Building DeFi Infrastructure: From Zero to MEV Resistance with ParaSwap Founder Mounir Benchemled

The Smart Economy Podcast: Real-World Blockchain Applications with Crypto, DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Mounir Benchemled, founder and CEO of ParaSwap, a platform in the decentralized finance landscape.

Join them as they discuss:

• The features ParaSwap is bringing to the DeFi space
• Token approvals and security
• Regulatory landscape of DeFi
• Hybrid approaches to customer acquisition in DeFi
• The future of decentralized exchanges
  

And much more!

With a background rich in software development and blockchain technology, Mounir has not only led ParaSwap to raise $5.7 million from top-tier crypto investors but has also recently taken on the CEO role at Laita Labs, aiming to push the boundaries of DeFi products and infrastructure.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] Intro
• [02:30] Discussion of what DeFi got right/wrong and stablecoins as the biggest success
• [05:44] Mounir shares his journey from Bitcoin in 2012 to leaving his CEO role in 2017
• [10:58] B2B pivot: From retail focus to 85% partner volume integration
• [17:13] Regulatory landscape: EU's DeFi-friendly stance vs US restrictions
• [22:33] Chain expansion: Scaling beyond Ethereum to BSC, Polygon and L2s
• [26:04] ParaSwap Delta: New gasless, intent-based trading solution
• [29:19] March 2024 exploit: $24K initial breach leads to larger recovery mission
• [37:30] Hacker negotiations: Recovering 80% of funds through on-chain tracking
• [44:26] MEV insights: How the exploit improved MEV resistance strategies
• [46:19] OTC trading: Peer-to-peer and RFQ protocol capabilities
• [49:29] Token mechanics: PSP token utility and staking benefits
• [50:30] Airdrop lessons: Candid take on 2021 airdrop timing and mistakes

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.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Laying the Groundwork for a Billion-User Blockchain with Rich Rines, Contributor at Core DAO
• Staking the Future: From Blockchain Beginnings to Institutional Innovations with Chen Zhuling of RockX
• The Unstoppable Nature of Blockchain: A Conversation with Bonart Mati of Obligate

Attention all blockchain, crypto, and Web3 professionals! If you're a founder, CEO, or expert doing something innovative in this space, we're interested in speaking to you! Apply to be a guest on our platform and connect with our vibrant community of blockchain professionals: https://fame.so/nnt-guest

The Smart Economy Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so