Staking, DeFi and Security: the Future of Web3

Staking, DeFi and security: where web3 is heading

Overview

What comes next for staking, decentralized finance and on-chain security? In this MERGE Madrid panel, Dragon Stake, Uniswap, Immunefi and a validation company debate new staking services, how to invest in DeFi, the importance of governance and security, and the role of AI and Generation Z in the sector's future.

What you'll learn

• New staking services: APIs, more blockchains, retail staking and support for foundations
• The DeFi investment thesis: where value is created versus traditional finance
• Uniswap's ecosystem: wallet, Unichain, v4 and the “Money Lego” idea
• On-chain security: from bug bounties to a security operations center
• Governance and metrics: value capture, revenue, margins and defensibility
• AI and Generation Z: voice swaps, agents and security as a double-edged sword

Session summary

New staking services: from the validation side, the focus is on improving the staking API, expanding the number of supported blockchains (from around 35 toward 50-60, with criteria), making retail staking easier from the provider's own website, and supporting foundations and projects.

The DeFi investment thesis: Dragon Stake argues that the greatest value creation in the coming years will be in DeFi rather than traditional finance, thanks to better products and payment systems.

Uniswap's ecosystem: it describes the protocol's evolution toward a fuller experience: the Uniswap Wallet, Unichain (its DeFi-focused network), version v4 with customizable hooks, and the vision of a multi-chain “liquidity router” under the “Money Lego” idea.

On-chain security: Immunefi describes the move from bug bounties to Magnus, an operations center that aggregates monitoring, transaction review, firewall, contract protection and audits in a single place, to treat security proactively and consistently.

Education, banking and governance: it addresses how to bring staking to retail users and banks (with concepts like the “yield account”), and the importance of governance and metrics such as revenue, margins, diversification and defensibility, so the token captures real value.

AI and Generation Z: it debates an “agentic” future where swaps can be done by voice, how Generation Z conceives money in a digitally native way, and how AI is a double-edged sword in security: it increases threats but also gives teams context and robustness.

Watch the full talk

Watch the full recording on MERGE's YouTube channel, with Dragon Stake, Uniswap, Immunefi and a validation company on the future of web3.

FAQs

What is new in staking, according to the panel?
Easier-to-integrate APIs, support for more blockchains, retail staking from the web, and support for foundations and projects.

What metrics does a DeFi investor look at?
According to the panel, a project's revenue and margins, user diversification, defensibility, and whether the token captures part of the value created.

What does AI bring to on-chain security?
It is a double-edged sword: it increases threats, but it gives teams context to prioritize what is critical and act more proactively.

Is this investment advice?
No. This content is informational and summarizes what was presented in the panel; it does not constitute investment advice. Consult a professional for your specific situation.