Michael Egorov

Michael Egorov is a Russian-born physicist, engineer, and one of the most influential builders in decentralized finance (DeFi), best known as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Curve Finance; a leading decentralized exchange (DEX) and automated market maker (AMM) protocol primarily focused on efficient, low-slippage trading of stablecoins and other similar assets on Ethereum and multiple Layer-2 networks.

Egorov’s academic foundation is in physics: he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and later earned a Ph.D. in physics, building early expertise in complex quantitative systems and cryptography. Prior to entering crypto, he worked as a physicist and software engineer; including at LinkedIn and other tech firms; and co-founded NuCypher, a cryptographic infrastructure project where he served as CTO.

In January 2020, Egorov launched Curve Finance, aiming to solve inefficiencies in stablecoin trading by using a specialized AMM that significantly reduces slippage and fees for liquidity providers and traders. Curve quickly became one of the largest DeFi protocols by total value locked (TVL), deeply integrated into the broader DeFi ecosystem and foundational to yield-farming strategies and liquidity-based financial products.

Under his leadership, Curve introduced Curve DAO, its decentralized governance model with the CRV token, and later expanded into new products, including crvUSD (a decentralized stablecoin) and Yield Basis, a protocol designed to deliver sustainable on-chain bitcoin yield while addressing persistent issues like impermanent loss.

Egorov’s work reflects a long-term commitment to DeFi innovation, decentralized governance, and financial infrastructure that prioritizes efficiency and on-chain liquidity. His influence on decentralized markets has helped shape how stablecoins are exchanged, how liquidity is organized, and how decentralized protocols govern and incentivize community participation.