The other day a HIVE community member asked a few questions about Archimedes DeFi, including what sets us apart from the crowd, in response to a blog post. We felt their question might be better answered as a blog, for anyone that might have the same questions.
The full comment:
"So what makes this project different to all of the other defi options apart from the claim to support safe investments with your service.
We all know how crypto works and how many terrible projects are out there and the consequences of backing the wrong ones.
Is there any sort of transparency as to where the funds are going. Its the likes of OUSD that would worry me as I've never even heard of that stable coin and have no idea what backs it."
Apologies to 
Our Answer
What sets Archimedes apart is our level of transparency (open source and links to our github), as well as our use of top tier meta vaults.
OUSD, our starting meta vault, is a battle tested overcollateralized stablecoin, which has remained stable while providing interest (it's like DAI) throughout all of 2021 to present (time of writing).
OUSD is designed to be fully backed, all the time. To mint OUSD, you must put in an equivalent dollar value of stablecoins (USDC, USDT, or DAI), and then these stablecoins stay in OUSD until it is redeemed. OUSD is backed by these stablecoins, and this remains true even during a supply reduction. You can see here at all times what kind of collateral they are backed with: https://analytics.ousd.com/.
As you stated, the risk would be if OUSD depegged, and was unable to reach peg again. Which would deny the user the ability to unwind their position. If history is any indicator, this is an unlikely scenario, but possible.
For Those Who Want More Answers
We will be releasing more documentation on a weekly basis leading up to launch, which will include graphics that breakdown the allocation of funds in our protocol.
Alternatively, you can comment below and we'd be happy to respond as either a comment or post like this one.