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Blockchain technology is about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity, from health care to our Internet of Things devices. In this podcast, host Laura Shin talks with industry pioneers across tech, financial services, health care, government and other sectors about how the blockchain and cryptocurrency will open up new opportunities for incumbents, startups and everyday people to interact more efficiently, directly and globally.

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  2. tBTC: What Happens When the Most Liquid Crypto Asset Hits DeFi? - Ep.169

tBTC: What Happens When the Most Liquid Crypto Asset Hits DeFi? - Ep.169

Apr 28, 2020

Matt Luongo, CEO of Thesis, the parent company of Fold and Keep, describes the just-launched tBTC, his plan for a censorship-resistant Bitcoin-Ethereum bridge. He explains his personal reasons for wanting such a platform, why tBTC is different from other versions of Bitcoin on Ethereum, and how it works -- including the process of becoming a signer in minting tBTC, how the system will handle crises, the reason for high collateralization levels, why staking assets are limited, and the necessity of a work token, Keep. He also discusses the economics behind tBTC-backed tBTC, his vision for DeFi, how tBTC could buffer an ETH crash, and the reasoning behind minimal governance mechanisms -- playing into why institutions trust BTC more than ETH. Plus, he contrasts the Bitcoin and Ethereum communities and talks about the possibility of tBTC2.0.  

Thank you to our sponsors! 

Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/

Kraken: https://www.kraken.com

Episode links: 

Matt Luongo: https://twitter.com/mhluongo

Thesis: https://thesis.co/

Keep: https://keep.network/

Fold App: https://foldapp.com/

tBTC white paper: https://docs.keep.network/tbtc/index.pdf

Initial reveal: https://twitter.com/mhluongo/status/1162481737525583873?s=20

Announcement on Keep blog: https://blog.keep.network/bridging-bitcoin-and-ethereum-b2f9923630a7?gi=5c9040ed3a72

Some criticism of tBTC: https://twitter.com/peterktodd/status/1162728205607985152?s=20

Matt on the Breakdown podcast: https://www.coindesk.com/will-defi-matter-in-a-post-coronavirus-world-feat-matt-luongo

Matt on Sendwyre podcast: https://blog.sendwyre.com/announcing-tbtc-with-james-prestwich-and-matt-luongo-of-cross-chain-group-c424e2b0b40c?gi=d1e8b53ca80e

How tBTC works: https://defipulse.com/blog/what-is-tbtc/

The Block on tBTC: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/55284/inside-tbtc-the-bitcoin-backed-erc-20-token-that-could-go-live-in-march

Keep raises $7.7 million: https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinoconnell/2020/04/03/coinbase-co-founder-invests-in-project-to-bridge-bitcoin-and-ethereum/#368a6f737df4