DAI • Decentralized stablecoin by MakerDAO
Crypto BackedSources: Sky DAO Governance
Sky DAO (formerly MakerDAO) approved Poll 1538 implementing Monthly Settlement Cycle and updated risk management methodologies. New governance streamlines smaller funding requests and refines slippage estimation in risk frameworks.
Sources: Strategic Finance Core Unit, Sky DAO RWA Reports
June 2025 RWA Report shows total USDS loan balance over $2.68 billion. Continued expansion into tokenized real-world assets diversifies collateral beyond crypto as part of broader traditional finance integration strategy.
Sources: Exchange announcements, Sky Protocol migration data
August 22-25, 2025: Major cryptocurrency exchanges including Bitunix suspended MKR deposits and opened SKY token support, executing automatic 1:24,000 token swaps. Migration accelerated with 26% of MKR tokens converted to SKY as community pushes for unified governance token adoption across all platforms.
Sources: MetaMask product announcements
MetaMask launched Stablecoin Earn feature including DAI deposits via Aave. Users can earn yield directly in wallet without complex DeFi navigation. Major mainstream adoption milestone for DAI accessibility.
Sources: Blockworks, The Block
Complete protocol rebrand: MakerDAO → Sky DAO, DAI → USDS option, MKR → SKY. Dual system allows users to upgrade to new tokens or stay with original DAI/MKR. User choice preserves ecosystem continuity.
Sources: Sky Protocol governance documentation
September 18, 2025: Delayed Upgrade Penalty activated pending community approval, reducing SKY tokens received per MKR by 1% initially, increasing 1% quarterly until reaching 100% in 25 years. Maintains position as largest decentralized stablecoin while incentivizing migration to unified Sky ecosystem.
| Feature | DAI (MakerDAO) | USDT (Tether) | USDC (Circle) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $4.2B | $162B | $34B |
| Decentralization | ✅ Fully decentralized | ❌ Centralized | ❌ Centralized |
| Transparency | 🔗 On-chain transparency | 📅 Quarterly attestations | 📋 Monthly attestations |
| Collateral | 🔐 150%+ crypto-backed | 💰 Mixed reserves | 💰 100% USD + Treasuries |
| Best For | 🔗 DeFi applications | 💹 Trading & liquidity | 🏢 Institutional compliance |
Decentralized stablecoin by MakerDAO
DAI is a decentralized stablecoin created by the MakerDAO protocol, founded in 2017. Unlike centralized stablecoins, DAI maintains its dollar peg through a system of crypto-collateralized debt positions, making it the leading decentralized digital dollar.
As a fully on-chain stablecoin, DAI offers censorship resistance and transparency while maintaining dollar stability through smart contract mechanisms rather than traditional banking.
DAI is the largest decentralized stablecoin, governed by MKR token holders through on-chain voting. Built on Ethereum with select multi-chain deployments, DAI offers transparent, community-controlled stability mechanisms.
| Network | Standard | Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | ERC-20 | Etherscan |
| Polygon | ERC-20 | PolygonScan |
| Gnosis Chain | ERC-20 | GnosisScan |
| Contract | Function | Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| MKR Token | Governance | View |
| Pot (DSR) | Savings Rate | View |
| Network | TPS | Block Time | Avg Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | ~15 | 12s | $5-50 |
| Polygon | ~7,000 | 2s | $0.01 |
| Gnosis Chain | ~100 | 5s | $0.001 |
| Metric | Current | Details |
|---|---|---|
| DSR Rate | Variable | Governance set |
| Collateral Ratio | 150%+ | Overcollateralized |
| Governance | MKR holders | Decentralized |
DAI operates through smart contracts governed by MKR token holders. All protocol parameters, including the Dai Savings Rate and collateral types, are controlled by decentralized governance rather than a central authority.