The Gwart Show | Blockspace Media

Ethan Marcus, CEO of Flashnet joins us to talk about how Flashnet is building a global pool of liquidity for Bitcoin. Ethan explains why the Lightning Network falls short for multi-asset scaling and how Spark's state-chain architecture enables instant, zero-fee swaps. We dive into Flashnet’s B2B integrations with neobanks and merchant platforms, the trend toward on-chain retail execution, and their upcoming expansion into liquidations and Bitcoin-denominated financial services. Subscribe to the newsletter! [https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com](https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com) Notes: * Bitcoin trades over $30 trillion annually.* System requires one honest operator.* Much of Cash App's revenue is Bitcoin-based. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:49 Ethan's background 03:09 Spark 04:15 State chains 05:12 Spark design 07:22 State chain unlocks 09:07 Flashnet design 10:26 B2B clients 12:03 Comparing Spark vs other L2 13:42 What form does USD take? 15:08 Self custody 20:05 The problems that Spark solves 21:42 Spark ecosystem 24:03 Solana is so good! 26:41 Stablecoins 29:25 Assets other than BTC 33:16 Swaps landscape 36:57 Other Flashnet opportunities 41:33 Spark update 44:01 Roxom 47:09 Flashnet & retail The Gwart Show is sponsored by Ellipsis Labs. Ellipsis Labs builds the most efficient on-chain markets. Their orderbook and Prop AMM products have delivered price improvement to hundreds of billions of dollars in retail volume. Now, they are bringing their expertise to build Phoenix, the best on-chain perpetuals platform. Ellipsis Labs is hiring New York-based engineers. If you're an engineer looking to work with a proven team in making DeFi better, go to ellipsislabs.xyz/careers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Hoffman, Podcaster at Bankless, joins us to talk about the evolution of crypto from a naive 2017 dream to the harsh reality of 2026. We dive into the "blockchain, not Bitcoin" rebirth, the death of Discord-led communities, and why Wall Street's tokenization is missing the point. David shares his excitement for AI-driven capital markets, the innovative app ecosystem on MegaETH, and why his portfolio remains heavily weighted in ETH despite the nihilistic market sentiment. Notes: * Ryan Sean Adams took a 3-month sabbatical. * David Hoffman's portfolio is still mostly ETH. * Bankless VC fund downsized to 15-20 checks. * China is aggressively increasing gold reserves. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:23 State of crypto 03:21 What's still exciting 08:14 Crypto's original vision 12:57 Community going away? 19:16 Hyperliquid 20:44 What are L2's actually being used for? 25:17 Ordering transactions 27:26 Ellipsis Labs Ad 28:14 Future of media 33:28 Money leaving the crypto space 35:41 Risk & return math 39:41 Bankless Ventures 45:07 Possible bright spots? 50:15 Future of Bankless 58:21 Bankless regrets 1:01:31 Fully changing his mind 1:04:28 Crypto's end game is here? 1:07:51 ETH: bull or bear? 1:10:40 David's personal portfolio? The Gwart Show is sponsored by Ellipsis Labs. Ellipsis Labs builds the most efficient on-chain markets. Their orderbook and Prop AMM products have delivered price improvement to hundreds of billions of dollars in retail volume. Now, they are bringing their expertise to build Phoenix, the best on-chain perpetuals platform. Ellipsis Labs is hiring New York-based engineers. If you're an engineer looking to work with a proven team in making DeFi better, go to ellipsislabs.xyz/careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Resnick, Lead Economist at Anza, joins Gwart to talk about optimizing Solana for financial markets. He discusses the shift from Ethereum, the mechanics of MCP to stop censorship, and how "ACE" (Application Control Execution) empowers apps. Max discusses dominance of Prop AMMs, the controversy around block packing, and how Solana plans to compete with Hyperliquid in the perp market. Notes: - Binance retail fee is ~10 basis points- Prop AMM execution gap up to 10 bps- Humidify quotes 0.1 bps spreads Timestamps:00:00 Start00:28 Anza experience02:10 What's Max working on?05:41 New respect for development08:42 MCP > MEV12:33 Validators & toxic flow15:14 MCP status16:32 Writing code18:20 ACE21:30 Taker speed bump & Hyperliquid23:47 Oracle updates24:13 On-chain co-location26:38 Priority fee27:01 Deny list28:23 Tighter than Binance33:18 Spreads36:23 Prop AMM winners38:33 SEP & Solana40:40 MEV report44:55 User costs of MEV47:26 Block time reduction50:30 Transaction packing58:45 Prop AMMs & breaking composability1:01:23 Hyperliquid1:03:48 Solona slipping on Perps The Gwart Show is sponsored by Ellipsis Labs. Backed by Paradigm, Electric Capital and Haun Ventures. The founders, Eugene and Jerry, have experienced Citadel Jane Street in the Solana Core team since launching their order book DEX, Phoenix. They’ve done over $80 billion in trading volume by making onchain order books competitive with centralized exchanges. Ellipsis is hiring for New York-based engineers. Work with a small focus team who are results driven, collaborative, and use a modern stack. If you’re an engineer who wants to work on infrastructure that’s already proven itself in the market, go to ⁠⁠ellipsislabs.xyz⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vladimir Novakovski, CEO of Lighter, explains their pivot from AI to a high-speed DEX. He addresses the controversy behind their zero-fee model and how ZK circuits ensure verifiability. Vlad says they're surprised at the success of Forex on Lighter, future plans for options and fixed income, and addresses community questions about token value and equity rights. Notes:- Spent 18 months building tech stack- 1,000+ trading shops in contact with Lighter- Polymarket has "pretty efficient" pricing Timestamps:00:00 Start00:35 Surprises of success02:50 Winning Perp DEX Season06:30 Regulations11:49 What parts need to be on-chain?16:57 Sidecar21:35 Forex trading flows24:35 Spot markets28:03 Future of zero fees31:15 Public book & toxic flow36:44 Standardizing Perp DEXs40:16 Paths to revenue45:47 User acquisition & tokens49:28 The Hyperliquid Standard56:24 Dealing with trolls The Gwart Show is sponsored by Ellipsis Labs. Backed by Paradigm, Electric Capital and Haun Ventures. The founders, Eugene and Jerry, have experienced Citadel Jane Street in the Solana Core team since launching their order book DEX, Phoenix. They’ve done over $80 billion in trading volume by making onchain order books competitive with centralized exchanges. Ellipsis is hiring for New York-based engineers. Work with a small focus team who are results driven, collaborative, and use a modern stack. If you’re an engineer who wants to work on infrastructure that’s already proven itself in the market, go to ⁠⁠ellipsislabs.xyz⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zcash cofounder Ian Miers discusses zero-knowledge proofs, why Bitcoin's public ledger creates massive privacy problems, how SNARKs enable trust without exposure, quantum computing threats to cryptocurrency, identity and reputation systems, and why a blockchain needs privacy to function as actual money. Notes:• Zcash launched as first industrial zero-knowledge proof application• Zero Coin published 2013 (before Ethereum or SNARKs existed)• Quantum computers need thousands of qubits to break RSA• Blockchain transparency makes Bitcoin "Twitter for bank accounts" Timestamps:00:00 Start00:19 What's Ian up to?01:25 Creating Zcash05:59 Why ZK tech is a big deal?08:34 Zero knowledge proofs & Bitcoin10:36 Verifiability vs privacy14:02 The 2025 Zcash resurgence17:20 Other research20:45 Stablecoins & real world assets24:15 Ellipsis Labs Ad25:02 Regulation28:57 Government privacy overreach33:11 Zcash proposals & current development35:51 Swaps39:29 Zcash as medium of exchange?41:37 The possibility of privacy on Bitcoin43:53 Other privacy tech?50:18 Monero vs Zcash53:37 Developer block rewards57:12 Developer rewards & adoption59:39 Quantum risks1:02:45 Quantum timelines The Gwart Show is sponsored by Ellipsis Labs. Backed by Paradigm, Electric Capital and Haun Ventures. The founders, Eugene and Jerry, have experienced Citadel Jane Street in the Solana Core team since launching their order book DEX, Phoenix. They’ve done over $80 billion in trading volume by making onchain order books competitive with centralized exchanges. Ellipsis is hiring for New York-based engineers. Work with a small focus team who are results driven, collaborative, and use a modern stack. If you’re an engineer who wants to work on infrastructure that’s already proven itself in the market, go to ⁠⁠ellipsislabs.xyz⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Annanay Kapila, CEO & Founder of QFEX, joins us to talk about his journey from high-frequency trading at Flow Traders and Tower to building a revolutionary exchange platform. We discuss how crypto market structure solves traditional finance inefficiencies, his Y Combinator experience, regulatory strategy, 100X leverage mechanics, prediction markets, and why sports betting actually works. Launching December 2025. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Tower did half of all major exchange volume • QFEX raised funding through Y Combinator • YC takes 7% equity for $125K investment • Bitcoin trades at 100X leverage on exchanges • S&P futures limited to 10X leverage • QFEX waitlist hit 10,000 people Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:03 Annanay Kapila 02:08 Y Combinator 05:23 Market inefficiencies 09:03 Designing QFEX 12:50 Hyperliquid & Perps 18:30 Zero fees vs UX 22:36 Sharp flow & fees 27:12 Intermediating market makers 34:26 Misaligned incentives 40:53 Perps use cases 45:52 Perps vs Options 49:33 Market fragmentation 58:47 Kalshi vs Polymarket 1:06:23 KYC 1:10:37 Are prediction markets useful? 1:13:02 Wrap The Gwart Show is sponsored by Ellipsis Labs. Backed by Paradigm, Electric Capital and Haun Ventures. The founders, Eugene and Jerry, have experienced Citadel Jane Street in the Solana Core team since launching their order book DEX, Phoenix. They’ve done over $80 billion in trading volume by making onchain order books competitive with centralized exchanges. Ellipsis is hiring for New York-based engineers. Work with a small focus team who are results driven, collaborative, and use a modern stack. If you’re an engineer who wants to work on infrastructure that’s already proven itself in the market, go to ⁠⁠ellipsislabs.xyz⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices