Unchained (Laura Shin)

Bobby Lee, CEO of BTCC, one of the world's longest-running cryptocurrency exchanges, talks about whether Chinese people are using bitcoin to evade capital controls, how bitcoin trading in China has changed since a government crackdown in early January, and how he came up with the idea for no-fee trading in the early days of bitcoin. Read the show notes. Other links: BTCC Mobi Bitcoin Foundation This episode was sponsored by OnRamp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take the Unchained 2023 survey! Unchained is doing its annual survey. Let us know what we’re doing well, how we can improve, what you’d like to see more of, and generally, how we can serve you better. The survey also helps us find sponsors whose products and services would appeal to you. Plus, participating gives you an opportunity to win Unchained merch! Five randomly selected respondents will receive one free Unchained t-shirt or mug — your choice. Click here to participate. Thanks so much! The long-awaited approval of a spot bitcoin ETF looks to be mere weeks away, and Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart joins Unchained to discuss the final issues and considerations, especially the battle over whether the new funds will feature in-kind vs. cash creation and redemptions, which appears to be one of the last main sticking points in negotiations between the SEC and fund companies. He also discusses the specific impact of an ETF approval on Grayscale, which runs the $26.6 billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, and why he thinks the SEC has thrown in the towel on trying to classify Ethereum as a security.  Show highlights: Why James views the multitude of potential issuers meeting with the SEC as a positive sign for the future of ETFs When James anticipates the ETFs will actually be listed on exchanges, which differs from their approval dates The crucial differences between in-kind versus cash creation and redemptions in ETFs and their impact on market dynamics How the choice of in-kind or cash creation and redemptions influences the overall cost structure of these financial products Whether the current actions of ETF issuers suggest a "bending the knee" approach to the SEC's preference for cash creations and redemptions How the selected ETF model will specifically impact Grayscale and the future of its GBTC offering The potential strategies behind BlackRock's private trust, especially in terms of integrating its Bitcoin holdings into its prospective ETF Why James holds a more cautious outlook for the approval of an Ethereum spot ETF compared to his confidence in Bitcoin ETFs Thank you to our sponsors! Arbitrum Foundation Popcorn Network Uniswap Guest James Seyffart, Research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Previous appearances on Unchained: Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10 Links Previous coverage on spot Bitcoin ETFs: How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10 Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF The Chopping Block: Are We Back? The ‘Low IQ’ Response to the Potential Spot Bitcoin ETF Unchained:  Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work? BlackRock Updates Bitcoin ETF Filing to Make Access Easier for Wall Street Banks  Understanding the ETF creation and redemption mechanism Nate Geraci’s tweet on in-kind/cash James comments “the people want in-kind” James: “I think everyone is gonna have to bend the knee to cash creates and redeems.” Eric Balchunas suggests the SEC is only letting cash-create ETFs launch initially Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Campbell and Kevin Johnson, cofounder and COO, respectively, of Tagomi, describe how Tagomi helps institutional players make larger crypto trades more efficiently and at the best price possible, plus analyze how that was executed. They contrast it with the pre-Tagomi process for doing large crypto trades, how their software, which functions as a sort of "Kayak.com" for crypto trading, works on the backend, and how they keep funds held on exchanges secure. Plus, we compare today's crypto trading infrastructure to the early days of electronic trading in traditional financial markets, and look down the road at how they'll accommodate trends such as staking and decentralized exchanges. For more, check out the full show notes on Forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/05/07/how-to-make-large-crypto-trades-without-moving-the-market/ Thank you to our sponsors! ConsenSys/Ethereal: Head to Etherealsummit.com with my discount code LAURA20 to get 20% off tickets to Ethereal Summit New York, May 10th to 11th at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. CoinDesk/Consensus: Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy,blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don’t miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo UNCHAINED300 to save $300 on your pass. CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Tagomi: https://tagomi.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/tagomisystems Forbes article on Tagomi: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2019/02/15/crypto-finance-grows-up-tagomis-new-tools-could-draw-institutions-into-the-crypto-market/#6c9bf98c13a0 Bloomberg video featuring Jennifer and Greg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-03-04/meet-tagomi-the-end-to-end-crypto-solution-video Bloomberg article on comparisons to early days of electronic trading in equities: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-17/former-goldman-electronic-trading-head-sees-parallels-in-crypto WSJ Article on Tagomi: https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-backed-venture-to-help-big-investors-bet-on-bitcoin-1525176121 Tagomi receiving BitLicense: http://fortune.com/2019/03/27/bitcoin-peter-thiel-tagomi-bitlicense/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unchained is running its annual survey to better serve you. Please answer our annual survey here. Solana’s native token SOL has been one of the best-performing cryptos of the year, up more than 500% so far, but you wouldn’t have guessed that would be the case given how closely tied the blockchain was to FTX, which held huge amounts of SOL and was a big supporter of the platform. The blockchain also experienced numerous outages in 2022. But Anatoly Yakovenko, Solana’s co-founder, says the discipline imposed by FTX’s collapse, as well as improvements to the technology, have made Solana stronger.  On this episode of Unchained, Yakovenko talks about the impact of FTX’s collapse, his early impressions of Sam Bankman-Fried, the SEC’s designation of SOL as a security, how entrepreneurs are leaving the U.S. because of the regulatory risk, SOL’s share of the stablecoin market, and why he thinks it’s inevitable that finance will eventually run on something like Solana.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: How the Solana ecosystem weathered the FTX crisis How FTX’s collapse was like ripping off a band-aid for Solana Anatoly's initial impression of SBF as a “super genius” Why, despite SOL's strong 2023 performance, the Solana ecosystem hasn't experienced a corresponding growth in active developers What factors Anatoly believes contribute to the relatively low number of daily active wallet addresses in Solana How Solana addressed and rectified the outage issues that were so frequent in previous years Why Anatoly draws a parallel between Ethereum and Windows 95, and Solana and Windows 2000 Why he's not worried about Jump Crypto building a client for the blockchain The ongoing debate within Solana on open-source versus closed-source culture, and the potential for future shifts How the Solana Foundation is handling the SEC's classification of SOL as a security Whether there's a trend of developers and founders relocating from the United States in search of a more supportive ecosystem Why Solana holds a low market share of stablecoins across various blockchains, and the implications of this trend Why Anatoly considers trading volume a more critical metric than Total Value Locked (TVL) in assessing blockchain success How Web3 gaming has been flourishing on Solana Why Anatoly is confident that DeFi will find its rightful place on the Solana network The future plans for the Saga phone after its market challenges What Anatoly thinks is the number one focus for Solana for the near term Thank you to our sponsors! LayerZero Popcorn Network Arbitrum Foundation Guest: Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-founder of Solana Labs Previous appearance on Unchained: Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer? Previous appearance on Unchained: Can Solana Seize Marketshare From Ethereum With Serum? Previous appearance on The Chopping Block: Anatoly Yakovenko on Why Solana Is Building the SAGA Links Unchained: Solana Saga review  Decrypt: Mad Lads NFTs Hit All-Time High as Backpack Taps FTX Lawyer for Exchange Launch  Op-ed by Anatoly on Fortune: Solana co-founder: 'To keep the next great American founder in America, Congress must regulate crypto. But first lawmakers should learn how it works' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Avanti Financial Group, talks about the issues plaguing the current state of technology in traditional finance and how her background as a 22-year Wall Street veteran, gubernatorial appointee to the Wyoming Blockchain Task Force, and crypto pioneer is helping her shape Avanti into a bridge between conventional banking and crypto. Tune in to hear Caitlin discuss: the current state of crypto adoption on Wall Street (1:09) how her entrepreneurial spirit galvanized a career spanning Wall Street, the Wyoming Legislature, and, now, crypto banking (2:07) why Caitlin fell in love with Bitcoin (4:57) fractional reserves and why the current financial system is a “violation of property rights” (7:00) how stablecoin technology will change banking leverage and what effects faster settlement times will have on inflation (11:30) why corporate treasurers have been using BTC since 2014 in foreign exchange transactions (17:14) what issues Wyoming is trying to solve through crypto legislation and why banks might be closing down customer accounts linked to crypto exchanges (19:18) a proposed Wyoming bill that would prohibit judges from disclosing private cryptographic keys (28:32) where the idea for Avanti came from and how it will be different than other banks (32:50) existing problems with stablecoin regulation and a deep-dive into GAAP accounting for crypto (46:51) why Wall Street’s accounting system is to blame for the GameStop and Robinhood situation (52:32) whether or not a blockchain could work for settling securities (52:32) her thoughts on pension funds and endowments directly owning crypto (59:54) what it is going to take for Avanti to successfully bridge the gap between traditional finance and crypto (1:02:38)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://bit.ly/3jzkTAD Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla   Square: http://square.com/go/unchained   Episode links:  Caitlin Long Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_  Personal website: https://caitlin-long.com/  CoinDesk profile: https://www.coindesk.com/most-influential/2019/caitlin-long    Avanti Website:  https://avantibank.com/  Twitter announcement: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1231958552790482950  Avit: https://www.coindesk.com/unpacking-the-avit-avanti-banks-new-digital-asset-being-built-with-blockstream  Banking charter: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/10/28/avanti-unanimously-wins-bitcoin-banking-charter/?sh=50db610816aa  Wyoming and blockchain: https://www.coindesk.com/haven-blockchain-case-wyoming GAAP accounting and crypto: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1356759511856410624  Trust charter vs. SPDI: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1349850451374587907  Special purpose depository institutions: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1194022779730968577  Bailment: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andreatinianow/2019/03/07/a-split-emerges-in-blockchain-law-wyomings-approach-versus-the-supplemental-act/?sh=49635109719a  Caitlin on GameStop: https://www.coindesk.com/first-mover-crypto-gamestop-bitcoin-dogecoin    Previous Episodes   On How 'Utility Tokens' Are Now Legal in Wyoming, 2018 Why the ICE/BAKKT News Makes Some Crypto Investors Nervous, 2018 How Avanti Will Be a 'Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins' Bank, Feb 2020 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann dive deep with Nic Carter into the game-changing promises Trump is making to the crypto community, Kamala Harris’s unexpected policy shifts, and the explosive rise of Solana.  Plus, Nic reveals his unexpected journey into amateur fighting and tackles the pressing issues around Ethereum ETFs, and what ecosystem he’s been funding more as of late.  Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:23 Why Alex believes the conference was one of the most incredible moments in the history of crypto 10:00 Nic’s reaction to Trump mentioning breaking down ‘Operation Chokepoint 2.0,’ a term that Nic himself coined 13:44 Nic’s karate fight and his journey to becoming an amateur fighter 21:42 Why Nic thinks that there’s no chance that the Lummis bill proposing the US government establish a strategic bitcoin reserve will pass 29:31 The significance of Trump’s promises at Bitcoin Nashville 36:26 How Tether is comparable to the Eurodollar system 39:41 What the potential impacts are of the Fed's language during their upcoming meeting 47:17 The implications of the Harris campaign's outreach to reset relations with crypto companies 55:44 How the ETH ETFs launch went and why Nic says that Ethereum has a “narrative problem” 59:34 How Solana has been ripping lately and Joe’s response to some of the criticisms 1:07:22 How Nic, as a VC, sees the ETH vs. SOL debate and how founders are increasingly choosing Solana Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Guest Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures Links Bitcoin Conference: Trump’s speech: Unchained:  At Bitcoin Conference, Trump Promises to Fire SEC Chair Gary Gensler If He Wins Trump Has Made Promises to Crypto Voters. If He’s Elected, What Could He Actually Do? Lummis proposal:  Unchained: A Bitcoin Strategic Reserve for the U.S.? Senator Cynthia Lummis Reveals Her Bill  The Block: Hong Kong lawmaker advocates for including bitcoin in financial reserves following Trump’s speech |  Democrats/Harris seeking “reset” Letter from Democratic politicians to DNC chair to put crypto plank in Democratic party platform:  ETH ETFs Debut: Unchained:  Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF net outflows hit $1.5B Will ETH Follow Bitcoin’s Path and Reach New Highs Now That Spot ETFs Are Here? BlackRock: Our Spot Ether ETFs Are Complements to Bitcoin ETFs, Not Substitutes The Block: At this rate, Grayscale's ETHE could run out of ether within weeks |  Solana’s ripping: Unchained:  Solana’s Growth Metrics, Including Stablecoin Supply, Continue to Take Off -  Solana Exceeds Ethereum in Monthly Trading Volume for First Time, But Not When Ethereum’s L2s Are Included Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maren Altman is a professional astrologer and crypto trader. On Unchained, she discusses her end-of-year price target for Bitcoin, how crypto fits into her natal chart, and how she uses planets to divine the price movement of crypto assets. Highlights: why Maren believes she was born to trade cryptocurrencies how long-term planetary transits explain the rise of cryptocurrency why the transits of Uranus, North Node, and Jupiter could lead to a big, extremely innovative “metaverse/cyber pandemic/internet of things” development in spring 2023 how Maren determines the “natal chart” (a birth chart that determines a person or entity’s astrological chart) for cryptocurrencies how Maren uses astrology to trade cryptocurrencies Maren’s price prediction for BTC for the end of the year what astrological factors make Maren think BTC could crash after December 30th Maren’s EOY projections for ETH what Maren thinks about crypto regulation why Maren thinks CBDCs are inevitable whether Maren feels giving alpha for free via TikTok hurts her trading   Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021     Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ    Episode Links   Maren Altman TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marenaltman Twitter: twitter.com/marenaltman   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marenaltman/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MarenAltman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Rossiello talks about how she went from being a credit ratings analyst for microfinance investors to heading up an "international mobile money" company for sub-Saharan Africa that uses Bitcoin's rails. Along the way she reveals how convoluted, expensive and unreliable the movement of money into and out of Africa can be -- many people sending money in envelopes via regional buses and even traditional banks having to send money from Africa to Asia via North America. With BitPesa's fast and inexpensive international solution, companies are opening up new markets and people sending remittances no longer have to pay exorbitant charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The markets are rattled. Tariffs are rising. Investors are pulling back. In this week’s Bits + Bips, the panel digs into what’s really driving the selloff, why the Fed may be stuck, and how Trump’s tariff logic could trigger deeper economic shocks than anyone expects. Plus: Whether Bitcoin becomes a safe haven What makes this downturn different from 2022 and 2020 Why a potential recession still isn’t priced in Whether Congress can take the tariff button away from Trump And yes, Ram coins a new term: FAFO tariffs 😀 Sponsors: Bitwise Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Noelle Acheson, Author of the “Crypto Is Macro Now” Newsletter  Links Tariffs: Recent coverage of Unchained on the economy and tariffs:  Arthur Hayes on Why Tariffs Will Be Good for Bitcoin and Crypto Bits + Bips: Trump’s Tariffs Are Causing Mayhem, But Will They Revive U.S. Manufacturing? Trump Tariffs Sink Crypto, BlackRock Pumps Bitcoin’s Bags Why Trump-Induced Stagflation Could Finally Make Bitcoin a Safe Haven In Market Crash, What Should You Buy? Crypto VCs Are Making These Bets 10-year yield and the Fed CNBC: 10-year Treasury yield rises back above 4% despite tariff threat to growth Reuters: No Fed 'put' when it's unclear which way the economy may pivot 2008 Market Crash Federal Reserve: The Great Recession and Its Aftermath CNN: Bailout Plan Rejected - Supporters Scramble Can Congress Step In? Economist: How Donald Trump’s Tariffs Will Probably Fare in Court Politico: Trump Threatens Veto of Bill to Curb Tariff Power Timestamps: 👋 0:00 Intro 📉 3:30 Why this selloff feels nothing like 2022 or 2020 🪞 8:41 Why buying signals could be a mirage 🤔 11:28 Is the bear market already priced in? What investors are missing. 🏚️ 14:35 Could this turn into a fall “2008 scenario”? And what real buyers are doing now 🧮 25:57 Why Trump’s tariff math is wrong, and how it will create problems for the administration 📈 36:15 Why Trump wants the 10-year yield down, and why he’s failing 🛟 39:59 What counts as a safe haven right now, and is bitcoin one of them? 🏦 52:42 Can the Fed stand up to Trump’s pressure to cut rates? 🚫 57:56 Trump thinks that the trade deficit is a profit/loss statement. Why that’s a problem.  ⚖️ 1:01:19 Can Congress pull Trump’s tariff authority? 💵 1:06:32 Can stablecoins save dollar demand? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix, and Kyle Samani, managing partner at Multicoin Capital, debate the merits of Ethereum, Solana, and Binance Smart Chain. In this episode, they discuss: why Ethereum is losing market share to Solana and BSC whether decentralization matters and at what point decentralization becomes redundant why they think Solana and Binance Smart Chain need to be taken seriously as competitors to EThereum whether BSC or Solana is the bigger long-term threat to Ethereum the biggest obstacle to Ethereum’s success (and it’s not gas fees) how Ethereum will navigate fragmented Layer 2 solutions Solana and its lack of developers what differentiates DeFi from CeFi why Solana has an edge on Ethereum in terms of composability  how Ethereum will onboard new users why Kain is such an ardent backer of Ethereum why both Kyle and Kain think EIP 1559 and the potential for higher ETH prices is bad for Ethereum if Synthetix would ever consider launching a cross-chain product the viability of a multi-chain world why Kyle believes the future holds a winner-take-most blockchain ecosystem   Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit  Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2  Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange    Episode Links   People Kyle Samani Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani  Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital/  Kain Warwick Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kaiynne Synthetix: https://synthetix.io/    Content Kain’s tweet that instigated this pod: https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1387266949302734852 Multicoin Blogs: New $100m fund focused on Solana https://multicoin.capital/2021/05/04/announcing-venture-fund-ii/  BNB Investment + valuation https://multicoin.capital/2019/02/19/binance-coin-analysis-and-valuation/  Investment in Solana https://multicoin.capital/2019/07/30/the-world-computer-should-be-logically-centralized/  Ethereum analysis https://multicoin.capital/2019/05/24/the-unbundling-of-ethereum/ Value Capture at Layers 1 and 2 https://multicoin.capital/2019/03/14/on-value-capture-at-layers-1-and-2/  Kain Warwick and Sam Bankman Fried podcast https://www.cryptonotes.org/2020/10/sbf-kain-blockcrunch-117/  Comparing AMMs on different blockchains https://www.coindesk.com/pancakeswap-uniswap-sushiswap-crypto-defi-exchange  BSC and Solana NFT platforms https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/102959/binance-is-launching-its-own-nft-marketplace-in-june https://www.coindesk.com/banksy-burners-raise-3m-to-build-nft-platform-on-solana  Overview of Layer 2 solutions on Ethereum https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/scaling/layer-2-rollups/ Binance Smart Chain guide https://defiprime.com/binance-smart-chain Solana guide https://thedefiant.io/solana-defi-ecosystem-overview/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this seventh installment of the Why Bitcoin Now series, Meltem Demirors, the chief strategy officer at Coinshares, and Lyn Alden, the founder of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy, discuss the state of Bitcoin since June, amidst the presidential election – which takes place on the date of publication of the show -- and a global pandemic. Topics discussed include: the significance of bitcoin staying above $10k for over three months why the pandemic has created the conditions for which Bitcoin was designed how the markets may react to a Trump or Biden win why they believe, no matter which party wins, there will be massive deficits and a money-printing debt spiral why other countries see opportunities to erode the supremacy of the US dollar why Bitcoin has shown that it’s possible to have money without state how the current record unemployment and massive stimulus efforts during the pandemic have impacted Bitcoin the increasing interest in Bitcoin from traditional investors the IMF’s recent call for a “New Bretton Woods moment”  and how it may impact crypto China’s DCEP central bank digital currency and the effects it may have on increasing China’s trade leverage why the pandemic has made clear the importance of bringing more Bitcoin mining onshore whether or not Bitcoin will be able to remedy growing wealth inequality why privacy/encryption will be the main issue Bitcoiners need to watch from the coming administration   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com   Episode links:  Lyn Alden: https://twitter.com/LynAldenContact Lyn Alden Investment Strategy: lynalden.com Meltem Demirors: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem Coinshares: https://www.coinshares.com/   Lyn’s post on how the economy and stock market perform under Democratic vs. Republican presidents: https://www.lynalden.com/presidential-elections/   US stimulus spending: https://datalab.usaspending.gov/federal-covid-funding/#section-tracking   IMF New Bretton Woods speech: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/10/15/sp101520-a-new-bretton-woods-moment   Stocks in a bubble: https://www.longtermtrends.net/sp500-price-earnings-shiller-pe-ratio/   Meltem on the financialization of internet infrastructure: https://medium.com/coinshares/the-financialization-of-compute-connectivity-66beaffe7501   BitOoda report on Bitcoin mining: https://bitooda.medium.com/bitcoin-mining-hashrate-and-power-analysis-bitooda-research-ebc25f5650bf   Bloomberg wealth report: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-08/top-50-richest-people-in-the-us-are-worth-as-much-as-poorest-165-million   Cash app’s Bitcoin sales: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/74001/square-q2-bitcoin-cash-app   JPMorgan research note on Bitcoin: https://fortune.com/2020/10/26/jp-morgan-chase-bitcoin-predictions-analyst-jpm-cryptocurrency/ https://twitter.com/DTAPCAP/status/1319703750450302980?s=20 Forbes interview with Daniel Masters of Coinshares: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/10/24/jp-morgan-veteran-daniel-masters-explains-how-blockchain-will-end-commercial-banks/#77ec4f6a6bdd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto networks are meant to be decentralized, community owned systems. But they’re turned out to be dominated by whales and to have more mercenaries who are just interested in getting free tokens to dump them, rather than having long-term believers who want to build the ecosystem. How can tokens be launched in a way that gets token holders aligned with long-term success?  Today’s guests, Mike Dudas, founding partner of 6th Man Ventures, and Matt O’Connor, co-founder of Legion, believe there’s room for improvement. In this episode, they share how Legion aims to reshape the process, focusing on fair distribution, incentivizing organic user growth, and building loyal communities. They explore Legion’s approach to token sales, its compatibility with regulatory frameworks, and why it might be the key to bringing new people into crypto. Show highlights: How Legion was born and what its main goal is The problems with how token launches currently work  Why projects don’t want to return to the ICO model Whether the criteria to earn a better reputation on Legion is gameable  How Legion actually works and what the role of KYC is What type of regulatory framework Legion is leveraging How MiCA’s rules for token offerings allowed for this type of project to emerge Whether the U.S. should follow Europe in establishing a crypto framework like MiCA What the business model of Legion is What the difference is between Legion and other similar platforms such as Cobie’s Echo Whether token sales is a better distribution mechanism than airdrops Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Mantle Robinhood & Arbitrum Guests: Mike Dudas, Founding partner of 6th Man Ventures Matt O’Connor, Co-Founder of Legion Matt’s open source publication: Tokenomics for Builders Links Unchained: Legion Launches New Tool to Identify Best Contributors in Crypto Fundraises Legion Whitepaper Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:49 How Legion was born and its main goal 05:33 What’s wrong with current token launches? 11:13 Why projects avoid the ICO model 13:37 Can Legion’s reputation system be gamed? 26:18 How Legion works and the role of KYC 35:23 The regulatory framework behind Legion 39:06 How MiCA enabled this type of project 44:09 Should the U.S. adopt a framework like MiCA? 46:32 What is Legion’s business model? 50:28 How Legion differs from Cobie’s Echo 53:18 Are token sales better than airdrops for distribution? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Cuban -- billionaire investor, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Shark Tank “shark” -- shares his thoughts on the Ethereum vs. BTC debate, issues with DeFi, and how NFTs could change content distribution. Tune in to hear Mark talk about... why ETH is a better store of value than BTC (1:08) why bitcoin as an inflation hedge is a bananas narrative 6:29) his opinion on EIP-1159 and the idea of proof of stake mining (9:06) why minting an NFT was a crypto-lightbulb moment for him (11:36) how his background in technology prepared him to invest in crypto (13:55) the main problem with the DeFi user experience and his advice for new DeFi users (16:34) what might happen to the centralized banking system if DeFi becomes the norm (20:46) how putting private data on a blockchain could work (25:53) why CBDC’s make “perfect sense” (32:11) how he evaluates decentralized business models and governance structures (41:13) his NFT investment thesis (47:09) who he believes will be the NFT winners in the long term (52:09) why Mavs tickets are a perfect example for how NFTs may be used in the future (54:55) industries that are ripe for NFT disruption (59:45) the many use cases for NFTs (1:01:48) why he is advising against minting social tokens (1:04:15)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2    Indexed Finance: https://indexed.finance/    Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange   Episode Links   Mark Cuban Personal website: https://markcubancompanies.com/marks-bio/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcuban    NFT Investment Lazy.com https://lazy.com/  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/98974/mark-cuban-digital-art-gallery-nft Mintable https://cryptoslate.com/mark-cuban-invests-undisclosed-sum-in-nft-platform-mintable/ Esprezzo https://blog.esprezzo.io/esprezzo-raises-round-to-bring-no-code-automation-to-crypto-investors-nft-creators-collectors-defi-users OpenSea https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/18/nft-marketplace-opensea-raises-23-million-from-a16z/  SuperRare https://www.coindesk.com/cuban-chamath-back-nft-marketplace-superrares-9m-series-a Other https://markcubancompanies.com/blockchain/   Other Links Defiant Podcast (“ETH Has An Advantage Over Bitcoin”)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdGseBuuq_I Why DeFi is the Future | Mark Cuban on the Bankless Podcast https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/-why-defi-is-the-future-mark-cuban Mark Cuban: The Billionaire Crypto Degen on the Delphi Podcast https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/mark-cuban-the-billionaire-crypto-degen/ NFTs as ticketing disruptor https://cryptoslate.com/forget-overvalued-artwork-mark-cuban-sees-nft-ticketing-as-the-mass-market-disruptor/ Bananas video (2:16-3:49) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWBlN9o6Azc  CoinDesk interview https://www.coindesk.com/mark-cuban-bitcoin-nfts-blockchain-dallas-mavericks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The DCG director of development talks about why she thinks identity will be the first tangible application of blockchain technology that consumers experience, why DCG supports Ethereum Classic as an investment vehicle and yet still supports Ethereum as a protocol, and how bitcoin itself as a global currency hasn't taken off as much as she thought when she first got into the industry. She also explains what the top regulatory issue is for blockchain startups and projects -- it's a lot more mundane than you might expect -- and why she doesn't, at this point, have a lot of confidence in crypto hedge funds. Plus, she makes suggestions on how ICOs could improve and reveals her top picks for new tokens.   Show notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/06/13/why-digital-currency-groups-meltem-demirors-is-concerned-about-the-ico-craze/ The phone hijacking article referenced in the episode: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/ DCG: http://dcg.co/ Ethereum Classic Investment Trust: https://grayscale.co/ethereum-classic-investment-trust/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Luongo, CEO of Thesis, the parent company of Fold and Keep, describes the just-launched tBTC, his plan for a censorship-resistant Bitcoin-Ethereum bridge. He explains his personal reasons for wanting such a platform, why tBTC is different from other versions of Bitcoin on Ethereum, and how it works -- including the process of becoming a signer in minting tBTC, how the system will handle crises, the reason for high collateralization levels, why staking assets are limited, and the necessity of a work token, Keep. He also discusses the economics behind tBTC-backed tBTC, his vision for DeFi, how tBTC could buffer an ETH crash, and the reasoning behind minimal governance mechanisms -- playing into why institutions trust BTC more than ETH. Plus, he contrasts the Bitcoin and Ethereum communities and talks about the possibility of tBTC2.0.   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links:  Matt Luongo: https://twitter.com/mhluongo Thesis: https://thesis.co/ Keep: https://keep.network/ Fold App: https://foldapp.com/ tBTC white paper: https://docs.keep.network/tbtc/index.pdf Initial reveal: https://twitter.com/mhluongo/status/1162481737525583873?s=20 Announcement on Keep blog: https://blog.keep.network/bridging-bitcoin-and-ethereum-b2f9923630a7?gi=5c9040ed3a72 Some criticism of tBTC: https://twitter.com/peterktodd/status/1162728205607985152?s=20 Matt on the Breakdown podcast: https://www.coindesk.com/will-defi-matter-in-a-post-coronavirus-world-feat-matt-luongo Matt on Sendwyre podcast: https://blog.sendwyre.com/announcing-tbtc-with-james-prestwich-and-matt-luongo-of-cross-chain-group-c424e2b0b40c?gi=d1e8b53ca80e How tBTC works: https://defipulse.com/blog/what-is-tbtc/ The Block on tBTC: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/55284/inside-tbtc-the-bitcoin-backed-erc-20-token-that-could-go-live-in-march Keep raises $7.7 million: https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinoconnell/2020/04/03/coinbase-co-founder-invests-in-project-to-bridge-bitcoin-and-ethereum/#368a6f737df4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The downfall of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried from king of the crypto world to crypto scammer is complete. A Manhattan jury of nine women and three men took less than five hours Thursday afternoon, day 18 of the high-profile trial, to convict Bankman-Fried on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy for stealing billions of dollars of his customers’ assets.  “Sam Bankman-Fried perpetrated one of the biggest financial frauds in American history, a multi-million scheme designed to make him the king of crypto,” said Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in remarks following the verdict. The guilty verdict came a year to the day after crypto publication CoinDesk published a story showing balance sheet irregularities at Bankman-Fried’s investment company, Alameda Research, that suggested the ties between Alameda and FTX were unusually close. Bankman-Fried now faces potentially decades in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 28. After listening to Judge Lewis Kaplan read through 60 pages of instructions, jurors quickly concluded that Bankman-Fried was responsible for decisions that led to an $8 billion hole in its balance sheet, including the use of customer assets for political donations, investments and his own personal use. Prosecutors had reiterated this theme in a stinging, Thursday morning rebuttal.  And jurors rejected whole-hog Bankman-Fried’s defense team’s narrative that Bankman-Fried was being villainized for being a poor manager who didn’t create sufficient risk management systems. They also did not buy into Bankman-Fried’s claim that he was unaware of the severity of his company’s financial problems and that his inner circle, three of whom testified earlier in the trial as part of plea agreements, were to blame.  “We respect the jury’s decision,” said Bankman-Fried’s lead attorney, Mark Cohen. But we are very disappointed with the result. Mr. Bankman-Fried maintains his innocence and will continue to fight the charges against him.” U.S. attorney Wiliams called Bankman-Fried’s crimes “ fraud” as “old as time,” and said his office had “no patience for it.”  He added: “This case moved at lightning speed, that was a choice, not a coincidence.” Catch up on Unchained’s previous coverage:  SBF Trial, Day 1: Possible Witnesses Include FTX Insiders, Big Names in Crypto, and SBF’s Family SBF Trial, Day 2: DOJ Says Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Lied’ While Defense Claims His Actions Were ‘Reasonable’ SBF Trial, Day 3: Why a True Believer in FTX Flipped Once He Learned One Fact SBF Trial, Day 4: SBF’s Lawyers Annoy Judge Kaplan, While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges SBF Trial, Day 5: SBF's Defense Finally Found Its Legs, But Can It Counter Caroline Ellison? SBF Trial, Day 6: Caroline Ellison Recalls 'The Worst Week of My Life' SBF Trial, Day 7: In SBF Trial, Did the Defense Lose Its Opportunity With the Star Witness? SBF Trial, Day 8: Former BlockFi CEO Adds Credibility to Fraud Charges SBF Trial, Day 9: Nishad Singh Describes Former FTX CEO as a Bully and Big Spender SBF Trial, Day 10: Defense Struggles to Discredit Nishad Singh's Testimony SBF Trial, Day 11: How Alameda Got FTX Into a $9 Billion Hole SBF Trial, Day 12: Former FTX General Counsel Speaks Out Against SBF Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors? Why These Lawyers Say It's Over for SBF-But His Only Hail Mary Is to Testify Here’s How Sam Bankman-Fried’s High-Stakes Trial Could Play Out SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case The High-Stakes Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried Begins: What to Expect Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. This week, the boys discuss Ethereum's current standing in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, comparing it to the United States regarding capital concentration despite fewer users.  They also dive into the dynamics of prediction markets, focusing on Polymarket's role in predicting election outcomes. The conversation evolves into an analysis of potential changes to the Ethereum mainnet, driven by competition from Solana and other factors, including block time reductions and gas limit increases. The episode concludes with predictions about Ethereum's possible upgrades in the next six months and a bet among the hosts about the outcome. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 A focused discussion on the utility and accuracy of polls versus prediction markets, particularly highlighting the insights from prediction market platforms like Polymarket. 🔹Exploration of Nate Silver's analytical methods and their application to understanding market dynamics and voter behavior forecasts in the crypto context. 🔹Examination of liquidity issues in crypto prediction markets, referencing platforms like Drift Protocol and their impact on market behavior and reliability. 🔹Analysis of how Solana’s advancements are pushing Ethereum to evolve, particularly in the areas of Layer 1 and Layer 2 scaling solutions. 🔹Discussion on the economic strengths and potential vulnerabilities of Ethereum, likened to the Dutch Disease, where reliance on a dominant resource can lead to broader economic issues. 🔹Speculative insights into the possible future changes in Ethereum’s protocol, including adjustments to block times and gas limits, and their potential impact on the network’s efficiency and user experience. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Disclosures Links On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything a Book by Nate Silver: https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Art-Risking-Everything/dp/1594204128  0:00 Intro 01:52 Polls vs. Prediction Markets 08:04 Nate Silver's On the Edge 15:37 Prediction Markets and Liquidity 22:31 Solana's Influence on Ethereum 25:32 L1 vs. L2s Updates 32:13 Ethereum has Dutch Disease 44:12 Predictions for Ethereum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, special guest Vance Spencer of Framework Ventures joins the crew to explore Ethereum’s Beam Chain proposal, a bold yet contentious vision for Ethereum 3.0. With promises of quantum resistance, faster transactions, and decentralized staking, is this five-year roadmap a revolutionary leap or an unachievable ambition? The team dives into the tension between Layer 2s and Ethereum’s base chain, alongside Solana’s growing dominance as a UX benchmark. On the political front, the conversation breaks down Trump’s pro-crypto administration. From speculation around key cabinet picks to the potential establishment of a national Bitcoin reserve, they analyze what this new era could mean for regulation, innovation, and the broader market. Tune in for a lively discussion of the forces shaping Ethereum’s evolution and crypto’s role in America’s future. Show highlights 🔹 Polymarket CEO Raided: The crew discusses the FBI’s raid on Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan following the election, raising questions about politically motivated actions and the future of prediction markets. 🔹 Trump’s Crypto Administration: Trump’s pro-crypto agenda, including cabinet picks and a proposed Bitcoin strategic reserve, signals a potential shift in U.S. crypto policy. 🔹 D.O.G.E. and Dogecoin: The Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, ignites a Dogecoin rally and highlights crypto’s rising cultural impact. 🔹 Bitcoin’s Surge: Bitcoin hits $94,000, sparking predictions of $250K or more during Trump’s presidency, while the crew debates whether a long-awaited altseason is imminent. 🔹 Ethereum’s Challenges: Ethereum’s Layer 2 friction and Solana’s growing UX dominance fuel concerns over Ethereum’s long-term competitiveness. 🔹 Solana and memecoins: Solana’s connection to memecoin markets strengthens its position as a key rival to Ethereum. 🔹 Crypto Regulation Outlook: The potential for sweeping pro-crypto legislation under Trump’s administration raises hopes for innovation but also risks overexuberance. 🔹 Ethereum 3.0 Skepticism: The Beam Chain proposal reflects Ethereum’s struggle to balance long-term visions with immediate market pressures, drawing comparisons to Solana’s rapid growth. 🔹 Future Price Predictions: Vance and the crew share bold price predictions for Bitcoin and Ethereum, exploring the political and technological forces driving market momentum. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Guest: ⭐️Vance Spencer, Co-Founder Framework Ventures Disclosures Timestamps  00:00 Intro 01:36 Trump's Election and Market Reactions 03:14 Polymarket CEO FBI Raid 13:37 DOGE or the Department of Government Efficiency? 16:10 Memecoin Meta Update? 23:17 Trump's Pro-Crypto Administration 33:23 Market Sentiments and Predictions 42:00 Ethereum 3.0 and Beam Chain 52:17 Ethereum's Future and Competitors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob has launched numerous companies, but it was a blogging platform that presented her with the problem of how to pay her (mostly female) users, 99% of whom did not have bank accounts. And even if they did get paid, their families would often confiscate the money. She found her solution in Bitcoin, and later launched a new startup, Digital Citizen Fund, that trains girls in blockchain technology and Bitcoin. Mahboob, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2013, funded the Afghan girls' robotics team that made news recently, and describes what went on behind-the-scenes. She also tells us about her other ventures, EdyEdy, her coffee/tea venture Digital Citizen Brew, and the marketplace for Afghan goods that she is launching -- which will accept Bitcoin or perhaps its own token.   Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/08/08/how-bitcoin-solved-this-serial-entrepreneurs-problems/   Digital Citizen Fund: http://digitalcitizenfund.org/ Roya's Time 100 description, written by Sheryl Sandberg: http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/roya-mahboob/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rhea Myers, artist, hacker, writer, and senior smart contract developer at Dapper Labs, has been making crypto art before NFTs were a thing. Check out this episode to learn about Rhea’s work as an OG crypto artist, why she believes concerns over NFT energy consumption are overblown, and how NFTs are changing the art world. Show highlights Rhea’s experience entering the crypto space what inspired her to make Bitcoin-based transaction art what blockchain art she was creating in 2014 how she helped Coin Artist create crypto puzzles what Rhea thinks about Cadence, the programming language for Flow what conceptual art and blockchain art have in common how Rhea minted her soul on a Dogecoin fork how Rhea came up with the idea of Secret Artwork (Content), which was recently sold at a Sotheby’s auction what cryptographic elements influenced Secret Artwork (Content) why Rhea was wrong about how the NFT industry would evolve why Rhea believes concerns over NFT energy usage are overblown how NFTs are changing the art world  what Rhea thinks about the NFT DAO movement what about NFTs make them so fascinating, in a legal sense, to Rhea   Read the sidebar — and see Rhea's artwork! If you'd like to see the art discussed in the show, be sure to check out the sidebar I wrote on Medium:  https://medium.com/@laurashin/how-rhea-myers-made-blockchain-art-before-nfts-were-a-thing-e6ac52d3abf9   Thank you to our sponsors! Ledger: ​https://www.ledger.com/start-your-crypto-journey/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=Partnership_Podcast&utm_campaign=14-09-Ledger-US-Brand-Paid&utm_content=subj_Global__msg_brand_convenience__targ_Crypto Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021  Digital Asset Research: https://www.digitalassetresearch.com/      Episode Links   Rhea Myers Twitter: https://twitter.com/rheaplex Website: https://rhea.art/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmyers/ Example Art Secret Artwork (Content) https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natively-digital-a-curated-nft-sale-2/secret-artwork-content  MYSOUL https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/nft-joke-1234588596/  Is Art https://rhea.art/is-art  Proof Of Existence 2, 2014, Bitcoin Transaction https://rhea.art/proof-of-existence  Art examples https://rhea.art/art   Other Artists Rethinking the Blockchain (book) https://torquetorque.net/publications/artists-rethinking-the-blockchain/  Generative art (featuring Rhea Myers) https://medium.com/@mitchellfchan/nfts-generative-art-and-sol-lewitt-e99a5fa2b0cb  Blockade games + crypto puzzles ​​https://blockade.games/press/index.html https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.4528357/this-painting-is-actually-a-bitcoin-puzzle-worth-more-than-40k-and-someone-finally-solved-it-1.4529176  Unchained Episode: What Exactly Do You Get When You Buy an NFT? Three Lawyers Discuss https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-exactly-do-you-get-when-you-buy-an-nft-three-lawyers-discuss/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Day 6 of the SBF trial was marked by emotional testimony from Caroline Ellison, who shed tears as she detailed the financial chaos within Alameda and FTX. She also recounted dramatic incidents such as an alleged bribe by Alameda to a Chinese government official, creating accounts using the IDs of Thai prostitutes, and an attempt to raise money by selling FTX shares to a Saudi prince. Ellison discussed the financial turmoil that began with the crypto market crash and how it led to desperate actions, allegedly directed by SBF. She revealed the manipulation of balance sheets, the use of FTX customer funds for risky investments, and the ethical compromises made to keep Alameda afloat. The day also delved into the secretive culture within Alameda and FTX, highlighting the use of disappearing messages on Signal for sensitive discussions, and what was really happening behind the scenes as FTX began to implode.  Catch up on Unchained’s previous coverage:  Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: Here’s Everything That Happened So Far SBF Trial, Day 1: Possible Witnesses Include FTX Insiders, Big Names in Crypto, and SBF’s Family SBF Trial, Day 2: DOJ Says Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Lied’ While Defense Claims His Actions Were ‘Reasonable’ SBF Trial, Day 3: Why a True Believer in FTX Flipped Once He Learned One Fact SBF Trial, Day 4: SBF’s Lawyers Annoy Judge Kaplan, While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges SBF Trial, Day 5: SBF's Defense Finally Found Its Legs, But Can It Counter Caroline Ellison? Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors? Here’s How Sam Bankman-Fried’s High-Stakes Trial Could Play Out SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case The High-Stakes Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried Begins: What to Expect In the SBF Case, Elite Corruption Is What’s Really on Trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Unchained looks back on a tumultuous year for the cryptocurrency industry in 2022. Significant events such as the bankruptcies of FTX, Three Arrows Capital, Celsius, Voyager, BlockFi, and the collapse of Terra/LUNA, led to billions being lost due to market plunges and also due to numerous hacks.  This year also brought the Ethereum Merge, one of the most awaited events in crypto's short history. Amidst the turmoil, true believers like Chris Burniske saw a silver lining, while the crypto community watched for the further fallout of this year’s crypto contagion to play out.    Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis Minima DeFi Saver DAO attacker revealed:  Exclusive: Crypto’s Biggest Whodunnit: Who Was Behind the 2016 DAO Attack on Ethereum? Exclusive: Austrian Programmer And Ex Crypto CEO Likely Stole $11 Billion Of Ether Ukraine War: How Ukraine Is Leveraging Crypto in Its Fight Against Russia - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block: In 'the First Crypto War,' How Should the Money Be Spent? - Unchained Podcast Ukraine Has Received $150 Million in Crypto. Here’s How It Is Being Used - Unchained Podcast Hacks and exploits: Bridge Hacks Have Caused ~$1 Billion in Losses. Here’s Why Bridge Security Is Tricky - Unchained Podcast Terra collapse: Did Someone Deliberately Attack Terra/Luna to Kick off a Death Spiral? - Unchained Podcast Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash - Unchained Podcast The 5 Biggest Lessons From Terra/Luna's Collapse, According to Tascha Che - Unchained Podcast Bankruptcies - 3AC, Celsius and Voyager:  Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto - Ep. 364 - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block: Here’s What Was So Bad About Three Arrows Capital - Ep. 368 - Unchained Podcast Three Crypto Bankruptcies: 3AC, Celsius and Voyager. What Happens Now?- Ep. 374 - Unchained Podcast Tornado Cash: Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? - Ep. 384 - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? - Ep. 386 - Unchained Podcast Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No - Ep.387 - Unchained Podcast Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? - Ep. 390 - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block: Why DeFi May Be Over-Complying With Tornado Cash Sanctions - Ep. 392 - Unchained Podcast The Merge: With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? - Ep. 389 - Unchained Podcast Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH - Ep. 393 - Unchained Podcast Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury- Ep.394 - Unchained Podcast Did the Merge Make Ethereum ‘the Most Secure Blockchain in the World’? – Ep. 397 Do Kwon comes on Unchained:  Do Kwon of Terra: ‘It Was Never Really About Money or Fame or Success’ – Ep. 408 NFT royalties: The Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown! - Ep. 409 - Unchained Podcast Are NFT Royalties the Way? How to Build a Sustainable Creator Economy - Ep. 414 - Unchained Podcast FTX Collapse: The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? - Ep. 418 - Unchained Podcast Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets - Ep. 419 - Unchained Podcast Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In - Ep. 420 - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn't Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater - Ep. 421 - Unchained Podcast Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX? - Ep. 422 - Unchained Podcast Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion - Ep. 423 - Unchained Podcast The Chopping Block on FTX/Alameda: Is Sam Bankman-Fried 'Crypto Kanye'? - Ep. 424 - Unchained Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. This week, the gang breaks down the record $4.3 billion settlement between Binance and the U.S. government — whether it was fair, the chances CEO Changpeng Zhao will face any jail time, whether it was ultimately a good thing for Binance and for the U.S., and what this changes for the industry going forward. They also delve into the SEC’s lawsuit against Kraken, and the drama around Sam Altman’s firing from Open AI and what it says about corporate governance and crypto companies.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights:  the details of the settlement between Binance and the Department of Justice  how a core part of Binance’s business model was to allow bad actors on its platform, according to Robert why Binance had to settle with the U.S. government even though it's not an American company why Tom believes that the settlement represents a "very bad lesson" whether U.S. market makers should be liable in cases like these how the crypto community has reacted to the settlement  what the settlement means for the future of the crypto industry  whether the new SEC lawsuit against Kraken is just a “copy-and-paste” of its suit against Coinbase The drama around Sam Altman’s removal from his role as CEO of OpenAI Why Robert thinks that the OpenAI board was “silly and dumb” What the problems at OpenAI say about its innovative governance structure  Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Disclosures Links Binance Settlement Unchained:  Binance to Pay $4.3 Billion to Settle U.S. DOJ Criminal Probe; CEO Changpeng Zhao Pleads Guilty for Violating Bank Secrecy Act  Binance CEO CZ Released on $175 Million Bond SEC Charges Against Kraken Unchained: Crypto Exchange Kraken Accused by SEC of Violating Securities Law OpenAI The Verge: Sam Altman returns as CEO of OpenAI Unchained: Worldcoin Falls and Rises After Sam Altman-OpenAI Saga Haseeb’s tweet on accelerationism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “The Chopping Block” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner, chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, the Blockchain Association’s Jake Chervinsky breaks down the cases against Binance and Coinbase – and how they are different from FTX – what it means for the crypto industry, and who may be next. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights:  Why Jake believes that the Binance lawsuit didn’t present major surprises Whether the SEC is trying to ban the crypto industry by enforcement How Binance has been allegedly doing a huge amount of wash trading Whether Gemini is next on the SEC’s enforcement action list How CZ and Coinbase CEOs have responded to the complaints How the market reacted to the lawsuits What the differences are between the Binance case and FTX Why the SEC is alleging that Coinbase is operating as an unregistered broker, exchange, and clearing agency Whether token issuers can bring action against the SEC for harming their business or reputation Whether the crypto industry doesn’t take the SEC seriously Whether the EOS settlement in 2019 shows how inconsistent the SEC has been in its crypto enforcement actions  Whether these cases will have an impact in Congress and accelerate legislation  What would happen if Gary Gensler stops being the chair of the SEC Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Guest Jake Chervinsky, chief policy officer at the Blockchain Association Previous Unchained Appearances: Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky Disclosures Links Unchained: SEC Sues Coinbase for Breaking Securities Laws SEC Files Motion to Freeze Binance’s Assets, Asks for ‘Sworn Accounting’ SEC Files 13 Charges Against Binance Including the Mishandling of Funds, Sale of Unregistered Securities SEC Calls Solana, Polygon, Algorand and Other Tokens Securities but Misses Ether in Binance Lawsuit US House Republicans Propose Bill That May Give Crypto Assets a Path to Becoming Commodities Fortune: Former Coinbase employee and his brother settle with the SEC, which again dodges proving whether cryptocurrencies are securities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news concerning the collapse of FTX.  Show topics: the statements of newly appointed CEO John Ray in the first day declaration why Tarun, Robert and Haseeb think SBF is possibly delusional or at least in denial whether the assets of FTX and Alameda were commingled from the beginning or whether they had been separate and at a certain point, FTX loaned money to Alameda whether the Bahamian government was the 'FTX' hacker the theories of why Alameda started falling how regulators and legislators are assessing the failure of FTX whether SBF will get a pardon like Mark Rich and the chances of him being charged criminally whether Genesis will go insolvent and its potential contagion effects Take Unchained's 2022 survey!   https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2022 Unchained is doing its annual survey. Tell us how you think we’re doing and how we could improve, whether it be on the podcast, in the newsletter, or in our premium offering. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!  Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Robert Leshner, founder of Compound  Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained on FTX: Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX? The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn’t Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater  Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC FTX Collapse: First declaration document Unchained: FTX Bankruptcy Overseer Says Company’s Collapse Is Worst He’s Ever Seen Unchained: Bahamas Regulator Directed SBF to Transfer FTX Assets to Government Wallet SBF tweet: FTX files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection WSJ: FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Cashed Out $300 Million During Funding Spree Vox interview with SBF: Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself NYT: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Empire Collapsed Arthur Hayes’s article on SBF: ‘White Boy’ NYT: Elizabeth Holmes Is Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Fraud Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Binance Smart Chain is the third largest chain by TVL and its token, BNB, is the third-largest token by market capitalization. However, there are questions about hacks, centralization, lack of developer support, and sketch MEV transactions. On Unchained, Gwendolyn Regina, investment director of the Binance Smart Chain Growth Fund, and Samy Karim, ecosystem coordinator at Binance Smart Chain, give a candid interview discussing BSC, from its amazing growth in 2021 to some of the toughest questions surrounding the chain. Topics covered include: how and why BSC grew from 50,000 daily active users to about 7 million over the course of 2021 what differentiates Binance Chain and Binance Smart Chain why Binance Smart Chain decided to design its blockchain with only 21 validators how Gwen and Samy envision BSC fitting into a multichain future what plans BSC has to scale its throughput  why blockchain gaming is so important to BSC and how it will use its $1 billion growth fund to grow the gaming aspect of the chain how BSC’s relationship between Binance and BNB works    In the second half of the show, Sam and Gwendolyn respond to a few critiques, such as: is BSC really innovating, or is it just a copy and paste blockchain of Ethereum? why are there so many failed transactions on BSC? how is BSC addressing the numerous hacks on the blockchain? why has BSC’s share of total value locked among smart contract blockchains fallen from 20% in May to 6%?  how is BSC attempting to help developers, who, according to some critical posts, are struggling to work with BSC? why does it appear that some validators are front running without risk? does BSC have a future if Ethereum scales?  what does BSC have planned for 2022? Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021          Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Alchemy Pay:  https://alchemypay.org    Episode Links Gwendolyn Regina Twitter: https://twitter.com/gwendolynregina?lang=en Website: https://www.gwendolynregina.com/   Samy Karim LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsulkarim/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryp7omaxi    Binance Smart Chain Website: https://www.binance.org/en  Documentation: https://docs.binance.org/index.html  Binance Validator Reqs: https://academy.binance.com/en/articles/a-quick-guide-to-bnb-staking-on-binance-smart-chain-bsc Whitepaper: https://dex-bin.bnbstatic.com/static/Whitepaper_%20Binance%20Smart%20Chain.pdf    Binance 2021 Recap https://twitter.com/gwendolynregina/status/1476089910498971648   Misc Top BSC apps: https://dappradar.com/rankings/protocol/binance-smart-chain    Criticisms “Stoned teenager:” https://github.com/binance-chain/bsc/issues/553  NullQubit: https://github.com/binance-chain/bsc/issues/658  Other Larry Cermak: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1359426876440207361  Wilson Withiam: https://twitter.com/WilsonWithiam/status/1381420702918664194  Ryan Watkins: https://twitter.com/RyanWatkins_/status/1381421858675953665    BSC Research Nansen: https://www.nansen.ai/research/the-binance-smart-chain-scalability-in-action Bison Trails: https://bisontrails.co/guide-to-bsc/  Decrypt:  https://decrypt.co/58654/how-binance-put-the-smarts-in-its-smart-chain  https://decrypt.co/57420/binance-smart-chain-is-starting-to-rival-ethereum-heres-why  Messari (Pro): https://messari.io/article/exploring-the-binance-smart-chain-ecosystem  Galaxy Digital: https://docsend.com/view/tdgbf4sfmyd7sr3m    Twitter questions I received about Binance Smart Chain https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1480582386677133313  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle Samani and Tushar Jain, cofounders of Multicoin Capital, dive deeply into their sometimes controversial and unpopular opinions on how the crypto revolution will play out. They describe why they don't think the technology that a team develops early on will play nearly as big a role as some think, why there will be a spectrum of blockchains offering different features with different tradeoffs, and why they're bearish on stablecoins. They discuss why they disagree on whether or not the Lightning Network is revolutionary (and therefore why they disagree on whether Bitcoin is failing). Samani and Jain also explain how they decide whether or not to invest in a token, their strategies for trading and why they don't have to be invested in a project to help out. Multicoin: https://multicoin.capital/ Kyle Samani: @KyleSamani Tushar Jain: @TusharJain_ A blog post that came out after we recorded in which Kyle expands on his contention that technical features will matter less in the long-term success of a network than people think: https://multicoin.capital/2018/04/25/good-artists-copy-great-artists-steal/ Kyle's post on the outlook for coins for store of value, utility tokens and stablecoins: https://multicoin.capital/2018/03/15/paths-to-tens-of-trillions/ More Multicoin thinking around stablecoins: https://multicoin.capital/2018/01/17/an-overview-of-stablecoins/ Previous Unchained episode: Why It's So Hard to Keep Stablecoins Stable: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable Thank you to our sponsors: Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Sign up for our free regulatory newsletter! Silvergate Bank was once crypto’s most important banking partner, handling billions in deposits from the biggest players in the industry. Then, FTX collapsed—and everything changed. In this episode of Unchained, Mike Lempres, former chairman of Silvergate, talks about how Silvergate grew into a banking giant for crypto, why Washington suddenly turned against them—even after they survived the FTX crisis, and whether Operation Choke Point 2.0 was real. Plus, did short sellers and politicians work together to tank Silvergate’s stock? And what does the future look like for banks that want to serve crypto? This is part of the inside story of one of the biggest banking collapses in crypto history. Show highlights: 2:08 How Mike’s background in banking led him to work in crypto 4:10 Why banking has always been a challenge for crypto companies 5:14 How Silvergate Bank got involved so much with the industry and how it achieved “tremendous growth” 8:10 The “magic” of the Silvergate Exchange Network (SEN) 14:19 Why Mike believes Silvergate’s problem was not banking regulators, but D.C. politics 17:49 How everything changed after the FTX collapse 24:45 Whether SEN is a valuable asset for a bank to have 28:39 Why Mike believes that Operation Choke Point 2.0 is real 30:48 Whether short sellers worked with politicians to tank Silvergate 34:21 How Mike thinks that banks could service the crypto industry Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! RockWallet Somnia Network Quai Network Mantle Guest Mike Lempres, Former Chairman of Silvergate Bank Links Unchained:  Why the new FDIC Leadership Isn’t Convinced Operation Chokepoint 2.0 Exists Regulators Are Limiting Banks Serving Crypto Clients. Does That Violate the Law? Rep. French Hill Says He’d Investigate Operation Choke Point 2.0 as Financial Services Chair Are Regulatory Failures to Blame for Crypto Banking Issues? Caitlin Long on Why Operation Choke Point 2.0 Has Bankers Nervous Ahead of Debanking Hearings, Industry Is Divided on Political Strategy Caitlin Long on Why the Fed’s Rejections of Custodia Bank Seem Politically Motivated How Will the FTX Collapse Affect Silvergate? A Bear and a Bull Debate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Watkins and Wilson Withiam, senior research analysts at Messari, explain the nuts and bolts of Ethereum 2.0, including how it will transform ETH as an asset and why they believe it will be Ethereum’s most ambitious upgrade yet. Topics include: the different phases of Ethereum 2.0 and the functions they serve the problems Ethereum hopes to solve with this upgrade the technical requirements needed to ensure the launch can happen the new proof of stake consensus and why Ethereum is leaving proof of work behind the requirements necessary to maintain a validator node on the Ethereum 2.0 network why users won’t be able to use their ETH once it is staked on Ethereum 2.0 the incentives and services that will allow users staking on Ethereum 2.0 to continue using their ETH on Ethereum 1.0 whether the appeal of DeFi is a threat to Ethereum 2.0 staking how Ethereum 2.0 incentivizes client diversity the monetary policy of “minimum necessary issuance” that supports Ethereum 2.0 how Ethereum 2.0 will allow ETH to achieve the unprecedented combination of a store of value, a capital asset, and a commodity what will be done in the short term to help ease the scaling problem while ETH 2.0 is being built whether scalability can be efficiently addressed in time to prevent migrations to other blockchains and the most significant risks Ethereum 2.0 is facing   Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com   Episode links: Ryan Watkins: https://twitter.com/RyanWatkins_ Wilson Withiam: https://twitter.com/wilsonwithiam   Messari Crypto: https://messari.io/   Messari report on Ethereum 2:0: https://messari.io/road-to-eth2     Amount of ETH in the Ethereum 2.0 Deposit Contract: https://etherscan.io/address/0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa#analytics https://www.stakingrewards.com/earn/ethereum-2-0   ETH issuance based on amount staked: https://docs.ethhub.io/ethereum-basics/monetary-policy/#proof-of-stake-impact Dan Elitzer article on DETH: https://medium.com/ideo-colab/the-deth-of-ethereum-98553866e81b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Worldcoin is getting hit from all sides. Following a popular launch in late July, critics from the crypto community and public sector alike are coming out in droves with concerns about privacy, data protection, and tokenomics. Worldcoin co-founder Alex Blania joins the show to address the recent criticism and reiterate the project’s lofty goals. “It sounds crazy,” he said, “so you really need to understand the technology to understand why it’s not concerning.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: why Worldcoin believes in the idea of a universal basic income (UBI) how World ID actually works, from the initial “orb” scan to actually using the app Alex’s comments on the rise of a black market for World IDs whether Worldcoin is storing people’s biometric data how people don’t really understand the nuances of getting their irises scanned and why it’s fine that the “average person will not understand how crypto works,” according to Alex whether Worldcoin took into consideration the various regulations around the world what the purpose of the WLD token is why the project decided to launch the token with a low float  how Alex got convinced to join Worldcoin and become one of its leaders why Alex believes that Worldcoin will become a “very powerful technology” that will be the main project for onboarding people to crypto Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Arbitrum Foundation TOKEN2049 Guest: Alex Blania, cofounder of Worldcoin Previous appearances on Unchained: Is Sam Altman's Worldcoin the End of People's Privacy? Links Previous coverage of Unchained on Worldcoin: Why CoinFund Believes Worldcoin Could Become More Popular Than Bitcoin Unchained:  Worldcoin Can Be More ‘Widely Distributed’ Than Bitcoin, CoinFund Executives Say Worldcoin Launches Token on Mainnet, Plans to Deploy 1,500 Eyeball Scanning Orbs Is Sam Altman's Worldcoin the End of People's Privacy? CoinDesk:  Worldcoin Could Enable Wider Distribution of Crypto Than Even Bitcoin, Says CoinFund  Worldcoin Releases Tokenomics, Report Geofenced for Some Countries   The Block: German authorities probe Worldcoin project over privacy: Reuters Reuters: Kenyan government suspends activities of Worldcoin in country Rest of World: Why are people lining up for Worldcoin eyeball scans? “Easy $50,”  What do I think about biometric proof of personhood? By Vitalik Buterin MIT Technology Review: Deception, exploited workers, and cash handouts: How Worldcoin recruited its first half a million test users Ouriel Ohayon’s video Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, the crew explores the resurgence of ICOs through Echo sales, diving into MegaEth’s record-breaking sale and the shifting meta of token launches. They also discuss Google’s quantum computing breakthrough with the Willow chip and its potential implications for cryptographic security in crypto. Tarun doubles down on his critique of Decentralized Science (DeSci), sparking a lively debate on its viability and accountability. Finally, the team unpacks Electric Capital’s developer report, highlighting Solana’s dominance in India and the global trends shaping crypto development. Show highlights 🔹 ICOs and Echo Sales Resurgence:The crew debates the return of ICOs, now rebranded as Echo sales, and their impact on token launches. Is the shift from airdrops to pre-sales a sustainable new meta for crypto? 🔹 MegaEth’s Record-Breaking Sale on Echo: A detailed analysis of MegaEth's $4.2M Echo sale that sold out in seconds. With a $200M FDV, the sale sparked discussions about community involvement and valuation dynamics. 🔹 Airdrops vs. Echo Sales: The panel dissects the shift in sentiment around airdrops, questioning their fairness and efficiency compared to community presales. Are Echo sales the new paradigm for engaging retail investors? 🔹 Quantum Computing and Crypto’s Future: Google’s breakthrough with the Willow chip sparks a discussion on quantum computing’s implications for cryptocurrencies. Is public key cryptography under threat, or do we have time to adapt? 🔹 The Satoshi Dilemma: Speculations about Satoshi Nakamoto’s coins and what would happen if they were ever moved. Could quantum computing make those coins vulnerable? 🔹 Decentralized Science (DeSci) Debate: Tarun doubles down on his criticism of DeSci projects, arguing they lack accountability and meaningful use cases. The team explores whether DeSci can evolve into something impactful. 🔹 Electric Capital’s Developer Report: Reactions to Electric Capital’s 2024 developer report, highlighting Asia overtaking North America in crypto developer activity, Solana’s dominance in India, and the growing trend of multi-chain developers. 🔹 Developer Efficiency in Crypto: Despite the plateauing number of developers, crypto projects demonstrate incredible efficiency. Fewer hacks, more battle-hardened code, and a shift toward higher-quality deployment signal a maturing space. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Disclosures Timestamps  00:00 Intro 01:52 The Return of ICOs 07:29 Airdrops vs. Community Sales 19:27 Quantum Computing and Crypto 28:18 Bitcoin Addresses & Quantum Computing 32:24 DeSci Debate 42:56 Electric Capital Developer Report 51:35 Developer Efficiency in Crypto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amidst a wide-ranging crackdown on all kinds of crypto players, Representative Tom Emmer talks about recent enforcement actions, the classification of cryptocurrencies as securities or commodities, the potential impact of US regulatory actions on the country’s global economic power, and the Federal Reserve's upcoming payment system. He touches on the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in the crypto industry and the role of government in fostering these developments. Show highlights: why Rep. Emmer thinks there's an operation to cut crypto off from the banking system how, as he puts it, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been 'dancing on the grave' of the recent banking failures how the interest in crypto in Congress has changed over time, especially after the Infrastructure bill in 2021 whether the CFTC lawsuit against Binance represents an "appropriate" use of enforcement actions why Rep. Emmer says that bureaucrats are trying to polarize blockchain technology how the US’s attitudes toward crypto could affect the country’s global power why he is against FedNow, the new Federal Reserve's payment system Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Railgun DAO  Guest Congressman and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer Previous appearances on Unchained: Rep. Tom Emmer, One of the Most Active Crypto Congress Members, on Taxes and DeFi Links Operation Choke Point 2.0: Coverage of Unchained Podcast on the topic: Is the Government Trying to Kill Off Crypto in the US? Operation Choke Point 2.0 Is Underway, And Crypto Is In Its Crosshairs Enforcement actions Unchained: CFTC Sues Binance and CZ Over US Regulatory Violations SEC Issues Coinbase a Wells Notice Coverage of Unchained Podcast on the recent regulatory crackdown:  Why the CFTC Case Against Binance Will Have Very Important Consequences for Crypto Coinbase’s Top Lawyer Calls SEC Wells Notice a ‘Massive Overreach’  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe to our newsletter! https://unchainedcrypto.beehiiv.com/subscribe Trump’s new wave of tariffs has reignited the debate: Are they good for the economy or a disaster waiting to happen? Some say tariffs will crush trade, boost inflation, and slow growth—but others argue they could weaken the dollar and send bitcoin soaring. On this episode of Bits + Bips, Jeff Park of Bitwise, along with James Seyffart, Alex Kruger and Noelle Acheson, battle it out over the real impact of Trump’s tariffs, whether they could spark a new Plaza Accord 2.0, and why ETH took a harder hit than BTC in the latest selloff. Plus, is Trump’s economic strategy really about making America great again—or just about keeping his own real estate empire afloat? Jeff makes a bold claim outlining Trump’s #1 goal—one that his personal wealth depends on. Show highlights: 2:38 - Why Jeff believes that people’s reaction to tariffs was bizarre 7:09 - Why Jeff is convinced that tariffs are good for bitcoin 10:18 - Why Alex is so against tariffs 21:37 - How tariffs actually affect consumers 27:36 - What’s Trump’s number one priority is, according to Jeff 36:26 - Whether inflation will eventually come back to previous levels 41:05 - Why ETH got hit the hardest on Sunday night 49:56 - Whether the ETH/BTC ratio has bottomed 51:03 - How Hyperliquid’s HYPE held up so strongly 53:02 - The significance of Tether adding USDT to the Lightning Network Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Noelle Acheson, Author of the “Crypto Is Macro Now” Newsletter  Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Guest:  Jeff Park, Head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise Previous appearance on Bits + Bips: The Real ‘Trump Trade’ & Why Trump's World Liberty Financial Was a Flop Links AP: Canada and Mexico agree with Trump to postpone tariffs by at least 30 days Eric Trump on X: "In my opinion, it’s a great time to add $ETH." Unchained:  USDT Integrates With Bitcoin and Lightning Network ETH Crashes After Trump Imposes Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ram Ahluwalia, CEO and cofounder of crypto-native investment advisor Lumida, and Marc Cohodes, individual investor and former hedge fund manager, have a heated debate about Silvergate, a crypto-friendly bank that plays a key role in integrating crypto with traditional finance and is currently under scrutiny due to its ties with FTX and Alameda. Both Marc and Ram have a vested interest in Silvergate. Marc is shorting the stock, while Ram is longing it.   Show highlights: why Silvergate plays such a vital role in the movement of money within the crypto industry whether Silvergate runs proper KYC and AML practices whether Silvergate has a $1 billion hole in its balance sheet whether regulators will go after Silvergate as they are doing with FTX why Marc thinks the FTX collapse wouldn't have happened without Silvergate  whether Silvergate was complicit with FTX’s activities or simply negligent  why Ram believes this case is different from JPMorgan's involvement with Madoff  what regulatory actions might come in the near future for Silvergate  why Ram thinks regulators will go to "great lengths" to avoid a bank failure what would it take for Ram and Marc to change their minds   Take Unchained's 2022 survey!   Unchained is doing its annual survey. Tell us how you think we’re doing and how we could improve, whether it be on the podcast, in the newsletter, or in our premium offering. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!  Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis Minima DeFi Saver  Guests: Ram: Twitter Ram’s thread on Silvergate Ram’s previous appearances on Unchained: Genesis May Be Facing Bankruptcy. Could It Take DCG Down With It? Why Genesis Could Very Well Be Insolvent, Not Just Illiquid Marc: Twitter   Episode links: Class action lawsuit against Silvergate The Block: Silvergate CEO seeks to reassure investors over crypto contagion Letter from Senators Elizabeth Warren, John Kennedy, and Roger Marshall The Guardian: JP Morgan Chase to pay more than $2bn in penalties for Madoff ties The Financial Times: Silvergate: from tiny local lender to bank behind the crypto boom WSJ: Crypto Is Taking a Few Small Banks on a Wild Ride Bloomberg:  These Banks Were Left Holding the Bag in Crypto Implosion An Obscure Bank Found Its Key to Success. Then FTX Collapsed CoinDesk: Crypto Bank Silvergate Says Its BlockFi Digital-Asset Deposit Exposure Totals Less Than $20M New York Post: Crypto ‘smart’ money? Big traders fell for Sam Bankman-Fried NBC: Sen. Warren demands answers from Silvergate Bank about its business dealings with FTX Dylan LeClair’s Twitter thread Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World Liberty Financial (WLF), the Trump-backed DeFi project, launched this Monday.  In this episode, crypto security expert Ogle discusses his role as an advisor to WLF. He dives into why he joined the project, what makes it unique, and how Trump’s involvement could bridge the gap for many who are new to the space.  Plus, Ogle shares his thoughts on the security challenges WLF might face and the project's potential to rival major players in the market. He also touches on his new L1 blockchain Glue, and why he thinks it will provide a better user experience than what is out in crypto today. Show highlights: 2:05 Ogle’s background and how he came up with a standard for dealing with crypto hacks 10:28 Where crypto hackers are usually from 13:21 Why he does security work for free 16:57 Why Ogle is advising the Trump family’s DeFi project, World Liberty Financial 22:30 Why some in the crypto community are skeptical of WLF 26:39 His thoughts on how to prevent a crypto hack of a high-profile project 32:52 Why Ogle is not worried about WLF having been forked from the hacked app Dough Finance 33:54 How the Trump family is involved in WLF 41:00 How Donald Trump is excited about the project and actually gets it, according to Ogle 43:49 Why Ogle believes WLF will attract as much traction as the entire market cap of Shiba Inu 47:04 How Ogle's new layer 1 blockchain, Glue, aims to be crypto’s AOL 56:33 Why Glue’s L2s will be specific to certain areas of the industry 1:02:41 When Ogle expects Glue to launch and whether it’ll have a token 1:04:19 How North Korean hackers are now “just so clever, socially” 1:13:56 Ogle’s tips for crypto users Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Mantle Stellar Gemini Guest: Ogle, crypto security expert, founder of Glue, and advisor to World Liberty Financial. Previous appearance on The Chopping Block: How This DeFi Hack Negotiator Gets Hackers to Return Stolen Money Links World Liberty Financial (WLFI) Unchained: Trump’s New DeFi Project Could Be a Magnet for Hackers CoinDesk: In Trump-Backed Crypto Project World Liberty Financial (WLFI), Insiders Are Poised for Unusually Big Token Payouts  IBTimes: Donald Trump Announces DeFi Project's Launch Date – What To Know About World Liberty Financial Latin Times: Who Is Ogle? The Crypto Sleuth Recruited As An Advisor For Trump's DeFi Project Glue: Glue, The Web3 Network Built for Regular Users How Glue Will Keep User Assets Safe Scams and North Korea: FBI Fraud report North Kora Aggressively Targeting Crypto Industry with Well-Disguised Social Engineering Attacks   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Smith, the CEO of Blockchain, discusses how the company got started, why the company is focused on users owning their own private keys and how that is what enables all the most interesting applications of blockchain technology. He talks about the full range of customers and markets they serve, their lending business and their dark pool. We also discuss regulation, SegWit, nation-states getting involved in crypto and why Blockchain plans to go public. Read more on Forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/06/04/everything-interesting-in-crypto-relies-on-having-a-private-key/ Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Peter Smith: https://twitter.com/OneMorePeter Blockchain: https://www.blockchain.com Wired article on the short period when cofounder Ben Reeves worked with Brian Armstrong: https://www.wired.com/2014/03/what-is-bitcoin/ Dovey Wan tweet on manipulative trade on Bitstamp/Bitmex: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1129246233917382656 Fortune article on Blockchain launching an exchange: http://fortune.com/2018/02/15/blockchain-google-coinbase/ SEC guidance mentioning airdrops: https://www.sec.gov/files/dlt-framework.pdf FinCen guidance mentioning hosted vs. unheated wallets: https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/2019-05/FinCEN%20Guidance%20CVC%20FINAL%20508.pdf Blockchain's Airdrop of XLM: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2018/11/06/stellar-is-airdropping-125-million-to-blockchain-wallet-users/ The Wall Street exodus from crypto: https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2019/01/143834-is-the-exodus-from-wall-street-to-crypto-reversing-jamie-selway-leaves-blockchain/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bitcoin crossed the $100,000 mark, only to slump back down on Tuesday, sparking debates about what’s next for the crypto markets. In this episode, James Seyffart and Alex Kruger are joined by Charles Edwards of quant fund Capriole Investments to break down the macro trends shaping Bitcoin’s trajectory. From Trump’s inauguration to the Fed’s looming decisions on quantitative tightening, they analyze the key factors influencing risk assets. Plus, they unpack the premium on MicroStrategy’s BTC holdings, the future of AI agents in crypto and whether AI agent swarms might someday hire humans, and their bold predictions —supercycle? SOL ETFs?—for 2025. Show highlights: 01:54 Why bitcoin broke the $100K level again 07:28 How the markets will react to the inauguration of Donald Trump as President 19:09 What factors will affect the Fed’s next decision on rates 26:38 What the premium of MSTR to its BTC holdings should be 34:37 Why they all hate the current version of AI agents 43:19 Why Charles likes Ethena and ENA 45:49 Alex’s and Charles’ thoughts on what to expect in 2025: supercycle incoming? 50:01 Alex’s analysis on the market corrections and what they teach us 57:34 Whether James believes the spot Solana ETF will be approved this year Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Guest: Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Investments  Links Capriole Investments | Update #58 MicroStrategy just bought another $100m in Bitcoin on path to $2bn spree – DL News With AI Agents Now Trading Crypto, What Does Their Future Look Like? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunny Aggarwal, co-founder of Osmosis Labs, talks about how Osmosis is being built, the innovations that are coming, the reasons to use app chains, and much more. Show highlights: how Sunny got into crypto  how the DAO hack turned him off Ethereum at first  how the scaling issues with Ethereum got him interested in the Cosmos vision of app-chains why he is interested in Proof of Stake what the vision of Cosmos is how Sunny compares the evolution of blockchains with human evolution why he thinks that Cosmos integrates the best of Bitcoin and Ethereum networks why he thinks that having more than one Proof of Work chain is fundamentally insecure which three technologies are necessary for Cosmos to succeed what IBC and the Cosmos SDK do why Sunny decided to build Osmosis  how automated market makers are massively underexplored why UX is such a priority for the Osmosis team why Sunny does not want to list the OSMO token on other exchanges why Osmosis has a curated dex as well as a permissionless one how Osmosis governance works  how security is provided on Osmosis what superfluid staking is how CosmWasm helps Osmosis compete with centralized exchanges how Osmosis is solving frontrunning with threshold encryption why the Osmosis team chose Axelar for bridging whether Yuga Labs could have used an app chain    Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance/   EPISODE LINKS Sunny Aggarwal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunnya97 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnya97/   COSMOS What is Cosmos: https://v1.cosmos.network/intro Cosmos whitepaper: https://v1.cosmos.network/resources/whitepaper CosmWasm: https://cosmwasm.com/ Cosmos IBC: https://www.coinbase.com/es/cloud/discover/dev-foundations/ibc-protocol#:~:text=The%20Cosmos%20ecosystem%20has%20a,protocol%20(IBC)%20was%20created. Cosmos SDK: https://v1.cosmos.network/sdk OSMOSIS  Twitter: https://twitter.com/OsmosisZone Website: https://osmosis.zone/ Superfluid staking: https://medium.com/osmosis/osmosis-superfluid-staking-launch-feb-28-45f8e43064af Osmosis Vision: https://medium.com/osmosis/vision-for-osmosis-e68e796ff1c2 Threshold Encryption: https://medium.com/zero-knowledge-validator/privacy-in-cosmos-defi-edition-event-summary-8cafda021aa6#:~:text=Threshold%20encryption%2C%20applied%20by%20Osmosis,of%20votes%20required%20for%20consensus. Osmosis Governance: https://docs.osmosis.zone/overview/governance.html   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave, comes onto the show to discuss the lending protocol and second-biggest DeFi project by total value locked. Here are some of the highlights:  How Stani’s background studying law and his passion for fintech led him to the world of smart contracts (1:53) Why he decided to transition ETHLend to Aave, and how that eliminated the “meme” narrative (5:55) How Stani would explain Aave to a five-year-old, or your normie friend (9:04) What new features were released in Aave v2 (15:54) reducing overall gas costs aTokens swapping collateral debt tokens What Aavenomics is and how the “safety module” attempts to keep the protocol secure (20:39) How AAVE works as a governance token Active versus passive risk in governance staking How Aave is transitioning from a centralized to a decentralized protocol (25:01) what he's finding difficult about this process issues with voting and an over-reliance on the Aave team delegating voting power to what he calls “protocol politicians” and whether this is good or bad for DeFi Who is using Aave and how they are using it? (37:27) what OpenLaw is and how OpenLaw contracts work how credit delegation, or unsecured loans enforced by law, differ in v2 vs V1 how people could use lending protocols to build credit What Aave plans to do with the E-Money (EMI) license it obtained in the UK (50:51) Since Aave was a pioneer in flash loans, which are responsible for the majority of DeFi attacks, whether Stani would do anything differently (53:12) Aave’s partnership with tokenized real estate project RealT and how Aave manages it given that, in the US, RealT tokens are securities and can only be sold to accredited investors (58:42) How Aave has been thinking about scaling given the high fees on Ethereum (1:03:57) Why building a moat in DeFi is impossible (1:07:16) What is next for Aave (1:11:40)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/   Episode links:  Stani Kulechov: https://twitter.com/StaniKulechov Aave: https://aave.com Aave stats: https://aavewatch.com   Protocols mentioned ETHLend: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ethlend-announces-launch-of-new-parent-company-aave-300713825.html Aavegotchi: https://www.coindesk.com/defi-game-aavegotchi-preps-for-jan-4-mainnet-launch-with-nft-auctions RealT: https://medium.com/aave/realt-market-coming-to-the-aave-protocol-da4499a1e965 Yearn: https://yearn.finance/ Uniswap: https://uniswap.org/ Sushiswap: https://sushiswap.fi/ Kyber: http://kyber.network/ Balancer: https://balancer.finance/ $LINK: https://chain.link/ Aavenomics Aave’s documentation: https://docs.aave.com/aavenomics/ Safety Module: https://docs.aave.com/aavenomics/safety-module Summary: https://aave.com/aavenomics/ More background: https://defirate.com/aavenomics-upgrade/ Decentralization concepts Handing off admin keys: https://decrypt.co/46544/aave-officially-hands-over-governance-keys-to-defi-community + https://medium.com/aave/aave-admin-key-handover-3e09e603d348 OpenLaw: https://www.openlaw.io/ Protocol Governance: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/73336/defi-lending-aave-token + https://docs.aave.com/developers/protocol-governance/governance Other topics Electronic Money Licence: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/75845/aave-uk-fca-emi-license-defi Unsecured Loans: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/70678/aave-launches-new-service-for-unsecured-peer-to-peer-loans-on-ethereum Flash Loans: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/93740/flash-loans-as-a-capital-boost-tool Aave Version 2: https://medium.com/aave/the-aave-protocol-v2-f06f299cee04 + https://github.com/aave/protocol-v2/blob/master/aave-v2-whitepaper.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Starknet made news this week for announcing what will be the largest initial airdrop by number of eligible addresses ever. But it faced heavy criticism online for many of the details of the airdrop, from the fact that Ethereum solo takers received almost 22% of the distribution to eligibility requirements that users held at least 0.005 ETH in their wallets as of Nov. 15, 2023 to the fact that the token generation event took place almost two years before the unlock date. Starkware CEO Eli Ben-Sasson joined Unchained to respond to the multiple critiques of the airdrop and discuss why he and the Starknet Foundation decided on the details that they did.   Show highlights: What the airdrop criteria was and why they decided to make it that way Why they allocated so much $STRK to Ethereum solo stakers Eli’s response to the criticism about how little Starknet network participants got in the airdrop Why the STRK Token Generation Event (TGE) was done in 2022, only to be airdropped two years later Why Eli believes that even if the unlock of tokens is in two months, it does not indicate misalignment of incentives Whether Eli will sell his tokens when they become unvested Thank you to our sponsors! Popcorn Network iTrustCapital Polkadot Guest Eli Ben-Sasson, CEO of Starkware Links Recent coverage of Unchained on airdrops: Jupiter Founder Meow to Critics of JUP Airdrop: ‘Give Me a Break’ Unchained:  Starknet’s Airdrop Plan Sparks Some Praise but Also Outrage Starknet’s First Token Distribution Will Be Available to Nearly 1.3 Million Addresses The Defiant: Starknet Faces Backlash Over Airdrop and Team Unlocks Loomdart’s tweet on the TGE Learn more: Do You Have to Pay Taxes on a Crypto Airdrop? What Is a Crypto Airdrop? A Beginner's Guide  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mitchell F. Chan, who released one of the first NFT projects on Ethereum back in 2017, discusses his projects, making art on a blockchain, how NFTs are transforming the traditional art world, and more. Show topics: Mitchell’s art career before NFTs how Mitchell was inspired by Yves Klein’s 1950's work 'Zones of Immaterial Pictorial Sensibility’ the story behind Mitchell’s OG NFT art project: ‘Digital Zones of Immaterial Pictorial Sensibility’  what the traditional world thinks about NFTs who is collecting NFT art the story behind Mitchell’s 2021 NFT project: ‘LeWitt Generator Generator’ why Mitchell has not minted any more NFTs this year – even though the market has been on fire whether Mitchell thinks NFTs are changing the art world (hint: he thinks yes) NFTs and the financialization of art why Mitchell can empathize with some of the backlash about NFTs coming from the traditional art and gaming industries Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021        Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ         Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained     Episode Links   Mitchell Chan Twitter: https://twitter.com/mitchellfchan Discord: https://discord.com/invite/4QdtdZWMpN  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellfchan/  Gallery: https://chan.gallery/    Content: DIGITAL ZONES OF IMMATERIAL PICTORIAL SENSIBILITY (Sotheby’s NFT - $1M+) Sotheby’s Sale: https://metaverse.sothebys.com/natively-digital/lots/digital_zone_of_immaterial_pictorial_sensibility  33 Page Essay: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcdKPjcJgYX2k7weqZLoKjHqB9tWxEV5oKBcPV6L8b5dD https://twitter.com/mitchellfchan/status/1465699544436330496  OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/ikb-cachet-de-garantie-1  TL;DR: https://twitter.com/LeonidasNFT/status/1470397221548052480  Video Essays on NFTs (super interesting) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtUGpOe-zE4&list=PLVRveZVaYYqHZKN_5oH8wC5QBRMMlXdBT&t=25s  Sol Lewitt Generator Generator https://medium.com/@mitchellfchan/nfts-generative-art-and-sol-lewitt-e99a5fa2b0cb  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Avraham Eisenberg, blogger at DeepFi Value – more commonly known as the Mango Markets attacker – shared his insights about the exploitation of code, his personal story, and why there’s hatred directed towards profitable traders.    Show highlights: Laura’s description of the Mango Markets exploit the way in which code gets used in a different way from the original intention why Avi decided to return part of the funds he got from exploiting Mango Markets Avi’s clarification of a misconception regarding the bad debt of Mango Markets the difference between arbitrage trades and exploits why people making profitable strategies are hated, according to Avi how Avi got into crypto and the story of his failed online business  whether it is possible to run non-zero-sum games what he thinks of Compound’s decision to pause activity on illiquid assets     Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Ava Labs   Avi Twitter DeepFi Value    Mango Markets exploit Explanation of the exploit “Highly profitable trading strategy” Twitter thread Mango Markets $42M Reimbursement Proposal Passes Mango Markets Exploiter Returns $67M After Revealing His Identity Mango Markets Hacker Proposes Keeping $70M ‘Bad Debt’ As Bounty Solana’s Mango Markets Sees $100M Drained in DeFi Exploit Previous discussion of Mango Markets on Unchained: The Chopping Block: 'Code Is Law' Is 'Obviously Not How Anything Works Ever'   Avi’s online business storyCompound Votes to Pause Activity for Illiquid Crypto Assets   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry.  Show topics: Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter – and its effect on DOGE the irony that people working in centralized companies want to decentralize Twitter whether Twitter is going to become like Facebook why Twitter has been the most pro-crypto among big tech companies why Tarun thinks Binance Pay is an impressive product whether it is possible to run a decentralized social media for billions of users the debate between Sam Bankman-Fried and Erik Voorhees about crypto regulation whether crypto exchange CEOs are true believers in the philosophy of crypto why Haseeb believes Sam Bankman-Fried is a very honest person how Reddit used a simple strategy to gain massive adoption whether it is necessary to rebrand NFTs Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Robert Leshner, founder of Compound  Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital Episode Links Twitter acquisition What Are the Potential Impacts of Musk’s Twitter Purchase? Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX, will receive between $50 million and $100 million from Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Vitalik Buterin said Musk’s idea of charging $8 a month for a blue check on Twitter could “damage the blue check's anti-scam role.” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said he would join Twitter’s board if Elon Musk asked him to.  Crypto regulation Industry Leaders Debate How to Regulate DeFi Bankless debate between SBF and Erik Voorhees  Alameda’s Balance Sheet Sparks Controversy Trojan Horse of NFTs? Reddit Onboards 3M Wallets as Trading Volume Soars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are Solana ETFs on the brink of approval? How might political outcomes influence this decision?  Join hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann as they delve into the latest buzz around Solana’s potential spot ETFs, dissect the SEC's puzzling delay on Ethereum ETFs, and debate why Bitcoin’s recent performance has diverged from the NASDAQ. They also discuss the U.S. presidential election, the event that Alex says was the “second most bizarre thing” he’s seen in his life, what the bond market seems to indicate about expectations for a Trump presidency, and how upcoming nonfarm payroll reports and potential rate might affect the markets.  Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:47 How political outcomes might influence the approval of spot Solana ETFs 04:16 Whether futures ETFs are 100% needed for an approval of spot crypto ETFs 09:26 The high premium on Grayscale's Solana Trust (GSOL) 13:50 How the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could impact the crypto industry 20:55 Why the SEC delayed the launch of the Ethereum ETF 24:53 How the upcoming nonfarm payroll report and potential rate cuts impact market volatility and the Federal Reserve's decisions 27:51 How the rise of populist candidates in France and changes in currency markets might affect the US dollar and the broader economic landscape 31:40 How Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana performed in Q2, and the surprising outperformance of BONK 34:45 Why Bitcoin's performance diverged from the Nasdaq's recent rally 45:48 How recent movements in long-term bond rates are linked to political changes, such as the rise of right-wing populism and concerns about fiscal responsibility 52:45 How FTX creditors could potentially influence market dynamics, and the irony in the US government using Coinbase as a custodian Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s chief legal officer, shares his concerns about the SEC’s recent warning that it would pursue legal action against the crypto exchange. With the U.S. markets regulator failing to provide clear rules on digital assets, Grewal discusses the implications for Coinbase and for the future of crypto in the United States. Show highlights: why Grewal was not surprised by the Wells notice  how Coinbase asked the SEC multiple times for clear rules and got no response, according to Grewal how the SEC is withholding information about which rules Coinbase allegedly broke, according to Grewal Coinbase’s efforts to disclose everything about its operations  whether Grewal thinks there was a change in the regulators’ approach after the collapse of FTX why Grewal thinks this is not the right way to go to keep crypto in the United States the jurisdictional fight between the CFTC and the SEC whether Coinbase will proceed with litigation  why Grewal thinks the Wells notice is a “shot at crypto as a whole” why Coinbase believes that its products are “fully compliant” what opportunities the U.S. Congress has to legislate blockchain technology Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Railgun DAO  Guest Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase Previous appearances on Unchained: Just a Coincidence? Coinbase and Polygon Lawyers See Bad Omens in SEC Crackdown Links Coinbase:  We asked the SEC for reasonable crypto rules for Americans. We got legal threats instead. The Crypto Securities Market is Waiting to be Unlocked. But First We Need Workable Rules. Unchained:  SEC Issues Coinbase a Wells Notice U.S. Supreme Court Hears First Crypto Case: Coinbase Arbitration Dispute Bloomberg: Coinbase (COIN) Gets SEC Wells Notice Over Crypto Offerings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santiago Siri, the cofounder and president of Democracy Earth, reads from his essay on how governance and identity change in the age of cryptography. Thank you to our sponsors!  Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this live recording of a panel discussion at the CoinAlts Fund Symposium, Marco Santori, president and chief legal officer of Blockchain, managing director at Grayscale Investments, and Barbara Minuzzi, cofounder and managing partner of Ausum Ventures take stock of the 2017 year and discuss a range of trends they're seeing in the industry. Santori describes what the ICO wave was like from his seat as one of the most in-demand lawyers for ICOs, and why he doesn't actually think that securities (such as a SAFT) can later transform into something that is a non-security. He also talks about how big corporations are thinking about use blockchain technology -- and why we haven't yet seen much activity on that front in the market. We talk about the current clouds over the industry -- custody and regulation -- and Sonnenshein explains why investors choose Grayscale's investment products, such as the Bitcoin Investment Trust, rather that investing in the coin directly, and  Blockchain.info: https://blockchain.info Grayscale Investments: https://grayscale.co Ausum Ventures: https://www.ausum.vc Thank you to the CoinAlts Fund Symposium for hosting the panel: https://www.coinaltsfundsymposium.com For more on regulatory issues, check out these past episodes: Perianne Boring and Amy Kim of the Chamber of Digital Commerce on crypto regulation: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-chamber-of-digital-commerces-perianne-boring-and-amy-kim-on-why-us-crypto-regulation-is-complicated-and-confusing The Tax Rules That Have Crypto Investors Aghast: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-tax-rules-that-have-crypto-users-aghast How Crypto and Blockchain Technology Should Be Regulated: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-crypto-and-blockchain-technology-should-be-regulated Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh of Coin Center: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-coin-center-is-helping-define-the-big-fuzzy-gray-area-of-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-law Caitlin Long on How 'Utility Tokens' Are Now Legal in Wyoming: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/caitlin-long-on-how-utility-tokens-are-now-legal-in-wyoming Former DOJ Prosecutor Kathryn Haun on What the SEC Subpoenas and FinCen Letter Likely Mean: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/sxsw-episode-former-doj-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-what-the-sec-subpoenas-and-fincen-letter-likely-mean For more on custody issues, check out the episode with Mike Belshe of BitGo and its acquisition of Kingdom Trust: http://unchainedpodcast.co/mike-belshe-on-what-bitgos-kingdom-trust-acquisition-means-for-crypto-and-how-security-will-develop-in-the-future Thank you to our sponsors! Ethereal Summit: https://etherealsummit.com Quantstamp: https://www.quantstamp.com StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take the Unchained 2023 survey! Over the past year, the crypto industry has seen the rise of a new trend: the adoption of points systems.  Li Jin, cofounder of Variant Fund, says that while points systems have long been a staple in the Web2 domain, their integration into the crypto ecosystem could have pitfalls.  She covers how these points are currently being leveraged within crypto applications in the hopes of driving user engagement and retention, why they’re taking off now, and why they’re off-chain. She also points out that, if implemented poorly, they could engender disloyalty instead of leading to sustainable communities, and urges founders to be thoughtful about the design of these systems, especially about how points translate to economic value. Show highlights: What points are in crypto and their role in rewarding user behavior​​ Examples of popular projects that have successfully implemented points systems​​ Why points mechanisms are gaining traction in crypto, offering benefits of tokens without the downsides​​ Whether points, which are currently off-chain, will eventually move on-chain, and the implications for users and founders​​ How points can incentivize inorganic behavior, drawing from Li Jin's experience in the Web2 sector​​ The potential pitfalls of points systems and how they can sometimes create more disloyalty than loyalty​​ Identifying which crypto projects are best suited for using points, and the importance of product-market fit​​ Why keeping the economic value of points ambiguous can enhance user engagement and loyalty​​ Whether points are being used by projects to navigate around regulatory challenges​​ Future developments in points systems, including the potential of bringing points on-chain for a universal loyalty system​​ Thank you to our sponsors! Arbitrum Foundation Uniswap Popcorn Network Phemex Guest Li Jin, cofounder and General Partner at Variant Fund Previous appearances on Unchained:  Will Every Piece of Media Enter the Internet as an NFT? Variant Fund Says Yes The Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown! Links Points Li’s Newsletter: Lessons on Points Programs for Crypto Apps Li’s comments on the topic:  Tweet 1 on points entering “the crypto app zeitgeist” Tweet 2 on points discounting the cost of the product Tweet 3 on points and product-market-fit Tweet 4 on how points can “distort activity” CoinDesk:  Crypto Points: Off-Chain Derivatives That Everyone is Talking About  Web3 Loyalty Programs Are a Trojan Horse for Good Crypto Policy DL News: Why DeFi protocols love to offer ‘points’ before airdrops  Projects using points Rainbow wallet Friend.tech Blast Blackbirds Marginfi Parcl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes, fresh out of home confinement after settling charges with the U.S. government, joins “The Chopping Block” with Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra. The early crypto pioneer pulls no punches in his assessment of SBF, TradFi’s failings, and how crypto traders lost the plot in trusting CeFi middlemen. Show highlights:  why Arthur travels with stuffed animals, and what his favorite brands are what factors led Sam Bankman-Fried to success how Bill Clinton seems to be related to many multibillion-dollar downfalls whether everyone in crypto thinks that prices are eventually going up what’s the thesis behind Maelstrom, Arthur’s new investment arm why he’s bullish on decentralization but also game to trade “dog shit” what the impact of Silvergate’s failure will be on the crypto industry what would Arthur have done if he was the CEO of Silvergate the role of rising interest rates in understanding Silvergate’s downfall why holding Tether’s USDT is not so different from USDC why crypto needs alternatives to dollar-backed stablecoins the real reasons why the U.S. Treasury is worried about stablecoins Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Robert Leshner, founder of Compound  Guest Arthur Hayes, cofounder of BitMEX Twitter Medium Disclosures Links Unchained:  ​​Silvergate to Wind Down Operations in ‘Voluntary Liquidation’ Silvergate Confers With FDIC to Avoid Closing Down: Report Silvergate Shuts Down Crypto Payments Network Bloomberg: Silvergate Had a Crypto Bank Run NYMAG: Arthur Hayes, the Original King of Crypto, Is Back. Arthur’s posts:  White Boy Dust on Crust Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On day 10 of the Sam Bankman-Fried trial, SBF’s defense team tried to discredit Nishad Singh, a key witness for the prosecution. Despite their efforts, Singh's testimony about FTX's financial mismanagement and Bankman-Fried's questionable ethics remained largely unchallenged. The defense's line of questioning focused on Singh's memory and inconsistencies in his statements, but prosecutors were quick to counter these points in their redirect. FBI Agent Richard Busick presented an analysis of Bankman-Fried's phone locations, revealing his connections to influential political figures like former U.S. President Bill Clinton and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.  Can this information impact the jury's perception of Bankman-Fried as the trial continues to unfold?  Catch up on Unchained’s previous coverage:  SBF Trial, Day 1: Possible Witnesses Include FTX Insiders, Big Names in Crypto, and SBF’s Family SBF Trial, Day 2: DOJ Says Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Lied’ While Defense Claims His Actions Were ‘Reasonable’ SBF Trial, Day 3: Why a True Believer in FTX Flipped Once He Learned One Fact SBF Trial, Day 4: SBF’s Lawyers Annoy Judge Kaplan, While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges SBF Trial, Day 5: SBF's Defense Finally Found Its Legs, But Can It Counter Caroline Ellison? SBF Trial, Day 6: Caroline Ellison Recalls 'The Worst Week of My Life' SBF Trial, Day 7: In SBF Trial, Did the Defense Lose Its Opportunity With the Star Witness? SBF Trial, Day 8: Former BlockFi CEO Adds Credibility to Fraud Charges SBF Trial, Day 9: Nishad Singh Describes Former FTX CEO as a Bully and Big Spender Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors? Why These Lawyers Say It's Over for SBF-But His Only Hail Mary Is to Testify Here’s How Sam Bankman-Fried’s High-Stakes Trial Could Play Out SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case The High-Stakes Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried Begins: What to Expect Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we dive into the impact of celebrity-endorsed memecoins, featuring Iggy Azalea's new coin 'Mother' and Andrew Tate's 'Daddy.' We discuss how these phenomena influence the broader crypto market, recent trends in airdrops, and the challenge of Sybil resistance. Additionally, we explore the permissionless nature of crypto and the trade-offs involved in fun and chaotic projects, including the explosive rise of 'Hamster Kombat.' Tune in for an in-depth look at how pop culture intersects with the core principles of cryptocurrency, shaping current market sentiment. Show highlights 🔹 Crypto Market Sentiment: Discussion on the latest market trends and how inflation numbers are impacting the community.  🔹 Memecoins & Celebrities: Analysis of Iggy Azalea's $Mother and the phenomenon of celebrity-launched memecoins.  🔹 Emerging Memecoins: Insights into new memecoins, including issues with fake and hacked accounts.  🔹 Tap-to-Earn Games: Overview of the rapid growth of simple click-based games like Hamster Kombat.  🔹 Airdrop Controversies: Exploration of recent controversies, particularly involving zkSync and LayerZero, and challenges of Sybil attacks.  🔹 Future Airdrop Strategies: Discussion on the evolution and need for clear, ungameable metrics. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, the squad is joined by Rebecca Rettig, Polygon’s Chief Legal & Policy Officer, to dissect the SEC's impact on the crypto landscape, particularly focusing on OpenSea's Wells notice and impending legal challenges.  They discuss the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder, analyzing the political and cybersecurity ramifications. The conversation shifts to the internal frictions within the Ethereum Foundation and Vitalik Buterin's criticism of DeFi, reflecting the community's mixed reactions. The broader implications for the crypto industry, privacy, and regulatory clarity are highlighted with special insights from guest Rebecca Rettig, who adds depth on the legal and historical context. Wrapping up, they anticipate future challenges and emphasize staying informed. Show highlights 🔹 Arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France sparks global free speech and encryption debates. 🔹 Impact of Pavel Durov's charges on Telegram's role in global communication and crypto communities. 🔹 DeFi protocols face challenges with decentralization, privacy, and regulatory pressures. 🔹 OpenSea receives a Wells notice from the SEC, raising concerns about NFT marketplaces and royalty enforcement. 🔹 Ethereum Foundation's spending and Vitalik Buterin's critical comments on DeFi stir community debate. 🔹 Tension between public goods and financial services in Ethereum's future development. 🔹 Real-World Assets (RWAs) and their controversial role in Ethereum's ecosystem. 🔹 Speculation on future Ethereum protocol changes and their impact on network efficiency and user experience. 🔹 Broader implications of the SEC's aggressive stance towards crypto exchanges and NFT platforms. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Special Guest  ⭐️Rebecca Rettig, Chief Legal & Policy Officer at Polygon Labs Disclosures Links Plurality philosophy in an incredibly oversized nutshell by Vitalik: https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2024/08/21/plurality.html  OpenSea’s response to SEC Wells notice “Taking a stand for a better internet” by Devin Finzer https://opensea.io/blog/articles/taking-a-stand-for-a-better-internet Timestamps 00:00 Intro  01:24 Telegram’s Pavel Durov’s Arrest 05:12 Free Speech/Encryption in the Crypto World 09:26 Policy Implications for Tech Platforms 13:57 France's Role and International Reactions 27:49 SEC Targets OpenSea 36:35 SEC’s Jurisdictional Strategies 40:29 Good vs. Bad Actors 45:16 Ethereum Foundation: Public Good or DeFi? 56:43 Vitalik vs. Crypto Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hasu, strategic advisor to Lido, and Tarun Chitra, founder of Gauntlet, explain everything about staked ETH, aka stETH, how it should be priced, Lido’s market dominance, and much more. Show highlights: the role of Lido, what stETH is, and what its benefits are whether Ethereum’s lack of delegated proof of stake contributes to the need for stETH why stETH is not mispriced and why it doesn’t necessarily have to be worth 1 ETH the inherent risks associated with stETH how there was not enough liquidity to handle all the liquidations, especially in automated vaults on, for instance, Instadapp  how automated market makers work and what Curve’s amplification factor is whether 3AC and Celsius had a significant impact on the stETH/ETH “de-peg” how does the Merge affect the liquidity of stETH Hasu’s and Tarun’s level of confidence that the Merge will happen this year and whether it will be a success what will happen to the price of stETH after the redemptions are enabled why Lido has achieved such a level of dominance how Lido decreases the cost of staking and helps improve the security of the Ethereum blockchain whether there is going to be a “winner take all” in the liquid staking derivatives market how liquidity fragmentation can cause the system to blow up why LDO tokenholders might not have the same incentives as ETH tokenholders what is Lido’s new dual governance model and what is it trying to achieve whether Lido should self limit its market dominance how Lido coordinates validators and the role of the LDO token in this coordination what are the lessons to be learned from the stETH situation how governance is a liability to DeFi protocols   Thank you to our sponsors!   Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org/grant-programs?utm_source=unchained&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=podcast-oasis-grants-program   EPISODE LINKS   Hasu:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/hasufl Uncommon Core Podcast: http://uncommoncore.co/podcast/ Tarun:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/tarunchitra   stETH   Lido’s explanation: https://twitter.com/LidoFinance/status/1535184472546889735?s=20&t=oQeB1uj7HG7Y4he-0gbcLg Lido’s explanation #2: https://twitter.com/LidoFinance/status/1536756933054676992?s=20&t=oQeB1uj7HG7Y4he-0gbcLg Hasu’s thread #1: https://twitter.com/hasufl/status/1524717773959700481?s=20&t=oQeB1uj7HG7Y4he-0gbcLg Hasu’s thread #2: https://twitter.com/hasufl/status/1525427069198508033?s=20&t=oQeB1uj7HG7Y4he-0gbcLg Tarun’s take: https://twitter.com/tarunchitra/status/1538775828573609985?s=20&t=oQeB1uj7HG7Y4he-0gbcLg Tarun’s paper: Why Stake when you can borrow: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3629988   Lido Self-limit?: https://twitter.com/LidoFinance/status/1540258690942615555?s=20&t=sJU5C5xo5litEJrZZDaWNQ Hasu on Lido’s dual governance proposal: https://twitter.com/hasufl/status/1540652075352313857?s=20&t=sJU5C5xo5litEJrZZDaWNQ Lido’s two phase voting scheme :https://blog.lido.fi/moving-to-two-phase-voting/ Previous Unchained Coverage on DAO governance: Solend and Bancor Drama: Did These DAOs Violate the Ethos of Crypto?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/solend-and-bancor-drama-did-these-daos-violate-the-ethos-of-crypto-ep-366/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Zeppettini, international ops lead and chief evangelist for Decred, aka "Decred Jesus," announces the launch of the coin's privacy feature. He first describes how Decred came out of some developers' frustrations of trying to work with Bitcoin Core developers, and how that led them to realize a couple of issues with Bitcoin's governance around the funding of development and giving other stakeholders a say in the development of the coin. He explains how Decred addresses those issues, how governance in Decred works, what tickets are used for in the system and why it uses a hybrid POW/POS system. We discuss the comparatively high participation rates in Decred, how it's resistant to contentious hard forks, and what Politeia is. Plus, he gives the scoop on Decred's new privacy feature, how it works, why it was developed in secret, and how the plan to make it more decentralized in the future. Plus, he talks about how Decred plans to decentralize its own governance.  Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Decred: https://decred.org Jonathan Zeppettini: https://twitter.com/jz_bz Decred in brief: https://decred.org/brief/ Jacob’s 2015 post on the challenges with Bitcoin: https://blog.companyzero.com/2015/11/bitcoins-biggest-challenges/ Placeholder VC on why it invested in Decred: https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2018/5/12/decred-investment-thesis?rq=decred Smith and Crown's Decred report: https://sci.smithandcrown.com/research/decred-report Voting in Decred: https://storage.googleapis.com/smithandcrown-asset-engine-prod/images/voting-cycle.original.png Politeia: https://blog.decred.org/2017/10/25/Politeia/ CoinDesk article on Politeia: https://www.coindesk.com/one-of-investors-favorite-governance-blockchains-is-handing-over-20-million DiceMix “paper”: https://www.ndss-symposium.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ndss201701-4ruffingSlides.pdf  Brave New Coin post: https://bravenewcoin.com/insights/decred-price-analysis-a-sustained-increase-in-mining-activity-2  Coinbase may list Decred: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-continues-to-explore-support-for-new-digital-assets-4d2ecbcbd38c  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As lawsuits continue to pile up in the FTX saga, FTX chief John Ray III is focused on clawing back funds from former affiliates to pay back creditors. But how might that play out in court? Founder of 117 Partners Thomas Braziel, who specializes in the trading of bankruptcy claims, explains the different paths Ray may choose to go down and the potential outcomes of these cases. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: The chances of FTX winning in court against Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents The case against Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman  Whether civil cases could turn into criminal ones Whether bankruptcy proceedings and the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried are a coordinated effort  What retail clawbacks are and the likelihood that FTX will pursue them Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Arbitrum Foundation Thales DAO Toku Guest Thomas Braziel, founder of 117 Partners Previous appearances on Unchained: Will FTX Reboot? Here’s John Ray’s Internal Deadline for Making a Decision Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In Will Celsius Survive the Bankruptcy Process? How Crypto Bankruptcy Claims Buyers Will Profit From the Collapse of FTX Links Previous coverage of Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX: The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning?  How Much Prison Time Is FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Facing?  Why the Legal Process for FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Could Take Years The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX? The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn’t Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater  Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC Unchained:  New Suit Claims That FTX Kept Its Fraud All in the Family Stanford University Will Return $5.5 Million to FTX FTX Sues SBF’s Parents to Claw Back Misappropriated Funds: Report Full text of the FTX lawsuit against Bankman and Fried CoinDesk: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Dad Thought His Son Wasn’t Paying Him Enough, So He Got Mom Involved Bloomberg: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Elite Parents Enabled His Crypto Empire The Verge: The best stuff Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents bought using FTX money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gil Luria, director of research at D.A. Davidson, talks about the upcoming Coinbase direct listing and his recent research note, “Introducing Crypto’s Amazon Moment.” In this episode, Gil discusses: his crypto background, including his experience as the first Wall Street analyst to cover Bitcoin back in 2013 (1:27) why the Coinbase IPO is going to be an inflection point for the crypto industry (3:02) why he gave Coinbase's upcoming stock a “buy” rating (4:14) who Coinbase's biggest competitors are (5:13) why Gil believes Coinbase is the “gold standard” in crypto (6:29) how investing in Coinbase stock compares to investing in actual crypto assets (8:13) how he came to $195 price target for COIN (10:39) why a $2 billion revenue estimate for Coinbase in 2021 might be conservative (12:01) how Coinbase is generating money outside of transaction fees (14:19) whether he expects the institutional adoption trend to grow (15:49) what his expectations are for the price of COIN on the day it opens (17:20) why GBTC is no longer trading at a premium to the spot price of bitcoin (18:20) whether Gil will continue to cover crypto (20:05) crypto News Recap (20:53)    Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://bit.ly/3jzkTAD  Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla   Episode links: Gil Luria’s Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/gilluria    Crypto’s Amazon Moment: https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/coinbase-direct-listing-public-coverage-stock-price-amazon-cryptocurrency-dadavidson-2021-3-1030150896    Introducing Crypto’s Amazon Moment: https://unchainedpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DA-Davidson-Coinbase-Initiation-20210302.pdf   Coinbase S-1 Filing: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1679788/000162828021003168/coinbaseglobalincs-1.htm    2013 Quote from Gil on Bitcoin: https://www.streetinsider.com/Analyst+Comments/Bitcoin+Could+Be+Worth+10-100x+Current+Price+-+Analyst/8936836.html    Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-irs-clarifies-its-position-on-crypto-purchases/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Tesla announced they will no longer accept Bitcoin as payment for vehicles. In a timely episode, Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation, and James McGinniss, CEO and co-founder of David Energy, come onto the show to discuss Bitcoin, the petrodollar, and how to contextualize the energy usage of the first cryptocurrency (BTC) versus the leading fiat currency (USD). Show highlights: their backgrounds and how they became interested in the intersection of currency and energy usage why Alex and James really think Tesla stopped accepting BTC as payment why James thinks Bitcoin’s energy intensity is a “feature, not a bug”  Alex on the history of the petrodollar and how the USD in recent decades has been tied to fossil fuel production comparing the carbon cost of a dollar to Bitcoin’s energy consumption what both James and Alex think of the Square and Ark Invest research paper saying renewable energy production could be tied with Bitcoin mining why measuring Bitcoin’s energy usage is difficult how Bitcoin mining in China is changing for the better how the Biden administration might impact Bitcoin where to find more information on Bitcoin and energy consumption   Thank you to our sponsors!   E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit  Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2  Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange    Episode Links   People: Alex Gladstein Twitter: https://twitter.com/gladstein Human Rights Foundation: https://hrf.org/  James McGinniss Twitter: https://twitter.com/James_McGinniss David Energy: https://www.davidenergy.com/    Recommended Reads: “Uncovering the Hidden Cost of the Petrodollar” by Alex Gladstein https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/the-hidden-costs-of-the-petrodollar  “Think BTC is a Dirty Business? Consider the Carbon Cost of a Dollar” by Susan Su https://susanfsu.medium.com/think-btc-is-a-dirty-business-consider-the-carbon-cost-of-a-dollar-c38122fb55c5  “Bitcoin is Key to an Abundant, Clean Energy Future” by Square and Ark Invest https://assets.ctfassets.net/2d5q1td6cyxq/2D2BnksJjavw4a6SUvAPwZ/c42a9e3a520b0cc3b230cda3b43eead5/BCEI_White_Paper_.pdf  Elisabeth Steyn thread on Tesla and energy credits https://twitter.com/Elisabeth_Steyn/status/1392799067986554880 “Tesla seeks entry into U.S. renewable fuel credit market” by Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/exclusive-tesla-seeks-entry-into-us-renewable-fuel-credit-market-sources-2021-05-12/ “Debt” by David Graeber https://www.amazon.com/Debt-First-5-000-Years/dp/1612191290  Others: Bitcoin energy consumption index https://digiconomist.net/bitcoin-energy-consumption/ Cambridge study on cryptoassets https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021-ccaf-3rd-global-cryptoasset-benchmarking-study.pdf Triffin Dilemma https://dailyreckoning.com/the-triffin-dilemma/   Alex Gladstein’s Recommended Follows: Nic Carter https://twitter.com/nic__carter Lyn Alden https://twitter.com/LynAldenContact Susan Su https://twitter.com/susanfsu Luke Gromen https://twitter.com/LukeGromen Michael Hudson https://twitter.com/michaelwhudson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taylor Monahan, CEO of MyCrypto, and Tim Beiko, Ethereum Foundation core-dev facilitator, discuss the upcoming upgrade to the Ethereum network, EIP 1559. Show highlights: why Tim believes EIP 1559 is necessary what narrative is driving EIP 1559 what problems the network upgrade will solve how Ethereum transactions/fees work whether gas prices are correlated with ETH/USD the 3 main protocol changes that EIP 1559 proposes why Taylor, as the CEO of a wallet provider, is wary of EIP 1559 how EIP 1559 will affect Ethereum’s block size what changes wallet providers are considering due to EIP 1559 whether ‘Black Swan’ events will be more or less likely after the network upgrade how EIP 1559 will affect miners whether Tim or Taylor believes that miners could fork Ethereum to stop EIP 1559 how EIP 1559 will change the state of miner extractable value (MEV) how Taylor and Tim feel about the Ethereum as sound money narrative in light of EIP 1559 when EIP 1559 will go live Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2     Tezos: https://tezos.com/discover?utm_source=laura-shin&utm_medium=podcast-sponsorship-unconfirmed&utm_campaign=tezos-campaign&utm_content=hero     Conjure: https://conjure.finance      Episode Links   Taylor Monahan Twitter: https://twitter.com/tayvano_ MyCrypto: https://mycrypto.com/    Tim Beiko Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimBeiko Ethereum Foundation: https://ethereum.org/en/foundation/    EIP 1559 Resources: https://hackmd.io/@timbeiko/1559-resources Taylor Monahan tweets https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1397725861575421953 https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1408000351916093441 https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1407853518493413379 Actual proposal: https://github.com/ethereum/EIPs/blob/master/EIPS/eip-1559.md  Research: http://timroughgarden.org/papers/eip1559.pdf  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news in crypto. This week the squad is joined by special guest Jason Choi, co-founder of Tangent. In this episode the crew tackles the overvaluation of crypto projects by VCs, Friend.Tech’s 96% token crash, and the ethics of early token launches They also explore how airdrop farming skews user metrics, the volatility of memecoins, and whether VCs are extracting more value from crypto than they contribute. Tune in for insights into the ever-evolving crypto landscape! Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Friend.Tech Token Crash: Friend.Tech’s token dropped 96%, highlighting the risks of launching tokens without sustainable product planning and user retention strategies. 🔹 Project Exits and Ethics: Early token launches raise concerns about ethical obligations when teams abandon projects, with accusations of rug-pulling increasing. 🔹 Airdrop Farming’s Impact: Airdrop farming distorts true user engagement, leading to inflated metrics that misrepresent product-market fit and real user growth. 🔹 Venture Capital in Crypto: Low barriers for VCs have led to inflated project valuations, often resulting in overhyped, underdelivered crypto ventures. 🔹 Challenges of Early Token Launches: Early token releases often harm long-term project potential by confusing market signals and damaging user retention. 🔹 VC vs. Liquid Funds: Debate over whether venture capital is extracting value from crypto or whether liquid funds can improve market efficiency. 🔹 Hedge Funds and Market Efficiency: Hedge funds may improve market liquidity, but their impact on long-term crypto growth remains under scrutiny. 🔹 Speculative Markets and Long-Term Value: The crypto market continues to grapple with balancing short-term speculative plays and the creation of sustainable, long-term value.   Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures   Guest ⭐️Jason Choi, Co-Founder of Tangent Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann, joined by guest Jack Platts, dive into the market's reaction to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, looking at how this event will influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election—and the crypto markets. They also cover potential rate cuts: Could there be a cut this July? How big might the rate cut be in September? Could the decision ever be influenced by the upcoming election? They also give their predictions for what percentage of the BTC ETF inflows the ETH ETFs will reach, and James talks about what he’s expecting for Grayscale’s ETHE (hint: his view would be positive for ETH). Finally, they delve into what’s next for Bitcoin as the German government runs out of BTC and Mt. Gox distributions begin. Is it up only now? Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Whether the Trump shooting has settled the election and whether the event caused a “flight to safety” 11:23 How election markets are becoming a place to watch election odds and whether crypto “leans right” 20:16 Whether rate cuts are coming in July or September and how much they’ll cut: 25bps or 50bps 29:06 How Joe views the relationship between global liquidity cycles, rate cuts, and Bitcoin's potential rise 34:41 What new updates there are about the Ethereum ETFs and their expected launch 42:08 Why Solana hasn't outperformed significantly since the Trump news 43:25 What market breadth indicates about the current market rally and the impact of rates in small caps 49:01 Everyone’s predictions of ETH ETF inflows and how much outflows we’ll see on Grayscale’s ETHE 53:04 What’s next for BTC after the German government is out of bitcoin, and with Mt. Gox distributions starting this week Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Guest: Jack Platts, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Hypersphere Ventures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Larry Cermak, director of research at The Block, discusses the upcoming Coinbase direct listing in light of the exchange’s recently released Q1 revenue hitting an impressive $1.8 billion. In this episode, Larry talks about: significant takeaways from Coinbase’s Q1 results (1:04) how Coinbase was able to increase its non-transaction revenue in Q1 and why he thinks the exchange gets away with charging higher fees than its competitors (4:14) why retail consumers are investing in crypto at such a high clip (8:36) how Coinbase compares to its competition -- and why competition will drive transaction fees down (11:23) whether it matters that Coinbase has so little Bitcoin on its balance sheet (14:52) what he still wants to know about Coinbase after its S-1 filing and Q1 results 15:36) products and services that Coinbase should acquire to round out its crypto offering (17:10) his expectations for Coinbase’s stock performance (17:50) why investors may not be interested in NFTs (19:37) how the crypto markets will perform in 2021 and how that might affect the COIN price (20:43) Crypto New Recap (22:40)    Thank you to our sponsors! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”:  https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021   Check out InterPop, a superteam redefining the future of NFTs and fandom! https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop   Episode links:   Larry Cermak https://twitter.com/lawmaster   Coinbase Q1 Results Coinbase Details https://investor.coinbase.com/news/news-details/2021/Coinbase-Announces-First-Quarter-2021-Estimated-Results-and-Full-Year-2021-Outlook/default.aspx  Larry Cermak Analysis https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1379527265021743110  The Block https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/100749/final-notes-ahead-of-the-coinbase-direct-listing?utm_source=research&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021-04-08 John Street Capital https://twitter.com/JohnStCapital/status/1379526362692788227   Direct Listing Information https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/01/coinbase-direct-listing-set-for-april-14-after-sec-approval.html https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-sec-form-s-1   Related Podcasts Gil Luria https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-coinbase-stock-a-good-buy-this-analyst-says-yes/ Jeff Roberts https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinbases-s-1-the-number-that-may-make-the-exchange-nervous/   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/happy-birthday-satoshi1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, the crew is joined by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce—aka “CryptoMom”—for a rare, candid conversation. They unpack the SEC’s vibe shift, why airdrops might be doomed, and whether memecoins are just collectibles or cleverly disguised securities. Plus, Hester dishes on Paul Atkins’ potential leadership, the SEC’s new crypto task force, and what real regulatory clarity might finally look like. Show highlights 🔹 Hester Peirce Unfiltered – The SEC’s “CryptoMom” on vibes vs. law, the Gensler era, and why the U.S. needs a freedom-first approach 🔹 “Come In and Talk to Us” – Why the SEC wants founders to re-engage—but can trust be rebuilt after years of legal whiplash? 🔹 Memecoins ≠ Securities? – How the new SEC is redefining meme coin oversight and why “collectibles” might be the new loophole 🔹 Airdrops Are Kinda Pointless – Haseeb argues most airdrops fail to deliver value or decentralization; the panel debates 🔹 Self-Regulation in Crypto – Hester’s surprising praise for proof-of-reserves and why industry norms might beat new rules 🔹 The Howey Test Is Broken – How forcing orange grove law onto crypto led an entire industry to play armchair lawyer 🔹 Will the New SEC Last? – If the White House flips, could the next Chair bring back the enforcement hammer? 🔹 Tarun’s TradFi Feedback Loop – Why TradFi may start borrowing more from crypto playbooks than the other way around 🔹 Regulation by Meme – The SEC embraces facts and circumstances—but is “Ghibli meme policy” scalable? 🔹 What Should Founders Do Now? – The panel pushes Hester on timelines, clarity, and whether the U.S. is safe to build in again Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  Guest ⭐️ Hester Peirce, SEC Commissioner Disclosures Links Miles To Go: Remarks before The Digital Chamber's 8th Annual DC Blockchain Summit by Hester Peirce: https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/peirce-remarks-dc-blockchain-summit-032625  Timestamps 00:00 Intro 05:35 The Role of Regulation in Innovation 09:54 Crypto Task Force & Future Plans 18:47 Global Perspectives on Crypto Regulation 23:26 Self-Regulation in the Crypto Industry 27:27 SEC's Role & Potential Adjustments 35:04 Evaluating Memecoins & Their Regulatory Status 36:48 The Howey Test & Its Application to Crypto 43:55 Future of Crypto Regulation & SEC's Approach 47:10 Insights on SEC Leadership & Regulatory Philosophy 51:35 Advice for Aspiring Securities Lawyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first week of the criminal trial of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has come to a close, with his former friends and FTX colleagues Adam Yedidia and Gary Wang delivering powerful testimonies that are forming the foundations for the prosecution’s arguments — arguments that the defense may have a difficult time surmounting. Sam Enzer, partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, and Brian Klein, partner at Waymaker, discuss Alameda’s special privileges coded into the FTX software, the reason why a scorched FTX customer may have been chosen as the first witness, and why upcoming key witnesses are going to be a “real problem” for the defense. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: What we learned about the prosecution and defenses strategies after the first week of the trial How the jury being mostly professionals may impact deliberations Why Brian believes someone “out of the mainstream” would make an ideal juror for the defense Why Sam believes the defense’s opening was stronger than the prosecution’s Which arguments may be the most difficult for Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers to defend Why the defense’s “building a plane as you’re flying” analogy may come back to hurt them in closing Why Sam believes the order of the witness testimony so far is helping the prosecution build the foundation of its case Whether Adam Yedidia’s testimony was effective at establishing him as a credible witness Whether the fact that some witnesses are cooperating to avoid jail time will impact the jury’s decision What Gary Wang, former CTO of FTX, revealed about Alameda's special privileges coded into FTX software and how it wasn’t an “oversight” Whether Judge Kaplan is growing impatient with the defense Whether the prosecution's objections were sustained reasonably by Judge Kaplan Why upcoming insider witnesses pose a “real problem” to the defense Why it's "not even an open question" that the defense team will appeal if they lose the case Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com LayerZero Popcorn Network Guest: Sam Enzer, partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. Previous appearance on Unchained: SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case Brian Klein, partner at Waymaker Previous appearance on Unchained: SBF Behind Bars: Why Revoked Bail Is a Big Deal for Crypto’s Biggest Trial Links Previous coverage by Unchained on the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried: Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: Here's Everything That Happened So Far SBF Trial, Day 1: Possible Witnesses Include FTX Insiders, Big Names in Crypto, and SBF’s Family SBF Trial, Day 2: DOJ Says Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Lied’ While Defense Claims His Actions Were ‘Reasonable’ SBF Trial, Day 3: Why a True Believer in FTX Flipped Once He Learned One Fact SBF Trial, Day 4: SBF’s Lawyers Annoy Judge Kaplan, While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors? Here’s How Sam Bankman-Fried’s High-Stakes Trial Could Play Out SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case The High-Stakes Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried Begins: What to Expect In the SBF Case, Elite Corruption Is What’s Really on Trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ephrat Livni, a DealBook business and policy reporter at the New York Times, discusses Coinbase’s fight with the SEC over its Lend product and El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender. Show highlights: why Coinbase is unhappy with what it calls the SEC’s “sketchy” behavior how Coinbase’s Lend product is structured and why it might be a security why Ephrat considers Coinbase’s reaction to the SEC’s decision on Lend to be “trolling” what we can learn from SEC chair Gary Gensler’s letters with Senator Elizabeth Warren what legal precedence the SEC is leaning on in its decision about Lend how to explain the SEC’s choice to not meet with Coinbase in Washington why Ephrat thinks Brian Armstrong sounds entitled Why even pro-Bitcoin groups in the US take issue with El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender why Ephrat thinks Bitcoin is not a practical payment mechanism for El Salvadorans how El Salvadorans have reacted to the law why Ephrat believes El Salvador’s mandate to accept BTC is philosophically problematic for Bitcoiners   Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021    Digital Asset Research: https://digitalassetresearch.com  Sorare: https://sorare.com        Episode Links   Ephrat Livni Twitter: https://twitter.com/el72champs  New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/by/ephrat-livni    Coinbase Brian Armstrong tweet thread: https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1409555338836078592 Coinbase blog: https://blog.coinbase.com/the-sec-has-told-us-it-wants-to-sue-us-over-lend-we-have-no-idea-why-a3a1b6507009  Coinbase Lend: https://www.coinbase.com/lend  Howey and Reves test: https://securities-law-blog.com/2014/11/25/what-is-a-security-the-howey-test-and-reves-test/    Bitcoin and El Salvador CoinDesk coverage: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/07/as-el-salvador-enacts-bitcoin-law-locals-remain-confused-about-implementation/  Wall Street Journal coverage: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-comes-to-el-salvador-first-country-to-adopt-crypto-as-national-currency-11631005200 CNN coverage: https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/06/business/bitcoin-price-el-salvador-intl-hnk/index.html CBS coverage: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bitcoin-el-salvador-legal-currency/#:~:text=As%20legal%20tender%20in%20El,subject%20to%20capital%20gains%20tax.  Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/technology/it-guy-in-chief-president-tries-fix-el-salvadors-bitcoin-woes-2021-09-08/  Jerry Brito’s opinion: https://twitter.com/jerrybrito/status/1405660809024393221  Survey results: ​​https://www.reuters.com/technology/majority-salvadorans-do-not-want-bitcoin-poll-shows-2021-09-02/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadav, founder of Dharma protocol, explains how it enables the borrowing and lending of crypto assets, what would happen in the case of default, and why it would make sense to do it in a decentralized fashion rather than using one of the many fintech companies in the lending space. He talks about what effect he thinks decentralized credit markets could have on the market capitalization of all debt, why it will likely enable forms of debt currently unimaginable, and who could benefit most from this protocol. He also dives into why Dharma doesn't currently have a token, how or whether it could work on a non-Ethereum blockchain and ways the for-profit company could someday make money. Thank you to our sponsors! StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained The Sun Exchange: https://thesunexchange.com Episode links: Nadav Hollander: https://twitter.com/NadavAHollander Dharma protocol: https://dharma.io The Dharma white paper: https://github.com/dharmaprotocol/WhitePaper/blob/master/DharmaWhitepaper.pdf To understand the similarities with Dharma, check out the 0x interview with Will Warren: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future New types of debt possible with Dharma: https://twitter.com/NadavAHollander/status/1032754247341756416 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation, reads his essay, A World Without Bitcoin.  Thank you to our sponsors!  CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/  Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sterling Crispin, artist and software developer and Holly Herndon, host of the Interdependence podcast, talk about the problems that creators face, some potential solutions, and the debate over creator royalties.  Show highlights: how Holly and Sterling got into crypto how Holly used the Holly Plus Project to pay royalties how NFTs change the economic experience of being a creator how creators make money and why it is so difficult for most of them whether NFT royalties are necessary for artists why creators are the ones that should decide to charge royalties or not how the enforcement of royalties also occurs in the traditional art world whether NFT royalties only benefit big players vs. smaller creators what shifts could make paying royalties a norm, the way paying for music streaming became a norm over piracy other solutions to helping creators earn from their work besides NFT royalties whether NFT creators should use blocklists whether people objecting to blocklists can be hypocritical about decentralization  whether creators can build their own marketplaces how a profit-sharing model among creators could work Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis Minima Sterling: Twitter Website Blog post: NFTs and Crypto Art: The Sky Is not Falling Holly: Twitter Podcast Holly's AI Video Episode Links Previous episodes of The Chopping Block debating NFT Royalties: The Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown! The Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler’s Most Liked Tweet? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? NFT Royalties Magic Eden Magic Eden Moves to Optional Royalties and Heats Up the Debate MetaShield Solana Could Get Enforceable NFT Royalties Via New Metaplex Standard Why NFT royalties are almost impossible to enforce on-chain Galaxy Digital report showing that Nike and Yuga Labs earned the most in NFT royalties. Royalties in NFTs: Yes, no, and why? Royalties Chaos Shows Ethereum NFT Market 'More Serious' Than Solana: Fidenza Artist Tyler Hobbs Artists’ Royalties by BlackBox.art On Royalties by foobar Kyle Samani thread on verticalization Potential solutions Collector Royalties Collector Royalties Eligibility Expansion — Aug ‘21 How do they work Profit Sharing Cardinal Labs Metaplex Standard Exchange Royalties Guarantee NFTs for n00bs: A brief history of tokens and tulips, NFT aesthetics, energy dramas, fan  brigades, social tokens and the metaverse with Daniel Keller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Unchained, memecoin traders Ansem and Kelxyz unpack everything about memecoins, discussing what makes them valuable and how they evaluate their investment potential. They also address the criticisms and controversies surrounding them, including racism and sexism. (They have a surprising reaction to the latter.) Ansem and Kel argue that memecoins have substance and value, largely due to their popularity and the attention they receive on the internet.  They also discuss the importance of distribution and virality in the success of a memecoin, how the chain any coin is on affects its value, and give their opinions on Runes vs. BRC-20s vs. Solana and Ethereum.  Plus, they talk about their wildest memecoin stories (think: Dogwifhat) and provide their insights on what they think memecoins will become in the future. Show highlights: Ansem’s and Kel’s investment theses around memecoins  How Ansem and Kel got into trading memecoins and how they evaluate their potential Why the coin distribution matters and whether tokenomics is important with memecoins How to discern between memecoins with genuine vs. fake interest  How memecoins differ across blockchains such as Solana, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Ansem and Kel’s responses to the criticisms of memecoins Whether and how memecoins could become safer for users  Kel and Ansem’s surprising reaction to racist and sexist memecoins  Ansem's story on WIF and how a female friend of his fueled its popularity  Whether Bitcoin is “the original memecoin" and how they define memecoin The future of memecoins and how they believe all memes will become coins Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot VaultCraft Guests: Ansem Kelxyz Links Culture: What else could memecoins be? by Vitalik Buterin How bad policy favors memes over matter by Chris Dixon  Cointelegraph: Meme coins: Betrayal of crypto’s ideals… or its true purpose? CoinDesk: The Memecoin Grift and How It Threatens Ethereum Culture  Investment: CoinGecko: Top Crypto Narratives Gained 39% to 1313% in Q1 2024  Messari: Navigating Memecoin Mania Kelxyz investment strategy Decrypt: Crypto Influencer Ansem Explains His Meme Coin Thesis and Why He’s Bullish on Bitcoin Runes  Unchained: What Is Dogwifhat (WIF) and Why Is It Up so Much?  Safer memecoins Unchained: Half of Solana Presale Tokens Rolled Out Between November and February Were Malicious: Blockaid Study Cointelegraph: 1 in 6 new Base meme coins are scams, 91% have vulnerabilities Andre Conje’s proposal Racist memecoins Unchained: Offensive Memecoins Proliferate on Solana, Sparking Debate Crypto.news: Ethereum's Buterin slams Solana's racist meme coins, urges better projects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ForUsAll recently announced a new product that will allow cryptocurrency investments to be made inside 401(k) retirement accounts. Jeff Schulte, CEO of ForUsAll, discusses why putting crypto in a 401(k) is such a game changer, how this differs from Bitcoin IRAs, and more! Show highlights:  how bringing crypto into a 401(k) with ForUsAll will work what “guardrails” ForUsAll is placing on investors who choose to invest in crypto the tax advantages of purchasing crypto within a 401(k) whether ForUsAll is offering a Roth IRA why nobody has offered crypto within a 401(k) before now what differentiates a crypto 401(k) from a self-directed IRA what are the fees for the 401(k), who it will be available to, and when it will launch how security and keys are being handled why ForUsAll is not offering every token available on Coinbase how ForUsAll is determining which cryptos will be available to trade  why offering crypto ETFs through a 401(k) may cause problems regarding the fiduciary risk of employers what new crypto features ForUsAll is excited to roll out   Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  Tezos: https://tezos.com/discover?utm_source=laura-shin&utm_medium=podcast-sponsorship-unconfirmed&utm_campaign=tezos-campaign&utm_content=hero   NEAR: https://near.org     Episode Links   Jeff Schulte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffschulteproductmanagment/    ForUsAll: https://www.forusall.com/ + https://twitter.com/ForUsAll401k    Coinbase partnership: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coinbase-teams-up-with-401-k-provider-to-offer-crypto https://fortune.com/2021/06/10/coinbase-crypto-401k-roth-offering-forusall/ https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/108034/coinbase-forusall-401k-advisor-crypto-retirement-accounts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristin Smith, executive director at Blockchain Association, and Jake Chervinsky, head of Policy at Blockchain Association, discuss the current state of crypto regulation. Show topics: why 2021 was a watershed year for crypto regulation and lobbying why Jake decided to move from Compound Labs to Blockchain Association what Kristin and Jake think about the current state of regulation in the crypto industry how crypto education will play a significant role in Blockchain Association efforts going forward how crypto will affect midterm elections why Kristin thinks crypto will not be a partisan issue long term what sort of budget Blockchain Association functions on what Kristin and Jake think about the President’s Working Group report on stablecoins why Jake does not think the US should issue a CBDC what Blockchain Association’s take is on SEC commissioner Hester Peirce’s “safe harbor” proposal why Kristin and Jake believes the idea of a “crypto czar” is not feasible how regulators are treating DeFi going into 2022 how crypto tax guidelines could be improved for centralized exchanges how Blockchain Association thinks tax code 6050I should be applied what issues could arise from DAOs in 2022+ what listeners can do to address the different regulatory topics discussed in this podcast Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021             Show Links   Guests Jake Chervinsky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky  Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/kmsmithdc Previous Unchained appearances: https://unchainedpodcast.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-looming-battle-over-privacy-in-crypto/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-congress-might-pass-laws-bad-for-proof-of-stake-and-defi/  ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-crypto-regulation-with-jake-chervinsky/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-is-the-proposed-fincen-rule-for-unhosted-wallets-being-pushed-so-quickly/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-congress-might-pass-laws-bad-for-proof-of-stake-and-defi/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-the-crypto-industry-could-see-under-a-biden-administration/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/when-is-a-token-decentralized-enough-to-not-be-a-security-ep-056/     The Blockchain Association Website: https://theblockchainassociation.org/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn  2021 growth: ​​https://theblockchainassociation.org/crypto-industrys-leading-trade-association-more-than-doubles-membership-in-2021/ Jake joining the team: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2021/11/09/blockchain-association-fills-out-its-washington-team-with-seasoned-hands-798774 Regulatory Topics Discussed: a16z  https://a16z.com/2021/10/13/an-agenda-for-the-future-of-the-internet/ Tax Code 6050i https://www.coincenter.org/congress-takes-its-war-on-cash-to-digital-assets/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/not-reporting-info-on-some-transaction-partners-could-soon-be-a-felony/  Infrastructure Bill https://twitter.com/jerrybrito/status/1461317078175072263 President’s Working Group stablecoin report https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/11/01/biden-administration-to-congress-put-stablecoins-under-federal-supervision-or-we-will/ FATF Guidance https://twitter.com/coincenter/status/1453700485484097537    Articles Jake Mentioned Jake on CBDCs: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2021/12/21/secure-americas-financial-strength-with-stablecoins-not-central-banks/  Gabriel Shapiro on DAOs: https://lexnode.substack.com/p/wyomings-legal-dao-saster  Morgan Harper thread: https://twitter.com/mh4oh/status/1463219384776806402    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 1, Hong Kong implemented new crypto regulations to license exchanges. Two experts – Angelina Kwan, CEO of Stratford Finance (and former COO of BitMEX), and Adrian Lai, founder and managing partner of Newman Capital – weigh in on the new rules in Hong Kong, which tokens can be listed, recent reports that China may be sanctioning this activity, and how the crypto community is responding so far. Plus, they dissect the latest developments of the digital yuan, whether China will ever embrace public blockchains, and the shifting global regulatory landscape for crypto, and more. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: Angelina’s and Adrian’s backgrounds in crypto in Hong Kong how crypto in Hong Kong has evolved over the years what the new Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) rules consist of, including which tokens will be allowed in the newly licensed exchanges  how the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has taken onboarding crypto companies in the banking system very seriously  why Angelina says that crypto companies have already stopped leaving Hong Kong how some people are worried how a potential crackdown on crypto in China could affect Hong Kong why the SFC has committed to issuing a paper on tokenization and why it is particularly interested in real estate  the importance of the development of the digital yuan whether the new regulations in Hong Kong mean that China is prepared to adopt crypto in the mainland how China is 'excelling' at adopting real-world use cases, according to Angelina why you can't say “NFTs” in China and why the metaverse represents a “huge problem,” according to Adrian whether China will let public blockchains succeed  how the global regulatory landscape has been changing and what it means for the future of digital assets whether Africa is the next frontier of growth and what role the Middle East is playing Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com TOKEN2049 Guests: Angelina Kwan, CEO of Stratford Finance Adrian Lai, founder and managing partner of Newman Capital Links CoinDesk:  Hong Kong Securities Regulator to Accept License Applications for Crypto Exchanges Starting June 1 How Hong Kong Is Gearing Up to Regulate Stablecoins Cointelegraph:  Hong Kong’s regulatory lead sets it up to be major crypto hub China doles out millions in digital yuan in bid to boost adoption: Report Chinese city public servants to receive digital yuan salaries starting May TechCrunch:  Hong Kong’s crypto rules help it fit in more than stand out, but experts say that’s good A peek into China’s stance on web3 CNBC: One country, two crypto systems: Hong Kong harbors crypto hub ambitions despite China’s crackdown Bloomberg: Hong Kong’s Crypto Hub Ambitions Win Quiet Backing From Beijing Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission: SFC concludes consultation on regulation of virtual asset trading platforms South China Morning Post: Hong Kong’s crypto market will not have ‘light-touch regulation’, HKMA chief says as city prepares new rules Forkast: China: Zhengzhou City proposes metaverse plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Jevans, CEO of CipherTrace, and Siân Jones, Senior Partner at XReg Consulting, give the lowdown on the Financial Action Task Force’s travel rule and how it applies to businesses in the crypto space. They discuss: their background and journey into crypto what the travel rule is the consequences for countries that are not compliant whether the regulation will apply to staking providers in the future the type of companies and transactions that will be covered under the travel rule the type of information that has to be provided  how banks comply with the travel rule and whether crypto companies can use the same system the different open standards available for sharing information how the information will get shared between entities who use different travel rule solution providers the “sunrise problem” in which different companies implement their compliance systems at different times the security of user data being shared between different entities how it applies to central bank digital currencies and centralized stablecoins how the rule would affect privacy coins the inherent contradiction between the cypherpunk philosophy and regulatory compliance unintended consequences of the travel rule how the travel rule may play out in the coming years A glossary of terms discussed in the episode:  FATF: Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental organization that develops policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing VASP: virtual asset service providers, who are custodial entities that run fiat-to-crypto or crypto-to-crypto exchanges, or run businesses related to transfer and safekeeping of virtual assets and financial services. FinCEN: Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the United States federal bureau that analyzes information about financial transactions in order to fight money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes FCA: Financial Conduct Authority, the financial regulatory body of the UK   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com  Tezos: https://tquorum.com/   Episode links:  Dave Jevans: https://twitter.com/davejevans CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/ Sian Jones: https://twitter.com/COINSULT XReg Consulting: https://www.xreg.consulting/ Financial Action Task Force (FATF): https://www.fatf-gafi.org/   The Osaka conference where crypto got serious about FATF’s travel rule: https://www.coindesk.com/inside-the-osaka-conference-where-crypto-got-serious-about-fatfs-travel-rule   Will Osaka be crypto’s Bretton Woods moment? https://forkast.news/will-osaka-be-cryptos-bretton-woods-moment/   InterVASP Messaging Standard: https://intervasp.org OpenVASP: https://openvasp.org OpenVASP white paper: https://openvasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/OpenVasp_Whitepaper.pdf?cache=1   FATF report on “so-called stablecoins”: http://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/recommendations/Virtual-Assets-FATF-Report-G20-So-Called-Stablecoins.pdf   OKEx’s Korea arm delisted privacy coins: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/39724/okex-korea-delisting-all-privacy-coins-including-monero-zcash-and-dash-as-these-violate-fatfs-travel-rule   Some of the potential FATF compliance solutions:  Travel Rule Information Sharing Alliance (TRISA): https://trisa.io/ Coinbase’s messaging board solution: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/72293/coinbase-exchanges-fatf-travel-rule-solution CoolBitX: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/56853/coolbitx-raises-16-75m-series-b-to-help-crypto-exchanges-comply-with-fatfs-travel-rule Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite the ups and downs of the Ethereum ecosystem, two of its most influential builders—Aave’s Stani Kulechov and Sky’s Rune Christensen—remain bullish. In this episode, they discuss whether we’re witnessing a DeFi renaissance, the challenges of building on Ethereum vs. Solana, and why DeFi adoption isn’t growing as fast as some expected. They debate stablecoins, whether Solana is truly innovating, and how AI could transform DeFi by automating governance and risk management. They also respond to some hot takes—including whether Aave is falling behind Solana-based Kamino, and why Sky deployed its USDS stablecoin on Solana despite Rune’s long-standing Ethereum advocacy. Show highlights:  02:33 Whether Sky and Aave are experiencing a “DeFi renaissance” 11:49 How Stani and Rune are trying to appeal to a simpler audience 23:00 Whether developers overlook how easy it is to build DeFi on Ethereum 27:40 Why Stani believes there is not a lot of innovation in Solana 32:17 What would need to happen for Aave to be in Solana 33:27 Why Sky deployed USDS on Solana 40:30 Whether the Ethereum ecosystem should be worried about users going to other chains 49:19 Why Rune praises Solana’s culture 51:38 How USDS’s growth on Base happens organically, contrary to Solana 59:35 Why they believe that the combination of AI and DeFi will be so powerful Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Mantle RockWallet Kelp DAO  Guest: Stani Kulechov, Founder and CEO of Aave Previous appearances on Unchained: Stani Kulechov on Why Aave Is So Successful - Unchained The Chopping Block w/ Stani Kulechov: Operation Chokepoint 2.0, Ethereum Innovation Push, & Polymarket Whales - Unchained Rune Christensen, Co-founder of Sky Previous appearances on Unchained: Can Maker’s Rune Christensen Fix the Sad State of DAO Governance? Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 1: How to Keep a Crypto-Collateralized Stablecoin Afloat Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 2: How Dai Stayed at $1 While ETH Crashed From $1,400 to $85  The Chopping Block: How to Manage MakerDAO, With Hasu and Rune Rune Christensen of MakerDao on Its $15 Million From Andreessen Horowitz Why It’s so Hard to Keep Stablecoins Stable Links Aave 2030 roadmap Alex Svanevik of Nansen tweeted: “When Aave on Solana?”  Qiao Wang of Alliance DAO commenting on why he recommends people build on Solana  The First Non-EVM Deployment of Aave Protocol: Aave V3 on Aptos - General - Aptos Forum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland in France sent shockwaves through the crypto community, raising urgent questions about security for high-profile crypto holders. How do you protect yourself when criminals are willing to go beyond digital attacks and resort to violence? In this episode of Unchained, Jameson Lopp, co-founder and Chief Security Officer of Casa, speaks about the growing trend of “wrench attacks”—physical assaults aimed at forcing crypto holders to transfer their assets. Lopp explains how these attacks are evolving, what makes someone a target, and which geographies are seeing the most attacks. Plus, he shares what behaviors put you most at risk, how criminals are getting more organized, and why relying on exchanges for security is not as safe as you think.  If you hold significant crypto wealth, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss. Show highlights: 2:02 How a Ledger co-founder was kidnapped and how the situation was resolved 6:46 Who tends to be targeted and which geographies see the most physical attacks 14:15 The riskiest behaviors that are likely to lead to wrench attacks 16:01 How attackers decide who to target  20:37 How the attacks have been accelerating lately  22:16 How the Ledger team ensured the kidnappers couldn’t access the ransom money  23:44 Jameson’s top tips on how crypto holders can stay safe 29:30 News Recap Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Mantle Polkadot Quai Network Guest  Jameson Lopp, co-founder and Chief Security Officer of Casa Links Previous coverage of Unchained on crypto security: Here’s How to Protect Your Crypto and Seed Phrases From Natural Disasters Reuters: Kidnapped co-founder of French crypto firm Ledger had his hand mutilated Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Not only will April 20 (or 19, depending on which part of the world you are) mark the fourth Bitcoin halving, but also the launch of a new primitive on Bitcoin called Runes Protocol.  Charlie Spears, co-founder of Blockspace Media, joined Unchained to talk about all things Runes, which is a messaging protocol that allows for the creation of fungible tokens on Bitcoin. It is designed to fix some of the issues with the BRC-20 token standard, such as inefficiency and proliferation of unspent transaction outputs. Charlie believes that the launch of Runes will increase demand for Bitcoin's blockspace and potentially lead to higher transaction fees. He also discusses the potential for Runes to interact with Bitcoin covenants and layer two solutions. Show highlights: What Runes is and why Charlie believes that it is the hottest thing since Ordinals The differences between Runes and BRC-20 fungible tokens  Runes’ unique features, with Charlie pointing out that this is “what the degens really want” Whether the Runes Protocol will create a “burst of demand” and have a positive impact on miners  Whether the launch of Runes will be successful in the long-term and how Bitcoin’s blockspace could become more attractive Whether Bitcoin L2s will help clear Bitcoin’s mempool, and why Charlie believes that they won’t reduce fee pressure on the base layer The coolest things that Runes Protocol will enable, according to Charlie How Taproot Assets and RGB differ from Runes and why they have not taken off Why Casey, the founder of Runes, will claim the first inscription with Uncommon Goods Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot Guest Charlie Spears, cofounder of Blockspace Media Links Recent coverage on Unchained of the Bitcoin halving: Arthur Hayes and Will Clemente on How This Bitcoin Halving Is Different Runes Unchained: What Are Runes? A Guide to the New Fungible Token Protocol on Bitcoin Bitcoin Runes Explainer by Charlie Spears BRC-20s and Ordinals: Unchained: What Are BRC-20 Tokens? A Brief Introduction Bitcoin’s BRC-20 Mania: Is It Sustainable? How to Create a Bitcoin Ordinal Bitcoin Ordinal NFTs Are Hot and Getting Hotter. What's the Hype About?  Halving Unchained:  Bitcoin Halving: What Is It & How Is It Determined? Here’s Why No One Agrees Exactly When The Bitcoin Halving Will Happen Bitcoin Miners Diversify Their Revenue Streams as Halving Nears Bitcoin L2s Unchained:  Stacks’ Muneeb Ali On Why Bitcoin Is Exciting Once Again Citrea: An Ethereum-Like Experience Built on Bitcoin? How Botanix Aims to Enable Smart Contracts on Bitcoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few weeks after its launch, Iggy Azalea's MOTHER memecoin is still in the spotlight. Host Joe McCann, who recently had dinner with her in New York, gives the inside scoop on how Iggy’s $MOTHER came to be, plus her plans.  Also, Joe says Iggy is so bullish on Solana because it’s fast and cheap… but James Seyffart counters… nothing can be fast, cheap, and good. Except ETFs. Guests Phil Bonello and Kelly Greer delve into the role of venture capital in crypto, and more particularly into dynamics between liquid hedge funds and massive token generation events. And James tells a mind-blowing story about how one ETF and obscure SEC rules could cause whiplash to the prices of Apple and Nvidia stock over the next few months.  Plus, after SEC head enforcer David Hirsch resigned from the SEC this week, everyone gave their takes on why. Is Hirsch going to BlackRock, or was he scared about a potential lawsuit? Show highlights: 00:51 The real story behind Iggy Azalea's MOTHER memecoin and the controversy between Joe and Haseeb Qureshi 07:26 Why Iggy is bullish on Solana, and whether MOTHER is a hopeful case for crypto, reflecting the evolving relationship between entertainment and Web3 12:35 Whether the market has already topped, given the involvement of celebrities in the industry 15:32 Whether VCs are extractive to the overall space, and how liquid funds and token unlocks impact the performance of assets 21:17 Why venture funds and hedge funds have different approaches to liquid crypto investments, and how memecoins are changing the game for allocators 33:18 Why there’s a 0% chance that SOL gets an ETF this year 34:19 What the recent macro trends point to, whether inflation going down is sustainable, and whether rate cuts are coming 43:32 Why Nvidia's rapid growth is about to trigger a multi-billion dollar rebalance in tech ETFs, and how both $NVDA’s and $AAPL’s stock prices might soon seesaw  54:35 The theories about why the SEC’s chief crypto enforcer David Hirsch resigned from the agency (hint: it might have to do with the election) 59:52 Why James believes Ethereum ETFs will launch on July 2 and what amount of inflows the ETH ETFs might garner, esp. considering potential ETHE outflows Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Guests: Kelly Greer, Vice President of Trading at Galaxy Philip Bonello, Founding Partner at Plaintext Capital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. This week, they are joined by Samczsun, an anonymous security researcher at Paradigm, who delves into the intricacies of crypto security, ethical hacking and the shifting landscape of smart contract vulnerabilities. He also discusses his strong feelings about the “Code Is Law” philosophy and gives tips on how people in crypto can best protect their online security.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights:  what led Sam to a career in crypto security and his current role at Paradigm how Sam uncovered one of crypto's most legendary vulnerabilities why security experts like Sam choose the path of white hat hackers over black hats The craziness of the KyberSwap hacker's proposal parallels that Robert draws between this case and Avi Eisenberg's Mango Markets exploit what advice Sam has for the KyberSwap hacker  whether Sam, as a security expert, trusts storing his money on-chain how the Platypus hack ruling by a French judge challenges the 'Code Is Law' philosophy what the Security Alliance aims to achieve and its impact on the industry how Sam suggests individuals should practice personal crypto security, including the importance of using password managers and hardware wallets, and avoiding SMS two-factor authentication Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Robert Leshner, founder of Compound and Superstate Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Disclosures Guest:  Samczsun, security researcher at Paradigm Links Hacks Episode with Ogle: The Chopping Block: How This DeFi Hack Negotiator Gets Hackers to Return Stolen Money Unchained: $48 Million Drained from KyberSwap in Hack  Kyberswap hacker's latest message Cointelegraph:  KyberSwap hacker offers $4.6M bounty for return of $46M loot Platypus exploiters walk free after claiming to be ‘ethical hackers’ Code is law: The Chopping Block: ‘Code Is Law’ Is ‘Obviously Not How Anything Works Ever’ Unchained: The Mango Markets Attacker on Whether His 'Trade' Was Ethical or Not Thread by Gabriel Shapiro on the topic and Vy Le’s response Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this panel, recorded at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019, I moderated what an attendee described as a "lively" discussion on the relationship between finances and freedom with Bitcoin author and educator Jimmy Song; Alena Vranova, Head of Strategy at Casa; and Coin Center founder Jerry Brito. We talked about what it's like to live under a regime where people don’t have a lot of financial freedom, how the move to a cashless society is leading to a surveillance state, and how we're seeing the emergence of a corporate surveillance state. We talked about how cryptocurrency could bring us more financial freedom, how crypto is/should be regulated, privacy coins and the imminent Financial Action Task Forces rules that require crypto exchanges and other services send each other information on customers for each transaction. Plus, we discuss bad state actors using crypto. Read the show notes on Forbes! http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/06/11/how-bitcoin-and-cryptocurrencies-can-further-financial-freedom/ Help make Unchained better! Take our survey and enter the giveaway for a free Bitcoin lightning node and a yearlong Casa Gold membership, -- including a multisig security app for iPhone and Android, a Trezor hardware wallet, a Casa faraday bag, and 24/7 support! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchainedsurvey2019 Those of you interested in learning more about Casa, or about protecting your Bitcoin investment generally, should check out my interview with CEO Jeremy Welch. https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-casa-makes-it-harder-for-someone-to-steal-your-bitcoins/ Thank you to Casa for donating! Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Oslo Freedom Forum: https://oslofreedomforum.com Human Rights Foundation: https://hrf.org Jimmy Song: https://twitter.com/jimmysong Alena Vranova: https://twitter.com/AlenaSatoshi Jerry Brito: https://twitter.com/jerrybrito Programming Blockchain: https://programmingblockchain.com Casa: https://keys.casa Coin Center: https://coincenter.org FATF rules: https://www.coindesk.com/beyond-kyc-global-regulators-appear-set-to-adopt-tough-new-rules-for-crypto-exchanges How regulation could spur the development of technology in the crypto space toward more P2P: Vitalik blog post on this: https://vitalik.ca/general/2019/05/09/control_as_liability.html Michael Casey on the topic: https://www.coindesk.com/the-cat-and-mouse-game-of-crypto-regulation-enters-a-new-phase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Enzer, a partner at the law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel, told Laura that compelling evidence from Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle had increased the difficulty for the fallen FTX CEO to convince a jury of his innocence. Former FTX head engineer Nishad Singh said that he became suicidal after understanding the full magnitude of FTX’s misuse of customer funds, while ex-chief legal counsel Can Sun helped show how SBF allegedly lied to lawyers.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: Sam (Enzer’s) thoughts on how the trial is going for the defense  what Nishad Singh's emotional testimony revealed about SBF how Singh felt "betrayed" by Bankman-Fried, who may have been a big brother figure to him why the defense went much harder after Singh in its defense than it did the other members of the inner circle whether the jury felt empathy with Singh about his suicidal feelings  what the rationale was behind the order of the witnesses why Sam believes that the accounting professor Peter Easton's testimony was "damning" for the defense  whether the testimony of former FTX general counsel proved that SBF lied to his own lawyers why the communications between SBF and his lawyer, which are generally privileged, were divulged in court why Sam believes that it's likely that SBF will testify, although he would advise him not to Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Hedera Popcorn Network Guest Sam Enzer, partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. Previous appearances on Unchained:  Why These Lawyers Say It's Over for SBF-But His Only Hail Mary Is to Testify SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case SBF’s Lawyers Could Be Annoying the Judge. How Might That Impact the Trial? Links Previous coverage by Unchained on the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried: How Heated Sidebars During the SBF Trial Could Impact the Jury’s Decision SBF Trial, Day 1: Possible Witnesses Include FTX Insiders, Big Names in Crypto, and SBF’s Family SBF Trial, Day 2: DOJ Says Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Lied’ While Defense Claims His Actions Were ‘Reasonable’ SBF Trial, Day 3: Why a True Believer in FTX Flipped Once He Learned One Fact SBF Trial, Day 4: SBF’s Lawyers Annoy Judge Kaplan, While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: Here's Everything That Happened So Far SBF Trial, Day 5: SBF's Defense Finally Found Its Legs, But Can It Counter Caroline Ellison? SBF Trial, Day 6: Caroline Ellison Recalls 'The Worst Week of My Life' SBF Trial, Day 7: In SBF Trial, Did the Defense Lose Its Opportunity With the Star Witness? SBF Trial, Day 8: Former BlockFi CEO Adds Credibility to Fraud Charges  SBF Trial, Day 9: Nishad Singh Describes Former FTX CEO as a Bully and Big Spender SBF Trial, Day 10: Defense Struggles to Discredit Nishad Singh's Testimony SBF Trial, Day 11: How Alameda Got FTX Into a $9 Billion Hole Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors? Good Morning America: FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried on crypto giant's collapse: 'A lot of people got hurt. And that's on me' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and chop it up about the latest news. This week, the gang is joined by Shuyao, cofounder of MegaETH Labs and founder of hotpot DAO.  They dive into the unfolding drama surrounding WBTC and BitGo's strategic shift towards multi-jurisdictional custody in Hong Kong. They also explore the growing buzz around decentralized AI, sparked by Haseeb’s newfound role as an “influencer” in the space, and debate whether these projects can truly succeed.  Moreover, with the SEC reportedly issuing subpoenas to crypto VCs, the discussion turns to the potential implications for token investments and regulatory scrutiny. Lastly, is this cycle lacking a zero-to-one innovation? Show highlights:  ➡️ 02:22 What MegaETH is and how hotpot DAO was born ➡️ 07:09 Reflections on the Science Blockchain Conference and its academic rebranding across major universities ➡️ 16:55 How Haseeb became an “influencer for decentralized AI” and whether decentralized AI projects will succeed ➡️ 25:45 What BitGo's move to multi-jurisdictional custody with Justin Sun-linked company BitGlobal in Hong Kong means for the future of WBTC ➡️ 40:33 What the SEC's rumored subpoenas to crypto VCs might mean for the future of token investments and underwriter laws ➡️ 48:28 How the current crypto cycle's lack of a "0 to 1" innovation reflects the industry's momentum and sentiment Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Guest: Shuyao, cofounder of MegaETH Labs and founder of hotpot DAO Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “The Chopping Block” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in digital assets. In this live episode from Consensus 2023, they are joined by Avery Ching, chief architect of Aptos, to discuss the latest SEC enforcement actions, an embarrasing admission by audit firm Certik, and crypto’s impact on the coming election. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights:  everyone's impressions of the conference why Korea has become a hub for crypto adoption why there's no benchmarking infrastructure to compare data across blockchains how Sui decided not to airdrop a token and what the implications for future airdrops are whether CertiK bears responsibility in the Merlin DEX rugpull whether the US elections have an effect on how the SEC is playing the case with Coinbase what impact AI will have on the crypto industry Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Guest Avery Ching, cofounder and CTO of Aptos Disclosures Links Unchained:  Coinbase Seeks to Compel SEC Response to Rulemaking Petition ​​Exploit or Rug Pull? $1.8 Million Drained From zkSync DEX Merlin Despite Audit  SEC Sues Bittrex, Names Dash, Algorand and Other Tokens ‘Crypto Asset Securities’ CoinDesk: Sui Network to Issue Token Following Exchange Sale; Airdrop Hunters Dismayed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Antonio Juliano, founder of dYdX, explains how this protocol for derivatives will enable you to take a short position in a single token, why they are starting with protocols shorting and margin lending and how these protocols work vs. how shorting and margin lending work today. The former employee of Coinbase also discusses how the protocol determines the prices of the assets involved, how low liquidity affects the trading of the derivatives and who dYdX's users will be. He also talks about how the company, which has raised money from Andreessen Horowitz, Polychain Capital and others, plans to make money despite not currently having a token. Plus, we discuss dYdX's plans to create protocols for derivatives that are not fully collateralized and the risks that come with that. Thank you to our sponsor! Blockdaemon: http://blockdaemon.com/unchained/ Interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed? Reach out to Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com. Episode links: dYdX: https://dydx.exchange Antonio Juliano: https://twitter.com/antoniomjuliano dYdX white paper: https://whitepaper.dydx.exchange Expo: https://www.expotrading.com https://medium.com/dydxderivatives/introducing-expo-ffe74a328f85 Investments in dYdX: https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/03/short-ethereum/ Unchained episode about decentralized exchange protocol 0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future Unchained episode about decentralized debt protocol Dharma: http://unchainedpodcast.co/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep80 Unchained episode about decentralized money market protocol Compound: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep82 Unchained interview with Josh Stein of Harbor: http://unchainedpodcast.co/harbor-and-trusttoken-on-why-they-dont-mind-being-unsexy-ep77 Unchained interview with CryptoKitties: http://unchainedpodcast.co/what-makes-a-cryptokitty-worth-140000-ep75 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Unchained, Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, Nick White, COO at Celestia, and Chris Burniske, partner at VC firm Placeholder discuss the differences between modular and monolithic, or integrated, blockchains, with Solana epitomizing the monolithic approach and Celestia the modular one. They all agree that both approaches have their merits and will likely coexist, but argue each lends itself to specific use cases and developer preferences.They also discuss what will drive the next crypto bull cycle, and each gives their best predictions for a specific development in the crypto industry in the next few years.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: Chris’s explanation of the modular vs. monolithic approach in blockchains What drove Anatoly to prioritize speed in Solana's architecture and its impact on the network What Celestia is and how it represents the first modular blockchain network Whether developers and users will gravitate more towards modular or monolithic blockchains How Solana, as one of the fastest blockchains, is gearing up to handle massive usage and scalability Why Chris views Celestia as a frontrunner in the data availability sector How Nick perceives the philosophical similarities and executional differences between Celestia and Solana Whether there's potential for Solana to transition into a modular blockchain in the future Why Chris believes that the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) might surpass the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) in user adoption What challenges Bitcoin faces in developing actual Layer 2 solutions, especially considering its "doomers storage" issue What could drive the next crypto bull market Top predictions for 2024 and beyond  Anatoly’s perspective on how a significant hack could pose a serious setback for the entire industry  Thank you to our sponsors! Arbitrum Foundation Popcorn Network iTrustCapital Guests: Anatoly Yakovenko, cofounder of Solana Labs Previous appearances on Unchained: Anatoly Yakovenko on Solana’s Astounding Recovery and Its Future Plans Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer? Can Solana Seize Marketshare From Ethereum With Serum? Anatoly Yakovenko on Why Solana Is Building the SAGA Chris Burniske, partner at Placeholder Previous appearances on Unchained: Two VCs on Why This Is the Perfect Time to Invest in Crypto 2022 in Review + How Cobie and Chris Burniske Are Playing the New Year Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market How To Value A Crypto Asset Nick White, COO at Celestia Labs Links Modular vs. monolithic Alchemy: Modular vs. Monolithic Blockchains Visa: Monolithic vs. modular blockchain Chris Burniske’s tweet on modular vs monolithic “The horrific inefficiencies of monolithic blockchains” by polynya Blockworks: A spicy salvo launched in the monolithic vs modular debate Unchained: What Is the Blockchain Trilemma? Celestia Celestia’s explanation of modular blockchains Data availability Data availability sampling An introduction to sovereign rollups Spot Bitcoin ETF: Unchained:  Why The Spot Bitcoin ETF Is a Big Deal Deciding on Bitcoin: Should New Investors Jump In Now or Wait for an ETF? Ledger ConnectKit incident Unchained: Ledger Library Compromised, Causing Confusion and Panic in Crypto Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin, CEO of the show, to chop it up about the collapse of FTX.  Show topics: Haseeb's explanation of the blowup of FTX whether FTX was a Ponzi scheme Sam Bankman-Fried's strategy to become a billionaire the weird sale of Serum, a project backed by SBF the lack of proper accounting practices in FTX and Alameda whether FTX did not have a proper and large enough security team  the likelihood that FTX’s volume numbers are fake  why Haseeb thinks this is one of the biggest catastrophes in venture history the role of media in building SBF's character and the revindication of journalism whether venture capital firms run propaganda for their portfolio companies whether VC culture enabled this collapse to happen the story of how Sam convinced Tom Brady to invest in FTX the debate about effective altruism and whether SBF's EA caused his mistakes whether FTX's failure will set the crypto industry back Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Guests Laura Shin, author, host of Unchained Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained: The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? The Chopping Block: SBF on a Crazy Week of Bitfinex, Wormhole and ENS Drama Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC FTX Collapse: FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection NYT’s “How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Empire Collapsed” Sam Bankman-Fried built a "backdoor" to his FTX exchange to change financial records and move funds without alerting others. $600 million hack Unchained coverage: Could FTX’s Bankruptcy Trigger a Domino Effect? FTX May File for Bankruptcy After Binance Walks Off the Deal FTX Needs $8B to Meet Investor Withdrawals: Report Tron Founder Justin Sun Says He Is Working With FTX on a Solution US DOJ Joins SEC and CFTC Probe of FTX FTX-Issued Wrapped Solana Tokens Could Add to DeFi Contagion: wBTC Creator Sequoia Capital Writes Off $214M FTX Investment to Zero Binance Set to Buy FTX Amid Liquidity Crisis SBF’s Net Worth Plummets 94% In One Day: Report Binance Might Have Triggered a Liquidity Crisis as FTX’s Main Wallet Lost 290K ETH in Two Days Alameda’s Balance Sheet Sparks Controversy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the 2024 elections draw near, Bitcoin and crypto have become hot topics on the political stage. In this episode, Trey Walsh, host of The Progressive Bitcoiner podcast, and Jason Maier, author of “A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin,” explain why they believe progressive values align with Bitcoin. They discuss how Bitcoin can be a tool for social justice and financial inclusion, challenge misconceptions about its environmental impact, and debate whether making Bitcoin a presidential issue in 2024 was premature.  With Elizabeth Warren attacking crypto and the unfriendly environment for the industry under the Biden administration, the guests also highlight that there’s a slight change in the Democratic party, though they are not certain that the Harris campaign will adopt a pro-Bitcoin stance. Show highlights: How Trey and Jason became Bitcoiners What progressivism means to Trey and Jason, highlighting Bitcoin's alignment with social justice and financial inclusion, beyond its typical libertarian associations How Jason and Trey persuade skeptical progressives about Bitcoin Whether they believe that other areas of crypto besides Bitcoin have value  Why they think Bitcoin’s environmental impact is the biggest misconception among progressives Whether Elizabeth Warren’s focus on consumer protection blinds her to Bitcoin as a tool for financial inclusion Why Jason believes pushing Bitcoin as a presidential issue in 2024 was premature Why Trey sees potential hope for pro-crypto policies under a potential Harris administration, despite the hostility of the Biden administration Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Stellar Mantle Coinbase Guests: Trey Walsh, host of The Progressive Bitcoiner podcast Jason Maier, author of “A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin” Trump and the Future of Bitcoin, Jason’s op-ed Timestamps: ➡️ 02:06 - How Trey and Jason became Bitcoiners ➡️ 05:14 - Bitcoin, progressivism & social justice ➡️ 11:24 - Persuading skeptical progressives ➡️ 16:19 - Value beyond Bitcoin? Other cryptos ➡️ 21:46 - Environmental impact misconceptions ➡️ 34:36 - Elizabeth Warren & Bitcoin: Consumer protection vs. financial inclusion ➡️ 41:24 - Was making Bitcoin a 2024 election issue premature? ➡️ 55:15 - Potential for pro-crypto policies under Harris? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. With crypto becoming more politicized than ever, US Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis came on Unchained to talk about the recent regulatory action in Washington DC. With crypto becoming more politicized than ever, U.S. Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis came on Unchained to talk about the recent regulatory action in Washington, D.C. She delves into what led to bipartisan support to repeal SAB 121, and how the strength of the vote there in both the House and Senate may have affected the about-face decision to approve spot ether ETFs. Sen. Lummis also explains why she disagrees with how Gary Gensler’s SEC is handling the industry, how to avoid the next TerraUSD, why she feels Wyoming-chartered Custodia Bank is not being treated fairly, the ban on a Chinese-owned, Wyoming-based Bitcoin mining firm, and what advice she would give to the crypto industry during this election year. Show highlights: Why the SAB 121 approval was bipartisan  Whether President Biden will veto the resolution  How it's a "mystery" to Sen. Lummis why the SEC had a change of heart about Ether ETFs How the SEC's approach to regulating the industry "is not the American way" Whether there is a bipartisan majority in favor of crypto in Congress How bitcoin has come a long way in terms of adoption Sen. Lummis' thoughts on how to regulate the stablecoin industry and avoid a Terra Luna situation The differences between the Lummis-Gillibrand bill and FIT21 How Sen. Lummis feels about the denial of a master account for Custodia Bank Whether there's a move against Bitcoin mining companies in the US, given the recent ban of an operation in Wyoming What Sen. Lummis would advise for the industry to accomplish its goals Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot VaultCraft Guest Senator Cynthia Lummis on Why Crypto Now Has Bipartisan Support in Congress - Ep. 651, U.S. Senator from Wyoming Links Ether ETFs Unchained:  Analysts Up Odds of Spot Ether ETF to 75% as Prometheum Launches Product That Treats ETH as a Security Bits + Bips: Is US Politics Driving the ETH ETF Approval? Why Spot Ether ETFs Are Now Likely to Be Approved on Thursday SAB 121 Bloomberg: As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Are Pushing US Regulators to Change Crypto Guidance  FIT21: Unchained: FIT21 Bill Heads to The Senate: Should We Really Be Excited? Open cases: Fortune: SEC sued over Ethereum, crypto firm asks court to state token is not a security Unchained:  Gary Gensler’s Case Against Uniswap: Does the SEC Even Stand a Chance? SEC Puts DeFi in Its Sights With Potential Uniswap Suit Unchained: SEC Investigating Ethereum Foundation Regarding Proof-of-Stake Transition: Report The Real Reason Why the SEC Might Be Going After Ethereum Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:53) Why the SAB 121 approval was bipartisan  (04:52) Whether President Biden will veto the resolution  (08:40) How it's a "mystery" to Sen. Lummis why the SEC had a change of heart about Ether ETFs (13:23) Why Senator Lummis believes there is a bipartisan majority in favor of crypto in Congress (20:19) Sen. Lummis' thoughts on how to regulate the stablecoin industry and avoid a Terra Luna situation (23:55) The differences between the Lummis-Gillibrand bill and FIT21 (28:59) How Sen. Lummis feels about the denial of a master account for Wyoming-special purpose depository institution Custodia Bank (30:20) What she thinks about the Biden administration’s ban against a Wyoming-based, Chinese-owned Bitcoin mining company near a nuclear site (33:44) What Sen. Lummis would advise for the industry to accomplish its goals (35:04) Weekly Recap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Lio, CEO of cryptofinance research site Smith and Crown, and head of research Matt Chwierut discuss how they do their research, how they decide which projects to cover in-depth rather than just list and when they provide advisory services for teams. They also discuss how they think the blockchain and crypto space will develop, the best structures for token sales, and why they joke that financial institutions haven't heard anything Smith and Crown has said. Smith and Crown: https://www.smithandcrown.com/ Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/08/22/the-high-speed-world-of-icos-smith-and-crown-discuss-cryptoeconomics-and-the-future-of-tokens/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Badiucao, Chinese artist and activist, talks about the importance of NFTs for political activism, the role of China in his career as an artist, the significance of blockchain technologies to resist censorship, and much more. Show highlights: why Badiucao became an artist and how the censorship in China brought him to NFTs how Badiucao only learned about Tiananmen Square when he was 22 years old  why Badiucao took up work as a preschool teacher in Australia how anonymity is important for Chinese activists for their family’s safety the intention of Badiucao’s art and what is he trying to express the repercussions of Badiucao’s activism why Badicuao eventually gave up his anonymity why Badiucao decided to issue art as NFTs and what possibilities he sees in NFTs how Badiucao enabled people to write a message of protest in the blockchain with the launch of his NFT and how this represented the first large mass protest written into the blockchain whether the Beijing Winter Olympics is an outrage and a disgrace for the international community and how this inspired Badiucao’s NFT collection Beijing 2022 how Niki approached the issue of the possibility of having the art taken down how Badiucao used NFTs to help Ukraine due to the war the reasons political art has so much value, and how NFTs enable possibilities for all political artists around the world whether NFTs are much more than just some apes, and how learning about art is important how to get started as a political artist and the importance to remain truthful the significance of using power as an artist Thank you to our sponsors!   Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021  Ava Labs: https://avax.network   EPISODE LINKS   Badiucao Twitter: https://twitter.com/badiucao Website: https://www.badiucao.com/   Niki Website: http://nikiselken.com/   Documentary about Badiucao: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10601676/   60 Minutes interview: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/badiucao-60-minutes-2021-12-26/   Unveiling his identity: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/world/asia/china-tiananmen-cartoonist-badiucao.html?searchResultPosition=1   The importance of NFTs How Activists are Using NFTs as Civil Disobedience: https://www.jumpstartmag.com/how-activists-are-using-nfts-as-civil-disobedience/ Nadya Tolokonnikova on NFTs with social messages: https://editorial.brytehall.com/nadya-tolokonnikova-on-nfts-with-social-messages-and-shock-value/ Unchained Coverage: This Noble Family’s Art Was Taken by Nazis, But Is Being Saved by NFTs: https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-noble-familys-art-was-taken-by-nazis-but-is-being-saved-by-nfts/ Unchained Coverage: Punk6529 on the Significance of Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/punk6529-on-the-significance-of-bored-ape-yacht-club-and-cryptopunks/ Unchained Coverage: Why This Environmentalist Doesn’t Blame Creators for the Carbon Footprint of NFTs: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-this-environmentalist-doesnt-blame-creators-for-the-carbon-footprint-of-nfts/   Beijing 2022 Collection https://www.badiucao.com/nft Badiucao launches NFT collection to protest against China's human rights record on eve of Beijing Winter Olympics: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/02/01/badiucao-launches-human-rights-protest-nft-collection-on-eve-of-beijing-winter-olympics     NFTs for Ukraine Collection https://www.badiucao.com/ukraine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “The Chopping Block” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. This week: Silicon Valley Bank went belly up and knocked USDC off its peg with it. For good measure, Signature Bank was taken over by regulators. After a hellish weekend, what did we learn? Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights:  what happened with Silicon Valley Bank  why USDC depegged and reached a low of 88 cents how Maker responded to the depegging of USDC whether DeFi responded flawlessly to the chaotic events how Haseeb’s VC fund, Dragonfly, was ensnared in SVB’s collapse what Tarun thinks made Elizabeth Warren change her tune on SVB whether Signature Bank was shut down because of its crypto-related activities why bonds are not marked to market by banks which company is going to issue the euro-dollar stablecoin how BTC has been outperforming the NASDAQ since the FTX collapse how Euler Finance got hacked for almost $200 million whether flash loans should be banned  the rules around crypto and finance in the Middle East why DeFi is a fundamental innovation that’s better than many financial systems across the world Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Robert Leshner, founder of Compound  Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Disclosures Links Unchained: The Fall of SVB: What Happened and How It Affects Crypto Was Signature Bank Actually Insolvent? Euler Finance Loses $197 Million in Flash Loan Exploit MakerDAO to Reinforce DAI Peg With Parameter Changes Circle to Bring On New Banking Partner for USDC Minting, Redemption Coinbase Says It Holds $240 Million in Cash at Signature Bank Regulators Close Signature Bank Following SVB Collapse Silvergate to Wind Down Operations in ‘Voluntary Liquidation’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high-stakes trial of Sam Bankman-Fried is set to begin on October 3, and the FTX founder and former CEO will have to answer for his role in the cryptocurrency exchange’s downfall, which led to billions in losses. Both the prosecution and defense are currently preparing for what is set to be a significant milestone for the crypto industry. Kayvan Sadeghi, partner at Jenner & Block and Sam Enzer, partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, discuss the differences between a civil and criminal trial, what the jury selection process might look like, and what arguments the prosecution and defense might use to support their cases.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: The difference between a civil and criminal trial and why it's difficult for the defense to prepare while Sam Bankman-Fried is in jail Whether SBF was offered a plea deal and if so, why he didn't take it What the process of vetting jurors looks like and what both sides are looking for What a pre-opening jury charge is and why Judge Lewis A. Kaplan might choose to use it The importance of intent when it comes to SBF’s charges The pros and cons of the defense using the argument that the FTX founder was receiving poor legal advice What charges SBF is facing and whether the defense or prosecution has the upper hand How the opening statements of both the prosecution and the defense might play out Whether SBF will be put on the stand and why that could be a "dangerous" move, according to Sam How the defense could respond to testimony from key witnesses like Caroline Ellison or Gary Wang How Judge Kaplan being a "tough sentencer" could impact SBF’s jail sentence, according to Sam Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com LayerZero Popcorn Network Guests: Kayvan Sadeghi, partner and co-chair of Fintech & Crypto Assets at Jenner & Block Previous appearance on Unchained: Why the SEC vs. Ripple Order Is Now About 2 Things: Coinbase and Congress Samson Enzer, partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. Links Previous coverage from Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX: Here’s How Sam Bankman-Fried’s High-Stakes Trial Could Play Out Why FTX Might Try to Claw Back Funds From Retail Customers How Much Prison Time Is FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Facing?  Why the Legal Process for FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Could Take Years The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC Details of the trial: Unchained: FTX: The Exchange That Brought Down the Industry CoinDesk:  Here's the Sam Bankman-Fried Trial Schedule The SBF Trial: How Did We Get Here? Here’s How FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial May Play Out Forbes: Sam Bankman-Fried Could Face 'Very Long Sentence,' Judge Says Before Denying Release SBF’s defense team: Unchained: Sam-Bankman-Fried Files New Request for Temporary Release Before Trial CoinDesk:  U.S. Department of Justice Opposes Sam Bankman-Fried's Latest Move for 'Temporary Release' Key witnesses: Unchained: SBF’s Expert Witnesses Barred From Testifying at Trial Reuters: Who is Caroline Ellison, a key witness set to testify against Sam Bankman-Fried? NYT: Prosecutors Detail Evidence Against Sam Bankman-Fried - The New York Times CoinDesk:  All of Sam Bankman-Fried's Proposed Expert Witnesses Should Be Barred From Testifying: DOJ Judge Blocks Sam Bankman-Fried's Proposed Witnesses From Testifying Business Insider: Sam Bankman-Fried is being sent to jail after a judge revoked his bail over alleged witness tampering Jury selection: CoinDesk: Sam Bankman-Fried Can Ask DOJ Witnesses About Drug Use Cointelegraph: Sam Bankman-Fried’s political donations can be surfaced in trial, rules judge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the ICO craze of 2017, such offerings have raised extremely little so far this fall, with total sales in October down 94% since February, according to Token Data. Why? And where to next? Andy Bromberg, president of CoinList, and Marco Santori, president and chief legal officer of Blockchain, discuss the changing nature of token sales. Andy reveals how the projects approaching CoinList have changed over the last year, how investors are changing their approach to due diligence in the space, and how CoinList complies with various regulations. Marco explains the origin of the SAFT framework, what laws would apply outside of securities regulation and why rulings in civil lawsuits and no-action letter are likely the next way we'll get regulatory clarity. We also discuss why the Civil token sale failed, why airdrops could be a better than ICOs for seeding usage on networks and how to figure out which wallets to target in an airdrop. Plus: Marco and Andy disagree on one aspect or how regulation could apply to airdrops. Thank you to our sponsors! WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unchained Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unchained Episode Links Andy Bromberg: https://twitter.com/andy_bromberg CoinList: https://coinlist.co Marco Santori: https://twitter.com/msantoriESQ Blockchain: https://www.blockchain.com Autonomous Next data on September ICOs down 90% since January: https://next.autonomous.com/thoughts/crypto-september-icos-90-down-from-january-but-venture-funding-is-ray-of-hope Token Data on October ICOs down 94% since February: https://twitter.com/TokenData/status/1057953301440983040 SAFT project: https://saftproject.com Previous episode with Marco and Joshua Ashley Klayman including her concerns about the SAFT framework: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-crypto-and-blockchain-technology-should-be-regulated SEC Director of Finance Bill Hinman's comments that ether is not a security (5:25): https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sec-announces-ether-not-security-162658147.html Jay Clayton's comments that every ICO he's seen is a security: https://www.coindesk.com/sec-chief-clayton-every-ico-ive-seen-security/ Civil token sale: https://tokenfoundry.com/projects/civil Blockchain's Airdrop program: https://www.blockchain.com/airdrop CoinList's Airdrops program: https://airdrops.coinlist.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner slice into the juiciest topics in crypto. In this episode, the crew is joined by special guest Anatoly Yakovenko, the mastermind behind Solana, for a deep dive into the network’s evolution and future. The conversation kicks off with a look at Solana's rapid rise from its rocky early days to its current status as a blockchain powerhouse. They debate the role of memecoins in Solana’s ecosystem and whether they’re here to stay or just a passing craze. Next, Anatoly opens up about Fire Dancer’s impact on the network’s scaling and performance, sparking a broader discussion about vertical vs. horizontal scaling. Finally, they explore Solana’s ambitious push into the mobile space with the Seeker phone and its implications for the broader crypto industry. Packed with expert insights, bold predictions, and a few surprises, this episode is a must-listen for anyone following the future of blockchain. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Solana’s Rise: Solana’s journey from early turbulence to becoming a blockchain powerhouse. 🔹 Memecoin Frenzy: The explosive growth of memecoins on Solana and their impact on the ecosystem. 🔹 Fire Dancer Impact: How Fire Dancer could revolutionize Solana’s scalability and performance. 🔹 Vertical vs Horizontal Scaling: Is Solana’s vertical scaling approach stronger than Ethereum’s rollups? 🔹 Seeker Phone: Solana’s ambitious push into mobile with the Seeker phone and its potential disruption of the app store landscape. 🔹 ETHOS Phone: How does Ethereum’s new phone compare to Solana’s mobile vision? 🔹 Network Extensions: The introduction of network extensions and whether they align with Solana’s long-term vision. 🔹 App Chains: Could the rise of app-specific chains lead to fragmentation or strengthen Solana’s ecosystem? 🔹 Developer Experience: The challenges of Solana’s development environment and their impact on innovation. 🔹 Ethereum Rivalry: With both networks advancing, how is the competition between Solana and Ethereum shaping up? Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Special Guest ⭐️Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder & CEO Solana Labs Disclosures Timestamps  00:00 Intro 02:56 TCB’s Criticisms 05:12 Evolution of Solana's Ecosystem 17:36 Solana's Competition 22:05 What Is Solana's Moat? 28:31 The Role of Atomicity and Composability 34:11 Network Extensions 44:20 First Mover vs. Second Cohort 48:44 Future of Asset Types and Content 52:49 Developer Experience and Token Implementations 1:00:38 Solana Phone vs. EthOS 1:09:16 Thoughts and Criticism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The height of the last bull run was when MakerDAO cofounder Rune Christensen felt most disillusioned by DeFi and DAOs. “I didn’t even see how Maker was going to survive,” Christensen tells Laura Shin in the latest episode of Unchained. Now Christensen is leading an effort to help DAOs escape their trough of disillusionment. He says the ambitious “Endgame Plan” for MakerDAO seeks to overcome “the central issue of voter apathy.” Will it work or are DAOs doomed to fail? Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: the disillusionment that comes with the growth of DAOs and the need for a new approach Rune’s insights into the challenges that most DAOs face how Maker plans to implement alignment engineering through tools, gamification, and incentives what each phase of Maker’s “Endgame Plan” seeks to accomplish the strategy behind Maker’s rebranding, including the launch of new tokens while maintaining MKR and DAI the importance of governance boundaries in ensuring that participants follow the rules and contribute constructively the goal to reach a state of ossification and certainty, similar to Bitcoin the challenges of renaming tokens and the decision to keep the original brands why Rune believes that Phase 2 of the Endgame Plan will change the industry how SubDAOs will work to align incentives, improve the organization, and avoid ponzi schemes what Maker’s “Atlas” is and how it intends to set boundaries how Maker plans to use artificial intelligence  the role of delegates in the DAO and how users choose them the difference between “dovish” and “hawkish” governance what the motivation was for launching the Spark lending protocol why the DAI Savings Rate (DSR) is not offered to American investors and Rune’s take on DeFi regulation why South Korea and Japan are the best crypto environments in the world, according to Rune whether Maker should be doing more to mitigate the influence of “whales,” given that Rune owns about 10% of the MKR supply Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Arbitrum Foundation TOKEN2049 Guest: Rune Christensen, Cofounder of MakerDAO Previous appearances on Unchained: Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 1: How to Keep a Crypto-Collateralized Stablecoin Afloat Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 2: How Dai Stayed at $1 While ETH Crashed From $1,400 to $85  The Chopping Block: How to Manage MakerDAO, With Hasu and Rune Rune Christensen of MakerDao on Its $15 Million From Andreessen Horowitz Why It's so Hard to Keep Stablecoins Stable Links Unchained:  MakerDAO: The DeFi Protocol That Lets You Be Your Own Banker MakerDAO’s Spark Protocol Blocks VPN Users MakerDAO to Raise DAI Yield Amid Lower Demand for Stablecoin Maker Founder Proposes Changing DAI Savings Rate to 5%  The Defiant: Christensen Drops Radical Plan to Remake MakerDAO and Address 'Fundamental Problems', Christensen’s Twitter thread explaining Endgame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CoinFund’s Jake Brukhman and Chris Perkins join Unchained to dissect their recent $158 million seed round and the transformation of the investment landscape following the 2022 crypto carnage. As backers of Worldcoin, they confront criticisms about the project's approach of distributing money to individuals who may not fully comprehend the underlying technology. They also delve into why the Coinbase lawsuit could potentially boost the industry, share their perspectives on current crypto legislation, and explore the intersection of AI and crypto. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: how the fundraising crypto environment changed this past year after the 2022 carnage what the impact of FTX’s alleged fraud has been  why Chris and Jake believe that the SEC’s lawsuit against Coinbase is bullish for the industry why Jake believes there's no massive consumer application in web3 yet how institutions have been building during the bear market whether Worldcoin solves the sybil resistance problem in crypto and whether it could become more decentralized than Bitcoin Jake's response to the criticism surrounding the centralization and privacy issues in Worldcoin the ethical implications of giving free money to people who may not fully understand how their biometric data is being used what the Composite Ether Staking Rate (CESR) is and what are its two main applications how the foundational web3 + AI intersection is happening in the compute area why Chris believes that the crypto market structure bill is not perfect whether creating proper stablecoin legislation is a very important opportunity for the US how DeFi should be regulated to ensure that privacy gets protected Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Arbitrum Foundation TOKEN2049 Guests: Chris Perkins, President of CoinFund Jake Brukhman, Founder and CEO of CoinFund Links Unchained:  Worldcoin Launches Token on Mainnet, Plans to Deploy 1,500 Eyeball Scanning Orbs Is Sam Altman's Worldcoin the End of People's Privacy? CoinDesk:  Worldcoin Could Enable Wider Distribution of Crypto Than Even Bitcoin, Says CoinFund,  Worldcoin Releases Tokenomics, Report Geofenced for Some Countries   The Block: What exactly is CoinFund's new Composite Ethereum Staking Rate What do I think about biometric proof of personhood? By Vitalik Buterin CoinDesk Indices and CoinFund Announce CESR, the Benchmark Rate for Staking on Ethereum CoinFund Reinforces Commitment to Web3 Technology with the Close of $158M Seed IV Fund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. On this episode, Laura Shin, the host of Unchained and author of The Cryptopians, also joined the conversation. Show topics: how people have responded to The Cryptopians why traditional publishers were reticent to publish the story revealing the alleged DAO attacker’s identity what lessons can be learned from North Korea’s alleged involvement in the Ronin bridge exploit what zero-knowledge proofs work and how a miscalculation in a whitepaper almost caused major issues in the crypto world this week how math proofs and reporting specifications work in the crypto space why security engineers, like samczsun, are so hard to come by how an attacker was able to steal ~$80 million from Beanstalk in a governance attack  @hosseeb vs. @haseeb  the difference between being in crypto and covering it as a journalist – and why Laura sees herself as more a “referee” than a participant in the crypto space whether DeFi hackers can actually cash out of their positions why Tarun is worried about Ethereum’s security in the wake of the merge being delayed even further what staking derivatives are, and how traditional are using Lido to lever up why traditional funds getting into crypto has Tarun worried about Anchor  why the guys think Cosmos is more popular than Polkadot Episode Links   Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/hosseeb Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures https://twitter.com/tarunchitra  Laura Shin, the crypto referee https://twitter.com/laurashin    Helpful Information North Korea’s interest in crypto:  https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-north-korea-is-interested-in-cryptocurrency/  The Merge delayed https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ethereums-merge-was-delayed-and-why-it-wont-reduce-gas-fees-much/  https://bitcoinist.com/ethereum-merge-headed-for-another-delay/ https://twitter.com/korpi87/status/1513459657381068812 Beanstalk rekt for $180M https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/142272/ethereum-based-stablecoin-protocol-beanstalk-loses-more-than-80-million-to-exploit Crazy attack using flash loans to insta-ship governance proposals: https://rekt.news/beanstalk-rekt/ https://twitter.com/kelvinfichter/status/1515735718840184835    The Cryptopians   http://bit.ly/cryptopians    UST and Anchor worries   https://unchainedpodcast.com/heres-why-usdn-de-pegged-from-the-dollar-and-why-ust-might-too/   Lido and centralization   https://www.suresats.com/post/ethereum-s-centralization-dilemma-through-lido-staking   Cosmos vs. Polkadot   https://medium.com/coinmonks/polkadot-vs-cosmos-which-one-is-the-best-246e67b25d6c    MakerDAO technical docs   https://docs.makerdao.com/   Zero-Knowledge explainer   https://www.notboring.co/p/zero-knowledge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack of all metaverse-trades Chase Chapman discusses her experience working for DAOs, how DAO tooling and governance can improve, and drops a hot take about Discord. Chase brings a unique perspective to Unchained as a co-founder and advisor at Decentology, host of On the Other Side podcast, and active DAO contributor at Orca, Index Coop, and Rabbit Hole. Show topics: how Chase got into crypto new avenues for bringing more women into crypto how DAOs change the nature of work how Chase gets paid – and why her accountants might start ducking her calls why Chase is passionate about DAOs having a core set of values why Chase thinks terms like “permissionless” and “decentralized” should not be used to describe DAOs what DAOs can learn from corporate structures why Chase is coming around to the idea that DAOs might not need a single HR department how DAOs are dealing with inactive whale token holders versus DAO contributors (who own smaller amounts of token) what suggestions Chase has for some of the recent big DAO controversies involving Ethereum Name Service and SushiSwap the role of anonymity in DAOs which DAO tools Chase is impressed with and what SnapShot has in common with Wikipedia why Discord is not that bad for DAO management how Chase envisions DAOs and NFTs intersecting in the future what DAO trends Chase is looking forward to in the coming months Sponsors Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance     Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Episode Links   Chase Chapman Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaserchapman Jobs Decentology: https://www.decentology.com/  On the Other Side: https://www.othersidepod.xyz/  Index Coop: ​​https://twitter.com/indexcoop Orca Protocol: https://twitter.com/OrcaProtocol RabbitHole: https://twitter.com/rabbithole_gg    Interesting tweets/blogs/podcasts from Chase on DAOs https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1460257486888448003 https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1500136746301992961  https://mirror.xyz/chappy.eth/Rw4sMBofUrVGj3QjzErkWkP9UNP1JYhcyX7CLOwgUD4  https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1483124528679211022  ​​https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1494359483958636550  https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1491856996819247111 https://twitter.com/chaserchapman/status/1492210731789520897    Miscellaneous Mentions she256: https://twitter.com/she_256  Snapshot: https://twitter.com/SnapshotLabs  Brantly Millegan is staying at ENS Foundation: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/03/07/brantly-millegan-remains-a-director-of-ens-foundation-after-failed-attempt-to-boot-him/  SushiSwap leadership drama: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/12/08/sushi-cto-joseph-delong-resigns-after-reports-of-project-infighting/  Wonderland drama: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/131931/avalanche-defi-wonderland-time-0xsifu-quadrigacx-patryn  Coordinape: https://coordinape.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharon Goldberg, CEO of Arwen and Boston University computer science professor, describes how the protocol enables people to trade on crypto exchanges without making their coins vulnerable to exchange hacks, how this differs from trading on a decentralized exchange, and how Arwen would function if the exchange you were using on was hacked during a trade. She also discusses how Arwen works with any custody solution, how they choose which coins to support and what other features they are considering adding in the future. Read the full show notes on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/05/21/how-to-trade-on-crypto-exchanges-without-your-coins-getting-hacked/ On May 27th I will be hosting a conversation about the future of finance and human rights at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway. As the world continues to move toward a cashless society, paper currency is disappearing. Companies like Facebook, Apple, and TenCent are becoming increasingly influential in the digital payment space. We'll discuss how individuals and companies can preserve and protect financial freedoms in the digital age. I'll be joined by Bitcoin author and educator Jimmy Song; Casa chief technology officer Alena Vranova; and CoinCenter founder Jerry Brito. To register to attend, you can visit oslofreedomforum.com today -- use discount code "unchained25" to get 25% off your ticket price! Thank you to our sponsor: CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Arwen: https://www.arwen.io Sharon Goldberg: https://twitter.com/goldbe How Arwen prevents exit scams: https://medium.com/arwensecure/how-arwen-prevents-exit-scams-55d1a9de32b How Arwen protects traders from a hacked exchange: https://medium.com/arwensecure/unleashing-mt-fox-4e8b20a11dea Forbes article on Arwen: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ktorpey/2019/01/28/this-startup-is-fixing-the-biggest-security-hole-in-bitcoin-exchanges/#5f68d5905812 The Block on Arwen: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/02/05/a-startup-is-launching-a-solution-that-protects-users-from-exchange-hacks/ https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-startup-wants-you-to-trade-on-exchanges-without-trusting-them Kucoin launching Arwen: https://www.coindesk.com/kucoin-exchange-traders-can-now-self-custody-their-crypto-assets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained The executive chairman of AngelList and partner at crypto hedge fund MetaStable explains how blockchains are changing the entrepreneurship model, his philosophy for crypto investing, and what kind of threat crypto could someday pose to governments. We also dive into why blockchains represent a new form of governance, his philosophy for investing in tokens and why he believes there will only be five or fewer winners among the money-like tokens. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/28/naval-ravikant-on-how-crypto-is-squeezing-vcs-hindering-regulators-and-bringing-users-choice/ AngelList: https://angel.co/ MetaStable: http://metastablecapital.com/ CoinList: https://coinlist.co/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/18/want-to-hold-an-ico-coinlist-makes-it-easy-and-legal/ Zcash: https://z.cash/ BlockStack: https://blockstack.org/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/05/blockstack-on-how-to-take-control-from-google-facebook-and-amazon/ Bitwise Hold 10: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/02/new-crypto-index-fund-to-launch-with-backing-from-naval-ravikant/     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Perkins, president of CoinFund, a web3 investment firm, discusses his experience at the Crypto Bahamas conference before diving into an FTX.US proposal that would allow for direct trading of crypto derivatives in the US – which appears to be rocking the boat of certain regulators in D.C. Show topics: Chris’s two biggest takeaways from his Crypto Bahamas experience how Chris’s experience at Lehman Brothers and Citi prepared him for crypto  what issues arise via the plumbing of traditional financial markets why centralized intermediaries make derivatives trading efficient what FTX.US is proposing and how it could be a boon for retail traders how crypto settlement would work compared to the current batch trading method why the acquisition of LedgerX enabled FTX.US to make this proposal what license FTX.US feels like it no longer needs since it can settle derivative transactions on a blockchain whether FTX.US would expand to other derivatives and what that might do to an entity like CME what Chris is listening for in the CFTC’s public discussion surrounding FTX.US’s proposal  whether FTX.US’s proposal will be a partisan issue Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021      Coinchange: https://coinchange.io    OnJuno: https://onjuno.com/  Galaxis: https://galaxis.xyz/    Episode Links   Chris Perkins LinkedIn:  ​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-perkins-092569a/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/perkinscr97  CoinFund:  ​​https://twitter.com/coinfund_io    Coverage of the FTX.US Proposal Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-21/crypto-billionaire-rankles-wall-street-with-futures-trading-plan?sref=m9L277rN  Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbrett/2022/04/27/the-ftx-us-proposal-that-shook-congress-and-the-crypto-derivatives-world/ The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/143792/as-it-weighs-ftx-proposal-cftc-announces-a-roundtable-on-disintermediation  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/137304/cftc-opens-up-ftx-uss-derivatives-trading-model-to-public-comment  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/140026/ftx-derivatives-proposal-takes-center-stage-at-congressional-hearing-with-cftc-chairman  CoinDesk https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/03/10/ftxus-derivatives-unit-seeks-cftc-amendment-to-clear-margin-trades-directly-for-customers/ https://www.coindesk.com/video/recent-videos/ftx-us-to-meet-with-cftc-regarding-derivatives-trades/  Public comment:  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/137304/cftc-opens-up-ftx-uss-derivatives-trading-model-to-public-comment May roundtable:  https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8519-22 https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/04/19/ftx-plan-said-to-face-cftc-roundtable-next-month/ https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/143792/as-it-weighs-ftx-proposal-cftc-announces-a-roundtable-on-disintermediation CME opposition to proposal:  ​​https://www.marketsmedia.com/cme-to-oppose-ftx-clearing-proposal/   Unchained Coverage of FTX.US and LedgerX 2021: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-ftx-us-ledgerx-deal-indicates-crypto-ma-might-start-booming/  2019: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ledgerx-on-the-reasons-to-trade-bitcoin-options/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices