🦄 Recap: DeFi Week of Feb. 8

Hello Defiers! Hope you’re having a great weekend.

Summing up: What a week! It started out with Tesla saying it bought $1.5B in Bitcoin, the day after ETH CME futures launched, and any concern about institutional bears driving down the prize evaporated, with Ethereum’s cryptocurrency breaking through $1,700 and $1,800. The St. Louis Fed issued a report saying that DeFi is likely the future of finance. Mastercard said it was adding crypto to its network, BNY and JPM said it would add crypto too. There was another big name making waves, and it was The Defiant who broke it —Mark Cuban said on the podcast that he’s a major ETH bull and DeFi power user.

Male artists are mining “thirst trap” NFTs in support of blockchain advocate CryptoFinally, spurring debate over sexism and what ownership of an individual’s digital image means. We also covered how Aave may be getting overheated after an impressive surge, and that MetaMask is making bank, proving decentralized wallets and DEXs can be profitable businesses. There’s a rising number of DeFi indexes, giving investors a chance to get diversified exposure to the space, as we covered on our Defiant Weekly video.

And there was more! There’s a lot going on, but we’ve got you covered :)

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🙌 Together with:

• Zerion, a simple interface to access and use decentralized finance
• Ledger, a hardware wallet combined with the Ledger application to securely buy, sell, exchange, stake, lend & manage your crypto
• Kraken, consistently rated the best and most secure cryptocurrency exchange, which can get you from fiat to DeFi
• Casper, an enterprise-focused blockchain which aims to introduce unprecedented security, speed and scale for businesses

Video

The Defiant Weekly

The Defiant guide to DeFi Indexes - Be Like Buffett

Tuesday Tutorials

Up to 9x Leverage Yield Farming with Alpha Homora V2

Monday Quick Take

A Look at NFTX

SuperMassive.eth @DirSchmidtNew week, new quick take, today looking at @NFTX_ Community owned NFT indexes featuring the most popular collectibles like @AxieInfinity #cryptopunks and @TheHashmasks Still hot from last week is #defire passive earning strategies you can retire with youtu.be/n3RyZKL0FHg

2:35 PM ∙ Feb 8, 202145Likes10Retweets

Interview

Mark Cuban: "ETH Has an Advantage Over BTC as a Store of Value"

In this week’s episode, we speak with Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, billionaire investor and Shark Tank star. It’s been hard to pin down if Cuban is a crypto skeptic or believer. He has questioned the value of bitcoin and called its price surges a bubble, but he has also accepted crypto payments for his basketball team, and tweeted about using Aave and selling NFTs. You’ll have no doubt after listening to this interview where he stands: Cuban is a crypto bull, but more specifically a DeFi and Ethereum bull.

🎙Listen to the interview in this week’s podcast episode here:

Thursday

Markets

• AAVE May Be Getting Overheated: Aave continues to surpass expectations from an investment standpoint and in terms of progress in the underlying protocol, but on-chain data shows holders may be preparing to take profits.

Dives

• MetaMask Revenue Proves DeFi Wallets Can be Profitable: MetaMask is making about $170k per day thanks to its token swap feature, Tom Schmidt of Dragonfly Capital said in a tweet, which was later confirmed with data the wallet’s team published in a Dune Analytics dashboard.
• NBA Top Shots’ $50M in Sales Beats NFT Heavy Weights: The whole NFT digital collectible market has been exploding lately, but NBA Top Shot is in a league of its own, overtaking the space’s heavyweights.
• Equilibrium Creating Version of Curve on Polkadot: Equilibrium, an interoperable money market, announced on a Feb. 9 Medium post plans to create a version of Curve Finance’s automated market maker on the project’s chain within the Polkadot ecosystem.

Bytes

• Mastercard Plans to Bring Crypto Into its Network: Mastercard will start directly supporting select cryptocurrencies, the world’s second-largest payment network announced on its website yesterday.

Links

• Bitcoin to Come to America’s Oldest Bank, BNY Mellon: WSJ
• BadgerDAO & Yearn Finance are Teaming Up: BadgerDAO

Wednesday

Dives

• Yearn is Recovering: Yearn Finance, the yield aggregator protocol which suffered the first major hack of 2021 last week, has restored its yDAI vault and returned $9.7M in DAI funds to users who were affected by the attack.
• Yearn Hack Sparks $1.7M Insurance Claim Controversy: Last week’s Yearn Finance hack has a DeFi user wrestling with insurance protocol ArmorFi over a $1.7M claim.

Bytes

• Spartan Group Launches New DeFi Venture Fund: The Spartan Group has announced the launch of its $50M Spartan DeFi Venture Fund. The group has raised $30M of their targeted $50M. Investors include bankers and finance industry veterans who want to see DeFi succeed as the future of finance.
• AirSwap Enables Token-Based Governance: Ethereum applications incubator ConsenSys has completed the transition to Phase II of their decentralized peer-to-peer trading system, AirSwap, enabling token-based governance.

Links

• Prize Pool Builder: Pool Together
• Twitter CFO Says Social Media Giant Weighs Adding BTC: The Block
• Celo Raises $20M for Decentralized Venmo Competitor: Decrypt
• Check Your Claimable Tokens: DeFi Dawson

Tuesday

Dives

• Men of Crypto Attempt to Master the Art of the Thirst Trap: Middle-aged, male NFT artists like Second Realm and Alotta Money are posting scantily-clad photos of themselves to illustrate the sexist double-standard sometimes present in media: When a woman takes a picture, it’s a “thirst trap,” when a man does it, it’s a joke.

Bytes

• Fed of St. Louis Says DeFi Released Wave of Innovation: DeFi is getting an unexpected and huge new backer: The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
• Tornado Cash Rewards Power Users: Tornado Cash passed its first governance proposal to make its native token - TORN - transferable yesterday afternoon.
• Axie Infinity Digital Land Sold for Record $1.5M: The Tamagotchi x Pokemon web3 crossover Axie Infinity has broken the record for the largest NFT sale yesterday afternoon as a community member purchased a digital plot of land for 888.25 ETH, worth over $1.5M at the time of writing.

Links

• Vesper Announces $2.5 Million Strategic Partner Round: Vesper

Monday

Markets

• ETH Futures Fears Fade After Tesla Adds $1.5B of BTC: Ether futures are now available on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the world’s largest derivatives exchange by volume, for the first time ever.

Bytes

• You Can Now Earn Liquidity Provider Fees With Hashmasks: Hashmasks, the latest craze in the NFT market, aren’t just about looking cool. Now, collectors can use their Hashmasks to provide liquidity on exchanges like Sushiswap.
• Grayscale Says ETH is Money, Commodity, and Interest-Bearing Asset: Digital currency asset manager Grayscale, breaks down three lenses through which to value Ethereum’s cryptocurrency Ether; money, commodity and interest bearing asset, in its first Ethereum-specific report.

Links

• Tesla Trails Only MicroStrategy in Treasury Bitcoin Allocation: Bloomberg
• At Least 6% of All BTC is in Corporate Treasuries: Bill Barhydt
• Most Companies Haven’t Bought Yet: Stephen Cole

💜Community Love💜

Thanking all the amazing Defiers for the support and love this week (and always)!

Gene Simmons @genesimmonsMark Cuban: "ETH Has an Advantage Over BTC as a Store of Value" - The Defiant

thedefiant.substack.comMark Cuban: “ETH Has an Advantage Over BTC as a Store of Value”Cuban talks about why he’s bullish on DeFi in this week’s Defiant podcast.3:07 AM ∙ Feb 13, 2021698Likes129Retweets

AlchemyFi @AlchemyFiWatching @mcuban talking with @CamiRusso is the most bullish thing for crypto I watched until now. Thank you @DefiantNews for bringing The Man on your show.1:23 PM ∙ Feb 14, 202133Likes8Retweets

Ryan Watkins @RyanWatkins_Mark Cuban won’t be the last billionaire / celebrity to enter this space through Ethereum rather than Bitcoin. Come to think of it I expect many more will. Ethereum simply offers more use cases and narratives for people to get excited about. https://t.co/phDhUsMENe

The Defiant @DefiantNews🔥 @mcuban on the Defiant podcast "ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" "Smart contracts enabling friction-free banking changes everything" “America 2.0 is going to be built on blockchain. A big part of that is going to be DeFi” https://t.co/LGl0FbOxE61:06 AM ∙ Feb 13, 2021246Likes42Retweets

Figo ⟠ @FigoETHEthereums Michael Saylor has arrived 🔥🌈

The Defiant @DefiantNews🔥 @mcuban on the Defiant podcast "ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" "Smart contracts enabling friction-free banking changes everything" “America 2.0 is going to be built on blockchain. A big part of that is going to be DeFi” https://t.co/LGl0FbOxE67:01 PM ∙ Feb 12, 2021178Likes24Retweets

DeFi Dad ⟠ defidad.eth @DeFi_Dad🤔 If one is slightly familiar with crypto and asking “what’s this DeFi on Ethereum and why does it matter?” this is an excellent podcast with @mcuban and @CamiRusso. 🌏 It’s about why native digital finance make sense in a progressively digital-first world. https://t.co/nXV6eHfZHS

The Defiant @DefiantNews🔥 @mcuban on the Defiant podcast "ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" "Smart contracts enabling friction-free banking changes everything" “America 2.0 is going to be built on blockchain. A big part of that is going to be DeFi” https://t.co/LGl0FbOxE66:38 PM ∙ Feb 12, 202135Likes11Retweets

pet3rpan @pet3rpan_The Defiant is the future of crypto media

The Defiant @DefiantNews🔥 @mcuban on the Defiant podcast "ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" "Smart contracts enabling friction-free banking changes everything" “America 2.0 is going to be built on blockchain. A big part of that is going to be DeFi” https://t.co/LGl0FbOxE66:34 PM ∙ Feb 12, 202145Likes6Retweets

Darren Lau @Darrenlautf. @DefiantNews not respecting the pump

thedefiant.ioAave Defies Expectations But May Be Getting Overheated - The Defiant - DeFi NewsAave continues to surpass expectations but on-chain data shows holders may be preparing to take profits after a huge runup.6:36 AM ∙ Feb 12, 202192Likes6Retweets

Indexed Finance @ndxfiNot sure what's more amazing about this video.. The mad editing skills of @DefiantNews or @redphonecrypto explaining the philosophy behind the $DEGEN index 🤡 Probably both!

11:30 AM ∙ Feb 12, 2021284Likes61Retweets

redphonecrypto @redphonecryptoThought #1 when approached by @DefiantNews for video interview = WARNING ⚠️ DANGER Thought #2 = Before our bodies disappear into the potter's ground, let us speak our f'ing piece 🤍+🙏 to @DirSchmidt & @IAMSIMONWAN for this incredible production 14:10 on... $DEGEN $NDX @ndxfi

The Defiant @DefiantNewsAfter all, if it’s good enough for the Oracle of Omaha… might there be something here for us? 📺 On this week's episode of #TheDefiantWeekly, we’re going to look at indexes both centralised & decentralized before ending our journey at the mysterious $DEGEN token. Watch 👇🏻2:07 AM ∙ Feb 12, 2021150Likes18Retweets

Future Fund @FUTURE_FUND_Another terrific podcast. @mcuban on $AAVE $SUSHI #DEFI https://t.co/KhTb958e5m

The Defiant @DefiantNews🔥 @mcuban on the Defiant podcast "ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" "Smart contracts enabling friction-free banking changes everything" “America 2.0 is going to be built on blockchain. A big part of that is going to be DeFi” https://t.co/LGl0FbOxE62:11 AM ∙ Feb 13, 202122Likes5Retweets

Ether.gush.hose [twigwam.eth] @twigwam"ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" - - Mark Cuban on the latest @DefiantNews podcast r/ethereum @reddit 🤗🚀 reddit.com/r/ethereum/com…7:34 PM ∙ Feb 12, 2021172Likes31Retweets

Altcoin Daily @AltcoinDailyioMark Cuban is talking LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS about #ethereum & #defi on the @DefiantNews podcast! 🎄🎁3:43 AM ∙ Feb 13, 2021212Likes21Retweets

DCinvestor | Aftab @iamDCinvestorFYI, @mcuban is stacking $ETH and $AAVE. "you'd see me in the whale listings" level 🐳 Funny, also my two favorite holdings for quite a while now if you've followed me. Do what you will with this information. Listen for yourself at 55:40 below 👇 anchor.fm/thedefiant/epi…

anchor.fmMark Cuban: “ETH Has an Advantage Over BTC as a Store of Value” by The Defiant • A podcast on AnchorIn this week’s episode, we speak with Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, billionaire investor and Shark Tank star. It’s been hard to pin down if Cuban is a crypto skeptic or believer. He has questioned the value of bitcoin and called its price surges a bubble, but he has also accepted crypto paymen…8:56 PM ∙ Feb 12, 2021269Likes41Retweets

Vivek Raman @VivekVenturesOne billionaire shining the spotlight on #Ethereum. He won’t be the only one. $ETH is still cheap around $1800.

The Defiant @DefiantNews🔥 @mcuban on the Defiant podcast "ETH has an advantage over BTC as a store of value" "Smart contracts enabling friction-free banking changes everything" “America 2.0 is going to be built on blockchain. A big part of that is going to be DeFi” https://t.co/LGl0FbOxE66:28 PM ∙ Feb 12, 2021

Matt Hunter @matthunter👏👏👏 Bravo! @DirSchmidt, not sure how much time you put into this, but it absolutely rocked. You've raised the bar and I'm now a @DefiantNews fan. @IAMSIMONWAN you deserve a Degen Oscar. And @redphonecrypto, incredible script. Combined, it's an index and movie I want to see. 🙌

redphonecrypto @redphonecryptoThought #1 when approached by @DefiantNews for video interview = WARNING ⚠️ DANGER Thought #2 = Before our bodies disappear into the potter's ground, let us speak our f'ing piece 🤍+🙏 to @DirSchmidt & @IAMSIMONWAN for this incredible production 14:10 on... $DEGEN $NDX @ndxfi https://t.co/5LG9eCYOdD3:09 AM ∙ Feb 12, 2021

Nick Mudge 💎 aavegotchi @mudgenThis is very good news. It means @metamask_io can fund development of more great things for Ethereum. Metamask does good work.

The Defiant @DefiantNews🦊 @metamask_io is making about $170k per day thanks to its token swap feature, @tomhschmidt of @dragonfly_cap said in a tweet, which was later confirmed with data the wallet’s team published in a Dune Analytics dashboard. Check it out 🏄🏾:1:40 AM ∙ Feb 12, 202112Likes1Retweet

marian0.eth @vdg0_Videos from @DefiantNews in youtube are step by step better, useful and artistically amazing. Great job with your touch @DirSchmidt |

youtube.comThe Defiant guide to DeFi Indexes - Be Like BuffettJoin Our Telegram:https://t.me/DefiantNewsAfter all, if it’s good enough for the Oracle of Omaha… might there be something here for us? In this episode we’re...10:04 PM ∙ Feb 11, 20217Likes1Retweet

$MEME @DontBuyMemeDo you know the $MEME origin story? Way back in September, the one and only @DirSchmidt of @DefiantNews created this well-produced, entertaining video!

youtube.comDeFi - Greatest $MEME Ever ToldThis is The Defiant x Harmony, a weekly series brought to you by Harmony Protocol’s Creative Director, Robin Schmidt, and Camila Russo, the founder of The De...4:46 AM ∙ Feb 10, 202148Likes12Retweets

Wealth Maximalist @WealthMaximal@ASvanevik Out of everything I've read on this topic, this one seems the best

thedefiant.substack.comDeFi Will Eat Traditional Finance and Active Investors Can Reap the RewardsDedicated crypto investor reveals his market-beating strategy and explains why he’s so bullish on open finance.11:46 AM ∙ Feb 10, 2021

CryptoFinally 💫 @CryptoFinallyBig shout out to @DefiantNews for covering the ongoing situation between me & Coindesk 🤝 Not a Thirst Trap. *Click* ➡️ thedefiant.io/men-of-crypto-…

9:45 PM ∙ Feb 9, 2021116Likes31Retweets

Raphael 👾 (Rezo) | ₿R Capital @rezoshmA home-owner in Australia has switched to a fixed-rate “#DeFi mortgage” and waved goodbye to his traditional bank. Great article about this in @DefiantNews and here’s our TL:DR 👇9:30 PM ∙ Feb 9, 2021137Likes30Retweets

Mara Kiley @mara_kileyFantastic overview of synthetic stocks via @mirror_protocol

The Defiant @DefiantNewsDid you miss out on #DeFIRE? 📺 Check out the latest Defiant Weekly video on how to earn passive income with #DeFi, & subscribe to our channel. Trust me, you DO NOT want to miss out. Catch this wave 🌊🏄5:03 PM ∙ Feb 9, 20215Likes1Retweet

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