Bits + Bips

Unchained
  • 0.0 (0)
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Exploring how crypto and macro collide one basis point at a time. Hosted by Ram Ahluwalia, Austin Campbell and Chris Perkins. Livestream: Every Monday at 4:30 pm ET.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    The Miner Sell Wall and Why Saylor Is Absorbing It

    FalconX global co-head of markets Josh Lim explains what's keeping Bitcoin range-bound near $75-76K: miner selling to fund high-performance compute transitions, breakeven retail holders looking for an exit, and an options market oversupplied with calls.  He also covers why the negative funding rates and low vol environment are less bearish than they appear when spot is cash-funded, not levered.  This clip is from a longer interview covering Bitcoin macro, altcoin rotation, Hyperliquid, and quantum risk. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/live/rDN5IHVhjfg  We go live every Monday at 4:30 PM ET — subscribe to catch it live.

    10 min

  2. 2 DAYS AGO

    Bits + Bips: Why Josh Lim Is Optimistic on the Dynamics He's Seeing in Bitcoin

    Bitcoin's spot-led rally looks healthy on the surface. But derivatives say conviction is thin. Josh Lim from FalconX on what the market structure is actually telling you right now. --- Thank you to our sponsors! MultiChain Advisors is an emerging technology growth firm that has helped create $50B+ in enterprise value for 80+ clients over the past 4 years. They're the partner to help navigate markets.  Build real traction today at ⁠multichainadv.com⁠ As Bitcoin's application layer, Citrea gives you access to the first trust-minimized BTC on a fully programmable platform and a native stablecoin for Bitcoin, ctUSD.  You can now participate in Bitcoin capital markets with lending, privacy, payments, Bitcoin yield, trading and predictions. You get expanded Bitcoin utility without sacrificing its security.  ⁠Citrea mainnet is live. Put your BTC to work at ⁠⁠citrea.xyz/unchained.⁠  --- Bitcoin is trading near $75,000, but the market structure around it tells a more complicated story. Implied volatility has collapsed to sub-50, funding rates are negative, and the options market is dominated by sellers, not buyers. Meanwhile, Bitcoin miners are liquidating holdings to fund the transition to high-performance compute, generating a persistent offer just as breakeven retail holders look for an exit.  FalconX Global Co-Head of Markets Josh Lim joins Steve Ehrlich to map exactly what is keeping Bitcoin range-bound, where the rotation into ETH and alts is actually coming from, and what signals in derivatives and on-chain data would indicate the market is ready to move.  They also get into whether the Clarity Act changes the long-term structure of the altcoin market, how Hyperliquid is being used for institutional RWA arbitrage, and what the quantum threat means not for cryptography, but for trading Bitcoin. Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Head of Research, SharpLink Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Josh Lim⁠ — Global Co-Head of Markets, FalconX. Repeat guest; previously covered market structure and institutional crypto flows on Bits + Bips.

    45 min

  3. 15 APR

    Is Anthropic’s Mythos a Real Threat? And Who Pays for AI?

    Anthropic previewed Mythos, a model it says autonomously found 181 Firefox JavaScript exploits and vulnerabilities in OpenBSD that had been missed for decades. Cybersecurity stocks fell. Ram Ahluwalia says it’s masterclass marketing — a Keyser Soze play designed to win back DOD contracts and rattle OpenAI. Chris Perkins thinks the threat is real and the opportunity is bigger than the fear. Austin Campbell lands somewhere else: the AI competitive arms race is accruing to consumers, not companies, and the firms spending the most CapEx may never recover it. From there the conversation moves to where the money actually is: Ram’s free cash flow positioning, why AI CapEx is crowding out the buybacks that powered the Mag 7, what Apple understood that Anthropic and OpenAI didn’t, and why MicroStrategy’s preferred dividend structure is a 2008-era liability mismatch waiting to be tested. Hosted by Austin Campbell (Zero Knowledge Consulting), Ram Ahluwalia (Lumida), and Christopher Perkins (250 Digital Asset Management) This clip is from a longer conversation on the Iran blockade, Anthropic’s Mythos, AI buyback risk, and the WLFI conflict. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/live/P4fSTXVnC2Y  We go live every Monday at 4:30 PM ET — subscribe to catch it live. As Bitcoin's application layer, Citrea gives you access to the first trust-minimized BTC on a fully programmable platform and a native stablecoin for Bitcoin, ctUSD.  You can now participate in Bitcoin capital markets with lending, privacy, payments, Bitcoin yield, trading and predictions. You get expanded Bitcoin utility without sacrificing its security.  Citrea mainnet is live. Put your BTC to work at citrea.xyz/unchained.   Ether.fi is giving Unchained listeners 15% cashback on food and ride apps — and that's on top of the 3% you get on everything else.  Your bank is charging you to use your own money. Laura switched and loves her card! Go to ether.fi/unchained to claim your offer. Nexo is a premier digital wealth platform offering: ● crypto yield up to 15% (based on stated annual interest rates) ● crypto-backed credit lines from 1.9% ● a wide range of digital assets.  Join today and get 30-day access to exclusive rates. Join Nexo.

    17 min

  4. 15 APR

    The IRGC Is Damned Either Way — Here’s Why

    Ram Ahluwalia argues that CENTCOM’s move to enforce the US Naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was exquisitely timed — placing the IRGC in a vice with no clean exit. He walks through why Iran can’t escalate without facing worse outcomes, and can’t stand down without ceding economic control. Austin Campbell adds the market dimension: we’ve shifted from kinetic escalation to long-term economic attrition, and the regional neighbors are notably not objecting. Chris Perkins frames China’s role as reluctant broker and what a scheduled Xi-Trump meeting in May could mean for resolution. Hosted by Ram Ahluwalia (Lumida), Austin Campbell (Zero Knowledge Consulting), and Christopher Perkins (250 Digital Asset Management) This clip is from a longer conversation on the Iran blockade, Anthropic’s Mythos, AI buyback risk, and the WLFI conflict. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/live/P4fSTXVnC2Y  We go live every Monday at 4:30 PM ET — subscribe to catch it live. Citrea  As Bitcoin's application layer, Citrea gives you access to the first trust-minimized BTC on a fully programmable platform and a native stablecoin for Bitcoin, ctUSD.  You can now participate in Bitcoin capital markets with lending, privacy, payments, Bitcoin yield, trading and predictions. You get expanded Bitcoin utility without sacrificing its security.  Citrea mainnet is live. Put your BTC to work at citrea.xyz/unchained.   Ether.fi is giving Unchained listeners 15% cashback on food and ride apps — and that's on top of the 3% you get on everything else.  Your bank is charging you to use your own money. Laura switched and loves her card! Go to ether.fi/unchained to claim your offer. Nexo is a premier digital wealth platform offering: ● crypto yield up to 15% (based on stated annual interest rates) ● crypto-backed credit lines from 1.9% ● a wide range of digital assets.  Join today and get 30-day access to exclusive rates. Join Nexo.

    9 min

  5. 14 APR

    Why Apple Might Benefit More From AI Than AI Companies Will

    The US Naval blockade is live, markets are holding, and Ram thinks the bottom is in. Austin and Chris are not so sure. --- Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠Citrea⁠⁠ ⁠ As Bitcoin's application layer, Citrea gives you access to the first trust-minimized BTC on a fully programmable platform and a native stablecoin for Bitcoin, ctUSD.  You can now participate in Bitcoin capital markets with lending, privacy, payments, Bitcoin yield, trading and predictions. You get expanded Bitcoin utility without sacrificing its security.  ⁠Citrea mainnet is live. Put your BTC to work at ⁠⁠citrea.xyz/unchained.⁠   ⁠Etherfi⁠ Ether.fi is giving Unchained listeners 15% cashback on food and ride apps — and that's on top of the 3% you get on everything else.  Your bank is charging you to use your own money. Laura switched and loves her card! Go to ⁠ether.fi/unchained⁠ to claim your offer. ⁠Nexo⁠ Nexo is a premier digital wealth platform offering: ● crypto yield up to 15% (based on stated annual interest rates) ● crypto-backed credit lines from 1.9% ● a wide range of digital assets.  Join today and get 30-day access to exclusive rates. ⁠Join Nexo.⁠ ---- The day the US Naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz went live, peace talks had just collapsed in Islamabad and markets were holding. Ram, Austin, and Chris work through the tactical logic behind CENTCOM’s move, why regional powers are standing down, and how long Iran can sustain the economic pressure.  Then: Anthropic previewed a model called Mythos, cybersecurity stocks fell, and the question of whether AI security risk is real or manufactured now has real money behind it.  Meanwhile, World Liberty Financial borrowed $75 million against its own governance token on a platform co-founded by its own advisor, Justin Sun is accusing the team of treating investors as a personal ATM, and the stablecoin bill clock is ticking.  Which sectors are most dislocated? What would it take to bring the next wave of investors into crypto? And is this actually a market bottom? Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Host of Bits + Bips, Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Co-Host, CEO of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Perkins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Co-Host, CEO of 250 Digital Asset Management

    1hr 4min

  6. 14 APR

    Bitcoin's Geopolitical Upturn and the $100K Question

    Why ETH outperformed Bitcoin this past week, what's really behind the prediction market activity during the Iran situation, and what comes next for institutional crypto adoption. --- Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Ether.fi⁠ — 15% cash back on food and rideshare apps, 3% on everything else, borrow at 4% or less ⁠Citrea⁠ — Trust minimized BTC, native stablecoin CT-USD, Bitcoin capital markets --- A tenuous Iran ceasefire sent oil prices tumbling this past week, and crypto responded before any other asset class. Bitcoin climbed to around $72K, Ethereum outperformed with 6.7 to 7% gains in 48 hours, and billions poured back into ETFs after months of withdrawals.  But amid the rally, uncomfortable questions are surfacing: who profited from suspicious prediction market bets placed just before the ceasefire announcement? Are Middle Eastern governments and corporations now using Bitcoin as actual settlement infrastructure? And if the Clarity Act passes without allowing yield-bearing stablecoins, has the banking lobby won?  Kavita Gupta, founder and general partner at Delta Blockchain Fund, sits down with Steven Ehrlich to work through a week of whipsawing markets, fragile geopolitics, and structural shifts that could define where crypto goes from here. Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Head of Research, SharpLink Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kavita Gupta, Founder & General Partner at Delta Blockchain Fund Links: Ceasefire, Markets & Institutional Flows: ⁠Crypto Markets Rebound After Iran-Israel Ceasefire Deal⁠ (Unchained) ⁠Bitcoin ETFs Record $5 Billion in Daily Volume as Inflows Top $870 Million⁠ (Unchained) ⁠Crypto Adoption in MENA 2025: Crisis, Adaptation, and Growth⁠ (Chainalysis) Prediction Markets & Insider Trading: ⁠DEX in the City: Why Prediction Market 'Insider Trading' Isn't Illegal — Yet⁠ (Unchained) ⁠DEX in the City: How Prediction Markets Pose a National Security Risk⁠ (Unchained) ⁠Trading Volumes on Prediction Markets Will Drop After the November Election. Will New Market Entrants Still Attract Users?⁠ (Unchained) ⁠DOJ and CFTC Drop Investigations Into Polymarket: Report⁠ (Unchained) Clarity Act & Stablecoin Regulation: ⁠Bessent Presses Senate on Clarity Act, Labels Resistant Crypto Leaders 'Nihilists'⁠ (Unchained) ⁠Circle Stock Plunges 20% as Clarity Act Draft Threatens Stablecoin Yield⁠ (Unchained) ⁠Treasury Secretary Bessent Presses Congress to Pass CLARITY Act⁠ (The Hill) ⁠Bessent Ramps Up Pressure on Congress to Pass CLARITY Act⁠ (CoinTelegraph)

    45 min

  7. 7 APR

    How Iran Uses USDT to Fund Its War Machine

    Iran's IRGC has reportedly set up a crypto toll system at the Strait of Hormuz, collecting $1 per barrel to $2 million per supertanker in yuan or USDT via Tron. The IRGC moved $3 billion through crypto in 2025 according to Chainalysis, and the Ministry of Defense has begun accepting crypto for arms exports. Is this a gift to US intelligence (freeze and seize) or proof that stablecoins are enabling adversaries?  Austin Campbell (NYU Stern, Zero Knowledge Consulting), Ram Ahluwalia (Lumida), and Chris Perkins (CoinFund) also debate the Iran campaign execution, the F-15 pilot rescue, Polymarket's controversial war bets, and whether Trump's rhetoric matches the military strategy. This clip is from a longer conversation on DeFi security, Iran's crypto war machine, and the token fundamentals crisis. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/live/SKcuC5kqQ7k We go live every Monday at 4:30 PM ET — subscribe to catch it live. Ether.fi is giving Unchained listeners 15% cashback on food and ride apps — and that's on top of the 3% you get on everything else.  Your bank is charging you to use your own money. Laura switched and loves her card! Go to ether.fi/unchained to claim your offer. Bitcoin’s application layer, Citrea, launched its mainnet, expanding Bitcoin’s utility to privacy, lending, BTC yields, and more. Citrea enables: cBTC: The first trust-minimized Bitcoin on a fully programmable platform. ctUSD: A native stablecoin for Bitcoin, allowing for unified liquidity. Bitcoin Capital Markets bringing demand, and utility to the Bitcoin Network. Explore the Citrea Ecosystem.

    17 min

  8. 7 APR

    Why a Nation State Will Always Beat the Security of a DeFi Team

    The biggest DeFi hack of 2026 wasn't a code exploit. It was a six-month North Korean social engineering campaign that ended with $285M drained from Drift protocol in 12 minutes. Circle had six hours to freeze $232M in USDC moving through its own bridge.  Should stablecoin issuers be liable? Is a 2-of-5 multisig really decentralized?  Austin Campbell (NYU Stern, Zero Knowledge Consulting), Ram Ahluwalia (Lumida), and Chris Perkins (CoinFund) confront the liability question, Chris's proposal for licensed "neoprivateers," and why US regulators wasted four years not building the framework we need now. This clip is from a longer conversation on DeFi security, Iran's crypto war machine, and the token fundamentals crisis. Full episode here: https://youtube.com/live/SKcuC5kqQ7k We go live every Monday at 4:30 PM ET — subscribe to catch it live. Bitcoin’s application layer, Citrea, launched its mainnet, expanding Bitcoin’s utility to privacy, lending, BTC yields, and more. Citrea enables: cBTC: The first trust-minimized Bitcoin on a fully programmable platform. ctUSD: A native stablecoin for Bitcoin, allowing for unified liquidity. Bitcoin Capital Markets bringing demand, and utility to the Bitcoin Network. Explore the Citrea Ecosystem. Ether.fi is giving Unchained listeners 15% cashback on food and ride apps — and that's on top of the 3% you get on everything else.  Your bank is charging you to use your own money. Laura switched and loves her card!Go to ether.fi/unchained to claim your offer.

    18 min
See All (21)

Trailer

About

Exploring how crypto and macro collide one basis point at a time. Hosted by Ram Ahluwalia, Austin Campbell and Chris Perkins. Livestream: Every Monday at 4:30 pm ET.

Information

  • Creator
    Unchained
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Show Website
    Bits + Bips

You Might Also Like