Unchained

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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.

  1. 1H AGO

    Why the Crypto Markets Seem So Broken and How They Get Fixed After 10/10

    Rob Hadick and Gracy Chen dig into Bitget's universal exchange shift as more crypto exchanges look to become an “everything app.” Plus, Gracy lets slip details of U.S. plans and how it ties to its transfer of BGB ownership. Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠X⁠ Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. Bitget since September has said it is much more than a centralized cryptocurrency exchange. Dragonfly General Partner Rob Hadick and Bitget CEO Gracy Chen peel back Bitget's universal exchange branding to reveal the trends driving the company's expansion and really that of other exchanges both in TradFi and crypto. The main takeaway? “Users want a place to trade everything.” Gracy also teases Bitget's U.S. market entry plans and lets slip the real reason the company transferred ownership of BGB.  Plus, why Gracy is not so optimistic about AI agents materially impacting the crypto market and what Rob says needs to happen for altcoins to accrue value again. He says it is no longer a market where everything goes up and down together. Guests: Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget, previous appearances on Unchained: Why All Financial Institutions Are 'All Systems Go' on Stablecoins Stablecoins Are Popping Up Everywhere. What's the End Game? When a Crypto Treasury Company Is and Isn't Worth a Premium Why Crypto Has 'a Good Setup' for the Long Term Right Now: Bits + Bips Links: Unchained: Inside Robinhood’s Big Super App Plan: ‘There’s Still a Lot of Work to Be Done’ Coinbase Launches Stock Trading and Prediction Markets Crypto’s Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Uneasy Money: Why Peter Steinberger and Non-Crypto People Hate the Crypto Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 6m
  2. 2H AGO

    Bits + Bips: Why This U.S. General Believes Iran Could Be a Huge Opportunity

    A U.S. Army Major-General on what markets got wrong about Iran, whether the Strait was ever really at risk, and what the new U.S. strike doctrine signals to China. --- Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. Here’s what you need to do: Click the links below. ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. ---- Oil briefly traded above $119 a barrel. Iran threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, the single chokepoint that carries roughly 20% of global oil supply. And then, just as fast, prices started pulling back, after Trump said the conflict was "almost completely over."  But what is actually happening on the ground, what did markets get right, and what are they still missing?  We bring in U.S. Army Major-General James "Spider" Marks, who spent over 30 years in the U.S. Army, serving as senior intelligence officer through the LA riots, the Balkans, Korea, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and who culminated his career as commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. With a conflict still unfolding, a regime in flux, and markets trying to price it all in real time, there may be no better person to ask. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠⁠⁠, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠⁠, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Perkins⁠⁠⁠⁠, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Hosts: James "Spider" Marks, U.S. Army Major-General Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min
  3. 3D AGO

    Why It's Easy to Pitch TradFi on Ethereum: 'It's the Only Game in Town'

    Joseph Chalom and Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum and why it is “the only game in town.” Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. YouTube Apple Spotify X Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. The institutions are here and they may have already picked their preferred blockchain.  Sharplink Gaming CEO Joseph Chalom and Etherealize co-founder Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum. They say the network is the only chain being discussed by institutions thinking about tokenization, dismissing Solana as a possible contender. They explore what this means for ether and why anticipated upgrades only strengthen the case. Meanwhile, Danny maintains that L2s are still part of the Ethereum roadmap, albeit agreeing with Vitalik that they need to evolve. Plus, why Joseph thinks privacy will unlock Ethereum's next DeFi wave and why Danny sees AI agents as the salve to crypto's UX woes, though he calls the current activity “a toy.” Guest: ⁠Joseph Chalom, President/CEO at SharpLink Gaming Inc. Danny Ryan, Co-Founder & President of Etherealize Links: Unchained:⁠⁠ ⁠Vitalik Targets Block Building as Ethereum Prepares Glamsterdam Upgrade Vitalik Buterin Lays Out Quantum Defense Plan for Ethereum Can Solana Edge Out Ethereum to Win the AI Agent & RWA Race? Ethereum Researchers Outline Seven Forks Through 2029 in New “Strawmap” BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. Want to Hire an AI Agent? Check Their Reputation Via ERC-8004 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min
  4. 4D AGO

    Uneasy Money: Why the Aave DAO Collapse Could Be Good for Aave

    The Aave DAO collapsed — but might that be good for Aave? (But bad for the token?) Plus, how the feud between the U.S. government and Anthropic helped the AI company. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠Fuse: The Energy Network ⁠⁠ – Shift your energy use and earn rewards. ⁠⁠⁠MultiChain Advisors -⁠⁠⁠ The Growth & Capital Markets Partner You Need The Aave civil war appears to be at an end with key members of the DAO rage quitting and leaving Aave Labs standing as the sole protocol contributor.  Uneasy Money hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz, and Taylor Monahan explain why the Aave DAO's messy collapse is a death knell for the DAO system. Ironically, they wonder — could this be good for Aave, but bad for the token? The crew also wades into ZachXBT's recent Axiom investigation and how the on-chain detective has become “a vigilante for hire.”  They also cover all the insider trading claims and fights around prediction markets involving the Iran War and Mr. Beast, and “Kalshi jail.” Kain suspects another reason for the U.S. government's rift with Anthropic. Luca, an Anthropic investor, says he wished Dario had taken the government's deal, but that Sam Altman needs to “take the Zuck playbook.” Meanwhile, is Anthropic nerfing OpenClaw? Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠Kain Warwick⁠⁠⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠⁠⁠Taylor Monahan⁠⁠⁠, Security Expert ⁠⁠⁠Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Links: Unchained: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Aave Governance Fight Escalates Ahead of $51 Million Funding Vote Uneasy Money: Why the AI Singularity May Already Be Out of Our Hands How Aave Labs and the DAO Should Split Ownership of the Brand – Uneasy Money ZachXBT Alleges Axiom Employee Misused Internal Data Uneasy Money: Why Peter Steinberger and Non-Crypto People Hate the Crypto Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 16m
  5. 4D AGO

    Is the Bitcoin Bottom In? Why the Outlook for Real Rates Is in Its Favor

    Analysts Will Clemente, Joe Vezzani and Marcus Wu share their Bitcoin outlook amidst war. Plus, Will shares his thesis on Gen Z’s future, and Marcus previews his Bitcoin game theory model. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Nexo ⁠Crypto Tax Girl Bitcoin's price has largely held steady despite President Donald Trump's escalation of hostilities with Iran. Is this the bottom signal the market has been waiting for? STIX investments chief Will Clemente, LunarCrush co-founder Joe Vezzani and Delphi Digital Research Analyst Marcus Wu explain why it looks like Bitcoin is bottoming, why a 10/10-style crash would have happened in crypto even without the Binance glitch, and why, regardless of the Jane Street rumors, it’s not beyond Wall Street to manipulate an asset. They also address speculation that Jane Street has been suppressing Bitcoin's price and how AI's rapid advancement could impact crypto in light of Citrini Research's article and Jack Dorsey's Block layoffs. Don't miss Joe's reasoning on why Trump could come to the market's rescue and Will's thesis on why zoomers face four unique financial and technological challenges. Plus Marcus also previews his new game theory model for trading the Bitcoin market. Guest: ⁠Marcus Wu, Research Analyst at Delphi Digital Joe Vezzani, Co-founder and CEO of LunarCrush Will Clemente, Investments at STIX Previous appearances on Unchained: Bitcoin Crashed Below $100K, But Smart Money Is Buying the Dip Strong Hands Aren't Selling Bitcoin. So Who Is? - Ep. 183 Arthur Hayes and Will Clemente on the 2024 Bitcoin Halving Links: Unchained:⁠⁠ Why Gold Rose and Bitcoin Tumbled on Japan Bond Turmoil Is Nic Carter Exaggerating Bitcoin’s Quantum Risk? Yes, Says One Core Dev Bitcoin Rebounds as ETF Inflows Return, Jane Street Speculation Swirls Terraform Estate Targets Jane Street in Explosive Terra Collapse Lawsuit Crypto’s Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Will’s essay Climbing a Broken Ladder: A message to my fellow Zoomers Marcus’s Bitcoin game theory model Bitcoin Game Theory on Delphi Digital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 8m
  6. 5D AGO

    DEX in the City: How Prediction Markets Pose a National Security Risk

    The crew discusses whether prediction markets enable “Bloomberg terminal espionage,,” wonder how to regulate markets that could be on anything, dive into why the OCC is saying no to stablecoin yield and more. Thank you to our sponsors!  ⁠⁠Fuse: The Energy Network Prediction markets are in the spotlight again. On one hand adoption appears to be growing as the Nasdaq has announced plans of entering the space. On the other hand, they scrutinize markets that pose a national security risk.  In this DEX in the City episode, hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and TuongVy Le discuss suspected insider trading activity around a market tied to the strikes on Iran. Beyond ethical concerns about betting on war, they grapple with the definition of “a death market” and ask whether all prediction markets around an individual are death markets.  The big question: How can these markets on literally any possible event be policed? Plus, is Jane Street manipulating the Bitcoin market? Why the OCC is saying NO to stablecoin yield and the takeaway from Jack Dorsey's Block layoffs. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠Jessi Brooks⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital ⁠⁠Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos⁠⁠, General Counsel at StarkWare ⁠⁠TuongVy Le, General Counsel at Veda Links: Unchained: Nasdaq Eyes Prediction Markets With SEC Filing Bitcoin Rebounds as ETF Inflows Return, Jane Street Speculation Swirls ZachXBT Alleges Axiom Employee Misused Internal Data White House Talks Make Progress on Stablecoin Yields but No Deal Yet DEX in the City: Insider Trading and Crypto: What the Law Actually Says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min
  7. 5D AGO

    The Chopping Block: Has Crypto Lost Its Soul? Cypherpunk Nostalgia, Prediction Markets, & Permissionless Perps

    Crypto’s vibe check time: Jez (izebel_eth) joins the crew to dissect whether idealism is RIP, if cypherpunks should abandon hope, how Memecoins and asset mayhem changed the game, why prediction markets are both truth engines and regulatory minefields, and where real permissionless finance is actually winning in the middle of global chaos. 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 gang is joined by super-perpetuals-junkie Jez for a spicy look at whether crypto has lost its soul — or if things are just getting interesting. Is crypto’s vibe shift just growing pains, or did Memecoins and jaded traders nuke our idealism for good? The crew rehashes dreams of cypherpunk glory, debates the “death of the dream,” and gets existential about crypto’s place in a world where everything is either a commodity, a meme, or a permissionless financial machine. Plus: War in Iran sends TradFi running, but DeFi markets are live, and prediction markets step up just as the regulators get weird. Enough nostalgia — let’s get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Jez and Tarun’s crypto origin story: from MIT outcast to NFT party degens. 🔹 Has crypto really lost its soul, or just shed its rose-tinted glasses? The hosts debate. 🔹 The rise and rise of Memecoins, rampant speculation, and Solana’s culture shift. 🔹 Do “return to cypherpunk” calls matter—or is this what crypto winning looks like? 🔹 Why stablecoins, perps, and DeFi are actually success stories (despite maximalist whining). 🔹 AI eating crypto’s lunch: the “everything on the blockchain” promise gets a reality check. 🔹 Real world chaos, onchain price discovery: Iran war, commodities, and DeFi’s 24/7 edge. 🔹 Prediction markets—Kalshi vs. Polymarket—tripped up by the ambiguous reality of war and death. 🔹 CFTC, insider trading, and whether banning informed bets is just protecting “the fish.” 🔹 The future: agents, open-source AI, and keeping the door open for true permissionless finance. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  Guest ⭐️ Jez, LegendDisclosures Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:07 Jez x Tarun Lore 03:24 Cynicism & Rug Culture 09:00 Back To Cypherpunk Roots? 14:37 Compromises & Reality 23:36 Intermediaries Coexist 25:23 Gates Closing Fears 28:10 Stablecoins & Policy 29:24 Agents As Middlemen 30:28 Microfinance to DeFi Agents 31:57 Open Source AI and Crypto Control 32:41 Iran War DeFi Price Discovery 33:57 Why Perps Beat TradFi 37:21 Kalshi vs Polymarket Dispute 44:31 Are Prediction Markets Just Toys? 50:50 Insider Trading Crackdown 54:15 Adverse Selection and Market Design Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1 hr
  8. 6D AGO

    Why Crypto Has a Good Long-Term Setup Right Now: Bits + Bips

    A major war broke out in the Middle East, but Bitcoin didn’t break. One veteran investor says that price action reveals something important about where crypto stands today. --- Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. YouTube Apple Spotify X Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. --- The U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, killing Ayatollah Khamenei, and markets are still calibrating. Oil is climbing toward $100, yields are confounding textbook expectations, and when news first broke, Bitcoin dropped to around $63,000 before recovering to roughly $70,000 during Monday's session. Equity futures that opened sharply lower also reversed, ending roughly flat vs. Friday's close. What does that price action actually mean? Is the crypto bounce a sign of structural resilience, or is it moving in lockstep with a broader risk recovery?  In this episode, Steven Ehrlich sits down with Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Capital, a veteran crypto venture investor managing hundreds of millions of dollars to work through what the Iran conflict actually means for digital assets. They also get into the stalled Clarity Act that could be crypto's biggest catalyst of the year, the rise of on-chain derivatives markets, and why one of the largest crypto-focused funds believes now is one of the best moments in history to be building in this space. Host: ⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠ Guest: Rob Hadick, General Partner, Dragonfly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    57 min

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About

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.

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