Podcasts about Defi

Sid Powell and Paul Frambot on why Apollo, Cantor, and Coinbase are quietly building their financial products on DeFi rails, and what it means for lending.  Nexo is the premier digital wealth platform. Receive interest on your crypto, borrow against it without selling, and trade a range of assets. Now available in the U.S with 30 days of exclusive privileges.  Get started at nexo.com/unchained Onchain lending used to be a crypto-native curiosity. Now Cantor Fitzgerald is extending credit facilities through it, Apollo Global Management is acquiring governance tokens, and Coinbase users are borrowing against Bitcoin to buy houses, all running on DeFi protocols operating in the background. Maple Finance CEO Sid Powell and Morpho co-founder Paul Frambot sit at the center of this shift, and they have very different reads on what it takes to make institutional adoption real.  What are the actual limits to onchain lending growth right now? Does the DeFi mullet model work for everyone, or only for specific use cases? And as DAOs across the industry stumble under the weight of public governance, what structures actually let a protocol move fast without losing trust?  This conversation gets into the mechanics, the trade-offs, and the deals that are quietly redrawing the lines between DeFi and traditional finance. Guests: ⁠Paul Frambot, Co-Founder & CEO at Morpho Labs ⁠Sid Powell, CEO & Co-Founder of Maple Finance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto OG Erik Voorhees joins The Chopping Block crew to dissect the future of agentic payments, the eternal war for privacy, memecoin-fueled AI drama on Moltbook, and why your next DeFi user might just be your OpenClaw agent—plus, a candid look at crypto's core and how AI turns software engineering existential. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, we're joined by none other than Erik Voorhees, legendary crypto pioneer and founder of Venice, for a no-holds-barred discussion on the wild convergence of AI, crypto, and the meme coin casino. Erik unpacks his journey from anti-surveillance crusader to AI entrepreneur, why Venice is all-in on privacy and free speech for LLMs, and how “provable privacy” is a Sisyphean technical challenge. The crew breaks down OpenClaw's agent drama, memecoin carpet-bombing of Moltbook, and Meta muscling in on AI social networks. We debate agentic payments (will your first paying customer soon be a bot?), the true game theory behind state surveillance, and why crypto's greatest killer use case might actually be building tools for robots instead of humans. Plus: existential crises for software engineers, why “AI alignment” is a philosophical dead end, and the childlike glee (or open psychosis) of trading OpenClaw war stories at AI meetups. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights

For episode 689 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Erik Balsbaugh of Open Frontier at ETHDenver.Open Frontier is on a mission to promote responsible financial innovation while ensuring strong regulatory guardrails, countering Wall Street and big tech, and stopping bad actors. Finance is evolving, and progressive voices need a seat at the table. 

Hart Lambur is the CoFounder of Across.We host a timely new discussion on the reasoning behind the first ever major token buyout in DeFi, a proposal to convert ACX tokenholders into equity shareholders of a traditional private company for Across. Hart explains how the $25M treasury would finance the buyout, and the vision for Across's future as stablecoin infrastructure where "$1 equals $1" and users pay nothing to move money across chains.In this episode, we cover:+ Why the token model isn't working: DAO governance challenges and misaligned incentives+ How the buyout works: token-to-equity conversion, and who can participate+ The new business model: Free stablecoin movement powered by intents, with issuers paying fees instead of users------

For episode 688 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Viktor Ihnatiuk, Co-Founder and CEO of Utexo, a Bitcoin-native stablecoin settlement network backed by Tether. Utexo enables private, compliant USDT payments with fixed costs, powered by the Lightning Network and RGB.Viktor is a Bitcoin and Web3 engineer with over 12 years of experience building core infrastructure, protocol tooling, and privacy-preserving distributed systems. A serial entrepreneur, he has founded and scaled multiple successful ventures across the crypto industry. Previously, Viktor scaled Boosty Labs into the leading European Web3 development house, growing the team to 150+ engineers and partnering with major industry players including Coinbase, Ledger, Consensys, MoonPay, and Blockchain.com. Earlier in his career, he joined Storj Labs to help build decentralized cloud infrastructure, where he led the Growth team. He was responsible for expanding the distributed node network and shipping operator-facing tools that improved usability and long-term sustainability. Following this period of growth and infrastructure maturation, Storj achieved a successful exit after its acquisition. In parallel with these ventures, Viktor co-founded Astroid to support early BTCFi teams, helped launch the RGB Association, and contributed to Thunderstack—the primary infrastructure provider for RGB—built in collaboration with Tether and Fulgur. Across his work, Viktor focuses on expanding Bitcoin's utility and driving real-world adoption through scalable, privacy-first financial applications. 

Davide Crapis is an AI Lead at the Ethereum Foundation.AI agents are already choosing which blockchains to use. Davide Crapis, AI Lead at the Ethereum Foundation, explains why Ethereum is building the infrastructure to win them over and what the internet of agents looks like in the near future.In this episode, we cover:+ Why AI agents are rational actors when choosing chains+ From experiment to infrastructure: How ERC-8004 creates the railway for agent economies+ Ethereum's most underappreciated advantage: ZK protocols for verification and privacy+ The future of agents hiring each other with onchain payments------

What does it take to go from crypto curious to confidently on-chain?In this episode of Block Party, Nic Cary sits down with Maggie Love, founder of SheFi, the global community helping thousands of women learn crypto. From setting up wallets to making their first DeFi transactions, Maggie is turning curiosity into real participation in the crypto economy.00:00 Introduction — Maggie Love & SheFi00:52 Maggie Love — Leaving IBM to Join the Crypto Industry03:03 Why Crypto Feels Intimidating for Beginners06:10 Education vs Information07:58 Why Crypto Marketing Often Misses Women10:46 What Is SheFi? The Community Explained14:02 Building a Career in Crypto16:10 Is Web3 More Meritocratic Than Traditional Finance?21:05 Moving Beyond “Women in Web3” Conversations24:03 What Mass Crypto Adoption Will Look Like27:58 How to Join SheFi30:09 The State of Crypto Today

A conversation with new CFTC Chairman Mike Selig on the policy shift behind America's push to become the crypto capital of the world. We cover the CFTC's evolving role in crypto, prediction markets, and perpetuals, the end of regulation by enforcement, how the agency is thinking about DeFi and software developers, and why market structure legislation like the Clarity Act could reshape the future of U.S. crypto. ------

In this Crypto Town Hall episode, the panel discusses Bitcoin's resilience near $69K amid global market turmoil from Middle East conflict, oil spiking above $100/barrel, and sharp declines in Asian equities. MicroStrategy buys $1.28B more Bitcoin during extreme fear, Bitmain adds over $100M Ethereum, and speakers highlight maturing DeFi yields, Kraken's Fed master account milestone, tokenized assets growth, and why regulatory clarity is essential for mainstream adoption.

If blockchain systems can automatically enforce transactions, does that mean code itself determines legal rights and ownership?Carla Reyes and Andrea Tosato are professors researching digital assets at the SMU Dedman School of Law and Andrew Hinkes is a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP. Together they authored the paper “Code Is Not Law,” which examines why legal rights in digital assets ultimately depend on law rather than technological systems.Time Stamps:➡️ 1:30 — Stablecoin yield debates and why banks are back at the negotiating table➡️ 4:24 — Trade associations vs. decision-makers in White House crypto meetings➡️ 7:43 — Ethics provisions and constitutional challenges shaping negotiations➡️ 12:48 — Network token frameworks, ancillary assets, and draft bill trends➡️ 14:38 — DeFi intermediaries: software providers vs. financial actors➡️ 17:44 — Disclosure quality vs. disclosure volume in market structure drafts➡️ 21:38 — Legislation vs. agency guidance vs. litigation: three regulatory paths➡️ 24:30 — What retail users would actually notice if market structure passes➡️ 30:08 — Global competition: MiCA, Singapore MAS, and U.S. brain drain risk➡️ 43:51 — Regulatory moats, incumbents, and the future of innovationSponsor: This episode is brought to you by the Decentralization Research Center (DRC), a nonprofit think tank advocating for decentralization in emerging technologies. Learn more at thedrcenter.org.Resources: 

In this episode, we sit down with Kash Dhanda, CEO of Jupiter, one of the largest DeFi platforms in the Solana ecosystem, to break down what's really happening in crypto right now. Despite a brutal bear market and global macro uncertainty, crypto fundamentals may be stronger than ever. Solana is processing billions of transactions, stablecoin activity is booming, and DeFi platforms are generating real revenue. So why hasn't the market caught up?~~~~~⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⚡ Wealth is evolving, use Nexo to earn, borrow, and trade crypto all in one secure platform.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Private credit concerns rise as DeFi emerges as a potential alternative.Bitcoin falls as oil prices rise amid energy shortage concernsMicroStrategy's Saylor Plans More Bitcoin Purchases Amid Price Rally

The Vault is a morning show hosted on Twitter Spaces and YouTube Live on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 11:30 am EST. The show focuses on multi-chain communities, emerging protocols, NFTFi, DeFi, Gaming, and, most importantly, collecting digital assets.Adam McBride: https://twitter.com/adamamcbrideJake Gallen: https://twitter.com/jakegallen_Chris Devitte: https://twitter.com/chris_devvEmblem Vault: https://twitter.com/EmblemVaultAgent Hustle: https://x.com/AgentHustleAIMigrate Fun: https://x.com/MigrateFun

Viktor Ihnatiuk is the co-founder and CEO of UTEXO, a Tether-backed global settlement network for native USDT and Bitcoin payments, powered by the Lightning Network and the RGB protocol. Viktor joins Andy Pickering to walk through a decade-long journey from Ukrainian fintech to the frontline of Bitcoin infrastructure — and to explain why the world's biggest stablecoin is finally coming back to the chain where it was born. Why you should listen Viktor traces his path from launching Ukraine's first peer-to-peer lending platform and first fintech conference — where he discovered Bitcoin in 2015 — through to building Boosty Labs, a 150-person dev shop that served Coinbase, Bitfinex, Ledger, MetaMask, and WalletConnect. That operation evolved into a venture studio, and a chance meeting with Tether at Bitcoin Prague in 2023 set the stage for what became UTEXO. Viktor explains how he helped push RGB to mainnet, and how a joint venture with Tether was rebranded into UTEXO, which has just closed a $7.5 million seed round co-led by Tether, Big Brain Holdings, and Plan B Ventures. The conversation digs into what UTEXO actually delivers: instant USDT and Bitcoin settlement at zero transaction cost, with client-side validation privacy baked in through RGB. Viktor breaks down why this isn't USDT arriving on Bitcoin for the first time — it originally launched on OmniLayer back in 2014 — but rather coming home, rebuilt on infrastructure that finally works. He makes the case that Lightning's scalability leaves every other chain behind, and walks through the key use cases UTEXO is targeting: native BTC-to-USDT swaps, new revenue models for wallets through transaction fee monetization, and cross-exchange high-frequency arbitrage. Viktor also lays out UTEXO's broader thesis on stablecoin adoption and payments. He argues that the biggest growth opportunity for stablecoins isn't in DeFi yield — it's in emerging markets where USDT already functions as everyday money for savings, remittances, and increasingly, point-of-sale payments. UTEXO is positioning itself as the infrastructure layer for that shift, working alongside partners like WalletConnect and aligning closely with Tether's distribution strategy. The episode closes with Viktor's take on what blockchain is actually good for — payments, trading, and gambling — and why ten years in the trenches taught him to ignore everything else. Supporting links Stabull Finance UTEXO Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin   If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.

Joseph Chalom and Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum and why it is “the only game in town.” Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. YouTube Apple Spotify X Smash Follow or Subscribe.

OpenSea launches an agent CLI. Gitcoin proposes an overhaul of its grants program. And Curve accuses PancakeSwap of copying its code. Read more: https://ethdaily.io/898 Borrow against ETH at the lowest fixed rates in DeFi. Liquity V2 lets you use ETH as collateral to mint BOLD, the Ethereum native dollar. Learn more at liquity.org Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.

For episode 687 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Yuannan Yang, Security Engineer at CertiK, the largest Web3 security services provider. CertiK offers a wide range of products and services to support the Web3 industry, project teams, and users alike. CertiK's products and services span the entire lifecycle of project development, from incubation and early stages, to growth and maturity. CertiK is one of the most globally recognized companies in the Web3 industry, serving users across 150 countries/regions.Yuannan Yang, based in Washington, DC, US, is currently a Security Engineer at CertiK. Yuannan Yang brings experience from previous roles at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, Tsinghua University and Red Hat. Yuannan Yang holds a 2019 - 2020 Master's degree in information security @ Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Camila Russo sits down with Jing Wang to discuss how Optimism is evolving and why the debate over what counts as a “real” Ethereum L2 might be missing the point.Jing argues that the most important question isn't whether a chain is an L1, L2, or sidechain. It's whether the architecture actually serves users and real-world use cases.“If it looks like an L1, we'll build that. If it looks like an L2, we'll build that.”In the conversation we cover:Why Optimism now sees itself as a network of blockchains (the Superchain)The debate around Ethereum L2 decentralization sparked by Vitalik ButerinWhy institutions are already using decentralized railsWhy ZK proofs are the futureAnd why Jing believes finance inevitably moves on-chainNexo is a premier digital assets wealth platform that helps clients build, manage, and preserve their wealth through advanced interest-generating products, crypto-backed credit, advanced trading tools, and 24/7 client care. Get started at https://nexo.com/defiant Your Web3 product deserves solid payment infrastructure. Global on/off-ramps, custom APIs, and DeFi connectivity trusted by the biggest names in crypto: https://mercuryo.io/

¿Problemas de adicción al #alcohol, #drogas…? ☎️ 915 630 447 ¡LLAMANOS 24H! https://bienestar.neurosalus.com/ Solicita ahora mismo información sobre tratamientos de desintoxicación, precios, disponibilidad de plazas… HA SIDO POSIBLE CREAR EL PROGRAMA “LA REUNIÓN SECRETA” GRACIAS A TU AYUDA COMO GUARDIÁN MECENAS. ***** HAZTE MECENAS EN https://www.patreon.com/lareunionsecreta Esta noche vive un nuevo directo de #LaReuniónSecreta​ desde la 22:00​ hora española. Te decimos lo que nadie dice: sin anestesia y sin edulcorantes. ¡La Reunión Secreta somos todos! No se lo digas a nadie… ¡PÁSALO! CARLITOS TÍNEZ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0eeuxpQ70z-Pe0rHhOq9Fg Conexiones en directo con: - Johny The Knife (Maestro del cuchillo. Figura reconocida en el mundo del cuchilleo) - Álex N. Lachhein (Naturalista. Divulgador medioambiental) - Josema Vallejo (Vicepresidente de la asociación Una Policía para el Siglo XXI. Cabo primero de la Guardia Civil. Especialista en Información y Tráfico. Trabajador Social. Máster en Prevención de Riesgos Laborales) - ️ Profesor Dr. Ismael Santiago (Economista. Profesor doctor en Finanzas en la Universidad de Sevilla. Es fundador del proyecto AgoBlockchain y OlivaCoin. Es asesor internacional en procesos de Ofertas Iniciales de Moneda - ICO y en finanzas descentralizadas - DeFi. Experto en macroeconomía, ciclos económicos y criptoactivos) Con el equipo habitual de La Reunión Secreta: Dr. José Miguel Gaona, Joan Miquel MJ, Carlos Martínez, Lourdes Martínez, Marta Vim, Olga Ralló, Luna de María, Tatiana y Piluca. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SÍGUENOS EN REDES Twitter: https://twitter.com/lrsecreta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lareunionsecreta/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LRsecreta REDES SOCIALES DEL EQUIPO | DR. JOSÉ MIGUEL GAONA | - https://twitter.com/doctorgaona | DIRECTOR | - Joan Miquel MJ - https://www.instagram.com/official_joan_miquel_mj/ | PRODUCTORA | - Lourdes Martínez - https://twitter.com/chicadelaradio | AYUDANTE DE DIRECCIÓN | - Olga Ralló - https://twitter.com/olgarallo | AYUDANTE DE PRODUCCIÓN | - Carlos Martínez - https://twitter.com/Carlitos_Tinez

The old financial system is cracking, and Ethereum is what comes next. Joe Lubin joins The Rollup to cover the end of the trust supercycle, why the world's largest institutions are now deploying on-chain, and how MetaMask is becoming your personal money operating system. Joe Lubin is the Co-Founder of Ethereum and Founder & CEO of Consensys, which is currentlly the leading Ethereum software company behind MetaMask, Infura, and more.The Rollup is the convergence of legacy finance and DeFi, bringing you face-to-face with the leaders of neo finance.Timestamps00:00 Intro00:46 Entering the Institutional Era of Ethereum01:54 Should Crypto Change Its Language for Institutions?03:27 Speedrunning 500 Years of Financial Innovation08:45 The End of the Trust Supercycle10:14 Why Decentralization Still Matters13:49 infiniFi, RELAY Ads14:10 Navigating Regulated Assets in an Open, Composable World18:10 Hibachi Ad 18:39 How to Prepare for the Next Supercycle20:42 MetaMask as Your Personal Money OS21:07 What Is the SEC Doing Wrong?Website: https://therollup.co/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcastFollow us on X: https://www.x.com/therollupcoFollow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollupFollow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandyJoin our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZhThe Rollup Disclosures: https://goodidea.ventures

Crypto's vibe check time: Jez (izebel_eth) joins the crew to dissect whether idealism is RIP, if cypherpunks should abandon hope, how Memecoins and asset mayhem changed the game, why prediction markets are both truth engines and regulatory minefields, and where real permissionless finance is actually winning in the middle of global chaos. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week the gang is joined by super-perpetuals-junkie Jez for a spicy look at whether crypto has lost its soul — or if things are just getting interesting. Is crypto's vibe shift just growing pains, or did Memecoins and jaded traders nuke our idealism for good? The crew rehashes dreams of cypherpunk glory, debates the “death of the dream,” and gets existential about crypto's place in a world where everything is either a commodity, a meme, or a permissionless financial machine. Plus: War in Iran sends TradFi running, but DeFi markets are live, and prediction markets step up just as the regulators get weird. Enough nostalgia — let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights

AI is getting dangerously good at smart contract security. Faster than crypto is ready for. Alpin Yukseloglu joins Bankless to break down EVMBench (built with OpenAI), a benchmark testing whether AI agents can detect, patch, and exploit real fund-draining bugs and why the jump from ~12–13% exploit-finding to 70%+ could rewrite today's security assumptions. We unpack what that “70%” really means, why crypto's verifiability is an ideal training ground, why AI labs haven't prioritized crypto data yet, and what a 24/7 blackhat vs whitehat AI arms race means for DeFi. ---

In this first episode of Inflection Point, we explore the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and crypto as institutional adoption begins reshaping the foundations of global financial infrastructure. The conversation examines ETFs, DeFi innovation, market structure shifts, institutional flows, and how evolving investor behavior is changing Bitcoin and digital asset markets. Along the way, we discuss regulation, credit markets, technology limitations, and the broader implications of finance moving onchain. Enjoy! — Inflection Point: Apple

In this first episode of Inflection Point, we explore the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and crypto as institutional adoption begins reshaping the foundations of global financial infrastructure. The conversation examines ETFs, DeFi innovation, market structure shifts, institutional flows, and how evolving investor behavior is changing Bitcoin and digital asset markets. Along the way, we discuss regulation, credit markets, technology limitations, and the broader implications of finance moving onchain. Enjoy! — Inflection Point: Apple

For episode 686 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Blue, Founder & CEO of Levr Bet, the world's first decentralized leveraged sports betting exchange. It operates on blockchain technology (primarily Monad and Avalanche) to offer a transparent, on-chain, and high-frequency betting experience without intermediaries.

In this first episode of Inflection Point, we explore the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and crypto as institutional adoption begins reshaping the foundations of global financial infrastructure. The conversation examines ETFs, DeFi innovation, market structure shifts, institutional flows, and how evolving investor behavior is changing Bitcoin and digital asset markets. Along the way, we discuss regulation, credit markets, technology limitations, and the broader implications of finance moving onchain. Enjoy! — Inflection Point: Apple

In this first episode of Inflection Point, we explore the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and crypto as institutional adoption begins reshaping the foundations of global financial infrastructure. The conversation examines ETFs, DeFi innovation, market structure shifts, institutional flows, and how evolving investor behavior is changing Bitcoin and digital asset markets. Along the way, we discuss regulation, credit markets, technology limitations, and the broader implications of finance moving onchain. Enjoy! — Inflection Point: Apple

In this episode, Lex chats with Yoshi Yokokawa, CEO of Alpaca — a brokerage infrastructure company that provides API-based trading and custody services to fintechs and developers globally. The conversation begins with their shared experience at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis, where Yoshi worked in fixed income securitization and learned that even when market participants sense a bubble, they keep dancing because timing the exit is impossible. After Lehman's collapse, Yoshi pursued entrepreneurship, building a computer vision AI company acquired by Kyocera before founding Alpaca in 2017. Initially inspired by Robinhood, Yoshi pivoted after experiencing firsthand the friction of accessing brokerage infrastructure—realizing the deeper opportunity was building API-first brokerage rails for developers. Today Alpaca powers 9 million accounts through 300+ partners across 45 countries, recently raising $150 million at a unicorn valuation. The discussion explores how Alpaca follows Robinhood's product roadmap to anticipate partner demand, the challenges of adding crypto, and Yoshi's thesis that finance is undergoing a generational shift from digital to on-chain operations. Lex shares examples of legacy infrastructure dysfunction—from faxing PDFs to TD Ameritrade in 2012 to the Synapse collapse caused by manual CSV uploads—illustrating why Alpaca built its own custody and ledger systems as a path to competing in the $350 trillion global securities custody market. NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS: Alpaca's biggest breakthrough was not a better investing app idea, but recognizing that the real bottleneck was brokerage infrastructure. Yokokawa and team initially explored B2C product concepts, but pivoted once they experienced firsthand how painful broker-dealer setup, custody, and clearing integrations were. For readers building fintech, this is a huge lesson: the highest-value opportunity is often the “invisible” infrastructure pain, not the user-facing feature set. They found product-market fit by starting with a narrow wedge (API for automated traders) and only then expanding into a broader platform (Broker API for fintech apps). Alpaca did not begin by serving large fintechs; it first attracted power users who urgently needed programmable execution, then used inbound demand (“can I build my own Robinhood?”) as proof to build account opening, reporting, and full brokerage APIs. This is a valuable go-to-market pattern for infrastructure startups: win with a sharp use case, then expand into the system of record. Yokokawa's core strategic edge is full-stack control of licenses, memberships, and ledger technology rather than relying on legacy vendors. He explicitly ties this to lessons from historical fintech fragility (manual workflows, broken reconciliations, middleware failures) and argues that owning the custody/clearing layer is what makes Alpaca defensible long term. For readers, this is the key takeaway on moat-building in financial services: if you don't control the ledger and operational core, your product may scale faster at first but remains structurally fragile. TOPICS Alpaca, Lehman Brothers, Barclays, Nomura, Neuberger Berman, Blackrock, Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, TD Ameritrade, BNY Mellon, Brokerage infrastructure, API, trading, tokenization, embedded finance, fintech, crypto, web3   ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

In this first episode of Inflection Point, we explore the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and crypto as institutional adoption begins reshaping the foundations of global financial infrastructure. The conversation examines ETFs, DeFi innovation, market structure shifts, institutional flows, and how evolving investor behavior is changing Bitcoin and digital asset markets. Along the way, we discuss regulation, credit markets, technology limitations, and the broader implications of finance moving onchain. Enjoy! — Inflection Point: Apple

Gil Santos is Lead Quant at Credora, and Marcin Kazmierczak is CoFounder of RedStone, which recently acquired Credora.We dig into why DeFi desperately needs credit ratings, how Credora is building them, and why this is the missing piece for institutional capital to flow onchain. Gil explains the problem: DeFi has transparency of transactions but opacity when it comes to risk. You can see every trade onchain, but you can't tell if a Morpho vault is genuinely safer than another. Credora is building the Moody's and S&P for DeFi—real-time, dynamic risk ratings that update as market conditions change.In this episode, we cover:+ Why DeFi needs a ratings protocol ($10B rated, 80% Morpho TVL coverage)+ The L2Beat parallel: Raising standards for the industry+ How Credora ratings work: assessment from collateral → markets → vaults+ 2026 vision: Stablecoins to $1T, fintechs offering rated yields to retail------

In this episode of the Milk Road Show, LG sits down with Nic Roberts-Huntley, CEO of Blueprint Financial, to unpack what's actually going on beneath the surface of the crypto market. While headlines focus on price swings and macro uncertainty, billions of dollars are flowing into crypto infrastructure, DeFi platforms, and institutional trading systems.~~~~~⁠⁠⁠⚡ Wealth is evolving, use Nexo to earn, borrow, and trade crypto all in one secure platform.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Broke Boi Crypto (@BrokeBoiCrypto) and Crypto Ewok (@CryptoEwok) discuss the latest in Crypto, DeFi, Bitcoin and macro economics.Follow the show on Twitter: @CreedOfCrypto

For episode 685 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Muriel Médard, CEO of Optimum, where they are building the fastest decentralized internet protocol for Web3, starting with a high-throughput, low-latency networking protocol that permissionlessly integrates with any blockchain. Optimum is building infrastructure that helps crypto networks and communities operate at peak efficiency. By aligning incentives, streamlining participation, and optimizing on chain activity, Optimum aims to create smarter, more sustainable ecosystems across decentralized networks. As blockchain adoption accelerates, fragmented participation and misaligned incentives continue to slow growth. Optimum tackles this head on by providing tools and systems that empower builders, validators, and communities to coordinate more effectively and unlock long term value.

President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind crypto firms in their high-stakes battle with U.S. banks over whether they can offer interest-like returns on stablecoins.~This episode is sponsored by BTCC~BTCC 10% Deposit Bonus! ➜ https://bit.ly/PBNBTCC00:00 intro00:06 Sponsor: BTCC00:33 You Will Pay00:44 Trump FINALLY Takes a side01:45 Brad Garlinghouse01:57 David Sachs & Eric Trump02:12 Patrick Witt ends negotiations?03:04 Jamie Dimon fuming03:29 Stablecoins vs Banks04:05 CLARITY Odds Are Wrong04:28 Why Trump didn't burn Democrats04:59 Oops05:24 Charles Hoskinson backs CLARITY!05:46 Treasury allowing yields?05:59 DeFi Wins Major Court Case!06:39 Banks Cyber Attacks vs Deposit Flight?07:26 Media Reaction To Cyber Attack Fear08:43 ICE Budget Should've went to Cyber Defense09:01 Kristi Noem DESTROYED by Congress10:20 Thom Tillis holding CLARITY Act!?11:11 outro#Crypto #Trump #XRP~Trump Just NUKED Banks Over Stablecoin Yields!!!

In this Consensus Hong Kong 2026 panel, we dive into the next chapter of on-chain finance: the convergence of DeFi and CeFi — and why crypto prime brokerage may become the infrastructure layer for institutional trading. From portfolio margin across venues and capital efficiency, to stablecoin balance sheets, oracle risk, and the one threat everyone keeps coming back to… counterparty risk. We break down how prime brokers are bridging siloed liquidity pools, enabling cross-collateral, and rethinking risk management for a world of 24/7 markets. - DeFi vs CeFi: why convergence is accelerating now - Prime brokerage in crypto: the "missing layer" for hedge funds - Portfolio margin across exchanges + on-chain venues (cross-venue risk engines) - Capital efficiency: moving beyond over-collateralization in DeFi - Counterparty risk vs smart contract risk — what institutions actually fear - Off-exchange settlement & custody: what works, what doesn't - Interest rate models & "dynamic spread": sharing upside with lenders - Oracles, pricing, liquidation: the two hard problems in DeFi risk management - The crypto "risk-free rate": SOFR, Treasuries, staking — where does it converge? - Tokenized markets (RWA): why crypto-native prime brokers may have an edge   As TradFi and DeFi collide, the winners will be the platforms that deliver capital efficiency + transparency + accountability — without blowing up. —

What does it actually mean to bring assets onchain — and why should investors care?  In this episode, Cynthia Lo Bessette, Head of Digital Asset Management at Fidelity Investments, breaks down Fidelity's roadmap for digital market adoption — from Bitcoin ETPs to tokenized money market funds — and explains why tokenization is about far more than just putting assets on a blockchain.  We cover:  The three phases of digital asset adoption: Hold, Use, Build  Why tokenizing an asset must start with utility  How tokenized money market funds bridge payments and yield  The rapid rise of real-world assets (RWAs) onchain  The impact of the regional bank crisis and stablecoin depegging  Staking yield inside traditional wrappers  Institutional adoption of DeFi infrastructure  Build vs. partner decisions inside a major asset manager  Cynthia also shares insight into Fidelity's early Bitcoin mining experiments, how they evaluate crypto founders, and why authenticity is the smallest hill she'll always die on.  If you're interested in tokenization, real-world assets, crypto ETFs, DeFi infrastructure, or the future of asset management — this conversation is for you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Vitalik calls for building sanctuary tech on Ethereum. The Aave Chan Initiative leaves the Aave DAO. And Chainlink partners with ADI Chain. Read more: https://ethdaily.io/895 Borrow against ETH at the lowest fixed rates in DeFi. Liquity V2 lets you use ETH as collateral to mint BOLD, the Ethereum native dollar. Learn more at liquity.org Content is for informational purposes only, not endorsement or investment advice. The accuracy of information is not guaranteed.

Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise Asset Management, joins The Rollup to discuss the institutionalization of crypto, why the four-year cycle may be a self-fulfilling prophecy, how AI is transforming internal operations, and why allocations are set to grow far beyond what most expect.The Rollup is the convergence of legacy finance and DeFi, bringing you face-to-face with the leaders of neo finance.Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:55 Bitwise's Take on AI & The Freight Train Analogy03:45 How Hunter Uses AI in His Workflows05:27 Bitwise's Four Business Lines & Institutional Journey09:37 Is the Four-Year Cycle Dead?11:43 Relay Ad12:05 The Sentiment Gap: Natives vs. Institutions15:20 Hibachi, infiniFi Ads16:30 What's the Right Crypto Allocation?Website: https://therollup.co/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P6ZeYd...Podcast: https://therollup.co/category/podcastFollow us on X: https://www.x.com/therollupcoFollow Rob on X: https://www.x.com/robbie_rollupFollow Andy on X: https://www.x.com/ayyyeandyJoin our TG group: https://t.me/+TsM1CRpWFgk1NGZhThe Rollup Disclosures: https://goodidea.ventures

The Vault is a morning show hosted on Twitter Spaces and YouTube Live on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 11:30 am EST. The show focuses on multi-chain communities, emerging protocols, NFTFi, DeFi, Gaming, and, most importantly, collecting digital assets.Adam McBride: https://twitter.com/adamamcbrideJake Gallen: https://twitter.com/jakegallen_Chris Devitte: https://twitter.com/chris_devvEmblem Vault: https://twitter.com/EmblemVaultAgent Hustle: https://x.com/AgentHustleAIMigrate Fun: https://x.com/MigrateFun

For episode 684 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Hoolie Tejwani, Head of Coinbase Ventures.Coinbase Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of the major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, launched in 2018 to invest in early-stage crypto and Web3 startups. Its mission is to support "exceptional founders" building the foundation of an open financial system, aligning with Coinbase's overarching goal of increasing economic freedom in the world.  The firm has backed over 600 companies and operates with a highly collaborative approach, offering portfolio companies operational guidance, strategic partnerships, and access to the wider Coinbase ecosystem. 

In Episode 51 of *Chain Reactions*, we sit down with Lex Sokolin, co-founder of [Generative Ventures](https://www.genventures.xyz/) and one of the sharpest voices at the intersection of fintech, crypto, and AI. With 15 years at the frontier of financial services, from Wall Street to early robo-advisors to co-leading DeFi strategy at ConsenSys, Lex brings a rare combination of depth and directness to the conversation.We dig into his core thesis: that AI agents are becoming economic peers, and those peers need financial infrastructure built for them. Lex breaks down how blockchain has collapsed five massive verticals of financial services into a single rail, why that's both unbelievably destructive and productive, and where the real commercial opportunities sit across payments, capital markets, and asset management.The conversation gets candid fast. Lex doesn't hold back on the crypto industry's tendency to dress up vaporware in legitimate opportunity, the evolution from Olas to Virtuals to OpenClaw as each wave of agentic AI gets slightly more real, and why the race to market to agents may ultimately benefit the fewest actual humans. We also get into the Visa and MasterCard question, whether Web3 is finance's Amazon-vs-Kmart moment, and why Tether's business model might be more interesting than Stripe's.We close with Lex's personal philosophy on turning the page, borrowed from a background in visual arts, and why building beats worrying in an era of exponential change.---**Timestamps**00:00 – Welcome and intro to Lex Sokolin of Generative Ventures02:36 – From Wall Street to robo-advisors to ConsenSys and beyond05:50 – The machine economy thesis and where the real opportunities sit08:29 – How blockchain collapsed five financial verticals into one rail10:56 – AI-first companies vs crypto-native firms and where they overlap13:42 – Latest developments and the pace of change in agentic AI14:24 – S-curves vs exponentials and why it matters for AI capabilities16:45 – The evolution from Olas to Virtuals to Lobsters20:41 – Will Visa and MasterCard be disintermediated by agents?27:39 – Amazon vs Kmart: is Web3 finance's greenfield moment?31:40 – How do you market to agents? The dystopian and practical answer36:54 – Spotting AI content in the wild and the normie gap38:32 – What Lex has changed his mind on about decentralization43:25 – What gets Lex most excited and most concerned heading into 202647:48 – The trap of AI consumption vs production49:27 – Biggest professional learning: being unafraid to turn the page---**Show Notes & Mentions**-

Crypto still feels like a minefield for humans: Haseeb Qureshi argues that's a clue, not a bug: blockchains and smart contracts are machine-readable systems that AI agents can parse, simulate, and execute far more reliably than people, shifting crypto's core user from humans clicking through wallets to agents acting on our behalf. We also dig into the two-track future of agent commerce (safe, human-approved flows vs. the wild-west frontier), why major AI labs have avoided crypto training so far (liability), how agent-driven discovery could rewrite DeFi competition, and what this means for Dragonfly's investing playbook. ------

For episode 683 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Rob Tökölyi, CEO of WeChange, a global noncustodial fiat-to-crypto on-ramp designed to make crypto access simpler, more transparent, and more affordable. They support local bank transfers worldwide and prioritize user self-custody, allowing users to buy and sell crypto without unnecessary complexity or excessive fees.WeChange announced the official launch of its noncustodial fiat-to-crypto on-ramp, designed to simplify how everyday users buy and sell digital assets while maintaining full control of their funds. The platform went live globally on January 30, supporting bank transfer methods across more than 190 countries. 

This conversation covers the latest developments in the crypto space, focusing on the Cardano ecosystem, particularly the launch of USDC, liquidity improvements, and the innovative Midnight Network. It discusses the importance of user experience in crypto transactions, the emergence of projects on Midnight, and the challenges posed by Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) bots. Additionally, it highlights partnerships and the future of Cardano, including hardware preparations for becoming a Midnight validator.TakeawaysThe Korean government accidentally compromised a seed phrase.USDC is now available on the Cardano ecosystem, enhancing liquidity.Cross-chain capabilities are improving for Cardano.User experience for USDC transactions needs enhancement.Midnight Network focuses on privacy and selective disclosure.Several projects are already building on Midnight.MEV bots pose a significant risk to users in crypto transactions.Partnerships like Pair Point are crucial for Midnight's success.The Cardano Foundation is expanding its educational resources through Binance Academy.Hardware is essential for becoming a Midnight validator.Chapters00:00 Intro02:51 USDC on Cardano14:13 Pyth is next!15:44 Midnight City17:42 Projects Building on Midnight21:16 Privacy prevents MEV attacks23:41 Midnight and Pairpoint25:07 Cardano Foundation Institutional Adoption Track26:09 Cardano Scaling is Coming29:08 Cardano on Binance Academy29:54 Strike is Killing it30:58 Mithril Signers32:11 Midnight Node Incoming36:18 SupportDISCLAIMER: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or legal advice. I am not affiliated with, nor compensated by, the project discussed—no tokens, payments, or incentives received. I do not hold a stake in the project, including private or future allocations. All views are my own, based on public information. Always do your own research and consult a licensed advisor before investing. Crypto investments carry high risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. I am not responsible for any decisions you make based on this content.

While retail investors panic over volatility, institutions are quietly buying the dip. In this conversation, Matt Hogan breaks down why financial advisors, wirehouses, and major institutions are steadily allocating to Bitcoin, how the institutional adoption process actually unfolds over years (not weeks), and why this bear market feels fundamentally different from 2018 or 2022. We dive into the real valuation debate around Ethereum and Solana, why stablecoins and tokenization are the true institutional obsession right now, what BlackRock's move into Uniswap signals for DeFi, and whether a diversified, index-style approach may ultimately outperform trying to pick winners. Institutions already assume Bitcoin will be here in 10 years and that everything will be tokenized — the only question they're debating now is where the value accrues and whether this dip is an opportunity rather than a warning.

This conversation explores the introduction of USDCX into the Cardano ecosystem, detailing the implications of the Circle Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP), the bridging process, and strategies to attract liquidity to the ecosystem. It also acknowledges community contributions, discusses Wanchain's role in facilitating cross-chain transfers, and raises important questions about treasury funds and profit sharing. The discussion concludes with an optimistic outlook for Cardano's future.TakeawaysUSDCX is now available on the Cardano ecosystem.The CCTP uses a burn-and-mint model for asset transfers.Bridging assets is simplified through a new protocol.Attracting liquidity requires competitive rewards.Community contributions were vital for USDCX's launch.OneChain plays a key role in cross-chain transfers.Treasury funds and profit sharing are contentious topics.The Cardano ecosystem is seeing an increase in liquidity options.User experience in bridging assets is crucial.The future looks promising for Cardano with ongoing developments.Chapters00:00 USDCx is now on Cardano03:31 Difference Between Circle CCTP and Bridges06:03 How to Use the USDCx Bridge to Cardano08:14 Min of $20 USD09:04 How Long Does It Take?10:30 Additional Tutorials10:42 Protocols Attracting More USDCx12:59 How Much Has Been Minted?13:30 Checking My USDCx Transfer14:00 Who to Thank15:06 Other Existing Options17:06 Why Now? Why Not 4 Years Ago?18:09 The Drama19:17 Fees and ProfitsDISCLAIMER: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or legal advice. I am not affiliated with, nor compensated by, the project discussed—no tokens, payments, or incentives received. I do not hold a stake in the project, including private or future allocations. All views are my own, based on public information. Always do your own research and consult a licensed advisor before investing. Crypto investments carry high risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. I am not responsible for any decisions you make based on this content.

The Vault is a morning show hosted on Twitter Spaces and YouTube Live on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 11:30 am EST. The show focuses on multi-chain communities, emerging protocols, NFTFi, DeFi, Gaming, and, most importantly, collecting digital assets.Adam McBride: https://twitter.com/adamamcbrideJake Gallen: https://twitter.com/jakegallen_Chris Devitte: https://twitter.com/chris_devvEmblem Vault: https://twitter.com/EmblemVaultAgent Hustle: https://x.com/AgentHustleAIMigrate Fun: https://x.com/MigrateFun

William Quigley, Co-Founder of Tether and WAX, joined me to discuss the disappointing crypto bull market and when we may see a recovery.Topics:- Tether & the Stablecoin market - Banks fighting stablecoin yield - Stablecoins impact on FX Market - Crypto bull and bear market review- Future of Crypto Brought to you by

Crypto News: U.S. regulator's GENIUS pitch casts dark cloud over crypto sector's stablecoin model. NY Times post bearish crypto article. MetaMask and Mastercard partner to launch the US MetaMask Card. Flare and Xaman unlock one-click DeFi access for over 2 billion XRP sitting idle in wallets. Brought to you by Ayni Gold https://app.ayni.gold/signup?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=thimkimgcrypto