Chain Reaction - 2nd June 2025
Aus DeFi Meetups, Industry Insights and more
Hello, Chain Reaction readers!
What a week it has been in the world of blockchain and DeFi! This newsletter is packed with exciting updates, insights from industry gatherings and get togethers.
Meetup Highlights
This Wednesday, we had an engaging meetup that you can watch here:
. The event was filled with vibrant discussions and valuable insights, so don’t miss out!
Roundtable Recap
We also participated in a roundtable gathering as part of ASIC's Digital Advisory Panel. It was inspiring to hear various perspectives from industry associations and regulators. Here are some key takeaways:
Regulators and Innovation: While some view regulators as stifling innovation, they often provide the necessary breaks to prevent us from hurting ourselves.
Breaking Down Silos: There is a growing effort to unify the various silos in the blockchain space, and that collaboration is essential for progress.
Crypto Accountability: Crypto is slowly starting to practice what it preaches, and the tide is turning!
Transforming Workflows: There’s an increasing recognition that merely bringing workflows on-chain isn’t enough; transformation is key, and we’re excited to see Australian projects leading the way!
Community Celebrations
It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm at the Binance Pizza Day celebrations in Sydney! Check out the fun here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/binanceaustralia_binancepizza-ugcPost-7332631968129437696---ox?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via.
Industry Insights
Fencing the Outback: Is the outback finally getting fenced? Read about how America’s GENIUS Act could boost Australia’s crypto scene here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/outback-finally-getting-fenced-how-americas-genius-act-robert-waugh-h8ftc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via.
Coinbase Under Scrutiny: Another reminder of the need for robust blockchain systems, especially in light of the Coinbase incident: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gintar%C4%97-ko%C5%A1ubien%C4%97-42b55172_what-happened-at-coinbase-wasnt-a-hack-activity-7331593966091440129-ClnI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via.
RWA Community Gathering: Great to see the RWA community come together in Perth, along with local leaders like Minister Stephen Dawson: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/karoline-kolman-28ab5582_rwa-perth-perthlandingpad-ugcPost-7332745902735982592-xYNA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via.
Legislative News
In contrast to the positive discussions, an Australian senator has labeled Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme. Read more about the controversial statement here: https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1926714965647311029?t=TVP6ylB_epp11FPRlElrDg&s=19.
Events and Opportunities
Market Analysis: For those interested in market analysis, check out this deep dive from Chief Crypto Analyst Jamie Coutts: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/part-2-april-insights-market-breadth-new-chapter-coutts-cmt-cfte-pnc0c/?trackingId=NFDWOUdT5vkvO2KiYG%2FD2A%3D%3D.
Celebrating Success
Congratulations to IBTC from Monochrome for breaking into the $100 million Bitcoin club! Learn more about their achievements here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeff-yew_welcoming-ibtc-into-the-100m-club-activity-7332952119253053440-JO4j?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&utm_campaign=share_via.
Reports and Resources
Check out the State of Stablecoins Report for 2025 from Fireblocks here: https://www.fireblocks.com/report/state-of-stablecoins/.
Trump
In a lighter note, it seems that money can’t buy everything, as reviews of the Trump dinner leave something to be desired: https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-crypto-dinner-guests-say-food-was-worst-ever.
RWA and TVL thoughts
I'll leave you with this for the week, something that may be of interest if you're interested in RWA tokenisation and how best to measure and rate the projects out there in this space. I think I'll dive into that a bit more but here's a couple of things to read for now
on TVL not being the only measure of this space - https://x.com/CaptDeFi/status/1928233129824899276
on the aggregator platforms - https://x.com/CaptDeFi/status/1927541699313569909
As always, let’s keep the conversations going, foster innovation, and support each other in this ever-evolving landscape of blockchain and DeFi. Until next time!
Best,
Mark - Editor, Chain Reaction Newsletter
About Aus DeFi Association
The Australian DeFi Association (Aus DeFi) is a non-profit community organisation dedicated to increasing education and awareness of blockchain technology, specifically decentralised finance (DeFi) and web3-based projects. Their goal is to empower the Australian community with the knowledge and tools to participate in the decentralised economy, and to promote the adoption and growth of blockchain technology in Australia. They strive to provide a more grassroots approach to promoting blockchain technology compared to other industry-focused organisations in Australia, and to provide a platform for community members to learn about and engage with this emerging technology.
Sponsors
This newsletter is brought to you by our sponsors at NotCentralised who use their AI tool, SIKE, to bring together the highlights each week. For more on SIKE and the world of business-friendly AI, see