The Defiant

Two new research papers just intensified one of crypto’s most serious long-term risks: quantum computing.

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Camila Russo sits down with Alex Pruden, co-founder and CEO of Project 11, to unpack what the latest quantum breakthroughs actually mean for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the broader crypto ecosystem.

Alex explains why the new papers matter, how quantum computers could use Shor’s algorithm to break the cryptography behind blockchain ownership, why exposed public keys are especially vulnerable, and what “Q-Day” could look like if the industry is unprepared. He also breaks down the difference between theoretical progress and live quantum systems, why some chains may be vulnerable in different ways, and what post-quantum migration could realistically involve.

The takeaway: this is not just a technical curiosity. It is a foundational challenge for crypto, and one the industry may need to start addressing now.

Topics covered:

• Why the new quantum papers are a big deal
• How quantum computers could break Bitcoin and Ethereum
• Why exposed public keys matter
• What real-time attacks could look like
• Whether faster blockchains are safer
• What post-quantum cryptography can and can’t solve
• Why Ethereum may be the furthest along in preparing
• What Project 11 is building to help secure crypto before Q-Day

A new DeFi exploit triggered millions in losses, but the deeper story is about risk. In this episode, Omer Goldberg, founder of Chaos Labs, explains how the attack unfolded, why the damage spread across lending markets, what vault curators got wrong, and whether DeFi is truly ready for mainstream adoption. If you want to understand stablecoin risk, oracle design, curator incentives, and the future of safer onchain finance, this is the conversation to watch.Big thanks to our sponsors;NEXONexo is a premier digital assets wealth platform that helps clients build, manage, and preserve their wealth through advanced interest-generating products, crypto-backed credit, advanced trading tools, and 24/7 client care. Get started at nexo.com/defiant MERCURYOYour Web3 product deserves solid payment infrastructure. Global on/off-ramps, custom APIs, and DeFi connectivity trusted by the biggest names in crypto: mercuryo.ioROCKET POOLRocket Pool is Ethereum’s decentralised liquid staking protocol. Node operators can join with just 4 ETH, or liquid stakers can hold rETH and automatically earn staking rewards. rocketpool.net

What happens when the institution at the center of U.S. market plumbing starts putting securities onchain?

In this episode of The Defiant, Chris Storaker sits down with Tom Sullivan, Managing Director at DTCC Digital Assets, to discuss how DTCC is approaching tokenization, why regulatory clarity changed the game, and what it means for U.S. Treasuries, stocks, ETFs, collateral, and 24/7 markets.

Tom explains DTCC’s role as the trusted infrastructure behind much of the U.S. securities market, why blockchain has become a real infrastructure priority, and how tokenized assets could improve collateral mobility, settlement efficiency, and capital efficiency across global markets.

They also cover:

• why SEC clarity was a major unlock
• what exactly DTCC is tokenizing
• how tokenized assets will retain full legal and economic rights
• why collateral is one of the biggest near-term use cases
• how DTCC sees interoperability, appchains, and a multi-ledger future
• what success looks like for the Q3 rollout and beyond

If tokenization is moving from experiment to market infrastructure, this conversation shows what that looks like from the inside.

New Podcast with Aave founder Stani Kulechov just dropped: Aave is at a turning point - will the Aave Will Win proposal lead to innovation or chaos? Aave is navigating a pivotal moment with the recent "Aave will win" proposal. This initiative aims to redirect 100% of protocol revenue back to the Aave DAO, a move that many in the community have embraced. But with any major change comes scrutiny.Critics are questioning the governance structure, suggesting that Aave Labs may have too much influence. Stani Kulechov addresses these concerns, clarifying that no votes from Aave Labs swayed the outcome. Stani also discussed the 'Hub and Spoke' architecture of Aave V4, explaining how it will solve liquidity bootstrapping for developers and pave the way for Real World Assets (RWAs) like solar farms and GPUs. It’s clear that Aave is focused on growth and innovation. But will it be enough to keep Aave competitive in the evolving DeFi landscape?

Big thanks to our sponsors;NEXONexo is a premier digital assets wealth platform that helps clients build, manage, and preserve their wealth through advanced interest-generating products, crypto-backed credit, advanced trading tools, and 24/7 client care. Get started at nexo.com/defiant MERCURYOYour Web3 product deserves solid payment infrastructure. Global on/off-ramps, custom APIs, and DeFi connectivity trusted by the biggest names in crypto: mercuryo.ioROCKET POOLRocket Pool is Ethereum’s decentralised liquid staking protocol. Node operators can join with just 4 ETH, or liquid stakers can hold rETH and automatically earn staking rewards. rocketpool.net

In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Camila Russo sits down with Jing Wang to discuss how Optimism is evolving and why the debate over what counts as a “real” Ethereum L2 might be missing the point.

Jing argues that the most important question isn’t whether a chain is an L1, L2, or sidechain.

It’s whether the architecture actually serves users and real-world use cases.

“If it looks like an L1, we’ll build that. If it looks like an L2, we’ll build that.”

In the conversation we cover:

• Why Optimism now sees itself as a network of blockchains (the Superchain)
• The debate around Ethereum L2 decentralization sparked by Vitalik Buterin
• Why institutions are already using decentralized rails
• Why ZK proofs are the future
• And why Jing believes finance inevitably moves on-chain

Nexo is a premier digital assets wealth platform that helps clients build, manage, and preserve their wealth through advanced interest-generating products, crypto-backed credit, advanced trading tools, and 24/7 client care. Get started at https://nexo.com/defiant

Your Web3 product deserves solid payment infrastructure. Global on/off-ramps, custom APIs, and DeFi connectivity trusted by the biggest names in crypto: https://mercuryo.io/

Layer 2 was supposed to scale Ethereum.

But what if it fragmented it instead?

I

n this episode, we break down:

• Why public chains are “expensive databases”

• Why composability is Ethereum’s real value

• Why stablecoins don’t need blockchains

• Why L2 may be weakening Ethereum’s core

Is scaling helping Ethereum — or hollowing it out?

Explore The Defiant ✨

Layer 2 was supposed to scale Ethereum.But what if it fragmented it instead?In this episode, we break down:• Why public chains are “expensive databases”• Why composability is Ethereum’s real value• Why stablecoins don’t need blockchains• Why L2 may be weakening Ethereum’s coreIs scaling helping Ethereum — or hollowing it out?Explore The Defiant ✨

Bitcoin Renaissance or JPEG Hype?In 2023, Bitcoin had what many called a renaissance.NFTs on Bitcoin.BRC-20 tokens.Runes.10x transaction spikes.Fee revenue surging to levels not seen since 2017.And then — just as quickly — it cooled.So was the Bitcoin renaissance just a flash in the pan?Or did Ordinals, BRC-20s, and Runes permanently change Bitcoin?In Episode 2 of our Beyond Digital Gold docu-series in partnership with StarkWare, we break down:• What Ordinals actually are and how they work• How BRC-20 tokens turned Bitcoin into a memecoin battlefield• Why Runes were introduced — and what they fixed• The fee spike impact on miners• How maximalism fractured• Why the Overton window for building on Bitcoin shifted permanentlyFeaturing:@isabelfoxenduke@0xBinari@rodarmor@domodata@NathanOnCryptoThe hype faded.But the structural shift didn’t.Watch to understand what really changed — and why the next battle for Bitcoin is infrastructure.⸻Chapters:Cold OpenEthereum vs Bitcoin EraTaproot ExplainedWhat Ordinals Actually DidBRC-20 ExplosionThe Cultural WarRunes & The RefinementWas It Just Hype?⸻#Bitcoin #Ordinals #BRC20 #Runes #BitcoinDeFi #Crypto #Taproot

"In a decentralized governance system, it's unavoidable to develop politics."

Rune Christensen explains why DAO governance becomes a struggle for resources, how the "iron law of bureaucracy" emerges, and why Sky redesigned its architecture to survive it.

From USDS growth to the Atlas rulebook and Genesis Capital — this is Sky's long-term vision for sustainable decentralized finance.

Robinhood is opening the testnet for its Arbitrum-based Ethereum Layer 2. In this episode, we sit down with the fintech’s head of crypto, Johann Kerbrat, to discuss the strategic move to build on Ethereum. He believes institutions can get the privacy and compliance guarantees they need on public chains like Ethereum, so building on private chains doesn’t make sense as they are just a “fancy database.” Kerbrat says he sees a future where most financial infrastructure and assets transact on public blockchains. Topics:Robinhood Layer 2 LaunchTokenized Stocks & Real-World AssetsThe "Adapt or Die" moment for BanksSelf-Custody vs. Platform Safety