Log in

Guide

Guide: What are Liquidity Pools?

Updated: May 22, 2025
Published: Dec 17, 2021
0
Share:

What are liquidity pools, and how do they work? 

Post Feature Image

Liquidity pools, in simple terms, are a collection of tokens that are locked in a smart contract. They enable decentralised lending, trading, and other functions by providing liquidityLiquidity refers to the ease with which a coin can be converted into cash or other coins.

Liquidity Pools are an essential part of the DeFi ecosystem. They provide the basis for many decentralised exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap. Let’s take a closer look. 

What are liquidity pools?

With the growth of Decentralised Finance (DeFi), we’ve seen an explosion of on-chain activities. One of the main technologies behind the ecosystem is the liquidity pool.

liquidity pool is a crowdsourced pool of tokens locked in a smart contract. They're used to facilitate trades on a decentralised exchange. Instead of traditional markets of buyers and sellers, many DeFi platforms utilize automated market makers (AMMs) to allow for automatic, permissionless trades of digital assets through liquidity pools.

In return for providing liquidity, the liquidity provider (LP) is rewarded with special LP tokens in proportion to the liquidity they provided. When a pool facilitates a trade, a trading fee is distributed amongst all LP token holders in proportion to their share of the total liquidity.

Why are they necessary?

Centralised exchanges (CEXs) like Coinbase and Binance and traditional stock exchanges use the order book trading model. In this model, for a trade to complete, the buyer and seller must converge on the price. Market makers facilitate trading by providing liquidity and by always being willing to buy or sell a certain asset.

However, DeFi trading needs to be executed on-chain, without a centralised intermediary. And, as each interaction with the order book comes with a gas fee, it’s much more expensive to complete trades. Blockchains also can’t handle the throughput required for trading billions of dollars each day.

So, it’s almost impossible for a blockchain like Ethereum to operate on an on-chain order book exchange. (However, there are some DEXs that do work with order books.)

Our Top Picks:

DOGWIFHAT

DOGWIFHAT

120,650%

SPX6900

SPX6900

17,000%

POPCAT

POPCAT

66,567%

PENDLE

PENDLE

5,002%

SOLANA

SOLANA

2,500%

HYPE

HYPE

1,740%

Don’t miss our next 100X

Trusted by 230K+ investors

How do they work?

Automated Market Makers enable on-chain trading without the need for a direct counterparty to complete trades. Instead, you are completing the trade against the liquidity pool’s liquidity. So, as long as there’s enough liquidity in the pool, the buyer can buy, even if there’s no seller present at that particular moment.

What are they used for?

We’ve already discussed AMMs as being one of the main uses of liquidity pools. However, they're also used in a number of other ways such as yield farming or liquidity miningLiquidity pools are the foundation of platforms like Yield, where participants deposit funds to pools that are used to generate yields.

Risks

As with most things, liquidity pools are not without risks. It’s important to be aware of risks like impermanent lossliquidity pool hackssmart contract bugs and systematic risks. Impermanent loss occurs when you provide liquidity to a liquidity pool but the price of your deposited assets alters compared to when they were deposited.

Examples of liquidity pools

Popular exchanges that utilize liquidity pools include SushiSwapUniSwap, and PancakeSwap.

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVICE. Only you are responsible for any capital-related decisions you make and only you are accountable for the results.

100% Success Money Back Guarantee

If our approach doesn’t outperform the overall crypto market during your subscription, we’ll give you a full refund of your membership. No questions asked. For quarterly and monthly subscribers this is applicable once your subscription runs for 6 consecutive months.

Terms & Conditions apply

Star

Trusted by 300,000+ traders

Take your next step towards crypto success

Save 50%

$799/year

Get everything you need to actively manage your portfolio and stay ahead. Ideal for investors seeking regular guidance and access to tools that help make informed decisions.

VisaCardImageMsCardImageCoinbaseCardImageSolanaCardImage

For your security, all orders are processed on a secured server.

What’s included in Pro:

  • Success Guarantee, if we don’t outperform the market, you get 100% back, no questions asked

  • 24/7 access to experts with 50+ years’ experience

  • All of our top token picks for 2025

  • Our latest memecoins pick with 50X potential

  • On hand technical analysis on any token of your choice

  • Weekly livestreams & ask us anything with the team

  • Daily insights on Macro, Mechanics, and On-chain

  • Curated list of top upcoming airdrops (free money)

Our track record speaks for itself

With over 2.4M tokens and widespread misinformation in crypto, we cut
through the noise and consistently find winning assets.

/images/advertorial/corpcomm3.webp
/images/advertorial/corpcomm4.webp
/images/advertorial/corpcomm5.webp

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We've consistently identified winners across multiple cycles. Bitcoin under $1,000, Ethereum under $70, Solana under $10, WIF from $0.003 to $5, PopCat from $0.004 to $2, SPX blasting past $1.70, and our latest pick has already 200X'd since June 2025. Everything is timestamped and public record.

No. When we founded Cryptonary in 2017 the market was new to everyone. We intentionally created content that was easy to understand and actionable. That foundational principle is the crux of Cryptonary. Taking complex ideas and opportunities and presenting them in a way a 10 year old could understand.

Signal vs noise. We filter out 99.9% of garbage projects, provide data backed analysis, and have a proven track record of finding winners. Not to mention since Cryptonary's inception in 2017 we have never taken investment, sponsorship or partnership. Compare this to pretty much everyone else, no track record, and a long list of partnerships that cloud judgements.

We share highly sensitive, time-critical research. Once it's out, it can't be "returned." That's why membership is annual only. Crypto success takes time and commitment. If someone is not willing to invest 12 months into their future, there is no place for them at Cryptonary.

Yes. You will have 24/7 to the team that bought you BTC at $1,000, ETH at $70, and SOL at $10. Through our community chats, live Q&As, and member only channels, you can ask questions and interact directly with the team. Our team has over 50 years of combined experience which you can tap into every single day.

Daily. We provide real-time updates, weekly reports, emergency alerts, and live Q&As when the markets move fast. In crypto, the market moves fast, in Cryptonary, we move faster.

If our approach to the market doesn’t beat the overall crypto market during your subscription, we’ll give you a full refund of your membership fee. No questions asked. For quarterly and monthly subscribers this is applicable once your subscription runs for 6 consecutive months.

Recommended from Cryptonary
The hidden AI play the markets waiting to unfold.
PRO
Research Report
The hidden AI play the markets wait...Something big is brewing quietly in the AI sector, a structural shift that almost no one is watching...
12 min read
Nov 11, 2025
Altcoin Scanner: 5 Promising Setups (LTC, XRP, TAO, UNI, ZEC)
PRO
Market Analysis
Altcoin Scanner: 5 Promising Setups...On this edition of the Altcoin Scanner, we’re checking out a few altcoins that are outperforming dur...
6 min read
Nov 11, 2025
BTC $100k Target Hit, SFP Confirmed
PRO
Market Direction
BTC $100k Target Hit, SFP ConfirmedUpdate on our Nov 3rd/7th forecast: BTC moved exactly to our $100k-$102k target zone as predicted. W...
13 min read
Nov 10, 2025