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

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Follow Devere Bryan on LinkedIn

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 , LinkedIn: 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

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