The Role of Circuit Breakers in Protecting Onchain Markets
Circuit breakers are emergency measures designed to temporarily halt trading activity in financial markets during periods of extreme volatility or abnormal events. In the onchain ecosystem, circuit breakers can be implemented for tokenized assets, wrapped assets, and decentralized finance (DeFi) markets. For tokenized assets, circuit breakers can prevent minting if there is insufficient collateral. For wrapped assets, they can account for discrepancies in the 1:1 parity between wrapped and base assets. In DeFi markets, automated circuit breakers can halt trading for specific assets during volatile periods to calm activity and allow for liquidity adjustments. As the Web3 industry matures, circuit breakers will play a crucial role in providing cryptographic guarantees and protecting users against severe outcomes during abnormal events.