Interest rates are a core concept in the financial world, representing the cost of borrowing funds. Whether it is a personal loan or corporate financing, interest rates directly affect the repayment amount of the borrower. Usually, interest rates are expressed as an annualized percentage, such as 3% or 5%. In practical applications, interest rates can be fixed or floating.

There are many factors that affect interest rates, the most important of which is the monetary policy of the central bank. For example, the benchmark interest rate determined by the People's Bank of China directly affects the loan interest rate of commercial banks. The inflation rate is also a key factor. High inflation usually leads to high interest rates because borrowers need to pay more interest to compensate for the depreciation of funds.

Credit risk is also an important factor affecting interest rates. The higher the credit score of a borrower, the lower the risk of default is considered by the bank, and therefore it can enjoy a lower interest rate. On the contrary, borrowers with low credit scores need to pay higher interest rates to compensate for potential risks. The level of interest rates not only affects the borrower's loan costs, but also affects the returns of investors.

In the financial market, interest rates not only affect borrowing behavior, but also investment decisions. For example, when interest rates rise, the attractiveness of bonds usually increases because newly issued bonds offer higher returns. Correspondingly, the stock market may be negatively affected because companies' financing costs increase and profits may decrease.

Interest rates also affect the overall operation of the economy. A low interest rate environment usually stimulates economic growth because companies and consumers are more willing to borrow and consume because of low borrowing costs. However, too low interest rates may lead to asset bubbles and inflationary pressures, so central banks need to weigh the pros and cons when formulating interest rate policies.

In the field of blockchain, interest rates also play an important role. For example, in decentralized finance (DeFi), lending platforms allow users to borrow money with cryptocurrencies as collateral. Interest rates are determined by market supply and demand and are adjusted dynamically. Smart contracts automatically execute lending agreements to ensure transparency and no intermediary intervention.

Blockchain technology has also brought new application scenarios for interest rates. Taking Bitcoin as an example, some platforms allow users to deposit Bitcoin into their accounts to earn interest. These interests are generated by the platform lending Bitcoin to traders who need liquidity. Compared with the traditional financial system, blockchain lending has higher transparency and efficiency.