Episode: #12 May 18, 2020 When someone gives you money how confident are you that it's really yours? That's a settlement guarantee. It operates at the base layer of our societal tech stack and usually requires law and nation-states to enforce. With crypto we have something new, we have settlement assurances. That changes everything. Protocols with higher settlement assurances are more dense. They sink to the bottom of our societal tech stack and become the foundation for everything else. This is the protocol sink thesis, that DeFi protocols with the highest settlement assurance will become the base layer..the base layer for crypto banks, commercial banks, and even nation-state banks. When enough value is locked and enough time has passed, the money protocols win. That's what the thesis predicts! Dive into the protocol sink thesis w/ Ryan & David! We cover: Settlement guarantees through time Legal system settlement & traditional finance Why protocol settlement changes everything Protocol Sink Thesis ("How DeFi Wins") Why Trusted things get built on How DeFi protocols sink Time Value Locked as the meter stick How to test the thesis The transition to long-term thinking Understanding this thesis will help you become a better crypto investor. Before the episode begins we also talk about: ETH FUTURES! Grammy-award winner RAC issues on Ethereum ----- Tools from our sponsors to go bankless: Rocket Dollar - tax shelter your crypto ($50 w/ "BANKLESS") Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing DYDX - trade, margin, BTC perpetuals (10% off with this link) (trade.dydx.exchange/r/bankless) ----- Resources discussed: (Article) It's the Settlement Assurances Stupid (Article) Crypto-fiat: mutualistic or parasitic? (Article) Great protocol sink (How-to) How to buy $TAPE token (VIDEO) David's Settlement Assurances talk ----- Episode Actions: Watch David talk about this at Ethereal  Watch for evidence of protocol sink thesis: Crypto exchanges add DeFi protocols Trustless stablecoins like DAI taking from USDT Stablecoins issued on public chains like Ethereum More value flowing into BTC and ETH Give Bankless a 5-star review on iTunes right now! ----- Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed Leave a review on iTunes Share the episode with someone you know! ----- Don't stop at the podcast! Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program Visit official Bankless website for resources Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube Follow Ryan on Twitter Follow David on Twitter