UNCHAINED: 2023 Crypto Year in Review: Is a Bull Market Around the Corner?

2023 was another packed year for crypto, with some big winners, and regulatory news taking the main spot. Take the Unchained 2023 survey! Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. In 2023, the crypto industry began with post-FTX fallout such as Operation Chokepoint 2.0, the failures of banks serving the crypto industry, and the SEC's Wells Notice against Coinbase. Meanwhile, Bitcoin Ordinals brought innovation to the Bitcoin network, while Ethereum's Shanghai upgrade introduced new functionalities. The criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried was the dramatic climax of the year, as lawmakers’ concerns about crypto being used for terrorist financing brought crypto into the mainstream conversation. The year ended with Binance's substantial settlement with the U.S. government and spot Bitcoin ETFs in the horizon, ushering in what looks like the beginnings of another bull market. Thank you to our sponsors! Arbitrum Foundation | Uniswap | Popcorn Network Links | DCG Unchained: Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy? Reuters: Crypto lending unit of Genesis files for U.S. bankruptcy CELSIUS Unchained: 7 Revelations From Celsius’ Examiner Report Why the Celsius Examiner Report Shows 'a Complete Disaster in Almost Every Way' Operation Chokepoint 2.0 WSJ: Regulator Orders Crypto Firm Paxos to Stop Issuing Binance Stablecoin The Verge: Kraken pays a $30 million fine and shuts down crypto staking in the US Unchained: Coinbase’s Top Lawyer Calls SEC Wells Notice a ‘Massive Overreach’ Just a Coincidence? Coinbase and Polygon Lawyers See Bad Omens in SEC Crackdown Bitcoin Ordinals Unchained: Bitcoin Ordinal NFTs Are Hot and Getting Hotter. What's the Hype About? Bitcoin’s Daily Transaction Fees Surpass Ethereum’s for First Time Since 2020 Signature, Silvergate, SVB, Bank Failures and USDC Depeg Investopedia: What Happened to Silicon Valley Bank? CNBC: Stablecoin USDC breaks dollar peg after firm reveals it has $3.3 billion in SVB exposure Unchained: The Chopping Block: Was Crypto Just Debanked? Why Caitlin Long and Meltem Demirors Are Worried About Crypto’s Future in the US - Cryptocurrency SEC Issues Coinbase a Wells Notice Rep. Emmer on Why He Believes Gary Gensler Is a ‘Bad-Faith Regulator’ Reuters: Signature Bank failure due to 'poor management,' US FDIC report says The Verge: Silvergate has collapsed Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade Unchained: Shapella in the Rearview: After Major Upgrade, What’s Next for Ethereum? Staked Ethereum Withdrawals Enabled As Shanghai Upgrade Goes Live CoinDesk: What’s Next After the Ethereum Shanghai Upgrade Known as Shapella Prometheum Unchained: Prometheum and Paradigm in Debate: Can the Status Quo Work for Crypto These 2 Crypto Trading Platforms Agree With SEC Chair Gary Gensler Crypto Community Unearths Questionable History of SEC-Aligned Prometheum - Cryptocurrency Regulation SEC vs. Binance and Coinbase Unchained: SEC Files 13 Charges Against Binance Including the Mishandling of Funds, Sale of Unregistered Securities SEC Sues Coinbase for Breaking Securities Laws SEC Sues Binance, Coinbase: ‘This Is Not the End of Crypto in the United States’ Ripple Unchained: New Order in SEC vs. Ripple Over XRP Is a Win for Crypto: What Happens Now? The Chopping Block: Jake Chervinsky on How the SEC Has Lost Credibility CoinDesk: Ripple, Crypto Industry Score Partial Win in SEC Court Fight Over XRP Bitcoin ETFs Unchained: Grayscale Wins Lawsuit Against SEC Over Denial of Bid to Convert GBTC Into a Bitcoin ETF Does Grayscale’s Win Against the SEC Mean a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Be Approved? Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10 How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection Why Financial Advisors Are So Excited About a Spot Bitcoin ETF Market Forecaster Raoul Pal Says There’s a Good Chance Bitcoin Will Hit $100K-$200K in 2024 Why Swan CEO Cory Klippsten Is Still Convinced That Bitcoin Is Headed to $1 Million SBF Trial Unchained: How Heated Sidebars During the SBF Trial Could Impact the Jury’s Decision While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: Here’s Everything That Happened So Far Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors? A 20+ Year Sentence? Why the Evidence Against SBF Was Too Hard to Overcome Terrorism in crypto Unchained: How Much Money Are Terrorists Actually Raising in Crypto? WSJ: Hamas Militants Behind Israel Attack Raised Millions in Crypto Binance settlement Unchained: How Binance Will Open All Its Activity to the U.S. Government Binance to Pay $4.3B Penalty to Resolve U.S. DOJ Criminal Investigation; Changpeng Zhao Resigns, Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Charges WSJ: Binance Penalties Include a Number of Crypto Industry Firsts: The Treasury Department’s FinCEN is imposing its first-ever monitorship on the cryptocurrency exchange Points systems Unchained: Crypto Points Systems Are a 100x Opportunity, But Founders, Be Wary Li’s Newsletter: Lessons on Points Programs for Crypto Apps - Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC. Distributed by CoinDesk. Senior Producer is Michele Musso and Executive Producer is Jared Schwartz. 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