Guide for Beginners
Get started with Inverse Finance in minutes. This guide walks you through common first actions step-by-step, from setting up your wallet to earning your first yield or borrowing your first DOLA.
Choose your starting point below based on what you want to accomplish. Each path includes everything you need to get started, including prerequisites and next steps.
Before You Begin: Essential Setup
You'll need three things to use Inverse Finance:
1. A Web3 Wallet
A wallet lets you interact with DeFi protocols and stores your crypto assets.
Recommended wallets:
MetaMask - Most popular, easy to use, browser extension + mobile app
Coinbase Wallet - Good for Coinbase users, user-friendly
Rainbow - Beautiful interface, mobile-focused
Rabby - Advanced features, multi-chain support
Don't have a wallet yet?
Visit metamask.io (or your preferred wallet)
Download the browser extension or mobile app
Create a new wallet and securely store your seed phrase
Never share your seed phrase with anyone
Critical Security: Your seed phrase is the master key to your funds. Write it down on paper, store it securely offline, and never type it into any website or share it with anyone claiming to be "support."
2. ETH for Gas Fees
All transactions on Ethereum cost gas fees paid in ETH.
How much ETH you need: $10-20 worth is sufficient for multiple transactions
How to get ETH:
Buy directly in your wallet (MetaMask has built-in purchase)
Buy on a centralized exchange (Coinbase, Kraken, Binance) and withdraw to your wallet
Use an on-ramp service (MoonPay, Ramp, Transak)
Important: Always keep some ETH in your wallet. Even if you're depositing DOLA or other tokens, you need ETH to pay gas fees for the transactions.
3. Choose Your Network
Inverse Finance's suite of products are predominantly available only on Ethereum Mainnet. DOLA is made available on select L2s like Optimism, Base, and Arbitrums. For more, visit the yield opportunities section.
Ethereum Mainnet
Full features, highest liquidity
$2-10 per transaction
Optimism
Lower fees, fast transactions
$0.50-2 per transaction
Base
Lowest fees, growing ecosystem
$0.10-1 per transaction
Arbitrum
Low fees, established DeFi
$0.50-2 per transaction
For this guide, we'll use Ethereum Mainnet (most features available). Once you're comfortable, you can bridge assets to L2s for lower costs.
Tip: Start on Ethereum Mainnet to access all features. Once you understand the basics, explore L2s to save on gas fees for regular usage.
Choose Your Path
Select the action you want to take first. Each path is complete and standalone—you can come back and try other paths anytime.
Earn Yield with sDOLA
Best for: Conservative users who want passive yield on stablecoins
Time required: 1-5 minutes
Difficulty: 🟢 Beginner
What you'll need: DOLA or money to buy DOLA
Step 1: Get DOLA
You need DOLA to stake in sDOLA. Here's how to get it:
Option A: Buy DOLA on your DEX or DEX Aggregator of choice
Go to swap.defillama.com
Click "Connect Wallet" in the top right
Select your wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, etc.)
Approve the connection in your wallet
Navigate to the "Swap" section
Select DOLA as the output token
Enter the amount of ETH or USDC you want to swap
Select a route to perform the swap
Review the exchange rate and slippage (keep under 0.5%)
Click "Swap" and confirm in your wallet
Option B: Borrow DOLA on FiRM
If you have crypto collateral and want to borrow instead of buying, see the Borrow DOLA on FiRM tab.
How much DOLA to get? Start with a small amount for your first test ($100-500). Once you're comfortable, you can add more.
Step 2: Navigate to sDOLA Staking
Navigate to inverse.finance (connect wallet)
Click on "sDOLA" in the navigation menu under Product
You'll see the sDOLA staking interface
The interface shows:
Current APY - Your expected annual yield
Your DOLA balance - How much you can stake
Your sDOLA balance - How much you currently have staked
Exchange rate - Current DOLA per sDOLA ratio
Step 3: Stake Your DOLA
In the "Stake" section, enter the amount of DOLA you want to deposit
Click "Approve DOLA" (first-time only)
This gives the sDOLA contract permission to use your DOLA
Confirm the approval transaction in your wallet
Wait for confirmation (usually 15-30 seconds)
Click "Stake" after approval completes
Review the transaction details:
Amount of DOLA you're staking
Amount of sDOLA you'll receive
Estimated gas fee
Confirm the transaction in your wallet
Wait for confirmation (15-30 seconds)
Success! You're now earning yield. Your sDOLA balance will grow automatically as DBR rewards compound into more DOLA. No claiming needed!
Step 4: Monitor Your Position
Visit inverse.finance/sDOLA
Connect your wallet
View your sDOLA position showing:
Current sDOLA balance
Underlying DOLA value (increasing over time)
Total earned yield
Current APY
You can check back anytime to see your earnings grow.
What's Happening Behind the Scenes?
Your DOLA is deposited in the sDOLA vault, which:
Earns DBR rewards from FiRM borrowing revenue
Automatically swaps DBR for more DOLA via auction
Compounds the DOLA back into the pool
Increases the DOLA value of each sDOLA token
You don't need to do anything. Just hold sDOLA and it automatically becomes worth more DOLA over time.
When You Want to Withdraw
Return to inverse.finance/sDOLA
Click the "Unstake" tab
Enter the amount of sDOLA you want to withdraw
Click "Unstake" and confirm the transaction
You'll receive your original DOLA plus all accrued yield
No withdrawal delays, no penalties. You can withdraw anytime.
Stake INV for Governance + Yield
Best for: Users who want governance participation and protocol revenue share
Time required: 1-5 minutes
Difficulty: 🟡 Intermediate
What you'll need: ETH to buy INV, or existing INV tokens
Step 1: Buy INV Tokens
Where to buy:
Curve Finance (deepest liquidity): INV/WETH pool
DEX Aggregators (best price finder): Input INV address
0x41d5d79431a913c4ae7d69a668ecdfe5ff9dfb68Try: CowSwap, 1inch, LlamaSwap, Matcha
How to buy (using a DEX aggregator):
Go to swap.cow.fi or your preferred aggregator
Connect your wallet
Paste INV contract address:
0x41d5d79431a913c4ae7d69a668ecdfe5ff9dfb68Enter the amount of ETH you want to spend
Review the exchange rate and price impact
Set slippage to 1% (increase if transaction fails)
Click "Swap" and confirm in your wallet
Verify the contract address! Always double-check you're buying the correct token. Scam tokens with similar names may exist. The official INV address is 0x41d5d79431a913c4ae7d69a668ecdfe5ff9dfb68.
How much INV to buy?
Start with a modest amount ($500-1,000 worth)
Remember: 1 INV = 1 vote in governance
Consider your voting intentions and yield goals
Step 2: Navigate to INV Staking on FiRM
Go to app.inverse.finance/firm
Connect your wallet (if not already connected)
Find the "INV" market in the list of available markets
Click on the INV row to open the market page
Step 3: Stake Your INV
On the INV market page, you'll see the staking interface
Click the "Deposit" tab
Enter the amount of INV you want to stake
Review the information shown:
Current xINV APY (anti-dilution rewards)
DBR streaming APY (real yield rewards)
Combined total APY
Click "Approve INV" (first-time only)
Confirm the approval transaction in your wallet
Wait for confirmation
Click "Deposit" after approval completes
Confirm the staking transaction in your wallet
What happens:
Your INV is deposited and you receive xINV receipt tokens
You start earning xINV anti-dilution rewards (auto-compounds)
You start earning DBR streaming rewards (claim manually)
You retain full voting rights on your staked INV
Congratulations! You're now earning protocol revenue and can participate in governance. Your staked INV also maintains its voting power for DAO decisions.
Step 4: Claim Your DBR Rewards
Unlike xINV rewards (which auto-compound), DBR rewards need to be claimed manually.
Return to the INV market page on FiRM
You'll see "Claimable DBR" showing your earned rewards
Click "Claim DBR"
Confirm the transaction in your wallet
DBR tokens will appear in your wallet
What to do with claimed DBR:
Hold it if you plan to borrow DOLA later (rate locking)
Sell it on Curve or via the DBR auction for immediate value
Use it to borrow DOLA on FiRM at zero interest
Claiming strategy: Gas fees cost $10-20, so wait until you have meaningful DBR accumulated before claiming (e.g., $50+ worth). Claim monthly or quarterly rather than daily.
Step 5: Vote in Governance
Your staked INV gives you voting power. Here's how to use it:
Join the Inverse Finance Discord
Follow discussions in the #governance-general channel
Read proposals on the Forum
When votes go live vote directly on-chain for binding proposals
Connect your wallet and cast your vote
Your voting power = your INV + xINV balance
Your voice matters: Even small INV holdings contribute to governance. Participating in votes helps shape protocol direction and risk management decisions.
When You Want to Unstake
Return to inverse.finance/firm
Navigate to the INV market
Click "Withdraw" tab
Enter the amount of xINV to withdraw (or click "Max")
Click "Withdraw" and confirm the transaction
Your INV will be returned to your wallet
No lock periods or penalties. You can unstake anytime.
Before unstaking: Make sure you've claimed all pending DBR rewards. Once you unstake, you stop earning DBR, so claim first to maximize your yields.
Borrow DOLA on FiRM
Best for: Users who want leverage or liquidity without selling crypto
Time required: 2-5 minutes
Difficulty: 🟡 Intermediate to 🔴 Advanced
What you'll need: Crypto collateral (ETH, wstETH, etc.), DBR tokens, understanding of liquidation risk
Higher complexity: Borrowing involves more steps and risk than staking. Make sure you understand collateral factors, liquidation risk, and DBR mechanics before proceeding. Read our Core Concepts if anything is unclear.
Step 1: Choose Your Collateral
FiRM accepts multiple collateral types. Each has different characteristics:
WETH
85%
75%
2M
General borrowing
wstETH
85%
75%
2M
ETH staking yields + borrowing
CVX
65%
100%
500k
Convex governance participants
INV
30%
50%
25k
INV holders wanting leverage
sUSDe
90%
70%
1M
Pure DOLA short
wstUSR-DOLA LP
90%
100%
5M
Resolv Points Farming
Step 2: Get Collateral (If You Don't Have It)
Use CowSwap, 1inch, LlamaSwap or any other DEX aggregator
Under "You Buy", search for your desired collateral from the dropdown menu
Under "You Sell", select ETH or any other asset that you wish to sell for your chosen collateral
Set slippage to 0.3%-1% (increase if transaction fails)
Click "Swap" and confirm in your wallet
How much collateral? Plan to deposit at least $1,000 worth for your first borrow. Smaller amounts work, but gas fees become a larger percentage of your position.
Step 3: Get DBR (Borrowing Rights)
You need DBR to borrow DOLA. Remember: 1 DBR = right to borrow 1 DOLA for 1 year.
Calculate how much DBR you need:
Planning to borrow 1,000 DOLA for 6 months? Need 500 DBR
Planning to borrow 5,000 DOLA for 1 year? Need 5,000 DBR
Planning to borrow 2,000 DOLA for 90 days? Need ~493 DBR
Where to buy DBR:
Option A: Use Helper Function built into FiRM Market page
Go to your desired market and toggle the Auto-buy DBR button
Select duration to cover and select one between Days, Months, and Years
Check slippage before confirming
Option B: DBR XY=K Auction (often better prices)
Enter the amount of DBR you want
Review the DOLA cost
Confirm the purchase
DBR is minted directly to you
Option C: DEX Aggregator
Use CowSwap, 1inch, LlamaSwap or similar
Input DBR address: 0xad038eb671c44b853887a7e32528fab35dc5d710
Swap DOLA, ETH, or stables for DBR
Pro tip: Buy 20-30% more DBR than you minimally need. This buffer protects you from forced replenishment if you hold the loan longer than expected. DBR that reaches zero triggers expensive forced purchases.
Step 4: Deposit Collateral and Borrow DOLA on FiRM
Go to inverse.finance/firm
Find your collateral type in the markets list
Click on that market to open it
Click the "Deposit & Borrow" tab
Enter the amount of collateral to deposit and how much DOLA to borrow
The interface shows:
Borrow Limit
Liquidation Price
DBR depletion date
Click "Approve [Token]" (first-time only)
Confirm approval in your wallet
Click "Deposit & Borrow" after approval completes
Confirm the deposit & borrow transaction
What's happening:
Your collateral goes into a Personal Collateral Escrow (PCE)
This is YOUR isolated smart contract—problems in other markets can't affect it
Safety Check: Even if FiRM allows you to borrow up to 82% of collateral value, stay below 75%. This buffer protects you from liquidation during normal market volatility. A 10-15% price drop in your collateral can trigger liquidation if you're too leveraged.
Step 6: Monitor Your Position
Immediately after borrowing:
View your FiRM position showing:
Current debt amount
Collateral value
Collateral ratio
Remaining DBR balance
Days until DBR depletes
Liquidation price
Position management is critical: Unlike staking (set and forget), borrowing requires active monitoring. You must:
Watch your collateral ratio
Ensure DBR doesn't run out
Be ready to add collateral or repay debt if market drops
Check positions more frequently during high volatility
Watch two critical metrics:
Collateral Ratio (liquidation risk) - your collateral ratio = (Debt / Collateral Value) × 100
DBR Balance (replenishment risk)
If your collateral value drops or DOLA debt increases, your ratio rises. Stay in the safe zone.
How to improve your ratio:
Add more collateral (deposit more of the same token)
Repay some debt (reduces numerator)
Both for maximum safety margin
Your DBR balance decreases every second while you have debt.
Check your "Days until depletion" metric regularly
If DBR is running low:
Buy more DBR immediately (prices may rise if you wait)
Plan to repay your loan before DBR hits zero
Never let DBR reach zero—forced replenishment is expensive (5-10x normal prices)
When You Want to Repay
Partial repayment:
Go to your FiRM market
Click "Repay" tab
Enter amount to repay
Confirm transaction
Your debt decreases, collateral ratio improves
Full repayment:
Click "Repay" tab
Click "Max" to repay all debt
Confirm transaction
Your debt is cleared
You can now withdraw all collateral
After repaying:
Unused DBR stays in your wallet (keep for future borrows or sell)
Withdraw your collateral if you want
Or leave it deposited for future borrowing
What to Do With Borrowed DOLA
Now that you have DOLA, here are common strategies:
Earn yield: Deposit borrowed DOLA into sDOLA or jrDOLA to earn while borrowing (yield farming / "carry trade")
Liquidity provision: Provide DOLA to DEX pools for trading fees + incentives
Use in other DeFi: DOLA is available on many protocols for lending or farming
Real-world use: Spend DOLA for real needs without selling your crypto collateral
Leverage: Borrow DOLA, buy more of your collateral, re-deposit, borrow more (advanced, risky)
Risk management: Whatever you do with borrowed DOLA, remember you still need to monitor and maintain your collateral ratio. Don't forget about your open borrow position while chasing yields elsewhere.
Provide Liquidity
Best for: Experienced DeFi users comfortable with impermanent loss
Time required: 5-10 minutes
Difficulty: 🔴 Advanced
What you'll need: DOLA + pairing token (USDC, ETH, etc.), understanding of IL risk
Advanced users only: Liquidity provision involves impermanent loss risk, smart contract risk, and requires active management. Only proceed if you understand these risks. See Core Concepts for background.
Understanding Liquidity Provision
When you provide liquidity, you:
Deposit two tokens into a liquidity pool (e.g., DOLA + USDC)
Receive LP tokens representing your share of the pool
Earn trading fees when people swap using the pool
Potentially earn additional rewards (incentive programs)
Face impermanent loss if token prices diverge
Step 1: Choose Your Pool
For beginners to liquidity provision: Start with DOLA/stablecoin Pool on Curve such as DOLA/sUSDe, DOLA/wstUSR, or DOLA-sUSDS
Both are stablecoins, minimal impermanent loss
High liquidity, established pool
Straightforward to understand
Step 2: Get Both Tokens
To minimize slippage, you need values of both tokens in the pair according to the pool's current balance.
Example for DOLA/sUSDe:
If providing $1,000 of liquidity
You may need $700 DOLA + $300 sUSDe
The pool will accept a small imbalance but works best with equal values
How to get the tokens:
Buy DOLA (see Tab 1 above)
Buy sUSDe on any DEX or transfer from an exchange
Check you have enough of both before proceeding
Step 3: Navigate to the Pool
Go to curve.fi
Search for "DOLA" in the pools list
Select the DOLA/sUSDe pool
Click "Deposit"
Step 4: Add Liquidity
Enter the amount of DOLA you want to deposit
Enter the amount of sUSDe (or use "Balanced" option)
Review:
Current pool balance
Your expected LP tokens
Pool fees and slippage
Click "Approve DOLA" (first time)
Click "Approve sUSDe" (first time)
After approvals, click "Deposit"
Confirm the transaction
You now have LP tokens representing your share of the pool.
Step 5: Stake LP Tokens (Optional, for Rewards)
Many pools offer additional rewards if you stake your LP tokens.
Look for "Stake" or "Gauge" option on the pool page
Click "Stake LP tokens"
Approve the LP token
Confirm the staking transaction
You now earn:
Trading fees (automatically compound into LP value)
Incentive rewards (CRV, INV, or other tokens)
After Completing Your First Action
Congratulations! You've successfully:
✅ Set up your wallet and got connected
✅ Completed your first transaction on Inverse Finance
✅ Earned your first yield or borrowed your first DOLA
What's Next?
Keep Learning
Deepen your knowledge:
Read Core Concepts to understand DeFi fundamentals
Study the specific products you're using:
sDOLA documentation
INV staking guide
Explore Yield Opportunities for more strategies
Expand Your Portfolio
Try other products:
If you started with sDOLA, try staking INV for governance participation
If you staked INV, explore borrowing on FiRM with your collateral
If you borrowed, consider providing liquidity for additional yields
Check out jrDOLA if you're comfortable with higher risk/reward
Important Reminders
Security First: Inverse Finance team will never DM you first. Never share your seed phrase. Always verify URLs before connecting your wallet.
Understand the Risks: All DeFi carries smart contract risk, market risk, and various other risks. Only deposit funds you can afford to lose. Read our Risk Disclosure before using any products.
Start Small: Your first transaction is about learning, not maximizing returns. Use small amounts, understand the mechanics, then scale up gradually as you gain confidence.
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