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From Wall Street to Web3: How Plaza Finance is Bringing TradFi Sophistication to DeFi

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Manage episode 487081641 series 3584605
Content provided by Ragnarok Digital, LLP, Ragnarok Digital, and LLP. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Ragnarok Digital, LLP, Ragnarok Digital, and LLP or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Ryan Galvankar, the founder of Plaza Finance, a platform built on Base that is specializing in programmable derivatives.
What you’ll learn:

  • How traditional finance expertise shaped Plaza's approach to building decentralized derivatives
  • Why Base was chosen as the L2 solution for Plaza's products
  • The mechanics behind bondETH's stable 10% annual yield through quarterly coupon payments
  • How levETH achieves "leverage without liquidation" through self-balancing protocols
  • Why institutional adoption of Ethereum continues despite market sentiment fluctuations
  • The relationship between bondETH and levETH in creating balanced risk profiles for different investors
  • How programmable derivatives can bridge TradFi and DeFi by offering familiar financial products
And much more!

Ryan Galvankar is the founder of Plaza Finance, a platform built on Base that is specializing in programmable derivatives. With a background in electrical engineering and finance from the University of Pennsylvania, Ryan brings vast traditional finance experience from roles at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Magnetar Capital, and Atalaya Capital Management, where he focused on structured credit and trading. As Plaza Finance's founder, Ryan is pioneering innovative DeFi solutions that bridge traditional finance with blockchain technology, creating products like bondETH and levETH
Episode Highlights:
  • [00:00:00] Bridging DeFi's Risk Spectrum
  • [00:15:24] Understanding Programmable Derivatives
  • [00:36:09] Bond ETH: A Bridge to Conservative Investors
  • [00:46:04] LevETH: Sustainable Leverage Innovation


Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guest

The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
  continue reading

91 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 487081641 series 3584605
Content provided by Ragnarok Digital, LLP, Ragnarok Digital, and LLP. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Ragnarok Digital, LLP, Ragnarok Digital, and LLP or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Ryan Galvankar, the founder of Plaza Finance, a platform built on Base that is specializing in programmable derivatives.
What you’ll learn:

  • How traditional finance expertise shaped Plaza's approach to building decentralized derivatives
  • Why Base was chosen as the L2 solution for Plaza's products
  • The mechanics behind bondETH's stable 10% annual yield through quarterly coupon payments
  • How levETH achieves "leverage without liquidation" through self-balancing protocols
  • Why institutional adoption of Ethereum continues despite market sentiment fluctuations
  • The relationship between bondETH and levETH in creating balanced risk profiles for different investors
  • How programmable derivatives can bridge TradFi and DeFi by offering familiar financial products
And much more!

Ryan Galvankar is the founder of Plaza Finance, a platform built on Base that is specializing in programmable derivatives. With a background in electrical engineering and finance from the University of Pennsylvania, Ryan brings vast traditional finance experience from roles at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Magnetar Capital, and Atalaya Capital Management, where he focused on structured credit and trading. As Plaza Finance's founder, Ryan is pioneering innovative DeFi solutions that bridge traditional finance with blockchain technology, creating products like bondETH and levETH
Episode Highlights:
  • [00:00:00] Bridging DeFi's Risk Spectrum
  • [00:15:24] Understanding Programmable Derivatives
  • [00:36:09] Bond ETH: A Bridge to Conservative Investors
  • [00:46:04] LevETH: Sustainable Leverage Innovation


Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guest

The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
  continue reading

91 episodes

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