From TradFi to DeFi: Building the Future of Real World Assets with Centrifuge's Eli Cohen

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 Eli Cohen, general counsel at Centrifuge, a platform for tokenized real-world assets.

Join them as they discuss:

• The evolution from traditional finance to tokenized assets
• How T-Bills are being brought on-chain
• Building regulatory-compliant RWA infrastructure
• Designing DAO governance for financial protocols
• The future of on-chain institutional asset management
• Balancing innovation with compliance
• How Centrifuge aims to create efficient securitization processes
  

And much more!

With vast experience spanning traditional finance, market infrastructure, and cryptocurrency regulation, Eli brings a unique perspective to the intersection of RWAs and blockchain technology. His distinguished career includes roles at CME Group, where he helped launch Bitcoin futures in Asia-Pacific, Block.one, and various positions working with financial regulators across multiple jurisdictions. For the past three years at Centrifuge, Eli has been instrumental in developing compliant frameworks for bringing traditional financial assets onto the blockchain while navigating complex regulatory environments across global markets.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] Intro
• [03:00] Understanding the Two Categories of Real World Assets (RWAs)
• [34:09] The Microbrewery Model of Asset Tokenization
• [38:09] Hybrid Governance Structure for DeFi Platforms
• [48:29] Evolution of RWA Markets Beyond Treasury Bills
  

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

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