Unchained: Big Ideas From The Worlds Of Blockchain And Cryptocurrency

USDe shattered expectations in 2024, emerging as the largest decentralized stablecoin in circulation and a game changer for DeFi. Ethena’s founder, Guy Young, joins the show to reveal how the protocol surpassed long-established giants, generating billions in fees and setting new benchmarks for yield generation. Guy also breaks down the mechanics behind Ethena’s innovative strategies, including “Aavethena,” a yield-boosting approach that’s changing how users interact with synthetic dollars. Plus, he addresses the risks: what happens when leverage goes too far, and how Ethena mitigates volatility at its core. Will Ethena bridge DeFi and TradFi, leveraging the disconnect between crypto and traditional interest rates to tap into a $100 trillion fixed-income market? Show highlights: Why Guy was surprised to see the rapid rise of USDe Why Guy is spending 80% of his time on bringing Ethena to TradFi The launch of Ethena’s UStb How regulation comes into play and the challenges in different jurisdictions Whether

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, the crew explores the resurgence of ICOs through Echo sales, diving into MegaEth’s record-breaking sale and the shifting meta of token launches. They also discuss Google’s quantum computing breakthrough with the Willow chip and its potential implications for cryptographic security in crypto. Tarun doubles down on his critique of Decentralized Science (DeSci), sparking a lively debate on its viability and accountability. Finally, the team unpacks Electric Capital’s developer report, highlighting Solana’s dominance in India and the global trends shaping crypto development. Show highlights

The 2024 Developer Report from Electric Capital reveals many shifting dynamics. For starters, for the first time in eight years, Ethereum was not the top chain for new developers—Solana was. Meanwhile, Asia has emerged as the leading hub for crypto development, taking the top spot from North America, which dropped to third. In this episode, General Partner Maria Shen explores how Ethereum's Layer 2 solutions are bolstering its position despite fierce competition, why the Bitcoin developer ecosystem remains steadfast, and how emerging projects like EigenLayer are capturing builders’ attention.  She also delves into the top crypto technologies that are fascinating devs, and how their usage and development activity differ across the globe.  Show highlights: Maria’s top takeaways from the report Whether the developer migration from the U.S. will stop under a friendlier regulatory environment How Ethereum has maintained its dominance despite its high fees and the rise of Solana  What the steadiness of the Bitc

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Ram Ahluwalia, and Noelle Acheson are joined by Jamie Coutts to analyze Ethereum’s breakout and its improving fundamentals, how China’s “moderately loose” policy stance is changing the global liquidity landscape, and the pro-market implications of Paul Atkins leading the SEC.  They also explore Jerome Powell’s and Putin’s takes on Bitcoin, the controversial CBOE withdrawal of the Solana ETF filing, and the role of Bitcoin in geopolitics. Show highlights: How the employment data showed some mixed reactions in regard to next steps for the Fed Whether China will start a new era of augmented liquidity  Why the U.S. dollar getting stronger is bad for crypto prices How bitcoin is not a competitor to the U.S. dollar The significance of David Sacks as Crypto & AI Czar Why everyone believes that Atkins in the SEC is very positive for markets Whether China will pivot and adopt friendlier crypto regulation  Putin’s remarks on the role of bitcoin Why CBOE wit

With Paul Atkins as the incoming SEC Chair, David Sacks as the AI & Crypto Czar, and potential CFTC leadership changes, the Trump administration is signaling a major shift for crypto, AI, and financial regulation.  Guests Mike Selig and Jake Chervinsky break down what this means for token launches, enforcement actions, inter-agency collaboration, and the fate of Operation Chokepoint 2.0. Could this mark the end of the U.S.’s regulatory hostility toward innovation? Show highlights: 02:18-What changes to expect under an Atkins-led SEC 08:58-Who could lead the SEC in the period between Gensler resigning and Atkins assuming 11:54-Whether the Democrats will nominate SEC Commissioner Crenshaw again 15:50-Elizabeth Warren's influence on the non-Republican SEC commissioner picks 23:39-Whether Atkins’ leadership at the SEC might shift crypto regulation away from aggressive enforcement 28:26-Whether Gensler’s recent promotion of people in enforcement roles will further his SEC’s regulation-by-enforcement strategy

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, Laura Shin joins the crew to tackle a whirlwind of major market trends and policy shifts.They dive into Bitcoin’s historic leap to $100K, the unexpected "dino coin renaissance" with legacy tokens like XRP and ADA soaring, and the NFT market’s surprising revival. Ripple’s DeFi ecosystem and its place in the broader crypto landscape spark a spirited debate on "chain biases" and decentralization. On the policy front, the team unpacks Trump’s pro-crypto administration, featuring bold regulatory appointments that could redefine the industry. Plus, a look at the dynamics of memecoins, token launch strategies, and the future of ICOs versus airdrops. Show highlights

With the nomination of the pro-crypto Paul Atkins to be the next SEC chair, the crypto industry is potentially facing a 180 from the agency. As co-chair of The Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance initiative and a board member of Securitize, Atkins is not only pro-crypto, but also against the type of “regulation by enforcement” strategy of current Chair Gary Gensler.  In this episode, Cody Carbone, president at The Digital Chamber, explains why Atkins is likely to start reassessment of the agency’s lawsuits against crypto firms, why Trump might break with protocol to fill one of the commissioner seats that would typically be filled by a Democrat, and who he thinks might make for a good “crypto czar.”  Show highlights: Why Cody that Atkins leading the SEC would be a massive transformational shift  What can be expected from Atkins given his prior experience What crypto cases might be dropped under his leadership Whether Atkins could provide rulemaking before Congress passes legislation Cody’s hard criticism of

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Noelle Acheson, and Ram Ahluwalia are joined by Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, to discuss the surprising mainstream buzz around XRP’s latest rally, dubbed the “most hated rally in crypto.”  They also analyze the new Treasury Secretary’s ambitious economic plan and what it could mean for inflation, fiscal discipline, and market stability. Meanwhile, Ethereum struggles to reclaim its narrative as the go-to blockchain, even as its ETH/BTC ratio shows signs of life. And in a moment that captures the personal side of crypto’s rise, the team reflects on Thanksgiving table conversations, where bitcoin and digital assets became unexpected stars.  Show highlights: Why the newly appointed Treasury Secretary might be the right person for the job Whether the December rates cut is unnecessary How Marc Andreessen brought Operation Chokepoint 2.0 to the spotlight How Facebook’s project Libra would have benefited the US Dollar hegemony Whether the U.

Last week, the crypto world celebrated a major legal victory when a federal appeals court struck down OFAC’s sanctions on Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts in a Coinbase-funded lawsuit. While this decision is a significant win for crypto, its implications go far beyond the industry—it challenges the very limits of U.S. sanctions authority on open-source code. In this episode, Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal and VP of Legal Leah Bressack discuss the case, the reasoning behind the court’s decision, and its broader implications, especially given that other cases are still in court. They address whether they think the government will appeal, how this ruling impacts other privacy tools and the other lawsuits, and why the case is a critical precedent for the intersection of code, law, and innovation. Plus, what does this mean for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm?  Show highlights: Why the decision was so significant, according to Paul What reasons the judge used in the ruling The basics of To

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, special guest Casey Caruso from Topology joins the crew to tackle the latest in crypto and tech. They explore the rise of AI memecoins like Freysa, blending gamified AI agents with blockchain mechanics, and the fallout from a major hack. The discussion also highlights Hyperliquid’s $1.9 billion airdrop and its no-VC funding model, signaling new trends in token launches. The crew critiques decentralized science (DeSci), questioning its accountability and funding models, with a spotlight on Pump.Science’s tokenized longevity experiments. Finally, they examine the success of Base’s incentive-light approach and the impact of frameworks like Eliza on crypto’s evolution. Tune in for a dynamic take on innovation, trends, and challenges shaping the crypto world. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podc

Farcaster-based social media app Anoncast has quickly grabbed the crypto community’s attention—especially after Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin jumped in.  The platform allows users to speak freely while ensuring no one—not even the platform itself—can trace their identity. And in its short week-and-a-half lifespan, it’s already generated thousands of posts.  In this lighter, Black Friday edition of Unchained, developer Kartik Patel joins to discuss how Anoncast works and why the platform has taken off so quickly. He shares insights on the challenges of maintaining anonymity in a connected world, how AI intersects with these developments, and what it was like to “nerd-snipe” Buterin. Show highlights: What sparked the rise of Anon and how it evolved into a ZK-powered anonymous posting platform Kartik’s favorite casts and what he likes about the platform Why the platform has evolved so quickly  How users can make casts How Anoncast completely protects the anonymity of all posters Kartik’s background in c

Ethereum has been left behind in this bull market. As rivals like Solana gain ground in metrics such as speed, cost, and developer mindshare, questions are being raised about whether Ethereum’s reliance on Layer 2 solutions is the right path forward—or if it needs a more fundamental redesign. In this episode, Martin Köppelmann, co-founder of Gnosis, and Justin Drake, researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, discuss the trade-offs of native and based rollups, execution capacity, and Ethereum’s ability to maintain its dominance. They debate how Ethereum should address fragmentation across rollups, whether ETH has strayed from its ultrasound money narrative, and whether its deliberate pace of innovation could make it vulnerable in an increasingly competitive landscape. Whose ideas will lead Ethereum out of this dark forest?  Show highlights: 03:10 Why Justin is so optimistic about pre confirmations and Ethereum scaling its throughput 06:15 Whether Ethereum could reach “maintenance mode” within 5 years 08:20 Whe

On Tuesday, options on BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF, IBIT, launched, seeing $1.9 billion worth of those options changing hands on the first day. The launch of these options could mark a turning point for crypto markets, with implications for liquidity, volatility, and institutional adoption.  Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, explains why these options are so significant, who they’re designed for, and how they could impact the broader ecosystem. Plus, he offers some cautionary advice to bitcoiners, gives insight into whether spot ether etf options are on their way, and discusses the odds of SOL ETFs launching. Show highlights: What bitcoin ETF options are and why they are relevant for traders and investors Whether options will reduce the volatility of BTC Why Eric offers caution after seeing bitcoin surging so much recently What Eric thinks about the possibility for Bitcoin ETF options to spark a “gamma squeeze”  What type of investors Eric thinks typically trade options Whether regulators tre

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, special guest Vance Spencer of Framework Ventures joins the crew to explore Ethereum’s Beam Chain proposal, a bold yet contentious vision for Ethereum 3.0. With promises of quantum resistance, faster transactions, and decentralized staking, is this five-year roadmap a revolutionary leap or an unachievable ambition? The team dives into the tension between Layer 2s and Ethereum’s base chain, alongside Solana’s growing dominance as a UX benchmark. On the political front, the conversation breaks down Trump’s pro-crypto administration. From speculation around key cabinet picks to the potential establishment of a national Bitcoin reserve, they analyze what this new era could mean for regulation, innovation, and the broader market. Tune in for a lively discussion of the forces shaping Ethereum’s evolution and crypto’s role i

Bitcoin and SOL are flirting with all time highs, Ethereum is lagging behind, and the next six months could define the trajectory of crypto markets.  In this episode of Bits + Bips, James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and guest David Grider unravel the key stories driving the space: What could a meeting between Trump and Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong mean for crypto policy? Could a new Treasury Secretary pick become the industry’s biggest ally? And is Ethereum’s underperformance hiding a major comeback? Plus, what crypto categories might be winners in the near future. Show highlights: What the potential meeting of Trump with Brian Armstrong shows Which pick for the Treasury Secretary position would be most positive for crypto Whether Michael Saylor has been driving the bitcoin market Whether rate cuts are coming in December and what impact it’s having on the markets How tariffs are not as bad as people think, but massive deportation is, according to Alex Why a potential Treasury General Account (TGA) rundown would

Martin Köppelmann, co-founder of Gnosis, has proposed that Ethereum should have native rollups—a vision aimed at addressing scalability and decentralization. Köppelmann critiques the current state of layer 2 solutions, highlighting their limitations in fully inheriting Ethereum’s security and composability.  He proposes a bold alternative: 128 Ethereum-native rollups designed to expand block space, strengthen alignment with Ethereum’s core principles, and ensure long-term viability for developers and users. Plus, Martin tackles the controversies: Are L2s parasitic? Could native rollups spell the end for existing solutions? And why should they rely on zero-knowledge proofs instead of Optimism? Show highlights: Whether the Ethereum scaling roadmap is accomplishing its goals Why based rollups are not a full solution, according to Martin What Martin proposes instead Why Martin is proposing these rollups to be ZK-rollups instead of optimistic Whether the proposed solution would focus on privacy What it is ab

BlackRock’s entry into crypto through its bitcoin ETF (and later on the spot ether ETF) has rewritten the record books, driving massive inflows and reshaping the narrative for institutional crypto adoption. Robbie Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, unpacks the story behind this monumental shift. He shares the journey from skepticism to success, how BlackRock’s ETF has changed the market, and the surprises even he didn’t expect. Plus, he explains why he believes people mistake bitcoin for a risk-on asset, what the investment case is for Ethereum, and what’s next for crypto in 2025. Show highlights: 01:31 What and who is driving this massive amount of activity in bitcoin trading 05:05 Why Robbie offers some caution about the future of digital asset regulation 08:35 What about crypto captivated Robbie 13:32Whether Robbie was the one who “orange pilled” BlackRock CEO Larry Fink 14:37 Why Robbie thinks that bitcoin is not a risk-on asset 18:08 The backstory of how BlackRock ended up filing for a

The 2024 elections have reshaped the future of crypto in Washington. With almost $200 million in donations, the Fairshake Super PAC not only backed pro-crypto candidates but also took bold risks by challenging entrenched incumbents. This strategic gamble appears to have paid off, leading to the most crypto-friendly Congress in U.S. history. In this episode, Coinbase’s Faryar Shirzad and Kara Calvert reveal the behind-the-scenes decisions that drove this unprecedented effort, discuss why crypto needs to transcend partisanship, and explain how this election could usher in long-awaited regulatory clarity. They also delve into the global stakes of blockchain adoption and whether the U.S. can reclaim its leadership as other nations surge ahead in Web3 innovation. Show highlights: 01:48 The journey of how crypto became so important in this election 04:16 The differences between Fairshake and Stand With Crypto 08:48 How Fairshake decided which candidates to support 12:48 How Washington reacted to the massive inf

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, Laura Shin joins the squad to help break down the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election and its impact on the crypto landscape. With a new pro-crypto administration on the horizon, they explore what Trump’s stance on blockchain regulation could mean for the industry, from ETFs and stablecoin legislation to the potential of a national Bitcoin reserve. They also dig into the power of prediction markets, which outperformed mainstream media in election coverage, signaling a shift in trust and transparency. From the populist appeal of crypto to the challenges facing a divided Democratic Party, this episode uncovers the political dynamics that could drive innovation or stifle growth in the U.S. crypto market. Expect insights on the forces shaping America’s crypto future and the role of policy in crypto’s place on

With a friendlier regulatory environment in sight, will crypto finally get its moment? Jeff Park, head of alpha strategies at Bitwise, joins Unchained to break down what a pro-crypto approach in Washington could mean for the industry, why DeFi tokens such as UNI are thriving, and whether Bitcoin has a place as a strategic national asset.  Plus, Park shares insights into how China will respond to Trump’s economic measures and explains what he means by the “radical portfolio” thesis.  Tune in to find out how this new political era could set the stage for crypto’s long-awaited breakout. Show highlights: Jeff’s main takeaways from the intersection of crypto and politics this cycle Whether crypto has become a partisan issue Why Jeff highlights the usefulness of Polymarket to track the chances of each candidate Why Uniswap’s token UNI outperformed the broader market What sectors of the industry could boom with more regulatory clarity Whether the idea of using bitcoin as a strategic reserve is feasible  How C