The Defiant - DeFi Podcast

Ellio Trades, Co-Founder of BlackHole, shares his journey in the crypto space with a focus on decentralized exchanges. He discusses the potential for a new altcoin season and how institutional investors are reshaping the market. Ellio highlights the innovative V3.3 model of BlackHole and its role in fostering deep liquidity. He also explores the implications of decentralized finance and stablecoins in a regulated environment, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and community in the evolving crypto landscape.

Kim Currier, Head of Partnerships and Marketing at Decentraland and NFT collector, dives into the transformative landscape of virtual worlds. She discusses how interoperability is reshaping the metaverse, allowing user identities to flow seamlessly across platforms. Kim highlights the revival of NFTs as tools for community engagement and creativity, emphasizing Decentraland's role in immersive experiences for brands and users alike. Explore the cultural drivers behind this digital renaissance and the innovative tools empowering creators to thrive in this new ecosystem.

In this episode, we’re joined by Marta Belcher, President and Chair of the Filecoin Foundation, to dive deep into the transformative potential of decentralized storage and its role in shaping the future of technology. Marta shares her insights on how Filecoin is enabling decentralized AI, preserving humanity’s most important data, and creating alternatives to big tech.We explore the incentives and economics behind Filecoin, its critical use cases in journalism and human rights, and how it’s helping to build censorship-resistant systems. Marta also discusses the challenges and opportunities of governance in decentralized systems, the evolving regulatory landscape for crypto in the U.S., and the pivotal role of the market structure bill.Chapters00:00: The Decentralized AI Revolution00:28: Filecoin’s Role in Decentralized AI01:29: What is Filecoin?02:14: The Importance of Decentralized Storage03:29: Incentives and Economics of Filecoin06:10: Filecoin for Journalism and Human Rights08:25: Decentralized AI and Filecoin’s Infrastructure13:10: Governance in Decentralized Systems22:13: Regulation and Crypto’s Future in the US29:02: Filecoin’s Growth and Use Cases37:05: Filecoin’s Long-Term Vision

Adrian Brink, Co-Founder of Anoma and Namada, shares insights from his journey in building privacy-focused systems to empower communities. He discusses the importance of intention, resilience, and sovereignty in Web3. Topics include the implications of the Tornado Cash case and how intent-based systems can provide solutions to regulatory concerns. Adrian emphasizes the need for adaptable blockchain infrastructures, the role of cryptography in fostering trust, and the potential of AI in enhancing community resilience.

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Paul Frambot, Co-Founder of Morpho, details how DeFi is transforming the financial industry by intersecting with fintech, shifting value to network users, and reshaping how lending protocols work. He outlines the evolution from early peer-to-peer lending to today's permissionless, immutable infrastructure, highlighting Morpho's product design, its approach to risk management, and specific use cases in institutional finance and global wallet integration. Discussions cover the role of risk managers, transparency benefits, the emergence of DeFi as backbone infrastructure for fintechs, and how platforms like Coinbase now use Morpho behind the scenes.Paul reflects on how Morpho enables global liquidity, allows businesses and individuals to create custom lending markets, and how DeFi’s open competition leads to better rates and more efficient markets. The conversation wraps with thoughts on unsecured lending, the path to real-world financial product integration, and Morpho's long-term vision to become the foundational protocol for global financing.Chapters:00:00 Fintech disruption, DeFi’s impact on infrastructure 01:21 Founding Morpho: backstory and protocol design 03:04 Pushing for permissionless, immutable protocol infrastructure 04:16 Institutional adoption, wallet integrations, and B2B use cases 07:01 Managing risk and collateral in open protocols 10:32 Shift in institutional engagement and business adoption 15:20 Native on-chain fund issuance, regulations, and international frameworks 17:04 Equity and securities as next steps for on-chain finance 19:03 Real-world example: Coinbase leveraging Morpho for global lending liquidity 20:28 End-to-end DeFi integrations: wallet abstraction and feature parity 22:26 Four core benefits when fintechs use DeFi as backend 24:07 Transparency, self-custody, and proof of reserves in DeFi 25:06 Institutional desire for infrastructure ownership—not just distribution 26:29 Competitive rates: DeFi vs. traditional finance lending 27:51 Barriers for banks: regulation, compliance, privacy, and operational hurdles 30:00 Privacy on-chain: transaction anonymity vs. amount privacy 32:29 How DeFi lending markets evolved: competition and network effects 34:00 Differing visions: Morpho as infrastructure vs. Aave as integrated bank 37:12 Market size: overcollateralized and undercollateralized lending potential 38:04 How DeFi could unlock unsecured credit 41:24 Under-collateralized lending, trust, and on-chain identity primitives 44:28 Morpho’s long-term vision and the future of DeFi/fintech convergence

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, we sit down with Nicholas Kunkel, Founder of Chronicle Labs and a pioneer in the world of decentralized finance (DeFi). From his early days at MakerDAO, where he helped build the first oracles and decentralized exchanges, to launching Chronicle Labs, Nicholas shares his journey of innovation and problem-solving in the crypto space.We dive into the challenges of building efficient oracles, the rise of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), and the convergence of traditional finance (TradFi) with DeFi. Nicholas also discusses the technical and strategic differences between Chronicle Labs and other oracle providers, the role of tokenized assets in reshaping finance, and his ambitious vision for a future where decentralized and traditional finance merge seamlessly.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Niklas Kunkel, Founder of Chronicle00:22 From MakerDAO to Chronicle Labs: Building the first oracles and decentralized exchanges.01:23 The Birth of Oracles05:27 Chronicle Labs vs. Competitors10:11 Exploring the role of tokenized treasuries, private credit, and other RWAs in DeFi.13:07 Challenges of RWA Integration: Data requirements, liquidity concerns, and the complexities of tokenizing real-world assets.21:30 Convergence of DeFi and TradFi25:33 Chronicle’s Business Model30:24 Scaling tokenized assets to surpass crypto-native assets in total value secured.34:19 Long-Term Vision35:44 Closing Thoughts

On this episode of the Defiant Podcast, Charlie Hu, co-founder of Bit Layer, discusses the evolution of Bitcoin beyond its role as a store of value. The conversation addresses trends in Bitcoin programmability, the development of layer two networks, liquidity in DeFi, and adoption by institutions. Cami and Charlie discuss technical distinctions among Bitcoin scaling solutions and the integration of Bitcoin with other blockchain ecosystems. Then, they conclude by exploring practical considerations for developers and users interested in these changes.NOTE: At the time of publishing (Aug. 4) BitLayer TVL was at $400M, higher than at the time of recording which was at $300M, mentioned in the podcast intro. Chapters:00:00 Introduction; Bitcoin’s binary narrative debated 00:17 Potential impacts of low network activity 00:37 Bitlayer overview and recent platform developments 00:59 Bitcoin’s price rally and changing role 01:26 Guest background: early experiences in Web3 02:09 Lessons from Ethereum and cross-chain growth 03:15 Founding Bitlayer; motivations and industry context 06:06 Network sustainability and security considerations 09:59 Bit Layer’s technology focus and design choices 16:00 Bitcoin Virtual Machines and cross-ecosystem cooperation 30:08 Unlocking Bitcoin liquidity; DeFi adoption and risks 45:00 Institutional involvement and new use cases 52:00 Onboarding, governance, and next steps for the ecosystem

Jordan Jefferson, CEO of MyDoge and DogeOS, dives into Dogecoin's exciting transformation from meme to movement. He discusses the immense potential for building infrastructure on this once-joking currency, highlighting how the passionate Doge community drives innovation. Jefferson also unveils DogeOS as a versatile app layer that could revolutionize gaming and decentralized finance. He addresses the unique challenges of leveraging a meme coin while envisioning a future where Dogecoin empowers users with financial tools and engaging experiences.

On the 10th anniversary of Ethereum's genesis block, we sit down with Joe Lubin, Ethereum co-founder and CEO of ConsenSys, for an exclusive deep dive into the past, present, and future of the Ethereum ecosystem. From the concept of 'digital oil' to Ethereum's role as the foundation of a decentralized global economy, Joe shares his vision for the next decade of blockchain innovation. Tune in to hear his thoughts on staking strategies, the rise of DeFi, and why Ethereum is poised to become the substrate for the world's financial system.Chapters00:00 Introduction – Setting the stage for Ethereum’s 10th anniversary.01:00 Joe Lubin’s Vision – Ethereum as civilization-scale infrastructure.02:19 Staking Strategies – Insights into ConsenSys’ ETH accumulation and staking.05:08 Overcoming Challenges – Scalability, usability, and regulatory hurdles.10:08 Decentralized Stablecoins – The need for ETH and BTC to support DeFi growth.15:11 DeFi and TradFi Convergence – How Ethereum is reshaping finance.22:08 Ethereum’s Role in the Global Economy – Becoming the substrate for trust.30:00 Multi-Chain Future – Why Ethereum will remain foundational.40:00 The Next Decade – Joe’s predictions for Ethereum’s growth and impact.45:00 Closing Thoughts – Celebrating Ethereum’s 10th birthday.

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, we sit down with Sam MacPherson, CEO and co-founder of Phoenix Labs, to discuss Spark (SPK)—the DeFi protocol making waves in the cryptocurrency world. From its groundbreaking subDAO model to its recent $10 billion TVL milestone, Spark is reshaping decentralized finance. We dive into the latest developments, including the Ignition Airdrop and institutional adoption. Tune in to explore how Spark is bridging the gap between traditional finance and DeFi, and what the future holds for this rapidly evolving ecosystem.Chapters00:00 - IntroductionMeet Sam Macpherson, CEO of Phoenix Labs, and the vision behind Spark.01:23 - Spark’s Rapid GrowthHow Spark became one of the biggest DeFi protocols with $10B TVL.05:10 - The SubDAO ModelBalancing decentralization and nimbleness to scale effectively.08:05 - Why Decentralization MattersSam’s passionate defense of decentralization as a core principle for global infrastructure.12:00 - Challenges of Traditional DAOsThe limitations of flat governance structures and how Spark overcame them.15:30 - Ignition Airdrop and Overdrive PhaseHow staking incentives are driving SPK adoption and price action.20:00 - Institutional AdoptionSpark’s partnerships with Coinbase, BlackRock, and the rise of tokenized RWAs.24:00 - Spark Liquidity LayerEnhancing governance and liquidity.27:16 - Spark Token LaunchGovernance, staking, and how SPK empowers the community.30:00 - Transparency in DeFiSpark’s commitment to making every layer of its ecosystem visible.35:00 - The Future of StablecoinsWhy scaling stablecoins requires diverse collateral types.38:00 - Bitcoin-Backed LoansTapping into new markets with OTC Bitcoin loans and institutional interest.42:00 - Bridging DeFi and Traditional FinanceHow Spark is integrating with fintechs and creating seamless user experiences.45:00 - Ethereum’s Role in DeFiSam’s thoughts on Ethereum’s evolution and its renewed optimism.