Layer One – Details, episodes & analysis

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Layer One

The Block

News

Technology

Frequency: 1 episode/15d. Total Eps: 14

The Layer One podcast, created in collaboration with Avalanche, features co-hosts Steven Gates and Kelvin Sparks as they unpack the real forces driving the crypto market forward. Through candid conversations with the industry’s true movers and shakers, the show delivers clear, grounded insights that cut through the noise.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1cn7rNYlKY&amp
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlDVec6bcw&amp
9 shares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDhnOenEIL4&amp
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https://www.theblock.co/newsletters
16 shares
https://theblock.co/campus

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Score global : 69%

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How Tassat and Lynq Are Rebuilding Financial Infrastructure

Episode 12

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 • Duration 49:44

After appearing in recent episodes, Ava Labs President John Wu officially joins Layer One as co-host. 🥳

In Episode 12, he joins Kelvin Sparks alongside Andre Frank, COO of Tassat, and Jerald David, CEO of Lynq, to discuss how Tassat and Lynq are rebuilding financial infrastructure with real-time settlement and yield-bearing assets on Avalanche.

The conversation covers the shift from legacy banking rails to always-on blockchain systems, capital efficiency through “yield in transit,” and the growing demand from institutions for compliant, risk-managed solutions.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
01:38 - Tassat Background
03:37 - What Lynq Is
05:55 - Episode Overview
06:42 - Avalanche Migration
08:48 - Why Avalanche
10:57 - Institutional Adoption
17:15 - Regulation and Compliance
25:23 - Yield in Transit
36:59 - Real-World Use Cases

Guest links:
Andre Frank - / andre-frank
Tassat - https://x.com/tassatgroup
Jerald David - / jerald-david
Lynq - https://x.com/Lynq_Network

Host links:
John Wu - ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/John1wu
Kelvin Sparks - https://x.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠⁠
The Block - https://x.com/TheBlockCo
Ava Labs - https://x.com/avalabs
Avalanche - https://x.com/avax

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Inside Bitwise’s Avalanche ETP and Institutional Strategy with Matt Hougan

Episode 11

Monday, April 20, 2026 • Duration 43:30

In Episode 11 of Layer One, The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and special co-host Ava Labs President John Wu are joined by Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise, to discuss the launch of the Avalanche ETP and how institutional investors are approaching crypto exposure.

He breaks down the rapid expansion of tokenized real-world assets, the role of ETFs in onboarding capital, and why this cycle may differ from previous ones.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
01:40 - Avalanche ETP Overview
02:45 - ETF Differentiation
04:34 - Staking and Yield
06:19 - Institutional Strategy
09:04 - Competing L1 Models
14:22 - Bitcoin Price Thesis
18:49 - Dual Market Narratives
21:57 - Institutional Capital Flows
30:02 - AI and Crypto Future

Guest links:
Matt Hougan - https://x.com/Matt_HouganBitwise - Ava Labs -

How Securitize is working with NYSE to bring equities onchain

Episode 10

Thursday, April 2, 2026 • Duration 32:26

In Episode 10 of Layer One, The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and special co-host Ava Labs President John Wu are joined by Carlos Domingo, CEO of Securitize, to discuss the rapid rise of tokenized financial assets and what it takes to bring them into regulated markets.

The conversation also covers regulatory clarity, BlackRock’s role in accelerating the space, and how tokenized assets will reshape capital markets over the next decade.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Intro
00:52 - Background and Origins
01:45 - First Tokenized Securities Trade
03:30 - Early Institutional Adoption
04:36 - NYSE Tokenization Partnership
07:05 - Why Public Equities First
09:57 - From Why to What
11:10 - Why Avalanche Was Chosen
12:48 - Compliance and Settlement
17:15 - What Drove Adoption

Guest links:
Carlos Domingo - https://x.com/carlosdomingo
Securitize - https://x.com/Securitize
John Wu - https://x.com/John1wu
Ava Labs - https://x.com/avalabs

Host links:
Steven Gates - ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/stvngts⁠⁠⁠
Kelvin Sparks - https://x.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠⁠---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why tokenized assets are DeFi’s biggest unlock

Episode 9

Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • Duration 01:08:45

In Episode 9 of Layer One, The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and Hypha founder Steven Gates were joined by Nicholas Kunkel (Chronicle) and Rhett Shipp (Avant) to break down the current state of DeFi and what’s actually holding the industry back. They argue that core primitives are already built, and the real unlock lies in tokenized assets, improved liquidity, and seamless integration with traditional finance.

The conversation also explores stablecoin economics, DAO limitations, on-chain credit markets, and what founders need to succeed in crypto today.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - Getting Into DeFi
04:38 - Early MakerDAO Days
08:43 - Where Value Accrues
12:23 - Yield and Stablecoins
17:56 - How DeFi Yield Works
23:34 - SubDAOs and Governance
30:33 - Do We Need New Primitives
36:25 - Tokenized Assets Unlock
53:55 - Founder Advice

Guest links:
Rhett Shipp - https://x.com/RhettShippAvant - Niklas Kunkel - Chronicle -

Supply, demand and durability: A framework for surviving cycles

Episode 8

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 • Duration 01:08:31

In Episode 8 of Layer One, The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and Hypha founder Steven Gates were joined by Santiago R. Santos of Inversion Capital. He explains why many crypto token valuations are structurally flawed and outlines his framework for investing in durable, cash-flow-supported adoption, with a focus on B2B stablecoin use cases.

The group debates how to value crypto beyond tribal narratives, arguing that many token prices overpay for a future that still requires regulatory clarity and real demand for blockspace.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Intro
00:00:27 - Scope and disclaimer
00:01:41 - FDV and investor framing
00:04:02 - Valuation bias
00:12:23 - Investing through cycles
00:21:44 - Choosing Avalanche infrastructure
00:28:29 - Retrofitting real businesses
00:35:46 - Who’s building this model
00:41:52 - Writing, thinking, first principles
00:50:16 - Fieldwork beats theory
00:52:53 - Asking the right questions
01:00:23 - TGE and FDV reality
01:07:30 - Final takeaways

Host/Guest links:
Santiago R Santos - twitter.com/santiagoroel
Inversion Capital - twitter.com/inversion_cap
Steven Gates - ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠⁠⁠
Kelvin Sparks - ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠⁠
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Loyalty becomes lifestyle: Rain and Uptop on stablecoin rewards

Episode 7

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 • Duration 57:09

In Episode 7 of Layer One, The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and Hypha founder Steven Gates were joined by Charles Yoo-Naut, co-founder of Rain, and John Gomez, co-founder and former CEO of Uptop.

The group discussed the convergence of stablecoin payments and on-chain loyalty infrastructure, why rewards plus payments are becoming table stakes, and how sports and IP are driving real-world adoption.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Intro
03:58 - What is Rain
04:30 - Uptop + acquisition fit
06:01 - Fundraise & M&A lessons
12:43 - Why rewards matter
16:29 - Stablecoin “aha” moment
25:26 - Regulation, timing, builders
33:53 - Lifestyle banking & IP
41:59 - Marketplaces, on-ramps, costs
47:35 - Why raise $250M
50:11 - Stablecoins in 3 years
51:56 - Proliferation of issuers
53:59 - Closing remarks

Host/Guest links:
Charles Yoo-Naut - twitter.com/cnaut
Rain - twitter.com/raincards
John Gomez - linkedin.com/in/john-timoney-gomez-a64b669b/
Uptop - twitter.com/uptop_xyz
Steven Gates - ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠⁠⁠
Kelvin Sparks - ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠⁠
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters!
🚨 Breaking News
👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis
📈 Market Insights
Subscribe now 👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://www.theblock.co/newsletters⁠⁠⁠

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiring in crypto?
🧠 Find top talent fast with Campus, powered by The Block!
✅ Challenge candidates with our Crypto Assessment Test
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VanEck's AVAX thesis: product-market fit, economic clarity & institutional distribution

Episode 6

Monday, February 9, 2026 • Duration 57:59

In episode six of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by Ava Labs's VP of Business Development of Onchain Finance, Morgan Krupetsky and VanEck's Head of Digital Asset Research Matthew Siegel. Together, the group discussed what actually drives institutional conviction in crypto. Siegel explained why VanEck chose Avalanche for its first alt-L1 ETF, citing product-market fit, economic clarity, and an active BD team onboarding real institutions. The conversation covers DATs vs ETFs, the innovator's dilemma facing banks, and why market downturns are exactly when serious builders separate from tourists.

Host/Guest links:
Matthew Siegel - twitter.com/matthew_sigel
VanEck - twitter.com/vaneck_us
Morgan Krupetsky - twitter.com/MorganKrupetsky
Ava Labs - twitter.com/AvaLabs

Steven Gates - ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠⁠⁠

Kelvin Sparks - ⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠⁠

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters!

🚨 Breaking News

👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis

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"From Sand to Stone: Two GCs on the New Legal Foundation Shaping Crypto's Future"

Episode 5

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 • Duration 51:56

In episode five of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by Ava Labs General Counsel Lee Schneider and Plume General Counsel Salman Benaei, to discuss how the Senate bill turns crypto's legal foundation from sand to stone, and what that means for the next generation of builders.

OUTLINE

00:00 - Introduction

01:28 - Salman's Path: CFTC to Crypto

05:52 - Lee on Token Sales & Legal Structures

08:17 - RWA Rights & Disclosures

12:26 - What Buyers Should Care About

15:15 - Pre-IPO Tokenized Shares

18:49 - The Governance Token Question

22:03 - The Decentralization Test Debate

28:13 - What Clarity Means for Builders

36:41 - TradFi's Crypto Play

44:31 - Open vs Closed Networks

51:20 - Outro

Host/Guest links:

Salman Banaei - https://x.com/banamlas

Lee Schneider - https://x.com/leelaughs5x

Steven Gates - ⁠⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠⁠

Kelvin Sparks - ⁠⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠

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Building AI-Native Blockchain Infrastructure with Kite AI's BD Chief Lei Lei

Episode 4

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 • Duration 48:07

In episode four of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by Kite AI's Head of Business Development and Strategy, Lei Lei, to discuss why AI agents need dedicated blockchain infrastructure rather than general purpose blockchains. The trio also touch on the recent hype around Claude Code, why enterprise giants are panicking about AI disruption, and how the X-402 payments protocol did $600M in volume last year.

OUTLINE

00:00 - Introduction

01:13 - Claude Code

04:26 - Why Avalanche

09:40 - X-402 Explained

13:01 - General Purpose Chains

19:37 - Swarms Gone Rogue

26:53 - Crypto-Native Enterprises?

30:03 - $600M & Counting

37:04 - Big Name Backers

42:07 - Winners & Losers

47:30 - Outro

Host/Guest links:

Lei Lei - https://x.com/lei_lei0904

⁠KiteAI - ⁠https://x.com/GoKiteAI

Steven Gates - ⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠

Kelvin Sparks - ⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠

Jason DeSimone on The Arena's revival and the future of SocialFi

Episode 3

Friday, January 16, 2026 • Duration 01:00:37

In episode three of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by The Arena CEO Jason DeSimone to discuss the platform’s revival and two-year growth, creator monetization via ticket rails, and the future of SocialFi, M&A, and AI-driven content.

Host/Guest links:

Jason DeSimone - x.com/jasonmdesimone
The Arena - x.com/TheArena
Steven Gates - twitter.com/stvngts
Kelvin Sparks - twitter.com/imyoungsparks

OUTLINE

00:00 - Introduction 02:03 - Arena’s Takeover Story 07:08 - Lessons from SocialFi Craze 09:39 - Arena’s Feature Stack 12:13 - Tickets, Identity, Monetization 15:49 - Arena’s Growth Strategy 19:20 - Competing with SocialFi Rivals 24:42 - Community, Culture, Moats 31:24 - Tokens, Equity, Exits 40:07 - AI Agents and SocialFi’s Future

Layer One – Details, episodes & analysis

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Layer One – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

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YouTube7

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