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What is PancakeSwap (CAKE)?How It Works? Complete Guides 2024

PancakeSwap is a decentralized exchange that allows you to trade tokens while also offering opportunities to profit from liquidity pools and staking.

What sets PancakeSwap apart from the likes of Uniswap and SushiSwap is that it runs on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) instead of Ethereum.

Because of that, it is able to charge significantly lower transaction costs relative to its Ethereum-based counterparts.

PancakeSwap trading fees can go as low as 0.2% per trade, which makes it a cheaper alternative for regular traders looking to save on costs. It is also cheaper to deposit assets for farming on PancakeSwap versus SushiSwap.

Trade execution on PancakeSwap is also much faster than that of Uniswap, as BSC is currently more scalable thanks to its higher throughput compared to the Ethereum network.

However, it’s worth noting that these advantages of being built on BSC come at a tradeoff since it sacrifices decentralization.

This presents a drawback to users or developers who prefer fully-decentralized applications.

Even so, PancakeSwap has emerged as a strong DEX contender, partly due to its other income-generating features like Pancake Lottery, Pancake collectibles or NFTs, team battles, and Initial Farm Offering (IFO).

What is the CAKE token?

Similar to Uniswap and SushiSwap, PancakeSwap makes use of the AMM exchange model which relies on liquidity pools to facilitate trades.

In depositing funds to a liquidity pool, users or liquidity providers are compensated with the native token called CAKE.

PancakeSwap’s governance system allows CAKE holders to propose and vote on modifications to the platform.

As in most decentralized exchanges, users must first take a specified amount of CAKE to get voting rights.

CAKE tokens can also be staked in PancakeSwap’s SYRUP liquidity pools, which allows the user to earn SYRUP tokens that earn even more rewards.

The platform even offers auto-stake options that can re-stake CAKE at least once per hour, continuously compounding the rewards.

CAKE is the native cryptocurrency of PancakeSwap, a decentralized exchange (DEX) built on the BNB Chain (formerly Binance Smart Chain). It serves several important functions within the PancakeSwap ecosystem:

Governance (Potential):

  • There are proposals in place to grant CAKE token holders governance rights within PancakeSwap. In the future, CAKE holders might be able to vote on decisions regarding the platform’s development and future direction.

Utility Token:

  • CAKE plays a central role in various aspects of PancakeSwap’s functionality:
    • Liquidity Incentives: Users who provide liquidity to PancakeSwap’s AMM pools are rewarded with CAKE tokens. This incentivizes users to contribute to the liquidity of the platform.
    • Trading Fees: A portion of the trading fees collected on PancakeSwap is used to buy back and burn CAKE tokens, potentially reducing the overall supply and increasing its value.
    • Yield Farming: CAKE tokens can be earned through yield farming on PancakeSwap. Users can stake their crypto holdings in liquidity pools to earn rewards, typically distributed in CAKE.
    • Lottery Participation: CAKE is used to purchase lottery tickets on PancakeSwap, offering users a gamified chance to win a larger amount of CAKE.

Value Proposition:

  • The demand for CAKE stems from its utility within the PancakeSwap ecosystem. Users need CAKE to participate in key activities like providing liquidity, yield farming, and playing the lottery.

Supply and Scarcity:

  • There’s a capped maximum supply of 750 million CAKE tokens. This limited supply, coupled with its various use cases, can influence the value of CAKE.

Volatility:

  • It’s important to remember that the value of CAKE, like most cryptocurrencies, is still relatively volatile and speculative. The future success and adoption of PancakeSwap directly impact the value of CAKE.

How does PancakeSwap work?

Like UniSwap, it makes use of the AMM model, which employs an algorithm to set asset prices and enables permissionless trading through liquidity pools.

Token swaps take place through PancakeSwap’s liquidity pools, enabling trades without an intermediary and allowing liquidity providers to earn a share of the transaction fees.

Each liquidity pool is a smart contract that holds reserves of two tokens and allows anyone to deposit and withdraw tokens from them based on a set of rules.

The PancakeSwap platform makes use of the Proof of Staked Authority (PoSA) as its verification mechanism, which is a hybrid between the Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism, like that of Bitcoin, and Proof of Authority.

As such, it supports shorter block times and lower costs than the Proof of Work (PoW) consensus model, like that of Ethereum. However, it comes at a cost of sacrificing some degree of network security and decentralization.

PancakeSwap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) built on the BNB Chain (formerly Binance Smart Chain), functioning as a platform for users to trade cryptocurrencies without relying on a central authority. Here’s a breakdown of its core mechanisms:

Automated Market Maker (AMM):

  • Unlike traditional exchanges that match buyers and sellers directly through order books, PancakeSwap utilizes an Automated Market Maker (AMM) model.
  • In an AMM model, liquidity pools act as facilitators for trading. These liquidity pools hold reserves of two different cryptocurrencies. Users trade against these pools, adding or removing liquidity as needed.

Liquidity Pools:

  • Anyone can contribute to liquidity pools by depositing equal values of two tokens. In return for providing liquidity, users earn rewards in the form of CAKE, PancakeSwap’s native token.
  • The ratio of the tokens within a liquidity pool determines the exchange rate between those tokens.

Swapping Cryptocurrencies:

  • Users swap cryptocurrencies on PancakeSwap by interacting with liquidity pools. When a user swaps one token for another, the AMM automatically adjusts the pool’s reserves to reflect the new balance.

Fees and Revenue:

  • A small trading fee (typically 0.2%) is charged on every swap. A portion of this fee goes back to the liquidity pool that facilitated the trade, incentivizing users to keep the pools stocked. Another portion is used to buy back and burn CAKE tokens, reducing the overall supply and potentially increasing its value.

Additional Features:

  • Yield Farming: PancakeSwap offers yield farming opportunities. Users can stake their crypto holdings in liquidity pools to earn rewards, typically in the form of CAKE tokens. The potential rewards incentivize users to contribute liquidity to the platform.
  • Lottery: PancakeSwap offers a gamified lottery system where users can buy tickets with CAKE for a chance to win a larger amount of CAKE.

Benefits of PancakeSwap:

  • Decentralization: No central authority controls PancakeSwap, offering greater user autonomy and censorship resistance compared to centralized exchanges.
  • Fast and Cheap Transactions: PancakeSwap leverages the BNB Chain, known for its faster transaction speeds and lower fees compared to the Ethereum network.
  • Wide Range of Tokens: PancakeSwap supports a vast array of BEP-20 tokens, the token standard used on the BNB Chain.

Things to Consider:

  • Impermanent Loss: Liquidity providers in AMM pools can be exposed to impermanent loss if the price of the tokens they deposit changes significantly.
  • Rug Pulls and Scams: As with any DEX, PancakeSwap is susceptible to rug pulls and scams involving unverified or fraudulent tokens. Users should exercise caution when swapping lesser-known tokens.

Overall, PancakeSwap presents a user-friendly and permissionless platform for swapping cryptocurrencies, offering features like yield farming and a gamified lottery system. Its reliance on AMM and the BNB Chain allows for faster transactions and lower fees compared to some centralized exchanges. However, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential risks like impermanent loss and scams before using PancakeSwap.

Team Background

The PancakeSwap team is entirely anonymous, but it has gained the trust within the BSC and the general crypto community since its services have been reliable, similar to that of other DEXs on the AMM model.

Derivatives market-maker Ledger Prime is an investor in PancakeSwap.

Notable Investors: LegderPrime

Token Metrics:

  • Holder Addresses: 1.2M
  • Circulating supply: 144M CAKE
  • Total supply: 965M CAKE
  • Inflation Rate: 44.40%

Launch of Aptos PanCake bridge

PanCakeSwap announced the Aptos-PanCake bridge in December 2022 to easily connect CAKE tokens to Aptos, a layer-one blockchain created by Aptos Labs.

Due to this bridge, CAKE has become a multichain token between BNB Chain and Aptos. Aptos PancakeBridge allows users to bridge their CAKE at a 1:1 ratio across these two blockchains, allowing them to explore a broad and exciting new ecosystem.

PanCakeSwap burn event

PanCakeSwap revealed the results of the round of CAKE burning in December 2022. According to the official tweet, 6.95 million tokens worth around £26m were burnt.

The destroyed CAKE tokens represent 4.4% of the circulating quantity of 158.28 million tokens, according to CoinMarketCap statistics. Furthermore, the overall supply of CAKE (350 million) is more than half of the token’s maximum supply (750 million), indicating widespread token burning.

The purpose of token burning is to lower cryptocurrency’s total supply, thereby inducing demand. If demand is high and supply is limited, the price will increase.

The bottom line

While the early phase of PCS was not well-received by users, it required time for CAKE to establish that confidence and demonstrate the strength of its AMM-based DEX foundation.

Meanwhile, unstable market conditions have eroded investor confidence in crypto-assets, as seen by the CAKE token’s price movement and trading volume statistics.

The volume of transactions, the number of users and price fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market will help determine the future price of PancakeSwap (CAKE). 

While knowing key metrics about CAKE is important for accessing the project’s health, it shouldn’t be a substitute for your own research. 

You should always conduct your own due diligence before trading, looking at the latest news, technical analysis and fundamental analysis, while also considering the opinions of a wide range of analysts before making any trading decision. 

Keep in mind that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. And never trade or invest money that you cannot afford to lose.

Disclaimer ||

The Information provided on this website article does not constitute investment advice,financial advice,trading advice,or any other sort of advice and you should not treat any of the website’s content as such.

Always do your own research! DYOR NFA

Coin Data Cap does not recommend that any cryptocurrency should be bought, sold or held by you, Do Conduct your own due diligence and consult your financial adviser before making any investment decisions!

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