

The DeFi Decoded Podcast
Alex Tapscott & Andrew Young
Weekly market commentary and conversations on crypto and the future of finance. Co-hosts Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young break down market trends and interview the founders, investors, and leaders shaping the industry. Where Wall Street and crypto converge.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 6, 2025 • 42min
DeFi Decoded - How Noble is Leading the Next Era of Stablecoin Innovation with CEO and Co-Founder Jelena Djuric
Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi with special guest Jelena Djuric, CEO and Co-Founder of Noble. Listen in as they discuss key takeaways from ETHDenver 2025, the fastest-growing sectors in crypto, Noble's achievements over the past year, the launch of Noble Dollar (USDN) and how it differs from traditional stablecoins, the concept of composable yield and its significance, the potential for a synthetic digital dollar backed by a basket of currencies, the future of DeFi, and more.

Feb 26, 2025 • 45min
DeFi Decoded - The Death of Memecoins and the Revenge of Crypto Fundamentals
Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi. Listen in as they discuss why Andrew remains bullish despite the recent brutal sell-off, a crash course on crypto fundamentals, the three key advantages of fundamental crypto investing over TradFi, valuable resources for analyzing standardized crypto metrics, the opportunity to invest in long-term compounders that return capital to tokenholders, a spotlight on Celestia and whether growth or economics should be the primary focus, the SEC's dismissal of its lawsuit against Uniswap and its implications for the future of DeFi, current crypto market sentiment data, and more.

Feb 20, 2025 • 47min
DeFi Decoded - Scaling Solana for the Public Markets with Leah Wald and Max Kaplan of Sol Strategies
Leah Wald, President & CEO of Sol Strategies, and Max Kaplan, CTO, delve into the rapid evolution of Solana as a leading blockchain. Leah shares her journey from alternative asset management to crypto, while Max discusses his early days at Kraken. They explore the advantages of Solana’s high throughput and low fees, the sustainability of staking yields, and their strategic pivot toward decentralized trading. The conversation also touches on the competitive landscape, navigating regulatory challenges, and the promise of better blockchain investment options for traditional investors.

Feb 13, 2025 • 57min
DeFi Decoded - Building the Future of Finance on Bitcoin with Brian Mahoney of Mezo
Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi with special guest Brian Mahoney, Co-Founder of Mezo. Listen in as they discuss Brian's background and his work with Mezo and Thesis, why he proudly identifies as a Bitcoin Stoic, new Bitcoin use cases that have been unlocked by major technological breakthroughs, the various ways to earn yield onchain, the likely dominant yield product for the Bitcoin network, Bitcoin's role in a multichain future, Mezo's mUSD Bitcoin-backed stablecoin and its significance, the network's biggest growth driver moving forward, Brian's BTC price target for year-end, the positive impacts of Bitcoin's onchain economy on network longevity, the latest on the civil war between innovators and maxis within the Bitcoin community, key differences in how Bitcoin miners operate in the East versus the West, and more.

Feb 6, 2025 • 36min
DeFi Decoded - Trump's Tariff Tantrum Tosses Cold Water on Crypto Rally (for now)
Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi. Listen in as they discuss the current macroeconomic landscape and its impact on crypto, recent regulatory updates from Washington, the potential establishment of a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, Ethereum's loss of Ultra-Sound Money status after the Dencun network upgrade, the current market structure dynamics and where we go from here, and more.

Jan 30, 2025 • 42min
DeFi Decoded - Building a Next-Generation Decentralized Exchange with Darius Tabai of Vertex
Join Andrew Young as he decodes the world of Web3 and DeFi with special guest Darius Tabai, Co-Founder and CEO of Vertex Protocol. Listen in as they discuss Darius' background and crypto journey, what perp exchanges are and how the cash-and-carry trade works, the role Vertex fulfills within the crypto ecosystem and its key differentiators, the evolution of Vertex's products, Hyperliquid, whether every app needs its own chain, the future of Vertex and DeFi, Ethereum versus Solana, 2025 predictions, and more.

Jan 24, 2025 • 45min
DeFi Decoded - Ethereum at a Crossroads, with Dr. Friederike Ernst of Gnosis and Gnosis Pay
Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi with special guest Dr. Friederike Ernst, Co-Founder of Gnosis. Listen in as they discuss how Friederike first got into crypto ten years ago and her journey in the space since then, what Gnosis is building and why the team views it as middleware, Gnosis' transformation over the years and the vision behind Gnosis Chain, the current crossroads Ethereum faces and what Friederike believes needs to change, the process of spinning out both Cowswap and Safe, how they've developed, and more.

Jan 16, 2025 • 37min
DeFi Decoded - DeFAI Decoded? How AI is Shaking up DeFi with Eric Chen of Injective
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of Web3 and DeFi with special guest Eric Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Injective Labs. Listen in as they discuss the convergence of crypto and AI, Eric's background and journey into the space, Injective's inception and its current status, the emerging decentralized finance artificial intelligence (DeFAI) sector, the step-by-step process of how Injective's iAgent works, whether DeFAI is just hype or has actual substance, whether the number of AI agents onchain has already surpassed that of real humans, Injective's role in the AI agent ecosystem, whether the movie Her could become a reality this year, Injective's focus in 2025, and more.

Jan 8, 2025 • 33min
DeFi Decoded - 2025 Crypto Predictions Bonanza!
Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi. Listen in as they discuss their eight 2025 crypto predictions, covering the stablecoin market, decentralized perpetual derivative exchange volumes, onchain trading relative to CEXs, total Ethereum layer two revenue, a potential Ethereum revenge rally, the tokenized gold market, crypto IPOs and ETFs with the incoming administration, the first no-person unicorn with AI agents, and more.

6 snips
Dec 23, 2024 • 47min
DeFi Decoded - Rewriting the Rules of Wall Street with Carlos Domingo of Securitize
Carlos Domingo, Founder and CEO of Securitize, shares his fascinating transition from telecommunications to the Web3 and DeFi space. He dives into his experiences with SPiCE VC and discussions with financial giants like BlackRock. The conversation explores the evolving regulatory landscape, the legitimacy challenges of crypto asset management, and the innovative potential of real-world assets. Domingo also touches on the emerging differences between compliant and non-compliant DeFi projects, shedding light on the future of capital markets.


