Stablecoin Yield Strategy: A Low-Risk Option to Deal with Market Fluctuation

In April 2025, the global financial markets experienced severe turbulence due to Trump's tariff policies. He announced the implementation of "reciprocal tariffs" on major trading partners, setting a baseline tariff of 10% and imposing higher rates on specific countries. This decision triggered a strong market reaction, with the S&P 500 losing $5.8 trillion in market value in just four days, marking the largest single-week loss in over 70 years. Bitcoin prices also fluctuated significantly between $80,000 and $90,000.

In the face of such a volatile market environment, how should investors respond? Low-risk stablecoin yield products in the DeFi space may be a good choice, helping to maintain asset stability during this uncertain period. This article will introduce four yield products based on stablecoins for investors' reference.

It should be noted that the content of this article is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice. Investors should conduct their own research and evaluation.

Spark Saving USDC (Ethereum)

Investors can connect their wallets through the official website of the Spark platform and select the Savings USDC product to deposit USDC.

Spark is a decentralized finance platform that provides users with a front-end interface for the blockchain-based liquidity market protocol SparkLend. Users can participate in lending and borrowing activities through this platform.

Source of Income: The earnings from saving USDC mainly come from the Sky Savings Rate (SSR). This rate is supported by income generated from cryptocurrency mortgage loan fees, investments in U.S. Treasury bonds, and providing liquidity to platforms like SparkLend. USDC is converted to USDS at a 1:1 ratio through the Sky PSM and deposited into the SSR vault to earn income, with the value of sUSDC tokens increasing as earnings accumulate. Spark is responsible for providing liquidity for USDC.

Risk Assessment: Low Risk. USDC has high stability, and Spark's multiple audits also reduce the risk of smart contracts. However, investors should still pay attention to the potential impact of market Fluctuation on liquidity.

Berachain BYUSD|HONEY (Berachain)

Investors can visit the Berachain official website, enter BeraHub, connect a Berachain compatible wallet, select the BYUSD/HONEY pool on the Pools page, and deposit BYUSD and HONEY to provide liquidity. After obtaining LP tokens, users can stake them in the reward vault to earn BGT.

Berachain is a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain that employs an innovative Proof of Liquidity (PoL) consensus mechanism to enhance network security and ecological vitality by incentivizing liquidity providers. The product is the BYUSD/HONEY liquidity pool, deployed on Berachain's native DEX BEX. HONEY is Berachain's native stablecoin, using multi-asset collateral and soft-pegged to the US dollar. BYUSD is another stablecoin on this chain.

Source of income: Income mainly includes BGT rewards (3.41% APR, based on staking weight and validator allocation of BGT emissions, updated every 5 hours) and trading fees within the pool (0.01% APR, derived from the sharing of trading fees). BGT is Berachain's non-transferable governance coin, which can be burned 1:1 for BERA (irreversible) and share the revenue from core dApp fees (specific ratio determined by governance). The BYUSD/HONEY pool has lower price fluctuation risks due to the characteristics of stablecoin pairs.

Risk Assessment: Low to Medium Risk. BYUSD and HONEY, as stablecoins, have relatively stable prices; Berachain's PoL mechanism has been professionally audited, and the risk of smart contracts is low. However, BGT rewards may fluctuate due to emission adjustments.

Provide Liquidity to Uniswap V4 USDC-USDT0 (Uniswap V4)

Investors can connect their wallets through the official website of the Merkl platform to deposit USDC or USDT into the "Provide Liquidity to Uniswap V4 USDC-USDT0" product, providing liquidity to Uniswap V4.

Merkl is a DeFi investment aggregation platform that provides users with a one-stop solution covering opportunities such as liquidity pools and lending protocols. This product provides liquidity to the USDC/USDT pool on Uniswap V4 through Merkl. Uniswap V4, which will be launched in 2025, introduces a "hooks" mechanism that allows developers to customize pool features, such as dynamic fee adjustments and automatic rebalancing, enhancing capital efficiency and yield potential.

Source of income: Mainly from UNI token incentives.

Risk Assessment: Low to Medium Risk. The USDC/USDT pool, as a stablecoin pair, has a lower price fluctuation risk, but attention should be paid to smart contract risks and the potential decrease in returns after the incentive period ends.

Echelon Market USDC (Aptos)

Investors can visit the Echelon Market official website, connect an Aptos-compatible wallet, select the USDC pool on the Markets page, and deposit USDC to participate in the supply. Users receive supply certificates, and earnings accumulate in real time.

Echelon Market is a decentralized cryptocurrency market based on the Aptos blockchain, developed using the Move programming language. Users can borrow or lend assets through non-custodial pools, earning interest or using leverage. This product allows users to deposit USDC into the funding pools on the Aptos mainnet, participate in supply, and earn yield. Echelon Market integrates with the Thala protocol, which provides stablecoins and liquidity layers on Aptos, generating deposit receipt tokens such as thAPT.

Source of income: Income includes USDC supply interest (5.35%) and Thala's thAPT rewards (3.66%). thAPT is Thala's deposit certificate, minted and redeemable at a 1:1 ratio for APT, with a redemption fee of 0.15% that goes into the sthAPT (staking rewards token) reward pool.

Risk Assessment: Low to medium risk. USDC has high stability, but attention is needed on the smart contract risks in the Aptos ecosystem and the impact of thAPT redemption fees on returns. Immediate exit provides high liquidity, but market Fluctuation may affect the value of thAPT rewards.

Summary

In the current market of significant fluctuations, stablecoin yield products may provide investors with a relatively stable income option. The four products mentioned above each have their own characteristics, and investors can choose according to their risk preferences and investment objectives. However, any investment carries risks, and investors should carefully assess and conduct thorough research and understanding.

| Product Name | Chain | TVL ( million USD ) | Yield (% ) | Risk Rating | |---------|------|---------------|------------|----------| | Spark Saving USDC | Ethereum | 523.52 | 3.01 | Low | | Berachain BYUSD|HONEY | Berachain | 246.30 | 3.42 | Low to Medium | | Uniswap V4 USDC-USDT0 | Ethereum | 74.25 | 2.56 | Low to Medium | | Echelon Market USDC | Aptos | 38.46 | 9.01 | Low to Medium |

Note: The data is for reference only and should not be considered as investment advice. Investors should assess risks and make their own decisions.