Chris Duffus, Founder & CEO of Fonbnk joins Wyatt in this episode. We cover:

• Stablecoin and crypto usage in emerging markets
• Popular and high-potential platforms in these markets
• Alternative forms of onramping and moving money
• Airtime as a form of digital value storage

More on Fonbnk

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

• Germany is still selling Bitcoin
• ETHcc chaos in Brussels
• Trump is speaking at Bitcoin Nashville
• The SAB121 overturn veto override did not pass
• The Republican party includes crypto in their official platform
• Polychain Eclipse drama
• Uniswap versus the SEC over their exchange act
• The SEC drops its investigation into Paxos
• Ro Khanna’s crypto summit
• Euros and Copa America developments

Sponsor notes:

• State of the Network’s Q2 2024 Wrap-Up
• In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 267, we take a data-driven look at the most important events that impacted the digital assets industry in Q2 2024.

Check out this episode!

Adam Levine, Head of Corporate Development and Partnerships at Fireblocks joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

• The history of Fireblocks and the evolution of MPC custody.
• The recent announcement of the Fireblocks Global Custodian Partner Program and the initial partners.
• The current state of tokenization and how Fireblocks is playing in that market.
• Stablecoins and how Fireblocks engages in this market segment.
• Views on the regulatory landscape.

To learn more about Fireblocks visit their website and learn about their Global Custodian Partner Program.

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Leo Zhang, founder of Alkimiya, joins the show to talk about their Bitcoin fee exposure product. In this episode: 

• The evolution of Alkimiya
• Alkimiya’s current product approach
• Why solving Bitcoin transaction fee volatility matters
• How blockspace compares to conventional commodities
• What kind of market participants would want to long or short Bitcoin transaction fees?
• Avoiding manipulation in blockspace markets
• The decision to build on Base
• Reminiscing on the Ethereum gas token
• Building a fee product for Bitcoin as opposed to any other L1
• Leo’s long term views on Bitcoin fees
• Bitcoin season 2 and the cultural shift in Bitcoin
• Moderating views from maximalism to being a Bitcoin moderate
• The effect of Bitcoin L2s on fees
• Runes as a catalyst for Bitcoin fees
• The fee-transaction count feedback loop

About Alkimiya:

Alkimiya is a blockspace markets protocol that just released a novel mechanism for users to trade on Bitcoin transaction fees. Previously, users had no option but to accept fluctuating transaction fees. With Alkimiya, they can now profit from or hedge against these drastic swings.

Further reading: 

• • Infrastructure for Synthetic Blockspace

Check out this episode!

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

• Will Biden step down?
• The importance of prediction markets in elections
• Can you insider trade on prediction markets?
• What does the SCOTUS repeal of Chevron mean for crypto?
• SEC sues Consensys
• Stripe and Coinbase partnership
• Circle achieves MiCA compliance for USDC and EURC
• Will Euro stables ever be popular?
• Silvergate settles with the SEC, SF Fed, and California
• Why the Silvergate story remains a huge scandal
• Polkadot’s strange spending habits
• Bozo of the week
• Blackrock puts IBIT in their global allocation fund
• Matt’s SEC-fu
• The SEC’s new website
• Stoner Cats in retrospect

Sponsor notes:

• State of the Network’s Q2 2024 Mining Data Special
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 266, we provide our quarterly update on Bitcoin mining

Check out this episode!

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

• Nic’s vehicular issues
• BTC mining FUD is now AI fud
• Abra settles with state regulators over lack of MTLs
• State Street and Galaxy Digital partner up
• US reps visit imprisoned Binance exec in Nigeria
• Vaneck files for a Solana ETF
• Coinbase is suing the FDIC and the SEC
• Germany is selling Bitcoin
• SCOTUS further limits the SEC’s power

Sponsor notes: 

• Mastering Crypto Derivatives
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 265, we dive into the landscape of derivatives in traditional financial and cryptoasset markets, examining their types, applications and underlying data

Check out this episode!

Adam Healy, the co-founder and CEO of Station 70 joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

• Adam‘s career and path that led him to enter the digital assets industry as a CSO and eventually co-founder of Station 70.
• The evolution of digital asset custody from a technology perspective.
• The evolution of MPC as an infrastructure technology.
• The threat vectors that CSOs must confront in managing a custodial business.
• Cybersecurity best practices.
• The inception of Station 70 and the state of private key backups in the digital asset industry.
• How market structure is likely to evolve with more banks and broker-dealers getting active in the space.

To learn more about Station 70 visit their website.

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

• Certik goes from white hat to black hat regarding a Kraken exploit
• Bozo of the week
• The DJT memecoin scandal and Martin Shkreli
• What’s the deal with Barron Trump and the DJT memecoin?
• Should we welcome celebrity memecoins?
• Should bankers have been more supportive of crypto over SAB121?
• Paul Ryan’s stablecoin op-ed in the WSJ

Sponsor notes:

• Floating on Thin Air
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 264, we dive into the different factors of a project’s tokenomics and its effects on token valuation and on-chain activity.

Check out this episode!

Edward Woodford, founder and CEO of Zero Hash joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

• Edward’s origin story in the digital asset industry and his path to founding Zero Hash.
• Zero Hash’s product lineup and the ways that the firm is powering companies seeking to engage in the digital asset ecosystem.
• The regulatory landscape for digital assets and how Zero Hash has positioned the firm both in the United States and internationally.
• Stablecoin adoption and the types of businesses that are emerging to service this breakout category.
• How brokerage platforms are integrating digital assets.
• Zero Hash’s roadmap and what is coming in the next year.

To learn more about Zero Hash visit their website.

Check out this episode!

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

• GME and Roaringkitty drama
• The detention of Tigran Gambaryan continues
• OP_CAT prospects
• Biden considers accepting crypto campaign donations
• What’s the deal with Hamster Kombat
• Martin Shkreli vs PleasrDAO
• Terraform labs settles up with the SEC
• Microstrategy is still buying Bitcoin
• Should crypto holders donate coins to Biden?
• New nominee for FDIC chair
• Are democrats pivoting on crypto? 
• We dissect a tweet thread by Rep Sean Casten

Sponsor notes:

• Meme Coin Mania
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 263, we delve into the surge of meme coin activity on Ethereum and Solana, highlighting key market trends driven by the meme coin sector.

Content Mentioned:

• Jen Wieczner in NYMAG, Are Democrats Pivoting on Crypto

Check out this episode!

In this episode, Wyatt sits down with Babylon founder David Tse to cover:

• Restaking/shared security and how it works
• Why shared security is a valuable use case for Bitcoin
• Bitcoin’s structural limitations and their impact on Bitcoin innovation
• Bitcoin innovation broadly and Bitcoin L2’s

Check out this episode!

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

• Kerrisdale versus Bitcoin miners
• Robinhood buys Bitstamp for $200m
• Biden vetoes the SAB121 overturn bill
• Is the Biden admin’s pro crypto tilt over?
• Tucker interviews Bukele
• Coinbase donates to Fairshake
• SEC takes more Ls
• Big inflows into the bitcoin ETFs
• Are ETF inflows more about the basis trade?
• Paxos launches the interest-bearing stablecoin USDL out of the UAE
• Can Bitcoin miners sell into the AI cloud market?
• Kraken is in talks to raise a pre-IPO round
• State Street is reentering crypto
• MiCA and stablecoins
• Matt’s latest crisis
• The barbell approach to AI investing 

Sponsor notes:

• Breaking Down Ethereum Blobs & EIP-4844
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 262, we break down Layer-2 blob usage and evaluate the success of Ethereum’s EIP-4844 upgrade.

Check out this episode!

We sit down in Bermuda with Mountain Protocol founder Martin Carrica and XBTO founder Philippe Bekhazi for a talk on stablecoins and doing business on the island. In this episode: 

• Why XBTO is Bermuda-first and why Mountain set up there
• The “Bermuda triangle” for doing business on the island
• The overlap between Bermuda’s reinsurance industry and crypto
• The partnership between Mountain and XBTO
• The rise of interest-bearing stablecoins
• USD stables as extending the reach of the dollar
• The relationship between crypto and big 4 auditors
• The coming race between interest and non-interest bearing stablecoins
• Blackrock’s BUIDL product and tokenized treasurys

Check out this episode!

Wyatt sits down with Julian Duran, product lead of Marathon Digital’s Anduro project. Discussion included:

• Why miners are strategically expanding and exploring new initiatives
• New innovation in Bitcoin broadly
• How Bitcoin today differs from Bitcoin 2+ years ago
• Where Bitcoin L2’s and sidechains are headed

Learn more about Anduro

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

• We recap the Coin Center annual dinner
• Will Biden follow through on his SAB121 veto threat?
• The Biden admin is reportedly reaching out to key industry figures
• Ethereum ETF prospects
• Recap of the fight that didn’t happen
• Prediction market issues
• Gemini Earn recovery

Sponsor notes

• Exploring the Impacts of ETH ETF Approvals
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 261, we explore the market reaction and network implications of ETH ETF approvals

Check out this episode!

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

• Whip Emmer returns to OTB
• Matt’s animal problems
• Congress passes the SAB121 overturn
• Gruenberg offers his resignation and what it means for crypto
• In a stunning overturn the SEC approves the ETH ETF
• The significance of the FIT21 act
• The anti-CBDC bill passes the House

Sponsor notes:

• Decoding the Digital Dollar
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 260, we assess the growth and usage patterns across Coin Metrics’ suite of stablecoin coverage

Check out this episode!

Minnesota Representative and House Whip Tom Emmer joins the show once again to talk about the policy sea change in Washington and recent legislative successes. In this episode:

• The House passes Emmer’s anti-CBDC bill
• Trump’s embrace of crypto and what that means
• Why some Democrats and the White House have changed their tone on crypto
• Congress votes to repeal SAB121 in defiance of Biden’s veto threat
• Is the influence of the progressives in DC waning with regards to crypto?
• Will Biden follow through on his SAB121 overturn veto threat?
• FDIC chair Marty Gruenberg’s planned resignation and what that means
• Whip Emmer’s thoughts on stablecoin legislation
• The SEC’s reversal on the Ethereum ETF
• The importance of the FIT21 act and its prospects in the Senate
• Whip Emmer’s legislative expectations over the remainder of 2024

Whip Emmer’s prior OTB episodes: 

• Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) on FTX, the SEC, and the House Crypto agenda for 2023 (EP.382)
• Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) on MMT, CBDCs, and crypto policy for 2022 (EP.276) 

Check out this episode!

Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode:

• The Senate votes to repeal SAB121
• Which Democrats defied Biden on SAB121?
• Chuck Schumer breaks with Warren
• Paul Ryan’s pro-stablecoin comments on Bloomberg
• CME is launching a spot crypto exchange
• The State of Wisconsin owns over $100m of Bitcoin ETFs
• Pump.fun exploited
• MEV exploiters arrested by the DoJ
• What’s up with Roaring Kitty?

Content mentioned in this episode:

• Matt Hougan, Who’s Buying Bitcoin ETFs (According to 13F Filings)
• David Morris, What President Biden’s Crypto Politics Might Really Be About
• Rep Mike Flood and Wiley Nickel, It’s time to overturn SAB 121

Sponsor notes:

• Bitcoin’s Halving Aftermath
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 259, we analyze the impact of Runes and miner revenues in Bitcoin’s post-halving landscape

Check out this episode!

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

• The SAB121 repeal bill passes the House with 21 Democrat votes
• Biden threatens to veto SAB121 repeal
• Trump endorses crypto
• Is Gensler a liability for Biden?
• A scandal deepens at the FDIC
• Senator Warren defends the embattled FDIC chair
• Robinhood gets a Wells Notice from the SEC
• Is FTX really offering over 100% recovery to creditors?
• We review the Ohio State commencement speech
• Greyscale withdraws their Ethereum ETF application

Content mentioned in this episode:

• Nic on Medium, Five Perspectives on Stablecoins
• Wyatt on Medium, Monad & Stablecoins

Sponsor notes:

• The Usage & Evolution of Decentralized Exchanges (DEX’s)
• In Coin Metrics’ State of the Network issue 258, we explore activity across Ethereum decentralized exchanges (DEXs)

Check out this episode!

Will Peck, Head of Digital Assets at WisdomTree re-joins the show. In this episode we discuss:

• WisdomTree’s journey in digital assets and the firm’s strategy in the area.
• Views on the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States.
• Will’s views on tokenization and how the firm is approaching this category.
• WisdomTree’s New York Trust Charter and the opportunities that the license opens up.
• The evolving stablecoin landscape.
• Views on evolving regulatory landscape.

To learn more about WisdomTree visit their digital assets page.

Check out this episode!