This chapter explores the creation of an Ethereum ETH reference rate, derived from validator rewards to serve as a benchmark for Ethereum performance. It emphasizes the need for a standardized metric independent of macro market influences, aiming to build social consensus for transparent and reliable rates. The discussion also covers the evolution of the staking industry towards institutional markets, anticipating increased sophistication and the establishment of yield representations for validators.
Chris Perkins has a fascinating background as a marine who was shot at in Iraq, was at Lehman bros when it all came crashing down, was a Citigroup trying to pick up the piece of the financial crisis where he first ran across Gary Gensler, and now he’s in crypto. We talk about all that, but that’s not even the main event.
The Main Event is Ether the asset and a new reference rate he’s building on top of it. This sounds in the weeds but it’s actually actually key to unlocking trillions in new financial products. You might call this new rate the Libor for ETH.
------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Start 00:11:33 Intro to Chris 00:13:17 From Banks To Crypto 00:16:27 Hostility Towards Crypto 00:19:16 National Security 00:25:23 Takes on Regulation 00:31:12 TradFi Response To Crypto 00:33:58 ETH ETF 00:37:24 Libor for ETH? 00:42:43 Libor Recap 00:45:35 How Was Libor Corrupted? 00:53:21 ETH Reference Rate 01:04:13 Risk Free Rate 01:10:08 Real vs Nominal Returns 01:21:51 DeFi Applications 01:26:01 Market Size 01:33:17 Going Forward