Raoul Pal: The Journey Man

Here's a full-length episode from Real Vision's original series, Raoul Pal: Real Vision - be sure to subscribe. Jurrien Timmer, the Global Director of Macro for Fidelity Investments, joins Raoul to talk about why crypto investors need to be aware of the prevailing macro environment and the factors that influence it – things like interest rates, inflation, and the money supply. Jurrien and Raoul sketch an essential macro framework as useful and valuable in the crypto market as it is in traditional markets. Sit back and enjoy this jam-packed conversation between two deeply seasoned analysts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The third and final testnet before Ethereum's highly anticipated move from an energy-intensive proof-of-work mechanism to a proof-of-stake mechanism has been completed. Anticipation of a successful Merge, stoked by better-than-expected U.S. inflation data, is lifting cryptocurrency prices up and down the market cap scale. At the top of today’s Real Vision Crypto Daily Briefing, Marco Olivera and Ash Bennington talk about what the Merge means for the second-largest cryptocurrency as well as for the industry as a whole. Marco and Ash also discuss developments concerning bankrupt crypto lender Celsius and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sending investigative subpoenas to Coinbase. In today’s feature segment, Marco and Ash break down and analyze an interview with Jay Janer, the head of quantitative investing at KPTL, a crypto hedge fund that managed to profit from Terra’s crash. And we want to hear from you – please drop your questions in the chat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coinbase lost $1.1 billion during the three months ended June 30, more hard evidence that the broader turn away from risk assets has taken a major toll on the emerging crypto industry. At the top of today’s Real Vision Crypto Daily Briefing, Nico Brugge and Ash Bennington break down what Coinbase’s second-quarter financial and operating numbers mean for the company and for the crypto industry as a whole. Nico and Ash also talk about a deal between FTX and Reddit to simplify crypto use for the social network’s community and the good news of one of the top DeFi platforms repelling an attack that used a domain exploit. In today’s main segment, Nico and Ash discuss highlights from an interview with Robert Sharratt, the founder and CEO of Fluid Finance, including the observation that many of so-called DeFi platforms were actually TradFi "wolves in the sheep skin." Send us your questions in the chat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. Treasury Department “blacklisted” Tornado Cash, making it illegal for Americans to transact on the crypto platform, as the government continues to make its hands more visible in the still-emerging industry. What does the crackdown on an entity widely suspected of facilitating illegal activity mean for the bigger ecosystem? Will fallout contaminate the entire crypto space? Ash Bennington and Moritz Seibert track Tornado Cash’s path and also touch on the collapse of Holdnaut, Singapore's leading crypto lender, as well as Galaxy Digital's quarterly loss and Iran’s entry into the crypto game. In today’s main segment, Ash and Moritz break down Moritz's interview with Seth Ginns, the managing partner and head of liquid investments at CoinFund. Ginns explains CoinFund's investment philosophy, describes how it finds alpha, and forecasts what the ETH merge could mean for crypto. Send us your questions in the chat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here's a full-length episode from Real Vision's original series, Raoul Pal: Real Vision - be sure to subscribe. Ivan Soto-Wright, the co-founder and CEO of MoonPay, joins Raoul to talk about his fascinating professional journey, MoonPay’s cutting-edge technology that makes trading crypto seamless, real-life crypto use-cases and applications that will make a real difference, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Solana developers reported late yesterday afternoon that software used by the closed-source wallet Slope, not their code, is responsible for the ongoing exploit that’s seen at least $6 million drained from 9,000 wallets by hackers. Indeed, developers are adamant that the Solana protocol itself, including the underlying cryptography, was at no point compromised. At the top of today’s Crypto Daily Briefing, Marco Olivera and Ash Bennington analyze the Solana situation in light of recent developments. Marco and Ash also break down the latest ChainAnalysis report on cross-chain bridge hacks and assess the broader impact of Michael Saylor’s announcement that he’ll transition from CEO to executive chairman of MicroStrategy. And, in today’s main segment, Marco welcomes technical analyst Rekt Capital for a breakdown of recent price action. Marco poses to Rekt the question of all questions these days: Is the bottom in? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands of wallets holding Solana, one of the world’s top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, have been targeted by hackers in an ongoing attack. Initial reports suggested $580 million was stolen, but this estimate has been revised much lower. Still, that security firms still can’t put a figure on how much is at issue is itself a not-good sign. Nico Brugge and Ash Bennington lead today’s Real Vision Crypto Daily Briefing with an update on this developing story. Nico and Ash also talk about the $200 million Nomad cross-chain bridge hack, a change in roles for one of the biggest crypto proponents in the TradFi world, and the lingering impediments to institutional adoption of crypto. Nico and Ash break down a conversation on the latter topic between Ben Whitby, the chief compliance officer at Qredo, and Anatoly Crachilov, the CEO of Nickel Digital Asset Management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. regulators are tightening the screw on crypto scams, with the Securities and Exchange Commission filing civil charges against 11 people involved in a scheme called Forsage. The regulators allege the primary way retail investors in the scheme, worth some $300M, made money was through attracting new people on board. Real Vision's Ash Bennington and Moritz Seibert also look at a new global crypto regulation index (guess what country came out on top?) and the jewelry maker Tiffany tying the knot with CryptoPunks in an NFT collaboration. Plus, Ash asks Moritz to do a deep dive into his interview with Kai Wu, all about value investing in the crypto space, with key takeaways at the end. Send us your questions in the chat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cryptocurrency prices are rising, but there are some conflicting signals coming from the market. According to Dean Carr, "It's a patience game." Carr, the founder of C The Light Trading, breaks down charts of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins on his watch list, taking a technical approach to illustrate his main point. Carr thinks we need to see more upside rotation over multiple time frames to confirm a trend is in place before we enter new trades. And we may get some great short- to medium-term opportunities if we see those confirmations. Carr adds a note of caution: “The bear trend is in place until it isn't," and traders should be careful about "FOMO'ing in." Carr also shares the levels he’s watching for BTC, ETH, and other altcoins and explains how he analyzes risk-reward setups before he enters trades in a must-watch episode for traders and investors who appreciate the value of technical analysis. Recorded on July 26, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How have ransomware cartels evolved over the last seven years? What does a day's worth of Ethereum transactions look like? How about the animated history of initial coin offerings – what does that tell us? Max Galka, the co-founder and CEO of blockchain analytics firm Elementus shares his insights on all that and much more with Real Vision’s Ash Bennington. Max describes stunning visualizations of blockchain data to illustrate his points. He and Ash also discuss the evolution of ransomware attacks and the connection between ransomware and blockchain technology. At this point, sophisticated ransomware crime groups have collected billions of dollars from victims, discouraging people from participating in the cryptoverse. Max is passionate about identifying these malicious addresses to stop criminal activity and facilitating the adoption of blockchain technology. Recorded on July 14, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With US regulators reportedly cracking down not only on crypto exchanges Coinbase and Kraken, but also investigating the overall stablecoin industry, what does that mean for the average retail investor? Ari Redbord, Head of Legal and Government Affairs at TRM Labs, and David Nage, Portfolio Manager at Arca, join Real Vision's Ash Bennington to dig into just what this regulation might mean for the industry. Coinbase's share price has dropped nearly 20% and it's the second legal case against Coinbase in the last week. Meanwhile, Kraken is facing reports that the Treasury Department is investigating them for possibly violating US sanctions. Regulation is the name of the game this week and we have all the key takeaways you need. Recorded July 27, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special update, Real Vision co-founder and CEO Raoul Pal breaks down the current macro environment and its effects on crypto, talks about whether the bottom is in, and explains what the Ethereum merge means for investors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes Deribit one of the industry's leading platforms for crypto derivatives? Chief Commercial Officer Luuk Strijers gives Qredo's Ben Whitby a detailed look at what Deribit does, including how it structures and manages trades in this fast-moving market. Reacting to Luuk, Ben frames the company’s role as well as anyone: "I don't think the market would operate without [Deribit]." Luuk and Ben also discuss the direct fallout from the meltdown of Three Arrows Capital. Because 3AC was a shareholder, Deribit extended credit to the now-bankrupt hedge fund and is now one of the many creditor-claimants seeking a total of $2.8 billion of redress. "It was a painful lesson learned," Luuk notes. Despite the recent carnage, open interest is growing at Deribit, and he’s optimistic about how its approach will appeal to investors. What about Deribit makes it a favorite trading place for institutions and sophisticated traders? What's next for this thriving crypto options platform? Luuk and Ben address these questions and more in today's episode. Recorded on July 18, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bill Barhydt, co-founder and CEO of Abra, joins Ash Bennington on this week’s episode of Building Blocks to explain the risk-management components that make up Abra’s core system, the differences between DeFi lending versus CeFi lending, how each protocol can generate yield, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cryptocurrency prices have rebounded from near-term lows. But does this bounce signal a trend reversal? Or is it just a relief rally? Here’s Francis Hunt’s answer: "I don't feel the long side is the safer side to be playing when you could have, at any point, dollar dominance reassert [itself]." In conversation with Real Vision's Marco Olivera, The Market Sniper breaks down what’s going on with the U.S. dollar, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. He notes that despite the dollar's recent pullback, it's trending higher over the long term. And technical analysis suggests it has more room to run. At the same time, Bitcoin is trending lower. And, of course, Hunt believes those who trade against the trend do so at their peril. He also discusses the U.S. Treasury market as well as the correlation between tech stocks and crypto. So, let’s say Bitcoin plunges; what targets does The Market Sniper have in his sights? What about Ethereum and other altcoins? He answers these questions and more in today's episode. For a look at our "One Minute Explainer" with Roger Hirst and Damian Horner featured in this episode, please head over to https://bit.ly/3Px0D1g. Recorded on July 19, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following what seems like the longest of crypto winters, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and multiple altcoins are rallying to levels not seen since June. The question now is whether this is the “change in seasons” many investors have been waiting for. Santiago Velez, a co-founder and the head of research and development at Block Digital, and Imran Lakha, the founder of Options Insight, join Real Vision’s Elaine Ly to talk about recent price action for crypto’s heavyweights and what it means for the rest of the market. Santiago, Imran, and Elaine also cover revelations about the size and the scope of the debt and the debauchery at Celsius and 3AC as well as the fallout from more major layoff announcements by other major firms. Have questions for our panel? Drop them in the live chat – we want to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s an explosion happening in the NFT space, with institutions taking their first small steps into what remains a largely unexplored opportunity for them. Beyond use-cases such as investing in digital collectibles is the core purpose of a non-fungible token: proof of ownership. Blockchain-powered properties of immutability and provenance can enhance transparency and provide liquidity to businesses across multiple industries. Robin Schmidt, the head of video and Multimedia at The Defiant, asks Ben Whitby, who oversees regulatory affairs at Qredo, and Fitz Tepper, the vice-president of operations at Rally, about advances in real-life NFT utility that will be critical to sustaining growth beyond the hype. Recorded on July 7, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just how big could the metaverse get? We could be talking about “a multi-trillion-dollar industry,” according to Samuel Huber, who notes that many real-world revenue streams can be replicated in the digital world. Huber, the CEO of LandVault, joins Nick Halaris of Metros Capital to talk about virtual real estate in the metaverse and the future of big brands in this "next phase of the internet." LandVault, a metaverse builder, recently merged with Admix, a virtual world advertising company, to create a one-stop metaverse solution for brands. With a background in gaming, Huber’s passion is creating a future where ads won't interrupt the user experience. He and Halaris discuss the look of this new world, the opportunity it represents for creators and builders, and the uses brands can make of it. Recorded on July 12, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Narang of Hyperion Decimus joins Ash Bennington to break down how quantitative trading works in another fascinating episode of Building Blocks. Rishi details the structure of a quant investing model and shares the extraordinary career journey that led him to write his book “Black Box: A Simple Guide to Quantitative and High-Frequency Trading.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone in the cryptoverse wants to know when the lows are in. But Holden Milstein and Mish Schneider of MarketGauge.com say crypto won’t bottom until equity markets do. "Most bottoms, you get a sharp rally, a ‘V’ reversal, or a breakout from the compression zone," Holden notes. "Until we see [Bitcoin's] price action moving back up, the bottom is not in." In conversation with Real Vision's Ash Bennington, Holden and Mish talk about their playbook for trading this stagflationary, sideways-moving bear market. They also discuss the impact of Federal Reserve policy on financial markets and the similarities between the current crypto crisis and the dot-com era. Can we identify the cryptos built to survive, even if we see a repeat of the current downturn? What’s the Marketgauge.com team trading at the moment? Mish and Holden answer these questions and many more in today's episode. To follow their market commentary, visit Marketgauge.com. Recorded on July 12, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The crypto market is experiencing a "Lehman Brothers" moment, according to Simon Dixon, the chaos caused by greedy short-termers exploiting vulnerabilities in nascent technologies such as DeFi and yield farming. The CEO of BnkToTheFuture says lenders marketed products as low-risk savings accounts to attract retail depositors. What they were really doing was investing customer funds in DeFi, effectively making their products high-risk securities. Dixon joins Real Vision's Ash Bennington to talk about what happened at these troubled exchanges, how the industry can recover, and when it can begin to move forward again. A Celsius shareholder, Dixon is committed to helping retail investors affected by the company’s failure. He leads the Celsius Recovery Plan, a community-driven solution that will work outside traditional finance, as was the case with Bitfinex. To learn more about the plan and to share your thoughts, please visit bnktothefuture.com/celsius. Recorded on July 8, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of Singapore-based crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital’s collapse continues in a U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan, with liquidators accusing 3AC’s co-founders of not cooperating and going missing. Zhu Su, one of those co-founders whose physical whereabouts are currently unknown, recently broke a weeks-long silence on Twitter to accuse those liquidators of "baiting." It’s an increasingly dramatic fall – and it’s also raised the clamor for regulation in the crypto space. To that end, the Treasury Department submitted a framework for international cooperation on digital assets, hot on the heels of the European Union reaching agreement on sweeping new proposals. Dan Roberts, the editor-in-chief of Decrypto, and Chen Arad, a co-founder and the chief operating officer of Solidus Labs, join Real Vision’s Samuel Burke for today’s edition of Crypto Unwrapped. Have questions for the panel? Send them here: https://exchange.realvision.com/discussion/12049/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Song and Brad Van Voorhees are on a mission to drive clean energy use in Bitcoin mining by making it a literal badge of honor, issuing Proof of Sustainable Mining certificates to investors under ESG mandates to mark holdings mined according to their Sustainable Bitcoin Protocol. Max and Brad join Real Vision Senior Crypto Editor Ash Bennington to talk about their vision for a cleaner Bitcoin process and what it means for institutional adoption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is “Web3 crowdfunding,” and how can it help companies hoping to grow in the blockchain space? Real Vision Senior Crypto Editor Ash Bennington spoke with Mike Rogers, Head of Crowdfunding at Securitize Markets, about how "entrepreneurs can raise capital from their community using Web3 technology to further the expansion of Web3.” Recorded on June 30, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mathieu Nouzareth is the CEO of The Sandbox, one of the world’s largest independent user-generated content platforms. His vision of the future for The Sandbox, which has already delivered over 40 million downloads to more than one million monthly active users, encompasses gaming and entertainment, art and fashion. Mathieu joins Ash Bennington to talk about what’s next in the metaverse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Volatility in the crypto market has always been elevated relative to old-school markets. But, in the aftermath of the Three Arrows Capital and Celsius meltdowns, it’s been particularly brutal. Imran Lakha, the founder of Options Insight, joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to talk about how he’s navigating this bear market. Imran walks Ash through his most recent Crypto Insights report, with a special focus on what the options market is signaling about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. There are many amazing crypto bargains around the corner, according to Imran, but traders must be patient and wait for the right opportunity to jump back in. Recorded on July 5, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bitcoin (and cryptocurrency generally) often has been called a long-term inflation hedge. Over the last few months, however, soaring inflation (and central banks’ efforts to counter it) has been a major driver of broad losses across the crypto market. Indeed, the U.S. dollar’s purchasing power against Bitcoin has been in an uptrend for the better part of 2022, inviting skepticism of the “inflation hedge” narrative. Joe Zhao, a former economist at the Federal Reserve and a current partner at venture fund Millennia Capital, joins Real Vision Senior Crypto Editor Ash Bennington to share insights into how the Fed makes policy and to explain why he believes all asset prices are correlated. Zhao also forecasts the stock market’s performance for the balance of 2022 and into 2023 – noting that stock-market performance will be a good gauge of Bitcoin’s trajectory. The Fed’s efforts to control inflation mean this year and next are for recovery. But, according to Zhao, we’ll start to see growth again in 2024. Recorded on July 1, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Voyager Digital has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York, blaming "volatility and contagion" in the market. The cryptocurrency brokerage previously revealed that it lost $650 million due to the collapse of Three Arrows Capital. In its court filing, Voyager reported it has more than 100,000 creditors and between $1 billion and $10 billion in liabilities. It’s the latest high-profile crypto firm to suffer the ultimate consequence amid the most significant downturn in the industry’s brief history, joining 3AC as well as Terra and Celsius. Sergio Silva, sales director at Fireblocks, joins Real Vision's Marco Olivera and Moritz Seibert to talk about Voyager and the crypto industry shakeout, a potentially groundbreaking DAO vote, and sweeping new crypto regulation in the EU. We want to hear from you! Please drop your questions right here on the Exchange: https://exchange.realvision.com/discussion/12028/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The cryptographic protocol of proving and validating information without the prover revealing any additional information – known as zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) – is the key to securing and growing Web3 and the metaverse. That’s according to Thomas Walton-Pocock, the founder of Geometry, a research and investment firm focused on projects that leverage deep mathematics, cryptography, and engineering to drive Web3’s growth. Walton-Pocock joins Santiago Velez, co-founder and division lead of R&D at Block Digital, to talk about why privacy and scalability are the top considerations right now. He explains the longer-term, bigger-picture implications of its widespread deployment. And he notes that more crypto developers, users, and traders than ever are paying attention to ZKP right now. Recorded on June 28, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Where is the yield coming from?” is what Tania Reif wants people to ask themselves before they invest. Reif, the chief investment officer at Senda Digital Assets, says the recent drama in the crypto market is not unlike episodes she’s seen in “traditional markets for the longest time.” She spent years in old-school finance, studying currencies and running portfolios for Soros Fund Management. Now, Reif has her own digital asset fund. Recorded on June 27, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When CoinFLEX halted customer redemptions on June 23, it became the latest casualty of a crypto correction that’s dragged multiple companies into fights for survival. Unlike many that fell before it, CoinFLEX says it wasn’t a direct victim of liquidity issues at Celsius or the default by Three Arrows Capital. Rather, according to CEO Mark Lamb, “extreme market conditions” and a single account holder – identified by Lamb on Twitter as early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver – brought CoinFlex down. Lamb said Ver owes CoinFLEX $47 million worth of USDC and that his account had gone into default. Lamb’s tweets followed shortly after Ver tweeted that "rumors…I have defaulted on a debt to a counterparty...are false," without naming CoinFLEX. Now, CoinFLEX is struggling to stay afloat, hoping a new token release will buoy the ship. The planned resumption of customer withdrawals, scheduled for June 30, still hasn’t taken place. In this special Crypto Seismic, CoinFLEX CEO Mark Lamb joins Real Vision's Ash Bennington LIVE to discuss the state of the company, what went wrong, and whether there’s a way back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rekt Capital, a technical analyst and a crypto trader, joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to study Bitcoin’s history via charts and to develop a better picture of when and how a bottom might be forming. Indeed, although Rekt says Bitcoin is currently oversold from a technical perspective, the bottom may still be weeks if not months out. This is one you won't want to miss for all that juicy price-action analysis. Recorded on June 28, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Regulating a complex ecosystem like cryptocurrency involves questions of status within the existing financial and monetary infrastructure, market stability, and state sovereignty. Eva Kaili, the Vice-President of the European Parliament, joins Michael Nicoletos, a macro investor and the co-founder of AppleTree Capital, for an in-depth conversation about the framework for regulation and oversight of cryptocurrency in the European Union. Among issues left to be resolved are whether to include NFTs in the proposed rules; how to regulate stablecoins; the supervision of large crypto-asset service providers; anti-money laundering clauses; and the environmental impact of blockchain technology. Recorded on June 24, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bitcoin has what seems like a tenuous hold on $20,000 in the immediate aftermath of a British Virgin Islands court ordering Singapore-based crypto fund Three Arrows Capital to liquidate. The plunge in asset prices has caused a domino effect in the industry, with Three Arrows joining Celsius, Terra LUNA, and others on the casualty list. And Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and CEO of crypto exchange FTX, said in an interview with Forbes that there will be more failures, warning of dire financial circumstances for multiple unnamed companies. Tascha Che, the founder of Tascha Labs, and Katie Talati, the director of research at crypto asset management company Arca, join Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to talk about Three Arrows, SBF’s recent activity, a very public spat between CoinFLEX and one of its account holders, and the general condition of the crypto space right now. Want to ask questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://exchange.realvision.com/discussion/12007/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does an artist who got into NFTs only a year ago get featured on OpenSea twice and land a spot on the NFT NYC billboard? Step into the mind of up-and-coming NFT artist Camille Chiang as she talks about how she bootstrapped her way to success in the industry. Her collection, "WACK!," is an homage to her childhood in Hong Kong and is inspired by the everyday people she meets. In conversation with Matthew Kotek, Camille shares her plan to expand the "WACK!" brand into a fashion line. The recent bear market has not affected her timeline. Camille views this downturn as necessary to weed out artists simply riding the hype wave, and she hopes only creators driven by long-term vision will remain. Recorded on June 21, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What on earth is a “DAO”? And how might the “decentralized autonomous organization” lead the next phase of crypto innovation? StakeBorg CEO Vlad Mercori joins Real Vision's Elaine Ly to talk about all things DAO, how they work, why they’re proliferating, and what they mean for the future. Mercori says DAOs can transform the way communities organize, enhance teamwork and creativity, and help people solve problems in new ways. This wide-ranging conversation also covers the bear market, investor contempt for staking in the aftermath of multiple platforms collapsing, and the prospect of regulation. With signs we’ve entered the final stages of maximum pain and total capitulation, Mercori is hopeful a crypto market recovery is around the corner. Recorded on June 17, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ethereum is nearing the end of a multi-year initiative to overhaul its consensus mechanism. But seamlessly migrating an operating protocol from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS) is not a simple task. Galaxy Digital's Christine Kim joins Real Vision's Ash Bennington to explain how developers plan to bring PoS to Ethereum via a “merge” of Ethereum's Mainnet and the Beacon Chain. Challenges and risks attend this kind of transition. But there are also many advantages, such as improved scalability and less centralization. What's next for Ethereum as we enter into a new era? Christine and Ash also talk about the bear market’s impact on the crypto ecosystem and Lido's staked ETH tokens (stETH). Recorded on June 17, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ethereum investor Ryan Berckmans joins Ash Bennington to talk about how decentralized public chains ignite trust within different communities. Although the market has been rough recently, Berckamams believes Ethereum’s future is bright. He explains why in another fascinating episode of Building Blocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Dell sees a disconnect between retail investors and the basic technology that’s powering Bitcoin, DeFi, and Web3. Dell, a venture capitalist and the CEO of Domain Money, has set out to build a platform for easy access to emerging technologies, including blockchain, crypto, and everything growing around it, through professionally managed portfolios. He joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington for a probing conversation about blockchain’s maturity cycle, the rapid evolution of the blockchain developer community, and the validity of comparisons to the early internet age of the 1990s. How great is crypto’s potential to revolutionize everything? Dell also weighs in on a framework for digital asset regulation. Recorded on June 14, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The price of BTC has dropped dramatically so is mining Bitcoin still profitable? Real Vision's crypto editor Ash Bennington talks to the CEO of Miningstore, JohnPaul Baric about how the mining industry has been impacted. Miningstore is one of the longest large-scale crypto miners and they are serious builders who support the Bitcoin ecosystem by bringing mining to the masses. This is a conversation for everything you wanted to know about mining but were afraid to ask. Recorded on 14th June. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some saw signs of capitulation when Bitcoin breached $20,000 and Ethereum slipped below $1,000 last weekend. BTC and ETH have rallied above those key psychological levels, but investors are still on tenterhooks amid a major repricing. Santiago Velez, co-founder and R&D division lead at Block Digital, and Mona El Isa, founder of Enzyme and CEO and founder of Avantgarde Finance, join Leslie Lamb, CMO of CoinFLEX and host of the Crypto Unstacked podcast to talk about the current state of crypto, the market as well as the industry. Santiago, Mona, and Leslie share ideas about how DeFi can be improved, debate whether USD Coin could soon overtake Tether in market cap terms, and assess the launch of a new ETF that allows investors to short Bitcoin. Have questions for the group? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://exchange.realvision.com/discussion/11985. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People are overlooking one of the crypto market’s clear drivers, says Real Vision Host Weston Nakamura. There’s more to bitcoin’s and ether’s fall below $20,000 and $1,000 respectively than just the downward swing in traditional assets and the liquidity trouble at companies like Celsius and Three Arrows Capital. In this flash update, Weston examines how listed derivatives and the ETF markets are affecting the world’s largest cryptocurrencies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a whole lot of innovation going on as the music industry integrates the elements of Web3 into its business model. Relationships between artists and fans are evolving. Creators are generating income in new ways and on more favorable terms than legacy models offer. So, is the stage set for Web3 to replace Web2? Cherie Hu, the founder of Water and Music, joins Jack Spallone of HiFi Labs to talk about what she sees right now at the intersection of music and Web3. Many old-school industry insiders aren’t yet keeping up with the music distributed and the artists distributing via NFTs, DAOs, and social tokens. That means cultivating a hybrid web presence is a major key for creators who want to build long-term careers. Cherie and Jack discuss that and many more emerging trends where music and tech meet. Recorded on June 9, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Perkins is now a managing partner at CoinFund, but he was once an active-duty U.S. Marine. Chris joins Ash Bennington for this week’s episode of Building Blocks to talk about how his experience in the Corps informs his investing career. He also describes the “a-ha!” moment during his early crypto research and shares his thoughts on fintech’s rapid evolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Zhang grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and lived through two civil wars. His appreciation for cryptocurrency is based on his experience of that kind of instability. Zhang is now the co-founder and CEO of Jambo, a Congo-based start-up that recently closed a $30 million Series A funding round. And he’s deploying an app designed to help the 80% of the population on the African that’s unbanked. It’s becoming known as the “Web3 SuperApp of Africa.” Avi Zurlo, a ventures associate at Delphi Digital, which has partnered up with Jambo, talks to James about Jambo and its ambitions in Africa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bitcoin and Ethereum are teetering at levels not seen since early 2021, as several high-profile cryptocurrency companies have taken drastic measures to cut headcounts ahead of what could be a prolonged industry downturn. Moritz Seibert, co-head of digital innovation strategy at Real Vision and CIO at Exponential Age Asset Management, and Leslie Lamb, CMO at CoinFlex and the host of the the Crypto Unstacked podcast, join Real Vision Managing Editor Samuel Burke to assess the fallout from multiple platform freezes and layoffs. The panel also talks about why Ether is the center of attention right now. Send us your questions on the Exchange: https://exchange.realvision.com/discussion/11952. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does Bitcoin provide value to investors? According to Andy Edstrom, the "clearest case is digital gold." Edstrom, CFA®, CFP®, managing director of Swan Advisor Services, and a financial advisor at Wescap Group, went down the Bitcoin rabbit hole in 2017 – when a bear market happened to be right around the corner and Bitcoin dropped from $20,000 to $3,000. Questioning his conviction, Andy put pen to paper and wrote “Why Buy Bitcoin,” the first and only book about Bitcoin published by a financial advisor. Writing the book was an exercise in testing his decision and his long-term forecast. Andy breaks down his Bitcoin thesis for Real Vision’s Ash Bennington. He also shares the 14 characteristics that define hard money, comparing Bitcoin to gold and other, similar assets. Where’s the risk for the world’s No. 1 cryptocurrency? And what kind of long-term price targets are realistic? Andy answers these questions and more. Recorded on June 7, 2022. Follow Andy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/edstromandrew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So much happens so fast in the rapidly emerging cryptocurrency market that on-the-ground observations by leading investors in the space are just about indispensable. With that said, Marissa Kim, general partner at Abra Capital Management, joins Wendy Diamond, the founder and CEO of LDP Ventures and head of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization, to share details of her investing philosophy and her perspective on the present and future of the space. Wendy and Marissa also talk about the Terra LUNA collapse, investing in early stage crypto projects, and how women are building and holding greater power in the industry. Recorded on June 6, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DAOs are capturing the imagination of creators and entrepreneurs the world over. Jess Sloss, instigator at Seed Club, joins Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Delphi Digital, to discuss how they guide and invest in startup communities as well as explain how social tokens can play an important role delivering value to those communities' members. In this deep dive, Sloss explains who DAOs will work for and why Seed Club is discerning who is in this journey for the long haul. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anders Brownworth and his team of researchers are working on a potentially ground-breaking project, a central bank digital currency. Brownworth, the principal software architect at The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to discuss the high-speed transaction processor he and his team are developing and the benefits of open-source software. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices