HyperNest Podcast is a monthly series where we meet Web3 founders, industry leaders, and blockchain experts to discuss various topics in the web3 space.

As DeFi landscape matures, visionary protocols are rethinking structure, performance, and user experience. One player at the forefront of this evolution is Katana, a purpose-built Layer 2 designed to be the definitive home for high-yield DeFi activity. With native integrations to yield-bearing stablecoins, advanced liquidity infrastructure, and RWA bridges, Katana is reengineering what it means to be a DeFi-first chain.

Whether you’re a founder building in DeFi, a crypto-native fund seeking capital efficiency, or an RWA innovator aiming for composability, Katana presents a forward-thinking yield engine backed by infrastructure purposefully built to scale decentralized finance.

Speaker Spotlight

Leading the charge at Katana is Daniel Onn, Global Business Development Lead at Katana. A seasoned Web3 veteran, Daniel’s journey spans nearly a decade, from mining Litecoin in 2013 to supporting billion-dollar protocols like Tezos and Algorand. At Algorand, he spearheaded their DeFi growth from zero to over 20 DeFi integrations, accounting for 10–15% of Algo’s supply.

Now, Daniel is uniquely positioned to execute on a convergence of vision, infrastructure, and institutional firepower.

Below, we break down the core insights from our conversation with him, including how Katana’s architecture, tokenomics, and composability are setting a new standard for DeFi and RWA startups alike.

Key Takeaways from Our Conversation

The podcast delved into Katana’s architecture as a DeFi yield engine, highlighting its tech stack, partnerships, and user-focused innovations. Here are the core insights:

– Tech Stack and Agglayer Integration: Katana uses a variant of the OP Stack with ZK magic from Succinct, connected to Polygon’s Agglayer for unified liquidity. This enables seamless asset bridging from EVM chains, positioning Katana as a DeFi hub that exports liquidity to other chains while maintaining high TPS and low fees.

– Joint Venture with GSR and Polygon: As a collaboration between market-making giant GSR and Polygon Labs, Katana benefits from GSR’s liquidity expertise (including intents, solvers, and DEX support) and Polygon’s engineering prowess. This synergy ensures deep liquidity, rigorous slippage management, and a user-friendly dashboard at Katana.

– Yield Engine Pillars:

1. VaultBridge: Bridges assets like USDC to Katana via Morpho vaults on Ethereum Mainnet, earning yield there before rehypothecating on Katana (e.g., LP on Sushi or lend on Morpho). Yields are redistributed to active DeFi users, not idle wallets.

2. AUSD Yield-Bearing Stablecoin: Backed by Agora Finance, AUSD passes ~3.5% APY from T-bills directly to holders on Katana, ideal for institutions deploying without complex bridging.

3. Sequencer Fees and Chain-Owned Liquidity (COL): All sequencer fees are redistributed to core protocols (Morpho, Sushi), benefiting users. Part funds COL for deeper pools, reducing slippage and enhancing UX, echoing Olympus DAO but tailored for DeFi.

• – Tokenomics and veCAT Model: Inspired by veToken systems like Curve and Aerodrome, veCAT holders lock CAT for voting power to direct emissions across core apps (Sushi gauges first, expanding to Morpho, perps, and launchpads). This empowers users to influence incentives, with potential bribes and derivatives layers for amplification.
• – Opinionated DeFi Design: Katana focuses on four core primitives: Sushi (DEX), Morpho (lending), a perp DEX, and Kensei (launchpad) to concentrate incentives and achieve high TVL ($100M+ in borrowing/lending). It attracts composable apps (e.g., yield optimizers, prediction markets like Foresight) building atop these for capital efficiency.
• – Security and Future-Proofing: VaultBridge is multi-audited; Katana emphasizes permissionless deployment while prioritizing institutional readiness (e.g., tokenized funds) and retail simplicity, aligning with the “DeFi mullet” thesis (fintech frontend, DeFi backend).
• Emerging Meta: DeFi Chains: Unlike general-purpose chains or predecessors like Berachain, Katana differentiates by catering to both retail degens and institutions, preparing for 2026-2027 adoption waves with composability and high-yield primitives.

Overall, Katana’s yield engine prioritizes user benefits, aiming for the “highest yields and deepest liquidity” in a maturing DeFi ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

Katana isn’t just another L2, it’s a fully composable, yield-optimized operating system purpose-built for the future of decentralized finance. With clear alignment between infrastructure, protocol primitives, and token design, it offers a blueprint for founders serious about scaling sustainable DeFi.

So why build on a general-purpose chain when you can plug into a high-yield, purpose-built ecosystem shaping the new era of decentralized finance? Katana isn’t only the chain project founders are watching. It’s the chain their users already prefer.

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