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DeFi

DeFi Gigabrain Tarun Chitra on ETH staking and re-staking and why “financial nihilism” is a real consumer product

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Crypto is a world built for self-taught people, a playground for mathematicians. Tarun Chitra, founder of the risk management, economic research and software optimization organization Gauntlet, is just one shining example. In a conversation with Chitra, this comes through. There seems to be no corner of crypto that he hasn’t examined.

CoinDesk caught up with the real DeFi celebrity known for his colorful style (hair, glasses And clothes) to talk about new financial primitives in crypto, artificial wombs and why he appreciates hecklers.

This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

I thought maybe we could start with a quick overrated/underrated roundup. You can skip any of them or clarify your statements if you prefer.

I have a very rough classification in my head, like between passive and active life extension. The passive is: I’m getting healthier by eating better and maybe taking supplements. Active is: I get all kinds of esoteric experimental therapies and, like, injections. You know what I mean, one involves surgical procedures and the other involves simpler habit change.

I was thinking more about the first one.

Probably overrated. I think the latter is correctly noted.

Yeah. Healthy living is good.

But that’s why I wanted to separate them.

Actually, I think it’s rated pretty well. Maybe slightly underrated, actually. But not super underrated. I feel like they get a lot of hype.

CLOB [central limit order book exchanges].

I think we had the CLOB era as the only thing that worked. Then AMMs took off and CLOBs were like shit. And then, in the world of perpetual, low-latency blockchains, everyone was saying “CLOBs are better, CLOBs are better.” Not that we’ve necessarily seen a lot of people coming back to CLOBs, but I feel like the tide has changed at the moment. People talk about PAD all the time. So it’s good. But it feels like there’s always this cyclical thing between the two.

A shot Dutch auctions are overrated. Dutch multi-plane auctions are underestimated.

Can you define what you mean by omnichain for this context?

Honestly, not so much. It’s just a term I’ve seen pop up a lot recently, and I can’t say what it is.

Yeah, well, I found it to be more of a marketing term than anything real, to be completely honest. So overrated that it feels like it’s not real. This doesn’t refer to a single technical thing that I could write equations for and say, “That’s a guarantee you’re getting out of it.”

That’s the impression I had too. It may be mean, but Aave.

Who are your intellectual heroes?

Paul Dirac. John von Neumann. I’m trying to think of a more recent one. Boring is like Terence Taos of the world. Is there anyone who isn’t as famous? …Yeah, stick with it. These are the ones that are quite well known, I have the impression that the others are far too specialized.

Fair enough. You have written about DAO governance in 2021. I was wondering if you think we’ve learned anything since then? whether the governance of the DAO has improved in the years that followed?

I think there’s kind of a thing where the actual governance processes for many DAOs have gotten worse or better. Whether it’s because of sclerosis, or because of centralized buyout or something else, there are plenty of reasons for one or the other. I don’t think there have been many new mechanics that people have focused on because you don’t get rewarded for improving a DAO mechanic.

With Compound, I feel like because of the way they launched, they were rewarded as a team for improving the DAO mechanics when they decentralized governance in 2020. But since then , everyone who has innovated in governance is generally outside of DeFi. And these did not succeed.

There are still many mechanistic innovations that have not been realized. And part of the reason it hasn’t been done is because it’s underfunded compared to other things, right? For example, you can raise a lot more money to make another robot than you could ever raise for a new governance system.

When is it appropriate for crypto to embrace financial nihilism? As in, lean into it?

Good question. I have the impression that we are currently considering this question. So I don’t know if that’s an answer to the question of when it’s appropriate – but hasn’t it already happened? The problem for me is that financial nihilism is a real consumer application. Most other things are considered crypto for consumers, people say it’s a scam or a lie, or that it doesn’t really need crypto at all, it would work fine as Web2 for me – I can go through the list.

Financial nihilism is a real consumer product. Like there’s no way around it. It’s hard to get around the fact that they found a way to make Binance more fun for someone who doesn’t like looking at candles – and I think that’s why Pompe.fun exist. People love it because it’s the same thing but it doesn’t seem like it and it’s a good consumer app.

This will disappoint anyone raising millions of dollars to do mainstream crypto, but that’s exactly what it is.

Do you think Farcaster will ever completely supplant Crypto Twitter and would it be a loss for Farcaster if CT was completely recreated on Farcaster?

Farcaster is like where WAGMI refugees [we are all gonna make it] the 2021 movement is gone. At first, they were all people who were really sincere about being part of the cult of toxic positivity. I feel like those who were serious about it went and created Farcaster. I just don’t feel like trader type people will ever fit in perfectly, so it doesn’t seem possible to fully recreate the “degenerate side”. Farcaster is so much healthier.

Do you see any interesting financial primitives emerging that you think will become increasingly important?

I mean, in general, I think restaking is part of it. But things that allow you not to know which network you are on, but which offer you the same security guarantees as that network; Re-staking is a version of that, aggregation stuff that people do and ZK-land is a version of that. I think this is the key to making the UX of the multi-chain world as good as something like Solana.

Some fear that there is already too much ETH staked or that there will soon be too much. Do you agree with this argument? Is there an appropriate amount?

Honestly, it depends. I don’t think there is a static, fixed quantity that will always be the right quantity. It depends on the usage. If it turns out that ETH is used a lot in on-chain applications or in centralized exchanges, then it’s pretty bad to have a lot of ETH staked, because then there’s no liquidity and you could find yourself in a supply crisis.

On the other hand, if there is too little ETH staked, then yes, of course, different types of attacks are possible. In some ways, the biggest problem with proof-of-stake is that it’s easy to calculate the monetary value of an attack. I can always take 1/3 times the amount bet and figure out how much an attack costs.

With proof of work, because people can join and leave, it takes a while to determine the cost of an attack and you can’t determine it as accurately. So the lower bound of proof of work is actually harder to estimate, and it’s actually harder to attack in some ways.

So I think it will always be dynamic. Some new technology will help reduce the amount you need to stake – that’s the whole point of ZK and advanced crypto, but it will never be constant. It really depends on how much apps you want to use and if the apps use a lot of ether.

How many pairs of glasses do you own?

And finally, is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to at Consensus?

Do another live podcast.

I was there last time. It was good!

Yes, live podcasts are fun. Especially if you act like a heckler.

I’ll try to find something intelligent to heckle.

Yeah, well, thanks for stopping by.



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We are the editorial team of FinCrypto, where seriousness meets clarity in cryptocurrency analysis. With a robust team of finance and blockchain technology experts, we are dedicated to meticulously exploring complex crypto markets with detailed assessments and an unbiased approach. Our mission is to democratize access to knowledge of emerging financial technologies, ensuring they are understandable and accessible to all. In every article on FinCrypto, we strive to provide content that not only educates, but also empowers our readers, facilitating their integration into the financial digital age.

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DeFi

Is Zypto Wallet a Reliable Choice for DeFi Users?

FinCrypto Staff

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Is Zypto Wallet a Reliable Choice for DeFi Users?

Zypto wallet is a newcomer in the crypto landscape and has already made waves for its exclusive benefits and security features.

In this article, we will take a look at the Zypto crypto wallet and how it can help users securely manage their digital assets, interact with Web3 applications, and explore the world of Challenge.

What is Zypto Wallet?

Zypto App is a newly launched versatile crypto wallet that supports a wide range of coins and tokens, along with seamless access to Web3 applications, token exchanges, virtual crypto cards, a gift card marketplace, and a payment gateway.

What are the pros and cons of Zypto Wallet?

Benefits

  • User-friendly: Zypto’s user interface is very intuitive with a simple setup process.
  • Multi-Chain DEX Swaps: Zypto facilitates trading between thousands of cryptocurrencies, thanks to its versatile multi-chain token swap feature.
  • Built-in dApp Browser: You can access Web3 applications directly in your wallet using the in-app dApp browser.
  • Live Customer Support: The wallet has an in-app live customer support team that responds quickly to all your queries.
  • Rewards Program: Zypto has a loyalty program that allows you to earn rewards, improving the overall user experience.
  • Virtual crypto cards: The wallet makes it easy and reliable to use digital currencies for everyday transactions through its range of virtual cryptocurrency cards.

The inconvenients

  • Limited analysis tools: Zypto offers advanced charting features and limited technical analysis tools that might not appeal to experienced cryptocurrency traders.

What DeFi products and services does Zypto Wallet offer?

Zypto allows you to securely manage a wide range of cryptocurrencies across multiple blockchains, acting as a user-friendly entry point into the Web3 ecosystem.

Multi-Chain Wallet

As a multi-chain wallet, Zypto supports hundreds of thousands of digital assets across different blockchains. Zypto is also committed to adding support for more chains in the coming months, expanding its universe of explorable assets.

Multi-Chain Exchange Functionality

Instead of the tedious process of selling one token on one exchange and buying another of the same type hosted on a different blockchain, Zypto offers a cross-chain swap feature.

DApp Browser

Another easy-to-use feature is the in-app dApp browser. Simply bring up the browser from the small globe icon at the bottom of your screen and it will first take you to the Zypto homepage.

The browser provides all the features under one application so you don’t miss anything that warrants opening a separate browser.

Zypto DeFi Wallet Review

User experience

Zypto’s ease of use is one of its main advantages. Once the app is downloaded, you can view your wallet from the home screen. Other buttons at the bottom of your screen will take you to prepaid virtual cards, an Explore Zypto page, where you can send, receive, exchange, buy and sell tokens, or access the dApp browser and your contact list.

Zypto requires KYC information before processing cards, as it is part of regulatory compliance. Contacts are another benefit: instead of tediously copying and pasting long addresses, simply save them under a contact name.

How to set up your Zypto wallet?

To start using Zypto, simply download the app. Once installed, you’re ready to go.

You can create a new wallet by pressing the Create Wallet button or import an existing wallet by writing (or pasting) your passphrase to verify your identity. You can also import it in read-only mode, in which case you only need the wallet name and address.

Conclusion: The Verdict

Zypto is relatively new in the DeFi space, but it’s already gaining popularity among different types of users. Those who prefer everything neatly organized in one place will find the app appealing, as will those who prefer its rich features and integration with fiat payment methods over on- and off-ramp cryptocurrencies.

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DeFi

Switchboard Revolutionizes DeFi with New Oracle Aggregator

FinCrypto Staff

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Switchboard Revolutionizes DeFi with New Oracle Aggregator

Switchboard, a leading oracle network known for its permissionless and fully customizable features, has launched a revolutionary oracle aggregator. This new tool enables seamless integration of data across multiple oracle networks, including household names like Chainlink and Pyth Network. In doing so, it provides users with access to a wide range of data sources, improving the versatility and reliability of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

Addressing security and cost challenges in DeFi

The Oracle Aggregator is designed to address significant security and cost challenges in the DeFi sector. In 2023, the Web3 industry saw losses exceeding $500 million due to price manipulation attacks, a notable increase from $403.2 million in 2022. These attacks accounted for 33% of the total value lost due to hacks. By expanding the diversity and volume of data sources, Switchboard aims to strengthen the resilience of data streams against such malicious activities, thereby improving the overall security of DeFi platforms.

Empowering developers with customizable data streams

Switchboard’s new Oracle Aggregator allows developers to design custom data feeds that draw from a wide range of sources, both within and outside of the Switchboard platform. This flexibility allows developers to create tailored feeds that meet their specific needs, moving away from rigid templates. The platform’s permissionless nature and lack of gatekeepers ensure developers have complete control over the data feeds they create.

Switchboard CEO Chris Hermida noted that the company’s philosophy has always been to empower developers rather than constrain them. By launching Oracle Aggregator, Switchboard allows developers to use data from a variety of sources, including Pyth and Chainlink, enabling innovation and customization of their projects. Hermida noted that this new capability allows developers to break away from traditional models and take a more personalized approach to data integration.

Plug-and-Play approach for enhanced security

Switchboard’s Oracle Aggregator offers a plug-and-play approach that allows users to leverage multiple Oracle networks, enhancing data security and reliability. By aggregating data from multiple sources, developers can improve the scalability and redundancy of their data feeds, setting a new industry standard as the first generalized Oracle aggregator. This scalability ensures that projects can mitigate risks associated with data manipulation and other vulnerabilities.

One of the most notable features of Oracle Aggregator is its customizable nature. Developers can selectively choose trusted data sources, eliminating those that do not meet their standards. This level of control is crucial for projects that aim to protect their operations from potential threats.

Innovative use of secure execution environments

Switchboard uses Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to ensure that data aggregation occurs entirely off-chain. This innovative approach minimizes gas costs associated with on-chain operations while preserving data integrity. Aggregated data is then shared with users in a single on-chain transaction, simplifying the process and reducing operational expenses.

Mitch Gildenberg, Switchboard’s CTO, highlighted the platform’s developer-centric design. He noted that the platform is designed to put developers in control, allowing them to fine-tune each data flow to their specific needs. This approach reflects Switchboard’s commitment to understanding and meeting developer needs.

Expansion and impact on the industry

Since its launch in 2021, Switchboard has seen significant growth, amassing over 180,000 users and achieving a total valuation of $1.6 billion. The company’s commitment to user autonomy and inclusion has been a driving force behind its rapid expansion in the Web3 ecosystem. Earlier this year, Switchboard raised $7.5 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Tribe Capital and RockawayX, with additional support from leading investors including the Solana Foundation, Aptos Labs, Mysten Labs, Subzero Ventures, and Starkware.

Conclusion

As the DeFi industry continues to evolve, tools like Switchboard’s Oracle Aggregator will play a crucial role in building robust and secure decentralized applications. By giving developers the ability to integrate and customize data feeds from multiple sources, Switchboard is setting new industry standards, driving innovation, and improving the overall security of the Web3 ecosystem.

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DeFi

Bitcoin is the solution to inevitable hyperfinancialization

FinCrypto Staff

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Bitcoin is the solution to inevitable hyperfinancialization

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of the crypto.news editorial team.

If there is one thing that is becoming clear, it is that hyperfinancialization is inevitable, and our best chance of achieving it successfully is through Bitcoin (Bitcoin). This decentralized cryptocurrency, known for its fixed supply and robust security, offers a unique solution to the coming problem of wealth inequality and concentrated power. By embracing Bitcoin, we can create a more transparent and resilient financial future, or we risk losing our financial sovereignty to a handful of corporations.

The hyper-financialization of the world has already begun, with the financial sector becoming a relatively larger part of the economy, in terms of size and importance. Financial structures are also expanding rapidly in other sectors.

For example, in 2023, Americans spent more than $100 billion on state-run lotteries, according to According to The Economist, the poorest citizens spent huge amounts on tickets. In addition, the online sports betting market, valued at more than $100 billion, is projected to generate nearly $46 billion in revenue this year, with a user penetration rate of 3.9%.

Moreover, Robin HoodRobinhood, a commission-free investment platform popular with retail investors, saw its funded customers climb to 23.9 million and its assets under custody soar to $129.6 billion, another prime example of the hyper-financialization trend. Robinhood began to gain traction during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the hyper-financialization trend was exacerbated. For people stuck at home, the online world became their primary means of entertainment and social interaction.

Governments then injected billions of dollars into the market, encouraging people to bet their money on the markets. The subsequent surge in inflation and the weakness of the global economy further intensified this trend, with people having to bear the burden of survival.

This has led to an increased proliferation of financial structures in different spheres of life, meaning that both manufacturers and consumers are taking this route.

As we can see, cryptocurrency has grown from less than $150 billion in March 2020 to $2.7 trillion today. This explosive growth not only accelerates the trend towards the hyperfinancialization of finance with yield farming, resttaking, points, rewards and meme coins, but also that of art via NFTs, social dynamics via social tokens and platforms like Friendtech, game with play-to-win conceptsand physical assets through tokenization.

There are also prediction markets that allow people to bet on all sorts of events. These range from the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election to whether Bitcoin will hit $100,000 by the end of the year, whether Drake’s verse in “Wah Gwan Delilah” is an AI, what the opening weekend box office of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” will be, or whether the Fed will raise rates this year.

This growing trend towards hyper-financialization is detrimental to society because it widens already large wealth gaps by increasing wealth concentration and contributing to economic inequality. Not to mention that it will lead to even larger asset bubbles, a focus on the short term at the expense of the long term, and an increased interest in speculative investments.

Here, cryptography can help find a better way to address hyperfinancialization. After all, the wealth is in the middlemen, and using blockchain technology removes this third party from the equation, bringing reliability, traceability, and immutability to the market. Blockchain actually allows hyperfinancialization to be fair and transparent.

Before the advent of cryptocurrencies, not everyone was allowed to participate in markets. But through disintermediation and permissionlessness, cryptocurrencies have made markets more efficient and accessible. Not to mention, everyone gains full control over their data, mitigating the risk of data manipulation and privacy violations.

This is where Bitcoin offers the perfect solution. This decentralized peer-to-peer network enables financial inclusion and censorship resistance, which is critically important in today’s world where organizations and governments are encroaching on people’s rights. This network has a decade-and-a-half-old history behind it, providing a robust and secure platform for people to achieve financial sovereignty.

This trillion-dollar asset class also serves as a hedge against inflation, allowing holders to preserve their wealth over time. Unlike fiat currencies, which are devalued by politicians, Bitcoin’s fixed supply and decentralization protect it from such pressures, making it the perfect asset to own in a world where everyone is competing to extract value.

The largest crypto network is now also seeing experimentation, as developers and investors use it as a foundation to build a truly decentralized future of finance and value.

For so long, Bitcoin has been a low-activity blockchain, with its key role being to store value. While Bitcoin has played a passive role in the blockchain world for all these years, it has finally changed with Taproot Upgrade which brought NFTs into the Bitcoin world. Then there was a growing interest in tokenization, also from institutions like Blackrock.

This drive to expand Bitcoin’s utility has sparked a wave of innovation, and the day is not far when BTC could dethrone Ethereum as the go-to blockchain for decentralized finance. Several aspects, including Bitcoin’s robust security framework, widespread acceptance, and institutional interest, position Bitcoin at the forefront of defi innovation.

So, with these developments, Bitcoin is now evolving to begin its new era of utility and innovation after realizing its original vision of being a peer-to-peer electronic currency system.

As everything becomes a financial asset and tradable, attention, which is a scarce resource, will become even more crucial. Bitcoin has already cemented its position in the attention economy, and the newfound interest in regulatory complaints and widespread adoption of BTC to boost productivity will allow it to lead the future of digital economies. This portends a world where crypto leads the charge towards hyperfinancialization, with BTC in the driver’s seat.

So, to conclude, the resilient Bitcoin network that has spectacularly survived the test of time may have started as a means to facilitate the seamless flow of monetary value, but today, it has become a foundation of hope not only to protect against a future that is going to be super fixated on the financial aspect, but also to take advantage of it to create wealth and prosper.

Jeroen Develter

Jeroen Develter is the Chief Operating Officer at Persistence Labs and a seasoned professional in financial and tech startup environments. With a decade of international consulting, management, entrepreneurship and leadership experience, Jeroen excels at analyzing complex business cases, establishing streamlined operations and creating scalable processes. With Persistence, Jeroen oversees all product and engineering efforts and is deeply passionate about improving the adoption of Bitcoin defi, or BTCfi, and using intents to develop scalable, fast, secure and user-friendly solutions. His work at Persistence Labs addresses the significant interoperability challenges between Bitcoin L2s. In addition, Jeroen is also a co-host of the Stacked Podcast, a platform to gain knowledge about Bitcoin and cryptography from prominent Bitcoin creators.

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DeFi

Haust Network Partners with Gateway to Connect to AggLayer

FinCrypto Staff

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Haust Network Partners with Gateway to Connect to AggLayer

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, August 1, 2024, Chainwire

Consumer adoption of cryptocurrencies is a snowball that is accelerating by the day. More and more people around the world are clamoring for access to DeFi. However, the user interface and user experience of cryptocurrencies still lag behind their fundamental utility, and users lack the simple and secure access they need to truly on-chain products.

Haust Network is a network and suite of products focused on changing this paradigm and bringing DeFi to the masses. To achieve this goal, Haust Network has announced its far-reaching partnership with bridgeseasoned veterans in rapidly delivering revolutionary blockchain utilities for projects. The Gateway team empowers blockchain developers to build DAOs, NFT platforms, payment services, and more. They drive adoption of crypto primitives for individuals and institutions around the world by helping everyone build their on-chain presence.

Gateway specializes in connecting sovereign blockchains to the Aggregation Layer (AggLayer). The AggLayer is a single unified contract that powers the Ethereum bridge of many disparate blockchains, allowing them all to connect to a single unified liquidity pool. The AggLayer abstracts away the complexities of cross-chain DeFi, making tedious multi-chain transactions as easy for the end user as a single click. It’s all about creating access to DeFi, and with Polygon’s technology and the help of Gateways, Haust is doing just that.

As part of their partnership, Gateway will build an advanced zkEVM blockchain for Haust Network, leveraging its extensive experience to deploy ultra-fast sovereign applications with unmatched security, and enabling Haust Network to deliver its products to its audience.

The recently announced launch of the Haust Wallet is a Telegram mini-app that provides users with access to DeFi directly through the Telegram interface. Users who deposit funds into the wallet will have access to all standard send/receive services and generate an automatic yield on their funds. The yield is generated by Haust Network’s interconnected network of smart contracts, Haustoria, which provides automated and passive DeFi yielding.

As part of this partnership, the Haust Network development team will work closely with Gateway developers to launch Haust Network. Gateway is an implementation provider for Polygon CDK and zkEVM technology, which the Haust wallet will leverage to deliver advanced DeFi tools directly to the wallet users’ fingertips. Haust’s partnership with Gateway comes shortly after the announcement of a high-profile alliance with the Polygon community. Together, the three will work to build Haust Network and connect its products to the AggLayer.

About Haust Network

Haust Network is an application-based absolute liquidity network and will be built to be compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Haust aims to provide native yield to all users’ assets. In Telegram’s Haust Wallet, users can spend and collect their cryptocurrencies in one easy place, at the same time. Haust operates its network of self-balancing smart contracts that interact across multiple blockchains and then efficiently funnel what has been generated to Haust users.

About Gateway

bridge is a leading white-label blockchain provider that offers no-code protocol deployment. Users can launch custom blockchains in just ten minutes. They are an implementation provider for Polygon CDK and have already helped projects like Wirex, Gnosis Pay, and PalmNFT bring new utility to the crypto landscape.

About Polygon Labs

Polygon Laboratories Polygon Labs is a software development company building and developing a network of aggregated blockchains via the AggLayer, secured by Ethereum. As a public infrastructure, the AggLayer will aggregate the user bases and liquidity of any connected chain, and leverage Ethereum as the settlement layer. Polygon Labs has also contributed to the core development of several widely adopted scaling protocols and tools for launching blockchains, including Polygon PoS, Polygon zkEVM, and Polygon Miden, which is currently under development, as well as the Polygon CDK.

Contact

Lana Kovalski
haustnetwork@gmail.com

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