I recently made a decision to move 30% of my idle funds into USDD staking. My friends all say I’m crazy, but my idea is simple: instead of chasing the highest returns, it’s better to hold onto the most certain “1 dollar.”

Why do I think this way? It all starts with the phenomena I’ve observed.

Recently, I randomly analyzed the behavior data of 50 DeFi participants, and the results were quite eye-opening. Almost 100% of people are comparing APYs across different projects, but fewer than 10% actually click into transparency pages to verify the authenticity of collateral, and almost none verify the collateral’s legitimacy. Everyone is caught up in the numbers of returns but forgets to ask the most critical question: how safe is this money?

Because of this observation, I started “auditing” USDD on-chain. The process isn’t complicated:

First, I checked the collateral addresses; holdings in BTC and TRX are visible in real-time. Second, I verified the multi-signature wallet structure, which eliminates single-point risks. Third, I even wrote a monitoring script that automatically fetches data every 10 minutes. The results are clear—collateralization ratios stay above 130%, all large transactions require multi-signature confirmation, and all change records are on-chain.

This isn’t some deep technical secret, nor does it require trusting anyone. It’s just verification.

I compared the changes in trust mechanisms. In traditional finance, trust comes from a combination of brand, regulation, and audits. But in the Web3 world, trust is built differently—open-source contracts, real-time data, and verifiable proofs. This is a complete overhaul of the trust mechanism.

Regarding capital allocation, I use a three-layer structure. The base layer accounts for 40%, mainly in USDD, which is like the “real estate” of the portfolio. The yield layer is also 40%, invested in mainstream stablecoins, serving as the “income engine.” The experimental layer is 20%, used to try emerging tokens—like a “tuition budget.” The key is that the transparency of the base layer directly determines the overall risk ceiling.

If you are a developer or project team, I recommend making “verifiable transparency” your top priority. Doing so can reduce integration risks, enhance system resilience, align with regulatory trends, and build stronger ecosystem trust over the long term.

For ordinary token holders, the process is quite simple. Spend 5 minutes each month: open the project’s transparency page, confirm whether the collateralization ratio is truly >100%, and check if data updates are normal. If there’s no transparency page or the data is obviously delayed, it’s time to consider reducing your position.

Returning to my own choice: APY has dropped from 12.7% to 8.3%, a significant decrease. But what have I gained? I know the real address of the collateral, who controls these assets, the real-time collateralization ratio at every moment, and the specific risk points.

This certainty is more valuable than any number.

High returns can make you money. But only certainty can keep you alive.