Johann Kerbrat is the Vice President and General Manager of Robinhood Crypto, leading the charge in bringing crypto to millions of retail investors. In this episode, Johann shares the journey of Robinhood Crypto, from its early days of launching in 2018 to its recent innovations, including staking, self-custody wallets, and a potential shift towards a full-fledged crypto exchange. He discusses how Robinhood is leveraging blockchain to enhance efficiency, lower costs, and expand access to financial instruments.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

00:14 - History of Robinhood Crypto

01:23 - Why Robinhood Added Crypto

02:42 - Robinhood's Perspective on Crypto

07:12 - How Robinhood Monetizes Crypto

12:31 - Competing with Crypto Exchanges

14:22 - Token Listing Strategy

16:53 - Balancing Features and Asset Expansion

18:17 - Staking in the EU and Regulatory Concerns

21:22 - Staking Demand and Customer Education

24:08 - Robinhood Wallet Features

27:23 - Self-Custody Wallet Metrics

28:49 - Meme Stock Frenzy and Decentralized Trading

31:42 - Blockchain for Settlement and Efficiency

39:08 - Marketplace vs. Exchange Transition

41:49 - Upcoming Milestones for Robinhood Crypto

43:19 - Market Trends and Future Vision

44:49 - Long-Term Vision for Robinhood Crypto

46:00 - Closing Remarks

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In this episode, Dimitry Gusakov, Community Staking Lead at Lido, discusses the protocol’s efforts to enhance decentralization and accessibility in Ethereum staking. He explains the launch of the Community Staking Module, which lowers barriers for individual validators while addressing concerns about centralization within the Ethereum ecosystem. The conversation also explores potential impacts of proposed Ethereum staking changes and Lido’s roadmap for further decentralization in 2025. Tune in to gain insights into the evolving landscape of liquid staking and its role in securing Ethereum.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

00:14 - What is Lido and Liquid Staking?

02:20 - Liquid Staking Use Cases in DeFi

05:33 - Addressing Centralization Concerns in Lido

08:25 - Community Staking Module: Decentralization Efforts

10:49 - Requirements to Become a Home Validator

13:26 - Rewards and Entry Barriers for Home Validators

16:12 - Hardware Setup for Validators

23:39 - Socialized Rewards and Offline Allowances

26:38 - Higher Rewards for Running a Node

34:23 - Impact of CSM on Lido’s Decentralization

41:13 - Ethereum Security and the Importance of Decentralization

52:19 - Ethereum Issuance Proposal: Implications for Lido

01:06:07 - Future Developments for Lido in 2025

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In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake dives deep into the Beam Chain proposal, a transformative upgrade aimed at accelerating Ethereum’s roadmap and enhancing its consensus layer. Justin explains how the Beam Chain would incorporate key innovations like SNARK proofs, quantum security, and single-slot finality to boost decentralization, security, and scalability. He also discusses incremental upgrades like staking caps and pre-confirmations, which aim to improve Ethereum’s performance and user experience in the near term. The conversation explores Ethereum’s competition with Solana and Bitcoin, highlighting how Ethereum’s long-term focus on robustness and scalability positions it to thrive as the foundational layer for the decentralized internet.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction: Justin Drake

01:03 - What is the Beam Chain?

02:41 - Why Ethereum Needs Acceleration

05:06 - Lessons from the Merge for the Beam Chain

07:06 - Solving Ethereum’s Technical Debt

15:58 - Faster Confirmation Times

18:11 - Pre-confirmations in Ethereum

24:14 - Layer 1 and Layer 2 Pre-confirmations

30:41 - Big Ticket Changes in the Beam Chain

31:04 - Snarkification of Consensus Layer

33:31 - Single Slot Finality

39:00 - Trustless Bridges Between Blockchains

49:00 - Native Rollups and Execution Sharding

54:04 - Ethereum vs. Solana on Performance

01:10:00 - Near-Term Upgrades to Watch For

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Hart Lambur, co-founder of Across Protocol and UMA, discusses Across’s mission to enable fast, low-cost asset transfers between Ethereum layer twos, with a focus on creating a seamless user experience. He explains how the protocol’s “intent architecture” leverages third-party solvers to improve cross-chain interactions, offering a cohesive way for users to transfer assets and execute transactions across different Ethereum networks. Lambur also emphasizes the importance of Ethereum’s upcoming account abstraction upgrades in achieving a unified ecosystem, allowing actions on any Ethereum chain from a single wallet. He envisions a future by 2025 where Ethereum feels like a unified network, improving user experience significantly.

Chapters

00:04 - Introduction to Hart Lambur

00:14 - Hart’s Background and Motivation for Building Across Protocol

00:50 - Integration with Uniswap

10:34 - Challenges in Ethereum Interoperability and Gas Fees

12:03 - Ethereum’s Scalability Achievements and New Issues

18:04 - Account Abstraction: ERC-7702 and Its Role in Ethereum

27:02 - Intents Architecture

41:00 - Current User Experience Issues in Ethereum and Solutions

52:32 - Hart’s Vision for Ethereum as a Unified Network by 2025

57:08 - Closing Thoughts on Ethereum’s Future and Overcoming Fragmentation

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Nana Murugesan, President of Matter Labs and former VP of Business Development at Coinbase, joins Camila Russo in this week’s podcast to discuss the latest updates from ZKsync, including the recently launched Elastic Chain. He explains how ZKsync’s approach to interoperability and customization aims to make Web3 infrastructure as seamless as Web2, emphasizing the importance of user-friendly experiences for mainstream adoption. Nana also highlights Matter Labs' partnership with Buenos Aires to bring ZK-backed digital identity to millions of citizens, showcasing a promising model for government and Web3 collaboration. Finally, he shares upcoming milestones for ZKsync, with new chains and collaborations in Latin America, gaming, and the creator economy.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction

0:17 - ZKsync and Elastic Chain

2:57 - Evolution of ZKsync

5:22 - Interoperability and Customizability in Web3

7:30 - User Experience

10:16 - The Role of Governments in Blockchain Adoption

14:41 - Digital Identity on the Blockchain

17:18 - Why Zero-Knowledge Proofs Matter

21:02 - Cost and Throughput Advantage of ZKsync

25:07 - UX and Interoperability Challenges

27:05 - ZKsync in Latin America

30:05 - Upcoming Projects on Elastic Chain

32:39 - Future Focus for Matter Labs

33:46 - Closing Remarks

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In this week’s podcast, Dylan Kawalec, Head of Developer Relations at Goat Network, discusses the Goat Founders Club, which is a new initiative aimed at empowering developers and entrepreneurs to build on the Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem. He explains how the program incentivizes builders through a unique points reward system that can be converted into tokens, fostering a more developer-centric community. Dylan also dives into the technical aspects of the Goat Network, including its decentralized sequencer model and use of zero-knowledge rollups, to enhance Bitcoin's scalability and interoperability. Lastly, he shares his personal story of how Bitcoin transformed his life, highlighting his unwavering passion and optimism for the future of the network.

Chapters

00:00 - Dylan Kawalec and GOAT Network

00:16 - What is the GOAT Founders Club?

03:46 - About GOAT Network: Bitcoin Layer 2 Overview

05:12 - Differentiation from Other Layer 2s

07:00 - Founders Club Tracks for Developers

11:03 - Governance Token: Future Role of GOAT Token

12:28 - Role of Bitcoin on GOAT Network

15:07 - Sequencer Model and Bridging to Other Chains

21:00 - Dylan’s Personal Bitcoin Story

24:56 - Inspiration Behind Founders Club

42:11 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Adeniyi Abiodun is the co-founder of Mysten Labs and a major contributor to the Sui blockchain. In this week’s podcast, he discusses Sui's unique positioning as a "global coordination layer for the internet," emphasizing its decentralized nature and its technical advancements such as parallel execution and the use of the Move programming language. He highlights the expertise of the team behind Sui, their focus on scalability, and the potential for Sui to revolutionize payments and digital asset ownership. Abiodun also addresses challenges like decentralization concerns and outlines future growth areas, including gaming and DeFi.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction with Adeniyi Abiodun, Co-founder of Mysten Labs

0:42 - What is Sui and how it's different from other L1s

1:50 - Addressing the centralization problem of the internet

3:52 - Scalability and throughput advantages of Sui

5:24 - How Sui solves scalability and throughput challenges

7:31 - Move language: A better approach for Web3 development

10:33 - Object-based model vs account-based model in blockchains

16:00 - Sui token's recent price surge and adoption trends

19:16 - Native USDC launch and its impact on DeFi growth

22:11 - Sui's low latency and fast transaction speeds

33:19 - Expanding Web3 adoption and onboarding billions of users

45:37 - Sui’s vision for the future

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John Avlon is a congressional candidate for New York, advocating for bipartisan support of emerging technologies like cryptocurrency. In this week's podcast, John emphasizes the need for clear and reasonable regulation to foster innovation without stifling it, while warning against making technology a partisan issue. Avlon critiques the current regulatory landscape, including the approach of figures like Gary Gensler, and highlights the potential risks of pushing innovation overseas. He advocates for Democrats to embrace technology as a key driver of U.S. competitiveness, underscoring that this election will shape the trajectory of the nation's future.

Chapters

0:00 Intro to John Avlon

1:02 Pivotal Moment For Crypto

3:50 US Crypto Policy

8:40 Regulatory Framework

17:40 Trust In Kamala Harris

26:30 Crypto Lobby

31:21 Balance In Regulation

44:05 John Avlon's Bags

47:12 Threat To Democracy

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Jack Booth is the co-founder of TON Society, a grassroots initiative driving community engagement in the Ton blockchain ecosystem, closely integrated with the Telegram messaging app. Booth explained how TON is evolving as a Web3 super app, bringing decentralized applications and financial tools to a global audience. He discussed the ecosystem’s unique structure, built on Telegram’s open mini-apps platform, enabling users to seamlessly access crypto services. Booth also emphasized TON's vision of onboarding millions of new users into crypto by creating simple, user-friendly applications and fostering mass adoption outside the U.S.

00:00 - Introduction & TON's Relationship with Telegram

02:35 - TON's Vision for Web3 & Telegram Mini Apps

05:15 - The History of TON and Regulatory Challenges

07:22 - Telegram Integrates TON Wallet

09:56 - TON’s Focus on Emerging Markets

13:07 - TON Society & Community Building

17:30 - TON Blockchain's Sharding Model

21:11 - Scaling Challenges

24:20 - TON’s Deflationary Potential

29:25 - Pavel Durov's Arrest & Impact on TON

39:31 - Power of Telegram's Announcement Channels

44:01 - Centralization vs. Decentralization in TON

49:01 - TON as a Web3 Super App

53:19 - Tap-to-Earn Apps & Airdrops

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Paul Frambot, co-founder and CEO of Morpho Labs, explains how Morpho is a decentralized and permissionless lending protocol that allows users to create customized lending and borrowing pools. Unlike traditional DeFi platforms like Aave, Morpho externalizes risk management, giving users control over their risk exposure and liquidity. Frambot shares how Morpho started as a rate-optimizing solution and evolved into Morpho Blue, a more scalable protocol with over $1 billion in deposits. He discusses the advantages of building in Europe, Morpho's vision to make financial infrastructure a public good, and how fintech partnerships could drive future DeFi adoption. We also touch on Morpho's upcoming token launch and its long-term strategy to compete with other major DeFi protocols.

0:00 - Intro to Paul Frambot

0:30 - What is Morpho and How it Differs from Competitors

2:00 - Paul's Background and Entry into DeFi

3:30 - Early Development of Morpho Optimizer

5:00 - Transition to Morpho Blue and Permissionless Lending

8:00 - Managing Risk, Liquidity, and Customization

11:00 - Real-World Assets and New Use Cases in DeFi

14:00 - Challenges and Advantages of Building in Europe

18:00 - Morpho's Long-Term Vision: Financial Infrastructure as a Public Good

23:00 - Future of DeFi: Fintech Integration and Token Launch

28:00 - Competition with Aave and Growth Strategy

33:00 - The Role of Fintech in Scaling DeFi

38:00 - Long-Term Vision for DeFi and Fintech

43:00 - Morpho's Upcoming Tokenomics and Governance

48:00 - Future Trends and Adoption in DeFi

52:00 - Closing Thoughts and Paul's Outlook on DeFi

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Joe Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum and Consensys, explores the evolution of blockchain technology and the expanding role of the Ethereum ecosystem in this episode. He discusses Consensys' pivotal work in building foundational infrastructure, such as MetaMask and Infura, while outlining the strategic direction for future applications and decentralized technologies. Joe delves into Layer 2 solutions, regulatory challenges with the SEC, and the broader implications for the industry. He offers a forward-looking perspective on the maturation of Ethereum, emphasizing scalability, decentralization, and the development of Web3.

0:00 - Evolution of Consensys

3:00 - Growth of Ethereum Infrastructure

6:30 - Scaling Ethereum & Layer 2 Solutions

9:00 - Joe Lubin's Beliefs

11:00 - Regulatory Challenges & SEC Lawsuit

14:30 - Future of Ethereum & Regulation

18:00 - Decentralizing Consensys and Network States

21:30 - Ethereum's Layer 1 & Layer 2 Architecture

28:00 - Impact of Layer 2 on Ethereum Mainnet

36:00 - Transitioning Products to On-chain Governance

39:00 - Network States and Decentralization

43:00 - Preparing for the Next Wave of Applications

This episode was sponsored by:

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