The Defiant

Latest Episodes:

Revisiting Ripple: New Stablecoin, Airdrops, Network Attacks, and The SEC Case Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

David Schwartz is the CTO of Ripple, a Layer 1 blockchain that has been an established name in the cryptocurrency industry since 2012. Ripple is the platform behind XRP, one of the original cryptocurrencies, which currently ranks eighth in market capitalization at $30 billion. Known for its numerous legal battles with the SEC, Ripple has also recently announced the launch of a new stablecoin. In this podcast, we will explore all of the latest developments and more, starting with the founding story of Ripple.

0:00 Intro

1:04 Founding Story of Ripple

5:20 RippleNet

8:05 XRP Tokenomics and Incentive Model

12:56 Bad Actors

15:11 Network Attacks

17:55 XRP Distribution

26:45 Use Cases

39:25 Ripple Stablecoin

48:18 DeFi On XRP Ledger

53:33 Smart Contracts

57:56 SEC Case

1:05:30 Ripple in the Future

Our sponsors

https://stellar.org/soroban?utm_source=defiant&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=defiant_podcast

https://near.org/?utm_campaign=defiant&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=defiantgtb

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

Inside PayPal's Blockchain Strategy: Insights from the Head of Crypto May 27, 2024

Show notes

Jose Fernandez da Ponte is the Head of Crypto at PayPal. PayPal's entry into the crypto market dates back to 2020 when they announced the integration of various crypto assets, enabling users to buy, sell, and hold digital currencies. Since then, they have progressively expanded their crypto offerings and adopted more ambitious strategies to incorporate blockchain technology. In this podcast, we'll explore PayPal's motivation for entering the crypto space, the current crypto applications available on their platform, the creation and purpose of their stablecoin, PYUSD, and their approach to facilitating mass adoption of blockchain technology.

0:00 Intro

0:58 PayPal Enters Crypto

6:27 PayPal Crypto Payments

16:58 Fees

20:16 PayPal Wallet

22:28 PYUSD

36:43 PayPal Yield

40:23 Stablecoin Competition

48:57 Multichain

53:25 Adoption

Our sponsors

https://stellar.org/soroban?utm_source=defiant&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=defiant_podcast

https://near.org/?utm_campaign=defiant&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=defiantgtb

https://safe.global/?utm_source=defiant&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=tte

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

$100B in Digital Assets: Lukas Schor on Safe, $SAFE, Smart Accounts and Quantum Computing May 21, 2024

Show notes

Lukas Schor is the Co-Founder of Safe, an onchain asset custody protocol, securing ~$100 Billion in assets today. Originally developed under Gnosis as a smart account for securing digital assets, Safe eventually became an independent project after spinning off on its own. Today, Safe has a TVL of over $100B. In this episode, we go over the recently launched $GNO token, its use cases, early days of Gnosis as an onchain prediction market. Later, Lukas discusses the impact of quantum computing on blockchain security and the future potential of smart accounts. He also explores the challenges and opportunities in achieving mainstream adoption of Web3 wallets. The episode concludes with insights into Safe's upcoming features aimed at supporting a billion Web3 users.

0:00 Intro

1:05 Safe Founding Story

3:30 Gnosis Prediction Markets

5:17 Lukas Schor

7:21 $GNO Token

18:47 Smart Accounts

25:16 Quantum Computing

33:33 Web3 Wallets

37:25 How is Safe safe?

39:23 New Features

47:52 Billion Web3 Users

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

BlackRock's BUIDL | Creating The Largest Tokenized Treasury Fund With Securitize May 06, 2024

Show notes

Carlos Domingo is the founder and CEO of Securitize, a platform for issuing and trading security tokens or digital securities on the blockchain. Securitize aims to modernize the traditional financial markets by leveraging blockchain technology to provide greater accessibility, efficiency, and transparency in securities trading. Securitize recently partnered up with BlackRock to explore innovations in tokenizing assets and broadening access to the private capital markets. In today's podcast, we uncover all the details behind this collaboration and explore what the future holds for tokenized innovation.

0:00 Intro

1:09 BlackRock BUIDL Fund

3:22 Onchain vs Offchain

5:01 Institutional Investors

5:36 Secondary Market

7:26 Carlos Domingo & Securitize

12:10 Future of Tokenization

15:35 BlackRock's Impact

22:15 Use Cases

30:12 Investors

33:19 Tokenized Innovation

37:53 Real World vs Crypto Economy

47:27 Web2 vs Web3

Our sponsors

https://summer.fi/?utm_source=Defiant&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=

https://stellar.org/soroban?utm_source=defiant&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=defiant_podcast

https://near.org/?utm_campaign=defiant&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=defiantgtb

http://pass.safe.global

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

Aave, Lens, and Avara: Stani Kulechov's Journey Through DeFi and Web3 Social Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

Stani Kulechov is the founder of Aave, which has become the largest lending protocol in DeFi. Aave has evolved under a new umbrella called Avara, incorporating additional projects like Lens, a Web3 social media protocol, and a family and Web3 wallet. Stani has previously discussed these developments on our show in 2020 and 2022, and with each appearance, the Avara family has expanded significantly. As a prominent leader in the DeFi and Web3 space, Stani's insights are always highly anticipated. In this podcast, we start with a refreshener on Stani and his journey, then dive into the specifics of the protocols he has developed.

0:00 Intro

1:15 Stani Kulechov

4:40 DeFi + Web3 Social

8:53 Lens Protocol

14:28 Developer Community

17:48 Lens Applications

19:58 Lens Stats

25:20 Monetization in Web3 Social

30:27 Token Integration

34:05 Permissionless

37:15 Farcaster

41:10 Lens Token

43:10 Aave

47:10 Competition

48:52 Lens + Aave

50:04 Reaching Mainstream

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

How Blockchains and Tokens Are Powering the Next Internet Revolution Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Hello Defiers! Today, I'm bringing you a very special episode from a session I moderated at SXSW this year. SXSW is a massive festival annually held in Austin, Texas, that merges music, film, and tech into an exciting blend of creativity and innovation, drawing artists, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts from around the globe. At SXSW, I had the opportunity of leading a session with Chris Dixon, a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where we focused on his recent publication, "Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet." This book is an essential read for anyone looking to grasp the essence of the Web3 movement. Dixon has a way of making complex topics accessible to all. I'm excited for you to hear our conversation and dive into the insights Chris shared. Let's dive in!0:00 Intro0:50 Panel with Chris Dixon 1:50 Read, Write, Own6:55 Tokens14:33 Hyperfinancialization19:01 Main Use Cases of Crypto27:14 Plutocracy 33:42 Corporatization in Web342:20 AI Content50:05 POS Blockchain Risks54:13 CBDC's 56:08 Future Applications✨ Check out our new website ✨ https://thedefiant.io/ 🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀 https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup 🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha ✊ Follow The Defiant Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/ Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews 📬 Contact our Newsroom editorial@thedefiant.io 🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships sponsors@thedefiant.io #TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

Memecoins, Web3 Social Media, and the Evolution of Token Models with Li Jin Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Li Jin is a prominent figure in the venture capital industry. She is the co-founder and managing partner at Variant Fund, a venture firm that invests in Web3 and the ownership economy. Before founding Variant, Li Jin worked at Andreessen Horowitz, a leading venture capital firm, where she helped to shape the firm’s views on the emerging tech landscape, including the gig and passion economies. In today's discussion, we delve into memecoins, Web3 social media, and the evolving landscape of token models, examining how these elements are shaping the future of digital economies and influencing user interaction in decentralized networks.

0:00 Intro

1:11 Variant Fund

3:20 Li Jin

4:55 Benefits of Blockchains at Consumer Level

7:55 Web3 Social Media

12:50 Speculative Media

18:20 Memecoin Products

24:24 Censorship

25:47 Web3 GTM Strategy

34:30 Token Models

47:41 Governance Tokens

52:00 Trends

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

"Really Crazy Stuff Will Happen With AVSs", ether.fi Founder Mike Silagadze Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

In today's podcast we host Mike Silagadze, founder of ether.fi, an Ethereum restaking protocol, and Nikhil Raghuveera, co-founder of Aethos, a decentralized policy engine being built on EigenLayer. Liquid restaking has recently emerged as a significant trend in the Ethereum ecosystem. In today's podcast, we'll delve into the use cases that restaking unlocks via Active Validating Services (AVSs) through EigenLayer, shedding light on how this innovation is shaping the ecosystem. 0:00 Intro 2:08 ether.fi 7:40 Aethos 13:15 Economic Security 18:28 AVS Allocations 23:20 Aethos Revenue 30:08 Risks of AVSs 39:40 Rehypothecation 43:07 Depeg Risk 54:14 ether.fi Roadmap 57:28 Aethos Roadmap Our sponsors https://www.solanacrossroads.com/ https://summer.fi/?utm_source=Defiant&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_content=Synfutures: https://oyster.synfutures.com/ ✨ Check out our new website ✨ https://thedefiant.io/ 🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀 https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup 🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha ✊ Follow The Defiant Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/ Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews 📬 Contact our Newsroom editorial@thedefiant.io 🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships sponsors@thedefiant.io #TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

Pendle Finance Deep Dive With Founder TN Lee Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

TN Lee is the founder of Pendle Finance - a DeFi platform that enables users to tokenize and trade future yield on Ethereum assets. Pendle has shown remarkable expansion since the beginning of the year, elevating its TVL from $250 million to over $3 billion in just a few months. In this podcast, we explore the fundamentals of Pendle Finance, providing a comprehensive understanding of one of DeFi's most complex and innovative products. We start off with a background into Lee, then breakdown Pendle's core concepts and gradually dive deeper into Pendle's use cases, risks, and future plans.

0:00 Intro

0:53 TL;DR Pendle

2:06 TN Lee

7:30 Pendle V1

12:13 Growth of Pendle

22:04 Pendle Basics (PT, YT)

30:53 Use Cases

36:25 Pendle Users

38:25 Risks

48:43 Learnings From Kyber

49:39 TradFi vs Pendle

51:20 $PENDLE

58:19 What's Next?

Our sponsor Synfutures: https://oyster.synfutures.com/ DeFi Saver: https://defisaver.com/?utm_source=Defiant+Youtube&utm_medium=Podcast+Shoutout+february&utm_campaign=Defiant+podcast+shoutout+ad

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

Reflecting on a Decade | Stellar's Evolution in 2024 Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

Tomer Weller is the VP of Product at Stellar, one of the earliest alternative Layer 1 chains that existed before Ethereum. Stellar recently launched Soroban, its smart contract platform, designed to enhance the blockchain's functionality with efficient, developer-friendly tools for building sophisticated applications. In today's conversation, we dive deep into Stellar, overview their fundamentals, reflect on its decade long journey as a Layer 1 blockchain, and have a closer look into the current use cases.

Thanks to Stellar for supporting independent journalism.

0:00 Intro

0:58 Stellar Overview

2:01 Tomer Weller

3:48 Stellar Fundamentals

8:49 Being Early

12:06 Smart Contracts

17:26 Attracting Developers

23:09 Use Cases

29:52 Argentina

33:10 Franklin Templeton

36:49 Censorship Resistance

39:30 Scaling

55:17 Stellar Validators

1:00:58 What's Next?

✨ Check out our new website ✨

https://thedefiant.io/

🚀 Sign up to our newsletter 🚀

https://thedefiant.io/go-premium#pricing?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=signup

🤑 Find DeFi investment opportunities & educational primers here

https://thedefiant.io/promo?utm_source=YT&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=alpha

✊ Follow The Defiant

Twitter: https://twitter.com/defiantnews

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/3SdRdEs5ag

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedefiant.io/

Telegram: https://t.me/DefiantNews

📬 Contact our Newsroom

editorial@thedefiant.io

🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships

sponsors@thedefiant.io

#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected