Writing

Essays

All essays, newest first. Each belongs to one of five themes examining a different dimension of the same underlying question.

2026

Why DeFi Still Matters From the Inside
Identifying Curators: Safeguarding or Gatekeeping DeFi? From the Inside
Curators: Keeping The Kingmakers Accountable & DeFi Permissionless From the Inside

2025

The ARB DeFi Playbook From the Inside
The rETH DeFi Playbook From the Inside
Crypto & Private Property: Techno Optimism or Real Progress? Power and Coordination

2024

Mastering Restaking Yields: Amplified Returns Through Incremental Risks From the Inside

2023

DeFi Value Flows: Understanding DeFi Business Models and Revenues The Alternative Stack
The Web3 Stack: A Conceptual Framework The Alternative Stack
The Web3 Stack: A Macro View The Alternative Stack
The Web3 Stack: Assets The Alternative Stack
The Web3 Stack: Transaction Settlement The Alternative Stack
DeFi Ecosystem: Primitives and Technology Stack The Alternative Stack

2022

Project Guardian: Singapore’s Attempt At Centralised-DeFi (CeDeFi) From the Inside
Project Orchid: Singapore’s Take on Retail CBDCs From the Inside
The Politics of Web3: Violence, Technology, and Empowerment Power and Coordination
Self-Custody: The Power Of Ownership Power and Coordination
Accountability Not Decentralization Power and Coordination
Art of the Trade: TradFi vs Defi 1.0 Concepts The Alternative Stack
Market-Driven Democracy? Futarchy and Liquid Democracy Power and Coordination
Hardforks: Utopia or Dead-end? Putting a price on free will Power and Coordination
Trust : Trusted Third Parties (TTPs), Human Nature & Conflicts of Interest Power and Coordination
Why Privacy is Key to Personal Growth Power and Coordination
With Great Power Comes Greater Transparency Power and Coordination
Happy 27th Birthday Internet: Have you made the world too complicated? Systems and Society
Edward Snowden, Mark Zuckerberg, Logan Paul: Who is responsible for our digital future? Systems and Society
Decentralised Identity: The Way Forward The Alternative Stack
MEV: The Scalpers of Web3 The Alternative Stack
Oracles: How blockchains perceive the world The Alternative Stack
Reclaiming Our Identities: Why Decentralised Identity Matters The Alternative Stack
The Future of Stablecoins: A Macro Lens The Alternative Stack
Decentralised Identity: We Are More Than Our Finances The Alternative Stack
Crypto volatility: The phantom chicken and egg problem The Broken System
Redefining our Valuation of the World: What institutions, tech and cryptos can tell us about ‘real’ value The Broken System
The Scarcity Problem: Why Cryptocurrencies are so Divisive The Broken System
Why the Media Loves Bitcoin & What That Says About Us The Broken System