In this episode of Unshielded: A Blockchain & Data Podcast by Midnight, host Ian Kane is joined by Demetrios Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocol Officer at Blockdaemon, to unpack how enterprise-grade infrastructure is reshaping decentralized finance. From securing digital assets across 400+ institutions to integrating privacy-first technologies, Demetrios shares the real challenges and opportunities driving institutional blockchain adoption at scale.

What You’ll Learn:

How to design a security architecture that never compromises
Why institutional clients demand something fundamentally different from retail
The unified API framework for solving DeFi fragmentation
How rational privacy enables institutional participation in DeFi
The go-to-market advantage of consolidating your vendor stack
How institutional DeFi will integrate with TradFi to become the new normal in finance

With a career spanning traditional finance infrastructure at NASDAQ and NYSE, coupled with foundational roles at Ledger and Blockdaemon, Demetrios brings deep expertise in institutional blockchain infrastructure, custody solutions, and DeFi protocol integration.

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Episode Resources:

Demetrios Skalkotos on LinkedIn
Blockdaemon Website
Ian Kane on LinkedIn
Midnight Foundation Website