Captured live at Cosmoverse 2025, this episode brings host Sebastian in conversation with Michael (better known as Cryptocito, Cosmos investor via Cito Ventures) and Magnus (@0xMagmar, Co-CEO Cosmos Labs). Against a backdrop of institutional gravitas, central banks mingling alongside Revolut executives, the conversation traces Cosmos' arc across five Cosmoverses, from Medellín's raw developer fervor to the polished, enterprise-oriented event unfolding here. It's a marker of the ecosystem's maturation, one that demands Cosmos "grow up" to weave itself into the fabric of global finance, governance, and economies beyond its insular origins.Magnus lays out Cosmos Labs' forward path: Systematically acquiring and refining homegrown innovations, such as the EVM rebuild over six months into a core stack component and consolidating privacy primitives from projects like Secret Network and Penumbra into seamless, enterprise-grade tools. These advancements, long championed by Cosmos builders, now stand ready for institutional adoption. On quantum threats, enterprises show little concern for now, but the panel underscores blockchains' unique vulnerabilities: Unlike centralized systems, they require broad coordination for upgrades, where Bitcoin's inertia pales against Cosmos' app-chain flexibility, allowing isolated chain overhauls without dragging down the broader network, a resilience Ethereum lacks. Topics covered in this episode:0:00 Introduction & Cosmoverse Vibe Check2:30 Reflections on Five Cosmoverses6:45 Ecosystem Maturation: Grassroots to Institutional Focus11:20 Cosmos Labs' Roadmap: Unifying Privacy & EVM Innovations16:50 Building Cohesive Stack Features for Enterprises22:15 Privacy Tools: Secret Network, Penumbra, and Nym27:40 Quantum Computing Threats & Blockchain Vulnerabilities33:10 Coordination Challenges: Hard Forks vs. App-Chain Modularity38:25 Sovereign Day Argentina: CBDC & Gov Sovereignty Summit43:50 Leadership Adaptation & Community Inclusion49:20 Future Vision: Cosmos as Global Finance Enabler54:00 Closing Thoughts & Event ShoutoutsEpisode links: - Michael (@Cryptocito) (https://x.com/Cryptocito )- Magnus (@0xMagmar) (https://x.com/0xMagmar)- Gnosis (https://gnosis.io/)- Epicenter - All Episodes (https://epicenter.tv/)- Cosmoverse 2025 (https://cosmoverse.org/)Sponsors: - Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/
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Yield Basis: Disrupting Defi & Bitcoin Yield
Brian Fabian Crain and Michael Egorov, Curve Finance founder, discuss Curve's origins: solving inefficient DAI/USDC swaps after MakerDAO borrows by creating a DeFi AMM for stablecoins and LSTs. It hit 1M TVL with a bonding curve concentrating liquidity at 1:1, more effective for pegged assets than Uniswap. Features grew to include BTC wrappers, stETH pairs, and crvUSD (a CDP stablecoin with reversible liquidations & a peg-keeper). Governance uses veCRV: Locking CRV grants voting power proportional to lock duration, a mechanism now refined in Yield Basis. Yield Basis solves impermanent loss in volatile pools (e.g., BTC/crvUSD). Users deposit BTC; the protocol borrows crvUSD, pairs it at 2x leverage (50% debt/equity), and uses LP tokens as collateral. This gives 1:1 asset tracking, while fees accrue from auto-rebalancing arbitrage. Simulations show 20%+ APY (may decline as BTC volatility drops) under a $50B TVL cap. It complements Curve by directing veCRV incentives to crvUSD pools, enhancing liquidity, fees, and DAO revenues. Key considerations: manual migrations, deterring forks, and dev support to scale. Topics Discussed 00:00 Introduction to Curve Finance and YieldBases 02:24 Understanding Curve's Unique Mechanisms 07:58 The Concept of veTokenomics 15:27 Lessons Learned from Building Curve 22:20 Exploring YieldBasis and Its Innovations 29:47 Understanding Yield Basis and Collateralization 32:25 Navigating Market Volatility and Liquidation Events 35:32 Metrics and Performance Insights of Yield Basis 38:35 Scaling Yield Basis: Future Directions 40:33 Yield Expectations and Market Dynamics 43:12 Potential Growth and Liquidity Challenges 46:18 Expanding to Other Chains and Governance Tokens 49:35 The Symbiotic Relationship with Curve 54:31 Upcoming Milestones and Future Developments Links Mentioned Michael Egorov on X Curve Finance Yield Basis Gnosis Epicenter - All Episodes SponsorsGnosis: Building decentralized infrastructure since 2015. With Gnosis Pay, the first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power at gnosis.io This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.
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Lamina1: Building The Future of The Creator Economy
Sci-fi titan Neal Stephenson, whose Snow Crash coined the term 'metaverse' and Cryptonomicon, which foreshadowed crypto in 1999, joins Friederike to discuss his "hard sci-fi" method: building immersive, consistent worlds, not prophecy. He's now co-founder of Lamina1, aiming to restore Web1's ethos and give creators IP sovereignty with direct micropayments, breaking free from Web2's "walled gardens."Neal unpacks Web3's promise like "intent-casting" flipping ad models while citing its critical traps: abysmal UX, criminal stigma, and the "soul-crushing" risk of just upgrading incumbent systems.Spotlighting Lamina 1's game "Artifact," he argues Web3's true success will be measured when the technology becomes invisible and safe, proving its value by restoring sovereignty to its users and creators, rather than through speculative hype.Topics discussed in this episode:(00:00) Introduction to Decentralization and Blockchain(01:20) The Role of Storytelling in Technology Prediction(03:48) The Balance of Optimism and Pessimism in Fiction(06:27) Web3: Promises and Pitfalls(08:36) The Evolution of the Web: From Decentralization to Centralization(13:37) Metrics for a Decentralized Web(15:55) Lamina One: A New Vision for the Metaverse(23:44) Creating a Financial Layer for the Creator Economy(25:08) Legal Implications of Smart Contracts(27:38) The Strength of Smart Contracts(31:04) Decentralization vs. Centralization in the Creator Economy(36:21) The Decline of Centralized Platforms(41:23) Financialization and the Creative Economy(45:47) The Future of Web3 and User Experience(51:17) Potential Failure Modes of Web3Links mentioned in this episode: Neal Stephenson, Co-founder Lamina1: https://x.com/nealstephenson Lamina 1: https://lamina1.com/home Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at gnosis.io This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.
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Is Blockchain Still a Revolution or Becoming Another Upgrade? Ep.621
As blockchain tech gets co-opted by legacy players for efficiency gains, has the revolution lost its edge? Crypto philosopher Paul Dylan-Ennis and Jito's Head of Governance, Dr. Nick Almond, join Friederike to probe this shift from 2017's visionary DAOs to today's Telegram-negotiated votes and whale capture. Rooted in philosophy and complex systems, they unpack mind-hacking risks via data micro-targeting, the polycentric bulwarks (full nodes, prediction markets) shielding against cultural flips, and why epistemic tools could fortify crypto against real-world censorship. Their call: Reclaim the ethos through event evangelism and normie outreach for grassroots empowerment.Topics discussed in this episode:0:00 - Introduction1:32 - Nick's journey: Physics to DAOs3:59 - Paul's path: Philosophy to crypto counterculture5:54 - Crypto's shift from niche to incumbent tool7:37 - Governance as crypto's "soul"10:54 - Early DAOs vs. today's backroom reality11:45 - Diluted ideas & human workarounds1:03:44 - Elevating better leaders & social consensus tools1:05:05 - Hacking minds: Post-ideological vs. cypherpunk1:07:21 - Polycentric defenses & full node bedrock1:10:50 - Advice: Evangelize at events & outreach to normiesLinks mentioned in this episode:Dr. Nick Almond, Head of Governance at JitoPaul Dylan-Ennis, Crypto PhilosopherSponsors: - 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 This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.
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Brave: Building the Private User-Friendly Internet - Kyle Den Hartog
Brave has spent a decade building a privacy-first browser that empowers users with tools like ad-blocking and fingerprinting protection, now serving 100 million monthly active users. Security engineer Kyle Den Hartog joins Friederike to unpack the centralization traps in digital identity from email's spam-driven dominance to one-size-fits-all DeFi lending rates and how Brave counters them with BAT's user-rewarding ad model, zero-knowledge personalization, and wallets that act as privacy guardians. Kyle warns of on-chain transparency's risks to consumer behavior, advocates for intent-based "vendor relationship management" advertising, and draws historical lessons on censorship's chilling effects amid rising regulations like EU chat controls. He shares Brave's vision for seamless private payments and user-controlled algorithms to reclaim the open web from Big Tech monopolies.Topics discussed in this episode:IntroductionKyle's background in security and identityWhy identity and privacy matterThe history and centralization of digital identityEmail as a cautionary tale for decentralizationBrave's privacy-first vision and 100M usersBAT: Rewarding users for attentionChallenges and evolutions in Brave's ad modelZero-knowledge for intent-based adsBrave Wallet: Privacy by defaultOn-chain privacy pitfalls and wallet solutionsBrowser wallets vs. built-in securityCensorship, regulations, and history's lessonsFixing social media algorithmsBrave's 5-year visionLinks mentioned in the episode: Kyle Den Hartog, Security Engineer at Brave: https://x.com/PryvitKyleBrave Browser: https://brave.com/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 This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.
Über Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies
Epicenter brings you in-depth conversations about the technical, economic and social implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Every week, we interview business leaders, engineers academics and entrepreneurs, and bring you a diverse spectrum of opinions and points of view.
Epicenter is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain, Friederike Ernst, Meher Roy and Felix Lutsch. Since 2014, our episodes have been downloaded over 8 million times.
Höre Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies, IMPERIUM und viele andere Podcasts aus aller Welt mit der radio.at-App
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