Tom Chippas (ErisX) and Chris Isaacson (CBOE) on CBOE’s Acquisition of ErisX (EP.252)

Tom Chippas, the CEO of ErisX and Chris Isaacson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Cboe Global Markets join the show. In this episode we discuss:

  • CBOE’s acquisition of ErisX
  • Details of the acquisition and the rationale for the deal
  • CBOE’s current and future plans in the digital assets industry
  • The market structure implications for the broader digital assets ecosystem and why this combination provides for a catalyst for broader institutional adoption
  • Views on the regulatory landscape and how CBOE and ErisX are approaching the market
  • Future products that may be on the horizon
  • Broader views on the spot market, and discussion of Matt Trudeau’s, “The Next Leg of The Crypto Trade
  • The landscape for exchange traded digital asset products

 

 

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Weekly Roundup 11/05/21 (Do stablecoins need bank charters, Mayors taking salaries in Bitcoin) (EP.257)

Nic and Matt return for deals and news of the week. In this episode: 

  • The President’s Working Group report on Stablecoins comes out
  • Should stablecoins really require a bank charter?
  • Would a red wave in the midterms be good for the crypto industry
  • Two congressmen ask the SEC to approve a spot Bitcoin ETF
  • The TungstenDAO buys the Midwest Tungsten 14 inch cube
  • Where was the Neeraj kitchen photo taken
  • Tarantino is auctioning off uncut scenes from Pulp Fiction as NFTs
  • Miami Mayor Francis Suarez will take his salary in Bitcoin
  • Tungsten’s industrial uses
  • Should you count native tokens as an asset on your balance sheet?

Sponsor notes:

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime
  • Corporations and institutions can allocate cash into Circle Yield to gain crypto lending exposure and earn superior returns compared to traditional markets. It’s secured, overcollateralized and built on the leading dollar digital currency. Visit circle.com/yield to book a meeting

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Nikos Andrikogiannopoulos (Metrika) on blockchain reliability (EP.256)

Nikos Andrikogiannopoulos. the founder of Metrika joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

  • Nikos’ journey to the blockchain industry and how we came to see the opportunity to found Metrika
  • How Metrika thinks about monitoring public blockchains for reliability and downtime
  • Perspectives on the common reasons that blockchains go down
  • Nikos’s perspective on the use cases that are driving blockchain adoption
  • How Metrika prioritizes the blockchain networks that it covers

To learn more about Metrika visit their website.  

Sponsor content: 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.
  • This show is supported by OurCrowd. Join the fastest growing venture capital investment community at OurCrowd.com/OTB

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Weekly Roundup 10/29/21 (FATF publishes guidance, More Tungsten, Facebook is Meta) (EP.255)

Matt and Nic return for another week of deals and news. In this episode: 

  • The SEC wants to regulate stablecoins
  • El Salvador buys 420 BTC
  • River launches a mining product
  • Direxion wants to launch a short BTC ETF
  • The FATF guidance isn’t as bad as we thought it might be
  • Facebook is now Meta
  • Is ‘the metaverse’ going to stick around?
  • We unretire China FUD

Content mentioned: 

Sponsor notes

 

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime
  • Corporations and institutions can allocate cash into Circle Yield to gain crypto lending exposure and earn superior returns compared to traditional markets. It’s secured, overcollateralized and built on the leading dollar digital currency. Visit circle.com/yield to book a meeting

 

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Ray Cline and Shaun Connell (Lancium) on Stabilizing the Grid with Bitcoin Mining (EP.254)

Ray Cline, Lancium CTO, and Shaun Connell, EVP Power at Lancium, join the show. We cover the changing Texas grid, several models for renewable based mining, and how miners can serve as a controllable load. In this episode:

  • Personal backgrounds and crossing the threshold from energy to Bitcoin
  • Origins of Lancium
  • Features of Texas grid
  • Why Texas is so suitable for renewables
  • How Texas is the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of renewable generation
  • Why renewables grew so fast in Texas
  • Two reasons why prices reach negative prices
  • Three models for mining
    • Grid connected with new gen miners
    • Renewable colocation with new gen miners
    • Off grid renewable colocation with old gen miners
  • How different ASIC vintages affect the power price you can tolerate for the units and what interruptibility they can deal with
  • ERCOT’s surplus renewable power
  • How the Texas grid is splitting in half
  • How Bitcoin is a ‘premium customer’ for energy assets
  • Why miners depreciate their miners over 4-5 years, and not 1-2 years as Digiconomist claims
  • Are energy producers aware of the importance of Bitcoin mining as an alternative energy buyer?
  • Introduction to Demand Response
  • What a Controllable Load Resource is and how Bitcoin miners uniquely satisfy the requirements
  • History of Controllable Load in ERCOT
  • Why controllable load is so useful to grid operators
  • Why Bitcoin miners can be flexible load, and why other industrial consumers of energy cannot
  • Why the economics of operating an interruptible load as a miner make sense
  • Are other grid operators looking to build programs for BTC miners?
  • Do Bitcoin miners decarbonize the Texas grid in the final analysis?
  • Will Bitcoin mining improve the reliability of the grid?

Sponsor notes:

  • This episode supported by Public.com. Start investing with as little as $1 and get a free slice of stock up to $50 when you join Public.com today. Visit public.com/onthebrink to download the app and sign up.
  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Weekly Roundup 10/22/21 (Proshares ETF launches, CBOE acquires ErisX, FB’s Metaverse ambitions, Tungsten takes over) (EP.253)

Matt and Nic are back for a monster week of deals and news. In this episode: 

  • CBOE acquires ErisX
  • FTX raises a monster round
  • Worldcoin launches with their eyeball scanner
  • The Proshares futures-based ETF goes live and sets a record
  • Why are futures-based ETFs expensive?
  • the Proshares ETF starts to max out its futures exposure
  • What will be the fate of GBTC?
  • Grayscale announces a $1b buyback of GBTC
  • Hester Peirce delivers another great talk
  • Tether settles with the CFTC
  • The academia-press complex
  • Diem launches a Novi stablecoin based on USDP
  • Why stablecoins are a frontier in the battle over financial privacy
  • Facebook leans hard into the metaverse
  • Tungsten takes over
  • Square makes ASICs
  • Why you shouldn’t eat your tungsten cube
  • Will CMS intern be able to lift the 7 inch cube?

Content mentioned in this episode

Sponsor notes

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime
  • Corporations and institutions can allocate cash into Circle Yield to gain crypto lending exposure and earn superior returns compared to traditional markets. It’s secured, overcollateralized and built on the leading dollar digital currency. Visit circle.com/yield to book a meeting

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Weekly Roundup (ETF chatter, Tungsten cubes, USA #1 in mining, insider airdropping) (EP.250)

Nic and Matt are back for our 250th episode! We discuss: 

  • ETF chatter heats up
  • Where the Tungsten memes come from
  • Why tungsten is good
  • Coinbase launches an NFT platform
  • Ribbon airdrop controversy
  • How DeFi airdrops are like the McDonalds monopoly game
  • Does the token industry need a disclosure framework?
  • Miami plans to pay employees in Bitcoin
  • Stripe is getting back into crypto
  • Jamie Dimon wants to know how it ends at 21 million
  • China’s hashrate goes to virtually 0
  • The USA is the center of hash
  • We retire an old FUD

Content mentioned: 

Sponsor notes: 

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime

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NFTs as the gateway to mainstream adoption with Gmoney (EP.251)

We had the pleasure of hosting NFT collector, Gmoney, on the show. He is a former equities trader turned NFT collector, educator, and expert. In this episode, we unpack the community, stories, and experiences Gmoney has amassed during his time in the NFT space and discuss the following:
  • Gmoney’s “aha” moment about the massive supercycle taking place in digital goods
  • The shift in ownership and value accrual from the hands of a few investors to everyone interacting with crypto networks
  • Gmoney’s first NFT experience that allowed him to use NFTs as collateral for, what was at the time, the largest on-chain loan
  • The factors that Gmoney considers in evaluating and investing in NFTs (above all, community) and more

This was an enlightening discussion that really opened our eyes to the impact NFTs will have on the industry.

 

Sponsor notes 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Mark Coe (Intrinsic Edge) on Blockchain Public Equity Investing (EP.249)

Mark Coe, the founder and CIO of Intrinsic Edge Capital Management joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

  • Mark’s professional career and path to founding Intrinsic
  • How he came to see blockchain/crypto as an investable category
  • His personal journey on understanding the various blockchain thesis areas
  • How he thinks about the taxonomy of publicly traded companies in the blockchain space
  • How Intrinsic thinks about their research and investment process for long/short equity investing
  • The comparisons of blockchain technology to the early days of the internet

Sponsor notes 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Esteban Castaño (TRM Labs) on Blockchain Forensics (EP.247)

Esteban Castaño, the cofounder and CEO of TRM Labs, joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

  • The founding story of TRM Labs and the methodical approach the team took to finding product market fit
  • Esteban’s perspectives on the NFT landscape and the growth potential in this category
  • How regulators and public sector clients are approaching blockchain forensics
  • How TRM is engaging with crypto native businesses and traditional financial services firms
  • Perspectives on building a remote first organization while maintaining a strong culture

To learn more about TRM Labs visit www.trmlabs.com

Sponsor notes 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Weekly Roundup 10/08/21 (How to offset emissions, SocGen’s Maker play, Tether revelations) (EP.248)

Nic and Matt are back for more deals and news. In this episode:

  • Our podcast SNAFU
  • Can you wear a suit with sneakers
  • How to offset your Bitcoin emissions (without buying offsets)
  • Soc Gen asks Maker for a loan
  • Bloomberg’s Tether bombshell
  • Are stablecoins like money market funds?

Sponsor notes: 

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime
  • This show also supported by OurCrowd. Join the fastest growing venture capital investment community at OurCrowd.com/OTB

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Weekly Roundup 10/01/21 (Flare mining in WY, nuclear BTC mines, Compound exploited) (EP.246)

Matt and Nic return for another week. In this episode: 

  • Is fasting lindy?
  • Ripple’s 250m NFT fund
  • Kraken reaches a $1.25m settlement with the CFTC
  • Could Ripple win their case against the SEC?
  • Wyoming gives a tax break to flare gas miners
  • Coinbase adds direct deposits to their platform
  • Should stablecoins be issued by banks?
  • China is tapped out of their Bitcoin FUD
  • Compound suffers an exploit
  • Bitcoin miners look at nuclear

Sponsor notes: 

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime

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Christian Dittmeier on NFT analytics (EP.244)

Christian Dittmeier, cofounder and CEO of Evaluate Market joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

  • How Christian and his cofounders Alex and Cody came to find themselves spending their free time analyzing NFTs
  • The insight that led them to start Evaluate Market, a platform for discovering, search for, and evaluating NFTs
  • Christian’s perspective on the emerging taxonomy of NFTs and how Evaluate prioritizes the assets that it lists
  • The projects and categories of NFTs that Christian is most excited about

To learn more about Evaluate visit evaluate.market

 

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Weekly Roundup 09/24/21 (Regulators keep talking about Free Banking, Twitter rolls out LN support, Biden’s new OCC nominee) (EP.243)

Nic and Matt return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: 

  • Latest on the infrastructure bill
  • The latest on the platinum coin
  • Zany things that financial regulators said this week
  • Gensler continues to misrepresent the free banking era
  • How bad was the wildcat banking era really?
  • Why are financial regulators so interested in free banking?
  • The SEC and CFTC are nearing the end of their fiscal year
  • The prospects for ‘pipe to crypto’
  • Why miners are participating in ‘demand response’ programs
  • Matt’s 20-year-old cereal
  • Twitter adds lightning tips and NFT authentication
  • Binance is under CFTC investigation
  • Biden’s new OCC nominee is anti-bank, anti-crypto
  • FASB takes comment on GAAP treatment of digital assets

Content mentioned: 

Sponsor notes: 

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime
  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Chris Maurice (Yellow Card) on driving fundamental crypto adoption in Africa (EP.245)

In this episode, Chris Maurice, co-founder and CEO of pan-African crypto platform Yellow Card, joined us to talk about his background, the business, and the state of crypto adoption in Africa. The company’s goal is to provide a seamless on and off ramp to anyone in Africa. We also discuss:
  • Yellow Card’s recently announced fundraise
  • The diversity in culture, language, history, and economy across the 54 countries in the region and why Yellow Card is on a pan-African journey

  • The popular use cases for crypto in the region, including as a savings and transaction tool for individuals and businesses

  • The challenges Yellow Card faces in driving crypto adoption in the region and what the firm can do to address them

  • The details about Yellow Card’s recent raise and the future of the company

Based on this conversation with Chris, it’s clear that crypto provides fundamental utility beyond speculation in the region that rings true to the ethos on which this industry was built.

Sponsor notes 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Weekly Roundup 09/17/21 (Fidelity’s spot ETF plea, Solana goes down, Are Bitcoiners cosplayers?) (EP.242)

Matt and Nic return to recap a tumultuous week. In this episode: 

  • Matt’s ongoing war against the turkeys
  • Fidelity thinks the SEC should approve a spot ETF
  • The Futures based Bitcoin ETFs are nearing approval
  • The SEC stonewalling an ETF is a political choice
  • The OpenSea insider scandal
  • Elizabeth Warren’s critiques of the industry get more and more specific and niche
  • Do we event want to know which tokens are securities according to the SEC?
  • Ripple is asking the SEC to compare them to Ethereum
  • Solana goes down for 17h
  • Our interaction with a blockchain fraudster
  • The NYT doesn’t understand cryptography
  • Are Bitcoiners cosplayers?
  • The Epic games v Apple case has implications for the crypto industry

Content mentioned: 

Sponsor notes

  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime

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Weekly Roundup 09/10/21 (Bukele buys the dip, oil majors are mining, SEC v Coinbase) (EP.241)

Matt and Nic are back for another week. In this episode: 

  • El Salvador’s bitcoin launch
  • Was the Chivo rollout really that bad?
  • Bukele buys the dip
  • Did El Salvador’s bitcoin day cause a 20% selloff?
  • McDonalds supports lightning in El Salvador
  • SEC v Coinbase
  • Introducing the Reves test
  • Takeaways from the Miami Bitmain conference
  • What is the NFL planning with NFTs?
  • Oil majors are getting into bitcoin mining
  • Is flare gas the future?

Sponsor notes

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.
  • This show supported by Coinbase Prime, an integrated solution that provides advanced multi-venue trading, custody, and prime services for institutions. For more information see coinbase.com/prime

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Weekly Roundup 09/03/21 (Two years of OTB, Matt’s NFT strategy, Square’s Bitcoin DEX) (EP.239)

Nic and Matt are back for another week. 

  • Patriots choose Mac Jones
  • Kanye releases Donda
  • Two year anniversary of OTB
  • The fate of the OTB lost episode
  • Matt’s peculiar NFT acquisition strategy
  • What the hell is Loot
  • Punks weren’t the first NFTs
  • Square is making a Bitcoin DEX
  • The SEC sues Bitconnect

Sponsor notes 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

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Alex Svanevik (Nansen) on extracting signal from on-chain noise (EP.240)

We welcome Alex Svanevik, CEO of Nansen.ai to On the Brink to provide color on Nansen’s unique approach to on-chain data and analysis. We discuss:

  • The evolution of Nansen from a wallet labelling tool to an end-to-end analytics platform

  • How Nansen provides actionable insights from its analysis of individual addresses, transactions, and contracts

  • Nansen’s process to scale the collection of individual wallet level data over time

  • Specific ways end-users are leveraging Nansen to make data-driven NFT investments

  • And more broadly, the application of AI to the analysis of blockchain data

You can learn more about the company and its offerings at Nansen.ai and the company’s YouTube channel.

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Weekly Roundup 08/20/21 (Uniswap governance wars, Bitcoin adoption in EM, OnlyFans gets Choke Pointed) (EP.237)

Nic and Matt are back for news and deals. In this episode: 

  • Our current sentiment on the Senate infrastructure bill
  • The controversial Flipside/Uniswap portfolio
  • MIT’s 2014 Bitcoin airdrop
  • Chainalysis’ new data on Bitcoin adoption shows that it’s a developing markets phenomenon
  • Is there a conflict between good stablecoins and a competitive market for stablecoins?
  • Are lossmaking stablecoins anti-competitive?
  • Gensler makes more noise about DeFi
  • The problem with futures-based ETFs

Content mentioned in this episode: 

Sponsor notes 

  • This episode is brought to you by Withum, a top 25 accounting firm with a cutting-edge Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology practice. To learn more, visit  withum.com/crypto.

 

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