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1,270 episodes — Page 3 of 26

How Crypto Neobanks Work: Frax, Cards, and Visa’s Role | Sam Kazemian
Neobanks might be the quiet coordination hack that makes Visa optional. David sits down with Frax’s Sam Kazemian to map the new payment stack: why cards today settle over Visa yet still onboard users into stablecoins, how Frax USD (payments) pairs with sFRAX USD (savings), and why Ethereum remains the “savings/issuance” base while specialized payment chains battle for flows. Sam unpacks Frax’s white-label issuance strategy and RWA plumbing, shares an institutional DD story that highlights reliability over hype, and lays out the metrics that actually matter—card acceptance, bank deposits, chain coverage, and real-world spend. If you’re tracking how stablecoins, neobanks, and RWAs converge into an on-chain economy, this one connects the pipes. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:54 What Is a Neobank 2:45 Crypto Neobanks & Frax’s Two-Coin Model 5:28 Strategy: Be the Pipes, Not the Card 14:48 Design: RWAs On-Chain & Compliance Surface 18:16 Cards Today, Native Pay Tomorrow 28:52 The Standards Fight 33:30 Institutional Proof Point & Growth Curve 40:28 Closed-Loop On-Chain Economy 55:36 What to Track Next --- RESOURCES Sam Kazemian https://x.com/samkazemian --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Why Pro Athletes Are Betting on Bitcoin, Crypto & Prediction Markets | Tristan Thompson & Paul Grewal
NBA Star Tristan Thompson and Coinbase CLO Paul Grewal break down why pro athletes are moving into Bitcoin, crypto, and onchain prediction markets. We cover stablecoin rewards after the Genius Act, Coinbase’s fight to preserve consumer yield and staking, the CFTC vs. state path for prediction markets, and Tristan’s new onchain app, basketball.fun. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:54 An Athlete & a Lawyer? 2:47 Athletes Love Crypto 8:19 Bitcoin & Trust 15:16 Stablecoin Yields 18:41 Crypto vs Banks 21:34 Tristan’s Crypto Interests 26:58 Crypto’s UX 35:48 Prediction Markets 43:58 Prediction Market Regulation 48:41 Anti-Crypto Democrats 51:00 Basketball.fun 56:00 Gary Gensler’s Deleted Texts 1:00:25 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Tristan Paul https://x.com/RealTristan13 Paul Grewal https://x.com/iampaulgrewal Basketball.fun https://www.basketball.fun/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: Downtober Drags | Tempo Poaches Dankrad | Coinbase Buys Echo | Gold Surge! | Fed Access
Downtober drags on… but not all is bearish. On this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David break down why sentiment feels cold despite strong BTC, and the three ways this cycle could play out. Plus, gold is ripping! Can crypto catch up? We also cover Dankrad’s jump to Tempo, Coinbase’s Echo deal, Polymarket’s NHL play, the Fed’s potential FedWire opening, and the AI trading showdown. ------ 📣BANKLESS SUMMIT 2025 | SPONSORED BY M0 https://bankless.cc/devconnet-2025 https://bankless.cc/m0 ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 4:00 Markets https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1980893883161882974 https://x.com/VentureCoinist/status/1979622508732276761 https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1980935843763150926 https://x.com/cryptogucci/status/1981367758278578590 https://x.com/qthomp/status/1981040936890081390 https://x.com/qthomp/status/1981044811894550678 https://x.com/FinFreedom414/status/1980614441315033342 https://x.com/VentureCoinist/status/1979622508732276761 https://x.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1980620067315282091 https://x.com/Barchart/status/1979149096700031112 https://x.com/Barchart/status/1981195191110574116 https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1980994433849135340 https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1980994455328149603 https://x.com/elerianm/status/1976244432317096373 https://www.visualcapitalist.com/central-banks-now-hold-more-gold-than-u-s-treasuries/ https://x.com/charliebilello/status/1979553653393383654 https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1979563634805133590 https://x.com/charliebilello/status/1979542689977667913 https://x.com/BTC_Archive/status/1980614921357283448 25:04 Trump Pardons CZ https://x.com/WSJ/status/1981377689270231336 https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/trump-pardons-convicted-binance-founder-7509bd63?mod=hp_lead_pos2 https://x.com/cz_binance/status/1981404850832494666 30:19 Dankrad is moving to Tempo https://x.com/dankrad/status/1979133618254405775 https://x.com/AggrNews/status/1979220336680833433 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1979900912903586286 https://x.com/EffortCapital/status/1979158689605882109 https://x.com/ethereumJoseph/status/1980279130638672175 39:04 The Fight for Bitcoin’s Soul - Neutral blockspace or Bitcoin only https://x.com/BitMEXResearch/status/1978545931600511157 https://www.bankless.com/read/bitcoins-nft-schism-is-intensifying https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1978643578328137883 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1979188770747408728 48:25 Coinbase bought Cobie’s Echo https://x.com/cobie/status/1980579379244855384 https://x.com/A_Leutenegger/status/1980589269891837972 https://x.com/TheEylon/status/1981405829010956687 https://x.com/CryptoKaleo/status/1980385803630227570 https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1981410026746261971 53:41 Polymarket announces they’re the Official Prediction Market for the NHL https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1981016949309239616 https://x.com/Kalshi/status/1980976183241240858 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1981024439887151337 https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/1981010074093969831 56:57 OpenSea wants to become “trade everything” app https://x.com/dfinzer/status/1979200646763929835 58:45 FED is going to give crypto companies direct access to its Fedwire https://www.theblock.co/post/375513/waller-signals-feds-shift-toward-embracing-crypto-proposes-skinny-master-account-for-payment-innovators https://x.com/CoinDesk/status/1980728462022529203 https://polymarket.com/event/who-will-trump-nominate-as-fed-chair?tid=1761236821603 https://www.therage.co/us-btc-forfeiture/ https://x.com/francispouliot_/status/1978129578754191580 1:04:04 AI models entered a trading competition https://x.com/jay_azhang/status/1979312946154033227 https://nof1.ai/ https://nof1.ai/leaderboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fijrhqJ88Sc&t=457s 1:06:30 RSA excited about AI - give your AI a wallet to spend with x402 https://x.com/CoinbaseDev/status/1981064709555310825 https://nexus.thirdweb.com/ https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1980985187484758401 1:08:33 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

State Of Crypto 2025 | a16z Crypto — Eddy Lazzarin & Daren Matsuoka
a16z crypto’s CTO Eddy Lazzarin and partner Daren Matsuoka return for our annual State of Crypto to map where 2025 really is on the curve: a price–innovation cycle poised to hand the baton back to builders, Bitcoin holding ~50% share, and 70M people now using crypto on-chain out of 716M owners. We dig into why institutions are actually shipping (not just PR), how stablecoins now rival Visa-scale volumes and sit among top U.S. Treasury holders, why DEX spot share near 20% changes price discovery, and how perps, infra throughput, and fee-switch economics are reshaping revenue across chains. Plus: prediction markets’ second act, the AI×crypto handshake (agents, proof-of-humanity, IP), and Bitcoin’s long-dated quantum dilemma. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Price–Innovation Cycle: Where We Are Now 3:46 Bitcoin Dominance & Market Correlations 12:09 User Geography & Adoption: MAUs vs Owners 20:15 Institutions & TradFi: Motives, Stablecoins, Integration 27:40 Stablecoin Scale: Volumes, Treasuries & Dollar Power 39:03 Stablecoin Decoupling & DeFi Growth 42:33 Perps, Protocol Revenue & Prediction Markets 47:55 Infrastructure: TPS, Scalability & Bottlenecks 49:51 Token Valuation & Chain Revenue 59:24 Bitcoin’s Quantum Risk: Paths & Responses 1:02:48 AI × Crypto: Use Cases & Decentralization 1:04:00 Outlook & Closing: Predictions & Cycle Top? --- RESOURCES Eddy Lazzarin https://x.com/eddylazzarin Daren Matsuoka https://x.com/DarenMatsuoka a16z’s Quantum Computing Podcast https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/quantum-computing-what-when-where-how-fact-vs-fiction/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Why This Crypto Cycle is Over | Michael Nadeau's DeFi Report #7
Is the crypto cycle already over, or is this just a reset before one last push? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to break down why he went 70% cash ahead of the flash crash, what late-cycle data he’s watching, and the signals that would flip him back risk on. We dig into Bitcoin’s 50-week moving average, ETH’s $8–10K scenarios, slowing ETF flows, rising leverage, and whether global liquidity and AI could still drive a melt-up. Michael explains why this cycle has felt muted, what would confirm a top, and how he’s positioning into year-end. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io/ ------ 📣BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH-FIRST PUBLIC COMPAN https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:48 Crypto Cycle: Is It Over? Mike's Risk-Off Strategy https://thedefireport.io/research/portfolio-update 2:15 Flash Crash Insights 3:14 Crypto Investor Profiles https://thedefireport.io/ 5:40 Understanding Market Cycles https://thedefireport.io/research/cycle-awareness-update#fear-greed-index 7:34 Late Cycle Analysis https://thedefireport.io/research/cycle-awareness-update#fear-greed-index 12:41 Shifting to Risk Off https://thedefireport.io/research/portfolio-update 18:54 On-Chain Data Insights https://thedefireport.io/research/where-might-eth-top#scenario-analysis-for-eth 21:47 Stages of the Cycle https://thedefireport.io/research/cycle-awareness-update#fear-greed-index 26:12 Wealth Distribution Phase https://thedefireport.io/research/cycle-awareness-update#fear-greed-index 28:15 Realized Profits Comparison https://thedefireport.io/research/cycle-awareness-update#fear-greed-index 32:00 Global Liquidity Discussion https://x.com/RaoulGMI/status/1977140156386660654 https://x.com/RaoulGMI/status/1977498706510487748 33:52 Gold vs. Bitcoin https://x.com/merlijntrader/status/1978793051062509966 1:01:52 The Shittiest Bull Market Ever https://x.com/cryptorbion/status/1979614717707489461 1:08:31 What Would Change Mike's Mind? https://www.coinglass.com/bull-market-peak-signals 1:17:14 Future of the DeFi Report https://thedefireport.io/research/portfolio-update https://thedefireport.io/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

How Futarchy Ends the Rug Pull Era | Felipe Montealegre & Proph3t
Futarchy flips governance on its head—decisions aren’t voted on, they’re traded on. In this conversation with Felipe Montealegre of Thea Research and Proph3t, co-founder of MetaDAO, we explore how market-driven governance can eliminate the token “rug pull” problem, create true shareholder protections on-chain, and unlock the next era of crypto capital markets. From prediction markets and token design to MetaDAO’s “ownership coins,” this is how futarchy could make crypto investable again. ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:51 What is Futarchy? 4:26 US Capital Markets vs Futarchy 6:39 Futarchy Incentives 12:01 Futarchy Market Participants 16:05 A New Form of Governance 18:59 Liquidity & Insider Participation 24:03 Futarchy Genesis 31:31 Crypto Rugs 47:45 Trustworthy Tokens 53:00 Umbra Example 1:00:37 MetaDao 1:07:20 Unrugable Tokens 1:12:42 Regulation 1:18:31 What’s Next? 1:20:48 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Felipe Montealegre https://x.com/theiaresearch Proph3t https://x.com/metaproph3t MetaDao https://metadao.fi/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: $19B Flash Crash | Binance Fee Leak | China L2 on ETH | $14B BTC Reserve
Markets just saw a $19B wipeout in a single day. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, we break down the Friday Flash Crash, what really caused it, and whether it signals the end of the cycle or just a reset. We also cover Binance’s leaked listing fees, a major Chinese tech company quietly building on Ethereum, and reports that the U.S. may add $14B in Bitcoin to its strategic reserve. Plus, Democrats renew their push against DeFi, and Larry Fink gears up for BlackRock’s next big crypto play. ------ 📣IMMUNEFI | CRYPTO SECURITY OS https://bankless.cc/Immunefi ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:14 Markets https://x.com/sykodelic_/status/1978728444038152542 https://www.macrotrends.net/1333/historical-gold-prices-100-year-chart https://x.com/Pledditor/status/1978783238614126798 https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1978254468970909820 https://x.com/iamDCinvestor/status/1978227611722486016 https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1978800773480825133 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1978441509788590590 https://x.com/growthepie_eth/status/1978460964245631206 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1978549428114882674 https://x.com/jconorgrogan/status/1978563381880582649 https://x.com/Paxos/status/1978565015943950411 https://www.kerrisdalecap.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kerrisdale-BitMine-Immersion.pdf https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz/ https://x.com/AltcoinDaily/status/1978562431640346760 29:31 Black Friday - (Flash Crash Friday) of 2025 https://x.com/kookcapitalllc/status/1976778625942011964 https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1976906323058213118 https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1976664345435414918 https://x.com/diogenes/status/1976947177520808270 https://x.com/TedPillows/status/1977000112216805431 https://x.com/diogenes/article/1976947177520808270/media/1976938624139841536 https://x.com/0xdoug/status/1976850615621107743 https://x.com/wacy_time1/status/1976772080768368886 https://x.com/lighter_xyz/status/1976855873344749847 https://x.com/Rabby_io/status/1912055838702784639 https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/1976777483824644454 https://x.com/traderview2/status/1976762799159234661 https://x.com/cobie/status/1976788855006302686 https://x.com/kris/status/1976939942254461094 https://x.com/RaoulGMI/status/1976875434785554831 48:21 Binance listing fees were leaked https://x.com/sjdedic/status/1852049944380932142 https://x.com/cjhtech/status/1978039748565532700 https://x.com/jessepollak/status/1978095944232026236 https://x.com/CryptoDefiLord/status/1978353232838623581 https://x.com/PhilOnChain/status/1978498099493621941 https://x.com/ViktorBunin/status/1978445847235907632 https://x.com/cz_binance/status/1978391907374899379 https://x.com/gregosuri/status/1853219191391650137 https://www.bankless.com/podcast/exposing-binances-listing-fees-cj-hetherington 54:05 MEGAETH VS MONAD TOKENS https://x.com/monad/status/1978525785800495400 https://x.com/megaeth_labs/status/1978449245931012439 https://www.bankless.com/read/news/megaeth-commences-mega-ico-registration-on-cobies-sonar-platform 58:01 Ant Group - Alipay introduced its L2 https://x.com/james_gaps/status/1978350046861984079 https://x.com/Jrag0x/status/1978358112458342697 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1978431508575613213 59:51 Ethereum Phone - dGEN1 left the factory https://x.com/jessepollak/status/1976710468539715895 1:01:19 US seized 127,000 BTC linked to pig butchering scam https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/1978101347401539638 https://x.com/SilvermanJacob/status/1978121251303334130 https://x.com/business/status/1978122242895630685 https://x.com/tayvano_/status/1978273602719158448 https://x.com/zackbshapiro/status/1978151239796854817 1:06:02 Dems countered the Market Structure bill https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1976380118437331425 https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/1976678889909805501 1:08:54 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Is Lighter Ethereum's L2 Perp DEX? | Founder Vlad Novakovski
A $19B liquidation wave hit crypto 10 days after Lighter’s public mainnet—so we asked founder/CEO Vladimir Novakovski why they built a ZK L2 Perp DEX on Ethereum, how the escape hatch actually protects users, and what really happened under extreme stress. We dig into ADL vs. LLP, trader-first design, and why verifiability (not vibes) should govern order matching and liquidations. Vlad shares throughput targets, why Lighter chose custom ZK circuits over a generalized ZKVM, and what’s next: Spot, universal cross-margin, and a ZKVM sidecar for a broader platform play. We close with lessons from the cascade, realistic tradeoffs of being an L2, and how L2Beat “stage upgrades” fit into the roadmap. --- 📣IMMUNEFI | CRYPTO SECURITY OS https://bankless.cc/Immunefi --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:04 Guest Intro & ZK L2 “Why” 4:58 L2 Security & Verifiability 11:35 Verifiable Matching & Liquidations 14:02 Mainnet Launch & Liquidation Stress Test 18:16 Outage: Timeline & Make-Good 18:58 Scorecard: Lighter vs Hyperliquid vs Binance 22:20 ADL 101: Why Automated Deleveraging Exists 32:32 “Customer-First” Design Stance 38:32 Takeaways: Transparency, Proofs, Details 41:48 Causes Considered & Vlad’s Market Lens 49:31 Why a Perp DEX: Product & Fit 57:42 L1 vs L2: Tradeoffs, Sovereignty, Incentives 1:06:45 Roadmap: Spot, ZKVM Sidecar, Cross-Margin, New Markets 1:11:21 Points, Token Timing & Transparency 1:15:31 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Vladimir Novakovski https://x.com/vnovakovski Lighter https://x.com/lighter_xyz --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Exposing Binance's Listing Fees | CJ Hetherington
Binance listing fees, finally out in the open. CJ Hetherington, Founder of Limitless, published the offer he received after no NDA. 8% of total token supply and $250k. We dig into why the founders accept deals like this, the hidden sell pressure, and how onchain price discovery can replace CEX gatekeeping. CJ also breaks down Limitless on Base, instant-settlement price markets, and the path to Coinbase via Aerodrome. ------ 📣IMMUNEFI | CRYPTO SECURITY OS https://bankless.cc/Immunefi ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Centralized Exchange Listing Fees 3:08 The Binance Drama Unfolds 3:41 Introducing Limitless 5:00 Conversation with CJ 15:28 The Hidden Costs of Listing Fees 25:17 The Future of Onchain Markets 28:44 Building on Base 32:39 Limitless: A New Prediction Market 43:43 Exploring Limitless Features 53:10 User-Generated Markets & Censorship 1:06:10 How to Engage with Limitless ------ RESOURCES CJ https://x.com/cjhtech Limitless https://x.com/trylimitless ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Tom Lee & Arthur Hayes: How Crypto Flips Wall Street
Tom Lee and Arthur Hayes map how crypto is flipping Wall Street: BTC at fresh highs, ETH’s comeback, and a surge of institutional capital, tokenization, and stablecoin rails. Tom lays out Bitmine’s big ETH accumulation and bold targets (BTC $200–250k, ETH $10–12k), while Arthur dives into cycles, liquidity, why perps outshine leveraged ETFs, and the looming clash between prediction markets and TradFi. Plus: banks turning into on-chain tech companies and what Tether’s rise signals for the new banking stack. Please visit https://fundstrat.com/tom for complimentary access to Tom Lee's daily market updates, real-time market alerts, live webinars, and curated stock lists. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | TRADING COMPETITION https://bankless.cc/trading-competition 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:42 BTC All Time Highs 5:07 ETH Performance & Bitmine 9:32 DATs Market 15:26 4-Year Cycles 25:32 5% Bitmine’s Target 28:00 Tom’s Involvement in Ethereum 32:42 ETH’s Position 38:37 Compute for Finance 40:53 Tether’s $500B Valuation 44:57 USDT Flips BTC? 46:35 Crypto Equities 48:26 Hacks & Exploits 50:39 Financial Entertainment 55:13 Perps 58:38 Price Targets 1:00:45 2026 Wish List 1:03:06 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Tom Lee https://x.com/fundstrat Arthur Hayes X - https://x.com/cryptohayes IG - https://www.instagram.com/cryptohayes/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-hayes-b493b42/ Substack - https://cryptohayes.substack.com/ Bitmine https://bitminetech.io/ Fundstrat https://fundstrat.com/tom Maelstrom https://maelstrom.fund/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: Gold & BTC ATH | AI Bubble or Debasement Trade? | BNB Surge | $2B Polymarket Deal
Gold shatters $4,000, Bitcoin quietly hits new all-time highs, and Wall Street just made its biggest bet yet on prediction markets. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, we break down why the debasement trade is heating up, how the AI bubble is shaping markets, and what it all means for crypto’s next move. We cover BNB’s explosive run to the #3 spot, ICE’s $2B investment in Polymarket, and ETH staking ETFs officially going live. Plus, Solana ETF approval looks imminent, Asian capital rotates onchain, and Galaxy steps back into retail with a familiar face at the helm. ------ 📣IMMUNEFI | CRYPTO SECURITY OS https://bankless.cc/Immunefi ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | TRADING COMPETITION https://bankless.cc/trading-competition 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:31 Markets https://www.theblock.co/post/373369/bitcoin-hits-new-all-time-high-crosses-125000-for-the-first-time-as-uptober-momentum-builds https://x.com/RayDalio/status/1973766977421275598 https://x.com/BTC_Archive/status/1975562328377528702 https://x.com/jvb_xyz/status/1975047567852671125 https://x.com/matthew_sigel/status/1976251057421647886 https://www.coinglass.com/bull-market-peak-signals https://x.com/Grayscale/status/1975262626377834938 https://x.com/joechalom/status/1975251314117648420 https://x.com/TheCryptoLark/status/1975147566351237315 https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1976037299373646270 21:56 Gold ATH, Equities at ATH and PTJ is calling out the AI bubble! https://x.com/elerianm/status/1975782709084500136 https://companiesmarketcap.com/assets-by-market-cap/#google_vignette https://x.com/SpencerHakimian/status/1975608283751981521 https://x.com/FluentInFinance/status/1975704684808560774 https://x.com/lisaabramowicz1/status/1975121018428809484 https://x.com/noahkaufmanmd/status/1975930839201702195 https://x.com/1MarkMoss/status/1973775891626164276 https://thedefireport.io/research/does-bitcoin-follow-gold#correlation-analysis https://x.com/esaagar/status/1975290951787745581 https://x.com/spikedoanz/status/1975806155470635429 https://x.com/MauiBoyMacro/status/1975589846971523102 https://x.com/pumatheuma/status/1976085531500200220?s=46 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/06/cnbc-transcript-tudor-investments-founder-cio-paul-tudor-jones-on-squawk-box-today.html https://x.com/AltcoinDaily/status/1975363814167380090 https://x.com/dgt10011/status/1975353090128638415 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1975560592166355425 41:48 Why is BNB pumping! https://imgur.com/a/4d6Pnb3 https://x.com/cz_binance/status/1975595775540257262 https://defillama.com/chain/bsc https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1975601864423940288 https://x.com/TheCryptoDog/status/1975602134189285606 https://x.com/mattyboomboom/status/1975888004074922144 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1975909116431515777 https://x.com/eugenegeu/status/1975110416876577133 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cz-returns-binance-speculations-getting-105754644.html 49:17 ICE - NYSE parent company is investing into Polymarket & Distributing Polymarket - $2 billion https://x.com/polymarket/status/1975528768039985449?s=46 https://x.com/CoinDesk/status/1975935472586125456 https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1975534265698812046 https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1975994093529690405?s=46 51:20 Galaxy launched Galaxy One https://x.com/galaxyhq/status/1975173116428234999 https://x.com/GalaxyOneZac/status/1975140872753999932 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/1CDu50yK/?symbol=NASDAQ%3AGLXY https://x.com/solspacecadet/status/1975262934797353010 56:11 Monad Airdrop Claim Portal incoming Tuesday Oct 14th https://x.com/monad/status/1976279260869619994 https://dropstab.com/coins/monad 57:40 3 things Ryan is excited about: https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1976044336111341719 https://x.com/Jrag0x/status/1976180218814660675 https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1975948961845538985 https://x.com/maxbranzburg/status/1975214629552091239 https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/10/08/privacy-commitment https://notes.ethereum.org/@niard/KohakuRoadmap https://beta.walletbeat.eth.limo/wallet/summary/ 1:02:18 Moment of Zen https://x.com/cocothecorncob/status/1975373485410033673 1:02:45 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

The Bull Case For Prediction Markets | Ryan & David
In this episode of Bankless, Ryan and David dive into prediction markets and their place in today’s financial landscape. They unpack how peer-to-peer markets differ from traditional sportsbooks, spotlighting Polymarket and Kalshi, and explore scalability, regulation, and societal impact. Are these markets tools for informed decision-making or just another gambling avenue? ------ 📣BANKLESS SUMMIT 2025 | SPONSORED BY M0 https://bankless.cc/summit-2025 https://bankless.cc/M0 ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | TRADING COMPETITION https://bankless.cc/trading-competition 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro to Prediction Markets 2:43 Bankless Summit Announcement 5:32 How Prediction Markets Work 8:06 Who the Big Players Are 14:31 Kalshi’s Breakout and U.S. Access 19:08 Prediction Markets as Media 20:27 How Big Are They Right Now https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1975528768039985449 https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1975534265698812046 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/?symbol=NASDAQ%3ADKNG 26:17 Where This Is Headed https://x.com/Domahhhh/status/1973576583064567961 26:40 Sportsbooks vs. Prediction Markets https://www.tradingview.com/chart/?symbol=NASDAQ%3ADKNG https://www.tradingview.com/chart/?symbol=NYSE%3AFLUT 31:43 Why Sportsbooks Are Systemically Unfair 39:10 Rules, Regulators, & Court Fights 54:43 Why This Matters for Society 1:00:31 Wrap Up & What to Watch Next ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Why China Builds Faster Than America & The Rest of the World | Dan Wang
Why does China build so much faster—and what does that reveal about two very different ways of running a society? Ryan and David sit down with Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, to unpack China’s “engineers-in-charge” model versus America’s “lawyerly” governance. We cover how this shapes daily life and growth (from subways and high-speed rail to batteries, EVs, and drones), common western misconceptions about China (surveillance, social credit, “imminent collapse”), why U.S. capital markets soar while Chinese manufacturing dominates, what an American “abundance agenda” could look like, and Dan’s closing prescription: the U.S. needs ~20% more engineering; China needs ~50% more rights-protecting legalism. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | TRADING COMPETITION https://bankless.cc/trading-competition 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:45 US Lawyers vs China Builders 8:50 Becoming Elite in China vs US 14:55 Motivating Forces 18:26 China’s Misconceptions 24:38 Protests in China 26:00 US vs China Innovation 27:59 Digital Authoritarianism 34:49 Social Credit System? 36:51 Will China Collapse? 42:53 China & Crypto 47:59 China’s Capital Markets 49:46 Path to Wealth 54:29 Property Rights 58:49 Stock Price vs Productivity 1:02:35 The 1960s 1:04:56 Abundance Agenda 1:06:51 US Weakness Relative to China 1:10:53 The Best of Both Worlds 1:13:43 Is China a Security Threat? 1:14:52 US Manufacturing Comeback? 1:20:20 US Global Talent Hub 1:25:07 China’s US Misconceptions 1:27:03 US Success Scenario 1:29:39 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Dan Wang https://x.com/danwwang Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future https://www.amazon.com/Breakneck-Chinas-Quest-Engineer-Future/dp/1324106034 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

LIMITLESS: We Interviewed The Team Behind ChatGPT's #1 Feature
OpenAI’s personalization leads, Christina Kaplan and Samir Ahmed map the shift from an “assistant with a notebook” to Pulse—the part of ChatGPT that quietly preps your day while you sleep. We unpack how short- and long-term memory work across sessions and why April’s subtle update changed the experience, show how daytime chats stay aligned with overnight prep, and close on the big questions: privacy, consent, and why this is an assistant/representative—not a digital clone. ------ 💫 LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE https://pod.link/1813210890 https://youtube.com/watch?v=cDrllt2zn5M ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:03 Why Memory Mattered 6:00 User Reception 9:45 Under the Hood: Short vs Long Term 12:20 Behavior Shift & Data Strategy 20:26 What is Pulse? ------ RESOURCES Christina Kaplan https://x.com/ChristinaHartW Samir Ahmed https://x.com/PageOfSamir ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

The Art of Spending Money: How to Get Rich and STAY Rich | Morgan Housel
How do you spend money in ways that actually make life better? Morgan Housel, author of the new book The Art of Spending Money, explores status vs. satisfaction, the hedonic treadmill, and why money’s best use is buying independence. We also cover quiet compounding, a practical 15-stage path to financial freedom, when to spend vs. save, helping kids without spoiling them, and small experiments that raise the utility of every dollar. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | U.S. EXCHANGE LAUNCH https://bankless.cc/bullish 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:29 Who’s The Book For? 5:49 There’s No Universal Formula 12:59 What People Want 19:36 Money as a Curse 22:03 Taking a Step Off 26:59 Holding vs Spending 30:26 Identity Traps 33:50 Secret to Contentment 37:32 External vs Internal Benchmarks 40:41 Making an Impact 42:37 Social Debt 50:51 Quiet Compounding 55:10 Financial Freedom 1:02:20 Money & Parenting 1:09:48 Balancing Saving & Spending 1:14:44 Small Purchases 1:16:59 Trying New Things 1:19:29 Morgan’s Financial Decisions 1:21:37 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Morgan Housel https://x.com/morganhousel?lang=en The Art of Spending Money https://www.amazon.com/Art-Spending-Money-Simple-Choices/dp/0593716620 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: Uptober Rally | Tom Lee $1B ETH Buy | Vanguard Flips to Crypto | Stripe Stablecoin Play
In this week’s Weekly Rollup, Uptober kicks off with Bitcoin and Ethereum surging toward all-time highs as Tom Lee drops another $1B into ETH and Vanguard finally opens its doors to crypto ETFs. We cover Stripe’s push to break the Tether–Circle duopoly with its new stablecoin platform, Cloudflare’s surprising entry into onchain payments, and Swift teaming up with Consensys on blockchain rails. Plus, Zcash rockets 200%, Ethereum’s Lighter perps exchange goes live, and Circle sparks debate with plans for reversible USDC. --- 📣0G | CRYPTO X AI https://bankless.cc/OGAI --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | U.S. EXCHANGE LAUNCH https://bankless.cc/bullish 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital *We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors* --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:38 U.S. Government Shutdown https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrj1znp0pyo 7:13 Markets https://x.com/pumatheuma/status/1973717212025553313 - ZK Szn?? https://x.com/CoinDesk/status/1971565473218113771 https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz/ https://www.bankless.com/read/news/another-week-another-buy-bitmine-stacks-234k-eth https://x.com/Jrag0x/status/1972643353918677497 https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1971585912602796266 https://x.com/fundstrat/status/1972948825578131523 https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/us-regulators-probe-stock-moves-before-companies-made-crypto-treasury-2025-09-26/ 24:57 Plasma nailed its go-to-market https://x.com/Plasma/status/1972660468561965173 https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/plasma https://defillama.com/chains https://blockworks-research.beehiiv.com/p/plasma-s-defi-shockwave https://x.com/lemiscate/status/1972337762205339788 https://x.com/ajwarner90/status/1972823448897634648 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1973436365225468336 32:35 Everyone gets a Stablecoin! The duopoloy is dead! Phantom announced Cash stablecoin https://x.com/phantom/status/1973035201950617617 https://x.com/useCash/status/1973035307139477561 https://stripe.com/blog/introducing-open-issuance-from-bridge https://x.com/zcabrams/status/1973052207911129557 https://x.com/nic__carter/status/1973399535092171216 38:43 Cloudflare launched their own stablecoin on Base https://x.com/CoinbaseDev/status/1970477072792592484 https://x.com/eastdakota/status/1971226533831582073 https://x.com/Kira_sama/status/1971237126378504230 https://x.com/Rewkang/status/1970782770805813392 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1973753405894992073 44:18 Lighter - Ethereum Zk Perps https://x.com/Lighter_xyz/status/1973508660061180363 https://defillama.com/protocol/lighter 50:06 More crypto TradFi mainstream! https://x.com/MorphoLabs/status/1972913932802421202 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/swift-teams-ethereum-software-giant-190506673.html https://www.theblock.co/post/372706/swift-blockchain-ledger-consensys https://x.com/Louis_Tellier/status/1973692818452337125 https://cointelegraph.com/news/circle-examines-reversible-stablecoin-transactions 57:36 With new Sora, the need for zk proving reality 100x-ed https://youtu.be/qeORiYlsEH4?t=374 https://x.com/pumatheuma/status/1973258262939312433 1:01:52 CEO of Polymarket gets flipped off https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1972675295564931242 https://x.com/nickpreszler/status/1972748902240780589 1:04:44 Closing, Disclaimers, & Moment of Zen https://x.com/coinbase/status/1972731382830072129 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

The State of Authoritarian Tech | Steven Feldstein
Authoritarian regimes are upgrading their playbook — from surveillance cameras and spyware to algorithmic censorship and AI-driven policing. Steven Feldstein, senior fellow at Carnegie and author of The Rise of Digital Repression, joins Bankless to map the expanding world of repression technology. We cover everything from Nepal’s protest movement to China’s sophisticated censorship stack, the global spyware industry, and the unsettling rise of predictive policing and AI in warfare. Along the way, Feldstein explains how financial repression and social credit systems extend state power into the economic sphere — and where crypto fits into the story of resistance. 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, EARN https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR L2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🐂BULLISH | U.S. EXCHANGE LAUNCH https://bankless.cc/bullish 💠BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH TREASURY https://bankless.cc/bit-digital We’re being compensated by Bit Digital (NASDAQ BTBT) for this segment promoting their company and BTBT. The compensation is paid in cash as a one time payment. You can find additional information about Bit Digital and BTBT on their Investor page at https://bit-digital.com/investors --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:54 The Toolkit of Digital Repression 4:22 Nepal Protests & Freedom Tech 13:32 China’s Integrated Control Playbook 19:48 Who Builds And Sells Repression 28:51 Vendors, Dual-Use, Governance Risks 36:04 Democracies Use These Tools Too 45:00 AI Supercharges Repression 51:57 Crushing Mobilization & 3.5% Rule 58:55 Blunt Backfires, Iran Copies China 1:07:43 How Repression Tech Spreads 1:13:29 Financial Repression, Crypto Workarounds 1:18:48 How To Resist, Practically 1:23:44 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Steven Feldstein https://x.com/stevejfeldstein The Rise of Digital Repression: How Technology is Reshaping Power, Politics, and Resistance https://stevejfeldstein.com/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Was That the Top? Bitcoin, ETH, & Q4 Setup | Michael Nadeau's DeFi Report #6
Is this really the cycle top, or just a reset before Q4 fireworks? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to decode the latest onchain and macro data. We dig into Bitcoin’s key levels, ETH’s $4K line, and why September’s liquidation event might have cleared the path for new highs in Q4. Michael explains what a “mini alt season” tells us about dominance, where fresh capital could come from, and how to think about positioning ahead of year-end. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io/research/is-the-top-in —————— 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium —————— BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf —————— TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction to Crypto Fundamentals 1:43 Recapping the Summer Market 2:11 Analyzing the Mini Altcoin Season 6:54 Examining Long-Term Holder Behavior 7:35 Bitcoin vs. Altcoins: Market Dynamics 12:38 The Next Phase of the Cycle 14:41 Bitcoin's Critical Price Levels 17:12 Moving Averages: Key Indicators 20:40 Current State of the Altcoin Market 26:34 Insights on Ethereum’s Future 27:44 Liquidation Events and Market Sentiment 31:22 Understanding Global Liquidity 34:42 Macro Economic Outlook 38:41 Impact of Rate Cuts on Crypto 47:41 Future Capital Inflows into Crypto 49:37 Monitoring Market Cycles & Conditions 50:49 Closing & Disclaimers —————— Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Crypto vs. Banks: Who Controls America’s Money? | Summer Mersinger
Crypto vs. Banks — the proxy war for the future of money is heating up. Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and former CFTC Commissioner, joins Bankless to unpack the battle over the GENIUS Act, why banks are fighting to roll it back, and how stablecoins have become the frontline. From Elizabeth Warren’s fading influence to the $700M bank lobbying machine, we explore what’s really happening on Capitol Hill, the global stakes for stablecoins, and how upcoming U.S. policy could reshape innovation, regulation, and consumer freedom. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄 SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:12 The GENIUS Act Victory 8:49 How Laws Really Get Made 16:17 The Bank Lobby vs. The Crypto Lobby 20:29 The Shifting Politics of Crypto 27:29 Will Banks Go Crypto? 33:10 International Dimension 37:14 CFTC, SEC, and Market Structure 52:26 DC Drama & Leadership Vacancies 55:42 Prediction Markets & Policy Battles 1:00:07 Looking Ahead to 2026 1:02:15 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Summer Mersinger https://x.com/SKMersinger Blockchain Association https://x.com/BlockchainAssn --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: Markets Down | Tether $500B Raise | South Park x Polymarket | Gensler Grilled
In this week’s Weekly Rollup, we break down “Downtemper” market moves as Bitcoin and Ethereum slide, and examine why Vitalik Buterin is calling low-risk DeFi Ethereum’s true backbone. We highlight Tether’s ambitious $500B raise, Polymarket’s mainstream moment on South Park, and Gary Gensler’s testy CNBC appearance. We also cover Paul Atkins’ push for pro-crypto regulation, the heated debate over whether Base should be regulated like Nasdaq, and the surprising deletion of 86 million bank accounts in Vietnam as digital ID mandates expand. ------ 📣0G | CRYPTO X AI https://bankless.cc/OGAI ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 4:16 Markets https://x.com/PeterSchiff/status/1971193227807162797 https://x.com/tomleeupdates/status/197097365172296 1041 https://x.com/TheOneandOmsy/status/1969076691478696325 7:38 BitGo IPO https://x.com/jseyff/status/1969143764535972186 9:51 Tether $500B Raise https://www.reuters.com/business/crypto-firm-tether-eyes-500-billion-valuation-major-raise-round-bloomberg-news-2025-09-23 17:06 Polymarket / South Park https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1970829572842065995 https://x.com/aleximm/status/1971063404308918630 https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1971137036863275056 https://x.com/martypartymusic/status/1970125767460950181 23:43 Gary Gensler / Paul Atkins / CFTC / Clarity Act https://x.com/altcoindaily/status/1968814029943480623 https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6379979495112 https://x.com/vronirwin/status/1969775136959270993 https://x.com/amandalfischer/status/1970254506374938992 https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/09/10/trump-s-cftc-hopeful-quintenz-takes-his-dispute-with-tyler-winklevoss-very-public https://x.com/BrianQuintenz/status/1965855208195412356 https://www.theblock.co/post/371778/white-house-patrick-witt-market-structure-bill 39:25 Vitalik / DeFi / Coinbase https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/09/21/low_risk_defi.html https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1969794415595077997 https://youtu.be/ADiEX92S58E https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1968708504547364921 43:53 Synthetix Perp Dex https://x.com/synthetix_io/status/1970237341760655656 https://www.bankless.com/podcast/how-synthetix-brings-perps-back-to-the-ethereum-l1-kain-warwick?ref=bankless.ghost.io 48:12 Base / Nasdaq Debate https://thedefiant.io/newsletter/defi-daily/should-base-be-regulated-as-an-exchange https://x.com/iampaulgrewal/status/1970206735206900038 https://x.com/MaxResnick1/status/1970250612399825075 https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1970258498996048247 https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1970571188993958214 https://x.com/danrobinson/status/1970557854190051463 57:53 Coinbase + Cloudflare x402 https://x.com/CoinbaseDev/status/1970477072792592484 https://x.com/balajis/status/1952582943689556453 59:19 Vietnam Bank Account Purge https://x.com/alanvibe/status/1967643742653042698 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1969390296812196325 1:03:47 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

What's Next for Crypto ETFs, ETFs vs DATs, Crypto ETF Explosion & Institutional Inflows | James Seyffart
James Seyffart from Bloomberg Intelligence joins to break down the state of crypto ETFs and their explosive growth. We cover the rise of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, the debate between ETFs and DATs, and the institutional inflows reshaping the market. James explains how advisors, hedge funds, and sovereign wealth funds are participating, the regulatory hurdles around staking ETFs, and why basket products may be the next big wave. We also explore the implications of tokenized ETFs, the S&P 500’s gatekeeping of crypto companies, and what to watch for in the coming months as approvals and new products hit the market. ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:18 DATs vs ETFs 6:18 DATs Final Equilibrium 9:21 ETFs 1-Year Check-in 23:42 Crypto Indexes 30:41 ETF Approval Process 41:03 Solana ETF 44:17 BTC & ETH ETFs 56:11 What’s Driving the Price? 59:39 Crypto Companies in the S&P 1:07:17 Blackrock Tokenized ETFs? 1:13:59 Key Outcomes 1:19:14 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES James Seyffart https://x.com/JSeyff https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesseyffart Bloomberg Intelligence https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/products/bloomberg-terminal/research/bloomberg-intelligence/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Vitalik Declares DeFi Ethereum’s Killer App | Ryan & David
Vitalik Buterin just declared DeFi as Ethereum’s “killer app.” In his new post, he compares it to Google Search, the dependable core business that powers everything else. Ryan and David break down why Vitalik believes DeFi has finally earned this title, how it survived the volatility of the last cycle, and what it means for ETH as collateral, culture, and revenue. They cover the Google analogy, the risks DeFi has outgrown, and why this moment could define Ethereum’s future. ------ 📣0G | CRYPTO X AI https://bankless.cc/OGAI ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:09 DeFi: Ethereum's Core Business 3:50 The Significance of Vitalik's Article 5:27 Vitalik's Perspective on DeFi Maturity 9:27 The Stability of DeFi vs. TradFi 12:20 Core Low-Risk DeFi Activities 14:47 DeFi's Global Accessibility 15:37 DeFi and Ethereum's Cultural Goals 17:56 Economic Contributions of DeFi 21:24 ETH as a Store of Value 26:05 The Noble Purpose of DeFi 30:48 Alignment of DeFi with Ethereum 34:45 Google Analogy: DeFi's Backbone 39:27 Vitalik's Pride in DeFi 41:49 Marketing Messages and Ethereum 1:04:37 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Vitalik’s Post https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/09/21/low_risk_defi.html ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

The Unbundling of Banks: How Stablecoins Change Everything | Charles Calomiris
What happens when stablecoins break apart the traditional business model of banks? Economist Charles Calomiris explains how the “unbundling” of payments and lending reshapes finance, why politics matter more than technology, and what this revolution could mean for the dollar’s future. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄 SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 What Are Banks? 7:56 Chartered Banking 30:44 The Unbundling 51:48 Stablecoin Yield Concerns 1:01:42 Death of The Dollar? 1:15:45 Stablecoins Abroad 1:20:52 Future of The Dollar 1:24:38 Dollar as a SoV 1:32:10 Are Stablecoins Winning? 1:36:30 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Charles Calomiris https://x.com/cwcalomiris Fragile by Design (Charles' Book) https://www.amazon.com/Fragile-Design-Political-Princeton-Economic/dp/0691155240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&sr=8-1 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: The Fed Lowered Interest Rates: What That Means For Crypto
In this Weekly Rollup, we discuss the implications of recent Federal Reserve rate cuts on crypto markets, exploring their potential benefits for Bitcoin and Ethereum. We highlight the SEC's easing of crypto ETF regulations, Tether's new compliant stablecoin, and SEC Chair Paul Atkins' vision for clearer regulations. Finally, we touch on how global finance is adapting to crypto innovations in Ghana and Nepal. --- 📣0G | CRYPTO X AI https://bankless.cc/OGAI --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄 SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:24 Markets https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FEDFUNDS https://polymarket.com/event/fed-decision-in-october https://x.com/CryptoMalfoy_/status/1968357964906979484 https://x.com/joechalom/status/1968383138943361374 https://x.com/CryptoHayes/status/1968060229805019140 https://x.com/GarrettGoggin/status/1967905389321535779 15:52 Solana DATS https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/1967560072717869273 https://blockworks.com/analytics/treasury-companies/market-data https://panteracapital.com/helius-hsdt-building-the-preeminent-solana-treasury/ https://x.com/AltcoinDaily/status/1967645702429044799 21:34 New ETF Standards https://x.com/JSeyff/status/1968437645660352620 https://x.com/matt_hougan/status/1968432392726593686 26:00 Base Token https://blog.base.org/the-state-of-base-at-basecamp-2025 https://x.com/base/status/1967602096360063341 https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1967602534601875734 https://x.com/coinbase/status/1967609260667535463 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1968320893953933781 44:30 Tether USAT https://x.com/USAT_io/status/1966520959713620001 48:25 Banking Lobby vs. Crypto https://www.coindesk.com/opinion/2025/09/16/the-genius-act-is-already-law-banks-shouldn-t-try-to-rewrite-it-now https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1968392328474706285 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1968317057109287046 https://x.com/0xKofi/status/1968221311806718320 56:49 The Revolution in Nepal https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/exclusive-nepal-turns-to-bitcoin-and-stablecoins-as-protests-rock-the-nation 59:50 Paul Atkins https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/atkins-keynote-address-inaugural-oecd-roundtable-global-financial-markets-091025 1:01:23 Wrapping Up https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1967592719603429824 https://syndicate.io/blog/community-first-token-launch https://x.com/NasdaqExchange/status/1966512285465170265 https://x.com/BTC_Archive/status/1967960768264970690 https://x.com/afpost/status/1968426582764093740 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

FinTech Meets Crypto: The Future of Global Payments | Simon Taylor
What if payment chains are the “AWS moment for money”? Simon Taylor — fintech veteran, ex-Barclays crypto lead, and author of FinTech Brainfood — joins Bankless to map the convergence of fintech and crypto. From stablecoins serving as the Trojan horse for tokenisation to Tempo’s push for a payments chain, Simon explains why finance is on the brink of its biggest infrastructure shift since Visa. We cover the rise of payments L1s, the regulatory roulette of stablecoins, and whether neutrality and permissionlessness can survive in corporate-led networks. Plus, Simon breaks down the differences between stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and CBDCs — and explains why the future of finance is already being rebuilt on-chain. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄 SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 4:28 FinTech Meets Crypto 9:47 The AWS Moment for Money 14:34 Why Payments Are Broken 21:25 Stablecoins in Action 25:59 The Rise of Payments Chains 38:11 Neutrality, Permissionlessness & The Libra Lesson 52:48 Stablecoins, Tokenized Deposits & CBDCs 59:08 The Stablecoin Boom Ahead 1:12:24 Is FinTech Becoming Crypto? 1:15:22 Tokenization Beyond Payments 1:36:25 Agents & AI Commerce 1:40:33 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Simon Taylor https://x.com/sytaylor/ FinTech Brainfood https://www.fintechbrainfood.com/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Why Recessions Are Dead & How to Invest in The Debasement Era | Macro Investor Vincent Deluard
Why do recessions feel like a relic of the past? Macro strategist Vincent Deluard argues we’ve entered an era where fiscal dominance, structural inflation, and relentless asset debasement reshape how capital flows and how investors must position themselves. We cover the U.S. supercycle, the role of tech and energy, why the “2% inflation target” is dead, and what a portfolio looks like in the age of permanent stimulus. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:33 The Next 10 Years 5:47 The Mind of a Pension Fund Manager 8:25 US Dominance 26:17 Dominance Shift 37:21 AI Bubble? 41:19 Inflationary Forces 52:40 Inflationista Thesis 58:36 Fiscal Dominance 1:03:38 Trump vs The Fed 1:09:41 Are Debt Cycles Inevitable? 1:12:26 Are Recessions Dead? 1:20:27 Portfolio Construction 1:26:21 Emerging Markets 1:33:45 Gold 1:37:42 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Vincent Deluard https://x.com/vincentdeluard StoneX https://www.stonex.com/en/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

PREMIUM - Preston Van Loon, Uma Roy, DeFi Dave | David's Personal Research
🏴 Access all episodes with Citizenship 🏴 https://www.bankless.com/premium —— In this bonus episode of the Bankless podcast, we highlight insights from three guests featured in the Bankless premium feed. Uma Roy from Succinct discusses the Succinct Prover Network's role in enhancing Ethereum's transaction capabilities. Preston Van Loon outlines the upcoming hard forks Fusaka and Glamsterdam, along with essential privacy innovations. DeFi pioneer Dave from CapMoney presents a novel stablecoin model that combines yield-generating strategies with risk mitigation. Join us for a glimpse into the innovative advancements shaping the crypto world! —— TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:28 Uma Roy’s Insights on Succinct Prover Network 7:50 Ethereum Roadmap with Preston Van Loon 14:30 DeFi Innovations with DeFi Dave 20:11 Conclusion and Call to Action —— Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: One Chart Determines if We're in a Bull or Bear Market
In the 2nd Weekly Rollup of Flat-tember, we discuss whether the crypto bull market is over amid rising unemployment and market uncertainty. We cover stablecoin competition for Hyperliquid partnerships, Justin Sun's frozen WFLI tokens, and Nasdaq's tokenized equities. With Ethereum leading in asset tokenization, they also reflect on lost SEC Chair Gensler's texts and the rise of DAOs, alongside major moves from Fidelity and Robinhood. —- 📣SANCTUM | STAKE YOUR SOL https://bankless.cc/Sanctum-report --- Bankless Weekly Rollup: 2nd Week of September, 2025 --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:42 Markets https://www.reuters.com/business/us-unemployment-rate-near-4-year-high-labor-market-hits-stall-speed-2025-09-05/ https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE https://www.reuters.com/business/cooler-us-producer-inflation-hints-softening-demand-2025-09-10/ https://polymarket.com/event/fed-decision-in-september https://thedefireport.io/research/markets-are-nearing-an-inflection-point#global-liquidity https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1965381497936117794 https://x.com/SharpLinkGaming/status/1965385468360741042 https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1965412886731538686 https://x.com/amitisinvesting/status/1965031182443139242 https://blockworks.co/news/samani-expected-chairman-solana-treasury https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1965054449212342629 https://blockworks.com/analytics/treasury-companies/market-data https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1965118547052695588 https://beincrypto.com/fidelity-tokenized-treasury-fund-on-ethereum/ https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1965152999963328571 29:30 Justin Son WLFI Frozen https://x.com/molly0xFFF/status/1963684142454894967 https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1963882897909145937 https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/world-liberty-financial https://x.com/jconorgrogan/status/1963665497393975324 https://x.com/0xNonceSense/status/1963654615947514277 https://x.com/worldlibertyfi/status/1964081164408250558 https://x.com/jconorgrogan/status/1963665740109893656 https://x.com/justinsuntron/status/1963807543983263802 https://x.com/ASvanevik/status/1963761428445442341 35:35 Hyperliquid USDH Bidding War https://www.bankless.com/read/hyperliquids-usdh-bidding-war https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1965370023377248437 https://polymarket.com/event/who-will-win-the-usdh-ticker-159?tid=1757505856052 https://x.com/0xfoobar/status/1965445696032846173 https://x.com/hosseeb/status/1965520465172328717 42:15 MegaETH Stablecoin https://x.com/megaeth_labs/status/1965082874627199414 47:30 Ronin and Upbeat Join OP Stack L2 https://x.com/Ronin_Network/status/1965220031320793442 https://giwa.io/home https://coinmarketcap.com/rankings/exchanges/ https://x.com/hildobby/status/1965820218854486232 50:56 Robinhood Joins S&P 500 https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1964078422050681221 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/1CDu50yK/?symbol=NASDAQ%3AHOOD 52:45 Gary Gensler’s Missing Texts https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/1963731865577127980 https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/1964471380403245525 https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1963780017281765392 https://x.com/lex_node/status/1642242646931300353 56:36 Senate Clarity Act https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1965465751122592119 58:15 Nasdaq Seeks Tokenized Stocks https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/09/08/nasdaq-seeks-nod-from-u-s-sec-to-tokenize-stocks 1:01:15 Robinhood Social https://x.com/RobinhoodApp/status/1965589746937446623 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Tokenized Stocks: The $100 Trillion Onchain Shift | Ondo Finance Ian De Bode & Nathan Allman
Ryan & David sit down with Ondo Finance’s Nathan Allman and Ian De Bode to map the path from stablecoins to tokenized treasuries to tokenized stocks. We break down why Ondo’s wrapper model is set out to win, how blockchain brings 24/5 primary markets with 24/7 secondary markets, Defi composability and liquidity at fair prices. Ethereum and Ondo are leading a $100T onchain migration you can’t miss. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:55 Is Business Booming? 7:59 Are RWAs Inevitable? 12:50 Tokenized Treasuries 19:13 Tokenization Roadmap 24:17 Types of Tokenized Treasuries 31:40 What’s Holding the US Back? 37:08 Tokenized Stocks 41:04 Tokenized Stocks Liquidity 50:56 Property Rights 56:25 Is Permissionless Tokenization Possible? 1:04:32 24/7 Markets? 1:07:52 Ondo Global Markets 1:10:54 Why Ethereum? 1:12:08 Stocks Meet DeFi 1:19:26 What Chains will RWAs Settle On? 1:32:41 Is Wall Street Ready? 1:34:29 What’s Next? 1:36:00 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Ian https://x.com/iandebode Nathan https://x.com/nathanlallman Ondo Finance https://ondo.finance/ Ondo Global Markets https://app.ondo.finance/ RWAs Overview https://app.rwa.xyz/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Hyperliquid’s Rise: Revenue, Valuation & Risks | Michael Nadeau
Hyperliquid is less than a year old, yet it’s already rivalling Ethereum and Solana in revenue. In this episode, Ryan and Michael from the DeFi Report dive deep into the rise of crypto’s hottest exchange: from its fair-launch token drop to its Binance-like UX, to why whales and builders can’t get enough of it. We cover the project’s inception story, the ecosystem forming around HyperEVM, and the unique buyback model funnelling millions back into its token. Along the way, we unpack tough questions about valuation, decentralization, and regulatory risk. Is Hyperliquid the future of on-chain trading or just another bull market phenomenon? Tune in for a full breakdown of the fundamentals, the risks, and the potential upside. --- 📣SANCTUM | STAKE YOUR SOL https://bankless.cc/Sanctum-report --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:47 Hyperliquid’s Revenue Surge 6:33 Valuation Questions 13:42 Product Experience & Growth Flywheel 18:16 The Team Behind Hyperliquid 20:14 Ecosystem Expansion 24:33 Decentralization & Risks 33:34 Regulation, AML, and KYC 38:35 Tokenomics & Buybacks 49:18 Valuation Comparisons 57:15 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Michael Nadeau https://x.com/JustDeauIt The DeFi Report https://x.com/the_defi_report Hyperliquid (HYPE) https://x.com/HyperliquidX --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Stripe’s Trillion-Dollar Bet: How Stablecoins Eat Global Payments | Founder of Bridge Zach Abrams
Zach Abrams—co-founder of Bridge, acquired by Stripe—joins Ryan to unpack Stripe’s stablecoin strategy and why tokenized dollars are poised to devour global payments. We cover Bridge’s sale to Stripe, how “fiat L1 / stablecoin L2” rails unlock faster, cheaper cross-border payouts (from startups to government aid), the case for many issuer- and app-specific stablecoins with better yield sharing, and what the Tempo chain targets for payment-scale throughput, privacy, and finality. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 6:28 Zach’s Founder Arc 15:47 Fintech x Crypto Convergence 18:55 Founding Bridge in the Dark Times 22:42 Traditional Payment Inefficiencies 26:21 Bridge 101 42:00 Traditional Bank Pushback 42:17 Stablecoin Treasuries 50:22 Post-Genius Stablecoin Market 59:27 Fintech in 5 years 1:05:01 Tempo L1 1:13:30 Too Many Blockchains 1:17:25 Exiting TradFi 1:20:49 Getting Stablecoins to Trillions 1:25:28 Stripe x Crypto 1:29:44 AI Stablecoin Users 1:32:32 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Zach Abrams https://x.com/zcabrams Tempo https://tempo.xyz/ Bridge https://www.bridge.xyz/ Stripe https://stripe.com/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: ETH Hits All Time High, But Will It Stick?
In this episode, we discuss Ethereum's rise past $4,780 and co-host David Hoffman's insights from Burning Man. We explore Ethereum's treasury dynamics, the debut of the World Liberty Financial Token, and potential Bitcoin and Ethereum listings on major exchanges. The episode also covers advancements in tokenized securities, competition in prediction markets, and the quirky rise of tokenized Pokémon cards. Join us for a concise look at the latest in crypto! --- 📣SANCTUM | STAKE YOUR SOL https://bankless.cc/Sanctum-report --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Burning Man 7:30 Markets https://thedefiant.io/news/markets/bitcoin-august-all-time-high-above-usd124k-could-be-cycle-top-coingecko https://www.theblock.co/post/369477/ethereums-monthly-spot-volume-tops-bitcoin-trading-on-centralized-exchanges-for-first-time-in-over-7-years https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1962945359988035865 https://www.theblock.co/post/369497/nasdaq-tightens-scrutiny-of-companies-raising-cash-to-buy-crypto-report https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/1963240688146948108 https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/1962989752455700874 32:00 WLFI Dropped https://x.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1962485085896323466 https://x.com/worldlibertyfi/status/1960068943562870830 https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/world-liberty-financial https://governance.worldlibertyfinancial.com/t/proposal-use-100-of-wlfi-treasury-liquidity-fees-for-buyback-burn/41226 https://x.com/worldlibertyfi/status/1962648359681839381 https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1962634267764166743 https://mail.blockworks.com/p/wlfi-the-token-is-the-product https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1962884341626773959 38:30 Tempo https://x.com/matthuang/status/1963633379284587017 https://x.com/zcabrams/status/1963640969183859116 45:00 Tokenized Securities https://x.com/OndoFinance/status/1886822778277351608 https://x.com/rleshner/status/1963211892438049172 49:50 Polymarket in US https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1963280673709625346 https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9113-25 https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1962903170859843759 https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/1960377824793010489 https://x.com/williamlegate/status/1963386120471003607 https://x.com/allanmaman/status/1963406022183465032 55:14 Tokenized Pokemon https://x.com/Collector_Crypt 58:49 Credit Score https://x.com/mattyTokenomics/status/1963009390342242327 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Debate: Is Ethereum Ready for Real World Assets? | Omid Malekan vs Austin Campbell (Crypto Professors)
Austin Campbell (NYU) and Omid Malekan (Columbia) debate a simple question: is Ethereum ready to host real-world assets? They walk through stress tests—what if an exchange is hacked, a stablecoin breaks, or a court order targets the chain—and whether the network should ever step in. You’ll hear where they agree and disagree, what protections are realistic today, and what still needs to be built before RWAs can scale. ------ 📣RONIN “ONCHAIN NINTENDO” | DOWNLOAD THE RONIN WALLET https://bankless.cc/RoninWallet ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 6:13 Twitter Debate Genesis 8:58 Bybit Hack 17:56 Crypto vs RWA Immutability 29:29 Ethereum Validator Intervention 33:11 Dealing with Multiple Jurisdictions 52:23 Credible Neutrality for a Multipolar World 1:00:32 Blockchain Use Cases 1:13:40 Consortium Chains 1:24:57 Closing Arguments ------ RESOURCES Omid Malekan https://x.com/malekanoms https://www.omidmalekan.com/ Austin Campbell https://x.com/campbelljaustin https://zero-in.beehiiv.com/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

From BlackRock to Ethereum: Betting It All on ETH | Joseph Chalom
What does BlackRock’s former crypto lead see in Ethereum that others still miss? Joseph Chalom joins Bankless to take us inside the IBIT/ETHA ramp, why BUIDL launched on Ethereum mainnet, and the simple—but powerful—framework he uses to value ETH as “high-octane money.” We break down staking inside ETFs, the tokenization roadmap from stablecoins to the S&P in your wallet, and the real mechanics of ETH treasury companies—mNAV premiums, ATMs, converts, and the transparency metrics that matter. Less hype, more architecture: if security, liquidity, and 24/7 settlement are the future, this is the bridge. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:53 Larry Fink’s arc: skeptic to champion 9:15 Joseph’s crypto journey 18:09 Aladdin × Coinbase Prime 20:55 Building IBIT 24:28 ETHA & ETH ETF staking approval 36:04 Tokenization roadmap & magnitude 44:48 SharpLink’s ETH bet 50:13 Ether as “high-octane money” 58:54 Beyond ‘buy and hold’ 1:03:11 ETH vs BTC treasuries 1:06:09 Radical transparency 1:10:31 mNAV, ATMs & buybacks 1:19:10 Where’s the price impact? 1:25:32 How many treasuries win? 1:29:25 Closing thoughts --- RESOURCES Joseph Chalom https://x.com/joechalom Sharplink https://www.sharplink.com/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: ETH ATH! | U.S. Gov Onchain GDP | Google’s L1 | Hyperliquid Prints | EU Digital Euro?
On this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and Haseeb debate if ETH’s new all-time high signals the top or just the start, with whales rotating from BTC into ETH and alt season heating up. Powell hints at rate cuts, ETFs keep pulling billions, and Tom Lee’s billion-dollar ETH bet takes center stage while treasury premiums sink. Meanwhile, Google teases an L1, Hyperliquid outpaces Robinhood, and Europe floats a digital euro, setting up another pivotal week in crypto. --- 📣RONIN “ONCHAIN NINTENDO” | DOWNLOAD THE RONIN WALLET https://bankless.cc/RoninWallet --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:38 Big Sean Crypto https://x.com/altcoindaily/status/1960753873376961031 3:20 Powell’s speech last week https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/powell-opens-door-potential-rate-cut-speech-jack https://x.com/FinanceLancelot/status/1958934829082583312 https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1958907551442993491: https://x.com/charliebilello/status/1958910251819786478 https://x.com/AnnaEconomist/status/1958923556680536487 9:10 Markets https://x.com/JSeyff/status/1959982000804442559 https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1958941150041317514 https://x.com/speculatorart/status/1960322107864141966 https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/25/bitcoin-flash-crash-triggers-usd550m-in-sunday-l https://x.com/JacobKinge/status/1959724849598718428 https://x.com/lookonchain/status/1958767845934080277 https://x.com/woonomic/status/1960442328604200987 24:53 HYPE Crushing it - competitive with major exchanges https://x.com/cointelegraph/status/1960379396927213990 https://blockworks-research.beehiiv.com/p/is-hype-still-cheap-8541fea8eaae3e65 https://x.com/infinitybanyan/status/1960373080389304611 34:55 SOL DATs are coming - 3 of em! https://x.com/matthew_sigel/status/1959942140500365564 https://x.com/SolanaFloor/status/1959948823280619558 https://decrypt.co/336832/pantera-capital-eyes-1-25b-raise-solana-treasury-firm https://panteracapital.com/blockchain-letter/dat-value-creation/ https://mcga.com/news/trump-media-group-cro-strategy-to-acquire-cro-digital-asset-treasury https://blockworks.co/analytics/treasury-companies/market-data 42:01 Google is building its L1 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rich-widmann-a816a54b_all-this-talk-of-layer-1-blockchains-has-activity-7366124738848415744-7idA/ 49:35 US GOV - will publish GDP figures onchain! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEPqUdelFo https://blog.chain.link/united-states-department-of-commerce-macroeconomic-data/ https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1961067983800881224 https://x.com/krakenfx/status/1961081675175149795 https://etherscan.io/address/0x36ccdf11044f60f196e981970d592a7de567ed7b#code https://docs.chain.link/data-feeds/us-government-macroeconomic/addresses?page=1&testnetPage=1 51:41 The EU may release a Stablecoin on a public chain - Ethereum or Solana https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1958754787345727712 https://app.rwa.xyz/stablecoins https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/china-considering-yuan-backed-stablecoins-boost-global-currency-usage-sources-2025-08-21/ 56:45 Kanye West released $YZY https://x.com/kanyewest/status/1958346810801697237 https://x.com/CryptoHayes/status/1958356982991401006 https://x.com/lookonchain/status/1958355708010975580 https://x.com/JamesWynnReal/status/1958383968945831940 59:43 DOJ announced that it won’t bring charges against non-custodial developers https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1958645825732501566 1:04:51 Closing & Disclaimers --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ETHZilla: Ethereum Treasury Strategy | McAndrew Rudisill & Avichal Garg
ETHZilla wants to turn ETH into Wall Street’s new reserve asset, and they’ve built a plan to do it. Ryan sits down with Avichal Garg (Electric Capital) and Mac Rudisill (ETHZilla) to unpack why ETH treasuries exploded this cycle, how credit markets (converts, preferreds, and debt) supercharge accumulation, and why stablecoins → DeFi → ETH forms a flywheel that turns Ether into high-quality collateral. We dig into leverage discipline, mNAV premiums, operational security, and the business math that makes an ETH treasury look more like Berkshire than a hype trade. Plus: can this wave trigger a DeFi after-boom, and what does “winning” actually mean for ETHZilla? --- 📣RONIN “ONCHAIN NINTENDO” | DOWNLOAD THE RONIN WALLET https://bankless.cc/RoninWallet --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:53 Catching Tom Lee and Peter Thiel Backing 7:53 Treasury vs. ETF vs. Just Holding ETH 11:58 Why Treasuries Are Booming 16:51 New Debt Instruments & Appetite 22:00 Leverage, Rehypothecation & Risk Controls 29:50 The Big Unlock: ETH as High-Quality Collateral 34:35 Stablecoins → DeFi → ETH Flywheel 38:55 “ETH Is the Next Bitcoin?” 54:51 Why ETH Lagged BTC 56:05 ETH vs BTC Treasuries: Yield Surface 1:01:33 Why Electric Capital Runs Deployment 1:03:45 Buy Rules: Time vs. Price 1:09:00 Attention Matters: Spokesperson & Community 1:13:24 What “Winning” Looks Like for ETHZilla 1:17:59 Where Are We in the Cycle? 1:26:12 DeFi Afterboom? --- RESOURCES Maria Shen’s “Beyond Stablecoins” Report https://x.com/MariaShen/status/1942658782439395815 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Will Crypto Peak in 2025 or 2026? Onchain Data Signals | Michael Nadeau’s DeFi Report #5
Crypto cycles have always topped on a four-year rhythm, but are we heading for a Q4 2025 peak or an extended run into 2026? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to break down the onchain and macro signals shaping this cycle. We cover Powell’s dovish pivot at Jackson Hole, global liquidity trends, and why loosening bank lending standards could fuel risk-on markets. Michael explains how whale Bitcoin selling, ETH’s breakout, and muted altcoin flows fit into the bigger cycle map. Finally, we dive into portfolio strategy, from core holdings to high-beta “hot sauce” bets, and why holding fewer, higher-conviction assets is the edge most investors miss. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io https://thedefireport.io/research/how-many-assets-should-you-hold-in-a-crypto-portfolio#closing-thoughts ------ 📣BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH-FIRST PUBLIC COMPANY http://bit-digital.com ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:01 Global Liquidity Insights 6:44 Market Valuations Discussion 9:53 Lending Standards & Bank Activity 11:49 Powell's Impact on Markets 15:34 Inflation and Market Psychology 17:38 Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index 18:58 Long-term vs Short-term Holders 22:45 Realized Price vs Market Value 26:34 Altcoin Market Dynamics 31:19 Extended Cycle vs Classic Cycle 35:06 Portfolio Construction Strategies 39:27 Core vs Non-Core Asset Holdings 43:10 High Beta Assets Explained 45:54 Cash Allocation Strategies 54:05 Upcoming Research and Reports ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

We’re Still Early to The Institutional Crypto Cycle | Eric Peters, CIO Coinbase Asset Management
Eric Peters, CIO of Coinbase Asset Management joins Ryan to chart how crypto matured to today’s institutional market with deep liquidity, ETF rails, and stablecoin clarity. They unpack why Wall Street is leaning in, why the next wave is digitally native issuance of treasuries, bonds, and equities on Ethereum, and how macro tailwinds (fiscal dominance, Fed–Treasury convergence, AI-driven productivity) intersect with crypto’s reflexivity. Risks and realities aren’t ignored—over-financialized “treasury companies,” security lapses, and policy whiplash—plus a 12–18 month roadmap of real on-chain use cases as pensions and sovereigns start arriving. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:55 Throwback to 2020 9:29 Institutional Infra: Before & After 11:47 Institutional Adoption: Before & After 15:57 TradFi ETF Incentives 19:07 Did Crypto Become Consensus? 22:45 Balancing Conviction & Change of Opinion 28:20 The Story of Money 33:19 Institutional Understanding 37:57 Is Crypto Too Big to be Shut Down? 43:44 Operation Chokepoint Takeaways 49:18 Crypto Regulation 180 56:13 Working with Different Jurisdictions 1:04:05 The Future of Tokenization 1:10:10 Crypto ETFs Aftermath 1:18:32 How High Can Crypto Go? 1:32:23 Treasury Companies 1:38:27 Eric’s Macro Trades 1:44:18 What Could Go Wrong? 1:48:04 Coinbase Asset Management 1:53:34 What’s Next? 1:54:52 Closing ------ RESOURCES Eric Peters https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesericpeters/ Coinbase Asset Management https://www.cbassetmgmt.com/ One River Asset Management https://www.oneriveram.com/ Last Eric Peters interviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8oocKy3IwU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMPiGjxdH0E Vitalik’s Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNSnYIjoqOM ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: Market Top? | $3B ETH ETFs | Saylor Minting Shares | Fed Turns Bullish
On this week’s Weekly Rollup Ryan and David ask if the cycle top is in and whether alt season is coming, debating if it is time to buy the dip or sell everything while reviewing 30 market signals. ETH ETFs pull in over $3B as Tom Lee buys and Saylor mints more MicroStrategy shares, yet prices remain stuck and treasury premiums compress. Meanwhile the Fed signals a pro-crypto shift, Wyoming unveils a state stablecoin, and New York threatens new taxes, setting up another pivotal week in crypto. --- 📣RONIN “ONCHAIN NINTENDO” | DOWNLOAD THE RONIN WALLET https://bankless.cc/RoninWallet --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:10 What if $124,000 was the cycle top and there won’t be an altseason? https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1957893416282648646 5:10 Markets https://x.com/TheStalwart/status/1958179878940901700 https://x.com/TheStalwart/status/1958179988802302124 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/18/openai-sam-altman-warns-ai-market-is-in-a-bubble.html https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/759965/sam-altman-openai-ai-bubble-interview https://www.tradingview.com/chart/1RYLG2gC/ https://finance-commerce.com/2025/08/fed-rate-cut-debate-jobs-inflation/ https://polymarket.com/event/fed-decision-in-september?tid=1755697973403 https://farside.co.uk/eth/ https://x.com/hildobby/status/1957489251890962578 https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1957491638671949895 21:12 Treasuries keep buying…but mNAV losing it’s premium.. Is the treasury meta over? Bitmine became the 2nd largest crypto treasury https://x.com/SERdotxyz/status/1957417581138288945 https://x.com/arkham/status/1956387897830965711 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1957849710678384977 https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz/ https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1957623767443587218 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/1CDu50yK/?symbol=NASDAQ%3AETHZ https://x.com/saylor/status/1957413273122287738 https://x.com/kale_abe/status/1957433733025288674 https://youtu.be/hEJueJxftuU?si=682aUZrlLGwuDDCg https://blockworks.co/analytics/treasury-companies/bitcoin-treasury-companies https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/08/18/btcs-to-pay-first-ever-ether-dividend-loyalty-bonus-to-discourage-short-selling 41:00 Is the current crypto cycle over? https://www.coinglass.com/bull-market-peak-signals https://x.com/fejau_inc/status/1957672639054639465 https://x.com/nic__carter/status/1957875046002680141 https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1957074513365016952 https://cointelegraph.com/news/norway-sovereign-wealth-fund-bitcoin-exposure 50:05 Gemini is getting ready for its IPO https://www.theblock.co/post/367160/gemini-ipo-filing-exchange-targets-nasdaq-as-gemi-reveals-dip-in-revenue 51:06 New York proposed 0.2% tax on digital asset transactions starting September https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1956423461342969915 53:43 Wyoming launched the first stablecoin issued by a US state https://x.com/eleanorterrett/status/1957763504435524055 55:01 Exec director crypto whitehouse - Bo Hines left exchanged White House for Tether https://tether.io/news/tether-appoints-former-white-house-crypto-council-executive-director-bo-hines-as-strategic-advisor-for-digital-assets-and-u-s-strategy/ 57:35 SEC is investigating the CEO of WLFI treasury company https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/1957856353537372614 https://x.com/ALT5_Sigma/status/1957946923647922519 https://x.com/Jonisaac702/status/1957903664393384023 59:04 FED is turning bullish on crypto https://www.theblock.co/post/367508/we-stand-at-a-crossroads-feds-bowman-urges-more-of-an-embrace-toward-crypto-and-tech 1:02:05 Closing & Disclaimers --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Who Really Controls the Dollar? | Jeff Snider
What if everything you thought about the dollar was wrong? Monetary historian Jeff Snider joins Bankless to deliver a radical thesis: the Federal Reserve doesn't control the U.S. dollar; a sprawling offshore system of interbank ledger money does. This hidden network, known as the Eurodollar system, is the real engine of global finance, and it’s been breaking down for over 15 years. In this episode, we unpack how Eurodollars work, why the Fed lost control, the eerie similarities between stablecoins and shadow banking, and why Jeff sees a “Silent Depression,” masked by asset booms but driven by deflationary forces. If you’ve been bullish on crypto because of debasement fears, Jeff’s counter-narrative might challenge everything you believe. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:30 Who’s Actually in Charge of the Dollar? 12:55 Stablecoins vs. Eurodollars 21:19 Did the Fed Ever Have Control? 30:02 Eurodollar Demand & Market Forces 38:24 What Backs a Eurodollar? 46:38 The Silent Depression Since 2008 52:58 From Fed Power to $6 Trillion Lost 58:45 Jeff’s Portfolio Thesis 1:05:24 “There’s No Debasement” 1:14:19 The Jeff Snider Portfolio ------ RESOURCES Jeff Snider https://x.com/JeffSnider_EDU Eurodollar University https://www.eurodollar.university/ --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

LIMITLESS: Aravind Srinivas: Perplexity CEO’s All-In Gamble to Take Down Google
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas joins the show to explore how AI agents, personalization, and new browsing models could transform the internet experience. From replacing mundane workflows with proactive assistance to envisioning a fully AI-native operating system, Aravind shares his long-term vision, the thinking behind Perplexity’s new Comet browser, and why curiosity will remain humanity’s most valuable skill in the AI era. We also dive into competing with Big Tech, protecting users from AI-generated “slop,” and the architectural choices that make AI-assisted browsing faster, more reliable, and more personal. ------ 💫 LIMITLESS | SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW https://limitless.bankless.com/ https://x.com/LimitlessFT ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 9:58 Curiosity as the Key Human Advantage 15:26 From Keywords to Questions 21:35 Personalization and Agency in Browsing 27:13 Keeping Humans in the Loop 32:30 Why People Love Perplexity 38:35 Comet - The AI Browser 47:24 The Browser vs. Agent Debate 57:16 Competing with Big Tech 1:01:26 The OS Endgame 1:08:48 Closing Thoughts ------ RESOURCES Aravind Srinivas https://x.com/AravSrinivas Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Why Passive Investors Lose | Contrarian Investor Michael Green
Contrarian strategist Michael Green lays out why “passive” isn’t passive at all—it’s a flow-driven algorithm, turbocharged by policy, that funnels capital into mega-caps, starves small caps, and raises the odds of market non-clearing shocks. We unpack Sharpe’s arithmetic vs. rebalancing reality, lessons from Volmageddon, the aging of investor cohorts, why stress may be deflationary before inflationary, and how to “doom-proof” a portfolio with assets that throw off cash (including overlooked duration/TIPS and munis). Michael also separates crypto’s burn-it-down narrative from its true promise: tokenized, programmable securities that fix TradFi’s paper plumbing. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 4:52 Finance Twitter vs Crypto Twitter 6:42 Fundamentals vs Narrative 9:53 Passive Index Investing 22:12 Message for Passive Investors 28:43 Market Cap vs FDV 30:23 Large Cap Dominance 40:45 Other Distortions 43:40 Volmageddon 50:14 Demographics 55:17 Passive Doom-Proof Portfolio 1:04:15 Currency Collapse 1:09:51 Gold & Precious Metals 1:15:58 Bitcoin vs Gold 1:18:29 Ray Dalio Debt Cycles 1:22:43 Stablecoins & Tokenization 1:28:53 Message to the Listeners 1:34:32 Action Items 1:35:28 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Michael Green https://x.com/profplum99 Michael’s Substack https://www.yesigiveafig.com/subscribe?coupon=879f4ac8 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: BTC ATH & ETH Near ATH | Stripe & Circle L1s | Monero 51% Attack
On this week’s Weekly Rollup, ETH flirts with ATH while BTC tags a new one, PPI spooks then fades? Ryan and david dig into a $1B ETH ETF day, Tom Lee’s 1M ETH treasury, and the ETH/BTC setup. Also, Stripe and Circle launch L1s, Coinbase routes Aerodrome in-app, Uniswap’s Wyoming DUNA and fee switch path, Monero’s 51% attack, plus quick hits on Do Kwon and bank pushback on the Genius Act. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 4:01 PPI Volatility & Markets https://x.com/fundstrat/status/1955995766742192612 https://x.com/fundstrat/status/1955992342453772783 https://polymarket.com/event/fed-decision-in-september?tid=1755177801833 https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/1955763404733603857 https://companiesmarketcap.com/assets-by-market-cap/ https://x.com/CoinMarketCap/status/1955457154686849099 https://x.com/nilesh_rohilla/status/1954190478712164631 https://www.theblock.co/post/366734/standard-chartered-analysts-raise-ethereum-year-end-price-target https://farside.co.uk/eth/ https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1955100618088972649 https://decrypt.co/334366/harvard-116-million-blackrock-bitcoin-etf https://x.com/BitcoinPierre/status/1955433791805329825 https://x.com/BitcoinPierre/status/1955493635119780321 https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1955980017315295514 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/13/crypto-exchange-bullish-more-than-doubles-in-nyse-debut-after-pricing-ipo-above-expected-range.html https://x.com/hosseeb/status/1955815228245205461 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1954876419261010119 https://x.com/tedpillows/status/1955283896049807480? https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz/ https://x.com/CryptoGucci/status/1955339759917646012 https://www.bankless.com/read/ethzilla-shares-surge-after-peter-thiel-takes-7-5-stake https://x.com/MikeIppolito_/status/1955606885442179298 https://x.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1956001519095947593 https://x.com/StoryProtocol/status/1954885593286238460 https://x.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1954890658155545074 https://x.com/EricTrump/status/1955653873730720202 https://x.com/EricTrump/status/1955324074684518557 37:07 Stablecoin big boys launching their own L1s https://x.com/circle/status/1955246636223135976 https://x.com/adamscochran/status/1955257074318823568 https://x.com/jgarzik/status/1955270849595937091 https://x.com/jgarzik/status/1955270849595937091 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1955011330777497987: https://x.com/chuk_xyz/status/1955064401490280721 https://x.com/100y_eth/status/1955081750683766805 https://x.com/CampbellJAustin/status/1955240962038349995 https://x.com/cherdougie/status/1955383195609993270 47:36 Banks demand the exclusion for yield-bearing stablecoins in the GENIUS https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1955763041594958175 https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/08/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-guarantees-fair-banking-for-all-americans/ 52:22 Scott Bessent - Strategic Bitcoin Reserve update…it’s not great https://x.com/watcherguru/status/1955987518509154717 54:01 ETH, Coinbase, & Uniswap https://x.com/AerodromeFi/status/1953853358575587631 https://x.com/wagmiAlexander/status/1955101747082309745 https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1955268909294068192 https://www.theblock.co/data/crypto-markets/public-companies/coinbase-total-volume https://www.theblock.co/post/366257/uniswap-foundation-eyes-protocol-fee-switch-with-propose https://gov.uniswap.org/t/foundation-feedback-group-ffg-thread/25549/10 https://x.com/SenLummis/status/1954950030306968055 https://x.com/unichain/status/1955978120269312280 58:54 Do Kwon pleaded guilty https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/do-kwon-pleads-guilty-us-fraud-charges-40-billion-crypto-collapse-2025-08-12/ 1:00:48 Monero getting 51% attacked - now controls over 51% of Monero hashrate https://x.com/caffeinateduser/status/1954999609039917448 https://x.com/PixOnChain/status/1955738903895531893 1:05:30 Closing & Disclaimers --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Roman Storm Verdict: A Turning Point for DeFi | Jake Chervinsky & Amanda Tuminelli
Jake Chervinsky and Amanda Tuminelli join us to unpack the Roman Storm verdict—what it means for DeFi, why Section 1960 is a looming threat to open-source developers, and the strong grounds for appeal. We discuss the legal, political, and legislative paths forward, the role of Congress in protecting developers, and how the crypto industry can mobilize to prevent future prosecutions. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:24 Verdict First Impressions 4:22 Was it Successful? 6:26 Second Trial? 9:47 Money Transmitter Debate 15:20 Optimistic Setup? 19:56 Levels of Precedent 26:04 What’s Next? 30:26 Crypto Industry Agency 34:01 Regulatory Acts 37:33 Two Paths 44:35 Trump Administration 49:02 Upcoming Administrations 53:45 Call to Action 56:55 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Jake Chervinsky https://x.com/jchervinsky Amanda Tuminelli https://x.com/amandatums DeFi Education Fund https://www.defieducationfund.org/ Fund Roman Storm https://freeromanstorm.com/ Fund Alex Pertsev https://juicebox.money/v2/p/713 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Ethereum's Next Decade | Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum just turned 10, and Vitalik Buterin returns to reflect on the last decade—and where it’s headed next. In this conversation, Vitalik shares what surprised him most about Ethereum’s growth, the hard lessons from challenges like The DAO and NFTs, and what he’d do differently if starting again. We explore Ethereum’s evolving cultural identity, privacy as a core value, the tradeoffs between L1 and L2, and how Vitalik envisions Ethereum surviving an AI-dominated future. ------ 🎬 DEBRIEF | RYAN & DAVID UNPACKING THE EPISODE https://www.bankless.com/podcast/debrief-ethereums-next-decade-vitalik-buterin ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:52 Ethereum’s First 2 Years 2:25 Ethereum’s Top Contributions 4:18 Biggest Surprises 7:37 What Took Longer than Expected 9:05 Overcoming Challenges 11:03 Lesson for Younger Vitalik 15:53 Bitcoin vs Ethereum 18:49 Ethereum’s Cultural Evolution 32:11 Privacy on Ethereum 37:42 Nation State Resistant Privacy 43:03 Cypherpunk vs Mainstream 56:05 World Ledger 59:09 Ethereum in 2024 1:02:23 Changes in the Ethereum Foundation 1:10:10 Economic Alignment 1:16:38 Scaling the L1 1:31:21 Ethereum’s Barbell Strategy 1:39:28 Ethereum Nationalism 1:48:28 ETH Treasuries 1:55:19 The Next 10 Years for Ethereum 1:59:35 The Next 10 Years for Vitalik 2:01:25 The Next 10 Years for Bankless 2:02:52 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Vitalik Buterin https://x.com/VitalikButerin 2021 Endgame https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2021/12/06/endgame.html Convex and Concave Dispositions https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2020/11/08/concave.html ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

ROLLUP: $3B ETH Whale | Roman Storm Verdict | Trump 401(k) Crypto Order
On this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David cover Tom Lee’s $3B ETH buying spree at 12x Michael Saylor’s pace, the race to become the top Ethereum treasury, and whether these companies are a buy or not. They also discuss the Roman Storm verdict, Trump’s surprise $8.7T 401(k) crypto order, and Arthur Hayes selling millions in ETH. Plus, Base’s 33-minute outage, the launch of Succinct’s ZK prover network, and the SEC declaring liquid staking tokens are not securities. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 6:17 Markets https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jobs-report-today-july-2025-economy-tariffs-trump-doge/ https://x.com/CryptoHayes/status/1951510939469292023 https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1952346941523701954 https://x.com/MitchellHODL/status/1948779978579214777 https://x.com/cburniske/status/1953240847669182937 13:05 Tom Lee becomes the largest crypto holder https://x.com/WhaleInsider/status/1952386215975469242 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/1CDu50yK/?symbol=AMEX%3ABMNR https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1952386046206890262 https://youtu.be/iClsnZ1KYSk?si=Ko99PtLiTCiJ_Q-O https://x.com/fabdarice/status/1953110071493439604 https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz/ https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1953272814422937941 https://blockworks.co/analytics/treasury-companies/market-data https://www.theblock.co/post/365645/mei-pharma-litecoin-treasury-strategy-charlie-lee-gsr 25:31 Roman Storm’s case came to the end https://x.com/SDNYnews/status/1953196594876301702 https://x.com/valkenburgh/status/1953149843565605015 https://x.com/katiebiber/status/1953235191893549123 https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1953142247504908496 https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1953147290165641407 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfKSKz3Kafk 36:10 Executive order - crypto in your 401k https://watcher.guru/news/trump-to-sign-order-allowing-crypto-in-401k-retirement-plans 41:20 Base halted block production for half an hour https://x.com/jessepollak/status/1952785312767459709 https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1953129400087572524 45:22 Succinct Prover Network is live! https://x.com/pumatheuma/status/1952836524808257580 https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/succinct 49:00 SEC said LSTs are not securities https://x.com/RebeccaRettig1/status/1952780309876867200 https://x.com/jespow/status/1952833684392034404 50:23 Metamask is about to launch its stablecoin https://x.com/AggrNews/status/1952821245814182346 51:41 Barry Silbert returns to Grayscale as chairman https://x.com/BarrySilbert/status/1952460252571468187 52:29 China said Worldcoin-style iris data collection are national security threat https://www.theblock.co/post/365752/chinese-security-ministry-flags-iris-national-threat https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1947265308416229745 55:43 Coinbase Ad was banned in the UK https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1952152928044847477 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/04/george-osborne-uk-cryptocurrency-boom-left-behind 58:02 Closing & Disclaimers 58:11 Moment of Zen https://x.com/coinbase/status/1950843893240496564 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

The Roman Storm Verdict | Peter Van Valkenburgh & David Morris
Welcome to BanklessTV, featuring Peter Van Valkenburgh from Coin Center and David Morris of The Rage, freshly back from the SDNY courtroom with the inside scoop on the Roman Storm verdict. In this episode we unpack the split decision—how Storm beat the money-laundering and sanctions-evasion counts yet was found guilty on the hot-button “unlicensed money-transmission” charge—and what that single conviction means for every non-custodial developer in crypto. Peter breaks down the legal tightrope between FinCEN guidance and DOJ prosecution, outlines three clear appeal paths (including the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act), and explains why Roman’s case could still become a rallying point for financial-privacy legislation. David shares firsthand color from the trial: jury deadlocks, high-stakes witness drama, and the emotional moment Storm walked free to see his daughter. Join us to hear why this verdict is both a wake-up call and an opportunity, what Congress, the courts, and the next administration might do next, and how the outcome could reshape DeFi, privacy tech, and open-source innovation for years to come. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:28 Introduction to the Roman Storm Case 0:58 Reflections on the Verdict 3:37 Understanding the Charges 4:07 Breakdown of the Conspiracy Counts 8:40 The Sentencing Landscape 9:29 Courtroom Atmosphere and Reactions 11:18 The Appeal Process 15:20 Roman's Optimism After the Verdict 17:08 Legal Standards and Implications 21:58 The Role of FinCEN Guidance 26:03 The Bigger Picture for DeFi 29:25 Jury Dynamics Explained 34:08 Optimistic Outcomes and Future Paths 36:25 Legislative Changes Ahead 39:54 The Potential for Re-prosecution 47:43 The Impact of Political Climate 51:37 Paths to Clarity in Legislation 55:45 The Future of Non-Custodial Projects 1:02:08 The Importance of Precedent 1:08:27 Closing Thoughts on the Case 1:09:13 A Call to Action for Support 1:15:37 Supporting the Cause 1:18:13 Final Reflections on the Journey ------ RESOURCES Support The Rage’s on-the-ground reporting https://therage.co/donate Support Coin Center’s policy work (fiat & crypto options) https://coincenter.org/donate ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

The World’s Largest ETH Holder - Tom Lee on Treasuries, Ethereum Dominance, and Wall Street
In this episode, we talk with Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine, about the rapid growth of his ETH treasury company and its goal to secure 5% of the total ETH supply. Tom believes Ethereum could surpass Bitcoin in value, forecasting potential prices between $4,000 and $15,000. We discuss market dynamics, risks of excessive leverage, and his insights on valuing Ethereum and NFTs like Pudgy Penguins. Tune in for key insights into Ethereum’s future and Wall Street’s role in crypto. ------ 📣 LISTEN TO THE EXCLUSIVE DEBRIEF: https://www.bankless.com/podcast/debrief-tom-lee-treasury ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:57 The Rise of ETH Treasuries 8:27 The 5% ETH Strategy 12:08 The Role of Ethereum in Wall Street 17:57 Accumulating More ETH 26:39 Wall Street's Misunderstanding of Crypto 29:41 Ethereum's 2017 Moment 37:09 The Potential for 100x 45:52 Estimating ETH's Value 50:08 Navigating Market Risks 59:36 Closing Thoughts on Ethereum ------ RESOURCES Tom Lee https://x.com/fundstrat ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Should I Buy ETH Treasuries? Early Stage Greed Cycle? | Michael Nadeau’s DeFi Report #4
Public companies are racing to lock ETH onto their balance sheets, but is this the spark for a late-cycle greed run or a setup for a painful reversal? Mike Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to unpack the ETH treasury boom, explain how staking yield and convertible debt amplify reflexivity, and show why onchain signals place us around 9 p.m. on the market clock. We examine surging DEX volumes, record stablecoin supply, and the alt-season gauges that could send ETH to new highs. Finally, we outline the risks of leverage, premium flips, and the exit strategy smart investors are already planning. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io ------ 📣BIT DIGITAL ($BTBT) | ETH-FIRST PUBLIC COMPANY http://bit-digital.com ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:48 Bullish on ETH Treasury Companies 4:47 The Tom Lee Effect 11:48 Why ETH Outperforms Bitcoin 17:50 The Impact of ETH on DeFi 19:15 DeFi Summer 2.0? 24:53 Evaluating ETH Treasury Companies 28:25 Picking the Right Treasury Company 32:30 Navigating Risks in the Market 35:07 Signs of Market Overheating 38:03 Indicators of Market Sentiment 42:07 Analyzing Active Loans in DeFi 45:56 Assessing the Current Market Cycle 48:43 The Launch of TDR Pro 51:48 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Ben Cowen: Ethereum Season Is Here | How Far Can ETH Go?
Ethereum has flipped the switch. After years of underperformance, ETH is showing decisive momentum, not just in USD terms, but against Bitcoin and the broader altcoin market. In this episode, Ben Cowen returns to break down what’s changed, why ETH may be on a path to new all-time highs, and what its dominance means for the rest of the cycle. We explore ETH’s regression bounce, ETHBTC targets, the fading strength of altcoins, and how market narratives tend to follow price, not the other way around. Ben also lays out his roadmap for the coming months and shares why this phase might be “Ethereum season,” not just in name, but in structure. For anyone navigating crypto in 2024–2025, this is essential context. ------ 📣 INTO THE CRYPTOVERSE | GET 10% OFF https://intothecryptoverse.com/ref/bankless/ ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:40 ETH Coming Home 14:13 Why ETH Outperforms Now 18:51 What ETH Season Actually Looks Like 24:48 ETHBTC Targets & USD Projections 29:25 Price First, Narrative Later 32:27 Bitcoin Risks & the Flippening Hypothetical 36:17 Ben’s Market Timeline 43:36 ETH Treasury Narrative Flip 48:11 Where’s the Alt Season? ------ RESOURCES Ben Cowen https://x.com/intocryptoverse Ben’s Channel https://www.youtube.com/@intothecryptoverse Into The Cryptoverse https://intothecryptoverse.com/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures