Yield Generation
How asUSD Earns its APR
asUSD doesn't print tokens or subsidize yields. Every basis point comes from actual economic activity—borrowers paying for capital, arbitrageurs capturing spreads, protocols accessing liquidity.
The Four Yield Streams
1. Credit Spreads (Primary Source)
The Core Engine: 5-20% APR
How it works:
Borrowers pay interest to mint asUSD
Yields flow to asUSD stakers
Rates set by autonomous controller
Higher demand = Higher yields
Current Sources:
Astera Lend Borrowers: ~$40k annual per $1M borrowed
Mini-Pool Interest: Additional yield per pool
Utilization Target: 80% for optimal rates
Result: 5-20% base APR to stakers
2. AMO Operations
Market Making Profits: 2-5% APR
Arbitrage AMO Yields:
Profits from every peg correction
Volatility becomes revenue
Compounds during market stress
All profits to asUSD holders
Example Day:
10 corrections × $0.002 spread × $2M volume = $40k daily
Annualized: ~3% additional APR
Higher volatility = Higher profits
3. Protocol Interest Payments
B2F Credit Lines: 5-10% APR
When protocols borrow asUSD:
Lending markets pay for liquidity
Perpetual exchanges pay for counterparty funds
New protocols pay for bootstrapping
Interest flows directly to holders
Example Credit Line:
$500k to external lending market at 15% APR
= $75k annual interest
Distributed to asUSD stakers
Scales with number of integrations
4. Cross-Chain Opportunities (Future)
Bridge and Deploy: 1-3% APR
Multi-chain yield capture:
Deploy asUSD where rates are highest
Arbitrage between chains
Bridge fees accumulate
Native yield on each chain
Staked asUSD (asUSDs)
Compound Without Complexity
How Staking Works
Deposit asUSD → Receive asUSDs → Earn Automatically →
Redeem Anytime → Get asUSD + Yields
Key Features:
Single-sided: No impermanent loss
Liquid: Trade asUSDs on Etherex
Auto-compounding: No claiming needed
No lock-ups: Exit anytime with a 7-day withdrawal cooldown
The Staking Math
Base APR
6-20%
AMO Boost
+2-5%
Protocol Yields
+5-10%
Total Range
6-35% APR
Why Yields Stay High
Sustainable Sources:
Credit demand is permanent - DeFi always needs leverage
Arbitrage is guaranteed - Price deviations create profits
Protocols need liquidity - Growth requires capital
Compounding accelerates - Yields reinvest automatically
Yield Distribution Flow
All Revenue Sources
↓
asUSD Staking Pool
↓
Pro-Rata Distribution
↓
Automatic Compounding
↓
Your asUSDs Value Grows
No intermediaries. No governance votes. No treasury cuts.
Comparing Yield Sources
USDC
None to holders
0%
N/A
DAI
DSR (limited)
5-6%
Depends on RWA
sDAI
Maker surplus
5-7%
Governance dependent
crvUSD
Borrow interest
8-10%
Market dependent
asUSD
Multiple sources
10-30%
Diversified & permanent
Risk-Adjusted Returns
Why 10-30% Isn't Too Good to Be True
Traditional Finance Logic:
Banks borrow at 0.5% (savings accounts)
Lend at 5-20% (loans, credit cards)
Keep the 4.5-19.5% spread
asUSD Logic:
Borrow at 0% (minting)
Lend at 10-30% (DeFi demand)
Give holders the entire spread
It's not magic—it's removing the middleman.
Dynamic Yield Optimization
The system automatically optimizes for maximum sustainable yield:
High Demand Period:
Rates increase to 20-30%
Attracts more capital
Equilibrium reached
Normal Period:
Rates stabilize at 10-15%
Sustainable baseline
Compounds steadily
Low Demand Period:
Rates bottom at 5-10%
Still beats TradFi
Temporary dips only
The Compound Effect
Starting with $10,000 in asUSD:
1
$11,000
$12,000
$13,000
2
$12,100
$14,400
$16,900
3
$13,310
$17,280
$21,970
5
$16,105
$24,883
$37,129
Auto-compounding makes wealth inevitable.
Last updated