What DeFi Get’s Wrong About RWAs | Robert Leshner

Explicit content warning

04/11/23 • 60 min

In this episode of Empire, Robert Leshner - founder of Compound Labs - joins us to discuss how DeFi will evolve in the wake of Operation Choke Point 2.0 and the coordinated effort to debank crypto. We discuss what this means for today's DeFi protocols, the end of the DeFi Mullet thesis and how teams will respond. Then we explore Robert's thoughts on why MakerDAO's RWA strategy is short-sighted, the stablecoin landscape, the AppChain thesis and more!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:24 Operation Choke Point 2.0

07:24 Compound Treasury and the DeFi Mullet

11:19 The Return of DeFi?

16:09 BTC vs ETH

19:17 Building in the US vs Offshore

26:25 Real World Assets

28:52 Quicknode ad

30:38 Synthetix Ad

32:17 Stablecoin Landscape

39:48 The AppChain Thesis and Value Accrual

48:24 Reputation, Limit Orders and Security

Follow Rob: https://twitter.com/rleshner

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This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan!

This episode is brought to you by Synthetix. Synthetix Perps is the most efficient decentralized perpetual futures engine, with 5/10 bp fees and up to 25x leverage. With a growing list of over 20 tradable markets, Synthetix Perps are available on Optimism via Kwenta.io and Polynomial.fi, with more coming soon! As a permissionless liquidity layer, Synthetix makes it easy for any protocol to integrate perps and earn 5%-10% of trade fees.

Resources

Compound

https://compound.finance/

Bell Curve, S4 Premiere: A Journey Into The Dark Forest

https://spoti.fi/3MpTjWH

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.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:24 Operation Choke Point 2.0

07:24 Compound Treasury and the DeFi Mullet

11:19 The Return of DeFi?

16:09 BTC vs ETH

19:17 Building in the US vs Offshore

26:25 Real World Assets

28:52 Quicknode ad

30:38 Synthetix Ad

32:17 Stablecoin Landscape

39:48 The AppChain Thesis and Value Accrual

48:24 Reputation, Limit Orders and Security

Follow Rob: https://twitter.com/rleshner

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

Compound

https://compound.finance/

Bell Curve, S4 Premiere: A Journey Into The Dark Forest

https://spoti.fi/3MpTjWH

Previous Episode

ETH L2s Have The Same Flaws As Alt L1s | Roundup

In today's episode, we debate Mike's tweet that Eth L2s have every feature Alt L1s are criticized for: centralized, downtime, opaque resource allocation and wild valuations. To get close to the metal, we compare Solana vs Arbitrum based on economics, network effects and future roadmap. If you listen to one conversation this week, this is it.

We also discuss Arbitrum's governance debacle, the value of protocol BD deals, a $25M MEV exploit, Euler's $200M recovery and Shanghai predictions!

Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Folow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_

Follow Miles: https://twitter.com/MylesOneil

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. Put your cash to work in a Treasury Account on https://Public.com/empire and get access to a 5.3% yield today!

This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire.

Resources

Mike's Eth L2 vs Alt L1 debate tweet

https://twitter.com/mikeippolito_/status/1642262306712109057

Next Episode

ETH's Shapella Upgrade: Bull vs Bear | Roundup

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss the bull vs bear case for ETH's Shapella upgrade. Since December 2021, ETH staking was one way. You could stake your ETH, but it was locked until the Shapella upgrade finally arrived. Shapella is here, and ETH is unlocked for the first time! Does this mean a giant supply of ETH sell pressure will hit the market? Will institutions embrace ETH now that Ethereum's roadmap is de-risked? Tune in to find out!

We also discuss the NFT killer use case, Multicoin's L2 thesis and if the bear market has ended!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:23) NFT NYC and the NFT Killer Use Case

(12:47) Shapella is Here

(26:04) “Valora Ad”

(27:10) Multicoin’s Thesis: Solana, L2s & Speed vs Security

(43:37) Is the Bear Market Over?

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:

ETH Withdrawal Dashboard

https://app.metrika.co/ethereum/dashboard/withdrawals-overview?tr=1d

ETH Staking 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.