Building Bitcoin's Next Layer: BOB's Cross-Chain Solution with Alexei Zamyatin

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Alexei Zamyatin, co-founder of BOB, a Layer 2 blockchain aiming to combine the security of Bitcoin with the versatility of Ethereum. Together, they discuss how BitVM empowers building in the Bitcoin ecosystem, how Bitcoin and Ethereum mutually benefit one another, Bitcoin's developer renaissance, bridging solutions and their trust assumptions, forthcoming Bitcoin-enabled applications, and so much more.

Join them as they discuss:

BOB's hybrid L2 architecture
Bridging Bitcoin and Ethereum infrastructure
BitVM implementation strategy
Three-phase development roadmap
Reaching 320k unique users
$250M in DeFi TVL
Cross-chain deployment solutions

And much more!

Alexei's work is focusing on expanding interoperability and capital efficiency across major blockchain platforms, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polkadot, and Cosmos. His flagship product, interBTC, embodies his vision by enabling Bitcoin's use across different blockchains while maintaining its key attributes: full collateralization, interoperability, and censorship-resistance. Prior to founding BOB, Alexei offered his expertise at Boston Consulting Group and conducted research at SBA Research, contributing significantly to digital assets and web3 governance.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Introduction
[02:17] Bitcoin's Value Beyond market cap: global reach and brand recognition
[04:52] Community Evolution From maximalism to innovation acceptance
[11:05] Background Story Namecoin to Bitcoin bridges research at Imperial College
[19:27] BitVM Overview Core technology enabling BOB's security model
[24:58] Trust Trade-offs Balancing institutional vs technical risk in Bitcoin
[41:09] Growth Metrics 320k users, $250M TVL since May 2023 launch
[49:30] Strategic Phases Three-phase plan from ETH L2 to Bitcoin settlement
[53:16] Future Vision Balancing institutional adoption with cypherpunk roots
[56:16] Community Call Invitation for user feedback and engagement

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.

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