Living on Blockchain

144: Hyperliquid: The Fastest DEX You’ve Never Used (Yet)

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we dive into one of the fastest-growing names in decentralized trading: Hyperliquid.
Built on its own custom Layer 1 chain, Hyperliquid isn’t just another DEX — it’s a high-performance, MEV-free, orderbook-style perpetuals exchange that feels shockingly centralized… in all the right ways.
We cover:
⚡ How Hyperliquid achieves sub-second finality and high throughput
📈 The HYPE token: utility, incentives, and its $11B+ market cap
🛡️ Security measures, open interest caps, and recent incidents
👨‍💻 The anonymous team and their growing cult following
🧪 Real user experience: what it feels like to actually use the platform
🚨 Criticism, decentralization concerns, and what to watch going forward
If you're a builder, trader, or DeFi degen wondering what’s next in crypto derivatives — this is a must-listen.

143: Crypto Taxes Without Fear: Janna Scott on DeFi Tax, Audits, and the Future of Compliance

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I’m joined by Janna Scott, founder of DeFi Tax, the real-time, audit-ready platform reshaping how Web3 users approach crypto compliance.
Janna brings unmatched clarity to a topic most of us avoid — crypto taxes. Drawing from her rare perspective bridging regulators and users, she shares:
Why most crypto tax tools fail to meet IRS standards
How audits are actually triggered
What users can do to prep for tax season with confidence and precision
How DeFi Tax is solving for outdated compliance systems
What the future of crypto tax regulation could look like
Whether you're a DeFi native, casual trader, or founder building in Web3, this conversation is full of practical insights and regulatory wisdom that will make you rethink how you manage your on-chain activity.
🎧 Tune in to demystify crypto taxes and gain a new lens on building trust-first products in blockchain.

Zetachain: The Future of Omnichain Interoperability

In this deep dive, we explore Zetachain, the trailblazing blockchain designed to unify all chains—with and without smart contracts. Whether you’re a developer navigating fragmented ecosystems or a founder eyeing true cross-chain UX, Zetachain is solving one of Web3’s most pressing problems: seamless interoperability.
We cover:
What Zetachain is and how it works
The novel use of ZRC-20 tokens
How Zetachain enables native asset swaps across chains
Use cases that go beyond bridges and wrapped assets
Why this could be the TCP/IP of blockchains
Whether you’re bullish on multichain or skeptical of complexity, this one’s for you.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

141 : Vaultro Finance: DeFi at Lightspeed on the XRP Ledger

In this Deep Dive episode of Living on Blockchain, we explore Vaultro Finance — a newly launched decentralized finance protocol built natively on the XRP Ledger.
Vaultro is aiming to bring high-speed, low-cost DeFi services like lending, borrowing, and yield farming to the XRP ecosystem, all while leveraging XRP’s ultra-fast settlement capabilities and low fees.
We break down:
What makes Vaultro different from typical EVM-based DeFi platforms
How XRP Ledger changes the game for on-chain financial products
The long-term implications of DeFi beyond Ethereum
Explore the project:🌐 Website: https://www.vaultro.finance/
 
📘 Docs: https://vaultro-finance.gitbook.io/docs
 
🎧 Tune in now — and let us know which project we should Deep Dive next.

140 : Beyond the Hype: Jaime Schwarz on NFTs, Creator Royalties & the Future of Digital IP

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we sit down with Jaime Schwarz, founder of MRKD and the author of the first-ever NFT patent filed in 2017.
Jaime is no stranger to the intersection of art, tech, and intellectual property. From collaborating with cultural legends like Public Enemy’s Keith Shocklee to building tools that empower creators to mint, manage, and monetize their digital work — his insights go far beyond the noise.
We explore:
The original vision behind NFTs (and what went wrong)
Why creator royalties still matter — and how to protect them
How MRKD is building infrastructure to make Web3 invisible for everyday creators
Lessons from the early days of crypto IP and what’s coming next
If you’re interested in long-term value, creator rights, and how NFTs evolve from collectibles into infrastructure, this episode is for you.
🎧 Tune in and explore how digital ownership is being redefined — one smart contract at a time.

139 : Privacy Meets Scale: Avidan Abitbol on Building Blockchain Infrastructure for Enterprise

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we sit down with Avidan Abitbol, Project Director at Data Ownership Protocol (DOP) — an Ethereum-based privacy protocol that’s redefining how data is handled in decentralized systems.
Avidan shares insights from his journey across MedTech AI, Kaspa, and now leading privacy innovation at DOP. We dive deep into the concept of Selective Transparency, the friction traditional companies face in adopting blockchain, and how partnerships with zkMe and Chainalysis are helping bridge the trust gap.
We’re also joined by Ziv, DOP’s Head of Marketing, who shares the broader vision of how DOP is communicating and positioning blockchain privacy in a time of AI regulation, data sovereignty, and enterprise hesitancy.
Topics Covered:
The institutional shift to Web3 in 2025
Blockchain’s most viable real-world use cases
Why privacy infra matters more than ever
Lessons from AI’s data protection crisis
Regulation, compliance, and scaling trust

138: Bridging TradFi and DeFi: Insights from M31 Capital's David Attermann

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, host Tarusha Mittal sits down with David Attermann, Head of Web3 Investments at M31 Capital. David shares his journey from a decade in traditional finance to leading investments in the decentralized space. They discuss the critical role of infrastructure and middleware in Web3, the synergy between AI and blockchain, and M31 Capital's approach to identifying high-potential projects. Tune in for a deep dive into the strategies driving innovation at the intersection of technology and finance.fPch97T2zXisA06fUt32​

137 :Johannes Schweifer on Tokenization, CoreLedger, and Building Blockchain Infrastructure

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I sit down with Dr. Johannes Schweifer, blockchain pioneer, co-founder of Bitcoin Suisse, and founder & CEO of CoreLedger.
With over a decade of experience in the crypto space, Johannes has helped shape Switzerland’s Crypto Valley into a global hub for digital asset innovation. We dive deep into his journey from building one of Europe’s largest crypto firms to creating blockchain infrastructure that’s designed to serve real-world use cases.
In this conversation, we explore: – The evolution of blockchain from speculative hype to infrastructure– Why tokenization is more than a buzzword — and where it’s headed– The challenges of bridging legacy systems with decentralized tech– His vision for CoreLedger and making blockchain accessible to businesses worldwide
Whether you’re a founder, developer, investor, or just crypto-curious, Johannes brings sharp insights and a clear long-term view of where this space is really going.
🎧 Tune in and explore blockchain beyond the headlines — with someone who’s been building it since the beginning.

136: Bridging TradFi and Crypto: Anthony Fernandez on the Future of Digital Asset Management

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we’re joined by Anthony Fernandez, Head of Business Development and Sales at ICONOMI, a platform at the forefront of digital asset management.
With a background in economics and a sharp focus on crypto adoption, Anthony walks us through his journey into the blockchain space, the challenges of bringing traditional investors into Web3, and how ICONOMI is redefining portfolio management through simplicity, regulation, and accessibility.
We cover: – ICONOMI’s approach to democratizing crypto portfolios– Insights on user behavior across retail and institutional audiences– What TradFi is curious (and cautious) about in Web3– The tools and mindset shifts required to scale asset management on-chain
Whether you're building in DeFi, managing assets, or just curious about what the future of investing looks like in a decentralized world — this conversation is packed with clarity and real-world insight.
🎧 Listen in, and let’s rethink how crypto fits into the next financial system.

Scaling Without Sacrifice: Stan Kladko on Building the Modular Future of Ethereum

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I sit down with Stan Kladko, physicist turned Web3 visionary and co-founder of SKALE Network, to unpack the future of Ethereum scaling — and why modularity may be the key to mainstream adoption.
We dive into:
The real bottlenecks of Ethereum and what SKALE is doing differently
Zero gas fees and the UX-first future of dApps
Stan’s thoughts on L2 fragmentation, rollups, and bridging
Why the modular blockchain stack could reshape everything we know about smart contracts
What builders often get wrong when designing for scale
This is an episode packed with raw insights, bold opinions, and practical thinking from someone who’s been building at the protocol layer long before it was cool.
🎧 Tune in and discover how SKALE is rethinking blockchain architecture from the ground up — to make Web3 faster, simpler, and ready for the next billion users.