Ethena Labs
Ethena Labs
Data verified on unchanged since the sources
Worth it if you understand synthetic dollars and want exposure to USDe and the sUSDe yield generated from perpetual futures funding rates.
Avoid it if you want a fiat-reserve stablecoin like USDC: USDe's peg depends on futures markets and its yield can turn negative.
Ethena Labs is the protocol behind USDe, a synthetic dollar built on crypto rails: it is not a fiat-reserve stablecoin like USDC, but keeps its peg through a long position in crypto assets (BTC, ETH, staked ETH) held with off-exchange custodians plus an equal short position in perpetual futures, staying market-neutral. It generates yield (sUSDe) from perpetual funding rates. It grew to ~$15B in circulation before correcting toward ~$8B, the third-largest digital dollar after USDC and USDT.
Data & conditions
| Account fee | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| ATM withdrawal | not declared |
| Fund custody | Custodial (platform holds funds) |
| Supported countries | US, EEA, APAC |
| Segment | B2B, B2C |
| MiCA / License status | DeFi synthetic dollar, not a regulated e-money stablecoin |
Strengths
- The largest synthetic dollar and third-largest digital dollar by circulation.
- Native yield via sUSDe from perpetual funding rates.
- Collateral held with off-exchange custodians, market-neutral exposure.
- No notable sovereignty advantage documented.
Weaknesses
- Not a fiat-reserve stablecoin: the peg depends on futures markets.
- Negative yield is possible if funding rates turn negative (market risk).
- Circulation has already shown large swings (from ~$15B to ~$8B).
- Custodial: the platform holds your funds and can freeze or lose them.
- Subject to regulation (DeFi synthetic dollar, not a regulated e-money stablecoin): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.
Verdict
Score 3.9/5, solid profile. In its favour: the largest synthetic dollar and third-largest digital dollar by circulation. The trade-off to weigh: not a fiat-reserve stablecoin: the peg depends on futures markets.
On the Sovereignty lens the score is 0.5/5 (weak): the strength is fund control (0.5/5).
Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.
"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.
Reputation
What happened to people who used Ethena Labs, and what users say. External signals: they do not feed the promp.it rating.
Incidents & regulatory actions
Past incidents, resolvedDocumented and closed events. They stay on file: an operator’s past is data, not a verdict.
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Hack / funds theft Moderate ✓ resolved
Domain registrar account compromised: website taken down as a precaution, protocol and funds untouched
On 18 September 2024 Ethena Labs announced that its domain registrar account had been compromised: «we have taken steps to deactivate the site until further notice. The protocol is unaffected and funds are safe». The company asked users not to interact with any site or application purporting to be the Ethena frontend. The Block and crypto.news reported it the same day. No loss of funds was reported and the registrar involved was not named. It is the kind of attack that hits the address, not the code: whoever controls the domain can swap the real site for a copy that asks users to sign malicious transactions, even while the protocol's contracts stay intact — the same pattern that hit Compound and Celer through domains managed on Squarespace in July 2024. The site is back up and responding normally.
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FAQ
Is USDe like USDC or USDT?
No. USDC and USDT are backed by fiat reserves; USDe is a synthetic dollar that holds its peg with crypto assets plus a short futures hedge.
Where does the sUSDe yield come from?
Mainly from perpetual futures funding rates and collateral staking. It is not guaranteed and can shrink or turn negative.
Sources
- Official service page Descrizione · Prodotto Data verified on Jul 17, 2026
- docs.ethena.fi Meccanismo usde · Collaterale Data verified on Jul 17, 2026
- multicoin.capital Market position · Circolante Data verified on Jul 17, 2026