Ep 17 - Alex Wearn - The Opportunities and Challenges of Decentralized Exchanges

Hosted by Enigma's Head of Growth Tor Bair, our seventeenth episode features Alex Wearn. Alex is the co-founder and CEO of Aurora, the creators of IDEX. IDEX is a hybrid decentralized token exchange built on Ethereum, combining decentralized elements (such as custody) with off-chain infrastructure that keeps IDEX fast, liquid, and a high-quality trading experience for users. As a result, IDEX is one of the most used applications built on Ethereum. IDEX’s hybrid model could provide a blueprint for developers looking to actually achieve adoption for their products — but it’s not without its drawbacks or challenges. On this episode Alex talks with Tor about the difference between “true decentralization” and “pragmatic decentralization”, whether code should be law, why liquidity is the most essential element for any exchange, and what the impact of regulation might be on the nascent decentralization space. Enigma's new podcast "Decentralize This!" features guests from all over the decentralization space: developers, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, writers, artists, people in government and enterprise - all individuals who care deeply about building a more decentralized and sustainable world. How can all these people with different perspectives collaborate to create and scale the technologies we need to shape a better future? ---- Relevant links: Aurora: https://auroradao.com/ IDEX: https://idex.market Pragmatic Decentralization: https://medium.com/aurora-dao/pragmatic-decentralization-how-idex-will-approach-industry-regulations-8b109212128a Staking: https://medium.com/aurora-dao/idex-launches-aura-staking-learn-how-to-earn-platform-trading-fees-or-increased-trading-rewards-2babf29244a8 Enigma: www.enigma.co 
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