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Latest Episodes:

ROLLUP: RSA Returns! | ETH’s Pivot? | Bitcoin’s Decoupling | Bear or Bull? Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

This week, the one, the only, Ryan Sean Adams makes his return to the Weekly Rollup and crypto, after a 90-day crypto detox to find a radically changed landscape. Ryan and David break down crypto’s shifting cycle, what Ryan missed, and Bitcoin’s dramatic decoupling from equities as it earns a strategic reserve in the U.S. Treasury. Meanwhile, Ethereum faces an existential pivot as it tries to reclaim lost ground against Bitcoin and Solana. Plus, Zora sparks heated debate with “content coins” amid new regulatory wins—and new fears of political corruption. Did crypto lose its soul chasing mainstream adoption, or is this the messy price of progress? It’s an essential Weekly Rollup you can’t afford to miss.
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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

0:47 Are we still in a bull market?

3:01 Ryan’s unplugging

5:35 Ryan’s last 90-days
https://x.com/ryansadams/status/1915115437505049055

24:50 Bankless’s choices moving forward
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1914312548897219006

32:58 Markets since Ryan’s break

40:35 Trump’s memecoin

48:31 Bitcoin Strategic Reserve

52:34 $LIBRA memecoin

1:03:29 Contentcoins, Zora, & Jesse

1:16:39 Ethereum pivot & Bitcoin decoupling

1:18:18 Closing & Disclaimers

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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66% of Wall Street is Already in DeFi | Paradigm’s 2025 Survey with Dan Robinson & Justin Slaughter Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we unpack Paradigm’s groundbreaking 2025 report, “TradFi Tomorrow: DeFi and the Rise of Extensible Finance,” with Paradigm’s Dan Robinson and Justin Slaughter.

We explore the stunning stat that 66% of traditional financial institutions are actively engaged with DeFi—and what that really means. From tokenization and stablecoins to regulatory clarity and decentralized exchanges, this conversation dives deep into how Wall Street is already integrating with crypto.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
7:10 What Constitutes a TradFi Firm
10:13 TradFi Firms with Defi
12:16 What's Exciting about this Report?
13:53 Stablecoins, Tokenization & More
18:54 Public Blockchains & TradFi?
21:05 “Tokenize The World” Moment?
27:47 TradFi’s Long-Term Outlook
33:19 The Formal Rejection of Private Blockchains
38:31 What’s Left for Regulation &Compliance
45:04 DeFi vs TradFi
48:07 User Value
50:55 Closing & Disclaimers

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RESOURCES

Paradigm Report
https://www.paradigm.xyz/2025/03/tradfi-tomorrow-defi-and-the-rise-of-extensible-finance

Dan Robinson
https://x.com/danrobinson

Justin Slaughter
https://x.com/JBSDC

Paradigm
https://x.com/paradigm

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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Is Ethereum Back on Track? | Jon Charbonneau & @0xBreadguy Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

Jon Charbonneau and Bread join David Hoffman to unpack Ethereum’s pivotal moment—facing tough choices to re-focus on its Layer 1.

They break down Ethereum’s shift back toward prioritizing L1 growth, the delicate dance between Layer 1 and Layer 2 strategies, and why Ethereum must reclaim DeFi as its core strength. The conversation also explores the nuanced dynamics between Ethereum’s cultural vision and technical roadmap, how Layer 2s fit into Ethereum’s evolving ecosystem, and what this strategic recalibration means for Ethereum's future in a competitive crypto landscape.

Jon Charbonneau: https://x.com/jon_charb
Bread: https://x.com/0xBreadguy
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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

5:28 Jon & Bread’s reaction to the Dankrad/Angsar episode
https://www.bankless.com/podcast/ethereums-strategic-pivot-ansgar-dankrad-mike-ippolito
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1914402754891559253
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1914330497905299790

27:56 Unichain or Ethereum L1 is DeFi?
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1913633500206428201

35:07 Making the L1 competitive while keeping L2s happy

44:38 L2s Parasitic?

48:49 Bitcoin Roadmap Bread vs. Jon

57:09 Decline of the ETH price & all asset prices overpriced?

1:05:02 ETH/BTC growth slowdown reason

1:13:35 The politics side of the conversation

1:19:05 What Bread & Jon are excited about

1:26:49 Closing & Disclaimers

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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Ethereum’s Strategic Pivot: The Plan it Needs to Win Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

Ethereum Foundation researchers Dankrad Feist and Ansgar Dietrichs join David Hoffman and Michael Ippolito to discuss Ethereum’s identity crisis—and how it’s turning the ship around.

They break down Ethereum’s cultural and organizational challenges, the pivot toward L1 growth, and the evolving role of the Ethereum Foundation under new leadership. The conversation covers the future of base and native rollups, L2 alignment, and why Ethereum’s unique values still matter in a competitive landscape.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 Intro
00:05:42 Top Problems with Ethereum
00:12:33 Lack of Growth in Ethereum Layer 1
00:27:49 Ethereum’s Roadmap Dilemma
00:38:08 Layer 1 Scaling Progress
00:39:08 Ethereum L1’s Value Proposition to L2s
00:48:44 Base and Native Rollups Explained
00:57:25 Canonical EVM in a Rollup World
01:01:26 Vitalik’s Vision for L1 Scaling
01:05:59 ZK Scaling Becomes Real
01:08:12 Fast Block Times and DeFi
01:16:59 The Evolving Ethereum Core Culture
01:22:38 Other Interesting Changes
01:26:41 Ethereum’s Direction Feels Different Now
01:30:09 Closing and Disclosure

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RESOURCES

Dankrad Feist
https://x.com/dankrad

Ansgar Dietrichs
https://x.com/adietrichs

Mike Ippolito
https://x.com/MikeIppolito_

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

ROLLUP: Ethereum L1 Comeback | MegaETH Testnet | Base Token Chaos | OHM Crash | WalletConnect Token Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

This week, Bread joins David to unpack Ethereum’s surprising pivot back to Layer 1, as insiders push for a more pragmatic roadmap and faster block times. MegaETH’s 10ms testnet drops jaws and breaks dApps, while WalletConnect shocks the industry with a late-stage token launch. Meanwhile, Base stirs chaos with its “content coins,” OHM crashes $6B in hours, and Solana’s token wars heat up. Is Ethereum finally finding its focus — or just reacting to the noise? It’s a jam-packed Weekly Rollup you don’t want to miss.

Bread: https://x.com/0xBreadguy
MegaETH: https://x.com/megaeth_labs
Modern Market: https://x.com/modernmarket_

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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro
1:20 Bread’s Arc
3:17 MegaETH & Testnet
8:46 Noise
13:31 Wen MegaETH Mainnet?
16:59 Ethereum Strategic Pivot?
39:25 Base Tokenized Content Drama
49:59 $OM Mantra Token Dump
59:28 Raydium’s LaunchLab
1:03:38 Bread’s Upcoming Excitement
1:04:31 Closing & Disclaimers

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

AI ROLLUP: This Changes Everything | ChatGPT's Memory Update Just Blew Our Minds Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

OpenAI just rocked the week with a groundbreaking memory update, sparking debate over whether “soul data” is the real moat in AI. Google fires back with its Agent‑to‑Agent protocol and a Cursor‑killer. We riff on 1,000 AI agents unleashed in Minecraft, labs turning pets into humans, and how Dolphin AI somehow beat GTA 6 to market. Buckle up as David, Ejaaz, and Josh roll through the top five stories shaping the AI‑crypto frontier and what they mean for builders, traders, and the future of intelligence.

David: https://x.com/TrustlessState
Ejaaz: https://x.com/cryptopunk7213
Josh: https://x.com/Josh_Kale

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🌐SELF | PROVE YOUR SELF
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🏦INFINEX | THE CRYPTO-EVERYTHING APP
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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

00:00:00 OpenAI’s HUGE Announcement

https://x.com/openai/status/1910378774727623024?s=46

https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1910728919113736380

00:10:23 The Final Data Set

https://x.com/theannagat/status/1912209931073433907?s=46

https://x.com/nearcyan/status/1910796767626686951?s=46
https://x.com/dbarabander/status/1910402182589145411

00:16:10 Falling In Love With AI

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHwWc6RiH2P/

00:23:05 Open AI To Replace Apple

00:31:10 The All Knowing Intelligence

00:37:12 Agents Overtake Minecraft

https://x.com/kimmonismus/status/1912415676331168147?s=46

00:44:50 Pets As Humans?

https://x.com/venturetwins/status/1911113662607315035

00:46:18 We Can Talk To Dolphins

https://blog.google/technology/ai/dolphingemma/

00:48:33 Google Agent To Agent

https://x.com/omarsar0/status/1909977142311690320?s=46

https://x.com/i/status/1912123283954389172

01:00:01 GPT 4.1

https://x.com/_mohansolo/status/1911843179898540311

https://x.com/openrouterai/status/1911803671878173114?s=46

https://x.com/kimmonismus/status/1912434791779017083?s=46

01:09:17 A New Model Architecture

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Is Donald Trump Unwinding the Global Order? Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

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Donald Trump is attempting something no leader has done before—unwind the global economic order.
In this episode, Financial Times columnist and CNN analyst Rana Foroohar joins us to unpack Trump’s economic strategy, the unraveling of Bretton Woods, and whether America is becoming an emerging market.
From soaring bond yields to declining dollar strength, we explore what markets are signaling, how business leaders are reacting, and why this may mark the end of the neoliberal era.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
4:20 Trump Unwinding Global Order?
13:39 Emerging Market Paradigm
21:51 All-In Debate
26:22 Manufacturing Jobs
31:55 Trump Vibe Based President?
35:41 90-Day Tariff Pause Signal
38:41 Centralizing U.S. Supply Chain
40:54 Where Rana Finds Signal & Crypto
45:16 Closing & Disclaimers
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RESOURCES
Rana Foroohar
https://x.com/RanaForoohar
America the Unstable
https://www.ft.com/content/e7a0af16-6ecf-4e04-8fa3-4de5646e8d58
The Great Tariff Debate with David Sacks, Larry Summers, and Ezra Klein
https://youtu.be/KcmMOZKnKAk?si=52ZULN6T_xyirh23
Stephen Miran’s A User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System
https://x.com/SteveMiran/status/1856745675943207362
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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Unraveling of the Global Order? | Rana Foroohar Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump is attempting something no leader has done before—unwind the global economic order.

In this episode, Financial Times columnist and CNN analyst Rana Foroohar joins us to unpack Trump’s economic strategy, the unraveling of Bretton Woods, and whether America is becoming an emerging market.

From soaring bond yields to declining dollar strength, we explore what markets are signaling, how business leaders are reacting, and why this may mark the end of the neoliberal era.

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🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK

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🏦INFINEX | THE CRYPTO-EVERYTHING APP

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

4:20 Trump Unwinding Global Order?

13:39 Emerging Market Paradigm

21:51 All-In Debate

26:22 Manufacturing Jobs

31:55 Trump Vibe Based President?

35:41 90-Day Tariff Pause Signal

38:41 Centralizing U.S. Supply Chain

40:54 Where Rana Finds Signal & Crypto

45:16 Closing & Disclaimers

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RESOURCES

Rana Foroohar

https://x.com/RanaForoohar

America the Unstable

https://www.ft.com/content/e7a0af16-6ecf-4e04-8fa3-4de5646e8d58

The Great Tariff Debate with David Sacks, Larry Summers, and Ezra Klein

https://youtu.be/KcmMOZKnKAk?si=52ZULN6T_xyirh23

Stephen Miran’s A User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System

https://x.com/SteveMiran/status/1856745675943207362

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Stablecoin Gold Rush: A $200 Trillion Opportunity | Rob Hadick Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

Stablecoins are no longer a niche crypto curiosity—they're a full-blown financial revolution.

In this episode, Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, joins us to unpack the emerging stablecoin tech stack and why cross-border payments, savings, and financial infrastructure are being rebuilt from the ground up.

From Circle and Tether to next-gen orchestration layers and stablecoin-native blockchains, we explore why this $200 trillion global opportunity is only 5% unlocked—and who stands to win the most.

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🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

5:08 Why Stablecoins?

6:50 The Stablecoin Train

20:26 Stablecoin Network Effects

22:55 Stablecoin Payments: Who Actually Wins?

26:51 Orchestration Layers

41:53 Stablecoin Blockchains

52:53 Stablecoin Singularity

56:03 Traditional Banks

59:38 Non-USD Stablecoins

1:02:05 How Many Stablecoins?

1:05:03 Circle IPO

1:09:32 Closing & Disclaimers

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RESOURCES

Rob Hadick

https://x.com/hadickm

Stablecoin Payments: Who Actually Wins?

https://medium.com/@HadickM/stablecoin-payments-who-actually-wins-ebd72a1cc8b3

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

ROLLUP: Trump Tariff Whiplash | China Trade War | Inflation Jitters | Paul Atkins New SEC Chair | MegaETH Testnet Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

This week, Haseeb Qureshi joins us to break down Trump’s explosive new tariffs that rocked global markets and triggered a full-blown trade war with China. Stocks whipsawed, recession odds spiked, and the world scrambled to the negotiation table — except China. Was it 3D chess or policy chaos? Plus, we explore the ripple effects on crypto markets, investor sentiment, and what this all means for the future of U.S. economic leadership. It's a jam-packed Weekly Rollup you don't want to miss.
Follow Haseeb on X:
https://x.com/hosseeb
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BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:
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🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN
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🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK
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🌐SELF | PROVE YOUR SELF
https://bankless.cc/Self
🏦INFINEX | THE CRYPTO-EVERYTHING APP
https://bankless.cc/Infinex
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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES
0:00 Intro
0:44 What has happened since Liberation Day?
https://x.com/tier10k/status/1910020421870637132
https://x.com/Birdyword/status/1910364014825070652
https://polymarket.com/event/us-recession-in-2025
31:17 Inflation
https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/1910311058222227586
41:49 Paul Atkins confirmed as the new SEC chair
https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1910117967230300613
45:43 ETH/BTC Ratio & Crypto VC Funding
https://x.com/pet3rpan_/status/1910345673288958052
58:36 MegaETH released its testnet
https://x.com/megaeth_labs/status/1903099481874153880
https://x.com/0xBreadguy/status/1909619744455741709
1:03:05 Closing & Disclosures
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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

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