About this episode
Charlie Hu is the Co-Founder of Bitlayer. In this conversation we talk about bitcoin, current state of DeFi, why it’s bringing together Asian retail and Western institutions, evaluating TVL as a metric, what Bitlayer is building, and the potential future for bitcoin ETF staking? ======================== Markets are at all-time highs. Public equities are outperforming. And individual investors are driving it all. It’s officially the rise of the retail investor. On September 12th in NYC, I’m hosting the Independent Investor Summit — a one-day event built exclusively for self-directed investors. We’re bringing together some of the smartest public market investors I know for a full day of macro insights, market predictions, one-on-one fireside chats, and actionable investment ideas from each investor. This is going to be an absolute banger event. Join us if you like markets and think retail is two steps ahead of Wall Street. TICKETS: https://www.independentinvestor.co/ (use promo code POMPYT25) ======================== Check out my NEW show for daily bite-sized breakdowns of the biggest stories in finance, technology, and politics: http://pompdesk.com/ ======================== Listen to The Pomp Podcast on the audio platform of your choice: http://pomppodcast.com ======================== Pomp writes a daily letter to over 270,000+ investors about business, technology, and finance. He breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand language while sharing opinions on various aspects of each industry. You can subscribe at: https://pomp.substack.com/ ======================== This episode is brought to you by Figure ( https://figuremarkets.co/pomp ), the platform to Earn and Borrow. Need liquidity without selling your crypto? Figure offers Crypto-Backed Loans, allowing you to borrow against your Bitcoin or Ethereum with 12-month terms and no prepayment penalties. They have the lowest rates in the industry at 8.91%, allowing you to access instant cash or buy more Bitcoin without triggering a tax event. Your BTC collateral is protected by decentralized MPC custody. You can always see your BTC ownership in your FM account and verify holdings in your personal BTC vault on chain. Unlock your crypto’s potential today. Visit their app to apply ( https://figuremarkets.co/pomp ) for a Crypto Backed Loan ( https://figuremarkets.co/pomp ) today! Figure Lending LLC dba Figure. Equal Opportunity Lender. NMLS 1717824. Terms and conditions apply. Visit figure.com for more information. Figure Markets Credit LLC. 650 S. Tryon Street, 8th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28202. (888) 926-6259. NMLS ID 2559612. Terms and conditions apply. Visit https://figuremarkets.com/borrow for more information. ======================== BitcoinIRA : Buy, sell, and swap 75+ cryptocurrencies in your retirement account. Take 3 minutes to open your account & get connected to a team of IRA specialists that will guide you through every step of the process. Go to https://bitcoinira.com/pomp/ to earn up to $500 in rewards. ======================== 0:54 - Intro 2:00 - Bringing Asian retail investors and Western institutions together 6:39 - Takeaways from Vietnam 8:30 - Current state of DeFi 11:24 - What does Bitcoin DeFi mean? 24:06 - Bitlayer business 30:01 - Bitcoin ETF staking 32:27 - Bitcoin as a productive vs non-productive asset 37:59 - Is ‘Total Value Locked’ a good metric? 40:28 - Where to find Charlie and Bitlayer