Permissionless: America’s DeFi Renaissance | Eugene Chen & Merlin Egalite

In this episode, we went live from Permissionless with Eugene Chen, Co-founder and CEO of Ellipsis Labs, and Merlin Egalite, Co-founder of Morpho, to explore the resurgence of DeFi activity in the U.S. driven by emerging regulatory clarity around stablecoins and market structure. We also discuss U.S. dollar dominance in stablecoins, institutional adoption, the role of front-end regulation, real-world asset tokenization, and the potential for global financial systems to move onchain. Thanks for tuning in! -- Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and high yield. No empty emissions, just real yield and sequencer fees routed back to DeFi users.  Pre-deposit now: Earn high APRs with Turtle Club https://app.turtle.club/campaigns/katana or spin the wheel with Katana Krates https://app.katana.network/krates -- Ledger, the global leader in digital asset security, proudly sponsors Bell Curve! As Ledger celebrates 10 years of securing 20% of global crypto, it remains the top choice for securing your assets. Buy a LEDGER™ device now, and build confidently, knowing your BTC, ETH, SOL, and more are safe. Buy now on https://shop.ledger.com/?r=1da180a5de00. -- Citrea is the first zero-knowledge rollup to enhance the capabilities of Bitcoin blockspace and enable Bitcoin applications (₿apps). Citrea is optimistically verified by Bitcoin, offering the most Bitcoin-secured and native way to extend BTC’s utility to DeFi.  Learn more about Citrea: https://citrea.xyz/?utm_source=bellcurve&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=website_promo  Follow Citrea on X/Twitter for the latest on its journey to mainnet: https://x.com/citrea_xyz -- Follow Eugene: https://x.com/0xShitTrader Follow Merlin: https://x.com/MerlinEgalite Follow MonetSupply: https://x.com/MonetSupply Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ Join the Bell Curve Telegram group: https://t.me/+nzyxAvQ0Xxc3YTEx -- Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (2:39) American DeFi (5:56) Stablecoin Regulation and Its Impact on DeFi (11:14) Ads (Katana & Ledger) (11:53) Serving US Users and Regulatory Compliance (23:49) Ads (Katana & Ledger) (24:57) Will DeFi Front Ends Be Targeted By Regulation? (29:59) Bringing RWAs Onchain (39:25) Citrea Ad (40:01) The 5 Year Vision For DeFi -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Bell Curve is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.