave of appearing in a “monopolistic” method.
The choice to reject the proposal displays the neighborhood’s prioritization of safety and consumer belief over aggressive yield-generation methods. Whereas the thought has been shelved, Polygon acknowledged the necessity for inventive approaches to handle its substantial stablecoin reserves successfully.
The platform’s PoS bridge stays one of many largest holders of on-chain stablecoins, presenting each a chance and a problem for future governance discussions.