今年夏季,絕不能錯過名勝壹號世界郵輪重回基隆啟航!多種優惠方案讓您輕鬆預訂心儀的日本沖繩郵輪行程,同時省下大筆開支!

Unchained

1 年前
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Unchained
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.
Is Gary Gensler on a Mission to Put Crypto Down for Good? - Ep. 457
Mike Selig, counsel at Willkie Farr, has plenty to talk about this week, with a slew of actions from Gary Gensler’s SEC putting the future of crypto in the U.S. in question. From Kraken’s custodial staking settlement to action against BUSD issuer Paxos, the former CFTC law clerk voices concern that coordination among regulators could choke off the industry’s growth. Hear how Selig thinks Gensler’s SEC is working to bring crypto markets “within the regulatory perimeter.” Show highlights: whether regulators are using the FTX case to go against crypto as a whole what likely caused the NYDFS action against Paxos for BUSD whether there’s a coordinated effort to undermine the crypto markets how issuers could argue that stablecoins aren’t securities why there are limited implications for staking as a whole after Kraken’s SEC settlement how the regulators are “discouraging access and participation in crypto markets at the banking level” the differences between Gary Gensler’s SEC and that of his predecessor, Jay Clayton how the Gensler administration is skeptical of governance and DAOs why the SEC’s crypto custody rule proposal is refreshing, albeit not perfect Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Mike Selig, counsel at Willkie Farr Twitter Links Unchained: Circle Told NYDFS That Paxos-Issued BUSD Wasn’t Fully Backed SEC Wants Tougher Rules for Crypto Custody CoinDesk: SEC Proposal Could Bar Investment Advisers From Keeping Assets at Crypto Firms WSJ: Crypto Firm Paxos Faces SEC Lawsuit Over Binance USD Token Regulator Orders Crypto Firm Paxos to Stop Issuing Binance Stablecoin - WSJ The Block: SEC action against Paxos paints regulatory target on stablecoins Tom Wan on the ramifications of Paxos being ordered to stop issuing BUSD Bloomberg: US Crackdown Seeks to Push Crypto Back to the Fringes of Finance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 17 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: The SEC Is Attacking Crypto – Will Gary Gensler Succeed? - Ep. 456
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, Polygon Chief Legal Officer Marc Boiron joins the show to examine the SEC’s recent enforcement ramp-up. why Marc thinks NYDFS coming after Paxos is the most interesting thing to analyze in the SEC-BUSD spat whether the SEC and NYDFS actions against Paxos were coordinated whether a stablecoin is a security and why the SEC might be inclined to go after Paxos how a stablecoin could resemble a money market fund whether the SEC action against BUSD consolidates Tether's dominance why Robert is nervous about the ramifications of the Paxos situation for all of crypto the unique characteristics of Kraken's staking services that led to settlement with the SEC the meaning of the settlement for other custodial staking services and staking in general why Robert voted in favor of the Uniswap governance proposal why Haseeb is fine with how a16z voted in the proposal how on-chain governance should be approached Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital Guest Marc Boiron, chief legal officer at Polygon Links Disclosures BUSD shutdown WSJ: Crypto Firm Paxos Faces SEC Lawsuit Over Binance USD Token Regulator Orders Crypto Firm Paxos to Stop Issuing Binance Stablecoin The Block: Gensler: SEC has been 'clear' on cryptocurrencies Unchained: Circle Told NYDFS That Paxos-Issued BUSD Wasn’t Fully Backed SEC vs. Staking Ethereum ETH Staking Deposits Kraken to Discontinue Unregistered Offer and Sale of Crypto Asset Staking-As-A-Service Program and Pay $30 Million to Settle SEC Charges Coinbase’s staking services are not securities. And here's why. - Blog Uniswap governance drama Unchained episode on the topic: Chris Blec on Why He Believes a16z’s Uniswap Vote Exposes DeFi as a Farce - Ep. 454 Wormhole vs. LayerZero posts Wormhole LayerZero Explanation video from Unchained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 15 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
How This Prosecutor Is Spearheading the Fight Against Crypto ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams - Ep. 455
Erin West, Deputy District Attorney of California’s Santa Clara County, has heard firsthand tales of scammers preying on victims for hundreds of thousands of dollars. She joins the show to explain the scamming technique known as “pig butchering,” how it is estimated to have raked in tens of billions worldwide, and why it has led to suicide in some cases. West makes the case for why victims need empathy and how law enforcement is working with exchanges to claw back scammed funds. Show highlights: Erin’s background and how she started investigating crypto crimes what exactly the “pig butchering” method entails — and why it’s called that what kind of people scammers are targeting the devastating stories that have arisen from these crypto scams fresh intel on where the fraudsters are located whether the scammers may be connected to foreign governments how the victims are often turned away by U.S. law enforcement agencies how Erin’s agency was able to return almost $1 million to victims late last year what local agencies can do to address these problems how law enforcement agencies around the U.S. are lacking crypto education the workshops Erin has been leading to help such agencies get educated the relatively low number of NFT-related scams her agency has dealt with so far what Erin recommends for victims of “pig butchering” scams Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com FTSE Halborn NYU Links SIM Swaps and Pig Butchering scams: Forbes: Hackers Have Stolen Millions Of Dollars In Bitcoin -- Using Only Phone Numbers WIRED: What Is a Pig Butchering Scam? Podcast on Indian telemarketing scams: Chameleon: Scam Likely — Campside Media Guests: Erin: LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Chris Blec on Why He Believes a16z’s Uniswap Vote Exposes DeFi as a Farce - Ep. 454
Chris Blec, DeFi researcher and founder of the Blec Report, explains why he believes the involvement of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) in a contentious Uniswap governance proposal flies in the face of crypto’s core value: decentralization. He argues that the venture capital firm’s ability to potentially sway the vote in favor of a portfolio company undermines claims that DeFi is “people-powered.” The vote, which is not yet concluded, is the latest venue for people to debate the merits of DeFi governance and whether one token really should equal one vote. Show highlights: why a16z decided to vote against a key section of the Uniswap governance proposal the problem Chris sees with the current design of DAOs whether there is a parallel to be drawn between TradFi and DAO governance why Chris says people are mistaken when they think about the goals of crypto VC whether the fact that some VCs control so much voting power goes against the ethos of decentralization how Chris thinks VCs are funding lobbyist groups to push for their interests, not those of crypto as a whole why Chris believes the "one token, one vote" system doesn't work some alternatives that could be pursued to help the issue of whale token voting whether regulators will come after DAOs and especially the ones that are using current governance mechanisms Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Chris Blec, DeFi researcher and founder of the Blec Report Twitter Tweet about token voting Tweet about engaging with a16z Links Unchained: Does a16z Control Uniswap? CoinDesk: Contentious Uniswap Vote Highlights the Opaqueness of Decentralized Governance Related Twitter threads: From Eddy Lazzarin From Defi Ignas From Abdullah Umar From Philipp Zentner From Macro Mate From Adam Cochran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 10 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Everything You Need to Know About Filing Your 2022 Crypto Taxes - Ep. 453
Lawrence Zlatkin, VP of Tax at Coinbase, and Shehan Chandrasekera, Head of Tax Strategy at CoinTracker, give a full accounting of everything U.S. crypto traders should be aware of as we inch closer to April 18. The two tax experts discuss the latest on how the IRS is approaching crypto taxation, going deep on everything from staking rewards to NFT royalties. Just a heads up: This interview is meant for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or tax advice. Show highlights: what’s new this year when it comes to reporting crypto transactions why staking is now firmly on the IRS’s radar how capital gains tax works for crypto the types of crypto transactions that are taxable as income the five situations where a crypto user incurs a taxable event the types of crypto activity that are not taxable what crypto holders can do to make tax time easier the IRS forms you need for various types of crypto transactions typical mistakes that crypto users make when it comes to filing their taxes why there’s not much you can do if you have assets stuck in Voyager, Celsius or other bankrupt crypto firms why you might consider arguing a “theft loss deduction” what to know about the Ethereum Merge as it relates to taxes things NFT creators should be aware of during tax time how the U.S. tax system can or cannot be applied to DeFi what tax forms you can expect to receive if you’re a Coinbase customer how corporations holding crypto may soon see favorable changes to current accounting rules why $5,000 is a key threshold for crypto donations Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com FTSE Halborn NYU Links Previous coverage of crypto taxes on Unchained: Your 2021 Crypto Taxes: How to Handle NFTs, DAOs, Airdrops and More Everything You Need to Know About Your 2020 Crypto Taxes Why You Shouldn't Trust Crypto Exchange Reports for Your Taxes The IRS Is Cracking Down on Crypto Taxes: What You Need to Know Guests: Shehan: Twitter CoinTracker Lawrence: Twitter Links: Digital Assets | Internal Revenue Service IRS CCA 202302012 (Crypto charitable donations) IRS CCA 202302011 (Coins which have substantially lost in value. Ex: Luna) MiCA – Overview of the New EU Crypto-Asset Regulatory Framework (Part 1) | HUB | K&L Gates CNBC: President Joe Biden to sign the bipartisan infrastructure bill⁠ into law—here's how crypto investors will be impacted S&P Global: What the US infrastructure bill means for cryptocurrency brokers and owners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why Canto, Up Nearly 500% This Month, Has Its Haters - Ep. 452
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 04 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Why the Celsius Examiner Report Shows 'a Complete Disaster in Almost Every Way' - Ep. 451
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 03 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Did FTX Ruin Crypto’s Image on Capitol Hill? Two DC Insiders Discuss - Ep. 450
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 31 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why the Once-Taboo MEV Is Now a Core Part of Ethereum - Ep. 449
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 28 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Why Grayscale Is Suing the SEC Over Its Denial of a Bitcoin ETF - Ep. 448
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 27 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Will Genesis Creditors Be Made Whole? - Ep. 447
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’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 25 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Not Just FTX: One Skeptic’s Take on Why Crypto Is a Scam - Ep. 446
James Block, crypto skeptic and author of the Dirty Bubble Media newsletter, rose to prominence with a timely post predicting FTX’s insolvency. The blogger, a doctor by day, explains why he sees crypto as an unregulated morass of would-be securities and outright “Ponzi schemes.” From an early interest in Tether to connecting the dots on Celsius, Block explains why he does what he does and why almost all of crypto is just “regulatory arbitrage.” Show highlights: how James got into crypto and why he started writing about the space why James chose "Dirty Bubble Media" for the name of his publication the problems with the legitimacy of crypto projects the reasons to be bearish on Coinbase why the question of whether Bitcoin has intrinsic value is highly subjective whether every token in crypto is a scam and whether regulations will hit stablecoin issuers hard how FTX used tokens to create fictitious value worth billions of dollars why Celsius and FTX were closely linked, and the difference between both cases ties James found between FTX's European subsidiary and a company doing binary options, an industry characterized by fraud how he believes financial fraud is similar throughout history — it doesn't repeat, but it rhymes James’s concerns around Signature Bank and its "questionable tactics" why Genesis and DCG got into trouble and how James thinks the situation will likely play out whether exchange tokens are securities and why he believes they have very little value why he says BNB resembles OneCoin's pyramid scheme James's contrarian take on the Avi Eisenberg case Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com DeFi Saver Links Guests: James Block: Twitter Substack FTX: Dirty Bubble Media: Is Alameda Research Insolvent? FTX'ed: The Tangled Ties Of Celsius Network and Sam Bankman-Fried FTX's European subsidiary was built on top of a binary options scam A forgotten banking scandal suggests FTX is the tip of the crypto iceberg DCG Dirty Bubble Media: Digital Currency Grift Unchained: ​SEC Charges Gemini and Genesis With Sale of Unregistered Securities Binance Dirty Bubble Media: The Binance Scam Chain Signature Bloomberg: Binance Says Signature Sets Transaction Minimum Amid Pullback Mango Markets The Ballad of Risk-Free Avi - Dirty Bubble Media Unchained: Mango Markets Exploiter Arrested on Market Manipulation Charges Solana’s Mango Markets Sees $100M Drained in DeFi Exploit Celsius Dirty Bubble Media: Anatomy of a (fake) Market Unchained: NYAG Sues Celsius’s Alex Mashinsky for Defrauding Investors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Why Crypto Developer Activity Continues to Grow Despite the Bear Market - Ep. 445
Maria Shen, partner at Electric Capital, unpacks the venture firm’s latest Developer Report. Hotly anticipated among crypto observers, the annual report captures which chains developers are building on. Despite 2022’s price carnage, the report finds developer interest remains strong. Ethereum is the leading chain by far but EVM-compatibility is emerging as a major force in winning developers’ hearts and minds. Shen unpacks Bitcoin’s stability, Terra’s implosion, and many more insights from crypto’s open-source code repos. Show highlights: why the report "undercounts" developers and how it defines active developers how developers represent a fundamental measure of the health of emerging technologies like crypto the meaning of developer numbers going up even when prices plummet why in recent years the speed of developer growth jumped so drastically what happened after the number of developers reached an all-time high in June 2022 the role of Terra in the decline of developer activity in 2022’s second half why Ethereum dominates the ecosystem and whether it will continue to be the leader the benefits of being part of “the EVM universe” why the number of Bitcoin developers has remained flat over the last year whether looking at the number of developers in the NFT ecosystem is even relevant Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Maria Shen: Twitter Electric Capital Developer Report Full report Maria’s 2022 thread 2021 report 2020 report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 20 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
How Crypto Bankruptcy Claims Buyers Will Profit From the Collapse of FTX - Ep. 444
From 3AC to FTX (and possibly more to come), it’s boom times for those trading crypto bankruptcy claims. Thomas Braziel, founder and CEO of 507 Capital, gives a crash course on bankruptcy law, offering the latest updates on the FTX, Celsius, and Three Arrows Capital cases. Plus, insight on how 2023 could finally be the year Mt. Gox creditors get (some) closure. Show highlights: how Tom got into crypto with the Mt. Gox bankruptcy and whether "crypto distressed" is an emerging asset class how buying bankruptcy claims is also a way to buy crypto assets at a discount how to determine how much value creditors are owed in a crypto bankruptcy what the marketplaces for buying and selling claims are like whether it's possible to tokenize bankruptcy claims whether crypto tokens should be treated as property what is likely to happen when Mt. Gox creditors are returned their BTC the importance of Celsius' separation of custodial assets vs. assets in interest-bearing accounts the likelihood of Celsius being acquired why the fact that FTX recovered $5 billion in assets is "amazing" why so many stakeholders disputed the ownership of the $450 million in Robinhood shares why there's so much difference in the prices of FTX, Voyager, BlockFi and Celsius claims whether the customer list of FTX should be kept private what type of creditors are Gemini Earn customers Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com DeFi Saver Links Guests: Thomas: Twitter 507 Capital Previous appearances on Unchained: Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In Will Celsius Survive the Bankruptcy Process? Episode Links: Celsius Reuters: U.S. judge says Celsius Network owns most customer crypto deposits Celsius bankruptcy judge orders return of some crypto assets to customers Bloomberg: Bankrupt Crypto Lender Celsius Receives Multiple Bids for Retail and Mining Assets FTX Unchained: DOJ Seizes $450M in Robinhood Shares from FTX Bankrupt FTX Recovers Over $5B Worth of Assets: Report CoinDesk: FTX Creditor Claims Going for 13 Cents on the Dollar on Bankruptcy Marketplace Xclaim After Bankruptcy, FTX User Claims Pay Cents on the Dollar Fortune: Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers just filed a claim to keep his $450 million in Robinhood shares Reuters: U.S. Trustee files objection to FTX's planned asset sales Thomas Braziel’s prediction on the FTX claims Connor Grogan’s take on the $5 billion in assets DCG/Gemini: Unchained: Gemini Ends Its Earn Program and Calls for Barry Silbert’s Ouster 3AC Kyle Davies’ comments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why Gemini Users Are Mad at Genesis and DCG - Ep. 443
Welcome to “The Chopping Block!” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. Show topics: Haseeb’s TL;DR of the ongoing situation between DCG, Genesis and Gemini whether DCG committed fraud because of a misrepresentation of its financials why DCG did Genesis a favor by absorbing the losses from exposure to Three Arrows Capital what's required to force an entity into bankruptcy why Cameron Winklevoss would request Barry Silbert to step down as DCG CEO the SEC’s probe into the investors of FTX and whether the regulators will fine them whether there will be on-chain assets for trading FTX bankruptcy claims what Tarun thinks of the future of NFTs and what needs to be built for them to thrive why Robert thinks most NFTs are “hot garbage” what the value behind NFTs is and whether they need a utility whether the massive layoffs are good for the industry and how many companies over-hired during the bull market 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 DCG/Gemini: Unchained: 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 Previous coverage of Unchained on DCG and Genesis: 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 Adam Cochran on Why Crypto Prices Will Be Down Bad for the Next Six Months Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? Genesis May Be Facing Bankruptcy. Could It Take DCG Down With It? Why Genesis Could Very Well Be Insolvent, Not Just Illiquid FTX: Unchained: DOJ Seizes $450M in Robinhood Shares from FTX Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty to All Charges Decrypt: FTX Restructuring Team Has Clawed Back $5B in Lost Assets Previous episodes of The Chopping Block on FTX: The Chopping Block: Can Exchange CEOs Like SBF Be Crypto True Believers? The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn't Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater The Chopping Block on FTX/Alameda: Is Sam Bankman-Fried 'Crypto Kanye'? The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning? Layoffs: Unchained: Coinbase Lays Off 950 Employees Amid Market Conditions Genesis Considers Bankruptcy and Cuts Another 30% of Staff: Report - Unchained Podcast Bloomberg: Silvergate (SI) Tumbles After FTX Implosion Prompts $8.1 Billion Bank Run Why We Missed On Inflation, and Implications for Monetary Policy Going Forward | by Neel Kashkari Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 14 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
DCG's Dilemma: Should It Sell Its GBTC Holdings to Repay Gemini? - Ep. 442
Gemini has accused Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert of fraud after allegedly misrepresenting the financials of his company. The accusations follow a dispute over the return of $900 million in assets owed to Gemini Earn’s users. Karim Dandashy, CFA and portfolio manager at XBTO Group, discusses everything about the ongoing drama between Genesis, its parent company DCG, and Gemini. Show highlights: the fraud accusations against DCG CEO Barry Silbert all the details disclosed in Barry's response whether Genesis will file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection the meaning of the $1.1 billion promissory note being not callable the EDNY and SEC investigation on transfers between DCG and a subsidiary – potentially Genesis whether the 1% interest rate charged for the loan was suitable considering the nature of Genesis' business whether DCG could sell its venture investments to plug the hole why Bitvavo rejected an offer from DCG to return 70% of the $300 million owed to them what Karim would do if he was leading DCG Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Karim: Twitter LinkedIn Previous coverage of Unchained on DCG and Genesis: 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 Adam Cochran on Why Crypto Prices Will Be Down Bad for the Next Six Months Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? Genesis/Gemini: Unchained: 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 ​​Gemini Co-Founder Accuses DCG’s Barry Silbert of ‘Bad Faith and Stall Tactics’ Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report Financial Times: DCG’s crypto broker Genesis owes creditors more than $3bn Protos: Scoop: Larry Summers gives up advisory role at crypto firm DCG amid criticism CNBC: Crypto firms Genesis and Gemini charged by SEC with selling unregistered securities Forbes: Gemini Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Unregistered Interest-Bearing Accounts Decrypt: Dutch Bitcoin Exchange Bitvavo Says DCG’s Payback Plan ‘Not Acceptable’ Sam Andrew’s thread Ram Ahluwalia on DCG CEO’s update to shareholders Ryan Selkis on the definition of the current assets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 13 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
What Does Mango Markets Exploiter Avi Eisenberg's Arrest in Puerto Rico Mean for DeFi? - Ep. 441
Gabriel Shapiro, general counsel at Delphi Labs, and Collins Belton, managing partner at Brookwood P.C., dive into the controversial case of Avi Eisenberg, the self-described “applied game theorist” who was arrested in Puerto Rico on Dec. 26 on market manipulation and fraud charges. The two crypto lawyers discuss the case’s potential impact on DeFi and DAO governance — and whether “code is law” stands a chance in the courtroom. Show highlights: whether Avi’s manipulation of the markets constitutes fraud debating the crypto maxim “code is law” whether it’s wrong to use DeFi code in a “smarter way” how the Mango Markets exploit happened due to poor governance management whether crypto should be regulated from the securities angle or the commodities angle the consequences of Avi’s arrest for the DeFi space whether MEV could constitute market manipulation, even if it’s democratized for everybody the role of DAOs and whether early-stage projects should maintain some level of centralization how DAOs could be designed to have better mechanisms in order to deal with potential issues whether members of the Mango Markets DAO are liable because of their role in designing the system how Avi was “naive” to think he could avoid legal liability by returning the funds why Gabe thinks credit protocols are socially positive and why he hopes that prosecutors won’t “throw everyone in jail” Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com DeFi Saver Links Guests: Gabriel: Twitter Delphi Labs Gabriel’s Twitter thread on the case Previous appearances on Unchained: The SEC's Lawsuit Against Ripple and 2 Execs: What You Need to Know Collins: Twitter LinkedIn Previous appearances on Unchained: How the Greatest Decentralizing Force for Crypto Projects Is the SEC Episode Links: Previous coverage of Unchained on Avi Eisenberg and the Mango Markets exploit: The Mango Markets Attacker on Whether His 'Trade' Was Ethical or Not - Ep. 413 The Chopping Block: 'Code Is Law' Is 'Obviously Not How Anything Works Ever' The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? - Ep. 428 Mango Markets exploit Explanation Avi’s “Highly profitable trading strategy” Twitter thread Unchained: Mango Markets Exploiter Arrested on Market Manipulation Charges Mango Markets Exploiter Gets Liquidated But Leaves Aave With ‘Excess Debt’ 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 Chaindebrief: How Manipulation On AAVE And CURVE Went Wrong, Attacker Got Rekted Instead The Defiant: Another Fork Bites the Dust: The Looming Fall of Fortress DAO and the Perils of Off-Chain Governance Karlstack: EXCLUSIVE: The Man Who May Have Milked $100+ Million from Mango Markets CoinDesk: The Impact of Avraham Eisenberg’s Case on the Future of Crypto Mango Markets Exploiter Eisenberg Arrested in Puerto Rico Mango Exploiter's Funds Get Liquidated After Roiling Aave Using $20M of Borrowed Curve Tokens Complaint CNBC: Decoding The Avraham Eisenberg Arrest And Its Impact On Crypto Bug Bounties, White Hat Hackers Decrypt: Mango Markets Attacker Avraham Eisenberg Arrested, Charged With 'Market-Manipulation Offenses' Protos: Who is Avraham Eisenberg and why is he all over Crypto Twitter? Crypto Briefing: Curve Whipsaws 75% as DeFi Degens Squeeze Avraham Eisenberg New Filing: CFTC charges Avi Eisenberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy? - Ep. 440
Ram Ahluwalia, CEO and cofounder at Lumida, talks about the ongoing dispute between Gemini and Digital Currency Group (DCG), specifically focusing on the actions and statements of DCG CEO Barry Silbert and Gemini’s cofounder Cameron Winklevoss. Ram discusses various aspects of the conflict, including the potential commingling of assets between DCG and its subsidiary Genesis and the options available to Gemini if DCG does not cooperate. Show highlights: how Cameron Winklevoss’s tweets attempt to put Barry Silbert in the same class of actors as Celsius and BlockFi whether the assets of DCG and Genesis are commingled what Gemini’s options are if DCG does not commit to cooperate whether Gemini will file an involuntary petition for Genesis to enter chapter 11 bankruptcy why Barry's statement that DCG didn't borrow $1.675 billion from Genesis is "very surprising" to Ram why it is relevant whether Genesis has a liquidity issue or an insolvency one whether a class-action lawsuit alleging Gemini's earn product is an unregistered security has any merit the essential role of the $1.1 billion promissory note and whether Genesis will drag DCG into bankruptcy if DCG goes under, what would happen to Grayscale whether Valkyrie is going to become the hero and save GBTC why DCG needs to accept the credit committee terms, according to Ram Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Ram: Twitter Ram Ahluwalia’s thread on Fir Tree and Valkyrie 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 Previous coverage of Unchained on DCG and Genesis: ‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis Adam Cochran on Why Crypto Prices Will Be Down Bad for the Next Six Months Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? Genesis: Unchained: ​​Gemini Co-Founder Accuses DCG’s Barry Silbert of ‘Bad Faith Stall Tactics’ Genesis CEO Says Firm Needs More Time to Find a Solution Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report Protos: Scoop: Larry Summers gives up advisory role at crypto firm DCG amid criticism Forbes: Gemini Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Unregistered Interest-Bearing Accounts WSJ: Crypto Lender Genesis Asks Binance and Apollo for Cash Decrypt: Grayscale Ethereum Trust Trades at Record 60% Low Against Ethereum - Decrypt The Block: DCG CEO Barry Silbert updates shareholders, says company will emerge 'stronger' FT: Crypto broker Genesis owes Winklevoss exchange’s customers $900mn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 06 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Could the Crypto Markets Revive in 2023? Two Researchers Discuss - Ep. 439
Lucas Nuzzi, head of R&D at CoinMetrics, and Larry Cermak, VP of research at The Block, discuss the current state of the crypto market, including the potential for contagion effects and the challenges faced by VC companies. They also delve into the mining industry and the issues surrounding MEV and Ethereum. The conversation also touches on stablecoins, DeFi activity and NFT trading, and the potential dangers of Binance's dominance in the industry. Show highlights: how the collapse in 2022 of FTX and other behemoths will affect the industry in 2023 why there's been a lot of forced selling in the markets recently why the industry could still be headed to more contagion effects the characteristics of the current bear market, how it differs from previous ones, and the role of the macroeconomic environment why it's very hard to predict how prices will behave in 2023 why VC firms will have to focus on long-term projects rather than speculation what's going to happen in the Bitcoin mining industry in 2023 considering the current tough situation why Lucas thinks that Bitcoin "drastically overpays for security" why MEV is a concerning issue and how it represents a single point of failure for Ethereum how the narrative of alternative layer 1s has changed and why the focus will shift to layer 2s whether there is a need to develop better blockchain monitoring tools why stablecoin issuers have a very good business model given the interest rate environment what are the problems of stablecoins and how they will be regulated why DeFi activity and NFT trading were down so heavily in 2022 and whether the downtrend will change how Binance's dominance is "terrifying" and whether it could hurt the industry Lucas' concerns about the lack of transparency around Binance's BNB token Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis Minima DeFi Saver Links Guests: Lucas : Twitter CoinMetrics Larry: Twitter The Block Research Previous appearances on Unchained: Larry Cermak of The Block on What 90% of Bitcoin Trading Is For The year in crypto: FTX Previous coverage of Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX: Why Martin Shkreli Thinks SBF’s New Judge Could Still Be Lenient – Ep. 438 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 NFTs: The Block: From CryptoPunks to Redditors — and a Trump card: The year in NFT charts CoinDesk: Over $30B of NFT Trading Volume on Ethereum Is Wash Trading, Research Suggests NFT Market Overview MEV: MEV Watch Flashbots dashboard Unchained: Why Is Ethereum Trying to Maximize Value From Users? Two Sides Debate BTC Mining: The Block: Bitcoin mining companies close out year $4 billion in debt: Report Unchained: Bitcoin Miners Going Bankrupt? Here's How Crypto Winter Is Impacting the Industry Contagion: Genesis/DCG: Unchained: ​​Genesis May Be Facing Bankruptcy. Could It Take DCG Down With It? Genesis Owes Creditors At Least $1.8B: Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0000
Why Martin Shkreli Thinks SBF's New Judge Could Still Be Lenient - Ep. 438
Martin Shkreli, entrepreneur, investor and convicted white-collar criminal, talks about the new judge assigned to the case against Sam Bankman-Fried, whether Sam’s going to plead guilty or not, and the potential involvement of his family in the lawsuit. Show highlights: whether Sam Bankman-Fried truly did not have money to post bail why the government did not restrict Sam's usage of the internet and social media why Martin thinks the new judge assigned to the case, Judge Lewis Kaplan, is good for SBF how many years Judge Kaplan could sentence SBF to, given his unusual work experience whether there's still a chance that Sam could paint this case as a business failure how defense attorneys will likely try to exploit the romantic relationship between Ellison and SBF in their favor why it is unlikely that SBF will plead guilty on the January 3rd arraignment date what a telemarketing fraudster case has to do with FTX how the prosecutors could indict SBF's family if he doesn't plead guilty how a jury would be selected whether Sam has enough funds to pay for a decent lawyer and how that's going to affect the case how Martin learned about crypto while he was in prison how prisoners engage with crypto while incarcerated whether Sam could run a business from prison Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Martin: Socials Previous appearances of Martin on Unchained: Martin Shkreli Explains Why Sam Bankman-Fried Got Lucky With His Judge - Ep. 435 Videos on SBF: Which Gang Will Sam Bankman Join In Prison? | Martin Shkreli Gives Prison Advice to FTX CEO My Boy Sam Bankman Is Facing Life in Jail for Sure | Martin Shkreli Predicts the FTX Court Hearing Episode Links Reuters: Sam Bankman-Fried to enter plea in FTX fraud case Unchained: SBF Released on $250M Bond Secured by Parents Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang Plead Guilty and Are Cooperating in FTX Investigation SBF Signs Extradition Papers After 8 Nights in Bahamas Jail With AC and Cable TV CFTC and SEC File Damning Complaints Against Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested Amid US Indictment Bloomberg: Bankman-Fried Judge Recused Because Husband’s Firm Advised FTX FTX Bankruptcy Standoff Heats Up as Bahamas Challenges US Case Fortune: Sam Bankman-Fried indicted on multiple conspiracy and fraud charges by U.S. officials 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 30 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block Recaps 2022: Crypto's Biggest Winners and Losers and Best Memes - Ep. 437
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the year 2022 in the crypto industry and share their biggest winners and losers of the year, what were the best mechanisms, the biggest surprises and the best memes, and their predictions for the upcoming year. Show topics: why stablecoin bulls performed so well in 2022, as well as journalism, DeFi, and the EVM how the reputation of the industry suffered tremendously in 2022 how Solana had to endure multiple hacks and challenges and whether it’s having its “ETH moment” whether ETH is the only crypto with good tokenomics why MEV has seen such a massive adoption, even if it’s technically not good for crypto why the investment landscape changed so much in June whether Arbitrum is the winner among layer 2s on Ethereum and the role of retroactive airdrops why so many lending companies went bust this year whether proof of reserves is a useful concept whether developers will go back to build on Ethereum rather than alternative layers 1s 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 Last year's episode: The Chopping Block... 2021 in Crypto: The Biggest Winners, Biggest Losers, and Best Memes - Unchained Podcast FTX: The Chopping Block: Can Exchange CEOs Like SBF Be Crypto True Believers? The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn't Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater The Chopping Block on FTX/Alameda: Is Sam Bankman-Fried 'Crypto Kanye'? The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning? Tornado Cash The Chopping Block: Why DeFi May Be Over-Complying With Tornado Cash Sanctions The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Solana The Chopping Block: Anatoly Yakovenko on Why Solana Is Building the SAGA Phone The Chopping Block: Why Solana’s Frequent Downtime Doesn't Bother Kyle Samani Terra: The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance? Others: The Chopping Block: Here’s What Was So Bad About Three Arrows Capital The Chopping Block: SBF on a Crazy Week of Bitfinex, Wormhole and ENS Drama The Chopping Block: Do Kwon Pitches a Decentralized NFT Publishing Service The Chopping Block: Did Andre Cronje Pull an Epic Crypto Rug Pull? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 28 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Collapses, Bankruptcies, and Fraud: How 2022 Became the Year of Crypto Carnage - Ep.436
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
Tue, 27 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Martin Shkreli Explains Why Sam Bankman-Fried Got Lucky With His Judge - Ep. 435
Martin Shkreli, entrepreneur and investor, talks about what Sam Bankman-Fried’s potential life in prison could look like. As a former white-collar criminal, Martin had a lot to say about prison culture, how judge selection affects sentencing, and more. Show highlights: why Martin says that the prosecution part of the case is the most difficult to endure why he thought Sam had "no chance at bail" (although shortly after we recorded, news broke that Sam had been released on what is believed to be the largest bail bond ever – $250 million) whether SBF should plead guilty and hope to be favored by his cooperation what jails in New York are like and how the other inmates might treat SBF whether SBF will be in danger if he goes to prison and Martin's suggestions for him if he wants to survive why the FTX's case is so unprecedented, especially considering the current sentencing guidelines Martin's take on Ronnie Abrams, the judge in charge of the case, and why her selection will be good for SBF whether Caroline Ellison made a mistake by pleading guilty to so many counts why Gary Wang would likely face a tough time in prison for ratting out SBF Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Martin: Socials Videos on SBF: Which Gang Will Sam Bankman Join In Prison? | Martin Shkreli Gives Prison Advice to FTX CEO My Boy Sam Bankman Is Facing Life in Jail for Sure | Martin Shkreli Predicts the FTX Court Hearing Episode Links CNBC: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried to be released on $250 million bail, will live with his parents Unchained: Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang Plead Guilty and Are Cooperating in FTX Investigation SBF Signs Extradition Papers After 8 Nights in Bahamas Jail With AC and Cable TV CFTC and SEC File Damning Complaints Against Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested Amid US Indictment Bloomberg: FTX Bankruptcy Standoff Heats Up as Bahamas Challenges US Case Sam Bankman-Fried’s Harsh Bahamas Jail Could Shift His Stance on Extradition Fortune: Sam Bankman-Fried indicted on multiple conspiracy and fraud charges by U.S. officials 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 23 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
2022 in Review + How Cobie and Chris Burniske Are Playing the New Year - Ep. 434
What a year. Cobie, crypto investor and host of UpOnly, and Chris Burniske, partner at Placeholder Ventures, sift through 2022’s rubble for clues as to what lies ahead in 2023. The two bright lights of Crypto Twitter weigh in on SBF’s fraud, how to succeed through the bear market, and what remains promising despite the gloom and doom. Show highlights: why 2022 is “the hangover of 2021” why this year’s big meltdowns were different and dispiriting why it was actually a year to remind us of why we’re all here how the underlying protocols didn’t skip a beat how to survive the bear market what Chris feels guilty about in the wake of Alameda’s collapse why Cobie hopes SBF spends life in jail whether people will actually use decentralized alternatives – or if banking-like relationships will prevail what Chris sees as the 2023 version of proof-of-stake in 2017 why Cobie thinks bitcoin is an area of opportunity over the next few years whether the multichain thesis (“Solunavax”) will ever rise again whether the contagion is over if disgraced figureheads deserve a second chance a lightning round lookback on 2022 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis Minima DeFi Saver Guests: Cobie: Twitter Substack UpOnly Previous appearances on Unchained: Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market Chris: Twitter Placeholder VC Previous appearances on Unchained: Chris Burniske: A Blank Slate of State Chris Burniske of Placeholder on the Downsides of ICOs The year in crypto: FTX Unchained: CFTC and SEC File Damning Complaints Against Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested Amid US Indictment FTX Bankruptcy Overseer Says Company’s Collapse Is Worst He’s Ever Seen Terra: CoinDesk: The Fall of Terra: A Timeline of the Meteoric Rise and Crash of UST and LUNA Three Arrows Capital CNBC’s full interview with Three Arrows Capital’s Kyle Davies on the downfall of the defunct crypto hedge fund CoinDesk: Three Arrows Capital Files for Bankruptcy in New York Tied to British Virgin Islands Proceeding DeCrypt: Bankrupt Three Arrows Capital Owes $3.5B to Creditors, Including $2.3B to Genesis Binance Unchained: Binance Passes Withdrawal ‘Stress Test’ After $3B in Daily Outflows Forbes: Kevin O’Leary Points Finger At Binance For FTX Crash In Senate Testimony Silvergate The Block: Silvergate CEO seeks to reassure investors over crypto contagion The Financial Times: Silvergate: from tiny local lender to bank behind the crypto boom Genesis/DCG: Unchained: Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report On-chain Analysts ID 432 GBTC Addresses After Grayscale Says No to Proof-of-Reserves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning? - Ep. 433
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news. Show topics: the details of the SEC and CFTC complaints how crypto traders have always speculated about Alameda's preferential treatment whether many people knew about the mismanagement of funds and alleged fraud why Haseeb thinks SBF was a "f*cking psycho" how helpful Tarun believes a testimony from Sam Trabucco, former co-CEO of Alameda, would be why Alameda and FTX lost billions of dollars, and the poor diligence of SBF's venture investments Sam's "ineffective altruism" why a bull market wouldn't have solved the insolvency problems of FTX whether SBF will fight extradition and how long it would take how Sam's consistent use of Facebook and his anti-Maker stand shows he was not a crypto-native why Laura thinks that The Block CEO's undisclosed loans represent a "total betrayal" Robert's take on the ineffectiveness of the government's control of information why Binance is under scrutiny and whether it's the "next FTX" Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Guest: Laura Shin, author, host of Unchained Episode Links FTX: Unchained:CFTC and SEC File Damning Complaints Against Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX SBF Denied Bail in The Bahamas, Will Remain in Fox Hill Prison Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested Amid US Indictment Bahamas Asked SBF to Mint Hundreds of Millions of Dollars’ Worth of New Tokens After Collapse, Say FTX Liquidators SBF Directed $8B Alameda Liabilities to an FTX Account He Called ‘Weird Korean,’ Says CFTC Forbes: Despite Boasting Of Big Profits, FTX And Alameda Lost $3.7 Billion Before 2022 Bloomberg: FTX Bankruptcy Standoff Heats Up as Bahamas Challenges US Case Sam Bankman-Fried’s Harsh Bahamas Jail Could Shift His Stance on Extradition Fortune: Sam Bankman-Fried indicted on multiple conspiracy and fraud charges by U.S. officials Previous coverage of Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX: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 Binance: Unchained: Binance Passes Withdrawal ‘Stress Test’ After $3B in Daily Outflows Forbes: Kevin O’Leary Points Finger At Binance For FTX Crash In Senate Testimony The Block Unchained: The Block CEO Steps Down After Revealing He Was Secretly Funded By SBF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 17 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
How Much Prison Time Is FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried Facing? - Ep. 432
Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at TRM Labs, discusses all the charges that Sam Bankman-Fried is facing and their potential outcomes. Show highlights: the charges against SBF and why the criminal indictment is the most important whether SBF testifying in Congress would have complicated the DOJ's criminal case against him why it is complicated to state how much prison time Sam is facing the ways in which Bankman-Fried can reduce his sentence by cooperating with authorities why it's so unprecedented that the indictment came only one month after the collapse of FTX whether other senior FTX executives are providing prosecutors with information to reduce their charges the reasons why SBF is being held in The Bahamas and the likelihood of him being extradited how much the case will be delayed if SBF's lawyers fight the extradition Ari's thoughts on whether this case will go to trial 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 Guest Ari: Twitter Previous appearances on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No Episode Links Unchained: CFTC and SEC File Damning Complaints Against Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX SBF Denied Bail in The Bahamas, Will Remain in Fox Hill Prison Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested Amid US Indictment Bahamas Asked SBF to Mint Hundreds of Millions of Dollars’ Worth of New Tokens After Collapse, Say FTX Liquidators SBF Directed $8B Alameda Liabilities to an FTX Account He Called ‘Weird Korean,’ Says CFTC Bloomberg: FTX Bankruptcy Standoff Heats Up as Bahamas Challenges US Case Sam Bankman-Fried’s Harsh Bahamas Jail Could Shift His Stance on Extradition Fortune: Sam Bankman-Fried indicted on multiple conspiracy and fraud charges by U.S. officials The Enron Trial: A Chronology Previous coverage of Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX: 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 16 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
How Will the FTX Collapse Affect Silvergate? A Bear and a Bull Debate - Ep. 431
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
Tue, 13 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Why the Legal Process for FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Could Take Years - Ep. 430
TuongVy Le, partner and head of regulatory & policy at Bain Capital Crypto, discusses how the legal process for Sam Bankman-Fried in the wake of the FTX scandal could play out. Show highlights: the allegations that Bankman-Fried manipulated the market during the Terra crash the motivations for Bankman-Fried's media appearances what the selection of Mark Cohen as a lawyer says about the potential charges and the case why SBF hasn't been arrested yet how the US investigating the potential involvement of Bahamian government officials could complicate cooperation of an arrest of SBF in the Bahamas why this case is very different from Bernie Madoff's what evidence would be needed to say, legally, that SBF committed fraud the potential outcomes of the legal case for SBF and how many years of prison time he could face 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 TuongVy : Twitter Episode Links FTX: Unchained: Regulators Investigate Sam Bankman-Fried for Terra-Related Market Manipulation Sam Bankman-Fried Hires Ghislaine Maxwell’s Defense Lawyer: Report Investigations: Reuters: U.S. authorities probe FTX collapse, executives' involvement -sources CoinDesk: California Financial Regulator Announces FTX Investigation Others: CNBC: Former OpenSea employee charged in first-ever NFT insider trading case NYT: Ex-Coinbase Employee and 2 Others Charged With Insider Trading of Crypto Assets Two former Deutsche Bank traders win their appeal in a Libor manipulation case Previous coverage of Unchained on FTX: 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 09 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
​​Genesis May Be Facing Bankruptcy. Could It Take DCG Down With It? - Ep. 429
Ram Ahluwalia, CEO and co-founder of crypto-native investment advisor Lumida, and Samuel Andrew, crypto author and analyst, talk about the financial situation at Genesis and parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG). The collapse of FTX has dealt crypto lender Genesis another major blow, with the firm halting withdrawals and DCG stepping in to help. Now the two face a range of suboptimal outcomes in the face of massive debts. Ahluwalia and Andrew discuss what could come next, and what should be learned from the recent debacles. Show highlights: why Genesis and DCG are so important for the crypto sector Ram's explanation of the "Grayscale trade" and why it is relevant to understand the current crisis the ghost of Three Arrows Capital and the origins of Genesis' problems why Sam thinks Genesis was "reckless" in its loan underwriting what a spot Bitcoin ETF would mean for Grayscale's revenue what options Genesis and DCG have to weather the storm whether it makes sense for Genesis to file for bankruptcy why Ram thinks Genesis lending product needs to be be shut down why Gemini and its Earn program loom large in the Genesis situation the risks of enforcement action from regulators what the most likely outcome is for Genesis and DCG and whether creditors will be made whole whether there will be broader contagion stemming from Genesis and what other crypto companies could be in trouble the problems of leverage and why crypto's "shadow banks" need regulation 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 Ram: Twitter Ram’s thread on GBTC Previous Unchained episodes: Why Genesis Could Very Well Be Insolvent, Not Just Illiquid Sam: Twitter Substack Episode Links Genesis: Unchained: Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report On-chain Analysts ID 432 GBTC Addresses After Grayscale Says No to Proof-of-Reserves WSJ: Crypto Lender Genesis Asks Binance and Apollo for Cash Decrypt: Digital Currency Group Says No Imminent Threat Despite Owing Genesis $575M The Block: DCG CEO Barry Silbert updates shareholders, says company will emerge 'stronger' Previous coverage of Unchained on Genesis: ‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis Adam Cochran on Why Crypto Prices Will Be Down Bad for the Next Six Months Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? FT: Crypto broker Genesis owes Winklevoss exchange’s customers $900mn WSJ: Rising Tether Loans Add Risk to Stablecoin, Crypto World Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He? - Ep. 428
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. Show topics: highlights of Sam Bankman-Fried's interview with the New York Times whether SBF knew what was going on in his companies, and how that impacts potential prosecution why Genesis and DCG are in financial trouble whether Genesis will file for bankruptcy or go through a restructuring process revelations from BlockFi's bankruptcy filing new info on why FTX bailed out BlockFi last summer what is going on with Binance’s recovery fund how Avi Eisenberg tried to pull off an attack on Aave how the banking industry works and whether Changpeng Zhao is the closest thing to a central bank in crypto how DeFi responds in a crisis, and how it contrasts with CeFi’s recent implosions 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 FTX: Unchained: FTX Bankruptcy Overseer Says Company’s Collapse Is Worst He’s Ever Seen NYT: Sam Bankman-Fried’s interview Bill Ackman’s tweet Interview with Tiffany Fong 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 BlockFi: Unchained: Crypto Lender BlockFi Files for Bankruptcy as FTX’s Contagion Effects Continue Decrypt: FTX, Alameda Owe BlockFi More Than $1 Billion: Court Hearing Genesis: Ryan Selkis’ tweet on Genesis Unchained: Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report On-chain Analysts ID 432 GBTC Addresses After Grayscale Says No to Proof-of-Reserves WSJ: Crypto Lender Genesis Asks Binance and Apollo for Cash Decrypt: Digital Currency Group Says No Imminent Threat Despite Owing Genesis $575M Previous coverage of Unchained on Genesis: Why Genesis Could Very Well Be Insolvent, Not Just Illiquid ‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis DeFi Pancakeswap flipped Uniswap in TVL Unchained: Mango Markets Exploiter Gets Liquidated But Leaves Aave With ‘Excess Debt’ Aave Freezes 17 Low-Liquidity V2 Pools and Votes to Migrate 26 Assets to Ethereum V3 Compound Finance Slashes Borrow Caps for 10 Markets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 03 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Adam Cochran on Why Crypto Prices Will Be Down Bad for the Next Six Months - Ep. 427
Adam Cochran, partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, talks about the collapses suffered during this year, their impacts on big traditional finance players, and what’s coming in the crypto markets in the near future. Show highlights: whether Sam Bankman-Fried lied during his interview at the Deal Book Summit why SBF kept the number of FTX's engineers at such a low number why Adam is optimistic about Genesis and DCG what options Genesis have to raise liquidity the significance of a potential meltdown of DCG in the crypto industry why Adam is worried about Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) what lessons can be learned from this crypto winter Adam's prognosis for crypto lending and for the crypto markets in general the impact of the bankruptcy of BlockFi and all the other centralized lenders 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 Adam: Twitter Thread on community buyout Previous Unchained episodes: Why 3AC’s Collapse Could Spell the Start of a Crypto Credit Crunch Episode Links BlockFi: Unchained: Crypto Lender BlockFi Files for Bankruptcy as FTX’s Contagion Effects Continue Decrypt: FTX, Alameda Owe BlockFi More Than $1 Billion: Court Hearing Genesis: Bloomberg: Genesis Creditors Seek Options to Keep Crypto Brokerage Out of Bankruptcy Semafor: Online news site CoinDesk attracts suitors amid crypto crash Unchained: Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report On-chain Analysts ID 432 GBTC Addresses After Grayscale Says No to Proof-of-Reserves WSJ: Crypto Lender Genesis Asks Binance and Apollo for Cash Decrypt: Digital Currency Group Says No Imminent Threat Despite Owing Genesis $575M The Block: DCG CEO Barry Silbert updates shareholders, says company will emerge 'stronger' Previous coverage of Unchained on Genesis: Why Genesis Could Very Well Be Insolvent, Not Just Illiquid ‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis FTX: Unchained: FTX Bankruptcy Overseer Says Company’s Collapse Is Worst He’s Ever Seen 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:30:00 -0000
'The Last Big Whale': Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis - Ep. 426
Michael Jordan, founder at DBA and former co-head of investments at Galaxy Digital, and Alex Pack, managing partner at Hack VC, talk about the potential insolvency of Genesis and DCG, the cycle of credit expansion, and the importance of DeFi to prevent these situations. Show highlights: what will happen with Genesis and its parent company DCG where the insolvency of Genesis might have come from how the expansion of crypto lending in 2021 is impacting the markets and the role the Fed played in this expansion how the Terra collapse kickstarted a ton of contagion effects in crypto companies Alex's story of why he did not invest in Alameda in 2018 whether it is possible to prevent the "FTXs of the future" the importance of assessing the quality of collateral assets the story of when SBF called DeFi a "Ponzi black box" the mystery of where FTX Ventures got the $2 billion it planned to invest 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 Michael: Twitter Previous Unchained episodes: Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting? Alex: Twitter Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained on Genesis and FTX: Why Genesis Could Very Well Be Insolvent, Not Just Illiquid 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 Genesis: Unchained: Genesis Warns of Bankruptcy If Funding Plans Fail: Report On-chain Analysts ID 432 GBTC Addresses After Grayscale Says No to Proof-of-Reserves WSJ: Crypto Lender Genesis Asks Binance and Apollo for Cash Decrypt: Digital Currency Group Says No Imminent Threat Despite Owing Genesis $575M The Block: DCG CEO Barry Silbert updates shareholders, says company will emerge 'stronger' FTX Collapse: First declaration document Unchained: FTX Bankruptcy Overseer Says Company’s Collapse Is Worst He’s Ever Seen SBF tweet: FTX files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Bloomberg: Transcript: Sam Bankman-Fried and Matt Levine on How to Make Money in Crypto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Gabriel Haines on How He Came to Make His Hilarious, Yelling Crypto Videos - Ep. 425
Gabriel Haines, a crypto content creator, comes on this 2022 Thanksgiving edition of Unchained to talk about his videos and leave a positive message for these holidays. Show highlights: how Gabriel started doing his very unique type of videos Gabriel's hummus eating competition how Gabriel's videos are "quite not professional" how Gabriel is monetizing some of his videos with NFTs whether NFTs are a solution for content creators how Lee, Gabriel's wife, has also started creating some funny videos how Web3 is going to change the traditional version of media in the Internet 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 Ava Labs DeFi Saver Gabriel: Twitter Gabriel’s video with a machete Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 25 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block on FTX/Alameda: Is Sam Bankman-Fried 'Crypto Kanye'? - Ep. 424
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
Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion - Ep. 423
Kevin Zhou, cofounder of Galois Capital, and Jesse Powell, cofounder of Kraken, talk about why FTX collapsed, the warning signs, and whether it’s a catalyst for self-custodial adoption. Show highlights: the root causes of the FTX collapse, according to Jesse and Kevin whether there were warning signs of all the risks that were to come the importance of learning from mistakes, even for new people in the space Kevin's response to the stuck funds in FTX the debate about utilitarianism and SBF's effective altruism whether the philosophy behind founders matters Kevin's and Jesse's theories of how FTX and Alameda lost billions of dollars how Alameda and FTX's books were commingled whether people will start using self-custodial wallets whether the fall of FTX vindicates BTC maximalism whether regulation has been beneficial or harmful for American customers the role of venture capital firms and their "mixed incentives" 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 Kevin: Twitter Previous Unchained episodes: How Traders Are Thinking About the Merge — and a Potential ETHPoW Chain Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge. The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash Jesse: Twitter Previous Unchained episodes: Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken, on Drawing a Line With Regulators Episode Links Previous coverage on Unchained of FTX: Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX? – Ep. 422 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 Vox interview with SBF: Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself NYT: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Empire Collapsed Bloomberg: Crypto Hedge Fund Galois Confirms $40 Million Exposure to FTX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon, 21 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX? - Ep. 422
Wassielawyer, a lawyer specializing in restructuring and insolvency, explains the first declaration from new FTX CEO John Ray in the company’s bankruptcy case. Show highlights: why CEO Ray said there's been a complete failure of corporate controls in FTX how there was no separation of accounts between Alameda and FTX whether FTX US customers are in a better position to recuperate their assets why FTX's Bahamas unit is seeking protection under chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code why there's a jurisdictional battle, according to Wassie whether the Bahamian government is responsible for letting deposits out of the platform how former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to save the company 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 Ava Labs DeFi Saver Wassielawyer: Twitter Thread on community buyout Previous Unchained episodes: Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In Why the Messy 3AC, Celsius, and Voyager Bankruptcies Will Drag on for Years Three Crypto Bankruptcies: 3AC, Celsius and Voyager. What Happens Now? Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained on 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 FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. FTX Wasn’t Authorized to File for US Bankruptcy: Bahamas Liquidators Vox interview with SBF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn't Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater - Ep. 421
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
Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In - Ep. 420
Wassielawyer, a lawyer specializing in restructuring and insolvency, and Thomas Braziel, founder and CEO of 507 Capital, talk about the bankruptcy of FTX. Show highlights: what the bankruptcy process of FTX is expected to look like why FTX got to the the point of filing for bankruptcy protection why Wassie thinks Alameda is dead why FTX filed for bankruptcy in the US given that it's a Bahamian company how FTX's balance sheet is composed and whether it includes Alameda whether Justin Sun will be dragged into the bankruptcy how FTX's terms of service differ from Celsius’s and Voyager’s how the $600 million hack affects the bankruptcy proceeding whether it's worth it to spend millions of dollars in law firms to go after the hacked money what's the impact of the 192 million FTT tokens that were printed Saturday night what will happen with the fork of Serum and the forked tokens the consequences for all the projects that FTX invested in why Wassie thinks that tokenizing the liabilities could be a good potential solution how the FTX's bankruptcy affects Voyager's proceedings and customers whether FTX’s bankruptcy has put BlockFi in trouble 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 Wassielawyer: Twitter Thread on community buyout Previous Unchained episodes: Why the Messy 3AC, Celsius, and Voyager Bankruptcies Will Drag on for Years Three Crypto Bankruptcies: 3AC, Celsius and Voyager. What Happens Now? Thomas: Twitter 507 Capital Previous Unchained episodes: Will Celsius Survive the Bankruptcy Process? Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained on FTX: 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: FTX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection 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: The Bahamas Loophole: FTX Users Buy KYC Accounts to Withdraw Crypto 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 Contagion: Serum Fork in the Works Amid Fears That FTX-Owned Upgrade Keys Are Compromised BlockFi Halts Withdrawals Amid FTX Crisis Voyager had to reopen the bidding process for its assets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Nov 2022 09:30:00 -0000
Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets - Ep. 419
Erik Voorhees, founder of ShapeShift, and Jordan Fish, aka Cobie, crypto investor and host of UpOnly, talk about the collapse of FTX. Show highlights: the links between FTX and Alameda what kickstarted the blowup of FTX why Erik and Cobie think that Bankman-Fried's behavior was “sociopathic” why the $10 billion hole is so shocking to Cobie considering the advantages that FTX had as a company whether this would have ever happened if the prices hadn’t plummeted in the bear market the tension between advocates of privacy and those who want to limit criminal activity why Erik believes that SBF’s donations to both political parties are bribery whether regulators can prevent an exchange from collapsing whether Changpeng Zhao did a better job at investigating FTX than anyone at the SEC the likelihood that this will result in criminal charges how blockchain technology is the solution to the problem of centralized exchanges doing things in the dark Tether’s decision to freeze USDT owned by FTX Erik’s response to Bitcoin maximalists who say FTX was caused by altcoins whether it is a mistake for exchanges to issue their own tokens how big the contagion could be in the industry why nobody should leave a significant amount of their net worth in a centralized exchange Erik’s message to regulators whether SBF was aligned with the values and the ethos of crypto Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Ava Labs DeFi Saver Erik: Twitter ShapeShift Previous Unchained episodes: Why ShapeShift’s Erik Voorhees Thinks Toxic Bitcoin Maximalism Is Bullshit Shapeshift’s Erik Voorhees on How Crypto Will Separate Money and State Cobie: Twitter Substack UpOnly Previous Unchained episodes: Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained: Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? FTX Collapse: FTX Tapped Into Customer Accounts to Fund Risky Bets, Setting Up Its Downfall SBF’s video talking to regulators Unchained coverage: 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’s dropped deal with FTX CZ’s announcement SBF’s announcement Binance’s merkle-tree proof-of-reserves Unchained coverage: Binance Set to Buy FTX Amid Liquidity Crisis SBF’s Net Worth Plummets 94% In One Day: Report There are Rumors that Alameda Went Down With 3AC in Q2 Alameda Owes More Than $30M in DeFi Debt Coinbase and Genesis Declare No Exposure to Collapsing FTX Binance Might Have Triggered a Liquidity Crisis as FTX’s Main Wallet Lost 290K ETH in Two Days Binance to Liquidate Millions Worth of its FTX’s Token Holdings FTX’s Stablecoin Reserves Hit One-Year Low Alameda’s Balance Sheet Sparks Controversy Crypto regulation Industry Leaders Debate How to Regulate DeFi Bankless debate between SBF and Erik Voorhees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 11 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto? - Ep. 418
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt were joined by Nic Carter, reformed Bitcoin Maxi, and Laura Shin, CEO of the show, to chop it up about Binance’s buyout of FTX. Show topics: Haseeb's tl;dr of Binance's possible acquisition of FTX whether Alameda is the new Three Arrows Capital the implications of FTX's collapse for regulators and lawmakers what will happen to all the companies that lent money to Alameda Sam Bankman-Fried's emergency effort to raise billions of dollars whether there could be criminal charges against FTX why FTX was not as profitable as other derivative exchanges what the probabilities are of Binance actually buying FTX whether the enterprise value of FTX is negative Tom's concerns about the concentration in the industry how FTX's implosion will impact crypto venture capital firms whether Solana can survive without SBF's support how the lack of transparency kicked off this situation and how blockchains help solve this issue Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital Guests Nic Carter, reformed Bitcoin Maxi Nic’s proof of reserves Laura Shin, author, host of Unchained Episode Links Previous coverage of Unchained:Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC Acquisition of FTX CZ’s announcement SBF’s announcement Binance’s merkle-tree proof-of-reserves Unchained coverage: Binance Set to Buy FTX Amid Liquidity Crisis SBF’s Net Worth Plummets 94% In One Day: Report There are Rumors that Alameda Went Down With 3AC in Q2 Alameda Owes More Than $30M in DeFi Debt Coinbase and Genesis Declare No Exposure to Collapsing FTX Binance Might Have Triggered a Liquidity Crisis as FTX’s Main Wallet Lost 290K ETH in Two Days Binance to Liquidate Millions Worth of its FTX’s Token Holdings FTX’s Stablecoin Reserves Hit One-Year Low Alameda’s Balance Sheet Sparks Controversy Crypto regulation Industry Leaders Debate How to Regulate DeFi Bankless debate between SBF and Erik Voorhees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 09 Nov 2022 20:00:00 -0000
Does Maximalism Help or Hurt Bitcoin? Lyn Alden and Udi Wertheimer Debate - Ep. 417
Lyn Alden, founder of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy, and Udi Wertheimer, a recovering Bitcoin maxi, talk about Bitcoin Maximalism, how Bitcoin is developing, and what’s the future of Bitcoin’s security model. Show highlights: What the definition of Bitcoin maximalism is whether BTC maximalism is toxic whether Vitalik Buterin is still a bitcoiner and how Bitcoiners became the 'token police', according to Udi why Lyn thinks Bitcoin has been attacked by the media since the beginning the attacks by Bitcoin maximalists on Nic Carter and Andreas Antonopoulos how adoption kicked in during previous cycles and why it benefitted BTC what the different types of Bitcoiners are what developments are being made around Bitcoin the importance of Bitcoin being permissionless what the use cases for Bitcoin are and whether it’s still a highly speculative asset whether people care about using decentralized payment tools how Lyn defines ‘ultra sound money’ and why she thinks that Bitcoin is better at that than ETH whether Bitcoin’s security model needs to be fixed why being able to run a node is essential for censorship resistance 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 Udi: Twitter Substack Previous Unchained episodes: Why Bitcoin Maximalism Is ‘Like a Shitcoin Community’ Lyn: Twitter Website Previous Unchained episodes: How Will Inflation Impact Crypto? Is Ethereum a Good Investment? Why Bitcoin Now: Meltem Demirors and Lyn Alden on the Perfect Conditions for Bitcoin Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained: Is Bitcoin Doomed to Fail? Eric Wall and Justin Bons Face Off Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Bitcoin’s culture and security Bitcoin Maximalism Is Dead, Long Live Bitcoin Maximalism by Pete Rizo Setting the record straight by Nic Carter The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin Culture by Paul J. Dylan-Ennis Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution by David Chapman Surprisingly, Tail Emission Is Not Inflationary by Peter Todd Justin Bons’ thread on BTC security model A (brief and incomplete) history of censorship in /r/Bitcoin by John Blocke Ultra sound money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Nov 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Can Exchange CEOs Like SBF Be Crypto True Believers? - Ep. 416
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
Sat, 05 Nov 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Bitcoin Miners Going Bankrupt? Here's How Crypto Winter Is Impacting the Industry - Ep. 415
Nick Hansen, cofounder and CEO of Luxor Technologies, talks about the Bitcoin mining industry, why some miners are struggling while others are succeeding, and the next steps for the industry. Show highlights: the current state of the Bitcoin mining industry why miners have the lowest margin environment ever why there are so many mining rigs sitting latent how to calculate the profitability of mining cryptocurrency why miners are not moving to other countries for lower energy prices what the impact of a Core Scientific bankruptcy would be whether finance pools to aid struggling miners are helpful why some miners are succeeding in this environment whether Bitcoin miners can adopt renewable resources and help with the transition to green energy how the mining industry is going to change in the following years Take the Unchained Podcast survey for 2022! 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 Ava Labs DeFi Saver Nick Twitter Luxor Technologies Episode links Troubled miners: Bondholders of Troubled Bitcoin Miner Core Scientific Said to Be Working With Lawyers A Huge Glut of Bitcoin Mining Rigs Is Sitting Unused in Boxes Bitcoin Miner Iris Energy Says Some Machines Aren't Covering Financing Costs Bitcoin Miner Argo Blockchain Fears Negative Cash Flow as $27M Raise Fails Bitcoin mining hosting company Compute North filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Miners currently weathering the storm: Bitcoin Miner CleanSpark Spends Millions on Equipment as Others Struggle Amid Market Conditions Bitcoin Miner Stronghold Digital Completes Debt Restructuring Digihost Bucks Bearish Trend Among Bitcoin Miners, Remains Cash-Flow Positive Crypto Miner Marathon Digital Mines Record 615 Bitcoin in October Green energy:Solar-Powered Bitcoin Miner Aspen Creek Raises $8M Despite Bear Market Finance Pools: DeFi Platform Maple Finance Aims to Help Struggling Bitcoin Miners With $300M Lending Pool Binance Pool To Support BTC Mining Industry With a $500M Miner Lending Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 04 Nov 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Are NFT Royalties the Way? How to Build a Sustainable Creator Economy - Ep. 414
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
Tue, 01 Nov 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Mango Markets Attacker on Whether His 'Trade' Was Ethical or Not - Ep. 413
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
Fri, 28 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Eric Wall and Udi Wertheimer on Why Bitcoin Maximalism Is 'Like a Shitcoin Community' - Ep. 412
Eric Wall, crypto blogger and investor, and Udi Wertheimer, a recovering Bitcoin maxi, discuss everything about Bitcoin Maximalism, whether BTC can survive, and whether Ethereum constitutes a threat for Bitcoin. Show highlights: how Eric and Udi got involved with Bitcoin what Bitcoin was like in the first days how Bitcoin maxis appear to have a script to engage in discussions the philosophy behind Bitcoin maximalism why Eric believes Bitcoin maximalism is like a “weird cult” how Eric thinks that the BTC community has an unspoken rule forbidding criticisms whether Bitcoin has lost intellectual power why people have recently been turning away from Bitcoin maximalism why the poor Bitcoin culture doesn't mean it's the end for Bitcoin, according to Eric the perception of the Lightning network and how people are not interested in faster blockchains whether Bitcoin should increase the use cases of the blockchain, like DeFi, NFTs, and stablecoins El Salvador's adoption of BTC and whether it had an impact what happens to internet subcultures and how the behavior of Bitcoiners could be predicted whether Ethereum is a threat to Bitcoin Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis web3 with a16z Udi: Twitter Eric: Twitter Medium Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained: Is Bitcoin Doomed to Fail? Eric Wall and Justin Bons Face Off Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Bitcoin Culture and Security The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin Culture by Paul J. Dylan-Ennis Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution by David Chapman Surprisingly, Tail Emission Is Not Inflationary by Peter Todd Justin Bond’s thread on BTC security model A (brief and incomplete) history of censorship in /r/Bitcoin Ultra sound money El Salvador: Previous Coverage of Unchained: Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption? El Salvador’s Bitcoin Paradise Is a Mirage by Nelson Rauda Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: 'Code Is Law' Is 'Obviously Not How Anything Works Ever' - Ep. 411
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: Everyone’s impression of Laura’s interview with Do Kwon The importance to differentiate failure and fraud The Mango Markets hack and whether code is law What happened with the BNB hack and the concerns it raised about decentralization Magic Eden’s decision to enable optional royalties and the debate about NFT royalties How creators are going to find a way around the royalties, according to Robert Whether NFTs should be treated as securities 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 Laura’s interview with Do Kwon:Do Kwon of Terra: ‘It Was Never Really About Money or Fame or Success’ Hacks Mango Markets 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 BNB BNB Smart Chain Plans Hard Fork In Response to $100M Exploit Binance Chain Was Halted Amid Hack Rumors NFT Royalties Magic Eden Magic Eden Moves to Optional Royalties and Heats Up the Debate TCB Debate Tom’s tweet: “turns out people don’t want to pay royalties” Robert’s request for a startup Previous episodes of The Chopping Block debating NFT Royalties: The Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler’s Most Liked Tweet? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 22 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Fat Man Terra Speaks: Do Kwon Is a ‘Sociopath’ and a ‘Charismatic Manipulator’ - Ep. 410
Fat Man Terra, the anonymous Twitter account dedicated to bringing Do Kwon to justice, reacts to my recent interview with Do Kwon and says what he thinks it revealed about his personality. Show highlights: why Fat Man Terra created the Twitter account whether Terra was used to enrich insiders how Fat Man believes Do Kwon evaded questions in the interview with Laura whether Do lied about Chai to misrepresent the success of UST and LUNA why Fat Man believes some people will never admit wrongdoing what he thinks of Do’s response to the stories of people losing everything and whether he is actually sorry what he calls Do’s lack of transparency about his history what he believes is the need to make an example out of the collapse of Terra and Do’s failure Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Fat Man Terra Twitter Laura’s Interview with Do Kwon Other Coverage of Unchained on Do Kwon and Terra: How Will the Legal Case Against Do Kwon Play Out in South Korea? Do Kwon Is Backing UST With Bitcoin – And Here’s What Else He Is Building The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra’s Collapse: Who Will Pay? The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance? Hester Peirce’s Former Counsel on Terra 2.0, XRP and a Bitcoin Spot ETF Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed Fat Man Terra’s thread with several devastating stories related to the collapse of Terra SDT pre-mine CoinDesk Korea article Chai WSJ article Do’s tweets about Chai: 2.5 million users Tweet in May 2021 Tweet in May 2021 #2 Tweet in January 2021 Abracadabra Degenbox $2.7 billion cash out TFL Exit Liquidity dashboard on Dune Basis Cash CoinDesk article Luna Foundation Guard Ergo-BTC on-chain evidence of more than 313 BTC Dumps BTC LFG postpones compensation Allegations against Do Kwon SBS news reporting Do moved funds to the Virgin Islands Seoul Police Probe Allegation of Embezzlement by Terraform Staff South Korea Launches Investigation into Company Behind Luna Crypto Crash Class action against Do Kwon Korean prosecutors are looking into Terra Red Notice “Not on the run” Kwon’s Passport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 21 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown! - Ep. 409
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Host Haseeb Qureshi partnered with Zhuoxun Yin, cofounder of Magic Eden, to debate Unchained host Laura Shin and Li Jin, cofounder at Variant Fund, on the topic of NFT Royalties. Show highlights: What NFT royalties are Why Laura believes zero NFT royalties is a bad business decision prioritizing short-term needs over long-term ones and that it will turn creators off from the industry How charging royalties is not sustainable, according to Haseeb Why royalties are the best mechanism to align incentives between creators and holders, according to Li The technical limitations of NFT royalties on a general-purpose blockchain like Ethereum or Solana How to align incentives between NFT creators and holders Why the prices of NFTs would go up if royalties are not enforced Whether the NFT market will change in the future Whether it is possible to create a standard that enforces royalties in a smart contract The creators’ reaction to Magic Eden moving to optional royalties The possibility of a bifurcation of the NFT market Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Guests Laura Shin, author, and host of Unchained Zhuoxun Yin, cofounder of Magic Eden Li Jin, cofounder of Variant Episode Links Magic Eden Optional Royalties - Unchained Coverage Post-debate poll Tool Metashield The standards innovation paradox by Li Jin X2y2 flexible royalties Previous episodes of The Chopping Block debating NFT Royalties The Chopping Block - Ep. 405 The Chopping Block - Ep. 386 Article: Why NFT Creators and Collectors Can’t Stop Talking About Artist Royalties Article: NFT Royalties: Why artists love them, and traders don’t Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 19 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Do Kwon of Terra: 'It Was Never Really About Money or Fame or Success' - Ep. 408
Do Kwon, cofounder of Terraform Labs, discusses the charges against him, gives a message to Terra victims, answers allegations about potential fraud and non-transparent business practices, and much more. Show highlights: whether Do finds the charges based on the Capital Markets Act legitimate why he doesn’t want to discuss his location whether the South Korean government is lying about the accusations against him what happened with the BTC held by the Luna Foundation Guard whether Do regrets being so arrogant in his tweets what he would say to the people who lost huge amounts of money in Terra or family members of people who committed suicide due to its collapse the decision to set Anchor’s yield near 20% why Terra had a large SDT pre-mine that was not proactively disclosed whether Do’s actions show he didn’t think that the algorithmic mechanism was sufficient to keep UST pegged to the dollar whether Terraform Labs cashed out $2.7 billion using Degenbox why there were no disclosures about Chai terminating its agreement with Terra why the Terra blockchain went through a hard fork without a public discussion the failure of the basis cash stablecoin, also worked on by Do Kwon whether an algorithmic stablecoin can work the week of the UST depeg and what happened to the funds held by LFG where the 3 million Luna unlocked per month by Project Dawn went when the LFG will return funds to UST holders what Do would do differently if he had the chance to go back * Quick correction* At 7min 18sec, I misspoke, the Korean government posted a pdf for Do Kwon’s passport revocation, not his arrest warrant. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis web3 with a16z Episode Links Do Kwon: Twitter Previous Coverage of Unchained on Do Kwon and Terra: How Will the Legal Case Against Do Kwon Play Out in South Korea? Do Kwon Is Backing UST With Bitcoin – And Here’s What Else He Is Building The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra’s Collapse: Who Will Pay? The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance? Hester Peirce’s Former Counsel on Terra 2.0, XRP and a Bitcoin Spot ETF Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed Devastating Stories One man commits suicide Fat Man Terra’s thread with several stories SDT pre-mine CoinDesk Korea article Anchor yield JTBC article reporting core devs wanted a lower yield Chai WSJ article Do’s tweets about Chai: 2.5 million users Tweet in May 2021 Tweet in May 2021 #2 Tweet in January 2021 Abracadabra Degenbox $2.7 billion cash out TFL Exit Liquidity dashboard on Dune Project Dawn Launch The Defiant article Basis Cash CoinDesk article Luna Foundation Guard Ergo-BTC on-chain evidence of more than 313 BTC Dumps BTC LFG postpones compensation Allegations against Do Kwon SBS news reporting Do moved funds to the Virgin Islands. Seoul Police Probe Allegation of Embezzlement by Terraform Staff South Korea Launches Investigation into Company Behind Luna Crypto Crash Class action against Do Kwon Was LUNA a Security? Korean prosecutors are looking into Terra Red Notice “Not on the run” Kwon’s Passport SEC Actions Against Terra SEC Investigating UST Stablecoin Blowup in Fresh Threat to Terra Terraform Labs Loses US Appeal over SEC Subpoena Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why the SEC Is Probing Yuga Labs and Coin Center �Is Suing Treasury - Ep. 407
Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, comes to talk about the SEC probe into Yuga Labs, how to determine whether something is a security, and Coin Center’s lawsuit against the US Treasury over the sanctions on Tornado Cash. Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, comes to talk about the SEC probe into Yuga Labs, how to determine whether something is a security, and Coin Center’s lawsuit against the US Treasury over the sanctions on Tornado Cash. Show highlights: whether there’s an over-reliance on the Howey Test and how a token being non-fungible doesn’t mean it’s not a security what constitutes an investment contract and how it works in the Metaverse the consequences for NFT holders and issuers if the NFTs are considered securities why Coin Center is suing the US Treasury over the Tornado Cash sanctions Who the plaintiffs are whether this lawsuit differs from the one Coinbase is supporting how to solve the issue of bad actors like North Korea using tools such as Tornado Cash to launder money the remedy Coin Center is looking for in the lawsuit against the Treasury how long the lawsuit could take to be resolved Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Peter Twitter SEC probe into Yuga Labs Unchained article CrypTones thread on land sales Coin Center lawsuit over Tornado Cash sanctions Coin Center lawsuit and statement Unchained article Coinbase Backs Tornado Cash Lawsuit Against U.S. Treasury North Korean hacks Treasury Press release on the sanctions Previous coverage of the Tornado Cash sanctions on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 14 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Zaki Manian and Jack Zampolin on Why ATOM Is 'Dogecoin for Academics' - Ep. 406
Zaki Manian, cofounder of Sommelier Protocol and cofounder of Iqlusion and Jack Zampolin, founder of Strangelove Ventures, discuss everything about Cosmos, the new white paper, and how to improve MEV capture for ATOM holders. Show highlights: how Jack and Zaki got involved with crypto and Cosmos what the Sommelier protocol is, the role of Iqlusion, and what Strange Love does the basics of Cosmos and application-specific blockchains (ASB) why would a project choose to be an ASB rather than an application on a blockchain whether Cosmos can achieve network effects the reasons behind launching a new white paper for Cosmos why the team decided to pursue interchain security whether there would be an increase in fees with so many chains relying on the Cosmos Hub for security how much economic value the Cosmos Hub will end up securing if the proposal gets passed how the Cosmos Treasury could be used to fund development the role of the Interchain Scheduler to capture MEV whether centralized exchanges are going to start trading against the customers the new issuance model proposed for ATOM the role of an active governance community to make Cosmos more decentralized what problems Liquid staking solves how USDC will launch on a consumer chain Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Chainalysis web3 with a16z Jack: Twitter Zaki: Twitter Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained on Cosmos: How Osmosis Is Trying to Improve the Crypto User Experience New white paper Document Proposal Interchain security Paper The Block article The DeFi investor thread ATOM 2.0 Thread by Route 2 DeFi Youseff Amrain’s thread Charlie Morris’ thread Other articles Vaneck’s article: Why we are bullish on Atom Alex Valaitis article: A deep dive into Cosmos Liquid Staking Native USDC on Cosmos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 11 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler's Most Liked Tweet? - Ep. 405
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics: Whether crypto optimism is different in Asia than in the United States How Sam Bankman-Fried has been doing some work with US regulators How the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO changed people’s perspectives about the regulator Whether the lawsuit could make all DeFi illegal and the role of DAOs to coordinate governance The SEC settlement with Kim Kardashian for $1.26 million, Gensler’s video explaining the case and whether it was a publicity stunt Why Tarun would fire almost everyone at the CFTC and the SEC to hire more technical people How the NFT QQL collection censored a marketplace in its code What the whole purpose of NFTs is, according to Haseeb The debate around NFT royalties and their enforcement How a huge portion of the blocks in Ethereum are generated by Flashbots and whether it represents a centralizing force Whether MEV should be stopped or accelerated Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital Guest Laura Shin, author, and host of Unchained Episode Links The lawsuit against Ooki DAO Previous Coverage of Unchained on Ooki DAO: Why the Ooki DAO Case Could Hurt Participation in DAOs Kristin Smith on Why Crypto Legislation Could Be Passed by Year’s End CFTC Filing $250,000 fine Nik’s article CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger’s dissenting statement CFTC serving the members of the Ooki DAO via their forum Tim Copeland’s article on what’s next for DAOs A federal court ruled that the CFTC legally served Ooki DAO through a website help bot. The LeXpunK Army filed a motion for amicus status in the SEC case against bZx/Ooki DAO. Crypto group DeFi Education Fund argued that the CFTC should properly serve Ooki DAO’s actual members, not just the DAO at large. NFT Royalties Tyler Hobbs’ QQL $17 million collection QQL blacklist explanation NFT platform hits back Previous episode of The Chopping Block debating NFT Royalties Article: Why NFT Creators and Collectors Can’t Stop Talking About Artist Royalties Article: NFT Royalties: Why artists love them, and traders don’t SEC charges against Kim Kardashian The SEC fined reality TV star Kim Kardashian $1.26 million for promoting a crypto security without proper disclosure. Fortune article on the Kim Kardashian settlement as publicity stunt eMax price spiked Gary Gensler’s video Flashbots and MEV Post-merge relay drama What is MEV Proposer-Builder separation: MEV Boost Flashbots auctions Previous Coverage of Unchained on MEV: Why Is Ethereum Trying to Maximize Value From Users? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 08 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Kristin Smith on Why Crypto Legislation Could Be Passed by Year's End - Ep. 404
Kristin Smith, Executive Director of the Blockchain Association, comes to talk about Tornado Cash, the lawsuit against Ooki DAO, the SEC charges against Kim Kardashian, and crypto legislation. Show highlights: whether regulators did not understand the implications of sanctioning smart contracts the necessity of having a conversation around financial privacy whether the government wants sanctions compliance at the base layer the reasons behind the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO why the SEC settled charges with Kim Kardashian and whether it was a publicity stunt the chances of the different crypto bills becoming law why Kristin thinks stablecoin legislation won’t come this year whether the CFTC being the main regulator of crypto settles the question of crypto being securities or commodities Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch Crypto.com Kristin Twitter The lawsuit against Ooki DAO Previous coverage of Unchained on Ooki DAO: Why the Ooki DAO Case Could Hurt Participation in DAOs CFTC Filing $250,000 fine CoinDesk’s Nik De’s analysis CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger’s dissenting statement Jake Chervinsky’s opinion Ooki DAO’s options CFTC serving the members of the Ooki DAO via their forum Tim Copeland’s article on what’s next for DAOs A federal court ruled that the CFTC legally served Ooki DAO through a website help bot. The LeXpunK Army filed a motion for amicus status in the SEC case against bZx/Ooki DAO. Crypto group DeFi Education Fund argued that the CFTC should properly serve Ooki DAO’s actual members, not just the DAO at large. Tornado Cash Treasury Press release Previous coverage of the Tornado Cash sanctions on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury Legislation Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act of 2022 Europe’s MiCa bill Previous coverage of Unchained on legislation: Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto Congressman Ro Khanna: How to Get More Democrats into Web3 Why the Crypto Industry Believes SEC Regulation by Enforcement Hurts US Consumers SEC charges against Kim Kardashian The SEC fined reality TV star Kim Kardashian $1.26 million for promoting a crypto security without proper disclosure. Fortune article: The SEC’s Kardashian fine was a dumb publicity stunt Stablecoins Stablecoin Draft Bill Bloomberg article: Senator Pat Toomey Still Sees Chance of Stablecoin Legislation This Year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 07 Oct 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC - Ep. 403
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX, discusses his views on crypto regulation, macroeconomics, and the role of FTX in a decentralized industry. Show highlights: whether the market has already bottomed and the influence of macroeconomics why Sam thinks regulation could have a significant impact on the crypto industry the impact of the Terra collapse, Sam’s thoughts on stablecoins, and the importance of disclaimers what the industry can do to prevent high leverage from crypto companies like Three Arrows Capital how crypto lenders should manage risk in a sustainable way whether the crypto collapses affected the opinion of lawmakers and regulators the topics and proposals that Sam is discussing with regulators and his philosophy on financial regulation what Sam thinks about building a centralized entity in a decentralized space what it would take for FTX to move back to the United States why Sam’s political donations more commonly support Democrats, among which are some prominent critics of crypto whether he makes political donations based solely on candidates’ crypto stances the role of FTX in the TradFi market and whether crypto and TradFi will evolve toward or away from each other concerns about potential conflict of interests between FTX and Alameda Research the impact of the Merge, the value proposition of Ethereum and whether it affects the narrative of Bitcoin as digital gold how FTX is positioning itself in this macroeconomic environment the type of acquisitions FTX is interested in Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com a16z Chainalysis Episode Links Sam: Twitter Bailouts and Acquisitions FTX raising $1 billion in funding FTX’s acquisitions had ‘mixed results’ Voyager Digital Auction Celsius Possible Acquisition Stablecoins and Regulation Bankman-Fried Says He’s ‘Surprisingly Optimistic’ U.S. Will Devise Crypto Rules Within A Year Stablecoin Draft Bill Yellen cites UST stablecoin risk after it loses its dollar peg Previous Coverage of Unchained on Stablecoins and Regulation: Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed Donations and Politics Giant crypto exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried promises to give away most of his $21 billion fortune Political donations Sam Bankman-Fried is Democrats' largest donor in May Alameda Research Concerns Crypto Quant Shop With Ties to FTX Powers Bankman-Fried's Empire Collapse of Crypto Companies Celsius bankruptcy filing Voyager Digital bankruptcy filing Three Arrows Capital bankruptcy filing FTX proposal to clear derivatives New method of clearing Previous coverage on Unchained: FTX Wants to Compete with CME – Here’s Why It’s a Big Deal Interest in buying Twitter Text messages reveal Sam Bankman-Fried's guru told Elon Musk the crypto billionaire was 'potentially interested' in buying Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 Oct 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why the Ooki DAO Case Could Hurt Participation in DAOs - Ep. 402
Nikhilesh De, CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, comes to talk about the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO and the potential consequences across the crypto industry. Show highlights: the enforcement action against Ooki DAO and the CFTC’s arguments behind it whether bZx’s statements that the DAO would be beyond the reach of regulators made it a target for the CFTC whether the broader implication of these charges could mean that all DeFi is illegal whether the hacks of bZx made it a high-profile target the CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger's dissenting statement and her concerns who the targets of the CFTC enforcement action are the consequences of the lawsuit for token holders and how to determine which token holders are liable why the CFTC chose to post a notice in the Ooki DAO forum and whether that is sufficient notice what the next steps for DAO members are and whether there will be wide community support Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch Crypto.com Nik Twitter Previous Coverage of Unchained on regulation: Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto Congressman Ro Khanna: How to Get More Democrats into Web3 Why the Crypto Industry Believes SEC Regulation by Enforcement Hurts US Consumers The lawsuit against Ooki DAO CFTC Filing $250,000 fine Nik’s article CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger’s dissenting statement Jake Chervinsky’s opinion Ooki DAO’s options CFTC serving the members of the Ooki DAO via their forum Tim Copeland’s article on what’s next for DAOs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 30 Sep 2022 09:30:00 -0000
How Will the Legal Case Against Do Kwon Play Out in South Korea? - Ep. 401
Zack Guzman, journalist and Coinage host, and Jongbaek Park, partner specializing in blockchain and crypto assets at Bae, Kim & Lee, discuss how the case in South Korea against Do Kwon and TerraForm Labs will likely go, whether Do Kwon is on the run, and what his sentence could be. Show highlights: Jongbaek’s and Zack’s disclosures regarding Terra how big the Terra phenomenon was in South Korea and how Do Kwon was perceived in the country whether Do Kwon posed any conditions for his interview with Zack what Do Kwon is being charged with the colliding opinions on which tokens are considered securities whether the collapse of Terra had any negative impact on the South Korean President’s image whether Do Kwon feels like a charge for violating the capital markets law is unfair whether Do Kwon is “on the run,” despite his denials how the potential revocation of Kwon’s passport could make him go back to Korea whether Terra was a failure or a fraud, and how prosecutors are looking into it whether Terra was centralized the chance of prosecutors going after other people from Terraform Labs and the probability of the entity’s assets being frozen how much jail time Kwon could be facing and whether he is prepared to go to prison Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com a16z Chainalysis Guests: Jongbaek Zack: Twitter Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained on Do Kwon and Terra: Do Kwon Is Backing UST With Bitcoin – And Here’s What Else He Is Building The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra’s Collapse: Who Will Pay? The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance? Hester Peirce’s Former Counsel on Terra 2.0, XRP and a Bitcoin Spot ETF Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed SEC Actions Against Terra SEC Investigating UST Stablecoin Blowup in Fresh Threat to Terra Terraform Labs Loses US Appeal over SEC Subpoena Allegations against Do Kwon Seoul Police Probe Allegation of Embezzlement by Terraform Staff South Korea Launches Investigation into Company Behind Luna Crypto Crash Class action against Do Kwon Was LUNA a Security? Korean prosecutors are looking into Terra Do Kwon Red Notice “Not on the run” Kwon’s Passport Stablecoin Regulation Stablecoin Draft Bill Yellen cites UST stablecoin risk after it loses its dollar peg Haseeb Qureshi’s summary of the Terra collapse: Zack’s Interview with Kwon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why ETH Dumped So Hard After the Merge - Ep. 400
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: Why the ETH price slumped after the Merge even though it was successful Whether the BTC security model is flawed and why Robert thinks Bitcoin will change Why Tarun thinks Bitcoin won’t change and why he’s bearish on Bitcoin development Whether the Lightning Network can succeed with so many competitors getting better more quickly ETHPoW’s performance after the Merge, whether it’s dead and why Robert wouldn’t rule out the PoW fork Why Haseeb thinks the criminalization of the collapse of Terra is a bad precedent The broader impacts of the Terra meltdown and whether Do Kwon not disclosing the fact that he had been involved with Basis Cash, which failed, is problematic The House’s draft bill on stablecoins and whether it is necessary to study algo stablecoins What happened with the Wintermute hack Why Tarun thinks the Wintermute team is incompetent Whether there is any positive news in crypto lately Who would be a better pick for deploying treasury funds between Three Arrows Capital and Wintermute What Haseeb, Tom, Robert and Tarun are excited about 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 Post Merge ETHPoW ETH issuance Do Kwon and Terra Red Notice “Not on the run” Kwon’s Passport Wintermute hack House’s Draft Bill on Stablecoins Bloomberg’s Article Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 24 Sep 2022 17:46:34 -0000
Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto - Ep. 399
Pat Toomey, U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, talks about legislation in the crypto industry, how to determine if something is a security, the future of CBDCs, and much more. Show highlights: the structural differences between crypto tokens and securities why Sen. Toomey is demanding crypto legislation why “regulation by enforcement” does not provide clarity how to determine if a token is decentralized whether proof of stake consensus turns tokens into securities Sen. Toomey’s take on the new framework for stablecoin regulation whether it is appropriate to ban algorithmic stablecoins the importance to make disclosures so that regular users understand the risks of crypto how the collapse of Terra and other crypto companies like Voyager and Celsius affected lawmakers’ perception of crypto whether the US Treasury made a mistake with the Tornado Cash sanctions what the government should take into account in regards to a central bank digital currency (CBDC) why he believes the White House reports on crypto are not helpful and whether entrepreneurial talent is migrating to other countries the likelihood of any of the crypto bills passing soon Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch Crypto.com Messari Sen. Toomey Twitter Previous Coverage of Unchained on regulation: Congressman Ro Khanna: How to Get More Democrats into Web3 The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra’s Collapse: Who Will Pay? Why the Crypto Industry Believes SEC Regulation by Enforcement Hurts US Consumers SEC Views Gary Gensler’s comments on PoS tokens Sen. Toomey’s opinion White House Reports Stablecoins Stablecoin Draft Bill Bloomberg article: Senator Pat Toomey Still Sees Chance of Stablecoin Legislation This Year Sen. Toomey’s framework for payment stablecoins that he released last spring Tornado Cash Treasury Press release Previous coverage of the Tornado Cash Sanctions on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury Ian Balina charges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Is Bitcoin Doomed to Fail? Eric Wall and Justin Bons Face Off - Ep. 398
In a heated debate, Eric Wall, crypto blogger and investor, and Justin Bons, founder and chief investment officer of Cyber Capital, discuss Bitcoin’s security model, whether there are fundamental flaws in its design, and which is the best consensus mechanism. Show highlights: why Justin stopped believing in Bitcoin and why he calls it “technically one of the worst cryptocurrencies” how Eric’s views on Bitcoin changed over time the problems they see with Bitcoin’s security why Eric attacks BTC maximalism, even when he is a Bitcoiner how the Bitcoin community will change in the next decades, and why the security problem is a challenge that could be solved whether BTC should increase its inflation and whether that would break the store of value proposition why Justin thinks that BTC fails as money and won’t play a relevant role in the future what happened around the time of the blocksize debate back in 2015-2017 whether there’s something wrong with Bitcoin’s culture and why Eric compares it to a doomsday cult why Ethereum has external dependencies that can impose systemic risks, according to Eric whether proof of stake or proof of work is a better consensus mechanism whether Ethereum is more censorship resistant than Bitcoin why BTC is a speculative asset and what Justin believes is needed for crypto to finally flourish Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Ava Labs a16z Justin: Twitter Eric: Twitter Medium Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained: Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Bitcoin’s Security, Blocksize and Culture Surprisingly, Tail Emission Is Not Inflationary by Peter Todd Justin’s thread that kicked off the debate A (brief and incomplete) history of censorship in /r/Bitcoin Theory On Bitcoin Governance; Three Stage Model by Justin Bons Centralization: Ethereum Post-Merge Centralization Lido’s validators BTC Centralization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:12:00 -0000
Did the Merge Make Ethereum 'the Most Secure Blockchain in the World'? - Ep. 397
Justin Drake, researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, talks about the Merge, how this transition affects Bitcoin, where Ethereum’s road map is going, and more. Show highlights: how Justin was feeling prior to and during the Merge whether the upgrade is complete or there are other things to watch out for why Ethereum has slashing and why it is a better form of removing any attackers the concern about centralization due to liquid staking derivatives providers, like Lido or Coinbase how the Merge affects MEV and the long-term vision of proposer-builder separation whether the Merge puts pressure on BTC to also transition to proof of stake what impact ETH’s more deflationary nature will have on BTC’s narrative as digital gold why Ethereum is the settlement layer for the internet of value whether there is a winner take all dynamic in the blockchain industry why Ethereum is more secure than Bitcoin, according to Justin what Justin thinks about the ETHPoW fork and its team and the risks of interacting with the ETHPoW fork the next steps in Ethereum’s roadmap Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch Crypto.com Messari Justin Twitter Previous Coverage of Unchained on the Merge: How Traders Are Thinking About the Merge -- and a Potential ETHPoW Chain Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge Post-Merge, If Lido Becomes Dominant, What Does That Mean for Ethereum? The Merge: Vitalik announcement of the Merge Ethereum carbon emission reductions A guide on the Merge by Dan Chen from Sequoia Capital ETH Post-Merge Dynamics: Ultra sound money ETH issuance and burn Cumberland on the Ethereum dynamics after the merge Miles Suter on the implications of the Merge The triple point asset Post Merge MEV: PMCGoohan’s tweet Pintail on post-Merge MEV ETH Proof of Work Poloniex announces a different token ETHPoW team Mainnet announcement Ethereum’s roadmap: ETH Vision Haym on Ethereum’s roadmap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 16 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: ETHPoW Is 'a Terrible Way to Fork the Blockchain' - Ep. 396
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. In this episode, Emin Gün Sirer, the emperor of Avalanche, also joined the conversation Show topics: Gün’s take on the Ava Labs conspiracy story and whether there was any truth in the videos The impact of the Merge on ETH issuance and energy usage What’s going on with the ETHPoW fork, and how the team has been messing up The TL;DR of the technical side of Ethereum scaling, explained by Tarun How, in the beginning, proof of stake was designed to resemble proof of work What Ethereum miners are going to do after the Merge Whether increasing hash rates spike prices of PoW coins How the Basic Attention Token is like the Stanford prison experiment Whether the fights between Gün and other founders were positive or negative How an exchange delisted every privacy coin Whether Coinbase's support of the lawsuit against the US Treasury over Tornado Cash was a PR move How this moment in history resembles the 90s and the rise of the internet Whether there are blockchain-haters and what the crypto industry can do better How there can’t be a single chain to meet every need How FTX and Coinbase have different approaches to regulation How would everyone celebrate a successful Merge and whether there’s a chance of it failing Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Guest Emin Gün Sirer, Founder and CEO of Ava Labs Episode Links Ava Labs Accusations: Emin Gün Sirer’s statement CoinDesk article Crypto Leaks article Tornado Cash Treasury Press release Coinbase supports lawsuit against US Treasury Huobi delisting privacy coins Previous coverage of the Tornado Cash Sanctions on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury ETH Proof of Work and Miners: ChainID missing; the request from Coinbase CoinDesk article The ETHPoW team said the fork will be deployed within 24 hours of the Merge ETHPoW team’s promise to abolish EIP-1559 ETHPoW first blocks The Merge: Ethereum Foundation Merge announcement. Ethereum carbon emission reductions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 14 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How Traders Are Thinking About the Merge -- and a Potential ETHPoW Chain - Ep. 395
Kevin Zhou, co-founder of Galois Capital, and Evgeny Gaevoy, founder and CEO of Wintermute, discuss how to trade the Ethereum Proof of Work fork, what the market is telling about the Merge, and whether the Merge affects Bitcoin. Show highlights: what will happen at the time of the Merge according to Kevin and whether there’s uncertainty when the ETH Proof of Work chain will emerge and how that affects trading opportunities the mistakes of the ETHPoW team, like repealing EIP-1559 what percentage of ETH market cap ETHPoW will accrue what the first few blocks of ETHPoW will be like what the strategies are to earn the ETHPoW airdrop and what the on-chain activity looks like whether there is an “up-only” monoculture in Ethereum what stETH is, how it should be priced and what the futures market indicates where the value of a chain comes from and the likelihood of ETHPoW failing catastrophically how to protect from replay attacks the price action of ETH after the Merge how ETH becoming deflationary affects Bitcoin’s narrative as digital gold how the ESG-friendly image of Proof of Stake could affect the narratives of ETH and BTC Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Ava Labs a16z Kevin: Twitter Evgeny: Twitter Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained on the Merge: Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge Post-Merge, If Lido Becomes Dominant, What Does That Mean for Ethereum? ETH Proof of Work: ChainID missing; and the request from Coinbase Kevin’s analogy CoinDesk article ETHPow Token Summary of Kevin’s thoughts ETHPoW team’s promise to abolish EIP-1559 ETHPoW first blocks Tether supports PoS Circle (USDC) supports PoS ETH Trade Ether’s backwardation Eth-Flexive by Arthur Hayes Whether Ethereum’s Merge is priced in Gauntlet’s view on the Merge BTC correlation with stocks ETH Post-Merge Dynamics: Onchain Wizard post Cumberland on the Ethereum dynamics after the merge Miles Suter on the implications of the Merge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Sep 2022 07:30:20 -0000
Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury- Ep.394
Preston Van Loon, cofounder and Ethereum core developer at Prysmatic Labs, talks about the Merge, its impact on an environmental level, and why he is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Treasury Department over Tornado Cash. Show highlights: what the Merge is on a technical level and what its impact will be whether the proof of stake consensus mechanism makes the network more decentralized and secure what happens if the Merge fails and whether there’s a contingency plan why Preston founded Prysmatic Labs and how Prysm works what the next steps are for Ethereum and what the community is working on whether Preston thinks a proof of work Ethereum fork would succeed when and how Ethereum’s high fees and scaling issues are going to be resolved why Preston joined the lawsuit against the US Treasury over the Tornado Cash sanctions how Preston would celebrate a successful Ethereum Merge Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch Crypto.com Messari Preston Twitter Episode Links Previous Coverage of Unchained on the Merge: Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge Post-Merge, If Lido Becomes Dominant, What Does That Mean for Ethereum? Lawsuit against the US Treasury: Coinbase is supporting a lawsuit against the Treasury Department by six users of Tornado Cash. Fortune article on the lawsuit Why Preston joined the lawsuit. The Merge: Ethereum Foundation Merge announcement. Ethereum carbon emission reductions. ETH Post-Merge Dynamics: Cumberland on the Ethereum dynamics after the merge Miles Suter on the implications of the Merge The triple point asset Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 09 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH - Ep. 393
Arthur Hayes, cofounder of BitMex, discusses how he’s trading the Merge, the impact of macroeconomic policy in the markets, his career as a writer, and much more. Show highlights: how crypto is reconfiguring how humans do finance over the internet why Arthur initially thought Ethereum was worthless how NFTs allow users to trade human culture and will unlock trillions of dollars of value why Ethereum doesn’t even need to be deflationary whether other layer 1s can take some market cap from Ethereum why Arthur thinks that a successful Merge is understated and why this is a valid reason for hedging why he thinks an Ethereum proof of work chain won’t succeed and how Arthur will trade ETHPoW why LDO, Lido’s token, is a riskier bet but has more potential gains how he believes the Shanghai upgrade will impact ETH’s price whether the Merge affects BTC’s narrative as digital gold and whether the inflation hedge theory of Bitcoin still holds why Bitcoin is a measure of USD liquidity and why the Fed rates don’t matter as much as everyone thinks whether hedge funds and institutional investors would want to invest in crypto given the high correlation with traditional markets what Arthur believes the impact of a potential US recession would be on the crypto markets why he believes the real economy is not relevant to the financial markets whether algorithmic stablecoins are doomed to fail how the credit cycle works and how it repeats again and again Arthur’s method for identifying good projects to invest in how Arthur became such a good writer whether BTC is money and the religious aspect of the Bitcoin culture Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Ava Labs a16z Arthur: Twitter Medium Episode Links Previous Coverage on Unchained: With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge Post-Merge, If Lido Becomes Dominant, What Does That Mean for Ethereum? Arthur’s posts discussed during the show: Eth-Flexive Ether, a double digit shitcoin Teach me Daddy (on USD liquidity and Macroeconomics) Macroeconomics: Adam Cochran on the Fed’s QT Pantera Capital’s newsletter ETH Trade: Whether Ethereum’s Merge is priced in Gauntlet’s view on the Merge BTC correlation with stocks ETH Post-Merge Dynamics: Cumberland on the Ethereum dynamics after the merge Miles Suter on the implications of the Merge The triple point asset Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why DeFi May Be Over-Complying With Tornado Cash Sanctions - Ep. 392
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. In this episode, Jill Gunter, the empress of Espresso, also joined the conversation. Show topics: Whether product management is the new consulting What is going to happen with macroeconomics and whether monetary policy is data-driven Why Jill’s faith is getting renewed, especially after listening to Fed authorities The TL;DR on the Ava Labs conspiracy story Why the industry needs a decentralized RPC The role of Flashbots and Ethermine in censoring transactions Potential over-compliance from the biggest crypto projects on how to deal with sanctioned addresses Whether social slashing allows Ethereum to stay uncensored The importance of educating regulators on crypto What Haseeb thinks lawyers would recommend to Coinbase about validating transactions from sanctioned addresses The significance of both transactional and application-layer privacy How stablecoin providers need to implement some basic levels of privacy Why corporations do not run Ethereum and whether users are pro-OFAC restrictions Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/hosseeb Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt Guest Jill Gunter Twitter: https://twitter.com/jillrgunter Episode Links Tornado Cash Treasury Press release Tornado Cash developer arrested Circle freezes USDC in sanctioned wallets Crypto exchange dYdX blocked accounts that received funds from Tornado Cash What the sanctions mean for privacy coins Celebrities get dusted Previous coverage of the Tornado Cash Sanctions on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Ava Labs Accusations: CoinDesk article Crypto Leaks article Social Slashing and Censorship on ETH Axios summary of the situation BitMex research on how the sanctions affect Ethereum Ethermine banning transactions Nic Carter’s article Eric Wall’s article on social slashing Hetzner banning Ethereum users Previous Coverage on Unchained Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 03 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How a16z’s New NFT Licenses Hope to Solve Rights Problems for Creators and Buyers - Ep. 391
Miles Jennings, general counsel at a16z crypto, talks about its new “can’t be evil” NFT licenses and how they help to solve many problems within the NFT industry. Show highlights: what “can’t be evil” NFT licenses are and what problems they solve what can these licenses achieve for content creators which are the five rights that the licenses address whether the NFT licenses help resolve hate speech issues for creators why a16z described its licenses as “can’t be evil” how these licenses will be enforced how anyone buying NFTs should now be able to understand what they are buying why previous attempts to create standardized NFT license didn’t succeed why Miles thinks these new NFT licenses are going to succeed Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Messari: https://mainnet.events/ Guest Miles Twitter: https://twitter.com/milesjennings “Can’t be evil” NFT licenses: a16z article: https://a16zcrypto.com/introducing-nft-licenses/ Miles’ thread: https://twitter.com/milesjennings/status/1564991860824674305?s=20&t=pJEE9HfA9DnC_9PlsGelEw Wiki article: https://www.nftstandards.wtf/NFT/NFT+License Previous coverage on Unchained: What legal rights NFTs come with: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-exactly-do-you-get-when-you-buy-an-nft-three-lawyers-discuss/ Understanding intellectual property rights with NFTs: https://unchainedpodcast.com/excited-about-your-bored-ape-or-crypto-punk-make-sure-you-understand-your-ip-rights/ Punk 6529 on how rights helped Bored Apes succeed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/punk6529-on-the-significance-of-bored-ape-yacht-club-and-cryptopunks/ IP issues around prominent NFT collections: Galaxy Digital report on NFT owners being misled about rights: https://decrypt.co/107827/bored-apes-moonbirds-misled-buyers-nft-ip-rights-galaxy-digita CryptoPunks gets IP rights: https://decrypt.co/107184/as-cryptopunks-nft-owners-get-commercial-rights-yuga-hopes-to-secure-their-legacy-as-artwork Bored Apes’ more permissive license helps it become more valuable than Crypto Punks: https://www.thedefiant.io/bored-apes-yacht-club-cryptopunks-copyright-fight Moonbirds controversy ignites after move to CC0 license: https://www.thedefiant.io/moonbirds-cc0-license-nfts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 02 Sep 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? - Ep. 390
Show highlights: the legal meaning of the OFAC sanctions on Tornado Cash and why it is causing complications how legislation is built for the fiat world, and how in DeFi and crypto there’s no clarity how miners have changed their behavior prior to the Merge whether a proof of work chain or a proof of stake chain would be more censorship resistant whether laws apply to validators in a PoS chain the ways in which the government could provide more clarification the different entities involved in Proof of Stake the liabilities for each entity in PoS and what secondary liability is how the task of the bidder can be described as a mathematical optimization problem whether Lido is exposed to US regulations how long would it take for a large staker like Coinbase to stop being a validator how a user-activated soft fork works and the conditions in which a fork could happen whether social slashing is enforceable considering it is not in the protocol the likelihood of Ethereum becoming a permissioned system the role of Flashbots’ relay code and what it means for Ethereum’s censorship resistance how DeFi’s exposure to US-based institutions can affect the likelihood of the chain complying with sanctions whether DAI is just wrapped USDC how MakerDAO is trying to be more independent of USDC why US-based companies will choose a conservative path, considering the lack of guidance the importance of educating the regulators how cash and crypto are the only remaining private payment methods Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://avax.network a16z: https://link.chtbl.com/HObAJQDL?sid=unchained Andrew Twitter: https://twitter.com/propelforward Martin Twitter: https://twitter.com/koeppelmann Previous Coverage of the Tornado Cash Sanctions on Unchained: Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-trm-labs-blocking-addresses-from-defi-protocols-ari-redbord-says-no-ep-387/ Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tornado-cash-sanctioned-did-the-government-overstep-its-bounds-ep-384/ The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-did-ofac-overstep-by-sanctioning-tornado-cash-ep-386/ Social Slashing and Censorship on ETH Axios summary of the situation: https://www.axios.com/2022/08/23/how-transactions-might-be-censored-after-ethereum-changes-next-month BitMex research on how the sanctions affect Ethereum: https://blog.bitmex.com/ofac-sanctions-ethereum-pos-some-technical-nuances/ Ethermine banning transactions: https://twitter.com/takenstheorem/status/1560690035955011585?s=20&t=59hWdhr8_O-hYA8uYnZJ8w Nic Carter’s article: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/25/if-ethereum-starts-slashing-it-burns/ Eric Wall’s article on social slashing: https://ercwl.medium.com/the-case-for-social-slashing-59277ff4d9c7 CoinDesk article: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/08/23/as-censorship-on-ethereum-begins-could-this-open-sourced-code-help-counter-it/?outputType=amp Hetzner banning Ethereum users: https://twitter.com/koeppelmann/status/1563146729314467840?s=20&t=ubFhCQqrQyHKfflgMHEmJw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? - Ep. 389
Travis Kling, Chief Investment Officer at Ikigai Asset Management, talks about how ETH changes after the Merge, what factors are going to affect its price action, and whether it can decouple from traditional assets. Show highlights: how the supply and demand dynamics of ETH will change after the Merge why he believes the Merge is the most significant catalyst in crypto history what the risks are in terms of price action whether there is an estimate of how much ETH will be locked up and how this lockup resembles Mt. Gox’s BTC the impact that being a deflationary asset will have on the price of ETH and whether it will actually become deflationary after the Merge how activity levels have been decreasing in the Ethereum network whether ether is underpriced or overpriced, and how to evaluate it how institutional money is sitting on the sidelines at the moment after all the de-leveraging events that happened this year how the Merge affects BTC’s narrative and value-proposition how institutions have never been more interested in ether what the futures market is saying about the price action of ether whether ETHPoW has any value and how to trade it how macroeconomics has been impacting the crypto markets and whether ETH can decouple from the macro setups Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Messari: https://mainnet.events/ Travis Twitter: https://twitter.com/Travis_Kling ETH Post-Merge ETH Dynamics: Ultra sound money dashboards: https://ultrasound.money/ Dune dashboards on the Merge: https://twitter.com/DuneAnalytics/status/1562021273575751680?s=20&t=HELDvcJ6gI3Z5RmVsGHdiA Cumberland on the Ethereum dynamics after the Merge: https://res.cloudinary.com/drw/image/upload/v1661351279/comm-cumberland/uploads/The_Ethereum_Merge_-_Derivative_Market_Opportunities_Changes_to_SupplyDemand_Dynamics_1_zwearq.pdf Miles Suter on the implications of the Merge: https://twitter.com/milessuter/status/1560070819518234624?s=20&t=qjolzcydMY_nTU__vZNciQ Robert Leshner on the Ethereum Merge: https://twitter.com/rleshner/status/1559727104903757826?s=20&t=cKkI7b_Hj7dDe0DKmgP13g The triple point asset: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/ether-a-new-model-for-money Previous coverage of Unchained: Is ETH on Its Way to Becoming Ultra-Sound Money? Yes, Says Justin Drake: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-eth-on-its-way-to-becoming-ultra-sound-money-yes-says-justin-drake/ Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-kevin-zhou-believes-ethereum-will-have-3-forks-after-the-merge-ep-381/ Why Ethereum’s Merge Was Delayed and Why It Won’t Reduce Gas Fees Much: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ethereums-merge-was-delayed-and-why-it-wont-reduce-gas-fees-much/ ETH Trade Whether Ethereum’s Merge is priced in: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/22/is-ethereums-merge-priced-in/ Arthur Hayes on the ETH trade: https://blog.bitmex.com/eth-flexive/ ETH flips Bitcoin open interest: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/08/01/ether-flips-bitcoin-in-options-market-for-the-first-time/ “Max bidding” by Arthur Hayes: https://cryptohayes.medium.com/max-bidding-7a1c56c1cd07 Gauntlet’s view on the Merge: https://medium.com/gauntlet-networks/gauntlets-view-on-the-merge-7c79e39e4b59 Macroeconomics Arthur Hayes on USD liquidity conditions and how it affects assets:https://cryptohayes.medium.com/teach-me-daddy-33e7a66dfe76 Adam Cochran on the Fed’s QT: https://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1562077260819173378?s=20&t=Jh2DRYu-nr2mRg_4kJEFqA Pantera Capital’s newsletter: https://panteracapital.com/blockchain-letter/ethereum-tightening-more-than-fed/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 26 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why Is Ethereum Trying to Maximize Value From Users? Two Sides Debate - Ep. 388
Stephane Gosselin, cofounder and chief architect of Flashbots, and Uri Klarman, CEO of bloXrouteLabs, joined Unchained to discuss everything about MEV, an especially important topic now with the Merge coming. Show highlights: what MEV is, how it works under Proof of Work some examples of MEV, like frontrunning and arbitrage how MEV is a rabbit hole full of monsters the role of Flashbots in the MEV industry and how Flashbots enabled a reduction of gas fees for users how MEV-geth functions and how it relates to auctions systems how bloXroute, Uri’s company, is working with MEV where Stephane and Uri disagree on MEV, despite agreeing on many fundamental things how MEV changes with the implementation of Proof of Stake what MEV-Boost is and the problems it solves what proposer-builder separation is and the motivation behind this idea whether DeFi would flourish more if there wasn’t frontrunning and why MEV-Boost doesn’t prevent it what externalities MEV-Boost or proposer-builder separation (PBS) would solve for users how MEV exists in other industries and in traditional finance why Flashbots’ own investors would rather trade on a fair-sequenced rollup than on Flashbots how the number of MEV extractors has been decreasing and whether this would end up centralizing MEV whether exploiting certain types of MEV is illegal how other chains are trying to solve frontrunning, like Osmosis with threshold encryption what are the levers that can be pulled to solve MEV, according to Uri how eradicating MEV can positively affect the price of ETH, and by how much whether validators can potentially share MEV profits with users how to determine if a network has a good MEV supply chain Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ a16z: https://link.chtbl.com/HObAJQDL?sid=unchained Show Links Uri: Twitter: https://twitter.com/uriklarman Stephane: Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegostep Previous coverage of MEV on Unchained: The Debate Over Ethereum MEV: Should It Be Minimized or Boosted?: https://laurashin.bulletin.com/the-debate-over-ethereum-mev-should-it-be-minimized-or-boosted The Other Side(s) of Ethereum's MEV Argument: https://laurashin.bulletin.com/the-other-side-s-of-ethereum-s-mev-argument MEV What is MEV: https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/mev/#:~:text=Maximal%20extractable%20value%20(MEV)%20refers,of%20transactions%20in%20a%20block Proposer-Builder separation: https://www.alchemy.com/overviews/proposer-builder-separation Uri’s blog post: https://medium.com/@uri_61495/flipping-the-table-on-the-mev-game-dc31df8baaf7 MEV Profit sharing validators: https://www.recvc.com/mev-2-0-the-rise-of-mpsvs/ Panel conversation mentioned in the episode (39:53): https://youtu.be/UKfBFV1TuEM?t=2393 Sealed auction design: https://ethresear.ch/t/mev-sgx-a-sealed-bid-mev-auction-design/9677 Priority Gas Auction (PGA): https://www.mev.wiki/terms-and-concepts/priority-gas-auctions#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20priority%20gas,up%20fees%20for%20other%20users. Dune’s dashboard - amount of MEV extractors: https://dune.com/queries/1171509 The MEV Game of the Crypto Economy: Osmosis' Threshold Encryption vs. SGX of Flashbot?: https://mirror.xyz/infinet.eth/SFjR1H1-RMnKoIoPjqkxpauVPrLYGqLHQP1dY9FHvx4 Bank of International Settlements report on MEV: https://www.bis.org/publ/bisbull58.pdf Flashbots Flash Boys 2.0 paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1904.05234.pdf Flashbots Dashboard: https://dashboard.flashbots.net/ Flashbots auctions: https://docs.flashbots.net/flashbots-auction/overview Flashbots relay open source: https://twitter.com/hasufl/status/1559908331145265156?s=20&t=gtHe5sVetxQXVKfZL2VMYg MEV Boost: https://www.alchemy.com/overviews/mev-boost MEV in ETH PoS: https://writings.flashbots.net/writings/mev-boost-call-for-testing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Aug 2022 07:30:50 -0000
Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No - Ep.387
Ari Redbord, Head of Legal and Government Affairs at TRM Labs, talks about the sanctions on Tornado Cash, and the role of blockchain analytics tools in crypto. Show highlights: Ari’s background as a federal prosecutor and his work for the US Treasury why regulators sanctioned Tornado Cash, according to Ari why the Ronin hack was important for regulators to start taking DeFi hacks more seriously the fact that for the first time the Treasury Department sanctioned software whether the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) messed up whether regulators understood the impact on regular users the role of TRM and blockchain analytics tools in mitigating risk how decentralized applications use tools like the ones provided by TRM to comply with regulations and to block addresses why, if Ari were a regulator, he would focus on regulation guidance whether the sanctions on Tornado Cash are unconstitutional what the future of privacy in crypto looks like and whether the government is going after privacy technologies Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ari Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARedbord Tornado Cash Treasury Press release: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0916#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Department,since%20its%20creation%20in%202019 Tornado Cash Sanctioned: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/08/08/crypto-mixing-service-tornado-cash-blacklisted-by-us-treasury/ Developer arrested: https://www.fiod.nl/arrest-of-suspected-developer-of-tornado-cash/ TRM Labs blog post: https://www.trmlabs.com/post/how-defi-platforms-are-using-data-from-trm-labs-to-respond-to-tornado-cash-sanctions Tornado Cash post on compliance: https://tornado-cash.medium.com/tornado-cash-compliance-9abbf254a370 Coin Center’s article authored by Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.coincenter.org/u-s-treasury-sanction-of-privacy-tools-places-sweeping-restrictions-on-all-americans/ Second Coin Center article authored by Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.coincenter.org/analysis-what-is-and-what-is-not-a-sanctionable-entity-in-the-tornado-cash-case/ Coin Center may challenge the US Treasury's decision to sanction Tornado Cash: https://decrypt.co/107475/coin-center-tornado-cash-ban-court Circle freezes USDC in sanctioned wallets: https://www.theblock.co/post/162172/circle-freezes-usdc-funds-in-tornado-cashs-us-treasury-sanctioned-wallets Crypto exchange dYdX blocked accounts that received funds from Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/08/11/crypto-exchange-dydx-blocked-accounts-that-received-even-small-amounts-from-tornado-cash/ The possibility of forking Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/08/10/cloning-tornado-cash-would-be-easy-but-risky/ What the sanctions mean for privacy coins: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/09/what-the-tornado-cash-sanction-means-for-privacy-coins/ Tornado Cash laundered $1.5 billion, according to Elliptic: https://hub.elliptic.co/analysis/tornado-cash-mixer-sanctioned-after-laundering-over-1-5-billion/ Celebrities get Dusted: https://decrypt.co/es/107090/tornado-cash-dusts-public-wallets-jimmy-fallon-brian-armstrong-steve-aoki-logan-paul Previous Coverage of Unchained: Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tornado-cash-sanctioned-did-the-government-overstep-its-bounds-ep-384/ The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-did-ofac-overstep-by-sanctioning-tornado-cash-ep-386/ ** For more episode links and details visit the Unchained website ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 19 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? - Ep. 386
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. In this episode, Laura Shin, host of Unchained and author of The Cryptopians, also joined the conversation. Show topics: What Tornado Cash is and why it got sanctioned by the OFAC The difference between Tornado Cash and blender.io Whether privacy is dead as a category and whether regulators are going after it How these sanctions have a negative impact on the funding of privacy projects How people within the industry can have different points of view, even when they understand the technology Whether the ban of Tornado Cash only means that malicious groups will just go and use other protocols Why regulation by enforcement sucks The asymmetry between the government’s sanction and the effort needed to push it back. What changes after the Merge for ETH in terms of centralization Whether some MEV solutions make Ethereum more centralized Why MEV is intrinsic to blockchains and whether it is impossible to get rid of it Why Proposer-Builder Separation is helpful for the network Whether MEV is illegal and the plausibility of major exchanges not extracting MEV Why Facebook has an MEV extraction business model, according to Tarun How some NFT exchanges are not enforcing royalties What Sudoswap is and how it works How the royalties were there to bootstrap the supply side of NFTs Why Tarun thinks music NFTs will never happen The economic reasoning around royalties The differences between NFT marketplaces like OpenSea and Magic Eden Whether NFTs have a real-world use How Dragonfly’s acquisition of Metastable brought Laura some old memories 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 Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurashin Episode Links Tornado Cash Treasury Press release: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0916#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Department,since%20its%20creation%20in%202019 Developer arrested: https://www.fiod.nl/arrest-of-suspected-developer-of-tornado-cash/ Coin Center’s article authored by Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.coincenter.org/u-s-treasury-sanction-of-privacy-tools-places-sweeping-restrictions-on-all-americans/ Second Coin Center’s article authored by Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.coincenter.org/analysis-what-is-and-what-is-not-a-sanctionable-entity-in-the-tornado-cash-case/ Coin Center may challenge the US Treasury's decision to sanction Tornado Cash: https://decrypt.co/107475/coin-center-tornado-cash-ban-court Circle freezes USDC in sanctioned wallets: https://www.theblock.co/post/162172/circle-freezes-usdc-funds-in-tornado-cashs-us-treasury-sanctioned-wallets Crypto exchange dYdX blocked accounts that received funds from Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/08/11/crypto-exchange-dydx-blocked-accounts-that-received-even-small-amounts-from-tornado-cash/ The possibility of forking Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/08/10/cloning-tornado-cash-would-be-easy-but-risky/ What the sanctions mean for privacy coins: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/09/what-the-tornado-cash-sanction-means-for-privacy-coins/ Tornado Cash laundered $1.5 billion, according to Elliptic: https://hub.elliptic.co/analysis/tornado-cash-mixer-sanctioned-after-laundering-over-1-5-billion/ Celebrities get Dusted: https://decrypt.co/es/107090/tornado-cash-dusts-public-wallets-jimmy-fallon-brian-armstrong-steve-aoki-logan-paul Secretary of State deletes tweet: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/08/08/us-secretary-of-state-tweets-deletes-claim-that-crypto-mixer-tornado-cash-is-north-korea-sponsored/ Previous Coverage of Unchained: Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tornado-cash-sanctioned-did-the-government-overstep-its-bounds-ep-384/ MEV What is MEV: https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/mev/#:~:text=Maximal%20extractable%20value%20(MEV)%20refers,of%20transactions%20in%20a%20block. Proposer-Builder separation: https://www.alchemy.com/overviews/proposer-builder-separation MEV Boost: https://www.alchemy.com/overviews/mev-boost Flashbots auctions: https://docs.flashbots.net/flashbots-auction/overview NFTs Why NFT Creators and Collectors Can’t Stop Talking About Artist Royalties: https://decrypt.co/107482/why-nft-creators-collectors-artist-royalties NFT Royalties: Why artists love them, and traders don’t: https://www.cnbctv18.com/cryptocurrency/nft-royalties-why-artists-love-them-and-traders-dont-14496762.htm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Coinbase CPO Surojit Chatterjee Explains Why He Believes the Exchange Will Win- Ep. 385
Surojit Chatterjee, chief product officer at Coinbase, comes to talk about what products Coinbase is building, how it can thrive in such a competitive landscape, how to onboard billions of users into crypto, and much more. Show highlights: how Surojit got into crypto and ended up at Coinbase what sets Coinbase apart from the competition how to bring billions of customers to crypto Surojit’s mental model of a bridge between the fiat world and the crypto world how Coinbase is integrating its main app with Web3 whether crypto can become a utility rather than an investment asset how Coinbase is building a product in such a way that it attracts even “crypto-native” people what happened with Coinbase NFT Marketplace’s failure and whether the company will keep investing in NFTs whether Coinbase has lost crypto-embedded people among its employees how the partnership with BlackRock indicates how far crypto has come the amount of money that institutions could potentially pour into crypto how Coinbase will prevent itself from having the largest percentage of staked ETH how the company is monetizing the Coinbase wallet and what would happen to revenue if the trading volume were to move from the exchange to Coinbase wallet swaps why Coinbase is suffering a decline in trading volume whether Coinbase can compete with newer exchanges like FTX and Binance and why Surojit still thinks Coinbase will win why it is important to keep investing and building through this crypto winter Surojit’s take on the frontrunning of coins about to be listed on the platform why the Howey test (which determines whether something is a security) is outdated how Coinbase understands securities, and whether the firm thinks the tokens listed on the platform are securities how can Coinbase compete with decentralized exchanges like Uniswap why Surojit is worried about regulatory clarity and stablecoins how hacks and security give the crypto industry a bad reputation what Surojit’s dreams are for the industry Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ Show Links Surojit: Twitter: https://twitter.com/surojit Coinbase Q2 2022 Earnings: Shareholder letter: https://s27.q4cdn.com/397450999/files/doc_financials/2022/q2/v2/Q2-2022-Shareholder-Letter.pdf Summary: https://twitter.com/fintechintern/status/1557130836574539776?s=20&t=R-oDUTEaev-F8bPonC2q5Q Earnings call: https://s27.q4cdn.com/397450999/files/doc_financials/2022/q2/Coinbase-Q2%2722-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf NFT Marketplace: Coinbase NFT launch: https://decrypt.co/99561/coinbase-nft-marketplace-150-users-first-day-public NFT Market data: https://dune.com/Marcov/0x-NFT-Market Gamestop NFT stats: https://dune.com/dataisking420/gamestopnft-stats Gamestop’s performance against Coinbase: https://decrypt.co/105069/gamestop-ethereum-nft-sales-dwarf-coinbase-nft Partnerships BlackRock: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/03/24/blackrocks-fink-says-ukraine-war-could-accelerate-crypto-adoption-report/ https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-selected-by-blackrock-provide-aladdin-clients-access-to-crypto-trading-and-custody-via-b9e7144f313d https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/07/14/blackrock-ceo-larry-fink-seeing-very-little-demand-for-crypto-lately/ Integration with META: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/08/04/meta-confirms-nft-rollout-across-100-countries-amid-coinbase-integration/ ** For more episode links and details visit the Unchained website ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? - Ep. 384
Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, talks about Tornado Cash, why it was sanctioned, and what this means for privacy in crypto. Show highlights: what Blender.io is and how it relates to Tornado Cash how hackers have used Tornado Cash to launder money whether the Office of Foreign Assets Control made a mistake, according to Jerry how Americans were affected by the sanctions why Jerry believes OFAC should have done an analysis to estimate how many people would be impacted by its decision whether the sanctions should have been aimed at North Koren wallets and not the protocol whether the sanctions are unconstitutional and whether Coin Center will litigate this how Jerry believes Circle freezing USDC complicated everything what the famous people who received 0.1 ETH from random accounts via Tornado Cash should do what would happen if someone forked the Tornado Cash code and deployed a copycat smart contract to a new address whether the sanctions signal the beginning of a privacy war on crypto how regulators are applying the same traditional rules with crypto as they use with centralized entities Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Jerry Twitter: https://twitter.com/jerrybrito Tornado Cash Tornado Cash Sanctioned: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/08/08/crypto-mixing-service-tornado-cash-blacklisted-by-us-treasury/ Coin Center’s article authored by Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.coincenter.org/u-s-treasury-sanction-of-privacy-tools-places-sweeping-restrictions-on-all-americans/ Circle freezes USDC in sanctioned wallets: https://www.theblock.co/post/162172/circle-freezes-usdc-funds-in-tornado-cashs-us-treasury-sanctioned-wallets Crypto exchange dYdX blocked accounts that received funds from Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/08/11/crypto-exchange-dydx-blocked-accounts-that-received-even-small-amounts-from-tornado-cash/ The possibility of forking Tornado Cash: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/08/10/cloning-tornado-cash-would-be-easy-but-risky/ What the sanctions mean for privacy coins: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/09/what-the-tornado-cash-sanction-means-for-privacy-coins/ Tornado Cash laundered $1.5 billion, according to Elliptic: https://hub.elliptic.co/analysis/tornado-cash-mixer-sanctioned-after-laundering-over-1-5-billion/ Celebrities get Dusted: https://decrypt.co/es/107090/tornado-cash-dusts-public-wallets-jimmy-fallon-brian-armstrong-steve-aoki-logan-paul Hacks linked to Tornado Cash Ronin: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/ronin-hack-north-korea-linked-to-615-million-crypto-heist-us-says.html Harmony: https://decrypt.co/104138/north-korean-attackers-behind-100m-harmony-hack-report Crypto.com: https://www.wired.com/story/crypto-hack-nso-group-security-news/ Nomad: https://decrypt.co/106459/crypto-bridge-nomad-exploited-190m-frenzied-free-for-all Previous Coverage of Unchained: Will the Nomad Mass Looting Change How Law Enforcement Treats DeFi Hacks?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-the-nomad-mass-looting-change-how-law-enforcement-treats-defi-hacks-ep-382/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 12 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: How to Manage MakerDAO, With Hasu and Rune - Ep. 383
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. In this episode, Hasu, the gourmand of governance and Rune Christensen, chief mischief maker at MKR, discuss how to manage a DAO, their respective visions for MakerDAO, and much more. Show topics: What MakerDAO is, how DAI works and whether it is the “central bank” of DeFi How the visions for MakerDAO of Hasu and Rune differ Whether Maker should only hold highly liquid collateral assets Hasu’s mental model of DAI as eurodollars The role of real-world assets in backing DAI What the purpose of a DAO is and how it differs from a legal entity Whether people behave in their purest form within a DAO How DAI can create positive externalities and make a better world How crypto holders are not only in it for the money but also for the philosophy What the “decentralized stablecoin trilemma” is Whether there’s a need for dollar-denominated collateral for DAI to work What “clean money” is according to Rune Why Rune thinks having a single council is not viable due to the political risks and whether the solution is to have multiple councils How to keep the principal-agent problem in check, according to Hasu Why Hasu believes council members wouldn’t pursue their own interests and go against the benefit of MKR token holders Whether a council would be corruptible and the dangers that it entails What kind of interests should be represented in the council Whether Maker can create more synthetic assets The iron law bureaucracy and how it relates to governance How to design the DAO to be steered in alignment with the token holders Whether ossification is a feature to be pursued, and where innovation happens How complexity is very expensive for an organization Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/hosseeb Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Hasu Twitter: https://twitter.com/hasufl Rune Christensen Twitter: https://twitter.com/RuneKek Episode Links MakerDAO Hasu’s governance proposal: https://vote.makerdao.com/address/0xafaff1a605c373b43727136c995d21a7fcd08989#delegate-credentials Rune’s proposal - the endgame: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/the-endgame-plan-parts-1-2/15456 Proposal to add a lending oversight core unit: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/mip39c2-sp33-adding-lending-oversight-core-unit-love-001/15098 Previous Coverage of Unchained: Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 1: How to Keep a Crypto-Collateralized Stablecoin Afloat: https://unchainedpodcast.com/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: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/ The Rise of MakerDAO: A Personal Journey: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-rise-of-makerdao-a-personal-journey/ Real World Assets: Huntingdon Valley Bank (“HVB”) proposal: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/huntingdon-valley-bank-hvb-rwa-collateral-onboarding-risk-assessment/15828 $500 million allocation proposal: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/signal-request-asset-allocation-of-mip65-clydesdale/15922 The stablecoin trilemma: https://fluid.ch/stablecoin-trilemma/#:~:text=A%20deeper%20dive%20into%20the,decide%20on%20the%20stablecoin%20supply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 11 Aug 2022 07:30:33 -0000
Will the Nomad Mass Looting Change How Law Enforcement Treats DeFi Hacks? - Ep. 382
Layne Haber, Co-founder of Connext Network, discusses the Nomad bridge hack, how it happened, and what can be done to prevent these exploits. Show highlights: what Nomad is and how it works how the hack occurred and what the vulnerability was how much TVL the protocol had and how much of it was drained why the Nomad hack was unique how this exploit resembled the DAO hack on Ethereum the bounty program that Nomad offered and how hackers responded to it how Nomad is working with law enforcement, and the reasons why law enforcement has decided to get involved how Nomad has partnered with TRM Labs to help with tracking the hackers whether privacy developments in the crypto ecosystem will make it harder for law enforcement to track down hackers why cross-chain hacks happen so often what Layne thinks can be done to improve bridge security what mechanism can be implemented to prevent errors that enable these types of mass looting what Layne expects to see in the next few weeks around the Nomad exploit Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ Oasis: https://oasisl.ink/3Bo612R EPISODE LINKS Layne Twitter: https://twitter.com/LayneHaber Nomad Hack: https://www.theblock.co/post/160731/nomad-cross-chain-crypto-bridge-suffers-possible-exploit Sam Sun explaining the hack: https://twitter.com/samczsun/status/1554252024723546112?s=20&t=SHIZQRqJ00mmuZVXFKXuZg Nomad’s bounty program: https://twitter.com/nomadxyz_/status/1555293965049630722?s=20&t=RxH5UuWbBXiRLqu5gHDNyg Pranay Mohan’s thread: https://twitter.com/pranaymohan/status/1556402131325915137?s=20&t=RxH5UuWbBXiRLqu5gHDNyg $36 million recovered: https://twitter.com/nomadxyz_/status/1556681397993058304?s=20&t=makkX3SX1ezAXQSd6fdZYA Cross-chain security: Chainalysis article: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/cross-chain-bridge-hacks-2022/ Adam Cochran on crypto bridges: https://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1554473323073093634?s=20&t=8YFw6sPEGfjvh12q8w7p-Q Vitalik’s take on cross-chain applications: https://old.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/rwojtk/ama_we_are_the_efs_research_team_pt_7_07_january/hrngyk8/ Previous Unchained coverage: The Chopping Block: How to Improve DeFi and Cross-Chain Bridge Security: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bridge-hacks-have-caused-1-billion-in-losses-heres-why-bridge-security-is-tricky/ Bridge Hacks Have Caused ~$1 Billion in Losses. Here’s Why Bridge Security Is Tricky: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bridge-hacks-have-caused-1-billion-in-losses-heres-why-bridge-security-is-tricky/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge - Ep. 381
Kevin Zhou, co-founder of Galois Capital, comes to talk about the possibility of a Proof of Work chain on Ethereum after the Merge, the LUNA death spiral, how he plans to play the Merge, and much more... Show highlights: how Kevin got started in crypto what Galois Capital is and what its investment thesis is why Kevin was more vocal than most about the possibility of the LUNA death spiral whether Kevin made money out of the Terra collapse and what was his strategy what the difficulty bomb in Ethereum is the potential scenarios that could arise after the Merge whether the public is not considering the risks of the Merge how the fact that everybody was telling the same narrative about ETH made Kevin suspicious how Chandler’s statement about forking Ethereum made it a lot more likely that it would happen the groups behind the encouragement of a proof-of-work Ethereum chain whether there is a value proposition for a Proof of Work chain how Kevin used The Cryptopians to remember how the DAO fork went what replay protection is and why it is important when forking a chain why anyone would want to keep the difficulty bomb in a potential proof of work chain Kevin’s predictions about the market cap of the potential Ethereum forks how a proof of work chain of Ethereum would function without the biggest stablecoins like USDT and USDC whether Tether is going to support Ethereum 2 why Kevin writes using metaphors related to history and gaming and how those analogies relate to Ethereum how Kevin wanted to “stick it” to the Ethereum Foundation by offering his services whether Vitalik trolled Kevin on Twitter whether Kevin will apply the same strategy he used with ETC after the DAO fork Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Kevin Twitter: https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital ETH2 What is the Merge?: https://ethereum.org/en/upgrades/merge/ Proof of Work Chain Kevin’s analogy: https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1554053321165512705?s=20 Haseeb’s answer to Kevin’s arguments: https://twitter.com/hosseeb/status/1554163977806000128?s=20 Chandler Guo’s proposal: https://decrypt.co/106409/prominent-chinese-ethereum-miner-wants-to-resist-merge-create-fork Kevin’s consulting offer: https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1553090706708856832?s=20 BitMEX researchers on the possibility of an Ethereum PoW chain: https://blog.bitmex.com/ethpow-vs-eth2/ CoinDesk article: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/03/who-will-mine-ethereum-after-its-gone/ Poloniex’s announcement: https://twitter.com/poloniex/status/1555085757450272768?s=21&t=jkjNGieNXdY5SgT2e9xhoQ Justin Sun’s support of ETHW: https://twitter.com/justinsuntron/status/1555112296006922240?s=21&t=jkjNGieNXdY5SgT2e9xhoQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 05 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How Will Inflation Impact Crypto? Lyn Alden and Mauricio Di Bartolomeo Explain - Ep.380
Lyn Alden, founder of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy, and Mauricio di Bartolomeo, cofounder of Ledn, discuss how inflation could affect the digital asset industry. Show highlights: how Mauricio’s upbringing in Venezuela and firsthand experience with inflation led him to Bitcoin what a “long-term debt cycle” is and why Lyn thinks the 2020s could be similar to the 1930s and 1940s the difference between inflation and hyperinflation how inflation changes consumer investing and purchasing decisions what the impact of inflation is on Bitcoin how Russia’s war on Ukraine will continue to impact inflation how rising interest rates will affect Bitcoin and stablecoin adoption what type of economic environment is worst for BTC growth whether Bitcoin is an inflation hedge why Lyn is long-term bullish on stablecoins and Bitcoin what effect a global recession would have on Bitcoin how global inflation has changed adoption rates for BTC in developing economies how Venezuelans use and perceive Bitcoin why Lyn and Mauricio are excited about Lightning Network in developing countries what Lyn and Mauricio think about El Salvador’s adoption of BTC and its billion dollar BTC bond how Ledn, as a lending company, was able to navigate the Celsius/Voyager crash how Lyn analyzes the risks associated with firms like BlockFi what lessons Lyn and Mauricio have learned in 2022 about digital assets and the economy 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 Lyn Alden Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynAldenContact Website: https://www.lynalden.com/ Previous Unchained episodes: Is Ethereum a Good Investment: https://unchainedpodcast.com/lyn-alden-and-raoul-pal-is-ethereum-a-good-investment/ Why Bitcoin Now: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-meltem-demirors-and-lyn-alden-on-the-perfect-conditions-for-bitcoin/ Mauricio di Bartolomeo Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryptonomista LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mauricio-di-bartolomeo-780284101 Recommended Lyn Reading on Inflation https://www.lynalden.com/ecb-trapped/ https://www.lynalden.com/investing-during-stagflation/ https://www.lynalden.com/may-2022-newsletter/ https://www.lynalden.com/the-area-under-the-curve/ https://www.lynalden.com/blockfi/ Ledn Information https://ledn.io/ https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/07/01/blockfi-approached-with-ledn-led-funding-offer-amid-ftx-acquisition-talks-report/ El Salvador https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/opinion/bitcoin-el-salvador-bukele-crypto.html?searchResultPosition=1 https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-in-el-salvador-why-would-cypherpunks-support-government-mandated-bitcoin-adoption-ep-375/ Inflation https://twitter.com/nic__carter/status/1538909209022058498 https://www.reuters.com/business/imf-cuts-global-growth-forecasts-warns-high-inflation-threatens-recession-2022-07-26/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGCxEMgnMco&list=PL9flMWibV82fmwt5vd0YROikG2msYYphX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 Aug 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: A Network State in 10 Years? Balaji Srinivasan Says Yes - Ep. 379
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. In this episode, Balaji Srinivasan discusses his latest book, “The Network State, how different digital tools like crypto will help empower network states, and analyzes how crypto fits into the current political environment. Show topics: why Balaji wrote a book and why he is so enthralled with a digitized future what a “network state” is, and what components of crypto are embedded into the idea why Balaji is interested in “re-centralization” why Balaji believes that networks states need to be recognized by real nations what makes a network state better than a physical nation or digital community why Balaji thinks a community of people who eat a keto diet could be the first network state why Balaji thinks the network states will be a good thing where Bitcoin maximalism fits into the left vs. right political divide, woke culture, and Christianity what the overlap between politics and crypto will be going forward what is the best way to learn, read, and debate “The Network State” where crypto tools and communities have gone wrong so far and how the industry can improve going forward what lessons Balaji learned from the tech bubble in the early 2000s what Balaji’s over-under is for when the first network state will arrive Balaji’s pitch for a 50:50 BTC/ETH portfolio (note: not investment advice) 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest: Balaji Srinivasan Twitter: https://twitter.com/balajis Episode Links The Network State ​​https://thenetworkstate.com/ Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital https://www.amazon.com/Technological-Revolutions-Financial-Capital-Dynamics/dp/1843763311 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 31 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why the Crypto Industry Believes SEC Regulation by Enforcement Hurts US Consumers - Ep. 378
Marisa Tashman, policy counsel at Blockchain Association, analyzes the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision to name nine tokens as securities and investigate whether Coinbase lists securities. Show highlights: why the SEC named tokens as securities in an insider trading case where no exchanges or token teams are listed as defendants what happens if the Coinbase insider trading case is settled or goes to court why the SEC’s actions should be considered “regulation by enforcement” whether there is any process to force the SEC to reveal its reasoning for calling a token a security why Marisa thinks the SEC is actively harming US investors with its crypto policy how Coinbase is handling the SEC’s investigation what Marisa thinks of Coinbase’s listing process why the Cynthia Lummis-led crypto regulatory framework is a good start what Marisa believes will happen in the crypto regulatory landscape in the near future Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Marisa Tashman https://twitter.com/mtash Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/ Coinbase SEC investigation into listing unregistered tokens: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-26/coinbase-faces-sec-investigation-over-cryptocurrency-listings SEC insider trading case: https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-127 Coinbase does not list securities blog post: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-does-not-list-securities-end-of-story-e58dc873be79 Coinbase petition: https://www.sec.gov/rules/petitions/2022/petn4-789.pdf SEC Regulation by Enforcement Response CFTC Commissioner: ​​https://twitter.com/CarolineDPham/status/1550159347984044033 Lindsay Lin: https://twitter.com/lindsayxlin/status/1552320370019106822?s=21&t=4OaAjw3r8NlH23ppWiVK1w Jake Chervinsky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1550515627961589762?s=20&t=gGwDPAJzZXSu6Gwc9agDOg Hester Peirce: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/05/03/hester-peirce-pushes-back-against-secs-plans-to-nearly-double-crypto-enforcement-staff/ Matt Levine: https://twitter.com/matt_levine/status/1550202036570017792?s=20&t=e1g8U-V4K_ixd1vJoRc9gA Chair Gary Gensler wanting crypto exchanges to register as securities exchanges: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-28/sec-chair-gensler-hardens-line-on-crypto-exchange-registration?sref=m9L277rN https://twitter.com/garygensler/status/1552700562533236739?s=21&t=mNENJd2qeQYkeFFdZqWUPA Gillibrand x Lummis Crypto Regulatory Framework https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/-lummis-gillibrand-introduce-landmark-legislation-to-create-regulatory-framework-for-digital-assets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why the Messy 3AC, Celsius, and Voyager Bankruptcies Will Drag on for Years - Ep.377
Two crypto law experts, WassieLawyer and Adam Levitin, analyze the bankruptcies of 3AC, Celsius, and Voyager. Show highlights: the difference between Voyager and Celsius “custody” and “earn” deposits why Celsius commingling customer custody and earn deposits could make it harder for creditors to get their money back what similarities and differences the Voyager and Celsius bankruptcies have how Chapter 11 bankruptcy works why Wassie and Adam believe Celsius might have engaged in shady business practices, whereas they believe Voyager was just an irresponsible lender what the latest is on the 3AC bankruptcy and the location of Kyle Davies and Zhu Su what Celsius and Voyager can clawback from 3AC how Alameda fits into the Voyager bankruptcy case whether creditors will receive funds back in crypto or dollars the three types of ways creditors can “claw back” funds in a bankruptcy case why Wassielawyer and Adam believe Celsius’ Chapter 11 plan to restructure around mining is so weird whether the founders from 3AC, Celsius, or Voyager will see jail time 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 Adam Levitin https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin Adam Levitin 3AC/Celsius/Voyager Content https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1549935271323607040 https://www.thedeal.com/restructuring/oped-looming-legal-issues-in-cryptocurrency-bankruptcies/ https://www.thedeal.com/restructuring/oped-crypto-winter-arrives/ https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4107019 https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1549142827774447619 https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1548727063930077188 https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1547945325125480451 https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1547699788279193600 https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1547584853180162049 https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1547389680198508546 WassieLawyer https://twitter.com/wassielawyer WassieLawyer 3AC/Celsius/Voyager Content https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1543238225338454016 https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1538167831946473472 https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1545827666590601216 https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1536192639112183808 Celsius Content https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/07/19/celsius-lays-out-mining-focused-reorganization-plan-at-first-bankruptcy-hearing/ https://twitter.com/BradyDale/status/1549415579399979008 https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/19/former-employees-say-issues-plagued-crypto-company-celsius-years-before-bankruptcy.html https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/07/18/celsius-outlines-next-steps-as-bankruptcy-proceedings-begin/ https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1548947257961086976 https://www.reuters.com/technology/crypto-lender-celsius-files-bankruptcy-2022-07-14/ https://blog.celsius.network/a-memo-to-the-celsius-community-59532a06ecc6 https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/13/wobble-in-steth-price-shows-fear-celsius-might-dump-435m-stake/ https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/11/celsius-reclaims-172m-collateral-from-aave-compound/ https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/13/celsius-pays-off-last-defi-loan-reclaims-nearly-200m-of-wrapped-bitcoin-from-compound/ Voyager Content https://unchainedpodcast.com/voyager-digital-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/crypto-lender-voyager-files-bankruptcy-2022-07-06/ https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/22/voyager-digital-requests-loan-repayment-from-3ac-considers-issuing-default-notice/ 3AC https://unchainedpodcast.com/3ac-files-for-chapter-15-bankruptcy/ https://www.theblock.co/post/157141/bankruptcy-court-judge-gives-green-light-to-serve-subpoenas-to-3ac-founders-for-discovery https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-possible-insolvencies-by-celsius-and-3ac-could-spell-disaster-for-crypto/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-heres-what-was-so-bad-about-three-arrows-capital-ep-368/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/does-venture-capital-investment-violate-the-ethos-of-crypto-sequoia-says-no-ep-367/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/three-crypto-bankruptcies-3ac-celsius-and-voyager-what-happens-now-ep-374/ Other Kirkland and Ellis are running both bankruptcies https://twitter.com/kadhim/status/1549864279536553984 https://twitter.com/tier10k/status/1550133741158219776 (made $1m/week) What is happening to assets in bankruptcy cases https://twitter.com/OGLawPanda/status/1549357959746043909 No exposure for Coinbase https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coinbase-celsius-voyger-three-arrows-exposure-142730485.html KeyFi lawsuit https://fortune.com/2022/07/08/crypto-lender-celsius-ponzi-scheme-used-customer-funds-manipulate-token-prices-jason-stone-says-lawsuit/ 3AC founders break silence https://cryptobriefing.com/the-whole-situation-is-regrettable-3ac-breaks-silence-to-bloomberg/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Jul 2022 07:30:48 -0000
Why 3AC's Collapse Could Spell the Start of a Crypto Credit Crunch - Ep. 376
Adam Cochran, partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, discusses the impact of 3AC’s impending liquidation. Show topics: why 3AC founders (and family members) are listing themselves as creditors what the “corporate veil” is and why it matters regarding 3AC where retail investors stand in the pecking order of creditors why Adam doesn’t believe we know the full story about 3AC’s downfall, despite liquidators leaking a 1,000-page report about it what creditors might do with 3AC’s yacht why Adam is less worried about the health of GBTC in light of recent 3AC filings what effect 3AC’s fall will have on Genesis and Digital Currency Group why creditors might prefer liquidations to be paid out in equity compared to cash in this environment how 3AC’s liquidation is impacting retail investors at Voyager and Celsius why there could be a crypto credit crunch coming soon Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.io/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Adam Cochran Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamscochran Coverage Adam Cochran Twitter thread on 3AC liquidation: https://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1543253799929876480 Adam Cochran Twitter thread on 3AC contagion: https://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1546477191420170240 3AC founders subpoenaed https://www.theblock.co/post/157141/bankruptcy-court-judge-gives-green-light-to-serve-subpoenas-to-3ac-fouSubpoenaedders-for-discovery 3AC x Genesis relationship https://www.theblock.co/post/158167/crypto-lender-genesis-lent-2-36-billion-to-three-arrows-capital 3AC owes creditors $3.5 Billion https://www.theblock.co/post/158169/three-arrows-capital-3ac-creditors-list-3-5-billion-crypto-affidavits 3AC liquidation committee ​​https://www.theblock.co/post/158279/three-arrows-capital-3ac-creditors-committee-five-members 3AC x Blockchain.com relationship https://www.theblock.co/post/158533/3ac-borrowed-and-repaid-more-than-2-billion-from-blockchain-com-before-outstanding-debt Deribit liquidation dispute https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/19/stake-in-crypto-exchange-deribit-becomes-disputed-asset-in-three-arrows-bankruptcy/ 3AC x StarkWare https://thedefiant.io/zhu-3ac-starkware/ Previous Unchained Coverage Wassielawyer on 3AC, Celsius, and Voyager https://unchainedpodcast.com/three-crypto-bankruptcies-3ac-celsius-and-voyager-what-happens-now-ep-374/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 22 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption? - Ep. 375
Nelson Rauda, Salvadoran journalist for El Faro, comes to talk about the impact of Bitcoin in El Salvador, the needs of Salvadoran people, Bitcoin City and the Bitcoin Bond, and much more. Show highlights: Nelson’s story and how he began covering BTC what kind of politician and president Nayib Bukele was before BTC what the financial reality was for Salvadoran people before the implementation of BTC the reasons for the high rates of unbanked people in El Salvador how Bukele changed the monetary policy with what Rauda says was very little discussion why Rauda believes the BTC law is not meant for Salvadorans, but instead is a PR stunt how people reacted after the announcement of BTC as legal tender, and how it resembled the dollarization of the economy in 2001 how Nelson did not even understand BTC at the moment of the announcement and how he says there was not an effort from the government to educate the population whether BTC was successful in attracting investments and tourism, and how there’s no hard data about it why Nelson believes Bukele was trying to hide the scandals when he adopted BTC whether BTC has been used as a PR stunt why bitcoiners are enthusiastic about an authoritarian government adopting BTC as legal tender how Bukele might be undermining his own authority by adopting BTC, a type of money that is not controlled by a state whether the Chivo wallet is a surveillance tool why Nelson believes BTC does not represent a solution for the needs of average Salvadoran people whether the $30 dollar initial gift to download the BTC wallet was seen as just another subsidy the status of Bitcoin City and how Nelson believes it represents the most spectacular PR stunt from Bukele’s administration how the expensive prices of electricity in El Salvador make the country not the best place for mining the significance of Bitcoin Beach what the BTC bond is, what Bukele tried to achieve with it, and why it has been postponed whether El Salvador will default on its debt and what the impact of the BTC price has on the national finances and on how Salvadorans perceive Bitcoin how Nelson believes people in El Salvador do not have political freedom and how it contradicts the narrative of financial freedom that BTC aims to provide what Nelson thinks about Bitcoin and whether governments should adopt it as legal tender 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 Nelson: Twitter: https://twitter.com/raudaz_ NYT Opinion article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/opinion/bitcoin-el-salvador-bukele-crypto.html?referringSource=articleShare Bitcoin Law: PwC report: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/financial-services/pdf/el-salvadors-law-a-meaningful-test-for-bitcoin.pdf Full law: https://freopp.org/el-salvadors-bitcoin-law-full-proposed-english-text-9a2153ad1d19 BBC article - The IMF urges El Salvador to remove Bitcoin as legal tender: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-60135552 BTC as a Trojan horse: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-is-a-trojan-horse-for-freedom Last BTC Purchase: https://decrypt.co/104275/el-salvador-president-nayib-bukele-more-bitcoin-after-losing-60m Washington post article on tourism attraction: https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/07/06/el-salvador-bitcoin-beach/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter NYT Article on El Salvador’s bet: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/world/americas/el-salvador-bitcoin-national-currency.html El Salvador: Research paper on El Salvador by the NBER: https://www.nber.org/papers/w29968 The World Bank report on El Salvador: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/elsalvador/overview El Salvador and the IMF: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-finance-minister-says-possible-imf-deal-no-panacea-2022-07-14/ CNBC on El Salvador Finances: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/25/el-salvador-bitcoin-experiment-not-saving-countrys-finances.html IMF report on El Salvador Finances: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2022/02/15/cf-el-salvadors-comeback-constrained-by-increased-risks Bitcoin Bond: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/03/25/bitcoin-city-el-salvadors-dreams-for-utopia-on-hold/ El Salvador postpones BTC bond: https://www.reuters.com/technology/el-salvador-postpones-bitcoin-bond-issue-expects-better-conditions-2022-03-22/ Bitcoin City: https://www.dezeen.com/2022/05/12/bitcoin-city-el-salvador-president-nayib-bukele/#:~:text=Bitcoin%20City%20is%20planned%20for,from%20the%20nearby%20Conchagua%20volcano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Three Crypto Bankruptcies: 3AC, Celsius and Voyager. What Happens Now?- Ep. 374
In a highly educational conversation, Wassielawyer, a lawyer specializing in restructuring and insolvency, discusses the bankruptcy and liquidation of Three Arrows Capital, plus sheds light on similar processes unfolding with Celsius and Voyager. Show highlights: Wassielawyer’s experience as a lawyer and his professional background what the liquidation process looks like and what drives a company to get into this situation what the creditors of 3AC can expect from the liquidation process and who will be paid first why he doesn’t think the liquidators breached their fiduciary duty by not exercising the Starkware token warrants what Chapter 15 bankruptcy is and what it means for a company whether Zhu’s and Davies’ unknown whereabouts affect the liquidation process and whether they are likely to cooperate whether 3AC counterparties will get anything back from the credits they provided how Chapter 11 bankruptcy differs from Chapter 15 what Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing means for Celsius and its account holders what are the similarities and differences between Celsius and Voyager filings Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ EPISODE LINKS Wassielawyer Twitter: https://twitter.com/wassielawyer 3AC: Wassielawyer’s threads: https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1543238225338454016?s=20&t=kXB2gr4UCkAz5p09LD24XA https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1538167831946473472?s=20&t=kXB2gr4UCkAz5p09LD24XA Unchained Newsletter: https://unchainedpodcast.com/3ac-files-for-chapter-15-bankruptcy/ Crypto Contagion: Court order allowing subpoenas: https://www.theblock.co/post/157141/bankruptcy-court-judge-gives-green-light-to-serve-subpoenas-to-3ac-founders-for-discovery Previous coverage: Unchained Coverage: Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-possible-insolvencies-by-celsius-and-3ac-could-spell-disaster-for-crypto/ The Chopping Block: Here’s What Was So Bad About Three Arrows Capital: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-heres-what-was-so-bad-about-three-arrows-capital-ep-368/ Does Venture Capital Investment Violate the Ethos of Crypto? Sequoia Says No: https://unchainedpodcast.com/does-venture-capital-investment-violate-the-ethos-of-crypto-sequoia-says-no-ep-367/ Voyager: Wassielawyer’s thread: https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1545827666590601216?s=20&t=kXB2gr4UCkAz5p09LD24XA Unchained Newsletter: https://unchainedpodcast.com/voyager-digital-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ Bankruptcy: https://www.reuters.com/technology/crypto-lender-voyager-files-bankruptcy-2022-07-06/ Voyager exposure to 3AC: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/22/voyager-digital-requests-loan-repayment-from-3ac-considers-issuing-default-notice/ Celsius: Wassielawyer’s thread: https://twitter.com/wassielawyer/status/1536192639112183808?s=20&t=kXB2gr4UCkAz5p09LD24XA Celsius bankruptcy: https://www.reuters.com/technology/crypto-lender-celsius-files-bankruptcy-2022-07-14/ Halt of withdrawals: https://blog.celsius.network/a-memo-to-the-celsius-community-59532a06ecc6 Celsius repaying debt and claiming collateral: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/13/wobble-in-steth-price-shows-fear-celsius-might-dump-435m-stake/ https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/11/celsius-reclaims-172m-collateral-from-aave-compound/ https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/07/13/celsius-pays-off-last-defi-loan-reclaims-nearly-200m-of-wrapped-bitcoin-from-compound/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 15 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Anatoly Yakovenko on Why Solana Is Building the SAGA Phone - Ep. 373
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. In this episode, Anatoly Yakovenko, Tsar of Solana, joins the show to discuss the use cases of Solana, whether it’s actually a blockchain, how Solana scales, and much more! Show topics: What Anatoly thinks of Andre Cronje's opinion that Solana is not a blockchain Why Solana has had so many instances of downtime Whether Solana is the NASDAQ of blockchains Why Solana changed its approach to fee markets and how it is different from other blockchains Why Anatoly is bearish on generic Layer2s How to prevent a mempool to blow up Whether Anatoly is pro app-chains Why Anatoly would have had Solana build a fee model from the start What proof of history is and what its problems are How vertical scaling and horizontal scaling differ What the use cases of Solana are Why Solana decided to build the SAGA phone How a web3 phone enables new ways of innovation Why Solana doesn’t see Avalanche or BSC or other EVM chains as competitors but Mysten and Aptos Why the execution environment is where all innovation happens Why Tarun thinks rollups on Solana is a good idea Whether EVM could work on Solana and why Anatoly cares less about EVM on Solana than Solidity What Anatoly’s biggest lessons from building Solana are Why Haseeb admires Anatoly and what the similarities are between him and Vitalik What Anatoly advises people who are building in crypto 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest: Anatoly Yakovenko Twitter: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko Episode Links Solana Serum: https://www.projectserum.com/ Some of the Solana outages and consequences: September 2021: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/09/14/solana-validators-ready-potential-restart-amid-blockchain-outage/ January 2022: https://www.theblock.co/post/131278/traders-are-complaining-about-solanas-performance-raising-questions-about-its-status-as-a-wall-street-darling May 2022: https://www.theblock.co/linked/144639/solana-restarted-after-seven-hour-outage-caused-by-surge-of-transactions Solana’s blockchain clock 30 minutes behind: https://www.theblock.co/post/149112/solanas-blockchain-clock-loses-track-of-time-now-running-30-minutes-behind June 2022: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/06/02/solana-halted-by-bug-linked-to-certain-cold-storage-transactions/ Popularity of NFTs on Solana: https://www.theblock.co/post/153214/magic-eden-raises-series-b-funding-solana-nft-unicorn Solana phone https://solana.com/news/saga-reveal https://dune.com/queries/952048/1656567 https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/23/solana-labs-is-building-a-web3-mobile-phone/ Fee market: https://www.reddit.com/r/solana/comments/u3p8xc/eli3_solana_fee_market/ Aptos/Mysten: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/07/11/web-3-startup-mysten-labs-aiming-for-2b-valuation-in-latest-funding-report/ https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/05/31/paypal-ventures-invested-in-team-reviving-diem-blockchain/ Paper on Proof of History: https://www.shoup.net/papers/poh.pdf Previous Coverage: Why Solana’s Frequent Downtime Doesn’t Bother Kyle Samani- Ep. 362: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-why-solanas-frequent-downtime-doesnt-bother-kyle-samani-ep-362/ Did Andre Cronje Pull an Epic Crypto Rug Pull?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-did-andre-cronje-pull-an-epic-crypto-rug-pull/ Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer? https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-solana-be-the-execution-layer-and-ethereum-the-settlement-layer/ Neon Labs: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/09/neon-labs-raises-40m-to-bring-evm-functionality-to-solana/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 14 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Post-Merge, If Lido Becomes Dominant, What Does That Mean for Ethereum? - Ep. 372
Ryan Berckmans, Ethereum investor and community member, and Alexandre Bergeron, Bitcoin investor, discuss Lido’s dominance as a liquid staking provider, whether that issue can be resolved, and how it could be a centralizing force for Ethereum. Show highlights: what stETH is, what the uses cases are for stETH, and why it is important how Lido had a first-mover advantage and how that kicked off network effects whether the liquid staking derivatives system is one of a “winner-take-all” how much of the staked ETH will be turned into a liquid staking derivative how Lido might have a huge MEV opportunity after the Merge what the proposer-builder separation is whether Lido's dominance will increase over time whether other competitors have been competitive with Lido why Lido is a natural monopoly because of the incentives and MEV opportunities what the implication of Lido’s monopoly is for Ethereum’s censorship resistance whether Lido is effectively a single entity despite having multiple node operators whether there could be a long waiting period for becoming a validator after the Merge how Lido is moving its staking derivatives to other chains how Lido’s new dual-governance proposal works, why it might be useful to decentralize Lido and whether it reduces the power of LDO token holders how Lido’s centralization is the biggest threat to Ethereum in the long term and what are the possible solutions why Ryan believes the value of ETH comes from its credible neutrality and whether Lido's centralization may jeopardize that whether finding solutions around MEV opportunities is a good way to reduce Lido’s monopoly whether Lido’s competitors could form an alliance and build a tokenized basket of their staking derivatives to compete with Lido whether Lido could airdrop the LDO token to all ETH holders to decentralize its governance token 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 Alex: Twitter: https://twitter.com/bergealex4 Ryan: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanberckmans stETH Lido’s explanation of what stETH is: https://twitter.com/LidoFinance/status/1535184472546889735?s=20&t=oQeB1uj7HG7Y4he-0gbcLg Previous Unchained Coverage: In the Recent Crypto Market Meltdown, What Role Did Lido’s stETH Play?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/in-the-recent-crypto-market-meltdown-what-role-did-lidos-steth-play-ep-370/ Lido’s Centralization: Alex’s thread on why ETH is broken: https://twitter.com/bergealex4/status/1410761639226318852?s=20&t=JLyNokP7Kxj7tIiDzHIHTQ Ryan on a liquid staking monopoly: https://twitter.com/ryanberckmans/status/1521179049548300291?s=20&t=JLyNokP7Kxj7tIiDzHIHTQ Ryan’s proposed solutions: https://twitter.com/ryanberckmans/status/1531731955011579904?s=20&t=JLyNokP7Kxj7tIiDzHIHTQ Is Lido making Ethereum less decentralized?: https://cryptobriefing.com/is-lido-making-ethereum-less-decentralized/ LDO token analysis: https://medium.com/general_knowledge/lido-finance-liquid-ethereum-staking-ldo-potential-f5dc3553b8d2 Ethereum researcher Danny Ryan’s take: https://twitter.com/dannyryan/status/1524044527828303872?s=20&t=H4UNoLn7sKQyZx5ll3-Ncw Ryan’s take on Lido’s self-limit: https://research.lido.fi/t/should-lido-on-ethereum-be-limited-to-some-fixed-of-stake/2225/9?u=ryanberckmans Lido’s Governance Proposals Lido + stETH dual governance: https://research.lido.fi/t/ldo-steth-dual-governance/2382 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/ MEV Ryan on post-merge MEV: https://twitter.com/ryanberckmans/status/1453597003397611526?s=20&t=JLyNokP7Kxj7tIiDzHIHTQ Alex on proposer-builder separation: https://twitter.com/bergealex4/status/1540934540901744640?s=20&t=JLyNokP7Kxj7tIiDzHIHTQ Haseeb on post-merge MEV: https://twitter.com/hosseeb/status/1464003851942391834?s=20&t=JLyNokP7Kxj7tIiDzHIHTQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How Helium Uses Crypto to Grow Decentralized Wifi and Mobile Networks - Ep. 371
Amir Haleem, CEO of Nova Labs and founder of Helium, talks about the use cases for Internet of Things (IoT), how blockchain and crypto help to construct a decentralized internet infrastructure, and what is the future of Helium. Show highlights: what Helium is and what it is trying to solve how, after struggling for years, introducing crypto tokens, finally helped Helium grow who the users of Helium are and how they differ from each other how Helium grew to have one million devices around the world what the challenges and use cases of the IoT space are why Helium decided to add new networks why Helium is launching specific tokens for each of the new networks what proof of coverage is and why it is useful what an open-source cellular network is and how it would work whether there is a need for some centralization of the network what Helium’s roadmap is and what the major milestones are for the future Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://avax.network EPISODE LINKS Amir Twitter: https://twitter.com/amirhaleem Helium: Twitter: https://twitter.com/helium Website: https://www.helium.com/ NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/06/technology/helium-cryptocurrency-uses.html Plans to launch new networks: https://www.theblock.co/linked/151491/helium-network-accelerates-multi-network-protocol-expansion https://blog.helium.com/helium-chapter-2-a-network-of-networks-7372262210bd Helium 5G plans: https://blog.helium.com/whats-next-for-helium-5g-data-transfer-proof-of-coverage-rewards-67b54f19f8d5 Number of Helium hotspots growing: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/02/17/helium-network-passing-half-million-hotspots-could-fire-up-hnt-price/ Where Helium users are: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/03/09/helium-miners-from-lisbon-to-miami-say-its-location-location-location/ Nova Labs raises $200 million: https://www.axios.com/2022/02/18/crypto-startup-helium-raises-200-million $111 million token sale: https://www.theblock.co/linked/114095/helium-token-sale-a16z Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 08 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
In the Recent Crypto Market Meltdown, What Role Did Lido's stETH Play? - Ep. 370
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
Tue, 05 Jul 2022 02:30:00 -0000
Oslo Freedom Forum: How NFTs Helped Chinese Dissident Artist Badiucao Evade Censorship - Ep. 369
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
Fri, 01 Jul 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Here’s What Was So Bad About Three Arrows Capital - Ep. 368
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. In this episode, Taylor Monahan, matriarch of Metamask, joins the show to discuss the contagion of major crypto firms, the bear market, SBF saving crypto, and much more! Show topics: The importance of UX and security How Three Arrows Capital’s practice of borrowing to leverage their bets has caused a crisis for crypto lenders that rippled out to many customers How the GBTC arbitrage trade was part of 3AC’s undoing, and how that trade was one many other crypto trading institutions had previously abandoned How crypto lenders were being degens with customers funds Why SBF stepped in and made sure that BlockFi and Voyager didn’t default on customers’ deposits Whether this whole wind-down reflects a credit cycle How DeFi protocols were built to avoid these kinds of centralized finance problems How the systemic issues caused by CeFi institutions like Celsius, BlockFi and Voyager are reminiscent of the Great Financial Crisis What are the similarities between this crypto meltdown, the Mt. Gox debacle, and the 1907 and 2008 financial crises What are the consequences of losing retail money vs. institutional money How surviving a credit cycle crisis creates the best risk managers The lessons to be learned from all these crises How MakerDAO is trying to figure out what to do with its money What happened with Solend and why the DAO resorted to a centralized action Why DeFi needs more clauses about how to handle edge cases The difference between doing dumb things and wrong things Why Tarun is impressed with Solana’s DAO tooling Why Taylor is thankful for the bear market 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest: Taylor Monahan Twitter: https://twitter.com/tayvano_ Taylor’s thread on resources to learn about all things crypto: https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1509380091184246784?s=20&t=kNk8fJ7pJAWfEEVZQHwpvg Episode Links Crypto Contagion 3AC: https://blockworks.co/three-arrows-capital-brink-default-owes-voyager-657m/ Voyager Celsius + Goldman buyout? https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/goldman-celsius-bankruptcy BlockFi bailout: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/21/blockfi-receives-250m-credit-facility-from-ftx/ Unchained newsletter on BlockFi’s bailout: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-says-this-deserves-mockery/ CoinFlex: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-27/crypto-exchange-coinflex-to-issue-tokens-after-withdrawal-freeze?sref=Q2SpVkJl Babel: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/20/babel-finance-reaches-debt-agreement-with-counterparties-after-withdrawal-freeze/ Unchained Coverage: Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-possible-insolvencies-by-celsius-and-3ac-could-spell-disaster-for-crypto/ Solend DAO situation: Unchained Coverage: Solend and Bancor Drama: Did These DAOs Violate the Ethos of Crypto? – Ep. 366: https://unchainedpodcast.com/solend-and-bancor-drama-did-these-daos-violate-the-ethos-of-crypto-ep-366/ https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/06/19/solana-defi-platform-votes-to-control-whale-account-in-bid-to-avoid-liquidation-chaos/ Covered on Unchained Newsletter: https://unchainedpodcast.com/does-this-dao-deserve-emergency-power%e2%81%89%ef%b8%8f/ MakerDAO governance proposal: https://www.theblock.co/post/154515/maker-governance-is-voting-to-invest-500-million-in-us-treasury-bills Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 30 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Does Venture Capital Investment Violate the Ethos of Crypto? Sequoia Says No - Ep. 367
Shaun Maguire and Michelle Bailhe, partners at Sequoia, discuss their long term view and thesis about crypto, what do they look for to invest in a crypto project, the takeaways from the blowup of Terra, the insolvency of crypto companies, and much more. Show highlights: what is Sequoia’s long term view and thesis about the crypto industry how different our lives will look in 20 years from now due to blockchain technology how Sequoia had to adapt to invest in this new asset class and what are the similarities and differences with investing in traditional startups when a product or service on the internet should be offered in a decentralized or centralized way how Sequoia decides whether to invest in the entity behind a project or in the tokens whether having venture capitalists involved at all goes against the ethos of decentralization why Shaun believes that Ethereum proved that decentralization can be achieved even when you start being centralized whether people underestimate the value that VCs can add to a project why Shaun believes that Solana is moving towards decentralization Sequoia’s thesis about privacy in crypto and the potential of zero-knowledge proofs how Michelle sees the macroeconomic environment impacting crypto and whether this cycle is different from the previous ones the importance of product market fit in crypto projects what crypto projects should be focusing on and the business model they should be pursuing the main takeaways of the Terra collapse and how it was a major setback for algo stablecoins how crypto founders should always do the right thing even though there is no clear regulation whether SBF is the Berkshire Hathaway of crypto today the lessons to be learned from the potential insolvency of some crypto lenders and investment firms how demand for blockspace will keep increasing and whether a single blockchain could supply all that space the future of the metaverse and how it can be defined Michelle’s mental model for crypto and the phases for achieving worldwide adoption Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance/ Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ EPISODE LINKS Shaun Maguire: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/shaunmmaguire Sequoia Profile: https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/shaun-maguire/ Michelle: Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellebailhe Sequoia Profile: https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/michelle-bailhe/ Michelle’s investment thesis: https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/ask-not-wen-moon-ask-why-moon/ Bear Market: Michelle’s Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/michellebailhe/status/1526373378516365312?s=20&t=c7vdmdg2mnQ34rsAGIm0lg Insolvency of crypto lenders: Voyager: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/22/voyager-digital-requests-loan-repayment-from-3ac-considers-issuing-default-notice/ BlockFi: https://decrypt.co/103422/blockfi-secures-250-million-line-of-credit-from-ftx Celsius: https://www.theblock.co/linked/151522/crypto-lending-firm-celsius-pauses-withdrawals-and-transfers-citing-market-conditions Celsius possible bankruptcy: https://www.theblock.co/linked/154100/crypto-lender-celsius-hires-more-advisors-ahead-of-possible-bankruptcy-wsj Previous Unchained Coverage: Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-possible-insolvencies-by-celsius-and-3ac-could-spell-disaster-for-crypto/ Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market: https://unchainedpodcast.com/cobie-and-chris-burniske-on-how-to-navigate-a-crypto-bear-market-ep-354/ ** For more episode links and details visit the Unchained website ** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Solend and Bancor Drama: Did These DAOs Violate the Ethos of Crypto? - Ep. 366
Derek Hsue, cofounder at Reverie, discusses the recent controversial decisions by Solend DAO and Bancor, the importance of establishing processes for black swan events, and whether decentralized governance truly exists. Show highlights: what situation prompted Solend to feel it was in jeopardy what Solend DAO’s response was to that situation why Derek views it as “the nuclear option” why the proposal sparked an outcry from the crypto community whether this issue could have been prevented or managed differently if the protocol was built on a blockchain other than Solana why, a day later, the DAO reversed its first decision to take over the whale’s account whether Derek thinks the DAO made the right decision to not take over the whale’s account what is Impermanent Loss Protection, a feature offered by Bancor why Bancor decided to pause Impermanent Loss Protection whether Celsius and 3AC had anything to do with Bancor’s problem how Bancor’s decision was made unilaterally how DAOs should deal with black swan events Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://www.avax.network/ EPISODE LINKS Derek Twitter: https://twitter.com/derek_hsue Reverie Website: https://www.reverie.ooo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hi_reverie Solend DAO Situation Covered on Monday’s Unchained Newsletter: https://unchainedpodcast.com/does-this-dao-deserve-emergency-power%e2%81%89%ef%b8%8f/ Proposal to invalidate the first one: https://decrypt.co/103330/solana-lending-dao-overturns-vote-to-take-over-at-risk-whale-wallet The whale moved $25 million from Solend: https://www.theblock.co/post/153207/solana-whale-shuffles-25-million-to-reduce-risk-to-defi-protocol-solend Bancor Pausing Impermanent Loss Protection Bancor’s post: https://blog.bancor.network/market-conditions-update-june-19-2022-e5b857b39336 Anthony Sassano’s reaction: https://twitter.com/sassal0x/status/1539082583832526848?s=20&t=OzTV6M5bCH4fxJIJUtLA4Q DAO Governance issues: Lido DAO proposes to reduce the existing scope of governance of its token holders: https://research.lido.fi/t/ldo-steth-dual-governance/2382 Jack Niewold 's thread: https://twitter.com/JackNiewold/status/1539307339928457217?s=20&t=OzTV6M5bCH4fxJIJUtLA4Q Unchained Coverage: How Soulbound Tokens Could Reduce Speculation and Improve DAO Voting – Ep.360: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-soul-bound-tokens-could-reduce-speculation-and-improve-dao-voting-ep-360/ Main tweet On this Friday’s Unchained, Derek Hsue explains: * why the first Solend DAO vote was the “nuclear option” * whether Solana’s history of downtime spurred the proposal * Bancor’s decision to stop Impermanent Loss Protection * what this all means for DAO governance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 24 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham on Why US Crypto Regulators Get a B- Ep. 365
Caroline Pham, commissioner at the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, discusses how we should build a regulatory framework for crypto assets, whether the SEC and CFTC should work together, what were the consequences of the Terra collapse, and much more. Show highlights: how Cmr. Pham got started in crypto and became a CFTC commissioner the importance of the regulatory strategy around crypto what crypto’s role is in the financial system how bitcoin is a sort of money outside of the traditional financial system how friendly regulators should be with the industries they regulate why she believes transparency is one of the greatest ideals of American democracy how Cmr. Pham believes in self-determination and the power of free markets why Cmr. Pham published an op-ed with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce how the Terra collapse incentivized regulators to look deeper into the space whether the US approach towards regulation can improve the role of the regulatory agencies in making the US the financial leader of the world what Cmr. Pham thinks about the new Gillibrand and Lummis bill whether SEC Chair Gary Gensler is right about the majority of cryptos being securities what are the low-hanging fruit opportunities for regulators when it comes to crypto how Cmr. Pham believes we should have a global regulatory framework for crypto why she believes algorithmic stablecoins are derivatives why things like Terra could act as a “shadow banking 3.0” whether there is a way to regulate without having intermediaries what Cmr. Pham thinks about FTX proposal to bypass futures commission merchants Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance/ EPISODE LINKS Caroline Pham Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarolineDPham CFTC Profile: https://www.cftc.gov/About/Commissioners/CarolineDPham/index.htm Stablecoin regulation Financial Times article: https://www.ft.com/content/981c380f-bb1c-45bd-8d0d-a95b15d96a00 CNBC on crypto regulation: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/03/cryptocurrency-industry-focus-regulation-stablecoins-market-crash.html Unchained Coverage: Why Crypto Twitter’s Disrespect Toward Regulators Is a ‘Really Bad Business Decision’: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-crypto-twitters-disrespect-toward-regulators-is-a-really-bad-business-decision/ Unchained Coverage: Can a DeFi Smart Contract Be Regulated? Two CFTC Commissioners Discuss: https://unchainedpodcast.com/can-a-defi-smart-contract-be-regulated-two-cftc-commissioners-discuss/ FTX proposal to serve as the trading engine for derivatives: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbrett/2022/04/27/the-ftx-us-proposal-that-shook-congress-and-the-crypto-derivatives-world/?sh=3dac29ef4e19 Unchained Coverage: FTX Wants to Compete with CME – Here’s Why It’s a Big Deal: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ftx-wants-to-compete-with-cme-heres-why-its-a-big-deal/ Hester Peirce Caroline’s op-ed with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce: https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/3503277-making-progress-on-decentralized-regulation-its-time-to-talk-about-crypto-together/ Hester Peirce's token safe harbor proposal: https://decrypt.co/66453/secs-hester-peirce-floats-revised-crypto-safe-harbor-rules Unchained Coverage: Hester Peirce’s Former Counsel on Terra 2.0, XRP and a Bitcoin Spot ETF: https://unchainedpodcast.com/hester-peirces-former-counsel-on-terra-2-0-xrp-and-a-bitcoin-spot-etf/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 21 Jun 2022 02:30:00 -0000
Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto - Ep. 364
Mika Honkasalo, independent crypto researcher, discusses what is happening with Celsius and Three Arrows Capital, the importance of having proper risk management, and the contagion effects on the industry. Show highlights: why is it so significant that Celsius paused withdrawals what is stETH and why is it important to understand the Celsius situation how the Luna/UST debacle started a contagion effect in the crypto space why Celsius’s investors won’t bail the company out what will happen to Celsius’s retail customers what Three Arrows Capital (3AC) is and whether they have a solvency problem how 3AC was levered long and whether they had poor risk management who will be hurt if 3AC goes under what would be the effect of 3AC and Celsius collapsing which types of funds that Mika will be eyeing to see if they also end up in a similar situation to 3AC and Celsius why Mika would counsel anyone who keeps their money with centralized crypto lenders to scrutinize their practices Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://avax.network EPISODE LINKS Mika Honkasalo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhonkasalo Substack: https://mhonkasalo.substack.com/ Mika’s writings on The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/author/mika-honkasalo Mika’s blog post on the stETH-ETH peg: https://mhonkasalo.substack.com/p/stetheth-peg-not-a-peg-presents-a?s=r Celsius announcement that they would be withholding assets: https://twitter.com/CelsiusNetwork/status/1536169010877739009?s=20&t=hL-ZsBSKZOLF-whTwNmjgw Nexo’s offer to buy Celsius assets: https://twitter.com/Nexo/status/1536256598993211393?s=20&t=vKmJCZGNToaOqZU-TEjcDg Celsisus’s investors unlikely to bail out company: https://www.wsj.com/articles/celsius-networks-investors-unlikely-to-provide-more-funds-to-bail-out-crypto-lender-11655395113 Celsius hires restructuring lawyers: https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-lender-celsius-hires-restructuring-lawyers-after-account-freeze-11655250575?tpl=br Why staked ETH is part of Celsius’s and 3AC’s woes: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/06/14/staked-ether-becomes-focus-of-crypto-stress-from-celsius-to-three-arrows/ Conor Ryder on the stETH liquidity problem https://twitter.com/ConorRyder/status/1537130483007508480?s=20&t=pZGZf17ed_DyOS18CHExmQ The DeFi Edge on the 3AC situation: https://twitter.com/thedefiedge/status/1537465349976694786?s=20&t=Q29mo3EKSASasTenHVEm4Q Who else has exposure to 3AC: https://fortune.com/2022/06/16/crypto-crash-hedge-fund-three-arrows-capital-insolvency-rumors-novogratz/ 3AC withholding $1M in assets from 8 Blocks Capital: https://twitter.com/Danny8BC/status/1537224378554806272?s=20&t=Q29mo3EKSASasTenHVEm4Q Meltem Demirors explains the problem from the balance sheet perspective: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem/status/1537155214897201153?s=20&t=Q29mo3EKSASasTenHVEm4Q Adam Levitin on Celsius bankruptcy https://twitter.com/AdamLevitin/status/1536932912674836481?s=20&t=Q29mo3EKSASasTenHVEm4Q degentrading on Why Celsius and 3AC going under should cause you to worry https://twitter.com/hodlKRYPTONITE/status/1536902115540742144?s=20&t=Q29mo3EKSASasTenHVEm4Q Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 17 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra's Collapse: Who Will Pay? - Ep. 363
Olta Andoni, deputy general counsel at Ava Labs, and Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at TRM Labs, discuss the Terra stablecoin meltdown, implications for impending international regulations, and the history of stablecoin regulation internationally. Topics covered include: What the most important legal issues are for the Terra meltdown How the Terra implosion will trigger more regulation of the space How regulators seemed to think stablecoins should be regulated even before Terra How their approach differs between dollar-backed stablecoins vs. algorithmic vs. crypto collateral-backed coins How European regulators want stablecoin issuers to be treated like banks What the Lummis-Gillibrand bill would mean for US stablecoin regulation Whether Terra’s demise will mean that regulators won’t tolerate experimentation with algorithmic stablecoins Why regulators will be skittish about stablecoins in response to Terra’s meltdown Why Olta and Ari were impressed by the NY Department of Financial Services guidance on stablecoins What the establishment of SEC jurisdiction over Terraform Labs based on the Mirror investigation from last fall means for any enforcement action by the SEC over Terra Whether Do Kwon and/or Terraform could face criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions Why international regulatory consistency is important in the crypto space Whether civil and class-action lawsuits against Terraform could be expected How Terra 2.0 could open TFL up to further action from regulators and law enforcement Why more education is needed to overcome anxiety about DeFi regulations How hack nondisclosures could be subject to government investigation Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance/ Episode Links Olta Avalanche https://www.avax.network/ Ava Labs https://www.avalabs.org/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oltaandoni/ Twitter https://twitter.com/AndoniOlta Ari TRM Labs Website: https://www.trmlabs.com/ TRM Labs Twitter https://twitter.com/trmlabs?s=20&t=m24Ir0OerqPgEejlhL-bdQ TRM Talks https://www.trmlabs.com/category/trm-talks LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-redbord-4054381b4/ Twitter https://twitter.com/ARedbord?s=20&t=m24Ir0OerqPgEejlhL-bdQ Lummis-Gillibrand Bill Bill Introduction: https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/-lummis-gillibrand-introduce-landmark-legislation-to-create-regulatory-framework-for-digital-assets Legal Memo from DLx Law: https://dlxlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DLX_FSV-summary_RFIA_060722.pdf Lummis-Gillibrand Section by Section Overview (summary by bill authors): https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Lummis-Gillibrand%20Section-by-Section%20%5bFinal%5d.pdf Responsible Financial Innovation Act (full text): https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Lummis-Gillibrand%20Responsible%20Financial%20Innovation%20Act%20%5bFinal%5d.pdf Blog post intro (by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand): https://gillibrandny.medium.com/the-responsible-financial-innovation-act-218a764abd6c FINMA FINMA: https://www.finma.ch/en/ FINMA on Stablecoins: https://www.finma.ch/en/news/2019/09/20190911-mm-stable-coins/ FINMA Publishes Stablecoin Guidance: https://www.sif.admin.ch/sif/en/home/finanzmarktpolitik/digitalisation-financial-sector/stablecoins.html NY DFS Guidance on Stablecoin Issuance: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/industry_guidance/industry_letters/il20220608_issuance_stablecoins Press Release: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/reports_and_publications/press_releases/pr202206081 CNBC Coverage: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/08/new-yorks-financial-watchdog-issues-stablecoin-guidance-calls-for-reserve-requirements.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Jun 2022 02:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why Solana’s Frequent Downtime Doesn't Bother Kyle Samani- Ep. 362
Welcome to The Chopping Block – in person at Consensus in Austin! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra are joined by guest Kyle Samani of Multicoin Capital to chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics: why Kyle believes people are too negative about the macro environment how the only crypto product with product-market fit is parties what soulbound NFTs are, and what their pitfalls might be why Kyle and Robert have a beef between them why Kyle has a lot of run-ins with other people in crypto how Kyle thinks about Solana’s 12 instances of downtime over the last six months how this has caused problems for SOL held in cold storage how Kyle and Robert think projects need to make tradeoffs between stability and adaptability why Kyle thinks every layer 1 and 2 will have a major failure over the next several years how Kyle thinks EVM chains are value-destructive how Tarun thinks zk L2s might be better aligned with the Ethereum ethos how Optimism’s market-making partner Wintermute was hacked for $20 million in OP why the hacker returned most of the money how programming language centralization makes sense how the Lummis-Gillibrand bill is a good opening salvo with respect to crypto regulation why they believe that being paid for staking is not the same as being paid a dividend how disclosure requirements could be onerous for small new projects how they think the crypto industry is moving up the learning curve for lobbying why they believe the Lummis/Gillibrand bill will be changed to target stablecoins and DeFi more EPISODE LINK Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/hosseeb Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures https://twitter.com/tarunchitra Guest Kyle Samani, cofounder and managing partner of Multicoin Capital https://twitter.com/KyleSamani?s=20&t=DN1G0CNY7JR11OoXOAFD2g Show Topics Wintermute Compromise Optimism Foundation statement: https://plaid-cement-e44.notion.site/A-Message-to-the-Community-from-the-Optimism-Foundation-f49b913bb0974d8a854a8bdd409a9dd6 Wintermute statement: https://gov.optimism.io/t/message-to-optimism-community-from-wintermute/2595 https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/06/09/15m-of-optimism-tokens-stolen-by-an-attacker-after-wintermute-sent-wrong-wallet-address/#:~:text=Optimism%20is%20a%20permissionless%20network%20and%20behaved%20as%20intended.&text=Wintermute%2C%20for%20its%20part%2C%20says,make%20the%20protocol%20whole%20eventually.%E2%80%9D Osmosis Hack https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/150752/osmosis-dex-on-cosmos-exploited-for-5-million-as-validators-halt-the-network https://twitter.com/stake_fire/status/1534598315441913856?s=20&t=VvGyUlOjGSlhXXUwZvKszw Litecoin Delisting https://decrypt.co/102350/crypto-exchanges-delist-litecoin-privacy-feature-concerns Solana outage re: durable transactions (12 serious outages this year, about 2 a month) https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/149698/solana-blockchain-suffers-new-network-outage https://solana.com/news/06-01-22-solana-mainnet-beta-outage-report-2 Unchained episode with Andre Cronje about Solana’s downtime: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-did-andre-cronje-pull-an-epic-crypto-rug-pull/ Cynthia Lummis & Kirsten Gillibrand presents landmark crypto bill Coindesk Coverage: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/06/07/key-us-senators-introduce-bill-outlining-sweeping-plan-for-future-crypto-rules/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon, 13 Jun 2022 02:30:00 -0000
The Lummis/Gillibrand Crypto Bill: Is the 'Ancillary Token' Approach the Best Way? - Ep. 361
Lewis Cohen, lead attorney at DLx Law LLC, joins to discuss the recently proposed Lummis-Gillibrand bill, the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, which he helped shape. In this episode, we cover: how Lewis was impressed by Gillibrand’s and Lummis’s offices’ hard work and bipartisanship how the bill creates a new definition for an “ancillary asset” with split oversight responsibilities between the CFTC and the SEC how the bill proposes a test of managerial centralization as a determinant of disclosure requirements for digital assets his response to criticism that the ancillary token approach is more complicated than need be and gives too much power to the SEC why the bill didn't adopt an approach more similar to something like SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s token safe harbor proposal how Lewis would respond to SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s contention that the vast majority of digital assets are securities how Cohen is concerned about legislation or regulation impinging on basic freedoms to transact by over-applying securities regulation what kind of SEC disclosures will be required for “ancillary assets” and the requirements for projects to be able to cease mandatory disclosure how the bill defines stablecoins whether the requirement for stablecoins to maintain reserves means the end of algorithmic stablecoins or whether they will just be called something else how the bill handles DAOs and how legislation in this area must be delicate why Lewis believes the proposal is a “bright spot” for thoughtful US legislation and bipartisanship why he doesn’t see the bill being adopted in the current Congress Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://avax.network EPISODE LINKS Lewis Cohen DLx Law LLC: https://dlxlaw.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NYcryptolawyer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-cohen-a3211410/ Lummis-Gillibrand Proposal (Responsible Financial Innovation Act) Legal Memo from DLXLaw : https://dlxlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/DLX_FSV-summary_RFIA_060722.pdf Lummis-Gillibrand Section by Section Overview (summary by bill authors): https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Lummis-Gillibrand%20Section-by-Section%20%5bFinal%5d.pdf Responsible Financial Innovation Act (full text): https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Lummis-Gillibrand%20Responsible%20Financial%20Innovation%20Act%20%5bFinal%5d.pdf Blog post intro (by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand) : https://gillibrandny.medium.com/the-responsible-financial-innovation-act-218a764abd6c Commentary: CoinDesk recap: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/06/07/key-us-senators-introduce-bill-outlining-sweeping-plan-for-future-crypto-rules/ Fortune on what the bill means for algo stablecoins: https://fortune.com/2022/06/08/algorithmic-stablecoins-terra-luna-crypto-regulation-senate-bill-lummis-gillibrand/ JW Verret's critique: https://twitter.com/JWVerret/status/1534165678831325191?s=20&t=nIWYdZKJzXsr-SVK7F_W9w Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 10 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How Soulbound Tokens Could Reduce Speculation and Improve DAO Voting - Ep. 360
Glen Weyl, RadicalxChange Foundation founder and political economist & social technologist at Microsoft Special Projects, and Puja Ohlhaver, strategist at Flashbots, discuss “soulbound tokens” and their implications for collaboration and social organization in a variety of spaces. Topics covered include: how Glen got involved in crypto, wrote a book, and came to co-write a paper with Vitalik Buterin how Puja studied economics and got in touch with Glen in pursuit of a middle ground between left and right politics what soulbound NFTs are and how they work how Vitalik’s paper articulated how the concept of the soulbound token could advance decentralized collaboration in web3 how decentralized reputation can enable larger networks of coordination how identity can be understood through the lens of community participation how the name ‘soulbound token’ came about how these tokens could provide a technology for those who value scarcity but disdain speculation how identity-dedicated tokens could work on a technical level (including recovery) what is DeSoc and why is it important? how non-transferable tokens can improve DAO organization, including resolving issues with quadratic funding how identity-locked tokens can be protected from bots and AI abuse how these tokens could support community privacy and responsible information disclosure Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance/ Related Reading Decentralized Society: Finding Web3’s Soul (Weyl, Ohlhaver, and Buterin; 2022) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4105763 Georg Simmel, German neo-Kantian who laid groundwork for antipositivism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Simmel How Blockchains Can Help Create Little Democracies Everywhere https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-blockchains-can-help-create-little-democracies-everywhere/ Soulbound Tokens Vitalik on Soulbound tokens https://vitalik.ca/general/2022/01/26/soulbound.html TL;DR written by Glen https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/05/11/after-defi-desoc-finding-web-3s-soul/ Other write-ups https://nftnow.com/guides/soulbound-tokens-sbts-meet-the-tokens-that-may-change-your-life/ https://www.radicalxchange.org/concepts/soulbound-tokens/ https://fortune.com/2022/05/26/what-are-soulbound-tokens-web3-buterin/ https://thedefiant.io/vitalik-soulbound-tokens/ Projects Mentioned Ceramic https://ceramic.network/ Verifiable Credentials Data Model (w3) https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model/#abstract Optimism https://optimism.io/ Gitcoin https://gitcoin.co/ Glen Weyl Personal Website https://glenweyl.com/ Twitter (@glenweyl) https://twitter.com/glenweyl/ Puja Ohlhaver LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/puja-ohlhaver-b44b878 Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/pujaohlhaver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Department of Justice Goes After Its First NFT Insider Trading Case - Ep 359
Jason Gottlieb, a crypto attorney and partner at Morrison Cohen, discusses the insider trading case being built by the US Department of Justice against former OpenSea employee Nathaniel Chastain. Show topics: why Nathaniel is being charged with wire fraud and money laundering instead of insider trading what makes NFT insider trading different from usual insider trading indictments why an employee’s “duty of confidentiality” can be important when building an insider trading case whether the money laundering charge makes sense whether moving money between self-custodied wallets constitutes money laundering why Jason does not think this particular case will have widespread implications for the NFT and crypto space Jason’s advice for employees at crypto exchanges and companies who may be tempted to trade on private information what happens next in the Chastain case why the potential sentences are so long – 20 years for each charge how likely it is that Chastain has to serve jail time Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Ava Labs: https://avax.network Episode Links Jason Gottlieb Website: https://www.morrisoncohen.com/jgottlieb Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohaiom Department of Justice Press Release https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-employee-nft-marketplace-charged-first-ever-digital-asset-insider-trading-scheme Nathaniel Chastain Arrest https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/06/01/us-charges-ex-opensea-exec-with-nft-insider-trading/ https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/149685/former-head-of-product-for-opensea-indicted-after-insider-trading-scandal Resignation https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/09/16/opensea-exec-accused-of-insider-trading-leaves-company/ Insider trading allegations https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/09/15/insider-trading-allegations-rock-opensea-nft-marketplace-responds/ Twitter https://twitter.com/natechastain Insider Trading and Crypto https://www.morrisoncohen.com/siteFiles/files/Insider%20Trading%20and%20Cryptocurrency%20-%20A%20Primer%20for%20Traders.pdf https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=132529 Taylor Monahan Recap of the Case https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1532085029857284101 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 03 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance? - Ep. 358
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. Since Robert Leshner couldn’t make it, Laura also decided to hop on the show too! Show topics: how Terra is trying to rebuild what its value proposition is why Laura is surprised at how fast Do Kwon began shitposting again how teams affected by the Terra collapse, like Delphi Digital and Mars Protocol, are responding how its implosion will affect Cosmos why Tarun thinks Osmosis’ purchase of Keplr was the “best” purchase in crypto history whether the collapse of UST could help Cosmos in the long run what the legal implications of UST’s depeg will be whether Terra was a fraud like Theranos why Tarun thinks that investors should be sued for getting clients involved in Terra why Tarun thinks regulators are against 24-hour trading why Tarun thinks Matt Levine is a “boomer” what FTX’s chances are in getting approval from the CFTC to be the engine for 24-hour derivatives trading why NFTs are denominated in ETH/SOL instead of fiat why Tom doesn’t think airdrops matter what went wrong with the OP token drop 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 Guest Laura Shin, host of Unchained https://twitter.com/laurashin Show Topics Terra revival plan https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/terra-blockchain-restart-approved LUNA 2.0 https://fortune.com/2022/05/30/do-kwon-luna-2-airdrop-plunges/ LUNA airdrop calculation issues: https://twitter.com/terra_money/status/1531410663674888192 https://agora.terra.money/t/terra-ecosystem-revival-plan-2-passed-gov/18498 Delphi Digital https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/147755/delphi-digital-admits-we-were-wrong-on-terra-stablecoin-risks Luna Classic https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/149361/mirror-protocol-suffers-new-exploit-and-could-be-drained-in-hours https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/149342/a-90-million-defi-exploit-on-terra-went-unnoticed-for-seven-months Korean prosecutors are looking to crackdown on Terra https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/149309/terraform-labs-employees-summoned-korea-prosecutors-ust-luna Adam Neumann crypto project ​​https://www.vox.com/recode/23142106/adam-neumann-crypto-carbon-credit-offset-flowcarbon FTX and CFTC and CME https://twitter.com/aguye_/status/1529547230318718976 ​​https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/143792/as-it-weighs-ftx-proposal-cftc-announces-a-roundtable-on-disintermediation https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/148786/cftc-roundtable-on-ftx-proposal-highlights-barriers-in-clearing-of-digital-vs-physical-assets Farmers vs FTX https://twitter.com/fintechfrank/status/1531605653269188608 CME word salad https://twitter.com/fintechfrank/status/1524811596421382144 Optimism Airdrop https://twitter.com/epolynya/status/1531719021833334784?s=21&t=MoImAkB4p8qwOV3p63sSnw https://dune.com/hildobby/op-airdrop Unchained Coverage on Optimism https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-optimisms-op-token-draw-people-back-to-layer-2s-on-ethereum/ Unchained Coverage on Osmosis and Keplr https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-osmosis-is-trying-to-improve-the-crypto-user-experience/ Unchained Coverage on FTX x CFTC https://unchainedpodcast.com/ftx-wants-to-compete-with-cme-heres-why-its-a-big-deal/ Previous Unchained Terra Coverage Kevin Zhou on the UST depeg https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-kevin-zhou-on-why-he-knew-terra-would-crash/ Nic Carter, Erik Voorhees, and Eric Wall on the collapse of UST https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-terra-collapsed-and-whether-an-algo-stablecoin-can-ever-succeed/ Do Kwon on backing UST with BTC ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/do-kwon-is-backing-ust-with-bitcoin-and-heres-what-else-he-is-building/ Kevin Zhou on the risk of UST’s death spiral https://unchainedpodcast.com/heres-why-usdn-depegged-from-the-dollar-and-why-ust-might-too/ Jon Wu on how Terra got depegged: https://unchainedpodcast.com/did-someone-deliberately-attack-terra-luna-to-kick-off-a-death-spiral/ Do Kwon on The Chopping Block https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xl8u7-KVwM Haseeb’s summary of the Terra collapse: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/the-reign-of-terra-the-rise-and-fall-of-ust-208dabbc8e6e Tarun’s thoughts on algorithmic stablecoins https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod/status/1512465290910736391 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 02 Jun 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How Osmosis Is Trying to Improve the Crypto User Experience - Ep.357
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
Tue, 31 May 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Hester Peirce's Former Counsel on Terra 2.0, XRP and a Bitcoin Spot ETF - Ep.356
Coy Garrison, former counsel to SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce and partner at Steptoe & Johnson, discusses the role of regulation in the crypto industry and what the SEC could be doing to make crypto a better space. Show notes: how Coy started working with crypto why Coy decided to leave the SEC why recent comments by SEC chair Gary Gensler made him hopeful in how the SEC approaches crypto how the crypto industry has grown and evolved over the years whether the regulations are impeding innovation in the crypto space how stablecoins should be regulated what Coy thinks about the UST collapse what is the SEC’s take on decentralization whether ETH is centralized and whether it is a commodity why the SEC has not approved a BTC spot ETF Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Ava Labs: https://avax.network The Graph: https://thegraph.com/graph-day EPISODE LINKS Coy Garrison Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coygarrison/ Steptoe & Johnson: https://www.steptoe.com/en/ Previous coverage of Unchained on regulation: Why the SEC’s Proposed Rules Affecting DeFi Could Violate the First Amendment: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-secs-proposed-rules-affecting-defi-could-violate-the-first-amendment/ Why Crypto Twitter’s Disrespect Toward Regulators Is a ‘Really Bad Business Decision’: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-crypto-twitters-disrespect-toward-regulators-is-a-really-bad-business-decision/ Can a DeF Smart Contract Be Regulated? Two CFTC Commissioners Discuss: https://unchainedpodcast.com/can-a-defi-smart-contract-be-regulated-two-cftc-commissioners-discuss/ Terra/Luna: Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-terra-collapsed-and-whether-an-algo-stablecoin-can-ever-succeed/ Did Someone Deliberately Attack Terra/Luna to Kick off a Death Spiral?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/did-someone-deliberately-attack-terra-luna-to-kick-off-a-death-spiral/ The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-kevin-zhou-on-why-he-knew-terra-would-crash/ The 5 Biggest Lessons From Terra/Luna’s Collapse, According to Tascha Che: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-5-biggest-lessons-from-terra-lunas-collapse-according-to-tascha-che/ Here’s Why USDN De-Pegged From the Dollar – And Why UST Might Too: https://unchainedpodcast.com/heres-why-usdn-de-pegged-from-the-dollar-and-why-ust-might-too/ Bitcoin Futures ETF vs Spot ETF: https://medium.com/@laurashin/why-investment-experts-say-a-spot-bitcoin-etf-would-be-superior-to-bitcoin-futures-etfs-aaab862262ff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 27 May 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market - Ep.355
Cobie, co-founder of Lido and UpOnlyTv, and Chris Burniske, partner at Placeholder Ventures, talk about surviving a crypto bear market, the Terra collapse, lessons they’ve learned from their mistakes, and much more. Show highlights: whether Chris and Cobie think crypto is in a bear market why Chris says these are the times to buy what effect the Terra debacle will have on the crypto industry why Chris was expecting UST to blow up why Chris thinks there is going to be another massive liquidation event whether an algo stablecoin could work why bear markets are sometimes a good thing how USDT was stress tested and proved its resilience how macro is affecting the crypto space and what the role of the Fed is when will we see the bottom of this bear market how meme coins are the symptoms of a broken system why this crypto cycle is different whether regulations are helping VCs rather than the retail investors why risky assets are the ones that could increase 10,000x whether the future of crypto is multichain or not how developers signal what ecosystem is going to win in the next expansion cycle whether Cobie thinks staking is dying how Chris judges market bottoms and tops what lessons Cobie and Chris have learned from their mistakes what innovations will catalyze the next bull cycle what needs to happen in the future for crypto to succeed Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Episode Links Cobie Twitter: https://twitter.com/cobie UpOnlyTv: https://uponly.tv/ Substack: https://cobie.substack.com/ L1 trading: https://cobie.substack.com/p/trading-the-metagame?s=r Death of staking: https://cobie.substack.com/p/apecoin-and-the-death-of-staking?s=r Token unlocks: https://cobie.substack.com/p/on-the-meme-of-market-caps-and-unlocks?s=r Cycle Tweets: Why “the next cycle” reasoning scares him https://twitter.com/cobie/status/1524965475813568512 What projects will survive the bear https://twitter.com/cobie/status/1469253171885318146 His call to “buy” on March 12 2020 https://twitter.com/cobie/status/1238282793244860417 Which VCs will win https://twitter.com/cobie/status/1515667977118826500 Chris Burniske LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/burniske/ Twitter https://twitter.com/cburniske Previous Unchained episode https://unchainedpodcast.com/chris-burniske-a-blank-slate-of-state/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/chris-burniske-of-placeholder-on-the-downsides-of-icos/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/want-to-diversify-your-portfolio-try-bitcoin-say-arks-chris-burniske-and-coinbases-adam-white/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-value-a-crypto-asset/ Cycle Tweets Feb 2022 bear call https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1495468570708426754 March 2022 bear call https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1523021991619428352 November 2021 top call https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1457884538806308868 DCA advice https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1525906152881459200 https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1500593438433021952 What could knock the market further down https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1525157945079496705 https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1524260987787902978 2017 ATH calls https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1524838447784947712 https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1524524188366635008 Trying to time the bottom https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1523573129431240710 Chris x Cobie Luna https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1524280637431164929 Feeling sorry for people who have lost $ https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1524267901456248832 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 May 2022 02:30:00 -0000
The 5 Biggest Lessons From Terra/Luna's Collapse, According to Tascha Che - Ep.354
Tascha Che, founder of Tascha Labs, unpacks the Terra/Luna debacle and reveals what she believes are the five main takeaways from its collapse. Here are some highlights from the show: how stablecoin issuers make money what caused Terra’s downfall why Tascha is bullish on algo stablecoins whether she believes undercollateralized stablecoins can work how fast market cap expansion without actual network effect equals death for stablecoins why she doesn’t believe a stablecoin’s network effects mean much for its success why small(er) stablecoins are better how blockchains mirror national economies which stablecoins is Tascha excited about how FRAX is a stablecoin that resembles fiat currencies whether the UST collapse will affect the stablecoin development and further regulation how cross-chain agreements would be helpful for the stability of the crypto ecosystem Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io The Graph: https://thegraph.com/graphday Episode Links Tascha Che Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaschaLabs Tascha Labs: https://taschalabs.com/ Tascha’s thread on nonobvious lessons from the Terra fallout: https://twitter.com/TaschaLabs/status/1526276308119932928?s=20&t=SCxfocBJoQqTEvCHadjYxA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 20 May 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash - Ep.353
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, Kevin Zhou, the CEO of Galois Capital and long-time critic of UST, also joined the conversation. Show topics: the UST depeg and Terra collapse Kevin on what it was like being one of the earliest naysayers of LUNA why Kevin believes that UST initially depegged and became a “fear cascade” how Galois Capital traded the UST depeg, from shorting LUNA to keeping their UST in Anchor until the last moment why Kevin was disappointed in the lack of transparency in how Luna Foundation Guard attempted to defend the UST peg the implications of UST’s collapse across the crypto and traditional financial markets whether Terra’s decline will lead to more regulation in the crypto industry why Anchor was the “cancer” of the Terra system why VCs are reticent to say something bad about protocols they don’t believe in why grifting is so much more prevalent in crypto what Jump Trading had to do with the Terra collapse the difference between the way trading and VC firms interact with crypto the issues with the Terra 2 proposal without UST which chains are receiving the people leaving the Terra ecosystem why Haseeb compared the collapse of UST to the collapse of the Soviet Union who Kevin believes should be reimbursed in the aftermath of the UST collapse how political considerations might affect how Terra continues to develop going forward why Terra NFTs were skyrocketing during the Terra meltdown whether crypto is in a bear or bull market 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest Kevin Zhou, CEO of Galois Capital https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-zhou-82938324/ Previous Unchained Coverage Nic Carter, Erik Voorhees, and Eric Wall on the collapse of UST https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-terra-collapsed-and-whether-an-algo-stablecoin-can-ever-succeed/ Do Kwon on backing UST with BTC ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/do-kwon-is-backing-ust-with-bitcoin-and-heres-what-else-he-is-building/ Kevin Zhou on the risk of UST’s death spiral https://unchainedpodcast.com/heres-why-usdn-depegged-from-the-dollar-and-why-ust-might-too/ Jon Wu on how Terra got depegged: https://unchainedpodcast.com/did-someone-deliberately-attack-terra-luna-to-kick-off-a-death-spiral/ Do Kwon on The Chopping Block https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xl8u7-KVwM Haseeb’s summary of the Terra collapse: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/the-reign-of-terra-the-rise-and-fall-of-ust-208dabbc8e6e Jon Wu’s write-up on the UST Depeg Article: https://www.notboring.co/p/terra-to-the-moon-and-back Thread: https://twitter.com/jonwu_/status/1523793482850050048?s=20&t=lvB1zdz98wu5TE5emh4fCw Terra Background Info Twitter: https://twitter.com/terra_money UST Mechanics: https://angelprotocol.medium.com/how-does-ust-work-ec7b2f6e2c2c UST Bank Run: https://www.wsj.com/articles/crash-of-terrausd-shakes-crypto-there-was-a-run-on-the-bank-11652371839 Speculation of a deliberate attack: https://onchainwizard.substack.com/p/how-to-make-800m-in-crypto-soros?s=r Do Kwon’s Proposed Terra’s Revival: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/05/13/do-kwon-proposes-restart-of-terra-blockchain-as-ust-luna-plummet/ Anchor: https://twitter.com/anchor_protocol Terra 2.0: https://unchainedpodcast.com/do-kwon-has-a-new-plan-again/ LFG Purchases Luna Foundation Guard: https://lfg.org/team/ Pomp – the $10B Bitcoin Bet on Stablecoins https://pomp.substack.com/p/the-10-billion-bitcoin-bet-on-stablecoins?s=w 3/10 BTC purchase https://twitter.com/LFG_org/status/1503680315969060864 $1 BTC billion purchase https://twitter.com/terra_money/status/1496162889085902856 TFL x LFG relationship https://twitter.com/stablekwon/status/1502225674840555523 Galois Twitter threads https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1511455703642394628 https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/151119893095193804 Tarun’s thoughts on algorithmic stablecoins https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod/status/1512465290910736391 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 19 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000
Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed - Ep.352
Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Venture, Eric Wall, former Chief Investment Officer of Arcane Assets, and Erik Voorhees, founder of ShapeShift, discuss what happened with the TerraUSD (UST) and LUNA fiasco, Do Kwon’s responsibility, the impact on the crypto ecosystem, and much more. Show highlights: how Erik used to feel that algo stablecoins were impossible and why he changed his mind why Eric considers that the demand for UST was tied to a sh*tcoin why Nic didn’t think LUNA would work how a stablecoin could theoretically be decentralized whether Nic, Eric, and Erik think this was a deliberate attack why they think whether or not there was a deliberate attack is not even relevant how the de-peg started with a liquidity issue on Curve why Nic thinks that Terra’s biggest mistake was the 19.5% APY on Anchor whether pursuing a decentralized stablecoin is a worthy goal what aspects of UST were decentralized, according to Erik whether algo stablecoins are dead or whether in the future, death spirals of algo stablecoins can be avoided why Erik believes that everything in the crypto space is an experiment, even BTC what it says that the VCs behind Terra knew were so reputable why Do Kwon's arrogance and inexperience might have caused this chaos whether Terra can be rebuilt whether this collapse imposes risks on other blockchains and other assets why the Luna Foundation Guard’s purchase of Bitcoin might have made the UST collapse even worse what Erik thinks about the global financial system and the US dollar how this event could trigger more regulation in the crypto space and why it might hurt the entire ecosystem how regulators might use the Terra case to impose CBDCs. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Episode Links Erik Vorhees Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikVoorhees Eric Wall Twitter: https://twitter.com/ercwl Nic Carter Twitter: https://twitter.com/nic__carter Previous Unchained Coverage of Terra Do Kwon on backing UST with BTC ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/do-kwon-is-backing-ust-with-bitcoin-and-heres-what-else-he-is-building/ Kevin Zhou on the risk of UST’s death spiral https://unchainedpodcast.com/heres-why-usdn-de-pegged-from-the-dollar-and-why-ust-might-too/ Jon Wu on how Terra got de-pegged: https://unchainedpodcast.com/did-someone-deliberately-attack-terra-luna-to-kick-off-a-death-spiral/ Terra Twitter: https://twitter.com/terra_money UST Mechanics: https://angelprotocol.medium.com/how-does-ust-work-ec7b2f6e2c2c Luna Foundation Guard: https://lfg.org/team/ UST Bank Run: https://www.wsj.com/articles/crash-of-terrausd-shakes-crypto-there-was-a-run-on-the-bank-11652371839 Speculation of a deliberate attack: https://onchainwizard.substack.com/p/how-to-make-800m-in-crypto-soros?s=r Do Kwon’s Proposed Terra’s Revival: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/05/13/do-kwon-proposes-restart-of-terra-blockchain-as-ust-luna-plummet/ Terra Blockchain Halted: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/05/12/luna-issuer-terra-halts-blockchain-after-week-of-losses/ Upcoming Regulation https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/terra-stablecoin-loses-peg https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/146583/yellen-says-the-stablecoin-market-is-still-too-small-to-pose-systemic-risk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 May 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Did Someone Deliberately Attack Terra/Luna to Kick off a Death Spiral? - Ep.351
Jon Wu, head of growth at Aztec Network, recaps a historically chaotic week in the Terra ecosystem that saw $UST depeg, Anchor depositors flee, and $LUNA fall 99%. Show highlights: how $UST, $LUNA, Luna Foundation Guard (LFG), and Anchor Protocol are supposed to work why Jon compares the Terra blockchain with VISA, LFG with the Fed, and Do Kwon with Jerome Powell how a previous $UST de-peg foreshadowed this week’s dystopian price action how a bitcoin short seemed to have kickstarted $UST’s depeg and why Jon thinks it was a deliberate attack why Luna Foundation Guard originally purchased Bitcoin – and how that plan backfired and made the Terra death spiral even more violent why $UST had such low liquidity this week – making it more susceptible to a bank run what Jon’s predictions are for $UST and $LUNA going forward what were the reasons behind Terra halting why Jon does not think this will be the end of algorithmic stablecoins why Jon thinks this should not affect ETH directly, even though there is a high amount of staked ETH in the Terra ecosystem Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Episode Links Jon Wu Twitter https://twitter.com/jonwu_ Jon’s Write-Up on the UST Depeg Article: https://www.notboring.co/p/terra-to-the-moon-and-back Thread: https://twitter.com/jonwu_/status/1523793482850050048?s=20&t=lvB1zdz98wu5TE5emh4fCw Previous Unchained Coverage of Terra Do Kwon on backing UST with BTC ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/do-kwon-is-backing-ust-with-bitcoin-and-heres-what-else-he-is-building/ Kevin Zhou on the risk of UST’s death spiral https://unchainedpodcast.com/heres-why-usdn-de-pegged-from-the-dollar-and-why-ust-might-too/ Terra: Terra proposal to accelerate the burn of UST and increase the base pool: https://station.terra.money/proposal/1164 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/146254/terraform-labs-ceo-do-kwon-unveils-plan-to-restore-ust-peg Terra halting the network: https://twitter.com/terra_money/status/1524785058296778752?s=20&t=FUJkFuN8PyxRoF9TCPgrGg Terra going live again: https://twitter.com/terra_money/status/1524812171179327488?s=20&t=FUJkFuN8PyxRoF9TCPgrGg Regulatory risks: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/146426/the-sec-has-already-sued-terraform-labs-it-has-every-reason-to-investigate-ust-lawyers-say Other Recaps on Terra: CoinDesk on how Do Kwon was behind previous algorithmic stablecoin: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/05/11/usts-do-kwon-was-behind-earlier-failed-stablecoin-ex-terra-colleagues-say/ Rekt: https://rekt.news/luna-rekt/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 13 May 2022 08:15:00 -0000
Will Optimism's OP Token Draw People Back to Layer 2s on Ethereum? - Ep.350
Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix, and Ben Jones, cofounder and chief scientist at Optimism Foundation, discuss the current state of Ethereum Layer 2s, Optimism’s new governance structure, why Synthetix chose to build on Optimism, and more. Show topics: what Optimism and Synthetix are how zero-knowledge rollups differ from optimistic rollups why Synthetix decided to build on Optimism what makes L2s more enticing to build on than other L1s how Optimism’s governance is going to change with the launch of the Optimism Collective and OP token what issues Synthetix has had with Discord governance and early token voting, and how they have now solved this by forcing users to consolidate wallet addresses what retroactive public goods funding is and how it could create a “flywheel” of development on Optimism why whales might be excluded from Optimism’s token grant to Synthetix why Ben thinks the future is about the “superchain” rather than multi-chain what Kain and Ben think about bridging between L2s and Mainnet why Optimism is a staunch backer of EIP 4844 how the merge could affect Optimism and Synthetix Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io OnJuno: https://onjuno.com/ Episode Links Guests Ben Jones: https://twitter.com/ben_chain Kain Warwick: https://twitter.com/kaiynne Synthetix https://twitter.com/synthetix_io Optimism https://twitter.com/optimismPBC Optimism Collective https://optimism.mirror.xyz/gQWKlrDqHzdKPsB1iUnI-cVN3v0NvsWnazK7ajlt1fI Synthetix Launching on Optimism https://blog.synthetix.io/optimism-launch-announcement/ Synthetix Governance https://docs.synthetix.io/governance/ Kain’s Blog https://blog.synthetix.io/author/kain/ Rollups What are the biggest risks to optimistic rollup chains? https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/01/05/rollup.html#:~:text=Anatomy%20of%20a%20fraud%20proof What is the difference between optimistic and ZK rollups? And why did Synthetix choose Optimism? https://blog.matter-labs.io/optimistic-vs-zk-rollup-deep-dive-ea141e71e075 EIP 4844 https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-4844 https://www.eip4844.com/ The Merge https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ethereums-merge-was-delayed-and-why-it-wont-reduce-gas-fees-much/ Kain’s previous Unchained appearances Ethereum killers episode https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-solana-and-binance-smart-chain-could-take-ethereums-lead/ How Synthetix became the second-largest DeFi platform https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-synthetix-became-the-second-largest-defi-platform/ DeFi summer https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-comp-5xed-on-day-1-and-what-this-means-for-a-defi-bull-market/ Optimism’s Bridging Solution https://twitter.com/optimismPBC/status/1517548430297604096 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 May 2022 07:45:00 -0000
Should Yuga Labs Have Charged More For Its Otherside NFTs? - Ep.349
Eric Golden, the owner of BAYC #7560 and host of Web3 Breakdowns, discusses the Otherdeed NFT drop that stalled Ethereum and burned over $150 million worth of ether. Show topics: what the Otherdeed mint is Why Yuga Labs had buyers undergo a know-your-customer process in order to mint the NFTs why Eric was pretty certain a gas war was imminent in the hours leading up to the mint how KYC’d addresses played into the Otherdeed mint what Eric thought about Yuga Labs’s decision to scrap a Dutch auction in favor of a flat minting price why Eric does not believe Yuga Labs purposefully botched their smart contract, as many in the Ethereum community alleged why Eric was frustrated with Yuga Labs’s response on Twitter to the mint why Eric does not think Otherside needs its own chain what effect the Otherdeed mint is having on other Yuga Labs-adjacent assets like ApeCoin and Bored Ape Yacht Club what Kodas are and why they are trading for tens of thousands of dollars why Eric is confident that Yuga Labs is well-positioned to follow through on their promises to build out a metaverse game Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Episode Links Eric Golden https://twitter.com/ericgoldenx Otherside https://otherside.xyz/ Otherdeed License ​​https://otherside.xyz/license Punk6529 thread: https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1520697396119879680 CryptoGarga saying at least one term in the license would be changed: https://twitter.com/CryptoGarga/status/1520818410149617666 Otherdeed Yuga Labs’ response to the sale: https://twitter.com/yugalabs/status/1520612362986078208 NFTs: https://opensea.io/collection/otherdeed Canceling the Dutch auction https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/144298/yuga-labss-otherside-scraps-dutch-style-auction-for-nft-sale 0xcrumbs’s tweet showing there was more demand than supply: https://twitter.com/0xCrumbs/status/1520559050592817152?s=20&t=ngPe9YzByzwJbMa_N1hThw CoinDesk coverage: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/05/01/bayc-team-raises-285m-with-otherside-nfts-clogs-ethereum/ https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/05/04/the-yuga-labs-catastrophe-could-have-been-prevented/ Smart Contract Conversation Will Papper: https://twitter.com/WillPapper/status/1520592312379658241 Vitalik Buterin: ​https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1520621813209784321 Kodas https://medium.com/@jseid212/koda-rarity-ranking-the-newest-creatures-in-the-yuga-lab-ecosystem-9e6adba0ab68 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 06 May 2022 09:35:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Did Andre Cronje Pull an Epic Crypto Rug Pull? - Ep.348
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. On this episode, Andre Cronje, the recently retired (sort of) DeFi developer, also joined the conversation. Show topics: why being doxxed led to Andre retiring (sort of) from crypto Andre’s response to Robert who calledl his departure from DeFi “an epic rug pull” why Andre is back – and why he is working on “regulated” crypto products how the Otherside KYC’d NFT drop was an “absolute fail” where identity fits into the crypto space and why traditional and DeFi institutions alike are interested in the identity of their users Dalle 2 why the Bored Ape community likely sees the Yuga Labs Otherdeed NFT sale as a turning point why Robert would compare buying a BAYC NFT last year to purchasing BTC in 2010 main takeaways from Solana’s seven-hour outage and why designing a mempool (or multiple) is critical for the chain 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest Andre Cronje, DeFi OG https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-cronje Show Topics Andre Cronje’s Retirement https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-defi-og-is-leaving-crypto/ Andre Cronje’s return to regulated crypto https://andrecronje.medium.com/crypto-regulation-vs-regulated-crypto-aae56b36dcd8 Solana outage https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/144639/solana-restarted-after-seven-hour-outage-caused-by-surge-of-transactions https://twitter.com/0xEdgar/status/1521188981538537472 https://github.com/metaplex-foundation/metaplex-program-library/pull/417 Yuga Labs rakes in $317MM from the sale of Otherside land NFTs and causes huge congestion on Ethereum. https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/144549/otherside-land-nfts-sell-out-in-hours-as-yuga-labs-rakes-in-317-million Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 05 May 2022 11:00:00 -0000
RAC and David Greenstein on Why Music NFTs Are Better Than Spotify - Ep.347
André Allen Anjos, who is better known as the crypto-friendly artist RAC, and David Greenstein, co-founder of Sound.xyz, a web3 music platform, analyze the current state of the web3 music scene and discuss how artists can leverage web3 tools to get paid at fair market value for their art. Show highlights: RAC’s experience in the traditional music industry why David believes music is the most undervalued sector in the world – and how Sound and crypto can help value it correctly the different types of NFTs with which musicians like RAC are experimenting what Sound.xyz is and how it is helping artists unlock their fanbase and community why David is so passionate about creating a social experience when it comes to music NFTs Sound.xyz’s decision to allow artists to deploy their own smart contracts what RAC has made in NFT drops compared to Spotify streams why Sound.xyz was built with “editions” as the most common format for NFTs sold on the platform what makes blockchain technology well-suited for the music industry RAC’s crypto adventures: $TAPE, $RAC, and more … how the famous “Amen Break” sample would work as an NFT what artists will be measured by in the NFT world Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io OnJuno: https://onjuno.com/ Episode Links David Greenstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgreenstein/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dgreenstein1?lang=en RAC Twitter: https://twitter.com/RAC Website: https://rac.fm/ Crypto Adventures RAC Token https://etherscan.io/address/0xc22b30e4cce6b78aaaadae91e44e73593929a3e9 https://v2.info.uniswap.org/pair/0xf744417d0a5fd18b5b18726ce1b48f931dfa32ea https://blog.ourzora.com/home/introducing-rac https://www.billboard.com/pro/rac-nfts-social-token-platform-racos-web3/ Music NFTs (w/ Sound.xyz embeds) https://rac.fm/nfts Discord https://discord.com/invite/rac Tokenized cassette tape https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/64760/ethereum-tokenized-cassette-dj-rac-zora-grammy Sound.xyz Website https://www.sound.xyz/ FAQs https://soundxyz.notion.site/soundxyz/Frequently-Asked-Questions-1-0e39e44edccb42f8b3c3ca5d93c703a9 Recent raise https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/15/sound-xyz-raises-5m-from-a16z-to-explore-how-web3-can-upend-the-economics-of-the-music-business/ Recent drops that are fun Bored Ape Yacht Club Band Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 May 2022 02:30:00 -0000
FTX Wants to Compete With CME -- Here's Why It's a Big Deal - Ep.346
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
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0000
Amy Wu on Why FTX Is So Excited About Web3 Gaming - Ep.345
Amy Wu, head of FTX ventures and gaming initiatives, discusses her role at FTX, what problems need to be addressed in the web3 gaming world, and her thoughts on APE and Yuga Labs as a board member of Apecoin DAO and investor in Yuga Labs. Show highlights: what Amy does at FTX how her background investing in gaming prepared her for her role at FTX Amy’s vision for FTX’s gaming studio how FTX is helping gaming studios get into web3 and NFTs why Amy thinks blockchain games are the evolution of the ‘free to play’ gaming archetype what best practices Amy believes web2 companies should implement when transitioning into web3 gaming why there is so much backlash against traditional companies incorporating NFTs (hint: it’s not just about environmental concerns) how FTX Ventures is looking to deploy capital and why it is so interested in Korea and India, specifically why Amy thinks the L1 wars will end with just a few winning chains why “consumer products” are going to be more important than high throughput blockchains in onboarding the next billion users what Amy’s role as a board member of Apecoin DAO is like what Amy thinks about APE and Yuga Labs trends for the rest of 2022: social media, dating apps, and more… Tickets to the Cryptopians Book Clubs Go on Sale Today at 1pm ET! Today, Tuesday, April 26, at 1pm Eastern Time, we will sell the NFT tickets to five book clubs to discuss my book, The Cryptopians. All the book clubs, which are 90 minutes and limited to 22 participants each, will be hosted by me and will take place on my Discord from May 2nd to May 10th. The sale will will take place on Bitski: bitski.com/@laurashin/created The dates and times for the book clubs are: Monday, May 2, at 8 pm ET Tuesday May 3, at 1pm ET with Lefteris Karapetsas, Griff Green, and Christoph Jentzsch of the DAO Thursday, May 5, at 12pm Monday, May 9, at 12pm ET with Andrey Ternovskiy of Chatroulette Tuesday, May 10, at 3pm ET Again, the link for the sale is at https://www.bitski.com/@laurashin/created. Also, join me for a Twitter Spaces, hosted by Bitski (https://twitter.com/bitski), at 12pm ET today. Unchained Is Hiring! Find out information on the three openings at Unchained and how to apply here: part-time remote social media marketing manager: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-part-time-remote-social-media-and-marketing-manager/ part-time remote editorial assistant: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ part-time remote video/audio producer: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-part-time-remote-video-audio-producer/a Thank you to our sponsors! Ether Cards: https://galaxis.xyz Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Amy Wu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amytongwu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amytongwu Roles FTX Gaming https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1495834891858100232 Apecoin DAO Board https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1504238389737967622 FTX Ventures https://ventures.ftx.com/ FTX Stuff Going On NFT lounge at Coachella https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1515407892693745665 FTX Ventures x SuperteamDAO (India) https://twitter.com/ajm_ftx/status/1510339725059629058 Acquisition of Good Luck Games https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1506308327399063557 Backlash `https://kotaku.com/nft-crypto-blcckchain-storybook-brawl-card-f2p-steam-re-1848708120 FTX Africa https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1504095099873280005 Com2uS, a publicly-traded company, launched a token on FTX `https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1501675620832583684 FTX launch in Europe https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1500902895880974340 YGG India push for FTX https://twitter.com/amytongwu/status/1499075404887465994 FTX Future Fund https://ftxfuturefund.org/announcing-the-future-fund/ $400 million raise w/ plans for M&A’s https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-31/bankman-fried-s-ftx-valued-at-32-billion-after-latest-round Miscellaneous Blockchain gaming backlash https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgd78d/the-crypto-revolution-is-an-existential-crisis-for-video-games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Apr 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Why the SEC's Proposed Rules Affecting DeFi Could Violate the First Amendment - Ep.344
Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, discusses a proposed rule by the US Securities and Exchange Commission that has massive implications for the free-speech rights of crypto software developers in the US. Show highlights: why an SEC proposal changing the definition of “exchange” could violate the right to free speech of US crypto developers whether the SEC is going after DeFi on purpose – as its 200+ page proposal never mentions crypto or DeFi what precedent Peter has found that should prohibit the SEC from taking away software developers’ right to free speech how Peter and Coin Center structured their recent letter of comment to the SEC what the next steps (such as a lawsuit?) should be for the crypto community if the rule goes into effect why writing software is part of someone's right to free speech what implications the proposed rule could have on AMMs what happens next: when could the rule be put into place? Unchained is hiring! Find out information on the three openings at Unchained and how to apply here: part-time remote social media marketing manager: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-part-time-remote-social-media-and-marketing-manager/ part-time remote editorial assistant: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ part-time remote video/audio producer: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-part-time-remote-video-audio-producer/ Announcing The Cryptopians Book Clubs! On April 26th, I will be selling NFT tickets to five 90-minute virtual book clubs in which 22 people can discuss "The Cryptopians" with me and with each other — without worrying about spoilers! Two of the book clubs will also feature special guests. The sale will go live on Tuesday, April 26, at 1pm ET/10am PT, and tickets will be $100 each. (The sale will be on Bitski, but the NFTs will not be visible until the sale goes live on the 26th): https://www.bitski.com/@laurashin/created 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 Peter Van Valkenburgh Coin Center profile: https://www.coincenter.org/people/peter-van-valkenburgh/ Twitter: ​https://twitter.com/valkenburgh The SEC Proposal Proposal: ​https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-10# Comments on the proposal: https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-02-22/s70222.htm Coin Center’s/Peter’s comment: https://www.coincenter.org/a-new-sec-proposal-has-a-serious-change-hidden-within-its-complex-language/ Coin Center blog on its comment: https://www.coincenter.org/a-new-sec-proposal-has-a-serious-change-hidden-within-its-complex-language/ Gabriel Shapiro’s comment: https://twitter.com/lex_node/status/1516079145213739013 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 22 Apr 2022 09:00:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: How to Improve DeFi and Cross-Chain Bridge Security - Ep.343
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
Thu, 21 Apr 2022 09:15:00 -0000
Why Crypto Twitter’s Disrespect Toward Regulators Is a ‘Really Bad Business Decision’ - Ep.342
Two policy experts, Chris Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, and Niki Christoff, the founder of Christoff and Co., discuss how the crypto industry has performed in Washington and how it can better educate more regulators and politicians about the technology. Show highlights: Niki and Chris’ background how Niki and Chris would grade the performance of crypto companies in Washington what parallels Chris can draw between crypto in the 2020s and FAANG in the mid-90s whether having a plethora of crypto policy groups helps or hurts crypto in Washington whether calling politicians and regulators names and making memes of them helps or hurts the crypto industry an effective way crypto companies can prompt lawmakers and regulators to prioritize crypto policy why it can be strategically smarter to try to convince incumbents to adopt pro-crypto policy over supporting challengers why Chris thinks crypto could be a bipartisan topic what Chris and Niki think about the fact that Democratic candidates received more donations from people working in the crypto industry than Republicans did the three types of crypto users that are valuable to political candidates what Niki and Chris would tell Senator Elizabeth Warren about crypto if they were to meet with her today what effect crypto might have on midterms why the terminology native to crypto may have to change Unchained is hiring! Find out information on the three openings at Unchained and how to apply here: part-time remote social media marketing manager: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-part-time-remote-social-media-and-marketing-manager/ part-time remote editorial assistant: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ part-time remote video/audio producer: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-part-time-remote-video-audio-producer/ Announcing The Cryptopians Book Clubs! On April 26th, I will be selling NFT tickets to five 90-minute virtual book clubs in which 22 people can discuss "The Cryptopians" with me and with each other — without worrying about spoilers! Two of the book clubs will also feature special guests. The sale will go live on Tuesday, April 26, at 1pm ET/10am PT, and tickets will be $100 each. (The sale will be on Bitski, but the NFTs will not be visible until the sale goes live on the 26th): https://www.bitski.com/@laurashin/created Here is the schedule: Monday May 2, at 8pm ET/5pm PT with Laura Shin Tuesday, May 3, at 7pm CET/1pm ET/10am PT with guests Christoph Jentzsch, Lefteris Karapetsas, and Griff Green Thursday, May 5, at 6pm CET/12pm ET/9am PT with Laura Shin Monday, May 9, at 6pm CET/12pm ET/9am PT with guest Andrey Ternovskiy Tuesday, May 10, at 9pm CET/3pm ET/12pm PT with Laura Shin If you'd like to participate, be sure to mark your calendars for the sale time on April 26th. Hope to see you in one of the book clubs! Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Galaxis: https://galaxis.xyz/ Episode Links Chris Lehane LinkedIn: ​https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lehane-2562535/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrislehane Joining Haun Ventures https://twitter.com/chrislehane/status/1506395461187354624 Niki Christoff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikichristoff/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikiChristoff Miscellaneous Links Overview of crypto and politics https://www.citizen.org/article/capitol-coin-cryptocurrency-lobbying-revolving-door-report/ Biden’s executive order Thread of official statements: https://twitter.com/crypto_council/status/1501606327621197835 Fact sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/09/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-executive-order-on-ensuring-responsible-innovation-in-digital-assets/ Overview: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/09/heres-whats-in-bidens-executive-order-on-crypto.html New bill from Senator Warren to crack down on sanctions evasion: https://www.coincenter.org/new-crypto-sanctions-bill-targets-publishing-code-facilitating-transactions/ DeFi Education Fund https://medium.com/@defieducationfund Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/news/ Crypto Council for Innovation https://twitter.com/crypto_council/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Apr 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Why Ethereum's Merge Was Delayed and Why It Won't Reduce Gas Fees Much - Ep.341
Tim Beiko, the Ethereum Foundation coordinator for core developers, discusses his recent estimation that Ethereum’s merge, where the network transitions from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, will be delayed until the second half of 2022. Show topics: what the Ethereum merge is why an upcoming difficulty bomb could force developers to delay the merge what shadow forks are and how they affect the decision to go forward with the merge how network difficulty is used in Ethereum to keep a balance between the blockchain and miners Tim’s (purposefully vague) timeline for the merge how the merge could increase Ethereum’s throughput by 9% – and thus potentially reduce gas fees slightly how the Ethereum Foundation plans to address gas fees and scaling issues post-merge Announcing The Cryptopians Book Clubs! On April 26th, I will be selling NFT tickets to five 90-minute virtual book clubs in which 22 people can discuss "The Cryptopians" with me and with each other — without worrying about spoilers! Two of the book clubs will also feature special guests. The sale will go live on Tuesday, April 26, at 1pm ET/10am PT, and tickets will be $100 each. (The sale will be on Bitski, but the NFTs will not be visible until the sale goes live on the 26th): https://www.bitski.com/@laurashin/created Here is the schedule: Monday May 2, at 8pm ET/5pm PT with Laura Shin Tuesday, May 3, at a time TBD with guests Christoph Jentzsch, Lefteris Karapetsas, and Griff Green Thursday, May 5, at 6pm CET/12pm ET/9am PT with Laura Shin Monday, May 9, at 6pm CET/12pm ET/9am PT with guest Andrey Ternovskiy Tuesday, May 10, at 9pm CET/3pm ET/12pm PT with Laura Shin If you'd like to participate, be sure to mark your calendars for the sale time on April 26th. Hope to see you in one of the book clubs! 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 Tim Beiko Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimBeiko Related Content Tim’s post on the merge FAQs: https://github.com/timbeiko/eth-roadmap-faq#merge-timelines Tim’s tweets from this week: https://twitter.com/TimBeiko/status/1514423985517203458 https://twitter.com/TimBeiko/status/1514010098145759232 Previous Unchained appearance discussing the merge and EIP 1559: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereums-eip-1559-will-solve-some-problems-but-big-ones-will-remain/ Shadow fork threads https://twitter.com/parithosh_j/status/1513129893235769346?s=20&t=w63Iw2RPkldNMnRS4PJdjA https://twitter.com/vdWijden/status/1513540976438091779 Unchained episode about how Ethereum 2.0 will work: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereum-2-0-what-you-need-to-know/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 15 Apr 2022 10:00:00 -0000
Excited About Your Bored Ape or CryptoPunk? Make Sure You Understand Your IP Rights - Ep.340
Stuart Levi, co-head of the Technology Transaction and Intellectual Property Group at Skadden Arps, and Marta Belcher, general counsel and Head of Policy at Protocol Labs, break down the legal issues surrounding NFTs specifically in the context of Yuga Labs’ recent purchase of CryptoPunks and Meebits IP rights. Show highlights: the definitions and differences between copyrights, trademarks, and rights of publicity (name, image, likeness) how NFT projects have evolved in the past 12-18 months and what that means for the rights of NFT holders why NBA Top Shot’s licensing model is the best model for famous brands entering the NFT space how the popularity of PFPs and the open-source ethos of crypto has led to confusion regarding the commercial rights of NFT holders what you are getting when you buy an NFT (hint, it’s not copyright) the misconceptions surrounding Yuga Labs’ acquisition of Crypto Punks and Meebits why Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT holders most likely cannot use the Bored Ape Yacht Club brand or logo what issues web3 projects face in getting NFT holders to accept terms and conditions why web3 projects should protect their trademark what a Creative Commons license is, and how it can be used in the NFT space what sort of licenses exist in the NFT space why secondary sales and transfers of NFTs pose such massive problems for copyright and trademark owners how marketplaces are handling terms and conditions what NFT projects can do to help the transfer of copyrights and trademarks Announcing The Cryptopians Book Clubs! On April 26th, I will be selling NFT tickets to five 90-minute virtual book clubs in which 22 people can discuss "The Cryptopians" with me and with each other — without worrying about spoilers! Two of the book clubs will also feature special guests. The sale will go live on Tuesday, April 26, at 1pm ET/10am PT, and tickets will be $100 each. (The sale will be on Bitski, but the NFTs will not be visible until the sale goes live on the 26th): https://www.bitski.com/@laurashin/created Here is the schedule: Monday May 2, at 8pm ET/5pm PT with Laura Shin Tuesday, May 3, at a time TBD with guests Christoph Jentzsch, Lefteris Karapetsas, and Griff Green Thursday, May 5, at 6pm CET/12pm ET/9am PT with Laura Shin Monday, May 9, at 6pm CET/12pm ET/9am PT with guest Andrey Ternovskiy Tuesday, May 10, at 9pm CET/3pm ET/12pm PT with Laura Shin If you'd like to participate, be sure to mark your calendars for the sale time on April 26th. Hope to see you in one of the book clubs! Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Galaxis: https://galaxis.xyz/ Episode Link: Marta Belcher https://www.linkedin.com/in/martabelcher https://twitter.com/MartaBelcher Stuart Levi https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartlevi/ Content on NFT IP/Legal Issues Josh Durham on IP rights and NFTs https://lexdao.substack.com/p/protecting-your-nft-personal-property-rights?s=r Punk 6529 on CryptoPunks and Yuga Labs https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1502595586960367617.html Decrypt on stolen IP https://decrypt.co/96637/nfts-have-a-problem-with-copyright-theft Why IP rights are meaningless https://twitter.com/nftlawguy/status/1509233036369416192 IP questions from DC Investor https://twitter.com/iamDCinvestor/status/1509187304027529222 The Copyright NFT bible https://medium.com/initc3org/copyright-vulnerabilities-in-nfts-317e02d8ae26 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/ Difference between copyright and trademark ​​https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/trademark-vs-copyright Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Apr 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Here’s Why USDN De-Pegged From the Dollar – And Why UST Might Too - Ep.339
Kevin Zhou, co-founder of Galois Capital, discusses a crazy week in the world of algorithmic stablecoins that saw USDN de-peg from the dollar and Terra unveil plans to create a new liquidity pool on Curve to strengthen UST. Show highlights: how USDN and Waves works what made USD de-peg why Kevin thinks algorithmic stablecoins fail so often what Kevin thinks about backing UST with BTC how 4pool works in the context of Curve Finance, 3pool, UST, Frax Finance, and Redacted Cartel why Kevin believes Anchor is the reason UST could de-peg what might happen to Terra and the crypto market writ large if UST were to de-peg why lowering yields on Anchor could depress LUNA’s price by 8x how UST and LUNA redemptions work 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 Kevin Zhou LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-zhou-82938324/ Galois Capital: https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital UST Proposal https://agora.terra.money/t/ust-goes-interchain-the-4pool-and-redacted-cartel/5648 Why Terra would want to implement 4pool (in the context of the curve wars) https://twitter.com/CryptoHarry_/status/1510244225304117252 Do Kwon on trying to make DAI less relevant https://twitter.com/stablekwon/status/1511017532764803078 FXS price jump https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/04/04/frax-finances-fxs-jumps-as-terra-introduces-stablecoin-pool-4pool/ Galois Twitter threads https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1511455703642394628 https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1511198930951938049 UST vs LUNA market cap risk https://twitter.com/0xHamz/status/1506372692005593090 https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1511198930951938049 https://twitter.com/Galois_Capital/status/1507651829366145030 Why curve wars matter https://twitter.com/JackNiewold/status/1511484763630194699 Terraform Labs’ CEO Do Kwon’s appearance on Unchained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRbP_b4JXM Anchor https://medium.com/@_0xfr/anchor-protocol-how-the-dev-team-rigged-liquidations-a188fb87a99f USDN Recap of Waves x Alameda Drama https://thedefiant.io/waves-ftx-ponzi-accusations/ OG thread pointing out Waves market manipulation https://twitter.com/0xHamz/status/1509581295621451779 https://twitter.com/0xHamz/status/1502381061925261312 Waves founder blaming Alameda https://twitter.com/sasha35625/status/1510589983920656385 Governance proposal to kill Alameda’s short ​​https://unchainedpodcast.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0085a41334b3edf854fd51f9b&id=2fb7761d5b&e=3c1178619e Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 08 Apr 2022 10:00:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why ‘One Man’s Bug Is Another Man’s Bounty’ - Ep.338
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics: how social engineering was used in the $600 million+ Ronin bridge hack what bridge infrastructure needs to be built (note: if someone wants to build a cross-chain Etherscan, it sounds like Tarun would fund it) why the Inverse Finance hack impressed Tom how Open Zeppelin found and patched a $15 billion vulnerability for Convex Finance why transitioning to token governance might be an issue for Convex what made USDN de-peg why Tarun think algorithmic stablecoin creators are a little crazy the elegance of the Bitcoin whitepaper what their biggest takeaways from Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter are why Tarun thinks FTX investing in IEX is actually a huge deal 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Topics Covered Ronin hack https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-29/hackers-steal-590-million-from-ronin-in-latest-bridge-attack https://decrypt.co/96811/nearly-7m-hacked-ronin-funds-sent-privacy-mixer-tornado-cash https://roninblockchain.substack.com/p/community-alert-ronin-validators?s=w More hacks: Inverse Finance, Convex Rugpull disclosure https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/04/02/defi-lender-inverse-finance-exploited-for-156-million/ https://twitter.com/bertcmiller/status/1510284763332071427 https://blog.openzeppelin.com/15-billion-rugpull-vulnerability-in-convex-finance-protocol-uncovered-and-resolved/ USDN Peg broken, drama ensues ​​https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/140475/drama-erupts-around-the-waves-blockchain-project-and-trading-firm-alameda https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/neutrino-usd Why is Elon taking a stake in Twitter? https://decrypt.co/96809/dogecoin-cheerleader-elon-musk-takes-9-2-stake-in-twitter https://www.wsj.com/articles/twitter-to-name-elon-musk-to-its-board-of-directors-11649162614?mod=article_inline FTX purchasing a stake in IEX https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ftx-us-and-iex-join-forces-to-help-shape-market-structure-for-digital-assets-301517550.html Lightning Labs' $70 million raise https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/140560/lightning-labs-taro-protocol-stablecoins-fundraise Gauntlet raises $23.8M led by Ribbit, now a Unicorn - congrats Tarun! https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-quant-firm-gauntlet-valued-at-1b-following-series-b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 07 Apr 2022 10:10:00 -0000
Why TBD's Mike Brock Is Skeptical That Decentralized Applications Will Become Popular - Ep.337
Mike Brock, general manager of TBD at Block, discusses how TBD’s yet-to-be-released DEX is structured, explains why he thinks decentralized solutions do not necessarily need blockchains, and tells the humorous story about how Jack Dorsey convinced him to start working on a Bitcoin project. Show highlights: what TBD is and what its relation to Block (formerly Square) is how TBD differs from Spiral, another Block-based Bitcoin firm how tbDEX works and why building on-ramps and off-ramps to crypto is so important who will be supplying the liquidity for tbDEX why Mike is passionate about creating digital identity infrastructure how tbDEX will incorporate digital identity tooling into its protocol what Mike thinks about Vitalik Buterin’s misgivings concerning tbDEX’s design why Mike fell down the rabbit hole (thanks Jack Dorsey) what lessons Mike learned at CashApp that he is using at TBD which stablecoin TBD will be working with why Mike is not a believer in DeFi why tbDEX (or, seemingly, other TBD products) will not utilize tokens Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Galaxis: https://galaxis.xyz/ Episode Links Mike Brock Twitter; https://twitter.com/brockm LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-brock-9030813/ Introduction to TBD: https://twitter.com/brockm/status/1415795490914856961 TBD Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbd54566975?lang=en GitHub: https://github.com/TBD54566975/tbdex-whitepaper Whitepaper https://tbd54566975.ghost.io/introducing-tbdex/ https://tbdex.io/whitepaper.pdf Careers: https://block.xyz/careers?search=tbd Other Origin of name: https://twitter.com/TBD54566975/status/1424818221652324355 Vitalik’s reticence: https://cryptopotato.com/vitalik-buterin-tells-how-jack-dorseys-tbd-might-build-the-bitcoin-dex/ Other Topics Spiral (lightning development). Brock helped set up Spiral. Twitter: https://twitter.com/spiralbtc Website: https://spiral.xyz/ CashApp Impressive BTC revenue: https://decrypt.co/93793/block-bitcoin-earnings-cash-app-hit-nearly-2-billion-q4 Lightning network: https://blockworks.co/cash-app-integrates-lightning-network-for-bitcoin-payments/ Aaron Levie https://twitter.com/levie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Apr 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Bridge Hacks Have Caused ~$1 Billion in Losses. Here’s Why Bridge Security Is Tricky - Ep.336
Arjun Bhuptani, founder of Connext and bridging expert, breaks down the Ronin bridge exploit that led to a hacker stealing $600 million+ and discusses different bridge designs that could limit future attacks. Show highlights: how a hacker was able to drain more than $600 million from Ronin bridge the difference between DeFi hacks and the Ronin bridge exploit, which was a social-engineering based attack why multisig bridges are susceptible to social engineering attacks why Arjun believes the Ronin hacker is a sophisticated entity whether Sky Mavis will be able to reimburse users the different attack vectors for cross-chain bridges what Arjun thinks about different bridge designs Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io OnJuno: https://onjuno.com/ Episode Links Arjun Bhuptani Twitter: https://twitter.com/arjunbhuptani Ronin Hack Latest update from Ronin https://twitter.com/Ronin_Network/status/1509284549020188672 https://twitter.com/Psycheout86/status/1509134627319033863 Community alert explaining the hack: https://roninblockchain.substack.com/p/community-alert-ronin-validators?s=w Etherscan of the hack taking place https://etherscan.io/address/0x098b716b8aaf21512996dc57eb0615e2383e2f96 Reactions Mudit Gupta – the hacker is sophisticated https://twitter.com/Mudit__Gupta/status/1508868214075310091 Arjun Bhuptani – why multisig bridges are vulnerable https://twitter.com/arjunbhuptani/status/1508861771595059205 https://twitter.com/arjunbhuptani/status/1508861771595059205 Ed Zitron – social engineering https://ez.substack.com/p/the-infinite-exploitation-of-cryptocurrency Information on Ronin https://twitter.com/joel_john95/status/1486809221962289154 Why bridging is hard https://blog.connext.network/the-interoperability-trilemma-657c2cf69f17 Arjun’s latest article on Optimistic bridges https://twitter.com/arjunbhuptani/status/1509582024104939523?t=4HCssiWfO5v65ehXRnWL3A&s=19 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 09:45:00 -0000
Do Kwon Is Backing UST With Bitcoin – And Here’s What Else He Is Building - Ep.335
Do Kwon is the CEO of Terraform Labs and a director at Luna Foundation Guard. On Unchained, he explains why LFG is spearheading a plan to partially back Terra’s $15 billion stablecoin UST with Bitcoin. He also dives into another project idea that would transform developer salaries into financial assets that, as far as I can tell, he has not yet spoken about publicly. Part 1: Everything you need to know about Terra, UST, and BTC. how Terra works and why Do thinks UST will soon be the third-largest stablecoin why Do and LFG decided to back UST with bitcoin why Do thinks LUNA’s price will continue to appreciate despite UST’s new dependence on bitcoin how UST might perform if the price of a bitcoin were to crash why diversifying UST with different types of collateral could help Terra politically how LFG plans to use bridges, smart contracts, and an AMM reserve pool to secure its bitcoin why Do thinks Terra is now a Layer 2 project for Bitcoin who is deciding to purchase bitcoin and who determines what other assets to purchase as collateral for UST how a bitcoin reserve pool would help UST not de-peg from the dollar whether Do thinks Anchor’s 19%+ yield is sustainable and why Anchor is moving to other chains Part 2: Do, the self-described “toymaker” of DeFi. why Do is fascinated with creating a fungible labor market how developer working hours could become a token traded on an AMM and used to take out loans why Do thinks developer salaries in crypto should be cyclical how on-chain identity and history will be similar to credit scores why Do is a personal fan of Thorchain – but is reticent to use it as a bridge for LFG why Do is interested in Prism Protocol what Do thinks the impact of a pro-crypto president will have on South Korea Book events Keep up on all the latest events here! https://www.laurashin.com/book/#tour-dates Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Upcoming Book Events Wednesday, March 30: I’ll be speaking (remotely) with Six Senses about The Cryptopians at 2 pm ET. Be sure to save your spot soon – space is limited! Tuesday, April 5: I will be doing a reading and signing hosted by the City of Miami Beach and Future Perfect Ventures at Sky Yard from 6-8 pm. Jalak Jobanputra, CEO of Future Perfect Ventures will be interviewing me. You need to RSVP by April 1 to dianafontani@miamibeachfl.gov. Saturday, April 9: I will be on a panel at the Annapolis Book Festival at 11 am. Tuesday, April 12: I will be at StartupGrind’s global event in Redwood City, which is focused this year on Web3 (time → TBD). May 4-7: I will be in conversation with author Jimmy Soni at the PBS Seattle Crosscut Festival, which takes place from May 4-7. May 23-25: I will be at the Oslo Freedom Forum which takes place from May 23 to 25. Details on these events are TBD. Episode Links Do Kwon https://twitter.com/stablekwon Previous Unchained appearance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=683fXfedOZY Terra Twitter: https://twitter.com/terra_money Luna Foundation Guard: https://lfg.org/team/ LFG Purchases Pomp – the $10B Bitcoin Bet on Stablecoins https://pomp.substack.com/p/the-10-billion-bitcoin-bet-on-stablecoins?s=w 3/10 BTC purchase https://twitter.com/LFG_org/status/1503680315969060864 $1 BTC billion purchase https://twitter.com/terra_money/status/1496162889085902856 TFL x LFG relationship https://twitter.com/stablekwon/status/1502225674840555523 Terraform Labs proposal to make Terra inter-chain https://agora.terra.money/t/ust-goes-interchain-reasonable-strats-part-five/5024 Anchor Going Cross Chain to Avalanche https://twitter.com/CryptoHarry_/status/1504309092411920387 Jump’s BTC reserve proposal https://twitter.com/terra_money/status/1506736478449127425 Recent worries about Anchor APY being sustainable Do said Anchor yield shouldn't be sustainable (marketing scheme) https://twitter.com/stablekwon/status/1503154137420079107 Arca + Polychain proposal: https://twitter.com/jdorman81/status/1502024302526304262 South Korea’s new President https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cryptocurrencies/South-Korea-s-incoming-president-vows-big-cryptocurrency-push SEC subpoena https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/12/10/most-influential-2021-do-kwon/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:00:00 -0000
Juno Holders Want to Confiscate a Whale’s Tokens. Here’s Why. - Ep.334
Andy Beal, head of ecosystem development at Forta and author of the 30,000 Feet newsletter, discusses the dramatic governance proposal on Juno Network, a Cosmos-based project, where Juno holders are voting to confiscate millions of dollars in tokens from a whale who allegedly gamed the Juno airdrop. Show topics: how the Juno airdrop worked how the whale was able to amass more JUNO tokens than the team wanted why the Juno Network community feels threatened by an entity holding so many JUNO tokens what the whale did to invoke the ire of the Juno Network community the community’s vote on whether to confiscate up to 98.5% of the whale’s tokens what three courses of action the community is considering to confiscate the whale’s JUNO what Andy’s biggest takeaways are from the dramatic governance moment Come to an Event on Laura's Book Tour! https://www.laurashin.com/book/#tour-dates Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io OnJuno: https://onjuno.com/ Episode Links Andy Beal https://twitter.com/ajbeal Andy's newsletter: https://30000feet.substack.com Juno Network drama Andy’s write-up https://30000feet.substack.com/p/issue-60-juno-whale?s=r Decrypt coverage https://decrypt.co/95435/juno-network-dao-proposal-16-voted-to-revoke-tokens-from-whale Coindesk coverage https://www.coindesk.com/video/recent-videos/why-junos-vote-to-confiscate-a-whales-funds-is-a-watershed-for-blockchain-governance/ https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/03/16/junos-proposal-16-vote-is-a-watershed-for-blockchain-governance-for-better-or-worse/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 25 Mar 2022 09:00:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Do Kwon Pitches a Decentralized NFT Publishing Service - Ep.333
Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. On this week’s episode, Do Kwon, founder of Terraform Labs, also dropped by. Show topics: why Do decided to make millions of dollars in bets that LUNA will appreciate in value next year what Robert and Do, as crypto/DeFi founders, think about Crypto Twitter how the difficulty of building payment systems led to Do launching Terra Gauntlet’s recent funding round (and what it does) takeaways from Yuga Labs purchasing CryptoPunk and Meebits IP, ApeCoin, Otherside, and more how NFTs could change the game for publishing and content IP industries whether an NFT collection’s cultural relevance is similar to an L1’s TVL Bored Ape Yacht Club as the first NFT franchise why Haseeb is so disappointed with Axie Infinity, VCs, and other P2E games what Facebook’s foray into NFTs might look like Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/hosseeb Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly Capital https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest Do Kwon, founder of Terra https://twitter.com/stablekwon Episode Topics Gauntlet raises $23.8M led by Ribbit, now a Unicorn - congrats Tarun! https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-quant-firm-gauntlet-valued-at-1b-following-series-b Do Kwon on a Terra betting spree ($1M, then $10M) https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/137832/terraform-labs-ceo-do-kwon-seals-10-million-bet-over-luna-price Yuga Labs launches Apecoin, Apes buy Punks, teases metaverse, plans land sales, closes $450M raise led by a16z https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/03/18/what-is-apecoin-and-who-is-behind-it/ https://twitter.com/yugalabs/status/1505014986556551172 https://twitter.com/yugalabs/status/1502420714527334406?s=11 NFTs coming to Instagram? Minting + PFPs? https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/03/15/mark-zuckerberg-says-nfts-are-coming-soon-to-instagram/ Info on Axie Infinity https://research.thetie.io/axie-infinity/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 24 Mar 2022 10:25:00 -0000
Ukraine Has Received $150 Million in Crypto. Here’s How It Is Being Used - Ep.332
Illia Polosukhin, co-founder NEAR Protocol, and George Kikvadze, executive vice chairman at BitFury Group, both of whom have called Ukraine “home” at one point in their lives, discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the role crypto is playing in the war, and the various avenues crypto users can donate to. Show topics: George and Illia’s background in crypto George and Ilia’s connection to Ukraine why crypto is so popular in Ukraine what supplies are being purchased with donated crypto how to donate crypto to Ukraine why Patreon blocked donations to Come Back Alive, a Ukrainian NGO George and Illia’s estimation of the amount of crypto donations received by Ukraine what department of Ukraine’s government spearheaded its adoption of crypto what happened with the canceled airdrop the different organizations accepting crypto donations in Ukraine Upcoming Book Events Friday, March 25: I’ll be on the Harvard campus at HBS Aldrich 011 from 4 pm ET - 5 pm ET. This is *not* open to the general public, but we have a few spots we can give away, first come, first serve. Email hello@unchainedpodcast.com, subject line "Harvard reading." Wednesday, March 30: I’ll be speaking (remotely) with Six Senses about The Cryptopians at 2 pm ET. Be sure to save your spot soon – space is limited! Tuesday, April 5: I will be doing a reading and signing hosted by the City of Miami Beach and Future Perfect Ventures at Sky Yard from 6-8 pm. Jalak Jobanputra, CEO of Future Perfect Ventures will be interviewing me. You need to RSVP by April 1 to dianafontani@miamibeachfl.gov. Saturday, April 9: I will be on a panel at the Annapolis Book Festival at 11 am. Tuesday, April 12: I will be at StartupGrind’s global event in Redwood City, which is focused this year on Web3 (time → TBD). May 4-7: I will be at the PBS Seattle Crosscut Festival, which takes place from May 4-7. May 23-25: I will be at the Oslo Freedom Forum which takes place from May 23 to 25. Details on these events are TBD. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Episode Links George Kikvadze, executive vice chairman at BitFury Group Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitfuryGeorge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-kikvadze-6256175/ Illia Polosukhin, co-founder NEAR Protocol Twitter: ​https://twitter.com/ilblackdragon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/illia-polosukhin-77b6538/ Raising $ for Ukraine via Unchain Fund https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-09/ukraine-s-crypto-community-sends-donation-support-after-russia-invasion https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/03/01/absolutely-surreal-inside-a-fund-raising-millions-in-crypto-for-besieged-ukraine/ https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/26/22952357/ukraine-bitcoin-ethereum-donation-vitalik-buterin https://thedefiant.io/ukraine-blockchain-development-teams/ Unchain Fund: https://unchain.fund/ Come Back Alive: https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/ Government Website for Crypto Donations: ​​https://donate.thedigital.gov.ua/ Ukraine x Crypto Ukraine purchasing supplies https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/03/07/ukraine-is-buying-bulletproof-vests-and-night-vision-goggles-using-crypto/ https://twitter.com/abornyakov/status/1502231351273172992?s=21 Live update from on Ukrainian crypto funds received https://www.elliptic.co/blog/live-updates-millions-in-crypto-crowdfunded-for-the-ukrainian-military Ukraine accepting crypto: https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497594592438497282 Ukraine NFT launch to reflect history https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/13/ukraine-nft-history-of-russian-invasion-war Unchained Coverage https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-ukraine-is-leveraging-crypto-in-its-fight-against-russia/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-in-the-first-crypto-war-how-should-the-money-be-spent/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Mar 2022 07:30:00 -0000
Punk6529 on the Significance of Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks - Ep.331
In his first podcast appearance ever, Punk6529, known for writing massive threads on Crypto Twitter, discusses the cultural and historical significance of Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs purchasing the intellectual property rights to CryptoPunks and Meebits from Larva Labs. Topics: how CryptoPunks set the industry standard for PFP projects how Bored Ape Yacht Club distinguished itself from CryptoPunks – and other NFT projects why 6529 is bullish on the utility of intellectual property rights and commercial use being granted to NFT holders by Yuga Labs why 6529 believes Yuga Labs will be good stewards of CryptoPunks how NFTs (and Bitcoin) are leveraging memes and social construction to go mainstream what 6529 thinks Larva Labs’ legacy will be in the NFT space how royalty revenue streams led to the Yuga Labs purchase of Meebits and CryptoPunk IP why 6529 is unsure about the significance of metaverse real estate what 6529 thinks about ApeCoin Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io OnJuno: https://onjuno.com/ Upcoming Book Events Friday, March 26: I’ll be on the Harvard campus at HBS Aldrich 011 from 4 pm ET - 5 pm ET. I’ll be interviewed about my book by NF Castle’s Michelle Choi and will also do a signing. Saturday, March 27: I’ll be moderating a panel at the Harvard Blockchain conference from 3-3:45 pm. The panel will include NFT artist Pplpleasr, NF Castle’s Will Lobkowicz and Michele Choi, and Nifty Gateway COO Patrick McLaren. Wednesday, March 30: I’ll be speaking (remotely) with Six Senses about The Cryptopians at 2 pm ET. Be sure to save your spot soon – space is limited! Tuesday, April 5: I will be doing a reading and signing hosted by the City of Miami Beach and Future Perfect Ventures at Sky Yard from 6-8 pm. Jalak Jobanputra, CEO of Future Perfect Ventures will be interviewing me. You need to RSVP by April 1 to dianafontani@miamibeachfl.gov. Saturday, April 9: I will be on a panel at the Annapolis Book Festival at 11 am. Tuesday, April 12: I will be at StartupGrind’s global event in Redwood City, which is focused this year on Web3 (time → TBD). May 4-7: I will be at the PBS Seattle Crosscut Festival, which takes place from May 4-7. May 23-25: I will be at the Oslo Freedom Forum which takes place from May 23 to 25. Details on these events are TBD. Episode Links 6529 Twitter: https://twitter.com/punk6529 Threads: https://threadreaderapp.com/user/punk6529 Miscellaneous Yuga Labs purchase of Larva Labs IP: https://decrypt.co/94898/bored-ape-yacht-club-yuga-labs-cryptopunks-larva-labs Yuga Labs metaverse land plans: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/137829/bored-ape-yacht-club-yuga-labs-virtual-land-sales-metaverse ApeCoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/138156/apecoin-tied-to-bored-ape-nft-ecosystem-debuts-with-planned-community-airdrop Punk 6529 on the Yuga Labs purchase: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1502595586960367617.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 18 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0000
What Is It Like to Only Work for DAOs? Chase Chapman Tells All - Ep.330
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
Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:30:00 -0000
How Justin Sun Has Allegedly Tried to Manipulate Markets and Escape Regulation - Ep.329
Chris Harland-Dunaway, a freelance reporter for The Verge, talks about his most recent investigative story on Tron founder Justin Sun, which details a long string of questionable decisions and actions by Sun. Show topics: why Justin Sun fled China after the Tron ICO why Chris’s 15 sources were granted anonymity for this story why Chris believes that Tron’s market-making team was performing insider trading how Justin Sun has tried to evade US securities law what “Operation Couch Cushions” was and how it led to 300 BTC being sent to Poloniex where Justin Sun is looking for citizenship what Chris knows about a grand jury investigation into Justin Sun what Justin Sun had to say about Chris’ allegations Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Episode links: Christopher Harland-Dunaway: https://twitter.com/ChrisHDeee Justin Sun: https://twitter.com/justinsuntron Chris’ articles on Justin in The Verge: March 2022: https://www.theverge.com/c/22947663/justin-sun-tron-cryptocurrency-poloniex September 2020: https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/21459906/bittorrent-tron-acquisition-justin-sun-us-china Justin Sun’s rebuttal https://twitter.com/justinsuntron/status/1501626464596201472 Chris’ previous Unchained appearance ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/abuse-and-ethical-lapses-what-happened-when-justin-sun-acquired-bittorrent/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 11 Mar 2022 10:40:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: In 'the First Crypto War,' How Should the Money Be Spent? - Ep.328
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Thu, 10 Mar 2022 10:10:00 -0000
Why Chatroulette Founder Andrey Ternovskiy Fell in Love With Crypto - Ep.327
While researching for The Cryptopians, I discovered that Andrey Ternovskiy, the founder of internet sensation Chatroulette, was heavily involved in The DAO back in 2016. In this episode, we skirt around revealing major spoilers from The Cryptopians and discuss Andrey’s experience founding Chatroulette, how he fell down the crypto rabbit hole, whether hacking smart contracts is ethical, and more. Show topics: Andrey’s background how Andrey’s struggles with PayPal at Chatroulette led him to quickly understand the need for crypto what Andrey’s involvement at Chatroulette is the different ways Andrey thinks crypto can disrupt middlemen why Andrey became infatuated with the narrative behind the “crypto” movement why Andrey became a fan of Ethereum why Andrey decided to tell me about his previously undisclosed involvement in The DAO and early Ethereum whether hacking smart contracts is ethical (or legal) what Andrey thinks about how Ukraine has used crypto in its fight against Russia’s invasion why Andrey will most likely not decentralize Chatroulette what Andrey’s perspective is on decentralization in terms of DeFi and DAOs Upcoming Book Events For folks in the Bay Area: On Tuesday March 8, I’ll be doing a reading and signing at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, moderated by The Information’s Kate Clark. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. , the program begins at 6 p.m., and the book signing is at 7 p.m. https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2022-03-08/laura-shin-inside-first-cryptocurrency-craze For people in Seattle: I’ll be doing a reading and signing as part of town Hall Seattle on Wednesday March 9, at 7:30pm at The Forum, moderated by Steve Scher, of Town Hall Seattle. https://townhallseattle.org/event/laura-shin/ And, I may also be at SXSW on March 12 — details still TBD, and I may also be in Boston at Harvard the weekend of March 26. No promises on either score, but I guess if you feel strongly about either one, you can tweet at me, as that might tip the scales. On April 5th, I’ll be in Miami doing a reading, and on April 9th, I’ll be in Annapolis at the Annapolis Book Festival. Finally, on March 23rd, I’ll be doing a virtual reading with Powell’s bookstore at 8pm Eastern Time/5pm Pacific Time, and Jeff Roberts, executive editor of Decrypt and author of Kings of Crypto will be moderating. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Episode Links Andrey Ternovskiy: ​​https://www.crunchbase.com/person/andrey-ternovskiy Chatroulette: https://chatroulette.com/ The Cryptopians http://bit.ly/cryptopians On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptopians-Idealism-Greed-Making-Cryptocurrency/dp/1541763017/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645037311&sr=8-2 On Barnes. &. Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cryptopians-laura-shin/1138980345?ean=9781541763012 On Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/the-cryptopians-idealism-greed-lies-and-the-making-of-the-first-big-cryptocurrency-craze/9781541763012 Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-writing-the-cryptopians-shaped-my-views-on-ethereum/ DAO Hacker Reveal: Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2022/02/22/exclusive-austrian-programmer-and-ex-crypto-ceo-likely-stole-11-billion-of-ether/ Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/exclusive-cryptos-biggest-whodunnit-who-was-behind-the-2016-dao-attack-on-ethereum/ Medium: https://medium.com/@laurashin/who-hacked-the-dao-on-ethereum-heres-how-we-jumped-past-one-critical-step-60aec489a127 Bulletin: https://laurashin.bulletin.com/who-was-behind-the-2016-dao-attack-on-ethereum-the-backstory-to-my-investigation Forbes on YouTube: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuICbAucfn0 Daily Tech News Show: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1306972988 The DAO Hack https://www.coindesk.com/learn/2016/06/25/understanding-the-dao-attack/ https://www.gemini.com/cryptopedia/the-dao-hack-makerdao https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-matthew-leising-confronted-his-suspects-in-the-dao-attacks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Mar 2022 08:30:00 -0000
How Ukraine Is Leveraging Crypto in Its Fight Against Russia - Ep.326
Tomicah Tillemann, the global chief policy officer of Katie Haun's new firm, analyzes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and explains how crypto is being used in an unprecedented manner to render aid to civilians, move money across the world, and potentially document war crimes. Show highlights: Tomicah’s background, which includes stints working for the State Department and a16z recap of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine what Tomicah thinks of the decision to boot certain Russian banks from SWIFT why Tomicah believes that it would be very difficult for Russia to use crypto at a large scale to evade sanctions why ruble/BTC volume is spiking how Ukraine’s usage of web3 tools could change humanitarian aid forever what lessons to take away from Ukraine’s almost-airdrop the four real-world crypto use cases governments should take notice of Upcoming Book Events For folks in the Bay Area: On Tuesday March 8, I’ll be doing a reading and signing at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, moderated by The Information’s Kate Clark. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. , the program begins at 6 p.m., and the book signing is at 7 p.m. https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2022-03-08/laura-shin-inside-first-cryptocurrency-craze For people in Seattle: I’ll be doing a reading and signing as part of town Hall Seattle on Wednesday March 9, at 7:30pm at The Forum, moderated by Steve Scher, of Town Hall Seattle. https://townhallseattle.org/event/laura-shin/ And, I may also be at SXSW on March 12 — details still TBD, and I may also be in Boston at Harvard the weekend of March 26. No promises on either score, but I guess if you feel strongly about either one, you can tweet at me, as that might tip the scales. On April 5th, I’ll be in Miami doing a reading, and on April 9th, I’ll be in Annapolis at the Annapolis Book Festival. Finally, on March 23rd, I’ll be doing a virtual reading with Powell’s bookstore at 8pm Eastern Time/5pm Pacific Time, and Jeff Roberts, executive editor of Decrypt and author of Kings of Crypto will be moderating. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Episode Links Tomicah Tilllemann https://twitter.com/TomicahTD https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomicah/ Topics Covered Ukraine accepting crypto: https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497594592438497282 Cutting Russia out of SWIFT: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_22_1423 UkraineDAO: https://twitter.com/Ukraine_DAO Ukraine asking for a blanket ban on Russians from crypto exchanges: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/02/26/ukraine-mounts-effort-to-surveil-russian-politicians-crypto-wallets/ Why crypto won’t help Russia avoid sanctions: https://jerrybrito.com/2022-02-28 https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1498786025438650369 Ruble/BTC trading: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/135888/ruble-trading-pair-volumes-surge-on-binance-after-russias-invasion-of-ukraine Ukraine Airdrop: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/03/02/ukraine-says-airdrop-confirmed-after-receiving-33m-crypto-donations/ https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/136211/ukraine-cancels-crypto-airdrop-plans-to-sell-nfts-instead Arweave x Ukraine https://cryptoslate.com/decentralized-data-storage-solution-arweave-archives-millions-of-documents-from-ukraine/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 04 Mar 2022 10:05:00 -0000
Is Code Law? Should the Hacker Be Punished? The DAO Creators Disagree - Ep.325
During my research for The Cryptopians, I found information that I believe identifies the perpetrator behind The DAO hack on Ethereum. Three founding members of The DAO and Slock.it (Christoph Jentzsch, Lefteris Karapetsas, Griff Green) discuss how and why they created The DAO, how they helped save the funds being siphoned off by black hat hackers, their personal feelings about The DAO, along with their reaction to the news about who I believe was The DAO attacker. Show topics: Part 1: Background on The DAO Christoph, Lefteris, and Griff’s background and how they came to Slock.it what Slock.it was and why the Slock.it team decided to create The DAO what The DAO has to do with venture capital funding why the Slock.it team did not cap The DAO sale what made The DAO such a popular investment vehicle why The DAO developers were scared at the amount of money they raised Part 2: what Christoph, Lefteris, and Griff’s initial reaction to The DAO was saving funds from The DAO via a hard fork versus white hat hacking whether they thought Ethereum Classic would survive a hard fork how the Ethereum community has treated Christoph, Griff, and Lefteris in the wake of The DAO attack Part 3: why they disagree on whether code is law their reaction to my naming Toby Hoenisch as The DAO attacker which actor would play them in a movie about The DAO attack Come to My In-Person Book Signings and Events! New York: Wednesday, March 2, at 7pm At The Strand Bookstore Moderated by CoinDesk’s Christine Lee https://www.strandbooks.com/events/event403?title=laura_shin_the_cryptopians_idealism_greed_lies_and_the_making_of_the_first_big_cryptocurrency_craze Bay Area: Tuesday March 8, 6pm San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club Moderated by The Information’s Kate Clark https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2022-03-08/laura-shin-inside-first-cryptocurrency-craze Seattle: Wednesday March 9, at 7:30pm The Forum Moderated by Steve Scher, of Town Hall Seattle. https://townhallseattle.org/event/laura-shin/ Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Cross River Bank: https://crossriver.com/crypto Episode Links Guests Christoph Jentzsch ​​https://twitter.com/ChrJentzsch Griff Green https://twitter.com/thegrifft Lefteris Karapetsas https://mobile.twitter.com/LefterisJP DAO Hacker Reveal: Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2022/02/22/exclusive-austrian-programmer-and-ex-crypto-ceo-likely-stole-11-billion-of-ether/ Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/exclusive-cryptos-biggest-whodunnit-who-was-behind-the-2016-dao-attack-on-ethereum/ Medium: https://medium.com/@laurashin/who-hacked-the-dao-on-ethereum-heres-how-we-jumped-past-one-critical-step-60aec489a127 Bulletin: https://laurashin.bulletin.com/who-was-behind-the-2016-dao-attack-on-ethereum-the-backstory-to-my-investigation Forbes on YouTube: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuICbAucfn0 Daily Tech News Show: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1306972988 The Cryptopians http://bit.ly/cryptopians On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptopians-Idealism-Greed-Making-Cryptocurrency/dp/1541763017/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645037311&sr=8-2 On Barnes. &. Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cryptopians-laura-shin/1138980345?ean=9781541763012 On Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/the-cryptopians-idealism-greed-lies-and-the-making-of-the-first-big-cryptocurrency-craze/9781541763012 Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-writing-the-cryptopians-shaped-my-views-on-ethereum/ The DAO Hack https://www.coindesk.com/learn/2016/06/25/understanding-the-dao-attack/ https://www.gemini.com/cryptopedia/the-dao-hack-makerdao https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-matthew-leising-confronted-his-suspects-in-the-dao-attacks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Mar 2022 08:30:00 -0000
How Writing 'The Cryptopians' Shaped My Views on Ethereum - Ep.324
In a fun change of pace, Steven Ehrlich, editor of Forbes Cryptoasset and Blockchain Advisor, joins Unchained to interview me about my book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze, which came out this week. We discuss… where the inspiration for “The Cryptopians” title came from why I wanted to write a book about Ethereum how Vitalik’s role changed over the course of Ethereum’s founding who the main characters in The Cryptopians are the biggest challenges Ethereum and the Ethereum Foundation faced in its early days Ethereum’s “red wedding” day what issues with crowdfunding and US securities laws were faced by early Ethereum founders how The DAO hack, along with the Shanghai attacks and Parity drama, shaped Ethereum what I discovered about Ming Chan’s time as the Ethereum Foundation director my biggest takeaways from researching ICOs why I think DAOs could be the next big thing whether or not I have an idea for a new book… Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Episode Links Laura Shin https://twitter.com/laurashin The Cryptopians http://bit.ly/cryptopians On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptopians-Idealism-Greed-Making-Cryptocurrency/dp/1541763017/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645037311&sr=8-2 On Barnes. &. Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cryptopians-laura-shin/1138980345?ean=9781541763012 On Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/the-cryptopians-idealism-greed-lies-and-the-making-of-the-first-big-cryptocurrency-craze/9781541763012 The Cryptopians content: CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/video/coindesk-spotlight/laura-shin-on-the-cryptopians-and-what-she-discovered-investigating-the-ethereum-origin-story Alexis Garcia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzujORW7fI NFT Notes: https://shows.acast.com/ipse-dixit/episodes/nft-notes-21-laura-shin-on-the-story-of-ethereum NYT Book Review: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/books/review/new-this-week.html DAO Hacker Reveal: Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2022/02/22/exclusive-austrian-programmer-and-ex-crypto-ceo-likely-stole-11-billion-of-ether/ Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/exclusive-cryptos-biggest-whodunnit-who-was-behind-the-2016-dao-attack-on-ethereum/ Medium: https://medium.com/@laurashin/who-hacked-the-dao-on-ethereum-heres-how-we-jumped-past-one-critical-step-60aec489a127 Bulletin: https://laurashin.bulletin.com/who-was-behind-the-2016-dao-attack-on-ethereum-the-backstory-to-my-investigation Forbes on YouTube: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuICbAucfn0 Daily Tech News Show: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1306972988 Steven Ehrlich https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/?sh=fb976542ce44 https://twitter.com/Steven_Ehrlich https://www.forbes.com/newsletters/forbescryptoassetadvisor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 25 Feb 2022 09:50:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why Hacking The DAO Is ‘Something to Be Proud Of’? - Ep.323
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. Show topics: their thoughts on The DAO hacker reveal the importance of The DAO and why it made Robert fall in love with crypto how the alleged attacker was found (feat. a deep dive into the Morden testnet and Wasabi) dumb DAOs: why the guys are unimpressed with DAOs seeking to purchase, among other things, the Denver Broncos and fast-food restaurants how to fix price discovery for DAO mergers and acquisitions whether Anchor’s 20% yield on UST is sustainable in light of Luna Foundation Guard’s decision to backstop its reserves with $1 billion in BTC why deploying funds from a large treasury is difficult why the BlockFi fine was not a surprise what lessons the BlockFi settlement taught crypto companies why Tarun still loves Olympus DAO and OHM how EthDenver has changed since the NFT boom 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Show Topics: The DAO attacker revealed https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2022/02/22/exclusive-austrian-programmer-and-ex-crypto-ceo-likely-stole-11-billion-of-ether/ DAO trying to buy the Denver Broncos https://www.buythebroncos.com/ Fries DAO https://fries.fund/ BlockFi Agrees to Pay $100 Million in Penalties and Pursue Registration of its Crypto Lending Product https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-26 Terra and UST receiving backstopped funds https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/134871/luna-founation-guard-token-sale OHM bonds as Vol-reduction strategy https://twitter.com/tarunchitra/status/1495807277978341385 Eth Denver https://thedefiant.io/ethdenver-scene-cryptopunks-community/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 24 Feb 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Exclusive: Crypto’s Biggest Whodunnit: Who Was Behind the 2016 DAO Attack on Ethereum? - Ep.322
While researching for my book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze, I found evidence that I believe resolves the biggest whodunnit in crypto: who hacked The DAO? This podcast is coming out in conjunction with an article in Forbes revealing the prime suspect’s identity. Part 1: Who Attacked the DAO? Here’s the Evidence To document the process of finding the alleged attacker, I wrote an article for Forbes, with which I opened the podcast. In it, I reveal who, evidence indicates, attacked the DAO how my sources and I uncovered this person’s identity how a previously undisclosed technical capability by Chainalysis helped my sources and I identify the alleged hacker Part 2: Contextualizing the DAO Attack Forbes’s Steven Ehrlich comes onto the pod to interview me about finding the DAO attacker. Topics what is The DAO, and why is it important? who are the key players in The DAO’s story how the attacker pulled off the hack what legal questions surrounded the hack why finding the attacker is important the legal implications of identifying the attacker what Laura’s interactions have been with the suspect what the future of DAOs may hold Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Bosonic: https://bosonic.digital/ Episode Links Laura Shin https://twitter.com/laurashin The Cryptopians http://bit.ly/cryptopians On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptopians-Idealism-Greed-Making-Cryptocurrency/dp/1541763017/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645037311&sr=8-2 On Barnes. &. Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cryptopians-laura-shin/1138980345?ean=9781541763012 On Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/the-cryptopians-idealism-greed-lies-and-the-making-of-the-first-big-cryptocurrency-craze/9781541763012 Steven Ehrlich https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/?sh=fb976542ce44 https://twitter.com/Steven_Ehrlich https://www.forbes.com/newsletters/forbescryptoassetadvisor/ The DAO Hack https://www.coindesk.com/learn/2016/06/25/understanding-the-dao-attack/ https://www.gemini.com/cryptopedia/the-dao-hack-makerdao https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-matthew-leising-confronted-his-suspects-in-the-dao-attacks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Feb 2022 11:30:00 -0000
Congressman Ro Khanna: How to Get More Democrats into Web3 - Ep.321
Congressman Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, discusses crypto and decentralization, his new book, Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us, and how to regulate the crypto industry. Show highlights: what Silicon Valley had to do with Congressman Khanna’s journey down the crypto rabbit hole why Congressman Khanna is so passionate about decentralization why Congressman Khanna thinks crypto could bring tech jobs across the country and world (rather than staying in hubs like Silicon Valley) why Congressman Khanna thinks a new regulatory regime is necessary for crypto assets, like stablecoins what Congressman Khanna would like vocal crypto opponents like Congressman Brad Sherman or Senator Elizabeth Warren to know about the crypto space Congressman Khanna explains the difference between determining if an asset is a security and regulating an asset what Congressman Khanna is doing to bring predictability to crypto regulation how regulators could incentivize Bitcoin miners to use less energy what Congressman Khanna thinks about know-your-customer/anti-money-laundering mechanisms in the DeFi world how Congressman Khanna believes crypto taxes should be treated what actions Congressman Khanna recommends for bringing more Democrats to the crypto side whether Congressman Khanna thinks crypto is a bipartisan issue Become a Premium Bulletin Subscriber! Become a premium subscriber to my Bulletin newsletter, and you’ll get access to: a premium-only Discord group premium-only interviews the opportunity to ask questions the chance to weigh in on guests for Unchained and whatever other future offerings we add to the mix Join today for $4.99/mo or $49.99/year! Get a Signed Book Plate! Many of you have asked me how you can get a signed copy of the book. Here’s how: Pre-order the book, which you can do at bit.ly/cryptopians. Make a social media post about the book that includes the pre-order link, bit.ly/cryptoptians, or to the book on any bookseller of your choice. Send a copy of your receipt to hello@unchainedpodcast.com with the subject line, “signed book plate.” In the email, include a pdf of your receipt + a screenshot of or a link to your social media post + the address to which you’d like me to send the book plate + the name of who you’d like me to dedicate the book plate to. If you show a pre-order receipt that shows you bought more than one format of the book, such as an audiobook and a hardcover, you can get two signed book plates. Finally, if you sign up for the Bulletin premium subscription plus do all the above to get a signed book plate, you’ll also receive a POAP. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained Coinchange: https://coinchange.io Ro Khanna Website: https://khanna.house.gov/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RepRoKhanna Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09842C2RG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 Miscellaneous Questions for Congressman Khanna from Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1491587026344366088 Congressman Brad Sherman thinks crypto hurts people of color: https://decrypt.co/92776/crypto-race-and-democrats-brad-sherman President’s Working Group report on stablecoins: https://www.scribd.com/document/536522482/PWG-Stablecoin-Report Congressman Khanna’s attempt to fix the infrastructure bill: https://khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/khanna-mchenry-lead-bipartisan-legislative-fix-new-digital-asset-reporting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 18 Feb 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Your 2021 Crypto Taxes: How to Handle NFTs, DAOs, Airdrops and More - Ep.320
Two crypto tax experts, Shehan Chandrasekera, certified public accountant and head of strategy, Tax, at Cointracker, and John Cardone, senior director of Washington National Tax at RSM US LLP, explain everything crypto traders need to understand when filing taxes for 2021. Show topics: -the five types of transactions that constitute a taxable crypto event -how NFT taxes should be reported -why the sale of collectibles (NFTs) is taxed differently than the sale of crypto property (tokens) -what type of forms you might receive from crypto exchanges and why this information is usually incomplete -why the crypto provision in the infrastructure bill most likely won’t affect retail traders -why John wants a digital asset-specific 1099 form -how staking income will be taxed this year (and why this might change soon) -how to report taxes for… airdrops like ENS and SOS income earned via a play-to-earn game like Axie Infinity the sale of virtual land wrapping Bitcoin onto Ethereum rewards received via a crypto credit card -how to save money on taxes going forward -how Shehan and John think crypto taxes will evolve -why the IRS listed a job posting for someone who could exploit crypto wallets Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Bosonic: https://bosonic.digital/ Alchemy Pay: https://alchemypay.org Become a Premium Bulletin Subscriber! Become a premium subscriber to my Bulletin newsletter, and you’ll get access to: a premium-only Discord group premium-only interviews the opportunity to ask questions ️ the chance to weigh in on guests for Unchained and whatever other future offerings we add to the mix Join today for $4.99/mo or $49.99/year! Join now! Get a Signed Book Plate! Many of you have asked me how you can get a signed copy of the book. Here’s how: Pre-order the book, which you can do at bit.ly/cryptopians. Make a social media post about the book that includes the pre-order link, bit.ly/cryptoptians, or to the book on any bookseller of your choice. Send a copy of your receipt to hello@unchainedpodcast.com with the subject line, “signed book plate.” In the email, include a pdf of your receipt + a screenshot of or a link to your social media post + the address to which you’d like me to send the book plate + the name of who you’d like me to dedicate the book plate to. If you show a pre-order receipt that shows you bought more than one format of the book, such as an audiobook and a hardcover, you can get two signed book plates. Finally, if you sign up for the Bulletin premium subscription plus do all the above to get a signed book plate, you’ll also receive a POAP. Episode Links John Cardone ​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-cardone-436412b1/ Shehan Chandrasekera https://twitter.com/TheCryptoCPA Helpful Links Shehan’s tax guide: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shehanchandrasekera/2022/01/24/quick-guide-to-filing-your-2021-cryptocurrency--nft-taxes/?sh=d5c00f765f9d Staking rewards case: https://twitter.com/TheCryptoCPA/status/1489268205877035016 US Gov. job posting: https://sam.gov/opp/799a1650bd5349b6af4f646842999187/view 2022 Crypto Tax Guides CoinTracker: https://www.cointracker.io/blog/crypto-tax-guide CryptoTrader.Tax: https://cryptotrader.tax/blog/the-traders-guide-to-cryptocurrency-taxes Koinly: https://koinly.io/cryptocurrency-taxes/ ZenLedger: https://www.zenledger.io/guides/crypto-tax-us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Feb 2022 08:30:00 -0000
How Law Enforcement Tracked Down $3.6 Billion in Bitcoin - Ep.319
On Tuesday, the US government seized $3.6 billion in bitcoin from the 2016 Bitfinex hack and arrested two individuals, Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, on charges of money laundering. Tom Robinson, cofounder and chief scientist at the blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, breaks down how law enforcement was able to seize the BTC, what techniques the alleged money launderers used to avoid capture, and who could have pulled off the initial hack. Show highlights: background on the 2016 Bitfinex hack who was arrested this week and why how the US government gained access to the private keys in Lichtenstein’s and Morgan’s control why AlphaBay, a now-defunct darknet website, was crucial to law enforcement’s effort to track down the stolen Bitfinex funds what money laundering techniques were used to cash out the stolen Bitfinex funds before this week’s arrests whether, as blockchain analytics technology advances, it will always catch up to be able to trace the movements of crypto as its laundered why using Monero, a privacy coin, to cash out stolen funds is a red flag why Tom does not think the two individuals arrested this week for money laundering the stolen Bitfinex funds were the original hackers Become a Premium Bulletin Subscriber! Become a premium subscriber to my Bulletin newsletter, and you’ll get access to: a premium-only Discord group premium-only interviews the opportunity to ask questions ️ the chance to weigh in on guests for Unchained and whatever other future offerings we add to the mix The special launch price until February 14 $2.99/mo or $29.99/year. Starting on February 15, the price increases to $4.99/mo or $49.99/year. Join now! Get a Signed Book Plate! Many of you have asked me how you can get a signed copy of the book. Here’s how: Pre-order the book, which you can do at bit.ly/cryptopians. Make a social media post about the book that includes the pre-order link, bit.ly/cryptoptians or to the book on any bookseller of your choice. Send a copy of your receipt to hello@unchainedpodcast.com with the subject line, “signed book plate.” In the email, include a pdf of your receipt + a screenshot of or a link to your social media post + the address to which you’d like me to send the book plate + the nameof who you’d like me to dedicate the book plate to. If you show a pre-order receipt that shows you bought more than one format of the book, such as an audiobook and a hardcover, you can get two signed book plates. Finally, if you sign up for the Bulletin premium subscription plus do all the above to get a signed book plate, you’ll also receive a POAP. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Tom Robinson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomarobinson?originalSubdomain=uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomrobin Information on the Bitfinex hack + arrest: DOJ Information: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-arrested-alleged-conspiracy-launder-45-billion-stolen-cryptocurrency https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1470211/download Elliptic Coverage: https://www.elliptic.co/blog/elliptic-analysis-new-york-husband-and-wife-arrested-for-laundering-5-billion-in-bitcoin-stolen-from-bitfinex-in-2016 Unchained Coverage: https://unchainedpodcast.com/feds-seize-3-6-billion-in-btc-connected-to-bitfinex-hack/ CoinDesk coverage https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/02/08/us-officials-seize-bitcoin-from-2016-bitfinex-hack/ Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/92529/bitfinex-billion-bitcoin-who-keeps-it The Defiant: https://thedefiant.io/bitfinex-leo-surge/ Bitfinex statement: https://www.bitfinex.com/posts/766 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 11 Feb 2022 09:20:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: SBF on a Crazy Week of Bitfinex, Wormhole and ENS Drama - Ep.318
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 week’s episode, Sam Bankman-Friend (SBF), CEO and founder of FTX, also dropped by. Show topics: Robert and SBF’s takeaways from previous experiences speaking to regulators what happened during the Wormhole hack and why building decentralized systems is difficult whether AssangeDAO is a good use of money and how it showcases the power of DAOs + NFTs why GameStop dumping IMX tokens might have been Immutable X’s fault ENS drama, cancel culture, and whether or not the guys would have fired Brantly Millegan if it had been their company making the decision how the US was able to recover funds from the Bitfinex hack (and how Tarun knows one of the individuals arrested for allegedly using the stolen BTC via money laundering) Shape rotators versus wordcels: what is the meme, how does SBF identify, and Arthur Hayes? 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Guest Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and founder of FTX https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda Links Wormhole hack https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/3/22916111/wormhole-hack-github-error-325-million-theft-ethereum-solana AssangeDAO raises ~$41M on Juicebox, larger than ConstitutionDAO https://juicebox.money/#/p/assangedao ENS drama https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/02/07/ethereum-name-service-removes-brantly-millegan-as-steward-over-2016-tweet/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-big-4-firm-added-btc-and-eth-to-its-balance-sheet/ Gamestop and ImmutableX https://twitter.com/polarply/status/1489572631649083394 https://unchainedpodcast.com/another-gamestop-pump-and-dump/ Bitfinex Hack https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-arrests-couple-allegedly-laundering-45-bln-crypto-tied-bitfinex-hack-2022-02-08/ https://twitter.com/tarunchitra/status/1491104365683552256?s=20&t=7KkfnSsGjDz-MxJjYWBB6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmahJCWJ8iM&t=1s https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/02/08/us-officials-seize-bitcoin-from-2016-bitfinex-hack/ Wordcels vs. Shape Rotators https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1489998900438077441 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 09 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0000
Will Every Piece of Media Enter the Internet as an NFT? Variant Fund Says Yes - Ep.317
Variant Fund is a venture capital firm that describes itself as “a first-check crypto fund investing in the ownership economy.” Jesse Walden and Li Jin, co-founders and general partners at Variant, join Unchained to discuss the ownership economy, issues with web2 and web3, NFTs, the future of work, and more. Highlights: where Li and Jesse met and how their backgrounds as investors + founders led them to the crypto space how Li’s investing niche, which she describes as the passion economy, ended up intersecting with crypto why Li believes that web3 platforms will be better for creators than the current web2 ecosystem why Jesse was so inspired by Bitcoin after working in the music industry for so many years why Jesse believes that NFTs are the “port of entry” for the mainstream adoption of crypto what other use-cases exist for NFTs outside of the JPEG or PNG meme (and why Jesse is so excited about music NFTs) why Li believes that web3 tools can help fix the issues inherent to the “gig economy” Li and Jesse respond to criticisms of web3 coming from Jack Dorsey and Moxie Marlinspike how Variant Fund thinks about investing in crypto projects what token allocation Variant Fund targets when investing in crypto projects why mainstream platforms are experiencing backlash for integrating with NFTs and crypto what trends in NFTs, DAOs, and the ownership economy Jesse and Li think will pop in 2022 Get Access to Premium Content Sign up for a premium Bulletin subscription! For becoming a premium subscriber, you'll get access to: a premium-only Discord group premium-only interviews the opportunity to ask questions the chance to weigh in on guests for Unchained and whatever other future offerings we add to the mix The special launch price until February 14 $2.99/mo or $29.99/year. Starting on February 15, the price increases to $4.99/mo or $49.99/year. Join now! Get a Signed Book Plate! Many of you have asked me how you can get a signed copy of the book. Here’s how: Pre-order the book, which you can do at bit.ly/cryptopians. Make a social media post about the book that includes the pre-order link, bit.ly/cryptoptians or to the book on any bookseller of your choice. Send a copy of your receipt to hello@unchainedpodcast.com with the subject line, “signed book plate.” In the email, include a pdf of your receipt + a screenshot of or a link to your social media post + the address to which you’d like me to send the book plate + the name of who you’d like me to dedicate the book plate to. If you show a pre-order receipt that shows you bought more than one format of the book, such as an audiobook and a hardcover, you can get two signed book plates. Finally, if you sign up for the Bulletin premium subscription plus do all the above to get a signed book plate, you’ll also receive a POAP. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Bosonic: https://bosonic.digital/ Alchemy Pay: https://alchemypay.org Episode links Li Jin Twitter: https://twitter.com/ljin18 Substack: https://li.substack.com/ Li Jin on the creator economy The future of the creator economy https://drive.google.com/file/u/1/d/1C3fBfPgWxf-zqezGlPFr7VXIetlHlnaZ/view https://twitter.com/ljin18/status/1454096370281943041 What the creator economy is doing wrong https://li.substack.com/p/legitimacy-lost How to fix the “gig” style economy for creators https://li.substack.com/p/the-creator-economy-is-in-crisis How the creator economy could power universal basic income https://li.substack.com/p/the-case-for-universal-creative-income What labor should look like in Web3 https://li.substack.com/p/a-labor-movement-for-the-platform Building the middle class of the creator economy https://li.substack.com/p/building-the-middle-class-of-the Other Web3 is the “golden age” of content https://every.mirror.xyz/y_WLA-Tk3VF5uPqHi-glDLVVfHxLUbjXakRI7SMISas Transitioning to Web3 from a non-tech perspective https://twitter.com/ljin18/status/1479111931977867275 Jesse Walden Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessewldn Website (no blogs since 2020): https://jessewalden.com/ Random Tweets DAOs https://twitter.com/jessewldn/status/1459014962207244290 https://twitter.com/jessewldn/status/1470406564582498315 NFTs https://twitter.com/jessewldn/status/1473641606951669767 Music NFTs x Sound XYZ https://twitter.com/jessewldn/status/1471148257892044812 Commoditizing a compliment https://twitter.com/jessewldn/status/1465713306363117578 Writing NFTs make the internet ownable https://variant.mirror.xyz/T8kdtZRIgy_srXB5B06L8vBqFHYlEBcv6ae2zR6Y_eo Product vs. Protocol https://variant.fund/writing/balance-product-protocol-web3 Leadership in the ownership economy https://variant.fund/writing/leadership-in-the-ownership-economyscaling-decision How DeFi crosses the chasm https://variant.fund/writing/how-does-defi-cross-the-chasm Crypto’s Business Model is Familiar. What Isn’t is Who Benefits https://variant.fund/writing/cryptos-business-model-is-familiar.-what-isnt-is Narrative Economics https://variant.fund/writing/narrative-economics Progressive decentralization https://variant.fund/writing/progressive-decentralization-a-playbook-for-building Layers of blockchain computing https://variant.fund/writing/layers-not-eras-of-blockchain-computing Variant Fund Variant Fund Twitter https://twitter.com/variantfund Variant Fund website https://variant.fund/ Writing: https://variant.fund/writing Mirror Blog (Feb 2021 article on NFTs) https://variant.mirror.xyz/ Variant Fund + Atelier joining forces https://variant.fund/writing/atelier-ventures-and-variant-fund-are-joining-forces https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/19/variant-debuts-a-new-110m-fund-for-crypto-startups-announces-li-jin-has-joined-as-a-general-partner/ Variant Fund team https://twitter.com/spencernoon/status/1450500555961507844 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Are Democrats Against Crypto? These Two Congressional Candidates Say No - Ep.316
Shrina Kurani, a Democrat running for a House seat in California, and Morgan Harper, a Democratic candidate running to represent Ohio in the US Senate, explain why they are running pro-crypto campaigns. They discuss how crypto will affect the 2022 midterms, justify being both pro-crypto and pro-environment, and talk about the importance of educating regulators about Web3. On this episode of Unchained, they highlight: how Morgan’s work at the American Economic Liberties Project and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau led her to run for Senate on a pro-crypto platform why Shrina chose to mint NFTs on Solana to help fundraise for her campaign what issues Morgan and Shrina have with the current financial system (and how they believe crypto could help solve such issues) why both Shrina and Morgan stress that education is the key to making effective crypto policy in the US what message Shrina and Morgan want to send to fellow Democrats about the crypto industry why Morgan believes that single-issue voting for crypto candidates could be dangerous Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Morgan Harper Campaign Website: https://morganharper.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mh4oh Shrina Kurani Campaign Website: https://www.shrinakurani.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/shrinakurani Additional Reading Information on Shrina’s NFT drop https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/12/16/congressional-candidate-kurani-dropping-2022-solana-nfts-as-part-of-campaign/ Why Shrina is advocating for web3 ​​https://medium.com/@shrinakuraniforcongress/im-running-for-congress-here-s-why-i-m-advocating-for-web3-50409ffdd11 Morgan’s thoughts on web3 versus traditional finance https://twitter.com/mh4oh/status/1463219384776806402?s=21 9 pro-crypto congressional candidates https://laurashin.bulletin.com/want-to-support-a-pro-crypto-congressional-candidate-check-out-these-9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 04 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0000
How NFT DAOs Could Shape the Next Blockbuster, Fund Poetry and Change VC - Ep.315
Dapper Collectives CEO and Friends With Benefits founder Trevor McFedries joins Unchained to discuss social tokens, NFTs, the creator economy, $FWB, VC snacks, DAOs, Cooper Turley, and more. Show highlights: Trevor’s past, which includes a top 10 album, working at Spotify, founding Brud, creating Lil Miquela, and, of course, falling down the crypto rabbit hole what Trevor’s vision for Dapper Collectives is what type of activities DAOs will facilitate in the future why Trevor is so excited to be working with Dapper Labs and Flow what Friends With Benefits is and how the $FWB token works what sort of tokens make up the Friends With Benefits treasury why venture capitalists who want to be involved with Friends With Benefits need to have a good snack game why Trevor is not worried about $FWB becoming a security what plans Friends With Benefits has in store for 2022 Trevor’s response to Friends With Benefits suspending co-founder Cooper Turley regarding 10-year old racist and homophobic tweets what can be done to onboard a more diverse demographic to crypto how Trevor defines the passion/creator economy what Trevor is looking forward to in 2022 regarding NFTs, DAOs, and social tokens Join the Unchained With Laura Shin discussion group on Facebook! Laura is launching a paid Facebook discussion group where you and other listeners of the show can discuss recent episodes, ask questions in advance, get access to special AMAs with myself and show guests and more. Those who join now and for the next two weeks will get a special introductory price of $2.99 a month or $29.99 annually. Those who join from February 15 and on will be charged the regular rate of $4.99 a month or $49.99 annually. We will open up the group on the 15th, one week ahead of my book launch. If you’re interested in subscribing, head to https://laurashin.bulletin.com/subscribe. Check out my new author website! Keep up to date on all things I'm up to at the newly launched laurashin.com. There, you can find out all the latest on my book, all my writing, and press and speaking appearances. Enjoy! Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Bosonic: https://bosonic.digital/ Episode Links Trevor Mcfedries Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatdotcd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-mcfedries-0a5285a8/ Work CEO - Dapper Collectives Decrypt write-up: https://decrypt.co/82517/dapper-labs-nfts-daos-collectives-brud Announcement: https://medium.com/dapperlabs/the-future-of-x-is-decentralized-bb3245faf1b1 Founder → Brud Twitter: https://twitter.com/makebrud Website: https://www.brud.fyi/ Lil Miquela: https://www.instagram.com/lilmiquela/ Acquisition by Dapper Labs: https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/04/nft-startup-dapper-labs-acquires-virtual-influencer-startup-brud/ AI Influencers: https://mailchimp.com/courier/article/ai-influencers/ Friends With Benefits Basics FWB website: https://www.fwb.help/ Mirror: https://fwb.mirror.xyz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/fwbtweets FWB Etherscan: https://etherscan.io/token/0x35bd01fc9d6d5d81ca9e055db88dc49aa2c699a8 CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/friends-with-benefits-pro/ Background Reads Trevor’s role: https://consensys.net/blog/codefi/friends-with-benefits-a-new-model-for-social-tokens-on-ethereum/ a16z investment: https://a16z.com/2021/10/27/investing-in-friends-with-benefits-a-dao/ FWB deep dive: https://ra.co/features/3914 Intelligencer write up: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/10/whats-a-dao-why-your-group-chat-could-be-worth-millions.html Coindesk write up: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/09/the-social-token-network-rally-friends-with-benefits-and-the-future-of-branding/ Cooper Turley removed from DAO https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/01/15/crypto-influencer-cooper-turley-removed-from-fwb-over-2013-bigoted-tweets/ Backlash to removal: https://twitter.com/mewn21/status/1482202603563798530 WHALE treasury tokens https://snapshot.org/#/friendswithbenefits.eth/proposal/QmWnifY3KD5ECJNtQ23m9GHt2oQ1McA3T4DEEpFarPy9jW Additional Links Sound.xyz https://www.sound.xyz/ Catalog https://beta.catalog.works/ Daily Ape on DAOs: https://thedailyape.notion.site/DAOs-95332c7ab79c49dc89f9a72c628dfeb8 Social Tokens: Cooper Turley: https://coopahtroopa.mirror.xyz/DYSs-mhdJi1uXZTaiyJfwiFZYAF9kRK6yBsAplk6A68 Linda Xie: https://linda.mirror.xyz/4PDBWBMpFFPVEsP5EGgg5to2AyEpEHEXasq_K0b-yYk Forefront: https://forefront.market/learn/social-tokens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0000
Can a Pro-Bitcoin Platform Help in a Congressional Race? Aarika Rhodes Says Yes - Ep.314
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 28 Jan 2022 09:00:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why the Lack of a Fee Market Created 'Bread Lines' on Solana - Ep.313
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. Show topics: Analyzing the market drawdown Twitter-native NFTs + Crypto Coven LooksRare — real or BS? Solana’s disappointing network performance What broke during the market downturn: OHM, Solend, and MakerDAO Predictions for market action going forward 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 Robert Leshner, founder of Compound https://twitter.com/rleshner Background on certain topics covered: Twitter NFTs https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/131052/twitter-begins-rolling-out-access-to-nft-profile-pictures Loot adding royalties https://twitter.com/DappRadar/status/1486005954520907778 LooksRare versus OpenSea https://dune.xyz/hildobby/LooksRare-VS-OpenSea Tom’s issue w/ Dune queries https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt/status/1485721279663534082 Robert and his Crypto Coven NFT https://twitter.com/rleshner Rune’s tweet about MakerDAO https://twitter.com/RuneKek/status/1484663000443371520 Solana’s poor performance https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/131278/traders-are-complaining-about-solanas-performance-raising-questions-about-its-status-as-a-wall-street-darling https://twitter.com/solendprotocol/status/1485315186797936646?s=21 Block’s DEX https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/19/square-releases-white-paper-detailing-protocol-for-a-decentralized-bitcoin-exchange/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 26 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0000
SyndicateDAO Is Launching Web3 Investment Clubs. Could They Disrupt VCs? - Ep.312
Will Papper and Ian Lee, the two co-founders of Syndicate, join Unchained to announce the release of Syndicate’s new product: Web3 Investment Clubs, an innovation they believe could end up disrupting the web2 investment world, along with the entire venture capital industry. For example, with Web3 Investment Clubs, users will be able to turn an Ethereum wallet address into an investing DAO with just a few clicks, transfer funds without going through banks, and manage a cap-table directly on-chain. Show topics: what differentiates a Web3 Investment Club club from a normal investment club what on-chain tools Syndicate has built for Web3 Investment Clubs how Web3 Investment Clubs work within existing regulations how Ian and Will met and what inspired them to create Syndicate whether Syndicate plans to decentralize why Will and Ian believe investment DAOs will disrupt the venture capital industry why venture capital firms invested in Syndicate, a company built to disrupt them what Will learned from building Adventure Gold (AGLD), the governance token for Loot what plans Syndicate has for 2022 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Beefy Finance: https://beefy.finance Alchemy Pay: https://alchemypay.org Episode Links Will Papper Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillPapper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wpapper Ian Lee Twitter: https://twitter.com/iandaos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrianlee/ Syndicate: Twitter: ​https://twitter.com/SyndicateDAO Website: https://twitter.com/SyndicateDAO Miscellaneous History of AGLD https://twitter.com/WillPapper/status/1484215805478797312 Will Papper’s previous Unchained appearance https://unchainedpodcast.com/constitutiondao-did-not-win-the-auction-but-it-demonstrated-the-power-of-daos/ Will DAOs disrupt crypto venture capital? ​https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/01/06/will-daos-replace-crypto-venture-capital/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 14:00:00 -0000
Why a Coinbase Listing May Not Be a Good Thing for a Token - Ep.311
Fais Khan, author of the Startups and Econ newsletter, dives into his recently published research report, "You Don't Own Web3": A Coinbase Curse and How VCs Sell Crypto to Retail. Show highlights: whether tokens perform better before or after being listed on Coinbase what relationship a16z, a venture capital firm, has to Coinbase why Fais believes that the poor performance of VC-backed tokens after being listed could be the result of insiders dumping other reasons for a token’s poor performance after being listed on Coinbase besides insiders dumping what type of coin/token went up 1,800% in 2020 why Fais is suspicious of how quickly certain VC-backed tokens were listed on Coinbase whether Fais believes Coinbase or a16z is actually doing something nefarious what sort of regulatory actions he believes would improve crypto what advice Fais has for token investors Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Fais Khan https://twitter.com/Faktastic11 Article https://startupsandecon.substack.com/p/you-dont-own-web3-a-coinbase-curse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 21 Jan 2022 09:00:00 -0000
Is Binance Smart Chain Being Run 'Like the Project of a Stoned Teenager?' Two BSC Execs Answer - Ep.310
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
Tue, 18 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Why Are NFTs the One Bright Spot in the Crypto Markets? - Ep.309
Avid NFT collector Aftab Hossain (aka @iamDCinvestor on Crypto Twitter) discusses why OpenSea and NFT volumes are popping to start 2022, how LooksRare’s vampire attack is a good thing for the NFT market, and how royalties affect a project’s trading potential. Show topics: why Aftab thinks NFT floor prices are rising and what role NFT “flippers” have to do with his theory whether the NFT industry could continue growing even if fungible crypto assets enter a bear market how the LooksRare vampire attack on OpenSea works why people are wash trading NFTs on LooksRare why Aftab would choose to list NFTs on LooksRare over OpenSea whether LooksRare’s vampire attack will force OpenSea to decentralize and/or tokenize what sort of NFT projects should have royalties… and which projects shouldn’t Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Aftab Hossain Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamDCinvestor LooksRare LooksRare vampire attack + wash trading: https://decrypt.co/90317/ethereum-nft-market-looksrare-wash-trading https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2022/01/11/one-day-after-launch-opensea-competitor-looksrare-sells-over-100m-in-nfts/ LooksRare: https://twitter.com/LooksRareNFT LooksRare vs OpenSea data: https://dune.xyz/hildobby/LooksRare-VS-OpenSea Background Links NFT volume to start the year: https://cryptopotato.com/opensea-records-over-2-billion-in-trading-volume-early-in-2022/ OpenSea metrics: https://dune.xyz/rchen8/opensea Fred Ehrsam tweet: https://twitter.com/FEhrsam/status/1370414944265572353 The Chopping Block: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-why-the-crypto-markets-have-been-down-this-week/ Nas NFTs: ​https://decrypt.co/89881/rap-legend-nas-sells-2-songs-as-nfts-on-dj-3laus-royal-platform https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/130123/3lau-backed-platform-royal-crashes-during-first-music-nft-drop-mint-delayed OpenSea IPO rumors: https://decrypt.co/87701/opensea-ipo-criticism-crypto-ethereum-token SushiSwap vampire attack: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/76419/uniswap-fork-sushiswap-700-million-total-value-locked Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 14 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: Why the Crypto Markets Have Been Down This Week - Ep.308
The Chopping Block is back! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics: why crypto assets experienced a drawdown after last week’s FOMC meeting that hinted at accelerated rate hikes which emerging assets Tarun, Haseeb, and Tom envision weathering a bear market which assets could be further hurt by a continued bear market the significance of Paradigm and Sequoia investing in Citadel Securities what aspects of Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike’s web3 article Haseeb, Tom, and Tarun take umbrage with whether Cryptoland is crypto’s Fyre Festival or whether it’s the metaverse what the heck is going on with the Pudgy Penguins community the lessons from the CFTC’s fine of Polymarket (disclosure: a former sponsor of my shows) 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 Topics FOMC = Crypto assets dip https://www.ar.ca/blog/debunking-more-overreactions-to-macro-a-ronin-case-study Paradigm + Sequoia invest in Citadel Securities https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/01/11/paradigm-sequoia-to-invest-115b-in-citadel-securities-bringing-trading-firm-closer-to-crypto/ Cryptoland https://thenextweb.com/news/welcome-to-cryptoland-real-island-cryptocurrency-fans-analysis Moxie Marlinspike’s first impressions of web3 https://moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html Pudgy Penguins drama https://thedefiant.io/fire-on-the-iceberg-pudgy-penguin-holders-eye-coup-amid-acquisition-talks/ Polymarket fined by CFTC ​​https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/01/03/cftc-fines-crypto-betting-service-polymarket-14m-for-unregistered-swaps/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 13 Jan 2022 10:00:00 -0000
Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky - Ep.307
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
Tue, 11 Jan 2022 02:30:00 -0000
65% of Active Developers Joined Web3 in 2021 - Ep.306
Electric Capital’s Maria Shen dives into her company’s recently published research report about Web3 open-source development in 2021 and shares her thoughts and insights on how developers are flocking to Web3 in a manner that goes far beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum. Show topics: Maria’s biggest takeaways from the Electric Capital Developer Report how developer growth is affected by asset price which ecosystems are growing fastest why Maria thinks the growth in Bitcoin development has slowed down why Maria is so impressed by Ethereum’s performance in terms of retaining developers how closed-source development on, for example, Solana or Flow could affect the report’s findings the significance of Polkadot, Solana, NEAR, Binance Smart Chain, Avalanche, and Terra growing faster than Ethereum did at similar points in its history developer growth in DeFi during 2021 why Electric Capital did not study developer growth for NFTs, DAOs, or gaming why Maria is so interested in studying community growth going forward what Maria will be watching for in 2022 Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Maria Shen https://twitter.com/MariaShen Previous Unchained appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/electric-capital-on-the-coins-punching-below-their-weight/ Electric Capital https://www.electriccapital.com/ Electric Capital Developer Report (2021) https://medium.com/electric-capital/electric-capital-developer-report-2021-f37874efea6d Previous reports: https://medium.com/electric-capital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 07 Jan 2022 09:00:00 -0000
Crypto 2022 Outlook: Where Will the Markets Go This Year? Plus DeFi and NFTs - Ep.305
Larry Cermak, VP of research at The Block, and Igor Igamberdiev, director of research and data at The Block, recap the most significant trends of 2021 (BTC mining, L1s, NFTs, DeFi, venture funding) and discuss what might happen in 2022. Show topics: why 2021 was so significant for the crypto industry why the crypto markets didn’t see a blow-off top at the end of the calendar year the way they typically do about a year after a Bitcoin halving what Larry thinks about whether the crypto market is in a supercycle how the state of BTC and ETH mining changed in the past year why Igor thinks multichain technology was key to a record-breaking year for venture capital entering the crypto space in 2021 how the layer 1 (L1) ecosystem wars played out in 2021 and what it could look like in 2022 what Larry and Igor think of Ethereum layer 2s (L2s) how Ethereum’s shift to 2.0 could affect the L1 race what Larry thinks about DeFi tokens going into 2022 how DeFi trends, like decentralized exchange volume and lending, played out in 2021 why Igor thinks KYC-DeFi (know-your-customer decentralized finance) is inevitable what Larry thinks about NFTs going in 2022 and why he thinks PFPs are dead Larry and Igor’s outlook on the metaverse going into the new year Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Guests Larry Cermak: https://twitter.com/lawmaster Igor Igamberdiev: https://twitter.com/FrankResearcher The Block’s 2022 Digital Asset Outlook Report https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/127723/the-block-research-2021-digital-asset-outlook-report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Song a Day NFTs With Jonathan Mann + Your 2022 Crypto Predictions! - Ep.304
Jonathan Mann has published a song a day for 13 years. On Unchained, he talks about his writing process, how he came up with the idea of publishing his songs as NFTs, his plans for a DAO he created called SongADAO, and more. Show topics: the significance and process of making a song a day for 13 years straight how Jonathan monetized his content in the early days (2009) of the internet what crypto event sent Jonathan down the rabbit hole and how Vitalik Buterin was involved why CryptoPunks piqued Jonathan’s interest in monetizing his content on-chain how being in the crypto world has changed Jonathan’s creative process where his song data is being uploaded in the context of web2 and web3 how SongADAO will work and how it could change the paradigm of the music industry the characteristics of his 12/31/2021 NFT drop, which will see over 3,000 songs minted Jonathan plays “Mongoose Coin” for the Unchained audience, a song he made about Senator Brad Sherman’s comments about cryptocurrency in a recent hearing. Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links: Jonathan Mann Twitter: https://twitter.com/songadaymann Website: https://www.jonathanmann.net/ Instagram: ​​https://www.instagram.com/jonathanmann/ Song A Day: YouTube: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanmann/ Minting website: https://songaday.world/ OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/song-a-day Tweet Thread on Song A Day + SongADAO (must read if you are interested in Jonathan’s work) ​https://twitter.com/songadaymann/status/1475210923124178951 Jonathan at Devcon https://www.jonathanmann.net/devcon Mongoose Coin https://decrypt.co/87904/congressional-hearing-spawns-mob-mongoose-based-meme-coins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 31 Dec 2021 10:05:00 -0000
The Chopping Block: 2021 in Crypto: The Biggest Winners, Biggest Losers, and Best Memes - Ep.303
Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Chopping Block, a new show on Unchained hosted by Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra, in which they discuss the latest juicy topics in crypto. This week, the four crypto heavyweights take a look back at 2021. Show topics: Biggest winners and losers Best mechanism Biggest surprise Best meme Predictions for 2022 Without revealing too much, Haseeb, Robert, Tom, and Tarun cover a lot of ground, diving into “esoteric” subjects like Luna tokenomics, the Tezos NFT marketplace HEN, the origins of web3, the Grayscale arbitrage opportunity, OHM, Convex Finance, single-basis point liquidity pools on Uniswap, and Empty Set Dollar. They also tackle more popular topics like BTC, Dogecoin, NFT marketplaces, L1s, and more. 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 Robert Leshner, managing partner at Robot Ventures https://twitter.com/rleshner Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures https://twitter.com/tarunchitra Biggest Winners: L1 performance in 2021: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/128603/in-2021-l1-blockchains-took-the-spotlight-thanks-to-defi Coinbase IPO: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-coinbase-stock-a-good-buy-this-analyst-says-yes/ Solana: https://www.notboring.co/p/solana-summer OpenSea: https://www.readthegeneralist.com/briefing/opensea Lido: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/is-lido-undervalued Dogecoin: https://docsend.com/view/vutymtgqjf99yrpu Solana early investors: ​https://www.theinformation.com/articles/solana-generates-1-billion-in-returns-for-early-backers Mechanisms Uniswap V3: https://uniswap.org/blog/launch-uniswap-v3 Convex Finance (+ Curve): https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/11/curve-wars-heat-up-emergency-dao-invoked-after-clear-governance-attack/ OHM: https://www.coingecko.com/buzz/what-is-olympusdao-and-how-does-it-work ESD: https://medium.com/@lewisfreiberg/empty-set-dollar-esd-a0abbfc5ecdb Biggest Losers: Grayscale: https://dcresearch.medium.com/interpreting-grayscale-premiums-gbtc-ethe-a7261dd8cfca Bitcoin: https://www.coindesk.com/price/bitcoin/ HEN: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/news+/126688/tezos-art-marketplace-hen EOS: https://cryptonews.com/news/eos-down-as-community-forks-out-blockone.htm Biggest Surprises Uniswap pool analytics:https://info.uniswap.org/#/pools NFTs: https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/11/22325054/beeple-christies-nft-sale-cost-everydays-69-million + https://decrypt.co/89060/bored-ape-yacht-club-nfts-flip-cryptopunks-floor-price-in-ethereum Luna: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/11/10/terra-passes-highly-anticipated-proposal-to-burn-nearly-89m-luna/ Best Memes Dog coins: https://nypost.com/2021/12/27/santa-floki-cryptocurrency-surges-3500-after-elon-musk-tweet/ SBF shoes: https://twitter.com/zackseward/status/1468641558346059777 Grimes tweet: https://twitter.com/grimezsz/status/1449528005966000129 Web3: https://www.coindesk.com/learn/what-is-web-3-and-why-is-everyone-talking-about-it/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 30 Dec 2021 15:30:00 -0000
Why NFT OG Mitchell Chan Has Released Just One Project This Year - Ep.302
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
Tue, 28 Dec 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: What Could the Crypto Media Do Better? Four Journalists Discuss - Ep.301
Merry Christmas (Eve)! For this special episode of Unchained, three other crypto journalists and I discuss their favorite stories from the past twelve months, how they would grade crypto journalism in 2021, and what they are looking forward to covering in 2022. Show highlights: what stories Michael, Michael, Jeff, and I will remember from a ~busy~ 2021 why 2021 is “clearly the biggest year” yet for the industry how CoinDesk, Forbes, and Decrypt can improve their news coverage in 2022 what Michael, Michael, Jeff, and I think about all the negative energy directed at journalists from the crypto and tech space how mainstream media can do a better job covering crypto predictions for what the biggest stories of 2022 will be Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Michael Casey Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikejcasey CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/ Unchained Appearances ​​Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Casey and Niall Ferguson on How Bitcoin Fits in the History of Money https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-michael-casey-and-niall-ferguson-on-how-bitcoin-fits-in-the-history-of-money/ Live from SXSW: Michael Casey and Paul Vigna, Co-Authors of The Truth Machine, on Why the SEC Has Issued Subpoenas to ICOs https://unchainedpodcast.com/live-from-sxsw-michael-casey-and-paul-vigna-co-authors-of-the-truth-machine-on-why-the-sec-has-issued-subpoenas-to-icos/ Michael del Castillo Twitter: https://twitter.com/delRayMan Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/ Jeff Roberts Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffjohnroberts Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/ Unchained Appearances Will Coinbase Do a Token Offering When It Goes Public? https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-coinbase-do-a-token-offering-when-it-goes-public/ Coinbase’s S-1: The Number That May Make the Exchange Nervous https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinbases-s-1-the-number-that-may-make-the-exchange-nervous/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 24 Dec 2021 09:30:00 -0000
This Noble Family's Art Was Taken by Nazis, But Is Being Saved by NFTs - Ep.300
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Tue, 21 Dec 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: $12 Billion Has Been Lost in DeFi Value to Crime. Here’s How - Ep.299
Jess Symington, research lead at Elliptic, a blockchain forensics company, discusses the massive upswing in DeFi hacks during 2021, resulting in over $10 billion of DeFi value lost. Show topics: the state of crime in DeFi how much value has been lost to exploits whether the majority of hacks are the result of user or developer error the various types of exploits how to confirm when a project did, in fact, rug pull which blockchains are most susceptible to having exploits what has been happening recently in ransomware how DeFi hackers cash out why ransomware attackers, who usually request payment in Bitcoin, have a tougher time cashing out than DeFi hackers whether hackers trend towards a specific profile/demographics how easy it is for law enforcement to find hackers whether blockchain’s transparency is proving to be a helpful tool for regulators Jess’s advice on how to prevent hacks for both protocols and users Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Elliptic Website: https://www.elliptic.co/ Blog: https://www.elliptic.co/blog Hack Coverage Elliptic Research DeFi: Risk, Regulation and the Rise of DeCrime: https://www.elliptic.co/resources/defi-risk-regulation-and-the-rise-of-decrime https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/14/common-defi-crypto-related-scams-and-how-to-protect-your-wallet.html https://cryptobriefing.com/elliptic-estimates-12b-lost-to-defi-exploits/ Rekt Leaderboard (giving a dollar figure for recent hacks along with a summary of what happened) https://rekt.news/leaderboard/ Unchained Podcast on Ransomware https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-ransomware-evolved-into-a-big-business/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 17 Dec 2021 09:50:00 -0000
How Yield Guild Games Is Revolutionizing the Future of Work and Investment - Ep.298
Gabby Dizon, cofounder of Yield Guild Games, discusses his background in gaming, why he started Yield Guild Games, the performance of Axie Infinity, and more. Show topics: how Gabby fell down the crypto rabbit hole what inspired Gabby to co-found Yield Guild Games what Yield Guild Games does how blockchain games improve upon games in the traditional world a real-life story of Yield Guild Games improving a player’s life why it’s difficult for Yield Guild Games players to cash out earnings and how Yield Guild Games is trying to solve this issue via a partnership with XLD why Gabby thinks the value of $SLP in Axie Infinity is dropping what sort of game and tokenization mechanisms work best for blockchain games why Gabby wants a new Ethereum token standard what Gabby thinks makes an in-game NFT valuable why Axie Infinity is popular in the Philippines and Venezuela where Yield Guild Games is attempting to expand next how Yield Guild Games built out the tokenomics for YGG, the guild’s native token what Gabby thinks about P2E games on chains outside of Ethereum how Yield Guild Games is decentralizing how blockchain games are changing the nature of work what sort of jobs exist in the metaverse why Gabby buys NFTs Gabby’s crypto prediction for 2022 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained Episode Notes Gabby Dizon -- cofounder at Yield Guild Games Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabusch Website: https://y.at/%F0%9F%95%B9%F0%9F%A5%8A%F0%9F%96%BC%F0%9F%A5%83 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabbydizon/ Cointelegraph profile https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/2021/04/15/gabby-dizon-making-computer-games-real Metaverse job board https://twitter.com/gabusch/status/1416682528090460160 Yield Guild Games Twitter: https://twitter.com/YieldGuild Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ygg Blog: https://medium.com/yield-guild-games Primer: ​​https://cryptobriefing.com/defi-project-spotlight-yield-guild-games-dao-titan/ A16z investment into YGG https://a16z.com/2021/08/19/investing-in-yield-guild-games/ YGG whitepaper https://yieldguild.io/YGG-Whitepaper-English.pdf Scholarships https://medium.com/yield-guild-games/yield-guild-explains-play-to-earn-and-scholarships-bb1e097c2a61 Summary of 8 new YGG games: https://coinyuppie.com/a-three-minute-overview-of-yggs-latest-8-games-included-in-the-investment-landscape/ Miscellaneous Axie Infinity documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo-BrASMHU4 XLD Token = “real-world use case” https://twitter.com/gabusch/status/1467763722257301507 https://xld.medium.com/xld-finance-and-yield-guild-games-partner-to-enable-play-to-earn-gamers-to-pay-bills-with-crypto-d35c80d29a0d Play to Earn token economics https://twitter.com/mikojava/status/1459041371289841666 Axie Infinity + Filipino Workers Good: https://twitter.com/kookoocryptotv/status/1461164984117784576 Declining wages: https://twitter.com/larsiusprime/status/1459191090100244483 Unchained Episodes on Axie Infinity Axie Infinity’s July Revenue Tops $200 Million. Here’s How Filipinos Drove It (Leah Callon-Butler) https://unchainedpodcast.com/axie-infinitys-july-revenue-tops-200-million-heres-how-filipinos-drove-it/ How Axie Infinity Boosted Revenue 400%+ in 30 Days (Aleksander Larsen, Axie Infinity COO) https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-axie-infinity-boosted-revenue-400-in-30-days/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: 3 Things SushiSwap Needs to Get in Order, According to Arca - Ep.297
Jeff Dorman, the chief investment officer at Arca, discusses the recent events surrounding SushiSwap, including CTO Joseph Delong’s departure this week, Arca’s proposal to create a hierarchical management structure for SushiSwap, and why Jeff is still excited about Arca’s investment in SushiSwap. Show topics: what SushiSwap is and how it has performed since its inception how Jeff views SushiSwap’s performance from an investor’s perspective how the departure of 0xMaki affected SushiSwap what Jeff thinks about the decentralization versus centralization why Jeff thinks SushiSwap is in a fantastic position in which to receive investment what happened with the controversy around Joseph Delong leading to his resignation this week what Jeff thinks about how Joseph handled his departure what three factors SushiSwap needs to figure out in order to function why SushiSwap could benefit from creating a legal entity why Jeff is in favor of hierarchical governance structures versus flat governance structures how SushiSwap could become a trendsetter for DAOs in general Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links: Jeff Dorman Twitter https://twitter.com/jdorman81 Arca https://www.ar.ca/ Joseph Delong’s Departure The Block’s coverage: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/126411/sushiswap-cto-threatens-to-quit-as-infighting-escalates https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/126879/sushiswaps-cto-resigns-amid-infighting The Defiant: https://thedefiant.io/sushiswap-leadership-crisis/ Sushi Bickering on Twitter Screenshot of 0xMaki being ousted: https://twitter.com/makibacknow/status/1463078678724632576/photo/1 Joseph Delong on SushiSwap drama: https://twitter.com/josephdelong/status/1467498481573052427 Joseph Delong’s resignation: https://twitter.com/josephdelong/status/1468689021530427395 Boring Crypto on SushiSwap drama: https://twitter.com/Boring_Crypto/status/1467162233905893379 SushiSwap Proposals Arca https://forum.sushi.com/t/sushi-dao-restructure-proposal/6282 Bridge compensation https://forum.sushi.com/t/bridge-compensation-for-sushi-core/6217/3 Miscellaneous 0xMaki transitioning to an advisory role https://forum.sushi.com/t/transition-into-advisor/5533 SushiSwap on leadership tumult https://hackmd.io/ipJtfxhuQmqW9B8igew_AA?view Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:30:00 -0000
Crypto Philanthropy: How to Donate to Make Real-World Impact - Ep.296
Some of the biggest names in the crypto industry discuss their personal giving philosophies, how blockchain technology could change the dynamics of giving to charity, and which crypto projects are making a lasting real-world impact. Guests include Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital; Caroline Ellison, co-CEO of Alameda Research; and Arthur Breitman, co-founder of Tezos. Show topics: the definition of effective altruism why Haseeb thinks crypto is the best industry for effective altruism how Haseeb and Arthur differ in their philosophy of doing good why blockchain technology is less important than liquidity when donating money across borders whether Axie Infinity is making a real-world impact why Arthur thinks Axie’s impact will be short-term and not sustainable whether people should donate now versus later Haseeb’s and Arthur’s thoughts on how giving changes people what people working in crypto can do to give back 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 GiveDirectly https://www.givedirectly.org/unchained — all donations made here will be matched! There are $50,000 in matching funds available! https://www.givedirectly.org/crypto-for-good-2021/ Guests Caroline Ellison https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-ellison-309216a7 Haseeb Qureshi https://twitter.com/hosseeb Arthur Breitman https://twitter.com/ArthurB Miscellaneous Effective Altruism https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/introduction-to-effective-altruism/ Code to Inspire https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-actually-fixes-this-how-code-to-inspire-uses-crypto-in-afghanistan/ Pineapple Fund https://pineapplefund.org/ BitGive https://www.bitgivefoundation.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Dec 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How Ryan Zurrer Ended Up Spending the Most on a Single NFT Artwork - Ep.295
Ryan Zurrer, founder of Dialectic, a crypto wealth multi-family office, discusses his recent $29 million purchase of Beeple’s Human One and his experience at Art Basel in Miami, along with his thoughts on the NFT space in general. Show highlights: what Human One is and why Ryan purchased it how Ryan and Beeple’s personal relationship factored into the purchase of Human One why Human One is important to the metaverse how Ryan defied the odds in purchasing Human One how Miami’s Art Basel conference missed out by not capitalizing enough on NFTs what Ryan thinks about the NFT industry being described as a bubble how Ryan uses “proof-of-artwork” to determine which NFTs to buy Ryan’s experience visiting Beeple’s art studio/campus where Ryan thinks NFTs will go from here, and why he is so bullish on music NFTs in particular Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links: Ryan Zurrer Twitter: https://twitter.com/kukulabanze Previous Unchained appearances: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ryan-zurrer-would-like-to-see-a-new-dao/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-cryptoeconomics-pt-1-with-olaf-carlson-wee-and-ryan-zurrer-of-polychain-capital/ Human One Beeple x Christie’s interview: https://www.christies.com/features/Beeple-gets-real-with-human-one-11940-7.aspx Barron’s on Human One purchase: https://www.barrons.com/articles/beeples-human-one-video-sculpture-and-nft-sells-for-nearly-29-million-01636506472 Ryan Zurrer purchase: https://twitter.com/kukulabanze/status/1458236032818819075?s=20 Proof-of-Artwork: ​​https://www.decential.io/features/proof-of-artwork-ryan-zurer-on-his-29-million-purchase-of-beeples-human-one Art Basel Miami https://artbasel.com/miami-beach Beeple saying NFTs are a “bubble:” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-21/prices-in-a-bubble-beeple-says-after-his-69-million-nft-sale Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:30:00 -0000
Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer? - Ep.294
On Unchained, two co-founders of Solana Labs, Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, dive deeply into the Solana ecosystem, discussing everything from the price of SOL to the Solana network outage to the competition between Ethereum and Solana. Show highlights: why Raj thinks SOL’s market cap grew from $86 million to $68 billion in less than a year Anatoly’s and Raj’s background and how they found themselves working together to build Solana why Anatoly thinks Solana will be a general-purpose blockchain rather than specializing in gaming or high frequency trading Anatoly’s goal to make Solana the first billion-user blockchain why Raj thinks NFTs on Solana have been so popular why, in the opinion of Raj and Anatoly, Solana’s purpose has shifted away from high-frequency trading how NFTs could replace ads why “everything is DeFi” how Solana Labs plans to allocate the recent $314 million funding round it raised what lessons Anatoly learned from the 18-hour September network outage technically speaking, what happened to cause Solana’s network outage why Anatoly believes that outages, at this stage, aren’t necessarily a bad thing whether “trading mercenaries” dominated at Solana Breakpoint why developers are interested in building on Solana how Solana and Ethereum compare as execution and settlement layers why Raj doesn’t like framing competition between Solana and Ethereum as a fight how Anatoly views the competition between Ethereum and Solana whether the arrival of Neon Labs, which is bringing EVM to Solana, could lead to developers leaving Ethereum how NFTs and Phantom wallets are bringing in new users for Solana whether Raj and Anatoly would roll back Solana if something like Ethereum’s DAO hack were to occur why Solana has the competitive advantage in throughput, according to Anatoly what would happen if FTX cofounder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried gave up on Solana their predictions for Solana five years from now 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: Anatoly Yakovenko https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko Raj Gokal https://twitter.com/rajgokal Solana News Anatoly Yakovenko -- ​​ It ‘doesn’t really matter’ if the network goes down again https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/124887/solana-labs-ceo-it-doesnt-really-matter-if-the-network-goes-down-again Neon Labs https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/123744/neon-labs-developer-of-ethereum-virtual-machine-on-solana-raises-40-million Aave + SushiSwap going to Solanas through Neon Labs https://twitter.com/joselitommutuc/status/1462043806207938563 Solana + Brave integration https://decrypt.co/85538/privacy-browser-brave-expands-beyond-ethereum-solana ATH at $260 https://decrypt.co/85457/solana-hits-all-time-high-of-260 Solana Breakpoint https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/15/solana-throws-a-three-day-party-for-itself/ https://www.cryptoglobe.com/latest/2021/11/solana-network-highlights-from-breakpoint-conference-paint-a-very-healthy-picture/ https://decrypt.co/85934/the-view-from-solana-week-in-lisbon FTX US + Solana NFTs https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/120044/ftx-us-launches-marketplace-for-trading-solana-based-nfts Solana Outage The Block’s coverage https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117711/solana-blockchain-validators-restart-network-after-transaction-stoppage https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117624/solana-experiences-transaction-stoppage-as-developers-report-intermittent-instability Why the mainnet went down https://twitter.com/buffalu__/status/1437792673784549383 Potential ramifications https://twitter.com/CometShock/status/1437870278684590091 Anatoly Yakovenko Solana outage tweets https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1437887482897518595 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1437784552324358155 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1438496595360862215 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1438465508412739588 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/with_replies Solana $314M Fundraise https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/107749/solana-labs-raises-314-million-funding-a16z-polychain-capital Solana Topics Raj thinks Ethereum cannot be killed https://twitter.com/rajgokal/status/1458420316569489410 NFT Growth https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1455556328404013057 https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1459157853848195079 Pplpleasr https://decrypt.co/85964/the-collectoooooor-pplpleasr-latest-nft-art-solana-ethereum Investment in gaming Forte https://decrypt.co/85966/cosmos-solana-ventures-join-725m-series-b-crypto-gaming-platform-forte Alexis Ohanian investment https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/cryptocurrency/articles/why-reddit-co-founder-alexis-ohanian-will-invest-100-million-in-solana-social-media/ FTX + Solana https://decrypt.co/85302/ftx-solana-ventures-lightspeed-100m-crypto-gaming Phantom wallet hits 1M+ users https://decrypt.co/85563/phantom-wallet-preps-mobile-launch-reaching-million-users-solana Solana Basics CoinMonk: https://medium.com/coinmonks/solana-more-update-for-sol-becb65024877 Solana Labs: https://medium.com/solana-labs/proof-of-history-a-clock-for-blockchain-cf47a61a9274 The Tie: https://research.thetie.io/solana-ecosystem/ Binance.Research: https://research.binance.com/en/projects/solana Genesis Block: https://genesisblockhk.com/what-is-solana/ Block Explorers: https://explorer.solana.com/supply + https://solanabeach.io/supply + https://solanalysis.com/ Messari: https://messari.io/article/the-perpetual-sol-rise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why Astrologer Maren Altman Believes 2023 Will Bring an Innovative 'Cyber Pandemic' - Ep.293
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
Fri, 26 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0000
The Tokenomics Episode: Why ‘EIP 1559 Is Like Catnip for Investors’ - Ep.292
Two tokenomics experts, Yan Liberman, co-founder of Delphi Digital, and Viktor Bunin, protocol specialist at Coinbase Cloud, discuss their experiences building tokens, their thoughts on the recent ENS/PSP airdrops, and what “fair” token distribution looks like. Show highlights: the definition of tokenomics what factors (such as utility, fairness, liquidity, security, etc.) token designers are incentivizing for what Yan learned from helping design Astroport tokenomics what Vikor learned from helping design Threshold, the token that was built to facilitate the merge of NuCypher and Keep how the EIP 1559 burn has changed Ethereum’s tokenomics how EIP 1559 has improved investor outlook for Ethereum why Viktor is worried about people actually using Ethereum going forward what Viktor and Yan think about how the ENS airdrop farming issue was handled what Viktor and Yan think about ParaSwap’s PSP airdrop and why Viktor thinks ParaSwap made a “mistake” how Viktor and Yan would go about airdropping a token to good actors instead of bad actors how improvements in on-chain identity could help future airdrops fair launch tokens versus VC-backed tokens what the definition of fair is in terms of tokenomics why Viktor thinks a token’s distribution is more important than a token’s launch what could be the optimal way to distribute liquidity mining rewards how community affects tokenomics how to incentivize NFT-based tokens, like the forthcoming Bored Ape Yacht Club token, for the right goals Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Yan Liberman -- co founder at Delphi Digital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanliberman Twitter: https://twitter.com/yanliberman Viktor Bunin -- protocol specialist at Coinbase (Bison Trails) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viktorbunin Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViktorBunin Tokenomics 101 Primers: The Tie: https://research.thetie.io/token-economics/ Smith and Crown: https://smithandcrown.com/research/issues-of-fairness-in-token-distribution/ A Timeline of Token Distributions: https://blog.coinlist.co/the-evolution-of-token-distribution-models/ Recent Airdrops + Airdrop farming PSP: https://medium.com/paraswap/introducing-the-psp-token-to-make-paraswap-even-more-efficient-and-decentralized-c4730e50be72 ENS: https://twitter.com/ensdomains/status/1457862602239926274 https://twitter.com/nicksdjohnson/status/1456424366850281488 Airdrop Farming Potential airdrops coming up: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/09/missed-the-ens-airdrop-here-are-the-crypto-projects-rumored-to-decentralize-next/ https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-airdrops https://www.trustnodes.com/2021/11/14/ethereans-sneak-to-zksync-for-airdrop-farming PSP drop w/ heavy requirements ​https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/11/15/dex-aggregator-paraswap-launches-psp-token-on-heels-of-ens-airdrop-excitement/ ENS Blacklist https://twitter.com/nicksdjohnson/status/1456048492141441027 Topics Mentioned Astroport tokenomics https://astroport.medium.com/hello-astro-announcing-the-astroport-governance-token-drops-a07a1bf3ed94 NuCypher + Keep merge https://decrypt.co/73800/forget-hard-fork-what-happens-after-kee-nucypher-hard-merge SushiSwap vampire attack https://finematics.com/vampire-attack-sushiswap-explained/ Tokemak tokenomics https://medium.com/the-capital/defi-2-0-is-it-the-next-wave-of-cryptocurrency-4499e838ea44 Miscellaneous What is liquidity mining? https://medium.com/coinmonks/what-is-liquidity-mining-and-how-does-it-work-d0ab491e607 The Internet of Money (recommended by Viktor) https://theinternetofmoney.info/ Other Fun Topics How Token Governance Mechanisms can be implemented https://outlierventures.io/research/what-is-the-secret-to-building-valuable-tokens-part-2/ Crypto Gaming economics https://outlierventures.io/research/p2e-2-0-a-new-economic-model-for-gaming-based-on-crypto-tokens/ Does farming represent progress in token distribution? https://smithandcrown.com/research/adaptations-in-token-distribution-mechanisms-does-farming-represent-progress/ Should treasuries hold native tokens? https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano/status/1460278949867442182 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: ConstitutionDAO Did Not Win the Auction. But It Demonstrated the Power of DAOs - Ep.291
Will Papper, SyndicateDAO co-founder and ConstitutionDAO contributor, tells the story of how a group of internet friends came together as a DAO to crowdfund a $41 million bid at a Sotheby’s auction for a physical copy of the US Constitution. Show highlights: how Will and other ConstitutionDAO members feel after losing the auction the significance of ConstitutionDAO despite its loss whether Will knows who the other bidder was why museums began reaching out to ConstitutionDAO and seem to be excited about DAOs moving forward why there was so much confusion over who was the bidder for the DAO and whether it had won why ConstitutionDAO did not bid more than $41 million -- even though the crowdfund was at nearly $50 million why ConstitutionDAO did not have a crypto-whale help keep the bidding war going how ConstitutionDAO plans to refund participants what Will thinks about using a layer 2 solution to refund ETH for ConstitutionDAO donations how the idea for ConstitutionDAO came about what role Will had in the formation of ConstitutionDAO what lessons can be learned from ConstitutionDAO what’s next for DAOs in general Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Will Papper Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillPapper LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wpapper ConstitutionDAO Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConstitutionDAO Website: https://www.constitutiondao.com/ Contribution page: https://juicebox.money/#/p/constitutiondao Sotheby’s Auction YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TBa-9Lx3vc ConstitutionDAO’s Statement After Losing Auction ​​https://twitter.com/ConstitutionDAO/status/1461527516670316544 https://twitter.com/ConstitutionDAO/status/1461498841820192771 Press Not Boring: https://www.notboring.co/p/lets-buy-the-us-constitution Stratechery: https://stratechery.com/2021/constitutiondao-the-need-for-trust-memes-and-reality/ New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/business/crypto-constitution-sothebys.html?smid=tw-share Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-investors-want-to-buy-rare-copy-of-u-s-constitution-at-sothebys-auction-11637071590 The Defiant: https://thedefiant.io/dao-constitution-4m/ CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/11/15/i-think-were-doing-this-inside-one-daos-20m-plot-to-purchase-the-us-constitution/ William Lobkowicz tweet thread: https://twitter.com/WRLobkowicz/status/1461401142953402371 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:35:00 -0000
PayPal Would Need These Two Things In Order to Issue a Stablecoin - Ep.290
Jose Fernandez da Ponte, PayPal’s senior vice president and general manager of blockchain, crypto, and digital currencies, discusses PayPal’s crypto game plan, how CBDCs might be implemented, crypto regulations, and more. Show highlights: Jose’s path to becoming the GM of blockchain, crypto, and digital currencies at PayPal what factors led to PayPal’s decision to launch its crypto offering what sort of customer makes up PayPal’s crypto demographic how users are engaging with the various PayPal crypto services, like crypto-rewards cards whether the introduction of crypto had anything to do with Venmo’s 36% jump in volume during Q3 2021 how PayPal interacts with Paxos on the backend to settle crypto transactions why Jose thinks PayPal has decided to not add cryptocurrency to its balance sheet how crypto transactions work within PayPal’s internal ledger and how that might change once PayPal launches support for withdrawals off-platform the three types of directions that Jose believes stablecoins and CBDCs could be built what solutions would need to be built before PayPal would consider issuing its own stablecoin what scaling technologies, be it L1 or L2, PayPal is interested in whether stablecoins and CBDCs can/will co-exist Jose’s thoughts on how long it will be before CBDCs are being issued why Jose thinks that new regulation might be necessary for cryptocurrencies whether PayPal will be participating in decentralized activities, such as on-chain governance why Jose thinks that PayPal’s crypto offering could help improve financial inclusion -- especially for smaller companies why Jose and PayPal are excited about NFTs how PayPal will decide to support new cryptocurrencies on its platform what Jose thinks PayPal’s crypto offering could look like in the future Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Jose Fernandez da Ponte LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-fernandez-da-ponte-a46ba81/ PayPal Crypto Basics Homepage: https://www.paypal.com/us/digital-wallet/manage-money/crypto FAQs: https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/cryptocurrency-on-paypal-faq-faq4398 https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/topic/MY_WALLET_PER Terms + Conditions: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/cryptocurrencies-tnc Venmo Crypto: https://venmo.com/about/crypto/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Alameda Research's Sam Trabucco: What Solana Does Better Than Ethereum - Ep.289
Sam Trabucco, co-CEO of Alameda Research, discusses the different price drivers that led to BTC, ETH, SOL, and LUNA reaching new all-time highs in the past week. Show highlights: why Sam believes no bad news from regulators is good news what effect leverage has on the crypto markets the significance of Bitcoin hitting a new all-time high and the crypto market cap reaching $3 trillion how the approval of a bitcoin futures ETF affected the crypto market what Sam thinks about the actions of US crypto regulators (hint: it’s probably not what you would think) why Sam thinks ETH’s price hit a new all-time this week what Sam thinks about the changes to ETH monetary policy and the upcoming merge to Ethereum 2.0 how Sam views the competition among layer 1 blockchains and why he is not a fan of maximalism what factors he believes are driving the price of SOL what sort of projects are being built on Solana, and why people are excited about the ecosystem what Sam thinks about Terra passing a proposal to burn LUNA Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Sam Trabucco LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-trabucco-79215263/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlamedaTrabucco Alameda Research Website: https://www.alameda-research.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlamedaResearch Recent all-time highs: BTC: https://www.yahoo.com/now/bitcoin-sets-time-high-above-152238016.html ETH: https://fortune.com/2021/11/08/ethereum-all-time-high-bitcoin-btc-ether-spot-etf/ SOL: https://decrypt.co/85457/solana-hits-all-time-high-of-260 LUNA: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/11/10/terra-passes-highly-anticipated-proposal-to-burn-nearly-89m-luna/ Links mentioned: Alexis Ohanian’s Solana investment: https://www.forbes.com/newsletters/forbescryptoassetadvisor/2021/11/09/reddit-co-founder-alexis-ohanian-bets-big-on-solana-and-web-30/ Breakpoint conference: https://www.cryptoglobe.com/latest/2021/11/solana-network-highlights-from-breakpoint-conference-paint-a-very-healthy-picture/ Sam Bankman-Fried on Solana: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/solana-ethereum-rival-price-rising-bitcoin-000139765.html Sam Trabucco on leverage trading: https://twitter.com/AlamedaTrabucco/status/1451281805584310273 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 12 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0000
NFCastle 2021: Art Controversy – NFTS: Nothing F**king There? - Ep.288
At Non-Fungible Castle 2021, an NFT exhibition in Prague, four NFT experts debate some of the hottest topics in the metaverse, like how to value NFTs, whether insider trading exists, what makes Ethereum-based NFTS so special, and the environmental impact of NFTs. Guests include Maria Paula Fernandez, co-founder at JPG, Kavita Gupta, cofounder of FINTECH.TV, Oliver Halsman Rosenberg, artist, and Gmoney, an NFT collector. Show highlights: what an NFT is why NFTs have value what the “myth of decentralization” has to do with NFT valuation why collectors like gmoney prefer to collect NFTs on Ethereum vs. other chains how provenance and IP rights interact with value why gmoney thinks Solana Punks are like fake Chanel bags what “owning an NFT” actually means whether newbies need to be protected from buying scam NFTs the “rite of passage” of falling pretty to a rug pull and the concept of “do your own research” (DYOR) what can be done about insider-trading-like activities in NFTs how to navigate public-facing blockchains when your address is doxed different ways to link off-chain assets to NFTs what the crypto industry can do to better understand the NFT impact on climate change Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Non-Fungible Castle 2021 Website: https://www.nfcastle.com/ Conference recordings: https://www.nfcastle.com/conference Twitter: https://twitter.com/nf_castle Tweet thread of Laura’s experience at NFCastle 2021: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1449731658928824320 Maria Paula Fernandez Medium: https://mariapaulafernandezneglia.medium.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mar%C3%ADa-paula-fern%C3%A1ndez-no-social-selling-please-a96a8034/ Kavita Gupta Twitter: https://twitter.com/KavitaGupta19 Oliver Halsman Rosenberg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliver_halsman_rosenberg/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-halsman-rosenberg-940a0935 gmoney https://twitter.com/gmoneyNFT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Nov 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Legal Issues With NFTs: Would a Fractionalized Mona Lisa Be a Security? - Ep.287
At Non-Fungible Castle 2021, an NFT exhibition in Prague, four NFT experts discuss the legal implications of NFTs. Guests include Jonathan Victor, product/business development at Protocol Labs; Louis Baudoin, advisor at Monax; Diana Stern, product counsel at Stripe; and Shant Marootian COO at Fractional.art. Show highlights: what users are receiving with the purchase of an NFT how the terms of service for different NFT marketplaces change NFT rights how on-chain storage and off-chain storage affects NFT ownership what rights do creators need to mint an NFT what recourse creators have if someone mints their art as an NFT and profits from it whether NFT marketplaces should respect NFT royalty standards on resales how NFT marketplaces could make it easier for creators to clarify licensing and royalty standards whether NFTs should be regulated under existing laws and what gaps in regulation need to be filled when an NFT should be considered a security how different jurisdictions may work together to regulate NFTs why money laundering is a problem for NFTs how a DAO could go about owning an NFT or IP what would happen to NFTs and DAOs if Ethereum were to suffer a hard fork again why DAOs should stay compliant with traditional regulations how to improve licensing and industry standards for NFTs whether NFTs should be considered as financial objects what would happen if a museum fractionalized the Mona Lisa Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links: Non-Fungible Castle 2021 Website: https://www.nfcastle.com/ Conference recordings: https://www.nfcastle.com/conference Twitter: https://twitter.com/nf_castle Tweet thread of Laura’s experience at NFCastle 2021: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1449731658928824320 Jonathan Victor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-victor-69a44255 Louis Baudoin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lou-baudoin-5b847a151/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MerkleData Diana Stern Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianajstern Shant Marootian LinkedIn: ​https://www.linkedin.com/in/smarooti/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 05 Nov 2021 08:50:00 -0000
Tor Bair of Secret on Why Private Smart Contracts Are Important - Ep.286
Secret Network is a privacy-first, permissionless layer 1 blockchain built for computational privacy. Tor Bair, founder of Secret Foundation, a developer of Secret Network, discusses what makes Secret Network unique, including smart contract privacy, private metadata for NFTs, and how regulators should treat privacy tech in blockchain. Show highlights: how Tor fell down the crypto rabbit hole what the Secret Network is and how it is bringing privacy to blockchain why public blockchains are problematic what makes Secret Network different from Monero or Zcash how Secret Network works from a technical perspective what type of applications Secret Network can support that public blockchains cannot why blockchain voting is probably a bad idea (for now) what attack vectors exist regarding Secret Network how Secret Network nodes work and why there are only 50 of them how Secret Network fixes miner extractable value (MEV) what DeFi applications are possible on Secret Network how NFTs on Secret Network are different from public blockchain NFTs how regulators should treat Secret Network Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Tor Bair Twitter https://twitter.com/TorBair Website http://www.torbair.com/ Medium https://medium.com/@TorBai Secret Network Primers Messari: https://messari.io/asset/secret-network/profile https://messari.io/article/shhhhh-it-s-a-secret-network Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/resources/what-is-secret-network-scrt-formerly-enigma Coin Monks: https://medium.com/coinmonks/what-is-secret-network-bad9a233c481 Tech Crunch: https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/03/in-the-race-towards-web-3-financial-privacy-secret-network-attracts-backing-from-key-players/ Introduction from Enigma/Secret Article: https://blog.enigma.co/introducing-secret-network-ed48621754ad Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c70BBVUCxxk Tech Smart contracts → Secret contracts https://scrt.network/blog/programmable-privacy/ Upcoming Supernova upgrade (November 9) https://scrt.network/blog/supernova-explosive-vision-future-secret-network Secret NFTs (only the holder can view the NFT) https://scrt.network/blog/secret-opensea-partner-nfts-world-renowned-artist https://www.yahoo.com/now/secret-network-partners-opensea-launch-130000946.html SCRT Tokenomics https://scrt.network/blog/secret-network-tokenomics-and-ecosystem-pool https://scrt.network/about/about-scrt Secret Network block-explorer/node explorer https://secretnodes.com/secret/chains/secret-3 Ecosystem https://scrt.network/ecosystem/overview Graypaper https://scrt.network/graypaper Node information https://docs.scrt.network/node-guides/secret-nodes.html Enigma Original ICO `https://icodrops.com/enigma/ Research https://picoloresearch.com/upload/attachment/14614.pdf Enigma token swap https://medium.com/staky-io/how-to-swap-eng-enigma-to-scrt-secret-f80d855992ef https://blog.enigma.co/enigma-announces-settlement-with-sec-and-successful-launch-of-enigma-mainnet-3811ef291705 https://beincrypto.com/privacy-token-enigma-files-with-sec-after-settlement/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 Nov 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why Terraform Labs Cofounder Do Kwon Is Unfazed by US Regulators - Ep.285
Do Kwon, cofounder of Terraform Labs, was recently served subpoenas by the US Securities and Exchange Commission during Messari’s mainnet event, leading Kwon and Terraform to preemptively sue the SEC. On Unconfirmed, Kwon discusses: what Terraform Labs does and how it is building its DeFi ecosystem around TerraUSD ($UST) why Terraform Labs created its synthetics protocol, Mirror, and how it works what Do thinks about the SEC’s investigation into Mirror what happened to Do at Messari’s mainnet event why the SEC’s approach to crypto regulation does not impact Do very much what Do thinks about how US regulators are treating crypto companies how Do would regulate the crypto industry why he believes the current state of crypto regulation doesn’t work in a global context why he says the SEC couldn’t do anything to TerraUSD -- even if it wanted to what two characteristics are critical in building a decentralized protocol how the crypto industry could improve security in light of the $130 million Cream Finance hack Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Do Kwon Twitter: https://twitter.com/stablekwon Terra Twitter: https://twitter.com/terra_money Website: https://www.terra.money/ Terra ecosystem: https://docs.terra.money/Reference/ecosystem.html SEC Lawsuit CoinDesk https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/10/23/terras-do-kwon-was-served-by-sec-new-lawsuit-shows/ Terraform V SEC https://www.scribd.com/document/534537134/Terraform-v-SEC Stephen Palley https://twitter.com/stephendpalley/status/1451709816020348933 Messari Mainnet Serving https://twitter.com/gogoSlava/status/1439972015910408195 Miscellaneous SEC charging Abra https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-153 Stablecoin market cap comparison ​​https://coinmarketcap.com/view/stablecoin/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 29 Oct 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Not Reporting Info on Some Transaction Partners Could Soon Be a Felony - Ep.284
Remember the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which caused considerable backlash from the crypto community due to the language regarding “brokers?” Abe Sutherland, an adjunct professor at University of Virginia School of Law, believes another provision tucked inside the bill could end up being a far more significant issue for anyone transacting in digital assets. Show highlights: how Abe fell down the crypto rabbit hole what provision 6050I is and how it could affect anyone transacting with digital assets how 6050I works and when it would apply why violating 6050I would be a felony how 6050I discourages digital asset transactions how 6050I would apply to different transaction types, like peer-to-peer trades, NFT sales, and smart contract escrow accounts what information recipients of digital assets must verify from the sender how the government came up with the $10,000 reporting threshold and why Abe believes this number is outdated why Abe thinks proposing 6050I within the infrastructure bill is inappropriate what reasons the government has to want to put such stringent reporting requirements on digital asset transactions how 6050I fits under the financial laws of the Bank Secrecy Act why Abe believes the amendment should be struck from the infrastructure bill what Abe thinks of the constitutionality of 6050I how Abe views 6050I as less about generating tax revenue and more about tracking people’s digital asset transactions what action steps he says the crypto community can take to fix the bill Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: http://nodle.io/unchained Episode links Abe Sutherland https://twitter.com/abesutherland Medium Post: https://medium.com/@laurashin/why-not-reporting-info-on-your-crypto-trading-partner-could-become-a-felony-c6399998f113 Information on 6050I Abe’s research report https://www.proofofstakealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Research-Report-on-Tax-Code-6050I-and-Digital-Assets-printable.pdf Tweet thread from Abe https://twitter.com/abesutherland/status/1438881314871156736 https://twitter.com/abesutherland/status/1443082205383696384 6050I article Abe wrote for Bitcoin Magazine https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/the-proposal-to-regulate-digital-asset-transactions-should-be-struck Abe’s appearance on What Bitcoin Did to discuss 6050I https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/hidden-danger-in-the-infrastructure-bill Twitter spaces with Congressman Warren Davidson, Peter McCormack, and others regarding the infrastructure bill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCq6BVLzF44 Miscellaneous 6050I links https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-crypto-industry-could-take-tax-fight-all-the-way-to-the-supreme-court-11632509009 https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/09/29/infrastructure-bills-crypto-surveillance-criticized-unconstitutional/ https://fortune.com/2021/09/21/crypto-transactions-report-to-government/ https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/17/crypto-lobbying-group-warns-of-another-tax-provision-in-senate-infrastructure-bill https://www.coincenter.org/an-unworkable-and-arguably-unconstitutional-tax-change-tucked-away-in-the-infrastructure-bill/ https://decrypt.co/81236/overlooked-part-senate-infrastructure-bill-renews-worries-crypto-lobby https://nickanthony.substack.com/p/last-minute-cryptocurrency-taxation https://www.cato.org/blog/infrastructure-bill-hangs-balance-so-does-crypto https://ambcrypto.com/what-is-the-u-s-infra-bill-crypto-amendment-really-all-about Unchained coverage of the infrastructure bill How Congress Might Pass Laws Bad for Proof-of-Stake and DeFi https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-congress-might-pass-laws-bad-for-proof-of-stake-and-defi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Oct 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Bitcoin Projected to Reach $135,000 in December, According to PlanB - Ep.283
PlanB, a former institutional investor with 25 years of experience in financial markets turned anon Bitcoin analyst, discusses Bitcoin’s price action, from the macroeconomic drivers to what his models predict for the rest of 2021. Show highlights: PlanB’s background and how he got into Bitcoin what a stock-to-flow model is and how PlanB uses it to predict Bitcoin’s price why PlanB called for a $1 trillion market cap when Bitcoin was priced at sub $4K how the approval of a bitcoin futures ETF has affected Bitcoin’s price why institutions are more comfortable with bitcoin futures, rather than the underlying asset how to properly calculate gold’s stock-to-flow model why he believes the stock-to-flow models works -- even when detractors say it is flawed how the pandemic has affected Bitcoin’s price what PlanB thinks about China’s decision to effectively ban Bitcoin the three charts PlanB uses to model Bitcoin what the price floor for Bitcoin will be in October, November, and December whether PlanB thinks we are in a supercycle Thank you to our sponsors! Avado: ava.do Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links PlanB: Twitter: https://twitter.com/100trillionUSD Website: https://100trillionusd.github.io/ Topics Covered Stock-to-flow modeling https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/modeling-bitcoins-value-with-scarcity-91fa0fc03e25 https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/efficient-market-hypothesis-and-bitcoin-stock-to-flow-model-db17f40e6107 https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/bitcoin-stock-to-flow-cross-asset-model-50d260feed12 Bitcoin RSI https://twitter.com/100trillionUSD/status/1451128329176768514 Worst-case scenario BTC prices https://twitter.com/100trillionUSD/status/1406577006230245376 Bitcoin futures ETF approved https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/10/15/sec-approves-bitcoin-etf-opening-crypto-to-wider-investor-base/ China’s decision to boot out crypto miners https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/10/13/us-claims-bitcoin-mining-crown-following-china-crackdown/ https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/109315/bitcoin-hashrate-declines-50-percent-china-mining-crackdown Why stock-to-flow is not accurate https://francistapon.com/Work/WanderLearn-Podcast/8-Flaws-in-Bitcoin-s-Stock-to-Flow-Model-Will-Doom-It Bitcoin supercycle https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/06/17/the-supercycle-how-crypto-could-shape-the-decade-ahead/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 22 Oct 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Is the Metaverse Already Here? Two Experts Disagree - Ep.282
Andrew Steinwold, managing partner at Sfermion, and John Egan, CEO at L'Atelier BNP Paribas, discuss NFTs and debate the characteristics of the metaverse. Show highlights: their backgrounds and how they got into NFTs how they each define the metaverse what NFTs have to do with the metaverse how John and Andrew’s depiction of the metaverse differs what John thinks about Facebook’s entrance into the metaverse whether Second Life is a metaverse game how blockchain technology allows for an open metaverse (and why Web2 is “communist”) what NFTs currently unlock for the metaverse whether the metaverse will necessarily have to be experienced through augmented reality whether there will be multiple metaverses across different blockchain platforms why John thinks NFT maxis and crypto maxis are destined to clash how the metaverse is changing how people generate income how to make the metaverse more accessible whether regulators will force the metaverse to be siloed how the metaverse will handle jurisdictional disputes what happens when someone’s Web3 avatar/identity is stolen in the metaverse what John and Andrew predict will happen in the metaverse over the next 6-12 months. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: http://nodle.io/unchained NFT Research John Egan Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamjohnegan Website: https://www.iamjohnegan.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndegan/ Content NFTs are like gambling, but could be the bedrock of virtual economy https://decrypt.co/62809/buying-nfts-like-gambling-in-a-casino-analyst Wired article on NFTs https://www.wired.co.uk/article/crypto-tokens L’Atelier NFT Content How NFTs are changing ownership https://atelier.net/insights/nfts-art-ownership-collecting The Virtual economy https://atelier.net/virtual-economy Real estate NFTs https://atelier.net/insights/tech-real-estate-nfts-tokenisation Metaverse Content Unified coms vs. the Metaverse https://atelier.net/insights/unified-communications-metaverse-tech Primer on the metaverse https://atelier.net/insights/primer-define-metaverse-fortnite Digital anthropology https://atelier.net/insights/nathalie-bechet-digital-anthropology Andrew Steinwold Twitter https://twitter.com/AndrewSteinwold LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-steinwold/ Blog must-reads A quick overview of the NFT ecosystem https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-quick-overview-of-the-nft-ecosystem NFTs will introduce the world to crypto? https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/nfts-will-introduce-crypto-to-the Why functional NFTs will gain value slower than crypto art https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-the-promise-effect-why-functional History of NFTs https://medium.com/@Andrew.Steinwold/the-history-of-non-fungible-tokens-nfts-f362ca57ae10 NFT Value Drivers https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-nonfungible-token-nft-value-drivers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: What Is the Role of Investors in a Decentralized World? - Ep.281
Four investors talk about the decentralized web, explain how the crypto industry is improving upon Web 2, and discuss what can be done to increase diversity and financial inclusion within Web 3. Featuring Rik Willard, founder of Agentic Group, Thomas France, co-founder of Cygni Capital, Dylan Hixon, president of Arden Road Investments, and Nick Grossman,general partner at Union Square Ventures . Show highlights: how funding rounds for decentralized protocols differ from investing in traditional companies what VC investors can do to 1) participate in the protocols they invest in, and 2) not take advantage of whale holdings in governance voting how Web 3 has the potential to displace the “plantation economy” the difference between crypto idealism (i.e., banking the unbanked) versus what has actually played out (i.e., Salvadorans being mandated to accept BTC) what area of blockchain is delivering on the promise of financial inclusion how to bring diversity to the blockchain + crypto industry what can be done to solve the gender imbalance in crypto how investors are navigating the murky waters of US regulations regarding crypto projects how institutions fit into the Web 3 landscape what I think about the state of sexism within the crypto industry Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Original Link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8884996/video/614236078 Rik Willard Twitter: https://twitter.com/rik_willard?lang=en Agentic Group: https://www.agenticgroup.com/ Nick Grossman Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickgrossman?lang=en Website: https://www.nickgrossman.xyz/ Union Square Ventures: https://twitter.com/usv Dylan Hixon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-hixon-1887803 Arden Road Investments: https://www.ardenrd.com/ Thomas France Twitter: https://twitter.com/totofrance?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfrance/ Topics mentioned Fereshteh Forough on Unchained https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-actually-fixes-this-how-code-to-inspire-uses-crypto-in-afghanistan/ Discussing crypto’s gender disparity on Unchained https://unchainedpodcast.com/cryptos-gender-disparity-what-can-be-done-about-it-4-women-weigh-in/ she256 https://she256.org/ El Salvador and BTC https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/24/why-el-salvador-is-botching-its-bitcoin-experiment/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 15 Oct 2021 09:00:00 -0000
Visa Is Building Infrastructure for NFTs, Smart Contracts, and L2s. Why? - Ep.280
Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto, discusses Visa’s crypto game plan, stablecoin regulation, NFTs, and more. Show highlights: Cuy’s background and his journey down the crypto rabbit hole how Visa and cryptocurrency can coexist why crypto companies and fintech companies are similar what Visa is trying to solve for consumers regarding cryptocurrencies how cross-chain payment infrastructure would work why Visa requires enhanced diligence for crypto companies what countries can learn from stablecoins when building CBDCs why Visa is creating a universal payment channel for CBDCs and other cryptocurrencies why Visa chose USDC to begin making payments with the two main reasons why stablecoins are used (hint: it’s not for buying cups of coffee) how cryptocurrency is changing financial education and inclusion how crypto’s open-source ethos is helping underserved and emerging markets build financial infrastructure why NFTs are Cuy’s favorite topic how NFTs level the playing field for black artists (and artists in general) why Visa purchased a CryptoPunk and how other businesses could leverage NFTs Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Cuy Sheffield Twitter: https://twitter.com/cuysheffield LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cuy-sheffield-72082126/ NFT collection: https://tryshowtime.com/csheffield Content: Medium https://medium.com/@cuysheffield Tweets Thoughts on payroll deposits https://twitter.com/cuysheffield/status/1442571326447767554 DAOs as chaotic organizations https://twitter.com/cuysheffield/status/1441536551016534019 Visa Crypto Plays CryptoPunk purchase https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog/bdp/2021/08/18/nfts-mark-a-1629328216374.html First smart contract on Ropsten https://ropsten.etherscan.io/address/0xadb1f7e78a3ac3d0a006961f95d96bbb0ec14326#code NFT research report https://usa.visa.com/content/dam/VCOM/regional/na/us/Solutions/documents/visa-nft-whitepaper.pdf Cross-chain Interoperability https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog/bdp/2021/09/29/making-digital-currency-1632954547520.html https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.12194v2.pdf Visa + USDC https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom/press-releases.releaseId.17821.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninabambysheva/2021/03/29/visa-to-start-settling-transactions-with-bitcoin-partners-in-usdc/ Digital currency whitepaper https://usa.visa.com/content/dam/VCOM/regional/na/us/Solutions/documents/visa-digital-currency-overview.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Oct 2021 08:45:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why It Doesn’t Make Sense to Compare Lightning to DeFi - Ep.279
Ryan Gentry, business development lead at Lightning Labs, discusses the latest updates on the Lightning Network, the layer 2 solution for Bitcoin. Highlights: how Lightning Network is bringing Bitcoin to the masses through partnerships with Twitter, Substack, and Paxful what the significance of El Salvador adopting Bitcoin means for the Lightning Network how many nodes are running Lightning Network nodes why the capacity on the Lightning Network has grown rapidly how Ryan has seen interest in Lightning has changed since the El Salvador announcement earlier this year what stage of adoption Ryan thinks the Lightning Network is why Lightning Network total-value-locked should not be compared to Ethereum L2s or other DeFi protocols how Lightning Network differs from DeFi what metric Ryan believes is the best way to measure adoption on Lightning Network how El Salvador has changed the types of transactions being made on Lightning Network what’s next for Lightning Network and how Lightning micropayments could affect how podcasts (like Unchained!) are distributed Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Sorare: https://sorare.com Episode Links Ryan Gentry Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanthegentry The Summer of Lightning: Reaching the Tipping Point https://lightninglabs.substack.com/p/the-summer-of-lightning-reaching Lightning Labs Twitter: https://twitter.com/lightning Website: https://lightning.engineering/ Lightning Enabled Tips Twitter: https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2021/bringing-tips-to-everyone Substack: https://decrypt.co/79215/substack-accept-bitcoin-payments-lightning-network Paxful Integration https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/paxful-integrates-bitcoin-lightning-network Arcane Research Paper Paper: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60377b34e7791c1277aaae97/t/615cb9aeaab8c63e1a732771/1633466815710/The+State+of+Lightning.pdf Tweet thread: https://twitter.com/ArcaneResearch/status/1445749299703205894 Lightning Network stats https://studio.glassnode.com/metrics?a=BTC&c=native&category=Lightning&chartStyle=column&contractExpiration=1640908800&ema=0&m=lightning.NetworkCapacitySum&mAvg=0&mMedian=0&resolution=24h&zoom=all https://1ml.com/statistics Lightning Network Resources https://www.lopp.net/lightning-information.html Preston Pysh episode with BTC Sessions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5bBJjVEg1U Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 08 Oct 2021 08:15:00 -0000
How the Greatest Decentralizing Force for Crypto Projects Is the SEC - Ep.278
How does the SEC determine if a token is a security? Why is DeFi particularly hard to regulate? What will regulators do about stablecoins? On Unchained, Greg Xethalis, chief compliance officer at Multicoin Capital, and Collins Belton, founding partner at Brookwood P.C., dive into crypto regulation, discussing securities laws, DeFi regulation, and why the US should be promoting stablecoins rather than trying to shut them down. Highlights: why the SEC and CFTC have not announced bigger crypto enforcement news at the end of their fiscal years why the SEC is going after DINO (decentralized in name only) companies what the Howey and Reves tests areand how the SEC uses themto determine whether an asset is a security or not why Collins and Greg think the SEC has recently begun been applying Reves more often why they think centralized crypto lending products should not be considered securities under the Howey test whether new legislation needs to be written for cryptocurrency-based products what makes Collins think the SEC is being “disingenuous” regarding the SEC registration process for crypto companies, like Coinbase how regulators will end up handling DeFi and why both Greg and Collins are long-term optimistic how the US government has a “great history” of respecting privacy and encryption why regulatory pressure is likely to build up around centralized crypto exchanges and what we can learn from the EtherDelta case why Collins thinks most cryptocurrency companies should be regulated why the SEC is the best motivator for forcing protocols to fully decentralize how smart contracts could theoretically be used to standardize SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s Safe Harbor proposal how blockchain data makes cryptocurrency companies more transparent and easier to regulate than centralized entities what Collins and Greg think will happen with stablecoin regulation going forward why the US should be pushing to make dollar-pegged stablecoins more prominent Take the Unchained survey! Have idea son how we can improve at Unchained? Let us know. This is the last week in which you can take the Unchained survey and be entered to win a BTC Candle. Be sure to end by EOD Friday. We'll be announcing the winners in next week's show. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2021 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Episode Links Greg Xethalis Twitter: https://twitter.com/xethalis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xethalis/ Collins Belton Twitter: https://twitter.com/collins_belton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collins-belton-10226283/ Cases Mentioned SEC charged DeFi Money Market https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/08/06/sec-charges-so-called-defi-company-for-allegedly-fraudulent-30m-offering/ SEC charged EtherDelta https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2018/11/08/sec-charges-etherdelta-founder-over-unregistered-securities-exchange/ Howey Test and Reves Test https://securities-law-blog.com/2014/11/25/what-is-a-security-the-howey-test-and-reves-test/ https://skrypto.sewkis.com/howeys-cousin-reves-may-be-another-way-for-the-sec-to-argue-that-tokens-are-securities https://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2021/09/coinbase-and-the-sec-.html DINO https://twitter.com/hesterpeirce/status/1423637816492318722?lang=en -uniswap-labs-investigation-could-signal-a-new-era-of-enforcement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:15:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: People Expected a Big SEC Enforcement Action This Week. What Happened? Days - Ep.277
Stephen Palley, partner at Anderson Kill, discusses a few hot-button crypto regulatory issues like lending products, whether DeFi protocols fall under the SEC’s purview, and more. Show highlights: why Stephen thinks the SEC and CFTC did not announce more extensive crypto enforcement news this week what areas the SEC Chair Gary Gensler and the SEC as a whole are focused on regulating what Stephen has heard about whether stablecoins that are not fully-backed are securities why Coinbase decided to drop its Lend product why Stephen is skeptical that decentralized protocols should be regulated under existing securities laws how securities law is contrary to consumer protection in light of DeFi protocols and airdrops why DeFi AMMs should be regulated differently than centralized market books whether companies running a front-end for a DeFi protocol should be considered an exchange why crypto devs are “going Satoshi” because of US securities laws Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ Sorare: https://sorare.com Episode Links Stephen Palley Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephendpalley Unchained podcast appearance speaking about Ripple: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-secs-lawsuit-against-ripple-and-2-execs-what-you-need-to-know/ Topics Covered Lending Products Coinbase blogs regarding Lend https://blog.coinbase.com/the-sec-has-told-us-it-wants-to-sue-us-over-lend-we-have-no-idea-why-a3a1b6507009 https://blog.coinbase.com/sign-up-to-earn-4-apy-on-usd-coin-with-coinbase-cdad79e5f5eb Lend overview: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/a-september-to-remember-coinbase-avoids-7608131/ Brian Armstrong angry tweet storm https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1435439291715358721 BlockFi and Celsius overview https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/17/3-states-alabama-securities-commission-also-claims-celsius-violated-securities-laws/ SEC + Gary Gensler How SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s Views on Crypto Have Changed Since His MIT Days https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-sec-chair-gary-genslers-views-on-crypto-have-changed-since-his-mit-days/ SEC Chair Gary Gensler Washington Post Q&A https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/09/21/transcript-path-forward-cryptocurrency-with-gary-gensler/ Gary Gensler + Elizabeth Warren letters https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-releases-response-from-sec-chair-gensler-affirming-need-to-regulate-cryptocurrency-exchanges-and-protect-investors-and-our-financial-system Other Uniswap delisting certain tokens through its front end https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/112399/uniswap-labs-culls-synthetic-stock-and-derivatives-citing-evolving-regulatory-landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 01 Oct 2021 08:55:00 -0000
Crypto Actually Fixes This: How Code to Inspire Uses Crypto in Afghanistan - Ep.276
Fereshteh Forough is the founder and CEO of Code to Inspire, a coding school for girls in Afghanistan. She discusses her background as a refugee, how she uses crypto to fund the school and pay students, and how the US military’s departure has affected student life. Topics include: Fereshteh’s journey from refugee to computer science professor to founder and CEO of Code to Inspire what Code to Inspire offers to young Afghan women and what risks they take by getting an education how Code to Inspire success stories are changing the attitudes of student’s families and communities the importance of Afghan Hero Girl, a video game created by Code to Inspire students why crypto payments are a better alternative to PayPal and Western Union for Code to Inspire and its students how Code to Inspire and its students exchange crypto to fiat what the perception of crypto is in Afghanistan how the Taliban is stifling the education of women and how Code to Inspire is attempting to continue its curriculum how crypto companies can offer assistance to Code to Inspire what features and products Fereshteh thinks would the crypto industry actually bank the unbanked how listeners can help Code to Inspire and where to find more information on Fereshteh 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 Fereshteh Forough Twitter: https://twitter.com/f_forough LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fereshtehforough/ Code to Inspire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codetoinspire/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CodeToInspire Website: https://www.codetoinspire.org/ Donating crypto: https://www.codetoinspire.org/donate-crypto/ Services offered: https://www.codetoinspire.org/hire-a-cti-graduate/ Code to Inspire Coverage Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/08/17/taliban-resurgence-could-threaten-afghan-school-teaching-women-to-code-and-build-ethereum-apps/?sh=465a8208197d The Giving Block https://thegivingblock.com/donate/Code-to-Inspire/ Code to Inspire students are coding at home https://cointelegraph.com/news/amid-taliban-takeover-aspiring-crypto-miner-flees-afghanistan CoinDesk on Code to Inspire + ETH https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2018/06/12/forget-prices-ethereum-is-offering-a-different-value-in-afghanistan/ Coinbase https://blog.coinbase.com/fereshteh-forough-interview-1e73a684788f Inverse https://www.inverse.com/innovation/57129-fereshteh-forough-afghanistan-bitcoin Afghan Hero Girls https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-04-19-code-to-inspire-is-creating-afghan-hero-girls-through-education US Military leaving Afghanistan https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-withdrawal-united-states-troops-pentagon/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/last-u-s-troops-leave-afghanistan-after-nearly-20-years-11630355853 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 Sep 2021 07:35:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How SEC Chair Gary Gensler's Views on Crypto Have Changed Since His MIT Days - Ep.275
Nik De, managing editor for global policy and regulation at CoinDesk, stops by Unconfirmed to discuss the current state of crypto regulation, including recent comments by SEC Chair Gary Gensler on stablecoins and why Coinbase decided to sideline its Lend product. Highlights: Nik’s biggest takeaway from Gary Gensler’s interview with the Washington Post why Nik thinks Gensler has escalated his rhetoric regarding stablecoins and DeFi how crypto exchanges are currently regulated and how that might change what it would take to convince crypto exchanges to register with the SEC whether the SEC has the purview to regulate stablecoins Nik’s thoughts on Coinbase’s Lend product and the SEC’s stance on lending products what the overall picture of crypto lending is in the US whether the SEC will go after DeFi protocols what to expect from the SEC going forward, especially with the end of its fiscal year coming up next week 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 Nikhilesh De CoinDesk articles: https://www.coindesk.com/author/nikde/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nikhileshde Content Coinbase blogs regarding Lend https://blog.coinbase.com/the-sec-has-told-us-it-wants-to-sue-us-over-lend-we-have-no-idea-why-a3a1b6507009 https://blog.coinbase.com/sign-up-to-earn-4-apy-on-usd-coin-with-coinbase-cdad79e5f5eb SEC Chair Gary Gensler Washington Post Q&A https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2021/09/21/transcript-path-forward-cryptocurrency-with-gary-gensler/ Brian Armstrong tweet storm https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1435439291715358721 BlockFi and Celsius overview https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/17/3-states-alabama-securities-commission-also-claims-celsius-violated-securities-laws/ Read my latest Medium post, “The Reason Crypto Regulation Is Turning Out to Be So Difficult,” which takes take a deeper dive into some of the topics addressed in this pod :) https://medium.com/@laurashin/the-reason-crypto-regulation-is-turning-out-to-be-so-difficult-788cc134958d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 24 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000
How OG Crypto Artist Rhea Myers Sold a Never-Seen Artwork at Sotheby's - Ep.274
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
Tue, 21 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Solana's Outage Lasted 17 Hours. What Does This Mean for Decentralization? - Ep.273
Aidan Mott, research analyst at Messari, discusses Solana’s network restart that resulted in the blockchain going dark for 17 hours earlier this week. Show highlights: when Solana validators noticed something was wrong and how they responded what initial dex offering (IDO) caused the network to be flooded with transactions how a surge in bot transactions pushed validators to decide to restart the network how Solana’s outage compares to similar incidents on other chains why the Solana community was most likely not surprised by the 17-hour restart how Solana validators and the Solana Foundation coordinated the network restart how Solana Labs CEO Anatoly Yakovenko communicated with the community during the outage whether Solana is still vulnerable to a similar flood of transactions what the network restart means in terms of Solana’s centralization why Solana validators running the same client could be an issue Check Out the Related Article In addition to the analysis from Aidan, I did an interview with a Solana validator about his experience of the outage, and his concerns for the network going forward. Check out "The Experience of One Validator: What Happened During Solana's 17-Hour Outage?" in my Facebook Bulletin newsletter here -- and subscribe today! https://laurashin.bulletin.com/178076467796725 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 Aidan Mott Twitter: https://twitter.com/KidKrypt0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-mott-77665267/ Messari https://messari.io/ Solana Outage The Block’s coverage https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117711/solana-blockchain-validators-restart-network-after-transaction-stoppage https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117624/solana-experiences-transaction-stoppage-as-developers-report-intermittent-instability CoinDesk coverage https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/09/14/solana-validators-ready-potential-restart-amid-blockchain-outage/ Decrypt coverage https://decrypt.co/81004/solana-back-online-following-downtime-network-restart Why the mainnet went down https://twitter.com/buffalu__/status/1437792673784549383 Potential ramifications https://twitter.com/CometShock/status/1437870278684590091 Neha Narula tweet https://twitter.com/neha/status/1438487308433494022 Solana Status -- the Twitter account that sent information out on the state of the network https://twitter.com/SolanaStatus Anatoly Yakovenko Solana outage tweets https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1437887482897518595 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1437784552324358155 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1438496595360862215 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/status/1438465508412739588 https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko/with_replies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 17 Sep 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Can Bitcoin Be Secured Only by Transaction Fees? Two Researchers Sound Off - Ep.272
Once the block reward diminishes greatly, can Bitcoin be secured only by transaction fees? On Unchained, Bitcoin writer Vijay Boyapati and Ethereum Foundation’s Justin Drake debate the merits of Bitcoin’s security model, which Drake says will largely rely on transaction fees as soon as within 20-30 years, not in 100+ years. Highlights: Justin’s and Vijay’s professional backgrounds why Justin thinks Bitcoin cannot survive solely on fees how Bitcoin is currently secured what makes Bitcoin’s security subjective rather than binary how much it would cost in dollars to 51% attack Bitcoin what the Bitcoin network could do in response to a 51% attack how to calculate Bitcoin’s security budget why Bitcoin's price can’t go exponential forever whether a “nuclear option” for Bitcoin miners could protect against a 51% attack why nation-states could be either pro or anti-Bitcoin why a Bitcoin Standard could be similar to the Gold Standard how Bitcoin will change going forward, and why Vijay thinks transaction fees will increase why Justin does not think transaction fees will increase enough to secure Bitcoin’s base layer how Justin would fix Bitcoin’s security model -- and why he thinks the 21 million hard cap is a meme why Vijay does not think Bitcoin’s security model will ever change -- especially the 21 million hard cap what Justin thinks Ethereum is doing better than Bitcoin why Vijay thinks Ethereum will fail Take the annual Unchained survey! Hey all, the Unchained survey is out now, and we'd so appreciate it if you could give us your thoughts on how Unchained is doing and what we could do better. Plus, we've got some questions for you about Laura's upcoming book launch and the articles that she's already starting to write! Two lucky survey respondents will receive a BTC candle, which is scented with "satoshiwood, musk musk, tulip bulbs and finite minerals." Head to surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2021 to fill out the survey today! Subscribe to my Facebook Bulletin Newsletter! Hey all, I'm excited to announce that I'll be writing a Facebook Bulletin newsletter , joining the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, Malala Yousafzai and Adam Grant, among others. My first post is already up. Thank you to our sponsors! Digital Asset Research: https://www.digitalassetresearch.com/ Ledger: https://www.ledger.com/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Justin Drake Twitter: https://twitter.com/drakefjustin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drakefjustin/ Recent Unchained appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-eth-on-its-way-to-becoming-ultra-sound-money-yes-says-justin-drake/ Vijay Boyapati Twitter: https://twitter.com/real_vijay LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijayboyapati The Bullish Case for Bitcoin: https://vijayboyapati.medium.com/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-6ecc8bdecc1 Bitcoin’s Security Model Hasu https://ark-invest.com/podcast/bitcoins-security-model-with-hasu/ Dan Held https://danhedl.medium.com/bitcoins-security-is-fine-93391d9b61a8 Nic Carter https://medium.com/@nic__carter/bitcoin-bites-the-bullet-8005a2a62d29 https://www.docdroid.net/C7uTY1R/mit-expo-slides-nic-carter-pdf#page=12 Paul Sztorc https://www.truthcoin.info/blog/security-budget/ Donal McIntyre https://etherplan.com/2019/05/17/why-the-bitcoin-fee-model-will-work/7587/ Phil Geiger https://unchained-capital.com/blog/21-million-is-non-negotiable/ Jordan McKinney https://medium.com/coinmonks/bitcoin-security-a-negative-exponential-95e78b6b575 https://medium.com/coinmonks/bitcoin-security-in-one-chart-694ee3ed8c2d Lyn Alden https://www.lynalden.com/bitcoin-security-modeling/ Princeton https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~arvindn/publications/mining_CCS.pdf Doomsday economics of PoW https://www.bis.org/publ/work765.pdf Basic Info How BTC fees work https://river.com/learn/how-bitcoin-fees-work/ https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Miner_fees What will happen when all BTCs are mined? Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/33124/what-will-happen-to-bitcoin-after-all-21-million-are-mined River: https://river.com/learn/what-will-happen-after-all-bitcoin-mined/ Bitcoin Fees https://studio.glassnode.com/metrics?a=BTC&category=&ema=0&m=fees.VolumeSum&mAvg=365&mMedian=0&modal=loginForm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Sep 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Was Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Entitled to a Meeting With the SEC? - Ep.271
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
Fri, 10 Sep 2021 08:30:00 -0000
How Crypto Streaming Service Audius Hit Six Million Monthly Active Users - Ep.270
Audius, a blockchain native music streaming platform, hit six million monthly active users in August and announced a partnership with TikTok. Roneil Rumburg, co-founder and CEO of Audius, talks about how Audius works, AUDIO tokenomics, the give and take of decentralization, and more. Show highlights: what problems Audius is solving for creators how artists are utilizing crypto to connect with fans how the crypto components of Audius fit together what three utilities AUDIO, the native token of Audius, offers holders why Audius requires over $500K in AUDIO tokens to run a node why AUDIO’s inflation rate is higher than other popular tokens like Ethereum or Bitcoin which portions of Audius are centralized versus decentralized where the majority of Audius’s listens come from (hint: it’s not the app) how Audius has created a “password” system to make blockchain technology easier to use for non-crypto natives why Audius uses both Solana and Ethereum how big-name artists like Diplo found their way onto Audius how Audius makes it easier to upload music to TikTok what’s next for Audius Take the annual Unchained survey! Hey all, the Unchained survey is out now, and we'd so appreciate it if you could give us your thoughts on how Unchained is doing and what we could do better. Plus, we've got some questions for you about Laura's upcoming book launch and the articles that she's already starting to write! Two lucky survey respondents will receive a BTC candle, which is scented with "satoshiwood, musk musk, tulip bulbs and finite minerals." Head to surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2021 to fill out the survey today! Follow Laura on Medium! Hey everyone, some news: I've begun writing news and features again. I’m now a Medium Partner, one of a group of writers I have long admired, such as Susan Orlean, Cory Doctorow, James Surowiecki and Will Leitch, among others. You can already check out my first post, which is on my career trajectory and why I still love covering crypto six years in. To find all my writing on Medium, please follow me at Medium.com/@laurashin. Thank you to our sponsors! Digital Asset Research: https://www.digitalassetresearch.com/ Ledger: https://www.ledger.com/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Roneil Rumburg Twitter: https://twitter.com/roneilr Audius Website: https://audius.co/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AudiusProject Whitepaper: https://whitepaper.audius.co/AudiusWhitepaper.pdf Discord: https://discord.com/channels/557662127305785361/806017242734395413 What is Audius? Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/resources/what-is-audius-the-decentralized-music-sharing-and-streaming-service Messari: https://messari.io/asset/audius/profile Coindesk: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2020/11/11/audius-has-big-numbers-by-crypto-standards-but-can-it-take-on-soundcloud/ TikTok + Audius Coverage Audius: https://twitter.com/AudiusProject/status/1427299274325323779 Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/tiktok-sounds-streaming-crypto-blockchain-nfts-audius-1211699/ General Coverage 6M monthly users https://twitter.com/AudiusProject/status/1433248161443684356 Moving to Solana (Oct 2020): https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2020/10/29/audius-the-decentralized-spotify-is-moving-part-of-its-service-to-solana-blockchain/ 5M monthly users (Aug 5): https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/08/05/blockchain-based-music-streaming-service-audius-up-to-5m-monthly-users/ Copyright nightmare (The Verge 2019) https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/9/20905384/audius-blockchain-music-streaming-service-copyright-infringement-piracy NFTs (April 2021) https://decrypt.co/65808/crypto-streaming-music-service-audius-nfts Token Drop (Oct 2020): https://medium.com/audius/welcome-audio-to-mainnet-409009bc130c https://decrypt.co/46390/audius-distributes-crypto-rac-deadmau5-listeners Youtube + Audius project https://youtubetoaudius.com/ Music Racer: https://store.steampowered.com/app/893030/Music_Racer/ Raises https://musically.com/2020/10/26/decentralised-streaming-service-audius-raises-another-1-25m/ https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/08/audius/ https://musically.com/2020/08/03/blockchain-music-service-audius-raises-3-1m-funding-round/ Node requirements: https://blog.audius.co/posts/a-primer-on-audio-staking#:~:text=All%20node%20operators%20are%20required,cost%20slightly%20more%20to%20operate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Sep 2021 08:10:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why the FTX.US/LedgerX Deal Indicates Crypto M&A Might Start Booming - Ep.269
Steven Ehrlich, director of research for digital assets at Forbes, discusses the FTX.US-LedgerX merger, what to expect from FTX going forward, DeFi regulation, and more. Show highlights: why the FTX.US acquisition of derivatives platform LedgerX is significant how FTX.US stacks up against other US cryptocurrency exchanges who should use crypto derivative products how regulators might handle FTX.US and crypto derivative ETFs what to expect from FTX going forward how long FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried spends talking to regulators every day why Steven thinks crypto mergers and acquisitions will be a trend going forward what Steven learned from his conversations with Polygon and Hermez how Fereshteh Forough, a woman living in Afghanistan, is using crypto to help teach women to build dapps, smart contracts, and use crypto Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Polymarket: https://polymarket.com Sorare: https://sorare.com Episode Links Steven Ehrlich https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/?sh=fb976542ce44 https://twitter.com/Steven_Ehrlich https://www.forbes.com/newsletters/forbescryptoassetadvisor/?sh=55678b72dec8 FTX.US Merger https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/08/31/us-bitcoin-exchange-backed-by-billionaire-sam-bankman-fried-moves-into-crypto-derivatives/ M&A Trend https://www.forbes.com/newsletters/forbescryptoassetadvisor/2021/08/31/exploring-voyagers-900-million-token-merger/?sh=29f4f16851b4 Interview with Sam Bankman-Fried https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/08/30/billionaire-sam-bankman-fried-pushes-back-against-critics-of-crypto-derivatives/?sh=6428141b5cbd Polygon-Hermez Deal https://www.coindesk.com/polygon-merges-with-hermez-network-in-250m-deal Fereshteh Forough Coverage https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/08/17/taliban-resurgence-could-threaten-afghan-school-teaching-women-to-code-and-build-ethereum-apps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 03 Sep 2021 08:30:00 -0000
How Pplpleasr Helped Fortune Magazine Sell More Than $1 Million in NFTs - Ep.268
Pplpleasr, the artist behind Fortune magazine’s recent crypto cover and Uniswap’s V3 announcement animation, talks about her crypto journey and how NFTs are changing the game for creators. Show highlights: how not getting a job at Apple changed her life forever how the Pplpleasr-Uniswap collaboration came about what goes into her creative process how Pplpleasr got hired for the Fortune magazine cover why she chose to represent anon-avatars on the Fortune cover why Pplpleasr was surprised by Fortune’s response to her artwork (and crypto in general) what sort of crypto personas are represented on the Fortune cover and why how NFTs are changing the paradigm of monetization for creators compared to the traditional art world what pplpleasr is looking forward to in future NFT smart contracts why NFTs are still limited right now why institutions, like Budweiser and Visa, are suddenly interested in NFTs what Fortune is doing to grow its NFT collection how DAOs are changing art curation and collecting why Pplpleasr was surprised that a DAO (bearing her name) purchased the Uniswap V3 animation where Pplpleasr thinks the NFT space will go in the next year or so Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Polymarket: https://polymarket.com Episode Links: Pplpleasr Twitter: https://twitter.com/pplpleasr1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pplpleasr/ Website: https://pplplsr.com/ Pplpleasr Content: Fortune op-ed on crypto https://fortune.com/2021/08/06/nft-art-pplpleasr-fortune-cover-ethereum-defihow-crypto-changed-my-life/ Her previous work for DeFi protocols https://pplplsr.com/Crypto Fortune cover https://fortune.com/2021/08/05/nft-drop-pplpleasr-cover-art-opensea-auction-ethereum/ https://twitter.com/pplpleasr1/status/1423359319639212037?s=20 Miscellaneous Links PleasrDAO https://pleasr.org/ https://pleasr.mirror.xyz/D9wIadL-5EEkt17glTtar21m3RDqfgkhkr__OEE2mOE OpenSea’s post-mortem on Chad sale https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1424866514558128130 Business of business write up https://www.businessofbusiness.com/articles/defi-crypto-meme-hustler-yield-farmer-finance-blockchain-art-nft-pplpleasr-memetic-markting/ Manifold https://www.manifold.xyz/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 31 Aug 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How Another NFT Trend, .eth Names, Has Attracted the Likes of Budweiser - Ep.267
Nick Johnson, lead developer at the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), talks about making Ethereum human-readable, why Budweiser purchased an NFT, how purchasing an ENS works, and more. Show highlights: what ENS does and why it is important why Budweiser bought “beer.eth” how ENS names can be used to make Ethereum easier to use what business use cases ENS names make possible what made Nick want to create a naming service on Ethereum how people are using their ENS names why people are purchasing ENS names what privacy issues arise from people attaching their name to an ETH address what happens when Ethereum addresses get spammed with unwanted tokens how to buy an ENS name and how much it costs how ENS handles squatters what happens when you lose access to an address holding an ENS name how ENS is integrating normal domains (ex: “.com”) to Ethereum what ENS has planned for L2 launches Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021 Polymarket: https://polymarket.com Sorare: https://sorare.com Episode Links: Nick Johnson Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicksdjohnson Website: http://blog.notdot.net/ Ethereum Domain Service Twitter: https://twitter.com/ensdomains Website: https://app.ens.domains/ Miscellaneous links Budweiser ENS purchase: https://decrypt.co/79397/from-visa-to-budweiser-big-brands-are-taking-nfts-seriously Unwanted tokens being sent to addresses https://decrypt.co/79406/budweiser-dick-pic-nft-ethereum-wallet https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/05/12/vitaliks-regift-of-unsolicited-doge-knockoffs-sends-memecoin-prices-plunging/ DNS (.com) integration with ENS: https://twitter.com/ensdomains/status/1430933399745798155 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:25:00 -0000
BitGo on Why the Travel Rule Should Not Apply to Digital Assets - Ep.266
BitGo CEO Mike Belshe and COO Jeff Horowitz talk about one of the hottest topics facing the crypto industry today: regulation. They discuss... what BitGo does why Jeff left his successful TradFi career to go crypto how crypto compliance and custody differs from the traditional finance world the state of crypto education amongst regulators why Jeff and Mike think the infrastructure bill is a win for the crypto industry what FinCEN is doing to regulate crypto why they think the infrastructure bill’s goal of raising billions in crypto taxes could only bring in millions what FATF guidance regarding VASPs requires of crypto companies why the travel rule could lead to US customer data being shared overseas how digital assets change the implications of the travel rule how regulators are attempting to deal with DeFi what the FATF guidance means for FATF countries, like the US why DeFi is not ready for strict regulations Jeff’s views on Brian Brooks’s departure from BinanceUS the Galaxy Digital acquisition of BitGo what security issues a trillion-dollar wallet presents why BitGo refused to put a “freeze” function in its WBTC contract why Tesla and MicroStrategy purchased BTC and why other companies have been slow to follow suit whether BitGo will offer NFT solutions going forward Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2 Polymarket: https://polymarket.com/ Episode links Mike Belshe -- CEO BitGo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebelshe/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikebelshe Previous Unchained appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/mike-belshe-on-what-bitgos-kingdom-trust-acquisition-means-for-crypto-and-how-security-will-develop-in-the-future/ Jeff Horowitz -- CCO BitGo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-horowitz-3381977 BitGo Website: https://www.bitgo.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitGo Blog: https://blog.bitgo.com/ Galaxy Digital purchase: https://www.coindesk.com/galaxy-digital-to-buy-bitgo-for-about-1-2-billion-in-stock-cash FATF solution: https://www.coindesk.com/us-crypto-giants-build-first-version-of-fatf-compliant-travel-rule-tool New York Trust Charter: https://decrypt.co/60110/bitgo-new-york-trust-charter-crypto-wall-street Infrastructure bill and its implications for crypto https://twitter.com/mikebelshe/status/1424163820726009861 https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-fans-are-suddenly-a-political-force-11629115380 https://www.coindesk.com/infrastructure-bill-house-politics https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/16/tax-foundation-infrastructure-bill-crypto-tax-provision-is-unworkable.html https://decrypt.co/78198/senate-passes-infrastructure-bill-crypto-tax-house https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-analysis/proposal-regulate-digital-asset-transactions-should-be-struck/2021/08/13/775gf#.YRfX9GEX2GI.twitter https://twitter.com/vtg2/status/1426264859071627266 https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn/status/1427276559052910599 Unchained coverage: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-congress-might-pass-laws-bad-for-proof-of-stake-and-defi/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-got-screwed-what-happens-next-in-the-senate/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-bill-looks-very-bad-for-crypto/ FATF and the travel rule https://sumsub.com/blog/what-is-the-fatf-travel-rule/ Unchained coverage: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-proposed-fatf-rules-could-be-a-shock-for-defi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Aug 2021 08:45:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: SOL Is Up 3,800% YTD. Could It Eventually Displace Ethereum? - Ep.265
SOL is up 75% over the past seven days, 205% in the past month, and 3,800% YTD. On Unchained, Multicoin Capital’s Kyle Samani discusses the DeFi projects fueling Solana’s growth, why he thinks Solana could make Ethereum obsolete, and the spectrum of decentralization. Show highlights: what factors have contributed to SOL’s growth this year what two milestones occurred last week that Kyle thinks supercharged SOL’s popularity why Kyle thinks the issues with the Degen Ape Academy NFT drop were not actually a problem with the Solana blockchain what projects will be possible on Solana that are impracticable on Ethereum why Kyle thinks some combination of NFTs and social token apps will be the first breakout app on Solana why Solana decreases the risk of massive liquidations -- like the crypto industry saw on Black Thursday in March 2020 how Solana and Ethereum differ in regards to composability and fragmentation what BitClout has to do with Kyle’s Solana investment thesis why Solana could be the basis for the next crypto bull run why Kyle thinks the Ethereum merge as it completes transition to Ethereum 2.0 will not really affect Solana how the competition between Solana and Ethereum could play out in the next 12 months why Kyle is not overly concerned about Solana being more centralized than Ethereum what the Solana versus Ethereum competition will look like going forward, and why Solana may have the upper hand what Kyle learned from his investment in EOS Thank you to our sponsors! Sorare: https://sorare.com Polymarket: https://polymarket.co/unconfirmed Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Episode links Kyle Samani Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital/ Previous Unchained appearances: May 2021: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-solana-and-binance-smart-chain-could-take-ethereums-lead/ April 2020: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-most-forkable-defi-protocols-on-ethereum/ March 2020: https://unchainedpodcast.com/teetering-on-the-edge-how-black-thursday-exposed-the-flaws-in-the-crypto-markets/ January 2020: https://unchainedpodcast.com/kyle-samani-on-how-2020-will-be-the-year-of-small-success-stories/ March 2019: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-binance-could-become-the-first-decentralized-autonomous-corporation/ June 2018: https://unchainedpodcast.com/multicoins-kyle-samani-on-why-he-believes-bitcoin-governance-doesnt-accommodate-the-real-world-ep-025/ May 2018: https://unchainedpodcast.com/multicoin-on-the-1-thing-crypto-teams-miss-in-their-quests-for-success/ Solana Twitter: https://twitter.com/solana Recent updates: https://solana.com/news/solana-ecosystem-news/ Website: https://solana.com/ Recent SOL boom https://twitter.com/JohnStCapital/status/1427088119870935047 https://www.ar.ca/blog/11-thoughts-during-a-digital-assets-bull-market https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninabambysheva/2021/08/16/solana-hits-new-all-time-high-above-60/ https://twitter.com/KyleSamani/status/1425282669630328841 Projects Saber (AMM/DEX) growth https://twitter.com/Saber_HQ/status/1428062812228759564 Audius https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-powered-audius-wins-tiktok-tie-up-for-streaming-music-direct-to-platform Degenerate Ape Academy https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/114703/solana-hits-all-time-high-as-market-watchers-say-institutional-interest-is-growing https://twitter.com/Pentosh1/status/1427034066784763904 https://twitter.com/samecwilliams/status/1426828830552084482 Mango Markets https://www.coindesk.com/solanas-mango-markets-dex-raises-70m-in-mngo-token-sale Wormhole https://www.coindesk.com/solana-launches-cross-chain-wormhole-for-shuttling-assets-from-ethereum-bsc Multicoin’s Solana material https://multicoin.capital/2021/05/04/announcing-venture-fund-ii/ https://multicoin.capital/2019/03/14/on-value-capture-at-layers-1-and-2/ https://multicoin.capital/2019/07/30/the-world-computer-should-be-logically-centralized/ Solana overview https://thedefiant.io/solana-defi-ecosystem-overview/ https://research.thetie.io/solana-ecosystem/ https://research.binance.com/en/projects/solana https://medium.com/coinmonks/solana-more-update-for-sol-becb65024877 https://genesisblockhk.com/what-is-solana/ Block explorers https://explorer.solana.com/ https://solanabeach.io/ https://solanaproject.com/ Submitted questions from Unchained listeners https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod/status/1428136429805264898 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 20 Aug 2021 08:30:00 -0000
On-Chain Analytics Show ETH Accumulation Is Greater Than That of BTC - Ep.264
NFTs are the talk of the metaverse, EIP 1559 just went live, and DeFi stats are rebounding. On Unchained, Fredrik Haga, cofounder and CEO at Dune Analytics, along with Richard Chen, general partner at 1confirmation, discuss the booming Ethereum ecosystem through the lens of on-chain data, diving into NFTs, DeFi, ETH, and their favorite layer 2s. Show highlights: why Ethereum is on such a pronounced upswing why on-chain metrics lead to superior information reporting mind-blowing OpenSea statistics why NFTs are so hot at the moment how Richard explains NFTs to normies whether the NFT market is sustainable what makes an NFT drop pop and why profile pics (PFPs) matter how Polygon NFTs compare to Ethereum NFTs the main driving force behind DeFi usage how Richard measures the total amount of DeFi users what brings new users into DeFi what DEX trends Fredrik is keeping his eye on why structured products are crucial to DeFi’s continued success how Ethereum is doing since the London hard fork why NFT drops are like 2017 ICOs what metric shows ETH adoption outpacing BTC adoption among institutions which layer 2 solutions are Fredrik and Richard excited about why Richard considers Binance Smart Chain a centralized blockchain why Fredrik likes what Solana is building Richard and Fredrik’s predictions for the NFTs, DeFi, and ETH going forward 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 Polymarket: https://polymarket.com/ Episode Links Richard Chen Twitter: https://twitter.com/richardchen39 1confirmation: https://www.1confirmation.com/ Dune Analytics dashboards: https://dune.xyz/rchen8 Fredrik Haga Twitter: https://twitter.com/hagaetc Dune Analytics: https://dune.xyz/home Dune Analytics dashboards: https://dune.xyz/hagaetc On-chain dashboards Stablecoins: https://dune.xyz/hagaetc/stablecoins Lending: https://dune.xyz/hagaetc/lending DEXs: https://dune.xyz/hagaetc/dex-metrics ETH 2.0 deposits: https://dune.xyz/hagaetc/eth2-0-deposits OpenSea: https://dune.xyz/rchen8/opensea DeFi users: https://dune.xyz/rchen8/defi-users-over-time NFT prices: https://dune.xyz/rchen8/NFT-prices SuperRare: https://dune.xyz/rchen8/superrare_4 Nexus Mutual: https://dune.xyz/eliasimos/Nexus-Mutual-Financials ETH fees burned: https://dune.xyz/rchen8/ETH-fees-burned-in-1confirmation-portfolio Base Fees: https://dune.xyz/msilb7/EIP1559-Base-Fee-x-Tip-by-Block Unchained episodes mentioned Ultra Sound Money: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-eth-on-its-way-to-becoming-ultra-sound-money-yes-says-justin-drake/ EIP 1559: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereums-eip-1559-will-solve-some-problems-but-big-ones-will-remain/ OpenSea: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-nft-platform-opensea-plans-to-maintain-its-competitive-advantage-ep-232/ Miscellaneous Zed Run: https://zed.run/ Axie Infinity: https://axieinfinity.com/ Qiao Wang tweet: https://twitter.com/QwQiao/status/1425773846418821125 Ethereum burning: https://ultrasound.money/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why Did the Poly Network Attacker Return Half the Money They Stole? - Ep.263
Poly Network, a cross-chain DeFi protocol, recently suffered a $600M hack -- the largest DeFi exploit in crypto history. Mudit Gupta, security researcher and SushiSwap dev, breaks down the attack, explaining how it occurred, why the hacker is returning the funds, and what Poly Network should do next. Show highlights: how Poly Network works what specific mechanism the hacker attacked on Poly Network why many people (including myself) had never heard of Poly Network before the hack how “keepers” failed to protect Poly Network why a failed transaction was the key to pulling off the hack what SlowMist claims to have discovered about the hacker what could be motivating the hacker to return the stolen funds how the hacker is communicating with Poly Network why Tether was able to freeze funds while USDC and BSC allowed the hacker to get away with their tokens how Poly Network should handle negotiations with the hacker Thank you to our sponsors! Sorare: https://sorare.com Polymarket: https://polymarket.co/unconfirmed Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Mudit Gupta Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mudit__Gupta Blog: https://mudit.blog/ SushiSwap: https://twitter.com/SushiSwap Poly Network hack Poly Network response: https://twitter.com/PolyNetwork2/status/1425870262067548163 Mudit’s analysis: https://mudit.blog/poly-network-largest-crypto-hack/ Kelvin Fichter thread: https://twitter.com/kelvinfichter/status/1425217046636371969 Hacker Q&A: https://twitter.com/tomrobin/status/1425487745166753794 Tether blacklist: https://twitter.com/paoloardoino/status/1425090760609832978 ETH tip: https://twitter.com/HsakaTrades/status/1425093301691195407 The Block’s coverage: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/114189/poly-hack-attacker-return-funds-id-slowmist ​​Returning funds: https://www.coindesk.com/poly-network-hacker-starts-to-return-funds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 13 Aug 2021 09:30:00 -0000
Is ETH on Its Way to Becoming Ultra-Sound Money? Yes, Says Justin Drake - Ep.262
Ethereum just went through its most complex upgrade ever. Justin Drake, researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, discusses what the upgrade, aka the London hard fork, means for ether’s future as what he calls "ultra-sound money." At the end of the episode, he also drops a few Bitcoin hot takes. Show highlights: his background and how he got involved in crypto how EIP 1559 will affect Ethereum now that it is live why burning ether is good for the Ethereum economy what two concepts are crucial to understanding money what three ways ether is used as money why he believes ether will become “ultra sound money,” when gold and silver are just “sound money” what the main drivers of ETH’s value are how the merge from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake will happen for Ethereum how much more efficient Justin calculates proof-of-stake will be compared to proof-of-work why people are saying Ethereum is going through a “triple halvening” what factors influence how much Ethereum is issued and burned how Ethereum could become deflationary why net sell pressure is about to decrease what projects are burning the most ETH now that EIP 1559 is live why Justin is worried about Bitcoin’s future what Bitcoin could do to survive once it only subsists on transaction fees whether Justin considers himself a bitcoiner how ETH as ultra-sound money is becoming a meme 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 Episode Links Justin Drake Twitter: https://twitter.com/drakefjustin Written content June 23 Ethereum Foundation ETH 2.0 Research AMA (command F for Justin Drake responses) https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/o4unlp/ama_we_are_the_efs_research_team_pt_6_23_june_2021/ “If capped-supply gold is sound money decreasing-supply ether is ultra sound money” https://twitter.com/drakefjustin/status/1396796596281614339 Math Modeling ETH based on EVM fees https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U9cGxGY3_t7m4MEIpjKWtRcA2zRajywaxMCZYqbF9eI/edit#gid=0 Calculating ETH supply https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZN444__qkPWPjMJQ_t6FfqbhllkWNhHF-06ivRF73nQ/edit#gid=0 Podcast appearances Bankless “Modeling Ultra Sound Money” (April 28) https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/-sotn-44-modeling-ultra-sound-money Bankless “Ultra Sound Money” (Mar 23) https://twitter.com/drakefjustin/status/1374049775474114562 Bankless “Bull Case for Cryptography” (Jan 25) https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/-moon-math-the-bull-case-for-cryptography London/EIP 1559/Ethereum 2.0 Resources Unchained content Episodes Ethereum’s EIP-1559 Will Solve Some Problems But Big Ones Will Remain https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereums-eip-1559-will-solve-some-problems-but-big-ones-will-remain/ Ethereum 2.0: What You Need to Know https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereum-2-0-what-you-need-to-know/ Why Ethereum 2.0 Could Fail and How It Could Be Fixed https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ethereum-2-0-could-fail-and-how-it-could-be-fixed/ Previous resources EIP 1559 links (Tim Beiko) https://hackmd.io/@timbeiko/1559-resources Messari Research https://messari.io/pdf/messari-report-eth2-the-next-evolution-of-cryptoeconomy.pdf Staked ETH address https://etherscan.io/address/0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa#analytics DETH of Ethereum https://medium.com/ideo-colab/the-deth-of-ethereum-98553866e81b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How Congress Might Pass Laws Bad for Proof-of-Stake and DeFi - Ep.261
Kristin Smith, executive director at the Blockchain Association, discusses the latest news on a provision in the infrastructure bill that seeks to raise $28B from the crypto industry in taxes. Show highlights: how the original crypto provision within the infrastructure bill came to be why the expansion of the term “broker” is problematic in the original language of the bill what the Treasury and the White House have to do with this bill and how they, along with Senator Portman, are resisting change how Senators Ron Wyden, Pat Toomey, and Cynthia Lummis are attempting to change the language of the provision through an amendment how the crypto community rallied around Wyden's amendment why Kristin believes a rival amendment put forward by Senators Warner and Portman and supported by the White House late Thursday is worse than the bill’s original language when the Senate will be voting on the amendments how the amendment the White House supports seems harmful to proof-of-stake networks and bad for DeFi whether this is part of a master plan to regulate crypto in the US what Kristin hopes happens during the vote how the crypto community can have its voice heard how to fix the issues within the crypto policy world so this doesn’t happen again Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Episode Links Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/KMSmithDC Blockchain Association: https://theblockchainassociation.org/ Infrastructure Bill Information Latest Coverage: https://decrypt.co/77838/rival-amendment-senate-infrastructure-bill-threatens-proof-stake https://decrypt.co/77859/crypto-industry-mobilizes-to-stop-controversial-tax-plan https://decrypt.co/77841/biden-crypto-infrastructure-bill-amendments https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/16-civil-society-organizations-call-congress-fix-cryptocurrency-provision https://decrypt.co/77681/senators-move-exempt-bitcoin-miners-tax-provision-infrastructure-bill https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/08/04/senators-propose-change-to-new-crypto-rules-for-tax-reporting-heres-whos-affected/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn/status/1422976741715361792 https://twitter.com/jerrybrito/status/1422002228102107142 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/113196/wyden-crypto-language-in-infrastructure-bill-fails-to-understand-how-the-technology-works https://www.coindesk.com/new-infrastructure-bill-looks-to-raise-30b-through-crypto-taxes https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1421150344051048451 https://twitter.com/NeerajKA/status/1421242689148932105 https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/01/politics/bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-collins-manchin-senate-cnntv/index.html https://www.coindesk.com/gop-lawmaker-janet-yellens-treasury-likely-behind-surprise-crypto-bill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 06 Aug 2021 15:18:31 -0000
Can a DeFi Smart Contract Be Regulated? Two CFTC Commissioners Discuss - Ep.260
CFTC Commissioners Dan Berkovitz and Brian Quintenz discuss the difficulties of regulating crypto derivatives and DeFi. Show highlights: their backgrounds what the CFTC’s duties are regarding crypto how the CFTC’s jurisdiction has evolved over the years why Commissioner Quintenz believes SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s safe harbor proposal is “brilliant” what relationship the CFTC and SEC have when making decisions on crypto assets why the commissioners believe CFTC’s complaints regarding BitMEX are “well-founded” why formal regulation for crypto derivatives is unlikely to be produced by the CFTC why leveraged derivatives products are a “concern” to the CFTC what makes regulating DeFi platforms so difficult when it comes to DeFi, who is a natural entity for the CFTC to regulate, if any whether the CFTC would ever go after DeFi "market participants," who the CFTC also regulates why smart contracts involving futures could be illegal how the possibility that smart contracts could be illegal squares with the view that software development is a form of free speech whether the CFTC could prosecute developers who write smart contracts whether the CFTC needs to re-write its laws in light of DeFi innovation why Commissioner Berkovitz thinks the DeFi “winners” will be protocols that focus on meeting regulatory requirements why the CFTC approved Bitcoin futures in 2017 while the SEC has not yet approved a Bitcoin ETF how a Bitcoin ETF could solve Bitcoin’s accounting issue, which currently gives companies no upside for adding BTC to its balance sheet 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 People Dan Berkovitz, CFTC Commissioner (Sep 2018+) CFTC website: https://www.cftc.gov/About/Commissioners/CommissionerDanMBerkovitz/index.htm Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFTCberkovitz Brian Quintenz, CFTC Commissioner (Aug 2017+) CFTC website: https://www.cftc.gov/About/Commissioners/BrianQuintenz/index.htm Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFTCquintenz Related Links CFTC digital asset resources: https://www.cftc.gov/digitalassets/index.htm Commissioner Berkovitz DeFi speech: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/107769/cftc-commissioner-criticizes-defi-decries-lack-of-intermediaries Commissioner Quintenz smart contracts/blockchain speech: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opaquintenz16 CFTC jurisdiction over digital assets: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/giancarlostatement010418 CFTC BitMEX complaint: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8270-20 FTX and Binance remove high leverage: https://decrypt.co/76858/ftx-and-binance-remove-high-leverage-from-exchanges SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s safe harbor proposal: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-statement-token-safe-harbor-proposal-2.0 Bitcoin futures approval from CFTC in 2017: https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-price-futures-trading-exchanges-cftc-2017-12 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Aug 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Axie Infinity's July Revenue Tops $200 Million. Here's How Filipinos Drove It - Ep.259
Leah Callon-Butler, director of Emfarsis, discusses her documentary, “Play-to-Earn: NFT Gaming in the Philippines,” and the real-world impact that crypto is having in the Philippines. Show highlights: how the Axie Infinity movement started in the Philippines how much money players can earn through Axie Infinity compared to normal wages in the Philippines how Filipino crypto exchanges are catering to Axie Infinity players to make it easier to cash out their earnings what percentage of Axie Infinity players live in the Philippines why the game is so popular in rural areas what about Axie Infinity is bringing in non-crypto native players why Axie Infinity now has high barriers to entry how players have created their own system for helping bring new users into Axie Infinity how Axie Infinity scholarships work what Leah thinks about Yield Guild Games’s relationship with Axie Infinity Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org/ NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links Leah Callon-Butler: https://twitter.com/leah_cb Emfarsis: https://emfarsis.com/ Axie Infinity: Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo-BrASMHU4 Coverage https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/14/people-in-philippines-earn-cryptocurrency-playing-nft-video-game-axie-infinity.html https://venturebeat.com/2021/05/13/how-a-rural-filipino-community-is-earning-a-living-playing-an-nft-game/ https://hypebeast.com/2021/5/axie-infinity-nft-cryptocurrency-game-philippines-documentary https://www.esquiremag.ph/money/industry/axie-infinity-mobile-game-cryptocurrency-nft-a00289-20210521 Leah’s NFT/Axie Infinity writings: https://www.coindesk.com/the-metaverses-emerging-economics https://www.coindesk.com/how-axie-infinity-creates-work-in-the-metaverse https://www.coindesk.com/nft-game-filipinos-covid https://www.coindesk.com/artists-who-now-make-a-living-because-of-nfts https://www.coindesk.com/for-filipinos-axie-infinity-is-more-than-a-crypto-game https://www.coindesk.com/here-comes-the-virtual-real-estate-boom https://www.coindesk.com/vindicatio-nft-pioneer-looks-ahead Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 30 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Why ShapeShift's Erik Voorhees Thinks Toxic Bitcoin Maximalism Is Bullshit - Ep.258
ShapeShift recently announced an intent to decentralize -- a move that would transition the one-time centralized exchange to a full-on DAO. Erik Voorhees, founder and CEO of ShapeShift, comes onto the show to talk about decentralizing the exchange, along with his thoughts on Bitcoin maximalism and crypto regulation. Show highlights: why ShapeShift is decentralizing the company how ShapeShift used to work what needs to happen for ShapeShift to decentralize why user experience should not change during the transition how the FOX token works what parts of a company cannot be decentralized yet how ShapeShift’s forthcoming foundation will function how ShapeShift decided upon the allocations for the FOX token airdrop why ShapeShift employee and shareholder FOX tokens are locked up for three years what Erik’s role will be going forward how ShapeShift plans to attract devs why Erik believes FOX is not a security how Erik wants the SEC to handle crypto why he believes THORChain is one of the most critical projects in crypto why he is opposed to Bitcoin maximalism Erik’s thoughts on BitMEX’s and Binance’s regulatory issues what he thinks about stablecoin regulation Why Erik believes ShapeShift and Uniswap are not competitors 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 Erik Voorhees Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikVoorhees Previous Unchained appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/shapeshifts-erik-voorhees-on-how-crypto-will-separate-money-and-state/ ShapeShift: https://beta.shapeshift.com/ Decentralizing Tweet thread: https://twitter.com/ErikVoorhees/status/1415339998740508674 Blog post: https://erikvoorhees.medium.com/shapeshift-is-decentralizing-639bb4c82fc8 Airdrop info: https://shapeshift.com/shapeshift-decentralize-airdrop FOX token contract: https://etherscan.io/token/0xc770eefad204b5180df6a14ee197d99d808ee52d CoinDesk write-up: https://www.coindesk.com/shapeshift-to-shut-down-airdrop-fox-tokens-to-decentralize-itself-out-of-existence FOX token analysis: https://www.coindesk.com/shapeshift-fox-token-rally-yield-play-daos Other THORChain: https://erikvoorhees.medium.com/an-introduction-to-thorchain-for-bitcoiners Getting booed at Miami BTC Conference: https://twitter.com/finematics/status/1401498099441405953 Paxos stablecoin blog: https://www.paxos.com/a-regulated-stablecoin-means-having-a-regulator/ Circle reveals reserves: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/112001/circle-reveals-majority-of-usdc-reserves-are-in-cash-and-cash-equivalents CFTC and BitMEX: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8270-20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: MIT's Neha Narula on Why Building DeFi on Bitcoin Is a Great Idea - Ep.257
Neha Narula, director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, discusses Elon Musk’s appearance at ‘The B Word’ conference, along with a few current events in the Bitcoin world. Show highlights: her main takeaway from ‘The B Word’ conference why governance plays an essential role in Bitcoin’s block size arguments what Neha thinks of proof-of-work mining and Bitcon’s environmental concerns why Neha is skeptical of Dogecoin becoming a serious cryptocurrency why Jack Dorsey’s new Bitcoin platform business is a good idea what Bitcoin’s dip in hashrate due to China’s crackdown could affect network security going forward what questions Neha has about Bitcoin’s adoption in El Salvador why Neha thinks cryptocurrencies and CBDCs will coexist what DCI has planned for the rest of 2021 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org/ NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links: Neha Narula: https://twitter.com/neha MIT Media Lab: ​​https://twitter.com/medialab Digital Currency Initiative https://dci.mit.edu/ CBDC research https://dci.mit.edu/cbdc-central-bank-digital-currency Bitcoin network development https://dci.mit.edu/cbdc-central-bank-digital-currency The B Word conference Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, Cathie Wood conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwx_7XAJ3p0 Neha’s appearance: https://www.thebword.org/c/track-3-Supporting-the-Developer-Ecosystem Miscellaneous Square’s Bitcoin DeFi platform https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/16/square-is-building-a-decentralized-finance-business-for-bitcoin.html Bitcoin and El Salvador https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/05/el-salvador-becomes-the-first-country-to-adopt-bitcoin-as-legal-tender-.html Bitcoin hashrate drop https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/chinas-bitcoin-miner-exodus-.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 23 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
How Ransomware Evolved Into a Big Business - Ep.256
Gurvais Grigg, Chainalysis public sector CTO, and Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis, review the ransomware landscape. Show Highlights: their backgrounds and roles at Chainalysis how a ransomware attack works what types of businesses are usually targeted in ransomware attacks why ransomware as a service (RAAS) is a booming business why Kim and Gurvais believe the hacking group REvil is becoming more sophisticated what characteristic of REvil hints that the group could be affiliated with Russia how the RAAS business model works how ransomware payments can be tracked why ransomware reporting has a data problem why Bitcoin is the preferred method of payment amongst ransomware attackers what two factors makes BTC preferable to privacy coins how ransomware groups teach victims to transfer BTC how ransomware groups cash out of their BTC how counter-terrorism tactics can help fight ransomware attacks how the Department of Justice may have partially recovered part of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware payment what tools and strategies governments can and will use to battle ransomware 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 People Kim Grauer - Director of Research at Chainalysis https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-grauer-a9501144 Gurvais Grigg - Global Public Sector Chief Technology Officer at Chainalysis https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurvais-grigg-b1027a153/ Chainalsysis Ransomware Data https://go.chainalysis.com/rs/503-FAP-074/images/Ransomware-2021-update.pdf https://go.chainalysis.com/rs/503-FAP-074/images/Chainalysis-Crypto-Crime-2021.pdf https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/applying-counterterrorism-strategies-to-ransomware https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/eastern-europe-cryptocurrency-market-2020 Ransomware Attacks Kaseya https://decrypt.co/75246/what-the-revil-ransomware-attack-means-for-crypto https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-03/ransomware-attack-us-revil/100265656 Colonial Pipeline https://ciphertrace.com/ransomware-seizure-blockchain-analytics-helps-us-authorities-seize-over-2-million-in-darkside-ransom-paid-by-colonial-pipeline/ https://www.elliptic.co/blog/us-authorities-seize-darkside JBS Holdings https://www.wsj.com/articles/jbs-paid-11-million-to-resolve-ransomware-attack Other Chainalysis Twitter: https://twitter.com/chainalysis Website: https://www.chainalysis.com/ Who is REvil? https://fortune.com/2021/07/07/what-is-revil-ransomware-attack-kaseya/ https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/revil-threat-actors/ Combating ransomware: https://securityandtechnology.org/ransomwaretaskforce/report/ Why Gurvais joined Chainalysis: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/gurvais-grigg-chainalysis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why It Might Be Too Late for Binance to Avoid Regulatory Action - Ep.255
Christine Parker, partner at Reed Smith, summarizes the slew of regulatory headlines facing Binance and how such scrutiny may affect the exchange going forward. Show highlights: which countries are investigating Binance why it has been difficult for governing bodies to regulate Binance whether the reports that regulatory bodies, like the CFTC/IRS/DOJ, coming after Binance are correct when Christine expects regulators to make a move against Binance how hiring ex-regulators might help Binance in Congress whether Binance’s strategy of leaving countries with tight regulations helped or hurt the exchange what Christine thinks of Binance’s strategy to localize its business model whether or not it is too late to avoid regulatory penalties for Binance why transitioning to a DAO business model would not absolve Binance of prior infractions how the BitMEX situation could inform Binance whether criminal charges could be in Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao’s future Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links Christine Parker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-parker-b09a31/ Binance Investigations https://www.coindesk.com/state-of-crypto-binance-is-firmly-in-the-regulatory-crosshairs https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/110380/thailand-sec-binance-crypto-exchange-criminal-complaint https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/104836/binance-crypto-irs-us-government-investigation-report https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/110510/barclays-customers-in-the-u-k-can-no-longer-transfer-funds-to-binance https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/110617/binance-suspends-deposits-from-key-european-payments-network https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/111482/italy-binance-consob-warning Binance Material CZ letter https://www.binance.com/en/blog/421499824684902301/A-Letter-from-Our-CEO-Reflecting-on-Progress-and-the-Road-Ahead CZ Unchained appearance https://unchainedpodcast.com/listen-to-cz-compare-binance-to-bitcoin/ Binance’s compliance hiring spree https://www.radicalcompliance.com/2021/07/08/binance-compliance-hiring-spree/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 16 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Can a DAO Go to Court? According to Two DAO Legal Experts… Probably - Ep.254
Aaron Wright, co-founder of OpenLaw and Professor at Cardozo Law, and Ross Campbell, SushiSwap core developer and LexDAO contributor, discuss the latest breakthroughs and legal implications in the burgeoning world of DAOs. Show highlights: how Aaron and Ross fell down the crypto rabbit hole whether a DAO, like Curve, could sue to protect its IP when a governance token might be considered a security who owns the copyright to a DAO how SushiSwap handles its open-source licenses why Ross views Uniswap’s business license as a good thing what an DAO is and how the idea stems from Bitcoin how Wyoming’s DAO law works what makes a Wyoming DAO different from a DAO registered as a Delaware LLC how an algorithmically managed DAO might work in the future why Aaron thinks a DAO should not be allowed to be manager-managed why wrapping a DAO into an LLC could be advantageous the difference between private and public ordering 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 People Ross Campbell Social Twitter: https://twitter.com/r_ross_campbell Medium: https://medium.com/@rosscampbell9 Career OpenLaw: https://www.openlaw.io/ LexDAO: https://lexdao.substack.com/people/867851-ross-campbell SushiSwap: https://app.sushi.com/swap Aaron Wright Social Twitter: https://twitter.com/awrigh01 Career OpenLaw: https://www.openlaw.io/ Cardozo Law: https://cardozo.yu.edu/directory/aaron-wright Content The Rise of DAOs: https://stanford-jblp.pubpub.org/pub/rise-of-daos/release/1 DAO Information Basics: https://ethereum.org/en/dao/ https://1729.com/daos Kain Warwick: DAO First Capital Formation https://blog.synthetix.io/dao-first-capital-formation/ https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1287961077041393664 DAO Stats https://deepdao.io/ Wyoming: https://www.wyoleg.gov/2021/Engross/SF0038.pdf https://lexnode.substack.com/p/wyomings-legal-dao-saster https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/1370002015644962816?s=20 https://www.coindesk.com/wyoming-dao-llc-law-passed https://twitter.com/lex_node/status/1407668599205027843?s=20 https://decrypt.co/75222/americas-first-dao-approved-in-wyoming Delaware: https://ricardian.gitbook.io/ricardian-llc/is-ricardian-legal Curve IP: https://gov.curve.fi/t/cip-xx-enforce-curves-ip-rights/1890 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/108561/the-first-dao-lawsuit-proposal-asks-if-curve-should-protect-its-ip https://www.coindesk.com/curve-dao-contemplates-its-intellectual-property https://twitter.com/SamMiorelli/status/1405141398479847426 https://twitter.com/lex_node/status/1405251782574497799 Uniswap V3 https://www.coindesk.com/uniswap-v3-introduces-new-license-to-spoil-future-sushis https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1374738548239314951 https://defiprime.com/uniswap-v3-explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How Axie Infinity Boosted Revenue 400%+ in 30 Days - Ep.253
Aleksander Larsen, co-founder and COO of Axie Infinity, discusses Axie Infinity’s recent growth, which has seen the platform do 20X the volume of NBA Top Shot in recent days. Show highlights: what is Axie Infinity? why there has been such an uptick in network activity and profitability how the Axie Infinity team came together how Axie Infinity uses blockchain technology within its game how Axie Infinity leverages the ‘play to earn’ mania sweeping across Web3 applications what problems may arise as Axie Infinity starts to decentralize how Axie Infinity is attempting to lower the expensive barrier to entry that comes with blockchain-based games why the Philippines is going crazy for Axie Infinity why building out a sidechain has been such a positive development for the company the two ways Axie Ininity makes money what’s next for Axie Infinity Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links Aleksander Larsen: https://twitter.com/Psycheout86 Axie Infinity: https://axieinfinity.com/ Content Philippines: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/14/people-in-philippines-earn-cryptocurrency-playing-nft-video-game-axie-infinity.html Sidechain: https://medium.com/axie-infinity/introducing-ronin-axie-infinitys-ethereum-sidechain-8745e31eaef1 The Game That Helps Pay Bills: https://startups.my/the-game-that-helps-pay-bills-axie-infinity/ CoinDesk write up: https://www.coindesk.com/axie-infinity-token-quadruples-nfts Play-to-earn: https://metaportal.substack.com/p/the-memetic-power-of-play-to-earn Unchained Axie Infinity write-up: https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-nft-marketplace-does-20x-the-volume-of-nba-top-shot/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 09 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
The Bitcoin Hash Rate Has Dropped. How Long Will It Take to Return? - Ep.252
Kevin Zhang, vice president of business development at Foundry, breaks down the latest developments surrounding China and bitcoin mining. Show highlights: how he came across crypto and which Bitcoin OG he joined at Bitcoin.com to help start its mining operations arm what Foundry does and its relationship with Digital Currency Group (DCG) why DCG wanted to build out a mining infrastructure business what news from China in early March kickstarted the process of the mining ban how China’s Central Television broadcasting company might have brought extra scrutiny to cryptocurrencies what the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party has to do with its Bitcoin mining ban why the Inner Mongolia and Sichuan Bitcoin mining bans were especially disruptive for Chinese miners how much of China’s hash rate Kevin estimates has been shut down since May where are miners relocating to why Chinese mining equipment will not be allowed to turn on in the US whether or not China’s Bitcoin mining ban will stick why China banning bitcoin mining will be good for the network in the long run what significant risk to Bitcoin’s network is solved by China banning bitcoin mining how much Bitcoin’s hash rate will drop and what effect this will have on miner revenue why Kevin thinks that Bitcoin is good for renewable energy how immersion cooling technology works what tangible benefits miners could find by moving to North America if El Salvador’s volcanic bitcoin mining plan is feasible what Kevin predicts will happen in the Bitcoin mining industry for the latter half of 2021 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 Kevin Zhang Twitter: https://twitter.com/SinoCrypto Mining tweet storms: https://twitter.com/SinoCrypto/status/1407524150885994497 https://twitter.com/SinoCrypto/status/1409227438262046723 Content from previous work experience: Greenridge Generation https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/57943/a-power-plant-in-new-york-is-reportedly-mining-roughly-50000-in-bitcoin-each-day Project Spokane https://medium.com/@derekbrouwer/the-bitcoin-barons-how-a-marketer-and-a-money-launderer-sold-montana-on-digital-gold-2a255c96c981 Foundry, Subsidiary of DCG Twitter: https://twitter.com/foundryservices Website: https://foundrydigital.com/ Foundry USA Pool Bit Digital: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bit-digital-joins-foundry-usa-pool-with-5-679-machines-adding-up-to-280-phs-of-compute-power-to-the-pool-301283792.html Bitfarms partnership: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/04/23/2215897/0/en/Bitfarms-Partners-with-Foundry-to-Expand-Bitcoin-Mining-Fleet-and-Join-Foundry-USA-Pool-Instantly-Boosts-Operating-Hashrate-By-15.html China’s Bitcoin Mining Ban Travis Kling noted 25 different announcements from China in June alone: https://twitter.com/Travis_Kling/status/1410630499748388865 Glassnode: mining difficulty to face its largest decrease ever https://insights.glassnode.com/the-week-on-chain-week-26-2021/ The Block: hash rate dropped 50%, Foundry up while everyone else is hurting https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/109315/bitcoin-hashrate-declines-50-percent-china-mining-crackdown Nic Carter: breaking down the hashrate migration https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-unpacking-hashrate-nic-cart-migration Secondhand mining equipment prices are spiking https://www.coindesk.com/chinese-logistics-firm-airlifting-bitcoin-mining-machines-to-maryland-report https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/109301/secondhand-bitcoin-miner-supply-spiking-bitmain Bitcoin miners shut down, 26 farms affected after Sichuan bans BTC mining https://www.coindesk.com/sichuan-becomes-latest-chinese-province-to-order-bitcoin-miner-shutdown https://decrypt.co/74075/bitcoin-hashrate-falls-17-overnight-after-china-mining-crackdown China’s Inner Mongolia announced eight measures in its crypto ban https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/105973/china-inner-mongolia-crypto-bitcoin-mining-ban-measures Hash rate hits yearly low https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-mining-hashrate-drops-low Miners are moving to Kazakhstan https://www.coindesk.com/chinese-bitcoin-mining-company-delivers-first-machines-to-kazakhstan Tweet thread on how bitcoin miners reacted to the PRC’s May crackdown https://twitter.com/MustafaYilham/status/1396574185598590979 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried Gives the Tom Brady/Gisele Bundchen Backstory - Ep.251
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and founder of FTX, explains FTX’s sports-centric advertising model and talks about what is on his regulatory wish list going forward. Show highlights: why Sam is so excited to bring Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen onto the FTX team how FTX decides on who to sponsor why so many of FTX’s sponsorship are targeting US customers what makes the sports industry such an attractive place to advertise for FTX how FTX’s tokenized stocks work what Sam learned from the GameStop/Robinhood situation what makes FTX’s tokenized stocks different from Binance’s offering how FTX is dealing with regulatory obstacles what item is on the top of Sam’s regulatory wishlist whether FTT is a security Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links Sam Bankman-Fried Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda Previous Unchained appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-gamestop-insanity-is-so-similar-to-crypto/ FTX Website: https://ftx.com Carbon credits: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/ftx-bitmex-to-become-carbon-neutral Tokenized Stocks FTX guidelines: https://help.ftx.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051229472-Tokenized-Stocks CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/ftx-follows-binances-lead-with-move-into-tokenized-stocks FTX Sports Deals NBA: https://www.coindesk.com/ftx-miami-heat-nfts Tom Brady: https://decrypt.co/74771/tom-brady-and-gisele-bundchen-invest-in-ftx TSM FTX: https://www.sporttechie.com/tsm-esports-signs-210-million-sponsorship-with-ftx-crypto-exchange MLB: https://www.coindesk.com/ftx-sponsors-mlb-umpires-to-wear-crypto-exchanges-logo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 02 Jul 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Ethereum's EIP-1559 Will Solve Some Problems But Big Ones Will Remain - Ep.250
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
Tue, 29 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Strong Hands Aren't Selling Bitcoin. So Who Is? - Ep.249
Will Clemente, author of the BTC by WC3 newsletter, breaks down the current state of Bitcoin’s on-chain activity and explains why he believes the market is in a mid-cycle lull rather than turning bearish. Show highlights: why Will is not worried about a bear market what indicators make Will believe BTC is in a mid-cycle consolidation who is selling and driving the recent market downturn why Will thinks the unwinding of derivatives is a significant factor in Bitcoin’s move below $30K what Will believe institutions are waiting on before entering the market again how Bitcoin cycles can be broken down into mini hype-cycles how long-term holders are acting on-chain the difference between long-term holders versus short-term holders during bear and bull markets why Will is interested in finding data on Latin American Bitcoin users how long the consolidation process might take what metrics Will has his eyes on for the latter half of 2021 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links: Will Clemente Twitter: https://twitter.com/WClementeIII Newsletter: https://btcbywc3.substack.com/ Miscellaneous Links Unchained w/ Willy Woo and Raphael Shultze-Kraft: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-bitcoins-price-go-up-again-yes-according-to-on-chain-analytics/ Willy Woo and Will Clemente ratio: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1407403983023460354 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 25 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Is Quadriga's Gerald Cotten Still Alive? The 'Exit Scam' Podcast Aims to Answer - Ep.248
Aaron Lammer, author and host of the Exit Scam podcast, recounts the mysterious and controversial death of QuadrigaCX’s founder Gerald Cotton. Show highlights: A quick recap of QuadrigaCX why Aaron felt compelled to create a series on QuadrigaCX how Gerald Cotton, a lifelong Ponzi-addict, came to be the CEO of Canada’s largest crypto exchange what Ponzi-schemes Gerald ran before starting Quadriga CX why customers trusted QuadrigaCX and what red flags were readily apparent looking back the sketchy tactic Gerald used to single-handedly boosted QuadrigaCX’s trading volume by 30% a new wife, empty wallets, a hastily written will, and the circumstances surrounding Gerald’s shocking death how Gerald’s dark web background might have prepared him to fake his own death what the chances are that Canadian authorities exhume Gerald’s body why Aaron is skeptical Gerald’s widow was “in” on the QuadrigaCX fiasco 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 Aaron Lammer Co-founder of Longform.org + co-host of Longform Podcast (2010+) Treats Media -- podcast platform (2018+) Exit Scam CoinTalk: https://medium.com/s/cointalk Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/exitscampod Episodes: The Lost Password https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-password/id1565845318?i=1000521095118 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-ii-the-co-founder/id1565845318?i=1000521984138 The Co-Founder https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-iii-the-ponzi-schemer/id1565845318?i=1000522885172 The Ponzi Schemer https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-iv-the-chris-markay-account/id1565845318?i=1000523624957 The Chris Markay Account https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-v-the-old-friend/id1565845318?i=1000524470802 The Old Friend https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-vi-the-coffin/id1565845318?i=1000525407259 The Coffin Quadriga Deep Dives: CBC News https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/bitcoin-gerald-cotten-quadriga-cx-death Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/the-strange-tale-of-quadriga-gerald-cotten Amy Castor timeline https://amycastor.com/2019/02/12/how-the-hell-did-we-get-here-a-timeline-of-quadrigacx-events/ Ontario Securities Commission https://www.osc.gov.on.ca/quadrigacxreport/ Details Ontario Securities Commission deems Quadriga an “old fashioned fraud” + “Ponzi” https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/the-strange-tale-of-quadriga-gerald-cotten https://www.coindesk.com/quadriga-was-a-ponzi-scheme-ontario-securities-regulator-says Crypto officially recognized as property in Canada due to this case https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=728711fd-5d3c-43ea-91b4-efb8c02f4bec Fun Reddit stuff Is a Gerald Cotten alive? -- a poll: https://www.reddit.com/r/QuadrigaCX/comments/m17kip/is_gerald_cotten_really_dead/ Graphic connecting Michael Patryn to Omar Dhanani https://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinCA/comments/828dnr/quadrigacx_cofounder_michael_patryn_is_a/ Lawyers publicly request that RCMP exhume Gerald Cotten’s body https://www.coindesk.com/lawyers-ramp-up-pressure-to-exhume-quadriga-ceos-body Report on Gerald Cotten transferring funds into a personal account https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/28259/quadrigacx-co-founder-transferred-user-funds-into-personal-accounts-ey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Polygon: The Layer 2 Solution Doing 8 Times as Many Transactions a Day as Ethereum - Ep.247
Jaynti Kanani, cofounder and CEO of Polygon, discusses why the layer 2 solution has seen so much success during a down crypto market. Show highlights: what factors have led to Polygon’s and MATIC's impressive performance YTD how Polygon is scaling Ethereum what types of projects are taking off on Polygon how Polygon is attempting to address the issue of layer 2 composability how Polygon plans to use its latest funding why Jaynti is confident Polygon will still be necessary after ETH 2.0 launches 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 Jaynti Kanani Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jdkanani Polygon Website: https://polygon.technology/ Overview: https://www.theblockresearch.com/polygon-a-technical-overview-105799 https://www.theblockresearch.com/mapping-out-polygons-ecosystem-105540 Popularity: https://www.coindesk.com/defi-projects-continue-flocking-to-layer-2-solution-polygon https://www.coindesk.com/institutional-investors-have-arrived-on-polygon-amid-rising-ethereum-layer-2-demand-blockchain-data https://www.coindesk.com/polygons-matic-token-ended-may-up-120-despite-bitcoins-price-crash Investments: https://www.coindesk.com/au21-capital-opens-polygon-fund https://www.coindesk.com/mark-cuban-invests-in-ethereum-layer-2-polygon Miscellaneous: https://www.coindesk.com/okcoin-integrates-polygon-reduce-users-ethereum-gas-fees https://polygon.technology/lightpaper-polygon.pdf https://www.coindesk.com/kyber-network-announces-polygon-integration-and-liquidity-mining-program https://defiwatch.net/second-letter-to-polygon/ https://www.coindesk.com/google-cloud-now-provides-blockchain-insights-for-polygon-network https://www.coindesk.com/decentralized-exchange-aggregator-1inch-network-expands-to-polygon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 18 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unchained 5-Year Anniversary: AMA With Laura on Her Favorite Guests, Predictions and More - Ep.246
To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Unchained, I answer some questions submitted to me by the audience. In this episode, I cover: what I think about the relationship between psychedelics and crypto the most entertaining guest I’ve interviewed on Unchained why Coinbase founders may have a more impactful future on crypto than Ethereum founders which show has been the most impactful why I am a “nocoiner” where I believe DAOs fit into the future of crypto who my favorite guests have been over the years what I am most fearful and most hopeful about in the crypto space why I think user-friendly products are so important moving forward which DeFi projects I find the most interesting what sort of expenses go into producing Unchained which topics I would like to cover in the future the most surprising answers I have received in an interview (feat. CZ and Vitalik) what three cryptos I think will be most important three years from now if I think I have interviewed Satoshi :) my advice for anyone looking to change careers and go crypto who has been the hardest person to book on Unchained what crypto trend has surprised me the most in the past five years 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 Keychain: https://conjure.finance Episode Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod Daily Newsletter: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ Podcasts mentioned during the show: Vitalik Buterin on Ethereum’s Five-Year Anniversary https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-ethereums-five-year-anniversary/ Listen to CZ Compare Binance to Bitcoin https://unchainedpodcast.com/listen-to-cz-compare-binance-to-bitcoin/ Mark Cuban on Why He Thinks ETH Is a Better Store of Value Than Bitcoin https://unchainedpodcast.com/mark-cuban-on-why-he-thinks-eth-is-a-better-store-of-value-than-bitcoin/ Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson on the Shitcoin Waterfall – Ep.74 https://unchainedpodcast.com/meltem-demirors-and-jill-carlson-on-the-shitcoin-waterfall-ep-74/ Yeonmi Park on Why Doing Business With North Korea Is Like Buying a Ticket to a Concentration Camp https://unchainedpodcast.com/yeonmi-park-on-why-doing-business-with-north-korea-is-like-buying-a-ticket-to-a-concentration-camp/ Andre Cronje of Yearn Finance on YFI and the Fair Launch: ‘I’m Lazy’ https://unchainedpodcast.com/andre-cronje-of-yearn-finance-on-yfi-and-the-fair-launch-im-lazy/ Nick Tomaino on 1confirmation’s $125 Million Fund and What Future NFTs Will Look Like https://unchainedpodcast.com/nick-tomaino-on-1confirmations-125-million-fund-and-what-future-nfts-will-look-like/ Why Bitcoin’s December Price Target Is Now ‘Above $300,000’ (Willy Woo) https://unchainedpodcast.com/charting-bitcoins-growth-with-willy-woo-and-peter-brandt/ What Makes a CryptoKitty Worth $140,000? – Ep.75 (Roham Gharegozlou) https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-makes-a-cryptokitty-worth-140000-ep-75 Why I don’t own crypto: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1376211065772576770 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Want Crypto in Your 401(k)? It's Finally Possible -- With This Provider - Ep.245
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
Fri, 11 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Will Bitcoin's Price Go Up Again? Yes, According to On-Chain Analytics - Ep.244
Willy Woo, on-chain Bitcoin analyst and writer of the Bitcoin Forecast, a market intelligence newsletter, and Rafael Schultze-Kraft, co-founder and CTO of Glassnode, discuss Bitcoin and what the on-chain metrics tell us about the price. Here to discuss is. Episode highlights: what factors pushed the price of BTC down in May why Elon’s Twitter account hold so much sway over the market why Willy believes Bitcoin is good for renewable energy who sold during the last month which type of BTC investors stopped purchasing in Feb/March what trends Willy and Rafael have noticed from coins moving to/from exchanges their thoughts on exchange-traded products, like GBTC and Canadian ETFs how derivatives trading has played a role in Bitcoin’s price why stablecoins were trading above their peg in the months leading up to the Coinbase direct listing how Willy values Bitcoin (specifically using NVT ratio) whether the trend of corporate treasuries investing in Bitcoin will continue how they expect Ethereum's adoption of a deflationary monetary policy to impact the price of Bitcoin when the market could turn bullish once again and predictions for the rest of the year Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit 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 Episode Links Willy Woo Twitter: https://twitter.com/woonomic Substack: https://willywoo.substack.com/ Charts: http://charts.woobull.com/ Rafael Schultze-Kraft Twitter: https://twitter.com/n3ocortex Glassnode Blog: https://insights.glassnode.com/author/rafael/ Medium (no posts in 2021): https://medium.com/@neocortex Glassnode Website: https://glassnode.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/glassnode Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/glassnode Willy on BTC trends: NVT 2021 re-hash: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1399644889596370950 User growth on BTC network: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1396716391940575232 Exchange flows are bullish: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1395350421187690500 The movement to strong holders is unprecedented: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1391209800252358658 BTC undervaluation: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1389145220432859144 Rafael on BTC trends: Investors becoming fearful: https://twitter.com/n3ocortex/status/1394922200923312132 Bear market?: https://twitter.com/n3ocortex/status/1394312942678679559 Why on-chain exchange metrics are difficult to analyze: https://insights.glassnode.com/exchange-metrics/ BTC ownership is not highly concentrated: https://insights.glassnode.com/bitcoin-supply-distribution/ BTC illiquidity: https://insights.glassnode.com/bitcoin-liquid-supply/ Glassnode on BTC trends: May 31 recap: https://insights.glassnode.com/the-week-on-chain-week-22-2021/ May 24 recap: https://insights.glassnode.com/the-week-on-chain-week-21-2021/ December buyers approaching cost basis: https://twitter.com/glassnode/status/1399757635512066052 Battle of Bulls vs. Bears: https://twitter.com/glassnode/status/1399231089764360192 Grayscale discount: https://twitter.com/glassnode/status/1397059742019686400 Deleveraging futures market: https://twitter.com/glassnode/status/1395771367958581251 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How Taproot Could Improve Bitcoin -- If It Gets Adopted - Ep.243
Jeremy Rubin, a Bitcoin Core contributor and founder of Judica, a Bitcoin R&D Lab, joins Unchained from the Miami Bitcoin Conference (2021) to discuss all things Taproot. Show highlights: a general update on the Miami Bitcoin Conference what Taproot will do for the Bitcoin network how Taproot will make Bitcoin transactions more private what effect Taproot might have on on-chain analytics companies what parts of Bitcoin transactions will be public if/when Taproot goes live what new wallet features Taproot will unlock for Bitcoin how Bitcoin vaults might work a user-friendly definition of MASTs (Merklized Abstract Syntax Tree) how Taproot signaling works when/if Taproot will lock-in why network updates strain the relationship between miners and users 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: Jeremy Rubin Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeremyRubin Judica: https://judica.org/ Personal website: https://rubin.io/ Taproot Signaling status of Taproot: https://taproot.watch/ Bitcoin Magazine on Taproot: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/taproot-coming-what-it-and-how-it-will-benefit-bitcoin Why Taproot matters: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoins-privacy-and-scaling-tech-upgrade-taproot-just-took-a-big-step-forward Marathon lifts block mining censorship: https://www.coindesk.com/marathon-wont-censor-bitcoin-transactions-says-mining-ceo MASTs: https://bitcointechtalk.com/what-is-a-bitcoin-merklized-abstract-syntax-tree-mast-33fdf2da5e2f Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 04 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Nick Tomaino on 1confirmation's $125 Million Fund and What Future NFTs Will Look Like - Ep.242
Nick Tomaino, general partner of 1confirmation, discusses his firm’s recently announced third fund of $125 million and gives his perspective on many hot crypto topics, such as NFTs, Layer 2 solutions, Polkadot, DAOs, and more. Show highlights: why Nick became interested in crypto and his background what drives 1confirmation’s investment thesis why he Nick believes NFTs have taken off in popularity this year why NFTs are currently in a bubble what we might do with NFTs in the future how competition between different NFT marketplaces will shake out how music NFTs could work the feasibility of charging royalties in the secondary sale of NFTs why environmental concerns over crypto mining to only be a short-term issue why Nick is not an Ethereum maxi and how he feels about the fragmentation of Layer 2 solutions on ETH why Polkadot is such an exciting project whether, as an early Coinbase employee, he would say the fat protocols thesis is true what new trend Nick is keeping an eye on for 2021 and beyond Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit 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 Episode Links Nick Tomaino Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/NTmoney Recommended Content: Writing Introducing 1confirmation Fund 3 https://thecontrol.co/1confirmation-fund-iii-4633d18273e NFTs + Mimetic Desire https://thecontrol.co/stories-scarcity-and-mimetic-desire-c4a344fa74e1 Twitter Threads Has crypto “earned it?” https://twitter.com/NTmoney/status/1391782884202061824 Ethereum + decentralized identity https://twitter.com/NTmoney/status/1389608747924742157 WSB optimism https://twitter.com/NTmoney/status/1356036385287720960 The crypto perfect storm https://twitter.com/NTmoney/status/1352301464060760064 His journey from Coinbase to 1confirmation https://twitter.com/NTmoney/status/1353405899990155264 Guest Appearances/Quotes “Digital art has a chance to exceed $3 trillion in total value and flip traditional art” https://fortune.com/2021/03/30/nft-crypto-superrare-art-market/ “It's not going to look the same as the crypto booms and busts, but there are going to be a lot of these sales that maybe don't have buyers in the future” https://cheddar.com/media/nfts-facing-bubble-but-crypto-art-platforms-see-long-term “It's clear we're in some type of NFT bubble” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/technology/cryptocurrency-mainstream.html Old Unchained Appearances https://unchainedpodcast.com/nick-tomaino-on-why-he-is-skeptical-libra-will-be-significant/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/icos-why-people-are-investing-in-this-380-million-phenomenon/ 1confirmation Basics Website/Portfolio https://www.1confirmation.com/portfolio Twitter https://twitter.com/1confirmation Recently announced fund https://thecontrol.co/1confirmation-fund-iii-4633d18273e Recently, 1confirmation has funded... Notional Finance https://www.coindesk.com/notional-raises-10m-to-grow-defi-lending-protocol-with-real-world-potential SuperRare series A https://decrypt.co/63295/nft-marketplace-superrare-9m-funding-mark-cuban Nexus Mutual https://decrypt.co/57844/vc-firms-invest-2-7-million-in-defi-insurer-nexus-mutual dYdX series B https://integral.dydx.exchange/dydx-closes-10m-series-b-investment/ Acala https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/76313/polkadot-based-defi-project-acala-raises-7-million-saft Miscellaneous Meebits https://meebits.larvalabs.com/ Polkadot governance https://polkadot.network/polkadot-governance/ Unchained podcast discussing the petrodollar https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-vs-the-petrodollar-which-is-more-environmentally-friendly/ Fat Thesis https://www.usv.com/writing/2016/08/fat-protocols/ ZED Run https://zed.run/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Jun 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Rep. Tom Emmer, One of the Most Active Crypto Congress Members, on Taxes and DeFi - Ep.241
House Representative Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, is one of the most active voice for crypto and blockchain in the US government. In this episode, he discusses: what book made Tom fall down the crypto rabbit hole why Tom believes the Financial Accounting Standards Board needs to set clear accounting standards for cryptocurrencies why the current way of accounting for Bitcoin on balance sheets may be a detriment to companies in the future how he feels about the acting head of the OCC putting together a “sprint team” of federal regulators to establish overarching crypto standards why he is fighting to change tax rules for forked coins what problems the Eliminate Barriers to Innovation Act might solve why he is so passionate about the Securities Clarity Act, which would explicitly separate digital tokens from securities how DeFi should be regulated and why he is not a fan of FATF’s recently proposed guidance Tom’s prediction for when these bills may actually become law 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 Tom Emmer Twitter: https://twitter.com/RepTomEmmer Website: https://emmer.house.gov/ Documents Mentioned FASB letter https://emmer.house.gov/2021/5/emmer-urges-fasb-to-issue-clear-accounting-standards-for-virtual-currencies Eliminate Barriers to Innovation Act https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbrett/2021/04/22/us-house-passes-bill-to-create-first-crypto-task-force-on-digital-assets/ Safe Harbor for Taxpayers with Forked Assets Act https://emmer.house.gov/2021/5/emmer-introduces-legislation-to-protect-taxpayers-with-digital-assets-pending-further-irs-guidance Securities Clarity Act https://emmer.house.gov/2020/9/emmer-introduces-legislation-to-provide-clarity-for-digital-assets-under-securities-law Proposed FATF Guidance (quick breakdown) https://www.coincenter.org/a-quick-analysis-of-fatfs-2021-draft-cryptocurrency-guidance/ Miscellaneous Congressional Blockchain Caucus https://congressionalblockchaincaucus-schweikert.house.gov/members US Regulatory “sprint” https://decrypt.co/71975/us-agencies-sprint-align-on-bitcoin-regulations Michael Saylor episode https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-michael-saylor-on-the-best-way-for-companies-to-buy-bitcoin/ Age of Cryptocurrency https://www.amazon.com/The-Age-of-Cryptocurrency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 28 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
How Solana and Binance Smart Chain Could Take Ethereum's Lead - Ep.240
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
Tue, 25 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Mike Novogratz on the 5 Reasons the Crypto Markets Plummeted - Ep.239
Mike Novogratz, founder, CEO, and chairman of Galaxy Digital, digs into the drivers behind this week’s market selloff. Show highlights: the five factors Mike believes led to this week’s dip what Mike thinks about the environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin how Ethereum will perform in 2021 whether centralized blockchains will survive regulatory scrutiny why Galaxy Digital made its $1 billion acquisition of BitGo what sort of projects Galaxy Digital is mulling in the DeFi space when Mike thinks a bitcoin ETF could be approved Mike’s 2021 bitcoin price prediction 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 Mike Novogratz: https://twitter.com/novogratz Galaxy Digital: https://www.galaxydigital.io Recommend Reads: Galaxy Digital BitGo purchase https://www.coindesk.com/galaxy-digital-to-buy-bitgo-for-about-1-2-billion-in-stock-cash SEC skepticism regarding bitcoin ETF https://www.coindesk.com/sec-warns-mutual-fund-investors-of-bitcoin-futures-risks Galaxy Digital 2021 Q1 results https://www.coindesk.com/galaxy-digital-q1-aum-rose-58-net-comprehensive-income-more-than-doubles Galaxy Digital bitcoin ETF https://www.coindesk.com/galaxy-digital-files-for-us-bitcoin-etf Youtube energy consumption https://www.iea.org/commentaries/the-carbon-footprint-of-streaming-video-fact-checking-the-headlines https://thefactsource.com/how-much-electricity-does-youtube-use/ Dapper Labs lawsuit https://www.forbes.com/sites/andreatinianow/2021/05/17/no-slam-dunk-for-plaintiffs-in-nba-top-shot-moments-class-action-lawsuit/?sh=be89ec3df3da Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 21 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Bitcoin vs. the Petrodollar: Which Is More Environmentally Friendly? - Ep.238
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
Tue, 18 May 2021 08:00:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How Elon Musk Pushed DOGE Up and BTC Down, With Arca's Jeff Dorman - Ep.237
Jeff Dorman, the chief investment officer at Arca, comes on the show to give a macro perspective on the crypto environment. In this episode, he discusses: how economic data and real-world events have affected digital assets how Jeff classifies the different types of assets within crypto what market forces have pushed ETH to new all-time highs above $4k whether EIP 1559 will have the same effect on ether price as the Bitcoin halving has on BTC price what is happening with Dogecoin and other meme-coins why the market’s reaction to Tesla’s halt of BTC vehicle purchases was healthy whether environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin will have long-term consequences on crypto as an asset class 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 Dorman Twitter https://twitter.com/jdorman81 Arca https://www.ar.ca/ Blog post titled “How Economic Data Affects Digital Assets” https://www.ar.ca/blog/crypto-market-recap-05-10-21 Blog post titled “The Four Types of Digital Assets” https://www.ar.ca/blog/crypto-market-recap-06-29-20 Miscellaneous Links Dogecoin SNL clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5RCfQyTDFI SHIB token + dog meme-coins https://decrypt.co/70587/shiba-inu-shib-what-why-price-dogecoin https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/104676/vitalik-buterin-donates-more-than-60m-to-charity-after-selling-meme-tokens-including-shiba-inu https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1392533724814876680/photo/1 Nic Carter on Bitcoin mining https://www.coindesk.com/the-last-word-on-bitcoins-energy-consumption Tesla’s announcement on halting BTC vehicle purchases https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1392602041025843203 Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-an-elon-tweet-sent-bitcoin-below-50k/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 14 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla on How to Avoid Another GameStop - Ep.236
In this discussion I moderated for Paxos, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla discuss GameStop, the broken traditional financial infrastructure, and how blockchain technology may change the future of settlements. Show highlights: why Robinhood stopped trading on GameStop and AMC stock earlier this year what both Charles and Vlad think the feasibility of T+0 settlements versus Citadel’s and the DTCC’s aim of T+1 settlements how the GameStop scenario would have been different in a T+0 environment what it would look like if certain markets used T+0 settlements while others still settled on T+1 why Robinhood decided to add crypto back in early 2018 how Robinhood’s crypto operations work on the back end why Robinhood does not allow users to move crypto off-platform whether securities trading or crypto will be a larger portion of both Paxos’ and Robinhood’s business model what Paxos and Robinhood have planned for the near future 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: Charles Cascarilla Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla/ Coindesk Profile https://www.coindesk.com/charles-cascarilla-most-influential-2020 Previous interview with Laura https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/ Blog post on the GameStop saga https://www.paxos.com/what-lehman-brothers-gamestop-and-the-next-financial-crisis-have-in-common/ Vlad Tenev Twitter https://twitter.com/vladtenev CNN Article https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/investing/robinhood-gamestop-vlad-tenev/index.html Tweet Thread on T+2 https://twitter.com/vladtenev/status/1356687248746455041 Companies: Paxos Twitter https://twitter.com/PaxosGlobal Paxos Settlement Service https://www.paxos.com/securities/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-paxos/paxos-to-launch-settlement-of-u-s-listed-equities-after-secs-no-action-letter-idUSKBN1X727M Wall Street Journal write-up https://www.wsj.com/articles/blockchain-makes-inroads-into-the-stock-markets-1-trillion-plumbing-system-11573131600 Robinhood Twitter https://twitter.com/RobinhoodApp Robinhood Crypto https://robinhood.com/us/en/about/crypto/ Public offering https://blog.robinhood.com/news/2021/3/23/robinhood-markets-inc-confidentially-submits-draft-registration-statement Miscellaneous Links Citadel on settlements https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/95326/citadel-robinhood-shorter-settlements-congress DTCC on settlements https://www.dtcc.com/news/2021/february/24/dtcc-proposes-approach-to-shortening-us-settlement-cycle-to-t1-within-two-years Other: Caitlin Long Unchained episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/caitlin-long-why-avanti-will-be-a-new-kind-of-crypto-bank/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 11 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Should NYC’s Pension Funds Invest in Crypto? This Comptroller Candidate Says Yes - Ep.235
Reshma Patel, a Democratic candidate for New York City’s Comptroller position, talks about her “future proof” plan for the city, which centers on investing in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. In this episode, she discusses: what duties the New York City Controller performs how Reshma thinks crypto and blockchain tech can help New York City, which she calls her “future proof” plan how a city comptroller would go about investing 1%-3% of the city’s pension funds into crypto what type of crypto investment vehicles would be appropriate for the city to invest in why Reshma became interested in crypto in the first place what sort of real-world issues blockchain technology could solve in NYC, particularly in its procurement system whether Reshma envisions an NYC blockchain solution for its procurement system being on a private or public blockchain how the Comptroller could influence the state of New York to make the BitLicense more accessible for entrepreneurs why NYC must compete in the blockchain/crypto space with Miami and Wyoming how crypto could help NYC recover post-COVID what comes next for Reshma’s campaign and why she is not allowed to receive crypto donations 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 Reshma Patel Twitter: https://twitter.com/reshmapatelnyc?lang=en Blockchain campaign: https://www.reshma2021.com/blockchain CoinDesk profile: https://www.coindesk.com/city-comptroller-candidate-says-blockchain-is-in-new-yorks-future The Block article: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/102122/candidate-nyc-comptroller-crypto-blockchain Miscellaneous Links BitLicense https://ciphertrace.com/new-york-bitlicense/ https://www.coindesk.com/bitlicense-timeline Duties of NYC Comptroller https://comptroller.nyc.gov/about/duties-of-the-comptroller/ Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/doge-up-13000-ytd/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 07 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Crypto's Gender Disparity: What Can Be Done About It? 4 Women Weigh In - Ep.234
Crypto sits at the intersection of two male-dominated industries: tech and finance. I was asked to moderate a panel for the Amber Group with four leading women in crypto to discuss the role of gender in the crypto industry and what can be done to bring more women into the space. Panelists include Mia Deng, partner at Dragonfly Capital; Amy Zhang, vice president of sales at Fireblocks; Alexis Gauba, cofounder at Opyn; and Annabelle Huang, partner at Amber Group. Show highlights: how each panelist got into crypto, what it is they do, and which company they work for why women have been somewhat reluctant to speak on crypto gender disparity in public what the main obstacles to bringing about better gender diversity in crypto whether the crypto space is harder to break into than traditional finance for women how gender issues in the U.S. are different than in Asia why more women have begun trading cryptocurrencies and how to increase that interest which crypto explanations are most effective for female friends why there are so few female crypto co-founders good hiring practices for bringing more women into the space advice for women trying to break into crypto 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 Panelists Mia Deng Crypto career cofounder at TR Lab ---- NFT Platform (2021) partner at Dragonfly Capital - https://medium.com/dragonfly-research Head of biz Development + Venture partner @ Amber Group - https://www.ambergroup.io/about Social link https://twitter.com/miagegedeng?lang=en Amy Zhang Crypto career vice president of sales at Fireblocks - https://www.fireblocks.com/ head of sales/investor relations at Diginex - https://www.diginex.com/ Social link https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyzwzhang/?originalSubdomain=hk Alexis Gauba Crypto career cofounder at Opyn - https://www.opyn.co/#/ cofounder at she256 - https://she256.org/ Social link https://twitter.com/AlexisGauba Annabelle Huang Crypto career partner at Amber Group - https://www.ambergroup.io/about founding member at KeeperDAO - https://twitter.com/Keeper_DAO risk lead at AirSwap - https://www.airswap.io/ Social Link https://twitter.com/_annabellehuang?lang=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 May 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: How MetaMask Grew Its Monthly Active Users By 5X in the Last 6 Months - Ep.233
Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask, talks about the meteoric growth of monthly active users of the crypto wallet, which has quintupled in the past seven months. In this episode, he discusses: which crypto use case drove MetaMask’s active user base to grow 5x in under a year what types of scaling solutions are drawing users to MetaMask how MetaMask works what kind of customers are using MetaMask how MetaMask has grown without targeted marketing whether the type of crypto usage in developing nations differed from developed nations which feature MetaMask released in 2020 that is bringing in revenue what pivotal moments in crypto over the past six years have brought new users to MetaMask why scalability and security are the most important challenges facing MetaMask in the short term how MetaMask is trying to make online wallets more secure how much volume users have traded via MetaMask's new swap feature what new features are coming up for MetaMask wallets Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 InterPop: https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links MetaMask Dan Finlay: https://twitter.com/danfinlay MetaMask: https://metamask.io/ $5 Million Monthly Active Users: https://consensys.net/blog/metamask/metamask-surpasses-5-million-monthly-active-users/ MetaMask in Emerging Markets: https://twitter.com/MetaMask/status/1387114770923466755 Filecoin in MetaMask: https://medium.com/metamask/developer-preview-metamask-snap-for-filecoin-c28b01dfdcb Miscellaneous Robbie Ferguson on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-layer-2-solution-processed-more-nft-trades-in-24-hours-than-ethereum-did-in-1-week/ Marguerite deCourcelle on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-the-ways-crypto-can-make-gaming-more-fun/ Charles Cascarilla + Vlad Tenev conversation: https://t.co/2AG0y5j36B?amp=1 Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-bitcoin-standard/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 30 Apr 2021 07:30:00 -0000
How NFT Platform OpenSea Plans to Maintain Its Competitive Advantage - Ep.232
Devin Finzer, co-founder and CEO of NFT marketplace OpenSea, talks all things non-fungible. Check out the whole show to hear Devin answer the following questions: First Half: Breaking Down NFTs Why did he become so interested in NFTs ? What is an NFT? Why have NFTs become so popular recently? Who is creating NFTs? Who is purchasing NFTs? Are we in an NFT bubble? How is the NFT ecosystem going to evolve over the next few years? What are people purchasing when they buy an NFT? Second Half: OpenSea Q+A What is OpenSea? How will OpenSea maintain its competitive advantage in the open-source blockchain ecosystem? How does OpenSea make money? Are artists making money on OpenSea? How is OpenSea planning on integrating with layer 2 solutions on Ethereum and other blockchains? How do royalties work on OpenSea? Why are they hard to enforce? What can be done about content being minted on OpenSea without an artist’s permission? What issues in the NFT world still need to be resolved? How is OpenSea handling the environmental concerns surrounding NFTs? What’s next for OpenSea? 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 Basic Links Devin’s Twitter https://twitter.com/dfinzer?lang=en OpenSea https://opensea.io/ Devin Finzer Content Podcast appearances https://www.owltail.com/people/YzIoa-devin-finzer/appearances The NFT Bible https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/ Blockchain gaming (2018) https://www.coindesk.com/the-emerging-trends-in-the-blockchain-gaming-world OpenSea Profiles Fortune https://fortune.com/2021/03/18/nft-art-crypto-marketplace-opensea-amazon/ CoinDesk 50 for 2020 (#47) https://www.coindesk.com/the-coindesk-50 Recent announcements scaling solution w/ Immutable X (Mar 31) https://www.coindesk.com/nft-opensea-immutable-layer-2-protocol-ethereum https://decrypt.co/65828/immutable-x-ethereum-nft-gods-unchained A16z investment (Mar 18th) https://a16z.com/2021/03/18/investing-in-opensea/ updating terms of service (Mar 13) https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1370895902068637697 taking down the hacker NFT (Mar 9) https://www.coindesk.com/hacker-selling-cybersecurity-exploit-nft unlockable content (early March) https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1366780226416631817 Tezos collab (Feb 10) https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1359519631275352064 creating NFTs for free (Dec 29) https://opensea.io/blog/announcements/introducing-the-collection-manager/ https://twitter.com/xanderatallah/status/1358848443356221445 recent usage: https://duneanalytics.com/rchen8/opensea 2018 investing round https://www.coindesk.com/ebay-cryptokitties-raises-2-million-star-vcs https://opensea.io/blog/announcements/opensea-raises-2-million/ Other Terms of service talk https://www.reddit.com/r/opensea/comments/m12uh4/do_i_keep_the_rights_to_any_nft_i_sell_on_opensea/ Stats https://www.forbes.com/sites/youngjoseph/2021/03/29/nft-market-rages-on-nfts-market-cap-grow-1785-in-2021-as-demand-explodes/?sh=2974862a7fdc https://duneanalytics.com/rchen8/opensea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Apr 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: This Layer 2 Solution Processed More NFT Trades in 24 Hours Than Ethereum Did in 1 Week - Ep.231
Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of Immutable, talks about how Immutable is transforming the NFT industry through its layer 2 solution, Immutable X, which just launched April 8. In this episode, he discusses: what sort of problems Immutable is solving by creating a layer 2 solution (1:21) why scalability is especially an issue for NFTs in gaming (1:59) how Immutable X, built with partner Starkware, addresses the problems with scaling NFTs (3:28) how Immutable is scaling Ethereum and the definition of a layer 2 solution (5:46) the Immutable business model and how the company makes money (6:40) how validity proofs like ZK-rollups differ from fraud proofs like Optimistic rollups (7:52) how Gods Unchained has performed since the April 8th launch of Immutable X (8:27) why building on Ethereum is so important to Immutable (10:54) why Immutable is obsessed with bringing liquidity to NFTs (14:54) what sort of partners Immutable is looking to attract and how Immutable X is different from a traditional marketplace (18:00) why Immutable decided to purchase carbon credits to offset the gas the protocol consumes on Ethereum (21:33) what we might see from Gods Unchained, Immutable X, and NFT gaming in general by the end of this year (23:32 ) weekly news recap (26:22) Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 InterPop: https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop NEAR: https://near.org Episode Links Robbie Ferguson https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbieferguson/?originalSubdomain=au Immutable Twitter: https://twitter.com/Immutable?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Website for Immutable X https://market.x.immutable.com/assets/0xacb3c6a43d15b907e8433077b6d38ae40936fe2c Layer 2 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/101092/ethereum-startup-immutable-aims-to-cut-nft-costs-with-new-layer-2-scaling-protocol https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/100084/opensea-nft-layer-2-immutable-x https://twitter.com/Immutable/status/1385263903450484741 Gods Unchained https://www.coindesk.com/james-ferguson-on-decentralized-gamings-next-moves https://decrypt.co/65828/immutable-x-ethereum-nft-gods-unchained Previous Unconfirmed interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-the-hong-kong-protests-gave-a-boost-to-gods-unchained/ Miscellaneous Links Hearthstone link https://decrypt.co/48379/gods-unchained-review-and-beginners-guide Carbon Credits https://twitter.com/immutable/status/1377099577178779659?lang=en StarkWare relationship https://medium.com/starkware/starkware-immutable-8896aabab4e5 StarkWare’s recent Unchained appearance https://unchainedpodcast.com/can-dydx-become-a-decentralized-bitmex-how-it-is-scaling-with-starkware/ Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/2600-eth/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 23 Apr 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Thanks, Forbes: Laura on How the Unchained Podcast Came to Be - Ep.230
In a fun change of pace, I was interviewed by the On Deck Podcaster Fellowship about the origins of Unchained pod, how my background as a journalist prepared me for podcasting, and tips for aspiring creators. Episode highlights: why I believe the Unchained podcast has been successful and how my penchant for asking tough questions came about (1:48) how my background in journalism prepared me for hosting a podcast (6:35) how I choose guests for the show and how they feel about being asked difficult questions (9:10) why I feel my background in traditional media is so important (15:46) whether my podcast helped me land a book deal (20:35) the Unchained podcast origin story (26:37) how I’ve brought my sense of journalistic integrity and ethics to podcasting (33:56) the top tips for choosing a good podcast title (41:58) advice for aspiring podcasters on sifting through BS answers and warming up shy guests (48:19) who I look up to in the podcast space (53:25) what future creators and podcasters from underrepresented backgrounds can learn from my experience breaking into the world of finance and technology (57:33) 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 On Deck: https://www.beondeck.com/ Laura Shin: https://twitter.com/laurashin Unchained Podcast: https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Apr 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why This Analyst Puts Coinbase in the Most Exclusive Club of Stocks - Ep.229
Gil Luria, director of research at D.A. Davidson, talks about Coinbase’s performance on its first day as a public company. In this episode, Gil discusses: the significance of Coinbase going public (1:05) why doing a direct listing was a risky move (1:31) why he revised his price target for COIN from $440 to $650 (3:17) how investing in COIN as a “pure play” crypto company compares to buying stock in companies like MicroStrategy and Square (5:06) why some people are disrupting Coinbase’s actual market cap (7:11) whether Coinbase can smooth out revenue over the long term and not be so correlated to the crypto markets themselves(10:45) what sort of statistics Gil is looking for in valuing Coinbase (13:08) why Gil thinks Coinbase can meet its goal of growing non-transaction revenue from 4% to 50% in five to ten years (15:32) how Coinbase could navigate the compression of fees that will occur as competition increases among exchanges (17:33) whether Coinbase’s stance as an apolitical company could affect the stock price in an era in which companies are getting involved in issues like voting rights (19:45) whether the Bitcoin price and COIN stock price will always be highly correlated (21:18) which other crypto companies are good candidates for going public as well (22:35) weekly news recap (24:03) 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: Gil Luria Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/gilluria Introducing Crypto’s Amazon Moment (written by Gil): https://unchainedpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DA-Davidson-Coinbase-Initiation-20210302.pdf 2013 Quote from Gil on Bitcoin: https://www.streetinsider.com/Analyst+Comments/Bitcoin+Could+Be+Worth+10-100x+Current+Price+-+Analyst/8936836.html Previous Unchained Appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-coinbase-stock-a-good-buy-this-analyst-says-yes/ Related Content Ellie Frost Blog: https://frostbyte.substack.com/p/coinbase-earnings-some-less-obvious https://frostbyte.substack.com/p/coinbase-earnings-will-blow-you-away Tweet Thread on Market Cap Discrepancy w/ Comment From Jeff Dorman https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1382746574577668111 https://twitter.com/jdorman81/status/1382749674105237507 Forbes Coverage of Coinbase Direct Listing: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/04/14/coinbase-skyrockets-in-nasdaq-listing-landing-105-billion-valuation-on-first-day-of-trading/?sh=3afb44928dc1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/04/14/coinbases-ipo-creates-a-multibillion-dollar-windfall-for-founders-now-it-faces-five-big-threats/?sh=13405d8e61ff Brian Armstrong CNBC Interview on Transaction Fees: https://twitter.com/SquawkCNBC/status/1382279472599162880?s=20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 16 Apr 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin’s December Price Target Is Now ‘Above $300,000’ - Ep.228
In an interview I moderated at Real Vision’s “Crypto Gathering,” Peter L Brandt, veteran trader and publisher of the Factor Report, and Willy Woo, prominent on-chain Bitcoin analyst and author of the “The Bitcoin Forecast,” a market intelligence newsletter, discuss Bitcoin charts, trading, and how Bitcoin is evolving as an asset. They cover: why Peter believes that, with Bitcoin, we are watching history in the making and what a “parabolic advance” has to do with that belief (2:02) the differences in trading Bitcoin, which trades 24/7/365, in comparison to a normal asset -- like a stock or commodity (6:36 ) Willy’s price target for the top of this bull run (8:37) why Willy thinks there is a Bitcoin supply shock (12:12) the reason Peter does not think Bitcoin is a bubble (15:09) why Willy believes we are witnessing the birth of a new monetary system (17:23) the state of Bitcoin adoption and how fast adoption will grow (21:24) Peter’s crypto journey and why he measures wealth in Bitcoin instead of dollars (27:02 ) why Peter thinks we are prisoners of war to the fiat system and how Bitcoin fixes this (31:33) what sort of volatility both Peter and Willy expect going forward from Bitcoin (33:43) how Peter feels about the laser eyes trend on Crypto Twitter (39:35) tips for aspiring chartists and traders (41:33) 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 Willy Woo Twitter: https://twitter.com/woonomic Website: http://charts.woobull.com/ Content Unchained podcast appearances https://unchainedpodcast.com/willy-woo-on-why-its-an-extremely-great-time-to-buy-bitcoin/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/willy-woo-how-bitcoin-reaches-up-to-300000-by-end-of-year/ Tweets https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1347127159538688002?s=20 https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1345221723751206912?s=20 https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1346827893322616833 https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1356310219215699968 https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1379804421823942656 Peter L. Brandt Twitter https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt Website: https://www.peterlbrandt.com/about-us/ Content Book https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Commodity-Futures-Classical-Patterns/ Tweets BTC https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1372380949695053824 https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1374816381837799424 https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1368593967059767297 Crypto https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1366810037084020736 USD https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1368903818201600009 https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1368383829098913795 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Apr 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: What $1.8 Billion in Q1 Revenue Means for Coinbase’s Direct Listing - Ep.227
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
Fri, 09 Apr 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Mark Cuban on Why He Thinks ETH Is a Better Store of Value Than Bitcoin - Ep.226
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
Tue, 06 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why Proposed FATF Rules Could Be a Shock for DeFi - Ep.225
Dave Jevans, CEO of Cipher Trace, talks about what the new draft guidance from the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) means for DeFi, NFTs, and crypto in general. In this show, he breaks down: the six main areas the draft guidance covers, including the expansion of KYC regulatory standards into DeFi (1:07) how a dex like Uniswap would operate under the proposed draft guidance, and which types of companies or services providers would have to take identifying customer information (3:54) why DeFi applications might start requiring customers to create an account to use their platforms (7:03) how the crypto community has reacted to the FATF draft guidance (8:59) whether NFTs are affected by the proposed draft guidance (11:01) who the FATF recommendations apply to (13:54) how to reach out to FATF to comment on the draft guidance (15:32) the nuances of the travel rule and how DeFi developers may now be forced to include KYC mechanisms in their applications (17:29) how the crypto community would likely want to tweak the guidance to align the philosophy of DeFi (21:27) Crypto News Recap (23:42) 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 Dave Jevans Twitter: https://twitter.com/davejevans Cipher Trace: https://ciphertrace.com/ Previous Unchained episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/ FATF Website: https://www.fatf-gafi.org/ Updated FATF draft guidance: http://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/recommendations/March%202021%20-%20VA%20Guidance%20update%20-%20Sixth%20draft%20-%20Public%20consultation.pdf Analysis of draft guidance: CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/fatfs-new-guidance Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/62600/fatf-money-laundering-rules-defi-nfts Coin Center: https://www.coincenter.org/a-quick-analysis-of-fatfs-2021-draft-cryptocurrency-guidance/ Cipher Trace: https://ciphertrace.com/analysis-proposed-fatf-guidance-for-virtual-assets-and-vasps/ Miscellaneous Links Travel Rule: https://www.coindesk.com/is-the-travel-rule-good-or-bad-for-crypto-both FinCEN: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/fincen-looks-to-rein-in-cryptocurrency-6821323/ Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/michael-jordans-nft-investment/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 02 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0000
What Exactly Do You Get When You Buy an NFT? Three Lawyers Discuss - Ep.224
Olta Andoni, fintech and IP Attorney at Zlatkin Wong and adjunct professor at Chicago Kent College of Law, Tonya Evans, visiting Full Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law School and host of the podcast Tech Intersect, and Stuart Levi, co-head of the Intellectual Property and Technology practice at Skadden Arps and coordinator of the firm's Blockchain and Digital Asset practice, break down the legal issues surrounding NFTs. In this episode, they discuss: how the law looks at non-fungible tokens (1:25) why owning an NFT is different from owning the rights to the underlying asset making up the NFT (3:12) problems that blockchain solves for creators (5:09) how corporations (aka content intermediaries) are handling NFTs (6:53) what rights the purchase of an NFT gives a buyer (11:51) derivative artwork, the fair use copyright law, moral rights, and how U.S. law views NFTs (15:53) how to determine the jurisdiction of an NFT (25:00) what type of legal recourse is available to artists whose art has been stolen and redistributed as an NFT (32:37) the differences in the terms of services between NFT marketplaces (36:26) why the first sale doctrine may not apply to digital assets (43:16) what a buyer is getting when purchasing a blockchain license (46:12) how NFT creators should protect their work (51:43) whether a fractionalized NFT is a security (55:25) how NFTs will change the business of content creation (58:44) 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/ Episode Links People Tonya Evans Twitter: https://twitter.com/IPProfEvans Penn State Dickinson Law: https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/tonya-m-evans Relevant content: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-intersect-59-ping-prof-2-non-fungible-tokens-nfts/id1493143898?i=1000512485580 https://clarivate.com/darts-ip/blog/copyright-blockchain/ https://clarivate.com/darts-ip/blog/intro-to-ip-and-blockchain/ Olta Andoni Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndoniOlta?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Zlatkin Wong: https://zlatkinwong.com/en/ Relevant content: https://www.coindesk.com/stop-tokenizing-art-you-dont-own Stuart Levi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartlevi/ Skadden: https://www.skadden.com/ Relevant content: https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/fin-tech/799182/emerging-discovery-issues-in-blockchain-litigation Legal Links Fair Use Doctrine: https://pitt.libguides.com/copyright/fairuse#:~:text=The%20doctrine%20of%20Fair%20Use,teaching%2C%20scholarship%2C%20and%20research. First Sale Doctrine: https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1854-copyright-infringement-first-sale-doctrine#:~:text=The%20first%20sale%20doctrine%2C%20codified,interests%20of%20the%20copyright%20owner Moral Rights: https://www.copyright.gov/policy/moralrights/ Digital Millennium Copyright Act https://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf Visual Artists Rights Act http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/martin/art_law/esworthy.htm Miscellaneous Links Banksy https://www.cbsnews.com/news/banksy-nft-injective-destroy-art-digital-token/ Fractionalized NFTs https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/sec-crypto-mom-hester-peirce-selling-nft-fragments-illegal-2021-3-1030250153 Dapper Labs License https://medium.com/dapperlabs/nft-license-2-0-why-a-nft-can-do-what-mickey-mouse-never-could-27673d5f29aa TechnoLlama Blog https://www.technollama.co.uk/can-copyright-teach-us-anything-about-nfts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Calls Crypto 'the Wave of the Future' - Ep.223
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez talks about how Miami plans to be the crypto capital of the world. In this show, he discusses: what Miami is doing to become the crypto capital of the world (1:40) why he feels so strongly about bringing crypto to Miami (3:09) the relationship between cryptocurrencies and government (4:08) why he believes that, in the future, governments will transaction in crypto, not fiat currency (5:26) his feelings about the FTX sponsorship proposal and how he convinced city officials to move past crypto’s tumultuous past (6:51) whether city of Miami employees have expressed interest in being paid in bitcoin (10:06) what needs to happen for Miami to be able to hold BTC in its treasury (11:25) how Mayor Suarez balances his interest in Bitcoin against his interest in mitigating the effects of climate change on Miami (14:24) Crypto News Recap (18:00) 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 NTFs and fandom! https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop Episode Links: Francis Suarez - Mayor of Miami Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrancisSuarez Miami and Crypto Overview New York Times: https://www.nytimes3xbfgragh.onion/2021/03/23/business/dealbook/miami-suarez-crypto.html CNBC interview: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/02/17/miami-mayor-francis-suarez-on-push-to-accept-bitcoin-attract-big-tech.html Forbes Coverage: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerhuang/2021/02/01/miamis-mayor-leads-the-charge-to-bring-bitcoin-to-americas-largest-cities/?sh=5bbbbf68c6c9 https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeorshimron/2021/02/07/miami-mayor-francis-suarez-talks-bitcoin--building-a-tech-innovation-hub/?sh=1d1c40691a53 FTX Naming Rights Press Release: https://www.miamidade.gov/releases/2021-03-23-mayor-arena-agreement.asp The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/99134/report-ftx-miami-heat-stadium-vote Bitcoin paying employees in BTC + investing treasury in BTC: https://twitter.com/francissuarez/status/1360069847971954690?lang=en Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tesla-is-a-hodler/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Financial Advisors Control $5 Trillion in Investor Wealth. Are They Buying Bitcoin? - Ep.222
Ric Edelman, founder of Edelman Financial Engines, and Matthew Kolesky, president at Arbor Capital, discuss the state of Bitcoin adoption amongst financial advisors, who control $5 trillion in investor wealth. In this episode, they talk about: their background and why they got into crypto (1:25) how most RIAs (registered investment advisors) view digital assets and the hassle of buying crypto on a client’s behalf (8:59) what percentage of financial advisors have already invested in bitcoin and how many more will come into the space by next year (18:20) how RIADAC -- the RIA Digital Assets Council -- is educating financial advisors about crypto (21:59) their favorite methods to explain Bitcoin and other digital assets (25:22) the different ways financial advisors are getting bitcoin/crypto exposure for their clients (35:32) why RIAs use investment vehicles to purchase Bitcoin rather than spot-buying the actual asset (39:58) why GBTC is trading at a deficit to the bitcoin price and their thoughts on a bitcoin ETF (44:40) the percent allocation to crypto they feel comfortable with for their clients (54:26) how they rebalance crypto holdings, whether they use yield-bearing crypto products yet, and projections for 2021 (57:35) 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/ Episode links: Ric Edelman Twitter: https://twitter.com/ricedelman?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor RIADAC: https://riadac.com/ Matt Kolesky Twitter: https://twitter.com/mkolesky Arbor Capital: https://www.acminc.com/ + https://digital.arbor.capital/ Helpful Links: Bitwise ETF Trends + Survey of Financial Advisors https://static.bitwiseinvestments.com/Research/Bitwise-2021-Benchmark-Survey-Financial-Advisor-Attitudes-Toward-Cryptoassets.pdf Fidelity’s Bitcoin Investment Thesis https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/FDAS/bitcoin-alternative-investment.pdf RIADAC’s 12 Predictions for 2021 https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2021/01/07/ric-edelman-12-predictions-for-bitcoin-other-cryptos-in-2021/ RIADAC 1% Allocation strategy https://riadac.com/digital-assets-are-now-mainstream/its-still-early-with-tremendous-upside-potential/ Arbor Capital’s “True Digital Asset SMA” https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arbor-digital-and-blockchange-partner-on-digital-asset-sma-for-registered-investment-advisors-301219459.html Grayscale BTC Premium Flips Negative https://www.coindesk.com/grayscale-negative-premium-bitcoin Blockchange https://blockchange.ai/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Mar 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: MetaKovan on Why He Spent $69 Million on a Jpeg - Ep.221
MetaKovan, the pseudonymous buyer of Beeple’s Everydays NFT and founder of MetaPurse, talks about his recent $69 million purchase. In this episode, he discusses: why he bought Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69 million (1:57) Beeple’s 13-year “proof of effort” process of creating art and why Beeple has the potential to become a generational artist (4:38) why he believes NFTs are “10x” better than physical art (9:40) his vision of the metaverse (13:57) the reasons for hiding his identity behind the Metakovan avatar (17:09) how he made his fortune in crypto and why he felt comfortable spending $69 million on something that might be a fad (19:12) why he started Metapurse and how its native B20 token works (24:31) crypto news recap (28:57) Thank you to our sponsor! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2 Episode Links MetaKovan: https://twitter.com/metakovan?lang=en Metapurse: https://metapurse.fund/ Everydays: The First 5000 Days Purchase: https://www.coindesk.com/metakovan-buyer-of-record-setting-beeple-nft-explains-why-he-spent-69-3m https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/arts/beeple-nft-buyer-ether.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/12/buyer-of-69-million-beeple-nft-is-a-crypto-investo-metakovan.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/17/nft-beeple-metakovan-christies/ https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/metakovan-beeple-christies-auction-nfts.html B20 Tokens: https://www.playtoearn.online/2021/01/13/metapurse-to-share-ownership-beeple-collection/ https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/03/20195109/69m-beeple-nft-artwork-may-have-been-used-to-pump-b-20-token-price-by-6200-reports-suggest Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/3-publicly-traded-crypto-exchanges/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 19 Mar 2021 07:30:00 -0000
How NFTs Are Revolutionizing How Creators Make Money - Ep.220
Jamie Burke, CEO of Outlier Ventures, and Mason Nystrom, a research analyst at Messari, discuss the NFT craze that has enveloped the crypto world over the past few weeks. In this episode, they talk about: their backgrounds, and how they became involved in crypto (1:19) the major catalysts -- specifically Beeple and NBA Top Shot -- that have brought NFTs into the mainstream (5:29) why NFTs are a “megatrend” and not just another ICO-like bubble (13:35) how to explain non-fungible tokens to normies (18:06) what someone is actually purchasing when they buy an NFT (24:46) the reasons behind NBA Top Shot's success and why it is so difficult to withdraw money from its platform (36:27) the best way to scale NFTs and why Ethereum, despite severe storage limitations, will most likely remain the most popular blockchain on which to mint NFTs (41:44) why the gaming, fashion, and music industries will be disrupted by NFTs (49:37) when the current subscription-based business model for content creators will transition to the ownership economy (55:10) the differences between the marketplaces and platforms that make up the NFT economy (57:06) whether NFT valuations will go to zero and the challenges of appraising digital art (1:03:39) their predictions for the market capitalization of NFTs by the end of 2021 (1:15:23) Thank you to our sponsors! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Square: https://square.com/go/unchained Episode Links: Jamie Burke Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamie247 Outlier Ventures: https://twitter.com/OVioHQ Content: the open metaverse: https://outlierventures.io/research/the-open-metaverse-os/ 100xARt: https://art.art/blog/jamie-burke-and-100xart-a-true-story-of-the-rising-art-order podcast: https://outlierventures.io/podcasts/ Mason Nystrom Twitter: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom Messari: https://messari.io/ Content: NFTs as an investment strategy: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1310942572429312010 evolution of content: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1361692703025729536 psychology of crypto art collecting: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1365028848509870080 the current state of NFTs: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1363283887691038720 NFT Sales Mentioned Beeple: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/beeple-first-nft-artwork-at-auction-sale-buyer-intl-scli/index.html Previous Unconfirmed interview with Beeple: https://unchainedpodcast.com/beeple-on-how-and-why-he-raked-in-3-5-million/ Taco Bell: https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/8/22319868/taco-bell-nfts-gif-tacos-sell 3LAU: https://edm.com/gear-tech/3lau-record-breaking-nft-sale Jack Dorsey Tweet: https://v.cent.co/tweet/20 Kings of Leon album: https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/kings-of-leon-releases-album-in-nft NBA Top Shot: https://www.actionnetwork.com/news/nba-top-shot-blockchain-nba-highlight-marketplace NFT Guides New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/business/nft-nba-top-shot-crypto.html?utm_source=morning_brew DappRadar: https://dappradar.com/blog/what-are-non-fungible-tokens-nfts Andrew Steinwold: https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-quick-overview-of-the-nft-ecosystem Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/resources/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-explained-guide-learn-blockchain CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-became-art-everything-nft Miscellaneous Links: Chris Dixon blog: https://a16z.com/2021/02/27/nfts-and-a-thousand-true-fans/ NFT market cap: https://nonfungible.com/market/history Outlier Ventures decentralized accelerator program: https://outlierventures.io/base-camp/ Top NFT marketplaces (DappRadar): https://decrypt.co/resources/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-explained-guide-learn-blockchain Jesse Walden’s “Ownership Economy”: https://variant.mirror.xyz/T8kdtZRIgy_srXB5B06L8vBqFHYlEBcv6ae2zR6Y_eo Flow blockchain: https://www.onflow.org/primer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Mar 2021 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Why This Environmentalist Doesn’t Blame Creators for the Carbon Footprint of NFTs - Ep.219
Brendan McGill, co-founder of Offsetra and Carbon.fyi, a company focused on reducing carbon emissions, talks about the environmental impact of NFTs. In this episode, Brendan discusses: his career as an environmentalist and how his sites intersect with crypto (1:07) why online art platform ArtStation canceled its plans to create an NFT program (3:21) what the environmental impact of NFTs actually is and why minting and transacting with NFTs has a greater environmental impact than for normal Ethereum transactions (5:21) misconceptions surrounding the environmental impact of NFT minting and why he believes artists should not be blamed for the carbon footprint calculated by Offsetra (6:57) what accounts for the emissions in NFT transactions and why it’s hard to calculate the exact environmental impact of any specific NFT, and why minting NFTs doesn’t necessarily increase emissions (7:32) why NFTs aren’t really responsible for the bulk of emissions from Ethereum and why Brendan thinks the backlash against NFT creators for the environmental impact is unfair (12:02) how Offsetra and Carbon.fyi attempt to calculate the amount of ‘clean’ energy vs. fossil fuels used in PoW mining and what assumptions they use (13:59) the methods (and blockchains) artists are using to create “clean NFTs” (16:17) Crypto New Recap (16:17) Thank you to our sponsor! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Episode links: Brendan McGill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanmc6/ Offsetra: website: https://offsetra.com/ Ethereum CO2 footprint calculator: https://carbon.fyi/ carbon.fyi methodology: https://carbon.fyi/learn Reading Material: guide to ecofriendly NFTs https://github.com/memo/eco-nft fixing NFTs’ carbon pollution problem https://earther.gizmodo.com/how-to-fix-crypto-art-nfts-carbon-pollution-problem-1846440312 Other: statement from ArtStation https://magazine.artstation.com/2021/03/a-statement-from-artstation/ CryptoArt.wtf http://cryptoart.wtf/ Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-69-million-nft/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 12 Mar 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Can dYdX Become a Decentralized BitMEX? How It Is Scaling With StarkWare - Ep.218
Antonio Juliano, founder of the decentralized exchange dYdX, and Eli Ben-Sasson, cofounder of StarkWare, discuss the recent launch of dYdX on Ethereum layer 2 using StarkWare’s scaling technology. In this episode, they cover: what cross-margin perpetual trading is and why dYdX chose StarkWare to be its scaling partner (1:13) ZK rollups and how they contrast with optimistic rollups (8:49) how many transactions per second StarkWare can handle through its layer 2 solution (16:57) lessons learned and critical takeaways from their six months spent working together (20:15) the similarities between Ethereum and StarkNet (26:07) why Antonio believes that scalability is more important than composability (27:30) the benefits of decentralized exchanges and how dYdX fits into the dex marketplace (31:54) why dYdX chose Chainlink as its oracle provider, and how it got oracle prices onto layer 2, which previously had none (38:11) why Cairo, StarkWare’s Turing-complete programming language and platform, can be the “one verifier to rule them all” (42:10) what it was like for StarkWare to compete in the Great Reddit Scaling Bake-Off (45:41) whether or not DeFi could handle a GameStop/Robinhood situation (48:56) fair launch tokens versus VC tokens (54:12) the likelihood of dYdX and StarkWare each creating a token (58:19) upcoming developments and projects for both companies (1:02:14) Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021 Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla Square: https://square.com/go/unchained Episode Links: Antonio Juliano Twitter: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano Eli Ben-Sasson Twitter: https://twitter.com/EliBenSasson dYdX Twitter: https://twitter.com/dydxprotocol Website: https://dydx.exchange/ Exchange: https://alpha.dydx.exchange/trade/BTC-USD Reading Material Recent funding: https://www.coindesk.com/big-guns-back-10m-investment-in-defis-dydx 2020 in review: https://dydx.exchange/2020.pdf Decrypt profile: https://decrypt.co/resources/dydx-ethereum-margin-trading-platform-explained-learn Medium post: https://medium.com/dydxderivatives/introducing-dydx-2d0f0f326fd StarkWare Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarkWareLtd Website: https://starkware.co/ Reading Material: ZK roll-up explainer: https://medium.com/starkware/on-the-road-to-starknet-a-permissionless-stark-powered-l2-zk-rollup-83be53640880 Understanding Cairo: https://medium.com/starkware/hello-cairo-3cb43b13b209 Funding: https://www.coindesk.com/paradigm-leads-30-million-funding-for-crypto-privacy-startup-starkware dYdX and StarkWare Relationship Original Twitter announcement (2020): https://twitter.com/dydxprotocol/status/1295791012552597507?s=20 The Block’s original coverage: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/75209/dex-dydx-starkware-layer-2 Layer 2 is live announcement: https://twitter.com/dydxprotocol/status/1364591430447091719 Blog post on why dYdX is moving to Layer 2 (2021): https://dydx.exchange/blog/alpha CoinDesk’s coverage: https://www.coindesk.com/defi-tech-cefi-speed-dydx-touts-new-starkware-integration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Mar 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Is Coinbase Stock a Good Buy? This Analyst Says Yes - Ep.217
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
Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Caitlin Long: Why Avanti Will Be a New Kind of Crypto Bank - Ep.216
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
Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Coinbase's S-1: The Number That May Make the Exchange Nervous - Ep.215
Jeff Roberts, executive editor at Decrypt and author of “King of Crypto: One Startup’s Quest to take Cryptocurrency Out of Silicon Valley and Onto Wall Street” talks about Coinbase going public. In this episode we discuss: Jeff's biggest takeaways from Coinbase’s S-1 filing (0:56) why institutions are choosing Coinbase (2:42) how Coinbase going public feels like validation for bitcoiners (4:37) issues Coinbase may face as a business that currently generates 96% of revenue through transaction fees (6:25) Why Surojit Chatterjee has so much equity in Coinbase (11:29) why Coinbase has only invested $130 million in crypto through its corporate treasury (12:26) whether or not decentralized exchanges like Uniswap pose a threat to Coinbase, and whether unregulated centralized exchanges might squeeze them from the other end (15:41) challenges Coinbase will face going forward (19:13) how well the stock will do once it's listed (20:05) Crypto News Recap (20:59) 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 Jeff Roberts Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffjohnroberts Personal Website: https://jeffjohnroberts.com/ Decrypt: https://decrypt.co Kings of Crypto: https://store.hbr.org/product/kings-of-crypto-one-startup-s-quest-to-take-cryptocurrency-out-of-silicon-valley-and-onto-wall-street/10436 Coinbase S-1 Filing Information S-1 Form: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1679788/000162828021003168/coinbaseglobalincs-1.htm Coinbase Profit: https://decrypt.co/59347/coinbase-big-profit-for-2020-ahead-of-milestone-ipo-direct-listing S-1 Deep Dive: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/95921/coinbases-s-1-public-filing-is-now-public-setting-stage-for-a-direct-listing-on-nasdaq Sending to Satoshi Nakamoto: https://decrypt.co/59509/coinbase-s-1-filing-bitcoin-satoshi-nakamoto + https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1364954956571279369 Share Distribution: https://decrypt.co/59439/coinbase-insiders-very-rich-goes-public Pre-IPO Shares: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/96057/coinbase-pre-ipo-shares-ftx-s1 Armstrong Income: https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-sec-form-s-1 Balance Sheet: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/96021/coinbase-says-holds-bitcoin-btc-on-balance-sheet Transaction Revenue: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1364972834167148548 Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-one-figure-in-the-coinbase-s-1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 26 Feb 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Paxos's Charles Cascarilla - How Blockchain Tech Could Prevent Another GameStop/Robinhood - Ep.214
In this episode of Unchained, Charles Cascarilla, CEO and cofounder of Paxos, explains how the 2008 financial crisis led him to crypto, what financial plumbing has to do with GameStop, and how Paxos is leveraging blockchain technology to change financial services. In this episode Charles discusses: his work experience prior to Paxos and how the financial crisis in 2008 opened his eyes to Bitcoin and blockchain (01:07) what it was like to work in Bitcoin during the early days compared to now (4:02a) why Paxos decided to focus on building solutions for institutions rather than targeting the retail market like Coinbase (11:38) the relationship between Paxos and PayPal + why PayPal customers can’t send crypto directly to their wallets or crypto addresses yet (19:37) how Microstrategy and Tesla are bringing Bitcoin mainstream (25:31) what really happened with GameStop and Robinhood and why financial plumbing matters (30:34) how the Paxos Settlement Service is bringing greater transparency to financial markets by using blockchain technology (39:02) what other assets he thinks will be tokenized (50:32) stablecoin regulation and why this might be as good as it gets for Tether (58:36) why Paxos chose to pursue a New York State trust company charter instead of a BitLicense (1:06:15) what changes he would make to crypto regulation for 2021 and beyond (1:09:28) what’s next for Paxos (1:15:12) Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://bit.ly/3jzkTAD Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla Square: https://square.com/go/unchained Episode links: Charles Cascarilla Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla/ Coindesk Profile: https://www.coindesk.com/charles-cascarilla-most-influential-2020 Previous interview with Laura: https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/ Presentation at Microstrategy’s Bitcoin for Corporation’s conference: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/bitcoin/videos/paxos Blog post on the GameStop saga: https://www.paxos.com/what-lehman-brothers-gamestop-and-the-next-financial-crisis-have-in-common/ Interview with Frank Chaparro: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/61823/the-scoop-paxos-cascarilla-coronavirus Paxos Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaxosGlobal + https://twitter.com/PaxosStandard Paxos Settlement Service: https://www.paxos.com/securities/ + https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-paxos/paxos-to-launch-settlement-of-u-s-listed-equities-after-secs-no-action-letter-idUSKBN1X727M Series C Fundraising: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/88133/142-million-series-c-paxos-crypto-stablecoins Wall Street Journal write-up: https://www.wsj.com/articles/blockchain-makes-inroads-into-the-stock-markets-1-trillion-plumbing-system-11573131600 Plans to tokenize precious metals: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/15413/paxos-plans-to-put-precious-metals-on-the-blockchain Other Links Paypal’s crypto-focused business unit: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/93668/paypal-crypto-business-unit-earnings-2021 Paypal’s Q4 earnings: https://www.coindesk.com/paypal-2020-results-outstanding-finish-to-a-record-year Stablecoin rankings: https://stablecoinstats.com/ Tether whitepaper: https://tether.to/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/TetherWhitePaper.pdf BitLicense: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/apps_and_licensing/virtual_currency_businesses/regulation_history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Feb 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Girl Gone Crypto: How These Wildly Entertaining Crypto Videos Get Made - Ep.213
Lea Thompson, aka Girl Gone Crypto, talks about what goes into producing her popular “The Crypto Minute” vlog, what initially got her into crypto, and her recent decision to quit her day job and go full time crypto. In this episode we discuss: what “The Crypto Minute” is all about, and all the crypto video content she produces (2:37) how Lea comes up with creative content such as wearing a whale costume to portray Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor (5:04) how long it actually takes to create “The Crypto Minute” (6:36) what goes into producing “The Crypto Minute” and which family member is behind the camera (7:05) the biggest challenges Lea faces when creating her videos and how she decides which stories make the final cut (8:56) Lea’s favorite bloopers including, but not limited to, rug pulls, sushi, an Amazon money printer, and a few fake $100 bills (10:28) how Girl Gone Crypto fell down the crypto rabbit hole and why her ukulele skills were instrumental to her crypto journey (12:54) the time when JK Rowling tweeted about Bitcoin, resulting in Lea’s viral “A Muggle’s Guide to Bitcoin” video (17:31) what type of crypto content works best on different social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok (20:00) when Girl Gone Crypto stopped being a hobby and how it is going now that Lea is full-time crypto (21:46) how Lea is trying to educate people about crypto in a simple and approachable way… one ninja suit at time (22:34) Crypto News Recap (26:12) Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://bit.ly/3jzkTAD Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla The Sun Exchange: http://thesunexchange.com/unconfirmed Episode links: Lea Thompson: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto Her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlGoneCrypto Her TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlgone_crypto?source=h5_m Lea's personal website: https://www.lealovescrypto.com/ Video Examples 2020 Year in Review… News Vlog Style: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto/status/1344384717466914817?s=20 A Muggle’s Guide to Bitcoin: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto/status/1261445010832015361?s=20 Hardware Wallets Explained: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto/status/1329580439820849153?s=20 Miscellaneous Information Fair Use: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html Money Printer: https://www.amazon.com/Printing-Machine-Magician-Close-Up-Accessories/dp/B07XRBDCL8 Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-300k-btc-by-eoy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 19 Feb 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Stani Kulechov on Why Aave Is So Successful - Ep.212
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
Tue, 16 Feb 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Lyn Alden and Raoul Pal: Is Ethereum a Good Investment? - Ep.211
Lyn Alden, CEO and founder of Lyn Alden Investment Strategies, and Raoul Pal, CEO & cofounder of Real Vision Group & Global Macro Investor, explain their thinking about Ethereum and its native token, and talk about their perspective on GameStop. In this episode, we discuss: why Raoul views ether as similar to bitcoin at a macro level (1:25) why Lyn decided ETH was not currently investable (5:06) an analysis of utility protocols (John Pfeffer’s paper) (6:55) counterarguments to John Pfeffer’s paper (9:31) how to allocate between BTC and ETH (11:22) why Raoul also invested in other coins beyond BTC and ETH (11:47) whether Metcalfe's law applies equally to all kinds of networks (13:35) why Lyn views Ethereum’s use case as circular, and why that makes it less investable (15:09) whether Ethereum 2.0 and Ethereum Improvement Proposal 1559, and whether that could make ETH more investable (21:20) the impact of fees on the value of Ethereum (23:36) Raoul's views on what S-Curves and the Lindy Effect indicate about the development of a currency (25:22) how high fees make DApps less attractive, while low fees potentially decrease demand for ETH (27:06) how Lyn believes demand for DeFi is to circumvent compliance and know-your-customer processes, and she doesn't also see that as a downside for Bitcoin (33:10) how the regulators are behind innovation in cryptocurrencies, particularly around taxation (36:32) Raoul's and Lyn's predictions for the ETH price by end of 2021 (41:45) what GameStop says about the democratization of financial information (45:32) whether smart contracts could play in preventing situations similar to what happened with GameStop and/or Robinhood (49:03) how blockchain technology could be used to prevent a situation in which the hedge funds could short more shares than existed (54:03) how the GameStop/Robinhood saga is a giant advertisement for self-custody (54:53) whether r/WallStreetBets' behavior was market manipulation or not (56:53) Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Lyn Alden: https://twitter.com/LynAldenContact Lyn Alden Investment: https://www.lynalden.com/ Raoul Pal: https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI Real Vision: https://www.realvision.com/contributor/raoul-pal Global Macro Investor: https://www.globalmacroinvestor.com Raoul's tweet storm on Ethereum: https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI/status/1347013567799848961?s=20 Lyn Alden’s research paper on Ethereum: https://www.lynalden.com/ethereum-analysis/ Raoul Pal’s tweet: ETH equals BTC: https://twitter.com/raoulgmi/status/1347013567799848961?lang=en John Pfeffer’s paper: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/john-pfeffer/An+Investor's+Take+on+Cryptoassets+v6.pdf Network effects and Metcalfe’s Law: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_developing-new-products-and-services/s04-12-there-is-power-in-numbers-netw.html Quantity Theory of Money: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_economics-theory-through-applications/s30-01-the-quantity-theory-of-money.html How Will the Government React to GameStop?: https://www.coindesk.com/gamestop-regulators-response GameStop and Crypto trading: https://cryptonews.com/exclusives/are-gamestop-style-surges-in-crypto-any-different-from-old-p-9151.htm Robinhood Raises Extra funds: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/93258/report-robinhood-billions-raised-investors-1 Possible role of blockchain in trading: https://cointelegraph.com/news/cardano-foundation-ceo-says-blockchain-could-prevent-gme-type-showdowns Caitlin Long: https://www.forbes.com/sites/caitlinlong/2019/05/16/naked-shorting-in-the-uber-ipo-it-couldnt-happen-on-a-blockchain/?sh=f2a0dcd4737d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Everything You Need to Know About Your 2020 Crypto Taxes - Ep.210
In this episode, Shehan Chandrasekara, head of strategy at CoinTracker, and Dan Hannum COO at Zen Ledger, take a deep dive into the world of crypto taxes. Over an hour and fifteen minutes they tackle a bevy of topics ranging from why the IRS is asking about your crypto history to explaining the proper way of reporting yield farming income. Shehan and Dan give up their hard-earned tax secrets and tips learned through building their respective cutting-edge crypto tax software. Here is a list of talking points covered in the discussion: how the IRS is handling crypto this year (1:20) where to start with reporting crypto and what constitutes a taxable event (5:59) bitcoin corner cases: mining, with a description of calculating cost basis (19:48) wages (27:01) peer-to-peer transactions outside of exchanges (28:23) defi and taxes: yield farming — and how it's like Russian nesting dolls (31:45) how the IRS taxes earned interest (36:32) airdrops (40:15) crypto transactions that are not taxable: purchases, withdrawals, and stablecoins (46:28) navigating tax documents (51:24-58-10) NFT’s and social tokens (57:14) tax loss harvesting (1:03:09) how having coins on platforms like Robinhood and Paypal can have an effect on your taxes (1:05:05) proposed tax changes (1:06:50) crypto tax software and tips for the upcoming year (1:10:29) Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Guests Shehan Chandrasekara: https://twitter.com/TheCryptoCPA Dan Hannum: https://twitter.com/DHannum8 Software CoinTracker: cointracker.io ZenLedger: zenledger.io Accounting LIFO, HIFO, FIFO: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shehanchandrasekera/2020/09/17/what-crypto-taxpayers-need-to-know-about-fifo-lifo-hifo-specific-id/?sh=7077f8e936aa (written by Shehan) 1040 Question: https://fortune.com/2020/09/28/the-irs-is-adding-a-cryptocurrency-question-to-form-1040-for-2020/ 1099 Misc: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1099msc.pdf 1099 B: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-b Regulatory research: 2014 IRS Tax Guidance: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-14-21.pdf IRS Virtual Currency page: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/virtual-currencies IRS gains and losses: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p550.pdf Equipment write-offs: https://www.section179.org/section_179_deduction/ IRS sues Coinbase: https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/29/16717416/us-coinbase-irs-records How holding crypto at PayPal or Robinhood or any platform that does not allow you to transfer to an address off-platform could affect your taxes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shehanchandrasekera/2021/01/28/exiting-robinhood-could-create-a-tax-nightmare-for-crypto-users/?sh=106b74a84ad6 De minimis exemption: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/series63-050509.asp#:~:text='The%20De%20Minimis'%20exemption%20means,period%20with%20a%20physical%20address. FinCEN intends to apply FBAR to cryptocurrency held offshore: https://www.coindesk.com/fincen-foreign-crypto-exchange-disclosure-rule Backstory: Bitcoin Cash Fork: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-cash-has-split-into-two-new-blockchains-again Yield farming and social tokens: https://decrypt.co/resources/what-is-yield-farming-beginners-guide https://www.cointracker.io/blog/defi-yield-farming-crypto-tax-guide (written by Shehan) Alex Masmej: https://www.coindesk.com/man-who-sells-himself-now-wants-buyers-to-control-his-life Crypto tax guides BlockFi: https://blockfi.com/crypto-tax-laws Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/learn/tips-and-tutorials/crypto-and-bitcoin-taxes-US Nerd Wallet: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/bitcoin-taxes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Saylor on the Best Way for Companies to Buy Bitcoin - Ep.209
Michael Saylor, CEO and founder of Microstrategy, explains how he decided the publicly traded business data firm needed to put its excess cash in bitcoin and what happened afterward. In this episode, we discuss: why Microstrategy decided to buy Bitcoin, and how the pandemic spurred that whether his previous experience with Microstrategy stock imploding after accounting irregularities were revealed had any bearing on the company's decision to buy bitcoin the reactions of the officers and board members to his suggestion to invest in bitcoin why they put all the excess cash into bitcoin as opposed to some percentage what parts of the bitcoin industry could be improved to better serve corporate interests whether Microstrategy intends to take any money off the table at the top of any future bubbles and reinvest when the price hits a new low whether it hurts Microstrategy that GAAP rules require the company to mark Bitcoin down to the lowest price it traded at during the quarter how his life has changed since Microstrategy bought bitcoin what he thought of Citi downgrading Microstrategy stock what he thinks of Renaissance Technology being the third-largest buyer of Microstrategy stock since the summer what will happen to Microstrategy stock in a bitcoin bear market whether or not there was any further conversation after his tweets with Elon Musk what types of companies, and how many, have been talking with him, expressing interest in buying bitcoin what will happen at the Bitcoin for Companies conference what type of bitcoin data products they are contemplating offering what he thinks will happen to the USD’s global reserve currency status what it would take for him to sell any bitcoin Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: http://1inch.exchange Episode links: Michael Saylor: https://twitter.com/michael_saylor Microstrategy: https://www.microstrategy.com/en Bitcoin for Corporations: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/resources/events/world-2021/bitcoin-summit Microstrategy purchases an additional $10 million in bitcoin: https://www.microstrategy.com/content/dam/website-assets/collateral/financial- documents/financial-document-archive/Form-8-K_jan-22-2021.pdf Unchained interview with Saifedean Ammous: August 11, 2020: Microstrategy adopts Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset: August 11, 2020: Microstrategy makes tender offer to purchase up to $250 million of its common stock: September 11, 2020: Microstrategy to purchase $60.5 million of common stock: Plan to offer $550 million in convertible notes: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/87120/microstrategy-550m-convertible-notes-bitcoin Microstrategy announces over $1 billion in Bitcoin purchases in 2020: Michael Saylor’s 2013 tweet on Bitcoin: https://twitter.com/michael_saylor/status/413478389329428480?s=20 Forbes expose on unusual accounting practices by Microstrategy back in 2000: https://www.forbes.com/global/2000/0306/0305024a.html?sh=46312df01674 April 2000 profile of Michael in The New Yorker: https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/2000-04-03/flipbook/034/ SEC enforcement action against Microstrategy: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/34-43724.htm Forbes profile after the SEC enforcement action: https://www.forbes.com/2000/12/18/1218faces.html?sh=523061e03bf9 Forbes announcing Microstrategy would restate earnings after its expose: https://www.forbes.com/2000/03/20/mu3.html?sh=21efe89d1ee6 Summary of SEC action: Citi downgrading MSTR: Renaissance Technologies has been third-largest buyer of Microstrategy’s stock since the summer: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/87194/renaissance-technologies-microstrategy-bitcoin Microstrategy contemplating bitcoin data products: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/85310/microstrategy-bitcoin-data-products Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000
The SEC's Lawsuit Against Ripple and 2 Execs: What You Need to Know - Ep.208
Stephen Palley, partner at Anderson Kill. and Gabriel Shapiro, partner at BSV Law, discuss the SEC's lawsuit against Ripple and two executives, Chris Larsen and Bard Garlinghouse. In this episode, they explain: what was so "egregious" that the SEC went after two executives, Chris Larsen and Brad Garlinghouse, were charged why their sales showed an information asymmetry, and why that matters why the complaint comes close to being a fraud case, but why the SEC didn't charge them with fraud why the idea that XRP is a currency and therefore cannot be a security will likely not fly why it's unlikely the case will go to the Supreme Court the SEC's case for why XRP is a security, and Ripple's role in it how even on a technical level, the XRP network is centralized how strong the SEC's case is against Larsen and Garlinghouse Stephen's and Gabriel's predictions on how the lawsuit will play out how this will likely impact XRP investors whether or not Ripple could become an SEC-reporting company and XRP a security what happened with Ripple's lead investor in its most recent fundraising round whether or not the SEC might go after exchanges or other players who made money off XRP or collaborated with Ripple around XRP trading what this means for Coinbase, in particular, because it's going public later this year what Ripple's defense, in its summarized Wells submission, was how this case compares to some of the other big SEC/crypto securities cases, Kik/Kin and Telegram whether there might ever be a digital token that is determined to be a security for specific transactions but not others what the wider implications of the case are for the rest of the crypto industry Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: https://1inch.exchange Episode links: Stephen Palley: https://twitter.com/stephendpalley Gabriel Shapiro: https://twitter.com/lex_node SEC lawsuit against Ripple: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2020/comp-pr2020-338.pdf SEC lawsuit against Ripple being close to a fraud case: https://twitter.com/stephendpalley/status/1341523294344896515?s=20 Former SEC commissioner Joe Grundefest on the case: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/89164/former-sec-commissioner-says-ripple-lawsuit-will-cause-multi-billion-dollar-losses-to-innocent-third-parties Other lawsuit against Ripple: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.334410/gov.uscourts.cand.334410.115.0.pdf Technical assessment of Ripple network: https://cryptobern.github.io/noconsensusripple/ Tetragon’s case against Ripple: https://twitter.com/stephendpalley/status/1346531087971999749?s=20 What the case means for exchanges: https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-delist-xrp-exchanges-dilemma Coinbase suspends trading in XRP: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-will-suspend-trading-in-xrp-on-january-19-2e09652dbf57 https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-suspends-xrp-trading Lawsuit against Coinbase: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-30/coinbase-sued-over-xrp-commissions-after-sec-pursues-ripple?sref=m9L277rN https://twitter.com/stephendpalley/status/1344352455895691269?s=20 People in the industry thinking for a while that XRP is a security: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/57366/xrp-is-probably-a-security-dont-at-me Mary Jo White: https://www.coindesk.com/former-sec-chair-represents-ripple-xrp-lawsuit Ripple’s Wells submission: https://ripple.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Ripple-Wells-Submission-Summary.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Willy Woo: How Bitcoin Reaches up to $300,000 by End of Year - Ep.207
Willy Woo, a prominent on-chain Bitcoin analyst and author of the “The Bitcoin Forecast,” a market intelligence newsletter, explains the parabolic activity of Bitcoin in the past month. We cover: why he thinks Bitcoin has more than doubled in the last month what the "double pump" market is and why Bitcoin may see two rallies this cycle what stage of the Bitcoin bull market we are currently in who is buying, and how they've differed from previous investors who still is yet to buy this cycle why Bitcoin hitting new all-time highs mean that we're in "uncharted price discovery" how his "top cap model" shows Bitcoin could be around $95k by end of year and how if certain trends accelerate, it could reach $200,000-$300,000 by year's end how the pandemic impacted Bitcoin’s price what on-chain movements he's seeing that make him call the current cycle of Bitcoin "whale spawning season” how to gauge the increasingly rapid investor activity what to expect from Bitcoin and Ethereum in 2021 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: http://1inch.exchange Episode links: Willy Woo: https://twitter.com/woonomic Woobull.com: http://charts.woobull.com Willy on Unconfirmed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/willy-woo-on-why-its-an-extremely-great-time-to-buy-bitcoin/ Fibonacci traces tweet: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1347433551906500614?s=20 Bitcoin reflexivity: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1344189627997949952/photo/1 Who has been buying recently: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1347127159538688002?s=20 Double pump bull market: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1346889817792004096?s=20 Buying by long-term holders: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1346827893322616833/photo/1 What percentage of the Bitcoin supply is liquid: https://insights.glassnode.com/bitcoin-liquid-supply/ Premium above NVT Price: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1346797291668029440/photo/1 Accumulation of BTC before the OCC announcement: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1346296294797582336/photo/1 Will never see a $20k BTC again: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1345660018541019138?s=20 Bitcoin as investment vs. tech: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1345221723751206912?s=20 NVT Ratio: http://charts.woobull.com/bitcoin-nvt-ratio/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000
Central Bank Digital Currencies: How Should Privacy Be Built In? - Ep.206
This panel, from a panel for the fifth anniversary of Hyperledger, features Rob Palatnick, managing director of global head of technology research and innovation at the DTCC and chairman of the Hyperledger board, Matthieu Saint Olive, Codefi payments product manager and CBDC advisor at ConsenSys, and Robert Bench, assistant vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In this discussion on the current outlook on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), they cover: what main problems CBDCs can solve whether CBDCs should be open sourced why building a new technology for CBDCs is preferred over using existing tech how concerns over CBDCs and their privacy implications differ across countries what possible pain points or opportunities CBDCs pose for central banks whether CBDCs should be blockchain-based to what extent CBDCs will be distributed and open networks, and whether fees would be charged for transactions how central banks are thinking about methods of adoption, like whether they will bank directly with retail customers or still use commercial banks how developers balance the drawbacks and benefits of blockchain-based CBDCs with different stakeholders whether stable coins will be replaced by or coexist with CBDCs and what the future holds for the continued development of CBDCs Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: http://1inch.exchange Episode links: Rob Palatnick: https://www.dtcc.com/our-experts/robert-palatnick Brian Behlendorf: https://twitter.com/brianbehlendorf?lang=en Matthieu Saint Olive: https://twitter.com/msaintolive?lang=en Robert Bench: https://www.bostonfed.org/home/people/bank/robert-bench.aspx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000
2020 Highlights: The Biggest News Stories of the Year in Crypto - Ep.205
Host Laura Shin recaps the biggest stories of the year in crypto, with clips from shows throughout the year. In this episode, we cover how the pandemic drove Bitcoin to new all-time highs, how regulation began to come for the crypto space in a big way, plus new trends in DeFi, corporate structures, and how ETH will change as an asset. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: https://1inch.exchange Episode links: Meltem Demirors on Bitcoin’s behavior during the recession https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-meltem-demirors-and-lyn-alden-on-the-perfect-conditions-for-bitcoin/ Mike Novogratz and Raoul Pal on Bitcoin’s relation to fiat https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-mike-novogratz-and-raoul-pal-on-the-single-greatest-brand-of-the-last-10-years/ Chamath Palihapitiya on Bitcoin as a financial hedge https://unchainedpodcast.com/chamath-palihapitiya-why-bitcoin-will-be-the-category-winner/ Cathie Wood and Dan Tapiero on corporate adoption of Bitcoin https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-bitcoin-under-a-biden-administration/ Dave Jevans and Siân Jones on regulation and VASPs https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/ Jake Chervinsky and Kristin Smith on the Swiss Rule and self-hosted wallets https://unchainedpodcast.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-looming-battle-over-privacy-in-crypto/ Jeremy Allaire and Kristin Smith on Mnuchin’s proposed FinCEN rule https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-is-the-proposed-fincen-rule-for-unhosted-wallets-being-pushed-so-quickly/ Jessi Brooks and Zia Faruqui on cryptocurrencies facilitating illicit activity https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-this-doj-strike-force-hunts-down-cryptocurrency-criminals/ Brian Brooks on Americans accepting more privacy restrictions https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/ Meltem Demirors on privacy being under attack https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-meltem-demirors-and-lyn-alden-on-the-perfect-conditions-for-bitcoin/ Haseeb Qureshi on the maturation of DeFi https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-decentralized-trading-has-10xed-in-a-few-months/ Vitalik Buterin on risks that still exist in DeFi https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-ethereums-five-year-anniversary/ Taylor Monahan and Dan Guido on DeFi security https://unchainedpodcast.com/defi-security-with-so-many-hacks-will-it-ever-be-safe/ Vitalik Buterin reflecting on the last five years of Ethereum https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-ethereums-five-year-anniversary/ Ryan Watkins on Ethereum 2.0 https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereum-2-0-what-you-need-to-know/ Olaf Carlson-Wee on DeFi impacting the traditional corporate structure https://unchainedpodcast.com/olaf-carlson-wee-if-there-is-a-money-losing-exploit-the-money-is-gone/ Andrew Cronje on shifting corporate structures https://unchainedpodcast.com/andre-cronje-of-yearn-finance-on-yfi-and-the-fair-launch-im-lazy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Why Is the Proposed FinCEN Rule for Unhosted Wallets Being Pushed So Quickly? - Ep.204
Jeremy Allaire of Circle Pay and Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association explain the impact of and motivation behind Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s proposed FinCEN rule that targets “unhosted” wallets. In this episode, they cover: what the new FinCEN rule says, and how it would impact unhosted or self-hosted wallets, as well as crypto businesses why they believe this is really politically motivated and unilateral midnight rule making by Secretary Mnuchin what other bureaucrats and policymakers think should be done instead whether the rule only affects businesses rather than individuals what information will be recorded according to the rule ways to circumvent compliance how the rule affects DeFi and Web3 the procedural hurdles Mnuchin took to propose the rule, and what they recommend the crypto community to do try to stop the implementation of the rule how the rule comports with European GDPR regulations which government entities will be tasked with making the regulatory changes the space needs why President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration may be more favorable for the space Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: http://1inch.exchange Episode links: Jeremy Allaire: https://twitter.com/jerallaire Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/kmsmithdc Circle: https://www.circle.com/en/ The Blockchain Association: https://theblockchainassociation.org Stories on proposed rule: https://www.coindesk.com/fincen-proposes-kyc-rules-for-crypto-wallets https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/88347/treasury-crypto-wallets-reporting-rule Effect on DeFi: https://twitter.com/jerallaire/status/1340060806088671232?s=20 https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1340050400871911424?s=20 Coin Center response: https://www.coincenter.org/a-midnight-rule-for-cryptocurrency-transaction-reports/ Brian Armstrong’s earlier tweet thread: https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1331745196887867393 Collins Belton’s tweet thread: https://twitter.com/collins_belton/status/1340051986008350721?s=20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000
All the Ways Crypto Can Make Gaming More Fun - Ep.203
Marguerite deCourcelle is co-founder and CEO of Blockade Games, which is releasing the role-playing game game Neon District the day this episode comes out. She discusses her background in art, how her love of video games led her to discover Bitcoin in the early days of the cryptocurrency, and how she helps create the next phase of web 3.0 content creation and distribution. Topics include: how Marguerite became involved in crypto and what led her to co-found Blockade Games her work on Pineapple Arcade and Plasma Bears the problems she sees with gaming and how blockchain technology can solve them how Blockade Games is utilizing blockchain tech Neon District, a blockchain-based RPG game with active gameplay and animation that uses NFTs and farming the difference between ERC-721 and ERC-1155 tokens and how each is utilized in Neon District how they have been marrying NFTs with DeFi through the NIFTEX exchange how an open economy challenges the dynamics of gameplay and how they account for this in their game design why a decentralized profile can be so powerful in gaming the types of users Blockade Games hopes to attract with Neon District why they are using the Matic Network how blockchain tech within a game changes the business model for Blockade as opposed to a traditional gaming company whether she thinks conventional gaming companies will be disrupted by blockchain technology the problems in content creation business models and distribution and how she thinks blockchain can solve them her personal token, COIN, how it is connected to CRED and how the two work together and people earn them what Coin Artist Liquidity Mining is and how it works Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: http://1inch.exchange Episode links: Marguerite: https://twitter.com/coin_artist Coin Artist: https://coinartist.io Yield farming NFTs: https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-yield-farming-defi-buzz-explained Crypto puzzles: https://www.coindesk.com/theres-more-money-to-win-in-the-310-bitcoin-challenge-heres-some-hints Blockade Games's seed round: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-puzzle-artists-blockchain-gaming-startup-valued-at-13-million CoinDesk podcast network with Marguerite: https://www.coindesk.com/what-artists-love-about-crypto Delphi Digital podcast with Marguerite: https://www.delphidigital.io/podcasts/marguerite-decourcelle-building-towards-a-neon-future/ Delphi Digital report on Coin's E-den syndicate: https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/social-tokens-the-rise-of-the-coins-e-den-syndicate/ OpenSea store for Alex Botez chess pieces: https://opensea.io/collection/get-pwnd Blog post about the Alexandra Botez collaboration: https://coin-artist.medium.com/bringing-chess-to-ethereum-5969d9cfa07a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Can Gavin Wood's Polkadot 'Make Blockchain Great Again'? - Ep.202
Gavin Wood, founder of Polkadot, Kusama, and Parity, discusses what he calls the "meta-protocol," Polkadot. In this episode, he talks about: his vision for Polkadot and the problems he set out to solve when conceiving it why he considers Polkadot a meta-protocol the implementation of parachains and parathreads, how they are defined and how they differ parachain auctions and candle auctions how DDoS attacks can be prevented on parachains initial parachain offerings and how they differ from initial coin offerings and avoid the regulatory problems that were so common with ICOs on-chain governance on Polkadot and how it works how immediate implementation of proposals that pass consensus will prevent forks his answer to those who point to Parity's history with security lapses as cause for concern about Polkadot's security how he sees Polkadot co-existing with Ethereum whether Polkadot is working toward composability how the Web3 Foundation and Parity plan to use their collective stake of DOTs within the network how he plans to address the possibility that DOT could be labeled a security how he imagines Polkadot will serve the enterprise world and how Polkadot will benefit enterprise blockchains Thank you to our sponsors! 1inch: https://1inch.exchange Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Gavin Wood: https://twitter.com/gavofyork Polkadot: https://polkadot.network Kusama: https://kusama.network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Ethereum 2.0: What You Need to Know - Ep.201
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
Tue, 01 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000
What Fidelity Is Doing With the Bitcoin It's Mined - Ep.200
Christine Sandler, head of sales and marketing at Fidelity Digital Assets, talks about how 30 years in traditional finance and an early retirement led her to Coinbase, and, eventually, Fidelity Digital Assets. She discusses the history of Fidelity's involvement in crypto, how they became one of the first to enter the space, and what the future holds. Topics include: what Fidelity Digital Assets is and Christine's role there Christine's background in traditional finance, how she was drawn into the world of cryptocurrencies, eventually working at Coinbase, and how she found her way to Fidelity Digital Assets the role Fidelity sees itself playing in the digital asset space how the client base for digital assets has changed over time how Fidelity approaches the difficulties around explaining what bitcoin and crypto is, and the most common questions they receive how the pandemic has changed the conversation around digital currencies the types of services and products Fidelity is considering for the future the differences Fidelity sees in how international investors are approaching digital currency Fidelity's plans for a Bitcoin index fund and whether they are considering offering futures how financial institutions and institutional investors fit into a world of decentralized finance founded with the ethos of excluding them the regulatory improvements Fidelity is hoping to see what a Bitcoin ETF would mean for Fidelity how Fidelity might use a central bank digital currency in its business Fidelity's thoughts on offering proof of stake services whether a more deflationary Ethereum might attract more institutional investors and whether Fidelity will offer Ethereum in the future Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Christine Sandler: https://twitter.com/shoegalnyc Fidelity Digital Assets: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/overview Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigitalAssets Christine leaves Coinbase for FDAS: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-poaches-coinbase-institutional-sales-head-christine-sandler Fidelity Center for Applied Technology: https://fcatalyst.com/overview Fidelity Digital Assets looking to become prime broker: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/68920/fidelity-digital-assets-eyes-service-for-introducing-crypto-funds-to-big-investors How the client profile has changed: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/42342/the-client-profile-is-changing-fidelity-digital-assets-exec-says-new-players-are-entering-the-crypto-fold How to Explain Cryptocurrencies and Blockchains to the Average Person Unchained episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-explain-cryptocurrencies-and-blockchains-to-the-average-person/ Fidelity expands crypto business to Europe: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-to-expand-institutional-crypto-business-to-europe Fidelity obtains New York Trust Charter: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-gets-a-new-york-trust-charter-to-custody-bitcoin-for-institutions Bitcoin Index Fund: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/08/26/fidelity-president-files-for-new-bitcoin-fund/?sh=13aa335445c9 Fidelity survey of 800 institutional investors: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/FDAS/institutional-investor-study.pdf FDAS hiring: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/articles/engineering-hiring-initiative?ccmedia=owned&ccchannel=social&cccampaign=hiring_blog&cctactics=twitter Kingdom Trust: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-digital-assets-to-custody-bitcoin-in-kingdom-trust-retirement-accounts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto - Ep.199
Jake Chervinsky, general counsel at Compound Labs, and Kristin Smith, executive director of The Blockchain Association, talk about the storm brewing in the cryptosphere involving self-custody and privacy. In this episode, they cover: the differences between hosted and self-hosted wallets and how transactions between them differ why the ability to transact from self-hosted wallets is so important compliance and regulation in the traditional financial world and how it could affect self-custody the “Swiss rule” and what it could mean for the rest of the world the proposal by FinCEN to lower the threshold for collecting data on transactions from $3,000 to $250 how regulators might achieve their goals without “dragnet” surveillance how the amount of crime and money laundering in the traditional financial system compares to that in the crypto world why OTC brokers are considered the most significant money laundering risk in crypto, and how that risk might be mitigated how different political environments can influence the value of peer to peer transactions whether Americans should be willing to give up some of their financial privacy in favor of security what the recent statement by the DOJ's cryptocurrency enforcement framework labeling anonymous transactions as "high-risk activity indicative of possible criminal conduct" could mean for privacy coins like Monero and Zcash Gary Gensler's appointment as head of Biden's financial policy transition team and whether to view it as a positive or negative for crypto whether they think the incoming Congress will be in favor of more surveillance or more privacy whether there might eventually be regulations for developers who write code for self-hosted wallets how potential rules regarding self-custody could affect non-monetary items like NFTs and the next big developments they are watching out for regarding this issue Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Jake Chervinsky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Compound Labs: https://compound.finance Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/kmsmithdc The Blockchain Association: https://theblockchainassociation.org/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn FinCen NPRM: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/10/27/2020-23756/threshold-for-the-requirement-to-collect-retain-and-transmit-information-on-funds-transfers-and Coin Center commentary on lowering FinCEN threshold: https://www.coincenter.org/app/uploads/2020/10/Coin-Center-Comment-FinCEN-FRB-250-threshold.pdf Unchained episode about the FATF travel rule: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/ The choice of Gary Gensler to lead the financial policy transition team: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-biden-election-day-2020/card/peMRHGPJasECSPLezSFx https://www.coindesk.com/biden-confirms-gary-gensler-will-lead-financial-policy-transition-team Shapeshift delists Zcash: https://www.coindesk.com/shapeshift-delists-privacy-coin-zcash-over-regulatory-concerns Jessie Liu interview on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-dojs-cryptocurrency-enforcement-framework/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Bitcoin Under a Biden Administration - Ep.198
In this episode, Dan Tapiero, founder of 10T Holdings and Gold Bullion International, and Cathie Wood, CEO and CIO at ARK Invest, discuss the long election week in the U.S. and how they believe Bitcoin will behave in a post-election world. They also talk about: how a changeover from a Trump to a Biden administration could affect Bitcoin how the prospect of legal challenges from the Trump administration might affect Bitcoin whether they think the presidential election influenced Bitcoin’s precipitous price jump in the first week of November what it takes to change the mind of a Bitcoin skeptic in the investment world whether gold investors are becoming more resistant or more embracing of Bitcoin whether Democratic control of the Senate would affect Bitcoin how they expect the new wave of rising coronavirus cases and lockdowns to affect economies and Bitcoin the new inflation policy introduced by Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell and how it will affect Bitcoin the recent Bitcoin halving and how they expect Bitcoin to perform over the next year how banking will change over the next few years and how that will affect Bitcoin their thoughts on central bank digital currencies and how an increase in CBDCs might affect Bitcoin what factors they are looking at right now when thinking about what could happen with Bitcoin over the next year Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Cathie Wood: https://twitter.com/cathiedwood Ark Invest: https://ark-invest.com/ Yassine Elmandjra: https://twitter.com/yassineARK Dan Tapiero: https://twitter.com/DTAPCAP 10T Holdings: https://10tfund.com/ Gold Bullion International: https://bullioninternational.com/ Unchained with Brian Brooks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/ Jerome Powell speech on targeting inflation of 2%: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/27/powell-announces-new-fed-approach-to-inflation-that-could-keep-rates-lower-for-longer.html Bitcoin-gold correlation: https://coinmetrics.io/correlation-charts/#assets=btc-gld Bitcoin-S&P 500 correlation: https://coinmetrics.io/correlation-charts/#assets=btc-s&p Forbes profile on Cathie Wood: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2020/10/05/how-cathie-wood-beat-wall-street-by-betting-tesla-is-worth-more-than-1-trillion/?sh=12d44f813d45 ARK Invest Bitcoin white papers: https://ark-invest.com/white-papers/bitcoin-part-one/ https://ark-invest.com/white-papers/bitcoin-part-two/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Meltem Demirors and Lyn Alden on the Perfect Conditions for Bitcoin - Ep.197
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
Tue, 03 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks on Crypto Banks - Ep.196
Brian Brooks got his start in traditional finance before joining Coinbase in 2018 and is currently the acting comptroller of the currency. In this episode, he discusses: how his background in traditional financial services led him to take a position at Coinbase whether the role blockchain and crypto will likely play in the financial future is being recognized at the federal level whether or not banks have always had the authority to custody crypto for their customers how he expects things to unfold in the coming years as banks begin to become more involved in crypto custody his thoughts on Kraken and others launching crypto banks and whether it will lead to the founding of other crypto banks how his office is pushing for a national fintech charter, and how it could affect less crypto-friendly states whether banks that work with crypto companies supporting unhosted wallets are prohibited from holding stablecoin reserves whether or not OCC regulations cover DeFi, and the regulatory challenges that open source protocols present whether he sees a time when governments and regulators participate in the governance of crypto platforms what roles he thinks public and private sectors, as well as commercial banks, should play in the creation of a central bank digital currency what stance the OCC might take around privacy in blockchain transactions how U.S. regulators can offer more clarity to the crypto industry and how he thinks the pandemic, its effect on the economy, and the government’s response through stimulus will affect the crypto industry Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Brian Brooks: https://twitter.com/BrianBrooksOCC Office of the Comptroller of the Currency: https://www.occ.gov Letter to authorize banks to provide crypto custody services for customers: https://www.occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/interpretations-and-actions/2020/int1170.pdf The significance of the letter for banks and crypto companies: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthougan/2020/07/27/the-occs-notice-on-crypto-is-a-really-big-deal/#13aad8806301 The OCC’s statement on federally chartered banks and crypto custody: https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2020/nr-occ-2020-98.html His support for a federal licensing framework for crypto companies: https://www.coindesk.com/us-banking-regulator-suggests-federal-licensing-framework-for-crypto-firms Questions about the OCC’s stablecoin guidance https://www.coindesk.com/questions-occ-first-guidance-stablecoins CSBS “One Company, One Exam” policy: https://www.coindesk.com/csbs-firms-explained Battle with states over federal licensing program: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/currency-comptroller-reshape-banking-406393 FinCEN’s 2019 Regulatory Guidance: https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/new-fincen-guidance-affirms-its-longstanding-regulatory-framework-virtual Federal Reserve says it is exploring a central bank digital currency: https://www.coindesk.com/fed-reserve-evaluating-digital-dollar-but-benefits-still-unclear-says-chairman His view that a CBDC should be designed by the private sector: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/69216/heres-how-brian-brooks-disagrees-with-fed-chair-jerome-powell-on-the-digital-dollar The OCC’s Financial Inclusion Project: https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/minority-outreach/project-reach.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:45:00 -0000
How This DOJ Strike Force Hunts Down Cryptocurrency Criminals - Ep.195
Magistrate judge Zia Faruqui, and Jessi Brooks, assistant U.S. attorney in the national security section at the United States Attorney’s Office, have prosecuted several cryptocurrency-related cases, many of them amongst the most well-known. In this episode, they talk about: how they came to be involved in the prosecution of so many cases involving cryptocurrency the nature of civil forfeiture cases the Al-Qassam Brigades case, which led to the largest ever seizure of a terrorist organization’s cryptocurrency accounts, and the terrorist organization’s use of dynamic addresses in an attempt to elude detection by authorities. how Al Qaeda used Telegram to pursue cryptocurrency donations the case involving ISIS and counterfeit PPE for COVID the process of seizing funds from unhosted wallets the North Korean affiliated Lazarus Group, and how they were able to amass $2580 million worth of cryptocurrency the methods hackers will use to cash out stolen crypto funds to fiat how different government agencies in the U.S., as well as in other countries, are coordinated when tackling these cases the Welcome to Video case and how they went about prosecuting a person in a foreign country how they’ve seen the use of cryptocurrencies by criminals evolve over time and whether or not they think decentralized exchanges will make it easier for criminals and hackers to cash out Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Jessi Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-brooks-8289ab32/ Zia’s Faruqui: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zia-faruqui-a73ba11a5/ Three terror-finance cybercrime cases: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/global-disruption-three-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns The Al-Qassam Brigades case: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/global-disruption-three-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns Scam PPE site: https://www.wired.com/story/isis-allegedly-ran-a-covid-19-ppe-scam-site/ Civil forfeiture complaint against North Korea-affiliated hackers, Lazarus Group: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/united-states-files-complaint-forfeit-280-cryptocurrency-accounts-tied-hacks-two https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1310411/download https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/lazarus-group-north-korea-doj-complaint-august-2020 Welcome to Video indictment: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/south-korean-national-and-hundreds-others-charged-worldwide-takedown-largest-darknet-child Dark Scandals: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/03/13/dark-deja-vu-irs-announces-charges-in-takedown-of-multi-million-dollar-child-exploitation-website-funded-by-bitcoin/#4a09b2ac28ae https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1257581/download Jonathan Levin from Chainalysis on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-bitcoin-led-to-the-demise-of-the-largest-child-porn-site/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:15:00 -0000
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on BitMEX, DeFi and a Token Safe Harbor - Ep.194
Hester Peirce, AKA “Crypto Mom,” was just confirmed to a second term as SEC Commissioner of the Securities Exchange Commission in August. In this episode, she talks about: the reasons for her dissent in the Unikrn Settlement and what she believes would have been a proper penalty the current status of her token safe harbor proposal her thoughts on fair launch projects as opposed to traditional VC-backed tokens her view on how the SEC should view airdrops her thoughts on whether existing securities laws could be tweaked as opposed to implementing a safe harbor whether she thinks DeFi governance tokens should be considered securities her thoughts on DeFi playing its own regulatory role her thoughts on the Securities Clarity Act introduced in Congress the chances of a Bitcoin ETF being approved by the SEC in the future the charges against BitMEX and the effect it may have on the industry in general stablecoins, and how they might raise securities issues and whether she thinks that all securities could one day be tokenized Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Hester Peirce: https://twitter.com/HesterPeirce SEC: https://www.sec.gov Her dissent on the Unikrn settelement: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-statement-settlement-charging-token-issuer Unconfirmed interview on her safe harbor proposal: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-on-her-safe-harbor-proposal/ Her token safe harbor proposal: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/peirce-remarks-blockress-2020-02-06 Unchained interview with Cmr. Peirce: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-come-talk-to-the-sec/ Proposal in The Block on ways to amend existing securities law instead of issuing a token safe harbor: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/57207/case-for-reg-a-response-commissioner-peirce-sec-token Is UNI a security: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/78231/uniswap-token-security-debate FCA banning crypto derivatives and ETNs: https://www.coindesk.com/fca-bans-sale-of-cryptoderivatives-to-retail-consumers-in-uk https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79911/uk-regulator-fca-bans-crypto-derivatives-retail-users Securities Clarity Act: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/78231/uniswap-token-security-debate Statement on ATS’s: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/marketreg/mr-noaction/2020/finra-ats-role-in-settlement-of-digital-asset-security-trades-09252020.pdf SEC chairman Jay Clayton says all stocks could be tokenized: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79783/all-stocks-tokenized-sec-chairman-clayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Oct 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Can Solana Seize Marketshare From Ethereum With Serum? - Ep.193
Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of FTX and Alameda Research, and Anatoly Yakovenko, the co-founder and CEO of Solana Labs, discuss the Project Serum ecosystem that they are building on the Solana blockchain, and the unique approach to scaling the Solana blockchain is taking. In this episode, they talk about: their backgrounds, and how they became involved in crypto why Solana takes a different approach to scaling and how it is implemented why they think a relatively lower number of nodes is sufficient to protect from attacks or collusion what the vision for Solana is, who they see using it, and how Serum fits into that vision why they think there haven’t been more crypto projects migrating to Solana yet Solana’s proof-of-history algorithm and how it works how Solana plans to attract DeFi developers why Serum was made interoperable with Ethereum the types of traders they are hoping to attract with Serum, and what their experience will be like on the platform why Project Serum is an ecosystem and not just an order book exchange how high-frequency trading firm Jump Trading came to adopt Serum how Serum will manage trading tokens from different chains the purpose of Serum’s two tokens, SRM and MSRM and what’s in store for Project Serum in the future Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.Com: https://www.crypto.com Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod Episode links: Anatoly Yakovenko: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko Solana: Solana.com Sam Bankman-Fried: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda Project Serum: https://www.projectserum.com Project Serum on Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectserum Solana CoinList auction in March: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/59952/blockchain-project-solana-raises-1-76m-from-its-launch-auction-on-coinlist Solana network stats: https://explorer.solana.com The Block Research on Solana: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/76615/solana-blockchain-overview Proof of history: https://medium.com/solana-labs/proof-of-history-a-clock-for-blockchain-cf47a61a9274 Serum: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/72924/ftx-dex-serum-solana-blockchain Tether: https://medium.com/solana-labs/tether-to-bring-usdt-to-the-solana-network-77864184b20 Jump Capital: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/76826/veteran-market-maker-jump-trading-forays-into-defi-to-provide-liquidity-for-ftxs-solana-based-dex Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Andreas Antonopoulos and Dan Held on Bitcoin’s Monetary Policy - Ep.192
Andreas M. Antonopoulos, speaker, educator, and the author of Mastering Bitcoin, Mastering Ethereum, and The Internet of Money, Volumes 1, 2, and 3, and Dan Held, growth lead at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange, discuss the core features of Bitcoin's monetary policy, including how it differs from traditional central bank monetary policy, what gives it value and yet how it seems to have derived value from thin air. Plus, we talk about how the coronavirus pandemic will affect Bitcoin. In this episode, we cover: how monetary policy in general is defined the core feature of Bitcoin’s monetary policy, and how it differs from previous forms of money the similarities and differences between Bitcoin and gold why the hard cap on Bitcoin is unique and so important the difficulties in analyzing and classifying Bitcoin whether or not transaction fees alone can sustain the network once all 21 million Bitcoin have been minted if Bitcoin will be able to fulfill its original vision of democratizing finance and serving as an everyday medium of exchange why they think Bitcoin has recently been more correlated with the stock market their thoughts on the stock to flow model and whether it works for Bitcoin how they think the coronavirus, unprecedented quantitative easing, and increasing inflation will impact Bitcoin’s adoption and price how crypto banks that don’t conduct fractional reserve banking or lending might change the economy Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod Episode links: Andreas Antonopoulos: https://aantonop.com On Twitter: https://twitter.com/aantonop YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aantonop/ Dan Held: https://www.danheld.com On Twitter: https://twitter.com/danheld Dan Held on Bitcoin's monetary policy: https://medium.com/the-bitcoin-times/information-theory-of-money-36247aebdfe1 Dan Held on Bitcoin's security model: https://www.danheld.com/blog/2019/6/16/bitcoins-security-is-fine Unchained interview with Saifedeam Ammous: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-saifedean-ammous-on-why-bitcoin-is-the-most-advanced-form-of-money/ Mises’ Regression Theorem: https://mises.org/library/bitcoin-regression-theorem-and-emergence-new-medium-exchange Stock to flow model: https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/modeling-bitcoins-value-with-scarcity-91fa0fc03e25 https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/bitcoin-stock-to-flow-cross-asset-model-50d260feed12 Why the stock-to-flow model is wrong: https://www.coindesk.com/why-the-stock-to-flow-bitcoin-valuation-model-is-wrong Federal Reserve announcement about letting inflation run higher than normal to achieve a 2% target rate of inflation: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20200827a.htm Kraken launching the first crypto bank: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-first-crypto-bank-what-kraken-financial-will-do-and-how/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000
How Matthew Leising Confronted His Suspects in the DAO Attacks - Ep.191
Matthew Leising, a reporter at Bloomberg who began covering crypto in 2015, is out with a new book Out of the Ether: The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist that Almost Destroyed It All. In this episode, he discusses: the catalyst that led to him writing his new book, which covers the early history of Ethereum and the DAO attack of 2016 why he thought the story of the DAO hack was compelling enough to make a book, and how he went about reporting it the surprising things he learned about Ethereum’s early days and Vitalik the twists and turns during his quest to discover the identity of the DAO attacker why he thinks separate people were responsible for the two biggest DAO attacks his meeting in Tokyo with one of the prime suspects of a copycat DAO attack why he decided to end his story at the Ethereum hard fork and chose not to write about Ethereum Classic what he feels the long-term significance of the DAO and the hard fork has been for Ethereum why he thinks the lessons of the DAO are not being heeded today what he thinks the next chapter of Ethereum will be and how it will unfold the differences he’s found as a journalist covering crypto as opposed to covering more traditional finance and how the book is about more than just the DAO Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod Episode links: Matthew Leising: https://twitter.com/mattleising Out of the Ether: The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist that Almost Destroyed It All: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Out+of+the+Ether%3A+The+Amazing+Story+of+Ethereum+and+the+%2455+Million+Heist+that+Almost+Destroyed+It+All-p-9781119602934 Matt's original Bloomberg article on the DAO attack, "The Ether Thief": https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2017-the-ether-thief/ Excerpt in Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-16/a-trip-down-the-crypto-rabbit-hole-in-search-of-the-dao-hacker Excerpt in CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/55m-hack-ethereum-down Decrypt's interview with Matt about the book: https://decrypt.co/41952/book-sheds-new-light-on-ethereums-55-million-dao-hack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Andre Cronje of Yearn Finance on YFI and the Fair Launch: 'I'm Lazy' - Ep.190
Andre Cronje, the developer of yearn.finance, talks about all things DeFi and the past, present, and future of yEarn. In this episode, he discusses: what Yearn Finance is, and what led him to develop it and eventually open it to the public his history and background, leading up to the development of Yearn the processes and mechanisms involved in yEarn v1 and yEarn v2 why he decided to do a "fair launch" of the YFI token, despite being in debt as a result of building Yearn why he felt that a Decrypt article about him in August was a "horrible hatchet job" why he disagrees with what he sees as the current anti-VC narrative his thoughts on the phenomenal rise in YFI's price and why the price of a YFI token still doesn't matter how and why he decided governance participation would be a requirement for earning tokens in the Balancer/yCurve/YFI pool the governance processes in Yearn and his thoughts on whether or not a Compound-style form of governance would be better how he might mitigate whales dominating the vote what he means by "I test in prod" and how people have misinterpreted his meaning why he briefly walked away from DeFi whether he agrees that YFI could be a new structure to replace existing traditional business structures his response to the allegations by XAR Network whether he would consider moving Yearn to another blockchain his vision for what Yearn can become and how much YFI he currently owns personally Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod Episode links: Andre Cronje: https://twitter.com/AndreCronjeTech Yearn Finance: https://yearn.finance https://docs.yearn.finance CoinDesk on Yearn: https://www.coindesk.com/what-is-yearn-finance-yfi-defi-ethereum The Block report on yEarn Finance: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/75189/defis-yield-aggregator-dao-yearn-finance Post introducing $YFI: https://medium.com/iearn/earning-yfi-y-curve-fi-53b5fd347f0f Delegated vaults: https://medium.com/iearn/delegated-vaults-explained-fa81f1c3fce2 V2: https://medium.com/iearn/yearn-finance-v2-af2c6a6a3613 Delphi Digital report on yETH yVault: https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/yeth-now-do-you-understand/ yETH collateralization ratio: https://defiexplore.com/cdp/13972 Tony Sheng newsletter: https://tonysheng.substack.com/p/yfi-ponzinomics Yearn Governance: https://medium.com/iearn/yearn-governance-forum-7b7c9d0300ac yInsure Finance: https://medium.com/iearn/yinsure-finance-a-new-insurance-primitive-77d5d4217896 Delegated funding DAO vaults: https://medium.com/iearn/delegated-funding-dao-vaults-7ab05a63d7ba Siege Rhino question about governance: https://twitter.com/SiegeRhino2/status/1303415750238101504?s=20 Andre’s “Building in DeFi Sucks” post: https://medium.com/@andre_54855/building-in-defi-sucks-b8fdfda0ef58?source=---------17------------------ Andre quits in February: https://decrypt.co/21068/founder-of-promising-defi-project-abandons-the-toxic-cryptosphere Andre close to quitting in August: https://decrypt.co/37995/exclusive-yfi-andre-cronje-broke-quitting-defi What Andre wishes he had known before building Ethereum dapps: https://medium.com/iearn/things-i-wish-i-knew-before-building-ethereum-defi-dapps-cd6bf0f07a16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Olaf Carlson-Wee: 'If There Is a Money-Losing Exploit, the Money Is Gone' - Ep.189
Olaf Carlson-Wee, the founder and CEO of Polychain Capital, goes deep into yield farming, fair launches and how decentralization will upend the traditional notion of the corporation. In this episode, he talks about: when it makes sense for a team to introduce a liquidity mining scheme, and when it doesn't the difference between yield farming and ICOs when it comes to investing his thoughts on YFI, as well as YAM, and the pace at which unaudited DeFi projects are moving forward the three advantages he sees in automated market makers as opposed to centralizedexchanges his thoughts on Uniswap and SushiSwap and why he's not sure Uniswap will make a token his thoughts on fair launches and whether he thinks they will threaten traditional crypto VCs whether the CRV token launch really was instigated by someone unrelated to the team his thoughts on the yEarn yETH vault and what it says about where the DeFi space is going what he sees as the pros and cons of rebasing why he sees projects like YFI as a new kind of corporation whether he thinks Ethereum will scale fast enough to meet the demand already being put on it why he thinks systems like Polkadot are going to expand what is possible in the same way that Ethereum expanded beyond what was possible with Bitcoin whether he thinks the yields from yield farming will pull investors away from staking on Ethereum 2.0 what he thinks DeFi teams should do to improve security Bitcoin on Ethereum and what he believes it could mean for DeFi in the future the chatter around a potential public offering from Coinbase, and what's in store for Polychain in the future Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Episode links: Olaf Carlson-Wee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafcw/ Polychain Capital: https://polychain.capital Previous interviews with Olaf on Unchained and Unconfirmed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-first-employee-of-coinbase-launched-a-hedge-fund/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/to-the-moon-and-back-with-polychains-olaf-carlson-wee/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/special-episode-with-cnbcs-crypto-trader-olaf-carlson-wee-on-why-this-crypto-winter-is-different-from-previous-ones-ep-028/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-cryptoeconomics-pt-1-with-olaf-carlson-wee-and-ryan-zurrer-of-polychain-capital/ Why trading on automated market makers has risen so quickly: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-decentralized-trading-has-10xed-in-a-few-months/ Launch of yEarn/YFI: https://medium.com/iearn/yfi-df84573db81 Dex volume over time: https://defiprime.com/dex-volume YAM recap: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/74810/yam-token-market-cap-collapses-by-more-than-90-flaw YAM team’s plans going forward: YAM Post-Rescue Attempt Update. At approximately 6PM UTC, on Wed August… | by Yam Finance | Aug, 2020 | Medium SushiSwap vs. Uniswap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sushiswap-takes-on-uniswap-which-should-win-and-why/ Ian Lee of IDEO CoLab Ventures on fair launches vs. VC coins: https://synthesis.substack.com/p/fair-launches-will-disrupt-crypto And on fast-follower forks: https://synthesis.substack.com/p/fast-follower-forks-in-defi CRV token launch: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/74921/the-story-of-the-botched-crv-launch yEarn's yETH vault: https://www.coindesk.com/yearn-finance-yeth-vault-defi-triforce Ethereum's transition to 2.0: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-ethereums-five-year-anniversary/ Security in DeFi: https://unchainedpodcast.com/defi-security-with-so-many-hacks-will-it-ever-be-safe/ Whether Coinbase will do a token offering when it goes public: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-coinbase-do-a-token-offering-when-it-goes-public/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Decentralized Trading Has 10Xed in a Few Months - Ep.188
Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, and Dan Robinson, research partner at Paradigm, discuss the explosion in decentralized exchange activity on automated market makers from $1 billion earlier this year to more than $10 billion in August. Why trading in automated market makers has 8xed in a few months how automated market makers work, and how specific dexes can specialize for the assets being traded on them why traders would prefer to trade on a dex vs. a centralized exchange how incentivized pools have drawn traders and liquidity why trading on a dex seems can be more appealing than on a centralized exchange why trading on dexes now mirrors trading on Binance in 2017 how "DeFi is the hottest coolest place where people are making a lot of money" the difference between the metrics of liquidity, trading volume and total value locked for a dex why AMMs are capital inefficient what it means that fees paid on Uniswap are about half of those paid on Bitcoin what the purpose of liquidity mining is why Haseeb doesn't think that dexes have network effects and that once professional market makers come in the space, Uniswap will lose market share whether users will use DeFi directly through the dexes or through another interface why Dan thinks that DeFi is now comparable to financial investment in the 1970s whether or not yield aggregators like yEarn make it harder for AMMs to compete what happened with the CRV token launch initial dex offerings or initial DeFi offerings, like the UMA token launch whether, because of the high fees on Ethereum and the how long its transition to Ethereum 2.0 will take, DeFi activity could move to another blockchain such as Solana where DeFi will go over the next few years Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Haseeb Qureshi: https://twitter.com/hosseeb Dan Robinson: https://twitter.com/danrobinson Haseeb’s post on the rise of AMMs: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/what-explains-the-rise-of-amms-7d008af1c399 Haseeb's post on how Uniswap could be un-bundled: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/unbundling-uniswap-the-future-of-on-chain-market-making-1c7d6948d570 Dex volume: https://defiprime.com/dex-volume Trading volume on centralized exchanges: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/74539/july-by-the-numbers-a-look-at-crypto-exchange-volumes-open-interest-and-miner-revenue Incentivized pools: https://pools.fyi/#/?tag=incentivized Top dexes by trading volume: https://www.coingecko.com/en/dex Ethereum transaction fees: https://bitinfocharts.com/comparison/ethereum-transactionfees.html Uniswap website visits 15x in July: https://messari.io/article/uniswap-total-website-visits-grew-15x-in-july Website traffic to DeFi platforms explodes in July: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/74231/defi-platforms-web-traffic-july Fees paid to various crypto projects: https://cryptofees.info Curve reaches $1 billion in TVL: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/75014/curve-becomes-third-defi-protocol-to-hit-1-billion-in-total-value-locked The Block on dex aggregators: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/69468/dex-aggregators-user-experience Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Sep 2020 08:45:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Saifedean Ammous on Why Bitcoin is the Most Advanced Form of Money - Ep.187
Saifedean Ammous is an economist and the author of The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking, which has been translated into 20 languages. In this episode, he discusses: the basic tenets of Austrian economics and why it is the only school where Bitcoin is possible historical examples of currencies and how they lost their monetary value the stock-to-flow model and how Bitcoin fits into that model the three functions, or descriptive properties, of money and why Bitcoin fulfills these functions the concept of sound money the idea of time preference in economics and why he believes it is so important the distinction between debt and money, and why they are not the same the significance of difficulty adjustment and why he believes it is the crowning achievement of Bitcoin why he views Bitcoin as the best store of value humanity has ever invented the metrics he watches when assessing Bitcoin what he thinks is in store for Bitcoin in the future, and whether he still thinks central banks will buy Bitcoin as a reserve currency his thoughts on Ethereum and other digital currencies and his predictions for Bitcoin in the next year Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Episode links: Saifedean Ammous: https://twitter.com/saifedean Saifedean’s website: https://saifedean.com The Bitcoin Standard: https://saifedean.com/book/ Invest Like the Best episode with Saifedean: http://investorfieldguide.com/ammous/ What Bitcoin Did episode with Saifedean: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/saifedean-ammous-on-understanding-bitcoin-economics Plan B’s stock-to-flow model applied to Bitcoin: https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/modeling-bitcoins-value-with-scarcity-91fa0fc03e25 https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/bitcoin-stock-to-flow-cross-asset-model-50d260feed12 Essay on why the stock-to-flow model is wrong: https://www.coindesk.com/why-the-stock-to-flow-bitcoin-valuation-model-is-wrong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: David Chaum and Adam Back Reflect on the Crypto Wars - Ep.186
David Chaum, the inventor of eCash and CEO of xx network, and Adam Back, the inventor of Hashcash and the cofounder and CEO of Blockstream, discuss their involvement in digital currency well before Bitcoin existed. In this episode, they discuss: how they each became enamored with the idea of digital currency years before such an idea was widely discussed the crypto wars of the 1990s and the U.S. government’s attempts to control access to advanced cryptography Digicash, the creation of eCash, and the difficulties of implementing the system with the technology available at the time the innovation of blind signatures used in eCash what caused the demise of Digicash, and David's role in that the development of Hashcash and the problems Adam was trying to solve by creating it their initial reactions to learning about Bitcoin for the first time how they think Bitcoin might improve in the future the stock-to-flow Model, and where they believe the Bitcoin price might go next why the Hashcash proof-of-work mechanism became so widely used Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Episode links: Adam Back: https://twitter.com/adam3us Blockstream: https://blockstream.com Adam's website: http://www.cypherspace.org David Chaum: https://twitter.com/chaumdotcom Elixxir: https://elixxir.io XX Network: https://xx.network Previous Unchained episode on the history of digital currency: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-the-history-of-digital-currency/ Wired article on “e-money”: https://www.wired.com/1994/12/emoney/ Translated Dutch article on why DigiCash failed: https://cryptome.org/jya/digicrash.htm Aaron Van Wirdum's Bitcoin Magazine series on the history of digital currency: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/the-beginners-guide-to-bitcoin-part-3-bitcoins-pre-history-and-the-cypherpunks-with-aaron-van-wirdum David Chaum's e-Cash: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/genesis-files-how-david-chaums-ecash-spawned-cypherpunk-dream Hashcash: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/genesis-files-hashcash-or-how-adam-back-designed-bitcoins-motor-block Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Aug 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: The History of Digital Currency - Ep.185
Aaron van Wirdum is the technical editor at Bitcoin Magazine. Finn Brunton is the author of “Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency.” In this episode, they tackle the history of digital currency. Topics include: the motivations behind the earliest attempts to create digital currencies, and who was behind those attempts the Extropian philosophy and how digital currency was born out of it how the cypherpunks came together and eventually began implementing tools that would lead to the creation of digital currencies the problems faced during the development of digital money, from double-spending to privacy, centralization, and spam the development of a public key protocol and why it was so significant the characteristics of earlier forms of digital currency like e-cash, hashcash, b-money, and bit gold, as well as their differences the original purpose of proof-of-work and how it was developed Hal Finney’s essential contributions to the creation of earlier digital currencies, and later, Bitcoin previous implementations of blockchain and how Bitcoin came to reinvent and utilize it which previous digital currencies come closest to Bitcoin and who they think Satoshi Nakamoto is … Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Episode links: Aaron Van Wirdum: https://twitter.com/AaronvanW Finn Brunton: http://finnb.net Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179490/digital-cash Aaron's Bitcoin magazine series on the early days of digital currency: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/genesis-files-how-david-chaums-ecash-spawned-cypherpunk-dream https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/genesis-files-hashcash-or-how-adam-back-designed-bitcoins-motor-block https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/genesis-files-if-bitcoin-had-first-draft-wei-dais-b-money-was-it https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/genesis-files-bit-gold-szabo-was-inches-away-inventing-bitcoin Aaron on What Bitcoin Did discussing the stories: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/the-beginners-guide-to-bitcoin-part-3-bitcoins-pre-history-and-the-cypherpunks-with-aaron-van-wirdum Breaker Mag Interview with Finn Brunton about his book: https://breakermag.com/new-book-reveals-cryptos-radical-origins/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why The Travel Rule Is One Of The Most Significant Regulations In Crypto - Ep.184
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
Tue, 04 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000
Vitalik Buterin on Ethereum's Five-Year Anniversary - Ep.183
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, shares his thoughts on the five-year anniversary of Ethereum, challenges with ETH 2.0 and criticisms about DeFi. We discuss: his thoughts and feelings ahead of Ethereum’s five-year anniversary how to address the high gas fees on the Ethereum network whether the complexity of Ethereum 2.0 creates a risk for the security of the network whether staking will lead to a higher focus on ETH price and issues such as monetary policy how he looks at the ETH price with its significance for security in Ethereum 2.0 how proof of stake systems can be more democratic whether staking lends itself to the kind of securitization that looks similar to mortgage-backed securities his concerns about DeFi the most optimal way for DeFi projects to distribute their tokens his thoughts about Bitcoin on Ethereum inherent risks to Ethereum users connected to China’s Blockchain Service Network (BSN) his views on DCEP, other CBDCs and Libra the indictment of Ethereum Foundation staff member Virgil Griffith for allegedly helping North Korea to circumvent sanctions how he plans to make the Ethereum Foundation more transparent whether lack of diversity would impact the success of Ethereum in the long term where he would like to see Ethereum in the next five years Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Tezos: https://tquorum.com/ Episode links: Vitalik Buterin: https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin Ethereum: https://ethereum.org/en/ Vitalik’s blog: https://vitalik.ca Median gas price: https://blockchair.com/ethereum/charts/median-gas-price Average gas price: https://blockchair.com/ethereum/charts/average-gas-price Solutions to gas price problem: https://www.coindesk.com/ethereum-developers-consider-new-fee-model-as-gas-costs-climb Reddit AMA with the Ethereum 2.0 Research team, including Vitalik: https://old.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/ho2zpt/ama_we_are_the_efs_eth_20_research_team_pt_4_10/ Paper on how DeFi lending could undermine security in a POS system: https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00919 Vitalik tweet on yield farming: https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1278337657194655744 Abra settlement with SEC and CFTC: https://www.coindesk.com/sec-cftc-hit-crypto-app-abra-with-300k-in-penalties-over-illegal-swaps Maya Zehavi’s comments on what this could mean for DeFi: https://twitter.com/mayazi/status/1282696180741414918 China’s BSN using public chains, including Ethereum: https://www.coindesk.com/chinas-blockchain-infrastructure-to-extend-global-reach-with-six-public-chains Unchained interview about DCEP: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-china-aims-to-replace-cash-with-the-digital-yuan/ Charges against Virgil Griffith: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-arrest-united-states-citizen-assisting-north-korea More on Virgil Griffith case: https://www.coindesk.com/usa-v-virgil-griffith-what-we-know-and-dont-in-the-bombshell-crypto-sanctions-case Unchained interview with human rights activist Yeonmi Park on what life is like in North Korea: https://unchainedpodcast.com/yeonmi-park-on-why-doing-business-with-north-korea-is-like-buying-a-ticket-to-a-concentration-camp/ Unchained interview on why North Korea is interested in cryptocurrency: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-north-korea-is-interested-in-cryptocurrency/ Case against Steven Nerayoff: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/two-arrested-extortion-startup-cryptocurrency-company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Camila Russo on the Most Pivotal Moments in Ethereum's History - Ep.182
Camila Russo, founder of The Defiant and author of a new book on Ethereum, "The Infinite Machine," speaks about how currency controls in Argentina got her interested in crypto and explains why she chose to tell the Ethereum story. She discusses: how she started covering the crypto space what it was like living through currency controls in Argentina why she started focusing on Ethereum instead of Bitcoin what’s in her new book, The Infinite Machine the most pivotal moments in Ethereum’s history possible risks to Ethereum 2.0 because of delays whether competing protocols could take market share away from Ethereum the most surprising aspect of the Ethereum story starting her own DeFi-focused media platform, The Defiant why she launched ‘CAMI’ tokens and how they are used the significance of ERC-20 tokens having a higher market cap than ETH her predictions about trends and promising projects in the DeFi space Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Tezos: https://tquorum.com/ Episode links: Camila Russo: https://twitter.com/CamiRusso The Infinite Machine: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-infinite-machine-camila-russo The Defiant: https://thedefiant.substack.com/ Excerpt from The Infinite Machine on CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/sale-of-the-century-the-inside-story-of-ethereums-2014-premine Decrypt review: https://decrypt.co/35466/the-incredible-story-of-ethereum-the-infinite-machine Camila on what Ethereum has accomplished in five years: https://www.coindesk.com/five-years-on-ethereum-really-is-the-minecraft-of-crypto-finance Hidden Forces podcast with Camila: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rise-ethereum-future-defi-transformation-crypto-media/id1205359334?i=1000484635053 Camila in the Keen On podcast: https://lithub.com/camila-russo-on-ethereum-and-the-future-of-the-internet/ Ethereum 2.0 phase 0 may not go live until 2021: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/71155/eth-2-phase-0-ama-2021 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 21 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Casey and Niall Ferguson on How Bitcoin Fits in the History of Money - Ep.181
Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and the author of numerous books including The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World and most recently, the Square and the Tower: Networks and Power from the Freemasons to Facebook, and Michael Casey, chief content officer at CoinDesk and coauthor of two books on crypto, The Age of Cryptocurrency and The Truth Machine, discuss the history of money and the macro environment for Bitcoin. We cover: how they became involved in crypto historically, what has made things money, or how people have decided that something is money the difficulty of managing fiat currency modern monetary theory and the role of the state in the financial system Satoshi’s message in BTC’s genesis block and what that indicates about Satoshi's intentions with Bitcoin whether a more transparent, blockchain-based financial system could eventually lead to a new financial order how Bitcoin behaves like an option on digital gold, and when it will behave like digital gold whether Bitcoin is simply a reversion to previous forms of money that weren’t controlled by the state how crypto/blockchain and fintech innovation from startups and the Chinese government will affect the USD how a hypothetical war between the US and China would affect the dollar's dominance how China's DCEP could disintermediate banks how Bitcoin fits into all of the different macro conditions facing the global economy whether Libra is going to be the initial gateway getting people into our digital currency world how well the recovery from coronavirus will go, and how it will affect the development of the crypto space in the near-term Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Tezos: https://tquorum.com/ Episode links: Niall Ferguson: http://www.niallferguson.com The Ascent of Money: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/302900/the-ascent-of-money-by-niall-ferguson/ Michael Casey: https://www.michaeljcasey.com Money Reimagined: https://www.coindesk.com/tag/money-reimagined The Age of Cryptocurrency: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250081551 The first episode in the Why Bitcoin Now series: Mike Novogratz and Raoul Pal on 'the Single Greatest Brand' ofo the Last 10 Years: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-mike-novogratz-and-raoul-pal-on-the-single-greatest-brand-of-the-last-10-years/ How Niall got into Bitcoin: http://www.niallferguson.com/journalism/finance-economics/bitcoin-may-go-pop-but-its-revolution-will-go-on Niall and Michael at Consensus: https://www.coindesk.com/disruption-money-and-a-world-of-change-feat-niall-ferguson Unchained interview with Chamath Palihapitiya, who believes Bitcoin is a hedge on everything blowing up: https://unchainedpodcast.com/chamath-palihapitiya-why-bitcoin-will-be-the-category-winner/ Carlota Perez at CoinDesk's Consensus: https://www.coindesk.com/video/carlota-perez-on-blockchains-and-technological-revolutions Unchained interview about the DCEP: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-china-aims-to-replace-cash-with-the-digital-yuan/ Unchained interview with Christopher Giancarlo about a digital dollar: https://unchainedpodcast.com/christopher-giancarlo-why-the-us-needs-to-have-a-digital-dollar/ Unconfirmed episode with Michael about Libra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-it-would-be-good-if-libra-rivaled-the-us-dollar/ Unchained episode with a co-creator of Libra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-libra-co-creator-on-how-facebook-will-make-money-from-calibra/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000
DeFi Yield Farming: Why It's All the Rage But Risky - Ep.180
Dan Elitzer, investor at IDEO CoLab Ventures, and Will Price, data scientist at Flipside Crypto, discuss the yield farming craze. In this episode, we cover: the goals of protocols offering liquidity mining the goals of users yield farming right now whether users of Compound will have much awareness of COMP in the future how Compound is trying to dampen inorganic activity and properly align incentives how incentives in one DeFi protocol can screw up another's such as changes in Compound's liquidity mining program causing Dai to lose its peg whether the activity created by liquidity mining is sustainable and how whether Compound is overvalued and how to determine valuations for DeFi tokens the security risks that come with trying yield farming how teams can keep their protocols safe given the composability of DeFi and the growing number of developments in the space whether the yield farming craze will cause the price of ETH to rise and why the prevalence of stablecoins might prevent that whether new DeFi tokens could push flagging layer 1s out of the top 10 what will happen if even more Bitcoin comes to DeFi how the next big thing in DeFi might be trying to stack yield across protocols and eventually prime brokerage protocols Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Episode links: Dan Elitzer: https://twitter.com/delitzer IDEO CoLab Ventures: https://www.ideocolab.com/ventures/ Will Price: https://twitter.com/will__price Flipside Crypto: https://flipsidecrypto.com Total value locked in Compound: https://defipulse.com/compound What liquidity bootstrapping pools are: https://medium.com/balancer-protocol/building-liquidity-into-token-distribution-a49d4286e0d4 Dan on earning more from borrowing USDT than lending it on Compound: https://twitter.com/delitzer/status/1272642107128164354 Tony Sheng on how yield farming works and how much you can earn from it: https://twitter.com/tonysheng/status/1274393189231689728 And his followup on the risks of yield farming: https://twitter.com/tonysheng/status/1274780457729617920 The purpose of COMP for governance: https://medium.com/compound-finance/compound-community-ownership-ee0ed1252cc3 https://medium.com/compound-finance/expanding-compound-governance-ce13fcd4fe36 Risks of so much BAT being held in Compound: https://twitter.com/spencernoon/status/1276897377446776832?s=20 https://twitter.com/defiprime/status/1277026665952980992?s=20 https://twitter.com/devops199fan/status/1274732220192829441?s=20 Cyrus of MakerDAO concerned about the risks COMP poses to the Dai peg: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/upcoming-comp-farming-change-could-impact-the-dai-peg/2965 Dan Guido and Taylor Monahan on Unchained discussing DeFi security: https://unchainedpodcast.com/defi-security-with-so-many-hacks-will-it-ever-be-safe/ Twitter discussion on whether ETH price will rise due to yield farming: https://twitter.com/RyanSAdams/status/1274781676875452421 What will happen to other Layer 1s? https://twitter.com/Shaughnessy119/status/1274376237239189504?s=20 Aquaponic yield farming: https://bankless.substack.com/p/aquaponic-yield-farming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin Now: Mike Novogratz and Raoul Pal on 'the Single Greatest Brand' of the Last 10 Years - Ep.179
This episode is the first in a series, Why Bitcoin Now, that takes a deeper dive into Bitcoin and the history of money in the macroeconomic environment of the coronavirus. Mike Novogratz, founder, CEO and chairman of Galaxy Digital, and Raoul Pal, founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor and Real Vision Group, tell us where they think Bitcoin is going amidst this macro uncertainty and the global crisis due to the coronavirus. We discuss: why Bitcoin’s price hasn't risen in price due to the global turmoil, and instead fell with the rest of the market on Black Thursday why quantitative easing is the catalyst for institutional investors to turn to Bitcoin, but why that takes time, and why registered investment advisors may be on the cusp why they think retail investors will continue to buy Bitcoin despite record unemployment why Bitcoin will benefit from social unrest why any particular country's success in dealing with the coronavirus won’t really lessen the economic impact there whether China's first-mover advantage with the DCEP and its comprehensive enterprise blockchain initiatives will undermine the global dominance of the US dollar why they believe there will ultimately be a dollar-based stablecoin why they believe Libra will be a strong player in the future of stablecoins how election outcomes, and in particular a potential movement to break up Big Tech, could affect Bitcoin and the vision for Web3 whether Ethereum, and staking, will see more adoption from institutional investors why they believe yield farming is ultimately not sustainable, but still profitable the impact the Bitcoin halving will have in this macroeconomic environment Unchained is hiring! Check out our job listing for a remote editorial assistant here! Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kelman Law: https://crypto.law Stellar: https://www.stellar.org Episode links: Mike Novogratz: https://twitter.com/novogratz Galaxy Digital: https://www.galaxydigital.io Raoul Pal: https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI Real Vision: https://www.realvision.com Unchained interview with Kyle Samani on what happened in the crypto markets on Black Thursday: https://unchainedpodcast.com/teetering-on-the-edge-how-black-thursday-exposed-the-flaws-in-the-crypto-markets/ Unconfirmed interview with Antoine Le Calvez on what happened on BitMEX during Black thursday: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-happened-on-bitmex-during-black-thursday/ Unchained interview with Chamath Palihapitiya on Bitcoin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/chamath-palihapitiya-why-bitcoin-will-be-the-category-winner/ Brian Armstrong tweet about deposits to Coinbase the same size as the $1,200 stimulus check: https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1250907110730170370?s=20 China's DCEP and blockchain initiative: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-china-aims-to-replace-cash-with-the-digital-yuan/ Unchained interview on Libra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-libra-co-creator-on-how-facebook-will-make-money-from-calibra/ Unconfirmed interview with the Libra Association's Dante Disparte: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/ Unconfirmed interview with Michael Casey on why it would it would be good if Libra rivaled the USD: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-it-would-be-good-if-libra-rivaled-the-us-dollar/ Christopher Giancarlo's digital dollar project: https://unchainedpodcast.com/christopher-giancarlo-why-the-us-needs-to-have-a-digital-dollar/ Ethereum 2.0 staking: https://www.coindesk.com/3-ways-staking-will-upend-the-economics-of-ethereum Unconfirmed with Kain Warwick on COMP's launch: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-comp-5xed-on-day-1-and-what-this-means-for-a-defi-bull-market/ Unconfirmed interview with Tony Sheng on yield farming: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-you-can-double-your-money-or-lose-everything/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Chamath Palihapitiya: Why Bitcoin Will Be 'the Category Winner' - Ep.178
Chamath Palihapitiya, the CEO of Social Capital and chairman of Virgin Galactic, talks about a wide range of issues, including Bitcoin, COVID, civil unrest, and broad economic trends and forecasts. We discuss: Whether his economic forecasts have shifted throughout COVID Why he believes a debt crisis will occur How he views the success of BTC as a hedge against the ruling class How the economic pendulum will swing back toward consumers Why he doesn't mind if big corporations and hedge funds get wiped out Whether he subscribes to the thesis that Bitcoin is uncorrelated Why the pandemic has not spurred institutional adoption of crypto Why he sees no merit in Ethereum How the economy will become more decentralized in the future and whether blockchain will be a part of it Why he prefers SPACs over ICOs Why he started capital as a service Why he believes the government should bust up large corporations Unchained is hiring! I'm looking for a remote editorial assistant. If you love crypto and have journalism experience, get in touch! https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Stellar: https://www.stellar.org Kelman Law: https://www.kelman.law Episode links: Chamath Palihapitiya: https://twitter.com/chamath Social Capital: https://www.socialcapital.com/ Turmoil at Social Capital: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/social-capital-founder-gives-his-account-of-turmoil-at-firm https://observer.com/2018/09/chamath-palihapitiya-social-capital-turmoil/ https://medium.com/@chamath/the-reports-of-our-death-have-been-greatly-exaggerated-11bcc80ee4ab 2019 interview with Kara Swisher: https://www.vox.com/podcasts/2019/3/4/18247010/chamath-palihapitiya-social-capital-happiness-identity-crisis-kara-swisher-teddy-schleifer-podcast Chamath on Recode Decode in 2020: https://podcastnotes.org/recode-decode/chamath-palihapitiya-kara-swisher-investing/ Fed buying up to $250 billion in individual corporate bonds: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/federal-reserve-begins-individual-corporate-bond-purchases-secondary-market-relief-2020-6-1029309910 CNBC interview where he says Bitcoin is an uncorrelated hedge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2gDmcU8bDw https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/12/12/social-capitals-palihapitiya-bitcoin-is-going-to-1-million-in-the-next-20-years.html SPAC: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-modern-ipo-is-useless-lets-reinvent-it-1506361770?mod=searchresults&page=2&pos=13 China’s blockchain efforts: https://www.coindesk.com/from-banking-giants-to-tech-darlings-china-reveals-over-500-enterprise-blockchain-projects Capital as a service: https://caas.socialcapital.com https://medium.com/social-capital/from-experiment-to-product-capital-as-a-service-one-year-later-6d8b4b9c038b 2019 investor letter: https://www.socialcapital.com/annual-letters/2019 At Stanford GSB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMotykw0SIk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Christopher Giancarlo: Why the US Needs to Have a Digital Dollar - Ep.177
At an event at the NYU Stern School of Business, Christopher Giancarlo, former CFTC Chairman and co-founder of the Digital Dollar Foundation, discusses his proposal for a US central bank digital currency (CBDC), and how that fits into the broader geopolitical environment. We cover: Why he has focused on pushing for a US digital dollar after leaving the CFTC How a US CBDC would be different from other stablecoins How the proposal is designed to build off of the traditional banking infrastructure What pilot programs would look like How a digital dollar would foster economic inclusion even though using the digital dollar requires owning a smartphone How it would handle privacy How the network would be secured Whether the US is falling behind China in terms of central bank digital currencies and blockchain exploration Whether Libra will be a proxy for the digital dollar How COVID-19 has affected the discourse around a digital dollar Whether the election will affect the future of the digital dollar Unchained is hiring! Check out our job listing for a remote editorial assistant here! https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kelman Law: https://crypto.law Stellar: https://www.stellar.org Episode links: Chris Giancarlo: https://twitter.com/giancarlo Digital Dollar Project : https://www.digitaldollarproject.org Previous Unchained interview with Chris: https://unchainedpodcast.com/christopher-giancarlo-on-the-craziness-of-becoming-crypto-dad/ Chris and Daniel Gorfine’s WSJ op-ed advocating for a digital dollar: https://www.wsj.com/articles/we-sent-a-man-to-the-moon-we-can-send-the-dollar-to-cyberspace-11571179923 Digital dollars in stimulus bills — March: https://www.coindesk.com/house-stimulus-bills-envision-digital-dollar-to-ease-coronavirus-recession April: https://www.coindesk.com/digital-dollar-reintroduced-by-us-lawmakers-in-latest-stimulus-bill Pew Research on smartphone adoption: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/ FDIC survey on the unbanked and underbanked: https://www.fdic.gov/householdsurvey/2017/2017execsumm.pdf Banks keeping some of customers’ stimulus money: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/business/stimulus-paychecks-garnish-banks.html Why a digital dollar is politically more feasible at this moment than before: https://www.coindesk.com/the-overton-window-opens-for-a-digital-dollar Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown also proposes digital dollar: https://www.coindesk.com/us-senate-floats-digital-dollar-bill-after-house-scrubs-term-from-coronavirus-relief-plan Philadelphia Fed paper: https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/research-and-data/publications/working-papers/2020/wp20-19.pdf Receptivity in Congress to the idea of a digital dollar: https://www.coindesk.com/how-a-flurry-of-digital-dollar-proposals-made-it-to-congress Libra white paper: https://libra.org/en-US/white-paper/#cover-letter Congressional hearing on using FedAccounts and for stimulus: https://financialservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=406612 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Rep. Warren Davidson: 'I Think Bitcoin Is a Great Store of Value' - Ep.176
U.S. House Representative, Warren Davidson, contextualizes the state of crypto legislation in terms of widespread civil unrest, COVID-19, and global shifts in power. He explains where crypto plays a role in these paradigm shifts and talks about: Why he believes in crypto, and how he came into the space How his Token Taxonomy Act creates regulatory clarity for token issuers What four conditions tokens would have to meet to not be considered securities Other features of the Token Taxonomy Act, including a de minimus exemption for taxes and no taxation of crypto-to-crypto trades How the pandemic and coronavirus-related fiscal stimulus affects the prospects for the Token Taxonomy Act What he thinks about China's blockchain push and its DCEP digital yuan Whether and how that creates a credible threat to US dominance in global markets Whether Libra could be a counterweight How a shift toward digital currencies could undermine the global reserve status of the USD and whether that affects the US's ability to enforce sanctions How outcomes of the upcoming election will affect the potential passage of crypto-friendly regulation Why it is easier for crypto legislation to be more bi-partisan than other bills What help he needs from the industry right now to push along crypto-friendly bills Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kelman Law: https://crypto.law Stellar: https://www.stellar.org Episode links: Rep. Warren Davidson: https://twitter.com/WarrenDavidson His House page: https://davidson.house.gov Press release on the Token Taxonomy Act: https://davidson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/token-taxonomy-act-address-blockchain-innovation-flight-america Token Taxonomy Act on GovTrack: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr2144 Text of the Token Taxonomy Act: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr2144/text Letter requesting IRS clarify some crypto tax policies: https://www.coindesk.com/us-lawmakers-ask-irs-to-clarify-crypto-tax-rules-around-airdrops-forks-in-new-letter Congressman Patrick McHenry on Unchained discussing his “permanent beta testing” idea for crypto: https://unchainedpodcast.com/congressman-patrick-mchenry-bitcoin-will-be-of-enormous-value/ Unchained interview on the DCEP: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-china-aims-to-replace-cash-with-the-digital-yuan/ Unchained interview with Libra co-creator Christian Catalini: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-libra-co-creator-on-how-facebook-will-make-money-from-calibra/ Unchained with Christopher Giancarlo on his proposal for a digital dollar: https://unchainedpodcast.com/christopher-giancarlo-on-the-craziness-of-becoming-crypto-dad/ Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Libra and a digital dollar: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-05/mnuchin-powell-see-no-need-for-fed-to-issue-digital-currency Video in which Rep. Davidson says “shitcoin”: https://www.coindesk.com/lawmakers-amp-up-pressure-on-facebook-to-halt-libra-cryptocurrency-development Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson on the Shitcoin Waterfall on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/meltem-demirors-and-jill-carlson-on-the-shitcoin-waterfall-ep-74/taxes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 05:30:00 -0000
How to Decentralize a Crypto Project Without Harming Security - Ep.175
Jesse Walden of Variant Fund, and Robert Leshner of Compound explain all of the problems associated with the decentralizing process in terms of governance and compliance, pulling from their own lessons and their commentary on other projects. We cover: Why projects must start with some level centralization How projects can both monetize and not put their code at risk of being forked How they can decentralize while also maintaining security, especially for composable DeFi projects that may become vulnerable as new technology and new protocols are introduced How and when to distribute the token so as not to attract only speculators and also not trip regulatory wires How Compound’s current governance works, how it is decentralizing, why they decided to use a governance token, and what Compound (the company) will do after full decentralization Why open-sourced projects are still able to extract profits, even after a fork Whether or not teams should have admin keys, such as what was used in response to the bZx attacks Whether or not projects should be upgrade-able What Block.One, which raised $4 billion in an ICO, did right to only pay a $24 million fine to the SEC Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kelman Law: https://crypto.law Stellar: https://www.stellar.org Episode links: Jesse Walden: https://twitter.com/jessewldn Robert Leshner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rleshner/ A16z Crypto startup school: https://a16z.com/crypto-startup-school/ Compound: https://compound.finance Progressive Decentralization playbook: https://jessewalden.com/progressive-decentralization-a-playbook-for-building-crypto-applications/ What recent moves by the SEC say about mutability when it comes to crypto networks: https://a16z.com/2019/10/22/mutability-sec-recent-cases/ Compound’s $COMP token: https://medium.com/compound-finance/compound-governance-5531f524cf68 More on Compound’s governance token: https://www.coindesk.com/compound-extends-defi-ethos-to-itself-launches-governance-token Unchained discussion about bZx attacks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-bzx-attacks-unethical-or-illegal-2-experts-weigh-in/ Eric Wall tweet storm on admin keys: https://twitter.com/ercwl/status/1229198599264907264?s=20 tBTC shutting down: https://twitter.com/keep_project/status/1262483526437556228 More on tBTC: https://www.coindesk.com/bug-forces-shutdown-of-bitcoin-backed-ethereum-token-tbtc Unchained interview about tBTC in which Matt Luongo explains the admin key: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tbtc-what-happens-when-the-most-liquid-crypto-asset-hits-defi/ Is the SEC trying to kill the SAFT? https://www.coindesk.com/with-kik-and-telegram-cases-the-sec-tries-to-kill-the-saft Block.One settlement with SEC: https://www.coindesk.com/eos-maker-block-one-settles-with-sec-over-unregistered-securities-sale Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Ready Layer One: Who Competes With Ethereum? - Ep.174
This week’s Unchained is my panel at Ready Layer One! We talk everything layer one with four key players and projects -- Illia Polosukhin of NEARprotocol, Zaki Manian of Cosmos, Rob Habermeier of Polkadot, and Arthur Breitman of Tezos — to find out how these projects plan to compete with Ethereum and attract developers and users. We discuss: What platforms they are building and at which stage in development they are How they differentiate themselves from Ethereum, and what problems they believe need to be solved How they plan to attract devs in an industry of network effects Whether or not Bitcoin and Ethereum are direct competitors Whether, in the long run, crypto will be more winner-take-all or there will be multiple, interoperable chains How they plan to bring new users into the space How they think the transition to ETH2.0 will shake up the existing blockchain space Take our survey! Tell us what would you like to see from Unchained! Please take a moment to fill out the survey to let us know what you'd like from the show: surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020. Crypto.com has offered our survey respondents a chance to win a metal MCO Visa card -- and Crypto.com will stake these cards indefinitely! Ten lucky winners will enjoy card benefits including free Spotify, free Netflix and 3% back on all spending, and they’ll earn extra interest on their crypto deposit and more! Thanks, Crypto.com! Again, take the survey now: surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020. Unchained is hiring! Come work at Unchained! We have an opening for a remote editorial assistant — find out more about the gig and apply here: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Stellar: https://www.stellar.org/ Episode links: Illia Polosukhin: https://twitter.com/ilblackdragon Near protocol: https://near.org Zaki Manian: https://twitter.com/zmanian Cosmos: https://cosmos.network Rob Habermeier: https://twitter.com/rphmeier Polkadot: https://polkadot.network Arthur Breitman: https://twitter.com/ArthurB Tezos: https://tezos.com Near protocol on mainnet: https://near.org/blog/near-mainnet-genesis/ Electric Capital report on the number of developers in Ethereum: https://unchainedpodcast.com/electric-capital-on-the-coins-punching-below-their-weight/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Listen to CZ Compare Binance to Bitcoin - Ep.173
Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ, cofounder and CEO of Binance, and I kicked off the Ethereal Virtual Summit with a fun fireside chat! He talked about Binance’s current operations, its plans for the future, and the crypto industry as a whole. He explains: Why he thought the questions I asked him in our first interview were misleading Whether Libra’s new plans are affecting Binance’s strategy for Venus What impact China’s DCEP will have on crypto Why the confluence of circumstances caused by COVID are a “perfect storm” for crypto, and how this will affect crypto in the long-term Whether the Binance Smart Chain will leech away Ethereum developers and users Why he thinks competition in the industry only grows it How Binance can own CoinMarketCap without affecting its objectivity What he says to the class-action lawsuit against Binance, him and the other cofounders of Binance accusing them of offering unregistered securities How he views the role of Binance in governance in delegated proof-of-state systems, such as when Binance flip-flopped on a contentious hard fork in Steem Where Binance is headquartered Unchained is hiring! Check out the job posting here! https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/ Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Stellar: https://www.stellar.org/ Episode links: CZ: https://twitter.com/cz_binance Binance: https://www.binance.com/en My first interview with CZ: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-binance-became-the-most-popular-crypto-exchange-in-5-months-ep-84/ Details on BUSD: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/38607/binance-launching-its-own-usd-pegged-stablecoin-busd-with-paxos-as-custodian Binance announcement about BUSD: https://binance.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032604131-Binance-Announces-Open-Blockchain-Project-Venus- BUSD marketshare: https://www.coindesk.com/binance-stablecoin-busd-tops-100m-but-lags-behind-rivals Venus as the One Belt, One Road initiative of Libra: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1163364542233006082?s=20 Venus focusing on developing countries: https://www.coindesk.com/binance-is-pitching-its-stablecoin-as-a-government-friendly-libra-competitor Binance’s acquisition of CoinMarketCap: https://www.coindesk.com/binances-coinmarketcap-acquisition-is-a-bet-that-crypto-really-is-for-the-masses 125x leverage: https://www.binance.com/en/blog/393707200802271232/5-Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-Binance-Futures-125x-Leverage The Block report on BNB’s latest token burn: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/62306/a-closer-look-at-binances-bnb-burns Lee et al. vs. Binance: https://www.scribd.com/document/455203877/Lee-et-al-vs-Binance Estimate that Binance earned $46 million in profit in 2018: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/10491/analysis-binance-brought-in-446-million-in-profits-in-2018-despite-the-bear-market Binance used Steem tokens on its exchange to help vote out Steem validators: https://steempeak.com/witness/@ura-soul/ura-soul-witness-update-anarchy-vs-empire-tron-replaces-top-witnesses-and-takes-over-the-steem-blockchain CZ’s initial tweet about the how Binance handled the Steemit fork: https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1234565384327585792?s=20 Binance reverses course: https://www.coindesk.com/steem-will-hard-fork-in-just-hours-over-community-fears-of-justin-sun-power-grab Binance not authorized to operate in Malta: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/56603/binance-is-not-authorised-to-operate-in-malta-says-the-countrys-financial-regulator CZ on Binance not being based in Malta and decentralized: https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1230860647086338048 Binance shut down Shanghai offices: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/47922/binances-shanghai-office-shut-down-following-police-raid-sources-say Links to topics we did not have time to cover: Binance removes all references to Visa from its credit card: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/60886/binance-quietly-scrubs-visa-mentions-from-its-payment-card-website Opening mining pool: https://www.coindesk.com/binance-crypto-exchange-is-launching-its-first-bitcoin-mining-pool Investment in startups in Africa: https://www.coindesk.com/binance-backed-crypto-payments-app-as-race-for-africa-heats-up In-browser trading: https://www.coindesk.com/brave-partners-with-binance-to-develop-in-browser-crypto-trading https://brave.com/binance/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000
The Third Bitcoin Halving Just Happened: What Now? - Ep.172
Amanda Fabiano, director of Bitcoin mining at the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology, and Christopher Bendiksen, head of research at CoinShares, discuss the third Bitcoin halving, which occurred hours before the publication of this episode. They discuss: the significance of the halving what effect it could have on price and what Amanda and Christopher think of Dan Morehead's projection that it could reach $115,000 next year how macroeconomic events like the coronavirus and quantitative easing could impact uptake of Bitcoin how the halving could affect miners and hash rate how the halving could influence the environmental impact of Bitcoin why mining was the first activity Fidelity pursued with Bitcoin what they think needs to happen in Bitcoin to foster more adoption why hash rate derivatives will be a crucial step what the outlook is for institutional adoption of Bitcoin plus, is it halving or halvening? Take the 2020 Unchained Podcast survey! I'm doing another survey to find out what you want from the podcasts and how I can make them better! Please take a moment to fill it out here and to tell us at Unchained what you'd like from the show: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020 Plus, Crypto.com has offered our survey respondents a chance to win a metal MCO Visa card -- Crypto.com will stake these cards indefinitely! Ten lucky winners will enjoy card benefits including free Spotify, free Netflix, 3% back on all spending, earn extra interest on their crypto deposit and more! Thanks, Crypto.com! Again, take the survey now! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020 Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Stellar: https://www.stellar.org/ Episode links: Amanda Fabiano: https://twitter.com/_amanda_fab Fidelity Center for Applied Technology: https://www.fidelitylabs.com Christopher Bendiksen: https://twitter.com/C_Bendiksen Coinshares: https://coinshares.com Coinshares’ 5 Popular Bitcoin Halving Theories: https://coinshares.com/research/5-popular-btc-halving-theories Coinshares’ December 2019 Bitcoin Mining Report: https://coinshares.com/assets/resources/Research/bitcoin-mining-network-december-2019.pdf Unconfirmed episode with Dan Morehead: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-bitcoin-price-of-115000-next-year/ Bitcoin stock-to-flow ratio: https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/modeling-bitcoins-value-with-scarcity-91fa0fc03e25 Fidelity opens trading to institutional customers: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-06/fidelity-said-to-offer-cryptocurrency-trading-within-a-few-weeks Fidelity Digital Assets signs first exchange: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-digital-assets-to-sign-up-its-first-crypto-exchange-by-end-of-the-year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000
El Auge de MakerDAO: Un Viaje Personal - Ep.171
Hi everyone, this is an essay by Mariano Conti of MakerDAO that was so popular, personal and relatable, especially to those living in Latin America, that we decided to have Mariano translate it and read it in Spanish. Share it with your Spanish-speaking friends who still don’t understand what crypto is about, to show how it solved real-world problems for at least one person. Mariano Conti, jefe de contratos inteligentes de MakerDAO, nos lee su ensayo sobre su experiencia personal con criptomonedas, desde el punto de vista de un Argentino cuya familia ha experimentado períodos de hiperinflación, y de un freelancer que recibe pagos por su trabajo desde varios países. Mariano describe la evolución de Maker desde Dai de Colateral Único (ahora Sai) hasta Dai Multi Colateral, y también brinda su perspectiva de los eventos del Jueves Negro y las subastas de deuda subsecuentes que el protocolo debió llevar a cabo para regularizar su situación. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 06 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000
DeFi Security: With So Many Hacks, Will It Ever Be Safe? - Ep.170
Dan Guido, cofounder and CEO of Trail of Bits, and Taylor Monahan, founder and CEO of MyCrypto, discuss all the recent hacks in DeFi, how it can be made more safely and who is responsible. We tackle: the Hegic security incident: whose responsibility it was to make sure the contract was secure — the auditor (Trail of Bits) or the team (Hegic) — what Trail of Bits was saying in its audit summary, and how to read between the lines of an audit summary how long an audit should be upgradeability: particularly around when more advanced technology and contracts interface with older technology/contracts centralization vs. decentralization: whether contracts can be made safely while maintaining adhering to the principle of decentralization, why Taylor would prioritize centralization and security, and how teams can create different levels of risk for users bug bounties: why asking what amount they should be is the wrong question the security threats posed by oracles and what a checklist for DeFi teams might look like Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Stellar: https://www.stellar.org Episode links: Dan Guido: https://twitter.com/dguido Trail of Bits: https://www.trailofbits.com Taylor Monahan: https://twitter.com/tayvano_ MyCrypto: https://mycrypto.com Initial tweet by Hegic calling the security issue a typo: https://twitter.com/HegicOptions/status/1253937104666742787?s=20 Hegic tweet saying, “It’s not a security issue”: https://twitter.com/HegicOptions/status/1253954145113038849?s=20 Trail of Bits saying it will no longer work with Hegic: https://twitter.com/dguido/status/1254260725431894020?s=20 Taylor breaks down the audit summary: https://twitter.com/MyCrypto/status/1254058121342803968?s=20 Molly Wintermute’s Medium post on requesting a week audit vs. three-day review: https://medium.com/@molly.wintermute/post-mortem-hegic-unlock-function-bug-or-three-defi-development-mistakesthat-i-feel-sorry-about-5a23a7197bce Unconfirmed episode with Haseeb Qureshi on the Lendf.me attack: https://unchainedpodcast.com/haseeb-qureshi-on-the-unbelievable-story-of-the-25-million-lendf-me-hack/ Unchained interview showing Matt Luongo's approach to kill switches and upgradeability with tBTC: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tbtc-what-happens-when-the-most-liquid-crypto-asset-hits-defi/ Discussion of the bZx attacks on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-bzx-attacks-unethical-or-illegal-2-experts-weigh-in/ Issue with Curve contract: https://blog.curve.fi/vulnerability-disclosure/ Compound bug bounty program: https://compound.finance/docs/security#bug-bounty Taylor on “upgradeability makes things more insecure”: https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1222564979657723904?s=20 Synthetix oracle incident, allowing a bot to profit $1 billion: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-synthetix-became-the-second-largest-defi-platform/ Taylor’s tips on how to get more ROI on an audit: https://twitter.com/MyCrypto/status/1254061500244713474?s=20 Tips to follow before getting an audit: https://blog.openzeppelin.com/follow-this-quality-checklist-before-an-audit-8cc6a0e44845/ Resources for security in DeFi: crytic/building-secure-contractsGuidelines and training material to write secure smart contracts - crytic/building-secure-contractsgithub.com https://consensys.github.io/smart-contract-best-practices/ https://forum.openzeppelin.com https://swcregistry.io https://diligence.consensys.net/blog/2020/03/new-offering-1-day-security-reviews/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000
tBTC: What Happens When the Most Liquid Crypto Asset Hits DeFi? - Ep.169
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
Tue, 28 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Nothing Is More Viral Than a Store of Value - Ep.168
Cathie Wood, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest, and Yassine Elmandjra, ARK's thematic analyst, discuss their investment strategy with disruptive innovation, and how blockchain technology, especially Bitcoin, plays a major role in it. They explain why the unique market circumstances due to the coronavirus have led to more correlation between crypto and the traditional financial markets, but also why, in the long-term, it will ultimately be uncorrelated. We cover why they think crypto in the age of COVID-19 will see new opportunity, and when there will be a recovery of the larger economy. They also share, from an investor standpoint, their growing conviction in Bitcoin due to its long-term value proposition compared to other chains like Ethereum. Plus, we talk about the future outlook for central bank digital currencies, and how Libra will launch, albeit differently, than expected. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: Cathie Wood: https://twitter.com/cathiedwood?lang=en Yassine Elmandjra: https://twitter.com/yassineARK Yahoo Finance interview on ARK’s big ideas for 2020: https://finance.yahoo.com/video/cathie-wood-talks-ark-invests-222723696.html Keynote on State of Digital Assets at Volt Capital summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2729&v=c50TMCKsktA&feature=emb_logo ARK’s Q&A video conference on COVID-19: https://ark-invest.com/research/bis2020?utm_campaign=BIS%202020&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--kCZDJ0VuIxNViHjN7KR7qOryEusndZqMfNp7JMkD4AIZJCv8otUtZm8YgPdmVYTZb3ylv4ysbxt8fRIUvngkRLcyvIw&_hsmi=85729999&utm_source=hs_email&utm_content=85729999&hsCtaTracking=14ee7e75-5bf4-46f8-8c8c-f5aeb84b32a7%7C5f5d3a43-f10e-4792-92de-96ef495eb5c6 Feature on Cathie Wood: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-02-18/cathie-wood-s-tesla-bet-puts-ark-invest-in-spotlight Her views on Zcash: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/12660/cathie-wood-on-the-block-the-crypto-revolution-is-coming-jump-on-or-get-out-of-the-way Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 21 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000
The Rise of MakerDAO: A Personal Journey - Ep.167
Mariano Conti of MakerDAO, head of smart contracts at MakerDAO, reads from his essay about his personal experience with cryptocurrency, particularly as an Argentine whose family has experienced periods of hyperinflation, and as a freelancer accepting payment from foreign countries. He describes the evolution of Maker from single-collateral Dai (now Sai) to multi-collateral Dai, and also gives his perspective on the events of Black Thursday and the subsequent debt auctions the protocol undertook to right itself. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: Mariano Conti: https://twitter.com/nanexcool Linda Xie’s essay about crypto memes on Unchained : https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-memes-can-help-crypto-go-mainstream/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000
The Most Forkable DeFi Protocols on Ethereum - Ep.166
Kyle Samani of Multicoin Capital reads from his essay on how defensible each of the major DeFi protocols on Ethereum are, and what that says about Ethereum's defensibility. He evaluates how easy it would be from an effort and capital standpoint to fork each of the major DeFi protocols, and makes a strong case for how and why he thinks protocols like Maker are quite defensible, and why he believes certain dexes are less so. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Decentralization Isn’t as Important as You Think - Ep.165
In this essay, Haseeb Qureshi of Dragonfly Capital explains why he thinks the focus on decentralization can be overhyped. He looks at why decentralization can be important but then makes it clear, by dissecting when it is important and when it’s not, and to whom it does and doesn’t matter, that it isn’t the be-all end-all goal for every endeavor. He talks about which questions we should be asking beyond just, “is it decentralized,” and also explains why that question doesn’t even make sense. 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
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Teetering on the Edge: How Black Thursday Exposed the Flaws in the Crypto Markets - Ep.164
Kyle Samani, managing partner at Multicoin Capital, dissects Black Thursday, March 12, the day the crypto markets plunged twice amid the wider sell-off in the markets due to the coronavirus. He offers several theories for the first price drop that day, how that set off a series of liquidations on various exchanges, and then why liquidations stopped for about 12 hours before the next wave, which triggered the next price slump. He also describes why, at that point, the crypto market structure broke, as arbitrageurs attempted to move collateral from one exchange to another but could not because both the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains became congested, setting off a downward spiral particularly in Bitcoin, as miners began turning off equipment due to the falling BTC price. This led, ultimately, to there being $200 million worth of positions to liquidate on BitMEX, but only $20 million worth of bids on the entire BitMEX order book. Then we cover what happened next that ultimately saved the price of BTC dropping to $0 on BitMEXT. Next, we discuss the second fall in prices that day, and how that affected MakerDAO, with congestion on the Ethereum blockchain preventing keepers from being able to liquidate undercollateralized vaults. A clever keeper sent a bid to liquidate a vault with a higher gas price, but realizing that there was no competition, bid $0, walking away with $4.5 million, and a total of $8 million being won this way. We covered how the price of ETH fell to $88 but because oracles weren't properly updating, the last price of ETH on MakerDAO was at $101 — a dollar higher than the $100 where a bunch of liquidations would have occurred, which would have likely put more downward pressure on ETH, resulting in another downward spiral. Kyle also evaluates some of the technical options for preventing these issues in future times of volatility, why many of them aren't promising but what is. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: https://multicoin.capital/2020/03/20/march-12-the-day-crypto-market-structure-broke-part-2/ Links from news recap: Kyle Samani: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital/ Multicoin blog part 1: https://multicoin.capital/2020/03/17/march-12-the-day-crypto-market-structure-broke/ Part 2: https://multicoin.capital/2020/03/20/march-12-the-day-crypto-market-structure-broke-part-2/ Theory that BitMEX’s maintenance was to prevent a collapse in Bitcoin: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda/status/1238306306043162625 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/58918/money-2-0-stuff-free-price-auctions How traders took advantage of the roiling markets: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/59172/surfing-the-spread-crypto-market-turmoil-arbitrage More on the liquidations in MakerDAO: https://medium.com/@whiterabbit_hq/black-thursday-for-makerdao-8-32-million-was-liquidated-for-0-dai-36b83cac56b6 https://blog.makerdao.com/usdc-approved-by-maker-governance-as-the-third-collateral-type-of-the-maker-protocol/ MakerDAO weighs emergency shutdown: https://www.coindesk.com/defi-leader-makerdao-weighs-emergency-shutdown-following-eth-price-drop MakerDAO adds USDC as collateral: https://www.coindesk.com/makerdao-adds-usdc-as-defi-collateral-following-black-thursday-chaos Kain Warwick on USDC as Dai collateral: https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1239795250882740225?s=20 Eva Beylin on USDC as Dai collateral: https://twitter.com/evabeylin/status/1240039492985085952?s=20 Huobi’s derivatives platform introduces circuit breaker: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/59210/huobis-derivative-platform-now-includes-a-circuit-breaker-function Debate over circuit breakers in crypto: https://twitter.com/TusharJain_/status/1238311534767595520 https://www.coindesk.com/does-crypto-need-circuit-breakers-last-weeks-price-crash-ignites-a-debate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Chris Burniske: A Blank Slate of State - Ep.163
In this essay, Chris Burniske of Placeholder Capital talks about what kind of world crypto entrepreneurs are creating and want to be creating with the systems they build. He talks about different kinds of values, the dangers of only pursuing market values, and why crypto has a unique opportunity now to recalibrate those market values and incorporate more of the societal virtues we hold dear. Then he dives into which values he hopes to imbue into crypto networks and how that informs his thinking as a VC in the space. 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
Tue, 17 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000
Why Africa Is Poised to Be the Next Hub for Crypto Development - Ep.162
Soona Amhaz, general partner at Volt Capital, and Yele Bademosi, founder of Microtransaction, explain why they believe Africa is poised to become a hub for crypto development. They give some interesting stats on how crypto is currently used and traded on the continent, plus talk about how these factors interplay with the region’s unique demographics and the status of some of the continent’s fiat currencies to create what could be a unique environment for increased crypto activity. They end with what they think crypto entrepreneurs should be working on to help further that development. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: Soona Amhaz: https://twitter.com/soonaorlater Yele Bademosi: https://twitter.com/YeleBademosi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000
ETH Denver Fireside Chat With 2 of the Most Crypto-Friendly Governors in the Nation - Ep.161
In this fireside chat from ETH Denver, crypto-friendly governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Mark Gordon of Wyoming discuss how they each became interested in crypto and blockchain, how their states became friendly to the industry and how to resolve some of the thornier problems in crypto regulation, such as the state-by-state money transmission licensing regime. We also dive into the details on some of the regulations in their states, such as the regulations that make it possible to hold state-specific ICOs, what types of companies are taking advantage of those, and whether there's a bipartisan attitude toward crypto regulation. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: CO Governor Jared Polis: https://twitter.com/jaredpolis WY Governor Mark Gordon: https://governor.wyo.gov/ CO Governor Jared Polis’s background: https://gazette.com/election/profile-entrepreneur-jared-polis-sees-governor-s-race-as-a/article_af2d0222-c1b2-11e8-8b2b-afa916b3b182.html Governor Polis’s letter to SEC chairman Jay Clayton and then-CFTC chairman Christopher Giancarlo on crypto regulation: https://www.coindesk.com/lawmakers-renew-calls-us-lead-crypto-innovation Colorado’s Digital Token Act: https://www.coindesk.com/colorado-could-be-next-in-the-race-to-bank-crypto-and-cannabis https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/2019a_023_signed.pdf https://thetokenist.io/colorado-signs-digital-token-act-into-law-some-digital-assets-exempt-from-securities-requirements/ Wyoming passes three crypto-friendly laws: https://www.coindesk.com/wyoming-lawmakers-pass-three-bills-in-boost-for-states-crypto-industry Wyoming laws: https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2018/HB0070 https://www.forbes.com/sites/caitlinlong/2019/03/04/what-do-wyomings-new-blockchain-laws-mean/amp/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:30:00 -0000
The bZx Attacks: Unethical or Illegal? 2 Experts Weigh In - Ep.160
Maya Zehavi, blockchain consultant, and Zubin Koticha, cofounder and CEO of Opyn, discuss the two recent bZx attacks, whether they were hacks or arbs and whether they were unethical or illegal. They also look at whether flash loans are to blame, how much transparency DeFi teams should have about vulnerabilities on their platforms, how much bug bounties should be for DeFi, and whether flash loans means the amount of bug bounties should be higher. We also talk about whether DeFi should institute circuit breakers, when those would make sense, and whether these attacks could happen to anybody or whether bZx isn't up to the standards needed in this community. We also cover how bZx should handle the under-collateralized loans left on their platform, whether Chainlink will be a sufficient solution to prevent these attacks in the future, and whether DeFi insurance should cover these kinds of attacks. Plus, Maya and Zubin explains why they're happy the attacks happened and have made them more optimistic. And Maya reveals why she has a pizza slice emoji in her Twitter profile. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: Maya Zehavi: https://twitter.com/mayazi Zubin Koticha: https://twitter.com/snarkyzk Opyn: https://opyn.co/ Description of first attack: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/56171/bzx-exploit-former-google-engineer-explains-how-an-attacker-made-350k-in-single-transaction Description of second attack: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/56171/bzx-exploit-former-google-engineer-explains-how-an-attacker-made-350k-in-single-transaction https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/56413/experts-weigh-in-on-bzx-attacks-flash-loans-highlight-the-need-to-improve-defi-security-models https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/56134/defi-lending-protocol-bzx-exploited-a-portion-of-eth-lost Unconfirmed episode about the attacks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-2-defi-attacks-made-almost-1-million-in-profit/ 1inch.exchange blog post: https://medium.com/@1inch.exchange/yes-we-hacked-bzx-fulcrum-but-one-month-ago-3f7e5c437ee3 1inch exchange-Fulcrum dispute: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/56579/bzx-attacks-and-1inch-exchange-allegations-heres-what-the-teams-have-to-say Nexus Mutual payouts: https://defirate.com/nexus-mutual-first-payouts/ Nexus Mutual blog post: https://medium.com/nexus-mutual/bzx-flash-loan-event-55753d19e52b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Democracy in the Age of Cryptography - Ep.159
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
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Alex Gladstein on a World Without Bitcoin - Ep.158
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
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000
How Memes Can Help Crypto Go Mainstream - Ep.157
Linda Xie, cofounder at Scalar Capital, reads her essay on how the crypto community can successfully use memes to help people understand the technology. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ Kraken: http://kraken.com/ Episode links: Linda Xie: https://twitter.com/ljxie Scalar Capital: https://scalar.capital/ Read Linda's full essay at: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-memes-can-help-crypto-go-mainstream/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000
The Rogue 100: How Cryptocurrency Criminals Cash Out - Ep.156
Jonathan Levin, co-founder and CSO of Chainalysis, and Kim Grauer, head of research, discuss the company's 2020 Crypto Crime Report, which explores how cryptocurrency criminals, who perpetrate hacks and scams and send out ransomware and more, cash out. We cover how criminals are turning their illicit crypto into fiat currency, why exchanges are a prime avenue for money laundering, and how over-the-counter brokers are playing a large role. They talk about a group of OTC brokers they describe as the Rogue 100, what their transactions look like, and what can be done to help stop criminals from cashing out. Jonathan and Kim talk about the PlusToken scam, the largest Ponzi scheme in crypto and how Chainalysis determined that it was likely driving down the price of Bitcoin. They also explain the trends in exchange hacks and how the most prolific hackers have grown more sophisticated, giving some examples of how the Lazarus Group, a cybercriminal syndicate linked to the North Korean government has become more advanced. Finally, we also discuss ransomware and terrorism financing and what trends they are seeing there. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Episode links: Chainalysis: https://www.chainalysis.com/ Jonathan Levin: https://twitter.com/jony_levin Kim Grauer: https://twitter.com/KimberlyGrauer Previous Unchained interview with Jonathan: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-chainalysis-helps-solve-crimes-jonathan-levin-tells-all-ep-62/ Unconfirmed episode on how Bitcoin led to the demise of the largest child porn site: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-bitcoin-led-to-the-demise-of-the-largest-child-porn-site/ Money laundering report: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/money-laundering-cryptocurrency-2019 https://fortune.com/2020/01/15/crypto-criminals-brokers-launder-billions/ Exchange hacks report: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/cryptocurrency-exchange-hacks-2019 Unchained interview with Priscilla Moriuchi on why North Korea is interested in cryptocurrency: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-north-korea-is-interested-in-cryptocurrency/ Plus Token report: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/plustoken-scam-bitcoin-price Terrorism financing report: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/terrorism-financing-cryptocurrency-2019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Brendan Eich on How Brave Is Working to Decentralize - Ep.155
Brendan Eich, CEO and president of Brave, discusses his history in tech prior to crypto, including working at Netscape, how he created Javascript in 10 days and his short stint as CEO of Mozilla, what problems with ads that Brave is trying to solve, and why Brave needs the Basic Attention Token. He explains why Bitcoin wouldn't work for cryptocurrencies on the platform, why they use BAT over stablecoins, and how Brave strips ads from publishers' webpages, but doesn't from Facebook or Google, and how it causes collateral damage to publishers. He talks about how the browser is a middleman, how Brave works with Uphold and why it doesn't require KYC unless the users wants to cash out on his or her Brave rewards. He also explains why he isn't worried that BAT could meet the four prongs of the Howey test, what it will look like when Basic Attention Token is decentralized and why he doesn't know if publishers are earning back in BAT the ad revenue that Brave blocks. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://kraken.com/ Episode links: Brendan Eich: https://twitter.com/BrendanEich Brave: https://brave.com/ Basic Attention Token: https://basicattentiontoken.org/ BAT white paper: https://basicattentiontoken.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BasicAttentionTokenWhitePaper-4.pdf Brave Rewards: https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360027276731-Brave-Rewards-FAQ Brave privacy policy: https://brave.com/privacy/ https://brave.com/privacy/#dev-detail BAT Growth: https://batgrowth.com Publishers on BAT: https://batgrowth.com/publishers/website Brendan Eich admits Brave is semi-decentralized: https://thenextweb.com/hardfork/2018/11/23/brave-blockchain-cryptocurrency-browser/ How Brave hurts publishers: https://practicaltypography.com/the-cowardice-of-brave.html Publishers send cease and desist to Brave: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-browser-brave-responds-cease-desist Whether BAT is necessary for Brave: https://micky.com.au/just-3-9-of-brave-browser-users-have-bat-in-their-wallets/ BAT ICO: https://www.coindesk.com/35-million-30-seconds-token-sale-internet-browser-brave-sells Vitalik blog post on token sales: https://vitalik.ca/general/2017/06/09/sales.html BAT roadmap: https://basicattentiontoken.org/bat-roadmap-1-0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Why Catherine Coley Isn't Worried About BNB Being a Security - Ep.154
Catherine Coley, the CEO of Binance US, talks about her background as a foreign exchange trader, how and why she made the leap into crypto, and how she became the CEO of Binance US. We discuss how Binance US differs from Binance, who Binance US's target customers are, how Binance decides which coins to list, what's on Catherine's wish list to regulators, and whether Binance US will be connected to or cut off from the global, open financial system Binance is building. We also cover why Binance US launched with Tether as its stablecoin, why the company is also focusing on BUSD, how they became comfortable using BNB token on the exchange, whether or not they worry that BNB could be considered a security. Catherine talks about whether the company will offer leverage, lending, staking, etc., and where Binance US's future revenue could come from as exchange fees trend to zero. We also cover what Catherine has learned from working customer support for Binance US and and how she compares the US and Asian crypto markets. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/ Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ Episode links: Catherine Coley: https://twitter.com/cryptocoley Binance US: https://www.binance.us/en Binance US on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BinanceAmerica Binance US blog: https://www.binance.us/en/blog Crypto Rating Council: https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-led-crypto-ratings-council-draws-skepticism-from-legal-experts Telegram notice about Grams and Ton: https://telegram.org/blog/ton-gram-notice CZ’s 2020 New Year’s message: https://www.binance.com/en/amp/blog/419417682154909696/Binance-2020-New-Year-Message-Building-Foundations-- Binance US joins Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee: https://www.binance.us/en/blog/419943835304939520/BinanceUS-Joins-the-Executive-Committee-of-the-Chamber-of-Digital-Commerce Multicoin Capital report, Binance is Blitzscaling: https://multicoin.capital/2019/11/07/binance-is-blitzscaling/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Dragonfly Capital on Why Ethereum Is So Far in the Lead - Ep.153
Alex Pack, founding partner of Dragonfly Capital, and Haseeb Qureshi, Dragonfly managing partner, talk about why Dragonfly has a global focus, how they choose investments, and why they try to be as agnostic as possible about asset type. They also discuss why most protocols, including Bitcoin, still look like venture bets, why, at the moment, Bitcoin looks like a better investment than anything built on top of Bitcoin, and why Lightning hasn't yet taken off and why they think it won't. We also cover what the future holds for Bitcoin. They explain what they think will happen in the smart contract platform race, why Ethereum is so far in the lead and whether anything will become an Ethereum killer. We also cover Libra, and how Libra affects their investments in stablecoins, why Xi Jinping's "blockchain, not crypto" emphasis is a dead end, whether blockchain-based identity is an investable area, what they think the killer app is or will be and their predictions for 2020. Also, Haseeb, a former professional poker player, describes how poker playing is similar to crypto trading. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Kraken: https://kraken.com/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Episode links: Alex Pack: https://twitter.com/alpackap Haseeb Qureshi: https://twitter.com/hosseeb Dragonfly Capital: https://www.dcp.capital/ Dragonfly Capital’s blog: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research Forbes on Dragonfly Capital’s $100 million initial raise: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2018/10/09/new-fund-dragonfly-bridges-china-us-crypto/#572aeb953c9a Venture Beat story: https://venturebeat.com/2018/10/09/dragonfly-capital-partners-scoops-up-100-million-for-cryptocurrency-investments/ https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/10/09/1618445/0/en/Dragonfly-Capital-Partners-Unveils-100-Million-Inaugural-Fund-for-Cryptocurrencies-Bridges-Gap-between-East-and-West.html DeFi cannibalizing POS security: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/how-defi-cannibalizes-pos-security-84b146f00697 Mimblewimble blog post: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/breaking-mimblewimble-privacy-model-84bcd67bfe52 Haseeb’s 2020 article on CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/what-defi-needs-next-year-three-priorities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000
Unchained Year in Review: The Best of 2019 - Ep.152
In this Best of 2019 episode, I selected the clips that seemed most representative of what crypto was about this year, which I call, The Year Things Got Geopolitical. My only regret is that none of the clips about DAOs lent themselves well to this episode. However, years from now, after we’ve got global stablecoins pinging around the world at a high transactions-per-second rate, the crypto community has made peace with U.S. regulators, and more of our lives seems to take place in the borderless digital world, perhaps we'll find it ironic that DAOs were burbling up right around the same time. Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Unchained Interview with Vitalik Buterin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-whether-or-not-ethereum-is-blowing-it/ Unchained Interview with Hester Peirce: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-come-talk-to-the-sec/ Unchained Interview with Ted Livingston: https://unchainedpodcast.com/kin-sets-up-5-million-defendcrypto-org-to-take-on-the-sec/ Unchained Interview with Glen Weyl and Santiago Siri: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-blockchains-can-help-create-little-democracies-everywhere/ Unchained Interview with Christian Catalini: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-libra-co-creator-on-how-facebook-will-make-money-from-calibra/ Unchained Interview with Martin Chorzempa and Dovey Wan: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-china-aims-to-replace-cash-with-the-digital-yuan/ Unchained Interview with Emily Parker: https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-in-china-what-it-really-looks-like/ Unchained Interview with Sandra Ro: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sandra-ro-why-crypto-friendly-laws-are-coming-in-the-us/ Unchained Interview with Patrick McHenry: https://unchainedpodcast.com/congressman-patrick-mchenry-bitcoin-will-be-of-enormous-value/ Unchained Interview with David Andolfatto: https://unchainedpodcast.com/fed-economist-on-the-prospect-of-the-usd-losing-global-reserve-status-who-cares/ Unchained Interview with Yeonmi Park: https://unchainedpodcast.com/yeonmi-park-on-why-doing-business-with-north-korea-is-like-buying-a-ticket-to-a-concentration-camp/ Unchained Interview with Alex Gladstein: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-3-reasons-bitcoin-matters/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000
For Your Normie Friends: Answers to the Most Basic Crypto Questions - Ep.151
This fall, I had an idea to do a crypto show for my normie friends, and figured I’d release it over the holidays, when maybe my regular listeners would be with the very people in their lives who could benefit from such an episode. I solicited questions from my own real-life friends, edited down the repeats and tried my best to make the explanations as simple as possible. I cover basic explanations of Bitcoin, blockchain and Ethereum, plus we go into questions around mining and electricity usage, and why anyone would use cryptocurrency. I hope this clears things up for some of your friends and family — and gets some of them to go down the crypto rabbit hole. Thank you to our sponsors! Givewell: http://givewell.org/unchained CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Kraken: http://kraken.com Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Previous beginner episodes: Crypto 101: https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-101-everything-you-need-to-know-about-bitcoin-ethereum-blockchains-icos-and-more/ How to Explain Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain to the Average Person: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-explain-cryptocurrencies-and-blockchains-to-the-average-person/ Interviews with Vitalik Buterin: 2017: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-creator-of-ethereum-on-the-big-guy-vs-the-little-guy/ 2019: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-whether-or-not-ethereum-is-blowing-it/ Episode with Wences Casares: https://unchainedpodcast.com/xapos-wences-casares-on-how-bitcoin-makes-a-fairer-world/ Lolli: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-get-7-of-your-purchases-back-in-bitcoin/ Cryptocurrency to evade surveillance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-3-reasons-bitcoin-matters/ KHmap.live interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/an-interview-with-the-anonymous-developer-of-hkmap-live/ North Korea's interest in cryptocurrency: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-north-korea-is-interested-in-cryptocurrency/ Bitwise: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitwises-latest-plans-to-get-a-bitcoin-etf-approved/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Why North Korea Is Interested in Cryptocurrency - Ep.150
Priscilla Moriuchi, director of strategic threat development at Recorded Future and non-resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, explains North Korean usage of the internet and how it has changed over time, how it is reserved only for the few most senior people in the regime, and what the mobile devices of the other 25 million citizens connects to, and who is watching the activity on those devices. She also describes the various ways North Korea has shown an interest in cryptocurrency, how it's been determined that North Korea is engaging in those activities, such as cryptocurrency exchange hacks and malware, and its seeming interest in Monero. We also discuss how they convert crypto to fiat, and how well the government seems to have connected its cryptocurrency activities with its other real-world criminal networks used for other activities such as smuggling, drugs and counterfeiting cigarettes and US dollars. We also talk about which North Koreans have been trained to carry out such attacks and how and why they carry them out abroad rather than in North Korea. She also covers why Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith's visit to North Korea, even if he were dispensing "public" information, would have been helpful in a country where everyone but a tiny elite is denied access to the internet. Thank you to our sponsors! Givewell: http://givewell.org/unchained CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Priscilla Moriuchi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-moriuchi-410297127/ Recorded Future: https://www.recordedfuture.com Recorded Future on North Korea’s internet activity: https://www.recordedfuture.com/north-korea-internet-activity/ Full report: https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/north-korea-activity.pdf Recorded Future report on North Korea’s interest in cryptocurrency: https://www.recordedfuture.com/north-korea-cryptocurrency/ Full report: North Korea targeting South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges: https://www.recordedfuture.com/north-korea-cryptocurrency-campaign/ Full report: https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/cta-2018-0116.pdf Podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/recorded-future-inside-threat-intelligence/e/52982550 Priscilla on why Virgil’s attendance at a blockchain conference in North Korea was helpful to the regime: https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-virgil-griffith-cryptocurrencies-bad-idea-analyst-2019-12 Priscilla on how North Korea uses cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions: https://www.vox.com/world/2018/2/28/17055762/north-korea-sanctions-bitcoin-nuclear-weapons North Korea’s interest in Monero: https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-north-korea-hackers-mine-cryptocurrency-abroad-1515420004 North Korea’s plan to build its own version of the Petro, I mean, Bitcoin: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9ke3ae/north-korea-is-building-its-own-bitcoin DOJ Complaint against Virgil: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/press-release/file/1222646/download Virgil’s Facebook post inviting others to North Korea: https://www.facebook.com/virgil.gr/posts/10112756681859159 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Yeonmi Park on Why Doing Business With North Korea Is Like Buying a Ticket to a Concentration Camp - Ep.149
In light of the questions around whether or not Virgil Griffith's talk at a blockchain conference in Pyongyang could have helped everyday North Koreans, Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector, human rights activist, board member of the Human Rights Foundation and author of “In Order to Live, A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom,” talks to Unchained. She tells us about her life growing up in North Korea, how she thought the "dear leader" could read her thoughts, why freedom of thought is not allowed in North Korea, and how a South Korean had to teach her that Kim Jong Il was fat and not starving for the North Koreans, as she had been taught. She talks about what happened after her father was sent to a prison camp for selling copper, silver and nickel, how three generations of her family were then tainted and put in the "hostile" class of the caste system, and how watching the movie Titanic introduced her to the concept of romantic love. She tells the story of how, because of hunger, she fled to China — right into the hands of human traffickers, but decided to stay because of what trash cans in China signified to her, and describes the first time she heard the word "free." She also covers the difficulty of her transition to freedom and how reading George Orwell's Animal Farm was a turning point for her. We discuss why the strategy for liberating North Korea is mostly about getting outside information in, who benefits from tours to North Korea and why lifting sanctions would only help the regime. She also explains why the only people who would have benefited from Griffith's talk would have been North Korean elite, and how any actions in line with what the dictator wants help him maintain power. She says the best ways to improve the situation in North Korea are to boost awareness of what is happening, empower the people there by getting outside information in and helping during the rescue, as 300,000 defectors, most of them women and girls living as sexual slaves, are hiding in China. Thank you to our sponsors! Givewell: http://givewell.org/unchained Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Yeonmi Park: https://yeonmi.com/ Yeonmi Park on Twitter: https://twitter.com/YeonmiParkNK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialYeonmiPark/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yeonmi_park/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpQu57KgT7gOoLCAu3FFQsA Human Rights Foundation: https://hrf.org/ In Order to Live: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318940/in-order-to-live-by-yeonmi-park-with-maryanne-vollers/ One of the first speeches by Yeonmi that went viral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei-gGvLWOZI Yeonmi's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/yeonmi_park_what_i_learned_about_freedom_after_escaping_north_korea New York Times video op-ed with Yeonmi's message for President Trump: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/opinion/north-korea-trump-kim-human-rights.html DOJ complaint against Virgil Griffith: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-arrest-united-states-citizen-assisting-north-korea Economist video on the efforts to get outside information into North Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVRQpfXGQyc&app=desktop Guardian article on North Korean defector activist groups attempting to get outside information into North Korea: https://amp.theguardian.com/global/2016/aug/27/north-korea-defectors-ian-birrell Wired article on getting outside information in: https://www.wired.com/2015/03/north-korea/ The story of Otto Warmbier: https://www.gq.com/story/otto-warmbier-north-korea-american-hostage-true-story South Korean woman shot for crossing line at a resort in North Korea: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/12/korea Unchained interview with Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-3-reasons-bitcoin-matters/ Unconfirmed interview with Alex Gladstein: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-first-crypto-war-ep-021/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000
How Synthetix Became the Second-Largest DeFi Platform - Ep.148
Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix, talks about synthetic asset issuance platform, which enables people to create tokens that track the price of assets in traditional and crypto finance. We discuss the various types of assets available, why changing the monetary policy helped the ecosystem take off, why people would buy synthetic Bitcoin over Bitcoin itself, and why Uniswap has been pivotal to Synthetix's success. He covers the role the SNX token plays, why people minting synths must be over-collateralized by about 700%, and some of the changes coming down the pike, including futures, tweaks to the inflation rate, and a new oracle system. He also explains what happened when a trader made the system insolvent — and how they negotiated with the trader to keep it alive — how he thinks about decentralization and why the system's governance might one day be handled by a DAO. Thank you to our sponsors! GiveWell: http://givewell.org/unchained Kraken: https://kraken.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ Episode links: Synthetix: https://www.synthetix.io/ Synthetix on Twitter: https://twitter.com/synthetix_io Kain Warwick: https://twitter.com/kaiynne Havven transforming into Synthetix: https://blog.havven.io/havven-is-transforming-into-synthetix-2fdf727b8892 Synthetix overview: https://blog.havven.io/synthetix-overview-f4a5a6c41210 How Synthetix works: https://www.synthetix.io/how-it-works/ Synthetix lite paper: https://www.synthetix.io/uploads/synthetix_litepaper.pdf Changing monetary policy: https://blog.synthetix.io/synthetix-monetary-policy-changes/ Oracle hack: https://www.coindesk.com/synthetix-trader-rolls-back-broken-trades-that-netted-1-billion-profit Synthetix response to oracle incident: https://blog.synthetix.io/response-to-oracle-incident/ How staking works on Synthetix: https://www.stakingrewards.com/asset/synthetix-network-token https://help.synthetix.io/hc/en-us/articles/360020245314-How-can-I-earn-Synth-exchange-rewards- Reddit complaint by trader who initially made the system insolvent: https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/d4edxm/the_synthetix_dapp_deleted_my_balance/ Efforts to resolve the front running problem: https://sips.synthetix.io/sips/sip-6 Synthetix and Chainlink: https://blog.synthetix.io/synthetix-and-chainlink/ Kain’s tweets on the censorship vector stack: https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1197265019169169409?s=20 https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1197265044204998656?s=20 Unconfirmed episode on Uniswap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-uniswap-quickly-became-one-of-the-most-popular-dexes/ Defiant interview: https://thedefiant.substack.com/p/theres-a-pipeline-of-etf-like-tokens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Why CoinMarketCap Launched Its Liquidity Metric - Ep.147
Carylyne Chan, chief strategy officer at CoinMarketCap, and Gerald Chee, head of research, discuss the history of CoinMarketCap, why the founder Brandon Chez initially focused on circulating supply to calculate market cap, how the ICO craze has changed the way CoinMarketCap defines circulating supply and how the kimchee premium on the Bitcoin price in Korea at the end of 2017 is influencing the future direction of the website. We cover why CoinMarketCap is branching out into other areas such as metrics, blockchain explorers, hosting conferences and more, how the site has made money historically, the demographics, geographical distribution and behaviors of users on the site, and how CoinMarketCap's web traffic is 90% correlated to the Bitcoin price. We talk about the fake volume problem, how CoinMarketCap decided to address it with a new liquidity metric, the new Data Accountability and Transparency Alliance they formed, and why they are working with some of the exchanges identified by Bitwise as being the most egregious in faking volumes, and how those exchanges fare when it comes to CMC's new liquidity metric. We also cover some of the other ways companies have tried to address the fake volume issue, how CoinMarketCap tries to identify the "true price" for any cryptocurrency (and why USDT makes this hard), and what the circulating supply of Ripple should be. Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://kraken.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ Episode links: CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoinMarketCap Carylyne Chan: https://twitter.com/carylyne Gerald Chee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerald-chee-8340a0161/ History of CoinMarketCap: https://blog.coinmarketcap.com/2019/05/01/happy-6th-birthday-data-alliance-block-explorers-and-more/ Incident in which CoinMarketCap shaved $100 billion off the total market cap of crypto assets when Chez decided to remove South Korean exchanges from its calculations: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-programmer-at-the-center-of-a-100-billion-crypto-storm-1516708800 CoinMarketCap's new interest for crypto loans page: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/43460/coinmarketcap-now-publishes-interest-rates-on-cryptocurrencies-allowing-users-to-compare-and-choose Bitwise report on fake trading volume: https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nysearca-2019-01/srnysearca201901-5164833-183434.pdf The 10 exchanges Bitwise says have real volume: https://www.bitcointradevolume.com/ CryptoCompare Q3 Exchange Benchmark Report: https://www.cryptocompare.com/media/36569367/cryptocompare_exchange_benchmark_2019_11pdf.pdf DATA: https://coinmarketcap.com/data-transparency-alliance/ Messari benchmarks: https://messari.substack.com/p/more-reliable-cryptoasset-benchmarks Messari report on Ripple’s “circulating supply”: https://messari.io/article/messari-research-ripple-s-market-cap-is-likely-overstated-by-6-1-billion Ripple’s response to Messari report: https://www.coindesk.com/xrp-market-cap-may-be-overstated-by-billions-messari-report-estimates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Why China Aims to Replace Cash With the Digital Yuan - Ep.146
Martin Chorzempa, research fellow the Peterson Institute, and Dovey Wan, founding partner at Primitive Ventures, discuss China's new blockchain push and the forthcoming DCEP. They cover how the blockchain initiative is part of an effort to set global blockchain standards, how it fits into the larger U.S.-China trade war as well as the threat from Facebook's Libra, and why part of the motivation behind the DCEP may stem from the shadow banking system in China. They also talk about how the DCEP might work, why it aims to be like cash, and ways in which a successful digital currency could be used to help internationalize the renminbi, but why other countries will likely still resist becoming more dependent on China's currency. We also explore what "controlled anonymity" will look like in the DCEP, why it might actually be preferable to transacting via WeChat Pay or Alipay and whether or not Chinese people will become interested in Bitcoin due to this exposure to blockchain technology. Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://kraken.com/ Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Martin Chorzempa: https://www.piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/martin-chorzempa https://twitter.com/ChorzempaMartin Dovey Wan: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan Xi Jinping’s speech: https://www.coindesk.com/president-xi-says-china-should-seize-opportunity-to-adopt-blockchain Cryptography law: https://www.coindesk.com/chinas-congress-passes-cryptography-law-effective-jan-1-2020 China’s 500 enterprise blockchain projects: https://www.coindesk.com/from-banking-giants-to-tech-darlings-china-reveals-over-500-enterprise-blockchain-projects Changchun Mu, the deputy director of the payment and settlement department of the PBOC, on how DC/EP aims to replace the M0 money supply (banknotes and coins): http://www.cf40.org.cn/uploads/newsletter/20190803.pdf Dovey’s article on how the digital yuan will affect the M0 money supply: https://www.coindesk.com/digital-renminbi-a-fiat-coin-to-make-m0-great-again China’s already very digital economy: https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economic-issues-watch/who-likes-facebooks-libra-currency-not-chinese Reaction of Chinese dissident to China’s blockchain push: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-dissident-sees-dark-warnings-in-chinas-blockchain-push Unconfirmed interview with Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-digital-yuan-could-one-day-be-seen-as-a-blunder/ The commercial entities involved in helping to release the DCEP: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2019/08/27/alibaba-tencent-five-others-to-recieve-first-chinese-government-cryptocurrency/#95e9d351a516 How they will be involved: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1191807688570626048?s=20 ”Controlled anonymity“: https://twitter.com/ChorzempaMartin/status/1162071943568338944?s=20 Problems that could arise with the DCEP: https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3035797/blockchain-endorsement-chinas-xi-jinping-could-lead-fraud-and People with poor social credit banned from buying plane and train tickets: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/china-bans-23m-discredited-citizens-from-buying-travel-tickets-social-credit-system The FT on why China’s currency will not replace the USD: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2018/09/19/1537329600000/China-s-currency-will-not-replace-the-US-dollar/ 2000 speech by Bill Clinton: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/030900clinton-china-text.html?mcubz=2&module=inline Change in plans to eliminate the Bitcoin mining industry: https://www.coindesk.com/sichuan-should-work-to-remain-attractive-to-crypto-mining-policy-advisor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Christopher Giancarlo on the Craziness of Becoming 'Crypto Dad' - Ep.145
Former CFTC chairman Christopher Giancarlo talks about how his experience of the financial crisis piqued his interest in blockchain technology, why the CFTC thought the introduction of Bitcoin futures would help pop the 2017 Bitcoin bubble, and how "there's no simple answer" to explain when a token goes from being a security to a commodity. He discusses why he believes there needs to be a "refresh" of regulations written decades ago that are difficult to apply in a digital world, why he thinks Libra represents a fundamental generational change and why he thinks the project should be allowed to go forward. We also cover the Chinese digital yuan, why the USD should not assume that its global dominance today will translate into global dominance tomorrow, and his own proposal for a digital dollar, which he dubs "Zelle + JPMorgan Coin." Plus, he gives the behind-the-scenes look at why he decided to speak "as a dad" in the Congressional hearing that made him an overnight crypto celebrity. Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links: Christopher Giancarlo: https://twitter.com/giancarloMKTS https://www.cftc.gov/About/Commissioners/JChristopherGiancarlo/index.htm CFTC: https://www.cftc.gov/ Chamber of Digital Commerce: https://digitalchamber.org/ Let the technology evolve before regulating/CFTC is behind on regulating: https://www.coindesk.com/cftc-chair-says-regulator-is-behind-on-blockchain Popping the Bitcoin bubble: https://www.coindesk.com/trump-administration-popped-2017-bitcoin-bubble-ex-cftc-chair-says Talks with Facebook pre-Libra launch: https://www.coindesk.com/facebook-holds-talks-with-cftc-over-globalcoin-cryptocurrency-report The introduction of Bitcoin futures helping to pop the crypto bubble: https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2018/may/how-futures-trading-changed-bitcoin-prices/ Wall Street Journal op-ed proposing a digital dollar: https://www.wsj.com/articles/we-sent-a-man-to-the-moon-we-can-send-the-dollar-to-cyberspace-11571179923 Initial confusion over LedgerX not receiving approval or disapproval within 180 days to launch Bitcoin futures: https://www.coindesk.com/what-happened-why-the-first-us-physical-bitcoin-futures-contracts-havent-launched CoinDesk article with emails from LedgerX on CFTC dispute: https://www.coindesk.com/ledgerx-claims-personal-animus-drove-ex-cftc-chair-to-stall-approvals Commodity Exchange Act: https://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/Commodity%20Exchange%20Act.pdf Emails sent from LedgerX to the CFTC: https://static.coindesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/19-00104-FOIA-Records.pdf Paul Chou’s blog post summarizing what happened: https://blog.ledgerx.com/let-me-set-the-record-straight/ More context from Noelle Acheson on the dispute: https://www.coindesk.com/derivatives-drama-the-unintended-consequences-of-crypto-regulation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000
A Libra Co-Creator on How Facebook Will Make Money From Calibra - Ep.144
Christian Catalini, co-creator of Libra and chief economist at Calibra, explains why Facebook made the design choices it made for Libra, reveals whether the team was prepared for the regulatory blowback it received after publishing the white paper, and talks about what it means for Libra now that nearly all the initial payment company members have left the Association. He describes how Facebook defined stability for Libra, whether the Chinese renminbi could ever be added to the reserve the way it is part of the IMF special drawing rights basket, and if so, what the Libra or Calibra would do if the Chinese government tried to censor individuals or transactions in the system. We also cover the tension between the desire to have strong know-your-customer and anti-money laundering processes on the platform but then also to bank the unbanked, who often don't have strong government identification. We also discuss how Facebook will make money from Calibra, what it would take for Facebook to let the Libra Association go forward without it, and why Facebook, which not too long ago was trying to woo China to enter the Chinese market, now says it is the best counterweight to a Chinese digital yuan. Plus, he answers how Facebook and Calibra will handle privacy. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Christian Catalini: https://twitter.com/ccatalini Libra: https://libra.org/en-US/ Calibra: https://calibra.com/ Libra white paper: https://libra.org/en-US/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/06/LibraWhitePaper_en_US.pdf Letters to payment companies from Congress: https://www.schatz.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Signed%20Letters%20re%20Libra%20to%20Patrick%20Collison,%20Ajaypal%20Banga,%20and%20Alfred%20Kelly.pdf Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in front of Congress: https://www.c-span.org/video/?465293-1/facebook-ceo-testimony-house-financial-services-committee Reported breakdown of the Libra reserve: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-libra-basket/u-s-dollar-to-be-main-currency-underpinning-facebooks-libra-spiegel-idUSKBN1W522K Calibra — can send money at low to no cost: https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2019/06/coming-in-2020-calibra/ Chargebacks in Libra: https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/18/18682838/facebook-digital-wallet-calibra-libra-cryptocurrency-kevin-weil-david-marcus-interview Asian central banks not too open to Libra: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-10-22/facebook-scaling-back-libra-will-please-asian-central-banks Unconfirmed interview about UN work with blockchain-based vouchers: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-un-world-food-programmes-blockchain-based-food-vouchers-for-syrian-refugees-with-robert-opp/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Bitwise's Latest Plans to Get a Bitcoin ETF Approved - Ep.143
Hunter Horsley, cofounder and CEO of Bitwise Asset Management, and Matt Hougan, global head of research at Bitwise, describe their vision for Bitwise, its current funds and indices, as well as how it handles things like forks and airdrops. Then they give their reaction to and interpretation of the SEC disapproval of their Bitcoin ETF proposal, as well as what their focus will be now to try to get a Bitcoin ETF approved. We also discuss their general thesis around how the crypto space will develop, whether or not indices and funds around the top 100 assets will ever make sense, their ideas on how to value these networks and whether or not the company would ever try to compete in the DeFi space. Plus, don't miss our conversation on Bitcoin IRAs. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://kraken.com CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/ Hunter Horsley: https://twitter.com/HHorsley Matt Hougan: https://twitter.com/Matt_Hougan Unchained interview with Spencer Bogart: https://unchainedpodcast.com/spencer-bogart-on-the-20-trillion-in-store-of-value-assets/ Bitwise 10 Private Fund fact sheet: https://static.bitwiseinvestments.com/FactSheet/bitwise10/Bitwise-10-Private-Index-Fund-Investor-Class-Fact-Sheet.pdf Bitwise 10 Offshore Index Fund: https://static.bitwiseinvestments.com/FactSheet/bitwise10-offshore/Bitwise-10-Index-Offshore-Fund-Investor-Fact-Sheet.pdf Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust: https://grayscale.co/bitcoin-trust/ Bitwise Ethereum Fund: https://static.bitwiseinvestments.com/FactSheet/ethereumFund/Bitwise-Ethereum-Fund-Investor-Class-Fact-Sheet.pdf SEC order disapproving the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF proposal: https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/nysearca/2019/34-87267.pdf Matt on CNBC discussing the Bitcoin ETF proposal: https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/1181309471349526530?s=20 Bitstamp/BitMEX trading manipulation: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1129246233917382656 Jake Chervinsky’s tweet about how the SEC is unlikely to approve a Bitcoin ETF under Chair Jay Clayton: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1182149164177608704?s=20 Unchained interview with Jake: https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-crypto-regulation-with-jake-chervinsky/ SEC commissioner Hester Peirce’s dissent to the disapproval of the Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-dissent-34-83723 Van Eck’s withdrawal of the Bitcoin ETF proposal: https://www.coindesk.com/vaneck-solidx-withdraw-bitcoin-etf-proposal-from-sec-review Chris Burniske on how to value these networks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-value-a-crypto-asset/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Congressman Patrick McHenry: 'Bitcoin Will Be of Enormous Value' - Ep.142
Congressman Patrick McHenry, or 'Mr. Fintech' to his peers in the House, is announcing the reintroduction of the Financial Services Innovation Act, a bill that would create what he calls "permanent beta testing," or many jurisdictions call "regulatory sandboxes," in which entrepreneurs can apply for regulatory approval to conduct innovative experiments. The bill is intended to get regulators into a position where their default leans more toward yes than no. He describes how this would affect teams that want to conduct ICOs, how it would square with the phenomenon of some token teams trying to raise through Reg A+, and whether it would allow exchanges without BitLicenses to operate in New York. He also discusses what type of digital currency he believes is best suited to compete against a Chinese digital yuan, and says the government is currently looking into whether or not the Federal Reserve has the authority to issue a digital dollar. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Episode links: Congressman McHenry: https://mchenry.house.gov/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatrickMcHenry The House Libra hearings from July 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ZTkCNW0w8 Financial Services Innovation Act explainer: https://www.alta.org/file.cfm?name=McHenry-Bill-Explainer Introduction of the bill in 2016: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-house-bill-aims-to-set-up-sandbox-for-fintech-innovation-1474539893 https://www.natlawreview.com/article/financial-services-innovation-act-us-wants-sandbox-too Congressman McHenry’s interest in fintech: https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2016/09/patrick-henry-mr-fintech-interview-000214 CNBC article on how Libra is being slowed by regulation while China’s central bank digital currency speeds ahead: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/15/china-races-to-launch-a-cryptocurrency-that-could-rival-facebooks.html Fortune article: https://fortune.com/2019/10/16/if-libra-fails-china-wins-the-ledger/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Think a DAO Will Automate Things? Think Again - Ep.141
Mariano Conti, the head of smart contracts for MakerDAO and creator of SelloutDAO, and Peter Pan, the summoner for Metacartel DAO, discuss all things DAOs, including how Peter started Metacartel DAO after being rejected from MolochDAO, and why Mariano initially voted against Peter joining. (Peter eventually joined.) They also discuss how they came to form YangDAO, why Mariano almost rage quit MolochDAO after the YangDAO formed, and how other MolochDAO members felt about SelloutDAO, which Mariano describes as an experiment in "on-chain corruption." We discuss how DAOs are actually heavily built on trust and why they require a lot of social coordination off-chain. They also discuss funding for LAOs, which have a legal entity such as an LLC affiliated with them, why Metacartel is launching a LAO, and which types of projects should be funded by DAOs vs traditional corporate structures. We also cover governance issues at MakerDAO, why it has a CEO, and what role leadership in general plays in a DAO. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Mariano Conti: https://twitter.com/nanexcool Peter Pan: https://twitter.com/pet3rpan_ MakerDAO: https://makerdao.com/en/ https://chat.makerdao.com Metacartel DAO: https://www.metacartel.org/ https://twitter.com/meta_cartel SelloutDAO: https://selloutdao.com/ Unchained interview with Ameen Soleimani of MolochDAO: https://unchainedpodcast.com/molochdao-could-this-decentralized-autonomous-organization-help-ethereum-scale-faster/ Unchained interview with Santiago Siri: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-blockchains-can-help-create-little-democracies-everywhere/ DAO Revival: https://www.coindesk.com/in-berlin-a-dao-renaissance-begins https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-10-05/crypto-rebels-trip-over-each-other-en-route-to-financial-utopia Andy Milenius’s account of MakerDAO’s change from a decentralized to a centralized project: https://www.scribd.com/document/407743542/Zandy-s-Story CoinDesk story on the rift: https://www.coindesk.com/darkest-days-yet-purple-pill-tell-all-details-years-long-rift-at-heart-of-makerdao-stablecoin-project Two most recent MakerDAO votes: https://vote.makerdao.com/executive-proposal/keep-the-stability-fee-set-to-a-total-of-105-per-year https://vote.makerdao.com/executive-proposal/lower-the-stability-fee-by-2-to-a-total-of-85-per-year https://vote.makerdao.com/polling-proposal/qmpem83sxjjwe1jvn2csdtetn4r3j95ejuzpbmtxef4lu5 Unchained interviews with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO: Part 1: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/ Part 2: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/ MakerDAO vulnerabilities: ETH could have been stolen: https://hackerone.com/reports/684092 https://thenextweb.com/hardfork/2019/10/03/makerdao-security-vulnerability-ethereum-dai-stablecoin-collapse-theft-cryptocurrency/ The LAO: https://medium.com/openlawofficial/the-lao-a-for-profit-limited-liability-autonomous-organization-9eae89c9669c Critique of the LAO: https://prestonbyrne.com/2019/09/03/the-lao-demystified/ MakerDAO launching multi-collateral Dai: https://www.coindesk.com/makerdaos-multi-collateral-dai-token-is-launching-nov-18 https://blog.makerdao.com/breaking-launch-date-of-multi-collateral-dai-announced-at-devcon-5/ Are DAO’s legal? https://www.coindesk.com/new-interest-in-daos-prompts-old-question-are-they-legal Unconfirmed interview with Uniswap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-uniswap-quickly-became-one-of-the-most-popular-dexes/ Unconfirmed episode with Ryan Zurrer about resurrecting the DAO: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ryan-zurrer-would-like-to-see-a-new-dao/ Unchained interview with Aragon: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-aragon-hopes-to-improve-on-democracy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 05:30:00 -0000
Fed Economist on the Prospect of the USD Losing Global Reserve Status: 'Who Cares?' - Ep.140
David Andolfatto, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, gives his thoughts on Facebook's Libra, including why regulatory issues will make it hard to compete with the US dollar, and why Bitcoin wouldn't have such issues. He also says, "who cares?" about the US dollar losing global reserve status, pointing out that many prosperous countries have currencies that don't function as global reserves. He tells us how he would design a central bank digital currency, and why, even if central banks enabled citizens to open accounts with them, thus bypassing commercial banks, it wouldn't drive banks out of business. We also cover how that could affect fractional reserve banking and credit creation, the People's Bank of China's soon-to-be-issued digital yuan, and why blockchains haven't yet substantially helped the unbanked, as they were originally touted to do. Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Episode links: St. Louis Federal Reserve: https://www.stlouisfed.org David Andolfatto: https://research.stlouisfed.org/econ/andolfatto/sel/ David's blog: http://andolfatto.blogspot.com Letter from House Reps to Fed Chair Jerome Powell: https://static.coindesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Foster-Hill-US-Crypto.pdf Talk on blockchain, cryptocurrency and central banks: https://www.stlouisfed.org/dialogue-with-the-fed/blockchain https://www.stlouisfed.org/~/media/files/pdfs/dwtf/blockchain_082918.pdf?la=en Blog post on cost efficiency of a centrally managed ledger: http://andolfatto.blogspot.com/2017/12/fedcoin-and-blockchain.html?spref=tw David’s paper on the impact of central bank digital currency private banks: https://s3.amazonaws.com/real.stlouisfed.org/wp/2018/2018-026.pdf Raskin and Yermack paper: https://ccl.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Raskin_Max_and_Yermack_David_The%20Future%20of%20Central%20Banking.pdf David on FedCoin: http://andolfatto.blogspot.com/2015/02/fedcoin-on-desirability-of-government.html Philadelphia Federal Reserve banker Patrick Harker on a G20 CBDC being inevitable: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-harker-digital/feds-harker-digital-central-bank-currency-inevitable-idUSKBN1WH1L4 Related Unchained interview: Dong He and Yan Liu on central bank digital currencies: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-imf-on-how-to-design-central-bank-digital-currencies/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Crypto in China: What It Really Looks Like - Ep.139
Emily Parker, cofounder of Longhash, describes what the company, which has an Asia-focused incubator and data media site does, how she ended up launching an Asia-focused company, why she’s seeing US crypto teams and ICOs going to Singapore, why the Chinese government cracked down on crypto, and what misconceptions she sees about crypto in China. She explains how the Chinese still trade Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies despite the ban, why Tether plays a big role, how the China ban has affected crypto entrepreneurship and how the upcoming People's Bank of China digital currency could impact crypto. We also discuss how the attitude toward crypto has changed in Japan over time, why so many crypto teams are settling in Singapore, and whether or not the philosophies of censorship-resistance or decentralization resonate in China. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Longhash: LongHash.com Longhash's Twitter: https://twitter.com/longhashdata Emily Parker: Emilyparkerwrites.com Emily Parker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilydparker Emily Parker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-parker-738034142/ Longhash's incubator: https://incubator.longhash.com BTC trading by US EST and PST vs. China: https://www.longhash.com/news/american-traders-lead-on-bitcoin-rally-while-asian-traders-not-so-bullish Bitcoin metrics on Longhash: https://www.longhash.com/livecharts/bitcoin-social-metrics Emily's interview with SEC commissioner Hester Peirce: https://www.longhash.com/news/in-cryptocurrency-will-asia-surpass-the-us-exclusive-interview-with-sec-commissioner-hester-peirce Unchained interview with commissioner Peirce: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-come-talk-to-the-sec/ Longhash article showing more ICOs in Singapore than in US in Q1 2018: https://www.longhash.com/news/how-singapore-became-asias-ico-hub Longhash's graphic showing money transmitter laws in the US: https://www.longhash.com/news/is-cryptocurrency-money-depends-on-your-state Longhash on ICOs fleeing the US: https://www.longhash.com/news/after-years-of-regulatory-uncertainty-icos-are-fleeing-the-united-states Unchained interview with Primitive Ventures: https://unchainedpodcast.com/asia-edition-mining-a-crypto-yuan-and-the-two-main-reasons-the-chinese-are-interested-in-crypto-ep-102/ Unchained interview with Da Hongfei and Patrick Dai (not Lai!): https://unchainedpodcast.com/from-blockchains-to-mooncakes-two-chinese-crypto-founders-on-the-ico-and-bitcoin-exchanges-ban/ Unchained interview with CZ of Binance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-binance-became-the-most-popular-crypto-exchange-in-5-months-ep-84/ Emily's interview with Coincheck's president: https://www.longhash.com/news/lessons-from-the-largest-crypto-hack-in-history-exclusive-interview-with-coincheck-president-toshihiko-katsuya Longhash deck of cards of crypto players: https://www.longhash.com/news/fiftyfour-players-in-the-blockchain-industry-transformed-into-a-real-deck-of-cards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Spencer Bogart on the $20 Trillion in Store-of-Value Assets - Ep.138
Spencer Bogart, general partner at Blockchain Capital, the first VC firm to tokenize one of its funds, talks about how well offering tokenized shares has worked out, why it didn't do so for the following fund, the appeal of security tokens generally and what advantages tokenized securities offer over non-blockchain platforms like Second Market, in which investors can trade shares in private companies. He also explains what entrepreneurs are looking for from VCs now that they have more ways to raise from the crowd, how Blockchain Capital decides between investing in equity vs. tokens when there is an option, and why the firm believes there will only be five or fewer dominant blockchains. He describes why he thinks it's likely Bitcoin will take the lion's share of the market, noting its $200 billion market cap vs. the $20 trillion in other store-of-value assets such as gold, real estate and art, and whether or not it's possible to invest in Lightning, the second layer built on top of Bitcoin. We also cover the Bitcoin ETF proposals, stablecoins, how crypto might take off in video games and its 66x return within two years on its investment in Block.One. Thank you to our sponsors! Simbachain: https://simbachain.com Kraken: https://kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Blockchain Capital: https://blockchain.capital/ Spencer Bogart: https://twitter.com/CremeDeLaCrypto Unchained interview with Brock Pierce: https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-vc-is-sure-venture-capital-is-about-to-be-disrupted/ BCAP Q2 Nav: https://blockchainloop.com/blockchain-capital-releases-q2-2019-bcap-token-nav/ Upgrading of BCAP to Securitize platform: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/09/04/1565117/0/en/BCAP-Tokens-to-be-Upgraded-Utilizing-Securitize-Platform.html Funding of Securitize: https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-backs-security-token-startups-12-75-million-funding-round Blockchain Capital’s fourth fund: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blockchain-capital-closes-fund-iv-at-150-million-300617495.html Story about Blockchain Capital trying to separate itself from Brock Pierce: https://decrypt.co/6876/is-blockchain-capital-trying-to-scrub-co-founder-and-mighty-ducks-star-brock-pierce-from-its-history Interview with Brock Pierce in which he describes leaving Blockchain Capital: https://hackernoon.com/brock-pierce-interview-tales-from-the-bitcoin-floor-e479693a49bd Lightning Network statistics: https://bitcoinvisuals.com/lightning Tweets from LNBig on how they earned $0.10-$0.30 a day on Lightning fees: https://twitter.com/lnbig_com/status/1163055682964348934?s=20 https://twitter.com/lnbig_com/status/1159538637597487104?s=20 LNBig on how they spent $1,000 or so to open their Lightning channels: https://www.reddit.com/r/btc/comments/bxh0ny/lightning_network_capacity_takes_a_sudden_dive/eq9x4i9/ Profitability of running a lightning node: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/a9dmzw/how_profitable_is_running_a_lightning_node/ Letter to the SEC: https://blockchain.capital/examining-bitcoins-valued-attributes-a-letter-to-the-sec/ Blog post about Bitcoin’s likely dominance: https://blockchain.capital/the-past-future-of-blockchain-where-were-going-and-why/ Spencer's Reddit post with questions/concerns about MakerDAO: https://www.reddit.com/r/MakerDAO/comments/asb9n6/a_couple_questions_concerns_about_maker_and_mkr/ + tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/cremedelacrypto/status/1103428046621618178 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Olga Feldmeier on Why Switzerland Has Welcomed Crypto - Ep.137
Olga Feldmeier, CEO of SmartValor, describes how her upbringing in Ukraine when it was undergoing 10,000% and 5,000% annual inflation helped her understand the potential in Bitcoin years later, and helped her connect with Wences Casares, CEO of Xapo. She also talks about how Xapo was able to get regulated in Switzerland, without having to get a banking license, and why she believes Switzerland has been open to the crypto industry. She explains why she is now focused on security tokens and tokenizing other real-world assets with her venture SmartValor, why it is also licensed in Lichtenstein, why it is aiming to make South Korea its second home, and what her view is on Facebook's Libra. Thank you to our sponsors! Simbachain: https://simbachain.com Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Smart Valor: https://smartvalor.com/en/ Olga Feldmeier: https://twitter.com/OlgaFeldmeier Forbes interview with Olga: https://www.forbes.com/sites/montymunford/2018/07/30/qa-with-olga-feldmeier-cryptoqueen-and-ceo-smart-valor/#e3a3c9f3bcd1 Untold Stories interview with Olga (episode 14): https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/untoldstories?selected=BWG5775450315 Xapo receives approval to operate as a financial intermediary in Switzerland: https://blog.xapo.com/xapo-regulatory-status-in-switzerland/ SmartValor white paper: https://res.smartvalor.com/public/SMART-VALOR-WhitePaper.pdf SmartValor launches in Switzerland: https://www.coindesk.com/smart-valor-launches-regulated-crypto-exchange-in-switzerlandBusiness Insider interview on tokenizing physical objects: https://www.businessinsider.com/smart-valor-ceo-tokenization-of-everything-icos-bitcoin-future-value-2018-1 Smart Valor makes South Korea its second home: https://news.smartvalor.com/korea-update/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Why LocalBitcoins Stopped Cash Trades and Has a New CEO - Ep.136
Sebastian Sonntag, the new CEO of LocalBitcoins, and Mika Impola, software developer at LocalBitcoins, explain why the peer-to-peer bitcoin trading company has a new CEO, why it stopped cash trades and what kind of response they've received from the community about it. They describe how the service works, how it has changed over time, the range of payment options available amongst sellers on the site, and how peer-to-peer trading differs from country to country. Plus, we cover why it suspended buying in Iran, how regulation is changing the site in general, how it handles forks and what Sonngtag's plans are for the company. Thank you to our sponsors! Simbachain: https://simbachain.com/ Kraken: https://kraken.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: LocalBitcoins: https://localbitcoins.com/ LocalBitcoins blog: https://localbitcoins.com/blog/ LocalBitcoins names a new CEO: https://localbitcoins.com/blog/localbitcoins-names-a-new-ceo/ LocalBitcoins stops cash trades: https://www.coindesk.com/localbitcoins-removes-cash-for-crypto-trading-option New Finnish AML regulations: https://localbitcoins.com/blog/aml-features-update/ LocalBitcoins’ new ID verification system: https://localbitcoins.com/blog/id-verification-update/ LocalBitcoins trading volume across countries: https://coin.dance/volume/localbitcoins LocalBitcoins trading in Venezuela: https://coin.dance/volume/localbitcoins/VES/BTC LocalBitcoins suspends buying in Iran: https://www.coindesk.com/localbitcoins-bans-bitcoin-buying-in-iran-in-blow-to-rising-crypto-commerce Bitcoin Cash hard fork decision: https://localbitcoins.com/blog/bitcoin-bcash/ Bitcoin Maven: https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bitcoin-sentencing-20180709-story.html Hack on LocalBitcoins forums: https://www.coindesk.com/localbitcoins-reveals-security-breach-with-some-crypto-wallets-affected Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000
How Aragon Hopes to Improve on Democracy - Ep.135
Luis Cuende, the CEO of Aragon One, describes the Aragon Network, how it aims to create new systems better for human coordination and the roles of the various parts of the ecosystem, such as Aragon One, the Aragon Association, the Aragon Court, Aragon Nest and the Aragon Network token. He describes the various parts of the Aragon Network, such as a finance app and voting app, how the network can be used both by decentralized organizations as well as centralized companies, and how he thinks decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) interact with real-world legal jurisdictions. We discuss how disputes are handled in Aragon, what the token, ANT, is used for, and why Aragon is contemplating building its own blockchain instead of sitting atop Ethereum, as it currently does. We also talk about how Aragon is governed, how it hopes to someday decentralize its governance and other ways Aragon can reach Cuende's ideal governance. Plus, we cover a few controversial votes in Aragon and the role of whales in such systems. Thank you to our sponsors! Simbachain: https://simbachain.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Aragon Network: https://aragon.org/network/ Luis Cuende: https://twitter.com/licuende?lang=en Aragon white paper: https://github.com/aragon/whitepaper Breaker Mag article about Aragon: https://breakermag.com/can-aragon-make-decentralized-autonomous-governance-work/ Vitalik Buterin's proposals on DAICOs: https://ethresear.ch/t/explanation-of-daicos/465 Aragon Governance Proposals (AGP): https://github.com/aragon/AGPs/blob/master/AGPs/AGP-1.md Vote against funding Polkadot: https://www.coindesk.com/voters-on-ethereum-app-veto-proposal-to-fund-polkadot-blockchain Unchained episode about Polkadot: https://unchainedpodcast.com/paritys-jutta-steiner-and-gavin-wood-on-polkadot-substrate-and-the-frozen-funds/ Unchained episode about Ethereum 2.0: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-whether-or-not-ethereum-is-blowing-it/ Unchained episode with Ameen Soleimani of MolochDAO: https://unchainedpodcast.com/molochdao-could-this-decentralized-autonomous-organization-help-ethereum-scale-faster/ Stats on Aragon: https://scout.cool/aragon/mainnet Unchained episode about Melon protocol: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-melon-could-make-asset-management-easier/ Autark, the decentralized SpaceX: https://www.autark.xyz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000
After Years of Secret Work, Decred Adds a New Feature: Privacy - Ep.134
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
Tue, 27 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Sandra Ro: Why Crypto-Friendly Laws Are Coming in the US - Ep.133
Sandra Ro, the CEO of the Global Blockchain Business Council and former head of digitization at CME, explains what the GBBC does, how it chooses partners, and what level of involvement they have with projects under the GBBC umbrella. We discuss some of the more controversial projects, such as the Voatz pilot that conducted election voting using blockchain technology, as well as how she responds to people saying many "blockchain" projects could instead use a database. She also reveals why she believes that the US will eventually lead the world on crypto regulation, why she thinks that there's strength in the fragmentation in US regulations and what she thinks is the best way forward on the BitLicense. Plus, she gives us the inside scoop on what it took for her to get CME to launch Bitcoin futures. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Sandra Ro: https://twitter.com/srolondon GBBC: https://gbbcouncil.org/ Previous Unchained interview with Sandra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-is-one-of-the-worlds-largest-derivatives-exchanges-doing-with-bitcoin/ Controversy over Voatz: https://slate.com/technology/2019/07/west-virginia-blockchain-voting-voatz.html Episode with Jake Chervinsky: https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-crypto-regulation-with-jake-chervinsky/ Jeremy Allaire on Unconfirmed on why the US needs a new category for digital assets: https://unchainedpodcast.com/jeremy-allaire-on-why-the-us-government-needs-a-new-category-for-digital-assets/ Fred Wilson on crypto regulation in the US: https://avc.com/2019/05/defendcrypto-org/ Ted Livingston on why Kik set up DefendCrypto.org: https://unchainedpodcast.com/kin-sets-up-5-million-defendcrypto-org-to-take-on-the-sec/ Unchained interview with Juthica Chou: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ledgerx-on-the-reasons-to-trade-bitcoin-options/ Patent for physically settled cryptocurrency derivatives contracts: https://www.coindesk.com/cme-explores-cryptocurrency-derivatives-contracts-in-patent-filing Ro named to New York State Digital Currency Task Force: https://www.coindesk.com/new-york-legislature-names-initial-members-to-crypto-task-force The Libra Association's Dante Disparte on Unconfirmed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000
The IMF on How to Design Central Bank Digital Currencies - Ep.132
Dong He, deputy director of the monetary and capital markets department of the IMF, and Yan Liu, Assistant General Counsel at the legal department of the IMF, talk about central bank digital currencies (CBDCs): the current level of interest among central banks in issuing them, what concerns they need to address when designing them, and how commercial banks might be affected, depending on the design of the CBDC. We discuss how privacy could be built into such a currency while also fulfilling anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financial regulations and how a CBDC could affect the IMF's ability to achieve its goal of financial inclusion. Plus, we also cover how crypto assets being widely adopted could influence economies, as well as Facebook's Libra. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: IMF: https://www.imf.org/ Dong He: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donghe Yan Liu: https://blogs.imf.org/bloggers/yan-liu/ Speech by IMF managing director Christine Lagarde on the case for new digital currency: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2018/11/13/sp111418-winds-of-change-the-case-for-new-digital-currency He’s speech on monetary policy in the digital age: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2018/06/central-bank-monetary-policy-and-cryptocurrencies/he.htm Article on how crypto assets could reduce the demand for central bank money: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2018/06/central-bank-monetary-policy-and-cryptocurrencies/he.pdf The IMF on Libra: https://www.imf.org/~/media/Files/Publications/FTN063/2019/English/FTNEA2019001.ashx Unconfirmed episode with Michael Casey on why it would be good if Libra rivaled the US dollar: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-it-would-be-good-if-libra-rivaled-the-us-dollar/ Also check out this Unchained episode from the Oslo Freedom Forum, which dived deeply into the issues around privacy vs. keeping out bad actors: https://unchainedpodcast.com/oslo-freedom-forum-2019-protecting-financial-freedoms-in-the-digital-age/ And this Unchained episode with Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation, which covered similar issues: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-3-reasons-bitcoin-matters/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000
All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky - Ep.131
Jake Chervinsky, general counsel at Compound, goes over a plethora of crypto regulatory issues, such as those related to securities law such as the SEC vs. Kik case, Ripple, stablecoins, no-action letters, Blockstack and more. We also discuss whether there should be one regulator for crypto matters in the US, whether it makes sense to create a new category for digital assets instead of applying laws for securities, commodities, etc., to digital tokens, and why he thinks Libra will likely not launch in its proposed form. He also gives his odds on a Bitcoin ETF being approved soon, talks about the tension between privacy and financial regulation and reveals what he thinks is the biggest regulatory issue in DeFi that no one's talking about. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Jake Chervinsky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Compound: https://compound.finance/ Unchained interview with Compound CEO Robert Leshner: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep-82/ Unchained with Ted Livingston of Kik about its intention to fight the SEC in court: https://unchainedpodcast.com/kin-sets-up-5-million-defendcrypto-org-to-take-on-the-sec/ Kik's Wells response: https://www.kin.org/wells_response.pdf SEC no-action letter to Quarters: https://www.coindesk.com/sec-clears-blockchain-gaming-startup-to-sell-quarters-tokens SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on the first no-action letter for a token: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/peirce-how-we-howey-050919 Unconfirmed episode on Blockstack’s Reg A+ filing: https://unchainedpodcast.com/blockstacks-reg-a-filing-and-the-future-of-token-offerings%e2%80%8b/ Decrypt article on issues with issuing a token under Reg A+: https://decrypt.co/7839/blockstack-token-offering-historic-but-dance-with-sec-far-from-over How much Ripple has sold recently: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1154276254775947264?s=20 Jake’s tweet storm on the Libra hearings in Congress: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1151875713903005697?s=20 Jeremy Allaire’s testimony to Congress: https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Allaire%20Testimony%207-30-19.pdf Unchained interview with Jeremy Allaire on regulations: https://unchainedpodcast.com/jeremy-allaire-on-why-the-us-government-needs-a-new-category-for-digital-assets/ Push for new crypto regulations: https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-push-for-new-bitcoin-rules-11562405401 Tax issues: https://fortune.com/2019/07/29/here-comes-the-irs-the-ledger/ Bitcoin ETF: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1111734963798458369?s=20 Jake’s tweet storm on Bakkt: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1059828623471972354?fbclid=IwAR259I8Q2NSNmQ_PEb6l__XatWhmqj9U8gocHRoeb-JXizviI9T62rMuQC8 The latest on Bakkt: https://www.coindesk.com/bakkt-is-supposed-to-start-testing-its-bitcoin-futures-contracts-today Sanctions coming to crypto: https://www.coindesk.com/get-ready-for-crypto-sanctions-enforcement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000
LedgerX on the Reasons to Trade Bitcoin Options - Ep.130
Juthica Chou, chief operating officer of LedgerX, talks about the company's new license to offer its derivatives to retail investors and the resulting platform, Omni. She walks through what call and put options are, how they work and why people and companies purchase them as opposed to just buying or selling bitcoin directly. We discuss why LedgerX believes physically settled bitcoin options are superior to cash-settled ones, how LedgerX handles hard forks, and other contracts focused on the technicals of crypto networks it could offer such as its halving contract. Plus, she describes what it was like to be building a Bitcoin-centered company during the "blockchain not Bitcoin" era. Sign up for the Virtues of the Crypto Revolution retreat with me, Meltem Demirors of CoinShares and Jalak Jobanputra of Future Perfect Ventures at Omega Institute!! Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: LedgerX: https://www.ledgerx.com Juthica Chou: https://twitter.com/juthica LedgerX blog posts introducing Omni: https://blog.ledgerx.com/the-long-game/ https://blog.ledgerx.com/introducing-omni-powered-by-ledgerx/ https://www.coindesk.com/cftc-approves-ledgerx-to-settle-futures-in-real-bitcoin https://www.coindesk.com/ledgerx-reveals-bid-to-beat-bakkt-to-physical-bitcoin-futures-launch CNBC interview with Ari Paul about why he bought $50,000 Bitcoin call option: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/12/26/man-behind-massive-bet-that-bitcoin-could-hit-50000.html Cheddar interview: more opportunity with the retail market: https://cheddar.com/media/ledgerx-wins-u-s-regulatory-approval-to-trade-bitcoin-futures Bitcoin halving contract: https://blog.ledgerx.com/a-new-type-of-contract-for-a-new-type-of-asset/ https://www.coindesk.com/ledgerx-unveils-betting-market-for-2020s-bitcoin-block-reward-halving Ledger on how to it would handle the Bitcoin Gold hard fork: https://www.ledgerx.com/s/LedgerX-LLC-Notice-to-Participants-2017-10.pdf Call option for $100k Bitcoin by December 2020: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-16/anybody-can-now-bet-on-bitcoin-100-000-with-new-call-options Unchained interview with Dan Morehead of Pantera Capital: https://unchainedpodcast.com/pantera-capital-how-bitcoin-could-reach-356000-in-a-few-years/ Cboe stops listing Bitcoin fuures: https://www.coindesk.com/cboe-puts-brakes-on-bitcoin-futures-listing https://www.wsj.com/articles/cboe-abandons-bitcoin-futures-11552914001 Why CME’s futures saw more volume than Cboe’s: https://www.coindesk.com/cme-cboe-bitcoin-futures How Bitcoin futures will be taxed: https://blog.ledgerx.com/less-taxation-with-digitization/ Doomschain clock/attitude toward private blockchains: https://blog.ledgerx.com/updating-the-doomschain-clock/ Oracle blog post: https://blog.ledgerx.com/how-to-talk-to-the-oracle/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Pantera Capital: How Bitcoin Could Reach $356,000 in a Few Years - Ep.129
Dan Morehead, founder and CEO of Pantera Capital, and Joey Krug, co-chief investment officer of Pantera and founder of Augur, discuss where we are in the development cycle of blockchain technology, how Bitcoin, if stays on past trend lines, could hit $42,000 by year's end and $356,000 a couple years after that, and why the biggest challenges now are around scaling and onboarding. We also cover what the adoption of the technology will mean long-term — how creating assets and markets will no longer be the realm of a privileged view — but why payments may be one of the last areas to be disrupted. Morehead and Krug also talk about how Libra walks the line between decentralized and centralized, and it's unclear how Libra will become decentralized. Plus, hear how they respond to questions about the SEC vs. Kik. Sign up for the Virtues of the Crypto Revolution retreat with me, Meltem Demirors of CoinShares and Jalak Jobanputra of Future Perfect Ventures at Omega Institute!! Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com/ Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Pantera Capital: https://www.panteracapital.com Dan Morehead: https://twitter.com/dan_pantera Joey Krug: https://twitter.com/joeykrug Dan Morehead on Unconfirmed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/dan-morehead-of-pantera-capital-on-why-this-crypto-winter-is-different/ Unchained with Joey Krug: https://unchainedpodcast.com/joey-krug-on-how-augur-is-like-any-other-tool-ep-79/ A Crypto Thesis: https://medium.com/@PanteraCapital/a-crypto-thesis-47eaacf861ca Unconfirmed about Congressional hearings on Libra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-congressional-hearings-on-facebooks-libra-were-good-for-bitcoin/ Unconfirmed about why it would be good if Libra rivaled the USD: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-it-would-be-good-if-libra-rivaled-the-us-dollar/ Unconfirmed with Dante Disparte of the Libra Association: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/ Some crypto industry players fed up with US regulators: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/05/29/crypto-companies-and-investors-fed-up-with-the-sec/#3f348ad7701c The SEC vs. Kik: https://unchainedpodcast.com/kin-sets-up-5-million-defendcrypto-org-to-take-on-the-sec/ Bitcoin ETF: https://www.cryptoglobe.com/latest/2018/10/pantera-capital-ceo-sec-doesnt-want-widows-and-orphans-buying-bitcoin-etfs-i-think-an-etf-is-years-away/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000
How to Keep Your Crypto From Being Stolen Via Your Phone - Ep.128
Rich Sanders, cofounder and chief security officer of CipherBlade, and Harry Denley, director of security of MyCrypto.com, discuss the phone porting phenomenon: who's behind these thefts, how they perpetrate them, who is targeted, how to recognize the signs you're a victim and how to the hackers are adapting to people protecting themselves. They cover how you can protect yourself, which accounts to protect, what kinds of email addresses and numbers to set up, how to set them up, how to separate them from anything valuable, and which two-factor authentication methods could work instead. Plus, they go over how to report a theft, to whom you should report, and what information to include. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.com Kraken: https://kraken.com CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: MyCrypto: https://mycrypto.com/ https://twitter.com/MyCrypto https://medium.com/mycrypto CipherBlade: https://cipherblade.com The SIM Swapping Bible: https://medium.com/mycrypto/what-to-do-when-sim-swapping-happens-to-you-1367f296ef4d My Forbes story covering the phone hijacking phenomenon: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#1964ddb738ba Michael Terpin, awarded $75 million in case after losing $24 million in crypto: https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-investor-awarded-over-75-million-in-sim-swapping-hack-case Cody Brown who lost $8,000 on Coinbase due to a phone hijacking: https://medium.com/@CodyBrown/how-to-lose-8k-worth-of-bitcoin-in-15-minutes-with-verizon-and-coinbase-com-ba75fb8d0bac BitGo engineer losing his money via SIM porting: https://medium.com/coinmonks/the-most-expensive-lesson-of-my-life-details-of-sim-port-hack-35de11517124 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000
How the Caribbean Got on the Road to Central Bank Digital Currencies - Ep.127
Gabriel Abed, founder of Bitt.com and Vice President of the board of directors, describes how he went from mining Bitcoin to persuading governors of central banks to not quash Bitt's goal to create central bank digital currencies in the Caribbean and getting the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to pilot one starting next year. He tells the tale of how Overstock came to invest in Bitt, how he brought on a new CEO to take over the company he founded, and how he teamed up with Polymath to create a new company that became the single largest shareholder of the Barbados Stock Exchange. He also describes Digital Asset Capital Management, an investment firm he launched, and why he's still a Bitcoin maximalist despite working on and investing in other types of cryptocurrencies. Virtues of the Crypto Revolution retreat with Meltem Demirors of CoinShares and Jalak Jobanputra of Future Perfect Ventures: https://www.eomega.org/workshops/virtues-of-the-crypto-revolution Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/ CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Bitt.com: https://www.bitt.com/ Gabriel Abed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielabed/ mMoney in Barbados: https://www.mmoneybb.com/ Digital Asset Capital Management: https://dacm.io/ Overstock announces $4 million investment in Bitt.com, to total $16 million over time: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/overstock-invests-in-bitt-to-launch-official-digital-currencies-in-the-caribbean-islands-1459961581 Second Overstock investment in Bitt.com of $3 million: https://www.coindesk.com/overstock-venture-arm-invests-3-million-in-blockchain-payments-startup CoinDesk on the meaning of Bitt's work with the Barbadian digital dollar: https://www.coindesk.com/how-a-tiny-island-could-give-cryptocurrency-a-big-boost Bitt’s pilot with Eastern Caribbean Central Bank: https://www.coindesk.com/eastern-caribbean-central-bank-takes-step-toward-digital-currency-roll-out Partnership with Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) to look into issuing a central bank-backed digital currency for Curaçao and Sint Maarten: https://www.coindesk.com/bitt-partners-with-dutch-caribbean-islands-to-explore-central-bank-crypto Bitt's identity work: https://www.coindesk.com/bitt-reveals-big-plans-blockchain-powered-caribbean-settlement-network Crypto activity in Bermuda and the Caribbean: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/29/technology/cryptocurrency-bermuda-malta-gibraltar.html Bermuda's crypto regulatory framework: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-bermuda-is-going-crypto-with-new-regulatory-framework-130512103.html Unchained interview with CZ of Binance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-binance-became-the-most-popular-crypto-exchange-in-5-months-ep-84/ Unchained interview with Bitfury: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitfury-on-the-ways-it-collaborates-with-governments-and-why-its-partnered-with-a-public-company/ Unchained interview with Sandra Ro: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-is-one-of-the-worlds-largest-derivatives-exchanges-doing-with-bitcoin/ Unconfirmed interview with Dante Disparte: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000
How Asia's Trading Culture Results in a Vastly Different Crypto Scene - Ep.126
Luis Buenaventura, founder of Bloom Solutions, and Leo Weese, president of Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong, discuss the crypto scene in Asia — how it differs from that of the West, and how it differs within the region. We also cover the regulatory climate there, how Korean traders occasionally stuff their pockets with cash and hop flights to Hong Kong, and whether the Hong Kong protests have had any impact on interest in BItcoin. Leo and Luis also talk about Binance and what they think are the top crypto projects in the region. Plus, they reveal Asia's perception of Tron. LAST WEEK to take the Unchained Podcast survey! 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 Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Luis Buenaventura: https://twitter.com/helloluis Bloom: https://www.bloom.solutions/ Leo Weese: https://twitter.com/LeoAW The Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong: https://www.bitcoin.org.hk/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/bitcoinorghk?lang=en Panel from the Oslo Freedom Forum, where I met Leo and Luis: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-3-reasons-bitcoin-matters/ Previous Asia scene episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/asia-edition-mining-a-crypto-yuan-and-the-two-main-reasons-the-chinese-are-interested-in-crypto-ep-102/ Crypto Garage: https://cryptogarage.co.jp/en Bitspark: https://www.bitspark.io Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation on the 3 Reasons Bitcoin Matters - Ep.125
In recent years, the Human Rights Foundation and Alex Gladstein, its chief strategy officer, have become forces in the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency community. In this episode, he discusses why Bitcoin is important for human rights, its three most important characteristics, and why Facebook's Libra project should be helpful to the adoption of the technology, at least in the short-term. He also describes how Bitcoin is just part of other movements that have become more open, such as governments shifting toward democracies and information becoming freer via the internet. He talks about how he thinks the technology can get wider adoption, why HRF supports the Open Money Initiative, and whether or not Bitcoin can help the North Korean people, rather than enriching its government, which has been the case so far. Read the full show notes on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/06/25/how-bitcoin-can-help-in-the-fight-for-human-rights/ Take the Unchained Podcast survey! 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 Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: The Human Rights Foundation: https://hrf.org/ Alex Gladstein: https://twitter.com/gladstein Last year's Unconfirmed episode with Alex: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-first-crypto-war-ep-021/ This year's panel discussion on finances and freedom from the Oslo Freedom Forum: https://unchainedpodcast.com/oslo-freedom-forum-2019-protecting-financial-freedoms-in-the-digital-age/ Alex's essay for Time on why Bitcoin matters for freedom: https://time.com/5486673/bitcoin-venezuela-authoritarian/ Alex's response to Bitcoin critics: https://medium.com/@alexgladstein/a-human-rights-activists-response-to-bitcoin-critics-d50e6760ee80 The Open Money Initiative: https://www.openmoneyinitiative.org/ https://www.coindesk.com/whats-holding-back-bitcoin-in-venezuela-this-group-is-investigating How Bitcoin could help improve foreign aid: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/23/perspectives/bitcoin-foreign-aid/index.html Unchained episode with Bill Tai: https://unchainedpodcast.com/maitai-globals-bill-tai-on-why-blockchain-is-the-6th-wave-of-technology/ Eric Wall's posts on Bitcoin privacy and wallets: https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-i-how-private-is-bitcoin-e3a4071f8fff https://medium.com/human-rights-foundation-hrf/privacy-and-cryptocurrency-part-ii-bitcoin-wallets-2f68099b055f What Bitcoin Did episode with Mahsa Alimardani: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/wbd-live-bitcoin-around-the-world-panel-at-the-oslo-freedom-forum Thae Yong Ho, the highest-ranking North Korean defector, at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019: https://youtu.be/HmnBvsHl0qY?t=2662 Unchained episode with Jimmy Song: https://unchainedpodcast.com/jimmy-song-on-why-bitcoin-will-be-the-winning-cryptocurrency-ep-69/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Not Sure a Cryptoeconomic System Will Work? Gauntlet Can Help - Ep.124
Tarun Chitra, cofounder and CEO of Gauntlet, describes how his company enables crypto teams to run through simulations to see how their design choices will affect the project once it is trading. Using the cofounders' background in quantitative finance and high-frequency trading, Gauntlet uses tools from behavioral economics as well as game theory, plus real-world information such as exchange data to model outcomes after 100,000 blocks. We discuss how it makes its assumptions, how proof of stake differs from proof of work, and how the initial token distribution can affect the eventual concentration of tokens. He also reveals what design choice tends to have the greatest impact, as well as what main factor crypto teams aren't thinking about that they should be. Plus, he talks about his involvement in the launch of Facebook's Libra project, and gives us his thoughts on the design choices Facebook made regarding the consensus algorithm, programming language and the structure of the coin. See the full show notes on Forbes! http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/06/18/how-to-make-cryptoeconomics-work-in-live-trading/ Take the Unchained Podcast survey! 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 Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode Links: Gauntlet: https://gauntlet.network Tarun Chitra: https://twitter.com/tarunchitra?lang=en Gauntlet blog posts: https://medium.com/gauntlet-networks?source=logo-23cfbaf25c9a Unchained episode with Olaf Carlson-Wee of Polychain from Consensus 2019: https://unchainedpodcast.com/to-the-moon-and-back-with-polychains-olaf-carlson-wee/ Zero Knowledge podcast episode with Tarun Chitra: https://www.zeroknowledge.fm/61 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Jun 2019 09:00:00 -0000
Oslo Freedom Forum 2019: Protecting Financial Freedoms in the Digital Age - Ep.123
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
Tue, 11 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Peter Smith, CEO of Blockchain, on Its Dark Pool, Crypto Lending Operation and Intention to Go Public - Ep.122
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
Tue, 04 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Kin Sets Up $5 Million DefendCrypto.org to Take on the SEC - Ep.121
Ted Livingston, CEO of Kik and the founder of the Kin Foundation, and Patrick Gibbs, partner at Cooley, announce the formation of the $5 million DefendCrypto.org fund at Coinbase Custody to fight the SEC in court. Kik and Kin are hoping that a lawsuit would eventually result in a new Howey test for crypto tokens, to determine which ones are a security. In this episode, they explain has happened so far between them and the SEC to bring them to this point and what their main arguments are. Plus they defend themselves against some of the evidence against their case and we discuss what they can expect going forward. Read the full show notes on Forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/05/28/kin-launches-5-million-defendcrypto-fund-to-take-on-the-sec/ Thank you to our sponsors! Kraken: Https://www.kraken.com CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: DefendCrypto: https://www.defendcrypto.org Kik: https://www.kik.com Kin: https://www.kin.org Ted Livingston: https://twitter.com/ted_livingston Patrick Gibbs of Cooley: https://www.cooley.com/people/patrick-gibbs Kik’s Wells response: https://www.kin.org/wells_response.pdf Kin white paper: https://www.kin.org/static/files/Kin_Whitepaper_V1_English.pdf The DAO report: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/investreport/34-81207.pdf Kathryn Haun of A16z Crypto's blog post: https://a16z.com/2019/05/15/kik-and-the-sec-whats-going-on-and-what-does-it-mean-for-crypto/ Importance of the Kik and Kin Foundation case by the Blockchain Association: https://medium.com/@BlockchainAssoc/the-potential-kik-and-the-kin-foundation-case-has-major-consequences-for-the-open-blockchain-de8ed616a1c Breaker Mag on Kik's fight with the SEC: https://breakermag.com/how-kiks-looming-sec-fight-could-unfold-and-why-it-will-define-blockchains-future/ Video of Ted at the San Francisco Meetup: https://youtu.be/rqN7srwqRf8 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/01/31/video-shows-kik-ceo-discussing-ico-pre-sale-it-will-become-super-valuable/ Kik chooses Stellar: https://www.coindesk.com/two-chains-no-more-kik-selects-stellar-over-ethereum-for-crypto-token-launch Kik chooses Stellar and Ethereum: https://www.coindesk.com/ethereum-and-stellar-mobile-messenger-kik-embraces-two-blockchains Next Web story: https://thenextweb.com/hardfork/2018/12/06/kik-kin-cryptocurrency-blockchain-2/ Kik pre-sale: https://www.coindesk.com/mobile-messenger-kik-raises-50-million-ahead-75-million-ico https://www.coindesk.com/why-big-investors-are-betting-real-money-on-a-kik-cryptocurrency SEC Framework: https://www.sec.gov/corpfin/framework-investment-contract-analysis-digital-assets Token Taxonomy Act: https://medium.com/@BlockchainAssoc/the-token-taxonomy-act-is-back-and-we-need-it-more-than-ever-d2cbf0154776 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 May 2019 10:00:00 -0000
How to Trade on Crypto Exchanges Without Fear of Hacks - Ep.120
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
Tue, 21 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Parity's Jutta Steiner and Gavin Wood on Polkadot, Substrate and the Frozen Funds - Ep.119
Jutta Steiner, CEO of Parity, and Gavin Wood, who goes by the title "chief white space officer," describe the network Parity plans to launch later this year, Polkadot, how it aims to solve scalability, interoperability and security and when a developer would choose to build a dapp on Ethereum vs. a parachain on Polkadot. We also discuss another one of their products, Substrate, which enables developers to easily customize blockchains, and perceived competition between Ethereum and Polkadot. Plus, we talk about the frozen funds of Parity and other crypto teams, and why Jutta and Gavin think the community should upgrade in a way that would enable the funds to be unlocked. Be sure to check out the full show notes on Forbes! http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/05/12/how-polkadot-hopes-to-help-blockchains-scale/ Thank you to our sponsors! 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: Parity: https://www.parity.io Jutta Steiner: https://twitter.com/jutta_steiner Gavin Wood: https://twitter.com/gavofyork Polkadot light paper: https://polkadot.network/Polkadot-lightpaper.pdf Polkadot Wiki: http://wiki.polkadot.network/en/latest/ Gavin's 2014 blog post on Web 3: https://gavwood.com/dappsweb3.html Gav’s keynote on the journey to Web 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH1pEE0W3ug Chain Fibers article in the Ethereum Wiki: https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/Chain-Fibers-Redux Web 3.0 vision: https://medium.com/@gavofyork/why-we-need-web-3-0-5da4f2bf95ab More explanation of Polkadot, Substrate, Consensus, Governance, etc.: http://wiki.polkadot.network/en/latest/polkadot/learn/relevant-links/ Upgradeability without hard forks via Substrate https://medium.com/polkadot-network/never-fork-again-438c5e985cd8 Controversy around Afri Schoedon’s tweet: https://breakermag.com/exclusive-afri-schoedon-on-his-contentious-split-from-ethereum/ Dothereum: https://twitter.com/dothereum?lang=en https://www.reddit.com/r/dothereum/ Gavin and Vitalik Buterin discussing competition between Ethereum and Polkadot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=vRqJK16t4-I Why not to fork for the frozen funds: https://medium.com/@avsa/avoid-evil-twins-every-ethereum-app-pays-the-price-of-a-chain-split-e04c2a560ba8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000
How Tagomi Makes Large Crypto Trades Cheaper and More Efficient - Ep.118
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
Tue, 07 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Want to Connect Blockchains? Cosmos Has Tools for Coders - Ep.117
Jae Kwon, founder and CEO of Tendermint and president of the Interchain Foundation, and Ethan Buchman, cofounder of Tendermint and Cosmos and technical director of the Interchain Foundation, discuss the various technologies that form the Cosmos/Tendermint system. When the Cosmos network launched on March 13, it was built on what is the blockchain equivalent of an operating system, a consensus algorithm called Tendermint, Cosmos is like the world wide web (for blockchains) built on top, and the Cosmos Hub is a specific blockchain that exists in the system that can be used to connect other blockchains. We discuss all the above, as well as how secure the chain is, and how governance works in the system. Check out the full show notes on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/04/30/cosmos-a-world-wide-web-for-blockchains/ Thank you to our sponsors! 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. 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. CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Cosmos: Cosmos.network Cosmos.network/launch Luni: Luni.io Tendermint: Tendermint.com - company and product Interchain Foundation: Interchain.io Cosmos intro/FAQ: https://cosmos.network/intro Cosmos white paper: https://cosmos.network/resources/whitepaper Chart showing number of transactions vs. validators: https://medium.com/paradigm-fund/cosmos-network-the-internet-of-blockchains-is-coming-9ce956c7b78 The Control on Cosmos: https://thecontrol.co/into-the-cøsmos-433586b82865 Paradigm’s description of Cosmos: https://medium.com/paradigm-fund/cosmos-network-the-internet-of-blockchains-is-coming-9ce956c7b78 Bitfish’s response to Game of Stakes, in which it grew to 55% of the network: https://medium.com/bitfishlabs/bitfish-response-to-gos-5-24eaeeea9876 CoinDesk on Cosmos launch: https://www.coindesk.com/a-blockchain-to-connect-all-blockchains-cosmos-is-now-officially-live Cosmos vs. Polkadot: https://tokeneconomy.co/the-state-of-crypto-interoperability-explained-in-pictures-654cfe4cc167 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Charlie Lee on How Litecoin Can Be Truly Successful - Ep.116
Charlie Lee, the creator of Litecoin and aka SatoshiLite, discusses how he came to launch Litecoin, how the "fair" launch may have helped its success, why he didn't work on it for a stretch, and what inspired him to devote all of his time to it — but not own any litecoins. We also discuss his vision for Litecoin, why he believes stablecoins aren't superior, why he's considering enabling private Litecoin payments, and how he feels about the perception that he sold his litecoins near the all-time high, leaving others holding the bag. Read the full show notes on Forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/04/23/charlie-lee-on-why-litecoins-goal-is-to-be-used-for-payments/ Read Charlie’s additional answers: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-cutting-room-floor-charlie-lee/ Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained CoinDesk: 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. Episode links: Litecoin: http://litecoin.org Charlie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SatoshiLite Charlie on Unconfirmed, discussing the 10th anniversary of the Bitcoin white paper: https://unchainedpodcast.com/charlie-lee-aka-satoshi-lite-on-the-10-year-anniversary-of-the-bitcoin-white-paper-ep-044/ Charlie on Unconfirmed, discussing the Ethereum Classic 51% attack: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-ethereum-classic-51-attack-how-it-happened-and-why-the-price-didnt-crash-ep-055/ Unchained interview with Charlie's brother, Bobby Lee: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bobby-lee-ceo-of-btcc-on-why-the-chinese-probably-arent-using-bitcoin-to-evade-capital-controls/ CoinDesk on Charlie’s work after Coinbase: https://www.coindesk.com/life-coinbase-can-charlie-lee-keep-litecoins-revival-alive CoinDesk profile: https://www.coindesk.com/coindesk-most-influential-2017-3-charlie-lee Charlie selling his LTC: https://www.reddit.com/r/litecoin/comments/7kzw6q/litecoin_price_tweets_and_conflict_of_interest/ WSJ article on selling his LTC: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cryptocurrency-founder-tries-a-new-play-sell-it-all-1513873355?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=3 Multicoin Capital report on Litecoin: https://multicoin.capital/2018/09/14/debunking-market-narratives-litecoin-ltc-edition/ Magical Crypto Friends: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVVDsIYJBQ_C7Bh_aI3ZMxQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Why Beam Thinks Businesses Will Use Its Cryptocurrency - Ep.115
Alexander Zaidelson, the CEO of Beam, a cryptocurrency being built on the MimbleWimble protocol, talks about how he came to start Beam, how it differs from Grin, another cryptocurrency being built on MimbleWimble and what types of users the cryptocurrency is targeting. See the full show notes at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/04/16/how-businesses-might-one-day-use-cryptocurrency/ Interested in a weekend of yoga, nature, healthy food and talking crypto? Then join me, Meltem Demirors of CoinShares and Jalak Jobanputra of Future Perfect Ventures at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, from September 20-22. Sign up today! https://www.eomega.org/workshops/virtues-of-the-crypto-revolution Thank you to our sponsor! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Beam: https://www.beam.mw Medium: https://medium.com/beam-mw Overviews of Grin vs. Beam: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/battle-privacycoins-what-we-know-about-grin-and-beams-mimblewimble/ https://www.coindesk.com/grin-and-beam-a-tale-of-two-coins-being-built-on-mimblewimble Comparisons of Beam to Zcash and Monero: https://medium.com/beam-mw/whats-the-difference-between-monero-zcash-and-beam-953eafd89354 Beam Roadmap: https://medium.com/beam-mw/mimblewimble-beam-roadmap-2019-b2c7f38fc106 Beam emission schedule: https://medium.com/beam-mw/mimblewimble-emission-schedule-215551948259 Beam FAQ: https://www.beam.mw/faq The Block on Mimblewimble: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/01/08/mimblewimble-history-technology-and-the-mining-industry/ Wallet vulnerability: https://medium.com/beam-mw/mimblewimble-wallet-vulnerability-report-7b8e88dc7e Blockchain stoppage: https://www.coindesk.com/beam-cryptocurrency-experiences-brief-blockchain-stoppage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Grin: A More Private, Lighter Bitcoin - Ep.114
Daniel Lehnberg and Michael Cordner, core team members of Grin, discuss the first implementation of the MimbleWimble protocol, named after a tongue-tying curse in Harry Potter. We discuss the many ways in which Grin is similar to Bitcoin: its origin story, its goal to be "digital cash," as Satoshi's paper was subtitled, and even its emission schedule. We discuss how Grin is private, how it is lighter weight than the Bitcoin blockchain, and the philosophy behind Grin, which stands in stark contrast to the many ICOs. For the full show notes, go to http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/04/09/a-nimbler-more-private-version-of-bitcoin/ Thank you to our sponsor! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Grin: https://grin-tech.org Grin newsletter: https://grinnews.substack.com Daniel Lehnberg: https://twitter.com/lehnberg?lang=en Michael Cordner: https://twitter.com/yeastplume?lang=en MimbleWimble white paper: https://scalingbitcoin.org/papers/mimblewimble.txt Grin Intros: https://github.com/mimblewimble/grin/blob/master/doc/intro.md https://github.com/mimblewimble/grin/blob/master/doc/grin4bitcoiners.md Circle Research report on MimbleWimble technology: https://research.circle.com/crypto-reports/mimblewimble Grin's monetary policy — visually, easier to see how its similar in effect to Bitcoin's: https://github.com/mimblewimble/docs/wiki/Monetary-Policy https://www.tokendaily.co/blog/on-grin-mimblewimble-and-monetary-policy Questions about whether Grin got the incentives right: https://twitter.com/nlw/status/1091319888562532355 https://twitter.com/TusharJain_/status/1091316903346429952 Tracking YeastPlume’s funding: https://grin-tech.org/yeastplume Ignotus Peverell post noting his disappointment in funding for YeastPlume: https://www.grin-forum.org/t/solved-early-disappointments/3682 Interview with Ignotus Peverell: https://breakermag.com/grin-founder-ignotus-peverell-on-life-after-launch-and-the-path-forward/ Conversation with Grin developers: https://medium.com/@BHEXOfficial/bhex-original-ignotus-grin-as-bitcoins-younger-more-nimble-brother-612efadd0478 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on Why You Shouldn't Have to Be Rich to Get Rich - Ep.113
In a fireside chat I moderated with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce held by the Blockchain Digital Asset Forum, in conjunction with the NYU Stern Executive MBA program, on March 26, 2019, she explained where her reputation as 'Crypto Mom' comes from — a desire to look at the world with fresh eyes and say, are there things we can do things better? We also discussed a Bitcoin ETF and the prospects for one after Bitwise released a report showing a health legitimate market, as well as initial coin offerings and what will happen to the hundreds of ICO issuers that had initial coin offerings that look much like the ICOs that have already had enforcement actions against them. She described the process that occurs when something like an application for a Bitcoin ETF is submitted to the SEC, whether or not there's a lot of disagreement amongst the commissioners about how to regulate crypto, how much they work to persuade each other to come over to their side and whether Chairman Jay Clayton's opinion overrules everyone else's or whether majority rules. Plus, we covered dexes, stablecoins and security tokens. View the full show notes on my Forbes page: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/04/02/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-on-why-you-shouldnt-have-to-be-rich-to-get-rich/ Thank you to our sponsor! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce: https://twitter.com/HesterPeirce SEC: https://www.sec.gov Event link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fireside-chat-with-sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-and-laura-shin-tickets-58327939437 Hester's dissent to the Bitcoin ETF disapproval: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-dissent-34-83723 Bitwise's report: https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nysearca-2019-01/srnysearca201901-5164833-183434.pdf SEC enforcement action against Munchee: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2017/33-10445.pdf SEC enforcement action against Paragon: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2018/33-10574.pdf SEC enforcement action against Airfox: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2018/33-10575.pdf SEC enforcement action against Gladius: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2019/33-10608.pdf Speech by William Hinman, SEC director of the Division of Corporate Finance, on ether not being a security: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/speech-hinman-061418 Token Taxonomy Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/7356 Unchained episode with CZ: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-binance-became-the-most-popular-crypto-exchange-in-5-months-ep-84/ SEC enforcement action against Zachary Coburn of EtherDelta: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2018/34-84553.pdf DTC report on blockchains for securities: http://www.dtcc.com/news/2019/march/13/dtcc-outlines-guiding-principles-for-post-trade-processing-of-tokenized-securities Thank you to Lawson Baker at TokenSoft (disclosure: a previous sponsor) for helping me think through some of the issues for this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Vitalik Buterin on Whether or Not Ethereum Is 'Blowing It' - Ep.112
At the first Unchained Live, Vitalik explained why he thought it was "inevitable" Ethereum would lose some of its lead, when he would be upset if Ethereum were overtaken by a competitor, and whether the Ethereum 2.0 road map was too long. We also discussed why a strain of Ethereum maximalism is emerging, how the foundation sets its funding priorities, whether or not the community should adopt inflation funding for development of the blockchain and why he thinks the MolochDAO experiment likely won't garner much investment. For the full summary, go to http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/03/26/vitalik-buterin-on-why-ethereum-has-lost-some-of-its-lead/. Thank you to our sponsors! Quantstamp, the venue sponsor for Unchained Live: http://quantstamp.com/unchained Columbia School of Professional Studies, the networking sponsor: http://sps.columbia.edu/podcast CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Previous Unchained interview with Vitalik Buterin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-creator-of-ethereum-on-the-big-guy-vs-the-little-guy/ Unchained episode about MolochDAO: https://unchainedpodcast.com/molochdao-could-this-decentralized-autonomous-organization-help-ethereum-scale-faster/ Zcash interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/zcashs-zooko-wilcox-on-why-he-believes-privacy-coins-will-be-used-more-for-good-than-bad/ Unchained interview with Glen Weyl and Santiago Siri referencing radical markets: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-blockchains-can-help-create-little-democracies-everywhere/ 0x interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future/ Augur interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/joey-krug-on-how-augur-is-like-any-other-tool-ep-79/ Dharma interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep-80/ Compound interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep-82/ dYdX interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-dydx-allows-you-to-take-a-short-position-in-one-token-ep-86/ Unchained episode on MakerDAO, part 1: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/ Part 2: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/ Unconfirmed episode about superfluid collateral and echoes of the 2008 financial crisis: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-earn-money-on-collateral-in-defi-and-why-thats-risky/ Unconfirmed episode about Uniswap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-uniswap-quickly-became-one-of-the-most-popular-dexes/ Dfinity interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/dfinitys-dominic-williams-on-how-its-blockchain-nervous-system-is-not-an-ai-ep-78/ 100th episode of Unchained featuring a poem about crypto and the podcast: https://unchainedpodcast.com/100th-episode-past-guests-and-listeners-take-over-the-show-ep-100/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0000
MolochDAO: Could This Decentralized Autonomous Organization Help Ethereum Scale Faster? - Ep.111
Ameen Soleimani, CEO of Spankchain, comes on the show to discuss his latest effort to fund Ethereum development through the decentralized autonomous organization MolochDAO. He describes how it works, plus we cover competition in the smart contract space and whether we're seeing the emergence of Ethereum maximalism. Full show notes are back on Forbes.com! See the full recap of this week's recap of the episode at http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/03/18/how-could-ethereum-development-be-funded-perhaps-through-this-decentralized-autonomous-organization/. Thank you to our sponsor! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: MolochDAO website: MolochDAO.com MolochDAO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MolochDAO MolochDAO white paper: https://github.com/MolochVentures/Whitepaper/blob/master/Whitepaper.pdf Moloch Github: https://github.com/molochventures/moloch State of Ethereum 2.0 report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PS0k9MaKPdPwEw3Uh9rq7USjq7LcSpT6ICQUXRij4YE/edit#heading=h.kdbgcss2wsc Ameen's tweet storm on MolochDAO: https://twitter.com/ameensol/status/1084652403889065989?s=19 MolochDAO tweetstorm with update on members, etc.: https://twitter.com/MolochDAO/status/1100516720563806209?s=19 MolochDAO presentation at ETHDenver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abTRJZcmPwI Post by Dino Mark, Vlad Zamfir and Emin Gun Sirer, A Call for a Temporary Moratorium on the DAO: http://hackingdistributed.com/2016/05/27/dao-call-for-moratorium/ Ameen on the importance of ETH price: https://twitter.com/ameensol/status/1090319128810815489 Ryan Zurrer's position on ether fund recovery: https://medium.com/@rzurrer/evolution-dogma-a-proposed-path-towards-ether-fund-recovery-9810f213e8ee r/Ethereum decision on moderators: https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/azyqdu/a_statement_call_for_discussion_from_some_of_the/ Ameen on the timeframe for developing Ethereum 2.0 relative to development on potentially competitive chains like Polkadot: https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/ajc9ip/ama_we_are_the_eth_20_research_team/eewscyf/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0000
How Binance Could Become the First Decentralized Autonomous Corporation - Ep.110
Tushar Jain and Kyle Samani, managing partners of Multicoin Capital, discuss Binance, Binance Chain and BNB token, and why they believe Binance will become the first centralized company to successfully decentralize itself and migrate the value in itself to its token. We cover what Binance, the centralized company has so far achieved in terms of trading volume, fiat on-ramps, and regulatory arbitrage, and whether the company has any more regulatory risk than any other exchange. We also look at the features of Binance Chain, how they compare to other decentralized exchanges such as 0x, and why Multicoin believes that it will have more liquidity than previous dexes. We then explore BNB token — how it works now, the regulatory risk for BNB token, and how it will function on the dex. Finally, we touch on Binance's decentralization strategy overall and how it could fail. Thank you to our sponsor! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital Kyle Samani: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani Tushar Jain: https://twitter.com/TusharJain_ Multicoin Capital BNB report: https://multicoin.capital/2019/02/19/binance-coin-analysis-and-valuation/ Unchained episode with CZ: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-binance-became-the-most-popular-crypto-exchange-in-5-months-ep-84/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0000
Venue Announcement for Unchained Live
Get your tickets now for Unchained Live with Vitalik Buterin! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176 It will take place March 20th at 6pm at Columbia Journalism School in the Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall. Hope to see you there! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 10 Mar 2019 22:38:27 -0000
How Melon Could Make Asset Management Easier - Ep.109
Mona El-Isa, the cofounder and CEO of Melonport, explains how Melon, the asset management protocol which recently launched on Ethereum, makes launching a fund easier and less expensive, plus gives investors even more transparency into the manager's decisions. She describes who will be using Melon, how the funds using Melon access liquidity if the protocol only connects to decentralized exchanges, what happens if bugs are found in the protocol's smart contracts, and how know-your-customer processes are handled. Noting that the company Melonport will now be winding down, she talks about how the protocol will be managed going forward. Plus, we dive into the MLN token. Thank you to our sponsor! http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Melonport: https://melonport.com Launch of Melon 1.0: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/melon-v1-0-zahreddino-60105f51988d Front and back office functions in a traditional fund vs. a Melon-based fund: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/what-is-melon-2018-edition-3437f3d064d8 Management fees in Melon: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/management-and-performance-fees-in-a-melon-fund-f1df2a26abd9 Integration with Kyber: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/kyber-network-melon-3f6bcfa2d328 Melonport will not exist by DevCon V: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTLSnS4DTak&t=882s Melon governance: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/introduction-to-the-melon-governance-system-f6ff73c70eb0 MLN token: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-melon-but-were-too-afraid-to-ask-9ea3fda6d71f Melonomics 1: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/melonomics-part-1-aligning-interests-through-token-unification-d0b98a02de46 Melonomics 2: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/melonomics-part-2-the-melon-engine-48bcb0dae65 Melonomics 3: https://medium.com/melonport-blog/melonomics-part-3-counting-melons-7632afad844c Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Mar 2019 08:30:00 -0000
How Blockchains Can Help Create Little Democracies Everywhere - Ep.108
Glen Weyl, a political economist and social technologist, the coauthor of Radical Markets and a principal researcher at Microsoft, and Santiago Siri, the founder of Democracy Earth, discuss how blockchains can be used to create borderless democracies that can reach any citizen on earth and can be used not just by nation-states but in all kinds of communities such as the workplace, church or a social network like Facebook. We cover concepts such as quadratic finance and quadratic voting, and look at how forcing voters to have a budget for their votes changes voting behavior. We also dive into what needs to be put in place for blockchain-based voting systems to work, why identity solutions are crucial but also so hard to get right, and how we can prevent token-based governance systems from becoming plutocracies. Plus, we surmise that blockchain-based governance might be the 21st century political experiment and that someday, we may all be citizens of multiple communities. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain and https://aka.ms/unchained Episode links: Democracy Earth: https://www.democracy.earth Santiago Siri: https://twitter.com/santisiri Radical Xchange: https://twitter.com/RadxChange Glen Weyl: https://twitter.com/glenweyl Radical Xchange conference in March: radicalxchange.org Radical Markets: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/11222.html Democracy Earth white paper: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sifogl4zimwkkei/Democracy%20Earth%20-%20Social%20Smart%20Contract%20-%20Paper%20v0.2.pdf?dl=0 Democracy Earth cofounder Pia Mancini on early work with digital democracy: https://www.ted.com/talks/pia_mancini_how_to_upgrade_democracy_for_the_internet_era?language=en Santi on how blockchains could revolutionize democracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UajbQTHnTfM Wired article on Democracy Earth: https://www.wired.com/story/santiago-siri-radical-plan-for-blockchain-voting/ CoinDesk feature on Glen Weyl: https://www.coindesk.com/coindesk-most-influential-blockchain-2018-glen-weyl Vitalik Buterin blog post on Radical Markets: https://vitalik.ca/general/2018/04/20/radical_markets.html Paper by Vitalik, Zoe Hitzig and Glen on quadratic financing: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3243656 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Unchained Live With Vitalik Buterin
In case you haven’t heard, I’m doing a live podcast recording with Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum. What is a live podcast recording? It's a podcast performed by me and the guest on a stage, in front of an audience. Vitalik and I will be discussing Ethereum 2.0, Polka Dot, Substrate, what happened with Afri this week and more. And you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions. It’ll be in New York City the evening of March 20th, which is one month from today. The doors open at 6, the show starts at 7. We will be announcing the venue soon. Get your tickets here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:22:28 -0000
Why Future Perfect Ventures Did Not Invest in ICOs - Ep.107
Jalak Jobanputra, founder and managing partner of Future Perfect Ventures, talks about how, in 2014, her experience as an investment bank and VC, her global background, and her observation that new streams of data were becoming available led her to launch her first fund, which ended up being 70% invested in blockchain. She describes what it was like selling LPs on the nascent technology in 2014, how her latest fund, which will be more than $50 million, is different and how it's drawing LPs who thought they could make money through liquid hedge funds invested in tokens. She talks about why she thinks early-stage technologies can't be IPO'ed -- and why FPV shied away from ICOs -- but why her second fund is capable of investing in tokens. She also explains how the space is still lacking in early-stage VCs with knowledge of the blockchain sector, why New York launched the New York Blockchain Center and whether crypto is becoming more diverse. Come See Unchained Live With Vitalik Buterin! Wednesday, March 20th, doors at 6, show at 7, venue TBD Get your tickets now! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176 Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Tokensoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain and https://aka.ms/unchained Episode links: Future Perfect Ventures: Futureperfectventures.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jalak Blog: Thebarefootvc.com Jalak op-ed on Bitcoin at $10,000 in Recode: https://www.recode.net/2017/11/29/16716014/bitcoin-price-10k-ethereum-blockchain-cryptocurrency-value-creation-global Profile of Jalak in Breaker Mag: https://breakermag.com/why-one-of-blockchains-first-vcs-thinks-the-developing-world-will-lead-the-way/ Jalak on the 10th birthday of the Bitcoin white paper: https://breakermag.com/remembering-the-bitcoin-whitepaper-part-3-the-thinkers/ New York Blockchain Center: https://www.nycedc.com/press-release/nycedc-open-nyc-s-public-private-blockchain-center Wired story on the Collective Future: https://www.wired.com/story/for-women-in-cryptocurrency-a-new-effort-to-grow-their-ranks/ Unconfirmed episode with Bill Barhydt of portfolio company Abra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-abra-enables-you-to-buy-5-of-an-etf-like-token-of-the-top-10-cryptos-ep-040/ Unchained episode with Elizabeth Rossiello of portfolio company Bitpesa: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitpesas-elizabeth-rossiello-on-necker-island/ Unchained episode with Vinny Lingham of portfolio company Civic: https://unchainedpodcast.com/civics-vinny-lingham-on-when-crypto-demand-will-catch-up-with-the-technology/ Unchained episode with Josh Stein of portfolio company Harbor: https://unchainedpodcast.com/harbor-and-trusttoken-on-why-they-dont-mind-being-unsexy-ep-77/ Unchained episode with Riccardo Spagni of portfolio company Tari: https://unchainedpodcast.com/moneros-riccardo-spagni-aka-fluffypony-on-how-he-feels-about-monero-being-used-for-crime-ep-93/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000
How Casa Makes It Harder for Someone to Steal Your Bitcoins - Ep.106
Jeremy Welch of personal key security system Casa describes the company's various services and products, including its $10,000-a-year premium service for HODLers of at least $500,000 worth of cryptocurrency and the Casa node. He explains how he came to start Casa, why using seed phrases for managing security of crypto hardware devices is so problematic, and how customers should set up the keys in their possession for the company's multi-signature solution, in which any transaction requires the use of three of five keys. We go on at length at about potential ways in which an attacker could still force a target, say, at gunpoint, to move money to the hacker's wallet. We also discuss why the company doesn't offer a multi-sig solution for ether, why people choose to run Casa's Bitcoin/Lightning node and where people are using Lightning. Unchained Live With Vitalik Buterin in New York City: Get your tickets here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176 Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain and https://aka.ms/unchained TokenSoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Episode links: Casa: https://keys.casa Jeremy Welch: https://twitter.com/jeremyrwelch The Cutting Room Floor: Jeremy Welch of Casa, in which Jeremy answers by email the remaining questions we didn't get to: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-cutting-room-floor-jeremy-welch-of-casa/ Casa blog post on the evolution of Bitcoin key management: https://blog.keys.casa/the-evolution-of-bitcoin-key-management/ Ways to store your crypto: https://blog.keys.casa/crypto-101-storing-your-cryptocurrency/ Forbes on Casa's $2 million seed funding: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2018/03/02/bitcoin-thieves-beware-super-secure-wallet-maker-casa-raises-2-million/#4c5b2e544230 Casa's seven guiding principles: https://medium.com/casa/seven-guiding-principles-at-casa-92f43e5e546a Announced after we recorded: Casa's new browser extension: https://blog.keys.casa/casa-browser-extension/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 2: How Dai Stayed at $1 While ETH Crashed From $1,400 to $85 - Ep.105
Rune Christensen, CEO and cofounder of MakerDAO, explains how multicollateral Dai will work, what happens if one type of collateral fails, and what happens when someone's collateralized debt position with multicollateral Dai needs to be liquidated. He also discusses who gets to participate in the various levels of governance with the MKR token, who owns those tokens and what the purpose of the Maker Foundation is. We also cover whether the CFTC would consider collateralized debt positions to be derivatives and therefore under its purview, how Dai is being used and how much education is required for people to use the system. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain Tokensoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Episode links: MakerDAO: https://makerdao.com/en/ Rune Christensen: https://twitter.com/RuneKek Previous Unchained episode on stablecoins with Rune and Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable/ Unconfirmed episode with Rune on Andreessen Horowitz’s $15 million investment: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep-039/ Part 1 of my interview with Rune: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/ Digital Asset Research report on MakerDAO: https://www.digitalassetresearch.com/our-products/#in-depth-research CFTC smart contracts primer prohibiting derivatives contracts that are traded on exchanges that are supposed to be registered with the CFTC and are not. https://www.cftc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/LabCFTC_PrimerSmartContracts112718.pdf Nice recap of how Dai has performed as ETH has dropped in price: https://medium.com/@mikeraymcdonald/single-collateral-dai-9-months-in-review-b9d9fbe45ab MKR Tools website: https://mkr.tools/tokens/dai Description of Maker Tools: https://medium.com/@mikeraymcdonald/announcing-the-new-mkr-tools-e32466f1c3db Maintaining its peg as ETH dropped: https://medium.com/makerdao/volatile-times-dai-as-a-safe-haven-2f017453e9f1 MakerDAO and Wyre partnership: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/makerdao-and-wyre-give-businesses-immediate-access-to-dai-stablecoin-in-over-thirty-countries-including-usa-300696400.html ETH in DeFi projects: https://mikemcdonald.github.io/eth-defi/ Placeholder VC blog post: https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2019/1/23/maker-investment-thesis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Rune Christensen of MakerDAO Part 1: How to Keep a Crypto-Collateralized Stablecoin Afloat - Ep.104
Rune Christensen, CEO and cofounder of MakerDAO, explains the intricacies of the MakerDAO system, which includes the stablecoin Dai, which is pegged to $1, backed by collateral, and whose governance is managed by holders of the MKR token. He describes how the current version of "single-collateral" Dai, is backed by ether, how Dai is created with a collateralized debt position and what happens when the value of the collateral falls too low. He also talks about the roles of various players in the system, such as keepers, oracles and MKR token holders. We also cover how the system handles black swan events or other emergencies. The MakerDAO system is so complex, however, that we will reconvene for a part 2 to describe the rest of the system and how a multi-collateral Dai will function. Thank you to our sponsors! Tokensoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: MakerDAO: https://makerdao.com/en/ Rune Christensen: https://twitter.com/RuneKek Previous Unchained episode on stablecoins with Rune and Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable/ Unconfirmed episode with Rune on Andreessen Horowitz's $15 million investment: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep-039/ MakerDAO white paper: https://makerdao.com/en/whitepaper/ Decreasing the stability fee: https://medium.com/makerdao/decreasing-the-stability-fee-1f9fe50cf582 Unchained episode on generalized mining with Jake Brukhman and Tushar Jain: https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinfunds-jake-brukhman-and-multicoins-tushar-jain-on-generalized-mining-ep-92/ Laura's TEDx talk: https://unchainedpodcast.com/lauras-tedx-talk-how-crypto-could-allow-more-people-to-be-their-own-boss-ep-047/ USD Coin's banking partners: https://support.usdc.circle.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015278272-Who-are-the-banking-and-financial-partners-you-are-using-for-USDC- TrueUSD's trust companies and their correspondent banks: https://blog.trusttoken.com/who-are-the-correspondent-banks-and-trustee-partners-for-trueusd-e12508f0d5a2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss on Being the 'Fastest Tortoise in the Race' - Ep.103
Gemini's Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who serve as chief executive and president, respectively, discuss their new ad campaign -- what they mean when they say crypto needs rules, why they agree in certain respects with some of their critics, and what the general reaction has been. They discuss why they launched a stablecoin, why they chose the stablecoin structure of dollar reserves and GUSD's role in an arbitrage involving a Chinese exchange and a competing stablecoin. They also explain how they intend to make a Bitcoin ETF a reality, what they think of SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce's dissent and what they intend for the Virtual Commodity Association. Plus, the brothers talk about why their goal is to be "the fastest tortoise in the race." Thank you to our sponsors! Tokensoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Gemini's new ad campaign: https://www.wsj.com/articles/winklevosses-cryptocurrency-exchange-says-the-revolution-needs-rules-11546599600 Negative reaction to Gemini ad campaign from crypto community: Erik Voorhees: https://twitter.com/ErikVoorhees/status/1081204430857416706 Gemini USD gets approval of New York Department of Financial Services: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-10/controversial-crypto-coin-tether-to-get-regulated-competitors Past episodes with other stablecoin projects: USDC/Circle: https://unchainedpodcast.com/circles-jeremy-allaire-and-sean-neville-on-why-crypto-will-be-bigger-than-the-web-ep-71/ TrueUSD: https://unchainedpodcast.com/harbor-and-trusttoken-on-why-they-dont-mind-being-unsexy-ep-77/ MakerDAO: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep-039/ Bloomberg reporter Matt Leising on Tether: https://unchainedpodcast.com/bloombergs-matt-leising-on-why-it-appears-tether-has-sufficient-dollar-reserves-ep-052/ Trading of GUSD for Pax and cashing out via Huobi: https://medium.com/paxos/regulation-in-the-crypto-world-part-i-leading-the-way-into-the-light-11e54d16b035 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/01/04/gemini-gave-trading-firms-a-stablecoin-discount-and-it-caused-big-headaches-for-one-of-its-rivals/ GUSD distribution on Etherscan: https://etherscan.io/token/tokenholderchart/0x056fd409e1d7a124bd7017459dfea2f387b6d5cd Cameron and Tyler's AMA on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/adk0ua/we_are_cameron_and_tyler_winklevoss_cofounders_of/edhlb3b/ SEC commissioner Hester Peirce's dissent on Bitcoin ETF decision: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-dissent-34-83723 Bitcoin Cash launch on Gemini: https://medium.com/gemini/bitcoin-cash-is-now-available-on-gemini-cc75299d892f The 51% attack on Ethereum Classic: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-ethereum-classic-51-attack-how-it-happened-and-why-the-price-didnt-crash-ep-055/ Gemini year in review https://medium.com/gemini/geminis-2018-year-in-review-1cd0815dd45e Virtual Commodity Association: https://medium.com/gemini/joining-the-virtual-commodity-association-8bdf3b2f803e Gemini's new mobile app: https://medium.com/gemini/introducing-the-gemini-mobile-app-crypto-on-the-go-1448d2ae74fa USD Coin's banking partners: https://support.usdc.circle.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015278272-Who-are-the-banking-and-financial-partners-you-are-using-for-USDC- TrueUSD's trust companies and their correspondent banks: https://blog.trusttoken.com/who-are-the-correspondent-banks-and-trustee-partners-for-trueusd-e12508f0d5a2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Asia Edition: Mining, a Crypto Yuan and the Two Main Reasons the Chinese Are Interested in Crypto - Ep.102
In this wide-ranging episode, Eric Meltzer and Dovey Wan of Primitive Ventures describe how Asia is weathering the crypto downturn: how have the low prices affected miners, how has this affected Bitmain's prospects for an IPO and how, despite a ban on crypto exchanges, Chinese crypto users have been trading. We also discuss more broadly how crypto projects and startups differ between China and the U.S., how crypto is upending Silicon Valley's dominance, and how differences in regulation are affecting entrepreneurship in the space. Plus, Eric and Dovey address whether or not the surveillance state is motivating Chinese interest in crypto. Thank you to our sponsors! Tokensoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Primitive Ventures: http://primitive.ventures Eric Meltzer: https://twitter.com/wheatpond Dovey Wan: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan Binance was more profitable than Deutsche Bank in quarter 1 of 2018: https://www.ccn.com/binance-surpassed-germanys-biggest-bank-deutsche-in-profitability/ Bitmain and Huobi layoffs: https://www.scmp.com/tech/blockchain/article/2179513/chinas-cryptocurrency-giants-bitmain-and-huobi-plan-lay-offs-amid Hong Kong regulators reluctant to allow crypto firms to IPO: https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/2178747/hong-kong-regulators-say-ipos-cryptocurrency-businesses-are Report that China wants an "orderly exit" from crypto mining: https://qz.com/1174091/china-wants-an-orderly-exit-from-bitcoin-mining/ Chinese op-ed on why the People’s Bank of China should consider a yuan-pegged cryptocurrency: https://www.coindesk.com/pboc-op-ed-pushes-use-case-for-yuan-pegged-crypto-stablecoins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000
Ledger on How Consumers and Institutions Should Be Safeguarding Their Private Keys - Ep.101
Eric Larcheveque, cofounder and CEO of Ledger, and Demetrios Skalkotos, global head of Ledger Vault, describe the company's three main offerings: its hardware wallets, the new software-as-a-service product for institutions, and an Internet of Things offering for transactions involving physical assets. They also describe how the company scaled for a massive increase in demand in 2017, who their customers are and how the company has responded to vulnerabilities found in its products. Plus, they explain why they don't put tamper-proof packaging on their hardware wallets. Thank you to our sponsors! TokenSoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Ledger: https://www.ledger.com Eric Larcheveque: https://twitter.com/EricLarch Demetrios Skalkotos: https://twitter.com/DemoSkalkotos Introduction of Ledger Vault: https://medium.com/ledger-on-security-and-blockchain/ledger-vault-nyc-office-brings-crypto-security-to-institutional-investors-ec9ee3445850 Three part-series on hardware wallets: https://medium.com/ledger-on-security-and-blockchain/ledger-101-part-1-do-you-really-need-a-hardware-wallet-7f5abbadd945 Ledger's description of BOLOS: https://medium.com/ledger-on-security-and-blockchain/a-closer-look-into-ledger-security-our-custom-operating-system-bolos-ab608bcb0839 Blog post from Saleem Rashid: https://saleemrashid.com/2018/03/20/breaking-ledger-security-model/ Demonstration of attacks on hardware wallets at 35c3: https://wallet.fail Ledger's response: https://medium.com/ledger-on-security-and-blockchain/chaos-communication-congress-in-response-to-wallet-fails-presentation-17bcd166a052 Ledger Donjon: https://medium.com/ledger-on-security-and-blockchain/ledger-donjon-3e04e0ce49a9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 08 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000
100th Episode: Past Guests and Listeners Take Over the Show - Ep.100
To celebrate the 100th episode of Unchained, I talk a little about what this podcast means to me and thank everyone who's helped me with it. Then I let past guests and listeners take it away with their comments and predictions for 2019. Thank you to everyone who sent in submissions -- and to the listeners and sources who've helped me along the way! Thank you to our sponsors! TokenSoft: https://www.tokensoft.io Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: My TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Ew7PW4LCo Facebook working on a stablecoin: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-21/facebook-is-said-to-develop-stablecoin-for-whatsapp-transfers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000
RERUN: Xapo's Wences Casares on How Bitcoin Makes a Fairer World - Ep.99
Growing up in Argentina, Wences Casares saw his family lose all their money three times due to actions by the government. The so-called "patient zero" of Bitcoin in Silicon Valley explains why he believes that experience predisposed him to seeing the potential in Bitcoin earlier than most people, why it's so hard to explain Bitcoin to Americans and why the company he founded, Xapo, isn't just a Bitcoin vault and wallet company but his best effort at helping to ensure that Bitcoin succeeds. He talks about why he isn't scared of all the new competitors to his service, including Coinbase Custody, why Xapo hasn't branched out into any other crypto assets, and why he believes there's a more than 50% chance that Bitcoin is worth $1 million in five to ten years. Additionally, he still believes the attempt to accommodate more transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain with the SegWit2x fork, which he backed, was wrong -- even though the fees after its failure skyrocketed to as high as $60. Plus -- he reveals what it would look like if Bitcoin became a global standard of value, and why that vision doesn't threaten governments. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain Episode links: Wences Casares: https://twitter.com/wences Xapo: https://xapo.com/ Wences's Facebook Live with Dan Schulman of PayPal: https://www.facebook.com/DanSchulmanPayPal/videos/1419329821528449/ To learn more about Wences, read New York Times reporter Nathaniel Popper's book, Digital Gold: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062362506/digital-gold/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000
Mike Novogratz on Why Bitcoin, "a Big FU to the System," Needs Institutions - Ep.98
Mike Novogratz, founder and CEO of Galaxy Digital Holdings, describes the company's services and products, why it's launching a credit offering, and why he pivoted from his original intention to launch a crypto hedge fund and then pivoted again from working with ICOs to serving institutional players. He talks about why, if he had the chance to go public again, he wouldn't do it, why Galaxy's stock fell so precipitously one day that trading was halted, and why he thinks the SEC has made it clear the ICO markets are closed. He also talks about why, on the way to democratizing finance, the crypto markets need to "take a step back" and start with institutions, why decentralization is important, and why he thinks the launch of Bakkt is the most important news in the crypto space this year. Plus, Mike surmises as to how consumers will start using crypto, but believes it won’t replace fiat in the Western world. Thank you to our sponsors! Microsoft: aka.ms/unchained CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Episode links: Galaxy Digital: https://www.galaxydigital.io Galaxy Digital's losses so far this year: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-28/novogratz-s-crypto-trading-desk-lost-136-million-in-nine-months https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-26/novogratz-s-galaxy-digital-sees-134-million-loss-on-crypto-drop Unchained episode about security tokens: http://unchainedpodcast.co/harbor-and-trusttoken-on-why-they-dont-mind-being-unsexy-ep77 Unchained interview with Philip Rosedale of High Fidelity: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable Unconfirmed episode with Tom Jessop of Fidelity Digital Assets: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/fidelity-digital-asset-services-tom-jessop-on-why-its-serving-institutional-clients-first-ep043 Unchained podcast with Arthur Hayes of Bitmex: http://unchainedpodcast.co/arthur-hayes-of-bitmex-on-why-countries-will-turn-to-digital-cash-ep63 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000
How Crypto and Blockchain Technology Could Change Financial Services - Ep.97
This is a special episode of Unchained from the CME Global Leadership Conference in Naples, Florida. There, I spoke with Arthur Hayes, CoFounder and CEO of Bitmex, Dan O’Prey, chief marketing officer of Digital Asset, and Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Reddit and Co-Founder of Initialized Capital. We cover how public and permissioned chains will compete or complement each other, how blockchain technology will affect incumbent financial services, and how it has already proven itself (hint: as a store of value is one answer). We discuss whether or not crypto represents a new asset class, why the crypto winter is helping to improve the space, and what the launch of Bakkt and Fidelity Digital Assets could mean going forward. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Microsoft: https://twitter.com/MSFTBlockchain Episode links CME's Global Financial Leadership Conference: https://www.gflc.com Arthur Hayes: https://twitter.com/cryptohayes Bitmex: https://www.bitmex.com Dan O'Prey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danoprey/ Digital Asset: https://www.digitalasset.com Alexis Ohanian: https://twitter.com/alexisohanian Initialized Capital: https://initialized.com Unconfirmed episode with Tom Jessop's Fidelity Digital Assets: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/fidelity-digital-asset-services-tom-jessop-on-why-its-serving-institutional-clients-first-ep043 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 16 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000
Coinbase's Listing Process: Why It's Adding Many More Coins and How It Decides - Ep.96
Coinbase has departed from its conservative roots and begun adding many more coins. Dan Romero, vice president of Coinbase, explains how its listing process works, how it tries to prevent insider trading, and why it's listed coins that had ICOs, even though the SEC has indicated all coins that were offered in ICOs at least started off as securities. He also talks about Coinbase's international expansion, how regulations around crypto differ in Japan vs. the U.S., and the importance of banking relationships for crypto companies. Plus, we dive into how Coinbase plans to weather competition on multiple fronts -- from Robinhood, Square and Binance on its consumer side, and from Fidelity and Bakkt on the institutional side -- how its decentralized projects could affect its current revenues and how it is staffing now for any future hype cycles that could increase crypto adoption by an order of magnitude. Thank you to our sponsors! Microsoft: aka.ms/unchained CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Altlending: https://altlending.com Episode links: Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/ Dan: https://twitter.com/dwr Coinbase Listing: https://listing.coinbase.com Digital Asset Framework: https://listing.coinbase.com Coinbase's new listing process: https://blog.coinbase.com/new-asset-listing-process-a83ef296a0f3 Announcement that they were exploring adding Cardano, Basica Attention Token, Stellar Lumens, Zcash and 0x: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-exploring-cardano-basic-attention-token-stellar-zcash-and-0x-9e44f0eb823f News announced after we recorded: Coinbase considering offering 31 new assets: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-continues-to-explore-support-for-new-digital-assets-92ba4ab7f465 Interview with Will Warren of decentralized exchange 0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future Coinbase investigates insider trading of Bitcoin Cash: http://fortune.com/2017/12/20/coinbase-bitcoin-insider-trading/ Coinbase finds no insider trading of Bitcoin Cash: http://fortune.com/2018/07/24/coinbase-insider-trading/ Unchained episode on Coinbase/IRS case: http://unchainedpodcast.co/is-the-irs-justified-in-demanding-information-on-millions-of-bitcoin-users Link to Alistair Milne's tracking of total Coinbase customer base: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NgvD2kFT69mSXuJPzPDu-Qv9SS1ck2iPt6Kw9a55z0k/edit#gid=0 Coinbase adding USDC: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-and-circle-announce-the-launch-of-usdc-a-digital-dollar-2cd6548d237 Unchained episode with Circle: http://unchainedpodcast.co/circles-jeremy-allaire-and-sean-neville-on-why-crypto-will-be-bigger-than-the-web-ep71 Unchained episode with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable Unconfirmed episode with Rune: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep039 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000
Ari Paul on Why Bitcoin Is a Good Value Buy Today - Ep.95
Ari Paul, CIO of BlockTower Capital, explains why he likes how short-term trades concentrate risk in investment, why, "no matter what," he thinks Bitcoin is a good-value buy today, and how big university endowments investing in crypto now could eventually lead institutions to go from having a fear-of-loss attitude about crypto to having FOMO. He also dives into why he's not as excited about generalized mining as some of BlockTower's crypto fund peers and who he thinks is really well-poised in that space. We also discuss why Bitcoin futures didn't have a positive impact on the price and what effect Bakkt and Fidelity launching their crypto products could have. Plus, he responds to people who accused him of insider trading when a private conversation in which he mentioned Stellar was acquiring enterprise blockchain startup Chain was released. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Altlending: https://altlending.com Episode links: Ari Paul: https://twitter.com/AriDavidPaul BlockTower Capital: https://www.blocktower.com Harvard, Stanford, MIT endowments invest in crypto: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/harvard-stanford-mit-endowments-invest-in-crypto-funds Yale endowment invests in a16z and Paradigm: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/05/yale-investment-chief-david-swensen-jumps-into-crypto-with-bets-on-two-silicon-valley-funds.html Bitcoin Cash hard fork recap: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/week-2-how-bitcoin-cash-hash-war-came-and-went-and-not-much-happened/ Unconfirmed episode on Bitcoin Cash hard fork with Aaron Van Wirdum: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/the-bitcoin-cash-hard-fork-bitcoin-abc-vs-bitcoin-sv-ep046 Unchained episode with Riccardo Spagni of Monero: http://unchainedpodcast.co/coinfunds-jake-brukhman-and-multicoins-tushar-jain-on-generalized-mining-ep92 Unchained episode with Jake Brukhman and Tushar Jain of Multicoin Capital: http://unchainedpodcast.co/coinfunds-jake-brukhman-and-multicoins-tushar-jain-on-generalized-mining-ep92 Unconfirmed episode with Fidelity's Tom Jessop: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/fidelity-digital-asset-services-tom-jessop-on-why-its-serving-institutional-clients-first-ep043 Ari's private conversation in which he mentioned Stellar was acquiring Chain: https://hackernoon.com/ten-questions-for-ari-david-paul-of-blocktower-capital-dcd8d81ef27e IMF managing director Christine Lagarde's talk on the case for central bank digital currencies: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2018/11/13/sp111418-winds-of-change-the-case-for-new-digital-currency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000
How Donating Crypto Can Help You Save on Taxes - Ep.94
Connie Gallippi, the founder and executive director for BitGive, and Joe Waltman, the executive director of GiveCrypto.org, discuss charitable giving in crypto -- what problems in philanthropy it solves, what level of transparency they can achieve and how they measure impact. Connie explains why she has chosen to work with existing non-profits and Joe, why GiveCrypto is working on its own initiatives, and why its working thesis is that crypto will be especially helpful in places with broken money or broken government. They also dive into the tax implications of donating crypto directly -- namely that donors can offset taxes on gains, particularly by donating their oldest coins before the end of the calendar year. Connie talks about how BitGive needs to ensure it doesn't hold or convert money in order to avoid money transmitter regulations, and Joe, how GiveCrypto has to ensure it's not giving money to bad people, such as money launderers or people or entities under economic sanctions. Plus, the two discuss why a space that so often espouses the ideals of democratization of finance gives so little and what it will take for it to donate more. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unchained Episode links: Bitgive: https://www.bitgivefoundation.org GiveTrack: https://www.givetrack.org BitGive Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitGiveOrg GiveCrypto: https://www.bitgivefoundation.org GiveCrypto Twitter - https://twitter.com/givecrypto?lang=en BitGive's five-year report: https://d1i1964a5wuyjt.cloudfront.net/2018/11/5-year-deck-021118_compressed-1.pdf Joe's work trial for GiveCrypto: https://medium.com/givecrypto/givecrypto-work-trial-a-new-financial-system-a-new-opportunity-7f564b65aff5 GiveCrypto's October report: https://medium.com/givecrypto/givecryptos-october-monthly-report-5c191bc03b56 Unconfirmed episode with Robert Opp of the UN World Food Programme: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/the-un-world-food-programmes-blockchain-based-food-vouchers-for-syrian-refugees-with-robert-opp-ep017 Episode with Elizabeth Rossiello of Bitpesa: http://unchainedpodcast.co/bitpesas-elizabeth-rossiello-on-necker-island Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000
Monero's Riccardo Spagni, aka Fluffypony, on How He Feels About Monero Being Used for Crime - Ep.93
Riccardo Spagni, the lead maintainer for Monero, describes the four pillars of Monero's privacy, makes the case for why it would still be valuable even if BItcoin were to adopt privacy, and explains the ways in which its privacy is stronger and weaker than Zcash's. He also discusses his new project, Tari, and how it could enable a new world of natively digital assets such as tickets, loyalty points and in-game assets, and how it will relate to Monero. He also explains his view on the fact that Monero is one of the top currencies used on the dark web and appears to have been in demand by bad state actors such as North Korea. Plus, he gives us his backstory, which includes gel-based nail polish and bikinis, and the origin of his nickname, Fluffypony. Thank you to our sponsors! CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained Altlending: https://altlending.com Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unchained Episode links: Riccardo Spagni: https://twitter.com/fluffypony?lang=en Monero: https://getmonero.org Tari: https://www.tari.com Wired article on Monero's traceability: https://www.wired.com/story/monero-privacy/ Laura's listener mail episode: http://unchainedpodcast.co/listener-mail-laura-answers-your-questions-on-the-markets-velocity-privacy-and-more-ep88 Unchained episode with Zooko Wilcox of Zcash: http://unchainedpodcast.co/zcashs-zooko-wilcox-on-why-he-believes-privacy-coins-will-be-used-more-for-good-than-bad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000
CoinFund's Jake Brukhman and Multicoin's Tushar Jain on Generalized Mining - Ep.92
Jake Brukhman of CoinFund and Tushar Jain of Multicoin Capital discuss a new trend among crypto funds: generalized mining, also called mining 2.0, in which investors participate in the networks in order to seed activity on them. For instance, an investor might offer disk space on a file storage network or provide capital on a decentralized lending network. They explain why it makes more sense to do this in the early days of a network than when it's matured, whether this will lead away from a peer-to-peer vision for crypto toward more professionalization and how this affects the basic premise of the fat protocols thesis. We also discuss how this impacts how crypto funds hire, do their accounting and reporting and structure their LP agreements. Thank you to our sponsors! Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unchained Altlending: https://altlending.com WeTrust: WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unchained Episode links: Jake Brukhman: https://twitter.com/jbrukh?lang=en CoinFund: https://coinfund.io Tushar Jain: https://twitter.com/TusharJain_ Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital Jake's post on crypto borrowing: https://blog.coinfund.io/crypto-borrowing-and-staking-networks-e7d2d64a81a4 Tushar's post on generalized mining: https://multicoin.capital/2018/10/23/the-evolving-role-of-crypto-investors/ Jake on LivePeer as a case study: https://blog.coinfund.io/livepeer-cryptoeconomics-as-a-case-study-of-active-participation-in-decentralized-networks-19a932415e0e Unchained episode with MakerDAO: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable Unconfirmed episode with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep039 Initial witness offerings, by Jake's partner Alexsandr Bulkin: https://blog.coinfund.io/iwos-with-adapt-a-creative-technological-solution-to-a-regulatory-problem-513b0bc811ff Jake's post on fat protocols not being an investment thesis: https://blog.coinfund.io/fat-protocols-are-not-an-investment-thesis-17c8837c2734 Unchained interview with Joel Monegro, the author of the fat protocols thesis: http://unchainedpodcast.co/placeholders-joel-monegro-on-the-fat-protocols-thesis-today-ep65 Videos that Jake mentions at the end of the show: Generalized Mining, An Introduction & Primer by Jake Brukhman, CEO of CoinFund: https://youtu.be/ceex9CN2YZU Panel #1: Supply Side Services | Generalized Mining and The Third-Party Economy: https://youtu.be/Cr6H2FcidjY Panel # 2: New Role of Crypto Investors | Generalized Mining and The Third-Party Economy: https://youtu.be/zakQc07GRXA Panel #3: Staking Economic Design | Generalized Mining and The Third-Party Economy: https://youtu.be/ydViUpTZens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000
Down 94% Since Winter, What Has Happened to ICOs? - Ep.91
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
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000
Reflections on the 10-Year Anniversary of the Bitcoin White Paper - Ep.90
For this episode on the eve of the Bitcoin white paper's 10-year anniversary, Nathaniel Popper and Paul Vigna, reporters who cover Bitcoin and crypto for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, respectively, and who have written books about it, discuss wide-ranging questions regarding the first cryptocurrency. We explore why it succeeded where previous digital currencies failed, what role the financial crisis and Satoshi's disappearance played in its success and how it compares to the development of the internet. We also look at the "blockchain, not Bitcoin" debate, the scaling debate and the merits of on-chain governance, and how scandals involving centralized services such as the Equifax hack and the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica breach will affect its development. Finally, we discuss its potential as a global reserve currency, potential abuse of crypto assets by bad state actors, and whether and how regulators can regulate decentralized technologies. Plus, Paul and Nathaniel give their thoughts on the next 10 years. Thank you to our sponsors! Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unchained Onramp: http://www.thinkonramp.com WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unchained Episode links: Bitcoin white paper: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Nathaniel Popper: https://twitter.com/nathanielpopper https://www.nytimes.com/by/nathaniel-popper?8qa Digital Gold: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062572066/digital-gold/ Paul Vigna: https://twitter.com/paulvigna https://www.wsj.com/news/author/7296 Age of Cryptocurrency: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250081551 The Truth Machine: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250114570 Edward Bernays' Propaganda: http://www.igpub.com/propaganda/ CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz's speech discussing how they would prosecute illegal prediction markets: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opaquintenz16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Numerai's Richard Craib on How to Crowdsource Good Predictions - Ep.89
While many companies like to use buzzwords like crypto, blockchain, AI and encryption, Numerai actually combines all these technologies in a novel way. Founder Richard Craib discusses how his hedge fund started off crowdsourcing good financial models from data scientists to optimize its trading strategies in global equities. He then explains how it airdropped a token, the Numeraire, to those data scientists, giving them the option to stake some Numeraire for models they were especially confident in, and how staked models have higher returns. He also describes Numerai's new Erasure protocol, which helps build a marketplace for predictions for sellers who could profit more from selling their predictions than trading on them, and for buyers who can now use the signal of staking to filter between good and bad data. We dive into the protocol's "griefing" process, in which buyers can punish sellers, as well as the thorny issue of whether selling predictions based on proprietary information could constitute insider trading. Plus, we explore whether or not other hedge funds would really want to buy a token created by another hedge fund, and what Numerai's plans are to become more decentralized. Thank you to our sponsor! Onramp: http://www.thinkonramp.com Episode links: Numerai: https://numer.ai Richard Craib: https://twitter.com/richardcraib My Forbes article on the Numeraire: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/02/21/this-is-the-worlds-first-cryptocurrency-issued-by-a-hedge-fund/#3cda45f360b6 Erasure: https://erasure.xxx Announcement about Erasure: https://medium.com/numerai/numerai-reveals-erasure-unstoppable-peer-to-peer-data-feeds-4fbb8d92820a Unchained episode with Olaf Carlson-Wee of Polychain Capital: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-the-first-employee-of-coinbase-launched-a-hedge-fund Unchained episode with Joey Krug of Augur: http://unchainedpodcast.co/joey-krug-on-how-augur-is-like-any-other-tool-ep79 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Listener Mail: Laura Answers Your Questions on the Markets, Velocity, Privacy and More! - Ep.88
This week, because I was busy with my TEDx talk and my book, I decided to do an episode in which I answer your questions. Thank you to everyone who submitted one, and I'm so sorry I didn't get to all your questions. In this episode, I talk about what's necessary to gain wider adoption, how I think the next bull run will manifest and how Bitcoin would behave in a serious financial crisis. Plus, I reveal which areas of the industry I think will blossom, and which areas I'm less optimistic about. I also answer what people who are just getting into the technology can do in the space, why the oracle problem is so challenging and how it can be resolved, and what the velocity problem is, and whether it applies especially to Ethereum. I also delve into privacy coins, whether or not the lower overall crypto market volatility we're seeing now will continue, and where this trend with stablecoins is going. There are a LOT of episode links -- be sure to check them out! Thank you to our sponsors! Altlending: https://altlending.com Blockdaemon: http://blockdaemon.com/unchained/ Episode links: Senate hearing on cryptocurrencies: https://www.c-span.org/video/?452837-1/senate-banking-panel-explores-cryptocurrencies-blockchains Tweets with me, Nouriel and Vitalik: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1050782831859752960 My conversation with Soona Amhaz of Token Daily about Nouriel Roubini on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/how-were-misusing-the-word-decentralization-ep041 Milken Institute panel featuring Nouriel Roubini: http://www.milkeninstitute.org/videos/view/cryptocurrencies-irrational-exuberance-or-brave-new-world Skeptics' Episodes: Preston Byrne & Angela Walch: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-skeptics-episode-preston-byrne-and-angela-walch-on-what-the-industry-and-regulators-get-wrong-in-crypto Meltem Demirors & Jill Carlson: http://unchainedpodcast.co/episode-74 Singularity University episode discussing usbaility: http://unchainedpodcast.co/singularity-university-global-summit-how-do-we-get-consumer-adoption-ep83 My Forbes article on phone hijacking: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#2ada233b38ba USV blog post on apps and infrastructure: https://www.usv.com/blog/the-myth-of-the-infrastructure-phase CryptoKitties episode: http://unchainedpodcast.co/what-makes-a-cryptokitty-worth-140000-ep75 Token Foundry standards: https://blog.tokenfoundry.com/token-foundry-standards/ Civil: https://civil.co Forbes magazine feature on blockchain not Bitcoin, featuring Chain: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/09/09/bitcoins-shared-ledger-technology-moneys-new-operating-system/#66bb2f4c7dd1 Recent episode with Barry Silbert: http://unchainedpodcast.co/barry-silbert-on-what-wall-street-says-privately-about-crypto-vs-what-it-says-publicly-ep87 Decentralized Finance series: 0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future Dharma: http://unchainedpodcast.co/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep80 Compound: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep82 dYdX: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-dydx-allows-you-to-take-a-short-position-in-one-token-ep86 Institutional money: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Barry Silbert on What Wall Street Says Privately About Crypto Vs. What It Says Publicly - Ep.87
Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group, which has invested in 130 crypto ventures worldwide, describes his company, its strategy for investing in the crypto space, and how his perspective on the development of the space has changed since he first launched in 2014. He also explains why he's not a big believer in decentralization, like many others in the space, why he's not bullish on ICOs, and why he also is a bigger proponent of Ethereum Classic than Ethereum. We also touch on regulation and how he thinks that will affect the development of crypto, why Grayscale launched an investment vehicle for a little-known cryptocurrency, and why he's excited about Decentraland. Plus, he reveals what Wall Street says publicly about crypto vs. what it says privately and reflects on his role in the New York Agreement -- a failed attempt to bridge a divide in the Bitcoin community. Thank you to our sponsors! Altlending: https://altlending.com Blockdaemon: http://blockdaemon.com/unchained/ If you're interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed, email Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com. Episode Links: DCG: https://dcg.co Barry Silbert: https://twitter.com/barrysilbert Grayscale: https://grayscale.co Genesis: https://genesistrading.com CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com New York state Bitlicense: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/legal/regulations/bitlicense_reg_framework.htm Decentraland: https://decentraland.org GBTC: https://grayscale.co/bitcoin-investment-trust/ Radar Relay: https://www.radarrelay.com The Unchained interview with 0x, the decentralized exchange with which Radar Relay works: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future Blog post announcing the New York Agreement: https://medium.com/@DCGco/bitcoin-scaling-agreement-at-consensus-2017-133521fe9a77 Unchained podcast on the failure of the compromise: http://unchainedpodcast.co/what-bitcoins-history-says-about-its-future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000
How dYdX Allows You to Take a Short Position in One Token - Ep.86
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
Tue, 02 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000
The Oslo Freedom Forum in New York: Why Decentralization Matters - Ep.85
In this fascinating and compelling panel on Why Decentralization Matters at the Oslo Freedom Forum in New York, I spoke with Alejandro Machado, a researcher at Zcash; Amber Baldet, founder and CEO of Clovyr, a decentralized software and developer tools company; Andy Bromberg, cofounder and president of CoinList, a compliant token offering platform; and Megha Rajagopalan, correspondent for Buzzfeed and former China bureau chief. In this discussion, we cover what is happening in authoritarian regimes like China and Venezuela that highlight the importance of decentralized technologies, how people in those countries are using crypto assets, and how technologists think about decentralization and censorship-resistance. We also talk about the usability issues of decentralized technologies and how people in authoritarian regimes can even get access to them. Plus, we also look at how bad state actors are also using the same technology to oppress people or evade sanctions. Thank you to our sponsors! StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com Episode links: PC Mag story on how cryptocurrency is both "an oppressor and a lifeline" in Venezuela: https://www.pcmag.com/feature/362486/in-venezuela-cryptocurrency-is-an-oppressor-and-a-lifeline Naval on Unchained talking about how money is now speech: http://unchainedpodcast.co/naval-ravikant-on-how-crypto-is-squeezing-vcs-hindering-regulators-and-bringing-users-choice Google's Dragonfly project: https://theintercept.com/2018/09/14/google-china-prototype-links-searches-to-phone-numbers/ For more on how decentralization and blockchain technology can help Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-first-crypto-war-ep021 A previous interview with Amber Baldet on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/sxsw-episode-amber-baldet-blockchain-program-lead-at-jpmorgan-on-the-potential-clash-between-blockchains-and-the-right-to-be-forgotten A previous interview with Andy Bromberg on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/coinlists-andy-bromberg-on-the-one-big-regulatory-issue-facing-crypto-ep030 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000
How Binance Became the Most Popular Crypto Exchange in 5 Months - Ep.84
In this fast-paced and exhilarating conversation, Changpeng Zhao, aka "CZ," tells the pivotal business decisions that led users to flock to the brand-new Binance in the summer and fall of 2017, catapulting it from obscurity to become the world's most popular crypto exchange within five months. He also describes his regulatory stance, why he focuses on small jurisdictions and why he lets token teams hire their own lawyers to determine whether their coins are securities or not. He explains the company's insider trading and market manipulation policies and how BNB coin works. Plus, he disputes the notion that stocks have better information due to disclosure rules, lays out Binance's current mission and delineates the differences in the crypto communities in North America, Europe and Asia. Thank you to our sponsors! Altlending: https://altlending.com Blockdaemon: https://blockdaemon.com/unchained/ If you're interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed, reach out to Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com. Episode links: Binance: https://www.binance.com CZ: https://twitter.com/cz_binance Binance white paper: https://www.binance.com/resources/ico/Binance_WhitePaper_en.pdf Unchained interview with Bobby Lee: http://unchainedpodcast.co/bobby-lee-ceo-of-btcc-on-why-the-chinese-probably-arent-using-bitcoin-to-evade-capital-controls Unchained interview with Da Hongfei on China bad on ICOs: http://unchainedpodcast.co/from-blockchains-to-mooncakes-two-chinese-crypto-founders-on-the-ico-and-bitcoin-exchanges-ban Epicenter BTC's interview with CZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaxQneanIY Binance's "creative" approach to regulation: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-28/crypto-s-billionaire-trading-king-has-suddenly-run-into-problems Unchained interview on crypto regulation in the US: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-chamber-of-digital-commerces-perianne-boring-and-amy-kim-on-why-us-crypto-regulation-is-complicated-and-confusing Unchained interview with Coin Center: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-coin-center-is-helping-define-the-big-fuzzy-gray-area-of-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-law Binance's purchase of TrustWallet: http://fortune.com/2018/07/31/binance-trust-wallet-acquistion/ Binance's $1 billion investment fund: https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/01/binance-1-billion-investment-fund/ Forbes cover story on CZ: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamelaambler/2018/02/07/changpeng-zhao-binance-exchange-crypto-cryptocurrency/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Singularity University Global Summit: How Do We Get Consumer Adoption? - Ep.83
This is a recording of the full "blockchain block" of the Singularity University Global Summit in late August. It features a talk by me on the power of decentralization, Abra CEO Bill Barhydt on the evolution of Bitcoin, and Atlas Holdings Group CEO Mickey Costa on distributed autonomous organizations. Following are two panels. The first is on where we are in the development of crypto and how we get consumer adoption with Bill and Galia Benartzi of Bancor. The second is on blockchain for good, with Cara LaPointe of the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University and Anne Connelly of Singularity University. It was a great day for a lot of stimulating discussion on where we are in crypto's development and how we can steer it in the direction we want. Thank you to our sponsor! StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained Episode links: Singularity Global Summit: https://su.org/summits/su-global-summit/ Singularity University Global Summit 2018 program: https://su.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/SUGS_PROGRAM_2018_AUGUST-21_V4-1.pdf Bill Barhydt: https://twitter.com/billbarhydt Abra: https://www.abra.com Mickey Costa: https://twitter.com/mickeycosta Atlas: https://atlas.money Galia Benartzi: https://www.bancor.network Bancor: https://www.bancor.network Cara LaPointe: http://beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/cara-lapointe/ Anne Connelly: https://su.org/about/faculty/anne-connelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 21 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000
How You'll Earn Interest on Your Crypto With Compound - Ep.82
Robert Leshner, founder of Compound, describes how its protocol will enable people to earn interest on crypto assets, and why he thinks this will be crucial to crypto becoming mainstream. He also describes how the company is currently building an interest rate model -- a task so difficult that an early version "blew up" the Ethereum virtual machine -- and why using one of its smart contract-based money markets is both riskier and less risky than using an exchange. We talk about who will use Compound and how, which coins they're going to launch with, and how Compound plans to make money. Thank you to our sponsors! AltLending: https://altlending.com StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained Episode links: Compound: https://compound.finance Robert Leshner: https://twitter.com/rleshner Intro to Compound: https://medium.com/compound-finance/introducing-compound-the-money-market-protocol-4b9546bac87 TechCrunch article on Compound: https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/16/cryptocurrency-compound-interest/ Unchained interview with Nadav Hollander of Dharma: http://unchainedpodcast.co/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep80 Unchained interview with Joey Krug of Augur: http://unchainedpodcast.co/joey-krug-on-how-augur-is-like-any-other-tool-ep79 Unchained interview with Danny An of TrustToken, which is creating TrueUSD: http://unchainedpodcast.co/harbor-and-trusttoken-on-why-they-dont-mind-being-unsexy-ep77 Unchained interview with Will Warren of 0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future Unchained interview with Vitalik Buterin: http://unchainedpodcast.co/vitalik-buterin-creator-of-ethereum-on-the-big-guy-vs-the-little-guy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Tuur Demeester on Why He's a Bitcoin Maximalist and Bearish on Ethereum - Ep.81
Founder and CEO of Adamant Capital Tuur Demeester explains what factors he considers when valuing crypto assets, why this has led him to become a Bitcoin maximalist, and why he doesn't think Ethereum can scale. We also discuss why he doesn't have much faith in any of the smart contract platforms that are vying in this space. He also describes why he believes proof of work is superior to proof of stake, and why he's excited about the Lightning Network and the apps being built on top. Thank you to our sponsors! StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained The Sun Exchange: https://thesunexchange.com Episode Links: Tuur Demeester: https://twitter.com/TuurDemeester Tuur's critique of proof of stake: https://medium.com/@tuurdemeester/critique-of-buterins-a-proof-of-stake-design-philosophy-49fc9ebb36c6 Why Tuur is bearish on Ethereum: https://medium.com/@tuurdemeester/im-not-worried-about-bitcoin-unlimited-but-i-am-losing-sleep-over-ethereum-b5251c54e66d https://medium.com/@tuurdemeester/why-im-short-ethereum-and-long-bitcoin-aee5b1c198fd Unchained interview with David Vorick of Siacoin, Nebulous and Obelisk: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-asics-may-be-better-than-gpus-even-if-they-tend-toward-mining-centralization-ep67 For a recap of the battle between big and small block factions in Bitcoin: http://unchainedpodcast.co/what-bitcoins-history-says-about-its-future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 11 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Nadav Hollander on How Dharma Could Create New Forms of Debt - Ep.80
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
Tue, 04 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Joey Krug on How Augur Is Like Any Other Tool - Ep.79
Joey Krug, cofounder of Augur and co-chief investment officer at Pantera Capital, talks about what Augur is and is not, why it’s difficult to create new financial markets today and whether or not Augur markets could curb fake news. He explains why the teams burned its escape hatch key and whether he’s worried that Augur’s crowdsale would be considered an unregistered securities offering, plus answers whether he would benefit financially if assassination markets pop up on Augur. We also discuss what he sees happening in the market in his role as co-chief investment officer at Pantera Capital, what problems he think need to be resolved before Augur and dapps can take off, and which projects he believes have the greatest potential to democratize finance. Thank you to our sponsors! Start Engine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained The Sun Exchange: https://thesunexchange.com/ Episode Links: Joey Krug: https://twitter.com/joeykrug?lang=en Augur: https://www.augur.net/ Pantera: https://www.panteracapital.com/ Joey on Unconfirmed: https://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/joey-krug-on-how-to-create-a-regular-cryptocurrency-ep022 Augur FAQ: https://www.augur.net/faq/ Predictions Global: https://predictions.global/ Assassination markets on Augur: https://www.coindesk.com/the-first-augur-assassination-markets-have-arrived/ SEC action against Sand Hill Exchange: https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2015-123.html Listen to the Unchained interview with 0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Dfinity's Dominic Williams on How Its Blockchain Nervous System Is Not an AI - Ep.78
Dfinity's Dominic Williams talks about how Dfinity is an internet computer that can host our software and data, instead of it being held by centralized services. He describes the consensus algorithm, threshold relay, and why he believes Dfinity will be much more secure than Bitcoin. We also dive into Dfinity's governance mechanism, the "blockchain nervous system." Williams, who has written about the "AI-managed environment provided by the blockchain nervous system" and talked about how Dfinity upgrades the "code is law paradigm" to "the AI is law paradigm," explains on the show that the blockchain nervous system is not an AI and is manually controlled by users. Thank you to our sponsors! StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained The Sun Exchange: https://thesunexchange.com Episode links: Dfinity: https://www.dfinity.org Dominic: https://twitter.com/dominic_w?lang=en Dfinity as decentralized cloud: https://medium.com/dfinity/the-decentralized-cloud-vision-of-the-dfinity-blockchain-f68449c49be2 Dfinity consensus algorithm: https://medium.com/dfinity/dfinity-white-paper-our-consensus-algorithm-a11adc0a054c Threshold relay: https://dfinity.org/pdf-viewer/pdfs/viewer?file=../library/threshold-relay-blockchain-stanford.pdf Posts where Dominic has described Dfinity's governance system as an AI: https://medium.com/dfinity/dfinity-in-a-nutshell-a-non-technical-introduction-ec45ec5967c1 https://medium.com/dfinity/the-dfinity-blockchain-nervous-system-a5dd1783288e Phi: https://dfinity.org/pdf-viewer/pdfs/viewer?file=../library/phi-dfinity-extended-v2.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 21 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Harbor and TrustToken on Why They Don't Mind Being Unsexy - Ep.77
Josh Stein, CEO of Harbor, and Danny An, cofounder and CEO of TrustToken, talk about security tokens and tokens backed by real-world assets, often called an unsexy area of crypto. They explain the strategies their teams are using to tackle the tokenization of what currently constitute $250 trillion in assets, what kinds of new behaviors and business opportunities "faster, cheaper, more liquid" assets could open up, and how they'll comply with regulations across all jurisdictions for markets that are global and trade 24/7/365. Thank you to our sponsors! StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained The Sun Exchange: https://thesunexchange.com Episode links: Harbor: https://harbor.com Trust Token: https://www.trusttoken.com True USD: https://www.trusttoken.com/trueusd/ An overview of security tokens: https://medium.com/@apompliano/the-official-guide-to-tokenized-securities-44e8342bb24f More on Harbor and security tokens: http://fortune.com/2018/05/18/security-token-harbor-ce More on True USD: https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/18/trusttoken-readies-sale-of-more-trueusd-asset-based-tokens/ The PICO: https://medium.com/harborhq/introducing-the-private-ico-pico-3e8b782924c1 Episode with Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson: http://unchainedpodcast.co/episode-74 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Live From Distributed: Amber Baldet, Matthew Roszak and Lily Liu on 'Innovate or Reinvent?' - Ep.76
In July in San Francisco, I moderated a panel at "Distributed 2018: Unlocking the Global Power of Decentralized Business." The title of our discussion was "Innovate or Reinvent?" and the panelists were Amber Baldet, cofounder and CEO of Clovyr, Matt Roszak, cofounder and chairman of Bloq, and Lily Liu, cofounder of Earn.com. We had a wide-ranging discussion, which included topics such as how the "Crypto 50" combined have more budget for blockchain development services than Fortune 50 companies, how developing in the blockchain space and revolutionize an existing market requires that the new offering be many times better than existing options, and why enterprise needs to wait to get permission rather than ask for forgiveness, which doesn't hinder new projects. We also discussed how government is also a competitor in the space, that building entities don't include only decentralized projects and corporations, and how regulation could affect the development of the space. Thank you to our sponsors! DACC: https://www.digitalassetcustody.com Quantstamp: https://www.quantstamp.com The Sun Exchange: https://www.thesunexchange.com Episode links: Distributed conference: https://2018.distributed.com Amber Baldet: https://twitter.com/AmberBaldet Clovyr: https://clovyr.io Matt Roszak: https://twitter.com/MatthewRoszak Bloq: https://www.bloq.com Lily Liu: https://twitter.com/calilyliu Earn.com: https://earn.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 08 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000
What Makes a CryptoKitty Worth $140,000? - Ep.75
Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs, the company behind CryptoKitties, and Benny Giang, Dapper Labs’ head of Asia, describe how employees at venture studio AxiomZen came up with the idea for CryptoKitties, what problems it exposed in crypto (beyond scaling!), and how CryptoKitties can teach people the value of decentralization. They also defend the $140,000 price tag on one kitty, explain how they plan to grow from the current 300 users per day that the blockchain is logging, and surmise that if it weren't for user experience issues, CryptoKitties could have been 100 times bigger. Plus, they talk about the Kittyverse. Thank you to our sponsors! DACC: https://www.digitalassetcustody.com Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com The Sun Exchange: https://thesunexchange.com Episode links: CryptoKitties: https://www.cryptokitties.co AxiomZen/Dapper Labs: https://www.axiomzen.co Roham Gharegozlou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roham Benny Giang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennygiang/ The $140,000 CryptoKitty: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/style/cryptokitty-auction.html Fundraising news: https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/20/cryptokitties-raises-12m-from-andreessen-horowitz-and-union-square-ventures/ CryptoKitties on HTC's new phone: http://fortune.com/2018/07/11/cryptokitties-app-htc/ Listen to previous episodes of Unchained with these CryptoKitties investors: Chris Dixon: http://unchainedpodcast.co/chris-dixon-on-how-trust-is-the-best-lego-block-ep70 Naval Ravikant: http://unchainedpodcast.co/naval-ravikant-on-how-crypto-is-squeezing-vcs-hindering-regulators-and-bringing-users-choice Bill Tai: http://unchainedpodcast.co/maitai-globals-bill-tai-on-why-blockchain-is-the-6th-wave-of-technology William Mougayar: http://unchainedpodcast.co/icos-why-people-are-investing-in-this-380-million-phenomenon "Developers all the way down" -- Unchained episode with Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson: http://unchainedpodcast.co/episode-74 Listen to my previous interview with Arianna Simpson on Unconfirmed about CryptoKitties: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/arianna-simpson-of-autonomous-partners-on-privacy-cryptokitties-and-crypto-regulation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson on the Sh*tcoin Waterfall - Ep.74
In this hilarious skeptics' episode, Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer of CoinShares, and Jill Carlson, an independent consultant, explain why they think crypto needs fewer moral arguments and more empirical evidence, and how there's too much focus on financial engineering, but not enough focus on winning hearts and minds. They also explain why people are not machines where "you put in a token and get out an action," what the "sh*tcoin waterfall" is, and why cryptoeconomics isn't anything new. Plus, they give their tips for working in the space. Thank you to our sponsors! DACC: https://www.digitalassetcustody.com Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com Episode links: Meltem on Twitter: https://twitter.com/melt_dem On Medium: https://medium.com/@Melt_Dem Jill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jillruth AirTM: https://www.airtm.io Fat protocols thesis: http://www.usv.com/blog/fat-protocols Amber Baldet's tweet about the finger guns guy: https://twitter.com/amberbaldet/status/1006286345122275331 Meltem's tips on working in crypto: https://medium.com/@Melt_Dem/so-you-want-to-work-in-crypto-57961ca074c4 Jill's tips on working for yourself: https://medium.com/@jillcarlson/working-alone-165ababeafc2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Kathleen Breitman and Ryan Jesperson of Tezos on Why They Wouldn't Do Its Token Sale Differently - Ep.73
Kathleen Breitman, CEO of Dynamic Ledger Solutions, the company behind the Tezos protocol, and Ryan Jesperson, president of the foundation, discuss the Tezos initial coin offering, which was the largest ICO at the time of sale. Kathleen explains why she wouldn't do anything differently, except for the choice of foundation head, Johann Gevers, with whom Kathleen and her co-creator and husband, Arthur Breitman, ended up in multiple disputes. She muses as to why many people initially praised Gevers and then later revealed that he was not liked or that he'd defrauded them when they'd worked for him. Ryan and Kathleen also explain how they will attempt to help Tezos compete in the competitive smart contract platform space, despite the fact that Tezos is built in less well-known computer languages, and they explain why they've chosen delegated proof of stake as their consensus protocol, despite the criticism that it could create a plutocracy. Tezos: https://tezos.com Kathleen Breitman: https://twitter.com/breitwoman Ryan Jesperson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-jesperson-23b0053a/ Thank you to our sponsors! Preciate: https://preciate.org Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com The Sun Exchange: https://www.thesunexchange.com Podcast links: Wired story on Tezos: https://www.wired.com/story/tezos-blockchain-love-story-horror-story/ Unconfirmed episode with Gideon Lewis-Kraus, author of the Wired cover story: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/behind-the-tezos-scandal-conflicts-of-interest-self-dealing-and-bullying-ep024 Unconfirmed with Caitlin Long on Wyoming blockchain laws: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/behind-the-tezos-scandal-conflicts-of-interest-self-dealing-and-bullying-ep024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000
How Widespread Is Money Laundering in Crypto? - Ep.72
Yaya Fanusie, director of analysis at the Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Tom Robinson, chief data officer and cofounder of blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, discuss how common money laundering is in crypto, how jihadist groups are using it, and how privacy coins (really Monero) affect their work. (The reason why the dark markets haven't much used Zcash surprised me.) We also discuss bad state actors using cryptocurrency, such as Venezuela's efforts with the metro and North Korea's alleged Bitcoin ransomware attacks, and how, leaving aside bad state actors, central bank cryptocurrencies would compete with decentralized ones. Plus, we discuss what impact OFAC blocked addresses list will have. Thank you to our sponsors! Preciate: https://preciate.org Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com Yaya Fanusie: https://twitter.com/SignCurve Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/csif Tom Robinson: https://twitter.com/tomrobin Elliptic: http://www.elliptic.co Yaya and Tom's report on Bitcoin laundering: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/content/uploads/documents/MEMO_Bitcoin_Laundering.pdf New AML regulations on cryptocurrencies in Europe: https://www.elliptic.co/our-thinking/5th-aml-directive-eu-regulation-cryptocurrency Money laundering in ICOs: https://www.elliptic.co/our-thinking/ico-risk-why-aml-compliance-matters Yaya's op-ed on the Venezuelan metro in CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-investors-stay-away-venezuelas-petro/ Russia's blockchain plans: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/346476-blockchain-technology-may-give-russia-its-next-sputnik-moment What jihadists are doing with crypto assets: https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/exclusive/international/terrorist-networks-eye-bitcoin-cryptocurrencys-price-rises https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/private-sector/the-new-frontier-in-terror-fundraising-bitcoin Yaya's essay on self-policing in CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-community-must-use-blockchain-self-police/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Circle's Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville on Why Crypto Will Be Bigger Than the Web - Ep.71
Jeremy Allaire, cofounder and CEO of Circle, and Sean Neville, cofounder and president, discuss why they think the internet of value will be even bigger than the internet of information and how all assets will be tokenized. They also talk about why they're launching a stable coin, how their services in payments, exchange and investing will compete against decentralized versions of the same, and how they chose the assets for Circle Invest -- and why XRP didn't make the cut. They also address the investor presentation circulated that claimed the SEC would not pursue enforcement against Poloniex for prior activity and explain why Circle took investment from Bitmain despite negative sentiment against the mining equipment manufacturer. And they explain how Circle could compete once Wall Street incumbents begin to offer competitive services in crypto. Thank you to our sponsors! Clarity PR: http://clarity.pr Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Links: Circle.com: https://www.circle.com/en/ Circle's plans around a federal banking license and brokerage and trading registration: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-06/circle-in-talks-with-u-s-to-become-licensed-bank-trading-venue Acquisition of Poloniex: https://blog.circle.com/2018/02/26/circle-acquires-poloniex/ XRP in a screenshot of Circle Invest, but offered after launch: https://www.coindesk.com/circle-adds-monero-crypto-investment-app/ The Circle Asset Framework: https://www.circle.com/marketing/pdfs/en/circle-asset-framework.pdf Nathaniel Popper's tweet showing the Circle investor deck indicating the SEC won't pursue action against Poloniex: https://twitter.com/nathanielpopper/status/968202570719117313?lang=en Circle's stable coins + Bitmain investment: https://blog.circle.com/2018/05/15/circle-announces-usd-coin-bitmain-partnership-and-new-strategic-financing/ Unchained episode on stable coins: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable Unchained episode with David Vorick, which includes some comments on Bitmain: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-asics-may-be-better-than-gpus-even-if-they-tend-toward-mining-centralization-ep67 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Chris Dixon on How Trust Is the Best Lego Block - Ep.70
Chris Dixon, partner at Andreessen Horowitz, talks about the new $300 million crypto fund he is leading with Kathryn Haun, the new general partner of Andreessen, and how a16z came to hire its first female GP. The long-time crypto entrepreneur also discusses his theory of how crypto will grow -- and why Cryptokitties was one example of how that might happen -- his nights-and-weekend theory of technological change, and his view that writing software and smart contracts is similar to writing a novel. Additionally, he explains how someday, it will seem funny we didn't have concepts of ownership and money in the digital world, why Andreessen is investing almost exclusively in crypto-first projects and why he believes that the ability to create trust software will be the best Lego block for building things like money, finance, digital goods and more. Thank you to our sponsors! Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com Clarity PR: http://clarity.pr Preciate: https://preciate.org LINKS: The a16z $300 million crypto fund: https://a16zcrypto.com Katie Haun's appointment as GP: https://a16z.com/2018/06/25/katie-haun/ My previous interviews with Katie Haun -- Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/sxsw-episode-former-doj-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-what-the-sec-subpoenas-and-fincen-letter-likely-mean Chris on decentralization: https://medium.com/@cdixon/why-decentralization-matters-5e3f79f7638e On how tokens can reverse the centralization of the internet: https://medium.com/@cdixon/crypto-tokens-a-breakthrough-in-open-network-design-e600975be2ef Chris mentioned Placeholder Ventures -- if you haven't heard my interview with the firm's Joel Monegro, check it out: http://unchainedpodcast.co/placeholders-joel-monegro-on-the-fat-protocols-thesis-today-ep65 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Jimmy Song on Why Bitcoin Will Be the Winning Cryptocurrency - Ep.69
In an episode of strong positions, Blockchain Capital partner and Bitcoin educator Jimmy Song explains why private blockchains will never work, why smart contracts will never work, and why Bitcoin will be the one and only valuable cryptocurrency. He also gives his definition sound money, describes why Bitcoin is sound money, and talks about how he finds new companies to invest in if he believes Bitcoin is already the winner. Plus, he recounts the story of his buzz-generating debate with ConsenSys's Joe Lubin at the Consensus conference, which ended with a challenge to come up with a bet in Bitcoin, and what terms Jimmy would like to make the bet on. Lubin, it's your move. Jimmy Song on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmysong Medium: https://medium.com/@jimmysong Blockchain Capital: http://blockchain.capital/ Programming Blockchain: http://programmingblockchain.com Off Chain with Jimmy Song on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEFJVYNiPp8xeIUyfaPCPQw Medium post on smart contracts: https://medium.com/@jimmysong/the-truth-about-smart-contracts-ae825271811f Jimmy's rebuttal to the responses to his post: https://medium.com/@jimmysong/crypto-keynesian-lunacy-16bb9193a58 Video of Amber Baldet, Joe Lubin and Jimmy's panel at Consensus -- video 31 under Day 1: https://www.coindesk.com/events/consensus-2018/videos/ Thank you to our sponsors! Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com Clarity PR: http://clarity.pr Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Live From the World Economic Forum Industry Strategy Meeting: Breaking the Blockchain Hype - Ep.68
This is a live recording from a panel I moderated at the World Economic Forum Industry Strategy Meeting. The speakers included Shwetha Shetty Senior Director, Corporate Strategy Group, of SAP, Adam Ludwin, CEO of Chain, Brian Behlendorf, executive director of HyperLedger the Linux Foundation and Sheila Warren, project head of blockchain and distributed ledger technology at the World Economic Forum.We dive into the pros and cons of using blockchains for elections. which types of problems are best-suited to be solved by blockchain, why B2B applications of blockchain might come before B2C products and what kinds of identity-related data might be safe to put on a blockchain. Plus, Adam reveals some entertaining anecdotes about Silicon Valley safaris and how old World’s Fair tickets could have an analog to blockchain systems today. Episodes I referenced during the discussion in case listeners want to dive more into the elections topic: Tomicah Tillemann episode on the blockchain voting pilot in West Virginia: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/battling-corruption-with-blockchain-technology-tomicah-tillemann-of-the-blockchain-trust-accelerator-ep018 Alex Gladstein episode with more on blockchain-based voting: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-first-crypto-war-ep021 Tweets about blockchain-based voting: Matt Blaze’s objecton to blockchain-based voting: https://twitter.com/mattblaze/status/1002921011854143488 Vitalik’s response: https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1004203105611726849 Tomicah Tillemann’s response: https://twitter.com/TomicahTD/status/1004325810252197888 To address the question at the end about blockchain-based passports: 2 Katie Haun episodes on using blockchain-based systems to solve the problems of "breeder documents" and fraud, waste and abuse: Fraud, waste and abuse: http://unchainedpodcast.co/live-from-inforum-at-the-commonwealth-club-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-the-basics-with-kathryn-haun Breeder documents: http://unchainedpodcast.co/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them Episode with Vinny Lighal, founder of Civic, which is working on a blockchain-based identity solution: http://unchainedpodcast.co/bitcoin-oracle-vinny-lingham-on-why-bitcoin-is-overpriced Thank you to our sponsor! Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Why ASICs May Be Better Than GPUs Even if They Tend Toward Mining Centralization - Ep.67
David Vorick, CEO of Nebulous, which operates Siacoin and a new subsidiary, Obelisk, describes what he's discovered in his exploration of the mining industry, including why he's decided that specialized chips like ASICs are preferable to generalized chips like GPUs, even if they tend to bring out mining centralization. He also describes Obelisk's new service, Launchpad,which secures exclusive deals to create a custom proof-of-work algorithm for a coin and also the mining equipment for it, in exchange for being the only miner on the market at launch or for a period. He explains why he thinks proof of work is the only really viable type of consensus algorithm and doesn't even see any other potentially workable ones on the horizon. Plus, he has some sharp criticisms of Bitmain and claims that several groups were secretly mining Monero, though he can't reveal how he knows. David Vorick: https://twitter.com/DavidVorick https://medium.com/@davidvorick Siacoin: http://sia.tech Blog.sia.tech Obelisk: https://obelisk.tech Blog.obelisk.tech David on why Siacoin chose ASICs: https://medium.com/obelisk-blog/choosing-asics-for-sia-4b11695df051 David's long post about the state of cryptocurrency mining: https://blog.sia.tech/the-state-of-cryptocurrency-mining-538004a37f9b Announcement about Obelisk: https://medium.com/obelisk-blog/introducing-obelisk-launchpad-b78756eaa74c Zooko's recap of his conversation with Jihan Wu, CEO of Bitmain: https://forum.z.cash/t/so-i-had-a-videochat-with-jihan-wu/29379 Bitmain's tweets being transparent (account currently disabled): https://twitter.com/BITMAINtech/status/1001376036985028608 Bitmain's blog post about being transparent: https://blog.bitmain.com/en/antiminer-z9-mini-shipments-experiment-radical-transparency/ Thank you to our sponsors! Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Live From Consensus: What the Media Really Thinks About Crypto - Ep.66
This is a recording of a panel discussion I participated in with a couple other reporters and crypto PR people at Consensus. (It was at the same time as Jack's talk, so it's totally understandable if you missed it. Also, the room was freezing. I was shivering the entire time.) The other panelists were Leigh Cuen of CoinDesk, Avi Salzman of Barron's (and my old classmate from grad school!), Jill Richmond of Spark PR, Trey Ditto of Ditto PR, and the discussion was moderated by Frank Chaparro of Business Insider. We discussed whether or not crypto projects and publications should engage in pay to play (I would have hoped the answer to this would obvious to everyone, but alas), coverage that could cause investors to lose money, whether or not the business model of the media industry drives clickbait headlines and why journalists have a responsibility to include more of the nuances in crypto. We also dish up some practical tips and insider info, like how crypto projects can get media coverage, what factors reporters use in deciding whether or not to write about a project they're pitched, and whether or not crypto teams should hire crypto-specific PR firms. Apologies that there was no mic for the questions from the audience. I've left the questions in, as you can sometimes hear them faintly. I tried my best to have someone or myself recap each question. For the question about our favorite stories, these were the articles we named My favorite of mine: my phone hijacking story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#464b730d38ba Leigh liked a series I did exposing fake advisors: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/01/alex-tapscotts-crypto-vc-firm-going-public-with-100m-cad-falsely-touted-4-blockchain-stars-as-advisors/#483d3ff31b1f https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/03/cibc-walks-from-tapscotts-nextblock-global-after-falsehoods-revealed-more-misrepresentations-found/#724de0e13cbf https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/05/alex-tapscotts-crypto-vc-firm-aborts-public-listing-will-return-money-after-falsehoods-revealed/#1d4de0a62e27 Leigh's favorite stories: Cryptocurrency in Iran: http://www.ibtimes.com/bitcoin-adoption-rate-iran-surges-despite-censorship-protests-2636607 http://www.ibtimes.com/initial-coin-offerings-are-coming-iran-2653474 Cryptocurrency for sex workers: http://www.ibtimes.com/beyond-bitcoin-blockchain-tokens-sex-industry-2601252 Avi's favorite story: https://www.barrons.com/articles/bitcoin-storms-wall-street-1512188427 Thank you to our sponsors! Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com Token Agency: https://tokenagency.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Placeholder's Joel Monegro on the Fat Protocols Thesis Today - Ep.65
Joel Monegro, partner at crypto VC firm Placeholder Ventures, describes how well his seminal blog post, "Fat Protocols," is holding up, why he and his partner Chris Burniske opted to found a crypto VC firm as opposed to a hedge fund, and what main factors they think will determine the success of a blockchain. He also describes how crypto and blockchains fit into the evolution of technology, how the business models in the crypto space will be built, and why their first publicly known investment was in Decred. Plus, he reveals why their firm is called Placeholder. Placeholder: https://www.placeholder.vc Joel: https://twitter.com/jmonegro The Placeholder investment thesis: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmZL4eT1gxnE168Pmw3KyejW6fUfMNzMgeKMgcWJUfYGRj/Placeholder%20Thesis%20Summary.pdf The Fat Protocols Thesis: https://www.usv.com/blog/fat-protocols Decred investment thesis: https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2018/5/12/decred-investment-thesis Blog post on information technology cycles: https://monegro.org/work/2018/2/20/information-technology-market-cycles-a-brief-history Joel's blog post on the shared data layer of the blockchain application stack: http://joel.mn/post/104755282493/the-shared-data-layer-of-the-blockchain and on the blockchain application stack: http://joel.mn/post/103546215249/the-blockchain-application-stack Two episodes featuring his partner, Chris Burniske: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-to-valuate-a-crypto-asset-s3e08 http://unchainedpodcast.co/want-higher-returns-invest-in-bitcoin-say-arks-chris-burniske-and-coinbases-adam-white Another episode that I forgot to mention during the show, the interview with Bill Tai, which contains ideas that overlap quite a bit with Joel's: http://unchainedpodcast.co/maitai-globals-bill-tai-on-why-blockchain-is-the-6th-wave-of-technology Thank you to our sponsors! Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
From the Oslo Freedom Forum: Blockchain vs. the Surveillance State - Ep.64
This recording is of Blockchain vs. the Surveillance State, a series of talks and a panel from the Oslo Freedom Forum put on by the Human Rights Foundation. In this session, hear presentations from Ryan Shea of decentralized technology platform Blockstack; Galia Benartzi of smart token platform Bancor; Steve Waterhouse of surveillance-free internet project Orchid; and Arthur Breitman from smart contract platform Tezos. Afterward, I moderate a panel among the four speakers that touches on the ways in which blockchains can be used to curb human rights abuses -- but also how bad actors can also use them for nefarious purposes. Oslo Freedom Forum: https://oslofreedomforum.com Human Rights Foundation: https://www.hrf.org The four presentations: Ryan Shea https://twitter.com/ryaneshea of Blockstack: https://blockstack.org (Also check out his interview with cofounder Muneeb Ali on Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/blockstack-on-getting-independence-from-google-facebook-and-amazon) Galia Benartzi https://twitter.com/galiabenartzi of Bancor https://www.bancor.network/discover Steve Waterhouse https://twitter.com/deseventral of https://orchid.com Arthur Breitman https://twitter.com/arthurb of https://tezos.com Be sure also to listen to the Unconfirmed podcast episode with Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation -- not to be missed if you're interested in the topics discussed during Blockchain vs. the Surveillance State! http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/alex-gladstein-of-the-human-rights-foundation-on-the-first-crypto-war-ep021 Thank you to our sponsors! Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 06 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Arthur Hayes of Bitmex on Why Countries Will Turn to Digital Cash - Ep.63
Arthur Hayes, CEO of Bitmex, describes how traders on his platform can make great gains but experience limited losses, how Asia's crypto markets differ from those in the U.S., and why he makes money whether or not crypto prices go up or down. He also describes why ICOs are crap now but why he fully supports the idea in theory and how they should get back to their roots. He also explains why he believes governments will issue digital cash, and why he believes everyday people will be surveilled through these transactions, but will give up this privacy for the sake of convenience. And where does he see this leaving cryptocurrencies? To become needed to transact privately. Bitmex: https://www.bitmex.com/ Arthur Hayes: https://www.bitmex.com/app/aboutUs Bitmex blog, with detailed research reports: https://blog.bitmex.com/ Arthur's Crypto Trader Digest: https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=db45c09bdf20e1866bb32123f&id=ac43da8d18 Thank you to our sponsors! Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000
How Chainalysis Helps Solve Crimes: Jonathan Levin Tells All - Ep.62
Jonathan Levin, cofounder and chief operating officer for blockchain analytics company Chainalysis, describes how the company was born out of questions he had while a grad student, how they began mapping the Bitcoin blockchain to certain entities, and how their customers, which include government agencies such as the FBI, DEA, IRS, Europol and others, use Chainalysis to help solve Bitcoin crimes. He also reveals what level of detail the software tracks, how privacy coins could affect their work, and what new developments in the technology could decrease current crimes, such as physical extortion of crypto holders. Plus, he answers the question of whether or not Chainalysis's work destroys the fungibility of Bitcoin. Chainalysis: http://chainalysis.com/ Jonathan Levin: https://twitter.com/jony_levin Chainalysis report on the changing nature of crypto crime: https://www.chainalysis.com/static/Cryptocrime_Report_V2.pdf Forbes article on Chainalysis: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2018/04/05/snooping-on-bitcoin-is-big-business/#234e6792d198 Usage of Chainalysis by IRS: https://www.thedailybeast.com/irs-now-has-a-tool-to-unmask-bitcoin-tax-cheats Threats of violence against bitcoin and other crypto holders: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/technology/virtual-currency-extortion.html Thank you to our sponsors! Blockchain Warehouse: https://www.blockchainwarehouse.com/ Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 29 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken, on Drawing a Line With Regulators - Ep.61
Jesse Powell, CEO of crypto asset exchange Kraken, explains why he publicly rejected then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's request for information from crypto exchanges, why he felt it was a publicity stunt and why Kraken, which stopped serving New York customers after New York's Bitlicense was introduced, doesn't see the market as a top priority. He also talks about why Kraken decided to stop operations in Japan after further regulations were imposed and discusses Kraken's $1 million donation to Coin Center (and its $1 million match). Plus, he gets into why he named the exchange after a Norse sea monster, the dangers of the exchange's margin trading product, and what steps he recommends everyone in crypto take to keep their tokens safe. Jesse Powell: https://twitter.com/jespow Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/ Past Unchained episode with Brock Pierce who also had a pre-Bitcoin career involving video game currency (Jesse and Brock were competitors): http://unchainedpodcast.co/this-vc-is-sure-venture-capital-is-about-to-be-disrupted Kraken's position on regulation (discussion of New York AG request and Japan + guidance for regulators): https://blog.kraken.com/post/1561/krakens-position-on-regulation/ Kraken donation to Coin Center: https://blog.kraken.com/post/1591/kraken-donates-1m-to-coin-center-with-an-additional-1m-matching-during-may/ Kraken down for 40 hours: http://fortune.com/2018/01/12/bitcoin-price-ripple-kraken-down/ Past Unchained episode on taxation of crypto: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-tax-rules-that-have-crypto-users-aghast Kraken blog post on phone numbers being hijacked: https://blog.kraken.com/post/219/security-advisory-mobile-phones/ My article on the same topic: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#1d79923338ba Thank you to our sponsors! Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Token Agency: https://tokenagency.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 22 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Live From Ethereal: Eep! How Should Ethereum Be Governed? - Ep.60
This recording of a panel I moderated at Ethereal with Ethereum researcher Vlad Zamfir and GovernX founder Nick Dodson covered the topic that it seems everyone in crypto is discussing these days: governance. We talk about how the community should decide whether or not to unlock the funds frozen by bugs, on-chain governance, what role the Ethereum Foundation plays and what it means that nearly all the people who write Ethereum's code are men. Nick Dodson: https://twitter.com/iamnickdodson Vlad Zamfir: https://twitter.com/VladZamfir If you liked this discussion, also be sure to check out my recent episode with Aya Miyaguchi, executive director of the Ethereum Foundation: http://unchainedpodcast.co/aya-miyaguchi-of-the-ethereum-foundation-on-who-makes-the-final-call-ep59 And this Unconfirmed episode on blockchain ethics with Cara LaPointe of Georgetown: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/from-the-bellagio-blockchain-summit-blockchain-ethics-with-georgetowns-cara-lapointe-ep016 Thank you to Ethereal for hosting a great event! https://etherealsummit.com/ And thank you to our sponsors! Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Token Agency: https://tokenagency.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 20 May 2018 20:14:41 -0000
Aya Miyaguchi, of the Ethereum Foundation, on Who Makes the Final Call - Ep.59
The newly appointed head of the Ethereum Foundation, Aya Miyaguchi, talks about her background as a teacher, at Kraken, helping the Mt. Gox trustee unwind that mess, and the closed process by which she was plucked for her current role. She also describes her goals with the Ethereum Foundation, how the EF believes the Ethereum community should make decisions, how it defines community and more. She also talks about how she hopes to push more financial inclusion with Ethereum, and what she thinks needs to be done to get more women involved in crypto. Aya Miyaguchi: https://twitter.com/mi_ayako Ethereum Foundation: https://www.ethereum.org/foundation Thank you to our sponsors! Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Token Agency: http://tokenagency.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 15 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Ripple's XRP: Why Its Chances of Success Are Low - Ep.58
In this show, recorded without the participation of Ripple (explanation included in the show), Ryan Selkis, CEO and founder of Messari and Matt Leising, Bloomberg reporter, discuss Ripple's XRP, the third-largest coin by market cap. We go over whether or not it plays an essential role in Ripple's products, why banks are unlikely to adopt it, and why it's centralized. We also discuss whether or not it's an unregistered security (although the class-action lawsuit alleging XRP is an unregistered security being sold in a "never-ending ICO" came out after we recorded -- link below). We also discuss recent attempts by XRP to get it listed on top crypto exchanges, and how, as Selkis puts it, there's a fine line between some of its business activity and bribes. We also ponder the question: If XRP is meant for banks and financial institutions, why should everyday people own XRP? Ryan Selkis: https://messari.io/ https://twitter.com/twobitidiot Matt Leising: https://twitter.com/mattleising https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AGfq0QVqo0I/matthew-leising Full text of class-action lawsuit against Ripple: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5938711a9de4bb74f63b4059/t/5aebc4112b6a28e0ef4a0381/1525400594617/Coffey+v+Ripple+Labs+Complaint.pdf Bloomberg article on lawsuit: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-04/ripple-hit-with-class-action-suit-over-never-ending-ico Matt's article on why big banks have no interest in using XRP: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-25/ripple-wants-xrp-to-be-bitcoin-for-banks-if-only-the-banks-wanted-it How Ripple tried to buy its way onto crypto exchanges: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-04/ripple-is-said-to-struggle-to-buy-u-s-listing-for-popular-coin Ryan's post on XRP: https://medium.com/@twobitidiot/i-still-see-you-xrp-815369a539ea Izabella Kaminska's article on XRP: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2018/01/05/2197220/the-ripple-effect/ CoinDesk article on XRP: https://www.coindesk.com/ripples-xrp-giving-third-largest-cryptocurrency-second-look/ XRP chat post by David Schwartz: https://www.xrpchat.com/topic/5280-valuation-models-xrp-the-digital-currency-vs-ripple-the-company/?tab=comments#comment-50182 Another post by David Schwartz on how XRP is not required: https://www.quora.com/Is-XRP-not-required-for-the-Ripple-Swift-replacement/answer/David-Schwartz-9 Bitmex post on XRP: https://blog.bitmex.com/the-ripple-story/ The dueling lawsuits between Ripple and R3 over XRP: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/08/blockchain-enterprise-firms-r3-and-ripple-sue-each-other-over-1-billion-of-cryptocurrency/ 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
Tue, 08 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000
How Institutional Investors Can Do Due Diligence in the Crypto Space - Ep.57
Here is the second special episode from the Time Summit, a Bridge Alternatives event, on how institutional investors can do operational due diligence. Suna Said, founder and CEO of family office Nima Capital, Eddie Duszlak of Texas Children's Hospital, and Joel Gantcher of Gantcher Family Partners discuss how they invest in the nascent Web 3.0. They discuss why a year of experience in crypto is so valuable, how they determine who the serious players are in the space and why the speed of disruption from the internet revolution gives them motivation to get into the crypto markets. Thank you to the Time Summit, a Bridge Alternatives event! https://timesummit.org/ http://bridgealternatives.com/ Suna Said: https://timesummit.org/2018/04/18/suna-said/ Eddie Duszlak: https://timesummit.org/2018/03/06/eddie-duszlak/ Joel Gantcher: https://timesummit.org/2018/04/19/joel-gantcher/ Thank you to our sponsors! Ethereal Summit: https://etherealsummit.com/ Use code Unchained10 for 10% off! Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 06 May 2018 21:00:00 -0000
What Will Make Institutional Players Comfortable Entering Crypto? - Ep.56
This talk is from a panel I led on infrastructure in the crypto space at the Time Summit, by Bridge Alternatives, featuring Kayvon Pirestani of director of institutional sales at GDAX, Tim McCourt, CME Group’s managing director and global head of equity products and alternative investments, Michael Moro, CEO of Genesis Trading and Genesis Capital, and Hu Liang, founder and CEO of Omniex. We discussed what infrastructure tools need to be built to get institutional players comfortable with the space, how custodying a digital asset differs from custodying a traditional asset, why they can see institutional players dealing in stablecoins and trading on decentralized exchanges at some point in the future, and what needs to be built out in terms of trading infrastructure for institutional players. (Hint: it turns out Excel and Google Sheets are the biggest competitors for crypto trading infrastructure services.) We also talk about the challenges of building out infrastructure for trading that can suddenly double or quadruple in volume and for a market that runs 24/7/365. Thank you to Bridge Alternatives and the Time Summit for the panel! https://www.bridgealternatives.com/ https://timesummit.org/ Kayvon Pirestani: https://timesummit.org/2018/03/19/kayvon-pirestani/ Michael Moro: https://timesummit.org/2018/04/21/michael-moro/ Tim McCourt: https://timesummit.org/2018/03/15/tim-mccourt/ Hu Liang: https://timesummit.org/2018/03/23/hu-liang/ The episode with Mike Belshe where we discuss custodying digital assets and qualified custodians: 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! Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Ethereal Summit: https://etherealsummit.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sat, 05 May 2018 22:42:00 -0000
Multicoin on the 1 Thing Crypto Teams Miss in Their Quests for Success
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
Tue, 01 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Paul Walsh of MetaCert on How Not to Get Scammed Out of Your Crypto
Paul Walsh had long ago predicted that internet scams would migrate from email to private messaging platforms, but it wasn't until crypto mania took off that his thesis was proved right -- in a big way. In the summer of 2017, the founder and CEO of MetaCert discovered many crypto Slack channels were being overrun by scammers capitalizing on FOMO to get people to inadvertently give them their ether and other tokens. Now, the company has several products to help prevent crypto enthusiasts from being scammed and it also decentralizing its work so the whole world can help classify bad links and proven others from being scammed. In this talk, he describes how the scams work, how Metacert tries to keep people from falling victim, and how best you can protect your own crypto. MetaCert the company: https://metacert.com MetaCert the protocol: http://metacertprotocol.com/ Story on phone hijackings: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#7125f2f738ba Link to episode where Mike Belshe and I discuss physical crimes against crypto people: 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! Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com Preciate: https://preciate.org, which is taking suggestions for new people to appreciate at https://preciate.org/recognize Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Trends in Crypto: Marco Santori, Michael Sonnenshein and Barbara Minuzzi on 2017 and What's Next
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
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000
The Chamber of Digital Commerce's Perianne Boring and Amy Kim on Why U.S. Crypto Regulation Is Complicated and Confusing
If U.S. crypto regulation seems incredibly convoluted, this is the episode for you. Perianne Boring, the founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, and its global policy director and general counsel Amy Kim, discuss why U.S. regulation calls crypto assets currency, property, commodities and securities, and how that results in agencies enforcing their own laws without a higher level understanding of the technology. They also discuss what they call the "failure" of the regulatory regime that requires certain types of crypto companies to get licenses from 53 different states and territories and why no firms have so far even gotten close. They also advocate for the technology to be taxed more like currency than property, claiming that the current classification stifles usage of cryptocurrencies as currencies. We also dive into juicy questions like whether ether, which was sold in what we would now call an initial coin offering, is a security and what self-regulation of the crypto space could look like. Chamber of Digital Commerce: https://digitalchamber.org/ Token Alliance: https://digitalchamber.org/initiatives/token-alliance/ Previous episodes on Unchained and Unconfirmed that touched on regulation: Live from SXSW: Michael Casey and Paul Vigna, Co-Authors of The Truth Machine, on Why the SEC Has Issued Subpoenas to ICOs http://unchainedpodcast.co/live-from-sxsw-michael-casey-and-paul-vigna-co-authors-of-the-truth-machine-on-why-the-sec-has-issued-subpoenas-to-icos 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 SXSW Episode: 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 The Tax Rules That Have Crypto Users 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 Is The IRS Justified In Demanding Information On Millions Of Bitcoin Users? http://unchainedpodcast.co/is-the-irs-justified-in-demanding-information-on-millions-of-bitcoin-users Federal Prosecutor Kathryn Haun On How Criminals Use Bitcoin -- And How She Catches Them: http://unchainedpodcast.co/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them How Coin Center Is Helping Define The 'Big Fuzzy Gray Area' Of Blockchain And Cryptocurrency Law http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-coin-center-is-helping-define-the-big-fuzzy-gray-area-of-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-law Thank you to our sponsors! Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Preciate: https://preciate.org/, make a suggestion for who to recognize in a future episode at https://preciate.org/recognize/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Live From Inforum at the Commonwealth Club: Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: The Basics, With Kathryn Haun
Through Inforum at the Commonwealth Club, I recently moderated a sold-out discussion on the basics of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. My guest was Kathryn Haun, a former federal prosecutor who is now teaching a class on cryptocurrency at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and serves on the boards of Coinbase and Hacker One. We go through all the elementary questions most newbies have: what is bitcoin, what is a blockchain, what is Ethereum, what is mining, etc., and give real examples of how this technology could be used. I think it's a perfect primer for people new to crypto -- whether you're listening for tips on how to explain these concepts to your friends and family, or you're a newbie yourself and want a dead-simple explainer. This is the first in a series of talks with Inforum on blockchain and crypto, so stay tuned for future events. Kathryn Haun: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/kathryn-haun Inforum at the Commonwealth Club: http://inforumsf.org/ http://inforumsf.org/upcoming-events/2018/4/12/blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-the-basics Thank you to our sponsors! Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Ethereal Summit: https://etherealsummit.com/ enter the code Unchained10 for 10% off And StartEngine: https://www.startengine.com/unchained for a 20% discount Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 15 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Bitfury on the Ways It Collaborates With Governments and Why It's Partnered With a Public Company
Valery Vavilov and George Kikvadze of Bitcoin mining and blockchain software company Bitfury discuss why the firm has partnered with the publicly traded Hut 8, how it plans to branch out into mining other crypto assets, and how it chooses where to open mining operations. They also explain how low the bitcoin price can go before mining will be unprofitable for them, what their new blockchain analytics tools Crystal can do, and why they often choose people outside the blockchain/crypto industry to attend the Blockchain Summit they co-host on Richard Branson's Necker Island. Vavilov also tells the story of a childhood experience that has influenced Bitfury's decision to work so much with governments and regulators, and he and Kikvadze describe the company's new blockchain analytics tool, Crystal, plus its hand in launching other blockchain-and-government-focused organizations such as the Blockchain Alliance and the Blockchain Trust Accelerator. Bitfury: http://bitfury.com/ Bitfury's origin story as told by Bill Tai: http://unchainedpodcast.co/maitai-globals-bill-tai-on-why-blockchain-is-the-6th-wave-of-technology Hut 8: https://www.hut8mining.com/ Exonum: https://exonum.com/ Necker Blockchain Summit: http://www.neckerblockchainsummit.com/ Blockchain Alliance: http://blockchainalliance.org/ Blockchain Alliance on Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-the-blockchain-alliance-helps-law-enforcement-with-bitcoin-crime-and-developments-like-the-dao Crystal: https://crystalblockchain.com/ Blockchain Trust Accelerator: https://trustaccelerator.org/ Pilot with Coca-Cola and State Department: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blockchain-coca-cola-labor/coca-cola-u-s-state-dept-to-use-blockchain-to-combat-forced-labor-idUSKCN1GS2PY Emercoin: https://emercoin.com/en Thank you to our sponsors! Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained Preciate, at https://preciate.org/. To recognize someone for a future ad spot, go to https://preciate.org/recognize/ Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000
All Things Cryptoeconomics, Pt. 1, With Olaf Carlson-Wee and Ryan Zurrer of Polychain Capital
In an intermittent series on cryptoeconomics, Olaf Carlson-Wee and Ryan Zurrer of crypto hedge fund Polychain Capital describe what cryptoeconomics is, what goals it typically helps networks accomplish and what behaviors token systems might someday incentivize. We discuss when cryptoeconomic models don't make sense, how the type of consensus algorithms a blockchain chooses can affect behavior in that system and which consensus mechanisms excite them now. We also dive into whether or not it's desirable for a cryptoeconomic system to depend on a small number of knowledgeable participants, how to manage on-chain governance so networks don't vote themselves into a "black hole," and what disciplines are helpful in designing smart cryptoeconomic systems. Polychain Capital http://polychain.capital/ Thank you to our sponsors: Preciate: Recognize someone with a shout out: https://preciate.org/recognize/ Bitwise Asset Management: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Zcash's Zooko Wilcox on Why He Believes Privacy Coins Will Be Used More for Good Than Bad
Zooko Wilcox, the founder and CEO of the Zcash company, explains why he wanted to create the privacy coin Zcash, why he believes privacy is essential to decentralization, and how encryption is the way censorship-resistance can be created on a technical level. We talk about the revelation that the NSA was targeting Bitcoin users by gathering details on their devices and how even Zcash users could be targeted the same way, but why Zooko believes most people are more concerned about other threats. We also delve into the Facebook/Cambridge Analytics news and why people don't see to care about privacy and why so few people choose to transact privately in Zcash. He also describes he would feel if he knew that criminals were using Zcash for horrible crimes. Zcash company: https://z.cash/ Matthew Green's bitter tweet about Cryptokitties raising $12 million when he had to beg VCs to give Zcash a fraction of that amount: https://twitter.com/matthew_d_green/status/976298627759972353 The transaction that Zooko and I dissect during the episode: https://explorer.zcha.in/transactions/eed1d3993e52863fd33f9961672a22d016ca2a63f1e452b7d27fc41f5a2f2664 The Intercept article about the NSA tracking Bitcoin users: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/20/the-nsa-worked-to-track-down-bitcoin-users-snowden-documents-reveal/ Thank you to our sponsors: Preciate: https://preciate.org/; nominate someone to be recognized in a future spot at https://preciate.org/recognize/ Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained StartEngine: https://www.startenginesummit.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Mar 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed - Ep.008 - Arianna Simpson of Autonomous Partners on Privacy, Cryptokitties and Crypto Regulation
Arianna Simpson, managing partner of investment firm Autonomous Partners, discusses this week's news that Cambridge Analytica had used data from Facebook to perhaps manipulate the 2016 election and whether that could create an opening for blockchain-based decentralized social networks. We also cover the announcement that Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures and top individual investors invested $12 million in Cryptokitties and why Simpson thinks the area of digital collectibles could take off. The Facebook/Cambridge Analytica story: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-trump-campaign.html Cryptokitties: https://www.coindesk.com/a16z-leads-12-million-funding-for-ethereum-app-cryptokitties/ Why Arianna isn't worried about the downturn: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-smart-money-isnt-worried-about-the-bitcoin-selloff-2018-03-19?siteid=rss Thank you to the sponsors of today's episode: Preciate: ​​​​https://preciate.org/ and https://preciate.org/recognize/ Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 23 Mar 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Mike Belshe on What BitGo's Kingdom Trust Acquisition Means for Crypto and How Security Will Develop in the Future
Mike Belshe, the founder and CEO of BitGo, talks about one of the biggest problems facing crypto today: security. We discuss some of the ways BitGo has resolved this issue, whether that still leads to single points of failure, and what the company's recent acquisition of Kingdom Trust (a "qualified custodian" as defined by the 1940 Investment Company Act) means for the space -- hint, it may have to do with ETFs. We also discuss the recent violent crimes against people in crypto and how everyday people should go about protecting their funds. Mike Belshe: https://twitter.com/mikebelshe BitGo: https://www.bitgo.com/ A Wired article on the BitGo acquisition of Kingdom Trust: https://www.wired.com/story/why-a-tiny-kentucky-firm-rules-a-corner-of-the-crypto-market/ New York Times article on crimes against crypto holders: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/technology/virtual-currency-extortion.html Thank you to our sponsors: Preciate: https://preciate.org/, which is taking suggestion for new people to recognize at https://preciate.org/recognize/ Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com/unchained StartEngine:https://www.startenginesummit.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 07:30:00 -0000
Live from SXSW: Michael Casey and Paul Vigna, Co-Authors of The Truth Machine, on Why the SEC Has Issued Subpoenas to ICOs
At the Founders Organization's Initial Taco Offering, an unofficial SXSW event, the co-authors of the recently released Truth Machine, talked about a wide range of regulatory issues from what the SEC subpoenas mean to whether or not the SEC is investigating the SAFT to whether or not the regulators should address crypto on a federal level. We also discuss central bank cryptocurrencies, how the dollar could be knocked off world reserve currency status, rogue governments issuing cryptocurrencies, the Telegram ICO, ways in which blockchain can be applied to problems such as climate change and how the media is covering crypto. The Truth Machine: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250304964 Michael Casey: http://www.michaeljcasey.com/ Paul Vigna: https://twitter.com/paulvigna Paul's article on SEC subpoenas: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sec-launches-cryptocurrency-probe-1519856266 Michael's essay on China's desire to end the dollar's global dominance: https://www.coindesk.com/political-china-hates-bitcoin-loves-blockchain/ Thank you to our sponsors: Preciate: https://preciate.org/, to recognize someone in a future episode, go to https://preciate.org/recognize/ and Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 18 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Caitlin Long on How 'Utility Tokens' Are Now Legal In Wyoming
Wyoming now has five blockchain-specific laws. Caitlin Long, cofounder of the Wyoming Blockchain Coalition, describes what these laws are, what they mean, and how our least populous state became a crypto leader. The former chairman and president of Symbiont explains what this could mean for any project that aims to launch a utility token, whether or not ICOs held in Wyoming would only be available to Wyoming residents, and what big issue she thinks remains for the SEC to address. Caitlin Long: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-long-/ To read the laws: https://legiscan.com/WY/bill/HB0070/2018 An op-ed Caitlin co-authored with WY House Rep. Tyler Lindholm: https://www.coindesk.com/haven-blockchain-case-wyoming/ Thank you to our sponsors, Onramp http://www.thinkonramp.com/ and Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
SXSW Episode: Amber Baldet, Blockchain Program Lead at JPMorgan, on the Potential Clash Between Blockchains and the Right to Be Forgotten
Amber Baldet, JPMorgan Chase blockchain program lead, talks about what she was discussing at SXSW with Hyperledger executive director Brian Behlendorf and what themes she heard at the Ethereum Community Conference in Paris. She talks about privacy in financial transactions, how "immutable" blockchains might conflict with a new EU privacy law granting people the "right to be forgotten." And we briefly touch on her work with Jalak Jobanputra's new diversity-focused group Collective Future. Privacy on Ethereum: https://www.coindesk.com/progress-hot-ethereum-privacy-projects-cooling-off/ The Collective Future: https://www.wired.com/story/for-women-in-cryptocurrency-a-new-effort-to-grow-their-ranks/ https://iapp.org/news/a/blockchain-technology-is-on-a-collision-course-with-eu-privacy-law/ Thank you to our sponsors: Preciate https://preciate.org/ which is seeking suggestions for who to appreciate at https://preciate.org/recognize/ and Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, 15 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: SXSW Episode: Former DOJ Prosecutor Kathryn Haun on What the SEC Subpoenas and FinCen Letter Likely Mean
As a former government official, current board member of Coinbase and professor at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Kathryn Haun has a unique and varied view of the crypto space. She doesn't necessarily see the SEC subpoenas as a reason to be alarmed and compares it to her work as a federal prosecutor. We also discuss the FinCen letter and why her take is different from the fear we've seen in the marketplace. SEC issues 80 subpoeast: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sec-launches-cryptocurrency-probe-1519856266?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1 The FinCen letter: https://coincenter.org/link/fincen-raises-major-licensing-problem-for-icos-in-new-letter-to-congress Thank you to our sponsors: Preciate https://preciate.org/ which is seeking suggestions for who to appreciate at https://preciate.org/recognize/ and Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed, 14 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
The Skeptics' Episode: Preston Byrne and Angela Walch on What the Industry and Regulators Get Wrong in Crypto
Preston Byrne, an independent consultant and English lawyer, and Angela Walch, an associate professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law who focuses on blockchain technology, both explain their criticisms of the crypto space, give grades to regulators on their job so far, and how they think major players in the space can improve. They discuss what systemic risks they believe crypto could pose to the wider financial system, how the current activity in the space is accruing "legal debt," and what it's like being a critic in a land of believers. Preston Byrne: https://prestonbyrne.com/ Angela Walch: https://law.stmarytx.edu/academics/faculty/angela-walch/ Sponsored by Preciate: https://preciate.org/ for https://preciate.org/recognize/ and StartEngine: http://startengine.com/ for https://www.startengine.com/pages/summit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed: Spencer Bogart on Bitcoin's Maturation and the SEC Overhang on Crypto
Spencer Bogart, partner at Blockchain Capital, discusses why he think Bitcoin's growing pains are a sign of success, how the SEC regulatory gloom could affect the development of crypto and how a liquidity crunch could affect crypto hedge funds. We also take a peek at the coming platform wars. Blockchain Capital: http://blockchain.capital/ New crypto hedge funds: https://hackernoon.com/the-fate-of-crypto-hedge-funds-ca5850e8421c Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 09 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Will Warren of 0x on Why Decentralized Exchanges Are the Future
Will Warren, cofounder of decentralized exchange protocol 0x, was working on building tokenized derivatives for Ethereum when he and his cofounder realized there would be no place to trade them. They ended up pivoting to create a decentralized exchange protocol, 0x, that enables companies to use that infrastructure to direct fulfill trade orders without worrying about a Mt. Gox- or Bitfinex-type hacking situation, as users would still retain control of their funds. In this conversation, he talks about the problems with centralized exchanges and how decentralized exchanges can overcome some of their own obstacles including liquidity and problems with front running. He also gives answers to some of the criticisms of the 0x project, including why it needs its own token (ZRX) and what the token's purpose is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Mar 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed - Ep.003 - The Gender Imbalance in Crypto: Jalak Jobanputra on Why It's a Problem and Her Effort to Fix It
Future Perfect Ventures' founder and managing partner Jalak Jobanputra and I discuss the New York Times article earlier this week about how few women there are in crypto. We discuss some of the surprising comments we saw from women in the space who wish the story hadn't been written and Jobanputra's new effort to increase diversity in crypto, The Collective Future. The New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/business/cryptocurrency-women-blockchain-bros.html Jutta Steiner's tweet: https://twitter.com/jutta_steiner/status/968158503096471553 Meltem Dermirors' tweet: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem/status/967983438945968130 Elizabeth Stark's tweet: https://twitter.com/starkness/status/968307972597272576 Wired article about The Collective Future: https://www.wired.com/story/for-women-in-cryptocurrency-a-new-effort-to-grow-their-ranks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 02 Mar 2018 11:09:00 -0000
Why It's so Hard to Keep Stablecoins Stable
Rune Christensen of MakerDAO and Philip Rosedale, founder of Second Life and High Fidelity, discuss why stablecoins are called crypto's holy grail, why they may be what's necessary for mainstream adoption, and all the ways a stablecoin can be constructed. Philip brings in his experience with Second Life's Linden dollars, often called the first true virtual currency, to describe how it was constructed and how he's planning to disseminate the cryptocurrency of his new virtual world, High Fidelity. Plus, we talk about why a digital USD wouldn't be a threat to stablecoins and whether collateralized stablecoins resemble fractional reserve banking or not. Maker DAO: https://makerdao.com/ High Fidelity: https://highfidelity.com/ HFC: https://docs.highfidelity.com/high-fidelity-commerce/basics/hfc More info on Linden dollars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Second_Life The Hacker Noon post by Haseeb Qureshi: https://hackernoon.com/stablecoins-designing-a-price-stable-cryptocurrency-6bf24e2689e5 IMF SDRs: http://www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2016/08/01/14/51/Special-Drawing-Right-SDR Episode with Bill Tai: http://unchainedpodcast.co/maitai-globals-bill-tai-on-why-blockchain-is-the-6th-wave-of-technology Vitalik's post on collateralized debt obligations for issuer-backed tokens: https://ethresear.ch/t/collateralized-debt-obligations-for-issuer-backed-tokens/525 Other stablecoins: Tether: https://tether.to/ Basecoin: http://www.getbasecoin.com/ Havven: https://havven.io/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Introducing Unconfirmed - Brian Kelly on Token-Curated Registries, Robinhood Crypto Trading and the Petro - Ep.002
Subscribe to my new show, Unconfirmed! Here's a sample: Brian Kelly of BKCM talks about token-curated registries, such as the proposal for Messari, by Ryan Selkis, formerly of Digital Currency Group and CoinDesk, and why such TCRs are probably a good idea, but what pitfalls they may face. We also discuss the highly anticipated launch of crypto trading on Robinhood and look behind the scenes at Venezuela's new crypto offering, the petro. Token curated registries: Proposal for Messari: https://medium.com/@twobitidiot/a-token-to-self-regulate-tokens-but-really-a61da77e6a7b TCRs generally: https://medium.com/@ilovebagels/token-curated-registries-1-0-61a232f8dac7 A curated list of resources on TCRs: https://medium.com/@tokencuratedregistry/the-token-curated-registry-whitepaper-bd2fb29299d6 Robinhood launches crypto trading: http://blog.robinhood.com/news/2018/2/21/robinhood-crypto-trading-is-here https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/22/free-crypto-trading/ Petro: A good tweet storm on some of the issues surrounding the petro's launch: https://twitter.com/alemacgo/status/966072887319973891 Some meeting having to do with the petro that Laura found amusing -- the guy's smiles begin around 00:25: https://twitter.com/infrabolivar/status/965777624516759552 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:30:00 -0000
MyCrypto's Taylor Monahan on Why She's Not a Fan of ICOs
The cofounder of MyEtherWallet and CEO of newly launched MyCrypto walks us through the nuts and bolts of how MyCrypto works, how it differs from a company like Coinbase, why the keys you get from the site even enable to work offline -- and how the company makes money. She also describes how the crypto community changed in 2017, her crazy sleeping schedule during that year, and how she responds when users ask questions like whether or not an initial coin offering will really deliver on the returns promised. We also cover what it's like being a CEO when running a company was never in her game plan, how she got into crypto after starting off in film school and what her tips are for not losing your crypto. https://mycrypto.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Unconfirmed's First Episode: Olaf Carlson-Wee of Polychain Capital on Governance
Check out the first episode of Unconfirmed, in which Olaf Carlson-Wee, CEO and founder of Polychain Capital, discusses why an issue facing the Ethereum community right now has him thinking about on-chain governance. If you enjoy the episode, subscribe to Unconfirmed today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sun, 18 Feb 2018 15:28:00 -0000
Go Check Out My New Podcast, Unconfirmed!
Unconfirmed: Insights and Analysis From the Top Minds in Crypto drops today! The first guest is Olaf Carlson-Wee, CEO and founder of crypto hedge fund Polychain Capital. We discuss the week's news and what is on Olaf's mind these days. It's available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Spotify, TuneIn and wherever you get your podcasts. Check it out and subscribe today! Online at: www.unconfirmedpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri, 16 Feb 2018 09:00:00 -0000
Shapeshift's Erik Voorhees on How Crypto Will Separate Money and State
Erik Voorhees says the greatest scam perpetrated on mankind is currency debasement -- and that crypto will change all that. In this wide-ranging interview, the CEO of crypto-to-crypto exchange Shapeshift talks about how crypto will take away power from central banks, why he believes "maximalists" -- those who believe one crypto asset will rule them all -- are wrong, and why someday we will look back and see the intertwining of money and state as barbaric and unjust, just as we now see the intertwining of church and state. We also discuss the prospects for Bitcoin in the face of high fees, how regulation will affect the development of crypto and why 2017 was the kind of year he hoped for when he got involved in Bitcoin in 2011. Shapeshift's products: https://shapeshift.io/#/coins https://prism.exchange/ https://www.keepkey.com/ http://coincap.io/ Erik's blog: http://moneyandstate.com/ His blog post addressing maximalism: http://moneyandstate.com/no-non-bitcoin-blockchains-are-not-disrespectful-to-satoshi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 13 Feb 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Xapo's Wences Casares on How Bitcoin Makes a Fairer World
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us find more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained Growing up in Argentina, Wences Casares saw his family lose all their money three times due to actions by the government. The so-called "patient zero" of Bitcoin in Silicon Valley explains why he believes that experience predisposed him to seeing the potential in Bitcoin earlier than most people, why it's so hard to explain Bitcoin to Americans and why the company he founded, Xapo, isn't just a Bitcoin vault and wallet company but his best effort at helping to ensure that Bitcoin succeeds. He talks about why he isn't scared of all the new competitors to his service, including Coinbase Custody, why Xapo hasn't branched out into any other crypto assets, and why he believes there's a more than 50% chance that Bitcoin is worth $1 million in five to ten years. Additionally, he still believes the attempt to accommodate more transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain with the SegWit2x fork, which he backed, was wrong -- even though the fees after its failure skyrocketed to as high as $60. Plus -- he reveals what it would look like if Bitcoin became a global standard of value, and why that vision doesn't threaten governments. Xapo: https://xapo.com/ Wences's Facebook Live with Dan Schulman of PayPal: https://www.facebook.com/DanSchulmanPayPal/videos/1419329821528449/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Feb 2018 08:30:00 -0000
The Tax Rules That Have Crypto Users Aghast
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained Tax attorney Tyson Cross and CPA Jason Tyra discuss all things crypto and taxes, including what types of crypto transactions are taxable events, how you'll be taxed on hard forks -- relevant for those who owned Bitcoin last August 1! -- and whether you can deduct a loss if you lose your private keys or exchange loses your coins. Plus, they reveal the top question they get from crypto enthusiasts and their top recommendations for people who love crypto but want to minimize their tax headache. Tyson Cross: https://www.bitcointaxsolutions.com/ Jason Tyra: https://www.tyracpa.com/ Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2018/01/23/the-tax-rules-that-have-crypto-users-aghast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Vitalik Buterin, Creator Of Ethereum, On The Big Guy Vs. The Little Guy
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained The 23-year-old whiz dives into who blockchains will someday help, how we transition from Ethereum for digital cats to higher social impact, and why even big companies like JPMorgan, Microsoft and BP are using Ethereum. He also walks through some important technical challenges Ethereum faces with scaling and the shift from a proof-of-work consensus algorithm to proof of stake. And he reveals why he isn't a big believer in on-chain governance. Plus, he talks about his worries and gives us his predictions for 2018. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2018/01/09/vitalik-buterin-creator-of-ethereum-on-the-big-guy-vs-the-little-guy/ Some of Vitalik's blog posts that we discussed: On token sales: http://vitalik.ca/general/2017/06/09/sales.html Interactive coin offerings: https://people.cs.uchicago.edu/~teutsch/papers/ico.pdf Blockchain governance: http://vitalik.ca/general/2017/12/17/voting.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Jan 2018 02:30:00 -0000
Crypto 101: Everything You Need To Know About Bitcoin, Ethereum, Blockchains, ICOs, And More
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained In this special bonus episode, Laura cover all your basic questions about crypto. What is Bitcoin? What is Ethereum? What is a blockchain? Share this episode with friends, family and anyone who is new to the crypto space and wants to understand what it's all about. Thanks to Elaine Zelby for conducting the interview! No show notes for this show, but some helpful links: Phone hijackings: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#1b2acf5a38ba Bitcoin -- these links are old but the information mostly still applies: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/12/11/should-you-invest-in-bitcoin-10-arguments-in-favor-as-of-december-2015/#34fbc792df28 https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/12/28/should-you-invest-in-bitcoin-10-arguments-against-as-of-december-2015/#117fcfe43895 https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/12/16/bitcoin-at-tax-time-what-you-need-to-know-about-trading-tipping-mining-and-more/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/12/31/want-to-own-bitcoin-heres-how-to-buy-invest-in-and-store-it/#792fd9d5b9ef ICOs: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/the-emperors-new-coins-how-initial-coin-offerings-fueled-a-100-billion-crypto-bubble/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/17/how-to-speculate-in-icos-10-practical-financial-tips/#3b8ca6ff5378 https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/18/how-to-speculate-in-icos-and-buy-tokens-an-easy-step-by-step-guide/#376caf8c743a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Dec 2017 02:30:00 -0000
How Crypto And Blockchain Technology Should Be Regulated
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained Marco Santori, who leads the blockchain technology team at Cooley, and Joshua Ashley Klayman, who leads the blockchain and smart contracts group at Morrisson and Forrester, explain why they disagree on how to ensure a token sale won't run afoul of securities laws, how they think regulation around crypto will likely be formed and why the Bitcliense has made New York a crypto innovation backwater. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/12/12/how-crypto-and-blockchain-technology-should-be-regulated/ Marco Santori: https://www.cooley.com/people/marco-santori Joshua Ashley Klayman: https://www.mofo.com/people/joshua-klayman.html The SAFT white paper: https://saftproject.com/ The Cardozo Blockchain Project SAFT response, "Not So Fast": https://cardozo.yu.edu/sites/default/files/Cardozo%20Blockchain%20Project%20-%20Not%20So%20Fast%20-%20SAFT%20Response_final.pdf Are ICOs For Utility Tokens Selling Securities? Prominent Crypto Players Say Yes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/02/are-icos-for-utility-tokens-selling-securities-prominent-crypto-players-say-yes/#107e96e34fa4 IRS Nabs Big Win Over Coinbase In Bid For Bitcoin Customer Data: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2017/11/29/irs-nabs-big-win-over-coinbase-in-bid-for-bitcoin-customer-data/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Dec 2017 02:30:00 -0000
Naval Ravikant On How Crypto Is Squeezing VCs, Hindering Regulators And Bringing Users Choice
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
Tue, 28 Nov 2017 02:30:00 -0000
What Bitcoin's History Says About Its Future
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained Days after the SegWit2x fork was called off, Nathaniel Popper, New York Times tech reporter and author of the book Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money, put this latest suspenseful chapter in Bitcoin's history into context. He discusses why he thinks Bitcoin has become such a vicious, polarized community, why so many of the early Bitcoiners ended up becoming supporters of big blocks, and what could happen to Bitcoin now that new money is entering the system but transactions are expensive and often backlogged. We also dive into who Satoshi Nakamoto might be, whether there are any viable Bitcoin businesses other than ones buying and selling Bitcoin and where regulation of the space is likely to go. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/14/what-bitcoins-history-says-about-its-future/ Digital Gold: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062362490/digital-gold Nathaniel's story on ICOs: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/technology/how-floyd-mayweather-helped-two-young-guys-from-miami-get-rich.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fnathaniel-popper His story on who Satoshi Nakamoto may be: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/business/decoding-the-enigma-of-satoshi-nakamoto-and-the-birth-of-bitcoin.html?_r=0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 02:30:00 -0000
What Will Happen At The Time Of The Bitcoin Hard Fork?
As Bitcoin faces the biggest test in its nine-year history, two players on opposing sides -- Mike Belshe of BitGo and Bitcoin protocol developer Matt Corallo -- debate how the community got here and what the definition of Bitcoin is -- whether the white paper or price determines it. We also look at how the upcoming hard fork could affect Bitcoin Cash, and debate whether or not censorship on the Bitcoin subreddits has influenced people’s views on the block size debate. Plus, they give their best post-hard fork predictions. For reference: Will This Battle For the Soul of Bitcoin Destroy It? https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/23/will-this-battle-for-the-soul-of-bitcoin-destroy-it/ Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/31/what-will-happen-at-the-time-of-the-bitcoin-hard-fork/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 14:58:05 -0000
How To Value A Crypto Asset
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained Chris Burniske of Placeholder Ventures has recently come out with a new book, "Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investors' Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond" that dives into what crypto assets are, what makes them a new asset class, and how you calculate a valuation for such a network. He applies what is known as the equation of exchange (MV = PQ) to crypto assets and describes why the velocity of crypto assets -- the frequency with which they change hands during a particular time frame -- is likely to be much higher than for traditional assets, and discusses why he gives crypto assets much higher discount rates, which are used to determine what you should pay now for something will be worth more later. Plus, we talk about why the financial incumbents are in for a rude awakening from public blockchains. Show notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/17/how-to-value-a-crypto-asset/ Book: https://www.bitcoinandbeyond.com/ Chris's Medium post on crypto asset valuations: https://medium.com/@cburniske/cryptoasset-valuations-ac83479ffca7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 17 Oct 2017 07:30:00 -0000
How To Explain Cryptocurrencies And Blockchains To The Average Person
Love Unchained? Please take this extremely brief survey to help us obtain more sponsors: https://survey.libsyn.com/unchained Tired of having your friends and family say cryptocurrencies are a Ponzi scheme, nothing backs them, they're in a bubble and only criminals use them? In this episode, Amanda Gutterman, chief marketing officer of ConsenSys, and Jamie Smith, global chief communications officer of Bitfury, tackle every common misconception of Bitcoin, Ethereum and cryptocurrencies. This is an episode you'll want your friends and family to listen to. Plus: Gutterman and Smith talk about how they did the seemingly impossible: create gender-balanced crypto conferences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 07:30:00 -0000
From Blockchains To Mooncakes: Two Chinese Crypto Founders On The ICO And Bitcoin Exchanges Ban
Da Hongfei of NEO and Patrick Dai of Qtum tell us just how crazy China's ICO craze was getting, with mooncake companies, celebs and Ponzi schemers all jumping on the blockchain train. They also explain what the reaction was to the ICO and bitcoin exchanges ban, how they're refunding investors (if the investors want to be refunded -- a big if) and what the future of crypto is in China. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/19/from-blockchains-to-mooncakes-two-chinese-crypto-founders-on-the-ico-and-bitcoin-exchanges-ban/ Qtum: https://qtum.org/ NEO: https://neo.org/ Previous episodes mentioned in the podcast: Interview with Smith & Crown: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/08/22/the-high-speed-world-of-icos-smith-and-crown-discuss-cryptoeconomics-and-the-future-of-tokens/ Interview with Bobby Lee: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/03/21/bobby-lee-ceo-of-btcc-on-why-the-chinese-probably-arent-using-bitcoin-to-evade-capital-controls/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Blockstack On Getting Independence From Google, Facebook And Amazon
Ryan Shea and Muneeb Ali, the cofounders of Blockstack, on how their tools enable users to control their own data, why the internet should have universal usernames but no company should control that, and why Blockstack’s storage system still allows users to choose centralized options like Google Drive and Dropbox. They also talk about how other blockchain systems are thinking about scaling wrong, why they launched a developer fund, and why a developer would choose Blockstack over Ethereum. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/05/blockstack-on-how-to-take-control-from-google-facebook-and-amazon/ BlockStack: https://blockstack.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 07:30:00 -0000
The High-Speed World Of ICOs: Smith and Crown Discuss Cryptoeconomics And The Future Of Tokens
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
Tue, 22 Aug 2017 07:30:00 -0000
How Bitcoin Solved This Serial Entrepreneur's Problems
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
Tue, 08 Aug 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Why November Will Be The Real Test For Bitcoin
Bitcoin core developer Eric Lombrozo and OB1 CEO Brian Hoffman debate whether SegWit2x is the best path forward, discuss who supported it and why, and whether the potential for a hard fork harms the price. They also discuss what happens to the power of core developers now that a change they didn’t support might get pushed through, what their ideal solutions for increasing transactions on the network are, and how much power miners should have. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/25/why-november-will-be-the-real-test-for-bitcoin/ Back story referenced in this episode: The different sides in Bitcoin threatening to cut each other out: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/03/21/is-this-massive-power-struggle-about-to-blow-up-bitcoin/#33e4c5047325 New York agreement: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/23/bitcoin-agreement-promises-to-resolve-years-long-impasse/#6ed7d8dd448d Economic activity moving to other blockchains: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/06/07/bitcoin-is-at-an-all-time-high-but-is-it-about-to-self-destruct/#2c563f8dcb31 Brian's company: https://ob1.io/ Eric's company: https://ciphrex.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 25 Jul 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Listener Qs: Laura On Ponzi Schemes, Bubbles, Greed And More
In this episode, coming one day after the release of my Forbes cover story online, I answer listener questions, starting with my background, the history of the podcast, whether or not I trade or invest in crypto, and what tokens I think have the strongest real-world application. If you haven't read the cover package, I highly recommend you do so now: Cover story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/the-emperors-new-coins-how-initial-coin-offerings-fueled-a-100-billion-crypto-bubble/ Sidebars: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/return-of-the-day-traders/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/how-crypto-tokens-work-a-close-look-at-golem/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/not-so-tiny-bubbles-the-top-25-crypto-assets/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/cryptos-in-wonderland-12-of-the-weirdest-wackiest-coins/ And if you haven't listened to the episode with Olaf Carlson-Wee, I strongly suggest you check that out now as well: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/why-the-first-employee-of-coinbase-launched-a-hedge-fund/id1123922160?i=1000382301347&mt=2 Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dg3qrzci54ppzevdqvztwap2yiu?t=Why_The_First_Employee_Of_Coinbase_Launched_A_Hedge_Fund-Unchained_Big_Ideas_From_The_Worlds_Of_Bloc I also get philosophical, fielding listener questions about whether blockchain is a Ponzi scheme, whether greed will undercut the democratic possibilities offered by blockchain and whether this isn't really a bubble but just a new form of exponential growth. I also cover security in this episode, and would like to point readers to this story that explains the phone hijacking situation: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/ Some tips on how to protect yourself: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/21/hackers-are-hijacking-phone-numbers-and-breaking-into-email-and-bank-accounts-how-to-protect-yourself/#720a302f4e1b Other episodes referenced in this podcast are the ones with Coin Center, Kathryn Haun, Michael Casey, Elizabeth Rossiello and Matt Roszak. Please give a listen to those as well if you haven't! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 11 Jul 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Why Digital Currency Group's Meltem Demirors Is Concerned About The ICO Craze
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
Tue, 13 Jun 2017 07:30:00 -0000
'Bitcoin Oracle' Vinny Lingham On Why Bitcoin Is Overpriced
The Civic CEO and cofounder explains how his upbringing in South Africa and his experience at former company Gyft led him to launch a startup focused on identity. It was also at Gyft that he realized how enthusiastic the bitcoin and cryptocurrency crowd is and how a business could harness that enthusiasm to grow its user base. We discuss why the ICO craze has only just gotten started and how cultural differences could make the scams and speculation worse than in previous bubbles. Plus, Lingham explains what risks in bitcoin investors aren't pricing in and why he believes the odds of a split in bitcoin are currently greater than 50%. Don't forget to take the Unchained podcast survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained Civic: https://www.civic.com/ Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/30/bitcoin-oracle-vinny-lingham-on-why-bitcoin-is-overpriced/ More on ICOs: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/16/icos-why-people-are-investing-in-this-380-million-phenomenon/#ff1983411a18 The risks of a split in Bitcoin: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/03/21/is-this-massive-power-struggle-about-to-blow-up-bitcoin/#5c5658677325 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 30 May 2017 07:30:00 -0000
ICOs: Why People Are Investing In This $380 Million Phenomenon
Don't forget to take the Unchained podcast survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained Developers of new cryptocurrencies are raising gobs of money with little more than a white paper. Though real advances are likely to emerge from the trend, the bubble could get worse before it gets better. William Mougayar, organizer of the upcoming Token Summit, and Nick Tomaino, cohost, discuss where ICOs are going wrong now, what best practices would help the space mature, and how to separate ICO wheat and chaff. Show notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/16/icos-why-people-are-investing-in-this-380-million-phenomenon/ Links: Token Summit: http://tokensummit.com/ The Business Blockchain: http://thebusinessblockchain.com/ Startup Mangement: http://startupmanagement.org/ The Control: https://thecontrol.co/ Runa Capital: http://www.runacap.com/ Episodes referenced: Brock Pierce of Blockchain Capital and Stan Miroshnik of The Argon Group: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/04/18/this-vc-is-sure-venture-capital-is-about-to-be-disrupted/ Olaf Carlson-Wee of Polychain Capital: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/03/07/why-this-hedge-fund-ceo-once-put-most-of-my-meager-life-savings-into-bitcoin/#6c20ccd14e15 Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh of Coin Center: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/10/18/how-coin-center-is-helping-define-the-big-fuzzy-gray-area-of-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-law/#11112aa960e6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 16 May 2017 07:30:00 -0000
IBM's Jerry Cuomo On Everything From Blockchain Security To Hyperledger To The Internet Of Things
Thanks to all the listeners who've let me know what you want to hear more of, what you like about the show, and who you want to see as guests. If you haven't yet, have a say in the direction of the show -- tell me what you like, what the podcast could do better, and who you are: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained Jerry Cuomo has been at IBM his whole career and says that the emergence of blockchain technology is the second time in his career he has seen a breakthrough that will affect the lives of everyday people. IBM's VP of blockchain technologies talks about the company's work in areas as diverse as food safety in its project with Walmart, how blockchains will interact with Internet of Things devices and how it's approaching its identity work. Plus, he dives into what security for a permissioned blockchain looks like, whether IBM will lock its clients into its software, and what exactly its role is with the Hyperledger Foundation. Show notes are available here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/02/ibms-jerry-cuomo-on-everything-from-blockchain-security-to-hyperledger-to-the-internet-of-things/ IBM blockchain: https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/ We also reference my interview with Kathryn Haun of the Department of Justice: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/11/01/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 02 May 2017 07:30:00 -0000
This VC Is Sure Venture Capital Is About To Be Disrupted
Don't forget to take the Unchained Podcast survey! http://surveymonkey.com/r/unchained Blockchain Capital's recent BCAP token offering is a harbinger of things to come in venture capital and private equity, says the firm's managing director Brock Pierce. And Stan Misohnik, the CEO and cofounder of a new investment bank focused on cryptocurrency called The Argon Group, seconds that. Pierce talks about how his career in cryptocurrency started with video games, how Blockchain Capital's three funds have evolved over time, why he is taking the step to disrupt himself, and why his phone number is being handled by the office of T-Mobile's president. And Miroshnik explains how his background in capital markets helped him see the business opportunity and why the BCAP token issuer was based in Singapore. Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/04/18/this-vc-is-sure-venture-capital-is-about-to-be-disrupted/ Blockchain Capital: http://blockchain.capital/ The Argon Group: https://argongroup.com/ Blockchain Capital III Digital Liquid Venture Fund: https://blockchaincapital.tokenhub.com/ The phone hijacking article Brock and I reference: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/ The episode with Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh of Coin Center: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/10/18/how-coin-center-is-helping-define-the-big-fuzzy-gray-area-of-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-law/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Apr 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Why Bitcoin May Split In Two And How To Prevent It
Please take the Unchained podcast survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/unchained The bitcoin community is mired in a civil war. In this episode of the Unchained podcast, supporters of opposing sides -- former Bitcoin Core developer Jeff Garzik and Litecoin creator Charlie Lee -- explain why nuclear options are on the table. The discussion touches on whether high transaction fees are bad for the network or a necessary evil, which would be considered the "true" bitcoin if the currency split in two, and whether the cryptocurrency is already centralized, or controlled by a few. We also discuss why bitcoin can't just look at the playbook of other open source projects to get past this stalemate. And they give advice to current bitcoin owners wondering whether to sell or hold through this bitcoin game of chicken. Show notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/04/04/why-bitcoin-may-split-in-two-and-how-to-prevent-it/ Other links: Bloq: http://bloq.com/ Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/ Litecoin: https://litecoin.org/ This episode was sponsored by OnRamp: http://www.thinkonramp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Bobby Lee, CEO Of BTCC, On Why The Chinese Probably Aren't Using Bitcoin To Evade Capital Controls
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
Tue, 21 Mar 2017 07:30:00 -0000
Why The First Employee Of Coinbase Launched A Hedge Fund
Olaf Carlson-Wee is the founder of Polychain Capital, a hedge fund that has invested $15 million into digital assets and has gotten backing from storied venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures. In this episode, Carlson-Wee recounts war stories from the early days of bitcoin, including how he learned about bitcoin before his computer science professors, bought bitcoins with cash and created “the Bitcoin SAT” to make hires at Coinbase. He also describes how to separate cryptocurrency scams from legitimate ventures, how he plays blackjack against a smart contract and why launching a digital asset hedge fund means he can no longer earn and spend mostly in bitcoin. Read the show notes. Other links: Polychain Capital Coinbase Golem Tezos This episode was sponsored by Onramp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 08:30:00 -0000
Why Nasdaq Is Even More Optimistic About Blockchain Than It Was 3 Years Ago
Fredrik Voss, Nasdaq's head of blockchain initiatives, discusses what the company has accomplished with the technology and how his firm evaluates whether potential projects could benefit from a blockchain solution. He also reveals what is likely to really slow adoption of distributed ledgers (hint: not the tech itself) and gives advice to other companies looking to incorporate it. Read the show notes and my magazine story on Chain and its work with Nasdaq. This episode was sponsored by Onramp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 08:30:00 -0000
With Deadline Looming, Will The SEC Approve A Bitcoin ETF?
The SEC will make a decision on a proposed bitcoin ETF by March 11. Will it approve? An optimist and pessimist weigh in, touching upon bitcoin’s liquidity, the impact recent events in China have had on its trading, as well as proposals for bitcoin ETFs by other companies. Plus, they reveal what impact an ETF could have on the bitcoin market. Read the show notes. Other links: Needham & Company Global Advisors Gemini This episode was sponsored by Onramp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 07 Feb 2017 08:30:00 -0000
Is The IRS Justified In Demanding Information On Millions Of Bitcoin Users?
The IRS found three entities using bitcoin to evade taxes and has now demanded the records of millions of users at Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange. An accountant and an attorney specializing in cryptocurrency discuss whether the IRS is overreaching, how this "unprecedented" case differs from previous ones pursued by the IRS, and what they think the ultimate outcome will be. Read the show notes. Other links: Coinbase Berns Weiss LLP Global Tax Accountants Brian Armstrong's response on Medium My magazine feature on Coinbase This episode was sponsored by Onramp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 24 Jan 2017 08:30:00 -0000
What Is One Of The World's Largest Derivatives Exchanges Doing With Bitcoin?
CME Group handles three billion contracts worth about $1 quadrillion annually. So why is it making a foray into bitcoin, whose market capitalization is a mere $16 billion? Sandra Ro, CME's head of digitization, explains its first cryptocurrency products, the Bitcoin Reference Rate and the Bitcoin Real-Time Index, as well as a forthcoming blockchain-based product, Royal Mint Gold. She also reveals which other cryptocurrencies have piqued her interest and which other physical world assets she thinks could be traded by blockchain. Read the show notes. Other links: CME's Bitcoin Reference Rate Bitcoin Real-Time Index Royal Mint Gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 08:30:00 -0000
Federal Prosecutor Kathryn Haun On How Criminals Use Bitcoin -- And How She Catches Them
Kathryn Haun put away the DEA and Secret Service agents who tried to make off with more than $800,000 in stolen bitcoin while investigating the darknet Silk Road marketplace. She talks about how the blockchain technology underlying Bitcoin made it possible to uncover their theft, why she believes blockchain will create a lot of good, and what she does when the very people behind tumblers and mixers -- technology that makes her work more difficult -- turn to her when they are the victims of crimes. Along the way, we learn about the habits of cryptocurrency criminals and get a fascinating view into the world of "breeder documents." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 08:00:00 -0000
How Coin Center Is Helping Define The 'Big Fuzzy Gray Area' Of Blockchain And Cryptocurrency Law
As blockchains and cryptocurrencies evolve, there are times when the technology outpaces the law. That's when Coin Center steps in. The non-profit, which represents the technology, not the industry, and aims for regulators to keep a mostly hands-off attitude, has already helped shape questions around which types of Bitcoin wallet providers are financial institutions and whether new coins being offered represent securities. And answering these questions has drawn it back into previous cases involving everything from Florida orange groves to Manhattan co-ops to golf club memberships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 18 Oct 2016 08:00:00 -0000
What Does Cornell’s Emin Gun Sirer See As The Main Security Threats In Cryptocurrency? ‘Everything’
Cornell University computer science professor Emin Gun Sirer, an influential figure in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, describes his ideas for improving security in the space, his skepticism about how to scale these networks, and how the last time financial institutions invested in their systems appears to be for Y2K. He also tells us how growing up in an environment where he saw a lot of scams helps him find problems in code, explains why Bitcoin is the “universal bug bounty,” and reveals how two high school students saved burgeoning cryptocurrency network Ethereum “like in the movies — just before the clock was going to expire.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 04 Oct 2016 08:00:00 -0000
Why A Wall Street Journal Currency Reporter Didn't Understand Money Until He Learned About Bitcoin
Michael Casey, senior advisor at MIT's Media Lab and author of the Age of Cryptocurrency, spent 18 years at the Wall Street Journal -- a good portion of that covering currency markets. But he says it wasn't until he learned about Bitcoin that he really understood what money was. In this episode of Unchained, he explains why, plus discusses why he thinks China will play a key role in moving the world to a cryptocurrency- or blockchain-based trade settlement system, what that could mean for the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency and what he thinks is the most cutting-edge work being done in blockchain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 20 Sep 2016 08:00:00 -0000
Why Tyler And Cameron Winklevoss Fell In Love With Bitcoin
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, CEO and President, respectively, of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, talk about the importance of regulation in a sector once associated in popular culture with illicit activity. The twin brothers, who were the first to file with the SEC for a Bitcoin ETF, recount how they went from competing in the Olympics to launching a cryptocurrency company, explain why they believe private blockchains are really just distributed databases, and discuss why we've seen so many hacks of Bitcoin exchanges. They also touch on an emerging trend, app-coins or new cryptographic tokens being used to run, say, peer-to-peer versions of Dropbox or Reddit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 08:00:00 -0000
Blockchain 101 With Andreas Antonopoulos: How Bitcoin Makes Each Of Us As Powerful As A Bank
“Shifting from a perspective of 'only humans control money' to 'machines and software control money' is really radical and it changes a lot of things,” says the popular blockchain and Bitcoin author and speaker Andreas Antonopoulos. Antonopoulos discusses why the real magic of blockchain is decentralization, why criticisms that Bitcoin is a waste of energy are wrong, and why he now charges a 20% premium to be paid by wire transfer instead of bitcoin. And if you're amazed by the idea of a self-driving car, wait until you hear his description of how the taxis of the future might operate. Read the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 08:00:00 -0000
How The Blockchain Alliance Helps Law Enforcement With Bitcoin Crime And Developments Like The DAO
Jason Weinstein and Alan Cohn, partner and of counsel, respectively at law firm Steptoe & Johnson, discuss their work with the Blockchain Alliance, a coalition of both blockchain and cryptocurrency companies as well as law enforcement agencies including Interpol, the FBI, the SEC, Europol and others. Find out how crime in Bitcoin is similar to all types of crime, what genuinely new questions are being raised, and how various law enforcement agencies might think about even recent developments like the emergence of the DAO and the subsequent DAO hack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 08:00:00 -0000
Chain's Adam Ludwin On Who Is Best Poised To Benefit From Blockchain Technology
As blockchain technology remakes financial services, some companies will be better positioned than others, says Adam Ludwin, CEO of Chain, which has partnered with incumbents like Visa, Citi and Nasdaq. Ludwin describes which types of firms will emerge winners and the mindset of the executives who really get it. He also explains why he is certain central banks will one day issue digital currency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 08:00:00 -0000
Want to Diversify Your Portfolio? Try Bitcoin, Say ARK's Chris Burniske And Coinbase's Adam White
Invest in oil and gold? In this episode, the co-authors of a compelling white paper explain the four reasons why they believe you may soon be investing in digital oil and digital gold instead. Find out why their analysis prompted Burniske to say of bitcoin, "That's an investor's dream," why White mentioned the saying, "On the blockchain, no one knows you're a refrigerator," and how well ARK's investment in bitcoin has performed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 08:00:00 -0000
MaiTai Global's Bill Tai On Why Blockchain Is The 6th Wave Of Technology
Bill Tai, a venture capitalist who got his start as a computer chip designer in the 1980s, places blockchain in the context of the broader technological revolution of the last three decades. He also reveals how Bitfury, a company in which he's an investor and board member, built a more efficient chip though the designers had never been formally trained; what blockchain advocacy group was founded in Sir Richard Branson's hot tub; and how he formed MaiTai Global, a series of kiteboarding-and-tech events in some of the most glamorous destinations around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 08:00:00 -0000
Bloq's Matt Roszak on Necker Island: Connecting Multiple Blockchains, China and Tech Cooperatives
Matt Roszak, a venture capitalist for 20 years, discusses how his new company Bloq, cofounded with former Bitcoin core developer Jeff Garzik (from talks they began on Necker Island last year), serves enterprise clients and envisions a multi-chain future in which different blockchains can connect with each other. He also gives his thoughts on business models in a decentralized future and the influence China will play on the development of Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Plus, we find out what happened in his tennis game against Sir Richard Branson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, 14 Jun 2016 07:09:14 -0000
BitPesa's Elizabeth Rossiello on Necker Island
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
Tue, 14 Jun 2016 07:04:36 -0000
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