Overview
Chaos Labs recommends against the listing of cbBTC on Aave V3’s Arbitrum deployment at this time. While cbBTC has demonstrated considerable success on Ethereum and Base, its current state on Arbitrum does not meet the criteria for a safe and effective integration. At present, the token’s limited supply, shallow liquidity, and minimal organic growth render it unsuitable for deployment. Proceeding with a listing under these conditions would necessitate overly restrictive risk parameters that would compromise both the utility of cbBTC and the safety of the Aave protocol.
cbBTC
cbBTC is a token backed 1:1 by native BTC held by Coinbase. We have previously provided recommendations on listing the asset on Ethereum and Base, finding that it was appropriate to list as a collateral asset on Aave. Since then, its supply on Aave has grown rapidly, particularly on Ethereum.
Ethereum
Base
We have found that our recommended parameters are functioning well, giving users significant borrowing power while also mitigating risk to the protocol.
Current Supply and Adoption
The asset is nascent on Arbitrum, with the first transaction occurring seven days ago. As such, its on-chain is still small, at just 54.9 cbBTC, with 90% of this held by Coinbase itself. As of this writing, there are only 52 holders with cbBTC balances greater than $100.
Additionally, there has been limited organic growth on the network, with all major increases in supply coinciding with Coinbase transactions.
Liquidity
cbBTC’s liquidity on Arbitrum is currently insufficient to support its role as a collateral asset. Despite being paired with WBTC and other tokens like tBTC, USDT, WETH, and USDC, market depth remains shallow. A simulated trade of 1 cbBTC to USDC results in approximately 10% slippage, highlighting the significant risk of price impact during liquidations or large trades. This lack of liquidity increases systemic risk and compromises the protocol’s ability to manage collateral liquidations effectively.
Simulated 1.75 cbBTC for ETH swap; Odos.
Recommendation
Chaos Labs advises against listing cbBTC on Aave V3’s Arbitrum deployment at this time. Instead, we recommend revisiting the proposal once the following conditions are met:
- A significant increase in cbBTC’s total supply and decentralization of ownership.
- Improved liquidity depth to reduce slippage and market inefficiencies.
- Demonstrated organic growth and adoption on Arbitrum, independent of Coinbase-driven activity.
Disclaimer
Chaos Labs has not been compensated by any third party for publishing this recommendation.
Copyright
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