Cryptocurrency Annualized Percentage Yield (APY) vs Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

In the past few years, the bank savings interest rate has been on the decline, given the state of inflation. One prominent example is the U.S. Bank Standard Savings account, with an annualized percentage yield (APY) of 0.01% as of 16 April 2023. With such low bank interest rates, people have been attracted by the cryptocurrency market’s passive yields through avenues such as staking, yield farming and cryptocurrency lending.

APY is a common term used in traditional finance, as well as in the cryptocurrency market, to indicate the rate of return gained over the course of a year. The other commonly used metric displayed for users is the annual percentage rate (APR). The main difference between the two lies in whether the returns earned by users are simple or compounded.

This article will explain what APY is, how it differs from simple interest rate and APR, the factors that affect APY and some of the cryptocurrency avenues that involve APY. Understanding APY can aid you in comparing the returns you’ll receive from various investment opportunities.