--- title: Liquidity Pool url: "https://www.unknowngravity.com/en/glosario/liquidity-pool-fondo-de-liquidez" site: Unknown Gravity published: "2025-06-07T15:31:09+00:00" modified: "2026-07-15T10:51:28+00:00" language: en-US description: "Liquidity Pool, or liquidity fund, is a reserve of two or more tokens deposited within a smart contract, designed to facilitate automatic asset exchanges on platforms decentralized (DEXs) without the…" section: "Home > Liquidity Pool" --- # Liquidity Pool GLOSSARY · BLOCKCHAIN & WEB3 A pool locks two tokens in a contract so swaps trade against it instead of an order book. You collect a fee and you take on impermanent loss in exchange. WHAT IS IT? · FOR DUMMIES A **liquidity pool** is like a “pool” full of cryptocurrency. People put their tokens there so that others can easily exchange coins, such as exchanging ETH for USDC. In return, those who contribute to the pool earn commissions every time someone makes an exchange. This is how everyone wins: some change their coins and others make a profit by lending theirs. WHAT IS IT? · PRO **Liquidity Pool**, or liquidity fund, is a **reserve of two or more tokens deposited within a smart contract**, designed to facilitate automatic asset exchanges on platforms **decentralized (DEXs)** without the need for a **Traditional order book**. This infrastructure is key to decentralized finance protocols (**DeFi**), such as **Uniswap, Curve, Balancer, or PancakeSwap**, where swaps are made directly against the pool instead of pairing buyers with sellers. Liquidity Providers (LPs) deposit pairs of tokens (e.g., ETH/USDC) in specific proportions. In exchange, they receive LP tokens that represent their participation in the pool. Every time a user makes a swap within the pool, a commission (for example, 0.3%) is charged, which is distributed among all LPs proportionately. This mechanic is managed by **automated market making (AMM) algorithms**, like the model **x*y=k** in Uniswap v2, or more advanced curves in specialized protocols. In addition to allowing efficient exchanges without intermediaries, liquidity pools serve as **fundamental infrastructure for yield farming, collateralized loans, derivatives, algorithmic stablecoins** and other DeFi strategies. However, they also introduce specific risks such as **impermanent loss**, vulnerabilities in contracts, or changes in the price ratio due to arbitration. In short, liquidity pools replace the traditional order book model with a decentralized algorithmic system, making it possible for anyone in the world to provide liquidity and facilitate the operation of crypto markets without relying on centralized exchanges. ## 01 / Key points - They are reserves of tokens locked in smart contracts to facilitate exchanges - They allow swaps to be made in DEXs without an order book - They reward those who provide liquidity with commissions - They use AMM algorithms such as x*y=k to maintain balance - They are the basis of many DeFi strategies such as farming, lending or staking ## 02 / Advantages - **Total decentralization**: no middlemen or need to pair orders - **Ongoing liquidity**: anyone can trade assets at any time - **Passive income for LPs**: contributors earn commissions for each trade - **Flexible infrastructure**: compatible with multiple tokens and market models - **Global accessibility**: any user can participate without barriers to entry ## 03 / Disadvantages - **Impermanent loss**: value can be lost compared to keeping tokens separately - **Smart contract risk**: possible bugs or exploits if the contract is not well audited - **Pool volatility**: Prices can change quickly for large transactions - **Not ideal for assets with low demand**: There may be little activity or rewards - **Incentive Dependency**: profitability often depends on farming or rewards RELATED CONCEPTS [DeFi (Decentralized Finance)](/en/glosario/defi-finanzas-descentralizadas) [Token](/en/glosario/token) [Smart contract](/en/glosario/smart-contract) [Smart Contract](/en/glosario/smart-contract-contrato-inteligente) [Decentralized Exchange (DEX)](/en/glosario/exchange-descentralizado-dex) [Exchange (Cryptocurrency Exchange)](/en/glosario/exchange-intercambio-de-criptomonedas) KEEP LEARNING [DeFi: What decentralized finance is and how does it work](/en/articulos/defi-que-son-como-funcionan-finanzas-descentralizadas) [Tokenomics that work: How to design an economy that doesn't collapse in 6 months](/en/articulos/tokenomics-que-funcionan-como-disenar-una-economia-que-no-se-derrumbe-en-6-meses) [Comparison of smart contracts programming languages](/en/articulos/lenguajes-programacion-smart-contracts) [How to protect your digital assets in the cryptocurrency world](/en/articulos/como-proteger-tus-activos-digitales-criptomonedas) [Smart Contracts without surprises: common mistakes in Solidity and how to avoid them](/en/articulos/smart-contracts-soliditys-errores-comunes-y-como-evitarlos) RELATED SERVICES [DeFi protocols](/en/servicios/protocolos-defi) [Development of smart contracts](/en/servicios/company-development-smart-contracts) [Token development](/en/servicios/desarrollo-de-tokens) [Web3 Development](/en/servicios/desarrollo-web3) [Blockchain consulting for companies](/en/servicios/consultoria-blockchain) [Full glossary](/en/glosario) This entry is informative. It is not legal, tax or investment advice. The rules cited change: check the current version on [BOE](https://www.boe.es) and [EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu).