Downtober drags on… but not all is bearish. On this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David break down why sentiment feels cold despite strong BTC, and the three ways this cycle could play out. Plus, gold is ripping! Can crypto catch up? We also cover Dankrad’s jump to Tempo, Coinbase’s Echo deal, Polymarket’s NHL play, the Fed’s potential FedWire opening, and the AI trading showdown. ------ 📣BANKLESS SUMMIT 2025 | SPONSORED BY M0 https://bankless.cc/devconnet-2025 https://bankless.cc/m0 ------ BA...
Oct 24, 2025•1 hr 9 min
a16z crypto’s CTO Eddy Lazzarin and partner Daren Matsuoka return for our annual State of Crypto to map where 2025 really is on the curve: a price–innovation cycle poised to hand the baton back to builders, Bitcoin holding ~50% share, and 70M people now using crypto on-chain out of 716M owners. We dig into why institutions are actually shipping (not just PR), how stablecoins now rival Visa-scale volumes and sit among top U.S. Treasury holders, why DEX spot share near 20% changes price discovery,...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Is the crypto cycle already over, or is this just a reset before one last push? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to break down why he went 70% cash ahead of the flash crash, what late-cycle data he’s watching, and the signals that would flip him back risk on. We dig into Bitcoin’s 50-week moving average, ETH’s $8–10K scenarios, slowing ETF flows, rising leverage, and whether global liquidity and AI could still drive a melt-up. Michael explains why this cycle has felt muted, what wo...
Oct 21, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Futarchy flips governance on its head—decisions aren’t voted on, they’re traded on. In this conversation with Felipe Montealegre of Thea Research and Proph3t, co-founder of MetaDAO, we explore how market-driven governance can eliminate the token “rug pull” problem, create true shareholder protections on-chain, and unlock the next era of crypto capital markets. From prediction markets and token design to MetaDAO’s “ownership coins,” this is how futarchy could make crypto investable again. ------ ...
Oct 20, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Markets just saw a $19B wipeout in a single day. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, we break down the Friday Flash Crash, what really caused it, and whether it signals the end of the cycle or just a reset. We also cover Binance’s leaked listing fees, a major Chinese tech company quietly building on Ethereum, and reports that the U.S. may add $14B in Bitcoin to its strategic reserve. Plus, Democrats renew their push against DeFi, and Larry Fink gears up for BlackRock’s next big crypto play. ------ 📣I...
Oct 17, 2025•1 hr 10 min
A $19B liquidation wave hit crypto 10 days after Lighter’s public mainnet—so we asked founder/CEO Vladimir Novakovski why they built a ZK L2 Perp DEX on Ethereum, how the escape hatch actually protects users, and what really happened under extreme stress. We dig into ADL vs. LLP, trader-first design, and why verifiability (not vibes) should govern order matching and liquidations. Vlad shares throughput targets, why Lighter chose custom ZK circuits over a generalized ZKVM, and what’s next: Spot, ...
Oct 16, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Binance listing fees, finally out in the open. CJ Hetherington, Founder of Limitless, published the offer he received after no NDA. 8% of total token supply and $250k. We dig into why the founders accept deals like this, the hidden sell pressure, and how onchain price discovery can replace CEX gatekeeping. CJ also breaks down Limitless on Base, instant-settlement price markets, and the path to Coinbase via Aerodrome. ------ 📣IMMUNEFI | CRYPTO SECURITY OS https://bankless.cc/Immunefi ------ BANK...
Oct 15, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Tom Lee and Arthur Hayes map how crypto is flipping Wall Street: BTC at fresh highs, ETH’s comeback, and a surge of institutional capital, tokenization, and stablecoin rails. Tom lays out Bitmine’s big ETH accumulation and bold targets (BTC $200–250k, ETH $10–12k), while Arthur dives into cycles, liquidity, why perps outshine leveraged ETFs, and the looming clash between prediction markets and TradFi. Plus: banks turning into on-chain tech companies and what Tether’s rise signals for the new ban...
Oct 13, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Gold shatters $4,000, Bitcoin quietly hits new all-time highs, and Wall Street just made its biggest bet yet on prediction markets. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, we break down why the debasement trade is heating up, how the AI bubble is shaping markets, and what it all means for crypto’s next move. We cover BNB’s explosive run to the #3 spot, ICE’s $2B investment in Polymarket, and ETH staking ETFs officially going live. Plus, Solana ETF approval looks imminent, Asian capital rotates onchain, an...
Oct 10, 2025•1 hr 7 min
In this episode of Bankless, Ryan and David dive into prediction markets and their place in today’s financial landscape. They unpack how peer-to-peer markets differ from traditional sportsbooks, spotlighting Polymarket and Kalshi, and explore scalability, regulation, and societal impact. Are these markets tools for informed decision-making or just another gambling avenue? ------ 📣BANKLESS SUMMIT 2025 | SPONSORED BY M0 https://bankless.cc/summit-2025 https://bankless.cc/M0 ------ BANKLESS SPONSO...
Oct 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Why does China build so much faster—and what does that reveal about two very different ways of running a society? Ryan and David sit down with Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, to unpack China’s “engineers-in-charge” model versus America’s “lawyerly” governance. We cover how this shapes daily life and growth (from subways and high-speed rail to batteries, EVs, and drones), common western misconceptions about China (surveillance, social credit, “imminent collaps...
Oct 08, 2025•1 hr 30 min
OpenAI’s personalization leads, Christina Kaplan and Samir Ahmed map the shift from an “assistant with a notebook” to Pulse—the part of ChatGPT that quietly preps your day while you sleep. We unpack how short- and long-term memory work across sessions and why April’s subtle update changed the experience, show how daytime chats stay aligned with overnight prep, and close on the big questions: privacy, consent, and why this is an assistant/representative—not a digital clone. ------ 💫 LISTEN TO TH...
Oct 07, 2025•26 min
How do you spend money in ways that actually make life better? Morgan Housel, author of the new book The Art of Spending Money , explores status vs. satisfaction, the hedonic treadmill, and why money’s best use is buying independence. We also cover quiet compounding, a practical 15-stage path to financial freedom, when to spend vs. save, helping kids without spoiling them, and small experiments that raise the utility of every dollar. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https:...
Oct 06, 2025•1 hr 23 min
In this week’s Weekly Rollup, Uptober kicks off with Bitcoin and Ethereum surging toward all-time highs as Tom Lee drops another $1B into ETH and Vanguard finally opens its doors to crypto ETFs. We cover Stripe’s push to break the Tether–Circle duopoly with its new stablecoin platform, Cloudflare’s surprising entry into onchain payments, and Swift teaming up with Consensys on blockchain rails. Plus, Zcash rockets 200%, Ethereum’s Lighter perps exchange goes live, and Circle sparks debate with pl...
Oct 03, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Authoritarian regimes are upgrading their playbook — from surveillance cameras and spyware to algorithmic censorship and AI-driven policing. Steven Feldstein, senior fellow at Carnegie and author of The Rise of Digital Repression, joins Bankless to map the expanding world of repression technology. We cover everything from Nepal’s protest movement to China’s sophisticated censorship stack, the global spyware industry, and the unsettling rise of predictive policing and AI in warfare. Along the way...
Oct 02, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Is this really the cycle top, or just a reset before Q4 fireworks? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to decode the latest onchain and macro data. We dig into Bitcoin’s key levels, ETH’s $4K line, and why September’s liquidation event might have cleared the path for new highs in Q4. Michael explains what a “mini alt season” tells us about dominance, where fresh capital could come from, and how to think about positioning ahead of year-end. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https:/...
Sep 30, 2025•52 min
Crypto vs. Banks — the proxy war for the future of money is heating up. Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and former CFTC Commissioner, joins Bankless to unpack the battle over the GENIUS Act, why banks are fighting to roll it back, and how stablecoins have become the frontline. From Elizabeth Warren’s fading influence to the $700M bank lobbying machine, we explore what’s really happening on Capitol Hill, the global stakes for stablecoins, and how upcoming U.S. policy could res...
Sep 29, 2025•1 hr 5 min
In this week’s Weekly Rollup, we break down “Downtemper” market moves as Bitcoin and Ethereum slide, and examine why Vitalik Buterin is calling low-risk DeFi Ethereum’s true backbone. We highlight Tether’s ambitious $500B raise, Polymarket’s mainstream moment on South Park, and Gary Gensler’s testy CNBC appearance. We also cover Paul Atkins’ push for pro-crypto regulation, the heated debate over whether Base should be regulated like Nasdaq, and the surprising deletion of 86 million bank accounts...
Sep 26, 2025•1 hr 4 min
James Seyffart from Bloomberg Intelligence joins to break down the state of crypto ETFs and their explosive growth. We cover the rise of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, the debate between ETFs and DATs, and the institutional inflows reshaping the market. James explains how advisors, hedge funds, and sovereign wealth funds are participating, the regulatory hurdles around staking ETFs, and why basket products may be the next big wave. We also explore the implications of tokenized ETFs, the S&P 500’...
Sep 25, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Vitalik Buterin just declared DeFi as Ethereum’s “killer app.” In his new post, he compares it to Google Search, the dependable core business that powers everything else. Ryan and David break down why Vitalik believes DeFi has finally earned this title, how it survived the volatility of the last cycle, and what it means for ETH as collateral, culture, and revenue. They cover the Google analogy, the risks DeFi has outgrown, and why this moment could define Ethereum’s future. ------ 📣0G | CRYPTO ...
Sep 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min
What happens when stablecoins break apart the traditional business model of banks? Economist Charles Calomiris explains how the “unbundling” of payments and lending reshapes finance, why politics matter more than technology, and what this revolution could mean for the dollar’s future. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https:/...
Sep 22, 2025•1 hr 35 min
In this Weekly Rollup, we discuss the implications of recent Federal Reserve rate cuts on crypto markets, exploring their potential benefits for Bitcoin and Ethereum. We highlight the SEC's easing of crypto ETF regulations, Tether's new compliant stablecoin, and SEC Chair Paul Atkins' vision for clearer regulations. Finally, we touch on how global finance is adapting to crypto innovations in Ghana and Nepal. --- 📣0G | CRYPTO X AI https://bankless.cc/OGAI --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SEL...
Sep 19, 2025•1 hr 7 min
What if payment chains are the “AWS moment for money”? Simon Taylor — fintech veteran, ex-Barclays crypto lead, and author of FinTech Brainfood — joins Bankless to map the convergence of fintech and crypto. From stablecoins serving as the Trojan horse for tokenisation to Tempo’s push for a payments chain, Simon explains why finance is on the brink of its biggest infrastructure shift since Visa. We cover the rise of payments L1s, the regulatory roulette of stablecoins, and whether neutrality and ...
Sep 17, 2025•1 hr 40 min
Why do recessions feel like a relic of the past? Macro strategist Vincent Deluard argues we’ve entered an era where fiscal dominance, structural inflation, and relentless asset debasement reshape how capital flows and how investors must position themselves. We cover the U.S. supercycle, the role of tech and energy, why the “2% inflation target” is dead, and what a portfolio looks like in the age of permanent stimulus. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/sp...
Sep 15, 2025•1 hr 33 min
🏴 Access all episodes with Citizenship 🏴 https://www.bankless.com/premium —— In this bonus episode of the Bankless podcast, we highlight insights from three guests featured in the Bankless premium feed. Uma Roy from Succinct discusses the Succinct Prover Network's role in enhancing Ethereum's transaction capabilities. Preston Van Loon outlines the upcoming hard forks Fusaka and Glamsterdam, along with essential privacy innovations. DeFi pioneer Dave from CapMoney presents a novel stablecoin mo...
Sep 13, 2025•21 min
In the 2nd Weekly Rollup of Flat-tember, we discuss whether the crypto bull market is over amid rising unemployment and market uncertainty. We cover stablecoin competition for Hyperliquid partnerships, Justin Sun's frozen WFLI tokens, and Nasdaq's tokenized equities. With Ethereum leading in asset tokenization, they also reflect on lost SEC Chair Gensler's texts and the rise of DAOs, alongside major moves from Fidelity and Robinhood. —- 📣SANCTUM | STAKE YOUR SOL https://bankless.cc/Sanctum-repo...
Sep 12, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Ryan & David sit down with Ondo Finance’s Nathan Allman and Ian De Bode to map the path from stablecoins to tokenized treasuries to tokenized stocks. We break down why Ondo’s wrapper model is set out to win, how blockchain brings 24/5 primary markets with 24/7 secondary markets, Defi composability and liquidity at fair prices. Ethereum and Ondo are leading a $100T onchain migration you can’t miss. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ---...
Sep 11, 2025•1 hr 35 min
Hyperliquid is less than a year old, yet it’s already rivalling Ethereum and Solana in revenue. In this episode, Ryan and Michael from the DeFi Report dive deep into the rise of crypto’s hottest exchange: from its fair-launch token drop to its Binance-like UX, to why whales and builders can’t get enough of it. We cover the project’s inception story, the ecosystem forming around HyperEVM, and the unique buyback model funnelling millions back into its token. Along the way, we unpack tough question...
Sep 10, 2025•59 min
Zach Abrams—co-founder of Bridge, acquired by Stripe—joins Ryan to unpack Stripe’s stablecoin strategy and why tokenized dollars are poised to devour global payments. We cover Bridge’s sale to Stripe, how “fiat L1 / stablecoin L2” rails unlock faster, cheaper cross-border payouts (from startups to government aid), the case for many issuer- and app-specific stablecoins with better yield sharing, and what the Tempo chain targets for payment-scale throughput, privacy, and finality. ------ 📣SPOTIFY...
Sep 08, 2025•1 hr 32 min
In this episode, we discuss Ethereum's rise past $4,780 and co-host David Hoffman's insights from Burning Man. We explore Ethereum's treasury dynamics, the debut of the World Liberty Financial Token, and potential Bitcoin and Ethereum listings on major exchanges. The episode also covers advancements in tokenized securities, competition in prediction markets, and the quirky rise of tokenized Pokémon cards. Join us for a concise look at the latest in crypto! --- 📣SANCTUM | STAKE YOUR SOL https://...
Sep 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min
