Crypto ETFs: Trojan Horse or Big Win? - Austin Griffith, Mona El Isa, Peter Van Valkenburgh

In a world constantly torn by social division amplified by polarizing scissor statements throughout social media, Taiwan conducted a social experiment aimed at strengthening social unity while also embracing diversity. Plurality details how Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang and her collaborators achieved inclusive, technology-fueled growth that harnessed digital tools to provide an antidote to information chaos and warfare. The open-source book is living proof that present global challenges can be solved through democratic solutions that embody a decentralised ethos.We were joined by Audrey Tang and Glen Weyl, co-authors of Plurality, to discuss the social dynamics they studied and how technology can be used to unite rather than divide.Topics covered in this episode:How Audrey & Glen met and Plurality’s genesisAudrey’s journey from civic hacker to Taiwan’s Digital Affairs MinisterHow democracy is perceived around the worldEstablishing a co-creating mentalityScissor statements and how to avoid divisionHow Polis worksLeveraging Web3 to strengthen democracy & social collaborationDecentralised co-ownershipWeb3 governanceHuman facilitatorsEpisode links:Audrey Tang on TwitterGlen Weyl on TwitterPlurality Book on TwitterPlurality Institute on TwitterRadical xChangeSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

As more and more L2s launch promising to scale Ethereum, they end up competing for the same market share, userbase and liquidity. Apart from this harsh reality, crosschain interactions should be as seamless as possible in order to bridge different L2 ecosystems. Polygon envisions a scalable future in which various zero knowledge rollups post their proofs on an aggregation layer before settling on Ethereum, thus lowering latency and transaction costs as crosschain interactions take place expeditiously, without involving the L1 mainnet.We were joined by Sandeep Nailwal & Brendan Farmer, to discuss Polygon’s aggregation layer and how it aims to solve the current fragmentation of Ethereum L2 scaling solutions.Topics covered in this episode:Polygon’s ZK expansion and the acquisition of Mir ProtocolPolygon’s aggregation layerBlock building between different L2sShared sequencing & asynchronous sequencingSecurity guarantees of the aggregation layerSequencer decentralisation & censorship resistanceChains using Polygon’s aggregation layerPessimistic proofsCan optimistic rollups be included in the aggregation layer?Type 1 prover and Plonky3The evolution of ZKP systemsEnsuring ZK rollup integrityThe future of scalabilityEpisode links:Sandeep Nailwal on TwitterBrendan Farmer on TwitterPolygon on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

In a world where a handful of (centralised) entities hold the majority of staked Ethereum (either directly or via delegation), the network’s decentralisation and security might be in peril. While there are multiple proposals being discussed to address this pressing matter, from reducing issuance after a certain breakpoint (~30% of total ETH being staked) to introducing more severe slashing for colluding entities, education and guidance remain paramount. EthStaker is a community led project whose goal is to guide, educate, support and offer resources for stakers, in order to lower the barrier of entry for solo stakers.We were joined by Superphiz & Nixorokish, to discuss the current Ethereum staking landscape and what challenges need to be addressed to ensure the network’s decentralisation and security.Topics covered in this episode:Superphiz’ & Nixorokish’ backgroundsEthereum staking evolutionStaking optionsLiquid stakingCentralization risksIncentivizing solo stakingLowering ETH issuance proposal & network securitySolo stakersHow a healthy staking ecosystem looks likeThe importance of client diversitySocio-political collusionMisc.Episode links:Superphiz on TwitterNixorokish on TwitterEthStaker on TwitterEthStakerSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

One could argue that psychedelic research has experienced a similar journey as crypto, in the sense that decentralised communities bound together to fund research where centralised entities refuse to do so. One of the greatest hurdles in modern science is access to research funding, and DeSci aims to provide a solution through decentralised crowdfunding. In addition, IP rights are incontestably attributed with the help of blockchain technology, as they cannot be altered at a later date. However, as the human mind is unique and moulded by each individual’s life story, establishing a causal relationship between consumption and their beneficial or detrimental effects can be extremely biased.We were joined by Dima Buterin & Paul Kohlhaas, to discuss the vast subject of psychedelics (especially in relationship to trauma), how research has progressed and how decentralisation pushes the field forward (DeSci).Topics covered in this episode:Dima’s & Paul’s backgroundsDiscovering psychedelicsDealing with traumaPsychedelics throughout history and societiesHow Molecule DAO was foundedDeSci & on-chain IPEthereum early days, causality & rationalityPsyDAONetwork statesMiscEpisode links:Dima Buterin on TwitterPaul Kohlhaas on TwitterMolecule DAO on TwitterPsy DAO on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.

The approval of Ethereum spot ETFs sent shockwaves through the industry as policymakers pivoted abruptly from threatening to veto FIT21 bill, to a pro-crypto discourse. One could say their hand was forced by the imminent US elections, but Ethereum is now officially classified as a commodity, nonetheless. As the regulatory hurdle seems, for the time being, surpassed, one should not forget the values promoted by the crypto movement from the get-go: decentralisation and permissionlessness. However, everyday users tend to overlook these aspects in favour of a more streamlined user experience. As technology evolves and scaling solutions mature, better UI & UX represent crucial goals in the race for end user adoption.Topics covered in this episode:Crypto regulations: FIT21 & Tornado Cash trialEthereum spot ETFIs Ethereum a commodity or a security?Scaling solutions & end user adoptionThe importance of decentralisationHow Web3 lowers barriers of (permissionless) competitionRegulatory and legal hurdlesEducating ‘normies’ & UXTechnology: depoliticising moneyBerlin blockchain week & Dappcon 2024 wrap-upEpisode links:Austin Griffith on TwitterMona El Isa on TwitterPeter Van Valkenburgh on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst and Brian Fabian Crain.

The massive success of the recently approved spot Bitcoin ETF showed tremendous interest from large institutional players. Even despite negative takes in public appearances, behind the curtain, more and more ‘smart money’ accumulate $BTC, either directly or through ETF shares. The same is to be expected for Ethereum, yet uncertainty still looms due to its proof-of-stake consensus model and, ultimately, staking yield. While crypto natives quickly embraced both ETH staking as well as liquid staking, institutions could not justify the higher risk profile and lack of regulatory compliance. Alluvial and Liquid Collective seek to change this and provide ultrasound infrastructure for enterprise-grade security in liquid staking. Topics covered in this episode:Mara’s backgroundETH 2.0 and the current staking landscapeLiquid CollectiveETH ETF and staking concernsThe risks of adjusting staking emissionsRestaking and new opportunitiesInstitutional staking and risk optimizationEpisode links:Mara Schmiedt on TwitterAlluvial on TwitterLiquid Collective on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch.

5 years, 20 Grants, 3715 projects crowd-funded and over $60M raised towards public goods funding, from 4.2M unique donations. Gitcoin’s headline numbers are indicative of the massive success their quadratic funding (QF) and public goods funding models (PGF) have seen over the years. With Gitcoin 2.0, crowd-funding is further decentralised, Allo Protocol being open-source and permissionless: any ecosystem treasury can create their own Gitcoin Grants program to help their community fund what matters to them.Topics covered in this episode:Kevin’s background and Gitcoin’s journey so farThe utility of Gitcoin PassportGitcoin Grants sybil protection dilemmaPublic goods & capital allocationQuadratic funding (QF) & retroactive public goods funding (RPGF)New allocation models introduced by Gitcoin 2.0$GTC token utility & decentralising Allo ProtocolThe current landscape of DAOsEpisode links:Kevin Owocki on TwitterGitcoin on TwitterGitcoin Governance ForumsSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

The initial scaling roadmap for Ethereum featured execution layer sharding. However, the rapid advancements of layer 2 scaling solutions in general, and zero knowledge proofs in particular, caused a restructuring of the original plan. The reason was that rollups would have required less changes made to Ethereum’s base layer, hence lower risks. On the other hand, Near Protocol was designed from the ground up as a sharded system, capable of withstanding billions of transactions simultaneously, without sacrificing decentralisation or security.Topics covered in this episode:Illia’s & Alex’s backgroundsSharding and blockchain scalabilityChallenges of building a sharded blockchainNear namespaceShard security & validator samplingStateless validation and data availabilityState witnesses and chunk producersBlock productionShards vs. RollupsHow Near could further improveLeaderless chunk productionChain abstractionEpisode links:Illia Polosukhin on TwitterAlex Skidanov on TwitterNear Protocol on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Meher Roy.

Long regarded as an impending black swan, Tether has successfully weathered out the contagion and bank runs caused by Luna’s collapse in the depths of the 2022-2023 bearmarket. Since then, a large portion of Tether’s reserves has been shifted to treasury bills, which are the closest dollar proxy, positioning Tether among the top 20 holders of T-bills, worldwide. However, navigating the Tether FUD was not the first rodeo for Paolo Ardoino, as he has also previously led Bitfinex, which successfully recovered after a $72M hack, back in 2016. The worldwide adoption of USDT, especially in emerging markets and developing economies, serves as a testament to Tether’s commitment to create a product with tangible real-life applications.Topics covered in this episode:Paolo’s backgroundHow Bitfinex succeededDEX vs. CEX UXEntrepreneurship and company cultureFounding Tether and its use casesExpanding Tether’s cross-chain supportTether’s reserves and long-term visionStablecoin wars: BUSD & USDCDecentralized stablecoins and bank runsThe potential of diversifying physical backingHolepunch & Keet - the P2P renaissanceIncentivising P2P interactionsEpisode links:Paolo Ardoino on TwitterTether on TwitterBitfinex on TwitterHolepunch on TwitterKeet on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Friederike Ernst.

What started out as a plan to build prediction markets, Gnosis ended up building crucial Ethereum infrastructure and tooling. Safe is one of its many successes, which originated during the 2017 ICO mania, as a solution for managing the raised capital securely, via a multi-sig. Even back then, the multi-sig model was quickly adopted by the entire industry, as a gold standard for asset security. Smart accounts and ERC-4337 represent the next step towards mass-adoption, through achieving a Web2-like UX.Topics covered in this episode:Lukas’ background and how Safe was foundedBitcoin vs. Ethereum multi-sigsSmart accounts & ERC-4337Safe’s design phylosohpySafe CORE, SDK & APISafe wallet UXExpanding cross-chain supportSafe account recoveryOpSecSafe’s smart contract securityGnosis ecosystem evolutionEpisode links:Lucas Schor on TwitterSafe on TwitterGnosis DAO on TwitterGnosis Chain on TwitterGnosis Pay on TwitterSponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at - gnosis.ioChorus1: Chorus1 is one of the largest node operators worldwide, supporting more than 100,000 delegators, across 45 networks. The recently launched OPUS allows staking up to 8,000 ETH in a single transaction. Enjoy the highest yields and institutional grade security at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture.