Michael Saylor's BTC-Backed STRC Is Coming For A $300T Market

Chaitanya Jain (CJ) works on the Bitcoin team at Strategy.Most people know Strategy for its outspoken BTC bull CEO Michael Saylor and second, for buying billions in BTC, but more of you ought to learn about the financial instruments they've engineered, backed by BTC as digital capital that appreciates over time.In this episode, CJ breaks down how Strategy’s flagship STRC works, a perpetual preferred stock with a stable $100 price and 11.5% annual yield paid monthly in tax-deferred cash dividends. We dive into the ambitious plans at Strategy to target a $300 trillion fixed income market with STRC and how that could impact the price of BTC long term. We also dive into how DeFi teams are already tokenizing STRC to bring it onchain.------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🏦 ALTURA | Bringing the yield institutions kept, to your wallet🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro2:46 - CJ’s background and role at Strategy7:23 - What Strategy actually does with Bitcoin10:40 - Why Strategy chose to offer perpetual preferred equity14:58 - Which Strategy instrument is most senior?16:44 - How AI helped design Strategy instruments19:18 - What is STRC? Stable price, 11.5% yield, monthly dividends23:23 - Where does STRC yield actually come from?26:14 - ATM program for raising capital to buy more BTC29:21 - How does STRC enable Strategy to accumulate BTC in the bear36:49 - STRC could serve $300T fixed income market + the impact on BTC41:48 - Difference between MSTR vs STRC investors44:36 - Who is buying STRC right now?47:04 - Teams tokenizing STRC for DeFi51:41 - What are the real risks for STRC?55:00 - Would Strategy ever sell BTC?57:50 - Why STRC is Strategy’s “iPhone moment”1:01:55 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Strategy website: https://strategy.com/► Strategy on X: https://x.com/strategy► CJ on X: https://x.com/cj_bitcoin------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad and Nomatic both have BTC exposure.

Matthew Fisher is CEO of Katana.Many L2s have launched, hoping the apps show up. Katana is taking a different approach, building apps itself and designing the economic engine from day one to make this all possible.In this episode, Matthew breaks down how vaultbridge assets like vbETH and vbUSDT redirect real yield from Ethereum Mainnet to active DeFi participants on Katana, why they acquired the team behind IDEX to launch Katana Perps, and their roadmap to onboard major liquidity from CEXs like OKX and fintechs like Revolut who can route liquidity through Katana for yield.------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🏦 ALTURA | Bringing the yield institutions kept, to your wallet🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro2:04- Matthew’s background in DeFi6:24 - Katana’s origin story10:25 - vbTokens and why yield goes to DeFi participants, not holders12:00 - How the vaultbridge actually works with Morpho on Ethereum17:38 - Vitalik’s L2 comments and Ethereum alignment21:50 - How Katana can win over users as a DeFi hub25:12 - IDEX acquisition and Katana Perps launch28:06 - 5 revenue-generating businesses for one network30:55 - Built for both retail and institutions32:51 - ve(3,3) flywheel at the network level on Katana44:35 - KAT vs vKAT vs avKAT48:08 - OKX Earn and Binance programs powered by Katana52:29 - Katana’s endgame to tap into fintech liquidity54:32 - Why Katana is strategically aligned with Polygon59:20 - What Matthew's most excited for in 6-12 months1:01:26 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Katana website: https://katana.network/► Katana on X: https://x.com/katana► Katana Perps website: https://perps.katana.network/► Katana Perps on X: https://x.com/katanaperps► Matthew on X: https://x.com/mfisher10x------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad earned ~$500 of KAT in the airdrop and voluntarily staked it as avKAT in a demo edited into the pod. Katana has been a sponsor of The Edge Podcast but we do not accept paid guest slots. We believe Katana has an interesting story given its use of vbAssets and ve(3,3) mechanics at the network level.

Nick Forster is CoFounder and CEO of Derive.Every year since 2021, we've said onchain options would be huge, but it's never played out, until now. Derive has captured 90-95% of onchain options volume while competitors all died or pivoted to perps. The inflection point has arrived.In this episode, Nick explains why he stayed the course building the hardest product in DeFi, how Yieldmageddon is bullish for the growth of options, and why institutional funds are now turning to onchain options for yield generation. The thesis was right. The timing was just early. And the network effects now make Derive's moat nearly impossible to replicate.------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro2:27 - Why Nick bet on onchain options in 20214:10 - Derive is the largest onchain options exchange5:28 - Building “the infinite payoff factory”11:59 - Why not pivot to perps when everyone else did14:00 - The inflection point: What changed in the last year16:37 - How RFQ (request for quote) works for institutional size18:04 - Yieldmageddon, the end of the basis trade and TVL deals22:19 - Vaults and structured products being built on Derive24:17 - Is there an LP pool-style product being built for Derive?25:17 - From Lyra's AMM to Derive's CLOB28:20 - What options markets are live today?29:09 - Which networks Derive supports via its appchain30:26 - HYPE options driving new growth31:36 - What if Hyperliquid launched options?35:53 - Why options markets have stronger network effects39:17 - Will Derive support RWA options markets?44:14 - Who trades on Derive?46:13 - Growth charts: From 0.15% to significant market share48:43 - Why options are countercyclical51:09 - DRV token: All value flows through the token55:08 - The story behind Synthetix’s acquisition proposal57:43 - How big can Derive grow in options trading?1:00:27 - What's next?1:02:03 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Derive website: https://derive.xyz/► Derive on X: https://x.com/derivexyz► Nick on X: https://x.com/itseneff------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Arpan Gautam is the Founder of Noon.After years at McKinsey and Goldman, Arpan was led to build institutional-grade yield products in DeFi. Noon now delivers one of the highest performing stablecoin yields (9% APY the last 30 days) while DeFi's biggest competitors sit at 4-6%.In this episode, we cover:+ How Noon's multi-strategy yield engine combines DeFi, CeFi, and TradFi to outperform competitors+ Why private credit, leverage looping, and institutional access remove the gatekeepers on high-yield products+ What institutions actually want: yield, infrastructure, and risk management+ Noon's newly launched tBTC yield vaults------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:27 - Arpan’s background3:58 - Why choose to build in DeFi7:58 - What institutions want: Yield, infrastructure, and risk management14:08 - Retail vs. institutional: Navigating the changing DeFi landscape18:05 - What is Noon? “The highest, safest stablecoin yield”23:57 - Evolving beyond self-reported transparency dashboards27:29 - Noon's multi-strategy yield engine: DeFi, CeFi, and TradFi32:53 - How Noon achieves 9%+ yields: Removing gatekeepers and accessing institutional products36:44 - Private credit exposure and why the risk is acceptable for Noon41:31 - New Noon tBTC yields and strategies44:41 - NOON token launch: transferability, staking, and LP vault50:02 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Noon website: https://noon.capital/► Noon on X: https://x.com/noon_capital► Arpan on X: https://x.com/ag_noon------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. Noon has been a sponsor of The Edge Podcast but we do not do paid guest slots. We believe Noon has a compelling story to spotlight given their standout yield products.

Felipe Montealegre is the Founder and CIO of Theia.A liquid crypto investment fund explains why they believe the four-year token bear market is coming to an end and how they're deploying capital. Felipe explains why his team concluded 99% of crypto tokens, excluding a few SoV tokens, should be valued on discounted cash flows and how that view kept them out of certain overvalued L1s and L2s. Plus, more on positioning for what Felipe calls "the best opportunities in four years!"In this episode, we cover:+ Why the bear market is ending: reasonable valuations, tokenholder rights, and revenue growth+ Understanding Edge vs. Brier scores: why being contrarian and right beats just being right+ The real bottleneck for RWAs: the need for financially sophisticated underwriters, not more engineers------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro2:00 - Who is Theia?4:02 - AI tools accelerating research10:37 - How Felipe’s team applies mental models to investing18:46 - The 4-year token bear market and why it was necessary24:15 - Tokenholder rights: What they are and why they matter28:37 - Thoughts on Across token buyout32:08 - Signs the token bear market is ending35:23 - Do you believe in the four-year cycle?39:19 - What is MetaDAO and futarchy?49:56 - What Theia looks for in liquid token investments56:18 - "Bear markets are where you make all your money"58:12 - Making the case to invest in high integrity founders1:01:14 - Real RWAs vs. narrative RWAs1:04:40 - The real RWA bottleneck: Why we need underwriters, not engineers1:06:35 - The investment manager of the future1:11:28 - Why major VCs are pivoting away from crypto1:16:57 - Brier vs Edge: Why being contrarian and right beats being right1:21:25 - How to find edge when DeFi is full of duopolies1:26:35 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Theia and Felipe on X: https://x.com/TheiaResearch► Theia Mental Models: https://www.latticeworkofmentalmodels.com/------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Hart Lambur is the CoFounder of Across.We host a timely new discussion on the reasoning behind the first ever major token buyout in DeFi, a proposal to convert ACX tokenholders into equity shareholders of a traditional private company for Across. Hart explains how the $25M treasury would finance the buyout, and the vision for Across's future as stablecoin infrastructure where "$1 equals $1" and users pay nothing to move money across chains.In this episode, we cover:+ Why the token model isn't working: DAO governance challenges and misaligned incentives+ How the buyout works: token-to-equity conversion, and who can participate+ The new business model: Free stablecoin movement powered by intents, with issuers paying fees instead of users------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:27 - Hart’s background with Risk Labs4:46 - Big announcement: Across token buyout proposal9:13 - How the token buyout works: rolling into a private entity10:58 - History of the ACX token: Why it launched and what wasn't working14:26 - High FDV tokens and broken markets18:54 - Token governance challenges20:13 - ACX token ownership: DAO, investors, and retail breakdown24:32 - Token to equity conversion25:35 - $25M Across treasury will finance the buyout28:38 - New business: Making stablecoin movement free for users36:09 - Why DAOs struggle with B2B contracts vs private companies40:39 - How the new business works between Across and stablecoin issuers42:28 - What are intents and how they power Across's "$1 = $1" vision45:58 - Three paths to success47:30 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Across website: https://across.to/► Across proposal: https://forum.across.to/t/the-bridge-across/2097► Hart's thoughts on token buyout: https://x.com/hal2001/status/2031737518505537907?s=20► Across on X: https://x.com/AcrossProtocol► Hart on X: https://x.com/hal2001------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Davide Crapis is an AI Lead at the Ethereum Foundation.AI agents are already choosing which blockchains to use. Davide Crapis, AI Lead at the Ethereum Foundation, explains why Ethereum is building the infrastructure to win them over and what the internet of agents looks like in the near future.In this episode, we cover:+ Why AI agents are rational actors when choosing chains+ From experiment to infrastructure: How ERC-8004 creates the railway for agent economies+ Ethereum's most underappreciated advantage: ZK protocols for verification and privacy+ The future of agents hiring each other with onchain payments------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:21 - Davide’s background5:10 - AI doomers vs. reality: Separating signal from noise in AI discourse12:18 - What is the dAI team at the Ethereum Foundation?13:32 - What is an AI agent?15:42 - Which blockchain will AI agents choose? (and why Ethereum)19:14 - Would AI agents ever design their own blockchain?21:37 - The AI agent mania, from memecoins to infra25:38 - Explaining ERC-8004, agent-to-agent commerce31:03 - Identity and reputation for AI agents34:54 - Thoughts on OpenClaw mania37:55 - Top use cases for AI agents on Ethereum39:58 - Ethereum's most underappreciated advantage for AI 41:16 - What matters when agents are the primary users?46:22 - What does the internet of agents look like 5 years from now?49:27 - How AI agents will change the UI we use today52:12 - The future of AI coordination on Ethereum55:23 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Davide's personal website: https://davidecrapis.notion.site/► Davide Crapis on X: https://x.com/davidecrapis► ERC-8004 proposal for trustless agents: https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-8004------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast.

Gil Santos is Lead Quant at Credora, and Marcin Kazmierczak is CoFounder of RedStone, which recently acquired Credora.We dig into why DeFi desperately needs credit ratings, how Credora is building them, and why this is the missing piece for institutional capital to flow onchain. Gil explains the problem: DeFi has transparency of transactions but opacity when it comes to risk. You can see every trade onchain, but you can't tell if a Morpho vault is genuinely safer than another. Credora is building the Moody's and S&P for DeFi—real-time, dynamic risk ratings that update as market conditions change.In this episode, we cover:+ Why DeFi needs a ratings protocol ($10B rated, 80% Morpho TVL coverage)+ The L2Beat parallel: Raising standards for the industry+ How Credora ratings work: assessment from collateral → markets → vaults+ 2026 vision: Stablecoins to $1T, fintechs offering rated yields to retail------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:26 - Gil’s background 3:28 - RedStone’s acquisition of Credora5:48 - Problems in DeFi: Risk, trust, and information asymmetry9:26 - The history of credit ratings in TradFi15:17 - What is Credora for DeFi?16:39 - How do Credora ratings work?19:54 - Rating scale in crypto vs. TradFi22:08 - Probability of significant loss: What the ratings actually measure27:19 - How Credora makes money without compromising credibility31:55 - How vault curators opt in to ratings (and Morpho's role)36:19 - How much is automated? Dynamic ratings vs. human oversight38:09 - Rating RWAs, derivatives, and tokenized commodities41:11 - Why Credora won't become the "big bad ratings agency"44:29 - Institutions coming onchain and the L2Beat parallel47:53 - Institutions already demanding ratings48:44 - Credora revenue and RED tokenomics: Post-acquisition strategy51:00 - Long-term vision: Rating everything and raising standards51:53 - 2026: Fintechs, prediction markets, and onchain parameter updates53:57 - Why DeFi-mullet products could benefit from Credora57:18 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► Credora website: https://credora.network/► RedStone website: https://www.redstone.finance/► Credora on X: https://x.com/credoranetwork► RedStone on X: https://x.com/redstone_defi► Marcin on X: https://x.com/MarcinRedStone► Gil on X: https://x.com/gil_n_santos_------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad and Nomatic are investors in RedStone.

Gabriel Shapiro is a top legal expert in cryptoassets and tokenization, who is now Founder of MetaLeX, where he's building onchain legal entities and tokenized securities infrastructure.We dig into Vitalik's recent tweet about refocusing on Ethereum L1 scaling, why Ethereum's commitment to maximum decentralization matters, and the evolution of L2s. Then Gabriel dives into why you don't actually own your stock and how that figures into the emerging RWA sector. We explore why this system exists, why most RWA tokenization recreates the same broken intermediaries, and how MetaLeX is building true ownership onchain.In this episode, we cover:+ Why Ethereum is refocusing on L1 scaling and what it means for L2s+ The Cede & Co revelation: how stock ownership actually works+ Three tokenization philosophies (and why most recreate the problem)+ BORGs: Cybernetic organizations that merge legal entities with smart contracts+ Unbreachable legal agreements using private keys as legal authority+ How MetaLeX replaces Carta + AngelList + DocuSign atomically+ AI agents spinning up their own companies with legal personhood------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:54 - Vitalik’s viral tweet to refocus on scaling Ethereum L15:26 - Why did Ethereum move to L2s in the first place?8:54 - The decentralization vs. scale trade-off: Why L2s took a different path13:01 - If the trilemma is solved, have L2s lost leverage?14:37 - What this changing dynamic could mean for L2s18:16 - What is Stage 2 and why some L2s avoid it20:10 - The problems with RWA tokenization today22:21 - Why you don't actually own your stock26:13 - Why the system exists and the three ways to tokenize securities28:40 - Where Canton sits in the tokenization landscape32:19 - Custodial tokenization risk: How DTCC could influence hard forks34:54 - What is MetaLeX? And how we get to real ownership of RWAs onchain42:08 - What is a BORG? Cybernetic organizations explained43:42 - MetaLeX V2: Unbreachable legal agreements48:11 - Replacing Carta + AngelList + DocuSign + law firms atomically53:54 - Can agents spin up their own companies?58:34 - What drives Gabriel: Cyberpunk dreams1:03:18 - Next 12 months, progress towards Ethereum's true corporate finance layer1:06:23 - Robinhood's tokenized stocks approach1:11:21 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► MetaLeX website: https://metalex.tech/► Gabriel's 2018 post on Tokenizing Corporate Capital Stock: https://metalex.substack.com/p/tokenizing-corporate-capital-stock► MetaLeX on X: https://x.com/MetaLeX_Labs► Gabriel Shapiro on X: https://x.com/lex_node------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. Gabriel, DeFi Dad, and Nomatic all hold ETH.

Mike Silagadze is the CoFounder and CEO of ether.fi.Ether.fi is building crypto's own Revolut, a fully integrated banking experience that's self-custodial, with lower fees and higher rewards than traditional fintech. In Q4 2025, ether.fi Cash hit $126M in card spending, up 160% quarter over quarter, making it the largest non-custodial crypto card.Mike breaks down the business model (Stake, Liquid, Cash), how they survived October 10th with zero liquidations, and why 2026 is the year they go mainstream.In this episode, we cover:+ How Cash revenue is diversifying the business beyond ETH exposure+ Why they're not another DeFi casino+ $50M revenue in 2025, forecasting $100M+ in 2026+ Token holder rights and why value accrual must be enshrined+ Tokenized stocks and gold coming in March 2026------💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term⚔️ KATANA | Deep liquidity & real yield🏦 MANTLE | MNT is now live on Solana🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Intro1:25 - ether.fi's business model: Stake, Liquid, Cash2:30 - TVL vs revenue, what ether.fi optimizes for6:22 - How Cash is tripling revenue share and diversifying the business8:51 - How ETH price affects ether.fi's revenue10:25 - Digital asset treasury partnerships11:47 - How ether.fi survived Oct 10th with zero liquidations17:22 - ether.fi Cash hit $126M in spending Q4 (160% QoQ growth)19:35 - Why ether.fi is the largest non-custodial crypto card22:54 - Customer acquisition costs25:33 - Is the card business profitable on its own?26:29 - The $100B corporate card opportunity30:39 - Team of 38 employees, staying lean32:07 - 2025 revenue: $50M (up from $25M in 2024)34:31 - Token holder rights: Why value accrual must be enshrined41:03 - The buyback debate, why ether.fi does them anyway44:28 - What if BlackRock ever acquired ether.fi?48:47 - Going mainstream beyond DeFi (millions of users)50:18 - Vaults as essential infrastructure for a DeFi bank52:58 - Mr. Beast's neofinance app, competition or rising tide?54:17 - Tokenized stocks and gold coming in March 202657:10 - Closing------🔗 GUEST LINKS► ether.fi website: https://ether.fi/► Token Terminal ether.fi Q4 2025 Report: https://x.com/tokenterminal/status/2019121507331604772?s=20► ether.fi on X: https://x.com/ether_fi► Mike on X: https://x.com/mikesilagadze------🎙️ MORE FROM THE EDGE PODCAST AND EDGE NEWSLETTER► Newsletter: https://the-edge.xyz► Apple: https://tinyurl.com/edgepod► Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/edgepodspotify► Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edge_pod► Follow DeFi Dad: https://x.com/DeFi_Dad► Follow Nomatic: https://x.com/Nomaticcap► Learn DeFi: http://defidad.com/------DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad invested in the seed round for ether.fi.