Aura Finance (AURA) is a DeFi protocol built on top of Balancer, designed to maximize rewards for Balancer liquidity providers and BAL stakers. It achieves this through social aggregation of BAL deposits and its native token, AURA. The protocol offers boosted yield and governance power, allowing users to earn extra rewards and vote on governance proposals.
Aura Finance (AURA) is a yield generation application built on the Balancer protocol. It is designed to maximize rewards for Balancer liquidity providers and BAL stakers by aggregating and optimizing their yield potential and governance power.
For liquidity providers on Balancer, AURA is used to earn boosted yield. By staking their liquidity positions on Aura, users can earn higher yield without needing to hold veBAL, which is a token that requires locking up BAL tokens. Aura controls a significant amount of veBAL, allowing it to provide boosted rewards to Balancer LPs without individual LPs needing to lock up veBAL themselves. LPs who stake their position on Aura pay a 22.5% performance fee on the BAL emissions they receive, incentivizing more people to lock their BAL tokens into Aura, ensuring more pools can receive boosted rewards.
For BAL stakers, AURA is used to earn extra yield without needing to lock veBAL. Aura has created auraBAL, a liquid derivative that can be minted 1-1 for BAL. auraBAL earns the same fees as veBAL, plus a majority of fees that Aura charges LPs for boosting rewards, along with AURA emissions. This allows investors to earn more yield than veBAL without requiring token locks.
Additionally, AURA is used to direct the flow of incentives to Balancer pools. auraBAL holders forfeit the right to vote on which pools receive BAL incentives in return for additional yield and a liquid token. The AURA token, particularly vlAURA, plays a crucial role in this process, as it is used to vote collectively on Balancer and Aura proposals.
Overall, AURA is used to optimize yield and governance power on Balancer, providing a unique protocol that coordinates incentives around vote-escrowed tokens and empowers DeFi liquidity providers and governance token stakers.
To store Aura Finance (AURA) tokens securely, it is recommended to use a cold wallet, which is a wallet that is not connected to the internet. There are two types of cold wallets:
Paper Wallet: This is a simple and cost-effective option. You generate a public and private key offline using a program, print them on a piece of paper, and store them securely. The keys are printed in the form of QR codes that you can scan for future transactions.
Hardware Cold Wallet: This is a physical device that stores your cryptocurrency. Your crypto addresses and keys are kept in a USB drive device, and only the person with the USB drive can access the assets. Hardware wallets are preferred by many users, especially for storing large amounts of coins or tokens.
To buy Aura Finance (AURA) tokens, you can follow these steps:
Buying on a Centralized Exchange (CEX)Choose a CEX: Select a reliable and trustworthy crypto exchange that supports AURA purchases, such as KuCoin or Binance. Consider the ease of use, fee structure, and supported payment methods when choosing an exchange.
Create an Account: Enter the required information and set a secure password. Enable 2FA using Google Authenticator and other security settings to add an extra layer of security to your account.
Verify Your Identity: Complete KYC verification, which may require different information based on your nationality and region. This step will give you access to more features and services on the platform.
Add a Payment Method: Follow the exchange's instructions to add a credit/debit card, bank account, or other supported payment method. The information you need to provide may vary depending on your bank's security requirements.
Buy AURA: You can now buy AURA using fiat currency if supported, or by first purchasing a popular cryptocurrency like USDT and then exchanging it for AURA.
Choose a Wallet: Select a reliable and reputable crypto wallet that supports AURA, such as MetaMask. Download the wallet application to your device from the Google Play Store, App Store, or as a browser extension.
Create a Wallet: Create a new wallet address or import an existing one. Make sure you write down the seed phrase and keep it in a secure place.
Buy AURA: Purchase AURA using a supported payment method. Check the fees, as they may be higher than what exchanges charge. If your wallet doesn’t support direct fiat-to-AURA purchases, you can first buy a more popular cryptocurrency like USDT and then exchange it for AURA through your crypto wallet or on a decentralized exchange.
Locate the AURA Trading Pair: Find the AURA trading pair on the DEX platform, such as AURA/ETH or AURA/USDT. Ensure your wallet has enough funds to make the purchase.
Make the Purchase: Use the DEX to buy AURA tokens. Popular DEXs for AURA include Balancer V2 and CoinEx.
- AURA tokens can be traded on both decentralized exchanges and centralized crypto exchanges.
- The most popular exchange to buy and trade Aura Finance is Balancer V2.
- You can also add AURA to MetaMask to view your token holdings and trade on decentralized exchanges.