The Latest Development

### YouTube Description

In this episode of the TLD Podcast, host Dirt (aka Mike) sits down with Nicky Scanz, founder of Layer33 – a new coalition of independent Solana validators aimed at preserving and strengthening Solana’s decentralization.

Fresh off their indie SOL pool launch and a standout presence at Breakpoint, Nicky shares his journey into Solana: from minting Degen Ape Academy NFTs on the legendary Sollet mobile web app in 2021, to becoming CEO of DAA, working at Marinade, and now founding Layer33.

They dive deep into:

- Why 33% stake on truly independent validators is the key safety threshold for Solana’s long-term decentralization

- The alarming trend of independent validators shutting down and stake funneling toward institutional operators

- How Layer33 unites top indie validators to build products, pool resources, and compete for institutional stake

- Upcoming Layer33 tools (RPC service, transaction landing, and bigger secret projects)

- The future of staking innovation (shoutout to Pi Finance), institutional adoption, and whether the Solana Foundation should stick around forever

A must-watch for anyone who cares about Solana staying fast, cheap, AND decentralized for decades to come.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro & Congrats on Layer33 Indie SOL Pool Launch

00:21 - Dirt or Mike? The host’s name transition debate

00:55 - Nicky’s origin story: How he got into Solana

01:10 - Discovering NFTs in 2021 via Degen Ape Academy & Sollet wallet

02:34 - From NFT collector → full-time at DAA → CEO → Marinade → Layer33

04:03 - Nostalgia for Sollet, Phantom, and early Solana wallets

05:27 - Why NFTs were the ultimate crypto onboarding experience

06:56 - The meaning behind the name "Layer33" (33% decentralization threshold)

08:55 - Technical explanation: Why 33% indie stake makes Solana "safe in perpetuity"

11:02 - Responding to the trend of indie validators shutting down

13:00 - Layer33’s vision: Multiple validator coalitions hitting 33% together

14:11 - Criteria for joining Layer33 (performance + resource commitment)

17:03 - Economic incentives, co-ownership, and revenue-sharing for validators

19:13 - Diversifying revenue streams to keep indie validators profitable long-term

21:45 - Early governance: Telegram channels, enthusiastic contributors, and post-Breakpoint momentum

25:32 - Nicky’s day-to-day as a new founder + funding possibilities

28:50 - Thoughts on Pi Finance and on-chain staking innovation vs. backroom deals

31:26 - Attracting institutional stake: Power, influence, and scale matter

34:51 - Current & upcoming Layer33 products (TX landing, global RPC service, secret big bets)

37:03 - Can Solana survive without the Foundation? (Spoiler: Nicky hopes it sticks around)

39:46 - Wrap-up, holiday cheers, and future conversations

🔗 Layer33: www.layer33.com

🔗 Follow Layer 33: https://x.com/layer_33_ on X

🔗 Follow Nicky: @NickyScanz on X

🔗 TLD Podcast: Subscribe for more Solana deep dives

#Solana #Layer33 #Decentralization #Crypto #Blockchain #SolanaValidators

Drop a like if you’re staking with indie validators 🚀

What’s your take on Solana’s decentralization – safe forever or still at risk? Comment below!

Aurimus from Alchemy @ Breakpoint Abu Dhabi | The Latest Development Podcast

In this special on-site episode of The Latest Development, recorded live at Breakpoint 2025 in Abu Dhabi, we sit down with Aurimus from Alchemy to dive deep into Alchemy’s bold entry into Solana infrastructure.

Aurimus shares his journey from building early Solana projects in 2021, founding Dexter Labs (later acquired by Alchemy), and how his team’s bare-metal, open-source innovations are now powering Alchemy’s push to become a top-tier RPC provider on Solana.

We discuss:

- Why Alchemy acquired Dexter Labs

- Key differentiators: sub-millisecond latency, massive scaling, multi-region reliability, and enterprise-grade performance

- How Alchemy stacks up against established players like Helius and Triton

- The future of wallet infrastructure, social logins, and abstracting away blockchain complexity

- Bare metal vs cloud, the exploding data problem on Solana, and the insane race for millisecond-level performance

If you’re building on Solana or just curious about the infrastructure arms race, this one’s for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro & Welcome from Breakpoint Abu Dhabi

00:18 - Aurimus’ background and early Solana journey (2021)

01:20 - Building Dexter Labs & the Bigtable problem

02:00 - Alchemy acquires Dexter Labs to enter Solana

03:24 - Size of Alchemy’s Solana team & recent launches

04:08 - Alchemy’s differentiators: speed, scaling, reliability

05:31 - Adoption by larger dApps & being late to the game

06:25 - Why developers use multiple RPC providers

07:27 - Multi-region infrastructure & Cortex routing

07:51 - Beyond RPC: Wallet infrastructure & onboarding tools

09:09 - Abstraction layers, gas sponsorship, and social logins

10:15 - Mobile UX pain points & the future of on-chain access

12:20 - Bare metal vs cloud: the 10x cost difference

13:26 - Competitors & the performance race

14:26 - Advice for founders choosing infrastructure

14:41 - Solana’s massive data growth (1.5PB historical cluster)

16:48 - Hardware vs software scaling debate

17:16 - The millisecond-level RPC arms race

18:45 - Final thoughts & where to find Aurimus

Follow Alchemy on X: @Alchemy (link in bio)

Alchemy on Solana: https://www.alchemy.com/solana

Subscribe for more raw conversations with the builders shaping Solana’s future.

#Solana #Alchemy #RPC #Breakpoint2025 #CryptoInfrastructure #Web3 #SolanaDevs

🔥 Richard Brown (CEO of R3 Labs) on Why Solana is the Future of Institutional Blockchain & Real-World Assets | Breakpoint Abu Dhabi 2025

Live from Solana's Breakpoint conference in Abu Dhabi (December 2025), Richard Brown — CEO of R3 Labs and former CTO — joins us for an in-depth conversation on bridging traditional finance with DeFi.

Richard shares his journey from discovering Bitcoin in 2011 to building enterprise blockchain solutions, and why R3 is now all-in on Solana.

Key highlights:

- How Bitcoin’s permissionless value transfer changed everything for him

- The story behind Corda: R3’s private blockchain powering billions in assets

- Why Solana was the “overwhelmingly obvious” choice for R3’s public chain integration

- The massive pivot: From optimizing TradFi → bringing institutional capital and RWAs into DeFi

- Exclusive reveal: Corda Protocol — a new on-chain RWA marketplace launching early 2026 on Solana

- Partnerships with Kamino, yield vaults, tokenizers, and curators to deliver composable, high-quality real-world yield

- Why Solana’s token extensions are a “secret superpower” for institutional adoption

- Thoughts on clear thinking, writing, and using AI effectively

Richard makes the case that the next trillion dollars of assets will be issued on-chain — and explains why Solana is uniquely positioned to host the unified internet capital markets of the future.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro at Breakpoint Abu Dhabi

00:20 - Richard’s background & Bitcoin origin story

03:35 - The magic of public-key cryptography

06:15 - Writing as thinking + AI advice

07:25 - From enterprise blockchain to Solana

09:40 - TradFi → DeFi: The pivotal shift

12:50 - Connecting private networks to Solana

15:40 - Exclusive: Corda Protocol RWA marketplace announcement

19:30 - Token extensions & Solana’s technical advantages

24:20 - Validators, MEV, and institutional requirements

Follow Richard on X: @gendal

R3 Labs: https://r3.com

Corda Protocol updates: https://corda.xyz

#Solana #Breakpoint2025 #RWA #DeFi #TradFi #Blockchain #AbuDhabi #RealWorldAssets #InstitutionalCrypto #Crypto

Subscribe for more exclusive interviews from Breakpoint and beyond! 🚀

Anna, founder of Perena, joins TLD to talk about building the “stable bank of Solana” and why 2025 is the year to stop holding plain USDC & USDT. In this easy-to-follow episode she explains:

1. What Perena actually does and where the name comes from.

2. Why Solana users are accidentally sending hundreds of millions in yield to competing chains every year.

3.How USDStar gives you 12-18% APY on your stablecoins (and why it’s different from normal stablecoins)

4.The simple truth about risk, black swans, and how the yield is really made.

5. Why more competition in Solana stablecoins is good for everyone.

6. What’s next: tranching, new yield sources, and bringing real-world assets on-chain.

Perfect episode if you’re new to Solana DeFi or just want to understand where to park your stablecoins in 2025.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro & fixing the “Purina” pronunciation

00:41 – The real meaning of “Perena” (perennial = keeps coming back) 01:51 – How Anna discovered crypto in 2017 and chose Solana

03:25 – Why “Internet Capital Markets” confused everyone

06:58 – Creating the term “stable banking”

09:02 – The big pivot that changed everything in the last year

09:53 – Lesson #1: Fail fast, perfection is the enemy

15:03 – Life as a solo founder (and why too much advice hurts)

18:24 – The $500M stablecoin yield leak almost no one talks about

22:33 – Where your USDC interest actually goes (spoiler: not Solana)

27:17 – USDStar explained in simple terms

31:52 – “USDStar is NOT a stablecoin” – Anna clears it up

34:02 – How the vault works + future plans (tranches, governance, RWAs)

36:31 – Risk, black swans, and what keeps her up at night

45:05 – Why Anna wants MORE competitors on Solana

50:19 – Wake-up call for anyone still holding plain USDC/USDT

51:01 – Where to find Anna & Perena

On this episode of The Latest Development, Dirt sits down with the founder and Den Master of Lucid Drakes to unpack what actually happens when a Web3 community cultivates intimacy (65/67 minted) with a talented group of well connected individuals, refuses to dilute, and still keeps building momentum. We go deep on the unsolved problem of self-sustaining communities, the new limited-edition merch drop, why Lucid Ventures is becoming a must-have line on every hot Solana cap table, and what the next phase of Drakes looks like when the mint is finally complete. Only two Drakes remain. If you’ve ever wondered why holders almost never sell… this is the one to watch.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro chaos & restart 00:53 – Lucid Drakes today: 67 supply, only 2 left forever

02:17 – Culturalization of finance – why Drakes flips the normal model

03:10 – Solana hacker-house lessons that shaped everything

06:20 – The unsolved problem: a Web3 community that pays its own way

09:33 – Voshi’s paying meme + new 1-of-100 merch drop

14:26 – Merch details: custom cotton, rubber stamps, Solana Pay

17:17 – Why expanding the collection would be a mistake

19:46 – Future of Drake events: smaller, higher-signal rooms

23:49 – Can premium events ever ditch sponsor dependency?

27:20 – Lucid Ventures: why founders want Drakes on their cap table

31:00 – How the syndicate works + alpha it gives members

32:41 – Quick council shoutout 34:04 – The 5% treasury carry quietly backing every Drake forever

36:39 – Final pitch: the end of the mint is when it gets real

38:08 – Wrap-up and see you in Abu Dhabi

Links:

Lucid Drakes on X: @LucidDrakes

Meta’s X Handle Link: https://x.com/metapsilo?s=21&t=0zc2Wd...

In this episode, Dirt sits down with Jonathan Claudius — founder of Asymmetric Research and former Jump Crypto and Mozilla security lead — to discuss how one of crypto’s most trusted security firms approaches incident response, long-term client partnerships, and the art of being “boring but brilliant.”

From leading Mozilla’s offensive security team to tackling the Wormhole hack on day two of the job, Jonathan shares deep insights into Web3 security, policy design, and why humility, trust, and steady execution matter more than hype. ⏱

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Dirt welcomes Jonathan Claudius, CEO of Asymmetric Research

00:34 – Jonathan’s background: from TrustWave to Mozilla to Jump Crypto

03:20 – The Wormhole hack: what happened and what it taught the industry

05:25 – Lessons in resilience and why security is like a team sport

07:14 – Founding Asymmetric Research with Felix Wilhelm (Google Project Zero)

09:18 – Offense vs defense: balancing attack and protection in security

11:07 – Long-term partnerships vs one-off audits — a new security model

13:15 – Becoming a “core contributor” and embedding with clients

16:24 – “Boring is sexy” — why simplicity wins in security design

20:17 – Remote-first operations and global incident response culture

25:46 – Policy is power: practical advice for founders on security setup

28:29 – Confidentiality & trust — the stories they can’t tell

31:08 – Hiring for EQ and the “no-assholes” policy at Asymmetric Research

33:14 – Closing thoughts & reflections on building with trust

Episode Description: Dirt sits down with Simon and Eno, the dynamic "Sol Brothers," to dive into the fast-paced world of Solana and crypto. From their first shisha-fueled meeting in Dubai to dominating global conferences and build stations, they share raw insights on building trust, dodging burnout, and thriving as founders. Expect hilarious banter, Arnold Schwarzenegger wisdom, and practical tips for new builders looking to stand out in the Solana ecosystem. Tune in for a real talk on why excellence and community are the heart of crypto success!

Timestamps :

• 0:00 - Intro & Chill Banter Dirt jokes about cutting the episode if it flops, setting a fun vibe. Simon confirms he’s free, and Dirt intros the Soul Brothers for a Solana chat.
• 0:25 - Meet Simon & Eno Simon and Eno bring “GM” energy. Dirt vents about Toronto’s baseball loss, and the trio swaps quips about cheering him up and dodging internet glitches.
• 1:03 - Dirt’s Intro Gets Roasted Simon and Eno flip the script, making Dirt introduce himself. He calls himself a crypto vet who’s “still trying” but tied to Lucid Drakes and cool founders.
• 3:58 - Simon’s Schwarzenegger Moment Simon plugs Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger for its perseverance lessons. Eno dubs him “Crypto Schwarzenegger,” and Simon flexes his cryptoschwarzenegger.sol domain.
• 6:29 - Simon & Eno’s Dubai Origin Story Dirt asks why Eno’s Simon’s co-host. Simon recalls their 3 a.m. shisha chat at a Superteam UAE Founders Villa, sparking their bond and Simon’s Solana journey.
• 8:11 - Top 2025 Conferences Eno praises Jupiter’s Cat Stample and Accelerate in New York for production and impact. Simon loves Accelerate’s vibe and Superteam Balkan’s Croatia Build Station.
• 12:19 - Build Stations > Conferences Eno argues co-living build stations (Croatia, Tokyo) build deeper ties than busy conferences like Breakpoint. Simon touts Solana’s builder events like Forma and Island DAO.
• 16:00 - How Build Stations Run Dirt asks about build station logistics. Eno says Solana Foundation and sponsors fund venues and food; Simon notes Solana Economic Zones shift lodging to builders.
• 19:56 - Should Firms Give Back? Dirt questions if Solana companies owe the ecosystem. Eno slams token dumping; Simon contrasts Phantom’s onboarding with Solflare’s community focus, saying both matter.
• 31:05 - IRL vs. Online Networking Dirt probes in-person vs. online meetings. Eno says IRL events build trust, but returns diminish. Simon suggests local superteam events for new builders.
• 33:21 - Beating Crypto Burnout Dirt asks about stress. Simon credits his gym routine for stability; Eno admits to smoking but says his wife keeps him grounded with “German efficiency.”
• 43:25 - Dirt’s 2025 Travel & TG Woes Eno asks Dirt’s plans. Dirt eyes Abu Dhabi, plans a 2026 push, and laughs about Telegram’s async struggles, like misfired jokes and ignored messages.
• 46:48 - Advice for New Builders Eno warns against early token launches, pushes superteam, and suggests free work to stand out. Simon urges excellence, citing Schwarzenegger’s “wenschen, denschen.”
• 54:00 - Closing & Lucid Drakes Love Dirt closes, joking about Lucid Drakes’ wild auction prices. Eno regrets not buying early; Simon confirms their value. The trio vows to reconnect online.

Today on The Latest Development, Dirt sits down with the founders of Seedplex — Treggs & SpacemanDev — to break down how they’re reinventing startup fundraising through on-chain private equity access.

If you’re bullish on crypto venture + want liquid exposure to early-stage companies, this episode is for you. ⚡️

⏱️ Timestamps

00:45 — Why Seedplex exists: tokens tied to real equity

02:12 — Who are the founders & why they’re qualified

03:39 — The “dream vs. reality” balance in crypto projects

04:31 — What’s wrong with current token fundraising

06:51 — Tokens representing a treasury of equity 💡

09:22 — How equity becomes liquid + used in DeFi

12:19 — Angel vs VC — different outcomes, same access

15:54 — Venture Syndicate as a Service — not a launchpad

20:01 — Seedplex vs Superstate & Echo 🔍

24:42 — Governance + community-driven equity tokenization

https://x.com/seedplex_io

https://x.com/spacemandev

https://x.com/Treggs6

In this episode, Daniel from Nomu unpacks how tokenizing product margins lets customers share in upside — a model he calls Sound Commerce. We cover why e-commerce is broken, how to realign incentives between brands and buyers, and what it takes to onboard Web2 users without even mentioning crypto.

Chapters 00:00 – Intro & Daniel joins the show

01:00 – From SwissBorg to Nomu: the Web3 awakening

04:00 – The idea: “Kickstarter that actually pays you” 06:00 – Realigning producers & consumers through tokenized margin

10:00 – Fixing Web3’s image and building something generative

13:00 – How Nomu’s marketplace works (margin → reward loop)

17:00 – Turning customers into ambassadors, not ad targets

20:00 – Why UX is everything — Alibaba design meets Solana rails

23:00 – NFTs as receipts & revenue-share airdrops

26:00 – Early partners and launch strategy

29:00 – Authentic virality and the future of brand loyalty

32:00 – How Nomu hides crypto until payout (normie-friendly flow)

35:00 – From Solana IPs to mainstream brands

36:00 – “Sound Commerce”: rewriting consumerism

37:00 – Lucid Drakes, pre-seed disclosure, and Breakpoint plans

Socials Daniel - https://x.com/DLophem Nomu - https://x.com/EatwithNomu

In this episode of The Latest Development, host Dirt sits down with Drake Evans, CTO and technical founder of Agora, a leading stablecoin platform. Drake shares his journey from traditional finance to crypto, his pivotal role at Frax, and the vision behind Agora’s multi-chain stablecoin, AUSD. They dive into the challenges of building on multiple blockchains, the importance of transparency in stablecoins, and how Agora is enabling institutions and developers to leverage AUSD through white-labeling. From real-world asset (RWA) tokenization to navigating bear and bull markets, this episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in the future of decentralized finance.

Time Stamps:

Introduction (00:00 - 00:37)

Host Dirt kicks off the episode, introducing guest Drake Evans, CTO of Agora.

Overview of topics: stablecoins, RWAs, and Agora’s mission.

Drake’s Background: From Finance to Crypto (00:37 - 09:48)

Drake shares his career path: starting in venture capital and private equity, transitioning to software development at ADP, and diving into crypto.

Early crypto ventures: mining Ethereum in 2016, co-founding DapHero, and joining Frax to build Frax Lend and FraxEther.

Key moment: Joining Agora after a pivotal conversation with founder Nick, raising a seed round in October 2023.

Agora’s Vision and Multi-Chain Strategy (09:48 - 15:21)

Agora’s mission: building AUSD as a public good abstraction layer for traditional finance and blockchains.

Multi-chain from day one: AUSD is live on 14 chains, focusing on fast-growing ecosystems to capture new users.

Challenges of multi-chain development: building systems to abstract chain differences and navigating unique virtual machine architectures.

Stable coin Adoption and White-Labeling AUSD (15:21 - 33:20)

AUSD’s growth: ~$135M market cap, with adoption across various chains and strong interest from institutions.

White-labeling strategy: enabling apps and institutions to brand AUSD, leveraging shared liquidity and interoperability without building from scratch.

Target audience: from app developers (e.g., for NFT marketplaces or memberships) to banks in emerging markets looking to onboard to blockchain.

Regulatory and market tailwinds: Circle’s IPO, Trump administration’s crypto focus, and institutional interest (e.g., Stripe, BB&K acquisitions) driving stable coin demand.

Transparency vs. Stability in Stable coins (20:45 - 27:27)

Balancing transparency: Agora uses monthly attestations and proof-of-reserves, but excessive transparency (e.g., revealing banking partners) can lead to risks like USDC’s depeg during the SVB crisis.

Lessons from Frax: on-chain transparency was key, but as stable coins integrate with traditional finance, trade-offs emerge.

Governance risks: fully permissionless systems can enable economic exploits, highlighting the need for professional oversight.

The Future of RWAs and Stable coins (33:20 - 43:40)

Credits

Host: Mike aka Dirt

Guest: Drake Evans, CTO of Agora

Produced by: EXO Tech Media in partnership w KlutchShotz