Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

Leading decentralised perpetual exchange, dYdX V4 recently migrated to Cosmos to build its own sovereign appchain, in order to provide its users a much better trading experience, while continuing to deliver DeFi innovations (e.g. permisionless markets). By having full control over the appchain’s parameters, the dYdX DAOs can shape the future of the protocol, starting from the very bedrock, ensuring proper distribution and incentives for the validator set. From early adopter of L2 zero knowledge proofs (STARKs), to building its own Cosmos appchain, dYdX has proven once again to be a trailblazer for new technologies.We were joined by Charles d’Haussy, CEO of dYdX Foundation, to discuss dYdX V4’s recent migration to a Cosmos appchain and what challenges it solves in terms of: order book decentralisation, validator distribution and user experience.Topics covered in this episode:Charles’ background, from Asia to CEO of dYdXdYdX’s history and V4’s transition to a Cosmos appchainHow perpetual futures workdYdX supported assets and permissionless marketsDeFi innovations vs. CEX UXThe current state of dYdX V4’s alpha mainnetdYdX validator dynamics & order book decentralisationdYdX’s DAOs & governanceMitigating MEV (feat. Skip Protocol)Migrating to CosmosAstropolis The intersection of crypto & AIEpisode links:Charles d'Haussy on TwitterdYdX on TwitterdYdX Foundation on TwitterCharles' Astroprolis Keynote (Cosmoverse Istanbul)Cosmos on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/521

10 Nov 20231h 12min

The very nature of Ethereum addresses, expressed as random hexadecimal character strings, represents a big hurdle for mass adoption, as they are not human-readable. ENS domains were envisioned to not only solve this and provide a seamless UX, but to also be the cornerstone of on-chain identities. However, in the current multichain landscape, a plethora of decentralised naming services arose, which led to a heterogeneous domain name pool. As a result, ENS aims to expand to L2s and non-EVM chains, attempting to provide consistency, in order to further reduce user friction and limit conflicting domain names.We were joined by Nick Johnson, founder of ENS, to discuss the current state of decentralised naming services from a multichain and L2 perspective, and how these ultimately tie into decentralised identities.Topics covered in this episode:Nick’s background and ENS historyThe plethora of decentralised naming servicesENS use casesInteracting with Web2 DNSL2 compatibility for ENS via CCIP ReadENS wrapper and subdomainsCCIP ReadBridging ENS to non-EVM L2sCoinbase’s cb.idENS and on-chain privacy OPSECAccount abstractionThe future of ENSGovernance Episode links:Nick Johnson on TwitterENS on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/520

4 Nov 20231h 6min

While competition fosters innovation, the proliferation of different blockchains has resulted in the fragmentation and isolation of liquidity within each ecosystem. Early attempts to address this issue primarily involved bridges and wrapped assets. Unfortunately, these solutions were often vulnerable to hacks and exploits, and the value of wrapped assets was contingent on the security of the wrapper contract, rather than the underlying asset. Cross-chain swaps of native assets hold the promise of resolving liquidity fragmentation, but numerous technological challenges must be overcome to make them as seamless as same-chain swaps.We were joined by Simon Harman, founder of Chainflip, to discuss multi-chain liquidity fragmentation and how Chainflip’s JIT AMM (Just in Time) aims to solve this, by providing cross-chain native swaps.Topics covered in this episode:Simon’s background(Legacy) Bridging vs. Threshold Signature SchemeChainflip’s Just in Time (JIT) AMM vs. Uniswap’s V3/XProviding liquidity on ChainflipSlippage and UXDeciding trading pairsChainflip validatorsValidator stake auctionsGovernanceRoadmap and bootstrapping liquidityEpisode links:Simon Harman on TwitterChainflip on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/519

27 Okt 20231h 3min

Stablecoins represent a safe haven against crypto’s volatility, allowing participants to remain in the market, without off-ramping to fiat. While the major stablecoins are centrally issued (e.g. USDT, USDC, BUSD), there is a pressing need for an algorithmic variant or a synthetic dollar asset. (DAI is somewhere in between since approximately 50% of its collateral is USDC). After Luna’s collapse, many jumped to point out its design flaws, yet such a concept would be crucial for crypto’s decentralisation and self-sustainability. Arthur Hayes proposed an interesting concept of NAKA synthetic dollar (NUSD), backed by Bitcoin and its inverse perpetual swap short. However, yield generation on $BTC is significantly lower than that of $ETH. A sustainable yield would help balance the cases in which funding rates would be negative (a minority in crypto).We were joined by Guy Young, co-founder of Ethena, to discuss the stablecoin landscape and their synthetic eUSD, backed by staked ETH and its inverse perpetual swap.Topics covered in this episode:Guy’s background and founding EthenaThe history of stablecoinsThe stablecoin trilemma and transparencyeUSD synthetic dollar mechanicsEthena’s insurance fund and hedgingMinimising the impact of depeggingLeveraging centralised liquidity while maintaining self custody through MPCUser experienceRisk factorsCEX vs. DEX: liquidity, infrastructure, UXThe potential of fixed return ratesSupply & rates equilibriumEpisode links:Guy Young on TwitterEthena Labs on TwitterArthur Hayes' article proposing the Naka synthetic dollarThis episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/518

20 Okt 202352min

One of the best known memes in crypto is: 'Not your keys, not your coins'. This usually resurfaces whenever a (custodial) centralised exchange is hacked or goes bust altogether. Although Web3 provides the infrastructure for self custody, this often shares the fate of Pandora. Self-custody requires increased security measures, from both end-users, as well as application developers. Web3 wallets are the interface between users and decentralised applications deployed on blockchains. While Metamask still maintains the largest market share, a multitude of wallets have emerged, promising additional features and a better UX.We were joined by Evgeny Yurtaev, co-founder & CEO of Zerion, to discuss the challenges of building a Web3 wallet and how Zerion aims to improve user experience, while still maintaining security.Topics covered in this episode:Evgeny’s backgroundThe motivation behind building a Web3 walletZerion UX and securitySeed phrase storingZerion user profileChallenges in building a new wallet appProtecting users and potential attack vectorsSupported blockchains and (seamless) bridgingAccount abstraction and MPCBusiness models for Web3 walletsEpisode links:Evgeny Yurtaev on TwitterZerion on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/517

13 Okt 202357min

Back in 2017, there was no DeFi as we know it today, yet MakerDAO were already envisioning and building towards what they thought to be a certainty. The backbone of DeFi is represented by stable coins, and MakerDAO quickly understood this: they set out to build a decentralised stable coin, $DAI (and its precursor $SAI). Being collateral-backed, the smart contract needs to know the value of that collateral, but any off-chain price data is not readily available on-chain. This is where oracles come in and provide data feeds on-chain. MakerDAO’s internal oracle has been active since 2017 on Ethereum and has recently branched out, forming Chronicle. By using aggregated Schnorr signatures, Chronicle solves the problem of oracle cost-efficient scaling.We were joined by Niklas Kunkel, founder of Chronicle, to discuss the challenges and tradeoffs that oracles regularly face, and how Chronicle is solving them, continuing the ethos of early MakerDAO.Topics covered in this episode:Niklas’ background and the early days of MakerDAOHow MakerDAO evolved over time and the adoption of DAIMakerDAO’s core principlesWhy Chronicle branched out from MakerDAOOracle challenges & tradeoffsOracle validatorsBusiness model for oraclesProviding oracle services to different blockchainsSchnorr signaturesChronicle’s supported chains and oracle offeringsReal-world assets (RWA) and credit delegationEpisode links: Niklas Kunkel on TwitterChronicle on TwitterMaker DAO on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/516

6 Okt 20231h 11min

Data immutability and transparency are key features that define a blockchain’s public ledger. However, while transactions are indeed transparent, information surrounding the blockchain’s infrastructure layer is not readily available. Since Ethereum’s Merge to PoS and the introduction of staking delegation, actionable data on the validator and client status quos became crucial for the wellbeing of the network. Rated Network aims to build a reliable ‘reputation system for machines’ forming the infrastructure layer, through better data curation and improved transparency.We were joined by Elias Simos, founder of Rated Network, to discuss data interpretation in blockchain infra and what conclusions can be drawn about validator performance, client diversity & much more.Topics covered in this episode:Elias’ background and founding Rated NetworkProviding transparency in blockchain infrastructure layerTapping into Ethereum’s data. The subjectivity of performanceThe consumer profile of Rated dataEthereum’s credible neutrality & client diversityEIP-7514 & managing Ethereum’s state bloatGovernance: dev council vs. on-chainExpanding Rated to other PoS networksEpisode links:Elias Simos on TwitterRated Network on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/515

28 Sep 20231h 9min

Zero knowledge proof systems have found tremendous cryptographic utility in scaling blockchains, due to their ability to prove computational integrity, succinctly. However, despite recent advancements in ZKP R&D, their construction still requires special prover circuits. Their complexity is what gatekeeps zero knowledge technology to a select few astute teams. =nil; Foundation aims to challenge this status quo by providing an alternative through their zkLLVM circuit compiler and zk proof marketplace. By commoditising the production of custom proofs, =nil; Foundation unlocks an entire new range of applications employing zero knowledge technology. We were joined by Misha Komarov, co-founder of =nil; Foundation, to discuss the use cases and challenges of building the first marketplace for (outsourced) zero knowledge proofs.Topics covered in this episode:The vision behind =nil; FoundationUse cases for zk techzkLLVM circuit compilerHomomorphic encryption, ZKPs & privacy solutionsZKP marketplaceWhy proof markets (currently) run on DBMSMarketplace actorsProof generators vs. PoW minersInfrastructure challengesFuture roadmapEpisode links: Mikhail Komarov on Twitter=nil; Foundation on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/514

22 Sep 202352min