109: Kevin Mehrabi on Stablecoins, USDtz, and Tezos DeFi

TezTalks Radio - Tezos Ecosystem Podcast

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We trace Tezos from a grassroots “revolution” in 2017 to a concrete plan for DeFi growth that links governance, stablecoins, and the art economy. Kevin Mehrabi shares how USDTZ prepared for U.S. clarity under the Genius Act and why Etherlink should bridge value, not hype.
• 2017 fundraiser, community-led governance shift, and decentralization as a standard
• choosing Tezos after deeply reading the white paper and rejecting hard-fork risk
• LA community building, the rise of Tezos art, and what “punk” really means for culture
• lessons from launching USDTZ early: integrations, trust, reserve-backed design
• why the Genius Act matters for compliant, treasury-backed stablecoins
• surplus as an on-chain financial battery: grants, art, hackathons, DAO treasury
• Etherlink strategy: export L1 value, import EVM liquidity, bridge interest-bearing assets

فصول

1. Welcome & Kevin’s Tezos Origins (00:00:00)

2. The 2017 Fundraiser to Community “Revolution” (00:02:05)

3. Decentralization Standards and Staying Power (00:04:10)

4. Choosing Tezos After Reading the White Paper (00:06:00)

5. Time-Travel, Early Bitcoin, and Perspective (00:08:45)

6. Building Tezos LA and the Art-Led Shift (00:11:30)

7. Local Hubs, Global Footprint, and Lessons (00:15:10)

8. Getting Better Answers as a Host (00:18:10)

9. Launching USDTZ Early: Frictions and Wins (00:20:34)

10. Design Choices: Reserve-Backed Over Algorithmic (00:24:30)

11. The Genius Act: Compliance, Opportunity, Timeline (00:26:30)

12. On-Chain Treasury, Grants, and Ecosystem Funding (00:30:30)

13. Do Users Care About Compliance? (00:33:20)

14. Etherlink Strategy: Export, Attract, Retain (00:34:50)

15. Bridged Assets, STXTZ, and Liquidity Loops (00:38:30)

16. Credit-Commerce Flywheel for the Tezos Art Economy (00:42:40)

17. Mint L1, Bridge L2: UX and Value (00:47:30)

18. TESX DEX Pools and Teslink Vision (00:50:30)

19. Values, Faith, and Product Principles (00:53:20)

20. Lightning Round & Closing (00:56:20)