Permissionless Day 2 Recap: Blockworks, Aave, Uniswap, Stablecoins

Day two is officially in the books at one of the world’s largest decentralized finance (DeFi) conferences and expos in the world, Permissionless in Palm Beach, Florida. Wednesday marked day two with some big announcements from leaders in the industry. 

Blockwork’s Research Platform

Blockworks, a financial media brand, is launching Blockworks Research, a powerful research platform designed for investors and industry watchers seeking to learn more about DeFi and other crypto sectors. 

“We’ve been building this huge community of investors who are investing into crypto with this core thesis that crypto will eventually become one of the largest asset classes in the world,” said co-founder Jason Yanowitz in a press release. “Now, it’s time to go deeper.” 

The new Blockwork platform will offer data, tokenomis analysis, protocol and project models, corporate access calls, governance updates and access to analysts. In addition, you will be able to sign up for a daily brief on the latest market news. Here is a list of all the things the platform will provide: 

The New York-based company believes that crypto has evolved into so many sectors and is becoming more nuanced and specific. Thus, the industry yearns for a research platform that mimics those growing changes. With Blockworks Research, users will be able to navigate the different sectors of crypto in a more precise manner, allowing them to find exactly what they are seeking. 

Users and curious minds can now access this platform and all that it has to offer. 

Aave’s Announcement

Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave, a decentralized lending system, announced they are experimenting with using NFTs as collateral. 

“At Aave we’re building a small POC (proof of capacity) using NFTs as a collateral, as an experimentation to see how it works in terms of the implementation we have in mind,” said Kulechov. 

Aave is a decentralized lending system allowing users to lend, borrow and earn interest on crypto assets, all without middlemen. In order to accomplish this, Aave uses a system of smart contracts run on the Ethereum blockchain that enables assets to be managed by a distributed network of computers running its software. 

This allows Aave users the ability to lend, borrow and earn interest without having a middleman or institution to manage their funds. Of course, users must post collateral before they are allowed to borrow. That collateral is precisely what Kulechov is talking about when he said they are internally experimenting with NFTs as collateral. 

Uniswap’s Focus 

Uniswap’s COO, Mary-Catherine Lader, emphasized that Uniswap is focused on simplifying DeFi's user experience to help drive DeFi's growth. 

Uniswap is a DeFi protocol operating on the Ethereum blockchain. They allow users to exchange cryptocurrencies and tokens on an open source-software taking out the need for cryptocurrency exchanges operated by centralized companies.

“Still today as everyone here knows, there’s still too many steps to access things like the Uniswap protocol, to access things like Synthetics, Aave [and] Compound,” Lader said. “So we’re just focused on simplifying that, so that whether it’s retail or in the case of more sophisticated and professional users, it’s a much simpler, more streamlined user experience.” 

She also noted that they believe the drivers of growth in bear markets are capital formation and the growth of more communities and long tail tokens. Uniswap protocol wants to make it easier for people to access these communities and thrive in them. 

Nic Carter’s Stablecoin vs CDBC Breakdown

Nic Carter, internet entrepreneur, investor, Bitcoin proponent, and journalist, explained the differences between stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). He noted that when looking at what will have a more successful future, it ultimately is in the hands of the people and their wants. 

“They want transactional autonomy, they want obviously programmability, they need it to be digital, but you want privacy. You want cash that exists in a digital context. No government is going to give that to us…No CBDC plan is sincere about that. There is no chance that CBDC recaptures the qualities of physical cash in the digital context…We have to look at stablecoins for that.” 

Carter did briefly mention that stablecoins have also caused great catastrophe, in reference to TerraUSD (UST) depegging from $1 to $0.0807 where it currently sits, according to Bitpush Terminal data. However, he believes that stablecoins can also bring people true digital financial autonomy and privacy. 

Those were the major takeaway from day 2 in Palm Beach, Florida. Keep it here for the conclusion of Permissionless Thursday. 

Author: Tyler Irvin

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