Learn Cardano Podcast

Australia's High Court has ruled that Block Earner's old Earner product was a financial product, giving crypto earn, yield and rewards providers a much clearer legal line to deal with. The episode explains why the ruling matters for Australian crypto users, why it does not mean crypto itself has been banned, and why products that promise passive returns may now need the right licences before operating in Australia.

Peter breaks down how Block Earner's Earner product worked, why the court compared it to a bank-style deposit product, and what changed after all seven High Court judges agreed the...

This week's Cardano news update covers AlphaGrowth's Cardano PRIME proposal going live on-chain, including the 120 million ada ask, the net change limit debate, and why DeFi growth is becoming a major treasury conversation.

Peter also looks at Ethereum researchers discussing native UTXOs, RealFi entering testnet with a real-world finance model, the latest SecondFi wallet recovery guidance, and EMURGO stepping down from the Pentad while it focuses on the SecondFi recovery process.

Chapters:
0:00 Weekly Cardano Roundup
0:41 AlphaGrowth Cardano PRIME
3:19 DRep Voting Begins
4:36 The 120M ADA Ask
5:17 Net Change Limit
7:40 Ethereum Looks...

We have another major update from SecondFi around the hack and also the recovery of all the funds for users that have been affected. So let's get right into this one here.


What you’ll learn:
• We have another major update from SecondFi around the hack and also the recovery of all the funds for users that have been affected.
• This is the official statement from EMURGO at the moment around the SecondFi incident.
• Now, I'll go through this summary really quickly for you guys to get to the point.
• They've engaged multiple different...

Your staking rewards are being taxed twice.

When you receive staking rewards (ADA, ETH, SOL, etc.), the ATO treats them as ordinary income at the point you receive them. Then, when you later sell or dispose of those assets, you pay capital gains tax on the profit.

In this episode, we break down exactly how the ATO views staking rewards, airdrops, and DeFi transactions, why many people are only reporting half the story, and what the new 2027 CGT rules will change.

We also cover:
- How the ATO’s data matching program works

In this Cardano ADA news update, Peter covers the latest SecondFi recovery steps after the Yoroi/SecondFi wallet incident, including the asset recovery checker, support ticket process, hardware wallet migration guidance, and the temporary pause on Midnight Glacier Drop redemptions.

The episode also looks at Open USD, Brale, and the Cardano Foundation's pathway into the new stablecoin standard, plus the upcoming Catalyst pilot around stablecoins, programmable tokens, and on-chain identity. From there, Peter digs into Cardano's DeFi activity problem, treasury funding debates, the proposed 500 million ADA net change limit, Cardano Prime, and why DRep delegation matters for the...

Australia's capital gains tax rules are changing from 1 July 2027, and the shift could matter for anyone holding crypto, shares, property or other investment assets. In this episode, Peter walks through what is changing, why the government is making the change, and how the move from the 50% CGT discount to indexation plus a 30% minimum tax floor may affect Australian crypto investors.

The episode covers the current CGT treatment for crypto, how long-term holders currently access the 50% discount, what the new indexation model is designed to do, and why the transition period could create messy gain-splitting calculations for assets held...

Update on the SecondFi wallet exposure situation, including the latest official response, wallet safety guidance, recovery options, and the community tools being used to check whether a Cardano wallet may have been exposed.

Key takeaways:
- SecondFi says affected wallets should be treated as permanently compromised.
- Hardware wallets were not exposed in the same way as the affected hot-wallet flow.
- Users should avoid panic-moving funds from compromised wallets without understanding reward, staking, and native asset edge cases.
- SecondFi support is collecting affected-user details through its official support portal.
- Community...

Peter breaks down the latest SecondFi incident updates, why the issue was not a Cardano protocol hack, what affected users should avoid doing, how the white-hat recovery appears to have protected most funds, and why hardware wallets matter.

Key Takeaways:
- SecondFi says the security risk is at the address level and affected users should not restore their recovery phrase into another Cardano wallet.
- The incident appears tied to vulnerable wallet key generation rather than a Cardano protocol-level hack.
- SecondFi reported that external threat actors drained about 16 million ADA, while emergency white-hat measures...

Peter interviews Bryan Colligan and Eric Waisanen from AlphaGrowth about the Cardano Prime proposal, the missing DeFi infrastructure on Cardano, how liquidity incentives could work, and what transparency the community should expect before treasury funds are committed.

Key Takeaways:
- AlphaGrowth says its Cardano Prime work would begin with a deep audit of Cardano DeFi infrastructure, applications, and liquidity gaps.
- The team argues Cardano needs coordinated DeFi primitives, including stablecoin liquidity, money markets, DEX depth, bridges, and oracle infrastructure.
- AlphaGrowth points to prior work with ecosystems such as Compound as evidence of its...

This Cardano news update covers several important ecosystem developments: a public warning around reported SecondFi wallet-drain activity, IOG's new Block 45 media push, Orion Fund and Draper/Cometa activity, and AlphaGrowth's PRIME programme for Cardano DeFi.

Peter also looks at practical DeFi infrastructure updates across Dano Finance, Fetch, Surge, Pyth Pro, and the van Rossem hard fork. The episode focuses on what builders, users, and stake pool operators should be watching as Cardano moves toward Leios and the next scaling era.

This content is for education and ecosystem commentary only, not financial advice.

Key Takeaways:<...

Australia's High Court is being asked to consider a deceptively simple question with huge consequences: is crypto property, or merely information controlled by private keys?

In this episode, Peter breaks down Poulton v Conrad, a dispute that began with Bitcoin purchased in 2013 and has grown into a major legal test for digital assets in Australia. The case raises questions about possession, control, conversion, taxation, custody, insurance, and what legal protection crypto holders actually have if assets are withheld, misappropriated, or stolen.

This is not legal or financial advice. It is an educational discussion of the case...

Australia's crypto Travel Rule starts on 1 July 2026, and it is already changing how Aussies move Bitcoin and other crypto off exchanges. In this episode, Peter breaks down what AUSTRAC's rule actually requires, why exchanges are adding extra verification, and what it could mean for withdrawals, deposits, cold storage, and financial privacy.

The key point is not that every blockchain transaction suddenly has your name written on-chain. The rule applies to regulated businesses such as exchanges, banks, remittance providers, and other virtual asset service providers. But if you move assets between an exchange and a self-custody wallet, expect more...

NuNet is building a decentralised compute and orchestration network where people can contribute spare CPU, GPU, RAM and other resources, while developers and organisations can deploy workloads across available infrastructure. In this episode, Peter talks with Jennifer from NuNet about the new NuNet Appliance and why it matters for making decentralised compute more practical for everyday users.

The conversation covers how NuNet matches the right compute to the right job, how the Appliance lowers the barrier to onboarding devices, and why use cases like n8n automations, private AI agents, edge AI, Cardano SPO infrastructure and web deployment...

Peras is one of the most important Cardano upgrades to understand if you care about real user experience, not just theoretical throughput. In this episode, Peter breaks down what finality actually means on Cardano, why transactions can look complete long before they are deeply settled, and how that affects people moving assets across chains.

The episode focuses on two practical examples: the USDCX bridge between Ethereum and Cardano, and the Midnight canonical bridge. Both highlight the same pain point. When finality takes too long, bridging becomes slow, awkward and hard to trust. Peras aims to shorten that wait...

Cardano Foundation has partnered with the Brazilian Olympic Committee on a three-year roadmap focused on sports innovation, and this episode breaks down why that matters beyond the headline. Peter walks through the practical use cases being discussed, including digital identity, certification, fan engagement, equipment tracking, and on-chain governance.

Rather than treating this as vague adoption theatre, the episode looks at where blockchain may genuinely fit within sporting institutions, especially when legacy systems are fragmented, paper-based, or difficult to audit. It is an early-stage pilot, but it offers a concrete example of how public blockchain infrastructure could be tested...

Peter explains why he is stepping down as a Cardano DRep and why, in his view, the current governance process is not working well enough to justify the time, energy, and scrutiny it demands. He walks through the practical reasons behind that decision, including lobbying for votes, unclear conflict-of-interest boundaries, public backlash, fatigue, and the growing burden of proposal review.

The episode also looks at the broader governance environment around Intersect, treasury withdrawals, and the post-Catalyst landscape. Rather than writing off governance entirely, Peter argues that Cardano's model still has room to improve, but that most people are...

Peter digs into Trivolve Tech's forensic management system after it passed 100,000 on-chain transactions on Cardano mainnet. The episode looks at what the milestone actually represents, how the evidence workflow appears to use hashing and zero-knowledge proofs, and why it stands out as a live government-style deployment rather than another proof of concept.

Peter also connects the project to Trivolve Tech's broader work in India, including IndianChain and land-record infrastructure tied to millions of farmers and millions of acres. The result is a grounded look at how Cardano is being used for chain-of-custody records, tamper detection, and large-scale public-sector...

In this episode, Peter sits down with Bartek from BikeID to unpack how bicycles can be given a persistent digital identity that follows them through manufacturing, retail, ownership, servicing and resale. The conversation covers why the bike industry still lacks a common identification standard, how BikeID uses NFC and RFID tags as the physical interface, and why blockchain helps remove the need for a central authority to validate the record.

They also dig into the commercial reality behind bringing this on-chain. Bartek explains how BikeID is thinking about scale, why not every event should land directly on Cardano...

Zcash's Orchard vulnerability has reignited one of the most important conversations in crypto: why formal verification and high-assurance engineering matter when real value is at stake. In this episode, Peter breaks down what the disclosed Zcash flaw could have allowed, why privacy systems create a harder audit problem, and why this story reached far beyond one chain.

The discussion then turns to Cardano's long-standing security-first philosophy and why that mindset matters even more for privacy-preserving infrastructure. Peter also explains how Midnight fits into this picture as a privacy layer designed around formal methods, selective disclosure, and secure integration...

Leios is Cardano's scaling solution for the future. It's basically an upgrade of the layer one to make it faster.

What you’ll learn:
• Leios is Cardano's scaling solution for the future.
• It's basically an upgrade of the layer one to make it faster.
• And what it will do, will propel Cardano to be on par with our competitors in terms of throughput and capacity to support more and more app…
• I'm pleased to tell you, actually, we're in active development now of Leios.
• We're working on the original node, the Haskell node.
• I'm hap...

Charles Hoskinson recently addressed the challenges facing Cardano in a candid video, highlighting the limits of his influence and the realities of on-chain governance. In this episode we explore what the shift to community-driven decision making really means for the ecosystem, the treasury funding debates, and why several projects are struggling in the current market.

We break down the governance era, the role of D-Reps, Project Catalyst learnings, and the practical difficulties of reviewing dozens of technical proposals. The discussion covers why executive function is needed, how allocated budgets and RFPs could improve the process, and what it...

TxPipe's new Tx3 protocol aims to give Cardano a unified, machine-readable interface so developers can build intent-based experiences like Near Intents. In this interview, Santi explains how Tx3 works and why it's critical infrastructure for the ecosystem.

In this episode we cover:
• What intent-based trading actually means and why it matters
• How Tx3 creates a standardised API layer across all Cardano dApps
• Why current SDK fragmentation makes intent-based features hard to build
• TxPipe's multiple governance proposals to maintain core infrastructure (Oura, Dolos, Pallas, UTxO RPC)
• How developers can start using Tx3 today

Refer...

Cardano native projects are pumping hard while the broader market is red. In this news update we cover Strike Perps treasury proposal, Indigo v3 launch, USDM + Pyth integration, Charli3 winding down, Surf DeFi liquidity injection, and much more.

🕒 CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro - Cardano Projects Pumping
1:45 Strike Perps & Treasury Proposal
5:20 Unifold Fiat Onramp
7:10 Surf DeFi & Treasury Liquidity
9:45 USDM + Pyth Oracle Integration
11:30 Charli3 Oracle Update
13:15 USDC Growth on Cardano
15:40 Liqwid Finance Governance
17:50 Indigo v3 Launch
20:10 Ascend Perps on Midnight
21:45 Cardano Node Tutorial
23:30 Governance Workshop & C4
25:10 Gold Coast Meetup

In this episode, I take you through how I set up a Cardano node at home using a low-cost HP Elite mini PC, why I decided to do it this way, and how I’m thinking about turning it into a machine that can help pay for itself over time.

The main goal here was to reduce the cost of running relay infrastructure for my Cardano stake pool, but in doing that, I can also use this node for other things, too, like a private submit API and other services that may earn rewards over time.

I...

In this tutorial, Peter walks through a cleaner way to generate Midnight dust using the 1AM wallet instead of the older Lace plus Nevermind flow. The process is quicker, easier to follow, and available on both desktop and mobile.

You will see how to install the wallet, restore or use a prepared Cardano wallet, confirm that ADA and NIGHT assets appear correctly, and submit the one-click registration transaction that enables dust generation on Midnight.

What you’ll learn:
• Why the 1AM wallet flow is simpler than the earlier Lace and Nevermind method.
• How to instal...

This episode rounds up the latest Cardano and Midnight developments in one pass, from Indigo V3 and Cardano Critical Integrations V2 through to the first public steps for Vola Network, the latest NFT marketplace shift after JPG Store's shutdown, and a growing stack of Midnight ecosystem releases. Peter also breaks down why infrastructure, governance, and partner chain tooling matter right now even when they are less visible than headline-grabbing announcements.

The second half of the update shifts from ecosystem news to practical builder momentum. Peter shares why the Singapore push around Cardano Summit and TOKEN2049 matters, then walks...

In this episode, Peter sits down with Laura Matticucci from the Cardano Foundation and Nathaniel Acton from EMURGO to unpack the treasury proposals behind Cardano Summit 2026 in Singapore and Cardano's presence at TOKEN2049. Rather than arguing in the abstract, they walk through the specific community concerns: why treasury funding is being used after Voltaire, what EMURGO's decision to remove its 15% management fee changes, how milestone-based withdrawals work, and how the teams plan around ADA volatility while budgeting in USD.

The conversation also gets into what these events are actually meant to deliver. That includes developer participation, builder exposure...

JPEG Store, long the biggest NFT marketplace in the Cardano ecosystem, is shutting down, which means NFT holders and project teams need to decide where their listings go next. In this episode, Peter walks through a practical migration from JPEG Store to WayUp and shows what the process looks like using a real wallet and live listings.

The tutorial covers why this migration matters, how WayUp pulls in existing JPEG Store listings, what the wallet transaction is doing behind the scenes, and how to verify the contract movement on Cardanoscan. Peter also shares an important clarification on timing...

In this episode, Peter breaks down the updated Cardano DApp Explorer and explains why curated ecosystem directories matter for newcomers, builders, and researchers. He walks through how the Cardano.org apps directory helps people discover live applications, compare activity, and understand what is already available across the ecosystem.

The episode also looks at two complementary discovery platforms, Cardano Cube and AdaStack, before shifting into an interview with AdaStack founder Tucker. They discuss ecosystem coverage, multilingual resources, project listing workflows, AI-assisted maintenance, plans for richer project metadata, smart contract audit tracking, and how structured ecosystem data could power future...

In this episode, Peter breaks down one of the first real decisions Cardano developers face when building a dApp, choosing between Mesh SDK and Evolution SDK. Both libraries cover the off-chain essentials like transaction building, wallet integration, provider support, smart contract interoperability, and governance-era transactions, but they make different trade-offs depending on the kind of app you want to ship.

The episode walks through practical decision points instead of abstract theory. Peter explains when Mesh makes more sense for React-based apps, production-ready smart contract templates, Hydra support, and AI-assisted development workflows, and where Evolution can be the better...

In this episode, Peter breaks down Cardano's emerging perpetuals landscape and why this next wave of DeFi products could bring both more activity and more risk to the ecosystem. Rather than focusing on just one project, he compares four platforms, Strike Finance, Atlas, Ascend, and Minute Markets, and explains how each one is approaching leveraged trading, prediction markets, liquidity, privacy, and user experience.

The episode also gives a beginner-friendly explanation of what perpetuals are, how long and short positions work, why leverage can be dangerous, and why stablecoin liquidity matters so much for Cardano DeFi. It is a...

Peter walks through the full production system behind the Learn Cardano YouTube channel, showing how a crypto video moves from idea to finished upload. The episode covers topic research, fact-checking, thumbnails, titles, the first 30-second hook, recording in OBS, editing in Adobe Premiere, audio cleanup, YouTube metadata, podcast distribution, WordPress blog posts, social promotion and short-form repurposing.

This is a practical behind-the-scenes guide for anyone thinking about starting a niche crypto or blockchain channel, or for creators who want to turn one video into a full content pipeline across YouTube, podcasts, blogs and social platforms.

Key...

In this conversation, the team from Tweag discusses their ongoing projects within the Cardano ecosystem, focusing on the development of Peras and Leios, which aim to enhance the network's infrastructure. They address the complexities of integrating these new technologies, the importance of cost management for small stake pool operators, and the need for effective business development strategies to ensure the adoption of blockchain solutions. 

The discussion highlights the collaborative efforts within the Cardano community and the commitment to delivering robust infrastructure that meets the needs of users and developers alike.

Takeaways
✅Tweag is dee...

The KelpDAO hack has had massive ramifications across the entire DeFi ecosystem, affecting many protocols with essentially a run on the bank as they try to get their liquidity out. 

0:00 Intro
0:45 KelpDAO Hack Fallout
1:45 Aave Bank Run
3:05 LayerZero Explained
4:35 DVN Security Flaw
6:05 Broader Protocol Risk
7:45 Cardano Bridge Difference
9:10 DeFi Looping Risk
12:58 Wrap Up


What you’ll learn:
• The KelpDAO hack has had massive ramifications across the entire DeFi ecosystem, affecting so many protocols with essentially what's a run…
• I'm going to go through the details here of w...

We're seeing more and more projects build on partner chains to the Cardano ecosystem. This allows for a whole bunch of really interesting mechanisms, and I'm going to go through all of that and talk about these projects…

0:00 Intro
0:32 What Are Partner Chains?
1:28 Midnight: The First Partner Chain
1:58 Benefits & Trade-offs
2:53 Materios Partner Chain
4:00 Nuvola / Vola Networks
5:05 Charli3 Oracle Chain
6:06 Charli3 MVP Update
7:09 Wrap Up


What you’ll learn:
• We're seeing more and more projects build on partner chains to the Cardano ecosystem.
• This allows for a whole...

This episode walks through how to generate DUST on the Midnight network using a Lace wallet setup. Peter explains the dual-token model, where NIGHT is the transferable asset and DUST is used for gas fees, then shows the full registration flow from connecting a Cardano wallet to pairing a Midnight wallet and confirming the transaction.

The tutorial also covers the practical steps needed before DUST generation can begin, including swapping ADA for NIGHT, authorising the Midnight registration flow, and reviewing the transaction details carefully before signing. Peter closes with a reminder about wallet security, the importance of never...

In this conversation, Peter interviews Raul from Nuvola about the evolution of their project, the significance of digital sovereignty in Europe, and their competitive edge in the cloud storage market. Raul shares insights from his experience at the Cardano Summit, discusses the transition from Nuvolav to Vola Network, and emphasises the importance of user experience in onboarding new users. The conversation also touches on the launch timeline for their services and potential integrations with privacy solutions.

⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:42 Rome and the Senate
3:15 Why Nuvola Evolved
6:38 Building Vola Network
10:08 Competing With Hyperscalers
13:45 The Web2...

Midnight is live, and this episode breaks down what that actually means for the Cardano ecosystem and for privacy-preserving applications more broadly. Peter walks through the basics of Midnight, including its rational privacy model, the Knight and Dust token design, and the Compact smart contract language, then explains why the mainnet launch matters for developers, institutions, and everyday users who want privacy without giving up compliance.

The episode also highlights real ecosystem activity already taking shape around Midnight: the Mainnet Lite explorer, the Midnight Academy, Shield USD’s privacy-focused stablecoin work, No C’s wallet and DeFi tooling, Flui...

At the Digital Asset Summit 2026 in New York, a key question came up: what do banks actually need from blockchain? The answer isn't speed or hype — it's privacy, compliance, and protection from front-running. In this episode, Peter breaks down why public chains like Ethereum and Solana fall short for institutional use, and where Cardano and Midnight fit into the picture.

The episode covers the three core requirements institutions have — selective disclosure, execution predictability, and compliance tooling — and explains why neither Ethereum nor Solana can deliver on all three natively. Peter walks through how MEV (maximal extractable value) creates a hidd...

In this conversation, Peter discusses significant advancements in the Cardano ecosystem, focusing on the introduction of atomic swaps between Bitcoin and ADA through Fluid Tokens, and the upcoming Van Rossum hard fork. The atomic swaps eliminate the need for centralised exchanges and bridges, enhancing security and efficiency in cross-chain transactions. The Van Rossum hard fork introduces five key upgrades to the Plutus smart contract platform, improving performance, reducing costs, and preparing Cardano for future developments in zero-knowledge proofs. Overall, these innovations signify Cardano's maturation as a robust smart contract platform.

Takeaways
You can swap real...