Unchained

Episodes

• The Chopping Block: Why ETH Dumped So Hard After the Merge - Ep. 400

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  Sep 24 2022

  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...more

  Episode

• Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto - Ep. 399

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  Sep 23 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Is Bitcoin Doomed to Fail? Eric Wall and Justin Bons Face Off - Ep. 398

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  Sep 20 2022

  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...more

  Episode

• Did the Merge Make Ethereum 'the Most Secure Blockchain in the World'? - Ep. 397

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  Sep 16 2022

  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...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: ETHPoW Is 'a Terrible Way to Fork the Blockchain' - Ep. 396

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  Sep 14 2022

  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. ...more

  Episode

• How Traders Are Thinking About the Merge -- and a Potential ETHPoW Chain - Ep. 395

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  Sep 13 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Preston Van Loon on Ethereum's Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury- Ep.394

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  Sep 09 2022

    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  ...more

  Episode

• Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH - Ep. 393

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  Sep 06 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Why DeFi May Be Over-Complying With Tornado Cash Sanctions - Ep. 392

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  Sep 03 2022

  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? ...more

  Episode

• How a16z’s New NFT Licenses Hope to Solve Rights Problems for Creators and Buyers - Ep. 391

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  Sep 02 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? - Ep. 390

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  Aug 30 2022

  Andrew Hinkes, partner at K&L Gates and adjunct professor at NYU, and Martin Köppelmann, co-founder of Gnosis, talk about the sanctions on Tornado Cash, how they will impact Ethereum on the base layer, and the likelihood of having two chains.    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   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/ Rep. Emmer’s letter: https://twitter.com/RepTomEmmer/status/1562084891247902721?s=20&t=9J3c3scVdxsLKVcFovaWdQ 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 What the sanctions mean for privacy coins: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/08/09/what-the-tornado-cash-sanction-means-for-privacy-coins/ Celebrities get Dusted: https://decrypt.co/es/107090/tornado-cash-dusts-public-wallets-jimmy-fallon-brian-armstrong-steve-aoki-logan-paul   DAI and USDC Maker forum: https://forum.makerdao.com/t/the-path-of-compliance-and-the-path-of-decentralization-why-maker-has-no-choice-but-to-prepare-to-free-float-dai/17466 https://decrypt.co/107273/makerdao-founder-dai-drop-dollar-peg-tornado-cash-usdc Circle freezes USDC in sanctioned wallets: https://www.theblock.co/post/162172/circle-freezes-usdc-funds-in-tornado-cashs-us-treasury-sanctioned-wallets      Flashbots 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 Proposer-Builder separation: https://www.alchemy.com/overviews/proposer-builder-separation ...more

  Episode

• With the Merge, Will Ethereum Take Over Bitcoin’s Title as Digital Gold? - Ep. 389

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  Aug 26 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Why Is Ethereum Trying to Maximize Value From Users? Two Sides Debate - Ep. 388

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  Aug 23 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No - Ep.387

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  Aug 19 2022

  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/     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/  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? - Ep. 386

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  Aug 18 2022

  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  ...more

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• Coinbase CPO Surojit Chatterjee Explains Why He Believes the Exchange Will Win- Ep. 385

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  Aug 16 2022

  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/   Regulation and lawsuits Insider Trading Court charges: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/three-charged-first-ever-cryptocurrency-insider-trading-tipping-scheme Cobie’s tweet: https://twitter.com/cobie/status/1550192546889998340 Brian Armsontrg’s tweet: https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1550162989881253889 Terra/UST lawsuit:  https://www.tbstat.com/wp/uploads/2022/06/1-main.pdf https://www.theblock.co/post/152942/coinbase-sued-in-relation-to-promotion-of-terrausd-cryptocurrency IPO-related lawsuit: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2022/08/09/coinbase-executives-mislead-shareholders-about-public-listing-new-lawsuit-alleges/ Coinbase Does Not List Securities. End of Story: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-does-not-list-securities-end-of-story-e58dc873be79#:~:text=To%20be%20explicit%2C%20the%20majority,SEC%20jumped%20directly%20to%20litigation. Coinbase Faces SEC Probe on Crypto Listings: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-26/coinbase-faces-sec-investigation-over-cryptocurrency-listings Previous Coverage of Unchained: Why a Coinbase Listing May Not Be a Good Thing for a Token:https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-a-coinbase-listing-may-not-be-a-good-thing-for-a-token/   Disclosure in the event of bankruptcy:  https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/crypto/coinbase-discloses-customers-could-lose-their-crypto-if-it-ever-goes-bankrupt/ https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1524233480040710144?s=20&t=RsZpP4fGxGl4JVt4iYQBRw Competition Crypto market data: https://www.theblock.co/data/crypto-markets/spot FTX surpassing Coinbase: https://www.theblock.co/linked/149654/ftx-surpassed-coinbase-as-second-biggest-centralized-crypto-exchange-in-may Coinbase Will Need Its Cash to Fend Off the Competition: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/coinbase-will-need-its-cash-to-fend-off-the-competition ...more

  Episode

• Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? - Ep. 384

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  Aug 12 2022

  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/...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: How to Manage MakerDAO, With Hasu and Rune - Ep. 383

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  Aug 11 2022

  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....more

  Episode

• Will the Nomad Mass Looting Change How Law Enforcement Treats DeFi Hacks? - Ep. 382

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  Aug 09 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge - Ep. 381

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  Aug 05 2022

  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  ...more

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• How Will Inflation Impact Crypto? Lyn Alden and Mauricio Di Bartolomeo Explain - Ep.380

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  Aug 02 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: A Network State in 10 Years? Balaji Srinivasan Says Yes - Ep. 379

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  Jul 31 2022

  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   ...more

  Episode

• Why the Crypto Industry Believes SEC Regulation by Enforcement Hurts US Consumers - Ep. 378

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  Jul 29 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Why the Messy 3AC, Celsius, and Voyager Bankruptcies Will Drag on for Years - Ep.377

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  Jul 26 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Why 3AC's Collapse Could Spell the Start of a Crypto Credit Crunch - Ep. 376

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  Jul 22 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption? - Ep. 375

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  Jul 19 2022

  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.  ...more

  Episode

• Three Crypto Bankruptcies: 3AC, Celsius and Voyager. What Happens Now?- Ep. 374

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  Jul 15 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Anatoly Yakovenko on Why Solana Is Building the SAGA Phone - Ep. 373

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  Jul 14 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Post-Merge, If Lido Becomes Dominant, What Does That Mean for Ethereum? - Ep. 372

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  Jul 12 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• How Helium Uses Crypto to Grow Decentralized Wifi and Mobile Networks - Ep. 371

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  Jul 08 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• In the Recent Crypto Market Meltdown, What Role Did Lido's stETH Play? - Ep. 370

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  Jul 05 2022

  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/ Bear Market: Insolvency of crypto lenders: 3AC: https://blockworks.co/three-arrows-capital-brink-default-owes-voyager-657m/ 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/  ...more

  Episode

• Oslo Freedom Forum: How NFTs Helped Chinese Dissident Artist Badiucao Evade Censorship - Ep. 369

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  Jul 01 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Here’s What Was So Bad About Three Arrows Capital - Ep. 368

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  Jun 30 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Does Venture Capital Investment Violate the Ethos of Crypto? Sequoia Says No - Ep. 367

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  Jun 28 2022

  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/ Terra Shaun’s take on stablecoins:  https://twitter.com/shaunmmaguire/status/1524420727968976898?s=20&t=26DylQ2_YbW36Y4ZMwxVFw Previous Unchained Coverage:  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/  The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra’s Collapse: Who Will Pay?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-legal-and-regulatory-fallout-from-terras-collapse-who-will-pay-ep-363/ The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-does-the-new-terra-have-any-chance/ 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/ 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/ ...more

  Episode

• Solend and Bancor Drama: Did These DAOs Violate the Ethos of Crypto? - Ep. 366

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  Jun 24 2022

  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...more

  Episode

• CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham on Why US Crypto Regulators Get a B- Ep. 365

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  Jun 21 2022

  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/ Gillibrand/Lummis bill:  https://fortune.com/2022/06/09/cryptocurrency-senate-washington-lummis-gillibrand-regulation-congress/ Proposed Crypto Legislation is ‘Big Win’: https://unchainedpodcast.com/proposed-crypto-legislation-is-big-win/   Terra: Bloomberg on Terra collapse: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-24/terra-collapse-triggers-83-billion-decentralized-finance-slump SEC investigation of Terra: https://decrypt.co/102460/sec-terra-ust-stablecoin-collapse-report Unchained Coverage: The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance?: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-chopping-block-does-the-new-terra-have-any-chance/ Unchained Coverage: 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/ ...more

  Episode

• Why Possible Insolvencies by Celsius and 3AC Could Spell Disaster for Crypto - Ep. 364

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  Jun 17 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Legal and Regulatory Fallout From Terra's Collapse: Who Will Pay? - Ep. 363

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  Jun 14 2022

  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   SEC Actions Against Terra SEC Investigating UST Stablecoin Blowup in Fresh Threat to Terra: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-09/sec-investigating-ust-stablecoin-blowup-in-fresh-threat-to-terra Terraform Labs Loses US Appeal over SEC Subpoena: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/terraform-labs-loses-us-appeal-150355500.html   Allegations against Do Kwon Seoul Police Probe Allegation of Embezzlement by Terraform Staff: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-09/seoul-police-probe-allegation-of-embezzlement-by-terraform-staff South Korea Launches Investigation into Company Behind Luna Crypto Crash: https://www.ft.com/content/a8319c03-3d49-4923-a51a-fc403dcce58a?list=intlhomepage   MICA Deloitte on MiCA Adoption: ​​https://www2.deloitte.com/lu/en/pages/financial-services/articles/digital-finance-european-parliament-adopts-mica-regulation-innovation-friendly-crypto-regulation.html Europe’s Landmark Crypto Bill Passes Parliamentary Committee with Wide Majority: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/137720/europes-landmark-crypto-bill-passes-parliamentary-committee-with-wide-majority   Facebook Libra Facebook Libra: The Inside Story of How the Company’s Cryptocurrency Dream Died: https://www.ft.com/content/a88fb591-72d5-4b6b-bb5d-223adfb893f3 Mark Zuckerberg’s Stablecoin Ambitions Unravel with Diem Sale Talks: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-25/zuckerberg-s-stablecoin-ambitions-unravel-with-diem-sale-talks?sref=ExbtjcSG  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Why Solana’s Frequent Downtime Doesn't Bother Kyle Samani- Ep. 362

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  Jun 13 2022

  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/ 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 PoolTogether lawsuit and fundraising: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/05/26/defis-pooltogether-crowdfunds-legal-defense-with-nft-collection/  ...more

  Episode

• The Lummis/Gillibrand Crypto Bill: Is the 'Ancillary Token' Approach the Best Way? - Ep. 361

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  Jun 10 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• How Soulbound Tokens Could Reduce Speculation and Improve DAO Voting - Ep. 360

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  Jun 07 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Department of Justice Goes After Its First NFT Insider Trading Case - Ep 359

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  Jun 03 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance? - Ep. 358

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  Jun 02 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• How Osmosis Is Trying to Improve the Crypto User Experience - Ep.357

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  May 31 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Hester Peirce's Former Counsel on Terra 2.0, XRP and a Bitcoin Spot ETF - Ep.356

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  May 27 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market - Ep.355

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  May 24 2022

  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   Bear Market Content Dragonfly https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/to-all-dragonfly-founders-and-friends-1a65e68093d4 Sequoia advice ​​https://twitter.com/michellebailhe/status/1526373376142348288  Arthur Hayes buying BTC at $20K in wake of Terra https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/luna-brothers-inc-712ec5abe199 Financial comeuppance https://cryptohayes.medium.com/annihilation-4effdaf3c73f Paradigm (surviving crypto cycles) https://www.paradigm.xyz/2021/03/surviving-crypto-cycles Zhu Su on being a better role model for retail https://twitter.com/zhusu/status/1525045033216397312 Nick Tomaino on stopping relentless shilling https://twitter.com/NTmoney/status/1525234408910987264 Lot’s of talk about “suicide” in context of LUNA https://bitcoinist.com/luna-investors-suicidal-after-cryptos-collapse/ Helping smaller LUNA wallets first https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1525561624974700545  Punk6529 on surviving the bear market https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1525565876711444484  Ian from Syndicate DAO on previous cycles https://twitter.com/ianDAOs/status/1524613312582799360  Best website for looking at token performance https://cryptorank.io/performance   Chris Burniske: Twitter: https://twitter.com/cburniske Placeholder VC: https://www.placeholder.vc/ Previous Unchained Coverage on Terra  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  ...more

  Episode

• The 5 Biggest Lessons From Terra/Luna's Collapse, According to Tascha Che - Ep.354

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  May 20 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash - Ep.353

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  May 19 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed - Ep.352

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  May 17 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Did Someone Deliberately Attack Terra/Luna to Kick off a Death Spiral? - Ep.351

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  May 13 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Will Optimism's OP Token Draw People Back to Layer 2s on Ethereum? - Ep.350

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  May 10 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Should Yuga Labs Have Charged More For Its Otherside NFTs? - Ep.349

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  May 06 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Did Andre Cronje Pull an Epic Crypto Rug Pull? - Ep.348

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  May 05 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• RAC and David Greenstein on Why Music NFTs Are Better Than Spotify - Ep.347

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  May 03 2022

  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 https://www.sound.xyz/boredbrothers/drip Snoop Dogg https://twitter.com/soundxyz_/status/1516896676077744128 https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg/status/1516481234464960513 Music NFT Content Good overview: https://momentranks.com/blog/music-nfts-explained-transforming-music-sales https://twitter.com/MonsterDaoNFT/status/1517164757534580736 https://twitter.com/fascinated/status/1516539250661117966 Cooper Turley Content Weekly blog https://thisweekinmusicnfts.mirror.xyz/ Music NFT tweets https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1516598888114831360 https://coopahtroopa-eth.medium.com/musicians-meet-audio-nfts-aa495cfd2996 https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1460062843244408833 https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1469789186131587073 https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1475609928865705988 RAC Content: ETH royalties compared to Spotify https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1516578113634725890 https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1517168623772602368 RollingStone profile https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/rac-future-25-1179443/ Likes the 1/100 NFT drop https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1516178179886510083 Coinbase listing of RAC? https://blog.coinbase.com/increasing-transparency-for-new-asset-listings-on-coinbase-e06f2edb095e How the Sinners drop would have worked over time https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1512560530761809921 Thoughts on music NFT metrics https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1509213081594855425 Royal https://twitter.com/join_royal Jesse Walden write-up on Sound.xyz https://twitter.com/jessewldn/status/1471148257892044812  ...more

  Episode

• FTX Wants to Compete With CME -- Here's Why It's a Big Deal - Ep.346

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  Apr 29 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Amy Wu on Why FTX Is So Excited About Web3 Gaming - Ep.345

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  Apr 26 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Why the SEC's Proposed Rules Affecting DeFi Could Violate the First Amendment - Ep.344

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  Apr 22 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: How to Improve DeFi and Cross-Chain Bridge Security - Ep.343

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  Apr 21 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Why Crypto Twitter’s Disrespect Toward Regulators Is a ‘Really Bad Business Decision’ - Ep.342

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  Apr 19 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Why Ethereum's Merge Was Delayed and Why It Won't Reduce Gas Fees Much - Ep.341

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  Apr 15 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Excited About Your Bored Ape or CryptoPunk? Make Sure You Understand Your IP Rights - Ep.340

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  Apr 12 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Here’s Why USDN De-Pegged From the Dollar – And Why UST Might Too - Ep.339

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  Apr 08 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Why ‘One Man’s Bug Is Another Man’s Bounty’ - Ep.338

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  Apr 07 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Why TBD's Mike Brock Is Skeptical That Decentralized Applications Will Become Popular - Ep.337

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  Apr 05 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Bridge Hacks Have Caused ~$1 Billion in Losses. Here’s Why Bridge Security Is Tricky - Ep.336

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  Apr 01 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Do Kwon Is Backing UST With Bitcoin – And Here’s What Else He Is Building - Ep.335

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  Mar 29 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Juno Holders Want to Confiscate a Whale’s Tokens. Here’s Why. - Ep.334

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  Mar 25 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Do Kwon Pitches a Decentralized NFT Publishing Service - Ep.333

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  Mar 24 2022

  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/   ...more

  Episode

• Ukraine Has Received $150 Million in Crypto. Here’s How It Is Being Used - Ep.332

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  Mar 22 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Punk6529 on the Significance of Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks - Ep.331

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  Mar 18 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• What Is It Like to Only Work for DAOs? Chase Chapman Tells All - Ep.330

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  Mar 15 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• How Justin Sun Has Allegedly Tried to Manipulate Markets and Escape Regulation - Ep.329

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  Mar 11 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: In 'the First Crypto War,' How Should the Money Be Spent? - Ep.328

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  Mar 10 2022

  Episode

• Why Chatroulette Founder Andrey Ternovskiy Fell in Love With Crypto - Ep.327

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  Mar 08 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• How Ukraine Is Leveraging Crypto in Its Fight Against Russia - Ep.326

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  Mar 04 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Is Code Law? Should the Hacker Be Punished? The DAO Creators Disagree - Ep.325

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  Mar 01 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• How Writing 'The Cryptopians' Shaped My Views on Ethereum - Ep.324

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  Feb 25 2022

  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/   ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Why Hacking The DAO Is ‘Something to Be Proud Of’? - Ep.323

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  Feb 24 2022

  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/   ...more

  Episode

• Exclusive: Crypto’s Biggest Whodunnit: Who Was Behind the 2016 DAO Attack on Ethereum? - Ep.322

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  Feb 22 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Congressman Ro Khanna: How to Get More Democrats into Web3 - Ep.321

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  Feb 18 2022

  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 ...more

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• Your 2021 Crypto Taxes: How to Handle NFTs, DAOs, Airdrops and More - Ep.320

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  Feb 15 2022

  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 ...more

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• How Law Enforcement Tracked Down $3.6 Billion in Bitcoin - Ep.319

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  Feb 11 2022

  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 ...more

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• The Chopping Block: SBF on a Crazy Week of Bitfinex, Wormhole and ENS Drama - Ep.318

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  Feb 09 2022

  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  ...more

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• Will Every Piece of Media Enter the Internet as an NFT? Variant Fund Says Yes - Ep.317

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  Feb 08 2022

  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 ...more

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• Are Democrats Against Crypto? These Two Congressional Candidates Say No - Ep.316

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  Feb 04 2022

  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  ...more

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• How NFT DAOs Could Shape the Next Blockbuster, Fund Poetry and Change VC - Ep.315

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  Feb 01 2022

  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  ...more

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• Can a Pro-Bitcoin Platform Help in a Congressional Race? Aarika Rhodes Says Yes - Ep.314

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  Jan 28 2022

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• The Chopping Block: Why the Lack of a Fee Market Created 'Bread Lines' on Solana - Ep.313

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  Jan 26 2022

  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/  ...more

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• SyndicateDAO Is Launching Web3 Investment Clubs. Could They Disrupt VCs? - Ep.312

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  Jan 25 2022

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Why a Coinbase Listing May Not Be a Good Thing for a Token - Ep.311

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  Jan 21 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Is Binance Smart Chain Being Run 'Like the Project of a Stoned Teenager?' Two BSC Execs Answer - Ep.310

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  Jan 18 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Why Are NFTs the One Bright Spot in the Crypto Markets? - Ep.309

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  Jan 14 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: Why the Crypto Markets Have Been Down This Week - Ep.308

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  Jan 13 2022

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky - Ep.307

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  Jan 11 2022

  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    General Regulatory Information Messari Crypto Theses  pages 52-90 is an excellent summary of EVERYTHING going on in crypto regulation Page 29 talks about Kristin directly Page 56 talks about blockchain association directly  https://messari.io/pdf/messari-report-crypto-theses-for-2022.pdf CoinDesk → How the crypto regulatory scene has evolved https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/12/28/how-cryptos-regulatory-scene-might-evolve-in-2022/ Decrypt on Gensler’s 2021 https://decrypt.co/88966/crypto-person-of-the-year-201-gary-gensler-sec  Blockchain Association policy positions https://theblockchainassociation.org/policy-positions/  ...more

  Episode

• 65% of Active Developers Joined Web3 in 2021 - Ep.306

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  Jan 07 2022

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Crypto 2022 Outlook: Where Will the Markets Go This Year? Plus DeFi and NFTs - Ep.305

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  Jan 04 2022

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Song a Day NFTs With Jonathan Mann + Your 2022 Crypto Predictions! - Ep.304

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  Dec 31 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• The Chopping Block: 2021 in Crypto: The Biggest Winners, Biggest Losers, and Best Memes - Ep.303

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  Dec 30 2021

  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/    ...more

  Episode

• Why NFT OG Mitchell Chan Has Released Just One Project This Year - Ep.302

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  Dec 28 2021

  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  ...more

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• Unconfirmed: What Could the Crypto Media Do Better? Four Journalists Discuss - Ep.301

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  Dec 24 2021

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• This Noble Family's Art Was Taken by Nazis, But Is Being Saved by NFTs - Ep.300

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  Dec 21 2021

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: $12 Billion Has Been Lost in DeFi Value to Crime. Here’s How - Ep.299

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  Dec 17 2021

  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/   ...more

  Episode

• How Yield Guild Games Is Revolutionizing the Future of Work and Investment - Ep.298

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  Dec 14 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: 3 Things SushiSwap Needs to Get in Order, According to Arca - Ep.297

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  Dec 10 2021

  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     ...more

  Episode

• Crypto Philanthropy: How to Donate to Make Real-World Impact - Ep.296

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  Dec 07 2021

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How Ryan Zurrer Ended Up Spending the Most on a Single NFT Artwork - Ep.295

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  Dec 03 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer? - Ep.294

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  Nov 30 2021

  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 ...more

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• Unconfirmed: Why Astrologer Maren Altman Believes 2023 Will Bring an Innovative 'Cyber Pandemic' - Ep.293

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  Nov 26 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• The Tokenomics Episode: Why ‘EIP 1559 Is Like Catnip for Investors’ - Ep.292

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  Nov 23 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: ConstitutionDAO Did Not Win the Auction. But It Demonstrated the Power of DAOs - Ep.291

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  Nov 19 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• PayPal Would Need These Two Things In Order to Issue a Stablecoin - Ep.290

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  Nov 16 2021

  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/     PayPal Crypto News CEO Dan Schulman on crypto The first purchase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6vI8P5pOVU Time Magazine coverage https://time.com/5957001/paypal-cryptocurrencty-bitcoin-dan-schulman/ Financial Times coverage https://www.ft.com/content/398c5fa2-8ee5-4eaa-9fe7-04bb4ef996e5  Contribution to the WEF Crypto Regulation paper Paper:  https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Navigating_Cryptocurrency_Regulation_2021.pdf  Comments:  https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2021-09-09-Our-contribution-to-the-World-Economic-Forums-paper-on-cryptocurrency-regulation  Crypto withdrawals: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/05/26/paypal-will-let-customers-withdraw-crypto-exec-says/  Crypto services in the UK: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/22/paypal-crypto-service-launches-in-the-uk.html Launching crypto services: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/84398/paypal-opening-up-app-crypto-users  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/81794/paypal-to-enable-crypto-purchases-with-the-help-of-paxos  https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2020-10-21-PayPal-Launches-New-Service-Enabling-Users-to-Buy-Hold-and-Sell-Cryptocurrency  Exploratory talks regarding a stablecoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/103617/paypal-has-held-exploratory-talks-about-launching-a-stablecoin-sources  https://www.businessinsider.com/paypal-rumors-fuel-thoughts-of-stablecoin-support-2021-5  PayPal business unit: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/93668/paypal-crypto-business-unit-earnings-2021 https://blockworks.co/paypal-has-a-new-business-division-dedicated-to-crypto/ PayPal + Paxos: https://paxos.com/2020/10/21/paypal-paxos-bring-crypto-to-millions-of-users/  https://fortune.com/2020/12/17/paypal-investment-round-crypto-firm-paxos/    Misc. PayPal Q3 earnings: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/08/paypal-pypl-earnings-q3-2021.html Super-app: https://www.businessinsider.com/paypal-launches-redesigned-superapp-with-new-features-2021-9 Unchained episode w/ Visa’s Cuy Sheffield: https://unchainedpodcast.com/visa-is-building-infrastructure-for-nfts-smart-contracts-and-l2s-why/  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Alameda Research's Sam Trabucco: What Solana Does Better Than Ethereum - Ep.289

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  Nov 12 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• NFCastle 2021: Art Controversy – NFTS: Nothing F**king There? - Ep.288

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  Nov 09 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Legal Issues With NFTs: Would a Fractionalized Mona Lisa Be a Security? - Ep.287

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  Nov 05 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Tor Bair of Secret on Why Private Smart Contracts Are Important - Ep.286

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  Nov 02 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why Terraform Labs Cofounder Do Kwon Is Unfazed by US Regulators - Ep.285

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  Oct 29 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Not Reporting Info on Some Transaction Partners Could Soon Be a Felony - Ep.284

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  Oct 26 2021

  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/    Coverage on the original amendment regarding “brokers:” 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    ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Bitcoin Projected to Reach $135,000 in December, According to PlanB - Ep.283

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  Oct 22 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Is the Metaverse Already Here? Two Experts Disagree - Ep.282

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  Oct 19 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: What Is the Role of Investors in a Decentralized World? - Ep.281

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  Oct 15 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Visa Is Building Infrastructure for NFTs, Smart Contracts, and L2s. Why? - Ep.280

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  Oct 12 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why It Doesn’t Make Sense to Compare Lightning to DeFi - Ep.279

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  Oct 08 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• How the Greatest Decentralizing Force for Crypto Projects Is the SEC - Ep.278

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  Oct 05 2021

  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    Regulatory Stories   SEC SEC Chair Gary Gensler indicated that crypto lending and staking platforms most likely fall under US securities law https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/117675/crypto-lending-staking-custody-gensler-sec  Gensler noted that Coinbase lists “dozens of tokens that might be securities.”  https://decrypt.co/80924/gensler-coinbase-sec-securities  Gensler thinks crypto exchanges need to register with SEC https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117524/before-senate-chair-gensler-will-argue-that-many-crypto-trading-platforms-need-to-register-with-sec  dYdX airdrops token, but not to US customers https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/09/08/users-celebrate-massive-dydx-token-airdrop-as-transfer-restrictions-lift/  Uniswap Labs investigation ​https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/116633/how-the-secs-reported-uniswap-labs-investigation-could-signal-a-new-era-of-enforcement    Treasury Preparing a stablecoin report https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/16/us-treasury-turns-its-gaze-to-stablecoin-issuers/    Lending Platforms BlockFi NJ extension https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/09/22/blockfi-gets-another-extension-from-nj-regulators-on-new-interest-accounts-ban/ NJ, TX, AL move against Celsius https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/17/3-states-alabama-securities-commission-also-claims-celsius-violated-securities-laws/  BlockFi CEO wants federal regulators to weigh in on crypto lending regulation https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/09/13/blockfi-ceo-wants-sec-to-weigh-in-on-crypto-lending/  Preston Bryne believes lending products are securities https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/1435452184607576066    CFTC Investigation of Binance https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-17/u-s-s-binance-probe-expands-to-examine-possible-insider-trading?sref=f8taTPHn   Coinbase Contract with the Department of Homeland Security https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/09/20/coinbase-signs-deal-with-homeland-security-to-provide-analytics-software/ Coinbase will not be launching Lend https://blog.coinbase.com/sign-up-to-earn-4-apy-on-usd-coin-with-coinbase-cdad79e5f5eb Original blog post: https://blog.coinbase.com/the-sec-has-told-us-it-wants-to-sue-us-over-lend-we-have-no-idea-why-a3a1b6507009 Collin’s tweet: https://twitter.com/collins_belton/status/1440009283291078656 Coinbase is prepping a pitch for regulators https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/09/21/coinbase-to-propose-crypto-regulations-to-us-officials-sources/  Filing with National Futures Association https://decrypt.co/81022/coinbase-files-application-trade-crypto-futures Armstrong tweetstorm referencing “sketchy” SEC behavior https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1435439291715358721    Other Possible stablecoin regulations proposed by NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/17/business/economy/federal-reserve-virtual-currency-stablecoin.html  Wall Street Journal article on stablecoins https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-administration-seeks-to-regulate-stablecoin-issuers-as-banks-11633103156  a16z on stablecoin regulation https://future.a16z.com/stablecoins-stability-and-financial-inclusion/  Former regulators joining a16z https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117098/fresh-out-of-the-cftc-brian-quintenz-joins-a16z-cryptos-advisory-team https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/109661/andreessen-horowitz-new-crypto-vc-hires Former regulators joining Binance https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/crypto-binance-jay-clayton-fireblocks-regulators-sec-cftc-wild-west-2021-08  Sam Bankman-Fried on the importance of USD to crypto markets: https://twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1427179474538287104?s=20  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: People Expected a Big SEC Enforcement Action This Week. What Happened? Days - Ep.277

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  Oct 01 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Crypto Actually Fixes This: How Code to Inspire Uses Crypto in Afghanistan - Ep.276

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  Sep 28 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How SEC Chair Gary Gensler's Views on Crypto Have Changed Since His MIT Days - Ep.275

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  Sep 24 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• How OG Crypto Artist Rhea Myers Sold a Never-Seen Artwork at Sotheby's - Ep.274

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  Sep 21 2021

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Solana's Outage Lasted 17 Hours. What Does This Mean for Decentralization? - Ep.273

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  Sep 17 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Can Bitcoin Be Secured Only by Transaction Fees? Two Researchers Sound Off - Ep.272

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  Sep 14 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Was Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Entitled to a Meeting With the SEC? - Ep.271

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  Sep 10 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• How Crypto Streaming Service Audius Hit Six Million Monthly Active Users - Ep.270

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  Sep 07 2021

  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.  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why the FTX.US/LedgerX Deal Indicates Crypto M&A Might Start Booming - Ep.269

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  Sep 03 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• How Pplpleasr Helped Fortune Magazine Sell More Than $1 Million in NFTs - Ep.268

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  Aug 31 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How Another NFT Trend, .eth Names, Has Attracted the Likes of Budweiser - Ep.267

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  Aug 27 2021

  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   ...more

  Episode

• BitGo on Why the Travel Rule Should Not Apply to Digital Assets - Ep.266

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  Aug 24 2021

  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/ FinCEN reporting https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/99898/what-comes-next-for-the-us-treasury-departments-plans-to-monitor-crypto-wallets  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/88347/treasury-crypto-wallets-reporting-rule  Unchained coverage: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-proposed-fatf-rules-could-be-a-shock-for-defi/   Miscellaneous links Brian Brooks’s BinanceUS departure: https://www.coindesk.com/binance-us-ceo-brian-brooks-quits-cites-strategic-differences Poly Network hack: https://www.elliptic.co/blog/the-poly-network-hack-600-million-in-crypto-stolen-and-returned-in-24-hours WBTC: https://www.bitgo.com/newsroom/press-releases/wbtc-brings-bitcoin-to-ethereum/  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: SOL Is Up 3,800% YTD. Could It Eventually Displace Ethereum? - Ep.265

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  Aug 20 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• On-Chain Analytics Show ETH Accumulation Is Greater Than That of BTC - Ep.264

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  Aug 17 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why Did the Poly Network Attacker Return Half the Money They Stole? - Ep.263

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  Aug 13 2021

  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...more

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• Is ETH on Its Way to Becoming Ultra-Sound Money? Yes, Says Justin Drake - Ep.262

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  Aug 10 2021

  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   Various research Ethereum: The Triple Halving https://squish.substack.com/p/ethereum-the-triple-halving  Bankless https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/how-ethereum-can-democratize-eth2 https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/eth-the-worlds-most-capital-efficient Coinmonks -- talks about Justin Drake a ton! https://medium.com/coinmonks/is-ethereum-really-ultra-sound-money-bee2c8129d40  The Defiant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUifPoqhAOI Ultra Sound Money content Longer analysis https://every.to/almanack/ultra-sound-money   https://twitter.com/ricburton/status/1388825596294275078  Briefings https://news.bitcoin.com/the-future-of-ethereum-in-a-meme-ultrasound-money/ https://cryptobriefing.com/eth-becoming-ultra-sound-money-says-vitalik-buterin/ Twitter/Website: https://twitter.com/ultrasoundmoney https://ultrasound.money/  ETH 2 Vision (Ethereum.org) https://ethereum.org/en/eth2/vision/ The Block’s coverage https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/54776/everything-you-need-to-know-about-whats-coming-for-ethereum-2-0-in-2020 https://www.theblockresearch.com/ethereum-2-0-the-exchange-dilemma-67695 Decrypt https://decrypt.co/resources/what-is-ethereum-2-0 https://decrypt.co/77511/how-will-eip-1559-ethereum-triple-halving-affect-eth-price  Tim Roughgarden EIP 1559 economic analysis http://timroughgarden.org/papers/eip1559.pdf ...more

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• Unconfirmed: How Congress Might Pass Laws Bad for Proof-of-Stake and DeFi - Ep.261

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  Aug 06 2021

  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  ...more

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• Can a DeFi Smart Contract Be Regulated? Two CFTC Commissioners Discuss - Ep.260

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  Aug 03 2021

  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...more

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• Unconfirmed: Axie Infinity's July Revenue Tops $200 Million. Here's How Filipinos Drove It - Ep.259

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  Jul 30 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Why ShapeShift's Erik Voorhees Thinks Toxic Bitcoin Maximalism Is Bullshit - Ep.258

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  Jul 27 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: MIT's Neha Narula on Why Building DeFi on Bitcoin Is a Great Idea - Ep.257

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  Jul 23 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• How Ransomware Evolved Into a Big Business - Ep.256

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  Jul 20 2021

  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  ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why It Might Be Too Late for Binance to Avoid Regulatory Action - Ep.255

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  Jul 16 2021

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Can a DAO Go to Court? According to Two DAO Legal Experts… Probably - Ep.254

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  Jul 13 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How Axie Infinity Boosted Revenue 400%+ in 30 Days - Ep.253

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  Jul 09 2021

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• The Bitcoin Hash Rate Has Dropped. How Long Will It Take to Return? - Ep.252

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  Jul 06 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried Gives the Tom Brady/Gisele Bundchen Backstory - Ep.251

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  Jul 02 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Ethereum's EIP-1559 Will Solve Some Problems But Big Ones Will Remain - Ep.250

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  Jun 29 2021

  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  ...more

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• Unconfirmed: Strong Hands Aren't Selling Bitcoin. So Who Is? - Ep.249

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  Jun 25 2021

  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...more

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• Is Quadriga's Gerald Cotten Still Alive? The 'Exit Scam' Podcast Aims to Answer - Ep.248

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  Jun 22 2021

  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 ...more

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• Unconfirmed: Polygon: The Layer 2 Solution Doing 8 Times as Many Transactions a Day as Ethereum - Ep.247

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  Jun 18 2021

  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 ...more

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• Unchained 5-Year Anniversary: AMA With Laura on Her Favorite Guests, Predictions and More - Ep.246

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  Jun 15 2021

  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...more

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• Unconfirmed: Want Crypto in Your 401(k)? It's Finally Possible -- With This Provider - Ep.245

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  Jun 11 2021

  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...more

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• Will Bitcoin's Price Go Up Again? Yes, According to On-Chain Analytics - Ep.244

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  Jun 08 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How Taproot Could Improve Bitcoin -- If It Gets Adopted - Ep.243

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  Jun 04 2021

  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...more

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• Nick Tomaino on 1confirmation's $125 Million Fund and What Future NFTs Will Look Like - Ep.242

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  Jun 01 2021

  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/  ...more

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• Unconfirmed: Rep. Tom Emmer, One of the Most Active Crypto Congress Members, on Taxes and DeFi - Ep.241

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  May 28 2021

  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 ...more

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• How Solana and Binance Smart Chain Could Take Ethereum's Lead - Ep.240

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  May 25 2021

  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/...more

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• Unconfirmed: Mike Novogratz on the 5 Reasons the Crypto Markets Plummeted - Ep.239

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  May 21 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Bitcoin vs. the Petrodollar: Which Is More Environmentally Friendly? - Ep.238

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  May 18 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How Elon Musk Pushed DOGE Up and BTC Down, With Arca's Jeff Dorman - Ep.237

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  May 14 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla on How to Avoid Another GameStop - Ep.236

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  May 11 2021

  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/   ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Should NYC’s Pension Funds Invest in Crypto? This Comptroller Candidate Says Yes - Ep.235

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  May 07 2021

  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/...more

  Episode

• Crypto's Gender Disparity: What Can Be Done About It? 4 Women Weigh In - Ep.234

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  May 04 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: How MetaMask Grew Its Monthly Active Users By 5X in the Last 6 Months - Ep.233

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  Apr 30 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• How NFT Platform OpenSea Plans to Maintain Its Competitive Advantage - Ep.232

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  Apr 27 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: This Layer 2 Solution Processed More NFT Trades in 24 Hours Than Ethereum Did in 1 Week - Ep.231

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  Apr 23 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Thanks, Forbes: Laura on How the Unchained Podcast Came to Be - Ep.230

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  Apr 20 2021

  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...more

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• Unconfirmed: Why This Analyst Puts Coinbase in the Most Exclusive Club of Stocks - Ep.229

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  Apr 16 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Why Bitcoin’s December Price Target Is Now ‘Above $300,000’ - Ep.228

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  Apr 13 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: What $1.8 Billion in Q1 Revenue Means for Coinbase’s Direct Listing - Ep.227

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  Apr 09 2021

  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/...more

  Episode

• Mark Cuban on Why He Thinks ETH Is a Better Store of Value Than Bitcoin - Ep.226

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  Apr 06 2021

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why Proposed FATF Rules Could Be a Shock for DeFi - Ep.225

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  Apr 02 2021

  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/...more

  Episode

• What Exactly Do You Get When You Buy an NFT? Three Lawyers Discuss - Ep.224

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  Mar 30 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Calls Crypto 'the Wave of the Future' - Ep.223

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  Mar 26 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Financial Advisors Control $5 Trillion in Investor Wealth. Are They Buying Bitcoin? - Ep.222

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  Mar 23 2021

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: MetaKovan on Why He Spent $69 Million on a Jpeg - Ep.221

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  Mar 19 2021

  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/  ...more

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• How NFTs Are Revolutionizing How Creators Make Money - Ep.220

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  Mar 16 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Why This Environmentalist Doesn’t Blame Creators for the Carbon Footprint of NFTs - Ep.219

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  Mar 12 2021

  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/...more

  Episode

• Can dYdX Become a Decentralized BitMEX? How It Is Scaling With StarkWare - Ep.218

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  Mar 09 2021

  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    Other CoinDesk on Ethereum Layer 1 vs. Ethereum Layer 2: https://www.coindesk.com/value-layer-one-layer-two Roll-ups as throughput solutions: https://www.coindesk.com/ethereum-dapps-rollups-heres-why Vitalik on optimistic rollups vs. ZK-rollups:  https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/01/05/rollup.html Antonio showing how dYdX works: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano/status/1364760651579551744 Optimistic Rollup Dilemma (written by StarkWare) https://medium.com/starkware/the-optimistic-rollup-dilemma-c8fc470ca10c ChainLink Tweet on dYdX + StarkWare relationship: https://twitter.com/chainlink/status/1364726829702148102  The Great Reddit Scaling Bake-Off https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/hbjx25/the_great_reddit_scaling_bakeoff/...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Is Coinbase Stock a Good Buy? This Analyst Says Yes - Ep.217

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  Mar 05 2021

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• Caitlin Long: Why Avanti Will Be a New Kind of Crypto Bank - Ep.216

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  Mar 02 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Coinbase's S-1: The Number That May Make the Exchange Nervous - Ep.215

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  Feb 26 2021

  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/...more

  Episode

• Paxos's Charles Cascarilla - How Blockchain Tech Could Prevent Another GameStop/Robinhood - Ep.214

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  Feb 23 2021

  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...more

  Episode

• Unconfirmed: Girl Gone Crypto: How These Wildly Entertaining Crypto Videos Get Made - Ep.213

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  Feb 19 2021

  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/  ...more

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• Stani Kulechov on Why Aave Is So Successful - Ep.212

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  Feb 16 2021

  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...more

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• Lyn Alden and Raoul Pal: Is Ethereum a Good Investment? - Ep.211

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  Feb 09 2021

  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...more

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• Everything You Need to Know About Your 2020 Crypto Taxes - Ep.210

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  Feb 02 2021

  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...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Saylor on the Best Way for Companies to Buy Bitcoin - Ep.209

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  Jan 26 2021

  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/en/investor-relations/financial-documents/microstrategy-acquires-an-additional-10m-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: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-saifedean-ammous-on-why-bitcoin-is-the-most-advanced-form-of-money/   August 11, 2020: Microstrategy adopts Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset: https://ir.microstrategy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/microstrategy-adopts-bitcoin-primary-treasury-reserve-asset   August 11, 2020: Microstrategy makes tender offer to purchase up to $250 million of its common stock: https://ir.microstrategy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/microstrategy-announces-commencement-modified-dutch-auction   September 11, 2020: Microstrategy to purchase $60.5 million of common stock: https://ir.microstrategy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/microstrategy-announces-final-results-modified-dutch-auction   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: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/company/company-videos/microstrategy-announces-over-1b-in-total-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: https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/15/business/microstrategy-chairman-accused-of-fraud-by-sec.html   Citi downgrading MSTR: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/87054/citi-microstrategy-stock-downgrade-bitcoin   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...more

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• The SEC's Lawsuit Against Ripple and 2 Execs: What You Need to Know - Ep.208

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  Jan 19 2021

  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...more

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• Willy Woo: How Bitcoin Reaches up to $300,000 by End of Year - Ep.207

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  Jan 12 2021

  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/...more

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• Central Bank Digital Currencies: How Should Privacy Be Built In? - Ep.206

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  Jan 05 2021

  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...more

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• 2020 Highlights: The Biggest News Stories of the Year in Crypto - Ep.205

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  Dec 29 2020

  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/...more

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• Why Is the Proposed FinCEN Rule for Unhosted Wallets Being Pushed So Quickly? - Ep.204

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  Dec 22 2020

  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...more

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• All the Ways Crypto Can Make Gaming More Fun - Ep.203

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  Dec 15 2020

  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...more

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• Can Gavin Wood's Polkadot 'Make Blockchain Great Again'? - Ep.202

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  Dec 08 2020

  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...more

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• Ethereum 2.0: What You Need to Know - Ep.201

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  Dec 01 2020

  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...more

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• What Fidelity Is Doing With the Bitcoin It's Mined - Ep.200

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  Nov 24 2020

  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  ...more

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• Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto - Ep.199

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  Nov 17 2020

  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/...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: Bitcoin Under a Biden Administration - Ep.198

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  Nov 10 2020

  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/  ...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: Meltem Demirors and Lyn Alden on the Perfect Conditions for Bitcoin - Ep.197

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  Nov 03 2020

  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...more

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• Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks on Crypto Banks - Ep.196

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  Oct 27 2020

  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...more

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• How This DOJ Strike Force Hunts Down Cryptocurrency Criminals - Ep.195

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  Oct 20 2020

  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/...more

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• SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on BitMEX, DeFi and a Token Safe Harbor - Ep.194

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  Oct 13 2020

  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...more

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• Can Solana Seize Marketshare From Ethereum With Serum? - Ep.193

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  Oct 06 2020

  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...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: Andreas Antonopoulos and Dan Held on Bitcoin’s Monetary Policy - Ep.192

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  Sep 29 2020

  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/...more

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• How Matthew Leising Confronted His Suspects in the DAO Attacks - Ep.191

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  Sep 22 2020

  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...more

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• Andre Cronje of Yearn Finance on YFI and the Fair Launch: 'I'm Lazy' - Ep.190

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  Sep 15 2020

  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   ...more

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• Olaf Carlson-Wee: 'If There Is a Money-Losing Exploit, the Money Is Gone' - Ep.189

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  Sep 08 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• Why Decentralized Trading Has 10Xed in a Few Months - Ep.188

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  Sep 01 2020

  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   Delphi Digital on aggregators and why dexes will be like airlines: https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/dex-wars-and-aggregation-theory/ https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/are-amms-the-airlines-of-crypto/ https://twitter.com/ZeMariaMacedo/status/1298589417855168518?s=20   Mooniswap: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/74454/1inch-launches-automated-market-maker-mooniswap   Yield aggregators: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/75189/defis-yield-aggregator-dao-yearn-finance   How DeFi is affecting OTC desks: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/75870/defi-otc-desks-lunch   Serum on Solana: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/72924/ftx-dex-serum-solana-blockchain   CRV launch: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/74921/the-story-of-the-botched-crv-launch   UMA token launch: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/63611/uma-token-sale-retrospective   Serum on Solana: https://medium.com/solana-labs/ftx-chooses-solana-for-serum-a-high-speed-non-custodial-decentralized-derivatives-exchange-c346a27c1f2b   https://www.coindesk.com/uniswap-ftx-perpetual-futures  ...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: Saifedean Ammous on Why Bitcoin is the Most Advanced Form of Money - Ep.187

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  Aug 25 2020

  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...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: David Chaum and Adam Back Reflect on the Crypto Wars - Ep.186

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  Aug 18 2020

  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...more

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• Why Bitcoin Now: The History of Digital Currency - Ep.185

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  Aug 11 2020

  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/...more

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• Why The Travel Rule Is One Of The Most Significant Regulations In Crypto - Ep.184

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  Aug 04 2020

  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 Notabene: https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-identity-startup-notabene-launches-trust-framework-for-fatf-travel-rule ING: https://www.coindesk.com/in-banking-first-ing-develops-fatf-friendly-protocol-for-tracking-crypto-transfers https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/fatf-12-month-virtual-asset-review-2020 Recent travel rule meeting: https://www.coindesk.com/fatf-meets-wednesday-to-discuss-travel-rule-for-digital-assets Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 75: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0075.mediawiki  ...more

  Episode

• Vitalik Buterin on Ethereum's Five-Year Anniversary - Ep.183

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  Jul 28 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Camila Russo on the Most Pivotal Moments in Ethereum's History - Ep.182

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  Jul 21 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Casey and Niall Ferguson on How Bitcoin Fits in the History of Money - Ep.181

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  Jul 14 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• DeFi Yield Farming: Why It's All the Rage But Risky - Ep.180

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  Jul 07 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Why Bitcoin Now: Mike Novogratz and Raoul Pal on 'the Single Greatest Brand' of the Last 10 Years - Ep.179

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  Jun 30 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• Chamath Palihapitiya: Why Bitcoin Will Be 'the Category Winner' - Ep.178

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  Jun 23 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Christopher Giancarlo: Why the US Needs to Have a Digital Dollar - Ep.177

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  Jun 16 2020

  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...more

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• Rep. Warren Davidson: 'I Think Bitcoin Is a Great Store of Value' - Ep.176

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  Jun 09 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• How to Decentralize a Crypto Project Without Harming Security - Ep.175

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  Jun 02 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Ready Layer One: Who Competes With Ethereum? - Ep.174

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  May 26 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• Listen to CZ Compare Binance to Bitcoin - Ep.173

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  May 19 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• The Third Bitcoin Halving Just Happened: What Now? - Ep.172

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  May 12 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• El Auge de MakerDAO: Un Viaje Personal - Ep.171

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  May 06 2020

  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....more

  Episode

• DeFi Security: With So Many Hacks, Will It Ever Be Safe? - Ep.170

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  May 05 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• tBTC: What Happens When the Most Liquid Crypto Asset Hits DeFi? - Ep.169

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  Apr 28 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Why Nothing Is More Viral Than a Store of Value - Ep.168

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  Apr 21 2020

  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...more

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• The Rise of MakerDAO: A Personal Journey - Ep.167

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  Apr 14 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• The Most Forkable DeFi Protocols on Ethereum - Ep.166

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  Apr 07 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Why Decentralization Isn’t as Important as You Think - Ep.165

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  Mar 31 2020

  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...more

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• Teetering on the Edge: How Black Thursday Exposed the Flaws in the Crypto Markets - Ep.164

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  Mar 24 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Chris Burniske: A Blank Slate of State - Ep.163

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  Mar 17 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Why Africa Is Poised to Be the Next Hub for Crypto Development - Ep.162

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  Mar 10 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• ETH Denver Fireside Chat With 2 of the Most Crypto-Friendly Governors in the Nation - Ep.161

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  Mar 03 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• The bZx Attacks: Unethical or Illegal? 2 Experts Weigh In - Ep.160

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  Feb 25 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Democracy in the Age of Cryptography - Ep.159

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  Feb 18 2020

  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/

  Episode

• Alex Gladstein on a World Without Bitcoin - Ep.158

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  Feb 11 2020

  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

  Episode

• How Memes Can Help Crypto Go Mainstream - Ep.157

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  Feb 04 2020

  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/

  Episode

• The Rogue 100: How Cryptocurrency Criminals Cash Out - Ep.156

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  Jan 28 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Brendan Eich on How Brave Is Working to Decentralize - Ep.155

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  Jan 21 2020

  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/...more

  Episode

• Why Catherine Coley Isn't Worried About BNB Being a Security - Ep.154

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  Jan 14 2020

  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/ ...more

  Episode

• Dragonfly Capital on Why Ethereum Is So Far in the Lead - Ep.153

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  Jan 07 2020

  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...more

  Episode

• Unchained Year in Review: The Best of 2019 - Ep.152

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  Dec 31 2019

  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/  ...more

  Episode

• For Your Normie Friends: Answers to the Most Basic Crypto Questions - Ep.151

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  Dec 24 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• Why North Korea Is Interested in Cryptocurrency - Ep.150

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  Dec 17 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• Yeonmi Park on Why Doing Business With North Korea Is Like Buying a Ticket to a Concentration Camp - Ep.149

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  Dec 10 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• How Synthetix Became the Second-Largest DeFi Platform - Ep.148

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  Dec 03 2019

  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...more

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• Why CoinMarketCap Launched Its Liquidity Metric - Ep.147

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  Nov 26 2019

  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...more

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• Why China Aims to Replace Cash With the Digital Yuan - Ep.146

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  Nov 19 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• Christopher Giancarlo on the Craziness of Becoming 'Crypto Dad' - Ep.145

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  Nov 12 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• A Libra Co-Creator on How Facebook Will Make Money From Calibra - Ep.144

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  Nov 05 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• Bitwise's Latest Plans to Get a Bitcoin ETF Approved - Ep.143

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  Oct 29 2019

  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/...more

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• Congressman Patrick McHenry: 'Bitcoin Will Be of Enormous Value' - Ep.142

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  Oct 22 2019

  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/...more

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• Think a DAO Will Automate Things? Think Again - Ep.141

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  Oct 15 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• Fed Economist on the Prospect of the USD Losing Global Reserve Status: 'Who Cares?' - Ep.140

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  Oct 08 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• Crypto in China: What It Really Looks Like - Ep.139

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  Oct 01 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• Spencer Bogart on the $20 Trillion in Store-of-Value Assets - Ep.138

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  Sep 24 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• Olga Feldmeier on Why Switzerland Has Welcomed Crypto - Ep.137

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  Sep 17 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• Why LocalBitcoins Stopped Cash Trades and Has a New CEO - Ep.136

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  Sep 10 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• How Aragon Hopes to Improve on Democracy - Ep.135

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  Sep 03 2019

  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...more

  Episode

• After Years of Secret Work, Decred Adds a New Feature: Privacy - Ep.134

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  Aug 27 2019

  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 ...more

  Episode

• Sandra Ro: Why Crypto-Friendly Laws Are Coming in the US - Ep.133

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  Aug 20 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• The IMF on How to Design Central Bank Digital Currencies - Ep.132

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  Aug 13 2019

  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/...more

  Episode

• All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky - Ep.131

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  Aug 06 2019

  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 Hest