Welcome To The Banana Zone | 1000x

In this episode of Empire, Qiao explains the upcoming Wallet Wars. Wallets are the decentralized access point for crypto, and the battle for distribution is about to get wild. Listen in to learn about the SuperApp Thesis, account abstraction, the battle for attention, wallet value capture and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:50) The Fat Wallet Thesis (04:11) How Wallets Have Evolved (09:06) Wallet Wars, Rise of the SuperApp (24:35) Account Abstraction (27:28) Why Geography Matters (29:16) Wallet Value Capture (41:03) Blue Ocean Opportunities & Centralized Credentials (51:02) Crypto Alfalpha - - Follow Qiao: https://twitter.com/QwQiao Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Alliance DAO https://alliance.xyz/ Good Game podcast (Qiao's podcast) https://goodgamepod.xyz/ - - More related content by Blockworks: What Are Seed Phrases and Are They Needed? The New Debate https://blockworks.co/news/what-are-seed-phrases - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

20 Jan 20231h 5min

In this episode of Empire, Emin Gün Sirer and John Wu explain why Avalanche is the most scalable, decentralized L1. We start with why developers choose Avalanche, then quickly transition into the L2 debate. Emin explains why Subnets are superior and how the L2 vision and L2 reality are miles apart. We also talk about Avalanche's consensus engine, business development, the multichain future and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:01) Avalanche’s Core Thesis (04:17) Why Build on Avalanche? (14:19) The Problem with L2s (19:08) Avalanche's Tradeoffs (23:41) The Consensus Engine (30:00) Learnings From Other Networks (33:29) Solana vs Avalanche (40:59) Avalanche’s Security Guarantees (45:00) Business Development Strategy (55:09) Warp: Communication Between Subnets (1:00:01) On-Chain Governance (1:01:41) Avalanche’s Community (1:08:29) A Multichain Future? - - Follow Emin: https://twitter.com/el33th4xor Follow John: https://twitter.com/John1wu Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Avalanche https://www.avax.network/ Ava Labs https://www.avalabs.org/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

16 Jan 20231h 15min

In today’s episode of Empire, we discuss the upcoming Shanghai upgrade and Lido's liquid staking monopoly. What will happen to stake rates once withdrawals are enabled? Will LSD providers steal market share from Lido? We also discuss Genesis' terrible GBTC trade, why we're feeling optimistic, FTX recovering $5B, Japan's most popular blockchain and how people still underestimate the power of BD in crypto (e.g. the Avalanche AWS partnership)! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:21) Crypto Conferences & the January Effect (09:30) Genesis’ Terrible Risk/Reward Trade (20:08) FTX Finds $5B of Assets (24:38) SBF’s Substack Post (28:56) Why We're Still Feeling Optimistic (37:21) How the Shanghai Upgrade will Impact ETH staking rates (44:16) When to Sell (a Crypto Funds Perspective) (48:16) Has Lido Won the LSD Battle? (52:53) Avalanche Partners With AWS (1:01:07) Japan’s Most Popular Blockchain (1:03:39) Coinbase and Blockchain.com Layoffs (1:05:00) On-Chain US Treasuries (Ondo Finance) (1:07:25) Book Recommendations - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Thinking in Probabilities (Byron newsletter) https://blockworks.co/newsletter/issue/30211866 SBF's Substack https://sambf.substack.com/ Ryan Watkins tweet https://twitter.com/RyanWatkins_/status/1612872737134870528 Astar https://astar.network/starmap/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

13 Jan 20231h 13min

In this episode of Empire, Colleen Sullivan and Peter Johnson join us to discuss their predictions for 2023. We cover the future of NFTs, gaming, trading infrastructure, stablecoins, regulation, AppChains and more! This episode is packed with insights from two top VCs in crypto - you won't want to miss it. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:04) Why Choose Optimism (04:22) Stablecoin Volumes Will Surpass Visa Volumes (11:59) Brands, NFTs and Polygon's Lead (25:31) Gaming Studios Will Integrate NFTs (29:48) The Financialization of NFTs (38:08) Gaming Interoperability (42:42) The Unbundling of NFT Marketplaces (49:38) Changes to Market Trading Infrastructure (51:35) DeFi Regulation, Macro and Bitcoin’s Narrative (1:10:42) The Separation of Brokerage, Custody and Settlement (1:14:40) 2023’s Prevailing Narrative (1:19:17) The AppChain Thesis & IRL Yields in Crypto (1:22:47) Steady Adoption & Strong Beliefs - - Follow Colleen: https://twitter.com/colleenklein Follow Peter: https://twitter.com/TheChicagoVC Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources What to Expect for NFTs and Digital Goods in 2023 https://blockworks.co/news/digital-goods-nfts-2023 What to Expect From Web3 Gaming in 2023 https://blockworks.co/news/web3-gaming-2023 What to Expect for Ethereum and Blockchain Infrastructure in 2023 https://blockworks.co/news/ethereum-blockchain-infrastructure-2023 Tokengated Commerce https://www.notboring.co/p/tokengated-commerce Financial Times (Alan Howard) https://www.ft.com/content/e89061dd-634e-4024-b74a-5a102d4eb552 - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

9 Jan 20231h 37min

In today’s episode of Empire, Santi and Jason go full Michael Scott by hosting the Annual Empire Awards. We discuss our favorite projects of 2022, our wildest predictions, the most overhyped section of crypto, the best unsexy ideas and so much more! We then get personal by discussing our worst investment in 2022, our best/worst new habits, our favorite app and our personal goals for 2023. Don't miss this one - it's one of my favorites yet. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:08) Biggest Mental Reframe (17:06) Favorite Project or Business (20:48) Crypto Person of the Year (23:08) Top Breakout Company (29:23) Best Unsexy Idea (35:40) Wildest Prediction for 2023 (43:40) Most Overlooked Vertical in Crypto (47:02) Most Overhyped Vertical in Crypto (50:33) Business You Want to See Built in 2023 (51:56) Your Best & Worst Investment in 2022 (59:37) Best Business Decision of 2022 (1:01:55) Most Helpful Thing You Started in 2022 (1:03:49) Worst & Best Habit (1:08:17) Favorite Content of 2022 (1:13:48) Besides Crypto, What Would You Work On? (1:22:11) Favorite New App or Product (1:24:33) Dream Podcast Guest (1:27:13) 2023 Business & Personal Goals - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources The Diff https://www.thediff.co/ I Pledge Allegiance https://bit.ly/3QgW2BK A Media Operator https://www.amediaoperator.com/ Graham Duncan https://grahamduncan.blog/about/ John Collison with Stanley Druckenmiller https://bit.ly/3QxSRpL Clay https://clay.earth/ The Summit (by Santi) https://bit.ly/3Cu4cBk - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

6 Jan 20231h 40min

In today’s episode of Empire, we bring on Mike and Mark from On The Margin to discuss our 2023 crypto thesis. We debate predictions on the Wallet Wars, ETH vs Bitcoin, the rise of insurance, app-specific vertical integration, the adoption of CBDCs, Coinbase vs DEXs, MEV as a business model and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:14) Crypto’s 2022 Wrapped (11:52) The Bottom is in for Crypto, not for Equities (19:35) Kings of Spot & NFT Trading Will Lose Market Share (22:44) Stablecoins, DeFi’s Resurgence and Permissioned Protocols (28:02) Regulators are Coming, and the CBDC debate (33:23) MEV will be the Business Model for DeFi & Exchanges (42:05) No Industry Takes Off Without Insurance (48:48) A Market Bottom & the Value of Memes (52:36) ETH vs Bitcoin (spicy) (1:03:34) Miner Capitulation, Wallet Wars & Gaming (1:11:31) Vertical Integration, Privacy and Payments (1:17:51) The Rise of Professional Guilds - - Follow Mark: https://twitter.com/MarkYusko Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Empire links Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod On The Margin links Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3YGtdml Subscribe on Apple: https://bit.ly/3BUZXhK Subscribe on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3hHY1m4 Follow OTM: https://twitter.com/OnTheMarginPod Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

26 Dec 20221h 23min

In today’s episode of Empire, we explore the state of the crypto market. We discuss where we are in the market cycle, the investment landscape, why 2023 could be a blood bath for crypto startups and why there's reason to be optimistic. You don’t want to miss this section. We then talk through Visa’s new payments deployment on Starknet, the power of account abstraction, Yuga Labs’ big hire, DCG’s outlook, the evolving media landscape and more! - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Barry Silbert's WSJ tweet https://twitter.com/BarrySilbert/status/1604837519224639488 Catherine's Visa announcement tweet https://twitter.com/catgu_/status/1604896035616264205 - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

23 Dec 20221h 13min

In this episode of Empire, Simon Jones joins us to discuss DeFi's interest rate opportunity. A year ago, DeFi's meme was, "Why earn .01% in your bank account when you can earn 20%+ in DeFi". Fast forward to today, and TradFi offers higher yields than DeFi. Did we get rugged, or what's the new opportunity? Tune in as we explore the correlation between TradFi and DeFi rates, DeFi's low cost-of-capital opportunity, the efficiency of market-driven protocols, importing TradFi yields on-chain and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:15) The Divergence of TradFi & DeFi Rates (11:00) DeFi Responded 10x Faster Than the Fed (17:42) Leveraging DeFi as a Cheap Source of Funding (20:59) Importing TradFi Yields On-Chain (27:35) Why Institutions Will Use On-Chain Products (32:11) Replacing Regulation With Smart Contracts & Incentives (36:46) Voltz and the Importance of Fixed Rates (41:16) Will TradFi & DeFi Rates Eventually Converge? - - Follow Simon: https://twitter.com/0xSimonJones Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Voltz https://www.voltz.xyz/ Voltz research paper on DeFi vs TradFi rates https://www.voltz.xyz/tradfi-vs-defi-rates Bell Curve episode with Simon https://bit.ly/3PC7lEj - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

19 Dec 202245min