The Edge Podcast Why Katana Is Not An L2, It's A DeFi Super App
Matthew Fisher is CEO of Katana.
Many L2s have launched, hoping the apps show up. Katana is taking a different approach, building apps itself and designing the economic engine from day one to make this all possible.
In this episode, Matthew breaks down how vaultbridge assets like vbETH and vbUSDT redirect real yield from Ethereum Mainnet to active DeFi participants on Katana, why they acquired the team behind IDEX to launch Katana Perps, and their roadmap to onboard major liquidity from CEXs like OKX and fintechs like Revolut who can route liquidity through Katana for yield.
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💎 THIS EPISODE'S PARTNERS
🔒 KPK | Best risk-adjusted yield through automated vaults
🏙 MAINSTREET | Bringing proven TradFi yield strategies to DeFi markets
🏦 ALTURA | Bringing the yield institutions kept, to your wallet
🕛 NOON | The highest and safest stablecoin yield, built for the long term
🌅 NEUTRL | The next generation of crypto-native yield
🛡️ ACCOUNTABLE | Real-time financial verification
👻 MANTLE | Aave V3 is live on Mantle
🐡 PUFFER INSTITUTIONAL | ETH staking solutions for scale
⚙️ GEARBOX PROTOCOL | Onchain lending reimagined
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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
2:04- Matthew’s background in DeFi
6:24 - Katana’s origin story
10:25 - vbTokens and why yield goes to DeFi participants, not holders
12:00 - How the vaultbridge actually works with Morpho on Ethereum
17:38 - Vitalik’s L2 comments and Ethereum alignment
21:50 - How Katana can win over users as a DeFi hub
25:12 - IDEX acquisition and Katana Perps launch
28:06 - 5 revenue-generating businesses for one network
30:55 - Built for both retail and institutions
32:51 - ve(3,3) flywheel at the network level on Katana
44:35 - KAT vs vKAT vs avKAT
48:08 - OKX Earn and Binance programs powered by Katana
52:29 - Katana’s endgame to tap into fintech liquidity
54:32 - Why Katana is strategically aligned with Polygon
59:20 - What Matthew's most excited for in 6-12 months
1:01:26 - Closing
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🔗 GUEST LINKS
► Katana website: https://katana.network/
► Katana on X: https://x.com/katana
► Katana Perps website: https://perps.katana.network/
► Katana Perps on X: https://x.com/katanaperps
► Matthew on X: https://x.com/mfisher10x
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DISCLAIMER: Nothing said on The Edge Podcast is a recommendation to buy or sell tokens or securities. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared here is financial advice. Any views expressed by hosts or guests on the show are solely their opinions. Always do your own research. DeFi Dad, Nomatic, and guests may have positions in the assets or other matters discussed in this podcast. DeFi Dad earned ~$500 of KAT in the airdrop and voluntarily staked it as avKAT in a demo edited into the pod. Katana has been a sponsor of The Edge Podcast but we do not accept paid guest slots. We believe Katana has an interesting story given its use of vbAssets and ve(3,3) mechanics at the network level.