The Best of Bankless
Editor's Choice Bankless Articles and Podcasts
Updated Feb 2023.
Crypto is complex.
There’s too many technical concepts to learn, and protocols to familiarize yourself with.
Don’t worry - this Bankless guide is your roadmap into the world of crypto. Think of it as a curated crypto Wikipedia into the wild west of open finance. 🌏
We make it less intimidating, accessible and most importantly, fun to learn.
Welcome to the 2023 Bankless journey.
- Ryan Sean Adams
2023 Bankless guide content page:
- Understanding core concepts - What is crypto?
- Bitcoin,
Ethereum and Alt-L1s - DeFi
- NFTs
- Blockchain gaming and collectibles
- Layer-2 rollups
- DAOs
- Trading crypto - How to DeFi?
- Security & Privacy
- How to do crypto taxes
- Getting a job in crypto
- Public Policy
- The Big Picture (Essential Editorials)
1. Understand core concepts
The perfect intro to DeFi for beginners stepping into crypto:
- 📺Watch videos on the Bankless Basics youtube channel!
- 📄What is DeFi composability?
- 📄What is the Ethereum Virtual Machine?
- 📄How DeFi lending works
- 📄How Automated Market Makers (AMMs) work
- 📄What are BTC and ETH futures?
- 📄What are DeFi synthetic assets?
- 📄The Wild Future of Synthetic Assets
- 📄What are data oracles and why we need decentralized oracles
- 📄What is Web3 indexing with The Graph
- 🎙️The Bull Case for DeFi | Vance Spencer
Advanced:
- 📄DeFi on Bitcoin
- 📄Ethereum: The Digital Finance Stack
- 📄How DeFi enables equitable ownership distributions
- 📄Crypto banks vs money protocols
- 📄DeFi in Eth2: Cities, suburbs, farms
- 📄DeFi needs more value
- 📄How can a protocol defend against a fork?
- 🎙️DeFi in the Eth2 Metropolis | Haseeb Qureshi
Big picture:
- 📄The Crypto Money Portfolio (why ETH & BTC matter most)
- 📄FTX Is Why We Need More DeFi, Not Less
- 🎙️
Mark Cuban on Why DeFi and NFTs are the Future - 📺How to Invest in the Future | Cathie Wood
- 📺This is How Crypto Fixes the Internet | Antonio García Martínez
- 📺The Crypto Revolution | Josh Rosenthal
- 📺
Marc Andreessen & 
Chris Dixon of a16z | Reinventing the Internet
2. Ethereum, 
Bitcoin and Alt-L1s
Bitcoin is the OG blockchain. What made it so successful, and how does it work?
- 📄Bitcoin’s Scarcity Game
- 📄When Bitcoin Moon?
- 📄Is tokenized BTC bullish for ETH?
- 📄BTC's monetary policy is overrated
- 📄How Bitcoin Builds DeFi
- 📄The Essential Guide to DeFi on Bitcoin
- 📄How to Mint a Bitcoin NFT
- 📄4 Misconceptions about PoS vs PoW
- 📺
Vitalik Buterin DEFENDS Bitcoin Maximalism - 📺 The PoW vs PoS Debate
What is Ethereum?
- 📄Ethereum: The first profitable blockchain
- 📄The 2 faces of Ethereum (DeFi is a spectrum)
- 📄Can Ethereum slay Moloch?
- 📄Ethereum is an emergent structure
- 📄A Beginner's Guide to ETH Validators
- 📄15 Bad Takes on Ethereum with Justin Drake
- 📄A Tale of Two Money Systems
- 📄The Empire Model for Blockchains
- 🎙️Ethereum: Past, Present, Future | Vitalik Buterin
- 🎙️Ether’s Value Mechanisms
- 🎙️What's an Etherean | Nic Carter
MEV and censorship
- 📄The Ethereum Watershed
- 📄Transaction ordering on Ethereum
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Ethereum Censorship (📺Ethereum Uncensored with Justin Drake)
Ethereum monetary policy
- 📄The fundamental value proposition for Ether
- 📄ETH's monetary policy is underrated
- 📄Ether: The Birth of the Digital Bond
- 📄Why Ethereum is Ultra Sound Money
- 📄Ether: A new model for money (🎙️Podcast)
- 📄Ether: The reserve asset
- 📄What if ETH had a fee burn 5 years ago?
- 🎙️How Ethereum's economic engine makes it Ultra Sound Money
What are the alt-L1s blockchains fighting to beat Bitcoin and Ethereum?
- 📄The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Binance Smart Chain
- 📄How to use Polygon
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Cosmos
- 📄The Cosmos Endgame
- 📄How to Get Started on Cosmos
- 📺The Cosmos Thesis with Sunny Aggarwal & Zaki Manian
- 📺Why Bankless Is Wrong | Ethan Buchman - Cosmos
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Canto
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Terra
- 📄UST Luna Meltdown: What Happened?
- 📺UST: New Paradigm or Ticking Time Bomb? | Terra Bear vs Bull
- 📺
Polygon Super Scaling Ethereum | Nailwal & Bjelic - 📄Is
Solana dead? - 📺Will Solana Make It with Anatoly Yakovenko
3. DeFi
Into the world of Decentralized Finance:
The most essential DeFi protocols that you need to know about.
- 📺The Bull Case for MKR (Apr 2022)
- 📺The Return of Aave (Apr 2022)
- 📺What is Uniswap? | Hayden Adams (Apr 2021)
- 🎙️ Going Bankless with Compound | Robert Leshner
- 🎙️ Going Bankless with
Uniswap | Caleb Sheridan - 📺
Liquity & LUSD | Robert Lauko (May 2021) - 📺What is Alchemix? | Scoopy Trooples (Apr 2021)
- 📺What is PoolTogether? | Leighton Cusack (Apr 2021)
- 📺The Bull Case for RocketPool
- 📄The Essential Guide to GMX
- 📄How to Trade Interest Rates with Voltz
- 📄Your Guide to the
Synthetix Ecosystem
What is yield farming:
- 📄A guide to Sustainable Yield Farming
- 📄How to avoid impermanent loss (Jul 2021)
- 📄Aquaponic Yield Farming
- 📄Yield Farming Games and the Yield Farming Premium
- 📄The Bear Case for Yield Farming
- 🎙️Growth Hacking DeFi | Dan Elitzer
- 🎙️Farming the Farmers | Andre Cronje
- 📺An example of yield farming on Curve Finance
Stablecoins, crypto’s killer app:
- 📄How to Use Decentralized Stablecoins
- 📄The Stablecoin Wars (May 2022)
- 📄Rise of the crypto dollar
- 📄Crypto fiat: mutualistic or parasitic? 🔥
- 📺Growing Dai to trillions | Steven Becker
- 📺UST: New Paradigm or Ticking Time Bomb?
4. NFTs
For everything on the world of non-fungible tokens:
- 🎙️The Bull Case for NFTs
- 📄The Digital Culture Revolution
- 📄What are CC0 (Creative Commons 0) NFTs?
- 📄The next big trend in music NFTs
- 📄Crypto will fix the music industry
- 📄Finding the XCOPY of Music NFTs
- 📄The Status of Web3 Social Media
- 📄The Decentralized Identity Revolution
- 📄Ultimate Guide to NFT-Fi
- 📺 You're Not Bullish Enough on NFTs with Punk6529
- 📺Opensea & The Business of NFTs with Devin Finzer
- 📺Building the Metaverse with Celestia’s Nick White
- 📺 How NFTs Can Empower Communities with Randi Zuckerberg
NFT tactics:
- 📄5 tips to spot the next big NFT
- 📄How to sweep NFT floors
- 📄How to get started with music NFTs
- 📄How to fractionalize NFTs
- 📄How to approach the generative art boom
- 📄How to make money on digital art
- 📄How to make money using Opensea
- 📄How to make money with digital art on Rarible
- 📄How to get exposure to CryptoPunks
- 📄How to get a loan on your NFT
- 📄How to value NFTs
- 📺How to build a bluechip NFT with Doodles Founder Jordan Castro
5. Blockchain Gaming & Collectibles
For everything about games being built on the blockchain:
- 📄Play to Earn is the Future of Gaming
- 📄The Promises of Blockchain Gaming
- 📄How to make money playing fantasy football
- 📄How to make money in crypto gaming 👈
- 📄How to make bank flipping crypto collectibles
- 📄How much do crypto gamers make?
- 📺Web3 Gaming 101 | Amy Wu
- 📺The Bull Case for TreasureDAO
- 📺Why gamers won’t hate NFTs forever | Justin Kan
- 📺What’s real about crypto gaming | Ryan Wyatt
- 📺Behind Axie Infinity’s Engine | Jiho
- 📺The Emerging Metaverse | Sam Englebardt & Richard Kim
6. Layer-2 Rollups
What are Layer-2 rollups and how are they scaling blockchains?
- 📄Why Layer 2s are the future
- 📄The Layer 2 Token Endgame
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to StarkNet
- 📺Super Scaling with StarkWare
- 📄A Beginner's Guide to Optimism
- 📺An
Arbitrum Ecosystem Guide - 📄The best comparison on zkRollups today
- 📄Building Back Better with OP Stack
- 📺The zkEVM is here | zkSync’s Steve Newcomb
- 📺The zkEVM is here | Alex Gluchowski
- 📄When DeFi meets rollups
- 🎙️ Can Rollups Save Humanity?
Optimism Says Yes. - 🎙️ Building DeFi on Layer 2 | Synthetix, Loopring, Immutable
Layer-2 Rollups tactics:
- 📄5 Opportunities on Arbitrum right now
- 📄Best Yields on Layer 2 | Q1 2022
- 📄The best ways to invest in Layer 2
- 📄How to hop between chains
- 📄How to use zkSync
- 📄How to use StarkWare Layer 2s
- 📄How to get ready for L2 tokens
- 📄How to avoid gas fees with Loopring
7. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and Governance
DAOs will change the future of work. What are these new modes of organizations?
- 📄The Ultimate DAO Report
- 📄Why DAOs are the new firms
- 📄The Future of Work
- 📄What’s a SubDAO?
- 📄The Internet of Jobs is Coming
- 📄DAOs are the Opportunity of a Lifetime
- 📄Decentralizing capital flows for DAOs
- 🎙️How DAOs Will Change Everything
- 📺Gitcoin DAO with Kevin Owocki
DAO tactics:
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- 📄How to join a DAO
- 📄How to get paid by DAOs
- 📄How to build your on-chain resume
- 📄Your wallet is your resume
- 📄5 ways to earn by working for protocols
- 📄How to start a Moloch DAO
Metagovernance:
- 📄Ultimate Guide to Metagovernance
- 📄WTF are veTokens
- 📄How to take a DeFi governance bribe
- 📺The Curve Wars
Bankless DAO:
8. How to trade crypto?
While you learn the key concepts take time to level-up on the key skills so you can do things in the Bankless money system—pay, lend, borrow, earn, trade, and invest.
Basics
- 📄How to Onramp to Crypto without a CEX
- 📄How to dollar-cost average into crypto
- 📄How to make Decade Wealth in crypto
- 🎙️ The People’s Narrative | Ben Hunt
- 📺How Kevin Rose Invests in Web3
- 📺Timeless Wisdom for Crypto Investors | Jim O'Shaughnessy
- 📺Investing in Waves with Chris Burniske
Beginner Investing (how to structure your portfolio?):
- 📄How to ape responsibly (March 2022)
- 📄The best barbell strategy for crypto natives
- 📄Pick a time horizon
- 📄How to build a portfolio like a crypto native
- 📄Determine your risk tolerance
- 🎙️Investing in DeFi Paradigms | Charlies Noyes
Token valuation
- 📄How to Value NFT Fundamentals
- 📄A Framework for Evaluating Layer 1s
- 📄How to read on-chain data part 1 and part 2
- 📄Token metrics you should know when valuing DeFi tokens
- 📄How to think about crypto P/E
- 📄How to value crypto capital assets?
- 📄Cash flow tokens 101
- 📄A framework for token value flows
Classic How-To Tactics Tutorials
Pay & Receive:
- 📄How to get a crypto Visa
- 📄How to accept crypto payments
- 📄How to bank your business without a bank & multisig wallets 101
Lend & Borrow:
- 📄Lending crypto to institutions with Maple Finance
- 📄How to take out an interest-free loan with Liquity
- 📄How to take out self-repaying loans with Alchemix
- 📄How to get a DAI savings account and open a loan on Maker
- 📄How to margin trade without a brokerage using dYdX
- 📄How to create your own
Balancer pool and use Balancer V2 - 📄How to open an unsecured loan with Teller
- 📺How to lend on
Aave with Argent - 📺How to become a Uniswap LP with Argent
Earn:
- 📄How to Earn More Trading Fees on Uniswap
- 📄How to maximize your ETH staking yields
- 📄How to Earn Passive Yield on Your NFTs
- 📄How to go leveraged long on ETH
- 📄5 ways to earn fixed-rate yields on DeFi
- 📄How to earn high yields on BTC
- 📄How to make money on Synthetix
- 📄How to tokenize yourself 👈
- 📄How to make money trading stablecoins when they’re off their peg
Staking:
- 📄Is custodial staking bad for Ethereum?
- 📄How to stake any amount of ETH with liquid staking
- 📄The Future Of Liquid Staking
- 📺ETH Staking Panel with Coinbase, Lido, Rocket Pool
Structured financial products
- 📄Onchain-ing Everything with RWAs
- 📄Ultimate Guide to Undercollateralized Lending in DeFi
- 📄The Perks of Decentralized Perps
- 📄How to buy tokenized gold
- 📄A Guide to Options on Lyra
- 📄How to earn fixed yield on Barnbridge
- 📄A Guide to earning on dYdX
- 📄A Guide to Fixed Income on Element
- 📄Using automated options strategies with Ribbon Finance
- 📄How to leverage funding rates on perpetuals to earn yield
- 📄Advanced option strategies with Opyn
- 📄How to trade ETH and BTC perpetuals on
dYdX (📺 Video)
Betting
- 📄How to bet on DeFi with Polymarket
- 📄How to bet on DeFi with Augur v2
- 📺How to play
PoolTogether in Argent
Hedge and assess your risks:
- 📄Assess risk of lending to a protocol 👈
- 📄The only USD you own is cash
- 📄The final settlement layer
- 📄3 things DeFi can learn from the financial crisis 👈
- 📄How to protect your ETH with Opyn
- 📄How to protect against hacks with Nexus Mutual
- 📄How to Protect Against Stablecoin Blowups with Y2K Finance
9. Security and Privacy
Wallets & Addresses:
- 📄How to Prevent Crypto Wallet Hacks
- 📄How to take custody of your crypto keys
- 📄Top 10 Best Browser Crypto Wallets
- How To Setup a
Ledger Wallet - How to Back Up and Store Your Ledger
- How to Add & Swap Assets with Your Ledger
- How to Stake with Your Ledger
- How to Use DeFi & NFTs with Your Ledger
- 📄How to use a Lattice1 hardware wallet
- 📄How to get your first DeFi wallet
- 📄How to manage your wallet like a pro
- 📄How to maximize your
ENS domain - 📄How to use your .com as an ETH address
- 🎙️DeFi's Mainstream Wallet (Argent) | Itamar Lesuisse
- 📺AMA with Ledger | Charles Hamel
Privacy:
- 📄5 Tips to Maintain Your Crypto Privacy
- 📄How to Use DeFi Privately 🕵️
- 📄How to send private payments on Ethereum
- 📄How to use crypto without doxing yourself
- 📄How to stay private in DeFi with Email
- 📄How to keep your ETH address from privacy cavities
10. How to do crypto taxes
Break down the complexity of doing your taxes:
- Tax tracking: CoinTracking (advanced) or TokenTax (good DeFi support)
- Retirement account: RocketDollar (self-directed IRAs and 401ks)
- 📄The Ultimate Crypto Tax Guide
- 📄How to do crypto taxes for the lazy
- 📄How to do DeFi taxes
- 📄Tax shelter your crypto in an IRA
- 📄How to record your crypto for taxes
- 📄How to set up a crypto 401k for your side hustle
11. Getting a Job in Crypto
Check out the best jobs in crypto and DeFi on the Bankless Jobs Board!
- 📄5 Steps to Starting Your Crypto Career
- 📄How to get a job in crypto
- 📺Get a job in crypto
- 📺How to start coding in Web3 with Austin Griffith
12. Public Policy and Regulation
Crypto’s fight against central banks and regulation:
- 📄Crypto is winning over the regulators
- 📄Why CBDCs Are Not Your Friend
- 📄The rise of protocol politicians and the life of a protocol politician
- 📺Is the Fed Corrupt? with Christopher Leonard
- 📺The SEC Declares War on Crypto
- 📺EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) | Seth Hertlein, Patrick Hansen, & Rebecca Rettig
- 📺China’s Digital Currency Revolution | Richard Turrin
- 📺El Salvador Adopting Bitcoin | Nic Carter
- 📺Crypto in Ukraine with Ukraine Deputy Minister
- 📺Web3 Lobbying | Andrew Yang
- 📺Crypto in Washington | Congressman Tom Emmer
- 📺Getting Crypto into Congress | Aarika Rhodes
- 📺The Future of
Coinbase | Brian Armstrong - 📺Crypto is now a political movement
- 📺The State of Crypto Regulation | Jake Chervinsky
- 📺The SEC and DeFi | Hester Peirce
13. The Big Picture (Essential Editorials)
Paradigms:
Ethereum & Bitcoin are Digital Nations
- 📄A Bankless Nation (Part 1) and Part 2
- 📄The Three Nation Problem
- 📄The Digital Leviathan
- 📺Blockchains are Cities | Haseeb Qureshi
Economic bandwidth explains why ETH & BTC are irreplaceable as money
- 📄ETH and BTC are economic bandwidth
- 📄The trillion dollar case for ETH 🔥
- 📄ETH is irreplaceable
- 🎙️Economic Bandwidth
- 📺Does Decentralization Matter w/ Owocki & Turley
Protocol Sink Thesis explains why DeFi will win
- 📄The Great Protocol Sink
- 📄Global Public Goods and the Protocol Sink Thesis
- 🎙️The Protocol Sink Thesis
- 📺Settlement Assurances & the Protocol Sink Thesis
Crypto eating traditional finance:
- 📄 5 ways crypto is like early Visa
- 📄Ethereum will eat Wall Street’s settlement layer 🔥
- 📄Decentralizing the global credit system | Jason Jones
Scaling Ethereum:
Bankless
It’s time to break up with your bank, and join the movement for a better world.
