#515 Elias Simos: Rated Network – Reputation for Machines = Transparent Blockchain Infrastructure

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Elias Simos: Rated Network - Reputation for Machines = Transparent Blockchain Infrastructure. Ep 515

Blockchains are, by default, public ledgers containing every transaction recorded by the network. While this ensures transparency, it also violates users’ privacy once an address is linked to an entity. Apart from creating additional risk for self-custody, institutions are also limited by what they can publicly share on a blockchain. As a result, there is great demand and utility for on-chain, compliant privacy, which still requires KYC (& KYT), but protects them through cryptographic constructs. Zero knowledge proofs attest computational integrity, allowing for transactions to be bundled together and their correctness verified, without revealing each individual interaction. 

We were joined by Anish Mohammed, co-founder & CTO of Panther Protocol, to discuss the importance of compliant privacy for on-chain transactions, powered by zero knowledge technology.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Anish’s background
- Panther’s value proposition
- UX & on-chain privacy
- Panther’s multi-asset shielded pool architecture
- KYC & KYT
- Shielded zones and transactions
- Zone administrator
- Address mapping
- Roadmap & Panther mainnet
- Target audience & adoption
- Fee model & tokenomics

Links mentioned in this episode: 
- Anish Mohammed on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3UZMpMa
- Panther Protocol on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3T1GpA1

Sponsors: 
- 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.io - 
- Chorus1: Chorus One 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.one -

This episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/537

#537 Anish Mohammed: Panther Protocol – Zero-Knowledge Compliant Privacy in DeFi

Credit is a widely used term, which could essentially be summarised as “more capital so you can do whatever you want”. In DeFi, there are numerous ways of getting exposure to an asset in a leveraged manner: from looping to perpetuals and margin trading, the possibilities are endless (especially when you also account for synthetic versions). Gearbox Protocol aims to create a universal, composable, on-chain ‘credit layer’, through credit account abstraction. This approach simultaneously addresses three concerns: liquidity, security and, ultimately, user experience (UX).

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Mikael’s and Ivan’s backgrounds
- Composable leverage explained
- Leveraged staking
- Gearbox credit account
- Managing smart contract risk
- Quotas and rate limits
- Leveraged restaking
- Governance and safety parameters
- Scaling Gearbox
- Fee structure

Links mentioned in this episode: 
- Mikael Lazarev on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3xazNIn
- Ivan on Twitter: https://bit.ly/4cljGYu
- Gearbox Protocol on Twitter: https://bit.ly/4cwWiYj

Sponsors: 
- 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.io - 
- Chorus1: Chorus One 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.one -

This episode is hosted by Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/540

#540 Ivan & Mikael Lazarev: Gearbox Protocol – DeFi Is Boring, Let's Reinvent Credit'

Market makers help create more efficient markets and liquid order books, by positioning themselves on the receiving end of a trade that other market participants are unwilling to fill. Quantitative analysis is crucial in determining their position and size. Wintermute defines itself as a tech-first company that also became one of the largest spot market making firms in Web3. From angel investing in Web2, to market making in Web3, Yoann Turpin (co-founder of Wintermute) has a vast experience in both tech products & financial markets. He shares what differentiates good traders and how he approaches investing, trading and market making.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Yoann’s background and his interest in trading
- The ever-changing trading landscape
- Wintermute’s genesis
- Trading vs. Investing vs. Market Making
- What defines a good trader
- On-chain trading vs. CEX trading
- How Wintermute succeeded
- Wintermute culture
- rsync blockbuilder
- Longterm predictions
- AI impact
- Misc. Learning new languages

Links mentioned in this episode: 
- Yoann Turpin on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3PHUAcA
- Wintermute on Twitter: https://bit.ly/49c67YI

Sponsors: 
- 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.io - 
- Chorus1: Chorus One 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.one -

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/541

#541 Yoann Turpin: Wintermute – Avoid These Trading Mistakes! Secrets of a Market Maker

As more and more protocols compete for marketshare, user acquisition represents one of the most important elements of the GTM strategy. Web3 projects, through their governance tokens, can incentivise users directly to participate in meaningful activities for each protocol, subsidising their revenue generation through vested upside in the project. Turtle Club built the first distribution protocol of Web3, helping its users maximise their rewards they get for meaningful on-chain activities that help bootstrap projects.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Esfandiar’s background
- The evolution of DeFi
- Yield sustainability in DeFi
- DeFi vs. TradFi
- Quantifying risk
- Main blockers for DeFi adoption
- On-chain transparency or privacy?
- What is missing in DeFi?
- Genesis story of Turtle Club
- How Turtle Club users accrue rewards

Links mentioned in this episode: 
- Esfandiar Lagevardi on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/415wA82
- Turtle Club on X: https://bit.ly/3CRZQY4

Sponsors: 
- 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.io - 
- Chorus1: Chorus One 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.one -

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/586

#586 Esfandiar Lagevardi: Turtle Club – Helping Web3 Users Monetize Their On-Chain Activity

Blockchain technology continues to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the digital asset ecosystem. Today, we're witnessing a fascinating convergence where decentralized finance protocols are being integrated into user-friendly platforms, making sophisticated financial tools accessible to everyday users.

One of the most significant developments in this space is the ability to leverage crypto assets without selling them—unlocking liquidity while maintaining exposure to potential appreciation. Coinbase has recently launched a groundbreaking product that allows customers to borrow USDC against their Bitcoin holdings in under a minute, all powered by onchain lending protocols.

I'm delighted to welcome Max Branzburg, Vice President of Product at Coinbase, to discuss this innovation. As a key architect of Coinbase's product strategy, Max has been instrumental in developing solutions that make crypto utility more tangible for millions of users. Today, we'll explore how Bitcoin-backed loans represent a pivotal step in Coinbase's vision for onchain financial services, the technical infrastructure making this possible, and what this means for the future of personal finance.

The financial system is moving on-chain: How Coinbase is bridging traditional banking and crypto

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Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sebastien Couture and Meher Roy. Every week, we find the most interesting people in the industry for in-depth discussions about their projects, ideas and stories.

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