Why Crypto is Africa’s Next Big Bet | James Zhang, Jambo

In this episode of Empire, Darren Langley (Rocketpool) and John Zettler (Coinbase) join us to discuss why liquid staking is taking over Ethereum. We start with the LSD landscape, how cbETH and Rocketpool approach product strategy, and Lido's dominance. Then we get into the real fun stuff. Darren and John explain the 2/3rd order effects of the Shanghai upgrade, how to drive on-chain liquidity, the evolving fee market and more. Liquid staking is poised to take over Ethereum - don’t miss out! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:45) The LSD market overview (13:34) Rocketpool’s focus on decentralization (16:44) Lido’s dominance (19:59) Coinbase’s partnership with Rocketpool (24:41) Shanghai predictions (33:55) Blockworks Research (40:55) A reshuffling of market share? (46:18) Driving on-chain liquidity (50:08) Fee markets and multi chain (57:00) Future outlook (1:02:44) Regulation (1:08:48) LSDs on L2s - - Follow John: https://twitter.com/JohnZettler Follow Darren: https://twitter.com/langerstwit Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources cbETH https://help.coinbase.com/en/coinbase/trading-and-funding/staking-rewards/cbeth Rocket Pool https://rocketpool.net/ https://twitter.com/Rocket_Pool Ethereum staking distribution dashboard https://dune.com/hildobby/eth2-staking - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

27 Feb 20231h 14min

In today's episode of Empire, we discuss Coinbase's journey to become the default gateway to crypto with their new L2. Jason and Santi delve into Coinbase's secret master plan, the impact of Base on Arbitrum and Optimism and the current state of on-chain creativity. Warning: we are bullish. We also cover the recent layoffs and reorgs at Polygon, the closure of Galois Capital, a new CBDC proposal and the misleading claims about Top Shot. Don't miss this episode, where we cover the top stories of the week! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:53) On-chain creativity is at an all-time high (07:04) Coinbase’s secret master plan (39:28) Blockworks Research (41:02) Trouble at Polygon? (46:18) Security is the #1 priority (50:02) Galois Capital shuts down (53:37) Arbitrum, CBDCs and Top Shot - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources The Myth of The Infrastructure Phase https://www.usv.com/writing/2018/10/the-myth-of-the-infrastructure-phase/ Empire's Base interview https://spoti.fi/3KGUIau The Coinbase Secret Master Plan https://www.coinbase.com/blog/the-coinbase-secret-master-plan Empire's Cosmos interview https://spoti.fi/41y0xgK - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

24 Feb 20231h 1min

Breaking News: Coinbase is launching an L2 on Ethereum called Base! Jesse and Will from Coinbase join us to discuss the news and paradigm shift for Coinbase. We explore why Coinbase is building Base, how Coinbase chose to use the OP tech stack, Base's value proposition, how Coinbase thinks about "competition" building on Base, if Base will have a token and more! -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:45) Base: Coinbase’s on-chain journey (05:02) Why build Base? (10:10) Leveraging the OP stack (19:10) Why now? (24:41) Base’s value proposition (35:27) Controlling the stack (41:10) Will Base have a token? (44:05) Building a bridge, not an island (46:54) What will Coinbase build on Base? (51:05) What is Base’s business model? (54:34) A culture shift and the on-chain future - - Follow Jesse: https://twitter.com/jessepollak Follow Will: https://twitter.com/willrobinson23 Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources The Coinbase Secret Master Plan https://www.coinbase.com/blog/the-coinbase-secret-master-plan - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

23 Feb 20231h 2min

In this episode of Empire, Pacman (Blur's founder) joins Jason and Santi to discuss how Blur, an NFT marketplace for professional traders, has revolutionized the NFT market. We discuss Blur's business strategy, vertical vs horizontal markets, the creator royalty debate, Blur vs OpenSea and more! This is one of my favorite episodes yet - Pacman is a giga brain. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:50) Blur’s Unique Design and NFT Strategy (09:23) Incentivizing Liquidity vs Volume (21:30) Blockworks Research (23:05) Thoughts on Uniswap's NFT Strategy (31:40) OpenSea’s Response to Blur (40:30) Blur’s Airdrop Strategy (47:55) Navigating Regulations (49:30) Creator Royalties (56:00) Blur’s Market Unlock - - Follow Pacman: https://twitter.com/PacmanBlur Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Blur https://blur.io/ https://twitter.com/BlurCrypto - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

21 Feb 20231h 3min

In today’s episode of Empire, we start with a deep regulatory discussion with Kristin Smith and Rebecca Rettig to explore Gary's attack on crypto. We cover the SEC's attack against Kraken and BUSD, tokens as securities, market implications, what to expect next and more! Santi and Jason co-pilot the last 25 minutes to discuss Blur's airdrop, the battle for NFT market share, the L2 wars and Flashbots' new MEV-Share product. This episode covers everything you need to know from this wild week! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:55) An attack on Stablecoins? (06:34) Kraken and staking services (10:22) Why is Gary gunning for crypto? (14:09) The Implications and path forward (27:37) What if tokens were deemed securities? (32:30) Blockworks Research (34:05) How should crypto companies respond? (40:22) Regulation segment recap (51:25) Blur's airdrop, OpenSea losing market share (59:10) L2 Wars, Flashbots MEV-Share, Sushi Studios - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Kristin: https://twitter.com/KMSmithDC Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Blockchain Association https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn Polygon https://twitter.com/0xPolygon Empire podcast with Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky https://spoti.fi/3YTMfoh Flasbots MEV-Share article http://bit.ly/3S7g9TO Categorizing different zk implementations (a Twitter thread) https://twitter.com/pseudotheos/status/1622698514475061252?s=20 - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

17 Feb 20231h 7min

In this episode of Empire, Camilla McFarland and Avery Akkineni discuss how the world's biggest brands will leverage Web3. Nike, Starbucks, Gucci and many others are already starting to build in crypto, and soon, every brand will have a Web3 strategy. Camilla and Avery explore how brands can leverage Web3 to build customer loyalty, customize user experiences and cater to a digitally-native community. This is one of my favorite episodes yet - it's stable stakes for anyone looking to build or grow a brand! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:36) Defining the Web3 opportunity (09:15) Why will brands embrace Web3? (28:50) Blockworks Research (30:21) How will brands participate? (42:39) How NFTs enable tailored user experiences (48:22) The Tech Stack: EVM dominance (1:05:06) The 5 to 10 year vision - - Follow Camilla: https://twitter.com/camillionaire_m Follow Avery: https://twitter.com/avery_akkineni Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Vanyer3 https://vayner3.com/ Mojito https://mojito.xyz/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

13 Feb 20231h 8min

There's a heated debate in crypto right now around AppChains and the modular vs monolithic paradigm. That's why we released this special episode today from our other favorite podcast, Bell Curve. Sunny Aggarwal and Dmitriy Berenzon discuss how AppChains enable developers and protocols to customize consensus, cryptography, MEV rules, fees and more. But is this customization worth the fragmentation, start-up costs, lack of tooling and other challenges AppChains face? Tune in to find out! And don't worry - we'll be back to the usual roundup with Jason and Santi next week! - - Timestamps (00:00) A Note from Jason (02:45) Intro: Pre-Interview (05:15) The AppChain Thesis (13:34) Reasons to Build an AppChain (30:00) Blockworks Research ad (31:33) The Downsides and Challenges (46:22) What is Permissioned Blockspace? (53:06) Cosmos vs Ethereum (01:06:28) Solving Interoperability (01:12:12) User Lock-in, Wallets (1:18:00) Recap: Post-Interview - - Follow Myles: https://twitter.com/MylesOneil Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Sunny: https://twitter.com/sunnya97 Follow Dmitriy: https://twitter.com/dberenzon Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH - - Resources: Bell Curve podcast https://spoti.fi/3JWqLmK Dmitriy's blog https://dberenzon.medium.com/ Osmosis https://osmosis.zone/ 1k(x) https://1kx.network/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Bell Curve or Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

10 Feb 20231h 35min

In this episode of Empire, Sam Kazemian joins Jason and Dan to discuss Frax's mission to build the most widely used stablecoins in DeFi. Sam starts by explaining how Frax has succeeded while other stable protocols have failed, why Frax is eyeing Fed deposits and the strategy behind the "DeFi Trinity". We then explore Frax's new ETH staking product, the stablecoin trilemma, and Sam drops a new product announcement (alpha leak). Don't miss this conversation with one of the brightest minds in DeFi! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:49) - Frax’s Mission (04:41) - How Frax Thrived When Others Failed (09:00) - Fed Deposits, Escaping Regulation and RWAs (17:03) - Public ad (18:53) - Creating Spot Demand and Monetary Premium (26:00) - frxETH and sfrxETH Explained (44:31) - Is Frax’s Focus too Broad? (49:02) - The Stablecoin Trilemma (54:00) - Alpha Leak (55:46) - Update on Frax’s Multisig - - Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/samkazemian?lang=en Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - This episode is sponsored by Public.com. Go to https://Public.com/empire to move your cash into a Treasury Account today. - - Resources Frax https://frax.finance/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

6 Feb 202357min