Earn Tokens (eTokens)

Overview

Earn Tokens (eTokens) are Curvance's lending market tokens that enable users to earn interest on deposited assets. eTokens function similarly to interest-bearing tokens in other lending protocols but with a focus on enhanced security and flexibility. Users who deposit underlying assets receive eTokens representing their share of the lending pool, which increase in value as borrowers pay interest.

Core Architecture

eTokens operate within a network of contracts:

• EToken: The core implementation of the Earn Token functionality.

• ETokenWithGauge: Extension that integrates with Curvance's Gauge system for additional rewards.

• MarketManager: Manages risk parameters, collateral requirements, and market health.

• CentralRegistry: Provides protocol-wide configuration and permissions.

• InterestRateModel: Determines interest rates based on market utilization.

State and Data Model

eTokens maintain several key state variables:

// User balances
mapping(address => uint256) public balanceOf;

// Debt tracking
mapping(address => DebtData) private _debtOf;

// Market state
MarketData public marketData;
uint256 public totalBorrows;
uint256 public totalReserves;
uint256 public totalSupply;

// Structures
struct MarketData {
    uint40 lastTimestampUpdated;
    uint216 exchangeRate;
    uint256 compoundRate;
}

struct DebtData {
    uint256 principal;
    uint256 accountExchangeRate;
}

The exchangeRate is a critical parameter that determines the conversion between eTokens (shares) and underlying assets. It increases over time as interest accrues, allowing eToken holders to claim more underlying assets for the same number of tokens.

Data Flow

Deposit Flow

1. User calls mint() with underlying assets.

2. Contract accrues any pending interest.

3. Contract calculates shares based on current exchange rate.

4. Underlying tokens are transferred from the user to the contract.

5. eTokens are minted to the user.

6. MarketManager is notified of the deposit (if needed).

Withdrawal Flow

1. User calls redeem() with eTokens.

2. Contract accrues any pending interest.

3. Contract calculates assets based on current exchange rate.

4. Underlying tokens are transferred from the contract to the user.

5. eTokens are burned.

6. MarketManager is notified of the withdrawal.

Borrowing Flow

1. User must first deposit collateral into a pToken.

2. User calls borrow() on an eToken.

3. Contract accrues any pending interest.

4. MarketManager checks if user has sufficient collateral.

5. Debt is recorded for the user.

6. Underlying tokens are transferred to the user.

Repayment Flow

1. User calls repay() or repayFor() .

2. Contract accrues any pending interest.

3. Current debt is calculated.

4. Underlying tokens are transferred from the user to the contract.

5. User's debt is reduced or eliminated.

6. MarketManager is updated regarding the user's position.

Interest Accrual Mechanism

Interest accrual is a key feature of eTokens, handled through the accrueInterest() function:

• Time elapsed since last update is calculated.

• InterestRateModel determines appropriate interest rate based on market utilization.

• Interest is applied to total borrows.

• A portion of interest (determined by interestFactor) is allocated to protocol reserves.

• Exchange rate is updated, increasing the value of all eTokens.

This process occurs automatically when users interact with any of the main functions, ensuring up-to-date state before transactions execute.

Exchange Rate Calculation

The exchange rate is calculated by:

exchangeRate = (marketUnderlyingHeld + totalBorrows) * WAD / (totalSupply + totalReserves)

This rate determines how many underlying tokens each eToken is worth and increases over time as interest accrues.

Integration with Market Manager

eTokens work closely with the MarketManager, which:

1. Defines which assets can be used as collateral (pTokens).

2. Sets borrowing parameters like collateral factor and liquidation threshold.

3. Authorizes borrowing based on user's collateral.

4. Manages the liquidation process for underwater positions.

5. Enforces market-wide caps and security measures.

Safety Features

eTokens incorporate multiple security features:

1. Reentrancy protection on all critical functions.

2. Safe variants of functions for external protocol integration.

3. Accrual of interest before any state-changing operations.

4. Minimum hold periods to prevent flash loan attacks.

5. Multiple layer validation for borrowing and collateralization.

Protocol Revenue

The eToken contracts generate protocol revenue through:

1. Interest Factor: A portion of all interest paid by borrowers goes to protocol reserves.

2. These reserves can be withdrawn by the DAO using processWithdrawReserves() .

3. For eTokens with gauges, additional rewards may be distributed to depositors based on their contribution.

User Interaction Functions

Share/Assets

convertToShares()

Contract: eToken

Description: Converts an amount of underlying assets to equivalent eToken shares using the current exchange rate.

Function signature:

function convertToShares(uint256 amount) public view returns (uint256)

Type	Name	Description
uint256	amount	The number of underlying tokens to theoretically convert to eTokens

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The number of eTokens a user would receive for the given amount of underlying

---

Mint Functions (Depositing Assets)

mint()

Contract: eToken

Description: Users deposit underlying assets into the market and receive eTokens in return.

Function signature:

function mint(uint256 amount) external returns (uint256)

Type	Name	Description
uint256	amount	The amount of the underlying asset to deposit

Return Data:

Type	Description
uint256	The amount of eTokens minted

---

mintfor()

Contract: eToken

Description: Deposits underlying assets into the market, and recipient receives eTokens.

Function signature:

function mintFor(uint256 amount, address recipient) external returns (uint256)

Type	Name	Description
uint256	amount	The amount of the underlying asset to deposit
address	recipient	The account that should receive the eTokens

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The amount of eTokens minted

---

Redeem Functions (Withdrawing Assets)

redeem()

Contract: eToken

Description: Redeems eTokens in exchange for the underlying asset

Function signature:

function redeem(uint256 tokens, address recipient) external returns (uint256)

Type	Name	Description
uint256	tokens	The number of eTokens to redeem for underlying tokens
address	recipient	The account who will receive the underlying assets

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The amount of underlying asset redeemed

---

redeemFor()

Contract: eToken

Description: Used by a delegated user to redeem eTokens in exchange for the underlying asset, on behalf of account.

Function signature:

function redeemFor(
    uint256 tokens, 
    address recipient, 
    address account) external returns (uint256)

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The amount of underlying asset redeemed

---

Borrow Functions

borrow()

Contract: eToken

Description: Borrows underlying tokens from lenders, based on collateral posted inside this market.

Function signature:

function borrow(uint256 amount) external

Type	Name	Description
uint256	amount	The amount of the underlying asset to borrow

---

borrowFor()

Contract: eToken

Description: Used by a delegated user to borrow underlying tokens from lenders, based on collateral posted inside this market by account

Function signature:

function borrowFor(
        address account,
        address recipient,
        uint256 amount
    ) external nonReentrant

Type	Name	Description
address	account	The account who will have their assets borrowed against
address	recipient	The account who will receive the borrowed assets
uint256	amount	The amount of the underlying asset to borrow

---

Repay Functions

repay()

Contract: eToken

Description: Repays underlying tokens to lenders, freeing up their collateral posted inside this market and updates interest before executing the repayment.

Function signature:

function repay(uint256 amount) external nonReentrant

Type	Name	Description
uint256	amount	The amount of the underlying asset to repay, or 0 for the full outstanding amount

---

repayFor()

Contract: eToken

Description: Repays underlying tokens to lenders, on behalf of account, freeing up their collateral posted inside this market.

Function signature:

function repayFor(address account, uint256 amount) external nonReentrant

Type	Name	Description
address	account	The account address to repay on behalf of.
uint256	amount	The amount to repay, or 0 for the full outstanding amount.

---

Interest Accrual Mechanism

Interest is accrued on borrowed assets and distributed to eToken holders through the increasing exchange rate. The accrual process is managed by the accrueInterest function.

accrueInterest()

Contract: eToken

Function signature:

function accrueInterest() external

This function:

1. Calculates time elapsed since the last interest accrual.

2. Fetches the current interest rate from the interest rate model.

3. Computes the interest amount based on current total borrows.

4. Updates total borrows with the new interest.

5. Allocates a portion of interest to protocol reserves based on the interestFactor.

6. Updates the exchange rate to reflect the new value of each eToken.

Interest accrues automaically when users interact with the protocol (mint, redeem, borrow, repay) as these functions call accrueInterest internally.

---

Exchange Rate Calculation

exchangeRateWithUpdate()

Contract: eToken

Description: Returns the current exchange rate after updating interest, used to determine how many underlying tokens each eToken is worth:

Function signature:

function exchangeRateWithUpdate() external returns (uint256)

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	Calculated exchange rate, in WAD.

---

Safe Functions for External Integration

Curvance provides safe versions of key functions with additional reentrancy protection. These should be used when integrating with external protocols to minimize security risks.

exchangeRateWithUpdateSafe()

Contract: eToken

Description: Updates pending interest and returns the up-to-date exchange rate from the underlying to the eToken, with inherent reentrancy protection.

Function signature:

function exchangeRateWithUpdateSafe() public nonReentrant returns (uint256)

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	Calculated exchange rate, in WAD.

---

balanceOfUnderlyingSafe()

Contract: eToken

Description: Updates pending interest and returns the up-to-date balance of account, in underlying assets, with inherent reentrancy protection.

Function signature:

function balanceOfUnderlyingSafe(
    address account
) external returns (uint256) {

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The amount of underlying owned by account.

---

debtBalanceWithUpdateSafe()

Contract: eToken

Description: Updates pending interest and returns the current debt balance for account with inherent reentrancy protection.

Function signature:

    function debtBalanceWithUpdateSafe(
        address account
    ) external nonReentrant returns (uint256)

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The current balance index of account, with pending interest applied.

---

Debt Tracking

debtBalanceCached()

Contract: eToken

Description: Returns the current debt balance for a given account without accruing interest. This is a gas-efficient view function that uses the cached exchange rate.

Function signature:

function debtBalanceCached(address account) public view returns (uint256)

Type	Name	Description
address	account	The address whose debt balance should be calculated

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The current balance of debt for the account

---

debtBalanceAtTimestamp()

Contract: eToken

Description: Returns the estimated future debt balance for an account at a specific timestamp, assuming interest rates remain constant.

Function signature:

function debtBalanceAtTimestamp(
    address account, 
    uint256 timestamp) public view returns (uint256)

Type	Name	Description
address	account	The address whose debt balance should be calculated
uint256	timestamp	The unix timestamp to calculate the account's debt balance with

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The estimated debt balance at the specified timestamp

---

Market Utilization and Rates

getBorrowRatePerYear()

Contract: eToken

Description: Returns the current yearly borrow interest rate for the market, calculated from the interest rate model.

Function signature:

function getBorrowRatePerYear() public view returns (uint256)

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The borrow interest rate per year, in WAD format (1e18)

---

getSupplyRatePerYear()

Contract: eToken

Description: Returns the current yearly supply interest rate for lenders, derived from the borrow rate and adjusted by the interest factor.

Function signature:

function getSupplyRatePerYear() public view returns (uint256)

Return data:

Type	Description
uint256	The supply interest rate per year, in WAD format (1e18)