Could options replace liquidations in Vitalik’s new DeFi vision?

Vitalik Buterin has proposed an options-based design for crypto index products that could reduce DeFi’s dependence on forced liquidations.

Buterin’s research post, published Monday, set out a model where index-tracking crypto assets use options contracts instead of collateralized debt positions, the structure used across many DeFi lending and synthetic asset systems.

Buterin Proposes Options-Based DeFi Structure

In the post, the Ethereum co-founder asked whether DeFi products could use options as their base layer instead of systems built around debt and liquidation engines. According to Buterin, such a model could allow users to gain exposure to a basket of crypto assets, similar to an index product, without suffering the sudden loss of a position when collateral values fall sharply.

Many DeFi protocols today allow users to borrow against crypto collateral. When collateral drops below a required level, the protocol can automatically liquidate the position. Buterin’s post said this structure can create abrupt outcomes for users and can add pressure during volatile market periods.

Under the options-based design described by Buterin, a user’s exposure would not end through an immediate liquidation event. Instead, the position would gradually move away from its target allocation as market prices change. Buterin presented that difference as a possible way to make crypto investment products less dependent on leverage-based failure points.

Slow Oracles Could Reduce Manipulation Risk

Buterin also linked the proposal to the oracle problem in DeFi. According to his research post, many DeFi applications rely on fast price feeds because liquidation systems need current market prices to decide when positions should be closed.

Those fast feeds can become a weak point when markets move quickly or when attackers try to distort prices. Buterin said an options-based structure could work with slower-moving oracles, similar to the type used in prediction markets.

In his view, slower oracles may reduce the need for protocols to act on price updates within seconds. Buterin also said he would feel much safer holding algorithmic stablecoins built with an options-based design than holding stablecoins that depend on real-time oracles, which could be manipulated.

Algorithmic Stablecoins Remain a Key Use Case

The proposal has clear relevance for algorithmic stablecoins, which have often depended on collateral systems, price feeds, and automated market actions. Buterin’s post did not name a specific stablecoin project, and the model remains theoretical rather than deployed on Ethereum.

Buterin also acknowledged practical limits. According to the post, an options-based system would still require regular portfolio rebalancing. He said it remains unclear whether those trades can happen cheaply enough to avoid high costs, poor execution, or slippage.

The research post comes as Buterin has also changed his plans for publishing long-form work. As previously covered by crypto.news, Buterin said he will stop writing regular blog posts and instead plans to try writing science fiction stories about decentralized governance.

Buterin’s past essays have covered DAOs, Layer 2 systems, voting models, and governance design across crypto and public institutions. In the latest proposal, he returned to a familiar theme, questioning whether DeFi systems can become safer by relying less on fragile automated debt structures.