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

Layer 2 zero knowledge roll-ups have initially been used for achieving private transactions on blockchains. However, past simple transfers, interacting with a public smart contract posed a serious challenge. As research and technology evolved, proof construction became much more efficient, enabling zk-powered scalability. There is a variety of pros and cons for each type of proof system, but given the impending rise of qunatum computers, we have witnessed a recent migration from SNARKs to STARKs. While the former relies on trusted setups, zk-STARKs are quantum-resistant.We were joined by Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder of Starkware, to discuss Starknet's layer 2 architecture, as well as the upcoming update to Cairo 1.0 and how it will impact scalability performances for STARKs.Topics covered in this episode:Shifting from privacy to scalabilityZK roll-up taxonomy and main differences between SNARKs and STARKsWhy scalability is easier to implement than privacy solutionsConstructing proofs efficiently in CairoStarknet’s layer 2 architectureBuilt-in account abstractionVolition, data availability and trust assumptionsSequencer decentralisation and crypto regulationsStorage proofsCairo upgrades & TPSCouncil-based vs. DAO governanceFuture developmentsEpisode links:Eli Ben-Sasson on TwitterStarknet on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/502

As institutional money set their eyes on crypto, some degree of centralisation and regulation was inevitable. However, the key aspect is to limit it to access gateways and not affect protocols’ decentralisation. Recent events have shown that price manipulation is easily achieved in conditions of low liquidity, hence regulated fiat on- and off-ramps will, in the end, also benefit retail consumers. It once again all boils down to achieving these goals while maintaining privacy for users and ensuring that regulations will not stifle innovation.We were joined by Luka Müller, co-founder of MME Legal Firm & Sygnum Bank, to discuss about crypto regulations, institutional investors, user privacy & CBDCs.Topics covered in this episode:The evolution of MME Legal Firm & Sygnum BankSygnum Bank’s pro-crypto services & target clientsThe impact of FTX’ collapse. DeFi vs. CeFiInvestor protection post-Terra Luna’s demiseExpanding in the APAC regionSwitzerland’s pro-crypto regulationsUser privacy vs. KYC & AMLUS’ crypto policy: regulation by enforcementEU’s MiCA frameworkLuka’s insights on crypto’s value propositionCBDC vs. cash privacyExciting crypto trends and innovationsEpisode links: Sygnum Bank on TwitterMME Legal on LinkedInThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/501

As Epicenter hits the 500 episode milestone, our hosts look back on almost 10 years of crypto developments, analysing the good, the bad and the ugly. What projects & narratives have surprised our hosts? Has Bitcoin failed in becoming a reliable store of value? Will ZK proofs provide the much needed solution to AI’s alignment problem? Last but not least, are we still early? Get ready for a fascinating discussion, albeit gloomy for this special occasion.Thank you for being part of this amazing journey! We wouldn’t have made it so far without your continuous support! Looking forward to the next 500 episodes!Topics covered in this episode:Brian’s health updateLooking back on 10 years of Epicenter & crypto developmentAre we still early on Bitcoin or has that ship already sailed?Stores of value: Bitcoin vs. Gold vs. Market IndexesThe need for stablecoins, including algorithmic ones!Projects & narratives that took a 180 degree turnAI vs. verifiable computation via ZK proofsThe control & alignment AI problemsDecentralised identity systems (DID)Looking forward to the next 500 episodesSponsors:CoinGecko: CoinGecko API provides access to the most comprehensive data aggregator in the market, supporting more than 10,000 crypto assets from over 700 exchanges! Visit https://gcko.io/epicenterCGpromo today and use the promo code ""EPICENTER"" to unlock an additional 10% OFF!This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain, Friederike Ernst, Meher Roy, Sunny Aggarwal & Felix Lutsch.  Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/500](https://epicenter.tv/500)

In order to achieve true transaction privacy, it is not enough to encrypt or build ZK proofs for transaction bundles, as long as the underlying blockchain uses an account-based model. Aztec is building a ZKVM that superposes an UTXO model, so that balances are constantly updated as new, untraceable, log entries. The upcoming Aztec 3 aims to enable privacy-preserving smart contracts, using a hybrid, multi-layered rollup. This approach allows for both public and private smart contracts to be executed simultaneously.We were joined by Zac Williamson & Joe Andrews, to discuss the evolution of Aztec, from ZK Money to their upcoming privacy-preserving hybrid ZK rollup.Topics covered in this episode:The evolution of Aztec, from ZK money to Aztec 3How Aztec’s ZKVM ensures privacy for Ethereum transactionsThe need for UTXO model for privacy-preserving encrypted databasesInteracting with public smart contracts in a private mannerTechnical roadmap and challenges faced along the wayHow Aztec differs from Mina protocolRecursive proofsEstimating gasMain-net sequencer decentralisationGoblin PlonkThe future of programmable privacyEpisode links:Zac Williamson on TwitterJoe Andrews on TwitterAztec on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/499

As crypto evolves, it becomes clearer that the future will be multi-chain. Presently, moving funds between different blockchains is frustrating...to say the least. The current bridging solutions are prohibitive from a UX perspective, mainly due to how finality is reached across different blockchains. This translates to long wait times and anxiety when interacting with new protocols, caused by the incertitude of funds arriving safely on the other side. Another major blockage consists of gas fees, particular to each blockchain, which often require an additional swap. But what if, users could enjoy near-instant cross-chain swaps (sub-20 second) and one-click transaction aggregators?We were joined by Fig, co-founder of Squid Router, to discuss how they leverage Axelar's infrastructure to achieve one-click, near-instant cross-chain swaps, creating user-friendly interoperability.Topics covered in this episode:Fig’s backgroundHow Squid tackles interoperabilityBuilding a better DevEx & UX on top of Axelar’s securityChoosing what DEXes to wrap & aggregate in SquidOptimising gas fees, prices & MEV cross-chainSquid’s business modelIntegrating other messaging protocolsAddressing finality to reduce swap times below 20 secondsHow Squid x Axelar solve other bridging protocol issues (e.g. multichain hack)Squid use casesEpisode links: Fig on TwitterSquid on TwitterAxelar on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/498

Ethereum's merge and transition to a proof-of-stake consensus implied switching from proof-of-work mining to transactions being validated by entities that have an economic stake in the network. Proof-of-stake distributed networks are subject to complex game theory models (e.g. slashing). Distributed validator technology (DVT) enables a more modular validator stack at every level: key pairs, hardware and entities. This reduces trust dependencies and increases security for validator entities.We were joined by Collin Myers & Oisín Kyne, founders of Obol Network, to discuss Ethereum's 2.0 PoS consensus, the current validator landscape and how distributed validator technology (DVT) allows for an increased security and overall smoother UX for validator entities.Topics covered in this episode:Collin’s & Oisín’s backgroundsDistributed Validator Technology (DVT) explainedHow DVT improves user experience for different staking modelsReducing validator costs and increasing fault tolerance through DVTObol middleware approachObol v.2Interacting with other middleware from the Ethereum stackExpanding DVT to other ecosystemsFuture validator landscapeHow post-Danksharding data availability will be handled by an Obol clusterL2 Ethereum equivalenceEpisode links:Collin Myers on TwitterOisín Kyne on TwitterObol Network on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/497

Public transaction history in blockchains represents one of their key features which, alongside immutability, aim to provide an alternative to CeFi. However, this transparency comes at a price: privacy. As a result, different solutions have been proposed, that preserve privacy while maintaining all the other benefits of blockchain technology, but there currently isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to this problem. For example, zero knowledge proofs convey the validity of a transaction batch without sharing any other details, but the underlying arithmetic circuits are both complex as well as computational intensive. Umbra proposes a system that relies completely on elliptic curve cryptography, employing multiple private-public key pairs to achieve stealth payments.We were joined by Ben DiFrancesco, founder & CEO of ScopeLift, to talk about Umbra's privacy preserving stealth token transfer system and if the need for privacy on blockchains outweighs any implicit UX frictions.Topics covered in this episode:Ben’s backgroundUmbra's missionHow Umbra worksNon-interactive key distributionPotential solutions (& trade-offs) for Umbra's computational intensityGenerating private-public key pairs by the Umbra smart contractUser experience (UX) for senders and receiversFee structure for deterring griefing attacksHow Umbra works for ERC20 tokens & NFTsPrivacy preserving withdrawals from stealth addressesPrivacy vs. UX frictionSmart wallets & account abstractionPrioritising privacyEpisode links: Ben DiFrancesco on TwitterUmbra on TwitterScopeLift on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/496

As the second Avalanche summit drew to a close, Sebastien Couture and Sunny Aggarwal sat down with Emin Gün Sirer for a fascinating conversation exploring future innovation narratives in crypto. Longtime friend of Epicenter, Ava Labs' founder and CEO shared his unique insights on the industry, from both a founder, as well as a former academia perspective.Given Avalanche's consensus & architecture, it boasts high TPS and scalability properties, incentivising founders to build better products in the AVAX ecosystem.One of the most controversial narratives is that of LLMs (i.e. ChatGPT) powering smart contract development by bypassing programming languages and even bytecode altogether. The question arises if replacing the human third-party with an AI fixes trust issues or not, but only time will tell which piece of code we can actually consider 'law'.Topics covered in this episode:Emin’s background, from academia to running a multi-billion dollar companyMain takeaways from the 2nd Avalanche summitInnovation narratives in the Avalanche ecosystem. NFTs & blockchain gamingThe Avalanche architecture, consensus & scalabilityAvalanche’s evolutionChatGPT smart contracts & no-code blockchainsAuditing AI & securityInnovation vs. StagnationBitcoin, BTC.b & ordinalsBridging Cosmos with Avalanche: IBC x WarpBest & worst products built by cryptoEpisode links: Emin Gün Sirer on TwitterAvalanche on TwitterAva Labs on TwitterShrapnel on TwitterGunzilla Games on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/495

When it comes to top-tier VCs, very few equal Andreessen Horowitz' (a16z) impressive portfolio, which stretches over both Web2 and Web3. Their crypto venture arm includes investments in most industry verticals, from infrastructure projects to NFTs and blockchain gaming. Constructing such a solid investment thesis requires conviction in the long-term prospects of the industry, as well as an influential network.We were joined by Ali Yahya, GP at Andreessen Horowitz, to discuss about a16z structure, operations and investment thesis, as well as the broader crypto landscape and value proposition.Topics covered in this episode:Ali’s backgroundWhy Google didn’t embrace cryptoa16z’s team structureThe role of a GP in a VCa16z’s thesis when it comes to crypto investingWhich crypto niches Ali is most bullish onGovernance vs. platform riskValuation-based investmentsProtocol revenue and monetary premium for L1sToken vs. EquityHow to prevent banking crisis contagion for crypto projectsEpisode links: Ali Yahya on Twittera16z cryptoa16zThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/494

The end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 were marked by centralised institutions failing: from CEXes to CeFi itself, contagion spread quickly in over-leveraged and opaque entities. Amidst this chaos, (crypto)people turned their hopes, once again, to DeFi. However, in lack of traditional enforcing mechanisms, not even battle-tested decentralised lending protocols could find a solution to provide under-collateralised loans, aka credit. Mars Protocol, with its unique hub & outposts architecture, aims to answer this need in the Cosmos ecosystem, by deploying on Osmosis and tapping into its deep liquidity. From manual leverage to credit and yield farming, Mars will feature a wide suite of DeFi products.We were joined by Jose Macedo, founder of Delphi Labs, to discuss the history of Delphi Digital, their learnings from incubating projects and the vision behind Mars’ ‘Red Bank’ DeFi products.Topics covered in this episode:Jose’s backgroundDelphi Digital’s historyIncubating projects on Solana and TerraLearning from TerraThe vision behind Mars ProtocolMars’ DeFi suiteDifferent risk parameters and collateralsMars’ module architecture (outposts) in the Cosmos ecosystemHow Mars Protocol differs from OsmosisMars Protocol roadmap & Mars v.2Ecosystem acceleratorEpisode links: Jose Macedo on TwitterDelphi Labs on TwitterDelphi Digital on TwitterMars Protocol on TwitterAstroport on TwitterOsmosis on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/493