Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast

Season 2 of Unshielded brought together some of the most important voices at the frontier of blockchain infrastructure to explore how privacy, security, and transparency are being reimagined for the next generation of decentralized systems.

From stablecoins and institutional adoption to UX, infrastructure, and the future of privacy — these are the conversations worth revisiting.

🎙 Featured Episodes:
Ep 16 | Why Traditional Finance is Poised for Real DeFi Adoption with Demetrios Skalkotos🔗https://youtu.be/CMeWvo5K3i0 

Ep 17 | The Future of Privacy-first Blockchain: Midnight Roadmap with Charles Hoskinson🔗https://youtu.be/dixhcWcvZSI
Ep 18 | Powering the Potential of Programmable Privacy: Midnight Roadmap with Bob Blessing-Hartley🔗 https://youtu.be/fjHyARRv428 

Ep 20 | Bridging Privacy, Trust, and Innovation in the Crypto Economy with Nicolas Cary🔗https://youtu.be/o0wYG56EQxs 

Ep 21 | USDM and the Future of Regulated Stablecoins with Jillian Plomin🔗 https://youtu.be/U30LuusJuL8 

Ep 22 | Why Rational Privacy in Defi Can Unlock the Next Financial System with Ian Horne🔗 https://youtu.be/D_wLGC1O1lU 

Ep 23 | Trust Beats Transparency: Foundations for Rational Privacy on Blockchain with Alex McFarlane🔗 https://youtu.be/OxnIiwQmBHQ 

Ep 24 | Gaming’s Next Monetization Era with Timothy Tello🔗https://youtu.be/LWFO9p7MT2w 

Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of privacy, blockchain, and real-world adoption.
Episode Resources:

• Charles Hoskinson on X
• Nicolas Cary on LinkedIn
• Alex McFarlane on LinkedIn
• Bob Blessing-Hartley on LinkedIn
• Jillian Plomin on LinkedIn
• Demetrios Skalkotos on LinkedIn
• Ian Horne on LinkedIn
• Timothy Tello on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Lauren Lee is joined by Luca Cosivi, Head of Open-Source at OpenZeppelin, to dive into what ‘secure by default’ really means in smart contract development and why open source is still the most scalable development strategy in Web3.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to adopt battle-tested smart contract standards from day one
• Why being present early in new ecosystems accelerates developer adoption and ecosystem security
• The education-first playbook for onboarding developers to secure coding practices
• How privacy fundamentally reshapes blockchain security conversations and monitoring
• Why contributing to open source starts with curiosity

Luca Cosivi is the Head of Open-Source at OpenZeppelin, the global leader in securing blockchain applications and smart contract systems. With five years of experience building on and around Ethereum, Luca brings deep expertise in open-source developer tools and smart contract security standards. At OpenZeppelin, he leads the expansion of battle-tested contract libraries and developer tools across multiple ecosystems, including Ethereum, StarkNet, Stellar, Sui, and the privacy-preserving Midnight network, where OpenZeppelin has been contributing over the past year.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Luca Cosivi on LinkedIn
• OpenZeppelin Website
• Lauren Lee on LinkedIn
• Midnight Network Website
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Jason Schober is joined by Timothy Tello, CEO of 3thix, to explore how 3thix is changing the game for developers, players, and studios alike through decentralized payments, tokenized rewards, and user-activity advertising incentive models.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why gaming is entering a new monetization era
• How blockchain changes revenue sharing, secondary markets, and incentives
• Why privacy is essential for both players and publishers
• How simplifying ‘the pipes’ is key to mass adoption
• Why stable tokens and rewards-based payments could redefine commerce by 2026
  
  

Timothy Tello is a visionary entrepreneur and thought leader at the intersection of blockchain, gaming, and decentralized payments, best known as the CEO and Co-founder of 3thix, a company building the payments and monetization infrastructure for the future of gaming. He has played a pioneering role in Web3, including co-authoring the first SEC-approved blockchain token and securing regulatory clarity that helped legitimize compliant token models in the industry. Timothy also holds patents related to blockchain use in gaming and is frequently featured as a speaker and collaborator with major ecosystem partners, such as Avalanche and Xsolla.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.



This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Jason Schober is joined by Alex McFarlane, Co-founder and CEO of Keyring Network, to reveal how establishing trust in blockchain tech addresses the real risks keeping institutions out of DeFi.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to reframe privacy as selective disclosure rather than hiding behavior
• Why smart contract and governance risk, not privacy alone, are the primary barriers
• The difference between transparency and trust
• How to build a killer UX that makes privacy adoption inevitable
• Why the lottery paradox reveals crowdsourced wisdom in DeFi protocol design
• How fixed-income primitives will dominate 2026
  
  

Alex McFarlane is the Co-founder and CEO of Keyring Network, a privacy-focused infrastructure company that bridges traditional finance and decentralized finance. With a quant background spanning risk, fixed income structuring and trading strategies at Nomura, Alex brings a unique perspective to blockchain adoption. At Keyring, he addresses the governance and smart contract risks that prevent traditional financial institutions from confidently participating in DeFi, leveraging zero-knowledge technology to enable selective disclosure and rational privacy.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Alex McFarlane on LinkedIn
• Keyring Network Website
• Jason Schober on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Jason Schober is joined by Ian Horne, Author of Why DeFi Matters, to discuss what rational privacy really means in practice, why privacy is an enabler of trust rather than a feature, and how selective disclosure could unlock the next wave of institutional and retail blockchain adoption.

What You’ll Learn:

• Primary themes around rational privacy at the Midnight Summit
• How to reframe privacy education for different audiences
• Why institutional money movement is the fastest path to mainstream blockchain adoption
• Why tokenized assets and stablecoins represent the real DeFi disruption of legacy systems
• How to position privacy as trust, not secrecy
  
  

Ian Horne is an event emcee, author, and thought leader in blockchain and decentralized finance, best known for his book Why DeFi Matters, which explores how blockchain and smart contracts are driving genuine systemic change in financial systems. With vast experience as former Head of Content at Money20/20 Europe and Head of UK Audience Development at Citywire, Ian has spent years bridging the gap between traditional finance and emerging blockchain innovation through strategic event programming, writing, and community building.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Ian Horne on LinkedIn
• Why DeFi Matters Book
• Jason Schober on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Ian Kane is joined by Jillian Plomin, CEO of W3i Software and Moneta Digital, to dive into what it actually takes to build a regulated, MiCA-compliant, fiat-backed stablecoin like USDM, and why proof-of-reserves style transparency is becoming table stakes.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to design stablecoins that exceed regulatory requirements from day one
• Why on-chain transparency via oracles outperforms traditional audits
• The critical tension between TradFi cannibalization and blockchain freedom
• How privacy-enabled stablecoins unlock B2B blockchain adoption
• Why you need a menu of stablecoin options, not just one winner
  
  

Jillian Plomin is CEO of W3i Software and Moneta Digital, the issuer of USDM, a fully regulated, MiCA-compliant fiat-backed stablecoin built on the Cardano blockchain. Under Jillian’s leadership, W3i is building secure, compliant, and scalable blockchain-based financial infrastructure that bridges traditional finance and decentralized systems.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Jillian Plomin on LinkedIn
• W3i Software Website
• USDM - Moneta Digital Website
• Ian Kane on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Ian Kane is joined by Nicolas Cary, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Blockchain.com, to explore what it takes to build and survive in the world of crypto, sharing hard-won lessons on resilience, privacy, product-market fit, and what’s coming next for the crypto industry.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to bridge the gap between institutional and retail privacy needs
• How Blockchain.com is helping enterprises move billions on-chain without exposing competitive financial data
• The founder's framework for product-market fit
• How tokenization of real-world assets is reshaping property rights
• Why the next wave of economic activity will be conducted by AI agents, not humans
  
  

Nicolas Cary is the Co-Founder and President of Blockchain.com, the leading crypto finance house serving tens of millions of consumers, traders, and institutional customers since 2011. In 2015, he was named the European Digital Leader of the Year. Nicolas is also the Founder Commissioner of the Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development and the Co-Founder and Chairman of Sky's the Limit, the leading non-profit digital business accelerator. Prior to Blockchain.com, Nicolas was a founding Partner at PipelineDeals, where he focused on product development and management.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Nicolas Cary on LinkedIn
• Blockchain.com Website
• Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development LinkedIn Page
• Sky's the Limit Website
• Ian Kane on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Jason Schober is joined by Lauren Lee and Samson Goddy of Midnight Foundation to discuss how the platform is scaling its developer community, launching flagship programs, and supporting builders from the hackathon stage to mainnet production.

What You’ll Learn:

• How they transitioned from closed-source to open-source blockchain development while maintaining developer momentum and trust
• Why empowering developers to choose between progressive and stable preview networks increases adoption and reduces friction in testing environments
• How to gamify developer engagement using quest-based platforms
• Why DevRel teams must advocate for developers internally while representing the platform externally

Lauren Lee is the Director of Developer Relations at Midnight, bringing passion for community building and developer advocacy. With one year at Midnight, she has witnessed and shaped the ecosystem's evolution from intimate hackathons to global initiatives. Lauren serves as the voice of developers within the organization, championing their needs while building engagement programs that transform hackathon ideas into production-ready applications. Her work focuses on making privacy-focused blockchain development accessible and rewarding for builders worldwide.
Samson Goddy is a Developer Engagement Manager at Midnight, specializing in community engagement and ambassador program development. New to the team, Samson brings fresh energy to scaling Midnight's global presence, managing the Aliit Ambassador Program's gamified quest system and coordinating international community activities. His expertise lies in identifying and empowering passionate developers to become ecosystem advocates, enabling organic growth across regions from Africa to Asia to Latin America while ensuring authentic, grassroots community building.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Lauren Lee on LinkedIn
• Samson Goddy on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website
• Midnight Network Website
• Jason Schober on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Jason Schober is joined by Bob Blessing-Hartley, CTO of Shielded Technologies, to discuss how Midnight solves the blockchain privacy trilemma and what’s coming in the near-term roadmap.

What You’ll Learn:

• How the dual state ledger architecture enables privacy and compliance simultaneously
• Why "privacy by default" is easier than bolting security on later
• The Midnight roadmap phases at a glance
• Why cross-chain smart contracts unlock multi-step business processes
  
  

Bob Blessing-Hartley is the CTO of Shielded Technologies, leading the engineering efforts behind the Midnight blockchain protocol. With over a decade of experience in blockchain architecture and privacy solutions, Bob brings deep expertise in protocol design, consensus mechanisms, and cryptographic implementations. He joined Midnight roughly eighteen months ago after evaluating the project's unique approach to embedding privacy at the protocol layer rather than as an afterthought.


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.





This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Jason Schober is joined by Charles Hoskinson, Founder of Cardano and visionary behind Midnight, to explore how privacy technology is evolving to meet the needs of billions. From the largest fair-launch distribution in crypto history to the ambitious nine-month roadmap ahead, Charles shares why privacy isn't optional anymore, it's essential for the future of blockchain.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why privacy has always been blockchain's missing piece—and how Midnight solves it
• How the Glacier Drop became the largest fair-launch distribution in crypto history
• The four-phase roadmap to full decentralization in just nine months
• Why hybrid applications will bring privacy to Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and beyond
• How selective disclosure empowers businesses, institutions, and governments
• Why owning your data is critical in the age of AI.
  
  

With decades of experience building blockchain infrastructure, Charles has been a driving force in advancing decentralized technology. He founded Input | Output (Input Output Global) and has led the development of Cardano, one of the most research-driven blockchain platforms in the world. Now, as the visionary behind Midnight, Charles is focused on making privacy accessible, scalable, and essential for the next era of blockchain adoption.


If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.


Episode Resources:

• Charles Hoskinson on X
• Midnight Network Website
• Cardano Website
• Input | Output Website
• Jason Schober on LinkedIn
• Midnight Foundation Website

This episode is brought to you by Midnight.


To learn more about the Midnight Network, visit the website at https://midnight.network/
Join the Midnight Discord: https://discord.com/invite/midnightnetwork


Unshielded is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so