Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Solana Co-Founder Anatoly Yakovenko discuss all things Solana: how it all started, the core differentiators of the Solana blockchain (and how it compares to Ethereum), the evolution and state of its developer ecosystem, and the web3 phone that the Solana team is shipping this year.
Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas and Head of Institutional Research, David Duong, review the year in crypto. They cover some of the topics in Coinbase’s recently published 2023 year ahead report, including: the key events and takeaways from the year, and the opportunities to expand crypto use cases in 2023. You can read the full report at coinbase.com: http://coinbase.com/2023outlook This conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results m...
Coinbase’s VP of Business Development for Ecosystem and Listings, Dan Kim, leads a discussion on whether or not the United States is losing the battle to be the best place for crypto projects to list their tokens on exchanges like Coinbase. Joining him for the conversation are Luke Lombe, founding partner at Faculty Group and Daniel Forester, partner at the tech-focused law firm, Orrick. This conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actu...
In this episode of Around the Block, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong chats with Ben Horowitz, cofounder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, at a16z’s inaugural Founders Summit conference. They cover management, company culture, and more as they discuss the events that have unfolded in the crypto space over the last month, and also share why they're still as bullish as ever on the future of the industry. The conversation can also be found on the podcast web3 with a16z: https://open.spotify.c...
Coverage of the midterm elections seemed to take a back seat to all the breaking news in the crypto space this month, and that’s left us with a lot to talk about. In this episode of Around the Block, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong hosts Kara Calvert, Coinbase’s Head of US Policy, Chris Lehane, Chief Strategy Officer at Haun Ventures and Marta Belcher, President of the Filecoin Foundation. They discuss the results of the election, what to expect next, and how we can work with policymakers to establ...
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong hosts Ryan Selkis, co-founder and CEO of Messari as the two discuss the impacts of the FTX collapse on the industry and its regulatory environment, and how Web3 builders can learn from this experience and move the space forward.This episode of Around the Block was recorded during @coinbase’s live Twitter Space on November 16, 2022.This conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materiall...
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong hosts Jeremy Allaire, co-founder and CEO of Circle, from the 2022 Singapore FinTech Festival. Brian and Jeremy discuss the utility value of crypto as the space grows out of its speculative value phase. The conversation covers: DAOS – how do they work, and are they here to stay? What role do blockchains play in global credit facilitation? And what are the new possibilities around identity, privacy and economic freedom? This conversation is for informational purposes o...
In this episode of Around the Block, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong hosts entrepreneur, investor, and podcast host Anthony Pompliano, known to many in the crypto world as "Pomp.” The two discuss how they’re thinking about Bitcoin amid current market conditions, their long-term predictions for Ethereum one month after the merge, the issue of censorship in tech, and more. They even find time to reveal the names of Brian’s cats – and some of you may be surprised. Plus, Brian shares what’s top of mind...
Directed by Greg Kohs, COIN: A Founder’s Story chronicles the rise of Brian Armstrong, Coinbase’s visionary co-founder and CEO, who harnesses the power of an emerging technology to promote a mission of global economic freedom. In this episode of Around the Block, Brian Armstrong hosts Greg Kohs as the two discuss what it was like to capture all the ups and downs over the past few years, and which moments stood out to them the most. COIN is available now to rent or buy on all major platforms in t...
On September 8th, 2022 Coinbase announced it was funding and supporting a lawsuit brought by six individuals (including two Coinbase employees) challenging the Treasury Department’s novel sanctions of open source software associated with Tornado Cash. The plaintiffs we are supporting represent a cross section of crypto users and developers who used TC to protect their privacy and security for legitimate reasons—from wanting to safely donate to Ukraine to concealing salary deposits that would sho...
Earlier this month, developers behind Helium proposed to migrate the network off of its own blockchain onto Solana. In this episode of Around the Block, Founder and CEO of Helium, Amir Haleem, shares the vision behind Helium, the key moments and decisions that shaped the network, and why the move to Solana could be the project’s best bet. Today's conversation was recorded on September 7th. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results ma...
The U.S. government’s action against Tornado Cash sent shock waves through the crypto community and left most of us with more questions than answers. In this episode of Around the Block, Host Viktor Bunin, Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation Sheila Warren and Head of Policy for the Blockchain Association, Jake Chervinsky, discuss Tornado Cash: what happened, who it impacts, and how we can think about working with policymakers as they try to le...
The Merge is rapidly approaching and will transition Ethereum from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake after 7 years of research and development. In this episode of Around the Block, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong discuss Coinbase’s responsibility as an infrastructure operator, maintaining a credibly neutral Ethereum network, and why Ethereum leaves privacy up to the builders. This episode is hosted by Senior Protocol Specialist Viktor Bunin. Today's conversatio...
Much of the excitement over this last cycle surrounded Ethereum and smart contract based applications. However there are still many who are sticking to building on Bitcoin. River CEO Alex Leishman is one of them, building a Bitcoin only bank. In this conversation, we talk to Alex about what makes Bitcoin special and what keeps him dedicated to it. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from an...
According to the BIS, 9 out of 10 Central Banks will be conducting experiments around CBDCs, or Central Bank Digital Currencies, in 2022. So what’s the intrigue, and how long before we see CBDCs make the leap from theoretical possibility to an everyday reality? Will they be built on permissioned or public blockchains? In this conversation with Visa Head of CBDC, Catherine Gu, we explore what the future of stablecoins and CBDCs may look like. Today's conversation is for informational purposes onl...
After years in the making, the Ethereum Merge is fast approaching. In this conversation with Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, we break down how the merge will help make Ethereum a more eco-friendly, economically efficient, and secure network. Note: Merge timing predictions have shifted since the episode was recorded, with Vitalik Buterin noting that it may be pushed back to September or October should developers need more time. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only ...
Grayscale is the world’s largest digital asset manager, offering a wide range of secure, regulated and future-forward digital asset investment products. In this conversation with Grayscale CEO, Michael Sonnenshein, we discuss the state of regulated crypto investment products. More specifically, GBTC, and what’s taking the SEC so long to finally approve a spot Bitcoin ETF. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results ma...
In this episode of Around the Block with Castle Island VC’s Nic Carter, we get to the heart of what is driving the Bitcoin mining debate. Carter gives a breakdown of what people are concerned about when it comes to mining activities, and offers his own take on the issue. We also get the chance to dispel common misconceptions surrounding Bitcoin mining and the current state of mining using renewable energies. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or...
A frank discussion with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong about the state of the economy, crypto, and Coinbase as a whole. We discuss the market downturn, Coinbase’s market positioning, and end with Brian’s thoughts on Ray Dalio’s, “Changing World Order,” and crypto’s place within it. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncert...
Web3 has been commonly defined by three words: read, write, own. In this conversation with Variant Fund's Li Jin, we discuss how Web3 can enable ownership to be distributed across the internet as seamlessly as the internet distributes communications. We learn how the “ownership economy” will enable all kinds of new user experiences and how the next big internet applications will be ones that turn users into owners. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute l...
There’s a growing demand amongst institutions and enterprises to access liquid staking, but to date, there hasn’t been a solution that meets their compliance and security standards. Alluvial was founded with support from Figment and Coinbase Cloud to change that. In this conversation with Alluvial CEO, Matt Leisinger, we discuss the misconceptions around staking and the future of enterprise-grade liquid staking following Coinbase Cloud’s partnership with Alluvial. Today's conversation is for inf...
While many still struggle to wrap their heads around what the metaverse actually is, Everyrealm is out there identifying investment opportunities within this nascent landscape. In this conversation with Everyrealm CEO, Janine Yorio, she defines what the metaverse is to her, and how Everyrealm approaches metaverse investing from first principles. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any ...
Following the breakout of crypto-gaming in 2021, “GameFi” continues to show promise in onboarding the next billion crypto users. The opportunity is particularly exciting in places like Vietnam, where citizens increasingly view crypto as a way to climb the economic ladder. In this conversation with Ancient8 founder Howard Xu, we discuss the state of the GameFi, and why Vietnam is emerging as a leader for crypto adoption. Want to join Howard in building the future of GameFi? Ancient8 is hiring! To...
Asset listings at Coinbase: often discussed, sparsely understood. In this episode, we dive into some of the elephants in the room with respect to our listing process. First, we address some recent concerns raised by the community along with some changes coming to our process. Next, we get into some common questions that users have. How do we decide what to list? Why do certain assets get listed, while others do not? What causes an asset to get delisted? What’s the relationship between Coinbase V...
While the term, “metaverse” conjures images of a “Ready Player One” type virtual world, understanding what it actually is today, is a bit trickier. As you’ll learn, that’s because it’s still a nascent idea that will take 5-10 years to fully materialize. In this conversation with Alex Reeve, who leads Coinbase’s strategy on Web2, Web3, and metaverse identity, we get into what the metaverse is not, and what we think it will be once fully formed: a persistent platform composed of interconnected vir...
When you type Coinbase into the app store, you’re met with two options: one for Coinbase, and another for Coinbase Wallet. So how do they differ? In this episode with Coinbase Wallet Director of Engineering Chintan Turakhia, we break down the difference between custodial exchanges that manage assets on behalf of a user, and self-custodial wallets like Coinbase Wallet that put users in full control. We explain what the benefits are, along with some of the risks. Lastly, Chintan and Justin opine o...
The world of blockchains is complex, but Dragonfly Capital’s Haseeb Quereshi has come up with a powerful analogy for piecing this complicated world together. In this conversation, we walk through Hasseb’s elegant mental model that will leave you with a clearer way of thinking about the entire crypto ecosystem. Most critically, you will learn why blockchains are better thought of as cities, rather than networks. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal...
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government solicited donations in cryptocurrency - the first time a nation-state has ever done so. What followed was tens of millions raised in donations by the Ukrainian government and NGOs in Bitcoin, ETH, stablecoins, and even NFTs. Suppliers of the Ukrainian government even started accepting crypto as payment. In this conversation we sit down with Elliptic co-founder and Chief Scientist Dr. Tom Robinson to discuss what the analytics’s fir...
It’s tax season, which means it's time to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. But crypto taxes are tricky. What scenarios trigger a taxable event? How does the IRS view behaviors like yield farming, staking, and receiving airdrops? Are you responsible for paying taxes on your NFTs? In this conversation with Coinbase’s VP of Tax, Lawrence Zlatkin, we break down the common misconceptions surrounding crypto taxes. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute lega...
The recent $250M Wormhole exploit is just one of several high profile hacks to hit the cryptosphere of late. It did, however, have a positive resolution after the protocol's backers jumped in to make consumers whole. In this conversation, we offer you some common sense advice for navigating both the risks you can control, and those you cannot. We touch on what to look for in the protocols and platforms you interact with, and how we expect the industry to evolve to become more secure over time. T...
