Sunny Aggarwal’s Cosmoverse 2023 presentation on the future of Osmosis and the crypto space.
Osmosis, the largest Interchain DEX in the Cosmos, is carving its own path in the crypto space. It’s not primarily competing with other DEXs like Uniswap but rather setting its sights on centralized exchanges like Coinbase and Binance. Why?
To truly revolutionize DeFi, we must understand and address the challenges posed by centralized exchanges, especially in terms of user onboarding.
Centralized Exchanges and Their Stranglehold on Onboarding
To truly appreciate the significance of what Osmosis is attempting, we must first understand the appeal of centralized exchanges. Centralized platforms like Coinbase and Binance have simplified user interfaces and offer immediate customer support.
Their user-friendly dashboards and straightforward processes have attracted millions, making them the go-to choice for many entering the crypto realm. But beneath this ease of use lie potential concerns, from central points of failure to potential censorship and frozen funds.
- Fiat Onramp UX Complexities: For many, especially in countries with strict regulations, transitioning from traditional fiat currencies to cryptocurrencies can be a bureaucratic nightmare. Understanding the intricacies of the exchange rate, withdrawal limits, and verification processes can be daunting.
- Fees Complexity: Deciphering the fee structures, from maker-taker fees to withdrawal charges, can confuse many new users. Moreover, hidden fees or high withdrawal charges can often surprise users.
- Cyclical Issues within L1s: The oft-discussed challenge in crypto is the perplexing situation where one might need native tokens to facilitate the purchase of, ironically, the same native tokens. Osmosis has managed to navigate these challenges, courtesy of the fee abstraction module conceptualized by the Notional team. This innovation allows users to settle transaction fees using any token of their choice.
Decoding the Enigma of Wallet UX
Centralized exchanges offer familiar ‘bank-like’ interfaces; in the DeFi, we have wallets. These wallets, while offering an unparalleled level of security and ownership, come with their own set of challenges.
First, we have key management, the saying “Not your keys, not your crypto” underscores the importance of private key management. But with it comes the responsibility of safeguarding these keys. Lose them, and you lose your assets. No recourse.
Secondly, we have various security concerns around single-key accounts, while straightforward, are a potential security vulnerability. If someone gets unauthorized access to your key, your funds are at risk.
Furthermore, there’s the debate around the secp256-r1 curve - a standard now employed by tech giants like Apple and Android. Satoshi Nakamoto, during Bitcoin’s inception, refrained from using this curve due to lingering concerns about potential NSA backdoors.
Enter Smart Accounts
Osmosis proposes a solution: Smart Accounts. These would enable users to transition from conventional externally owned accounts (EOAs) and incorporate multifaceted verification logic into contract codes. This means multisigs, key rotations, and transaction limits become feasible.
While ‘Account Abstraction’ has gained traction in the EVM space, it’s important to recognize the limitations it currently faces:
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Smart Accounts cannot initiate transactions; they must stem from a legacy account.
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Introducing new cryptographic primitives has been historically sluggish.
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There’s significant fragmentation, leading to vendor lock-in.
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Upgrading from EOAs to smart contract accounts has its challenges, especially for users deeply entwined with their accounts.
These complications pave the way for a cumbersome stack, adding points of centralization, potential security loopholes, and further user experience fragmentation.
Vertical Integration: The Osmosis Mantra
Osmosis champions vertical integration, emphasizing that for an optimal user experience, a vertically integrated account system is paramount. With the advent of Osmosis’ Smart accounts, accounts get inherently embedded into the blockchain and are entrusted to the contract stratum.
This allows for intuitive transactions, reducing complexities found in EVM chains. Additionally, it provides room for third-party account frameworks and facilitates the upgrade of legacy accounts.
Reimagining Interchain Accounts
While smart accounts aim to revolutionize how we communicate within the blockchain, they’re not without their intricacies. However, with protocols like Quasar and Stride, which have leveraged the use of Interchain Accounts to their success, Osmosis looks to expand the horizons of interchain accounts.
The vision? Users are able to effortlessly transact across different chains, all under the umbrella of the Osmosis chain. In order to achieve such functionality, the envisioned upgrade of the Osmosis UX, aptly called “Mini Apps” is set to be the game-changer, enabling users to undertake actions and manage their assets swiftly.
In essence, Osmosis aims to ascend as not just a Liquidity Hub but also an Interchain Account Hub, setting new benchmarks and redefining user experience in DeFi. Osmosis Smart accounts seek to elevate the security paradigm while lowering the complexity users face when entering the space, solving the onboarding dilemma many applications face today.
If you’d like to view the full presentation on Osmosis Account Abstraction by Sunny Aggarwal, make sure to check out this link.
About Osmosis
Osmosis is the premier cross-chain DeFi hub. As the liquidity center and primary trading venue of Cosmos – the 50+ sovereign Layer 1s connected with the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol (IBC) – it is the gateway to the interchain.
And with the impending arrival of dYdX to Cosmos, and the forging of IBC connections to Avalanche, Polkadot, NEAR, and even Ethereum, access to appchains is only growing in importance.
With its suite of DAO-gated dApps – including the just-launched Mars lending and credit protocol, as well as upcoming features like Levana perps, Quasar strategy vaults, and the Ion Cosmos Index, the Osmosis Ecosystem provides UX-optimized DeFi for the cross-chain future.