
463 episodes

Unchained Laura Shin
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- Noticias
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5.0 • 8 Ratings
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Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world. Disclosure: I'm a nocoiner.
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The Chopping Block: Why Canto, Up Nearly 500% This Month, Has Its Haters
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, they cover:
why Bitcoin maximalists are mad about Bitcoin NFTs
why Robert thinks Bitcoin is not a good blockchain on which to build things
why Canto, a layer 1 blockchain, surged in price and activity and why Haseeb is anti-Canto
how Ethereum will have multi-dimensional fee structures
what the role of applications in generalized blockchains should be and why they think they shouldn't be enforced at the base layer
the accusations against the LayerZero team and their response
the battle to provide the bridging services to Uniswap
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
Links
Disclosures
Bitcoin NFTs:
The Block: What are Bitcoin NFTs Ordinals and how do they work?
BTC: Core On-chain - Glassnode Studio
Bitcoin - The Overview
Ordinals
Canto:
The Block: Layer 1 blockchain Canto sees surge in trading activity
Canto - Lending
LayerZero controversy:
James Prestwich’s tweet
Bryan Pellegrino’s response
Explanation of the situation by Bartek
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Why the Celsius Examiner Report Shows 'a Complete Disaster in Almost Every Way'
Following the release of Celsius' examiner report, Kadhim Shubber, an investigative reporter at The Financial Times, dives into the controversial business practices of the lender, how the company inflated the CEL token, the use of customers' money, and much more.
Show highlights:
how Celsius used investors’ money to prop up the price of CEL
the reasons why Celsius inflated the CEL token
where the money to pay rewards to investors came from
blatant misstatements from Alex Mashinsky and how his team tried to cover him
how the company leveraged Bitcoin to fill the hole in its balance sheet
who was responsible for Celsius' shady business practices
Celsius' poor investment decisions
whether Mashinsky is at risk of facing criminal charges
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com
Guest
Kadhim:
Twitter
Links
Final report of Shoba Pillay, examiner
Financial Times: Crypto lender Celsius misused customer funds for years, examiner finds
Unchained: 7 Revelations From Celsius’ Examiner Report
CoinDesk: Celsius Used New Customer Funds to Pay for Withdrawals: Independent Examiner
The Block: Tether denies it borrowed $2B from Celsius, as described in court report
Blockchain News: Celsius' Official Creditor Committee Denies Rejected Bids
Ram Ahluwalia’s take on the Celsius bankruptcy examiner report
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Did FTX Ruin Crypto’s Image on Capitol Hill? Two DC Insiders Discuss
Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, and Miller Whitehouse-Levine, Policy Director of the DeFi Education Fund, offer insider takes on how lawmakers and regulators are viewing crypto after FTX’s catastrophic failure. Both expect heightened activity in the U.S. from what they’re calling the “Crypto Congress.” Will this be the year for stablecoin regulation? Is DeFi still in the crosshairs? What about Ripple’s fight with the SEC? The two crypto policy experts look to the U.S. and beyond for what regulatory battles lie ahead in 2023.
Show highlights:
why the current environment in Washington makes it difficult to pass new legislation
whether the opinion of members of Congress on crypto has changed in the aftermath of FTX’s alleged fraud
how Elizabeth Warren and others are using the FTX collapse to prove their anti-crypto stance
whether it’s possible to prevent a fallout like FTX from ever happening again
why Miller believes that this year Congress will be “absolutely obsessed” with crypto
what stablecoin legislation would look like, and why stablecoins are more likely to be regulated sooner
why Sheila thinks Ripple could win its case against the SEC
why they believe the SEC’s failure to approve a spot Bitcoin ETF is a logical inconsistency
why they think it’s not possible to apply TradFi rules to DeFi technology
how more policymaker education needs to be done
how OFAC sanctioning Tornado Cash sparked many conversations among researchers and policymakers
the role of the government in preserving national security
how MiCA took an appropriately slow approach to imposing DeFi regulations
the impact of China and India adopting digital currencies
why Miller thinks China’s digital yuan is “the apotheosis of a totalitarian technology”
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com
FTSE
Links
Previous coverage of Unchained on crypto legislation:
Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Casey and Niall Ferguson on How Bitcoin Fits in the History of Money
Kristin Smith on Why Crypto Legislation Could Be Passed by Year's End
Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto
Guests:
Sheila:
Twitter
Miller:
LinkedIn
FTX
CoinDesk:
After FTX: How Congress Is Gearing Up to Regulate Crypto
Congress' FTX Problem: 1 in 3 Members Got Cash From Crypto Exchange's Bosses
After FTX: How Congress Is Gearing Up to Regulate Crypto
CNBC: House Republicans move to regulate crypto industry with a new subcommittee
MiCA
CoinDesk:
Analyzing What's Next for Europe's Markets in Crypto Assets Law
EU’s MiCA Crypto Law Would Have Stopped FTX's Malpractice, Officials Say
Others
Project Hamilton - Building a Hypothetical Central Bank Digital Currency
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Notorious Virtual Currency Mixer Tornado Cash
Tornado Cash is no “golem.” It’s a tool for privacy and free speech. - Coin Center
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The Chopping Block: Why the Once-Taboo MEV Is Now a Core Part of Ethereum
Welcome to “The Chopping Block!” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. This week, Flashbots co-founder Phil Daian joins the show to go deep on what maximal extractable value (MEV) means and how it’s shaping the Ethereum ecosystem.
Show highlights:
how Phil started working in MEV and why he believes it resembles 'Alice in Wonderland'
Phil's definition of MEV and when he realized this was an actual problem
how Flashbots was born
the story of how Vitalik didn't care about sandwich attacks at the time Uniswap was released
whether it's possible to minimize MEV via more competition
the never-ending debate about whether MEV should be accepted
why Tarun thinks the concept of fair ordering is against nature
how Bitcoin uses social norms to solve its weaknesses
how Google is being called out in court for creating auction to front run its customers
how Flashbots worked prior to and after Ethereum's Merge
why Flashbots complies with OFAC sanctions
what is the Suave project and how it aims to decentralize Flashbots
what the future of MEV looks like
Hosts
Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital
Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures
Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital
Guest:
Phil:
Twitter
Disclosures
Links
The Block: Flashbots seeks up to $50 million at a billion-dollar valuation
CoinDesk: Opinion: Miners, Front-Running-as-a-Service Is Theft
CNN: DOJ sues Google over its dominance in online advertising market
Unchained: 51% of Ethereum Blocks Are OFAC Censored
Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? - Ep. 390
The Cost of Decentralization in 0x and EtherDelta
Previous coverage of Unchained on MEV:
Why Is Ethereum Trying to Maximize Value From Users? Two Sides Debate
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Why Grayscale Is Suing the SEC Over Its Denial of a Bitcoin ETF
Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale Investments, gives an overview of his firm’s case against the SEC, which has denied requests to turn Grayscale’s bitcoin trust into an exchange-traded fund (ETF). With oral arguments kicking off March 7, Sonnenshein lays out what a worst-case “tender offer” would entail and whether DCG CEO Barry Silbert has any say over GBTC’s fate.
Show highlights:
why Grayscale charges higher fees than, say, the average ETF
what Grayscale will do if it loses its case against the SEC
why Grayscale has not filed for Regulation M relief
Michael's comments on Gemini liquidating 31 million shares of GBTC
the reason behind the October 2022 timing of Grayscale changing GBTC's “authorized participant”
the relationship between Grayscale and DCG, and Barry Silbert's involvement in Grayscale's operations
why the trust agreement of GBTC was changed
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com
Guest
Michael Sonnenshein:
Twitter
Links
CNBC: Court sets date for oral arguments in Grayscale's challenge of SEC's bitcoin ETF decision
Reuters:
Grayscale would appeal lawsuit against SEC if court rejects case, CEO says
Ruling in Grayscale-U.S. SEC lawsuit likely within a year
MarketWatch: Grayscale may ‘ultimately’ consider tender offer for bitcoin trust, CEO says
CoinTelegraph: Grayscale terminates Bitcoin trust material agreements with Genesis
CoinDesk: Grayscale Slams SEC's 'Unreasonable' Barring of Spot Bitcoin ETFs
Bloomberg: Hedge Fund Sues Grayscale for Data on Battered Bitcoin Trust
Bitcoinist: Here's What A Reg M Will Entail For Genesis, DCG And Bitcoin
Why Investment Experts Say a Spot Bitcoin ETF Would Be Superior to Bitcoin Futures ETFs by Laura Shin
Andrew Parish’s tweet on the possibility of the case going to the Supreme Court
Grayscale’s End of Year CEO Letter to Investors
Ycharts: GBTC Discount or Premium to NAV
Previous coverage of Unchained on GBTC:
Bitwise's Latest Plans to Get a Bitcoin ETF Approved
DCG's Dilemma: Should It Sell Its GBTC Holdings to Repay Gemini?
Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy?
‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis
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The Chopping Block: Will Genesis Creditors Be Made Whole?
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, they covered:
why the markets were up so much recently
how and why Genesis entered into bankruptcy
why the hole in DCG's financials are potentially much bigger than previously reported
the differences between the bankruptcies of FTX and Genesis
whether 3AC founders Su Zhu and Kyle Davies will find success with their new exchange
what will happen to GTBC now that a huge portion has already been liquidated
whether Tarun is predicting "the start of a new supercycle"
the large percentage of vested SOL held by the FTX estate
how SBF is still trying to win the public
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
Links
Disclosures
Genesis:
Bloomberg: FTX Bankruptcy Judge Backs Company Law Firm, Rejects Last Minute ‘Rumors’
CoinDesk:
Crypto Lender Genesis Global Capital Is FTX's Largest Unsecured Creditor
Crypto Trading Firm Cumberland DRW Disputes Genesis Exposure
CNBC:
Crypto firms Genesis and Gemini charged by SEC with selling unregistered securities
Crypto publication CoinDesk hires Lazard to explore sale as crisis deepens at parent company DCG
Unchained:
Is Genesis’s Prepackaged Bankruptcy The Ultimate Sacrifice?
Gemini Ends Its Earn Program and Calls for Barry Silbert’s Ouster
DCG Under Investigation by DOJ and SEC: Report
Genesis CEO Says Firm Needs More Time to Find a Solution
FTX:
Unchained:
SBF Says Excel Spreadsheet Proves FTX US Is Solvent
WSJ: New FTX Chief Says Crypto Exchange Could Restart
The Block: FTX debtors identify $5.5 billion of liquid assets in ’Herculean effort’
3AC/GTX:
Unchained: 3AC Founders Are Raising $25M for ‘GTX’
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Customer Reviews
Tuned in
Great to have a journalist so business focused and well connected. Amazing guests and amazing contents.
Great to have you now once a week.
Geniales entrevistas
Me encanta poder escuchar las opiniones de tantas personalidades del mundillo de las criptodivisas.