Revolutionizing DeFi: How Lorimer Jenkins And Marton Lederer Are Transforming Arweave With LiquidOps

As Web3 technologies expand, they're allowing for more innovation in decentralised finance (DeFi) — blockchain-based systems that eliminate the need for banks and other similar institutions, giving users more control over their personal information and financial assets.

One growing platform in this space is Arweave, a network that offers users the ability to store their data on the chain with a single, one-time payment, permanently making their data accessible and immutable. Arweave recently announced its new layer two network AO, making it possible to execute code on Arweave via smart contracts referred to as processes.

Entrepreneurs Lorimer Jenkins and Marton Lederer want to expand this network's capabilities. After initially developing their projects, they joined forces to develop LiquidOps, a protocol that users can use to lend their Arweave ecosystem assets and earn passive income over time.

Learn more about Jenkins and Lederer's work with Arweave and how LiquidOps opens new investment opportunities in DeFi.

A Shared Vision

LiquidOps co-founders Lorimer Jenkins and Marton Lederer both started out as developers with an interest in Web3, a decentralised version of the Internet that allows users to exchange data directly and securely. Web3 is a paradigm shift that puts the Internet in the hands of its users rather than centralised entities like governments and corporations.

Because Web3 relies on shared blockchain technology managed collectively rather than by a single entity, users can take control of their privacy, protect their identities, and retain full custody of their assets.

The paths of these two founders came together in 2022 when they became two of the first members of Community Labs, a tech incubator dedicated to funding and developing projects built on the decentralised network Arweave. With Arweave, users can make a one-time payment to permanently store their data on the platform's "permaweb" storage blockweave — making it an ideal building ground for applications that require stable, immutable databases.

At Community Labs, Jenkins and Lederer worked on projects to ease newcomers into this network. Jenkins was behind Othent, an authentication tool that allowed users to log into Arweave from social accounts like Google, X, or LinkedIn. Meanwhile, Lederer created ArConnect, an Arweave-based self-custody wallet that has amassed over $400m of Arweave tokens in less than three years.

They soon realised that they shared a passion for making the Arweave network more accessible and appealing to enthusiasts and outsiders. This led them to team up and develop a protocol that could unlock new potential for Arweave users.

This partnership led to the founding of LiquidOps.

LiquidOps: Passive Income Through Decentralised Lending

LiquidOps is the first lending and borrowing protocol built on the Arweave block weave. Designed to leverage the network's growing liquidity (which has processed over 10 billion in transactions since its inception and over $650m in pre-bridged assets to AO), this protocol encourages users to keep their financial assets on-chain by allowing them to generate interest on various Arweave and AO-based tokens, such as the native $AR token.

The lending model is straightforward: Lenders deposit their tokens into a shared lending pool, while borrowers secure a loan by submitting an established collateral. Borrowers then pay a recurring interest fee until the loan is paid back in full, giving the lenders a steady stream of passive income. Once the loan has been fully repaid, borrowers unlock and retrieve their original collateral.

Looking to appeal to both DeFi newcomers and seasoned investors, Jenkins and Lederer have built a straightforward design for LiquidOps, modelled after the successful Compound V2 lending protocol. After setting up their accounts, users access an all-in-one dashboard to monitor their financial assets, review ongoing loans, and set payment structures. It also offers real-time updates on the rising price of $AR and $AO tokens, helping users track their future earnings.

The platform has already attracted significant attention across the DeFi space. LiquidOps was officially announced in June 2024 and has recently raised $325,000 in a pre-seed funding round. It has amassed a waitlist of over 1,500 users, collectively holding $50 million in liquidity. The official platform is set to launch by the end of February 2025, with the waitlist remaining open for interested lenders and borrowers.

Expanding DeFi Protocols on Arweave

With LiquidOps, Lorimer Jenkins and Marton Lederer are turning Arweave into a key player within the Web3 DeFi ecosystem. They offer a system where users can safely store essential data and participate in beloved DeFi applications.

Join LiquidOps' official waiting list to be one of the first to access this new protocol in decentralised finance.