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

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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.

  1. Near One: Scaling the Agentic Internet. AI X Crypto - Bowen Wang

    2 DAYS AGO

    Near One: Scaling the Agentic Internet. AI X Crypto - Bowen Wang

    ‘Attention Is All You Need’, co-wrote by Illia Polosukhin in 2017, laid the foundation for arguably one of the most consequential tech breakthroughs in our recent history. 1 year later, Illia founded Near AI, which later became Near Protocol. They were visionaries ahead of their time and, although AI took several more years before becoming a viable product, the experience of scaling databases would later prove valuable and applicable in blockchain world. As a result, Near Protocol aims to become the infrastructure layer for AI apps and the agentic economy. In order to achieve this, scaling was paramount, thus Near is one of the first blockchains to implement execution layer sharding, asynchronous execution and stateless validation, which brought the finality time down to 1.2 seconds, with a block time of 0.6 seconds. Topics covered in this episode: Bowen’s backgroundNear’s pivot from AI to blockchainsThe role of Near OneNear’s tech stack upgradesOptimizing network architectureStateless validation & block propagationSharding & asynchronous executionMessage passing between shards & shard ‘equality’Challenges of implementing stateless validationApplications benefiting from Near’s finality speedIntent-based infrastructureAI use cases on NearExpanding Near’s ecosystemDevelopment challengesNear’s vision and goalsEpisode links: Bowen Wang on XNear OneNear on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

    1h 2m
  2. Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum, The [LAST] Steward of Decentralisation

    9 JUL

    Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum, The [LAST] Steward of Decentralisation

    The tradition of Epicenter x Vitalik Buterin continued this year as well at EthCC[8], where we got the chance of picking his brain about recent research, interests and Ethereum Foundation’s direction going forward. Join us for a fascinating discussion on biotech and how Vitalik’s Shiba ended up funding it, the utility of blockchains in nowadays society and Vitalik’s view on the Ethereum ecosystem and the Foundation’s response to community requests. Topics covered in this episode: Vitalik’s current interestsHow Shiba Inu funded biotech researchThe Merge and its impactVitalik’s motivation and view on blockchain utilityEthereum Foundation’s changesIs supporting ETH price important for EF?Are L2s incentively aligned with Ethereum L1?Native L2sThe risk of quantum computersEpisode links: Vitalik Buterin on XEthereum on XEthereum Foundation on XEthCC on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Sebastien Couture.

    39 min
  3. Stripe: The Stablecoin (R)Evolution - John Egan

    1 JUL

    Stripe: The Stablecoin (R)Evolution - John Egan

    Stripe has established itself as a leading payment solution for both enterprises as well as startups and individual sellers. By abstracting away all the complexities of traditional payment rails through simple plug-and-play APIs, Stripe created a facile route for cross-border payments, simplifying e-commerce. Similarly, Stripe’s recent integration of stablecoins could further bolster the adoption of decentralised payment solutions, be them USD or other currency proxies. This allows businesses to reach more markets, at a lower cost, with near-instantaneous settlement. Topics covered in this episode: John’s backgroundStripe’s missionHow Stripe solves the complexity of internet paymentsIntegrating crypto for paymentsSupported blockchainsStripe’s Web3 servicesUpsides of accepting stablecoin paymentsNon-USD stablecoinsMerchant UXExpanding crypto support outside the U.S.On- and off-rampingAcquiring Bridge and PrivyThe best of both worlds: CeFi & DeFiEpisode links: John Egan on XStripe on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

    1h 6m
  4. t1 Protocol: Unifying Ethereum's L2 Liquidity Through Real-Time Proving - Can Kisagun

    27 JUN

    t1 Protocol: Unifying Ethereum's L2 Liquidity Through Real-Time Proving - Can Kisagun

    While L2 rollups did help scale Ethereum, they also created siloed ecosystems, all fighting over the same liquidity, users and devs. t1 Protocol is building layer-2 infrastructure to achieve seamless cross-rollup interoperability through real-time proving, powered by TEEs. t1's low-latency with 1-second block times provides faster preconfirmations, significantly improving UX, all while maintaining full Ethereum composability. Topics covered in this episode: Can’s backgroundWhy Enigma/Secret Network built on CosmosSolving Ethereum’s liquidity fragmentationt1’s rollup & real-time proving in TEEsSequencer setup inside the TEEDealing with other rollup trust assumptionsIntegrating new L2sPermissionless TEEsPotential attack vectorsTEE alternativesAsset issuance on mainnet vs. L2st1 developmentPartnerships & BDSolana vs. Ethereum UXTEE misconceptionsEpisode links: Can Kisagun on Xt1 Protocol on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

    1h 2m
  5. DappCon 25: The Ticker Is $ETH - Jerome de Tychey, Joshua Dávila & Nixorokish

    20 JUN

    DappCon 25: The Ticker Is $ETH - Jerome de Tychey, Joshua Dávila & Nixorokish

    As the summer tour of European crypto conferences landed in Berlin, one of crypto’s cradles, we couldn’t miss DappCon 25, where we got to sit with Jerome de Tychey, Nixorokish & Joshua Dávila to discuss Ethereum’s restructure and whether its culture is still relevant to the wider crypto community. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the impact of crypto politicization and how Ethereum’s ecosystem evolved amidst a society with ever-changing values. Topics covered in this episode: Jerome, Nixorokish & Josh backgroundsEthereum Foundation restructuringEthereum’s culture & crypto politicizationDAOs & the evolution of Ethereum’s ecosystemIs privacy still a societal value?User experience & account abstractionFuture hopes for EthereumEpisode links: Jerome de Tychey on XNixorokish on XJoshua Davila on XDappCon on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

    1h 13m
  6. Lombard: Unlocking Bitcoin DeFi Through Liquid, Yield-Bearing LBTC - Jacob Phillips

    16 JUN

    Lombard: Unlocking Bitcoin DeFi Through Liquid, Yield-Bearing LBTC - Jacob Phillips

    Bitcoin remains an untapped source of net-new liquidity that could be injected into DeFi. This would completely reshape Bitcoin’s utilization from a mere store of value to a liquid asset that can be ported cross-chain and traded like a liquid staking derivative. Lombard’s LBTC builds upon Babylon’s Bitcoin staking primitive and aims to unlock new yield sources for the industry’s leading asset by increasing its DeFi utilization. Topics covered in this episode: Jacob’s backgroundLessons gathered from PolychainFocusing on BitcoinWhy Bitcoin staking is crucial for BTC DeFiBuilding on top of BabylonLBTC mintingSources of BTC yieldPoS inflation and native token incentivesBTC as a trading pair in DeFiLombard chainFuture challenges to overcomeBitcoin L2sLombard milestonesEpisode links: Jacob Phillips on XLombard on XBabylon on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.

    1h 11m
  7. Staking Rewards: Is Crypto Staking Killing Decentralisation? - Mirko Schmiedl & Tobias Jung

    6 JUN

    Staking Rewards: Is Crypto Staking Killing Decentralisation? - Mirko Schmiedl & Tobias Jung

    Apart from incentivising market participants to secure the network through inflationary rewards, many consider staking as an equivalent of stock dividend yield. As a result, although Bitcoin is regarded as digital gold, protocols are looking for ways to increase its utilisation in DeFi and, ultimately, generate yield. Nowadays, while newer networks are struggling to attract investors and sustain a healthy, decentralised validator set, more established blockchains capture the lion’s share of PoS actors. However, in a constant race for profit basis points, centralised consolidation of stakers seems inevitable. Join us for a fascinating discussion on the staking landscape and the challenges it may present to decentralisation. Topics covered in this episode: Increasing BTC utilization through BTC yieldLooping yield productsThe maturation of the staking marketChorus One staking portfolioHow to prevent staking consolidationRetail vs. institutional-grade operatorsSymbiotic, Eigenlayer & restaking yieldEpisode links: Mirko Schmiedl on XTobias Jung on XStaking Rewards on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Sebastien Couture.

    55 min
  8. ETHPrague: ETH Renaissance - Austin Griffith, Brenda Loya, Joseph Schweitzer, Marek Olszewski

    2 JUN

    ETHPrague: ETH Renaissance - Austin Griffith, Brenda Loya, Joseph Schweitzer, Marek Olszewski

    After a decade of existence, Ethereum has gone a long way from its initial whitepaper, yet many efforts in scaling and finding product-market-fit have been severely criticized for falling short of their promise. However, despite numerous other ‘Ethereum killers’ being launched over the years, none has managed to attract so many developers and liquidity while sticking true to ethos that (once) powered and united this industry. This year’s ETHPrague plans to confront exactly these existential challenges and steward community culture towards addressing outside criticism and external reality checks. Ethereum’s development, while adapting to market pressures, it always aimed to stick true to its core values in order to remain a technological bedrock for the future of humanity. Topics covered in this episode: The vision for ETH PragueTakeaways from main sessionsHigh-level overview of ETH PragueThe resurgence of PolkadotEuropean crypto summer eventsThe general state of the Ethereum ecosystemCelo’s transition to L2L2 liquidity fragmentationChoosing the right L2 to buildImproving hackathonsLightning roundFinal wordsEpisode links: Austin Griffith on XMarek Olszewski on XBrenda Loya on XJoseph Schweitzer on XBuidlGuidl DAO on XCelo on XTellor on XSponsors: 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.ioChorus One: one of the largest node operators worldwide, trusted by 175,000+ accounts across more than 60 networks, Chorus One combines institutional-grade security with the highest yields at - chorus.oneThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

    1 hr
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About

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.

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