Navigating Regulations and Growth – First Digital’s Devere Bryan on Stablecoin's Path

Navigating Regulations and Growth – First Digital’s Devere Bryan on Stablecoin's Path

I sit down with Devere Bryan, Group General Manager of First Digital, the company behind FDUSD stablecoin, and discuss the origins of First Digital, the creation and expansion of FDUSD, its partnership with Binance; Hong Kong's stablecoin sandbox and legislation, the reason they chose to move stablecoin business to BVI; the challenges facing stablecoin issuers and growth opportunities in emerging markets. Devere providesinsights into FDUSD's operations, crisis management, and future growth strategies, and its focus on Asia-Pacific regions. Timestamps: (00:00) - Opening Remarks (00:54) - Brief Introduction to Genesis of First Digital (FD) (03:23) - Hong Kong as a former Launchpad for Crypto Businesses (04:13) - Partnership between FDUSD and Binance (06:14) - FDUSD’s Asia Focus (08:07) - Promising Asian Markets and Emerging Utility for stablecoins, Case Study - Coins.ph (13:22) - Current Utility of stablecoin at This Stage (17:22) - FDUSD's Brief Depeg in April and How FD Handled it (23:04) - Hong Kong Sandbox, Stablecoin Bill and FD’s Decision (30:34) - Challenges in Operating Stablecoins (34:23) - Is Stablecoin Market Winner-Take-All (36:44) - Ways to Diversify Stablecoin Revenue (41:12) - How FD Identifies Growth Opportunities and Diversifies (45:04) - Dominance of Dollar-pegged Stablecoins (47:20) - GENIUS and its Impact on BVI, Cayman, Cook Islands, ADGM of Abu Dhabi (49:12) - Closing Remarks Follow worldledger.substack.com [worldledger.substack.com] Follow Devere Bryan on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/devere-bryan/]

How to Deliver Trust and Web2-Level Speed for Crypto File Storage? Kyle Tut, Co-founder and CEO, Pinata

On one side, we have centralized storage solutions like AWS; on the other, decentralized platforms such as Filecoin and Arweave. Sitting in between is IPFS, a distributed, peer-to-peer network for data storage and sharing that plays a critical role in the decentralized blockchain ecosystem we're building. Yet, IPFS adoption remains limited, hindered by the high cost of on-chain storage and slow data delivery speeds. Kyle Tut, Co-founder and CEO of Pinata, offers arefreshing perspective. He doesn’t confine his company to the ideological extremes of either centralization or decentralization, nor does he tie it to any single blockchain. Instead, he takes a pragmatic approach to solving theindustry's real-world challenges. You’ll also want to hear his views on NFTs and Memecoins.While some dismiss them as “silly,” Kyle looks beyond the surface to uncover the genuine opportunities and innovation they will bring to the space. His strategies to navigate the volatility of Web3 and views about the next big thing forcrypto offer further insights I’m excited to share with my audience. Follow Kyle and Pinata on X: @kyletut | @pinatacloud; Follow Coco on Substack:  worldledger@substack.com [worldledger@substack.com|], LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cocokee/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cocokee/] and X: @keeglobal Timestamps: (00:00) Opening Remarks, Omaha, Warren Buffett (01:25) Kyle Tut's Background and the Beginning of Pinata (04:48) Comparison of Pinata with Other Centralized and Decentralized Storage Solutions (07:37) IPFS and Its Unique CID and What It Means to Crypto Storage (09:21) Challenges Pinata Is Trying to Solve for Crypto Data Storage (10:37) What Is IPFS and Why It's Powerful (12:36) The Reasons Creators and Developers Use Pinata (15:19) Case Studies: OpenSea and Pump.Fun Partnership with Pinata (17:05) Why Centralized Storage Is Still the Majority of Data Storage (18:43) Pinata's Fee Structure (20:59) Kyle's Take on NFTs and Memecoins and Why They Are Important Regardless of Some Silliness (24:58) Other Market Opportunities: AI, RWAs, DePin, Gaming (31:21) Leading Hubs for NFTs and Memecoins Development (31:53) Strategies to Weather the Volatility of Web3 (34:52) Kyle's Contact Info and Closing Remarks

TradFi Meets DeFi: the Future of Onchain Asset Management

What happens when traditional finance (TradFi) principles meet the dynamic innovation of decentralized finance (DeFi)? In this episode, I sit down with Martin de Rijke, Head of Growth at Maple Finance, to explore the company's diverse yieldproducts, over-collateralized lending options, cross-chain Syrup offerings, and, most importantly, its risk management framework. Martin shares insights into Maple’s partnership with Cantor Fitzgerald, outlines the company’s growth strategy, and discusses how upcoming U.S. stablecoin regulations could impact firms like Maple. We also reflect on the previous cycle and the key lessons learned.  Timestamps: (00:56) Opening Remarks and Self-introduction (02:40) Introduction to Maple Finance (04:05) Maple's Partnership with Cantor Fitzgerald (08:22) Maple's Business Explained in Detail (15:05) Risk Management Mechanism for Underwriting Loans (21:33) On-chain Pool for Lenders and Yield-bearing SyrupUSDC (25:30) Built on Ethereum SyrupUSDC also Live on Solana (26:21) Comparing Ethereum vs.other Chains Regarding TVL (27:17) Growth Strategies and New Products (31:47) Lessons Learned from the Last Cycle and Outlook for DeFi Lending (33:58) Differences in Borrowing & Lending between this Cycle and the Last Cycle (34:34) Implication of U.S. Stablecoin Regulations and whether non-USD Stablecoins Matter (35:46) Closing Remarks Follow me on X: @keeglobal Or on Substack: worldledger.substack.com Follow Martin on X: @martindrijke Follow Maple on X: @maplefinance

Most Blockchains not Built for AI Agents

In a recent podcast interview with World Ledger, Amik Ahmad, Head of Product at Autonomys Network, shares his insights on how Autonomys Network is built to scale and support the fast growth of AI3.0 and Web3, including agentic technologies, without compromising decentralization.   (00:00) Opening remarks (00:59) Amik’s Background and Responsibilities (03:50) What is AI 3.0? (05:21) Autonomys’ Layered Approach (07:08) AI3.0 vs. Centralized AI (10:12) Laying the Foundation for AI 3.0 and a Web3-Focused Future (15:23) Solving the Blockchain Trilemma (17:46) A Closer Look at Autonomys’ Solution to the Trilemma (20:04) Product Roadmap (22:20) Why Use MCP to Store Your Own Data in Centralized AI (24:55) Users Served by Autonomys (27:08) Challenges in Valuing Data and Compensating Data Contributors (28:40) Will We Run Out of Data for AI Training? (31:21) Why Build on Autonomys? (34:55) AI + Web3: Are They a Good Match?  To stay updated, subscribe to worldledger.substack.com [worldledger.substack.com]

Building On-chain Options Exchange with Nick Forster

In this episode, I’m joined by Nick Forster, founder ofDerive, a decentralized crypto options exchange. We discuss his journey in launching Derive and his vision for the platform. We also exchange thoughts on the uniqueness of this market cycle, the impact of Coinbase’s acquisition of Deribit, U.S. regulations, Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, traders’ sentiment aboutBitcoin’s price on Derive, and more. Nick Forster founded Derive about 5 years ago. Before that, he worked as an equity options trader at Susquehanna International Group.  He studied mathematics and economics at St. Paul’s College, University of Sydney. Subscribe to my newsletter to stay updated: worldledger.substack.com [worldledger.substack.com] 00:00 Opening Remarks 00:38 Nick’s Background and Introduction 02:04 Introduction to Derive and How It Differs from Deribit 04:34 Initial Challenges and Hurdles in Launching Derive 06:32 Where Nick Found Tech Talent and Funding 09:08 Competition 10:17 Coinbase’s Acquisition of Deribit and Its Implications 11:20 DEX vs. CEX and Derive’s Target Users 13:57 Tremendous Growth Potential for DEXs 17:15 Addressing Technical Limitations Like Execution Speed 18:43 Ethereum Layer 2 vs. Layer 1 19:41 The Role of AI in DEXs 21:44 U.S. Regulations and their Impact 25:59 U.S. Market vs. Other Markets 27:45 Strategic Bitcoin Reserve 28:38 Where Bitcoin’s Price Is Headed This Cycle 29:45 Is This Cycle Different from Previous Ones?