Anyone here moved from TradFi to DeFi?

Moving from TradFi to DeFi takes focus and a clear plan. In my case, working as a risk manager in TradFi gave me a good foundation. Things like risk analysis, financial modeling, and portfolio management are very relevant in DeFi.

I started by learning the basics of blockchain and how decentralized systems work. Getting some certifications in blockchain and smart contracts helped me understand the technical side. I also spent time exploring platforms like Aave, Compound, and MakerDAO to see lending pools, liquidity risks, and governance in action.

In DeFi, risk management looks a bit different. You have to think about smart contract vulnerabilities, liquidity risks, and price volatility. I spent a lot of time reading security audits, tracking token metrics, and watching how users interact with protocols. Tools like Dune Analytics and Chainlink oracles were really helpful for getting real-time insights.

Joining DeFi communities, forums, and DAOs also made a big difference. Talking to people there helped me spot trends, learn practical strategies, and understand how to manage risk in real projects.

For anyone moving from TradFi to DeFi, I’d say: build a strong blockchain foundation, explore different DeFi platforms, and focus on skills like data analysis, security assessment, and governance. It’s a lot of work, but it opens doors to meaningful contributions in this fast-growing space.

I switched from investment banking into DeFi about a year ago. For me, the hardest part wasn’t learning Solidity or smart contracts. It was understanding how the whole ecosystem thinks about money differently. In TradFi, everything is structured and regulated. In DeFi, people experiment, iterate, and fail publicly, and you need to be okay with that uncertainty.

My TradFi skills definitely helped, especially financial modeling and risk assessment, but I had to reframe them. to mention, assessing a protocol’s liquidity or incentive structure is basically risk modeling in a new form. I spent a lot of time reading whitepapers, joining governance forums, and analyzing real on-chain data to see how projects actually behaved.

Certifications? Honestly, I ignored most of them. Employers in this space care more about what you can actually do like building dashboards, running analytics, contributing to open-source projects, or writing thoughtful protocol analyses.

Biggest tip: pick one area may be lending, yield farming, or governance — and focus on becoming really good at it. That focus helped me get my first role and built confidence fast.

This is really insightful — thanks for sharing your experience! I’m curious to hear from others in the community: how did you land your first hands-on project or role? Was there something specific you did that helped you get noticed, or a particular approach that made the transition smoother? Any examples of small projects, dashboards, or contributions that really opened doors would be super helpful.