Flash Loan Arbitrage
Flash Loan Arbitrage is a trading strategy that utilizes uncollateralized, instant loans to exploit price differences between different decentralized exchanges. The entire process ⎊ borrowing, trading, and repaying ⎊ must occur within a single blockchain transaction.
If the transaction is not profitable enough to cover the loan and fees, the smart contract automatically reverts, meaning the borrower incurs no risk of losing principal. This mechanism allows traders to execute large-scale arbitrage without needing significant capital.
It contributes to market efficiency by narrowing price gaps across various liquidity pools. However, it also creates risks, as large flash loans can be used to manipulate prices or drain liquidity from vulnerable protocols.
It is a unique feature of programmable finance that highlights the intersection of technical architecture and financial opportunity.