Ethereum just turned 10, and Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave, one of the earliest and most influential lending protocols in DeFi, is more bullish on the OG layer 1 blockchain than ever. 

In this wide-ranging interview, he reflects on Ethereum’s resilience, explains why Aave is still laser-focused on it despite the rise of competitors like Solana, and gives us a preview of Aave V4 and its institutional play, Horizon. 

If you want to understand where DeFi is going, you’ll want to hear what Stani has to say.

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Guest:

Links:

Timestamps:

🎬 0:00 Intro

🎉 4:58 What Ethereum’s 10-year milestone means to Stani

🏗️ 9:09 How Aave became the top lending protocol on Ethereum

🧐 13:02 Why Stani has been critical of the Ethereum Foundation

🏦 17:16 How TradFi institutions could quietly run on Aave infrastructure

💸 25:08 What Stani thinks about the complaints over Ethereum revenues and fees

🌉 30:27 Why Aave hasn’t launched on Solana

💼 35:32 How Ethereum treasury companies are putting Aave to work

🔧 41:15 What Aave V4 is bringing to the protocol and why it matters

🌍 48:18 How Horizon could bridge DeFi and real-world assets

🤝 50:43 Why DeFi might thrive even as TradFi and fintech move onchain

🗳️ 57:57 Whether DAO governance is fundamentally flawed

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