Numerai & Predictoor: How AI Changed Crypto Prediction Markets - Trent McConaghy & Richard Craib Epicenter - Learn About Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin And Distributed Technologies podcast

1:12:32

As the summer tour of European crypto conferences landed in Berlin, one of crypto’s cradles, we couldn’t miss DappCon 25, where we got to sit with Jerome de Tychey, Nixorokish & Joshua Dávila to discuss Ethereum’s restructure and whether its culture is still relevant to the wider crypto community. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the impact of crypto politicization and how Ethereum’s ecosystem evolved amidst a society with ever-changing values. Topics covered in this episode: Jerome, Nixorokish & Josh backgrounds Ethereum Foundation restructuring Ethereum’s culture & crypto politicization DAOs & the evolution of Ethereum’s ecosystem Is privacy still a societal value? User experience & account abstraction Future hopes for Ethereum Episode links: Jerome de Tychey on X Nixorokish on X Joshua Davila on X DappCon on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

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Lombard: Unlocking Bitcoin DeFi Through Liquid, Yield-Bearing LBTC - Jacob Phillips 1:11:09

5 days ago1:11:09

1:11:09

Bitcoin remains an untapped source of net-new liquidity that could be injected into DeFi. This would completely reshape Bitcoin’s utilization from a mere store of value to a liquid asset that can be ported cross-chain and traded like a liquid staking derivative. Lombard’s LBTC builds upon Babylon’s Bitcoin staking primitive and aims to unlock new yield sources for the industry’s leading asset by increasing its DeFi utilization. Topics covered in this episode: Jacob’s background Lessons gathered from Polychain Focusing on Bitcoin Why Bitcoin staking is crucial for BTC DeFi Building on top of Babylon LBTC minting Sources of BTC yield PoS inflation and native token incentives BTC as a trading pair in DeFi Lombard chain Future challenges to overcome Bitcoin L2s Lombard milestones Episode links: Jacob Phillips on X Lombard on X Babylon on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Staking Rewards: Is Crypto Staking Killing Decentralisation? - Mirko Schmiedl & Tobias Jung 54:55

15 days ago54:55

54:55

Apart from incentivising market participants to secure the network through inflationary rewards, many consider staking as an equivalent of stock dividend yield. As a result, although Bitcoin is regarded as digital gold, protocols are looking for ways to increase its utilisation in DeFi and, ultimately, generate yield. Nowadays, while newer networks are struggling to attract investors and sustain a healthy, decentralised validator set, more established blockchains capture the lion’s share of PoS actors. However, in a constant race for profit basis points, centralised consolidation of stakers seems inevitable. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the staking landscape and the challenges it may present to decentralisation. Topics covered in this episode: Increasing BTC utilization through BTC yield Looping yield products The maturation of the staking market Chorus One staking portfolio How to prevent staking consolidation Retail vs. institutional-grade operators Symbiotic, Eigenlayer & restaking yield Episode links: Mirko Schmiedl on X Tobias Jung on X Staking Rewards on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Sebastien Couture.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
ETHPrague: ETH Renaissance - Austin Griffith, Brenda Loya, Joseph Schweitzer, Marek Olszewski 1:00:25

19 days ago1:00:25

1:00:25

After a decade of existence, Ethereum has gone a long way from its initial whitepaper, yet many efforts in scaling and finding product-market-fit have been severely criticized for falling short of their promise. However, despite numerous other ‘Ethereum killers’ being launched over the years, none has managed to attract so many developers and liquidity while sticking true to ethos that (once) powered and united this industry. This year’s ETHPrague plans to confront exactly these existential challenges and steward community culture towards addressing outside criticism and external reality checks. Ethereum’s development, while adapting to market pressures, it always aimed to stick true to its core values in order to remain a technological bedrock for the future of humanity. Topics covered in this episode: The vision for ETH Prague Takeaways from main sessions High-level overview of ETH Prague The resurgence of Polkadot European crypto summer events The general state of the Ethereum ecosystem Celo’s transition to L2 L2 liquidity fragmentation Choosing the right L2 to build Improving hackathons Lightning round Final words Episode links: Austin Griffith on X Marek Olszewski on X Brenda Loya on X Joseph Schweitzer on X BuidlGuidl DAO on X Celo on X Tellor on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
The Multi-Chain Avalanche - Emin Gün Sirer 31:52

26 days ago31:52

31:52

We couldn’t miss the Avalanche Summit where we sat down with Emin Gün Sirer, co-founder & CEO of Ava Labs, to discuss the evolution of Avalanche’s ecosystem and how HyperSDK ushers in a scalable, interoperable, multi-chain future. Join us for a fascinating discussion on Avalanche’s approach to decentralisation, scalability & interoperability, and learn why real-world applicability relies heavily on bespoke blockchain solutions. Topics covered in this episode: Gün x Epicenter bromance How the Avalanche ecosystem & community evolved The future vision for Avalanche Scaling Avalanche and the HyperSDK Interoperability and the multi-chain future Decentralising Avalanche L1s Use cases and institutional adoption On-chain privacy AvaCloud The impact of AI in crypto Gün’s focus in the near future Episode links: Emin Gun Sirer on X Avalanche on X Ava Labs on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Initia: Incentively Aligned Appchains - Ezaan Mangalji, Anil Lulla & Jose Maria Macedo 1:02:08

5 weeks ago1:02:08

1:02:08

Blockchain architecture is constantly being forced to adapt to new technologies, as well as to meet new demands from users and builders. While the idea of apps building their own chains was first explored by Cosmos, it lacked the support and tooling to see it succeed. Later on, rollups also took the centerstage of Ethereum’s scaling roadmap, but due to their general purpose design, it led to a cannibalistic ecosystem. Initia learned from these 2 models and combined the best of both worlds: it built a full-stack framework for a seamless DevEx from the get-go and, more importantly, it designed its tokenomics in order to ensure maximum incentive alignment for its appchains. While the former decision removed the need for each separate chain to reinvent the wheel and risk ending up ‘a jack of all trades, master of none’, the latter ensured that appchains would not extract value away from the L1. Topics covered in this episode: Ezaan’s background From building on Terra to Initia How Initia is rewriting the appchain thesis Initia’s enshrined liquidity & vested interest program (VIP) Metrics & Initia’s bet on crypto innovation Solving liquidity fragmentation Delphi’s involvement in Initia Future roadmap Episode links: Ezaan Mangalji on X Jose Maria Macedo on X Anil Lulla on X Initia on X Delphi Digital on X Delphi report on Initia Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

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Ethereum Foundation: Humanity’s Shared World Computer - Hsiao-Wei Wang & Tomasz Stańczak 1:10:21

6 weeks ago1:10:21

1:10:21

As society evolves, so do its values and principles, but is that desirable for technology that seeks to build the most reliable, trustless and censorship resistant global settlement layer? Ever since the rise in popularity of Solana with its inflow of retail capital in a memecoin gold rush, Ethereum became even more criticized for sticking true to its core values despite the completely divergent demands of market participants. Moreover, the rollup centric scaling roadmap seemed to further silo attention and cause liquidity fragmentation, driving away value from Ethereum mainnet. As institutional demand is expected to grow with the introduction of staking ETFs, a new executive leadership took charge of Ethereum foundation to help steer the protocol’s narrative at the intersection between community demands and Ethereum’s ethos. Topics covered in this episode: Hsiao-Wei’s & Tomasz’ backgrounds How they became co-executive directors of Ethereum Foundation Ethereum Foundation’s role moving forward Decision making in Ethereum Foundation Shaping Ethereum’s narrative The layer 2 landscape Scaling Ethereum as the global settlement layer Sharding Rollup scalability & their trade-offs What values drive adoption L2 interoperability Future goals Episode links: Hsiao-Wei Wang on X Tomasz Stanczak on X Ethereum Foundation on X Ethereum on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Taiko: Scaling Ethereum in a Decentralised Manner - Joaquin Mendes 1:08:05

6 weeks ago1:08:05

1:08:05

Taiko is a decentralized, Ethereum-equivalent (type I) rollup scaling solution which uses ZK technology. Taiko's goal is to scale Ethereum efficiently while maintaining security and decentralization. Being a type I zkEVM, Taiko retains full Ethereum equivalence, which creates a seamless DevEx, although this comes at the expense of UX as slower proof generation is the main trade-off. Moreover, in order to stay true to its decentralised ethos, Taiko operates as a based rollup, meaning that transaction sequencing is performed by L1 validators. Topics covered in this episode: Joaquin’s background Loopring and Taiko’s beginnings The 4 types of zkEVMs Taiko's zk circuits vs. Polygon’s Based sequencing Data availability and blob commitment Ethereum’s role in the future The L2 landscape and its compromises Sequencer security model Dealing with MEV Based preconfirmations & Taiko ecosystem UX Episode links: Joaquin Mendes on X Taiko on X Loopring on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Mysten Labs: How Sui Leverages Move to Build the Composable Web3nternet - Adeniyi Abiodun 1:03:09

8 weeks ago1:03:09

1:03:09

Founded by former Meta Diem team members, Sui is a high-performance, layer-1 blockchain designed for horizontal scaling and low-latency transactions. It uses an object-centric data model and the Move programming language to enable transaction parallelization which can handle >200,000 txs/s. Sui’s goal is to combine the benefits of blockchains with Web2’s security & frictionless UX. From account abstraction & ZKLogin, to on-chain storage & data availability solutions like Walrus, Sui rebuilds the Google/AWS stack, fully on-chain and composable. Topics covered in this episode: Adeniyi’s background, from Libra to Sui Sui’s long-term vision The tech stack of Sui & its primitives ZKLogin & account abstraction Object-based approach Transaction processing & parallelization DevEx on Move vs. EVM vs. SVM Consensus & scalability MEV Gaming & SuiPlay DeFi on Sui Walrus data storage Nautilus Future roadmap Episode links: Adeniyi Abiodun on X Mysten Labs on X Sui on X Walrus on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

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Maple Finance: On-Chain Institutional Yield & Lending Markets - Sidney Powell 54:49

8 weeks ago54:49

54:49

With an extensive experience in traditional money markets, Maple Finance was envisioned as an institutional capital marketplace which combines the transparency & capital efficiency of blockchains with the regulatory framework of TradFi. Unlike many DeFi protocols that require over-collateralized loans (e.g. Aave), Maple also specializes in under-collateralized lending, enabling greater capital efficiency for institutional borrowers. With over $6b in loans since its inception, Maple plans to further expand its offerings by including RWAs as collateral assets. Topics covered in this episode: Sid’s background The vision behind Maple Finance Maple’s tech stack Deciding risk profiles Over-collateralized vs. under-collateralized loans Assets accepted as collateral Deploying to other blockchains Institutional appeal Managing defaults RWA Converging DeFi & TradFi Biggest challenges Exciting upcoming trends Future roadmap Crypto correlation or decoupling? Episode links: Sid Powell on X Maple Finance on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Tally: The Software Layer for Tokenized Organizations - Dennison Bertram 1:01:21

9 weeks ago1:01:21

1:01:21

Tally is a software platform designed to support tokenized organizations, particularly Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and crypto communities. It provides tools for launching tokens, governing protocols, and enabling staking to foster community participation and growth. Tally facilitates onchain governance, allowing transparent and decentralized decision-making for managing funds, grants, and protocol upgrades. It powers major blockchain ecosystems like Arbitrum, ZKsync, Uniswap DAO and Wormhole DAO by providing interfaces for proposal creation, voting, and staking. The Tally Protocol further enhances this by offering a liquidity layer for governance tokens, that allow token holders to earn staking rewards while retaining voting rights and participating in DeFi. Topics covered in this episode: Dennison’s background Has crypto won? Does privacy still matter? The vision behind Tally The evolution of DAOs Are grassroots DAOs viable? Corporate vs. DAO PMF How developer activity & contributors evolved Tally’s roadmap ICO vs. IPO Episode links: Dennison Bertram on X Tally on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
ENS V2 Cross-Chain Domains & Namechain - Nick Johnson 48:42

10 weeks ago48:42

48:42

Namechain is an L2 developed by ENS Labs, to enhance the scalability and efficiency of managing decentralized identities on Ethereum. It is designed to work in tandem with ENS V2, which introduced a hierarchical registry system for more efficient subdomain management and custom resolvers. A key vision for Namechain is to unify multi-chain user identities, creating a "digital identity chain" that simplifies how users interact with the broader blockchain ecosystem. This is achieved through features like L2-to-L2 bridging, which allows users to initiate ENS-related activities from various Ethereum Layer 2 networks, not just Namechain itself. Topics covered in this episode: High level overview of ENS Crosschain functionality through CCIP Read Domain squatting Onboarding ENS users via Paypal and Venmo Google & GoDaddy integrations ENS V2 upgrade & Namechain Transferring tokens from Namechain to L1 Sequencer security assumptions Scalability New features & use cases ENS roadmap & metrics Ethereum ecosystem status Episode links: Nick Johnson on X ENS on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Lido V3: Ushering in Institutional Staking Through stVaults - Hasu 1:19:32

12 weeks ago1:19:32

1:19:32

Ethereum’s transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake created a unique set of conditions (i.e. lack of protocol-level delegation, 32 ETH requirement, long exit queues, etc.) that led to Lido’s liquid staking model to gain huge traction, significantly eclipsing other LSD providers on native PoS chains. stETH added on-demand liquidity, bypassing withdrawal windows, while also increasing DeFi utilization and increasing yields. Moreover, by allowing users to stake any amount of ETH in pools, it removed the requirement for 32 ETH increments, ultimately improving decentralisation through long tail distribution of individual stakers. Lido V3 introduces modular stVaults which enable staking customization. This allows professional actors, such as institutional stakers, to have granular control over validators, MEV and other parameters, diversifying their investment strategies. Topics covered in this episode: Hasu’s background Discovering Lido Liquid staking and the early days of Lido Why liquid staking gained traction on Ethereum The evolution of Lido Initial decentralisation concerns and the importance of dual governance Restaking Lido V3 and vaults Institutional staking & ETFs Ethereum’s ‘crisis’ and its values Episode links: Hasu on X Lido on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

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Ronin: How Axie Infinity Kickstarted the Blockchain Gaming Revolution - Jeff Zirlin 54:34

12 weeks ago54:34

54:34

While DeFi’s ultimate goal is to provide an alternative for TradFi, blockchain gaming caters to retail masses, onboarding millions of users to crypto through incentives and fun gameplay. The greatest success story in Web3 gaming thus far has been, without a doubt, Axie Infinity. Apart from creating an engaged community whose early adopters also experienced rags-to-riches stories, it kickstarted an entire movement around play-to-earn gaming. Many have tried copying it, yet most of them failed. Axie Infinity managed to design a sustainable economy that combined NFTs and fungible tokens. The result was the first gamified crypto mining event, at scale. In order to accommodate such a massive demand, in a time when L2 rollups were still in R&D, Sky Mavis founded Ronin, a gaming-oriented Ethereum sidechain. The community that formed around Axie Infinity created a tremendous network effect, solidifying Ronin’s PMF as a gaming powerhouse. Before long, many up-and-coming titles migrated to Ronin, and the growth effects in all their key metrics (i.e. DAUs, transactions, revenue, etc.) further fuelled the flywheel. Topics covered in this episode: Jeff’s background Cryptokitties Joining Axie Infinity and how it evolved Monetizing Axie’s economy The recipe for successful blockchain games Building Ronin, the gaming L1 On-chain vs. off-chain game elements Community building Ronin’s economy & composability Most suitable gaming genre for Web3 AI x gaming Crypto gaming investments Ronin’s current state and future roadmap Axie’s upcoming MMO Episode links: Jeff Zirlin on X Axie Infinity on X Ronin on X Sky Mavis on X Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.io Chorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.one This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.…

Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

1
Solana: From On-Chain Nasdaq to the Pump Fun Craze - Anatoly Yakovenko 1:18:28

14 weeks ago1:18:28