Unchained

The Democratic Party has faced criticism from the crypto industry for its stance on the sector, but House Representative Ro Khanna is determined to change that narrative.  In this episode, he talks about his efforts to shift the party’s approach, his thoughts on the current regulatory environment, and his vision for a crypto-friendly future. He gives his insights on the implications of the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine, the potential for a crypto bill this year, and his upcoming remarks at the Nashville Bitcoin conference. Plus, if you are a single-issue voter, he’s got something to say to you. Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:36 How Rep. Khanna is working to change the Democrat approach to crypto policy in the U.S. 04:54 What Rep. Khanna's response is to formerly Democratic crypto voters, such as Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who have decided to vote for Trump this election 07:12 What Rep. Khanna would like to see in a potential crypto plank of the Democratic Party platform 07:58 Who Rep. Khanna believes should be the next SEC chair under a potential Harris administration 08:41 His thoughts on Christy Goldsmith Romero's nomination as chair of the FDIC 09:37 Rep. Khanna's perspective on how to convince Democratic Party members about the benefits of crypto 11:21 How Rep. Khanna views the Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine and its implications for crypto 13:29 What key points Rep. Khanna will address in his upcoming remarks at the Bitcoin conference 14:16 What broader implications Rep. Khanna sees in the vote and its potential impact on the crypto industry 15:43 Whether a crypto bill could pass this year in Congress 18:11 Crypto Recap Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot PlayFi Labs Guest Ro Khanna, U.S. representative from California Previous appearance on Unchained: Congressman Ro Khanna: How to Get More Democrats into Web3 Links Recent coverage of Unchained on politics and the elections: Congressman French Hill on Crypto and His Top Pick for the Next SEC Chair Anthony Scaramucci on Why He Supports Biden and Thinks He, Not Trump, Is Best for Crypto Why Many Democrats, Including the White House, Have Come Around on Crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis on Why Crypto Now Has Bipartisan Support in Congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Jul 202429min

The Open Network, aka TON, has been on a tear since late February. TVL has skyrocketed 34x since the beginning of the year, reaching over $750 million as of the time of recording. The price of TON has more than tripled from about $2 to $7, and daily active addresses recently exceeded those of Ethereum in May and June. Games with fun names like Hamster Kombat and Catizen are gaining traction, and Pantera Capital, an OG crypto investor, is making its largest investments yet in TON.  In this episode, Alena Shmalko and Jack Booth from the TON Foundation discuss how TON has managed to garner this traction, especially after a rocky start when the SEC went after the original founder, Telegram. Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 02:13 Alena’s and Jack’s backgrounds and how they ended up at TON 05:35 How TON evolved from its origins with Telegram to its current status and how it began getting traction this year, according to Jack 11:21 How The Open League helped TON grow its TVL and other important metrics 15:40 How Telegram's collaboration with TON has evolved through time and how much they work together 24:47 Whether there are plans for TON to integrate with apps beyond Telegram 30:15 What in TON’s architecture allows it to be extremely scalable 33:20 The mechanics of Notcoin and why it has been so successful 36:49 Whether the rise of games like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat can be sustainable 46:05 The importance of USDT in Ton 51:53 When might a Bitcoin trustless bridge be deployed and why it could be significant 54:43 Whether TON is being used by criminals and what could be done to combat it 58:59 What strategies will lead TON to have $1 billion in TVL by the end of the year Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Guests: Alena Shmalko, Ecosystem Lead at the TON Foundation Jack Booth, Director of Marketing at the TON Foundation Links Previous coverage on Unchained of TON: Could Telegram-Associated TON Blockchain Be the 'Next Solana' and Challenge Ethereum? Layer 2 Networks Are Arriving on the Telegram-Associated TON Blockchain  TON Blockchain's Stablecoin Transfer Volume Reaches Record $299 Million on US Independence Day  What Is Telegram's Ads Network on TON And How Will It Impact Advertisers & Creators? History & Structure TON roadmap CoinDesk:  Telegram Abandons TON Blockchain Project After Court Fight With SEC Telegram Agrees to Pay $18.5M Penalty in SEC Settlement Over Failed TON Offering Messaging App Telegram Gives Endorsement to TON Project; Token Surges Cointelegraph: Telegram ad platform to launch via TON blockchain Notcoin: Decrypt: What's Next for Notcoin? Becoming the 'Netflix of Social, Viral Games' Notcoin, a Free Telegram Game Based on the TON Blockchain, Surges in Popularity Hamster Kombat Cointelegraph: Hamster Kombat destined for Guinness World Record?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Jul 20241h 9min

In this episode of Unchained, Congressman French Hill provides an insider's perspective on the present and future of crypto regulation.  Hill delves into the ongoing legislation and the implications of the FIT21 Bill, shares his views on who should succeed Gary Gensler as SEC chair if Trump is re-elected, and discusses the controversial role of the CFTC in regulating the crypto industry. He also touches on the potential impacts of the Chevron doctrine being overturned by the Supreme Court, Trump’s evolving stance on crypto, and the latest developments in the Binance executive detention case in Nigeria. Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:26 How Rep. Hill's long-time passion for technological advancement led to his involvement in crypto and blockchain 04:00 The current state of ongoing legislation and why Rep. Hill is proud of the FIT21 bill 08:49 Who would be his top pick to chair the SEC if Trump is re-elected as president 11:42 Why he supports having the CFTC regulate the spot crypto markets  12:40 How he thinks teams should launch tokens in the US  15:02 How he thinks the overturning of the Chevron doctrine will impact crypto 20:02 Why Trump changed his mind on crypto, according to Rep. Hill 23:14 Why Congressman Hill is running for chair of the House Financial Services Committee 25:14 The update on Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive detained in Nigeria, whom Rep. Hill visited recently 28:13 Crypto News Recap Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot PlayFi Labs Guest Congressman French Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Jul 202439min

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we invite Laura Shin and special guest Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association to discuss the latest in crypto politics. We dive deep into JD Vance's VP candidacy alongside Donald Trump and its implications for the crypto industry. We also explore the impact of recent political events on the crypto markets, the potential outcomes of key legislative efforts, and the future of the SEC post-2024 elections. Don't miss this insightful conversation on how the shifting political landscape might shape the future of crypto in the U.S. Show highlights 🔹The attempted assassination of Donald Trump and its effects on the crypto market, including his announcement of JD Vance as his running mate. 🔹Analysis of Trump's changing stance on crypto, and his increasing willingness to engage with the industry and its leaders. 🔹Explanation of the Vice President's role in setting financial services and innovation policy, especially in a potential Trump administration. 🔹 Speculation on whether Gary Gensler will step down if Trump wins and what this could mean for crypto regulation. 🔹 Overview of recent meetings between crypto executives and White House officials, signaling a shift in the Biden administration's approach to the industry. 🔹 Examination of the significant fundraising by crypto PACs like the Fair Shake PAC and their impact on political and regulatory decisions. 🔹Discussion on the Digital Commodities Act, market structure bills, and the challenges of passing crypto legislation in the current congressional session. 🔹 The evolving bipartisan support for crypto legislation and the importance of maintaining this support for future regulatory clarity. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Laura Shin, Journalist, Author of ‘The Cryptopians,’ founder and CEO of Unchained Guests ⭐️Kristin Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Blockchain Association Disclosures Timestamps  00:00 Intro 02:15 Trump & JD Vance 10:27 Politicians Stance on Crypto Policy 27:41 Crypto's Lobbying Efforts 34:56 Crypto's Political Influence 36:58 SEC Enforcement and Legal Battles 39:19 Speculations on Biden Administration's Crypto Stance 49:48 Legislative Pipeline and Market Structure Bills 01:01:36 Future of Crypto Regulation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Jul 20241h 7min

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann, joined by guest Jack Platts, dive into the market's reaction to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, looking at how this event will influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election—and the crypto markets. They also cover potential rate cuts: Could there be a cut this July? How big might the rate cut be in September? Could the decision ever be influenced by the upcoming election? They also give their predictions for what percentage of the BTC ETF inflows the ETH ETFs will reach, and James talks about what he’s expecting for Grayscale’s ETHE (hint: his view would be positive for ETH). Finally, they delve into what’s next for Bitcoin as the German government runs out of BTC and Mt. Gox distributions begin. Is it up only now? Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Whether the Trump shooting has settled the election and whether the event caused a “flight to safety” 11:23 How election markets are becoming a place to watch election odds and whether crypto “leans right” 20:16 Whether rate cuts are coming in July or September and how much they’ll cut: 25bps or 50bps 29:06 How Joe views the relationship between global liquidity cycles, rate cuts, and Bitcoin's potential rise 34:41 What new updates there are about the Ethereum ETFs and their expected launch 42:08 Why Solana hasn't outperformed significantly since the Trump news 43:25 What market breadth indicates about the current market rally and the impact of rates in small caps 49:01 Everyone’s predictions of ETH ETF inflows and how much outflows we’ll see on Grayscale’s ETHE 53:04 What’s next for BTC after the German government is out of bitcoin, and with Mt. Gox distributions starting this week Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Guest: Jack Platts, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Hypersphere Ventures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Jul 20241h 4min

Iggy Azalea joins Unchained to share the story of how the $MOTHER token got started (spoiler: there was a brush with a potential scammer), her stresses during the launch, and what she plans to do about the price slumping over 60% since the all-time high. A master of memes and OnlyFans, she talks about how she is using her experience in both realms to make MOTHER a success, even though she has yet to make any money from the token.  She also discusses her beef with Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, the allegations that there was insider trading of MOTHER, and how she plans to avoid regulatory action. Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:27 How Iggy got “onchain” and interested in crypto 03:01 How Iggy's understanding of memes and the attention economy influenced her approach to music and now MOTHER 08:09 How a brush with “scammer” Sahil Arora sparked the MOTHER launch  11:56 How Iggy plans to integrate her token into her business ventures and what strategies she's using to achieve this 16:33 Why she chose two market makers – DWF Labs and Wintermute – and why she decided to name the coin "Mother" 23:53 The lessons she learned from her OnlyFans that she is applying to MOTHER  33:54 Iggy’s response to Vitalik Buterin's criticisms of her coin 41:31 What strategies Iggy believes will bring $MOTHER out of its current slump 47:33 How Iggy responds to allegations of insider activity and dumping $2 million worth of her token 55:15 Whether she is concerned about regulators coming after her and what she's doing to prevent that 1:02:55 What Iggy thinks about the criticism regarding celebrities launching memecoins 1:08:49 Whether Iggy has a preference between Solana and Ethereum 1:11:36 How she’s trying to onboard other celebs into crypto, and her plans for integrating $MOTHER into mainstream culture and fan interactions Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Guest: Iggy Azalea, rapper, creator of $MOTHER Links Previous coverage of Unchained on Iggy and MOTHER: Solana Attracts Attention From Mainstream Celebrities Caitlyn Jenner, Davido, Iggy Azalea, Rich The Kid, and Trippie Redd MOTHER Sheds Half Its Value Since All-Time High Despite Iggy Azalea's Mastery of Crypto Memes Traders Coping As Iggy Azalea’s MOTHER Token Surpasses $100 Million Market Cap Bits + Bips: Iggy Azalea, $MOTHER, and Celeb Coins: Is This the Top of the Crypto Cycle? The Chopping Block: Iggy Azalea, Hamster Kombat, & Airdrop Insights  DWF labs CoinDesk: Iggy Azalea's MOTHER Token Jumps Over 50% After Partnering With DWF Labs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Jul 20241h 21min

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, Jason Yanowitz from Blockworks joins the squad to explore the media's significant role in the crypto industry. They discuss challenges faced by the media in meeting client demands and industry expectations, and highlight financial sustainability and biases. The hosts compare crypto media to mainstream journalism, examining the balance between journalistic integrity and revenue. They critique broader media trends, discussing monopolistic narratives and public dissatisfaction, with a specific look at political coverage. The episode concludes with reflections on the media's evolving role in truth dissemination amidst industry fragmentation. Show highlights 🔹 The Airdrop Era: Examination of the potential end of the airdrop/token narrative.  🔹 Investing in Apps vs Infrastructure: Debate on funding apps versus infrastructure projects. 🔹 Crypto Media Trends: Analysis of shifts in crypto media, major acquisitions, and industry stance. 🔹 Challenges in Crypto Media: Ethical questions and investor pressures media firms face.  🔹 Future of Media: Trends in media companies, prediction markets, and trust dynamics.  🔹 Media Integrity: Exploration of media's perception, skepticism around its business motives, and flawed business models.   Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly  ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Jason Yanowitz, Founder of Blockworks   Disclosures Timestamps  00:00 Intro 02:30 Airdrops and Token Valuations 04:04 Apps vs. Infrastructure 14:26 Venture's Not a Charity 22:41 Crypto Media Landscape 32:31 Revenue in Media 34:26 Trust as the Cornerstone of Media 35:27 The Blockworks Op-Ed Controversy 38:55 Navigating Media Bias and Trust 44:18 Balaji's Anti-Media Sentiment 49:57 The Future of Media and Truth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Jul 20241h 4min

Mustafa Al-Bassam was a teenage hacktivist who outsmarted a US government contractor, shamed the Westboro Baptist Church, hacked Sony a record number of times, and eventually got arrested—though his 80 transgressions got halved for a funny reason.  At the Modular Summit in Brussels, Laura had a fireside chat with Mustafa to discuss how he went from his teenage years as the head of LulzSec and member of Anonymous to founding Celestia, a project aiming to solve key issues in blockchain scalability by going with a modular approach.  He also discussed data availability sampling, why he believes Celestia has achieved significant product-market fit since its launch, and the three key components of Celestia’s road map. Show highlights: 00:00 Intro 01:47 Mustafa’s origin story and how he became a developer who ended up hacking FBI affiliates and Fox News 05:32 How he hacked a military contractor to the US Department of Defense and Sony 09:16 Why Mustafa was arrested at the age of 16 11:14 What about Bitcoin attracted his attention and got him interested in the industry 15:22 Why he founded Celestia, after doing a PhD in scaling blockchains and understanding the problems of sharding 21:16 What data availability sampling is and why it is important 23:52 Why Mustafa believes that Celestia has had “extreme product market fit” since the launch 26:16 What’s next for Celestia and why Mustafa is so excited about the possibilities that increased block size can enable 29:36 How Celestia is working with zero knowledge accounts for defragmenting liquidity in rollups and access liquidity even within the Cosmos ecosystem 30:57 What the endgame for Celestia and the overall industry looks like, according to Mustafa 37:36 Q&A with the audience 44:44 Crypto News Recap Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot PlayFi Labs Guest Mustafa Al-Bassam, co-founder of Celestia Labs. Previous appearance on Unchained: Why the Celestia Team Sees a Future With 10,000 Roll-Ups Links Previous coverage of Unchained on modular blockchains: Three Crypto Pioneers on Crypto’s Monolithic vs. Modular Debate What Are Modular Blockchains? A Beginner's Guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Jul 20241h 1min