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

Epicenter Media Ltd.
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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. 10H AGO

    Tokenization of All Financial Assets on Plume Network

    In this episode, host Sebastian Couture is joined by Chris Yin, CEO of Plume Network, to deconstruct the current state of Real World Assets (RWAs) and why the sector is at a pivotal inflection point. Chris argues that most RWA projects today are functionally "worse on-chain" because they lack liquidity, composability, and the "crypto-native" user experience that made stablecoins successful. He details how Plume is solving this through a custom L1 stack and the Nest vault protocol, which tokenizes high-yield assets like Brazilian credit card receivables and oil production for a global market. They explore the friction between traditional finance and DeFi, highlighting why private credit's long duration makes it unsuitable for the "looping" and leverage that drives crypto demand. Chris explains the significance of Plume’s SEC Transfer Agent license and its role in bridging the gap between regulated funds and permissionless rails. Finally, the conversation tackles the "bleak" vs. "optimistic" future of crypto, asking whether the industry will maintain its core principles of self-custody and decentralization as it searches for a "new daddy" in institutional capital. Topics 00:00 Intro & Context04:15 The Job of a Founder: Finding Change09:30 Crypto Natives vs. TradFi Suites15:00 Stablecoins: The Only RWA That Matters (Today)21:45 The Bottleneck: It’s Not Tokenization, It’s Demand27:10 Why Build an L1 for Assets?35:20 SEC Transfer Agent License Explained42:15 Nest Alpha: Blending Oil, Credit, and T-Bills49:00 Is Leverage Sustainable for Institutions?55:30 The Exodus: Will Crypto Values Survive? Links Chris Yin on X: https://x.com/chriseyinPlume Network: https://www.plumenetwork.com/Nest: https://nest.plumenetwork.com/NEAR: https://near.ai/Sponsors:NEAR AI Cloud now lets developers deploy OpenClaw—the rapidly growing open-source AI agent platform—inside Trusted Execution Environments, providing hardware-level encryption with cryptographic attestations. With OpenClaw on NEAR AI Cloud, you can run agents with cloud convenience, but without traditional cloud data exposure. No hardware to manage. No trust assumptions required. Learn more at near.ai.

    58 min

  2. FEB 15

    Something better than USDC for your Ethereum?

    In this episode, host Friederike Ernst is joined by Michael Svoboda, CEO of Liquid AG, to discuss Liquity V2 and the launch of the BOLD stablecoin. Michael explains how Liquity maintains a governance-free, immutable architecture to provide "sovereign dollars" that are not dependent on human committees or centralized backstops. He introduces user-set interest rates, a novel DeFi primitive where borrowers determine their own rates to balance their cost of capital against the risk of being redeemed by stablecoin holders. They explore the technical mechanics of the BOLD stablecoin, its multi-collateral backing of ETH and LSTs, and why the protocol funnels 100% of fees directly to users rather than extracting rent. Michael also shares his analogy of crypto-native stablecoins as "electric engines" that offer a fundamentally different risk profile from traditional banking rails. Finally, the conversation dives into the impact of global regulations like MiCA and why the future of finance belongs to peer-to-peer credit markets. Topics 00:00 Intro & Context04:15 Why Banking is Under Pressure09:30 From V1 to Liquity V215:00 User-Set Rates Explained21:45 Redemptions & Peg Stability27:10 Collateral Risk: ETH & LSTs35:20 Cefi vs. Defi Risk Spectrum42:15 Is Immutability Dogmatic?49:00 Revenue Distribution & Self-Sustainability55:30 Non-USD Stables & Global Shifts Links Michael on X: https://x.com/svobodamichaelLiquity: https://www.liquity.org/Bluechip: https://bluechip.org/Lido: https://lido.fi/stvaults?mtm_campaign=epicenterSponsors: Lido V3 introduces stVaults: modular staking infrastructure that lets builders and institutions deploy custom staking vaults, while staying anchored to stETH as a shared liquidity layer. Get started building with Lido V3 today: https://lido.fi/stvaults?mtm_campaign=epicenter

    58 min

  3. FEB 1

    Is The Future of Ethereum Centralised and Censored?

    In this episode, host Friederike Ernst is joined by Thomas Thiery, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, to discuss EIP-7805 and the implementation of FOCIL (Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists). Thomas explains how the rise of MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) has created a centralized builder market where a few actors now control over 85% of Ethereum's block production, creating a dangerous bottleneck for censorship. FOCIL addresses this by empowering a decentralized committee of 16 validators to mandate transaction inclusion, making any block that ignores these lists invalid.   They explore the "Tornado Cash" moment and the risks of "silent censorship" for competitive or regulatory reasons. Thomas explains why FOCIL intentionally prioritizes the public mempool over MEV-heavy transactions to prevent the system from being co-opted. Finally, the conversation looks at the future of the Ethereum roadmap, including the Osaka fork and the technical trade-offs between inclusion lists and long-term privacy solutions like encrypted mempools.   Topics 00:00 Intro & FOCIL 04:15 MEV & Centralization 09:30 The Builder-Searcher Pipeline 15:00 Silent Censorship Risks 21:45 FOCIL Architecture & Committees 27:10 Validity Rules for Attestors 35:20 Spam Protection & Invalid TXs 42:15 FOCIL vs. Encrypted Mempools 49:00 EIP-7805 Status & Fork Timelines 55:30 Future: PQC & ZK EVM Links Thomas Thiery on X: https://x.com/soispoke Ethereum Foundation: https://ethereum.foundation/ EIP-7805 (FOCIL): https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-7805 Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/ 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

    58 min

  4. JAN 25

    How Will Stablecoins Replace Traditional Banking

    In this episode, we are joined by Zach Abrams, CEO of Bridge, to unpack the infrastructure behind the next generation of global payments. Zach discusses Bridge’s mission to move stablecoins beyond mere trading use cases and into core financial services, a vision that recently led to its landmark acquisition by Stripe . He explains how stablecoins function as an innovation at every layer of the money stack, enabling payments that are fundamentally faster and cheaper than legacy systems like ACH or SEPA. They delve into the technical "puzzle pieces" of payments, from the inefficiencies of FBO bank accounts to the "cheat code" of compounding growth in the stablecoin sector. Zach introduces the concept of Stablecoin Orchestration and details why the current USDC/USDT duopoly is unaligned with high-velocity payments due to rent-seeking burn fees and AUM-focused models . Finally, the conversation explores the future of consumer finance, where non-custodial wallets act as bank replacements and a pluralistic ecosystem of local, company-issued stablecoins challenges the dominance of the US dollar Topics 00:00 Intro & Context04:15 Legacy Rails vs. Stablecoin Innovation09:30 The "Cash App" Hack & Payments Creativity15:00 Why Bridge Joined Stripe21:45 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Startup Needs27:10 Stablecoin Orchestration & Issuance Explained35:20 The Duopoly Problem: Why USDC/USDT Isn't Enough42:15 Orthogonal Competition: The "Europe" of Stablecoins49:00 Wallets as the New Primary Bank Account55:30 Regrets of a "Child of the Depression" FounderLinks Zach Abrams on X: https://x.com/ZCAbramsBridge: https://bridge.xyzStripe: https://stripe.comGnosis: https://gnosis.io/ 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

    1 hr

  5. JAN 15

    Buidl Europe 2026: The State of Decentralization

    In this episode, recorded live at Buidl Europe 2026, host Sebastian Couture leads a panel with Ben Lakoff (Bankless Ventures), Richard Muirhead (Fabric Ventures), Aurora Orellana (G20 Strategies), and Matthew Arrow (Dark Forest). Together, they tackle the existential question facing the industry: can Cypherpunk values like self-custody and permissionless survive as multi-billion dollar institutions become the primary drivers of adoption? The discussion delves into the tension between individual sovereignty and the regulatory reach of organizations like the FATF, which they describe as a "Goliath" accountable to no one. They explore the concept of the "DeFi Mullet" a centralized user interfaces powered by decentralized backends and how privacy tech is becoming essential not for institutions seeking defensible competitive moats. Finally, the conversation looks at how global competition between jurisdictions will define the next decade of financial freedom and what it truly means to be a Cypherpunk in 2026.  Topics 00:00 Intro & Context04:15 Cypherpunk Values in an Institutional World09:30 Permissionless Deployment & Self-Custody15:00 The Regulatory Spectrum: KYC vs. Freedom21:45 The FATF & Global Financial Surveillance27:10 Jurisdictional Competition & Portability35:20 Selling Privacy to Institutions vs. Individuals42:15 The DeFi Mullet & Atomic Settlement49:00 Barriers to Entry: Legacy Mainframes & Career Risk55:30 What it Means to be a Cypherpunk in 2026 Links Ben Lakoff on X: https://x.com/benlakoffRichard Muirhead on X: https://x.com/RichardMuirheadMatthew Arrow on X: https://x.com/mattarrow Bankless Ventures: https://bankless.ventures/Fabric Ventures: https://www.fabric.vc/Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/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

    39 min

  6. JAN 9

    The Death of Altcoins & Bitget’s New "Universal Exchange"

    In this episode, host Brian Crain is joined by Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, to discuss the exchange's rapid ascent and its ambitious roadmap for 2026. Gracy shares her journey from a mathematics background and journalism into the C-suite of a top-tier exchange, detailing Bitget's growth from a team of 150 to over 2,200 employees. She outlines the concept of the "Universal Exchange" (UEX) a unified platform where the boundaries between crypto, tokenized equities, and commodities effectively disappear. They explore how Bitget is leveraging Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI-driven advisory tools like Get Agent to redefine user acquisition and trading intelligence. Gracy also provides a candid outlook on the "altcoin fading" phenomenon, arguing that the market is shifting toward blue-chip assets and real-world utility. Finally, they discuss the immense challenges of global regulatory compliance, including Bitget’s priorities for securing MiCA licenses and navigating a potential entry into the complex US market. Topics - 00:00 Intro & Crypto Beginnings - 05:45 The Origin of Bitget - 10:15 The "Universal Exchange" (UEX) Vision - 16:30 Tokenized Stocks vs. TradFi Brokers - 22:00 Competition: CEX, DEX, & Robinhood - 28:15 AI in Trading: Get Agent & GEO - 34:40 The State of Altcoins in 2026 - 41:00 Global Compliance: MiCA & US Markets - 55:30 2026 Market Predictions Links - Gracy Chen on X: https://x.com/GracyBitget - Bitget: https://www.bitget.com/ - Bitget Wallet: https://web3.bitget.com/ - Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/ 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

    42 min

  7. 12/31/2025

    2025 Rewind: End of the Infinite Money Glitch and Looking Ahead to 2026

    In this episode, hosts Sebastien Couture, Brian Crain, and Friederike Ernst gather for their annual wrap-up to discuss the end of the "infinite money glitch": the era where tokens traded at billions without proven product-market fit. They explore the 2025 "spring cleaning" that devastated the altcoin market and the quiet, efficient entry of web2 incumbents like Revolut and Stripe. The discussion centers on the industry's maturation into a space where protocols are finally judged on their ability to generate real revenue and growth. The team analyzes the 2025 "spring cleaning" of altcoins alongside Polymarket’s mainstream breakout. As giants like Stripe and Revolut scale crypto integrations, the hosts debate if consolidating distribution power is diluting the original promise of decentralized agency. Finally, they address the existential quantum threat to Bitcoin and share their 2026 "hot takes. Topics 00:00 Intro & Notable Memories 04:30 The Bybit Hack & Price Action 08:15 Polymarket & The Mainstream Breakout 12:00 The Altcoin "Spring Cleaning" 18:45 Axelar & The Circle Acquisition 25:30 Incumbents: Back-end Upgrades vs. Values33:15 Social Media & The Economics of Attention 42:00 Staking Consolidation & Distribution Power 50:30 The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin 58:45 2026 Predictions: RWAs & PerpsLinks Sebastien on X: https://x.com/seb3point0 Brian on X: https://x.com/crainbf Friederike on X: https://x.com/tw_tter Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/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

    53 min

  8. 12/26/2025

    Solving The AI Black Box: ZK-Proofs in Defence Tech

    In this episode, host Sebastian Couture is joined by Ismael Hishon-Rezaizadeh, CEO of Lagrange, to explore the intersection of frontier cryptography and national security. Ismael discusses the transition of zero-knowledge (ZK) technology from a "token-centric" crypto tool to a vital component of defense, specifically focusing on its role in securing autonomous drone swarms and closing the hypersonic missile gap. They delve into Deep Proof, Lagrange's ZK-machine learning library, which facilitates verifiable AI execution while protecting sensitive model intellectual property and private input data. Ismael introduces the concept of "Accountable Autonomy," arguing that cryptographic proofs are necessary to ensure that lethal "kill chain" decisions are made by the correct models under verified inputs, removing the risks inherent in "black box" AI decision-making. Finally, the conversation touches on the geopolitical competition with China, the importance of domestic chip manufacturing, and why the US market's ability to align private sector innovation with military needs is a decisive strategic advantage. Topics 00:00 Intro & Context04:15 ZKML vs. Venice09:30 Protecting Model IP15:00 Dual-Use Defense Pivot21:45 The Palantir Comparison27:10 US-China Chip Race35:20 Drone Swarm Consensus42:15 Accountable Autonomy Explained49:00 Kill Chain Verifiability55:30 EU vs. US Defense Links Ismael on X: https://x.com/Ismael_H_R Lagrange Labs: https://www.lagrange.dev/Anduril Industries: https://www.anduril.com/Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/ 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

    56 min
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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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