Liquid staking tokens may sound like a niche corner of crypto, but they raise a much bigger question: can regulation actually keep up with decentralized systems? Juan Ignacio Ibañez of the MiCA Crypto Alliance dicusses why LSTs are so hard to classify under MiCA, and why that ambiguity creates real compliance risk for platforms and service providers. The conversation moves beyond labels to a deeper issue: what happens when existing rules are built for assets with issuers, managers, and clearer boundaries than Web3 often provides.

Crypto-asset Taxonomy for Investors and Regulators [https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.05098]

Ep 64: When Tokens Don’t Fit the Rules: LSTs & MiCA

Ep 63: Productivity Enables Security: The Economics of Blockchain Settlement

Yes, illicit finance in crypto exists, but it's not the whole story. Ari Redbord (TRM Labs) walks us through the real numbers, how blockchain data is used as evidence, and what better enforcement could look like. From sanctions to smart compliance tools, we get into what’s working and what still needs to improve.

Discover more in TRM's 2026 Crypto Crime Report  [https://www.trmlabs.com/reports-and-whitepapers/2026-crypto-crime-report]

Ep 62: Crypto Crime, Sanctions & Signals:  Evidence in the Blockchain

Congressman Troy Downing joins us to discuss what it really takes to give digital assets and AI clear rules in the United States. From the Genius Act on stablecoins and the Clarity Act on SEC vs CFTC roles, to his AI Wise Act on education for small businesses, he explains why the US cannot afford to fall behind while still protecting consumers. He also shares how financial literacy, tribal outreach, and real world use cases like title insurance and crop insurance on blockchain fit into a future where traditional banking and new rails grow side by side.

Ep 61: US Congressman Troy Downing

Women are stepping into new forms of financial power, and digital assets are opening the door. The founders of Eve Wealth, Sadie Raney and Elaine Asher discuss the misconceptions that keep women out of this space and the education and community that bring them in. They explain how long-term digital-asset investing sits at the intersection of wealth-building and agency, and why it may be one of the most overlooked tools for closing power gaps.

Ep 60: Wealth as a Feminist Act: Digital Assets, Community, and Financial Education 

Stablecoins were the main character in policy circles this year, and for good reason. Urszula McCormack, Andrew Whitworth, and Laura Navaratnam walk us through how 2025 played out across Hong Kong, the EU, UK, and Australia. From what got finalized, what’s still fuzzy, and what signals to watch in early 2026... it's the year-end reality check for anyone dealing with digital money, law, and regulation.

Ep 59: Stablecoins Across Borders

This episode examines Decentralized Lending Protocols (DLPs) and the contagion that can arise due to assets lent to one pool serving as collateral in a different pool. We discuss efficient design of DLPs and mitigations for managing risk.Guest: Julien Prat (CNRS Researcher CREST, Ecole Polytechnique, IP Paris)Paper: Shock Propagation in Decentralized Lending Networks: Evidence from the Compound Protocol [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5380164]



Ava Labs x CBER Ep 15: Contagion in Decentralized Lending Protocols

Contrary to popular belief, price discovery can occur at decentralized exchanges instead of at centralized exchanges. We discuss the underlying economics and how this affects bidding for block space. We also discuss how private memory pools affect bidding behavior and the price discovery process.

Guests: Agostino Capponi (Columbia University), Ruizhe Jia (Stanford University), Shihao Yu (Singapore Management University)

Paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4236993

Ava Labs x CBER Ep 14: Price Discovery at Decentralized Exchanges

This episode covers the digitization of payments and the rise of stablecoins. We discuss China’s CBDC project, the success of USD stablecoins, and the barriers to broader stablecoin adoption. We also examine how stablecoins could reshape the modern payment infrastructure.

Guests: Lin William Cong (Cornell University), Simon Mayer (Carnegie Mellon University)

Paper: Strategic Digitization in Currency and Payment Competition [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4063878]

Ava Labs x CBER Ep 13: Stablecoins and Digital Payments

This episode examines the central role nonprofit foundations have played in supporting blockchain networks. We trace their original purpose, how these entities have become a point of friction for many projects, and how regulatory and policy shifts have opened the door to alternatives. We reference two emerging models: the Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association (DUNA) and the Cybernetic Organization (BORG).

Guest: Miles Jennings (Head of Policy & General Counsel at a16z crypto)

Paper: The end of the foundation era in crypto - a16z crypto [https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/end-foundation-era-crypto/]

Ava Labs x CBER Ep 12: Beyond the Foundation Model: DUNAs and BORGs

The Policy Layer is a proud project of the Ava Labs Legal team that is committed to helping policymakers break through hype and navigate the blockchain world. We host podcasts with industry leaders seeking to build a better Internet. Check out our X profile @AvalanchePolicy, and visit our website owlexplains.com [https://owlexplains.com/], where you will find practical explainers, quizzes, and more fun resources on all things Web3.

To stay in the know, subscribe to News from the Nest [https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/news-from-the-nest-7125501596116885504/]

The Policy Layer

The Crypto and Blockchain Economic Research (CBER) Forum and Owl Explains are delighted to present a transformative podcast series, "Crafting the Crypto Economy." This series features leading faculty from renowned global universities providing economic guidance regarding optimal design of various blockchain ecosystem elements. Particular focus will be given to proper economic design of tokens and of decentralized applications. This series is in collaboration with Columbia University’s Briger Family Digital Finance Lab, Columbia University’s Center for Digital Finance and Technologies, Boston University’s Digital Business Institute at the Questrom School of Business, École polytechnique and the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management's FinHub.

Owl Explains x CBER

Owl Explains's Show

Owl Explains is a trusted resource for educational information about blockchain & Web3 fundamentals, applications, and policy. We are a podcast seeking to educate the general public about blockchain, with a particular focus on policy and worldwide blockchain regulation. 

Owl Explains

The Policy Layer is a trusted resource for educational information about blockchain & Web3 fundamentals, applications, and policy.


The Policy Layer

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