Layer 1 Wars: How Near Protocol Is Different | Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder Of Near

The latest episode of Crypto Town Hall dives into the dramatic postponement of the Senate Banking Committee's markup on the Clarity Act following Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's public withdrawal of support. Panelists, including Scott Melker and guests like Carlo and Tom, unpack key controversies: recent amendments imposing a de facto ban on tokenized equities, restrictions on DeFi and privacy, erosion of CFTC authority, and a banking lobby push to block stablecoin yield/rewards to protect deposits. While some view Coinbase's influence as a bullish sign of crypto's growing DC power, others see it as evidence of entrenched banking interests stalling innovation. The group debates the bill's near-term viability (likely dead or heavily scaled back before midterms), its broader implications for tokenization and competition with traditional finance, and why Bitcoin's recent rally appears resilient despite the regulatory setback.

15 Jan 1h 3min

Crypto regulation hits another roadblock as the Senate Banking Committee delays the CLARITY Act markup, following industry pushback and intensifying political friction around stablecoin rewards, jurisdiction, and consumer protections. In today’s show we break down why the delay happened, who’s applying pressure behind the scenes, and what this pause means for Bitcoin, crypto markets, and near-term U.S. regulatory clarity as Washington once again struggles to move the industry’s biggest bill forward.

15 Jan 36min

In this Crypto Town Hall, the panel dives into Bitcoin's explosive rally past $97K, strong institutional buying via ETFs, and the "sticky" capital flowing from wirehouses and advisors making multi-year allocations. Guests break down Strategy's convertible debt flywheel, persistent demand absorbing supply, shifting market correlations, and the grinding higher move that could trigger FOMO. The conversation turns fiery on regulatory battles, stablecoin restrictions, banking lobbying risks, and the deeper debate: is mainstream ETF adoption real progress for Bitcoin's sovereignty ideals, or a centralized detour diluting its revolutionary promise?

14 Jan 1h 7min

Bitcoin and crypto got a jolt today as headlines pointed to a massive $130B jump in total crypto market cap in 24 hours, even while the policy backdrop stays messy with the Senate crypto bill markup reportedly pushed back amid negotiations over flashpoints like stablecoin rewards—fueling frustration that’s now spilling into public pressure campaigns (including calls for Trump’s “crypto czar” to step aside if a bill doesn’t pass soon).

14 Jan 47min

In this episode of Crypto Town Hall, the panel dives into the latest U.S. Senate draft amendments to the crypto market structure bill, exploring bipartisan compromises on stablecoin "rewards" (not yield), ongoing banking lobby influence, and the fluid markup timeline. Discussions cover the temporary protections banks may secure, and why many in crypto believe tokenization and automated sweeps will render much of the debate irrelevant in 5 years. The conversation also touches on Fed independence tensions, Powell’s recent statements, CPI data quirks amid grocery affordability concerns, potential DeFi regulatory impacts, and why Bitcoin may be coiling for a breakout despite short-term chop.

13 Jan 53min

The Senate Banking Committee just dropped updated market-structure language that would allow certain stablecoin rewards, setting up a major flashpoint ahead of markup and potentially reshaping how platforms can incentivize stablecoin use. At the same time, the market rotated hard into the privacy trade with Monero ripping into the top 15 and printing fresh all-time highs as headlines around privacy-token restrictions (including the UAE ban narrative) reignited demand for censorship-resistant assets.

13 Jan 1h 1min

In this Crypto Town Hall episode, the panel dives into Bitcoin's stall near $90K–$92K amid Strategy's record $1.25B BTC buy (13,627 coins), fueling talk of institutional accumulation, debt bets, and time-based capitulation. They cover Dubai's privacy-coin ban, stablecoin yield fights in the CLARITY Act, and Coinbase's lobbying pushback. The conversation turns macro with the Trump-Fed feud, DOJ subpoenas targeting Powell over Fed HQ spending, and shifting speculative flows into silver.

12 Jan 58min

Markets are flashing warning signs as Bitcoin struggles to gain traction and stocks wobble amid growing concern that Trump’s latest policy moves could trigger a liquidity shock. In this episode we break down the weak BTC price action, rising macro stress, questions around Fed independence, and why traders are suddenly bracing for a potential liquidity dump that could hit both crypto and traditional markets at the same time.

12 Jan 1h 8min