Unconfirmed

https://unchainedpodcast.com/41-trillion-in-aum/

The Sun Exchange: http://thesunexchange.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Michael Moro: https://twitter.com/michaelmoro

Genesis: https://genesis.global/

Genesis Treasury: https://genesistrading.com/treasury/

Recent institutional purchasing news:

Tesla’s BTC purchase: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/02/08/bitcoin-surges-above-43000-to-a-record-after-elon-musks-tesla-buys-1point5-billion.html
Twitter’s CFO considers Bitcoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/94459/twitter-cfo-bitcoin-btc-balance-sheet-comments
Microstrategy’s Bitcoin for Corporations event: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/bitcoin/videos/bitcoin-macro-strategy
Michael Saylor’s Unchained interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-michael-saylor-on-the-best-way-for-companies-to-buy-bitcoin/
Companies holding bitcoin: https://bitcointreasuries.org/

Genesis information:

Michael Moro’s presentation at Microstrategy’s event: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/bitcoin/videos/genesis
Genesis Global background: https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6024551/About%20-%20Genesis%20Global/About%20Genesis%20Global%20-%20Full%20Overview.pdf
Prime Brokerage Services: https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6024551/About%20-%20Genesis%20Prime/About%20Genesis%20Prime%20-%20Full%20Overview.pdf
Q4 market observations: https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6024551/About%20-%20Genesis%20Prime/About%20Genesis%20Prime%20-%20Full%20Overview.pdf

Miscellaneous:

Crypto and GAAP accounting : https://www.forbes.com/sites/shehanchandrasekera/2020/05/21/how-are-cryptocurrencies-classified-in-gaap-financials/?sh=40ed4f9865b2
Coin Metrics report on institutional investing: https://coinmetrics.substack.com/p/coin-metrics-state-of-the-network-330

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

Why Asia Is So Important to Crypto - Ep.163

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:30:00 -0000

Mira Christanto, research analyst at Messari, recently wrote a comprehensive report on the crypto scene in Asia. In this episode, she covers cultural differences in crypto trading between East and West, plus gives us the latest on the diverse regulatory landscape within this large region. Some topics covered in this show include:

why Asia is an important geography in crypto
why Asia dominates the crypto futures trading markets
why DeFi fits better with Western culture, and centralized services are more respected in the East
the state of regulation across the region
what makes crypto regulation in Hong Kong unique
how the Chinese are approaching regulation, and how bitcoin is exchanged there
how Japan's crypto industry differs from that of other companies and why penetration is still somewhat low
why and how Korea is distinct from other crypto trading cultures
why Singapore's regulatory framework for crypto is the most sophisticated
what's happening in Southeast Asia and India
the status of crypto mining in China — and why the Western view of it is quite different from what it's like on the ground

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sun Exchange: http://sunexchange.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Mira Christanto: https://twitter.com/asiahodl

Messari: https://messari.io

Messari's Asia Crypto Landscape report: https://messari.io/asia-crypto-landscape

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/25-billion-in-institutional-bitcoin-by-eoy/

Why the GameStop Insanity Is So Similar to Crypto - Ep.162

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and founder of FTX, describes what happened between the Subreddit Wall Street Bets and hedge funds around the stock of GameStop this week. In this episode, he covers:

what happened with the stock of video game retailer GameStop this week
what that says about how to value a stock
how the traditional financial establishment reacted
how the events in GameStop this week are similar to the way crypto markets operate
how a crypto financial system could affect the ability of investors to do what the hedge funds did with GameStop — shorting more shares of the stock than actually exist
what led to FTX listing for tokenized versions of GameStop, Blackberry, AMC and Nokia, as well as a tokenized index fund of Wall Street Bets stocks
how the tokenized stocks and index work on the back end
why Robinhood restricted customers from purchasing shares in GameStop on Thursday
what the inspiration was for FTX

Thank you to our sponsors!

NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/business/gamestop-wall-street-bets.html

The Sun Exchange: http://sunexchange.com

Episode links:

Sam Bankman-Fried: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda

FTX: https://ftx.com

Roundups of what happened with Gamestop:

Vox: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22249458/gamestop-stock-wallstreetbets-reddit-citron

Early Wired story: https://www.wired.com/story/gamestop-stock-wall-street-bets-short-squeeze/

NYT analysis: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/technology/gamestop-stock.html

Sam on what can determine an asset’s price: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda/status/1354790766313234432?s=20

Chamath Palihapitiya on CNBC discussing Gamestop — defending individual investors: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/chamath-palihapitiya-closes-gamestop-position-but-defends-individual-investors-right-to.html

Videos: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/01/27/investor-chamath-palihapitiya-the-gamestop-story-is-pushback-against-wall-street-establishment.html

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/01/27/billionaire-investor-chamath-palihapitiya-on-gamestop-surge-and-rise-of-retail-investors.html

Gamestop price gyrations: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/gamestop-reverses-losses-and-surges-another-30percent-in-the-premarket-to-450-as-mania-continues.html

How many shares of GME are shorted: https://isthesqueezesquoze.com

FTX lists GME for tokenized spot and futures trading: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/92756/ftx-lists-gme-stock-for-tokenized-spot-futures-trading

FTX’s Wall Street Bets tokenized index fund: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda/status/1354790817060143114?s=20

Robinhood customers only being able to sell, not buy GME when Robinhood’s revenue biggest revenue source is sending order flow to hedge funds: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/robinhood-interactive-brokers-restrict-trading-in-gamestop-s.html

Matt Levine of Bloomberg on GameStop: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-01-28/knowing-when-to-sell-gamestop-stock-at-the-top-is-impossible?sref=m9L277rN

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-gamestop-is-like-crypto/

Is Tether a Fraud? Its Bank Says It's Not - Ep.161

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000

Gregory Pepin, deputy CEO of Deltec Bank and Trust, responds to allegations in a blog post by the pseudonymous Crypto Anonymous, that Tether is a "highly probably fraud." In this episode, he covers:

how Deltec accounts for its reserves, and why they didn't show up on Crypto Anonymous's blog post
where the dollars backing Tethers are held
how Tethers get created
where Tether Ltd. keeps its cash equivalents
why there's more demand for trading with USDT than with USD partially because of the arbitrage opportunity between East and West
how Tethers get created using Deltec
why USDT gets minted in very round numbers as opposed to very specific numbers that USDC is minted in
where the cash equivalents backing Tethers are held
what type of due diligence Deltec conducted when it took on Tether Ltd. as a customer
why the perception that Tether is unregulated compared to other stablecoins is false
what Deltec thinks about the New York Attorney General office's investigation in to Tether
why Deltec has a "large position in bitcoin"

Thank you to our sponsor!

Tether current balances: https://wallet.tether.to/transparency?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=c035d054dd287020b16d6dbb4b70398ca7a99dcb-1611253376-0-AcOsT0Zqpd8Muzw5gnkSz6KKmTrN3WAssxGX8K-p_PkeZ2SUfW9EsAr-a2EkIojYzm5-3RA_1DHxpoK579d0YgtnxMYevlVRSS7RIAKh0sgk-ORzOZUDNgg_AvZjugdrxWVjTA9dCBf1hX4X83oU3-RTjQYn_qYukdRFJUq9a89BXyyDovL3bu4ohxSSVdworOR-cdxEiPURe4ZJrGIvuW3Ej2qJLJt3RDXfX6BfDANdpkVrU6O2KB4V0Or-HJjItS0uAu-L7KrTomXNv9anUv34_An8cH3VHYfB_OD-iyIvkgOh7RHd-Xafe-SJwPnUYg

Episode links:

Gregory Pepin: https://twitter.com/dzrgreg

Deltec Bank: https://www.deltecbank.com/?locale=en

Crypto Anonymous’s Medium post: https://crypto-anonymous-2021.medium.com/the-bit-short-inside-cryptos-doomsday-machine-f8dcf78a64d3

Deltec having large position in bitcoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/91353/deltec-bitcoin-position-tether

Original video in which Deltec mentions its “large position in bitcoin”: https://www.deltecbank.com/2021/01/14/a-covid-year-in-review/

Deltec banking Tether: https://www.coindesk.com/deltec-chairman-says-tether-letter-on-bank-relationship-is-authentic

Tether not audited: https://www.coindesk.com/tether-review-claims-crypto-asset-fully-backed-theres-catch

Tether says it is fully backed: https://www.coindesk.com/tether-says-its-stablecoin-is-fully-backed-again

What Tether is backed by: https://wallet.tether.to/transparency?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=c035d054dd287020b16d6dbb4b70398ca7a99dcb-1611253376-0-AcOsT0Zqpd8Muzw5gnkSz6KKmTrN3WAssxGX8K-p_PkeZ2SUfW9EsAr-a2EkIojYzm5-3RA_1DHxpoK579d0YgtnxMYevlVRSS7RIAKh0sgk-ORzOZUDNgg_AvZjugdrxWVjTA9dCBf1hX4X83oU3-RTjQYn_qYukdRFJUq9a89BXyyDovL3bu4ohxSSVdworOR-cdxEiPURe4ZJrGIvuW3Ej2qJLJt3RDXfX6BfDANdpkVrU6O2KB4V0Or-HJjItS0uAu-L7KrTomXNv9anUv34_An8cH3VHYfB_OD-iyIvkgOh7RHd-Xafe-SJwPnUYg

New York Attorney General’s office press release on investigation into iFinex: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/attorney-general-james-announces-court-order-against-crypto-currency-company

CoinDesk on NYAG investigation: https://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-ny-prosecutors-tether-850-million-allege

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-8-trillion-could-do-in-bitcoin/

What You Need to Know About Bitcoin Layer 2s - Ep.160

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000

Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at Coinshares, and Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures, join me at the Stacks conference to discuss Bitcoin layer 2s. In this episode, they cover:

why layers 2s exist
how layer 2s, such as payment channels like Lightning, work
what kind of throughput layer 2s have
how moving Bitcoin to layer 2 affects the price
why people having moved $5 billion worth of Bitcoin to Ethereum
how Bitcoin moving to Ethereum affects the price
the most popular Bitcoin layer 2s

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Meltem Demirors: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem

Nic Carter: https://twitter.com/nic__carter

Stacks: https://twitter.com/Stacks

Total value locked in Lightning: https://www.defipulse.com/lightning-network

Bitcoin on Ethereum: https://www.defipulse.com/btc

Stats on Lightning: https://bitcoinvisuals.com/lightning

What layer 2s mean for altcoins and base chain assets like Bitcoin: https://www.coindesk.com/rise-of-layer-2s-altcoins-like-ethereum

Sovryn: https://sovryn.app

RSK: https://www.rsk.co

Liquid network: https://blockstream.com/liquid/

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/stupid-bitcoin-rich/

2021 in Crypto: What to Expect in the Year Ahead - Ep.159

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000

Frank Chaparro, director of news at The Block, gives his predictions for what will happen in crypto in 2021. In this episode, we discuss:

the big stories in crypto in 2020
how the market has changed in 2020
how the market differs from the 2017-2018 bubble
what big traditional financial services firms and investment banks will do in crypto in 2021
how crypto exchanges will experiment with their fee structures
how regulatory actions, such as the lawsuit against Ripple, will affect exchanges
what might happen to privacy coins as regulators become more active
what he expects to see from the upcoming Coinbase IPO and how that will affect the broader market

Thank you to our sponsors!

Blocknative: http://blocknative.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Frank Chaparro: https://twitter.com/fintechfrank

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com

The Block's 2020 year in review: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/promotions/2020-in-review/

Predictions from The Block's analysts: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/89788/2021-predictions-from-the-blocks-analysts

Unchained interview with Raoul Pal and Michael Novogratz: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-mike-novogratz-and-raoul-pal-on-the-single-greatest-brand-of-the-last-10-years/

Bittrex delisting privacy coins: https://twitter.com/BittrexExchange/status/1345056010981892096?s=20

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/1t-40k-1200/

Laura's New Year's 2021 AMA: Your Questions About Privacy, the STABLE Act, Diem and More - Ep.158

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 08:30:00 -0000

For the holidays, I'm doing two AMAs. In the second of two, I cover:

privacy blockchains
my thoughts on the STABLE Act
whether or not Facebook's Diem will have a positive or negative impact on crypto
what I miss from pre-COVID about the crypto community
how we can use blockchain and crypto to weed our propaganda and fake news
the best pick and shovel plays in crypto
what distinguishes a journalist from an entertainer
my thoughts on the state of media and journalism in the US

Thank you to our sponsors!

Blocknative: http://blocknative.com/unconfirmed

https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinbase-in-turmoil-why-employees-walked-out/

Episode links:

Meltem Demirors on privacy in 2021: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-meltem-demirors-and-lyn-alden-on-the-perfect-conditions-for-bitcoin/

Jessie Liu episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-dojs-cryptocurrency-enforcement-framework/

Brian Brooks episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/

STABLE Act episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-rohan-grey-believes-stablecoin-issuers-need-to-be-banks/

Episodes on Coinbase: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-coinbase-do-a-token-offering-when-it-goes-public/

Episode with Chad Cascarilla of Paxos:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/

Laura's Christmas 2020 AMA: Your Questions About Crypto Media and More - Ep.157

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000

For the holidays, I'm doing two AMAs. In this first of two, I cover:

how my book is going
tips for aspiring podcasters
what it's like being an independent journalist
how I spent my time outside crypto
if I send bitcoin to North Korea
whether I own any crypto
if I expect bitcoin will lose its weirdness as it becomes more widely adopted
how much blockchain technology can disintermediate banks
what black swans I see on the horizon for 2021
what trends I see for 2021

Thank you to our sponsors!

Blocknative: http://blocknative.com/unconfirmed

https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/

Links:

My previous AMA: https://unchainedpodcast.com/ama-with-laura-the-greatest-innovation-in-the-industry-right-now/

Whether North Koreans can benefit from bitcoin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/yeonmi-park-on-why-doing-business-with-north-korea-is-like-buying-a-ticket-to-a-concentration-camp/

Why North Korea is interested in cryptocurrency: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-north-korea-is-interested-in-cryptocurrency/

Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation: https://unchainedpodcast.com/alex-gladstein-on-a-world-without-bitcoin/

DeFi hacks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/defi-security-with-so-many-hacks-will-it-ever-be-safe/

Why yield farming is risky: https://unchainedpodcast.com/defi-yield-farming-why-its-all-the-rage-but-risky/

Regulation: https://unchainedpodcast.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-looming-battle-over-privacy-in-crypto/

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/laura-eoy-ama-pt-1/

Beeple on How and Why He Raked In $3.5 Million - Ep.156

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Mike Winkelmann, the digital artist also known as Beeple who has made an artwork every day for over 13 years, talks about the NFT auctions he held last weekend, after learning about crypto two months ago. In the show, he discusses:

how he got into crypto two months ago, and made $3.5 million in NFT auctions last weekend
how the objects on sale were more than just jpegs and what physical objects came with the NFTs
what types of auctions he had, and why some pieces were available for $1 apiece
how he previously made money as a digital artist
how he believes digital artists will be able to make money in the future
why people would pay to own an NFT if they can just get a digital file of the art
why he incorporated physical objects into his sale
whether or not this model would work for artists with smaller followings than he has, with his 1.7 million Instagram followers
what his relationship was with the collector who paid $777,777 for the final piece sold in the auction
why he chose Nifty Gateway among all the NFT sites
how NFTs could also change business models for other types of creators besides visual artists

Thank you to our sponsors!

Blocknative: Blocknative.com/unconfirmed

https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/beeple-shatters-crypto-art-records-across-the-board/

Episode links:

Mike Winkelmann: https://twitter.com/beeple

Video for auction: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIlNe6MAwVX/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Instagram video showing the digital art displays: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIrMctwgfJ1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Coverage of auctions:

https://cryptobriefing.com/digital-art-auction-raises-record-million/

https://decrypt.co/51270/beeple-nft-sale

https://twitter.com/niftygateway/status/1338268375156482050?s=20

Rapper Lil Yachty's NFT sale: https://www.coindesk.com/lil-yachty-collectible-fetches-16k-in-latest-string-of-high-profile-nft-auctions

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/3-btc-price-targets/

Why Rohan Grey Believes Stablecoin Issuers Need to Be Banks - Ep.155

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Rohan Grey, assistant professor at Willamette Law, talks about the STABLE Act, which would require stable coin issuers to obtain a banking charter, require approval from the Federal Reserve and require issuers to have FDIC insurance. In this episode, Grey, an advisor to the bill, discusses:

how the past history of financial innovation and events that have posed systemic risks necessitates the STABLE Act
how he, not being a staff member of Congress, became involved in the bill
how the bill would prevent stablecoin issuers from committing crimes that banks have perpetrated by requiring them to become banks
why he believes open source smart contracts enforcing rules and public audit-able blockchains are not a fundamentally new way to prevent the type of events that pose systemic risks that the STABLE Act aims to prevent
why existing regulatory and licensing regimes are insufficient
how he would answer people from countries like Argentina who have had their currency devalued by their government the STABLE Act, and who might say this bill exposes them to a different type of risk
how much the rollout of Facebook's Diem, as opposed to existing stablecoins such as Tether, USDC or Dai, was a motivation for this bill
whether, by focusing narrowly on systemic risk, this bill could squash crypto and fintech innovation that could help the un- and under-banked
whether he sees any path forward for this bill to be passed

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.coindesk.com/us-lawmakers-introduce-bill-that-would-require-stablecoin-issuers-to-obtain-bank-charters

Blocknative: https://www.blocknative.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Rohan Grey: https://twitter.com/rohangrey

STABLE Act: https://tlaib.house.gov/media/press-releases/tlaib-garcia-and-lynch-stableact

Introduction of bill:

Implications of the bill for running an Ethereum node:

https://www.coindesk.com/stable-act-ethereum-node-illegal

https://www.coincenter.org/the-unintended-consequences-of-the-stable-act/

https://www.coindesk.com/stable-act-ethereum-node-illegal

Rohan Grey and Jeremy Allaire interviews on The Block Live: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1OwxWVgmqyMJQ

Unchained interview with acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-mass-mutuals-btc-buy-is-so-significant/

How to Get Your ETH2 Yield and Take Out a Loan on It - Ep.154

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 08:30:00 -0000

James Slazas, founder and CEO of LiquidStake and DARMA Capital, describes their retail and institutional offerings for customers who want to stake on Ethereum 2.0 but still access the locked-up capital. In this episode, we discuss:

what problem LiquidStake solves and how
what happens if the dollar value of someone’s stake drops below the amount that they’ve borrowed
who keeps the ETH in a liquidation
how LiquidStake makes money
how they determine the price of ETH to make the loan and what it does in the event of a flash crash on an exchange
how LiquidStake and DARMA Capital are also serving institutional clients
how total return swap agreements with DARMA work
why they offer more tax and regulatory clarity
why LiquidStake currently offers USDC for its stablecoin
the pros and cons of a centralized loans on staked ETH 2 over decentralized ones
the other crypto systems LiquidStake is partnering with
how LiquidStake and DARMA Capital are able to make these loans from a regulatory perspective

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/84277/eth2-liquidstake-borrow-eth-validators

Episode links:

James Slazas: https://twitter.com/DARMA_Slazas

Liquidstake: https://liquidstake.com

DARMA Capital: https://darma.capital

LiquidStake announcements: https://www.coindesk.com/ethereum-heavyweights-launch-liquidstake-loans-to-ease-eth-2-0-lockup

LiquidStake blog post: https://liquidstake.com/blog/1

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-is-pushing-up-the-price-of-bitcoin/

Crypto on Every Corner: Driving Adoption With Jeremy Allaire and Meltem Demirors - Ep.153

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000

This episode is a discussion from Stellar's Meridian conference, in which I moderated the panel, Crypto on Every Corner: Driving Adoption, featuring Jeremy Allaire, cofounder, chairman and CEO of Circle, and Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at CoinShares. In this discussion, we cover:

what adoption means and looks like
why cryptocurrency is at a particularly interesting inflection point
how central bank digital currencies could affect that
how blockchains will recede into the background
how existing fintech payment apps will use blockchains and/or crypto
where on the road to adoption the industry currently is
the significance of Crypto Twitter as a marketing tool
what the crypto industry needs to do in the next year to grow the industry
why it would have been easier to start a bank than a crypto business
why the separation of money and state is one of the most interesting experiments in history
how we'll see new corporate-like organizations without any connections to any existing legal or financial systems driven by tokens
what their favorite crypto adoption success story is

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Jeremy Allaire: https://twitter.com/jerallaire

Circle: https://www.circle.com/en/

Meltem Demirors: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem

Coinshares: https://coinshares.com

PayPal offering crypto: https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/12/paypal-says-all-users-in-u-s-can-now-buy-hold-and-sell-cryptocurrencies/

Revolut offering crypto: https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/15/revolut-partners-with-paxos-to-bring-cryptocurrency-trading-to-the-us/

9 Ways Bitcoin Is at an All-Time High - Ep.152

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures, and cofounder and chairman of Coin Metrics, explains why the Bitcoin price has been rising without the retail bubble seen in 2017-2018. In this episode he covers:

how this Bitcoin rally differs from the ones in 2017-2018 and why the market is much more mature
how much the pandemic and other macro forces this year have helped propel Bitcoin
what it says that the number of Bitcoin addresses with $10 or more worth of bitcoin are is at 18 million now, compared to 2014 in the 2017-2018 bubble
the significance of realized cap, and why there's less pressure to sell now since the current cost basis of all bitcoins is much higher than in the bubble
the significance of the fact that open interest in CME Bitcoin futures hit $1 billion this week — and why, even though they're cash-settled, they do impact the Bitcoin price
what the appreciation of the Bitcoin price in other countries' currencies such as Turkish lira means
what it means that the stablecoin free float has grown from $1.5 billion in the last bubble to $23 billion during this rally
what he makes of the theory that Chinese miners are having difficulty to sell their BTC being a driver of the price rise

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-info-will-come-out-in-the-binance-lawsuit/

Episode links:

Nic Carter: https://twitter.com/nic__carter

Castle Island VC: https://www.castleisland.vc

Coin Metrics: https://coinmetrics.io

Nic’s post: https://medium.com/@nic__carter/nine-bitcoin-charts-already-at-all-time-highs-78abbfe82804

Chinese miners unable to sell BTC: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoins-rally-supply-crunch-in-china

Dispute with this report: https://twitter.com/WuBlockchain/status/1328893579515682816?s=20

CME Bitcoin open futures surpasses $1 billion: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/85045/cme-bitcoin-futures-1-billion-open-interest

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

Chad Cascarilla on Paxos's Partnership With PayPal - Ep.151

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Paxos CEO and cofounder Chad Cascarilla discusses his company's partnership with PayPal, which just opened up its crypto purchase and selling product to all its US customers. In this episode, he covers:

how Paxos enables PayPal's crypto product
the regulatory steps Paxos took to make this happen
why $200 billion company like PayPal would partner with a small company like Paxos
how Paxos Crypto Brokerage works
how Paxos provides the regulatory cover that PayPal needs for this offering, along with custodial and liquidity services
why this product sources its coins on Paxos's ItBit exchange
how the four crypto assets available on PayPal — bitcoin, ether, litecoin and bitcoin cash — were chosen
what other tokens one might expect to be offered through Paxos Crypto Brokerage, and possibly by extension by PayPal
how PayPal gets around the scaling issues on Bitcoin and Ethereum
whether Paxos's stablecoin business might be used by PayPal
if PayPal does acquire BitGo, what that would mean for Paxos offering custody for PayPal through its brokerage
how Paxos's equity settlement platform is going, and where it could go over time
how and why Paxos is applying to the SEC to become one of three clearing agents

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/81794/paypal-to-enable-crypto-purchases-with-the-help-of-paxos

Episode links:

Chad Cascarilla: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla/

Paxos: https://www.paxos.com

PayPal now offers crypto purchases to all its customers: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/84398/paypal-opening-up-app-crypto-users

Original announcements about PayPal offering crypto purchases with Paxos: https://www.coindesk.com/paypal-new-york-conditional-bitlicense-paxos-cryptocurrency

Paxos announcement: https://www.paxos.com/paypal-paxos-bring-crypto-to-millions-of-users/

Paxos Crypto Brokerage: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paxos-introduces-paxos-crypto-brokerage-service-to-power-digital-asset-buying-and-selling-in-any-product-301093761.html

PayPal approved for conditional BitLicense: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/reports_and_publications/press_releases/pr202010211

Paxos’s stablecoin business: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/54254/a-deep-dive-into-the-paxos-stablecoin-ecosystem

PayPal rumored to be in talks to acquire BitGo: https://www.coindesk.com/paypal-said-to-be-in-talks-to-buy-crypto-firms-including-bitgo-bloomberg

Paxos working with Revolut: https://www.coindesk.com/uk-fintech-firm-revolut-brings-bitcoin-ether-trading-to-us-customers

Paxos equity settlement business: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/56494/paxos-equity-settlement-business-goes-live-with-credit-suisse-and-nomuras-instinet-as-first-clients

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/44901/paxos-looking-to-upend-a-massive-corner-of-wall-street-credit-suisse-on-board-for-pilot

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/1st-paxos-interview-since-paypal-news/

What the Crypto Industry Could See Under a Biden Administration - Ep.150

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Kristin Smith, executive director of the Blockchain Association and a board member of HODLpac, discusses how advocating for crypto will change under what is likely to be a new presidential administration. In this episode she talks about:

what crypto advocacy typically entails
how the approach will change under a Biden administration compared to what it was under Trump
what appointments by Biden could most affect the crypto industry
which issues are at the top of the agendas for both the Blockchain Association and HODLpac
why regulators are particularly interested in stablecoins
how a potentially Democratic-controlled Senate under a Biden administration might affect crypto
what she's watching for from Cynthia Lummis, a Bitcoiner who won her Wyoming Senate race
how anti-trust sentiment in Congress could affect crypto, and whether legislators see Web3 as an antidote to monopoly problems
the divisions within the crypto industry around how to approach regulators, and how to resolve them
the potential for a de minimus tax exemption, in light of PayPal integrating cryptocurrencies
and how HODLpac used quadratic voting to decide which candidates to support

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-a-potential-biden-administration-could-mean-for-crypto/

Episode links:

Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/KMSmithDC

Blockchain Association: https://theblockchainassociation.org

HODLpac: https://www.hodlpac.org

Interview with acting Comptroller of the Currency, Brian Brooks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/

Likely second runoff election in Georgia to determine control of Senate: https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1324360112190951424?s=20

Cynthia Lummis to become first US Senator who is also a Bitcoiner https://fortune.com/2020/11/04/wyoming-bitcoin-cynthia-lummis-u-s-senate/

Brad Sherman wanting to ban cryptocurrency: https://www.coindesk.com/congressmans-call-for-crypto-ban-sparks-social-uproar

Leaked Binance doc about whether Binance.US is a decoy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/10/29/leaked-tai-chi-document-reveals-binances-elaborate-scheme-to-evade-bitcoin-regulators/?sh=1d759bd2a926

More on quadratic voting: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-blockchains-can-help-create-little-democracies-everywhere/

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

The 2 Types of Investors Driving Interest in Crypto - Ep.149

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Matt Hougan, chief investment officer of Bitwise Asset Management, discusses a milestone Bitwise reached this week -- hitting $100 million in assets under management. He also covered

what has been driving interest in Bitwise products
the two types of customers who have been especially interested in purchasing crypto assets this year and why
what this says about the maturation of the industry compared to during the 2017 bubble
how conversations with Bitwise customers have changed since then
what impact this week's bullish JPMorgan research note about Bitcoin could have on investors and why it was so significant
what the significance will be of the integration of bitcoin, ether and other cryptocurrencies by PayPal next year
how Microstrategy and Square putting Bitcoin on their balance sheets will pave the way for other corporations to do so
how the new Fed policy of targeting an average 2% inflation rate could affect Bitcoin
how recent regulatory actions, such as with BitMEX, affect the likelihood of a Bitcoin ETF being approved in the next few years
how a company like Bitwise, which interfaces with traditional investors, creates viable investment vehicles around DeFi for its clientele
what a Trump win vs. a Biden win could mean for the crypto industry

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://twitter.com/DTAPCAP/status/1319703750450302980?s=20

Episode links:

Matt Hougan: https://twitter.com/Matt_Hougan

Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com

Bitwise reaches $100 million in AUM: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitwise-surpasses-100-million-in-assets-under-management-due-to-rising-demand-for-crypto-from-hedge-funds-and-financial-advisors-301161317.html?tc=eml_cleartime

JPMorgan research note on Bitcoin: https://fortune.com/2020/10/26/jp-morgan-chase-bitcoin-predictions-analyst-jpm-cryptocurrency/

Matt's piece on the significance of the OCC letter giving banks the authority to custody crypto assets: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthougan/2020/07/27/the-occs-notice-on-crypto-is-a-really-big-deal/

Matt's essay on how the Fed's new approach to inflation could affect Bitcoin: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthougan/2020/09/22/this-new-fed-policy-could-be-a-game-changer-for-bitcoin/

Matt's post on DeFi: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthougan/2020/07/13/why-ethereum-has-valuethe--opportunity-in-programmable-money--defi/#67e88a364818

News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-binance-decoy-for-us-regulators/

Willy Woo on Why It's 'an Extremely Great Time to Buy Bitcoin' - Ep.148

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Willy Woo, on-chain Bitcoin analyst and writer of “The Bitcoin Forecast,” a market intelligence newsletter, discusses how the Bitcoin markets have been changing amidst what may be a forthcoming ebbing of derivatives exchanges and a revival of the importance of spot exchanges. In this episode, he covers:

what the PayPal news means when there are currently only 23.4 million holders on chain, and only 101 million active unique accounts at centralized exchanges
why "old hands" in Bitcoin have been changing their behaviors recently, selling at bottoms, rather than tops
how derivatives exchanges have influenced Bitcoin price action
why price moves in Bitcoin are likely to be less volatile going forward
how he's detecting the purchase of Bitcoin off spot exchanges by whales and corporate treasuries
how these shifts are affecting crypto infrastructure players
how the price of Bitcoin moves for every dollar invested and what his projection is based on that
why, as the price of BTC rises, he's currently seeing HODLers holding tighter than ever
by when he believes we'll see sovereign wealth funds investing in Bitcoin
by when he says we'll see a $50,000 Bitcoin
why the Bitcoin NVT ratio indicates it's an "extremely great time to buy Bitcoin"
why he doesn't focus much on ether, how he thinks it will perform under Ethereum 2.0 and why things could change if Ethereum Improvement Proposal 1559 is implemented and transaction fees end up being burned

Thank you to our sponsor!

PayPal news: https://www.reuters.com/article/paypal-cryptocurrency/update-1-paypal-to-open-up-network-to-cryptocurrencies-idUSL1N2HC0PL

Episode links:

Willy Woo: https://twitter.com/woonomic

The Bitcoin Forecast: https://willywoo.substack.com

His charts and models: http://charts.woobull.com

Willy's tweet about dormancy: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1318154088635224065

Willy on how coins on spot exchanges are dropping: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1313798080236380160?s=20

Willy on NVT ratio: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1315839269148086272

Willy on ETH: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1313099814041653248?s=20

What You Need to Know About the DOJ's Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework - Ep.147

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Jessie Liu, partner at Skadden and the former US attorney for the District of Columbia, headed up the team that has prosecuted what some believe is the greatest number of cryptocurrency crimes worldwide — Welcome to Video, Dark Scandals, Helix, North Korea, Hamas/Al Qaeda and ISIS. In this episode, she discusses:

how she came to create a Threat Finance Unit that focuses on the intersection of cybercrime that threatened national security
what the DOJ's new cryptocurrency enforcement framework means and what the significance is of the framework
what parts of the framework crypto startups should pay attention to
whether the DOJ will continue to act in concert with other agencies, as it did recently with its indictment of four executives at cryptocurrency derivatives exchange BitMEX in conjunction with an enforcement action by the CFTC against the same exchange
how DOJ can claim jurisdiction over exchanges located outside the US, on a practical level, go after entities located outside
how the FATF global standards will affect enforcement in the US
the DOJ's stance toward "anonymity-enhanced" cryptocurrencies, or privacy-preserving coins
the DOJ's disagreement that EU's privacy law, GDPR, can be used by some crypto exchanges to keep the DOJ from obtaining data from those exchanges
how willing foreign countries are to coordinate with US law enforcement and whether cryptocurrency criminals could engage in jurisdictional arbitrage

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-whale-rocket-chart

Episode links:

Jessie Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-k-liu/

Skadden bio: https://www.skadden.com/professionals/l/liu-jessie

Press release about cryptocurrency enforcement framework: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-publication-cryptocurrency-enforcement-framework

Cryptocurrency enforcement framework: https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1326061/download

Unchained podcast about FATF rules: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/

CoinDesk on how the enforcement framework is a warning shot to offshore exchanges: https://www.coindesk.com/doj-crypto-framework-warning

Links from news recap:

Abuse and Ethical Lapses: What Happened When Justin Sun Acquired BitTorrent - Ep.146

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Freelance reporter and audio producer Chris Harland-Dunaway speaks about his long investigative story on Tron founder Justin Sun after his acquisition of BitTorrent. In this episode, Harland-Dunaway describes:

how after his acquisition of peer-to-peer file sharing protocol BitTorrent Justin Sun straddled the China-West divide
Sun's background, his early success and how he got into cryptocurrency
how he treated the US-based employees differently from those based in China
how Sun made a threat to kill an employee's family over an anonymous employee question about what would happen is TRX went to $0
an incident in which Sun hit an employee
how Sun handled ethical issues that cropped up around scammers on the app store on Tron, with piracy on BitTorrent product BT Movie and with dark web-style content on BT Live
why he believes Sun's biggest liability is his lack of empathy as both a manager and entrepreneur

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-has-never-been-healthier

Episode links:

Christopher Harland-Dunaway: https://twitter.com/ChrisHDeee

Justin Sun: https://twitter.com/justinsuntron

Tron Foundation: https://twitter.com/Tronfoundation

Chris's article on Justin in The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/21459906/bittorrent-tron-acquisition-justin-sun-us-china

Links from news recap:

Coinbase in Turmoil: Why Employees Walked Out - Ep.145

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Frank Chaparro, director of news at The Block, discusses a controversial blog post by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong about how the company intends to take an apolitical stance, the pushback it received afterward, and the company's offer of generous exit packages for employees who disagree:

why CEO Brian Armstrong wrote the blog post stating it would be taking an apolitical stance during these socially and politically tumultuous times
why the company then offered a generous exit package to employees who disagreed with it
which social and political issues caused the divisions at Coinbase
how a question about Black Lives Matter at a a company all-hands back in June began the series of events that resulted in this blog post
why employees walked out earlier this summer
why Armstrong did tweet about the Black Lives Matter movement
how the stance Armstrong took in the blog post is not a surprise to those who know his personality
why the reactions to the blog post were so wide-ranging
how this affects Coinbase's place in the wider world of investment, which has seen a greater interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing
why Coinbase's plans to go public in the next year or so might have affected Armstrong's decision to take the apolitical stance
what happened in another all-hands meeting on Thursday to discuss this issue
plus, we talk about the DOJ and CFTC charges against BitMEX, how Frank talked with BitMEX cofounder and CEO Arthur Hayes last night, and whether it seemed Arthur had any awareness this was coming

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

Cosmos: http://five.hackatom.org

Episode links:

Frank Chaparro: https://twitter.com/fintechfrank

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com

Coinbase blog post: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-a-mission-focused-company-af882df8804?gi=2f36a2277d05

CoinDesk on the blog post: https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-has-drawn-a-line-in-the-sand-for-its-activist-employees

What sparked the walkout: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79517/a-question-about-black-lives-matter-sparked-an-employee-walkout-at-coinbase-this-summer

Erica Joy’s tweet thread on the Coinbase engineering walkout: https://twitter.com/EricaJoy/status/1310741842594426880

Paul Graham’s tweet: https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1310583298666696705?s=20

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s response to Brian’s blog post: https://twitter.com/jack/status/1311423420274372608?s=20

Axios article: https://www.axios.com/coinbase-controversy-b707973c-0f24-4d1e-9690-78ac5fdb94e7.html

Coinbase offers severance package https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79247/coinbase-offers-exit-package-for-employees-not-comfortable-with-its-mission

How Coinbase's apolitical stance could affect its IPO: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79127/a-blog-post-by-coinbases-ceo-has-raised-a-fury-will-it-affect-a-potential-ipo

The Interface on Brian’s blog post: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/caseynewton/issues/coinbase-bans-politics-281784

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/up-to-10-years-in-prison/

Why NFTs Are Attracting Everyday People to Crypto - Ep.144

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Jake Brukhman, cofounder and CEO of CoinFund, explains why people are excited about non-fungible tokens, how they can be used, and what new behaviors and businesses they might enable. He discusses:

what a NFT or non-fungible token is
how they can be "liquid intellectual property"
what kinds of digital assets can be turned into NFTs
what new types of behaviors and new products and services can be created based off NFTs
why consumers would prefer to use an NFT photo or song vs. one from Shutterstock or Spotify
why someone would want to buy an NFT when it's so easy to make digital copies of things like art or ebooks or mp3s
how disputes over digital objects could be adjudicated in a global marketplace
how NFTs enable fractionalized ownership
how NFTs can be used as collateral to manage risk
how NFTs are combining with DeFi to create NFTFi
how NFTs and NFTFi bring non-crypto people in to the space and expose them to finance
why the NFT space is much bigger than people probably expect, and how it's drawing a new crowd to crypto

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Cosmos: http://five.hackatom.org

Episode links:

Jake Brukhman: https://twitter.com/jbrukh

CoinFund: https://coinfund.io

CoinFund’s NFT thesis: https://blog.coinfund.io/all-digital-content-is-going-on-chain-ae26a7071657

Rarible: https://rarible.com

Unchained show about Aragon: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-aragon-hopes-to-improve-on-democracy/

The LAO: https://www.thelao.io

https://twitter.com/thelaoofficial?lang=en

Yield farming on digital collectibles: https://www.coindesk.com/yield-farming-expands-from-finance-to-digital-collectibles-rarible-nfts

NFTFi: https://tokentuesdays.substack.com/p/defi-x-nfts-nftfi

Aavegotchi: https://aavegotchi.com

$MEME: https://medium.com/@dontbuymeme/nft-farming-guide-how-to-stake-meme-and-earn-crypto-collectibles-ac8121e93e8

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-uni-could-be-a-security/

The First Crypto Bank: What Kraken Financial Will Do and How - Ep.143

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000

David Kinitsky, CEO of Kraken Financial, talks about Kraken's news that it is launching a bank, after receiving approval to form a special purpose depository institution (SPDI) from the state of Wyoming. He discusses:

why Kraken decided to become a crypto bank, and what it will be able to do with this status
how this status will affect the consumer experience for crypto users
what kinds of crypto assets it will be able to deal with
how quickly it will list coins, such as those DeFi coins that quickly balloon to billion-dollar market caps
what its designation, special purpose depository institution (SPDI) means, and why that has special meaning for crypto users
what "bailment" means, and why that's significant for crypto users interested in using a crypto bank and how that would affect users in the event any coins were stolen or lost
how Kraken Financial's status as a crypto bank will affect the longstanding problem in the industry of obtaining and maintaining bank relationships
how this overlaps and works in conjunction with other recent regulations that have affected the crypto industry, such as the OCC saying banks can custody crypto assets
how its SPDI status will affect how Kraken Financial is regulated in New York State where the BitLicense is in effect
why Kraken, which has a reputation for pushing back on what it deemed to be overreach by regulators, decided to pursue the SPDI
how Kraken Financial will make money, despite keeping 100% reserves
David's extensive background in cryptocurrency
the timeline going forward for Kraken Financial

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Cosmos: http://five.hackatom.org

Episode links:

David Kinitsky: https://twitter.com/Kinitsky

Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/en-us/

Kraken announcement about Kraken Financial receiving the SPDI title from the Wyoming Banking Board: https://blog.kraken.com/post/6241/kraken-wyoming-first-digital-asset-bank/

CoinDesk story: https://www.coindesk.com/kraken-crypto-exchange-secures-bank-charter-under-wyoming-law

The Block story: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/77804/kraken-crypto-bank-launch-wyoming

Kraken Chief Legal Officer Marco Santori tweet storm on the significance: https://twitter.com/msantoriESQ/status/1306236234675740672?s=20

Previous episode of Unchained on crypto friendly regulations in Wyoming: https://unchainedpodcast.com/eth-denver-fireside-chat-with-2-of-the-most-crypto-friendly-governors-in-the-nation/

OCC allowing banks to offer cryptocurrency custody services:

https://www.coindesk.com/us-banking-regulator-suggests-federal-licensing-framework-for-crypto-firms

https://www.coindesk.com/banks-in-us-can-now-offer-crypto-custody-services-regulator-says

https://www.coindesk.com/occ-crypto-custody-years

Conference of State Bank Supervisors’ new regulatory regime: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-regulators-crypto/u-s-crypto-fintech-firms-to-benefit-from-slimmed-down-regulatory-process-idUSKBN2661OA

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/half-a-billion-dollars-overnight/

How SushiSwap Proved That Liquidity Is Not a Moat - Ep.142

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000

0xMaki, a cofounder of SushiSwap explains how and why he got involved in this project forked from SushiSwap, why he thinks his view of decentralization differs from that of many centralized teams that being such projects, and what the benefits of the SushiSwap vampire mining scheme have been. He discusses:

how and why he got involved in SushiSwap
why he feels his view of decentralization differs from that of teams such as Uniswap
who he believes the other cofounders are, demographically
why cofounder Chef Nomi cashed out to take $13 million after a week's worth of work on the project
how it was decided to hand the admin key to SushiSwap over to Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of FTX and Alameda Research
how SushiSwap proved that liquidity is not a moat, although trading volume might be
why he doesn't own $SUSHI
how he feels about taking code from Uniswap
the vision for SushiSwap going forward
whether or not SushiSwap will be built on another blockchain
where he got his $YFI sweatshirt and $YAM pants
how SushiSwap introduced a lot of people to being liquidity providers for the first time, and why that's beneficial for DeFi in general
why, despite Chef Nomi cashing out, he thinks people will still trust anonymous devs going forward

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/77324/sushiswap-initiates-migration-of-over-800m-in-liquidity-funds-from-uniswap

Cosmos: five.hackatom.org

Episode links:

0xMaki: https://twitter.com/0xMaki

SushiSwap: https://sushiswapclassic.org

SushiSwap stats: https://sushiswap.vision/home

The Defiant’s pre-migration recap of the SushiSwap saga: https://thedefiant.substack.com/p/sushiswaps-vampire-scheme-hours-away

How the SushiSwap migration went down: https://www.coindesk.com/sushiswap-migration-defi-protocol-politicians

Forbes interview with Sam Bankman-Fried on the SushiSwap drama: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tatianakoffman/2020/09/06/exclusive-sbf-speaks-out-on-defis-sushi-saga/#55e447d65145

Chef Nomi’s explanation of why he or she decided to cash out: https://twitter.com/NomiChef/status/1302214292792422401?s=20

Reaction to Chef Nomi cashing out: https://twitter.com/alistairmilne/status/1302246157628956672?s=20

Sam Bankman-Fried’s proposal to build out SushiSwap on Solana: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EParJnqmYs1TJ1qX2q8nnyPeKCA1pF10zLCLYoDxTL8/edit

In the end, the total amount of liquidity across both AMMs is greater than before SushiSwap was created: https://twitter.com/koeppelmann/status/1303784413864636417?s=20

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-key-metric-that-jumped-82-in-august/

SushiSwap Takes On Uniswap: Which Should Win and Why? - Ep.141

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Nadav Hollander, cofounder and CEO of Dharma, discusses the war currently being waged between Uniswap and SushiSwap, how this is driving up fees on Ethereum, and how Dharma's product can get around them. In this episode we discuss:

why he conceptually supports SushiSwap and fair launch coins
whether or not fair launch coins really are fair
why SushiSwap makes him nervous
why the battle between SushiSwap and Uniswap is a so-called "vampire attack," which is actually driving up the total value locked on Uniswap
how the SushiSwap yield farming works
whether or not Uniswap will release Uniswap v3 in time to compete with SushiSwap
whether he thinks Uniswap or SushiSwap will win
what factors matter when it comes to which will win out between two nearly identical protocols
how Dharma's product enables users to yield farm without paying the high gas fees on Ethereum, but what fee users will pay instead

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/76419/uniswap-fork-sushiswap-700-million-total-value-locked

Episode links:

Nadav Hollander: https://twitter.com/NadavAHollander

Dharma: https://www.dharma.io

Uniswap: https://uniswap.org

SushiSwap: https://sushiswap.org

Introducing SushiSwap: https://medium.com/sushiswap/the-sushiswap-project-c4049ea9941e

Total value locked in SushiSwap: https://sushi.zippo.io

The rise in SushiSwap: https://www.coindesk.com/uniswap-defi-pulse-tvl-leader-sushiswap

The frenzy of trading in $SUSHI: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1300703418688864262?s=20

Technical issues/red flags raised around SushiSwap: https://twitter.com/NadavAHollander/status/1300625235427782657

https://twitter.com/AdamScochran/status/1300887520172019713?s=20

https://twitter.com/AdamScochran/status/1301243267636396032?s=20

What factors could help determine who wins: https://twitter.com/NadavAHollander/status/1300313617137500162?s=20

How Dharma is helping with high fees on Ethereum: https://twitter.com/NadavAHollander/status/1301006789081575424?s=20

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-yield-farm-without-the-hassle/

Joseph Lubin on How JPMorgan's Quorum Will Fit In at ConsenSys - Ep.140

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Joseph Lubin, founder of ConsenSys and cofounder of Ethereum, discusses ConsenSys's acquisition this week of JPMorgan's blockchain solution, Quorum. In this episode, he talks about:

why JPMorgan sold Quorum to ConsenSys, and how that fits into ConsenSys's larger enterprise offerings
who Quorum's clients are and what it is used for
whether or not ConsenSys is also acquiring the Quorum team
how the acquisition fits in with the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance and its standards-based approach to blockchain enterprise development
how much JPMorgan invested into ConsenSys
how much ConsenSys is raising
how the Quorum acquisition fits into ConsenSys's larger restructuring into two main arms focused on software development and venture activity
how the pandemic has affected ConsenSys's business
the recent outcry over MetaMask's changes to its licensing structure and how it may eventually monetize with a token
his thoughts on Ethereum's five-year anniversary and where it is headed with Ethereum 2.0

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/75947/consensys-jpm-quorum-announcement

Episode links:

Joe Lubin: https://twitter.com/ethereumJoseph

ConsenSys: https://consensys.net

ConsenSys Quorum: https://consensys.net/quorum

Announcement about acquisition of Quorum: https://consensys.net/blog/news/consensys-acquires-jpm-quorum/

The Block’s earlier reporting: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/74687/jpmorgan-consensys-investment-deal

Initial report about deal by Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jp-morgan-blockchain-exclusive/exclusive-jpmorgan-in-talks-to-merge-blockchain-unit-quorum-with-startup-consensys-sources-idUSKBN2051AW

Interbank Information Network: https://www.jpmorgan.com/solutions/treasury-services/payments-and-cross-currency-solutions/iin

ConsenSys receives money from Payroll Protection Program: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/70511/ledgerx-consensys-tendermint-crypto-ppp-trump

MetaMask licensing: https://decrypt.co/39514/metamask-tightens-license-in-response-to-crypto-browser-boom

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/fidelity-and-the-next-best-thing-to-a-bitcoin-etf/

AMA With Laura: The Greatest Innovation in the Industry Right Now - Ep.139

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 07:30:00 -0000

In this episode, I answer some questions submitted to me via Twitter. I take the audience behind the scenes at Unconfirmed and Unchained to discuss:

how I started learning about crypto
my pre-interview ritual and how I prepare for interviews
the toughest interview I have done so far
what I dislike about being a crypto journalist
my interests outside of crypto
what my recording setup and environment are like
the storyline to my upcoming book
who I consider to be the top five leaders in crypto
what the layer 1 blockchain future looks like
whether my conviction in the crypto industry has grown over the years
what I believe the next tech revolution will be
what I think of the trends in dapps, alts and DeFi
how relevant fundamentals will be in the upcoming bull cycle
whether I find time to reflect on how fast things are moving in the space

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/ama-with-laura-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-my-shows/

Episode links:

Laura Shin: https://twitter.com/laurashin

Unchained Podcast: https://unchainedpodcast.com/

Unchained and Unconfirmed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/UnchainedPodcast/

Newsletter link:

Andreas Antonopoulos on Why the ETH Supply Debate Is 'Silly' - Ep.138

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Andreas Antonopoulos, speaker, educator and author of "Mastering Bitcoin" and "Mastering Ethereum," dives into the ETH supply debate that raged over the last week. In this episode, he talks about:

why the question about the ETH supply is a "silly gotcha"
what technical features of the Ethereum blockchain make it less straightforward to calculate the supply of ether
how the shift to Ethereum 2.0 and a proof of stake system will affect the value of ETH as money
why Bitcoin and Ethereum are not natural competitors and will continue to coexist
how macro forces will affect Bitcoin, and whether it will ever be used as a medium of exchange in addition to a store of value
whether the full Ethereum 2.0 transition will happen in time to meet DeFi demand
why Bitcoin gives Ethereum the freedom to experiment
why Bitcoin Cash shows that offering scaling with no community isn't enough to take market share
why he supports diversity and inclusion efforts in the space

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/from-0-to-500m-to-0-in-48-hours/

Episode links:

Andreas Antonopoulos: https://aantonop.com

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/aantonop

Andreas's tweet storm: https://twitter.com/aantonop/status/1292877311570857990?s=20

Summary of the debate: https://www.coindesk.com/how-much-ether-is-out-there-ethereum-developers-create-new-scripts-for-self-verification

Andreas's video on the Lion and the Shark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0x6CtD8iq4

Links from news recap:

$5 Billion in AUM: Why Growth at Grayscale Exploded in the Last Quarter - Ep.137

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Michael Sonnenshein, managing director of Grayscale Investments, talks about the strong growth in investment in its products, with inflows in Q2 totaling more than $900 million, bringing assets under management to over $5 billion. He discusses how Grayscale:

saw more than $900 million in investment in Q2, up from $500 million in Q1
why the macro environment is causing investors to focus on crypto
why investors are expressing growing interest in the Grayscale Ethereum Trust
how 80% of Grayscale investors have exposure to more than one asset
which types of investors are coming in
what developments within the crypto space are also leading to the increased inflows into Grayscale products
Grayscale's filing of a Form 10 for the Grayscale Ethereum Trust, which will enable it to become an SEC-reporting company
why it is doing so for the Ethereum Trust as opposed to Ethereum Classic
how the Grayscale Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin Trusts will soon by publicly trading
what metrics they use to determine whether to bring a digital asset to market
who are attracted to the Grayscale Digital Large Cap fund (GLDC)
how Grayscale grew to have $5 billion in assets under management

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-99-drop-in-value/

Episode links:

Michael Sonnenshein: https://twitter.com/Sonnenshein

Grayscale: https://grayscale.co

Grayscale's filing of the Form 10 for the Ethereum Investment Trust: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/08/06/valuable-sec-data-on-20-institutional-bitcoin-investors-could-soon-disappear/#27352c561de2

Links from news recap:

Dmitry Buterin, Vitalik's Father, on Ethereum at 5 Years Old - Ep.136

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Dmitry Buterin, father of Vitalik Buterin and cofounder of BlockGeeks, discusses Ethereum at 5 years old. In this episode, he talks about:

how he feels upon Ethereum's 5th birthday
how he introduced Vitalik to Bitcoin
what he thought when Vitalik dropped out of college to explore Bitcoin more
his thoughts on Vitalik's initial idea and white paper for Ethereum
what he thought of the ICO craze
whether or not he worried about the SEC charging Ethereum or Vitalik with securities violations
how Steven Nerayoff told Vitalik he should be worried about the SEC coming after him
whether he tried to help Vitalik with the social challenges in growing Ethereum
how Vitalik has changed through his work with Ethereum
what he looks forward to as Ethereum shifts to 2.0
what he thinks should happen with ether's monetary policy under Ethereum 2.0

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-surpassed-10k/

Episode links:

Dmitry Buterin: https://twitter.com/BlockGeekDima

BlockGeeks: https://blockgeeks.com

Ethereum: https://ethereum.org/en/

Unchained interview with Vitalik on Ethereum's 5-year anniversary: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-ethereums-five-year-anniversary/

Links from news recap:

'Twitter Will Be Fun Today': The College-Age Kids Who Hacked Into Twitter - Ep.135

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Haseeb Awan, CEO of Efani, a secure and private cell phone service, talks about how he became acquainted with hackers who took over prominent accounts on Twitter last week. He describes:

the underground industry that steals cell phone numbers and why
who the main players, Kirk, lol and "ever so anxious" are
what the hackers did when they took hold of prominent accounts, such as those of Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and those of crypto companies such as Binance and Coinbase
what the hackers could do with the information that they obtained with the accounts they took over
why this was likely not a pre-planned attack
what happened to the security of the Twitter accounts, and why their second-factor authentication protections did not keep their accounts from being hacked
what lessons crypto people can take away from the Twitter hack and how they can protect themselves

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/dear-bank-hodl-my-crypto/

Episode links:

Haseeb Awan: https://twitter.com/haseeb

Efani: https://www.efani.com

The New York Times story detailing the hack: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/technology/twitter-hackers-interview.html?searchResultPosition=3

Chainalysis analysis of the Bitcoin obtained in the hack: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/twitter-hack-july-2020-update

Twitter’s account of the hack: https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/an-update-on-our-security-incident.html

Analysis by Krebs on Security: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/07/whos-behind-wednesdays-epic-twitter-hack/

The recounting by the holder of the @6 account: https://medium.com/@lucky225/the-twitter-hack-what-exactly-happened-d8740d33c1c

Coinbase preventing customers from sending money to the hackers: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/72200/coinbase-says-it-prevented-over-1000-customers-from-sending-280000-worth-of-bitcoin-to-twitter-hackers

Fortune on why the attackers will have a hard time cashing out: http://links.info.fortune.com/e/evib?_t=5c2d888702774d17aa3d0350287b6d73&_m=4ecf0f55469542a782a36f0ec9d8df09&_e=EaRX5Sk3zpaQLYk6z4FZ9OwiLdl6CTboSs0AyX9UekCl-VWvzN8z8oZ2pelKQ5oGqAiv5DUuK6FhjOY1tputGIU-mTcXNHxotHGTm1cA2_L6YhT_jsJ_DRRCpdFSGEbh

Convo between two of the hackers: https://i.imgur.com/aJUDLrI.png

Links from news recap:

Why Stablecoin Growth Over 5 Years Doubled in 4 Months - Ep.134

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 12:24:04 -0000

Nate Maddrey, senior research analyst at Coin Metrics, discusses a report on the rise of stablecoins over the last few months that Coin Metrics published in conjunction with Bitstamp. He covers:

why a stablecoin supply that grew over five years has doubled in the last four months
why demand has grown, specifically for Tether, especially after Black Thursday
why that demand caused Tether's price to rise above $1 post-Black Thursday
why Tether is the most dominant stablecoin
how traders were making money off that arbitrage opportunity and why the arbitrage stayed in place so long
where Tether is popular
why Tether's price goes up when the free float supply is high and why it goes down when the free float supply is low
why the stablecoins have varied in their ability to stay stable and how individual stablecoins have reacted
which types of users are holding stablecoins and various types of users are doing with it
why it is that stablecoins appear to have different median exchange values
and why stablecoins have higher velocity than bitcoin and ether

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-brazen-bitcoin-heist-on-twitter/

Episode links:

Nate Maddrey: https://twitter.com/natemaddrey

Coin Metrics: https://coinmetrics.io

The Rise of Stablecoins report: https://coinmetrics.io/the-rise-of-stablecoins/

Links from news recap:

Will Coinbase Do a Token Offering When It Goes Public? - Ep.133

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Jeff Roberts, senior reporter at Fortune and author of "King of Crypto: One Startup’s Quest to take Cryptocurrency Out of Silicon Valley and Onto Wall Street" talks about the news this week that Coinbase may go public later this year. We talk about:

how Coinbase may offer an additional token offering in addition to a traditional listing
how the firm has been laying the legal groundwork for an innovative offering
Coinbase's new chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, who is a former federal judge who has ruled over the Google-Oracle and Apple-Samsung trials and who was the deputy general counsel at Facebook
what a direct listing, as opposed to a traditional IPO, could mean for Coinbase's investors
what a Coinbase IPO would generally mean for the crypto industry
why Coinbase's $8 billion valuation would likely go up in an IPO
how the fact that overall interest in Bitcoin and crypto are down compared to the highs of 2017/2018 will affect a Coinbase listing

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

Reuters story: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-coinbase-ipo-exclusive/exclusive-crypto-exchange-coinbase-readies-landmark-stock-market-listing-sources-say-idUSKBN24A21W

Episode links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffjohnroberts

Kings of Crypto audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Kings-of-Crypto/dp/B085PY7S7H

Kings of Crypto print book: https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Crypto-Startups-Cryptocurrency-Silicon-ebook/dp/B085TRJY8X

Unconfirmed interview with Jeff Roberts about his book on Coinbase: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-brilliant-asshole-who-almost-blew-up-coinbase/

Coinbase’s recent legal hire: https://fortune.com/2020/07/08/coinbase-lawyer-paul-grewal-crypto-law/

Bitcoin interest is down: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/70437/data-shows-that-mass-adoption-is-still-nowhere-to-be-found?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Links from news recap:https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-most-pivotal-event-in-all-of-crypto/

How This New Supply Metric Makes Buy Signals Clearer - Ep.132

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 10:00:00 -0000

Ben Celermajer, index manager at Coin Metrics, talks about a new metric Coin Metrics introduced this week, called free float supply. In this episode, he explains:

what problems in general Coin Metrics is trying to resolve with its various new metrics when it comes to blockchain-based tokens
what other new metrics it has introduced
what free float supply is
what types of tokens and token holders it excludes from the free float
how market caps change for some of the biggest coins when compared to the traditionally reported supply
how using free float changes other valuation methods such as NVT and MVRV
what other products Coin Metrics plans to build on these metrics

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-popular-bitcoin-theory-is-debunked/

Episode links:

Benjamin Celermajer: https://twitter.com/CelermajerB

Coin Metrics: https://coinmetrics.io

Coin Metrics blog post on free float supply: https://coinmetrics.io/introducing-free-float-supply/

Coin Desk on the new metric: https://www.coindesk.com/coin-metrics-offers-more-rigorous-measure-of-crypto-market-supply

Links from news recap:

How You Can Double Your Money -- Or Lose Everything - Ep.131

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Angel investor and writer Tony Sheng explains what yield farming is, why it's been such a craze, and whether or not the trend is sustainable. We discuss:

how yield farming works
how people could potentially earn 100% in annual percentage yields from it
why people can earn more from lending or borrowing certain tokens vs. others
how people can earn from borrowing at all
how much leverage people are playing with
the three ways people can lose their money while trying to yield farm
and what the long-term significance is of yield farming for crypto

Unchained is hiring!

Check out our job listing for a remote editorial assistant here!

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-chamath-palihapitiya-believes-in-bitcoin/

DeversiFi: https://deversifi.com

Episode links:

Tony Sheng: https://twitter.com/tonysheng

Tony's newsletter: https://www.tonysheng.com

Beware illiquid markets: https://tonysheng.substack.com/p/beware-illiquid-markets-lessons-from

Yield farming is the new GPU mining: https://tonysheng.substack.com/p/yield-farming-is-the-new-gpu-mining

How to earn 100% annual interest yield farming: https://twitter.com/tonysheng/status/1274393189231689728

How you might lose your funds yield farming: https://twitter.com/tonysheng/status/1274780457729617920?s=20

Links from news recap:

Why COMP 5xed on Day 1 and What This Means for a DeFi Bull Market - Ep.130

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix, discusses the launch of the COMP token this week, including:

why the price of COMP tokens popped
how this now meant that the governance of the Compound protocol was now in the hands of the community
whether liquidity mining in DeFi is similar to or different from transaction mining on centralized exchanges
what the price jump in COMP on day 1 means for a future DeFi bull market
why Kain believes he is already seeing Bitcoin flowing into alts and DeFi tokens
what this means for VCs who invested in layer 1 projects

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://crypto.com

https://unchainedpodcast.com/make-5x-on-day-1/

DeversiFi: https://deversifi.com

Episode links:

Kain Warwick: https://twitter.com/kaiynne

Synthetix: https://www.synthetix.io

Tweet storm on what he got wrong about COMP: https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1272875213319856129

Governance of Compound now in hands of the community: https://medium.com/compound-finance/compound-community-ownership-ee0ed1252cc3

Tushar Jain’s tweet: https://twitter.com/TusharJain_/status/1272696517258883072

Why Kain thinks COMP popping on its first day is a harbinger of a DeFi bull market: https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1272723560260198402?s=20

DeFi Weekly: https://defiweekly.substack.com/p/comp-lessons-and-learnings-651

Deribit on how this can create network effects: https://insights.deribit.com/market-research/supercharging-network-effects-in-crypto/

Tweet storm on the BTC dominance cycle: https://twitter.com/kaiynne/status/1269792683616120833?s=20

Tom Shaughnessy tweet on how there’s no more competition between layer 1s — it’s more about DeFi: https://twitter.com/Shaughnessy119/status/1272373784616542209

Similar thoughts by Spencer Noon: https://twitter.com/spencernoon/status/1273403731586023431?s=20

Links from news recap:

Why 'Cryptocurrency Would Not Exist Without Black People' - Ep.129

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Robby Greenfield, the CEO of Emerging Impact and the former head of social impact and diversity programming at ConsenSys, talks about how the crypto community handles issues of diversity and inclusion. We discuss:

why he thinks many in the community want to change everything but systemic racism
why many in the community turned a blind eye to racist posts retweeted by cryptographer Nick Szabo
how people in the crypto community responded to his recent essay on racism
why cryptocurrency would not exist without black people
his social impact work at ConsenSys
how blockchain technology and crypto can help address issues of racism
why blacks are underrepresented in crypto despite expressing more interested in it than other demographics

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/you-cant-buy-bad-press-like-that/

DeversiFi: https://deversifi.com

Episode links:

Robby Greenfield: https://twitter.com/RobTG4

Emerging Impact: http://emergingimpact.com

Robby’s essay in CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/the-crypto-community-needs-to-stand-up-and-fight-racism

Robby’s tweet storm on why cryptocurrency would not exist without black people: https://twitter.com/RobTG4/status/1269430232861175808

Unconfirmed interview with Steven McKie: https://unchainedpodcast.com/look-for-opportunities-to-increase-diversity-in-crypto/

Robby's campaign, Crypto for Black Lives: http://chng.it/KFn7vnk5

Links from news recap:

'Look for Opportunities' to Increase Diversity in Crypto - Ep.128

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Steven McKie, CEO and founding partner at Amentum Capital, discusses the incidents involving Amy Cooper and George Floyd and the resulting protests, and how systemic racism affects black entrepreneurs in crypto. In this episode we discuss:

His personal story from a childhood in poverty to running a crypto hedge fund
How companies that want to hire from underrepresented groups have to change their habits to reach out to those communities
Why underrepresented communities can be easily left behind at the time of technological revolutions
Why Black Americans express more interest in crypto than white Americans and yet are still underrepresented
What he says when people say that underrepresented groups choose not to be involved in crypto since there are no barriers

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Crypto.com has offered our survey respondents a chance to win a metal MCO Visa card — and Crypto.com will stake these cards indefinitely! Ten lucky winners will enjoy card benefits including free Spotify, free Netflix and 3% back on all spending, and they’ll earn extra interest on their crypto deposit and more! Thanks, Crypto.com! Again, take the survey now: surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020.

Unchained is hiring!

Come work at Unchained! We have an opening for a remote editorial assistant — find out more about the gig and apply here: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-started-from-the-bottom-bitcoin-investor-went-from-poverty-to-launching-a-hedge-fund-2017-12-18

DeversiFi: https://deversifi.com

Episode links:

Steven McKie: https://twitter.com/Steven_McKie

Amentum: https://amentum.org

Steven's personal story:

Coinbase Reports: Black Americans and Crypto: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-reports-black-americans-crypto-97e54cc89f84

Weekly News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/where-the-bitcoins-are/

What Patoshi Is and How It Affects Craig Wright - Ep.127

Fri, 29 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Sergio Lerner, the head of innovation of IOV Labs and the creator of the Rootstock side chain, describes a pattern he discovered in early Bitcoin mining that he called Patoshi and why people are talking about it now. In this episode he explains:

what the Patoshi pattern is
what connection it has to Satoshi
why the pattern exists
how the pattern is being used now in a current court case in which Craig Wright is claiming he is Satoshi Nakamoto
how the Patoshi pattern was used this week to evaluate a set of transactions involving early bitcoins signed with the statement, "Craig Steven Wright is a liar and fraud"
how it can be determined whether or not recent transactions were mined under the Patoshi pattern

Take our survey!

Tell us what would you like to see from Unchained! Please take a moment to fill out the survey to let us know what you’d like from the show: surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020.

Unchained is hiring!

Come work at Unchained! We have an opening for a remote editorial assistant — find out more about the gig and apply here: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.coindesk.com/craig-wright-called-fraud-message-signed-bitcoin-addresses-satoshi

DeversiFi: https://www.deversifi.com/

Episode links:

Sergio Demian Lerner: https://twitter.com/SDLerner

First blog post about the Patoshi pattern: https://bitslog.com/2013/04/17/the-well-deserved-fortune-of-satoshi-nakamoto/

Block 3654: https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/3654

Photo of where block 3654 fits against the Patoshi pattern: https://twitter.com/nic__carter/status/1263130214726582272/photo/1

More background on the Craig Wright case: theblockcrypto.com/linked/66657/plaintiffs-in-craig-wright-case-present-new-evidence-that-he-fabricated-his-list-of-bitcoin-addresses-and-blocks

The addresses moved this week: https://www.reddit.com/r/bsv/comments/gq8ao1/more_than_100_addresses_with_unmoved_bitcoin/

https://paste.debian.net/plain/1148565

BitMEX Research on the recent transactions:

https://twitter.com/BitMEXResearch/status/1264989743139500033?s=20

Stephen Palley's take on what this means for Craig Wright's claim: https://twitter.com/stephendpalley/status/1265739610434473984?s=20

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-15-year-old-with-a-private-jet-account/

The 'Brilliant Asshole' Who Almost Blew Up Coinbase - Ep.126

Fri, 22 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Jeff Roberts, staff writer at Fortune and author of the recent Audible book, “Kings of Crypto: Coinbase and the Coming Disruption of Finance,” discusses Coinbase's past, present and future. In this episode, we cover:

when Coinbase duped Apple with its app and eventually got kicked out of the App Store
when Coinbase's hot wallet got hacked
how CEO Brian Armstrong handled challenges like the Bitcoin block size debate and an IRS summons on all its customers' activities for years
how it handled the competition from Binance
why that led to "screaming in the board room"
the "complete mercenary" and "brilliant asshole" who tore the leadership ranks apart and led to a number of departures by top execs
why Brian and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon met privately
where Coinbase goes from here

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Apply for the editorial assistant job at Unchained!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/90-million-down-the-toilet/

Episode links:

Jeff Roberts: https://twitter.com/jeffjohnroberts

Kings of Crypto on Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Kings-of-Crypto/dp/B085PY7S7H

Harvard Business Review edition: https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Crypto-Startups-Cryptocurrency-Silicon-ebook/dp/B085TRJY8X

Jeff’s interview with Coinbase cofounder Fred Ehrsam at Consensus: Distributed: https://www.coindesk.com/video/the-kings-of-crypto-an-inside-look-at-the-history-of-coinbase

JPMorgan banks Coinbase: https://www.wsj.com/articles/jpmorgan-extends-banking-services-to-bitcoin-exchanges-11589281201

Brian Brooks becoming acting comptroller of the Office of the Currency: https://www.coindesk.com/a-former-coinbase-lawyer-is-about-to-become-acting-head-of-us-bank-regulator

Coinbase going remote-first: https://blog.coinbase.com/post-covid-19-coinbase-will-be-a-remote-first-company-cdac6e621df7

Links from news recap:

Bitcoin at the 3rd Halving: What We See From On-Chain Data - Ep.125

Fri, 15 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Yan Liberman, cofounder at Delphi Digital, breaks down all kinds of data from the Bitcoin blockchain to give a snapshot of where Bitcoin is at this point in its development and glean where it might go in its future. We discuss:

Bitcoin's wealth distribution and how that has changed over time
what whales have been up to recently and how that compares with their behavior in previous bull and bear markets
what data on multi-sig transactions tells us
what companies serving the institutional and retail markets are seeing in terms of customer demand
activity to and from exchanges, and what those trends mean
what unspent transaction outputs tell us about investors' mindset now
and the market value to realized value (MVRV) — what it is and what the current MVRV says about where Bitcoin is in terms of this investment cycle

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/where-is-the-eth-going/

Episode links:

Yan Liberman: https://twitter.com/YanLiberman

Delphi Digital: https://www.delphidigital.io/

Delphi's State of Bitcoin 2020: https://www.delphidigital.io/halving

Links from news recap:

A Bitcoin Price of $115,000 Next Year? - Ep.124

Fri, 08 May 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Dan Morehead, CEO of Pantera Capital, talks about the coronavirus and its impact on the economy and on Bitcoin. We discuss:

why he thinks the US won't have a V-shaped recession
how the government's monetary and fiscal policy will affect the recovery
how this looks similar to what he saw when he traded in Japan in the early 1990s
why tokens are outperforming venture
whether or not Bitcoin is uncorrelated or if that narrative is changing
where he thinks Bitcoin will go — and whether the rest of the crypto market will go with it
and what he thinks will happen after the halving
and why his projection is that Bitcoin could reach $115,000 in 2021

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/paul-hodl-jones/

Episode links:

Dan Morehead: https://twitter.com/dan_pantera

Pantera Capital: https://www.panteracapital.com

Pantera's April 2020 newsletter: https://medium.com/@PanteraCapital/macro-impact-on-bitcoin-pantera-blockchain-letter-april-2020-1fdc792d4f33

Pantera's March 2020 newsletter: https://medium.com/@PanteraCapital/crypto-in-this-crisis-pantera-blockchain-letter-march-2020-4c73af3aaaf7

Links from news recap:

Why 2020 Will Be the Year Bitcoin Becomes a Mature Asset - Ep.123

Fri, 01 May 2020 16:33:25 -0000

Mike McGlone, senior commodity strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence, explains why he believes Bitcoin is revolutionary, has begun to cement its status as a digital version of gold and is becoming less of a risky investment and more of a way to lower one's risk in a portfolio — but why he doesn't view it as a payment system. He describes how he expects the halving to affect the price of Bitcoin, why the on-chain metrics vs. price seem to him strong signs of adoption and why he views Ethereum as "just another one of the 5,000 cryptos out there." Plus, he talks about why increased usage of stablecoins and central bank digital currencies will only be bullish for Bitcoin.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mcglone-a8442513/

Episode links:

Mike McGlone: https://twitter.com/mikemcglone11

Bloomberg's Crypto Newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/crypto-newsletter/

April 2020 outlook: https://data.bloomberglp.com/professional/sites/10/Bloomberg-Crypto-Outlook-April-2020.pdf

January 2020 Crypto Outlook: https://data.bloomberglp.com/professional/sites/10/Bloomberg-Crypto-Outlook-January-2020-edition.pdf

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-case-for-bitcoin-on-ethereum/

Haseeb Qureshi on the Unbelievable Story of the $25 Million Lendf.me Hack - Ep.122

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner of Dragonfly Capital, describes how the Lendf.me attack happened, why imBTC was involved in that hack and a $300,000 hack involving Uniswap the day before, and how the ERC-777 token standard was involved. He also recounts what happened after the attack, including messages sent to and from the hacker, how the Chinese and Western DeFi communities had different responses, and how the hacker ended up returning the funds. Plus, he goes into the details of what he knows about why the attacker did so.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/unbelievable/

Episode links:

Haseeb Qureshi: https://twitter.com/hosseeb

Dragonfly Capital: https://www.dcp.capital

The Block on the exploit: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/62346/multicoin-capital-backed-defi-protocol-dforce-loses-25m-total-locked-value-in-an-exploit

News about dForce bringing imBTC to Lendf.me: https://medium.com/imtoken/dforce-brings-imbtc-to-defi-lending-c739b5cc0643

More about imBTC: https://token.im/blog/en-us/articles/360037559114

Compound CEO Robert Leshner’s comment referring to how dForce stole Compound’s code: https://twitter.com/rleshner/status/1251717261888385025?s=20

More on imBTC attack on Uniswap: https://defirate.com/imbtc-uniswap-hack/

Medium post on whether or not the ERC-777 standard is to blame: https://medium.com/@provablethings/is-a-new-token-standard-really-to-blame-for-the-imbtc-uniswap-and-dforce-attacks-31c62e2bc799

The Block on the new token standard: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/62568/ethereum-token-standard-open-finance-exploits

Larry Cermak tweet about centralized tokens: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1251953291891802112

Su Zhu on the hacker perhaps being exposed via VPN: https://twitter.com/zhusu/status/1252479842261450753?s=20

Links from news recap:

12 Big Class-Action Lawsuits in Crypto: What, Who, How and Why - Ep.121

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Stephen Palley, partner at Anderson Kill and chair of the firm’s technology, media and distributed systems practice group, explains what the 11 recent class-action lawsuits against ICO issuers from 2017 and exchanges were about, who brought them, who the defendants are, and what hurdles they face, especially regarding jurisdiction. He also discusses why some prominent individuals in crypto, such as Changepeng Zhao, the CEO of Binance, Brendan Blumer, CEO of Block.One, Arthur Hayes, CEO and cofounder of BitMEX, among others, were named, and how the "control person" theory of liability will play a role in the claims. We also dive into the lawsuit for $28 million against Maker Foundation over Black Thursday losses, and the attempt by MKR governance token holders to force Maker participants to agree to indemnify the Maker Foundation.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/covidbnsdcep/

Episode links:

Stephen Palley: https://twitter.com/stephendpalley

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/

The Block article on lawsuits: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/60930/top-crypto-exchanges-token-issuers-named-in-friday-barrage-of-u-s-class-action-lawsuits

Offshore Alert on lawsuits: https://www.offshorealert.com/class-action-complaints-against-cryptocurrency-firms-alleging-unregistered-sale-of-securities.aspx

CoinDesk article summarizing the lawsuits: https://www.coindesk.com/top-crypto-firms-including-binance-civic-tron-targeted-in-flood-of-lawsuits

The Block on lawsuit against the Maker Foundation: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/61797/maker-foundation-class-action-lawsuit-black-thursday

CoinDesk article on class-action lawsuit against the Maker Foundation: https://www.coindesk.com/makerdao-users-sue-stablecoin-issuer-following-black-thursday-losses

Indemnity vote: https://vote.makerdao.com/polling-proposal/qmwfvvguaf8rz8xwgv2cqnzzt9t5h6epzh17qmk2ue99y4

Links from news recap:

China's Crypto Industry and DCEP in the Time of Coronavirus - Ep.120

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Matthew Graham, the CEO of Sino Global Capital, describes how the economy has changed in China due to the coronavirus, how it is affected as business opens back up and how the government is managing it. He explains why the DCEP project is continuing apace and described how he thinks the coronavirus will impact the crypto industry, how it will affect entrepreneurship, and how he thinks startups should approach this time. We also cover the Bitcoin halving and why he thinks that miners in China will make it through the halving fine despite the price volatility in recent weeks.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/flashbacks-to-2016-2017/

Episode links:

Matthew Graham: https://twitter.com/mattysino

Sino Global Capital: https://www.sinoglobalcapital.com/

China's economy as it comes out of the first coronavirus outbreak: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/business/economy/coronavirus-china-economy-stimulus.html

China's crypto startup scene post-coronavirus: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/08/start-up-crash-reveals-china-post-coronavirus-economy-luckin-coffee-fraud/

China going for digital yuan: https://www.coindesk.com/china-will-undoubtedly-pursue-digital-yuan-central-bank-says

The benefits China could reap from DCEP: https://fortune.com/2020/04/07/china-us-digital-currency-coronavirus/

Links from news recap:

Coronavirus Relief and Its Impact on the Crypto Markets - Ep.119

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Kevin Kelly, macro strategist at Delphi Digital, discusses how the coronavirus's impact on the economy will affect Bitcoin and the crypto markets, including the ripple effects of the US fiscal stimulus package and historically high jobless claims. He explains how Bitcoin compares to traditional financial assets, what the recent Bitcoin price action says about the theory that Bitcoin serves as a macro hedge, and why it looks like newer buyers, rather than long-term holders, have been selling Bitcoin in recent weeks. We also look at the timing of the coronavirus on the upcoming Bitcoin halving, plus dive into a proposal by his colleague that Maker should hold some MKR in reserve rather than relying on token burns for system income.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-coronaviruss-impact-on-startups-mining-stablecoins/

Episode links:

Kevin Kelly: https://twitter.com/Kevin_Kelly_II

Delphi Digital: https://www.delphidigital.io

Delphi's March 2020 Bitcoin Outlook: https://twitter.com/Delphi_Digital/status/1243955823904280578?s=20

Links from news recap:

What Happened on BitMEX During Black Thursday - Ep.118

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Antoine Le Calvez, blockchain data engineer at Coin Metrics, explains what happened during the Bitcoin liquidation spiral on March 12, why it was so significant for the Bitcoin markets, and how a DDOS attack affected trading on BitMEX and the Bitcoin price during a period of high liquidations. We also discuss how Bitcoin liquidity has changed since Black Thursday, why that might be, and also what the coronavirus is showing us about Bitcoin's correlation to traditional financial assets.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-jaw-dropping-events-of-black-thursday/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Antoine Le Calvez: https://twitter.com/khannib

Coin Metrics: https://coinmetrics.substack.com

Coin Metrics’ BitMEX post: https://coinmetrics.substack.com/p/coin-metrics-state-of-the-network-bf8

BitMEX on the DDOS attack: https://blog.bitmex.com/how-we-are-responding-to-last-weeks-ddos-attacks/

BitMEX Insurance Fund: https://blog.bitmex.com/bitmex-insurance-fund-your-questions-answered/

Links from news recap:

Blockchain Tech's Storytelling Problem and How to Solve It - Ep.117

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Emily Parker, cofounder of Longhash, reads from an essay she wrote about a problem that is probably relatable to everyone in the crypto industry: how you explain blockchain technology to other people. She goes into the three main reasons why the industry has this problem, including the fact that the decentralized nature of the space means there's no designated marketer, that many in crypto don't know what story to tell, and how many actors in the space prefer to engage in petty infighting vs. communicating to outsiders. Plus, she has a few suggestions on what the industry could do to tell its story better and get more people on board.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/who-was-selling-on-black-thursday/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Links from news recap:

Coronavirus: How It Will Impact Bitcoin and the Halving - Ep.116

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Noelle Acheson, director of research at CoinDesk, discusses the effect that coronavirus has been having on the traditional financial markets, Bitcoin and why Bitcoin is not turning out to be the uncorrelated asset it was touted to be. We also talk about why Bitcoin had a safe haven to begin with, the role traders played in changing how Bitcoin behaves as an asset, and why we can expect Bitcoin to become even more volatile in the short term. We cover how this could affect Bitcoin miners' ability to survive the upcoming halving, and whether Bitcoin will start to decouple from the other crypto assets.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-uncertainty-and-the-ultimate-narrative

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Noelle Acheson: https://twitter.com/NoelleInMadrid

CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-bonds-and-gold-why-markets-are-upended-in-a-time-of-fear

https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-investment-research/is-bitcoin-a-safe-haven

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/our-only-good-option/

Steemit Chaos: Why Justin Sun and the Community Are at War - Ep.115

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Brady Dale, senior reporter at CoinDesk, walks through the last few weeks of drama in Steemit this week, staring with when Justin Sun bought Steemit, what that meant for the network, and how the validators (aka "witnesses") responded and how exchanges got involved. We talk about why it's significant that the exchanges were Poloniex, Huobi and Binance, and why they seem to have walked back their support of new witnesses. We also cover the lessons in this drama for blockchains that use delegated proof of stake, and where the Steemit community might go from here.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/he-giggles-snorts-and-waves-his-arms/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Brady Dale: https://twitter.com/BradyDale

Steemit: https://steemit.com

Justin Sun: https://twitter.com/justinsuntron

Sun acquires Steemit: https://www.coindesk.com/steemit-sets-up-shop-on-tron-network

Crypto exchanges get involved: https://www.coindesk.com/why-crypto-should-care-about-justin-suns-steem-drama

Blog post from Steemit: https://steemit.com/tron/@steemitblog/an-open-letter-to-the-community-hf22-5

Steemit community fights back: https://www.coindesk.com/steem-community-mobilizes-popular-vote-in-battle-with-justin-sun

Exchanges walk back: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/57607/justin-sun-stands-by-trons-decision-to-overturn-community-governance-rule

Lessons from the Steemit battle: https://twitter.com/DavidVorick/status/1235064633016242176

Links from news recap:

How Avanti Will Be a 'Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins' Bank - Ep.114

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Caitlin Long talks about her new venture, Avanti Bank, which will be a Wyoming special-purpose depository institution, what that means, and how that could bypass the New York Bitlicense. She covers why that's better than trust companies for certain types of customers, which type of institutions Avanti will target, and how this status will protect investors in a bankruptcy situation. Plus, she explains how Avanti will be a bank and yet have the “not your keys, not your coins” ethos, and how it will handle things like airdrops, forks and staking rewards, and why in the Ethereum hard fork, the bank would have needed permission from customers to follow the fork that became Ethereum.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-is-big-on-cash-app/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Caitlin Long: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_

Avanti Bank: https://avantibank.com

Caitlin’s announcement on Avanti: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1231958552790482950

Tweet storm on SPDIs: https://twitter.com/CaitlinLong_/status/1194022779730968577

Links from news recap:

How 2 DeFi Attacks Made Almost $1 Million in Profit - Ep.113

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Lev Livnev, a formal verification researcher at dapp.org and a founding partner at Symbolic Capital Partners, talks about the two attacks on bZx in the last week. He describes what the attackers did, why he thinks flash lending is not the culprit and how much he thinks bZx is to blame. Plus, we talk about what this means for DeFi in general and where the space goes from here.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/omg-bzx-wth/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Lev Livnev: https://lev.liv.nev.org.uk

CoinDesk explanation of both attacks: https://www.coindesk.com/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-defi-flash-loan-attack

The first attack: https://www.coindesk.com/exploit-during-ethdenver-reveals-experimental-nature-of-decentralized-finance

Peckshield analysis on the hack step by step: https://medium.com/@peckshield/bzx-hack-full-disclosure-with-detailed-profit-analysis-e6b1fa9b18fc

BZx's post-mortem on the first attack: https://bzx.network/blog/postmortem-ethdenver

Unchained interview with Compound: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep-82/

Unchained interview with dYdX: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-dydx-allows-you-to-take-a-short-position-in-one-token-ep-86/

Unconfirmed interview with Uniswap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-uniswap-quickly-became-one-of-the-most-popular-dexes/

The second attack: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/56207/bzx-attacked-again-645k-in-eth-estimated-to-be-lost

Sam Czsun blog post: https://samczsun.com/taking-undercollateralized-loans-for-fun-and-for-profit/

What all this means for bZx: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/56330/money-2-0-stuff-unus-sed-bzx

Unchained interview with Synthetix: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-synthetix-became-the-second-largest-defi-platform/

Links from news recap:

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on Her Safe Harbor Proposal - Ep.112

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce discusses her proposal for a three-year safe harbor period for token sales. We talk about what problems she hopes to solve with this suggestion, the conditions that token issuers would have to meet to qualify for it, such as achieving a decentralized network or functional token within three years, and how she defines those terms. We also cover how the other commissioners have received her proposal and what the next steps are to her proposal potentially being adopted.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/indications-the-market-is-heating-up/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Hester Peirce: https://twitter.com/HesterPeirce

The SEC: https://www.sec.gov/

Full speech and proposal: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/peirce-remarks-blockress-2020-02-06

Fortune article on the proposal: https://fortune.com/2020/02/06/ico-sec-cryptocurrency-proposal-investing/

Critique that proposal will only enable scammers: https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2020/02/08/sec-commissioner-hester-peirces-safe-harbor-proposal-for-icos-will-only-enable-scammers/

CoinDesk article on crypto community reaction: https://www.coindesk.com/sec-safe-harbor-proposal-lauded-by-token-fans-defi-builders-at-0x-conference

Links from news recap:

Elizabeth Stark, CEO of Lightning Labs, on the Launch of Loop - Ep.111

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Elizabeth Stark, cofounder and CEO of Lightning Labs, talks about her company's two big announcements this week: the beta launch of its first paid product, Lightning Loop, and the company's Series A $10 million fundraise. We discuss how Lightning Loop works, what kinds of companies are already using it, and how Lightning Labs will make money from it. She also talks about the investors in this round, how several of them come from traditional finance and what their views are on Bitcoin and Lightning.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/02/05/jack-dorsey-backed-lightning-labs-raises-10-million-to-build-visa-network-for-bitcoin/#2f88e7e95ede

Episode links:

Elizabeth Stark: https://twitter.com/starkness

Lightning Labs: https://lightning.engineering

Lightning Labs announcement: https://medium.com/@lightning_labs/entering-the-decade-of-lightning-8c4a4d31167f

Bitcoin Magazine on the announcement: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/lightning-labs-announces-10-million-raise-as-lightning-loop-enters-beta

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/54963/lightning-labs-10-million-series-a-bitcoin-beta

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-safe-harbor-for-token-sales/

Want a Job in Crypto? Exchanges Are Hiring - Ep.110

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Frank Chaparro of The Block discusses the report released by his firm and the Blockchain Association on employment trends in the blockchain industry. He covers how the demand for such jobs is growing, who the biggest employers are in the space, and what types of companies are hiring. We talk about how token launches are moving primarily to Asia, why there's still significant hiring demand in the US and what kinds of jobs are being sought. Plus, we look at the recent LinkedIn study showing "blockchain" was the most in-demand hard skill on LinkedIn in 2019 and how a few projected crypto IPOs in the next few years could affect the job market.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.beseen.com/blog/talent/bitcoin-job-market-2019-beyond/

Kelman Law: http://kelman.law

Episode links:

Frank Chaparro: https://twitter.com/fintechfrank

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com

The Block’s and the Blockchain Association’s Digital Assets Human Capital Report: https://www.scribd.com/document/444039395/Digital-Asset-Human-Capital-Trends-Report

Frank discussing the report with Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association, which approached The Block about conducting the report: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/51135/kristin-smith-executive-director-at-the-blockchain-association-breaks-down-2019s-biggest-crypto-stories-on-capitol-hill

LinkedIn on blockchain being the most in-demand hard skill: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/trends-and-research/2020/most-in-demand-hard-and-soft-skills

Links from news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-far-from-being-a-unit-of-account/

How DeFi Liquidators Make Money With Just Bots - Ep.109

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Tom Schmidt, junior partner at Dragonfly Capital, talks about how liquidators are making money in DeFi — on which protocols, how liquidations work, and how much money they're making. He also discusses how liquidators do their work, how easy it is to create a bot to watch for liquidation opportunities, and how competitive the space is. We also discuss the growing competitive pressures, both from other liquidators as well as savvier borrowers.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/games-that-look-like-finance/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Tom Schmidt: https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt

Dragonfly Capital: https://www.dcp.capital

Tom's post on Liquidations in DeFi: https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/liquidators-the-secret-whales-helping-defi-function-acf132fbea5e

Unchained interview on Compound: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep-82/

Unchained interview on MakerDAO, pt. 1: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/

Unchained interview on MakerDAO, pt. 2: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/

Unchained interview on dYdX: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-dydx-allows-you-to-take-a-short-position-in-one-token-ep-86/

The links from this week's news recap:

PoolTogether: Save Money, With a Chance to Win - Ep.108

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Leighton Cusack, CEO and cofounder of PoolTogether, describes how the Ethereum-based no-loss lottery applies the psychology of winning a prize to the action of saving money, to get more people to save, why this is better than a typical lottery, and how blockchain technology makes it even better than a typical no-loss lottery. He also talks about how PoolTogether works, why it currently uses Dai and Compound and whether it would use other stablecoins and interest-bearing platforms. We also discuss who is using it, why many non-crypto people are interested, and how they plan to reach more of their target audience.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/please-slather-this-on-your-face/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law

Episode links:

Pool Together: https://www.pooltogether.com/

Leighton Cusack: https://twitter.com/lay2000lbs

CoinDesk on PoolTogether: https://www.coindesk.com/this-ethereum-lottery-perfectly-explains-how-facebooks-corporate-backers-will-profit-from-libra

Decrypto story: https://decrypt.co/9072/pooltogethers-ethereum-based-no-loss-lottery-is-back-with-a-twist

MakerDAO grant: https://blog.makerdao.com/maker-foundation-community-grants-provide-funding-for-blockchain-projects/

News Recap:

Why Bitcoin Outperformed Most of the Crypto Assets in 2019 - Ep.107

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Nate Maddrey, senior research analyst of Coin Metrics, gives an overview of how the major crypto networks ended 2019. We discuss how Bitcoin outperformed most other crypto assets last year, how it has been somewhat correlated with gold this year, whereas other crypto assets are not, and how the price movement of Bitcoin and Ethereum is starting to uncouple. We also talk about "realized cap," which is when each individual coin last moved on chain, and "market cap to realized cap" (MVRV), which is a way of looking at when the current holders will obtain profits if they sell, and how Bitcoin's investors are in the black, or that perhaps Ethereum is undervalued. Another topic was stablecoins, and how Tether on Ethereum has overtaken Tether on Omni and why, plus which other stablecoins are seeing growth. He also covers which four networks have seen their number of active addresses drop, how all those also saw their prices decrease and how only Bitcoin and Ethereum had a substantial amount of daily fees, and why that's significant.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://www.etoro.com

Kelman Law: http://kelman.law

Episode links:

Nate Maddrey: https://twitter.com/natemaddrey

Coinmetrics: https://coinmetrics.io/

State of the Network 2019 post: https://coinmetrics.substack.com/p/state-of-the-network-2019-year-in

This week in crypto:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-halving-→-price/

Kyle Samani on How 2020 Will Be the Year of Small Success Stories - Ep.106

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 08:30:00 -0000

Kyle Samani, managing partner of Multicoin Capital looks ahead to 2020 based on how the space changed from 2018 to 2019. He talks about how the space has matured and become more heterogeneous, when developers choose to build on platforms other than Ethereum and when they stick with it, and how the uncertainties about Ethereum 2.0 are affecting developers' choices. We discuss which chains he's most excited about now, why there's such a huge amount of competition in the smart contract space, and how the competition will shake out between the projects such as Cosmos and Polkadot that aim to connect other chains. He also covers why he isn't that excited about work being done in Bitcoin, why 2019 wasn't the year of Lightning and why 2020 will be the year of lots of small success stories.

Thank you to our sponsors!

eToro: https://www.etoro.com/

Kelman Law: https://kelman.law/

Episode links:

Kyle Samani: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani

Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital/

Web3 Stack, 2019 edition: https://multicoin.capital/2019/12/13/the-web3-stack-2019-edition/

Unbundling of Ethereum: https://multicoin.capital/2019/05/24/the-unbundling-of-ethereum/

Near protocol: https://nearprotocol.com/

Solana: https://solana.com/

Kadena: https://www.kadena.io/

On Value Capture at Layer 1 and Layer 2: https://multicoin.capital/2019/03/14/on-value-capture-at-layers-1-and-2/

Arweave: https://www.arweave.org/

Livepeer: https://livepeer.org/

How I Got SIM Swapped -- and How to Protect Yourself - Ep.105

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Laura recounts the tale of how she got SIM swapped, what mistakes she made, and what she did to secure her accounts and get her phone number back. She also reveals how, despite having shored up her security years before, she actually was still vulnerable. She also reveals the results of an investigation her mobile carrier did into what happened and what steps the mobile carrier is taking to deal with phone hijackings. Plus, she gives tips on how you can protect your cryptocurrency, financial accounts, data and more from SIM swapping attacks.

Due to the holidays, there's no news recap this week, but if you are with friends and family whose digital lives need some securing, then follow the tips in this episode together.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

My tweet about being SIM Swapped: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1182855237020901377?s=20

Unchained episode on protecting yourself from SIM swapping: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-keep-your-crypto-from-being-stolen-via-your-phone/

Forbes article on phone hijackings — sadly, despite being published in 2016, it's not that outdated: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/

Detailed SIM Swapping Bible from MyCrypto and CipherBlade: https://medium.com/mycrypto/what-to-do-when-sim-swapping-happens-to-you-1367f296ef4d

Meltem Demirors on the First Decade of the Existence of Bitcoin - Ep.104

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer of Coinshares, talks about how the emergence of Bitcoin fits within the larger technological and financial shifts of the last decade, how crypto can integrate privacy into our digital lives and how political shifts, ideology and meme culture have helped drive adoption. We also cover her stance on shitcoin minimalism/Bitcoin maximalism, what other areas of crypto development are interesting to her, and why she thinks the development of Libra is different from the trajectory of crypto. She also discusses what she thinks the effects of the Bitcoin halving will be in 2020, and makes a few predictions for 2020 and beyond.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/bitcoin-price-blows-past-all-time-high/

eToro: https://etoro.com/

Episode links:

Meltem Demirors: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem

CoinShares: https://coinsharesgroup.com/

CoinDesk on Meltem as one of 2019's Most Influential: https://www.coindesk.com/most-influential/2019/meltem-demirors

Coinshares mining report: https://coinsharesgroup.com/research/bitcoin-mining-network-december-2019#mailmunch-pop-849406

News recap:

Larry Cermak of The Block on What 90% of Bitcoin Trading Is For - Ep.103

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Larry Cermak, director of research at The Block, looks at the macro trends in Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, including what can be gleaned from derivative data, why many hedge funds are shorting Bitcoin and what has happened to trading volume since the summer. We also cover how the exchanges vary in terms of liquidity and target customer, which types of traders are active now, and which exchanges other than the Bitwise 10 also have real volume. Finally, Larry talks about what amount of real value is being settled on the Bitcoin blockchain and how this compares to gold and other cryptocurrencies.

Be sure not to miss the Unchained shop! https://shop.unchainedpodcast.com/

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/46235/crypto-exchanges-experiencing-a-steady-drop-in-traffic-since-june-suggesting-declining-retail-interest

Episode links:

Larry Cermak: https://twitter.com/lawmaster

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/

Hedge funds short Bitcoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/48268/hedge-funds-were-short-bitcoin-going-into-this-downturn-cftc-reports-show

Per-website visits to exchanges:

Depth of order book on exchanges: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/49546/when-evaluating-spot-exchanges-based-on-order-book-depth-bitfinex-appears-the-most-liquid

Analysis of value settled on Bitcoin:

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/50100/close-correlation-between-value-settled-and-traded-volume-shows-cryptocurrencies-are-still-mainly-used-for-speculation

Weekly news recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-most-important-crypto-podcast-of-2019/

What Quadriga Really Was: 3 Theories About Gerald Cotten - Ep.102

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Writer Nathaniel Rich discusses his recent long-form Vanity Fair article diving into what really happened with the Quadriga exchange debacle, what Gerald Cotten’s past really was, his relationship to his business partner Michael Patryn and who Patryn really was. He talks about their history with so-called high-yield investment programs, their falling out at Quadriga, what Cotten really did with the funds on the exchange, and the three main theories for what Cotten did, including a scam that ended in death, what Rich calls the “royal fuckup” and the final one, the Mastermind Theory.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-19/from-fraud-to-fintech-quadriga-co-founder-s-past-crimes-emerge

Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/

eToro: https://etoro.com/

Episode links:

Nathaniel Rich: https://twitter.com/NathanielRich

Vanity Fair article: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/the-strange-tale-of-quadriga-gerald-cotten

Bloomberg on Michael Patryn’s identity:

Weekly news recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/unicorns-rainbows-and-north-korea/

How to Get 7% of Your Purchases Back in Bitcoin - Ep.101

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000

For Black Friday, Alex Adelman, cofounder and CEO of Lolli, talks about how, with the Lolli browser extension, shoppers can earn back, on average 7%, but as much as 45%, of their purchases in Bitcoin at over 750 merchants, including Walmart, Bloomingdales, Gap, Barnes & Noble, Postmates, Sephora, Sonos, Hotels.com and more. He talks about how about 50% of Lolli users appear to be new to Bitcoin, how 30% are women, which is likely much higher compared to other crypto companies, and how Lolli makes its money (hint: not off your data). He also covers where people can use Lolli, whether it will offer other cryptocurrencies and the announcement of their partnership with Alibaba, which the Chinese company later denied.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://unchainedpodcast.com/an-easy-way-to-earn-bitcoin/

Episode links:

Lolli: https://www.lolli.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trylolli

Alex Adelman: https://twitter.com/alexadelman

Lolli announcement: https://medium.com/@alexadelman/lolli-bitcoin-for-everyone-aa8f52e0ffa

Who is using Lolli: https://twitter.com/YahooFinance/status/1154400724563836929

CoinDesk on partnership with Alibaba: https://www.coindesk.com/alibaba-offers-bitcoin-rewards-through-lolli-shopping-app-for-singles-day

Clarification on partnership with Alibaba: https://www.coindesk.com/alibaba-denies-partnership-with-lolli-highlighting-crypto-industry-pitfalls

Weekly news recap:

How MakerDAO Now Features a Risk-Free Rate - Ep.100

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Steven Becker, president and chief operating officer of the Maker Foundation, discusses the MakerDAO system's transition to multi-collateral Dai, what benefits it gets from having multiple collateral types, why it started with Brave's BAT, and how the Dai savings rate can lower risk for users. We also talk about what incentives current users have to transition to Dai, given that the Dai savings rate is just 2% while Sai holders can enjoy interest rates over 5% in Compound and dYdX, and how the MakerDAO system plans to try to incentivize people to move over. Plus, we talk about how to manage such a transition in a decentralized project and how the system might someday add tokenized real-world assets.

Thank you to our sponsors!

eToro: https://www.etoro.com/

https://unchainedpodcast.com/ethereum-nvtv-ratio-near-all-time-low/

Episode links:

MakerDAO: https://makerdao.com/

The launch: https://blog.makerdao.com/multi-collateral-dai-is-live/

Steven Becker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-becker/

MCD roadmap: https://makerdao.com/en/roadmap/

Upgrade process depending on how you use MakerDAO: https://blog.makerdao.com/looking-ahead-how-to-upgrade-to-multi-collateral-dai/

Stats on the transition: https://sai2dai.xyz

Stats on Dai: https://daistats.com

Dai Savings Rate: https://blog.makerdao.com/an-update-on-the-dai-savings-rate-in-multi-collateral-dai/

The Block on the MCD transition: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/47367/makerdao-multi-collateral-dai

The Defiant on MCD: https://thedefiant.substack.com/p/defis-central-bank-is-becoming-much

Weekly News Recap:

An Interview With the Anonymous Developer of HKmap.live - Ep.99

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000

This episode features an email interview with Kuma, the pseudonymous administrator of HKmap.live, a site showing a real-time crowd-sourced map of protests in Hong Kong, which Kuma believes is the first Hong Kong protest organization to accept cryptocurrency. Although I read his answers, Kuma talks about the controversy around the rejection of the app from the Apple App Store, why HKmap.live started accepting cryptocurrencies, why they chose those particular cryptocurrencies, and what the site does with the funds. We also discuss decentralization and how the Hong Kong protesters use this as a guiding philosophy, what practices he follows in terms of communication and finances to be able to keep protesting, and what improvements he thinks crypto businesses and entrepreneurs need to make.

Thank you to our sponsors!

HKmap.live: https://hkmap.live/

eToro: http://etoro.com/

Episode links:

HKmap.live on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hkmaplive

Where HKmap accepts cryptocurrency donations: https://hkmap.live/crypto.html

Quartz article: https://qz.com/1700205/real-time-maps-warn-hong-kong-protesters-of-poliec/

Article about university clashes: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/11/12/hong-kong-police-protesters-battle-night-cuhk-campus-university-head-among-tear-gassed/

HKmap.live tweet storm I referenced in the show: https://twitter.com/hkmaplive/status/1182154372563836928

Apple App Store kerfuffle: https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-pulls-hong-kong-cop-tracking-map-app-after-china-uproar-11570681464

https://www.ft.com/content/47ceb216-ea55-11e9-a240-3b065ef5fc55

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-factbox/factbox-global-firms-take-action-after-china-criticism-over-hong-kong-protests-idUSKBN1WP2EW

China’s revenue by geographical region, according to Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/382175/quarterly-revenue-of-apple-by-geograhical-region/

News recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/centralized-decentralized-centralized-decentralized/

Why Employees Cheered After Jihan Wu's Coup at Bitmain - Ep.98

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Wolfie Zhao, Asia editor at CoinDesk, details how Jihan Wu ousted his cofounder Micree Zhan at the Bitcoin mining giant Bitmain last week, how he justified the coup at a staff meeting the next day, and how these tensions have actually been brewing for quite a while. He also discusses how Wu was able to remove Zhan despite the fact that Zhan was a larger shareholder, whether or not the other shareholders were aware of Wu's plans, and how Zhan plans to take some unspecified legal actions next. We also cover the general company reaction to the coup, how some compared it to Steve Jobs returning to Apple, and the competitive pressures Bitmain faces as it and a competitor attempt to IPO in the U.S.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.ft.com/content/906c9322-fa44-11e9-a354-36acbbb0d9b6

Episode links:

Jihan ousts Micree: https://www.coindesk.com/bitmain-turmoil-co-founder-and-director-micree-zhan-ousted-from-management

Transcript of Bitmain meeting after Micree’s ouster: https://www.coindesk.com/leaked-transcript-details-power-struggle-inside-bitcoin-mining-giant-bitmain

Micree’s plans to use legal means to get back into the company: https://twitter.com/Excellion/status/1192261566437023744?s=20

FT articles: https://www.ft.com/content/35c34156-0150-11ea-b7bc-f3fa4e77dd47

Canaan’s filing for $400 million IPO in the US: https://www.coindesk.com/avalon-bitcoin-miner-maker-canaan-officially-files-for-400-million-us-ipo

Theory that the IPO brought tensions to a head: https://twitter.com/btcking555/status/1189522260702441472?s=20

News recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/dont-miss-this-long-awaited-interview/

Why the Digital Yuan Could One Day Be Seen as a Blunder - Ep.97

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer of the Human Rights Foundation, explains why he believes China's new pro-blockchain stance could turn out to be a blunder for the country and why this could lead to a red pill/blue pill moment that gets Chinese citizens interested in Bitcoin. He also talks about how the country could use a digital yuan as financial leverage in other countries, and why he's skeptical of the Chinese government's claims that anonymous transactions will be possible in the currency, called DCEP. We also talk about how wary citizens around the world should be as more societies go cashless, how corporations are starting to self-censor due to China's financial leverage and what the connection is between financial freedom and free speech.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.coindesk.com/from-banking-giants-to-tech-darlings-china-reveals-over-500-enterprise-blockchain-projects

Episode links:

Alex Gladstein: https://twitter.com/gladstein

Human Rights Foundation: https://twitter.com/HRF

China’s enterprise blockchain projects:

China’s push to support cryptography: https://www.coindesk.com/chinas-congress-passes-cryptography-law-effective-jan-1-2020

Articles saying DCEP can be used like cash, does not require bank account: https://www.coindesk.com/new-head-of-chinas-digital-currency-says-it-beats-facebook-libra-on-tech-features

http://news.cnstock.com/news,yw-201909-4427378.htm

A Chinese dissident's view on the country's blockchain push

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-dissident-sees-dark-warnings-in-chinas-blockchain-push

News recap

To see the links in this week's news recap, go to https://unchainedpodcast.com/only-we-chinese-pump-with-real-money/

How the Hong Kong Protests Gave a Boost to Gods Unchained - Ep.96

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000

James Ferguson, CEO of Immutable, the creators of Gods Unchained, talks about how the video game recently doubled its number of users. In early October, after a winner of a Hearthstone tournament said, "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!" in an interview, had his winnings revoked and was banned from the game for a year, Gods Unchained offered to pay the player, Blitzchung, the amount of his winnings, plus invited him to play in its first tournament next year. Ferguson describes what happened next, ranging from a DDOS attack on Immutable's servers to some American University students making a similar pro-Hong Kong message, getting banned by Blizzard and switching to Gods Unchained. He talks about the benefits of decentralization and how the incident has gotten more true gamers (not crypto enthusiasts) interested in Gods Unchained.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Quote from interview: https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1181065339230130181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1181442535962632193&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Fblizzard-pulls-blitzchung-from-hearthstone-esports-tournament-over-support-for-hong-kong-protests%2F

Episode links:

Immutable: https://immutable.com

James Ferguson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesanthonyferguson/

Gods Unchained: https://twitter.com/GodsUnchained

Blitzchung: https://twitter.com/blitzchungHS

Article summarizing what happened with Blizzard, Blitzchung and Gods Unchained: https://www.cnet.com/news/blizzard-pulls-blitzchung-from-hearthstone-esports-tournament-over-support-for-hong-kong-protests/

More on the ensuing controversy: https://esportsobserver.com/blizzard-criticism-hong-kong/

Gods Unchained tweet offering Blitzchung payment for his lost winnings and a ticket to its $500k tournament: https://twitter.com/GodsUnchained/status/1181487505180258304?s=20

Blizzard subreddit set to private after Blitzchung was banned and stripped of his winnings: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-10-08-blizzard-punishes-hearthstone-pro-for-voicing-hong-kong-support

Now open Blizzard subreddit still awash in pro-Hong Kong memes: https://www.reddit.com/r/Blizzard/

DDOS attack on Gods Unchained: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-10-09-blizzard-backlash-escalates-following-hong-kong-supporter-ban

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/sydney-startup-under-fire-online-for-supporting-pro-hong-kong-protest-gamer-20191009-p52z2g.html

https://decrypt.co/10154/coinbase-backed-gods-unchained-cyberattacks-chinese-censorship

American University students who protested Blizzard also banned, now playing Gods Unchained: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3akzz/three-college-hearthstone-protesters-banned-for-six-months

Gods Unchained also offered donations to Electronic Frontier Foundation per viewer watching Gods Unchained on Twitch: https://twitter.com/GodsUnchained/status/1182589990850584576

Blizzard allegedly preventing people from deleting their accounts by deactivating four methods of authentication: https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2019/10/gods-unchained-hit-with-cyber-attacks-while-mei-becomes-mascot-of-free-hong-kong-movement/94841/

Why Ethereum: https://hackernoon.com/the-blockchain-gaming-revolution-why-ethereum-will-revolutionise-a-100-billion-dollar-market-148badaecb2a

Chris Clay, previously of Magic the Gathering, joins Gods Unchained: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenorsini/2019/08/08/magic-the-gathering-executive-leaves-for-blockchain-based-gods-unchained/#7557a9b8419f

Weekly News Recap:

To see the links in this week's news recap, go to https://unchainedpodcast.com/congress-in-the-news-and-on-the-pod/

How Bitcoin Led to the Demise of the Largest Child Porn Site - Ep.95

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Jonathan Levin, the cofounder and chief strategy officer of Chainalysis, describes how the blockchain analytics firm helped the IRS identify the administrator of the largest child porn website in the world, which ultimately led to the arrest of the administrator, Jong Woo Son, and 337 site users across 38 countries. The work also led to the rescue of 23 minors from their abusers. He describes how the site used Bitcoin, how they used Bitcoin transactions to identify the users of the site, and how law enforcement worked with exchanges. We also discuss what impact privacy technologies could have on similar investigations going forward, as well as Levin's perspective on the overall utility of Bitcoin despite it being used for illicit activity.

Thank you to our sponsors!

CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained

eToro: http://etoro.com

Newsletter:

Get Laura’s newsletter on the top crypto stories of the week’s plus a preview of exclusive podcast content! Signup Here: http://eepurl.com/ga8ub5

Episode links:

Chainalysis: https://www.chainalysis.com/

Jonathan Levin: https://twitter.com/jony_levin

DOJ press release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/south-korean-national-and-hundreds-others-charged-worldwide-takedown-largest-darknet-child

Chainalysis blog post: https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/chainalysis-doj-welcome-to-video-shutdown

Indictment against Jong Woo Son, the administrator of Welcome to Video: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1210441/download

Bitcoin laundering: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1210461/download

Bitcoin exchanges Welcome to Video recommended + screenshots: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1210451/download

Screenshot of the site seized: https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1210446/download

Joe Weisenthal’s column about how Bitcoin ETFs would make it easier for people to make illicit Bitcoin transactions: https://twitter.com/TheStalwart/status/1184786875262885890

Weekly news recap links:

Bloomberg article summarizing overall race to create a global coin: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-16/fed-drags-feet-as-digital-money-revolution-tests-central-banks

FT on why Libra members dropped out: https://www.ft.com/content/6e29a1f0-ef1e-11e9-ad1e-4367d8281195

Libra Association signs charter: https://libra.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Libra-Association-Charter-Press-Release-.pdf

CNBC article on China’s race to release digital currency: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/15/china-races-to-launch-a-cryptocurrency-that-could-rival-facebooks.html?__source=sharebar%7Ctwitter&par=sharebar

Fortune article further describing race between Chinese digital currency and alternatives: https://fortune.com/2019/10/16/if-libra-fails-china-wins-the-ledger/

Fed official saying US actively debating digital dollar: https://www.coindesk.com/top-fed-official-says-us-central-bank-actively-debating-digital-dollar

Christopher Giancarlo’s op-ed in WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/articles/we-sent-a-man-to-the-moon-we-can-send-the-dollar-to-cyberspace-11571179923

IRS tax form: https://www.coindesk.com/the-irs-will-now-ask-if-you-own-crypto-in-the-1040-tax-form

Althea Network: How Ethereum Is Used in the Real World - Ep.94

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000

From DevCon 5 in Osaka, Japan, Deborah Simpier, COO and cofounder of Althea Network, describes how this decentralized internet service provider works, what problem it's trying to solve, and how it uses Ethereum. She describes how neighbors provide each other with internet access, and how they pay each other automatically on pay-as-you-go plans using a stablecoin. She also covers how she came to found Althea, what challenges she faced in explaining how it worked to her non-crypto neighbors, and Althea's plans to expand to other areas, including urban areas and Nigeria.

Thank you to our sponsors!

eToro: https://crypto.com/en/index.html

https://breakermag.com/how-mesh-networks-and-crypto-can-fill-the-rural-broadband-gap/

Episode links:

Althea Network: https://althea.net/

Deborah Simpier: https://twitter.com/DeborahSimpier

Case study on Clatskanie: https://althea.net/clatskanie-case-study

Deborah’s talk at ETH Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD1tB0UFx78

Weekly news recap links:

IRS Guidance

IRS press release: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/virtual-currency-irs-issues-additional-guidance-on-tax-treatment-and-reminds-taxpayers-of-reporting-obligations

Guidance on hard forks and airdrops: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-19-24.pdf

Coin Center response: https://coincenter.org/entry/irs-cryptocurrency-guidance-answers-some-questions-while-raising-messy-new-ones

IRS scenario that never happened: https://twitter.com/valkenburgh/status/1182022188343418880?s=20

Marco Santori take: https://twitter.com/msantoriESQ/status/1181975909567475713?s=20

Patrick Murck take: https://twitter.com/virtuallylaw/status/1181997761811628038?s=20

Ethereum 2.0

The transition from Ethereum 1.0 to 2.0: https://ethresear.ch/t/the-eth1-eth2-transition/6265

Ethereum 2.0 cross-sharding composability: https://ethresear.ch/t/cross-shard-defi-composability/6268

Wired article on Facebook/Libra connections: https://www.wired.com/story/ties-bind-facebooks-libra/

Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Rejection:

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/42711/bitwises-bitcoin-etf-the-last-hope-has-been-denied

https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro/nysearca/2019/34-87267.pdf

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitwise-comments-on-the-secs-order-regarding-the-bitwise-bitcoin-etf-trust-300935107.html

https://twitter.com/BitwiseInvest/status/1182115344510402560?s=20

https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1182149164177608704?s=20

MakerDAO: https://blog.makerdao.com/breaking-launch-date-of-multi-collateral-dai-announced-at-devcon-5/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-10-05/crypto-rebels-trip-over-each-other-en-route-to-financial-utopia

https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/

https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/

Placeholder on protocols: https://www.placeholder.vc/blog/2019/10/6/protocols-as-minimally-extractive-coordinators

Ali Yahya on why there will be multiple dominant blockchains: https://twitter.com/ali01/status/1181161407406071808?s=20

QuadrigaCX widow to pay $9 million to affected users: https://www.coindesk.com/quadrigacx-founders-widow-will-cough-up-9-million-to-repay-users

How Block.One Got Away With Just a $24 Million Penalty - Ep.93

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Heads up, everybody! We are launching a weekly news recap, so stay tuned after the interview to find out about the top stories in crypto this week! (Links below.)

Zachary Fallon, principal at Blakemore Fallon and former SEC staffer, explains why the SEC penalty against Block.One, which raised $4 billion in a yearlong ICO, got a penalty of just $24 million and didn't have to register EOS tokens as securities. He also discusses how this differs from the Kik case, what we can learn from another SEC order this week against Nebulous and what other gray areas remain for potential token issuers who may want to sell to U.S. citizens. We also go over the Crypto Rating Council, and what significance those ratings could have on the way they are regulated, if any.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

SEC press release about the Block.One settlement: https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2019-202

SEC Order re. Block.One: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2019/33-10714.pdf

Cooley letter on Block.one: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/2019/block.one-093019-506.pdf

Katherine Wu’s annotated settlement: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ac136ed12b13f7c187bdf21/t/5d92c33d937a3466c0c723a9/1569899329538/33-10714.pdf

SEC action on Nebulous: https://www.sec.gov/enforce/33-10715-s

Jake Chervinsky tweet storm on the settlement: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1179162527541993472?s=20

Marco Santori tweet storm on the settlement: https://twitter.com/msantoriESQ/status/1178811671621591040?s=20

Crypto Rating Council: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cryptocurrency-exchanges-including-coinbase-to-rate-digital-assets-11569835801

CRC ratings thus far: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1178627290676301824?s=20

Articles from this week’s news recap:

Paypal to Back Out of Libra Association: https://www.ft.com/content/6af11092-e5fd-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc

Visa, Mastercard, Other Libra Association Members Jittery: https://www.wsj.com/articles/visa-mastercard-others-reconsider-involvement-in-facebook-s-libra-network-11569967023

Federal Advisory Doesn’t Like Libra: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-30/bankers-advising-fed-board-describe-libra-as-a-monetary-threat

SEC press release about the order: https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2019-202

The order itself: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2019/33-10714.pdf

Larry Cermak of The Block on the order: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/41612/dont-ask-for-permission-hire-good-lawyers-and-then-ask-for-forgiveness

Letter from House Reps re digital dollar: https://static.coindesk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Foster-Hill-US-Crypto.pdf

Crypto Rating Council: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cryptocurrency-exchanges-including-coinbase-to-rate-digital-assets-11569835801

Cermak tweet storm: https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1178622451451867136?s=20

Blockchain executive departures: http://thein.fo/9a4fd2f9cab44d7d

LedgerX-CFTC dispute: https://www.coindesk.com/ledgerx-claims-personal-animus-drove-ex-cftc-chair-to-stall-approvals

Nick Tomaino on Why He Is Skeptical Libra Will Be Significant - Ep.92

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Nick Tomaino, general partner of 1confirmation, discusses his firm's second fund of $45 million, announced this week, how prospective LPs have changed from 2017 to 2019, and what types of projects 1confirmation is interested in. He also reveals why he doesn't believe Libra will be meaningful in the long-term, what he thinks the top DeFi trends are, what impact Ethereum's scaling issues could have, and what other protocols the fund has invested in. Plus, he explains how the firm decides whether to invest in companies or tokens when there is a choice.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://thecontrol.co/1confirmation-fund-ii-f42192a9646b

Episode links:

1confirmation: https://www.1confirmation.com

Nick Tomaino: https://twitter.com/NTmoney

https://fortune.com/2019/09/25/1confirmation-crypto-investing/

https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-venture-firm-1confirmation-announces-new-45-million-fund

https://thecontrol.co/thoughts-on-facebook-coin-c5804e97e7e1

Unchained interview with Compound: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep-82/

Unchained interview with dYdX: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-dydx-allows-you-to-take-a-short-position-in-one-token-ep-86/

Unconfirmed interview with Uniswap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-uniswap-quickly-became-one-of-the-most-popular-dexes/

Systemic risk in DeFi due to Ethereum scaling issues: https://twitter.com/evabeylin/status/1176861299076059136?s=20

How Tether's Surge on Ethereum Is Affecting Bitcoin - Ep.91

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Jacob Franek, cofounder and COO of Coin Metrics, discusses why daily transaction fees on Ethereum have surpassed those on Bitcoin, what daily transaction fees reflect generally about a blockchain, why this change appears to be driven by demand for Tether on Ethereum, and what types of transactions people are using Tether for on Ethereum. We also cover Bitcoin vs. its forks — Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Satoshi's Vision — and whether or not the latter two are becoming medium-of-exchange coins as they hoped to be, why they're being used more for data storage and what kind of data is being stored there.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode notes:

Coin Metrics: https://coinmetrics.io

Jacob Franek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-franek-b9865039/

ETH daily transaction fees surpassed those of Bitcoin: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92cbb3e2-4e28-4cd7-8557-db7eea1656c5_1200x742.png

For a few months in 2018, ETH daily transaction fees were higher than BTC's: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2e5e596-39da-4c3a-a6ec-6c4277e1d210_1420x878.png

Demand for Tether on Ethereum skyrocketing: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F632ba7b5-de3e-4a9d-b34c-d30a32486070_1200x742.png

Ethereum processes more than 2x transactions per day than Bitcoin: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QD82uclQKUQXp1WT12LMuqTVobkvNKEq/view

ETH locked in DeFi rising: https://twitter.com/spencernoon/status/1174048582204309505

Gas per transactions rising on Ethereum, indicating transactions are becoming more complex: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q53YFSgwSgtvvd346ARdbFV2ejwX8ZLX/view

Non-ETH/ERC-20/ERC-721/Tether transactions are also growing: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q4lFfW002Q_L9geNall8E5JSznnzVHZd/view

Ethereum miners have been voting up the gas limit: https://www.etherchain.org/tools/gasLimitVoting

Increasing the gas limit effectively increases the block size: https://etherscan.io/chart/gaslimit

Coin Metrics' comparison of Bitcoin forks: https://coinmetrics.io/a-comparative-analysis-of-bitcoin-forks/#more-1865

Comparison of medium of exchange metrics for BTC, BCH and BSV: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7af691e0-7ee9-4dab-aad3-9e0a8a651542_1048x876.png

BSV being used for data storage: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff9d22b7a-c133-4086-a553-f7fbecb02227_1200x742.png

Almost all BSV transactions come from weathersv app: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85817c8b-69a2-42ff-9174-ab4bb81c29e6_1200x742.png

Comparison of hash rate on BTC, BCH and BSV: https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4e16275d-80aa-48ca-bb84-0ddf7929be49_1387x833.png

How Cryptocurrencies Could Threaten the State - Ep.90

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Nic Carter, partner at Castle Island Ventures, discusses the ways in which cryptocurrencies could weaken the state, how they're already providing an alternative to central bank currencies for people in economies undergoing hyper-inflation. He describes why Bitcoin is inherently political, which other coins he views as legitimate and whether coins should always aim to be money or other types can exist. Plus, he explains why he isn't optimistic about Libra and why Facebook should have pegged the value of it to the USD.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Nic Carter's recent Medium post on Bitcoin as a revolutionary currency: https://medium.com/@nic__carter/a-most-peaceful-revolution-8b63b64c203e

Nic Carter: https://twitter.com/nic__carter

LocalBitcoins interview on Unconfirmed: https://unchainedpodcast.com/localbitcoins-on-how-bitcoin-trading-compares-across-the-world/

Unconfirmed interview with Dante Disparte of the Libra Association: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/

Michael Casey on why it would be good if Libra rivaled the USD: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-it-would-be-good-if-libra-rivaled-the-us-dollar/

Coin Center's Peter Van Valkenburgh on why the Congressional hearings on Facebook's Libra were good for Bitcoin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-congressional-hearings-on-facebooks-libra-were-good-for-bitcoin/

Unchained interview with the IMF on how to design central bank digital currencies: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-imf-on-how-to-design-central-bank-digital-currencies/

Why Bitcoin Dominance Is at 70% - Ep.89

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Yan Liberman, cofounder at Delphi Digital, explains why Bitcoin dominance is back up at 70%, more than double its low at 33% at the height of the crypto bubble in early 2018, why a crypto bear market has a positive effect on Bitcoin and who is putting money into the space now. He also discusses how metrics involving Bitcoin's unspent transaction outputs, or UTXOs, affect price moves, why scaling isn't necessarily so important for bitcoin's price — but is for ether's price — and why the number of developers isn't always correlated to price. Plus, we cover how developments like the launch of Libra will likely affect Bitcoin.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Delphi Digital: https://www.delphidigital.io

Yan Liberman: https://twitter.com/YanLiberman

Fred Wilson blog post on crypto: https://avc.com/2019/09/some-thoughts-on-crypto/

Pushback on Fred’s post: https://twitter.com/fredwilson/status/1169322053008314368

Electric Capital report on developer activity in crypto: https://medium.com/@ElectricCapital/electric-capital-developer-report-h1-2019-7d836d68fecb

Unconfirmed episode with Maria Shen: https://unchainedpodcast.com/electric-capital-on-the-coins-punching-below-their-weight/

Unconfirmed interview with the Libra Association's Dante Disparte: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/

Reid Hoffman's crypto rap battle between Hamilton and Satoshi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaMJi1_1tkA&feature=youtu.be

Why Ryan Zurrer Would Like to See a New DAO - Ep.88

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Ryan Zurrer, formerly chief commercial officer and director at the Web 3 foundation and former principal and partner at Polychain Capital, discusses his recent proposal for a new DAO, reviving one of the most notorious experiments in crypto history. Zurrer explains the way it works, some of the new technologies, such as SourceCred, that he thinks could make a new DAO better than the original, what problem he wants to solve with the DAO, and how it would work. He also talks about why he believes that if the DAO had survived, that the due diligence in the space would be far higher than it was during the ICO craze, and why he thinks that the architecture of the DAO he's proposed will not violate U.S. securities law.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

The DAO white paper: https://github.com/the-dao/whitepaper

Ryan Zurrer: https://twitter.com/rzurrer

SourceCred: https://sourcecred.io/

CoinDesk article on the recently proposed DAO: https://www.coindesk.com/former-polychain-partner-ryan-zurrer-is-leaving-web3-to-start-his-own-dao

The SEC's report on the 2016 DAO: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/investreport/34-81207.pdf

Comprehensive Bloomberg feature on the 2016 DAO: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2017-the-ether-thief/

Accepting Bitcoin Since 2011: Room77 in Berlin - Ep.87

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Joerg Platzer, owner of Room77, a bar in Berlin that has accepted Bitcoin since 2011, describes how patrons who wanted to pay with Bitcoin originally had to type long Bitcoin addresses into their laptops, how people's interest in Bitcoin correlates with the markets and how the demographics of the Bitcoin users have changed over time. He discusses why the bar discourages users from sending their Bitcoins from Coinbase, Circle and BitPay, how crypto companies can surveil their companies more than banks do, and how they impose U.S, laws on other jurisdictions. He also talks about the Lightning Network point-of-sale device that they're using, how what he believes to be the first routed Lightning Network payment occurred at Room77, and how surprised he by the number of people eager to pay via Lightning. Plus, he reveals which other coins he is open to, and which ones he is not.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Room77: http://room77.de/

Joerg Platzer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j%C3%B6rg-platzer/

2014 CoinDesk article on Room77: https://www.coindesk.com/evolution-bitcoin-behind-berlin-bar

The Room77 Bitcoin Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Bitcoin-Lab-Berlin/events/qbbwmhyzjbjb/

Photos of some of the Bitcoin-related signs I saw at Room77:

Electric Capital on the Coins Punching Below Their Weight - Ep.86

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Maria Shen, head of data science at Electric Capital, dives into the details of the firm's report on crypto developer activity, which analyzed 27,000 code repositories to find that a recent decrease in crypto developer activity came from a drop-off in one-time-per-month and part-time developers, while full-time developers increased 13%. She explains how this breaks out among coins, how developer activity in Bitcoin and Ethereum have consolidated, what mid-tier coins are also seeing a lot of activity, and which ones appear to be punching below their weight price-wise. She also explains her metric of "active ecosystems," which ones are most active or gaining and gives us projections for further crypto development based on the data thus far.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Electric Capital: https://www.electriccapital.com

Maria Shen: https://twitter.com/mariashen?lang=en

Full deck of report: https://www.slideshare.net/MariaXinheShen/developer-report-published-august-2019-163234235

Blocktivity: https://www.blocktivity.info

Unchained episode with Chris Dixon: https://unchainedpodcast.com/chris-dixon-on-how-trust-is-the-best-lego-block-ep-70/

Most recent Unchained episode with Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/vitalik-buterin-on-whether-or-not-ethereum-is-blowing-it/

Unchained episode on Monero: https://unchainedpodcast.com/moneros-riccardo-spagni-aka-fluffypony-on-how-he-feels-about-monero-being-used-for-crime-ep-93/

Unchained episode on Grin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/grin-a-more-private-lighter-bitcoin/

Unchained episode on MakerDAO, part 1: https://unchainedpodcast.com/grin-a-more-private-lighter-bitcoin/

MakerDAO, part 2: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/

Litecoin: https://unchainedpodcast.com/charlie-lee-on-how-litecoin-can-be-truly-successful/

Unconfirmed episode on the Bitcoin Cash hard fork: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-bitcoin-cash-hard-fork-bitcoin-abc-vs-bitcoin-sv-ep-046/

Kik's Surprising Move in Its Lawsuit With the SEC - Ep.85

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Rebecca Rettig, partner at FisherBroyles, talks about Kik's answer this week to the SEC's complaint, why she predicted they would make this move as opposed to filing a motion to dismiss as many had expected and what their main arguments were. We discuss the key points of their answer, such as the distinction they make between their SAFT sale to accredited investors vs. the token sale to the general public, how we could get new law applied to tokens as well as how the SEC took quotes out of context to make it appear that Kik and/or its board members and other associates said the opposite of what they meant.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Rebecca Rettig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-rettig-8b90a284/

FisherBroyles: https://www.fisherbroyles.com

Kik's response to the SEC: https://www.scribd.com/document/420998937/Kik-Response-to-SEC#from_embed

Katherine Wu's annotations on the response: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ac136ed12b13f7c187bdf21/t/5d4a3cfcfe4cc000019dff3b/1565146371923/KIK_SEC_+Answer+to+Complaint_3.pdf

CoinDesk article summarizing Kik's answer: https://www.coindesk.com/kik-says-sec-twisted-facts-about-100-million-token-sale

CoinDesk interviews with Kik CEO Ted Livingston, and blockchain lawyers Joshua Klayman, Rebecca Rettig and Nelson Rosario on this week's news: https://www.coindesk.com/watch-join-coindesk-live-with-ted-livingston-ceo-of-kik

The IRS Is Cracking Down on Crypto Taxes: What You Need to Know - Ep.84

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Chandan Lohda, the cofounder and CEO of CoinTracker, talks about the 10,000 letters the IRS sent to cryptocurrency holders last week, what kinds of letters were sent, what recipients should do depending on what type of letter they received and how the IRS even knew who to write to in the first place. Plus, we discuss which types of transactions are taxable events, where the tax laws still need further clarification, and which types of changes he believes should be made to tax law.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/irs-sending-warning-letters-to-more-than-10-000-cryptocurrency-holders-11564159523

Episode links:

CoinTracker: https://www.cointracker.io/

Chandan Lodha: https://mobile.twitter.com/cglodha

IRS sending letters to 10,000 crypto holders:

https://blog.cointracker.io/irs-sends-letter-6173-6174-6174-a-cryptocurrency-warnings-what-to-do/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2019/07/26/irs-sending-warning-letters-to-more-than-10000-taxpayers-about-cryptocurrency-reporting/#553158e35d3b

IRS press release: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-has-begun-sending-letters-to-virtual-currency-owners-advising-them-to-pay-back-taxes-file-amended-returns-part-of-agencys-larger-efforts

CoinTracker guide to filing crypto taxes: https://www.cointracker.io/bitcoin-taxes

Jeremy Allaire on Why the US Government Needs a New Category for Digital Assets - Ep.83

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Jeremy Allaire, cofounder and CEO of Circle, explains why the company has opened a new subsidiary in Bermuda, obtained a full Digital Assets Business Act license there and how it plans to create separate offerings for the US market vs. non-US. He discusses why Circle chose Bermuda out of the many jurisdictions that have created crypto-friendly regulations, why Circle believes the SEC's April guidance on digital assets expanded the scope on which digital assets are securities and why regulators should have a new definition for digital assets rather than putting them into existing categories like commodity, security, currency, etc. We cover how much of Poloniex's struggles have to do with restrictive regulations in the US vs. poor business choices on the exchange's part, and why some other US-based crypto exchanges are not having the same struggles. He also reveals what it is that he'll be telling the Senate next week when he testifies in a hearing on regulation for digital assets and blockchain technology.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://medium.com/circle-blog/circle-expands-international-offerings-with-new-bermuda-operations-and-digital-assets-business-ff4509ed76b9

Episode links:

Circle: https://www.circle.com/en/

Poloniex: https://poloniex.com

Jeremy Allaire: https://twitter.com/jerallaire

New Bermuda entity and license:

https://www.coindesk.com/circle-moves-non-us-poloniex-customers-to-new-bermuda-entity

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/07/22/circle-is-opening-up-shop-in-bermuda-seeking-clearer-regulatory-framework-and-it-could-be-its-last-hope/

BTC trade volume:

https://www.bitcointradevolume.com

Trollbox:

https://medium.com/circle-trader/trollbox-is-back-a458e3ec58df

Next week's Senate hearing on crypto legislation:

https://medium.com/circle-blog/circle-ceo-to-testify-before-senate-on-crypto-regulation-dbaeaeba3a3b

https://www.banking.senate.gov/hearings/examining-regulatory-frameworks-for-digital-currencies-and-blockchain

The Bermuda rig: https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2015-01-26/dress-code-how-to-wear-bermuda-shorts

Why the Congressional Hearings on Facebook's Libra Were Good for Bitcoin - Ep.82

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, explains the significance of all the governmental activity around crypto in the last week -- the President's tweets, the Treasury Secretary's and Fed Chair's remarks and of course the Congressional hearings about Libra. We discuss whether Facebook's baggage could harm regulation of the space broadly, just what Libra is and who controls it (especially compared to decentralized networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum), and how that might require different regulatory approaches. We also covered how the lack of partisanship in the line of questioning could affect Libra's prospects, the odds that the draft bill to keep tech out of finance will go through and whether the idea of a Facebook-created digital currency could spur interest in central bank digital currencies. Plus, we talk about what we thought were the most memorable moments of the Congressional hearings, and why we both felt that, amazingly, the hearings seemed to teach Congress about the merits of decentralized networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Coin Center: https://coincenter.org

Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://twitter.com/valkenburgh

President Donald Trump's tweets about Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and Libra: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1149472282584072192?s=20

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony about Libra: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/technology/fed-chair-facebook-cryptocurrency-libra.html

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's news briefing on cryptocurrencies: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/15/treasury-secretary-mnuchin-will-hold-a-news-conference-on-cryptocurrencies-at-2-pm-et.html

Senate hearings on Libra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUQpmEjgFAU

House hearings on Libra: https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-libra-cryptocurrency-hearings-with-congress-day-2-watch-here-live/

Rep. Sean Duffy questioning David Marcus about who can transact in Libras: https://twitter.com/crypto/status/1151531255550230529

Rep. Warren Davidson bringing up a term that has not yet been heard in the halls of Congress — "sh*tcoin": https://twitter.com/bitstein/status/1151586640307064833

Why Crypto Regulation Is Surprisingly Cypherpunk - Ep.81

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Lawson Baker, head of operations and general counsel at TokenSoft (disclosure: a previous sponsor of the podcast), explains the significance of this week's SEC statement on broker-dealer custody if digital asset securities, what issues it outlines, what problems remain to be resolved, what impact it could have on the overall industry — and why this, and other regulatory guidance, could push the industry in a more cypherpunk direction. Plus, we discuss Blockstack's Reg A+ initial coin offering, which was finally approved by the SEC, whether it's too onerous for startups and how this will affect the initial coin offering phenomenon. And finally, we talk about what we'll be watching out for in next week's Senate and House hearings on Facebook's Libra, and what the odds are that the regulators quash the project.

Don't forget about the Crypto weekend retreat at Omega Institute: Sign up here! https://www.eomega.org/workshops/virtues-of-the-crypto-revolution

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Lawson Baker: https://twitter.com/lwsnbaker

TokenSoft: https://www.tokensoft.io/

SEC statement on broker-dealer custody of digital asset securities: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/joint-staff-statement-broker-dealer-custody-digital-asset-securities

Blockstack's Reg A+ offering approved: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sec-clears-blockstack-to-hold-first-regulated-token-offering-11562794848

Details on Blockstack's token sale: https://blog.blockstack.org/blockstack-sec-qualified-token-sale-open/

Fed raises concerns about Libra: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/technology/fed-chair-facebook-cryptocurrency-libra.html

Unconfirmed episode with Dante Disparte, head of policy and communications for Libra: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/

Unconfirmed episode with Michael Casey on why it would be good if Libra rivaled the US dollar: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-it-would-be-good-if-libra-rivaled-the-us-dollar/

Why It Would Be Good if Libra Rivaled the US Dollar - Ep.80

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Michael Casey, chairman of the advisory board at CoinDesk, CEO of Streambed Media and a former Wall Street Journal reporter who covered global financial and economic affairs, discusses the regulatory response to Libra, in particular the letter from the US. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services to Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and the head of Calibra, David Marcus, calling on them to halt development of Libra. Casey explains why he think it would be good if the House's concern that Libra becomes "an entirely new global financial system that is based out of Switzerland and intended to rival US monetary policy and the dollar,” as the letter put it. We also discuss the likelihood that Libra actually achieves its goal of financial inclusion for the two billion unbanked, how Facebook's track record with privacy factors in and what smart regulation would look like.

Last chance to participate in the Unchained Survey 2019!

Last week to participate in the survey and enter to win a free Casa Bitcoin LIghtning node! Go to surveymonkey.com/r/unchainedsurvey2019 to give us your thoughts what you like about the show, what we could do better and who you’d like to see as a guest.

Those who answer the survey can enter to win one of five free Casa Bitcoin lightning nodes, plus a free year of Casa's Gold membership -- including a multisig security app for iPhone and Android, a Trezor hardware wallet, a Casa faraday bag, and 24/7 support! Those of you interested in learning more about Casa, or about protecting your Bitcoin investment generally, should check out my interview with CEO Jeremy Welch. Thank you to Casa for donating!

Again, go to surveymonkey.com/r/unchainedsurvey2019 now to give us your thoughts and enter to win.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://www.coindesk.com/a-monumental-fight-over-facebooks-cryptocurrency-is-coming

Episode links:

Michael Casey: https://twitter.com/mikejcasey

CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com

Michael’s CoinDesk column on how smart, not heavy-handed regulation of Libra is necessary:

Michael’s CoinDesk column on understanding Libra and the Bitcoin price swings in the global economic context: https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-facebook-and-the-end-of-20th-century-money

House Financial Services Committee letter to Facebook executives: https://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/07.02.2019_-_fb_ltr.pdf

David Marcus's blog post on Libra, published after Michael and I recorded: https://www.facebook.com/notes/david-marcus/libra-2-weeks-in/10158616513819148/

'Bitcoin Billionaires' Author Ben Mezrich on the Zuckerberg- Winklevoss Rivalry - Ep.079

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Ben Mezrich, author of the Accidental Billionaires, which formed the basis of the movie The Social Network, and the author of the recently published Bitcoin Billionaires about the Winklevoss twins' rise in the cryptocurrency industry, discusses what he initially got wrong about Cameron and Tyler. He also talks about Facebook's Libra, how he thinks personal animus against the is part of Mark Zuckerberg's motivation behind this new cryptocurrency, and what Facebook and Libra would have to do to assuage concerns over privacy issues. Plus, we cover his writing process and who can expect to be on the big screen, playing the Winklevoss twins and Charlie Shrem in the upcoming movie.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

https://twitter.com/benmezrich

Episode links:

Ben Mezrich: http://www.benmezrich.com/

Bitcoin Billionaires: http://www.benmezrich.com/books/bitcoin-billionaires/

Accidental Billionaires: http://www.benmezrich.com/books/accidental-billionaires/

The Unconfirmed interview with the Libra Association's Dante Disparte: https://unchainedpodcast.com/libras-dante-disparte-on-why-we-should-trust-a-financial-system-designed-by-facebook/

Unchained with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss in January 2019: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tyler-and-cameron-winklevoss-on-being-the-fastest-tortoise-in-the-race/

Unchained with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss in September 2016: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-tyler-and-cameron-winklevoss-fell-in-love-with-bitcoin/

The NYT on the Winklevoss Bitcoin fortune: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/technology/bitcoin-winklevoss-twins.html

Libra's Dante Disparte on Why We Should Trust a Financial System Designed by Facebook - Ep.078

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Dante Disparte, head of policy and communications for the Libra Association, describes the roles of the various entities that make up the Libra ecosystem and how he came to be in this position. He addresses the most common concern being expressed: why people should trust a financial system designed by Facebook, which has lost public trust over privacy breaches. Plus, we discuss how Facebook will handle the financial information of Calibra's users, how the Libra Association will deal with the regulatory headwinds and why he believes that it's better if the project succeeds. We also discuss what impact this currency could have on the currencies of developing countries, what an identity system based on Libra might look like, and how it plans to get banks on board. Plus, we discuss what its social impact goals are.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Dante Disparte: https://twitter.com/ddisparte

The Libra Association: https://libra.org/en-US/association/

Libra: https://libra.org/en-US/

More details on the Libra Association: https://libra.org/en-US/association-council-principles/#overview

Security and privacy on the Libra network: https://libra.org/en-US/security-privacy/#overview

Commitment to compliance and consumer protection: https://libra.org/en-US/compliance-consumer-protection/#overview

France calls for central bank review of Libra: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-18/france-calls-for-central-bank-review-of-facebook-cryptocurrency

Senate banking hearing on Libra is scheduled: https://twitter.com/ElleBeyoud/status/1141429557846781960 (link to webcast: https://www.banking.senate.gov/hearings)

Europe working around US sanctions: https://www.apnews.com/b7fbb9c4b97b41c98d625cea0529386b

Edgeware's Unusual Lockdrop: Get Tokens Even With Frozen Funds - Ep.077

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Dillon Chen, CEO of Edgeware, talks about how the network is distributing its tokens via a "lockdrop" in which people can lock up ether for certain time periods in order to obtain Edgeware tokens, why it chose to do so and how that could affect the distribution of the tokens. We also discuss how even people with ether frozen in the Parity multi-sig wallet can still use those funds to obtain Edgeware tokens. Plus, he describes what Edgeware tokens will be used for and how it fits in the Polkadot ecosystem.

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How do you think we can make the show better? How would you like to see Unchained and Unconfirmed expand? Take our survey at surveymonkey.com/r/unchainedsurvey2019.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Edgeware: https://edgewa.re

Dillon Chen: https://twitter.com/dillchen

Edgeware lockdrop: https://edgewa.re/lockdrop/

Edgeware blog post on lockdrops: https://medium.com/commonwealth-labs/whats-in-a-lockdrop-194218a180ca

CoinDesk article on the lockdrop: https://www.coindesk.com/1confirmation-canaan-partners-back-startup-pushing-new-spin-on-airdrops

Frozen funds: https://www.parity.io/a-postmortem-on-the-parity-multi-sig-library-self-destruct/amp/

LocalBitcoins on How Bitcoin Trading Compares Across the World - Ep.076

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 07:30:00 -0000

In this conversation, conducted at the Oslo Freedom Forum, Vera Xavier, LocalBitcoins' Community Manager and Elena Tonoyan, Chief Customer Success Officer, describe what the Helsinki-based company does, how it got started, how its escrow system works and why the company typically keeps a low profile. We also cover who their typical users are (hint: it's a broad swath), how usage differs across geographically and types of economies, and how LocalBitcoins can be used in countries with authoritarian regimes. We also cover some regulatory issues such as why it had to stop service in Iran recently.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

LocalBitcoins: https://localbitcoins.com

LocalBitcoins bans trading in Iran: https://www.coindesk.com/localbitcoins-bans-bitcoin-buying-in-iran-in-blow-to-rising-crypto-commerce

FinCen guidance indicating LocalBitcoins sellers in the US are money transmitters: https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/2019-05/FinCEN%20Guidance%20CVC%20FINAL%20508.pdf

Removal of Local Cash Ads: https://twitter.com/LocalBitcoins/status/1135872083962081281

Ethereal 2019: DeFi and Paths to Everyday Usage - Ep.075

Fri, 31 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000

At Ethereal, I spoke with Austin Griffiths, director of research at Gitcoin and founder of Burner Wallet, and Arjun Bhuptani, cofounder of Connext Network, about how they think about getting everyday usage. In this discussion, Austin talked about how he started Burner Wallet and how he did user testing at bars, and Arjun described Connext, how people are using it now. Plus, they both explain why they're using Dai, how they can compete when a company like Facebook has 2 billion users, and how the uncertain regulatory atmosphere in the US affects the way they work.

Omega Institute crypto workshop retreat: https://www.eomega.org/workshops/virtues-of-the-crypto-revolution

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Austin Griffith: https://twitter.com/austingriffith

Burner Wallet: https://xdai.io

Arjun Bhuptani: https://twitter.com/arjun_bhuptani?lang=en

Connext Network: http://connext.network

Video from Ethereal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkOI7166fmI

Hester Peirce speech: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/peirce-how-we-howey-050919

To the Moon and Back With Polychain's Olaf Carlson-Wee - Ep.074

Fri, 24 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000

How Polychain is faring during the crypto winter, where we are in the tech cycle, whether he thinks Ethereum 2.0 will deliver and how he views the competition in the smart contract space. We discuss the upcoming Facebook coin, what that might look like, and how his portfolio projects could compete against a token issued by a large company. We cover how regulatory uncertainty is affecting the development of crypto projects, what he thinks of the fact that some trends in the DeFi movement seem to mimic the risks leading up to the financial contract, why he's so excited about MakerDAO, what he makes of its difficulties keeping its USD peg, and why Tether hasn't lost its dollar peg despite being only 74% backed. Plus, we talked about how decentralized autonomous corporations could someday come into being, and what he thinks of on-chain governance systems today.

Join us at the Oslo Freedom Forum!

On May 27th I will be hosting a conversation about the future of finance and human rights at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway. As the world continues to move toward a cashless society, paper currency is disappearing. Companies like Facebook, Apple, and TenCent are becoming increasingly influential in the digital payment space. We'll discuss how individuals and companies can preserve and protect financial freedoms in the digital age. I'll be joined by Bitcoin author and educator Jimmy Song; Casa chief technology officer Alena Vranova; and CoinCenter founder Jerry Brito. To register to attend, you can visit oslofreedomforum.com today -- use a discount code “unconfirmed25” to get 25% off your ticket price!

Join us at Omega Institute in New York in September!

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Watch the full video on CoinDesk ("To the Moon and Back" under Main Stage): https://www.coindesk.com/events/consensus-2019/videos

Polychain: https://polychain.capital

WSJ article on Olaf: https://www.wsj.com/articles/olaf-carlson-wee-rode-the-bitcoin-boom-to-silicon-valley-riches-can-he-survive-the-crash-1536681364

WSJ on Polychain's assets dropping: https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-fund-polychains-assets-drop-40-from-1-billion-mark-11554843471?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=3

Facebook coin: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/technology/cryptocurrency-facebook-telegram.html?searchResultPosition=9

Tether only 74% backed: https://www.coindesk.com/tether-lawyer-confirms-stablecoin-74-percent-backed-by-cash-and-equivalents

MakerDAO stability fee at 20%: https://www.coindesk.com/dai-stablecoins-stability-fee-nears-20-after-latest-makerdao-vote

Aragon vote being swung at the last moment: https://www.evanvanness.com/post/184616403861/aragon-vote-shows-the-perils-of-onchain-governance

Why HTC's Exodus 1s Will Have a Full Bitcoin Node - Ep.073

Fri, 17 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Phil Chen, decentralized chief officer of HTC, discusses the upcoming model of the Exodus, why it will feature a full Bitcoin node, what's in it for the user, whether or not it will affect the performance of other apps on the phone and whether HTC would ever add mining capabilities for the phone. We cover how the phone also functions as a hardware wallet, how private keys are kept safe, and how they are recovered if the user loses their phone. Plus, he describes who the ideal user is and how having so many crypto features built into the phone could change how people interact with their devices.

On May 27th I will be hosting a conversation about the future of finance and human rights at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway. As the world continues to move toward a cashless society, paper currency is disappearing. Companies like Facebook, Apple, and TenCent are becoming increasingly influential in the digital payment space. We'll discuss how individuals and companies can preserve and protect financial freedoms in the digital age. I'll be joined by Bitcoin author and educator Jimmy Song; Casa chief technology officer Alena Vranova; CoinCenter founder Jerry Brito; and Bitfury Group vice chairman George Kikvadze. To register to attend, visit oslofreedomforum.com today -- use a discount code "unconfirmed25” to get 25% off your ticket price!

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

HTC: https://www.htc.com/us/

The Exodus: http://www.htcexodus.com and https://twitter.com/htcexodus

Phil Chen: https://twitter.com/philchen913

HTC Exodus to feature full Bitcoin node: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2019/05/11/htc-integrates-full-bitcoin-node-into-surprise-smartphone-for-the-masses/#430979983ec4

Phil's announcement at Magical Crypto Conference: https://www.coindesk.com/htc-says-its-next-smartphone-will-run-a-full-bitcoin-node

Bitcoin Magazine story: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/htc-launch-exodus-1s-smartphone-full-node-capacity/

Crypto swaps via Kyber on Exodus: https://www.coindesk.com/htc-has-added-in-wallet-crypto-swaps-to-its-exodus-phone

Binance Hack: Should the Threat of Reorgs Be Used to Deter Hackers? - Ep.072

Fri, 10 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Tushar Jain of Multicoin Capital discusses how hackers likely obtained $40 million worth of Bitcoin in a hack on Binance, how the leading crypto exchange could have incentivized miners to reorganize the blocks, and what the possibility says about the game theory of Bitcoin. We talk about why Binance ultimately decided against trying to go this route, and whether or not exchanges should, in the future, try to use reorgs immediately after exchange hacks in order to both undo the hack as well as deter future hackers. Plus, we discuss how this idea would have differed from the Ethereum hard fork after the DAO and whether or not this suggests that fast finality is preferable to probabilistic finality.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://www.eomega.org/workshops/virtues-of-the-crypto-revolution

Episode links:

Tushar Jain: https://twitter.com/tusharjain_?lang=en

Multicoin Capital: https://multicoin.capital

Binance's announcement about the hack: https://binance.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360028031711

Bitcoin core contributor Jeremy Rubin's suggestion to attempt the reorg: https://twitter.com/JeremyRubin/status/1125919526485254144

CZ's Periscope AMA after the hack: https://twitter.com/binance/status/1125959459782553600

CZ's decision not to do the reorg: https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1125996194734399488

CZ tweeting about the controversy that resulted: https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1126088279261007875?s=20

Jeremy's statement after the controversy over his suggestion of a reorg: https://twitter.com/JeremyRubin/status/1126391126619971585?s=20

What Happened to Bitfinex/Tether's $850 Million - Ep.071

Fri, 03 May 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Robert-Jan Den Haan, a contributor to the Block who has been researching the Bitfinex/Tether situation for over a year, talks about how Bitfinex found itself without access to $850 million of its own money, how the trouble crypto companies have maintaining banking relationships played into that, and the company — or, rather, group of related companies — that is the source of its woes. We also cover where at least a portion of the money is now, and why it likely won't be made available soon, how a case involving Reginald Fowler and Ravid Yosef is related, and why Bitfinex will likely be conducting an initial exchange offering of $1 billion. Plus, we discuss why the price of Tether has barely budged despite being only 74% backed.

Crypto workshop at Omega Institute!

Thank you to our sponsors!

CoinDesk: Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy,blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don’t miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo: UNCHAINED300 to save $300 on your pass.

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/04/30/no-bitfinexs-seized-850-million-is-not-likely-to-be-unfrozen-within-weeks/

Episode links:

Original story about NYAG court order against iFinex: https://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-ny-prosecutors-tether-850-million-allege

Why at least part of the $850 million was seized (paywall):

Original indictment revealing involvement of Reginald Fowler and Ravid Yosef: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/05/01/indictment-reveals-new-clues-to-the-crypto-capital-situation/

Tether backed by 74% cash and cash equivalents:

https://www.coindesk.com/tether-lawyer-confirms-stablecoin-74-percent-backed-by-cash-and-equivalents

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/04/30/bitfinex-reveals-stablecoin-is-only-74-backed-by-cash-says-its-simultaneously-addressing-requests-from-nyag-doj-and-cftc/

Bitfinex and Tether General Counsel Stuart Hoegner's statement to the NY Supreme Court regarding the OAG's preliminary injunction:

https://www.scribd.com/document/408190972/Stuart-Hoegner-Affidavit-4-30#from_embed

Indictment from Southern District of New York against Reginald Fowler and Ravid . Yosef: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/press-release/file/1158991/download

Reginald Fowler's Master US Workbook and $345 million sitting in banks:

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/05/02/us-government-requests-detention-for-defendant-at-center-of-bitfinex-imbroglio-describes-master-us-workbook/

https://www.coindesk.com/u-s-doj-moves-to-detain-defendant-in-crypto-shadow-banking-case

Reginald Fowler and Ravid Yosef charged with providing shadow banking services to cryptocurrency exchanges:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/arizona-man-and-israeli-woman-charged-connection-providing-shadow-banking-services

Bitfinex's IEO: https://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-is-planning-to-issue-an-exchange-token-shareholder-says

Already $500 million subscribed:

https://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-shareholder-provides-more-details-about-potential-1-billion-token-sale

Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson discussing Tether on What Grinds My Gears: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-18-tarred-and-tethered/id1450518746?i=1000436884557

Absolutely hilarious satire on the whole saga: https://coinjazeera.news/federal-reserve-conspiracy-and-phil-potters-tether-scam/

Could Social Media Discontent Help the Decentralized Web? - Ep.070

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000

At the Subzero conference in Berlin, Ashley Tyson, the cofounder of the Web 3 Foundation, talks about how it plans to support the Polkadot protocol, plus bring together protocols to create a decentralized web, including other projects outside the Polkadot network. We discuss how the recent disaffection with Facebook and other social media platforms is affecting the movement toward decentralization, how they plan to get mainstream adoption of decentralized apps and whether or not enough people care about privacy to grow that movement.

Thank you to our sponsors!

CoinDesk: Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy,blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don't miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo: UNCHAINED300 to save $300 on your pass.

Episode links:

Web3 Foundation: https://web3.foundation

Ashley Tyson: https://twitter.com/AsherT

Facebook fine: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/technology/facebook-ftc-fine-privacy.html?module=inline

Sri Lankan government shutting down all social media: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/world/asia/sri-lanka-social-media.html?searchResultPosition=1

Blockstack's Reg A+ Filing and the Future of Token Offerings - Ep.069

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Zachary Fallon, a former SEC staffer and author of the Reg A JOBS Act crowdfunding rules and a principal at Blakemore Fallon, discusses Blockstack's filing for a token offering under Reg A+, what that means for the security status of the tokens and what types of investors the company can raise from. We also talk about several of the particulars of the Blockstack filing, such as the time-lock on the tokens, the ability to raise money in bitcoin and ether, and the cap on the dollar amount of tokens any single investor can purchase. Zach also covers how much they must have worked with the SEC until this point, how long it might take the SEC to offer a response and what the filing means for token offerings going forward.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode Links

Zach Fallon: https://twitter.com/ZacharyFallon

Blakemore Fallon: https://blakemorefallon.com

Blockstack: https://blockstack.org

Stackstoken: https://www.stackstoken.com

App mining for Stacks: https://app.co/mining

Blockstack's Reg A+ filing: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1719379/000110465919020748/a18-15736_1partiiandiii.htm

Wired story on the filing: https://www.wired.com/story/startup-sell-you-crypto-tokens-with-sec-backing/

Coinbase Custody: Keep Your Crypto Safe and Use It Too - Ep.068

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Sam McIngvale, head of product for Coinbase Custody, describes its new staking service. He explains how Coinbase Custody plans to allow its customers to participate in crypto networks while keeping those funds offline, what Coinbase had to build from an engineering and product perspective in order to keep funds secure and how insurance works for these assets. We also discuss its plans to enable its customers to participate in governance, whether or not Coinbase.com will move in the same direction, which other blockchains it may offer staking services for.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Coinbase blog post about staking with Coinbase Custody: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-custody-launches-staking-support-for-tezos-makerdao-governance-to-follow-68f7bc51bc53

Sam McIngvale: https://twitter.com/sammcingvale?lang=en

WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coinbases-new-customer-incentive-interest-payments-with-a-crypto-twist-11553855400

Fortune article: http://fortune.com/2019/03/29/coinbase-crypto-dividend-staking/

CoinDesk article: https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-leads-wall-street-to-brave-new-world-of-crypto-staking

How Useful Is the SEC's Guidance on ICOs? - Ep.067

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Marco Santori, the president and chief legal officer of Blockchain, discusses this week's big regulatory news — the SEC's guidance on initial coin offerings and its first no-action letter. We talk about what guidance actually means and how much weight it has in court, how much clarity this guidance actually brought, and how the framework could affect also future attempts at future fundraising/token distribution events and airdrops. We also cover the no-action letter and the ways in which the token of TurnKey Jet, which received the no-action letter, is quite different from most other crypto-tokens and how helpful that example is for crypto projects.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://www.coindesk.com/secs-first-crypto-no-action-letter-took-11-months-to-secure

Episode links:

SEC guidance: https://www.sec.gov/files/dlt-framework.pdf

No-action letter: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/2019/turnkey-jet-040219-2a1.htm

Marco Santori: https://twitter.com/msantoriesq

Marco's tweet storm on the guidance and no-action letter: https://twitter.com/msantoriESQ/status/1113458502264074246

Coin Center's analysis: https://coincenter.org/entry/coin-center-analysis-of-sec-cryptocurrency-guidance

Jake Chervinksy tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1113672285595086848

Skeptic Preston Byrne tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/1113463999591518209

Meltem Demirors tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/melt_dem/status/1113457795792293889

Katherine Wu tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/katherineykwu/status/1113452950041649157

Gabriel Shapiro tweetstorm: https://twitter.com/lex_node/status/1113461396593713152

SAFT white paper: http://saftproject.com/#saft-whitepaper

Article on SAFT white paper: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/02/are-icos-for-utility-tokens-selling-securities-prominent-crypto-players-say-yes/

More on the no-action letter: https://www.coindesk.com/sec-issues-first-ever-no-action-letter-clearing-ico-to-sell-tokens-under-us-law

Letter from TurnKey Jet prompting the no-action letter: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/2019/turnkey-jet-040219-2a1-incoming.pdf

Unchained episode with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-come-talk-to-the-sec/

Why Has MakerDAO's Dai Struggled to Keep Its Dollar Peg? - Ep.066

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Ryan Todd and Matteo Leibowitz, research analysts at The Block, discuss why Dai has fallen below $1 in price, how the community has attempted to keep it pegged to $1 and how well that's been working. They also describe what the governance system looks like, how high participation is, and whether or not that's decentralized. And since 2% of al, ETH is locked up in Maker CDPs and Dai is the fuel behind the DeFi movement, we look at what type of role and risk it plays in Ethereum and the overall DeFi system.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Matteo Leibowitz: https://twitter.com/teo_leibowitz

Ryan Todd: https://twitter.com/_RJTodd

The Block: https://twitter.com/theblock__

March 15 governance call report: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/03/15/makerdao-governance-risk-call-march-14-stability-fee-hike-post-mortem/

March 21 governance call report: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2019/03/22/makerdao-governance-call-march-14-despite-0-75-supply-decrease-dai-continues-to-trade-down/

Unchained interview with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO, part 1: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/

Unchained interview with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO, part 2: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/

Unconfirmed podcast with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO on its investment of $15 million from a16z: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep-039/

Unchained podcast on why it's so hard to keep stablecoins stable: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable/

Unconfirmed interview with Uniswap, another DeFi project the utilizes Dai: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-uniswap-quickly-became-one-of-the-most-popular-dexes/

Unconfirmed interview on earning money on collateral in DeFi: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-earn-money-on-collateral-in-defi-and-why-thats-risky/

Why Ethereum 2.0 Could Fail and How It Could Be Fixed - Ep.065

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Delphi Digital recently released a report on Ethereum's short- and long-term prospects. It showed why there's been such high selling pressure on Ethereum, plus dived deeply into the economics of Ethereum 2.0, concluding that the current proposal leaves Ethereum with a shaky future. Medio Demarco and Yan Liberman, cofounders of Delphi, discuss how they think Ethereum could change its issuance in order to ensure the security of the network from the start and why the current plan will make validating transactions appealing only to the altruistically minded and malicious actors. Plus, we discuss the problem of velocity and utility vs. token price.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Delphi Digital: https://www.delphidigital.io

Medio Demarco: https://twitter.com/mediodelphi

Yan Liberman: https://twitter.com/YanLiberman

Delphi Digital's Ethereum report: https://www.delphidigital.io/ethereum

The Unchained interview with Vitalik will be released in full next week on Unchainedpodcast.com!

How Uniswap Quickly Became One of the Most Popular Dexes - Ep.064

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0000

Hayden Adams, founder of the new decentralized exchange Uniswap, discusses how Uniswap differs from a traditional exchange based on order books, how market the contract determines the price of the tokens, and how market making on Uniswap is similar, in terms of payment, to participating in a mining pool. He covers under which conditions it is that a market maker will earn profit, what fees go toward in Uniswap, and how the contract functions as the dollar values of each token in a liquidity pair fluctuate. He describes how Uniswap quickly became one of the biggest decentralized exchanges on Ethereum since its launch in November, why gas fees are lower on Uniswap than other dexes, and how new tokens get listed on Uniswap. Plus, he talks about what regulatory risk he faces, how he plans to make money off the dex, and what he thinks of the idea that Dan Elitzer described in last week's Unconfirmed — people using the Uniswap liquidity pair tokens as collateral for loans.

Thank you to our sponsor!

On Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/55m04x/lets_run_onchain_decentralized_exchanges_the_way/

Episode links:

Uniswap: https://uniswap.io

Uniswap on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UniswapExchange

Hayden: https://twitter.com/haydenzadams

Explanations of Uniswap:

High level overview by Cyrus Younessi of Scalar Capital: https://medium.com/scalar-capital/uniswap-a-unique-exchange-f4ef44f807bf

Another by Ross Bulat: https://medium.com/@rossbulat/uniswap-understanding-the-decentralised-ethereum-exchange-5ee5d7878996

Analysis of Uniswap on Token Daily: https://www.tokendaily.co/blog/pnl-analysis-of-uniswap-market-making

The posts by Vitalik Buterin that Hayden used to create Uniswap:

The comment by Vitalik near the top of this blog post about Bancor: http://hackingdistributed.com/2017/06/19/bancor-is-flawed/

Blog post by Vitalik: https://vitalik.ca/general/2017/06/22/marketmakers.html

Unconfirmed episode with Dan Elitzer on superfluid collateral and Uniswap liquidity pair tokens being used as collateral: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-earn-money-on-collateral-in-defi-and-why-thats-risky/

Venue Announcement for Unchained Live

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 22:40:08 -0000

Get your tickets now for Unchained Live with Vitalik Buterin! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176

It will take place March 20th at 6pm at Columbia Journalism School in the Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall. Hope to see you there!

How to Earn Money on Collateral in DeFi — and Why That's Risky - Ep.063

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Dan Elitzer, investor at IDEO CoLab Ventures, describes a concept he describes as superfluid collateral made possible in the decentralized finance space. We talk about which DeFi projects make this possible, how one can make collateral liquid so that interest can be earned from it, and what kinds of tokens could both serve as debt and earn interest. (Surprisingly, even trading pairs, particularly on the Uniswap decentralized exchange, which exist as tokens, can do so!) Based on the growth of Uniswap and DeFi, there's more than $300 million in collateral on Ethereum, causing Dan to make a prediction that Uniswap pool shares could serve as collateral for millions of dollars in loans within months. However, he admits that such a system could be risky, and discusses how he thinks such risks should be managed.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Dan Elitzer: https://twitter.com/delitzer

IDEO CoLab Ventures: https://www.ideocolab.com/ventures/

Dan's Medium post, Superfluid Collateral in Open Finance: https://tokeneconomy.co/superfluid-collateral-in-open-finance-8c3db15efac

MakerDAO interview Part 1: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-1-how-to-keep-a-crypto-collateralized-stablecoin-afloat/

MakerDAO interview Part 2: https://unchainedpodcast.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-part-2-how-dai-stayed-at-1-while-eth-crashed-from-1400-to-85/

Unchained interview about Compound: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep-82/

Unchained interview about Dharma protocol: https://unchainedpodcast.com/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep-80/

Unchained interview about 0x: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future/

Uniswap: https://uniswap.io

After Massive Layoffs and Losses, What Are Bitmain's Future Prospects? - Ep.062

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Blockstream chief strategy officer Samson Mow, who used to work at a competitor to Bitmain, discusses the recent news that the crypto mining manufacturer suffered a $500 million loss in the third quarter of 2018. He talks about possible reasons, including difficulties in selling its most recent miner and its stockpile of Bitcoin Cash, which has dropped more precipitously than Bitcoin during the last year. We also cover the extensive layoffs that the company has undergone in recent months, the shakeup in company leadership and what the prospects are for its IPO filing.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Samson Mow: https://twitter.com/Excellion

Bitmain: https://bitmain.com

CoinDesk article on Bitmain's Q3 loss: https://www.coindesk.com/mining-giant-bitmain-posts-500-million-loss-in-ipo-financial-filing

CoinDesk on Bitmain's original IPO plans: https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-unicorn-bitmain-weighs-18-billion-ipo-one-of-worlds-largest

CoinDesk on Bitmain layoffs: https://www.coindesk.com/layoffs-underway-amid-business-adjustments-bitcoin-miner-bitmain-confirms

Dovey Wan on the layoffs: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1076717693087080448

Dovey on Jihan launching a spinoff: https://twitter.com/DoveyWan/status/1100002158261428225

Unchained episode on Asia with Dovey Wan and Eric Meltzer of Primitive Ventures: https://unchainedpodcast.com/asia-edition-mining-a-crypto-yuan-and-the-two-main-reasons-the-chinese-are-interested-in-crypto-ep-102/

How AirTM Hopes to Get Venezuelans to Use Cryptocurrency - Ep.061

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Ruben Galindo Steckel, cofounder and CEO of AirTM, describes how his companies enables everyday Venezuelans the ability to escape the hyperinflation in their currency, the bolivar, to save in U.S. dollar accounts. He also describes how the company creates its own exchange rate, and why that got them in trouble with the Venezuelan government. He also describes a campaign the company is waging, AirdropVenezuela, an attempt to raise $1 million in cryptocurrency to give to everyday Venezuelans for educational purposes and to use. He explains how Venezuelans can use crypto today and why they are raising money even in obscure coins.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176

Episode Links:

AirTM: https://www.airtm.com/#/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/AirtmInc

Airdrop Venezuela: https://airdropvenezuela.org

Planet Money episode on AirTM: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/08/03/635521893/episode-858-venezuelas-fugitive-money-traders

AirTM's blog post about AirdropVenezuela: https://blog.airtm.io/en/uniting-the-crypto-community-for-venezuela/

Unchained Live With Vitalik Buterin

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:24:25 -0000

In case you haven’t heard, I’m doing a live podcast recording with Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum. What is a live podcast recording? It's a podcast performed by me and the guest on a stage, in front of an audience.

Vitalik and I will be discussing Ethereum 2.0, Polka Dot, Substrate, what happened with Afri this week and more. And you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions.

It’ll be in New York City the evening of March 20th, which is one month from today. The doors open at 6, the show starts at 7. We will be announcing the venue soon.

Get your tickets here! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unchained-live-with-vitalik-buterin-tickets-56189456176

How Korea's Crypto Scene Differs From That of the US - Ep.060

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Joyce Yang, founder of Global Coin Research, discusses the crypto scene in Korea today. An epicenter of the crypto craze in 2017, Korea still has a number of young people pinning their hopes and dreams on crypto, as described in an article in The New York Times this week. Yang talks about the societal factors that have led to this trend, as well as the common practices in investing that make Korean VCs less shrewd investors, which, in turn, makes Korean crypto projects less competitive. However, she also explains why she's still optimistic about crypto development there, noting one project, Terra, that looks interesting and describing the vibrant Tezos Korea community. (Joyce is consulting with Tezos.)

Get your tickets now to Unchained Live With Vitalik Buterin in New York City on March 20!

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://twitter.com/JoyceInNYC/status/1089716206544637952

Episode links:

Global Coin Research: https://globalcoinresearch.com

Joyce Yang: https://twitter.com/JoyceInNYC

Joyce's tweet storm on Korea:

The New York Times story on why Koreans are pinning their hopes and dreams on crypto: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/business/south-korea-bitcoin-cryptocurrencies.html

Terra: https://terra.money

Hashed: https://www.hashed.com

Global Coin Research/Tezos podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/introduction-conversation-arthur-breitman-diego-olivier/id1451821045?i=1000429387176&mt=2

The QuadrigaCX Case: Taylor Monahan on What We Know From the Blockchain - Ep.059

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000

To hear that a 29-year-old died of complications from Crohn's disease is shocking enough. But it's practically unbelievable when the person in question was in charge of a crypto exchange that held an estimated $150 million of customer funds and that he was the only person with access to the reserves. That's what many in the crypto community thought last week when news of the death of Gerald Cotten, the CEO of Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX, spread. Taylor Monahan, the CEO of MyCrypto, looked at the Ethereum blockchain itself to see what could be gleaned from QuadrigaCX's holdings. She talks about whether or not the exchange had "cold storage" -- addresses in which customer funds were held, what Quadriga was doing with customer funds and why some of the choices it was making seem at odds with the typical operations a crypto exchange. She also discusses what crypto users can take away from this debacle.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Taylor Monahan: https://twitter.com/tayvano_

My Crypto: https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1092439754849759233

QuadrigaCX: https://www.quadrigacx.com/

Taylor's tweet storm about her findings from the blockchain: https://twitter.com/tayvano_/status/1092439754849759233

CoinDesk article recapping what is currently known and not yet known about the case: https://www.coindesk.com/quadrigacx-explainer

CoinDesk article on how the hospital has released information about Gerald Cotten's death: https://www.coindesk.com/quadrigacx-indian-hospital-releases-details-about-ceos-death

Globe and Mail article noting Cotten finalized his will less than two weeks before he died: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/streetwise/article-quadriga-cant-access-190-million-following-ceos-death-court/

New York Times article on the situation: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/business/quadriga-cx-gerald-cotten.html

Dan Morehead of Pantera Capital on Why This Crypto Winter Is Different - Ep.058

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Dan Morehead, CEO of Pantera Capital, explains why this crypto bear market is different from the previous one his firm endured, what he believes will give institutional money the confidence to enter the space, and how Pantera's investing approach has changed in this downturn. We also discuss what types of projects and companies Pantera is investing in, how regulatory uncertainty is affecting development of the space, and where innovation is happening. The answer may surprise you.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Pantera Capital: https://www.panteracapital.com

Dan Morehead: https://twitter.com/dan_pantera

Pantera's December letter: https://medium.com/@PanteraCapital/market-update-pantera-blockchain-letter-december-2018-f48ad020f9d6

Joey Krug's crypto thesis: https://medium.com/@PanteraCapital/a-crypto-thesis-47eaacf861ca

Fidelity launching a Bitcoin custody service in March: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-29/fidelity-is-said-to-plan-march-launch-of-bitcoin-custody-service

Why You Shouldn't Trust Crypto Exchange Reports for Your Taxes - Ep.057

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Chandan Lodha, cofounder and CEO of CoinTracker, explains why reports from crypto exchanges could be insufficient for filing accurate tax returns to the IRS, how one should track one's crypto transactions in order to not over- or under-pay, and who can use the service. We also discuss how users should treat airdropped coins, new, comprehensive rules on crypto taxation for UK taxpayers and correlations in coin ownership that CoinTracker sees amongst its users.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links

CoinTracker: https://www.cointracker.io

Chandan Lodha: https://twitter.com/cglodha

Unchained episode on all crypto-related tax issues: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-tax-rules-that-have-crypto-users-aghast/

CoinTracker integration with TurboTax: https://medium.com/cointracker/cointracker-partners-with-coinbase-and-turbotax-17f37a08bbb

CoinTracker and Coinbase integration (announced after we recorded): https://blog.coinbase.com/new-resources-for-crypto-taxes-b29651c3f5d4

CoinTracker post on UK tax guidance: https://medium.com/cointracker/cryptocurrency-taxation-in-the-united-kingdom-3d99bb81b6b5

CoinTracker Cryptocurrency Coin Correlations: https://medium.com/cointracker/whats-in-your-wallet-cryptocurrency-coin-correlations-6c0aa6274882

When Is a Token Decentralized Enough to Not Be a Security? - Ep.056

Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000

The newly formed Blockchain Association recently released a post outlining what it calls the Hinman Token Standard based on a speech given last summer by Bill Hinman, director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. The Blockchain Association's director of external affairs, Kristin Smith, breaks down what factors are part of the standard, how much weight should be given to remarks he gave at a conference and how decentralization can square with leadership. We also discuss the Token Taxonomy Act, which seeks to amend the Securities Exchange Act to define "digital tokens" and when they are not securities.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

The Blockchain Association: https://theblockchainassociation.org

Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/KMSmithDC

The Hinman Token Standard: https://medium.com/@BlockchainAssoc/understanding-the-secs-guidance-on-digital-tokens-the-hinman-token-standard-dd51c6105e2a

Token Taxonomy Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/7356

The Ethereum Classic 51% Attack: How It Happened and Why the Price Didn't Crash - Ep.055

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000

Charlie Lee, the creator of Litecoin, discusses this week's 51% attack on the Ethereum Classic blockchain. He describes how the attacker was able to gain control of more than 51% of the network, why it was inexpensive for them to do so, how they profited from their attack and who loses money in such an attack. We talk about what types of blockchains are susceptible to these types of attacks, whether or not Coinbase or other exchange will de-list ETC and why the price of ETC hasn't dropped -- and what that means for cryptoeconomic theories around 51% attacks.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Coinbase blog identifying the 51% attack: https://blog.coinbase.com/ethereum-classic-etc-is-currently-being-51-attacked-33be13ce32de

Charlie's tweet about how a coin that's dominant in its respective mining algorithm will not be vulnerable to 51% attacks: https://twitter.com/SatoshiLite/status/1082369887278837763

Charlie's tweet about how only decentralized blockchains are susceptible to 51% attacks: https://twitter.com/SatoshiLite/status/1082491687169998848

Haseeb Qureshi tweet storm about the ETC 51% attack: https://twitter.com/hosseeb/status/1082815549132816384

Arjun Balaji on the Ways Bitcoin Will Improve in 2019 - Ep.054

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 08:30:00 -0000

On the 10th birthday of the Bitcoin network, Arjun Balaji, founder and managing partner at Shomei Capital, explains why doesn't worry too much about potential bugs in the code such as there was last fall, why we'll see improved scalability, privacy and fungibility in the top cryptocurrency in 2019, and why he believes the Lightning Network will foster more developer activity on Bitcoin. He also explains his view that governance tokens and token curated registries will be less popular than they were in 2018 and how such systems further entrench existing power structures. We look at the different waves of crypto funds, how they'll differentiate themselves during the crypto winter, and why we'll see some consolidation in that sector. Plus, he explains why long-term, value from security tokens will be captured by underwriters and why it's unclear who are the right investors for security tokens.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode links:

Arjun's crypto theses for 2019: https://medium.com/@arjunblj/crypto-theses-for-2019-dd20cb7f9895

CVE bug in Bitcoin caught last fall: https://www.coindesk.com/the-latest-bitcoin-bug-was-so-bad-developers-kept-its-full-details-a-secret

How PowerLedger Aims to Boost Renewable Energy - Ep.053

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000

Jemma Green, cofounder and chairman of PowerLedger, describes how the company, which won the 2018 Extreme Tech Challenge, spearheaded by Sir Richard Branson and CES, is using tokens to solve various energy problems. One is the principal-agent problem in which the landlords of residential buildings don't have an incentive to install renewables because the tenants are the ones who would recoup the savings. Another is that, as more people install renewables, the grid is becoming less robust and more expensive. She describes the two types of tokens PowerLedger has, how that enables peer-to-peer trading but also involves the utilities, which pilots they have going now, how they're enabling energy asset financing and their work with carbon credits.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

PowerLedger: https://www.powerledger.io

Jemma Green: https://twitter.com/msjemmagreen

PowerLedger wins the Extreme Tech Challenge: https://medium.com/power-ledger/power-ledger-named-winner-in-extreme-tech-challenge-on-necker-island-423bcaa5e082

PowerLedger's pitch at XTC: https://medium.com/power-ledger/xtc-2018-power-ledgers-final-pitch-d69b66a329c6

Australian Financial Review Article that came out after we recorded on how small PowerLedger's uptake is so far: https://www.afr.com/business/energy/how-to-make-and-lose-2-billion-on-blockchain-20181212-h1914w

Bloomberg's Matt Leising on Why It Appears Tether Has Sufficient Dollar Reserves - Ep.052

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000

Bloomberg reporter Matt Leising, who obtained bank statements from Tether's bank, Noble Bank in Puerto Rico, found that for those months, the number of dollars in the bank matched the amount of Tether outstanding. He talks about what this means, whether it matters that both Tether and Noble Bank were founded by Brock Pierce, and whether it matters that the statements are not the most recent. We also touch on other investigations involving Tether, including the CFTC's investigation into whether Tether is fully backed by dollar reserves, the Department of Justice's investigation into whether Tether was used to manipulate the Bitcoin price, and why both Tether and Bitfinex have had such a hard time maintaining banking relationships.

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://mobile.twitter.com/mattleising

Episode links:

Matt Leising: https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/AGfq0QVqo0I/matthew-leising

His story on Tether: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-18/crypto-mystery-clues-suggest-tether-has-the-billions-it-promised?srnd=premium

CFTC subpoeanas Tether and Bitfinex:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-30/crypto-exchange-bitfinex-tether-said-to-get-subpoenaed-by-cftc

Bitfinex moves to Noble Bank: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-24/bitfinex-said-to-find-bank-in-puerto-rico-after-wells-fargo-exit

Tether moves to Deltec bank: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-02/bank-tied-to-tether-goes-quiet-on-relationship-with-crypto-firm

DOJ’s investigation into whether Tether was used to manipulate the Bitcoin price: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-20/bitcoin-rigging-criminal-probe-is-said-to-focus-on-tie-to-tether

Consensus: Invest 2018: Financial Products in 2019 and Beyond - Ep.051

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000

This special episode is a recording of the closing fireside chat I had at Consensus: Invest, titled “Financial Products: 2019 and Beyond,” with Jan Van Eck, president and CEO of the Van Eck Securities Corporation, and Mike Belshe, cofounder and CEO of BitGo. During the talk, we discuss SEC chairman Jay Clayton’s comments earlier that day that the main barrier to a Bitcoin ETF was market manipulation. We dive into how well the problem of custody has been solved for potential financial products, and what the entrance of Bakkt and Fidelity could mean for the space in 2019.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Thank you to Consensus: Invest for inviting me to moderate! https://www.coindesk.com/events/consensus-invest-2018/agenda

Van Eck: https://www.vaneck.com

BitGo: https://bitgo.com

The comments with SEC chairman Jay Clayton that we reference at the beginning: https://www.coindesk.com/sec-jay-clayton-consensus-invest-video

An article on what he said: https://www.coindesk.com/clayton-sec-ico-funding-security-offering

Why ConsenSys Is 'Shifting From Experimentation to Excellence' - Ep.050

Fri, 14 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000

ConsenSys's Andrew Keys talks about the company's recent pivot, called "ConsenSys 2.0," toward greater efficiency, accountability and focus on revenue, why it laid off about 150 people, and what areas it plans to generate revenue from. He explains what the company's mission and goals were in ConsenSys 1.0, how its new priorities will resemble those of more traditional companies, and whether it will retain its flat, unhierarchical structure. Plus, he reveals that the company has "years" of runway left, even as it toys with taking on outside investment.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Episode links:

ConsenSys: https://consensys.net

Andrew Keys: https://twitter.com/consensysandrew

Jeff Kauflin's article about ConsenSys: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2018/12/05/cryptopia-in-crisis-billionaire-joe-lubins-ethereum-experiment-is-a-mess-how-long-will-he-prop-it-up/

Unconfirmed episode about ConsenSys with Jeff: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/how-consensys-got-so-big-but-accomplished-so-little-ep049

Joe Lubin's letter to ConsenSys staff about the 2.0 pivot: https://breakermag.com/exclusive-consensys-letter-to-staff-details-major-strategy-shift/

CoinDesk article about restructuring: https://www.coindesk.com/lubin-wont-rule-out-layoffs-amid-refocusing-at-consensys

13% of staff cut at ConsenSys: https://www.coindesk.com/consensys-confirms-layoffs-projecting-13-of-staff-at-startups-to-be-cut

Town Hall questions: https://www.coindesk.com/consensys-town-hall-shows-staff-shaken-at-ethereums-largest-startup

WSJ article about layoffs: https://www.coindesk.com/lubin-wont-rule-out-layoffs-amid-refocusing-at-consensys

How ConsenSys Got So Big But Accomplished So Little - Ep.049

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 08:30:00 -0000

Despite having Joe Lubin's billions at its back, and despite having 1,200 employees to build apparently anything they wanted in the Ethereum ecosystem, ConsenSys has accomplished very little and has little revenue -- so it's finally facing the music and laying off 13% of its employees. Jeff Kauflin, staff writer at Forbes, who wrote a great story on how ConsenSys is flailing, discusses how the company got to this place. (Hint: asteroid mining and college diplomas on a blockchain are part of the answer.) We talk about whether any ConsenSys projects actually have some traction, how much of the new focus has to do with the downturn in the crypto markets -- particularly bitcoin and ether, which are rumored to comprise most of Lubin's wealth -- and what ConsenSys's difficulties mean for Ethereum.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Episode Links:

Jeff Kauflin's stories on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/#6083b54463ae

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffKauflin

Jeff's story on ConsenSys: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2018/12/05/cryptopia-in-crisis-billionaire-joe-lubins-ethereum-experiment-is-a-mess-how-long-will-he-prop-it-up/#c3354702f0a6

Letter from Joe announcing new focus on efficiency and revenue: https://breakermag.com/exclusive-consensys-letter-to-staff-details-major-strategy-shift/

CoinDesk article reporting layoffs at ConsenSys: https://www.coindesk.com/consensys-confirms-layoffs-projecting-13-of-staff-at-startups-to-be-cut

Joe Lubin's estimated personal wealth as of early 2018: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2018/02/07/joseph-lubin-ethereum-ether-consensys-crypto-cryptocurrency/#58d513863575

Jackson Palmer of Why We're Not Decentralized Yet - Ep.048

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000

Jackson Palmer, the creator of Dogecoin and the website Are We Decentralized Yet, explains why he thinks the markets suddenly took a nosedive, why it's hard for him to get data on these crypto assets for the Are We Decentralized Yet website -- unless there's a centralized company behind them -- and how Ripple and Initiative Q are somewhat similar. We also covered the perpetual question of how much of Ripple's social media support is real vs. bots, what "fair distribution" of coins means, why mining isn't for "anybody" but for the privileged, and whether or not proof of stake coins could be secure or whether they'll also be susceptible to centralization.

Thank you to our advertisers!

WeTrust: https://wetrust.io/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Jackson Palmer: https://twitter.com/ummjackson

Jackson Palmer's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/JacksonPalmer

Jackson Palmer's website: https://ummjackson.com

Dogecoin: https://dogecoin.com

Are We Decentralized Yet: https://arewedecentralizedyet.com

Laura's TEDx Talk: How Crypto Could Allow More People to Be Their Own Boss - Ep.047

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 15:45:09 -0000

In lieu of a regular episode during this (U.S.) holiday, I'm releasing the audio from my TEDx San Francisco Talk.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unconfirmed

WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unconfirmed

Links:

TEDx San Francisco: https://www.tedxsanfrancisco.com

Video of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Ew7PW4LCo

My Unconfirmed episode with Bill Tai: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/how-crypto-will-give-you-more-flexibility-in-your-work-ep033

The Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork: Bitcoin ABC vs. Bitcoin SV - Ep.046

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000

Bitcoin Magazine technical editor Aaron Van Wirdum breaks down what is going on with the Bitcoin Cash contentious hard fork: who is fighting, over what, and how this could play out, including the nuclear option of a proof of work algorithm change. We discuss whether the battle could deliver a verdict on the question of whether hash power follows price or vice versa, what this says about the strength of proof of work as an algorithm over proof of stake, and what Bitcoin Cash holders should do.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unconfirmed

WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Aaron Van Wirdum: https://twitter.com/AaronvanW

Aaron's article on the Bitcoin Cash contentious hard fork: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/when-fork-forks-what-you-need-know-bitcoin-cash-goes-war/

Jordan Clifford of Scalar Capital explains the split: https://medium.com/@jcliff/bitcoin-cashs-november-2018-fork-804596268771

Where you can watch the battle between Bitcoin ABC and SV: https://cash.coin.dance

Tweet storm on Bitcoin Cash hard fork by Emin Gun Sirer: https://twitter.com/el33th4xor/status/1063074170739744768

Gun's tweet about the security of proof of work vs. proof of stake: https://twitter.com/el33th4xor/status/1062963517530103808

Emin Gun Sirer on the SEC/EtherDelta Settlement and Why Code Is Speech - Ep.045

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 08:30:00 -0000

Emin Gun Sirer, Cornell professor, co-director at the Initiative for Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts (IC3) and the founder of Ava, talks about the settlement the SEC reached with the founder of EtherDelta, and what that could mean for the coders of decentralized systems. He also puts this action in the context of the history of peer-to-peer sharing and how the government used to prohibit encryption. We also discuss his main takeaway from DevCon4 last week -- hint, maximalism is probably not the future -- and he explains a new consensus algorithm called Avalanche, and how that differs from previous ways to achieve consensus. Then, he gives us a sneak preview of a new coin he is launching, Ava.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unconfirmed

Ava: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2629017553989259&id=1801780960046260

Episode links:

Emin Gun Sirer: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/people/egs/

IC3: https://www.initc3.org

SEC/EtherDelta settlement press release: https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2018-258

SEC order: https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2018/34-84553.pdf

CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz's speech discussing how they would prosecute illegal prediction markets and how coders could be liable: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/SpeechesTestimony/opaquintenz16

Unchained episode discussing whether coders would be liable: http://unchainedpodcast.co/reflections-on-the-10-year-anniversary-of-the-bitcoin-white-paper-ep90

DevCon4: https://devcon4.ethereum.org

Avalanche white paper: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmUy4jh5mGNZvLkjies1RWM4YuvJh5o2FYopNPVYwrRVGV

Charlie Lee, aka Satoshi Lite, on the 10-Year Anniversary of the Bitcoin White Paper - Ep.044

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 07:30:00 -0000

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the publication of the Bitcoin white paper, Charlie Lee, the creator of Litecoin, asks how Bitcoin can go from a speculative asset to real money (hint: the Lightning Network plays a role) and explains what he thinks is the significance of Fidelity getting into crypto and Bakkt launching. He also tells the story of how Poker Black Friday, when the government shut down online poker sites, demonstrates the need for Bitcoin, which leads us to discuss whether or not Bitcoin is mostly good for criminal activities. We explore how Satoshi leaving Bitcoin has influenced its trajectory, and, looking to the next 10 years, Charlie wonders whether we'll find, via its market cap, that Bitcoin truly is a better store of value than gold -- plus, he gives us his vision for Litecoin.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Abra: Click this special link for a free $25 in Bitcoin! https://www.abra.com/unconfirmed

WeTrust: Donate in crypto and have your donation matched by WeTrust through Giving Tuesday, November 27! http://wetrust.io/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Charlie Lee: https://twitter.com/SatoshiLite

Litecoin: https://litecoin.org

Bitcoin white paper: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

Lightning Network: https://lightning.network

Unconfirmed episode with Fidelity Digital Asset Services' Tom Jessop: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/fidelity-digital-asset-services-tom-jessop-on-why-its-serving-institutional-clients-first-ep043

Fidelity Digital Asset Services' Tom Jessop on Why It's Serving Institutional Clients First - Ep.043

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Fidelity Digital Asset Services president Tom Jessop explains why its new crypto offering for institutional clients is focused on custody and trade execution, why it's decided not to launch its own exchange, and what kinds of trading capabilities from traditional financial services they plan to build out in the space. He also describes Fidelity's journey to this point -- how it started mining Bitcoin in 2015, had employees buy what must now be some of the world's most expensive bagels in the company cafeteria, and enabled Bitcoin donations in its donor advised funds. He also answers whether or not they plan to create a digital asset offering for retail customers, how custodying digital assets is different from custodying traditional assets and how he came to Fidelity after experience at Goldman Sachs and Chain.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Episode links:

Fidelity Digital Assets: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/overview

Fidelity's journey in crypto: https://medium.com/@FidelityDigitalAssets/fidelity-digital-assets-the-journey-from-idea-to-market-3ab3bf4b38d5

Custody of digital assets: https://medium.com/@FidelityDigitalAssets/custody-in-the-age-of-digital-assets-95799f347016

Endowments investing in crypto: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/harvard-stanford-mit-endowments-invest-in-crypto-funds

Why the Tether Situation Brought Up Memories of Mt. Gox - Ep.042

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Dan McArdle, cofounder of Messari and the creator of OnChainFX, discusses why tether lost its dollar peg, how the Gemini USD traded at above $1, and how this was similar to the time before Mt. Gox imploded. We also discuss the significance of the Fidelity news, plus McArdle's thesis on how Bitcoin would behave in a recession -- which isn't the conventional wisdom.

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://theblockcrypto.com/2018/10/16/bitfinex-appears-to-have-moved-its-business-to-a-hong-kong-bank/

OnRamp: http://www.thinkonramp.com

Episode links:

Dan McArdle: https://twitter.com/robustus

Messari: https://messari.io

OnChainFX: https://onchainfx.com

Tether falls in price: https://www.coindesk.com/price-of-tether-stablecoin-tanks-to-18-month-low/

Gemini trades as high as $1.09: https://www.coindesk.com/gemini-stablecoin-volume-doubles-top-10-exchange-bibox-tether-turmoil/

Bitfinex's banking situation: https://theblockcrypto.com/2018/10/16/tether-has-found-a-new-bank-in-the-caribbean/

Unchained episode in which I answer listener questions: http://unchainedpodcast.co/listener-mail-laura-answers-your-questions-on-the-markets-velocity-privacy-and-more-ep88

Fidelity's news: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2018/10/15/fidelity-launches-institutional-platform-for-bitcoin-and-ethereum/

Dan's thoughts on how Bitcoin could behave in a recession: https://twitter.com/robustus/status/1010240675189805063

How We're Misusing the Word 'Decentralization' - Ep.041

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Soona Amhaz of Token Daily talks about how we've misused the word decentralization and stretched it to the point of meaninglessness. She discusses how certain companies misrepresent being decentralized and walks us through some misleading graphs put out by Ripple and EOS. She also explains why, when a good metric becomes a target, people will then game it, and why we should be open to projects becoming decentralized over time.

We also talk about tribalism, and why it's bad in only some instances -- like for investors -- but good for other groups of people in the crypto space. Plus, we dish about Nouriel Roubini's and Peter Van Valkenburgh's testimony to the Senate on cryptocurrencies.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed? Contact Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Soona Amhaz: https://twitter.com/soonaorlater

Token Daily: https://www.tokendaily.co

Crypto Springs: http://www.cryptosprings.org

Unchained episode on Ripple: http://unchainedpodcast.co/ripples-xrp-why-its-chances-of-success-are-low-ep58

Singularity episode with Galia Benartzi of Bancor: http://unchainedpodcast.co/singularity-university-global-summit-how-do-we-get-consumer-adoption-ep83

The bug in the Bitcoin software: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qvakp3/a-major-bug-in-bitcoin-software-could-have-crashed-the-currency

The Senate hearings on crypto featuring NYU economist Nouriel Roubini and Coin Center's Peter Van Valkenburgh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFc0Um6WUU4

Sample of Roubini's tweets: https://twitter.com/Nouriel/status/1050425363413827584

How Abra Enables You to Buy $5 of an ETF-Like Token of the Top 10 Cryptos - Ep.040

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Bill Barhydt, founder and CEO of Abra, describes its new product, the BIT10, which it created in partnership with Bitwise Asset Management (full disclosure: Bitwise previously sponsored my podcasts). He outlines the way the token is similar to an ETF -- for instance, it rebalances monthly -- and the ways in which it differs. We also compare and contrast it to similar offerings announced by Coinbase and Circle. Bill also explains Abra's overall strategy and recent pivot, why it is built on Bitcoin and its future plans.

Thank you to our sponsor!

http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/sxsw-episode-former-doj-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-what-the-sec-subpoenas-and-fincen-letter-likely-mean

If you're interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed, reach out to Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Abra: https://www.abra.com/

Bill Barhydt: https://twitter.com/billbarhydt

BIT10: https://www.abra.com/index/bit10/

Bitwise: https://www.bitwiseinvestments.com

Singularity episode: http://unchainedpodcast.co/singularity-university-global-summit-how-do-we-get-consumer-adoption-ep83

Rune Christensen of MakerDao on Its $15 Million From Andreessen Horowitz - Ep.039

Fri, 28 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Rune Christensen, founder and CEO of MakerDao, explains what Andreessen Horowitz's $15 million investment in its Maker token means for the ecosystem and why they chose to work with a16z and its general partner Kathryn Haun. He also responds to criticism that the process took place behind closed doors despite the fact that MakerDao has a notably open, transparent system otherwise, and concerns about the seeming discount of 40% that the a16z team got. He also talks about whether or not MakerDao could amass too much power in the Ethereum ecosystem, thereby centralizing power around the Dai stablecoin.

If you're interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed, reach out to Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com!

Episode links:

Rune Christensen: https://twitter.com/runekek

MakerDao: https://makerdao.com

Announcement about investment from a16z: https://medium.com/makerdao/a16z-crypto-purchases-6-of-mkr-backing-stablecoin-vanguard-makerdao-ff410a692393

Rune's comments about why MakerDao wants to work with a16z and Kathryn Haun: https://www.reddit.com/r/MakerDAO/comments/9ihwz0/big_news_az16z_buys_6_of_makerdao/e6jque0/

Critiques from Meltem Demirors about the process for deciding upon this investment: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem/status/1044217806043181057

MakerDao being ready to move to multi-collateralized Dai: https://medium.com/makerdao/the-code-is-ready-2aee2aa62e73

A previous episode of Unchained with Rune: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable

A previous episode of Unconfirmed with Katie Haun:

A previous episode of Unchained with Katie Haun, when she was a federal prosecutor:

http://unchainedpodcast.co/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them

Why 'Ethereum Killers' Will Have a Hard Time Attracting Its Developers - Ep.038

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Linda Xie, cofounder at Scalar Capital, talks about what she saw at ETHBerlin, why it made her think Ethereum's first-mover advantage may be hard for other smart contract platforms to overcome and how the crypto community in Berlin differed from that of Silicon Valley. She also talked about why Scalar Capital is focused on privacy coins, how her experience at Coinbase informed that, and what impact it would have on her investments if a more widely used coin like Bitcoin adopted privacy features. Finally, she talked about common mistakes crypto teams are making and what advice she finds herself commonly giving nowadays.

If you're interested in sponsoring Unchained or Unconfirmed:

Email Raelene at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com.

Episode links:

Linda Xie: https://twitter.com/ljxie

Scalar Capital: https://scalar.capital

Linda's thoughts on the Ethereum hackathons she's attended over the last year, including ETHBerlin: https://medium.com/@linda.xie/building-a-developer-community-66e6a47674d7

Unchained interview with Dominic Williams of Dfinity: http://unchainedpodcast.co/dfinitys-dominic-williams-on-how-its-blockchain-nervous-system-is-not-an-ai-ep78

Unchained interviews with a few decentralized finance projects being built on Ethereum:

Compound: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep82

Dharma: http://unchainedpodcast.co/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep80

0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future

Unchained interview with Zooko Wilcox of Zcash: http://unchainedpodcast.co/zcashs-zooko-wilcox-on-why-he-believes-privacy-coins-will-be-used-more-for-good-than-bad

Alex Sunnarborg of Tetras Capital on Why He's Bearish on Ether - Ep.037

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Alex Sunnarborg, founding partner of Tetras Capital, describes the three core buckets his fund is investing in, how they're investing during this bear market, and why the firm has decided to short ether. He also describes why he thinks dapps could take off, but the value of ether may not rise anyway, and gives us some insight into how he thinks psychology plays into market rhythms. Plus, he explains why he's long Ethereum but short ETH.

Alex Sunnarborg: https://twitter.com/alexsunnarborg

Tetras Capital: http://tetras.capital

Tetras's bearish thesis: https://medium.com/@tetrascapital/ether-eth-bearish-thesis-the-flippening-of-market-irrationality-8633e70ab498

Tetras's other writing: http://tetras.capital/partners/

Unchained episode with Joey Krug: http://unchainedpodcast.co/joey-krug-on-how-augur-is-like-any-other-tool-ep79

Unchained episode on CryptoKitties: http://unchainedpodcast.co/what-makes-a-cryptokitty-worth-140000-ep75

Unconfirmed episode on Joe Lubin's and Jimmy Song's bet on adoption of dapps: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/joe-lubin-and-jimmy-song-work-on-the-terms-of-their-bet-on-dapps-and-trash-talk-the-others-coin-ep034

Tetras founding partner Brendan Bernstein's article on how cryptocurrencies are money, not equity: https://tokeneconomy.co/cryptocurrencies-are-money-not-equity-30ff8d0491bb

Shapeshift's About-Face: Why Now? - Ep.036

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Katherine Wu, director of business development and community at Messari, talks about the news that everyone on crypto Twitter was discussing this week: Shapeshift's decision to require customer accounts. The well-known crypto-to-crypto exchange has long been known for enabling anonymous transactions, and CEO Erik Voorhees is a noted libertarian who prefers less rather than more regulation, so the reversal was surprising to many in the crypto community. Katherine explains her theory as to why Shapeshift will be instituting customer accounts now after so many years of not requiring them, why this wasn't an easy decision for Erik to make and how Erik's personal history of run-ins with the law may have influenced this decision.

Potential sponsors!

This ad spot could be yours! Reach out to Raelene Gullapalli at laurashinpodcast@gmail.com to find out about sponsorship opportunities on Unconfirmed and Unchained.

Episode links:

Katherine Wu: https://twitter.com/katherineykwu

Messari: https://messari.io

https://info.shapeshift.io/blog/2018/09/04/introducing-shapeshift-membership/

Unchained interview with Shapeshift founder and CEO Erik Voorhees: http://unchainedpodcast.co/shapeshifts-erik-voorhees-on-how-crypto-will-separate-money-and-state

Katherine's tweet storm: https://twitter.com/katherineykwu/status/1037315100326158338

Jake Chervinsky's tweet storm: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1037334799382401027

Erik's tweet about how everything he writes is being read closely: https://twitter.com/ErikVoorhees/status/1037070392140083200

For more on the alphabet soup of regulators covering crypto, check out this Unchained with Perianne Boring and Amy Kim of the Chamber of Digital Commerce: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-chamber-of-digital-commerces-perianne-boring-and-amy-kim-on-why-us-crypto-regulation-is-complicated-and-confusing

Shapeshift's announcement about its new chief legal officer: https://ag.shapeshift.io/press-release/shapeshift-hires-new-chief-legal-officer/

Bloomberg article on Shapeshift's U-turn on accounts: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-05/crypto-world-rocked-after-long-time-advocate-voorhees-backpedals

Pamela Morgan on How to Pass Your Crypto Assets On to Your Heirs - Ep.035

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Pamela Morgan, a lawyer in the blockchain space and the author of Cryptoasset Inheritance Planning, explains how you can pass on your crypto assets to your heirs without them or anyone else getting ahold of them beforehand. Surprisingly, the first step begins with a letter. She explains what information to put in that letter, how to choose helpers, and how to protect your private keys. We also discuss what you should do legally to help the process along and what kind of tax prep you should follow.

Pamela has graciously given Unconfirmed a complimentary copy of Cryptoasset Inheritance Planning, which we’ll be giving away. To win the book, tweet about it and tag me, @laurashin and @PamelawJD, and next Friday I will pick a name out of a hat and announce it on next week’s episode.

Announcement: On October 26, Pamela will be in Chicago, where she's teaching a 1/2 day legal workshop: Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Smart Contact Essentials. It's open to lawyers, law students, and law curious. Learn more at empoweredlaw.com.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Digital Asset Custody Company: https://digitalassetcustody.com

Episode links:

Pamela Morgan: https://empoweredlaw.com

https://twitter.com/pamelawjd

Cryptoasset Inheritance Planning: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRQ864J/

Wired article on Coinbase's custody rituals: https://www.wired.com/story/coinbase-physical-vault-to-secure-a-virtual-currency/

Joe Lubin and Jimmy Song Work On the Terms of Their Bet on Dapps — and Trash Talk the Other’s Coin - Ep.034

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Joe Lubin, cofounder of Ethereum and founder of ConsenSys, and Jimmy Song, partner at Blockchain Capital and founder of Programming Blockchain, pick up the bet they started at the Consensus conference in May. The challenge was on whether or not we would see several decentralized apps with real user traction five years from now, with Joe taking the yes side of the bet and Jimmy taking the no side. However, the terms of the agreement were still to be worked out. On Unchained, Jimmy proposed that Joe wins and he loses if five dapps have 10,000 daily active users and 100,000 monthly active users over a six-month period. Joe, who isn’t quite certain about what terms exactly he’d be willing to agree to, proposes a cry-uncle escape clause, Jimmy expresses his concern that Joe goes to jail and can’t deliver on any payout, and multi billionaire Joe scoffs at Jimmy’s offer to put 100 BTC on the line.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Digital Asset Custody Company: https://digitalassetcustody.com/

Episode links:

Jimmy Song on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmysong

Blockchain Capital: http://blockchain.capital/

Programming Blockchain: http://programmingblockchain.com

Joe Lubin: https://twitter.com/ethereumjoseph

ConsenSys: https://new.consensys.net/

Jimmy Song on Unchained, during which he proposes the terms of the bet:

http://unchainedpodcast.co/jimmy-song-on-why-bitcoin-will-be-the-winning-cryptocurrency-ep69

Video of Amber Baldet, Joe Lubin and Jimmy's panel at Consensus -- video 31 under Day 1: https://www.coindesk.com/events/consensus-2018/videos/

How Crypto Will Give You More Flexibility in Your Work - Ep.033

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Silicon Valley capitalist and longtime crypto investor Bill Tai discusses some interesting theories about how crypto is changing money and work. He starts by talking about the shift from oil- to electron-based currencies. He also describes how people have worked flexibly, as individuals, for most of human history and only recently have they become cogs in a wheel, beholden to one employer. Crypto, he believes, will shift us back to more flexible work models. We also talked about a new project he's launched with CryptoKitties to try to fund endangered species -- the Honu Kitty -- which raised $25,000 to support turtle conservation, marine protection and other conservation projects. He'a also got more ideas for how crypto collectibles could help endangered species.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Digital Asset Custody: https://digitalassetcustody.com

Episode links:

Bill Tai: https://twitter.com/KiteVC

Actai Global: http://actai.global

Bill on how electricity has replaced oil as the basis for productivity: https://medium.com/@billtai/currency-in-the-4th-industrial-revolution-19a73d47b6c5

Speaking at the Milken conference on how the petro dollar was like an ICO: https://video.cube365.net/l/8n5dF-FzQWmXBg2LUuvS3A

Honu the CryptoKitty: https://medium.com/cryptokitties/honu-the-charity-kitty-is-making-waves-1c21315a09bd

Why the ICE/Bakkt News Makes Some Crypto Investors Nervous - Ep.032

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Caitlin Long, who’s working on a book about Wall Street and crypto assets and is the cofounder of the Wyoming Blockchain Coalition, discusses the significance of the creation of Bakkt, a new federally regulated market for Bitcoin, by ICE, Microsoft, Starbucks and investment firms Fortress Investment Group, Eagle Seven, and Susquehanna International Group. She explains why she thinks the price of bitcoin didn't jump after the news, what this move could mean for institutional players getting into crypto and why it could lead to systemic risks. We also discuss some remarks by ICE founder, chairman and CEO Jeffrey Sprecher about how the enterprise would bring "transparency and trust" to crypto.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Digital Asset Custody Company: https://digitalassetcustody.com

Episode links:

Caitlin's articles on the announcement: https://www.forbes.com/sites/caitlinlong/2018/08/03/ice-creating-new-cryptocurrency-market-a-double-edged-sword/#50803d791015

Tweet from SEC commissioner Hester Peirce regarding comment on crypto funds: https://twitter.com/HesterPeirce/status/1027273379819204608

Bakkt press release: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180803005236/en/Intercontinental-Exchange-Announces-Bakkt-Global-Platform-Ecosystem

Fortune article on Bakkt: http://fortune.com/longform/nyse-owner-bitcoin-exchange-startup/

A Place Where People May Be Using Crypto For More Than Speculation - Ep.031

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Tricia Martinez, director of the Dala Foundation and founder and CEO of Wala, describes how cryptocurrency Dala is being used in Africa and how it hit 100,000 new wallets and 2.5 million in transactions in two months, with an average transaction size of around $0.27. She talks about how 94% of transactions in Africa are still being done in cash, why the problem she's trying to solve needs its own cryptocurrency and can't use bitcoin or ether, and how Wala's users are using Dala. Plus, she explains why she's focusing her entrepreneurial efforts in Africa and other emerging markets.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Onramp: http://www.thinkonramp.com/

Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com/

Show links:

Dala Foundation: https://dala.org/

Wala: https://getwala.com/

Tricia: https://twitter.com/TriciaTita

CoinList's Andy Bromberg on the One Big Regulatory Issue Facing Crypto - Ep.030

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000

CoinList founder and president Andy Bromberg talks about why the ICO services firm has worked with only five out of 2,500 token projects, how tokenomic models are changing to ensure the viability of the network and also avoid incurring regulatory action, and why one of the biggest regulatory questions remaining is when a token shifts from being a security to a non-security. We also discuss why there's such a race in the stablecoin space, why there's been a shift toward building infrastructure, and what that infrastructure looks like.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com

Episode links:

CoinList: https://coinlist.co

Andy Bromberg: https://twitter.com/andy_bromberg?lang=en

Unchained episode on stablecoins: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable

Unchained episode on the main regulatory issues regarding crypto: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-chamber-of-digital-commerces-perianne-boring-and-amy-kim-on-why-us-crypto-regulation-is-complicated-and-confusing

Unconfirmed episode on SEC Director Bill Hinman's statement that, leaving aside the manner of sale, ether, in its current form, is not a security: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/coinbases-adam-white-on-a-momentous-day-in-crypto-ep023

Token Economy's Stefano Bernardi on How DAOs Could Create a Less Capitalist World - Ep.029

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000

In this wide-ranging conversation, the Token Economy newsletter coauthor Stefano Bernardi talks about fully digital security tokens -- security tokens with no relation to real world securities like companies and real estate, but that represent securities from DAOs and other purely crypto entities. He also discusses a new evolution in cryptoeconomics -- multiple-token economies that utilize different tokens to incentivize various behaviors on a network. For instance, one system might have a security token for accredited investors and a utility token for users. Stefano also explains why he thinks personal data monetization projects won't take off, and at the end, we dive into the question of how DAOs and blockchain technology might lead to a less capitalist world.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com

Links from the show:

Stefano: https://twitter.com/stefanobernardi

Token Economy: https://tokeneconomy.co/

World After Capital: http://worldaftercapital.org/

Failure of the old-world corporation: https://tokeneconomy.co/token-economy-35-the-failure-of-the-old-world-corporation-35ac2312eced

The Zero-Cost Marginal Society: https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Marginal-Cost-Society-Collaborative/dp/1137278463/

Special Episode with CNBC's Crypto Trader: Olaf Carlson-Wee on Why This Crypto Winter Is Different From Previous Ones - Ep.028

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 18:31:00 -0000

In this special episode I hosted with CNBC Crypto Trader, Ran Neu Ner and I talk with Olaf Carlson-Wee, founder and CEO of crypto hedge fund Polychain Capital. We discuss his early career, what sets this crypto downturn apart from previous ones and why we see hardcore tribalism in the crypto space. He also explains what types of investments and technologies he looks for, why we won't see one dominant breakthrough and why "no one cares about incrementally faster bank settlement but paradigm shifts."

Thank you to our sponsors!

Quantstamp: https://quantstamp.com

Polychain Capital: http://polychain.capital

CNBC Crypto Trader: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN9Nj4tjXbVTLYWN0EKly_Q

Willy Woo on Why He Thinks We're Nine Years Away From Half the World Using Bitcoin - Ep.027

Fri, 13 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Independent crypto analyst Willy Woo, who blogs at Woobull.com, talks about where he sees the price of Bitcoin going over the next six months. (Hint: He uses the word "sideways.") He also describes his concept of NVT Ratio, the Bitcoin equivalent of price-to-earnings ratio, and how that helps determine whether bitcoin and certain other coins are over- or undervalued. We also discuss his 10,000-year view of cryptocurrency, and why he believes we're only nine years away from half of the world using Bitcoin.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Clarity PR: http://clarity.pr

https://twitter.com/woonomic

Links for this episode:

https://woobull.com

Willy's recent tweets on the short-term future price of Bitcoin: https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1000223528803762176

The Unconfirmed episode in which Coinbase's Adam White estimates conservatively, that $10 billion of institutional money is waiting to come into crypto: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/coinbases-adam-white-on-a-momentous-day-in-crypto-ep023

Willy's 10,000-year view of cryptocurrency:

Graphic: https://woobull.com/the-10-000-year-view-of-cryptocurrency/

https://woobull.com/the-state-of-crypto-markets-q4-2017/

NVT Ratio: https://woobull.com/introducing-nvt-ratio-bitcoins-pe-ratio-use-it-to-detect-bubbles/

NVT Signal: https://woobull.com/nvt-signal-a-new-trading-indicator-to-pick-tops-and-bottoms/

Demian Brener, CEO of Zeppelin, on Which Smart Contract Platform Will Win - Ep.026

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Demian Brener, the cofounder and CEO of Zeppelin discusses a dilemma he's seeing investors be concerned about: whether blockchains should be immutable forever or whether it should be possible to upgrade smart contracts over time. He explains why he doesn't see it as a dilemma, how it could be possible to have an upgradeable, immutable blockchain. We also cover another trend he's seeing: would-be ICO issuers instead turning to airdrops as a way to avoid some regulatory issues. Now that Tezos Betanet has launched (plus EOS and Dfinity are in the race), we talk about what factors will determine which smart contract platforms come out on top, plus Brener describes how the libraries he's building at Zeppelin OS could factor in.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Clarity PR: http://clarity.pr

Links for the show:

Zeppelin OS: https://zeppelinos.org

Tezos Betanet: https://tezos.com/betanet/

Dfinity airdrop: https://medium.com/dfinity/liftoff-the-dfinity-community-airdrop-is-here-5a11b94a2d03

Multicoin's Kyle Samani on Why He Believes Bitcoin Governance Doesn't Accommodate the Real World - Ep.025

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Kyle Samani, managing partner of Multicoin Capital, talks about what got him really excited at this week's Zcon0 conference for Zcash -- primarily, technologies that could make possible a future of massively scalable blockchains featuring default private transactions that would still make possible selective viewing to, say, auditors. He also recaps the major incidents around EOS's launch and how the community plans to change its governance, by trying out a new ethos of "intent of code" is law. We also discuss whether or not it's even possible to enforce that and how EOS's governance system compares to the one in Bitcoin. Finally, we also touch on some of the news around VCs investing in crypto, starting with some of the biggest news this week -- Kathryn Haun's appointment as the new GP of Andreessen Horowitz, where she will be co-managing its new crypto fund -- and the various strategies that VC firms are using to invest in crypto.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Clarity PR: http://clarity.pr

Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/sxsw-episode-former-doj-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-what-the-sec-subpoenas-and-fincen-letter-likely-mean

Links from the episode:

The Zcon0 conference: https://z.cash.foundation/zcon/

Unchained episode with Zooko Wilcox: http://unchainedpodcast.co/zcashs-zooko-wilcox-on-why-he-believes-privacy-coins-will-be-used-more-for-good-than-bad

The "intent of code" is law post by Dan Larimer, CTO of Block.one, the company behind EOS: https://medium.com/@bytemaster/the-intent-of-code-is-law-c0e0cd318032

Katie Haun becoming the new GP at Andreessen Horowitz, where she will co-manage its new crypto fund: https://a16z.com/2018/06/25/katie-haun/

More on a16z crypto: https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/25/andreessen-horowitz-has-a-new-crypto-fund-and-its-first-female-general-partner-is-running-it-with-chris-dixon/amp/

Episodes with Katie:

Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/live-from-inforum-at-the-commonwealth-club-blockchain-and-cryptocurrency-the-basics-with-kathryn-haun

http://unchainedpodcast.co/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them

The different strategies VC firms are using to invest in crypto:

https://www.recode.net/2018/6/21/17484524/venture-capital-cryptocurrency-investing-structures

Behind the Tezos Scandal: Conflicts of Interest, Self-Dealing and Bullying - Ep.024

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Gideon Lewis-Kraus, a contributing writer at Wired, came out with a cover story in the magazine earlier this week that investigated the actions of both sides in the Tezos boardroom battle. Lewis-Kraus walks us through the accusations on both sides and explains how the balance of the blame seems to lie with foundation head, Johann Gevers, who had numerous conflicts of interest, proposed an unjustified payment for himself and appears to have tried to revive his faltering company Monetas by riding on the coattails of Tezos's success with the ICO. Lewis-Kraus also tells us what he thinks are the big takeaways from the Tezos fight for other crypto entrepreneurs.

Gideon Lewis-Kraus: http://www.gideonlk.com

His Wired cover story: Inside the Crypto World's Biggest Scandal: https://www.wired.com/story/tezos-blockchain-love-story-horror-story/

Tezos: https://tezos.com

Thank you to our sponsor!

Onramp: http://thinkonramp.com

Coinbase's Adam White on a Momentous Day in Crypto - Ep.023

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Adam White, vice president and general manager of Coinbase, explains why he believes the SEC's statement Thursday that ether, in its current form, is not a security, is a historic moment in crypto. Also, from his vantage point of being steeped in the industry but interacting regularly with institutional investors and regulators, he describes where crypto is right now and why he believes it will be moving from an investment phase to a utility phase. He also discusses Coinbase's many recent announcements, from the fact that it will soon be a regulated broker dealer, to the establishment of services for institutional investors such as Coinbase Custody, Coinbase Markets and Coinbase Prime, to its acquisition of decentralized relay Paradex. He also explains why Coinbase decided to list Ethereum Classic, gives an answer to the Twitter people requesting Coinbase list XRP, and describes the main developments he believes are necessary to bring established financial institutions into crypto trading.

Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/

Adam White: https://twitter.com/WhiteAdamL

The SEC's speech containing the line asserting that ether is, in its current form, not a security: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/speech-hinman-061418

Coinbase's move toward becoming a regulated broker-dealer:

https://blog.coinbase.com/our-path-to-listing-sec-regulated-crypto-securities-a1724e13bb5ahttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-06/coinbase-seeks-broker-dealer-status-in-keystone-capital-takeover

Announcement of Coinbase Custody, Coinbase Markets, Coinbase Prime, Coinbase Institutional Coverage Group: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-institutional-deea317d23af

Coinbase's acquisition of Paradex: https://blog.coinbase.com/welcome-paradex-to-coinbase-62f16cc9bd74

Coinbase's announcement about Ethereum Classic: https://blog.coinbase.com/adding-ethereum-classic-support-to-coinbase-becb9a337e9c

Thank you to our sponsor!

Element Group: https://elementgroup.com/unconfirmed/

Joey Krug on How to Create a Regular Cryptocurrency - Ep.022

Fri, 08 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Joey Krug, cofounder of Augur and chief investment officer at Pantera Capital, talks about the upcoming Augur launch, and why we haven't yet seen a regular, non-deflationary, non-stablecoin cryptocurrency -- and how to create one. For instance, he says, an inflationary currency could distribute the inflation to particular groups. He also explains what the "impossible trinity" is and how an independent monetary policy in crypto might work. We also discuss new ways crypto projects are trying to solve the scalability problem and he gives us his take on the polarizing EOS network.

Joey Krug: https://twitter.com/joeykrug

Augur: http://www.augur.net

Pantera Capital: https://www.panteracapital.com

Basis: https://basis.io

Celer: https://www.celer.network

Counterfactual: https://counterfactual.com

Oasis Labs: https://www.oasislabs.com

Ankr: https://www.ankr.network

EOS: https://eos.io

Multicoin Capital on Unchained talking about tradeoffs: http://unchainedpodcast.co/multicoin-on-the-1-thing-crypto-teams-miss-in-their-quests-for-success

Thank you to our sponsor Element Group! https://elementgroup.com/unconfirmed/

Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation on the First Crypto War - Ep.021

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Think Bitcoin and crypto assets are just vehicles for speculation? They're already having both a positive impact and negative impact when it comes to human rights, says Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer for the Human Rights Foundation. Gladstein talks about how he first became enamored with Bitcoin because of its potential to solve hyperinflation, and why he believes Venezuela is the site of the world's first crypto war. He also covers why repressive governments are excited by centralized cryptocurrencies, why impact investing focused on the UN sustainable goals will not address human rights issues, and why blockchain-based elections, which many believe could be fair and transparent, could instead be terribly corrupt.

https://twitter.com/gladstein

https://oslofreedomforum.com/

https://www.hrf.org

Blockstack on Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/blockstack-on-getting-independence-from-google-facebook-and-amazon

Stablecoins and MakerDAO on Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable

Roya Mahboob on Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-bitcoin-solved-this-serial-entrepreneurs-problems

Bitcoin in Venezuela:

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/04/03/why-are-venezuelans-mining-so-much-bitcoin

https://www.wired.com/story/where-could-bitcoin-succeed-as-a-currency-in-a-failed-state/

https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2018/04/11/localbitcoins-com-replaces-dolartoday-as-standard-reference/

Data showing that Venezuela, at the time of this recording, accounts for 8.1% of all LocalBitcoins transactions: https://anacoinda.github.io/localbitcoins/all.html

The North Korean government using cryptocurrency:

https://www.vox.com/world/2018/2/28/17055762/north-korea-sanctions-bitcoin-nuclear-weapons

https://qz.com/1199400/north-korea-is-suspected-in-the-530-million-coincheck-cryptocurrency-heist/

Thank you to our sponsor!

https://medium.com/@jillcarlson/the-mutual-communication-society-ae6a3a068858

Jill Carlson on How Crypto Is Replicating Wall Street -- And Not in a Good Way - Ep.020

Fri, 25 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Blockchain consultant, Jill Carlson, who has worked with 0x, dydx, Algorand, Tezos, O1 Labs, and the IMF, discusses why Blockchain Week to her seemed to be too much about Lambos and how crypto has reached its "illogical conclusion" and is replicating Wall Street's misbehaviors. Hence, the Department of Justice's investigation into the price manipulation of Bitcoin. However, she sees a bright spot in decentralized exchange, but believes blockchain-based credit is an area that needs further development -- and that relies on decentralized credit scoring.

Jill Carlson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jillruth

On Medium: https://medium.com/@jillcarlson

Jill on how crypto looks a lot like Wall Street: https://www.coindesk.com/growing-greed-crypto-looks-lot-like-wall-street/

DOJ investigation into possible price manipulation of Bitcoin: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-24/bitcoin-manipulation-is-said-to-be-focus-of-u-s-criminal-probe

Jill on blockchain-based credit:

Jill on credit scoring in a decentralized world:

https://medium.com/@jillcarlson/decentralized-credit-scoring-fe2c6c0611c6

Thank you to our sponsor, Element Group!

http://elementgroup.com/unconfirmed/

Mike Novogratz on Why Incumbents Are Still Well Positioned to Participate in Crypto Finance - Ep.019

Fri, 18 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Mike Novogratz, the founder and CEO of Galaxy Digital Capital Management, talks about the recently announced Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index, why it's limited to just 12 cryptos, how traditional financial players know more about crypto than people believe they do, and how "the herd" is coming. He discusses the biggest obstacles to institutional money entering the space, how their entry will affect trading opportunities and and which types of stablecoins he believes are most promising. He also talks about why he's not very sanguine about custody solutions from Coinbase, why the market might go sideways for a while and why he wishes he'd invested in Telegram.

Mike Novogratz: https://twitter.com/novogratz

Listen to the Unchained episode with Wences Casares, the CEO of Xapo, which Novogratz mentions in the episode: http://unchainedpodcast.co/xapos-wences-casares-on-how-bitcoin-makes-a-fairer-world

Listen to the Unchained episode on BitGo, which Novogratz also mentions: http://unchainedpodcast.co/mike-belshe-on-what-bitgos-kingdom-trust-acquisition-means-for-crypto-and-how-security-will-develop-in-the-future

Thank you to our sponsor!

Element Group: http://elementgroup.com/unconfirmed/

Battling Corruption With Blockchain Technology: Tomicah Tillemann of the Blockchain Trust Accelerator - Ep.018

Sun, 13 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Many government officials have noted the potential blockchain technology has to fight fraud, waste and abuse. Tomicah Tillemann, cofounder of the Blockchain Trust Accelerator, assembled an intimate group of 18 people at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center to discuss the ways in which blockchains can be designed in a way that fulfills the technology's most idealistic potential to combat corruption and democratize access, whether to the financial system, the ability to vote or to a self-sovereign identity. He discusses the Blockchain Trust Accelerator's work with a blockchain-based voting system in West Virginia, and with enforcing labor rights via blockchain-based contracts in a pilot with Coca-Cola and the State Department.

Tomicah Tillemann: https://www.newamerica.org/our-people/tomicah-tillemann/

Blockchain Trust Accelerator: https://www.newamerica.org/bretton-woods-ii/blockchain-trust-accelerator/

The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/our-work/bellagio-center/

West Virginia Blockchain Voting Pilot: https://www.coindesk.com/west-virginia-piloting-blockchain-voting-app-in-senate-election/

Coca-Cola/State Department pilot on fighting forced labor with blockchains: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blockchain-coca-cola-labor/coca-cola-u-s-state-dept-to-use-blockchain-to-combat-forced-labor-idUSKCN1GS2PY

Thank you to our sponsors!

Token Agency: http://tokenagency.com/

The UN World Food Programme's Blockchain-Based Food Vouchers for Syrian Refugees, With Robert Opp - Ep.017

Sat, 12 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Robert Opp, director of innovation and change management at the United Nations World Food Programme, discusses the Ethereum-based food voucher program for Syrian refugees. He describes how the refugees are identified, what they receive with their voucher, and how the system has allowed the program to save a half million dollars a year. He also gives a hint at how the program will be built on for other initiatives.

Robert Opp: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/AI/Pages/opp.aspx

UN World Food Programme: http://it1.wfp.org/

Episode of Unchained with Vitalik Buterin, where he discusses the food voucher program for Syrian refugees: http://unchainedpodcast.co/vitalik-buterin-creator-of-ethereum-on-the-big-guy-vs-the-little-guy

Thank you to our sponsors!

Token Agency: http://tokenagency.com/

From the Bellagio Blockchain Summit: Blockchain Ethics With Georgetown's Cara LaPointe - Ep.016

Fri, 11 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Who sets up the rules of a blockchain? And how does that impact its users? Could there be unintended consequences? Might the design not account for the potential that bad actors will abuse it? These are questions that Cara LaPointe, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, is about to release a framework for blockchain ethics. She and her team came up with six main areas of focus that blockchain designers should be considering from the outset, starting with governance, identity, data ownership and other factors. As Ethereum is facing the question of how the community should decide what to do with frozen funds or a potential cap on the money supply, LaPointe has some suggestions for how the major players should proceed. She also talks about the dangers of artificial intelligence combined with blockchains.

We spoke at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy, at the Blockchain Summit hosted by New America's Blockchain Trust Accelerator.

Cara LaPointe: http://beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/cara-lapointe/

The Blockchain Ethical Design Framework for Social Impact: http://beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/building-ethical-design-blockchain/

Thank you to the Blockchain Trust Accelerator: https://trustaccelerator.org/

Thank you to the Bellagio Center: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/our-work/bellagio-center/

Thank you to our sponsors!

https://twitter.com/asymmetricinfo/status/989609519465553920

Token Agency: http://tokenagency.com/

From the Multicoin Summit: Ryan Selkis of Messari on How to Fund Sustainable Journalism - Ep.015

Mon, 07 May 2018 18:58:01 -0000

Ryan Selkis of blockchain standards organization Messari explains why he jumped into a public debate between CoinDesk editor Pete Rizzo and Vitalik and Ethereum, in which Vitalik criticized CoinDesk for charging high prices for its Consensus conference. He also names some blockchain-based media efforts that can bring new solutions to the media industry and discussion how token-curated registries play a role.

Messari: https://messari.io/

Vitalik's tweets about skipping Consensus: https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/989525778424451072

The Washington Post tweet storm and article that Ryan and I discuss:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/04/26/a-farewell-to-free-journalism/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ee18b4c8938c

Thank you to our sponsor, Token Agency!

http://tokenagency.com/

Civic's Vinny Lingham on When Crypto Demand Will Catch Up With the Technology

Fri, 04 May 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Vinny Lingham, the founder and CEO of blockchain-based identity service Civic, talks about how he hasn't seen token projects find good product-market fit yet, and gives us a sneak preview of how Civic is trying to solve that problem for itself. (Apparently, an announcement is in the works.) He also discusses how Multicoin Capital, where he is a general partner, takes this view into account when investing and why the firm is a proponent of EOS, set to launch in June. We also dive into why he is bullish on EOS, which is fairly centralized, even though he also supports Bitcoin for its censorship-resistant qualities.

Civic: https://www.civic.com/

Multicoin: https://multicoin.capital/

Multicoin's EOS analysis and valuation: https://multicoin.capital/2018/04/24/eos-analysis-and-valuation/

Thank you to our sponsor, Quantstamp!

https://quantstamp.com/

Hu Liang of Omniex on What Institutional Players Are Planning to Do in Crypto

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 07:30:00 -0000

Formerly head of emerging technology at State Street, Hu Liang is now launching Omniex, which offers tools for institutional investors in crypto. He talks at the Time Summit in Greenwich, Connecticut, about the four quadrants of activity he sees in the crypto space, why he thinks private blockchains will still be disruptive, and what institutional players are planning to do in crypto in 2018. He also discusses what concerns they have about getting involved and what Omniex is building to serve them.

Omniex: https://omniex.io

Hu’s CoinDesk article on how he categorized the activity in the crypto space: https://www.coindesk.com/four-quadrants-dividing-conquering-crypto-universe/amp/

We spoke at the Time Summit by Bridge Alternatives:

https://timesummit.org/

https://www.bridgealternatives.com/

Thank you to today’s sponsors!