Technology

The Rollup

Where digital assets and finance converge. Live from the financial capital of the world.

Website: https://therollup.co/

Latest Episodes:

How ZK Will Power Bitcoin’s Next Era of Scaling Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

Bitcoin has dominated crypto, but has remained largely inactive in DeFi. While ETH and Solana lead in onchain activity, a significant amount of BTC remains unused.

BitVM introduces a solution. Unlike traditional custodians or multi-sig bridges, it provides a trust-minimized approach to integrating BTC with DeFi – expanding Bitcoin's utility beyond just a store of value.

We spoke with Alexei (Bob), Yovela (Fiamma), and Jacob (Boundless) to examine BitVM's mechanics, its place in Bitcoin's scaling roadmap, and its implications for users seeking secure yield opportunities.

For those following Bitcoin rollups and the technical barriers to BTC adoption in DeFi, this discussion offers valuable insights.

Let's begin.

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𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥: 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘍𝘪 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴.

How Shogun Is Using Intents To Power a New Crypto UX Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

Moving between chains is a hassle.

Whether you're swapping, bridging, or managing liquidity across ecosystems, users face clunky interfaces, slow execution, and unnecessary risks. What if that friction disappeared?

Enter Shogun, a trading platform that makes every chain feel like one. Using intent-based execution, automated routing, and solver-driven auctions, Shogun lets traders move assets smoothly across Solana, Ethereum, Move-based chains, and new rollups. No more juggling wallets, bridge delays, or split liquidity.

The concept is straightforward: Specify what you want, and Shogun finds the best way there. It uses TEV (Trader Extractable Value) to optimize trades for user benefit rather than extract value. By combining centralized and decentralized solvers, trades settle faster and more efficiently.

This could be the next step toward a true single-chain experience. With integrations on Phantom, MetaMask, and Telegram, it meets traders where they are.

What happens when trading across chains becomes as simple as trading on one?

Let's get into it.

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

The Bittensor Bull Thesis with James Ross and Mog Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

For today's episode, we dive deep into the the intersection of AI and crypto, and discuss how this sector has produced more hype than results (so far).

While both fields promise decentralization, combining them effectively has proven challenging. Most projects either centralize AI decision-making or create token systems without clear utility.

Bittensor is taking a different approach to this problem by creating a network where AI models compete for rewards through market incentives. This system lets token holders decide which models receive rewards based on measurable performance, rather than promises or marketing.

Their recent update shifted voting power from validators to token holders, aiming to align incentives more directly with utility. One project testing this approach is Mode, with their new subnet Synth, an AI model competing to predict market volatility.

The Synth subnet is live, with data scientists building rival prediction models. Models face off in open competition with market-driven feedback, creating natural selection—strong performers earn more rewards, while weaker ones get filtered out.

Let’s dive into what this means, how Synth is applying it, and what’s next for onchain AI.

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Inside Frax's Vision for Institutional Stablecoins with Sam Kazemian Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

The stablecoin landscape is evolving as DeFi and traditional finance continue to merge.

Today we chat with Sam Kazemian from Frax to break down what's happening in the space. We'll dive into their new FRX USD launch and explore an interesting idea: using stablecoins to bridge the gap between crypto and U.S. treasuries.

Sam also walks us through how Frax is rethinking stablecoin design to make yield more accessible, while partnering with big players like BlackRock and SuperState. Sam also shares insights on stablecoins' potential to reshape the broader financial system beyond just crypto.

If you’ve been thinking about where stablecoins are headed, this is one to tune into.

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

Purpose-Built AI Chains with Anish Agnihotri and Saneel Seerni of Ritual Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

AI and crypto are finally converging beyond just trading bots. Purpose-built chains like Ritual are enabling AI-powered smart contracts that can adapt in real-time – think automated trading strategies that adjust to market conditions or DeFi positions that manage themselves.

In our chat with Ritual founders Anish and Saneel, they explained how they're making AI decisions verifiable onchain. Their approach: smart contracts that can upgrade themselves based on market conditions and user behavior, but with guardrails to keep things secure.

The future of DeFAI (DeFi + AI) is starting to take shape, but important questions remain around security and automated financial control. Here's where we are and where we're headed.

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

What Community-Owned AI Really Means with Ben Parr Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

For today’s episode, we are digging up our latest knowledge of AI and DeSci.

Yesnoerror is flipping the script on research validation.

Instead of traditional AI fact-checkers, they're letting the research community influence what gets verified next.

Their AI agent, as co-founder Ben Parr explains, digs through millions of papers catching details human reviewers might overlook. Every check is transparent and incentivized through tokens, keeping everyone honest.

By leveraging blockchain, YNE bypasses longstanding academic headaches by providing fast and reliable research validation without holdups. This goes beyond catching errorss. This is about accelerating science through open verification.

As autonomous agents grow more common, YNE's trust-building approach could shape how we handle AI systems across the board.

Let's explore how it all works.

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

How AI x ZK Will Power A New Era of Crypto with Scott Dykstra Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

Blockchain systems face limitations with large complex datasets, as smart contracts weren't designed for intensive computations. Space and Time addresses this with their ZK Co-Processor, enabling smart contracts to process complex calculations while maintaining security.

This opens up practical applications: loyalty programs with historical tracking, personalized lending rates, and verifiable trading competitions. Instead of relying on intermediaries, the system provides mathematical proof of accurate calculations.

We spoke with Scott Dykstra of Space and Time about the implications for smart contracts and DeFi's evolution.

Let's explore what this means for blockchain technology.

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Why ZK Proof Adoption Will Explode in 2025 Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

Zero-knowledge proofs are evolving from complex cryptographic tools into practical blockchain solutions. Like the evolution from mainframe computers to smartphones, ZK proofs are transforming how we approach crypto technology.

RiskZero and Irreducible are leading this change through innovations in binary fields and hardware acceleration, making ZK proofs as accessible as email. Their advancements could enable:

-Real-time proof generation on phones

-Automatic DeFi transaction verification

-Simplified cross-chain communication

-Universal computation verification across chains

This shift could replace traditional blockchain consensus with efficient proving markets, revolutionizing how we handle trustless verification in crypto.

Join us as we explore these developments and their impact on computational economics with the teams driving this transformation.

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The Geopolitical Bitcoin Space Race with Muneeb Ali Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

Today's episode takes a deep dive into the next era of Bitcoin, the network, and BTC the asset.

As Bitcoin transitions from retail speculation to institutional adoption, new infrastructure is quietly reshaping its capabilities. Stacks stands at the forefront of this evolution.

BitVM and its iterations are progressing faster than expected, turning theoretical discussions into practical solutions. While initial L2 hype has cooled, the underlying technology continues to advance, creating opportunities that many have overlooked.

We feel that the next 18 months will be very important for top Bitcoin scaling teams to prove their worth and expand their marketshare, with a rising BTC. This will likely coincide with a massive bid from nation-states as they start to "FOMO" to create strategic Bitcoin reserves globally.

What a time to be alive.

Today we're diving deep with Muneeb from Stacks to explore Bitcoin's institutional evolution and the infrastructure enabling it.

Enjoy.

The Rollup

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl

America’s Crypto Golden Era with Stani Kulechov and Omer Goldberg Jan 20, 2025

Show notes

For today's episode, we discuss the rise of Aave and a new era of crypto in America.

Trump is President! Aave turns 5! We caught up with Aave founder Stani Kulechov and Chaos Labs' Omer Goldberg to talk about the Trump Effect on DeFi, what's new in Aave V4, and where DeFAI is headed.

World Liberty Finance, the Trump Family DeFi business set to launch later this year, will provide a white-labeled, Aave powered lending market to the newest cohort of Americans onchain. We cover the World Liberty Finance deal in detail and cover Aave’s “friendly forks” program for other projects to build their own lending markets using Aave's tech. These forks share revenue with the Aave DAO.

What else is new on Aave? V4's hub-and-spoke system. Think of it as a central pool of assets that powers multichain lending markets. Plus, they're rolling out smarter interest rates that adjust based on how risky the collateral is. This could mean lower rates, and higher LTV caps across the board.

Behind the scenes, Chaos Labs is crucial to Aave's risk management with advanced simulations and auto-adjusting parameters for the T1 lending market. This is vital as Aave grows across 20+ networks and prepares for potential regulatory shifts under a Trump administration, which could mean more institutional adoption and therefore high demand for global risk management.

Whether you're building on Aave, using it regularly, or just curious about crypto under the Trump admin, let's dive into what makes this lending protocol tick and the role it could play in finance over the next four years.

The Rollup

Join The Rollup Edge: https://members.therollup.co

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The Rollup Disclosures: https://therollup.co/the-rollup-discl