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

We’re joined by Yoni Assia, Founder and CEO of eToro. The concept behind this world-leading social trading platform is users invest smarter by automatically copying the top traders in the community. With over 10 million users, over a trillion dollars traded on the platform just last year alone, this fascinating approach to trading is making huge waves. A decade after its original launch, eToro entered the crypto space with eToroX, their crypto exchange. More recently, they added cryptocurrencies to the growing list of assets that users can add to “Copy Trades.” Yoni shares his long-term vision in which he sees the tokenization of all traditional asset classes eventually taking place.Topics covered in this episode:Yoni's background and how he first became interested in financial tradingHow Yoni and his brother came up with the idea for eToroThe background of the Bitcoin community in IsraelYoni's predictions for the finance industryHow the power of tokenization paved the path for eToroWhat makes eToro unique compared to other crypto trading platformseToro's blockchain walletThe launch of the eToroX crypto currency exchangeeToro's views on custody of assets and DeFiEpisode links: eToroeToro on GitHubThe eToro Crypto WalleteToroXeToro TwitterYoni Assia TwitterSponsors: Cosmos: Join the most interoperable ecosystem of connected blockchains - http://cosmos.network/epicenterVaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.comThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/309

As we take some time to record new interviews, we’re releasing content from DappCon which took place in Berlin in August. This week, you’ll hear a panel moderated by Sunny all about blockchain governance.The panelists where Ameen Soleimani of MolochDAO, Stephanie Hurder of Prysm Group, Jorge Izquierdo of Aragon One, and Sebastian Gajek of ditCraf.Topics covered in this episode:Hard Governance vs. Soft GovernanceWhat types of governance we should apply to different systemsDifferent approaches to governance formalizationHow we should govern things like trademarksRepresenting all stakeholders in a governance systemBuilding in exit mechanisms in DAOsConservatism over Liberlism in governance mechanismsHow to account for different value systemsEpisode links: DappConAmeen Soleimani on TwitterStephanie Hurder on TwitterJorge Izquierdo on TwitterSebastian Gajek on TwitterCommunity manager job postingEpicenter Meetup at SF Blockchain WeekThis episode is hosted by Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/308

As we take some time to record new interviews, we're releasing content from DappCon which took place in Berlin in August. This week, you'll hear a panel moderated by Sebastien on usability and user experience in blockchain-based apps and products.The panelists where Chriss Sugg of AirSwap, Alex Van de Sande of the Ethereum Foundation, Itamar Lesuisse or Argent and Pedro Gomez of Wallet Connect.Topics covered in this episode:The state of usability in the blockchain spaceHow evolving technology inform concepts in user experienceBuilding products in Web2.0 vs. Web 3Creating dialog between engineers and designersWhy crypto product haven't gained adoption from non-crypto savvy peopleAdoption of crypto by the unbankedGathering usage data for the purpose of product developmentEpisode links: Chriss Sugg on TwitterAlex Van de Sande on TwitterPedro Gomez on TwitterItamar Lesuisse on TwitterCommunity manager job postingDAPPCONThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/307

Those who have been in crypto long enough remember the not-so-good-ol’ days when an air-gapped machine was the only way to store private keys securely. Thankfully, the wallet space has come a long way from that era. But we still live in a world where the seed phrase is the single atomic point of failure. Enter threshold signatures schemes (TSS), a multi-party computation (MPC) where different parties generate a key and are all required to create a valid signature. We’re joined by Omer Shlomovits and Ouriel Ohayon, Co-founders of ZenGo. Their product is a ‘keyless’ crypto wallet, which means users never need to generate or store a key which gives them access to their funds. Keys are created with an MPC, where both ZenGo and the user are required to sign a transaction. TTS opens up exciting new possibilities like social recovery, user permissions for teams, and inheritance planning schemes. The important distinction between ZenGo and existing multi-signature wallets is that they achieve this using only cryptography, and do not rely on on-chain elements like smart contracts or op_scriptSig in Bitcoin.Topics covered in this episode:- Omer and Ouriel’s respective backgrounds in academia and online consumer-facing products- What lead them to want to build yet another crypto wallet- The state of custody in the crypto wallet ecosystem and the challenge which remain unaddressed- A quick refresh on cryptographic primitives and multi-party computations (MPC)- The building blocks of cryptographic signatures and threshold signature schemes (TSS)- How TSS is different from Bitcoin multi-sig and smart contract multi-sig- TSS in ECDSA vs. Schnorr signatures- Applications and use cases for TSS- ZenGo’s on-boarding, restore process and use of biometrics- The future of wallet interoperability in a world of proprietary cryptographic schemesEpisode links: - [ZenGo: Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Wallet](https://zengo.com)- [‎ZenGo: Bitcoin & Crypto Wallet on the App Store](https://Zengo.com/enjoy)- [Threshold Signatures Explained](https://www.binance.vision/security/threshold-signatures-explained)- [ShareLock: Mixing for Cryptocurrencies from Multiparty ECDSA](https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/563.pdf)- [KZen Networks on GitHub](https://github.com/KZen-networks)- [Zengo Research](https://zengo.com/research/)- [KZen Research Telegram Group](https://t.me/kzen_research)- [Tel Aviv Blockchain Week Recap with Anna Rose of the Zero Knowledge Podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccywXWTSFKM)Sponsors: - Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.com- Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.comThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/306](https://epicenter.tv/306)

We're joined by Sharon Goldberg, CEO of Arwen, a protocol solution for non-custodial trading. From communications engineering to Internet protocol security, to then becoming a Professor at Boston University, she shares her journey into the world of cryptography. Beginning as a whitepaper on eclipse attacks, Arwen has grown into a platform enabling atomic swaps on centralized exchanges. Sharon chats about Arwen's integration with KuCoin, how it compares to ShapeShift, Interledger, and Lightning, and the exciting new release of the Layer-2 atomic swaps from Ethereum into Bitcoin.Topics covered in this episode:- How Sharon became interested in blockchain technology- The meaning of an eclipse attack- Arwen's co-founder Ethan Heilman- The backbone of Arwen- The Arwen protocol and how it uses atomic swaps- How trading takes place on the exchange- Arwen vs Shapeshift and Interledger- Creating multiple orders using the same channel- Arwen vs Lightning and the use of SegWit- How the relationship with KuCoin was formedEpisode links: - [Arwen website](https://www.arwen.io/)- [Arwen's first white paper on eclipse attacks](https://eprint.iacr.org/2015/263.pdf)- [Arwen's Trading Protocol whitepaper](https://arwen.io/whitepaper.pdf)- [Announcement of Arwen's partnership with KuCoin](https://medium.com/arwensecure/arwen-partners-with-kucoin-to-offer-secure-non-custodial-trading-24af298d5dbd)- [Arwen's Twitter](https://twitter.com/arwensecure)- [Sharon Goldberg on Twitter](https://twitter.com/goldbe)Sponsors: - Cosmos: Join the most interoperable ecosystem of connected blockchains - http://cosmos.network/epicenterThis episode is hosted by Sunny Aggarwal & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/305](https://epicenter.tv/305)

We’re pleased to be joined by the legendary cryptographer and computer scientist, David Chaum. From his early beginnings at Berkley, David pioneered many of the cryptographic techniques used in secure systems and cryptocurrencies today. Blind signatures, which are used in zero-knowledge proofs, and mix networks, used in Tor heavily rely on his work. At the dawn of the Internet, David founded DigiCash, what many believe to be a direct ancestor of Bitcoin. Today, David continues to pursue his mission to bring data privacy to all as his most recent project, Elixxir, aims to create a truly private messaging and payment app with a mass-market appeal.Topics covered in this episode:- David’s background as a Ph.D. student at Berkeley and his thesis entitled “Computer Systems Established, Maintained, and Trusted by Mutually Suspicious Groups”- What drove him to work on cryptography and privacy systems- His relationship to the early cypherpunk movement- David’s contribution to cryptography primitives such as blind signatures, undeniable signatures, group signatures and mixers- The story of DigiCash and how the company was founded- The idea behind Cyberbucks and why the company ultimately went bankrupt- Cryptocurrency adoption as a chicken-and-egg problem- David’s personal views and practices with regards to online privacy- His thoughts on the blockchain space today and his views on the future of the industry- His current project, Elixxir, a messaging and payment app which protects users’ data and metadataEpisode links: - [David Chaum’s website](https://chaum.com)- [DigiCash](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/digicash.asp)- [lists.cpunks.org Mailing Lists](https://lists.cpunks.org/mailman/listinfo)- [DigiCash - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DigiCash)- [Blind Signatures for Untraceable Payments](https://www.chaum.com/publications/Chaum-blind-signatures.PDF)- [DigiCash announcement article from 1994](https://www.chaum.com/ecash/articles/1994/05-27-94%20-%20World_s%20first%20electronic%20cash%20payment%20over%20computer%20networks.pdf)- [Project Page: Multiparty Computation](https://www.chaum.com/spymasters/)- [Security without Identification](https://www.chaum.com/publications/Security_Wthout_Identification.html)- [Elixxir - Home](https://elixxir.io/)- [Elixxir - Real Cryptography, Real Time: Precomputations in Elixxir](https://elixxir.io/blog/real-cryptography-real-time)- [Elixxir - Why Mark Zuckerberg wants no privacy, why he wrote his letter, and why it won’t help him](https://elixxir.io/blog/why-zuckerberg-wants-no-privacy)- [Elixxir - Point of Departure](https://elixxir.io/blog/point-of-departure)- [cMix white paper](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B1jv03qc8E1kx0kvGFx4blzwXrQepMyy/view)Sponsors: - Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.com- Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.comThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/304](https://epicenter.tv/304)

We're joined by Ayo Akinyele, CEO of Bolt Labs. Bolt is building a new privacy-focused layer-2 payment channel network design. Initially designed by Matt Green and Ian Meyers, Bolt is being commercialized by Ayo and his team. Beginning with a Zcash integration, they have plans to implement on several crypto networks. We chat with Ayo about the technical design of BOLT channels, their privacy guarantees, how they complement designs like Lightning, and their synergies with the Zcash team. Topics covered in this episode: Privacy in Lightning Technical design of Bolt channels Architecture of Bolt channel networks Integrations with existing networks Synergies with Zcash project Regulatory aspect of payment channel hubs Episode links: Bolt Labs website Bolt: Anonymous Payment Channels for Decentralized Currencies (white paper_ Bolt Zcash implementation Bolt: anonymous payment channels for decentralized currencies – Part I Bolt: anonymous payment channels for decentralized currencies – Part II Ayo Akinyele on Twitter Starkware Session: September 16th in Tel Aviv – 20% off with the code EPICENTER Chain-Aviv #4: The era of new rising chains and assets – September 11th in Tel Aviv Sponsors: Cosmos: Join the most interoperable ecosystem of connected blockchains - http://cosmos.network/epicenter This episode is hosted by Meher Roy & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/303

We’re joined by Eric Conner and Anthony Sassano, founders of EthHub. Started in January of 2019, EthHub’s goal is to provide a trusted, objective source of information for the Ethereum ecosystem. The platform is made up of an open-source documentation website, a weekly newsletter, and a podcast, “Into the Ether” hosted by Eric and Anthony. Both active and vocal members of the Ethereum community, they are known to embody what some consider to be Ethereum Maximalism. Topics covered in this episode: What is EthHub and why they decided to start the organization Eric and Anthony’s view on the current state of the Ethereum community The different cliques, factions, and sub-groups in Ethereum The role of the Foundation and Vitalik Buterin as they see it A close look into project funding in Ethereum and the emergence of DAOs for funding Reflections on Anthony’s “Why Ether is Valuable” piece The state of Ethereum 2.0 research and the different parties involved Their views on where the crypto space is heading in the next 5 years Episode links: EthHub website Into the Ether podcast EthHub Newsletter Why Ether is Valuable Is Ether needed for transaction fees? Ethereum Project Funding EthHub on Twitter Anthony Sassano on Twitter Eric Conner on Twitter Epicenter Meetup at TelAviv Blockchain Week – Monday September 16th Sponsors: Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.com Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.com This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/302

This week we're joined by Daniel Shin. He is the Co-Founder of Terra Money and previous CEO and Co-Founder of TMON, one of Korea's largest players e-commerce platforms. Today he talks about his success in that area and how that drove him to enter the cryptocurrency and blockchain space with this new project. Daniel was lead to blockchain when looking for a solution to reduce transaction fees paid by online merchants. Not satisfied with just using an existing stable coin, he set about to make his own, which is how Terra was born. Topics covered in this episode: Daniel's background with TMON and his need to explore new transaction cost-cutting ideas How Daniel discovered that cryptocurrencies may help reduce intermediaries in the payment space Terra's impressive partnerships with some of Korea's largest e-commerce players The stability mechanism and the role of the Luna token The role of miners in Terra and the currency's seigniorage model Comparisons to other stablecoins like Maker DAI and Libra The contingency plans in the event of a catastrophic plummet in demand How Cosmos formed the basis on which Terra was built Terra's business model and product roadmap Episode links: Terra on GitHub Terra white paper Introducing the new Terra Protocol Use Cases for Decentralized Money (Stablecoin) Scaling Seigniorage Terra Research Forum Terra Twitter TMON Sponsors: Cosmos: Join the most interoperable ecosystem of connected blockchains - http://cosmos.network/epicenter This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/301

We’re joined by Erik Voorhees, Founder & CEO of Shapeshift. His third appearance on the podcast is timed nicely as July marked ShapeShift’s fifth anniversary. From its early days as the “Google Translate for cryptocurrencies”, it has grown into an organization of 75 people, and Erik talks about the learning curves he has endured on his journey. Our conversation also coincides with the launch of ShapeShift’s brand new V2 platform, which includes a self-custodial asset management dashboard, hardware wallet support, and many other new features. One notable change is that ShapeShift now requires users to create an account and perform KYC, something which very much pains Erik. We also discuss Bitcoin, Libra, and the future of money, topics which are always fascinating to approach from Erik’s Libertarian viewpoint. Topics covered in this episode: ShapeShift celebrating its 5th anniversary the lessons learned since launch What is ShapeShift 2.0 and the problems addressed by this product ShapeShift's new features and what people can expect to come in the future Why users now have to register and perform KYC What is the FOX token and what is it's utility ShapeShift's business model and target segment Why the company chose to shut down Prism Erik's views on the Bitcoin and Ethereum ecosystems today Speculations about Libra and the future of money Episode links: ShapeShift ShapeShift on GitHub Building a Bridge to Financial Sovereignty (ShapeShift 2.0 announcement) Erik's tweetstorm on Libra KeepKey Release Notes ShapeShift Twitter Erik Voorhees Twitter Sponsors: Trail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.com Azure: Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks - http://aka.ms/epicenter StarkWare Sessions: September 16th in Tel Aviv – 20% off with the code EPICENTER - https://epicenter.rocks/starkware This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/300