Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, we sit down with Adrian Brink, Co-Founder of Anoma and Namada, to explore the intersection of privacy, sovereignty, and resilience in Web3. Adrian shares his journey from the early days of building Cosmos to building intent-based systems that empower communities and protect dignity at scale.
We dive into the challenges of designing for a fragmented world, the promise of cryptography, and the importance of local-first infrastructure. Adrian also discusses the Tornado Cash case, the role of intent-based systems in addressing regulatory concerns, and how cryptography can help communities defend against external threats.
From the evolution of Web3 to the future of AI-driven coordination, this conversation is packed with insights on building networks that bend toward freedom without breaking under the weight of reality.
Chapters
00:00 Setting the stage: intention, privacy, and protecting dignity in a digital world
03:39 Sovereign infrastructure: community defense and resilience against external threats
05:23 Reimagining privacy: moving beyond Band-Aid solutions to foundational change
07:24 The state of Web3: challenges, stagnation, and the need for meaningful innovation
10:02 Intent-based systems: reshaping privacy and sovereignty for individuals and communities
12:03 Flexibility and security: building adaptable systems for diverse global needs
15:13 Tornado Cash and regulatory challenges: intent systems as a potential solution
20:13 Navigating high-risk environments: sanctions, blackouts, and global regulations
25:20 The next 100 million users: making crypto accessible and practical for everyday life
30:05 Financial literacy and coordination: unlocking new possibilities for global commerce
35:00 Cryptography and trust: scaling trust systems for local and global communities
40:00 Societal transformation: blockchain’s role in reshaping politics, economics, and governance
45:00 AI and intents: the future of coordination in the age of artificial intelligence
48:12 Staying grounded: Adrian’s advice for navigating innovation and building for the right reasons
49:19 Closing thoughts: where to find Adrian and what’s next for Namada
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#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3
In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, we sit down with Adrian Brink, Co-Founder of Anoma and Namada, to explore the intersection of privacy, sovereignty, and resilience in Web3. Adrian shares his journey from the early days of building Cosmos to building intent-based systems that empower communities and protect dignity at scale.
We dive into the challenges of designing for a fragmented world, the promise of cryptography, and the importance of local-first infrastructure. Adrian also discusses the Tornado Cash case, the role of intent-based systems in addressing regulatory concerns, and how cryptography can help communities defend against external threats.
From the evolution of Web3 to the future of AI-driven coordination, this conversation is packed with insights on building networks that bend toward freedom without breaking under the weight of reality.
Chapters
00:00 Setting the stage: intention, privacy, and protecting dignity in a digital world
03:39 Sovereign infrastructure: community defense and resilience against external threats
05:23 Reimagining privacy: moving beyond Band-Aid solutions to foundational change
07:24 The state of Web3: challenges, stagnation, and the need for meaningful innovation
10:02 Intent-based systems: reshaping privacy and sovereignty for individuals and communities
12:03 Flexibility and security: building adaptable systems for diverse global needs
15:13 Tornado Cash and regulatory challenges: intent systems as a potential solution
20:13 Navigating high-risk environments: sanctions, blackouts, and global regulations
25:20 The next 100 million users: making crypto accessible and practical for everyday life
30:05 Financial literacy and coordination: unlocking new possibilities for global commerce
35:00 Cryptography and trust: scaling trust systems for local and global communities
40:00 Societal transformation: blockchain’s role in reshaping politics, economics, and governance
45:00 AI and intents: the future of coordination in the age of artificial intelligence
48:12 Staying grounded: Adrian’s advice for navigating innovation and building for the right reasons
49:19 Closing thoughts: where to find Adrian and what’s next for Namada
Explore The Defiant ✨
📰 Website
thedefiant.io
✉️ Free Daily Newsletter
https://thedefiant.io/newsletter/defi...
🤑 Weekly Premium Newsletter
https://thedefiant.io/newsletter/defi...
✊ Follow The Defiant
X/Twitter: https://x.com/DefiantNews
📬 Contact our Newsroom
editorial@thedefiant.io
🤝 Sponsorships & Partnerships
sponsors@thedefiant.io
#TheDefiant #DeFi #Decentralized #Finance #Blockchain #Web3



![🟢 LIVE: Building Paragon: Perps Market on Hyperliquid
Paragon wants to build a ticker factory on Hyperliquid: perpetual futures for anything that can be measured, launched as soon as the trade becomes relevant. Taha El-Magbri, founder of Paragon, joins The Defiant to explain how it works.
Paragon launched with three crypto-native indices — a Bitcoin index, a total market index, and an altcoin index — built to trade like SPY or QQQ options: a way to bet on, or hedge, crypto risk appetite as a whole. The project runs on HIP-3, Hyperliquids framework for permissionless futures listings, which requires deployers to stake 500,000 HYPE that can be slashed if they fail to deliver core exchange infrastructure.
We discuss:
Paragons index products and how traders use them
Why the team built on Hyperliquid and HIP-3 instead of bootstrapping its own exchange
Running in-house oracle infrastructure and onboarding a top market maker
Competition among HIP-3 deployers as open interest grows from $1B to ~$3B
Whether Hyperliquid killers like Aster and Lighter pose a real threat
The CFTCs posture on crypto perps and a possible US pathway for Hyperliquid
Why perps keep winning: removing friction from options and futures trading
Whats next — including whether compute can be perpified
No Paragon token yet: why the team is following the Hyperliquid buyback playbook
Follow [guest handle] and Paragon: [links]
📰 Subscribe to The Defiant newsletter: https://thedefiant.io/newsletter
🌐 Read more: https://thedefiant.io 🟢 LIVE: Building Paragon: Perps Market on Hyperliquid](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f-aO3MJoRzU/mqdefault.jpg)






