Altcoins

Why Chainlink is More Important than Most DeFi Protocols

By Isaiah Mccall

Last Updated: Feb 27, 2025

Fact checked

By Sam Cooling

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Chainlink crypto is a key pillar of the Web3 ecosystem, yet many LINK price gains have been disappointing this run—what's going on?
Disclaimer Icon
Disclaimer
Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. You could lose all of your capital. 99Bitcoins may receive advertising commissions for visits to a suggested operator through our affiliate links, at no added cost to you. All our recommendations follow a thorough review process.

Decentralized finance hinges on Chainlink (LINK). This oracle network shatters barriers between blockchain and real-world data, making smart contracts functional and reliable. But the LINK price seems undervalued; how can that be?

Blockchains need this service because they act as isolated networks; they cannot retrieve or send data to an off-chain solution. 

Here’s why LINK is the most important DeFi protocol. 

(LINK)

Sergey Nazarov created Chainlink in 2014 and launched it in 2017. As a well-known cryptocurrency, it is listed on all of the popular crypto-trading platforms, including KrakenBinanceGemini, and Coinbase.

Without Chainlink, blockchains could not receive necessary data from external sources, making Chainlink a highly valuable project in this space.  

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Chainlink smart contracts essentially carry out three main functions. 

  1. Reputation assessment: Think of Oracles as nodes that feed information to a blockchain project. Oracles that act outside of these boundaries are penalized and downgraded. 
  2. Working with external data: In this step, proper oracles with the highest reputation are selected, and a systematic consensus is reached regarding transferring the demanded data.
  3.  Lastly, we have aggregation: Here, the aggregation contract gathers all the data conveyed by the off-chain oracles and then finds the median to form a weighted aggregate response. 

Chainlink is the backbone of crypto interoperability. It ensures that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) play nicely, brings banks into the fold, and enables Wrapped Bitcoin.

With support from titans like Google and Oracle, plus a plan to secure future presidential elections with cryptographic verification, Chainlink is everywhere. Its decentralized smart contracts also add a crucial layer of DeFi security.

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LINK might be crucial for decentralized finance, but its critics are loud. They claim the LINK token is unnecessary—another cryptocurrency, like Ethereum could easily replace its role in powering Chainlink’s services. LINK’s dependence on network activity underscores its vulnerability, though its deflationary design could still make it a bullish asset.

Even Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin has questioned the project, suggesting Uniswap could replace LINK as a leading oracle. For now, LINK dominates the space, but significant challenges remain.

EXPLORE: XRP Price Jumps 11% After SEC Crypto Unit Tease XRP ETF Progress

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Key Takeaways

  • Without Chainlink ($LINK), decentralized finance wouldn’t exist. 
  • For now, Chainlink dominates the space, but significant challenges remain.

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Isaiah Mccall
Isaiah Mccall
Crypto Analyst

Isaiah McCall is an ultramarathon runner and journalist for 99Bitcoins. He started at USAToday in 2019 and now has a Medium blog following of 30k+ and millions of views. Follow him at @AfroReporter Read More

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