Matt and Nic return for deals and news of the week. In this episode: Chainalysis Geography of Crypto adoption Jamie Dimon comes out against crypto – again Our vote for Time Person of the year The AICPA announces their stablecoin attestation framework Do Kwon is being extradited to the US Nubank is getting into crypto Rep McHenry is retiring Content mentioned in this episode: Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index It's all a Game by Colleen Sullivan Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics STATE OF THE NETW...
Dec 08, 2023•32 min•Ep. 482
Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis, joins the show to talk about their 2023 Geography of Crypto Adoption report. In this episode: The difficulty of ascertaining reliable illicit finance data for crypto Why Chainalysis started publishing the Geography of Crypto report Why emerging markets dominate in terms of crypto adoption How Chainalysis devised their methodology What the variables in their index mean Potential sources of error or noise in the data How Chainalysis overlays interne...
Dec 06, 2023•51 min•Ep. 481
Ruud Smets and Marc de Kloe of Theta Capital join the show. In this episode we discuss: Theta's initial foray into the world of blockchain focused venture funds and hedge funds. The process of educating institutional limited partners on this emerging technology. How the Theta team segments the investable opportunities in the blockchain industry. Views on fund capacity and securing allocations in promising managers. Views on co-investment opportunities and how Theta has approached these opportuni...
Dec 04, 2023•37 min•Ep. 480
Nic and Matt return for news and deals. In this episode: CZ must stay in the US until sentencing The SEC is looking into Binance US In kind versus cash creations for ETFs The Major Questions Doctrine FDIC scandal keeps rumbling Is there a world where GBTC doesn't get converted? Elizabeth Warren versus Subway Content mentioned in this episode: Austin Campbell tweet on Treasury letter Coin Center blog on Treasury letter Fortune, Gary Gensler has remade the SEC into a crypto nemesis and climate war...
Dec 01, 2023•42 min•Ep. 479
Vivek Ramaswamy is a Republican candidate for President in 2024. In this episode we sit down to dig into his crypto policy proposals: Vivek's keynote in Ft Worth Vivek's crypto platform and how that derives from his convictions Vivek's view on Bitcoin mining Is Choke Point 2.0 real? Is banking a utility? 'Choke Point 6.0' and how it goes beyond just crypto and banking Does the suppression of speech have a technological solution? Can public blockchains actually be supportive of the US Dollar? Fur...
Nov 27, 2023•33 min•Ep. 478
Matt and Nic return for a Thanksgiving episode. In this edition: Fidelity files for an ETH spot ETF The SEC sues Kraken Javier Milei wins – and prospects for dollarization Stablecoins versus dollar liabilities in emerging markets Prediction markets do well in the Argentine election We digest the OpenAI scandal and reflect on corporate governance Do we need a new McCarthyism directed at effective altruists? CZ settles with the DoJ and the CFTC over BSA and OFAC violations Binance appears to be so...
Nov 23, 2023•48 min•Ep. 477
We sit down with Mike Cahill , CEO of Douro labs, to talk Pyth's retroactive airdrop and launch. In this episode: A brief history of Pyth What was the problem with legacy oracles before Pyth How is Pyth is technically differentiated from other oracles The importance of introducing confidence intervals into prices How does Pyth achieves cross chain data delivery Disintermediation in the oracle market Major proof points that convinced Mike that Pyth could work Pyth's traction on various chains Whi...
Nov 20, 2023•44 min•Ep. 476
Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Tail risks with the Bitcoin ETF Are SBF's parents off the hook? The FDIC is embroiled in scandal Should Marty Gruenberg step down? Tokenized bank deposits versus stablecoins What's wrong with the third party doctrine SAB121 under pressure Content mentioned in this episode: Fidelity Digital Assets, Understanding Proof of Work The WSJ, Strip Clubs, Lewd Photos and a Boozy Hotel: The Toxic Atmosphere at Bank Regulator FDIC ...
Nov 17, 2023•37 min•Ep. 475
The boys join forces with Alex Thorn of Galaxy Brains for a special live episode at the Pubkey bar in NYC. In this episode: Galaxy's Beimnet Abebe joins for market color Bloomberg's James Seyffart opinions on Bitcoin ETF prospects The WSJ/Hamas affair Audience Q&A With special thanks to the Galaxy team for organizing and Thomas Pacchia for hosting...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 474
Anthony DeMartino, the co-founder and CEO of Trident Digital joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Anthony's background in the banking industry and his path to founding Trident Digital. Digital asset lending markets and how Trident is innovating in this category. Trident's US Treasury product and how he is going to market. The state of the U.S. banking system and the status of the FDIC insurance fund. The potential impact of Commercial Real Estate on the banking sector. Chokepoint 2.0 and ...
Nov 13, 2023•39 min•Ep. 473
Matt and Nic return for another episode of news and deals. In this episode: WSJ bounty updates Will Euro stablecoins take off? SBI and Standard Chartered start a crypto infrastructure fund SEC opens talks with Grayscale over the GBTC conversion Kraken is exploring the creation of an L2 SEC staff can't own crypto FTX 2.0 prospects CME OI flippens Binance Nouriel Roubini is launching a token Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics STATE OF THE NETWORK — Ethereum Staking through the Lens of Lido In Coin Metric...
Nov 10, 2023•27 min•Ep. 472
Adam Guren, the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Hunting Hill joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Adam's career journey and the path that led him to found Hunting Hill in his late 20s. How he discovered cryptocurrency and the initial digital asset products that he traded. The initial market structure for trading closed end digital asset products and the challenges that it presented. Views on the prospects of a Bitcoin ETF and the impact that it will have on the market when approve...
Nov 09, 2023•34 min•Ep. 471
Devin Walsh , executive director of the Uniswap Foundation joins the show. In this episode: Proposing and setting up the Uniswap Foundation The Foundation's priorities and role in growing the Uniswap ecosystem Uniswap v4 hooks as a new primitive for developers to unlock efficient innovation Supporting developers and researchers on Uniswap via grants Fostering education and participation in governance...
Nov 06, 2023•43 min•Ep. 470
Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: What happened to mimblewimble Where Nic's bounty program stands What's the deal with Binance's proof of reserve? The SEC takes down Safemoon Hester Pierce criticizes the SEC's approach to LBRY Did the SEC violate the administrative procedures act by issuing SAB121? The SEC comes from Paypal How will MSTR fare post Bitcoin ETF? Did Do Kwon commit fraud or did he really believe in UST? We would like to buy the FTX tungsten cu...
Nov 03, 2023•49 min•Ep. 469
Brandon Mulvihill the co-founder and CEO of Crossover Markets joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Brandon's career in the FX industry and the path to founding Crossover Markets ECNs and how this market structure came to evolve in the FX market The opportunity to bring ECNs to the digital asset market The CrossX platform and how this product is impacting the digital asset trading landscape Crossover's partnership with Hidden Road in launching Route 28 The evolution of the digital asset ma...
Nov 02, 2023•40 min•Ep. 468
Hong Fang , President of OKX, joins the show to to announce their twelfth consecutive monthly Proof of Reserve attestation and to discuss how their PoR implementation has changed over time. Covered in this episode: OKX's brand refresh Why OKX chose to launch their monthly PoR attestations a year ago The importance of PoR today and who is asking for it Which PoRs they looked at for inspiration How OKX evolved the procedure from inception to now The move from merkle liabilities to ZK PoL The PoR s...
Nov 01, 2023•44 min•Ep. 467
Seth Priebatsch , the founder and CEO of Groma joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Seth's entrepreneurial journey, including the founding story of LevelUp. His ambitions with the founding of Groma, a company building a real-estate backed cryptocurrency. The tokenization of real-world assets, including the steps that Groma is taking to launch a REIT security that will be represented on-chain. The choice to focus on multi-family-residential property as the initial backing of the Groma REIT...
Oct 30, 2023•45 min•Ep. 466
Matt and Nic return for a big week of news and deals. In this episode: Has there been a vibe shift? Sen Tillis and Hickenlooper introduce the PROOF Act Is there a lack of crypto-native auditors? Liz Warren's plan to interfere with crypto audits What's going on with the WSJ, Warren's letter, and Hamas' crypto donations? The WSJ is refusing to update their claims ETF momentum is picking up What explains the move in Bitcoin this week? SBF is going to testify Content mentioned: Sen. Tillis' office, ...
Oct 27, 2023•45 min•Ep. 465
Mike Higgins of Hidden Road joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Mike's career and the path to joining Hidden Road Overview of Hidden Road and the prime brokerage category The market structure for digital asset trading and settlement The launch of Route28 and the value proposition for institutional customers The regulatory landscape and the path that Hidden Road has pursued for licensing across the world Institutional adoption in 2024 Further reading: Learn more about Hidden Road Learn mo...
Oct 25, 2023•33 min•Ep. 464
Amanda Tuminelli of The DeFi Education Fund joins the podcast. In this episode we discuss: Amanda's background and path to joining The DeFi Education Fund The IRS "broker" rulemaking process and its potential impact on DeFi The SEC's "Exchange" rulemaking process DEF's amicus briefs on SEC vs. Coinbase Patent trolls in the DeFi ecosystem Links to content discussed on this episode: protectdefi.org IPR Petition (Patent Case) "Exchange" Rulemaking Comment Letter DEF's Amicus Brief in SEC v. Coinbas...
Oct 23, 2023•40 min•Ep. 463
Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: The Cointelegraph SNAFU The NYAG sues Gemini, Genesis, and DCG The FTX trial isn't going well for Sam The latest with FTX clawbacks Elon files an amicus brief in a case against SEC Sen Warren's latest anti-crypto letter Chainalysis debunks the WSJ's false narrative about crypto financing for Hamas Larry Fink supports Bitcoin now We profile the Silk Road hacker Content mentioned in this episode: Nic interview with Bermuda Pr...
Oct 20, 2023•39 min•Ep. 462
Nic travels to Bermuda to sit down with the Premier, Hon. E. David Burt to discuss digital asset policy and the emerging crypto ecosystem on the island. In this episode: The origins of the Digital Asset Regulation in Bermuda Catalysts that have led crypto firms to take Bermuda seriously as a domicile Premier Burt's evangelization of Bermuda regulation on the crypto circuit Why Bermuda is a good place for a crypto firm to do business The "bermuda triangle" (government, industry, and regulator) Ho...
Oct 18, 2023•26 min•Ep. 461
Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Holland versus the Netherlands The end of Pax Americana Ditching the 'stablecoin' term Why synthetic USD is not the next Luna Caroline Ellison testifies SBF wanted to be president How Teneo worked with Singapore to apprehend Su Zhu Will criminal charges ever be leveled against the 3AC principals? Lightning is getting more efficient Content mentioned in the episode: Nic and Martin join the Empire podcast Do we need a TARP ...
Oct 13, 2023•47 min•Ep. 460
Guy Young , the founder and CEO of Ethena , joins the show to talk crypto-backed stablecoins. How Ethena began with an Arthur Hayes blog post The origins of synthetic stablecoins on Bitmex The difference between Hayes' Nakadollar and the Ethena design Why synthetic stablecoins have failed in the past and how Ethena addresses this How staked ETH as the underlying collateral opens up a new design space How Ethena mitigates their exposure to exchanges with off-exchange custody Guy's backstory and e...
Oct 09, 2023•49 min•Ep. 459
Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: OTB gets some critical feedback The boys cover Walter Isaacson's Elon Musk biography Is Elon going to turn around the Twitter acquisition? Bourgeous capitalism We review Lewis' Going Infinite SBF was tungsten pilled Su Zhu is jailed for contempt of court in Singapore Is FTX solvent again thanks to Anthropic? Does ETH futs ETFs mean that ETH isn't a security? Bharat Ramamurti, one of the architects of OCP 2.0, leaves the W...
Oct 06, 2023•51 min•Ep. 358
Matt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise Asset Management joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The SEC's approval of Ethereum Futures ETFs Bitwise's launch of AETH , The Bitwise Ethereum Strategy ETF and BTOP , the Bitwise Bitcoin and Ether Equal Weight Strategy ETF. The current state of play as it relates to Bitcoin spot ETF filings. The SEC's approach and posture given the Grayscale court case. The current lay of the land in the institutional market as it relates to digital ...
Oct 02, 2023•30 min•Ep. 457
David Phelps is the co-founder and CEO of jokerace and a prolific writer. He joins the podcast to discuss: Why tokens are not optimal for effective governance Alternative ways to incentivize users and distribute decision making power How we solve for retaining users versus just attracting them Composability and evolving from user generated content to user generated apps...
Oct 02, 2023•50 min•Ep. 456
Matt and Nic return for deals and news. In this episode: Is AI going to cause unemployment for IB associates? Blockchain based sneakers Tungsten business cards What's happening with OTB merch? Nic's Vespa catastrophe Gensler's HSFC hearing How Gensler is the Tonya Harding of crypto Made up airlines What's going on with Huobi? FTX trial starts next week Content mentioned in this episode: Merch: onthebrink.shop Eric Hess, Bridging Policy and Practice: A Pragmatic Approach to Decentralized Finance,...
Sep 29, 2023•38 min•Ep. 455
Matt and Nic return for news and deals. In this episode: We recap the conferences Nic's Columbia lecture snafu The Bitcoin security budget debate One theory for what might provide Bitcoin with long term security FTX sues Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried Tether has resumed their lending operations Did SBF's parents make him do it? HK is creating stablecoin legislation USA vs Singapore Content mentioned: David Morris tweetstorm on SBF parents Evanston Capital, Investor Participation Trends in Bloc...
Sep 22, 2023•33 min•Ep. 454
Henri Stern , CEO and co-founder of Privy , joins us to discuss: The contradictory functions that wallets serve Offering in-app non-custodial embedded wallets Balancing the trade offs of security versus convenient recovery How customers are customizing their embedded wallet experience The decision to build third party wallet connectors and embedded wallets...
Sep 21, 2023•54 min•Ep. 453
