#342: Stefan Kimmel, CEO of M2, on the Ethereum ETF, Institutional Crypto Adoption, and How Crypto Exchanges Can Offer 10% Yields

Jack O’Holleran is the Co-Founder and CEO of SKALE Labs, a gas-less EVM-compatible blockchain designed for secure Ethereum scaling. Jack is a veteran Silicon Valley Technology entrepreneur with a deep background in machine learning/AI technologies and blockchain. Formerly, Jack co-founded Aktana in 2008 and led the company's transformation from a four-person startup to a global leader in the Analytics market category, boasting over 350 employees and serving an impressive roster of Global Fortune 500 clients with its AI and machine learning platform tailored to optimize sales and marketing decisions.Jack first started working with digital assets in 2008 when he was instrumental in building a digital currency platform for Enterprise Resource Allocation and initially saw a big opportunity to bring scalability to the blockchain. Jack is a veteran Silicon Valley Technology entrepreneur with a deep background in machine learning/AI technologies and blockchain and a longstanding connection to web2 and web3 developers. ****As a previous starting receiver for the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football team, Jack is passionate about bringing blockchain technology to the sports industry to bring fans closer to their favorite teams.In this conversation, we discuss:- The state of Web3 gaming- The power of casual games- In-game economies- Current state of Ethereum- Gas-free, zero-cost minting- ETH-based L2s- Meme coins vs. NFTs- SKALE’s recent partnership with Virtualness to bring fans of Liga1 to Web3- SKALE’s partnership with Unity- Empowering developers- DeSci (Decentralized Science)SKALE NetworkWebsite: skale.spaceTwitter: @SkaleNetworkDiscord: discord.gg/SKALEJack O'HolleranTwitter: @jackoholleranLinkedIn: Jack O'Holleran ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

A bitcoin hodler & former engineer, Vince Yang's journey into crypto started with Bitcoin mining and gradually evolved into a deeper exploration of blockchain's potential and ZK Proofs. Vince is now the CEO of zkLink, a team dedicated to pioneering a decentralized trading reality of secure, unified liquidity with zkSnarks and blockchain's Layer 3 scaling solutions.In this conversation, we discuss:- The current state of L3 and the Aggregated Rollup Narratives- Why do we need L3 and what do they do for Ethereum- The modular narrative and decentralization- Unifying blockchains- What are ZK proofs?- Real-life examples of ZK tech- What are these L3s lacking?- Destination of settlement- Challenges in growing TVL- zkLink Nova: From zero to $ 1 billion with the Aggregation ParadezkLinkWebsite: zk.linkX: @zkLink_OfficialDiscord: discord.gg/zklinkVince YangX: @zkVinceReal ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Alexei Zamyatin is a Co-founder of BOB, a first-of-its-kind hybrid Layer-2 powered by Bitcoin and Ethereum. He has been a Bitcoin and interoperability research contributor since 2015 and is most known for his work on trustless cross-chain bridges and L2s. Alexei holds a PhD in computer science from Imperial College London.In this conversation, we discuss:- Making bitcoin more useful- Bitcoin utility- Bridging from Bitcoin to Ethereum- Bitcoin’s brand and recognizability- The adoption of L2s- Ordinals, Runes- What are Hybrid Layer 2s- How L2s on Bitcoin will impact the cost of transactions in this cycle- The difficulties ETH/SOL devs would have when starting to build on bitcoin- Merge mining- Ordinals was Bitcoin’s Crypto Kitty momentBOBWebsite: www.gobob.xyzX: @build_on_bobTelegram: t.me/gobobxyzAlexei ZamyatinX: @alexeiZamyatinLinkedIn: Alexei Zamyatin  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Chris Liquin is CEO of Cupcake.com, the social layer of Solana. Chris has been investing in crypto since 2016 and has worked full-time in the space since 2021. Prior to Cupcake, Chris worked for Gary Vaynerchuck at Vayner3, a Fortune 500 Web3 consulting firm, as SVP of Strategy & Operations. During his time at V3, he led over $25M of work with brands like Budweiser, Red Bull, Coinbase, Johnny Walker, Crocs, and KFC as they explored the frontier of the internet. He holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, spent his non-crypto career at KPMG and Google Cloud, and lives in Chicago with his wife and their crazy cat named Bunny.In this conversation, we discuss:- What is CultureFi?- The intersection of finance and culture- The founding story of Cupcake- Web3 vs Web2 engagement- Stories from working with Gary V- Onboarding Fortune 500 brands to web3- Why celebrating culture is the future of crypto = CultureFi- Digital self vs. physical self- Fractionalizing assets- Solana ecosystem- The future of social mediaCupcakeWebsite: www.cupcake.comX: @cupcakeprotocolLinkedIn: CupcakeChris LiquinX: @chrisliquinLinkedIn: Chris Liquin  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Stefan Kimmel is the CEO at M2, leading the company's mission to establish a world-class global digital currency investment platform. With over 25 years of experience in finance, fintech, and digital innovation, Stefan has a proven track record of delivering products and services to his clients. He specializes in leveraging digital products to optimize the delivery of financial solutions, ensuring optional outcomes for his clients. Stefan has held prominent executive roles in the fintech industry, including positions such as Chief Commercial Officer at Kraken MENA, Chief Operating Officer of the Commercial Bank of Dubai, and leadership roles at PWC, IBM, and Oliver Wyman Middle East. His extensive expertise and unwavering commitment to innovation make him a respected thought leader in the industry, driving M2 towards its goal of becoming the leading global digital investment platform.In this conversation, we discuss:- How crypto exchanges can offer 10% yields- ETF’s impact on credibility- Impact of potential SEC approval of ETH ETF (Time-dependent)- Status of crypto adoption in UAE and MENA generally- Why M2 sees the UAE as the springboard to building an exchange with global reach- Regulatory comparison between UAE and US- Broad adoption of crypto via institutional investors- Real World Assets (RWA)- Fractionalized assets via tokenizationM2Website: www.m2.comX: @M2ExchangeTelegram: t.me/M2CommunityStefan KimmelX: @M2StefanLinkedIn: Stefan Kimmel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Ariel Seidman is the CEO & Co-Founder of Hivemapper, a decentralized mapping community that relies on a network of drivers, AI trainers and advanced technologies to create the world’s freshest map.A seasoned expert in the field, Ariel's journey began over a decade ago at Yahoo! Search and Maps, where he garnered invaluable experience in building maps at scale. Motivated by the inefficiencies of traditional methods, he embarked on a mission to revolutionize global mapping. Prior to Hivemapper, Ariel founded Gigwalk, a pioneering location-based data collection firm that transformed mobile devices into lucrative tools for data gathering, earning recognition from Fast Company as a Top 10 Mobile Innovation Company. With his extensive background and unwavering commitment to innovation, Ariel continues to shape the future of mapping technology.In this conversation, we discuss:- The difficulties of building digital maps- Google vs. Yahoo maps in early 2000s- Maps are clear sources of truth- Decentralized maps- AI in crypto- Creating the world's freshest global map- Building AI models to train date and perform map QA- Getting paid to drive with a dash-cam- DePIN - touching real markets and industries- Hivemapper has already mapped 20% of the worldHivemapperWebsite: hivemapper.com X: @HivemapperInstagram: @hivemapperAriel SeidmanX: @aseidmanLinkedIn: Ariel Seidman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Unique Divine is the co-founder and CEO of Nibiru, the user-centric layer-1 super chain that is paving the way to mainstream blockchain adoption through its exceptionally high throughput and parallel optimistic execution approach. Following its $8.5 million seed round in September 2022, co-led by the $1.6B+ AUM firm Tribe Capital, Republic Capital, Original Capital, and NGC Ventures, Nibiru secured an additional $12 million from venture firms, including Kraken Ventures, ArkStream, Tribe Capital, and others.Unique’s expertise in decentralized financial services, blockchain, and smart contracts is preceded by a professional background primarily in applied machine learning, where he consulted as an AI engineer for startups and Fortune 500 companies with Insight Softmax.Unique financed his Physics and Computer Science degrees at Columbia University through earnings generated from algorithmic trading, combining transformers for processing historical sequences and reinforcement agents to make trading decisions. Following graduation, he worked as a data scientist for IBM before helping develop Sommelier, the blockchain protocol for executing automated trading strategies on-chain, where he was in charge of the team’s data science division and led the development of DeFi trading strategies.In this conversation, we discuss:- Creating a new L1- L1 ecosystems- Fundraising for L1s - tough to find a niche- Increasing throughput- High-level overview of Nibiru — a new L1 blockchain valued at $100 million- 2024 Roadmap: Parallel Optimistic Execution, EVM-compatibility- Strategic expansion into the APAC region- Developing Sommelier for IBM- Hands on ecosystem- Venture-arms within the ecosystem- The integration of CeFi and DeFiNibiruWebsite: nibiru.fiX: @NibiruChainTelegram: t.me/nibiruchainUnique DivineX: @DivineNibirunLinkedIn: Unique Divine ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Josh Fraser is the Co-Founder of Origin Protocol. Prior to Origin, he co-founded three other venture-backed companies: EventVue, Torbit (acquired by Walmart Labs) & Forage. Josh started coding at the age of 10.In this conversation, we discuss:- DeFi industry- Automated Redemption Manager (ARM)- Liquid staking- Transparency and integrity in crypto- Crypto industry's volatility- Staking and Ethereum- Learning to code at age 10- Getting better yields in crypto- The future of yield is multi-chainOrigin ProtocolWebsite: www.originprotocol.com X: @OriginProtocolTelegram: t.me/originprotocolJosh FraserX: @joshfraserLinkedIn: Josh Fraser ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Anurag Arjun, Co-founder of Avail, is a seasoned entrepreneur who has founded several successful startups across diverse industries, ranging from cash flow lending to regulatory tech. With a strategic move into the blockchain space in 2017, he co-founded Matic Network, which has since evolved into Polygon, a platform for scaling Ethereum.In 2020, Anurag spearheaded the development of Avail, an innovative solution within the Polygon ecosystem that empowers developers to create fast, efficient, and scalable applications. As a pioneer with a background spanning research, economics, and engineering, Anurag's unique skill set has been invaluable in creating Avail and the broader blockchain community. In March 2023, he and co-founder Prabal Banerjee spun off Avail from Polygon to embark on a journey to empower rollup and application blockchain communities with the development of a unification layer that enables modular execution layers to scale and interoperate in a trust-minimized way.With an unwavering commitment to realizing the full potential of modular blockchain technology, Anurag is excited to leverage this cutting-edge approach to maximize Avail's impact. His expertise and vision continue to drive Avail's success and position the company at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.In this conversation, we discuss:- Founding Polygon in 2020- Why a unification layer is needed- Present day L2s- Avail ecosystem: Gaming , AI, Bitcoin L2's, DeFi, Wallet & Infra- Modular blockchains- Avail’s mainnet launch- $27mm raise, led by Founders Fund and Dragon Fly- The future of L2s and roll-ups- L1s as tribes- Web3 infrastructureAvailWebsite: www.availproject.orgX: @AvailProjectTelegram: t.me/AvailCommunityAnurag ArjunX: @anuragarjunLinkedIn: Anurag Arjun ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50

Ethan Buchman is Co-founder of Cosmos, CEO of Informal Systems, and Founder Cycles Protocol Ethan is a leading figure in blockchain technology and has worked at the Interchain Foundation, Tendermint, and his consultancy CoinCulture CryptoConsulting.His academic background in Biophysics from the University of Guelph informs his interdisciplinary approach, evident in his research contributions across institutions like the University of California, San Francisco. Ethan's innovative mindset and expertise continue to drive advancements in decentralized systems.In this conversation, we discuss:- Blockchains' killer app is money- What is money? To denominate and discharge debt- The history of money and blockchain- Cycles protocol- The inception of Cosmos ecosystem- Community computers - the ethos of blockchain- Collaborative Finance, blockchain's missing promise- Money isn't just about storing value; it's about accounting and exchange- Traditional banking's power lies in clearing debts- Clearing more debt with less money- Crypto in Canada and Ethereum in TorontoCosmosWebsite: cosmos.networkX: @cosmosTelegram: t.me/cosmosprojectEthan BuchmanX: @buchmansterLinkedIn: Ethan Buchman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.  PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.   PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions.  Code: CRYPTONEWS50  This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below:  PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50