Empire

Latest Episodes:

Meme Mania: Why You Should Pay Attention | 1000x May 11, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Avi and Jonah discuss Bitcoin's outlook and recent meme coin mania. We start with a discussion on Bitcoin and if bank failures are priced in, what it will take for BTC to break past the 30K range and if institutions are buying. Avi and Jonah then debate if we'll ever see 2021s perfect storm again. Meme coins are pumping, blockspace demand is saturated, and market sentiment is shifting. Is this a market turning point or just a short-term phenomenon? Tune in to find out!

We'll drop a new 1000x episode on Empire's RSS feed and the 1000x YouTube channel every two weeks. Hit the links below and give us a follow!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:32) Are Bank Failures Priced In?

(07:31) The Impact of a Potential US Default

(12:51) Repeating 2021’s Perfect Storm

(18:03) Meme Mania: Why You Should Pay Attention

(31:30) Deflationary ETH and Blockspace Fee Generation

(36:34) BTC Miner Revenue and BRC-20s

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Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman

Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz

Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3FuSarX

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources:

Golden Tree

https://www.goldentree.com/

Cumberland

https://cumberland.io/

BRC-20.io

https://brc-20.io/

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x 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. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Justin Sun: Tron’s Vision, Liquidity Mining & Binance May 09, 2023

Show notes

Today we are joined by Tron's founder, Justin Sun. Justin describes Tron's role as the leading stablecoin network, USDT's falling market share, Huobi's competition with Binance, his potential acquisition of DCG's assets and more. You will be shocked to hear what dollar amounts Justin has staked in Lido and other DeFi protocols. Tune in to find out!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(00:56) Tron’s Vision

(04:25). Huobi: Competing with Binance

(07:44) The Threat of USDT’s Falling Market Share

(11:14) $56M TUSD Binance Transfer

(13:21) Quicknode Ad

(15:08) KWENTA Ad

(16:04) Yield Farming, Staking and Bribing Liquidity

(22:43) Tron’s Team, Acquisitions and DCG

(25:40) SEC vs TRX and Regulation

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Follow Justin: https://twitter.com/justinsuntron

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan!

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This episode is brought to you by Kwenta, the premier derivatives trading platform on Optimism that offers deep liquidity, low fees and up to 50x leverage across 24+ assets. Go to Kwenta.io and start trading today!

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Resources

Tron

https://tron.network/

Huobi

https://www.huobi.com/en-us/

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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.

Policy Series: Why The US Is Falling Behind | Rebecca Rettig, Jake Chervinsky May 08, 2023

Show notes

Today we are joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to discuss the state of crypto regulation. Rebecca and Jake explain how the US is falling behind, the EU's MiCA regulation, the SEC's attack on Coinbase, Gary's false sense of control and the hottest crypto bills in DC. Regulation and policy are becoming must-know topics for crypto participants, and this is your go-to source for everything you need to know. This is the first episode in an ongoing regulatory and policy series with Jake and Rebecca!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:40) The State of Crypto Regulation

(02:36) Europe's MiCA Legislation

(11:10) “Chainalysis Ad”

(12:14) Coinbase’s Offshore Expansion

(14:11) The UK’s Approach and What’s Next for the EU

(19:07) Gary Gensler’s April Testimony

(22:45) Coinbase’s Fight with the SEC

(30:08) Warren Marshall Bill

(35:21) The US Policy Outlook

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Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1

Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky

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/

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This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis.

Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire.

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Resources:

Coinbase's response to the SEC’s Wells notice

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/coinbase-responds-to-the-secs-wells-notice

The Blockchain Association

https://theblockchainassociation.org/

https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn

Polygon

https://polygon.technology/

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The Fellas Debate the Financialization of JPEGs | Bell Curve May 05, 2023

Show notes

SPECIAL EPISODE: We decided to skip Empire's roundup this week and replace it with this epic roundup from Bell Curve! Bell Curve is our sister podcast that features Jason, Mike (Blockworks' other co-founder) and Vance + Michael from Framework Ventures.

In this episode of Bell Curve, the crew discusses Coinbase's earnings beat and Blur's new NFT lending product! Coinbase crushed revenue, meme coins are pumping and NFTFi is here. Is this all noise or have markets finally turned after the wild year? Tune in as we debate our market outlook, Blur and the financialization of NFTs, Curve's new crvUSD stablecoin, LST Summer and more!

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Timestamps:

00:00) Introduction

(02:54) Coinbase Earnings Predictions

(18:17) “Valora Ad”

(19:13) Blend: The Financialization of NFTs

(39:51) Protocol Stablecoins: crvUSD Launch

(50:34) Degens are Back

(53:34) ETH’s Economics: Burn vs Distribution

(57:32) Coinbase Beats Earnings and LST Summer

(1:07:26) Nate from OpenSea Convicted

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Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/im_manderson

Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Vance: https://twitter.com/pythianism

Follow Bell Curve: https://twitter.com/thebellcurvepod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH

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This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire.

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Resources:

GovHub

https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1654179131171512320

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Bell Curve or 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. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Blend: Unlock The Value of Your NFTs | Pacman, Blur May 03, 2023

Show notes

Today we are joined by Pacman to discuss Blend, Blur's new perpetual NFT lending platform. Blend is peer-to-peer, doesn't require oracles and offers non-expiring loans. Pacman explains how these mechanics work, why Blend focuses on institutional liquidity provision, borrower liquidation risk and more! Blend could be the NFT primitive that ignites the next NFT run - you don't want to miss this one.

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:10) Blend: A Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform

(07:30) How Refinancing Auctions Work

(22:27) Institutional Liquidity Provision

(30:15) Strategies, Market Inefficiencies & Adding New Collections

(38:09) The Yield Curve and User Preferences

(45:28) Catering to Consumers vs Professionals

(52:44) Liquidation Coordination Risk

(55:36) Lending Incentives

(58:46) Blur’s Roadmap

(1:06:01) Infrastructure Unlocks Economic Value

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Follow Pacman: https://twitter.com/PacmanBlur

Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

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/

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Resources:

Blur

https://blur.io/

https://twitter.com/blur_io

Blur Dune Dashboard

https://dune.com/beetle/blur-loans

Empire's first Blur episode

https://spoti.fi/3HxWgkK

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How Rollups Will Decentralize Their Sequencer | Josh Bowen, Ben Fisch May 02, 2023

Show notes

Today we are joined by Josh Bown (Astria) and Ben Fisch (Espresso Systems) to discuss the role of shared sequencers in the modular future. Josh and Ben explain the risks of centralized sequencers, why rollups will use a shared sequencer and the core tradeoffs. What is the value proposition of a shared sequencer? How will MEV be allocated between rollups and sequencers? Why haven't rollups already decentralized their sequencer? We discuss these questions and more in this epic conversation!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(04:27) The Role of a Sequencer

(11:24) The Risks of Centralized Sequencers

(20:13) Using the L1 as the Sequencer

(23:12) Why Use a Shared Sequencer?

(34:56) Quicknode

(36:43) Kwenta

(37:40) The Tradeoffs

(40:35) Who will be the Sequencers?

(45:23) The AWS Analogy

(50:27) Economic Capture and Allocation Challenges

(58:28) How Block Times Impact Shared Sequencing

(01:01:12) Competition

(01:05:04) Restaking Risk and Timelines

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Follow Josh: https://twitter.com/Jskybowen

Follow Ben: https://twitter.com/benafisch

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/

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Resources

Espresso Systems

https://www.espressosys.com/

https://twitter.com/EspressoSys

Astria

https://www.astria.org/

https://twitter.com/AstriaOrg

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Why Santi Bought SOL | Roundup Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss why Santi is bullish on Solana. We start with a debate on how low liquidity creates wild volatility, BTC's correlation to the S&P and if shared sequencers are overhyped. This leads to a conversation on the MadLads mint, Santi's allocation to the Solana ecosystem, Circle's CCTP launch and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:38) Low Liquidity Side Effects

(06:42) First Republic Bank & BTC's S&P Correlation

(019:46) “Valora Ad”

(20:45) Shared Sequencer Hype

(30:00) MadLads Mint

(34:01) Why Santi is Bullish on Solana

(41:45) “Crypto is Dead”

(44:16) Base’s Adoption, Franklin Templeton & CCTP launch

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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/

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Resources:

1000x Episode

https://spoti.fi/41VjYPU

Frank Templeton fund

https://bit.ly/446T09Q

Director of Podcasts application

https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Blockworks/adb7324a-0635-4dbc-ac40-aec73474daad

Empire Multicoin episode

https://spoti.fi/3AxlrQP

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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.

Return of Retail: Where's The Fast Money? | 1000x Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

1000x is officially back! If you're new here, 1000x is a crypto markets podcast by professional traders Avi Felman and Jonah Van Bourg. We bring on experts to dive deep into the macro and micro factors that represent the lifeblood of digital money and web3.

In this episode, Avi and Jonah discuss how markets responded to the banking crash, what catalysts are on the horizon and where prices will trend next. Where was retail in the last rally? What catalysts could revive BTC? What metrics should you watch for the next Alt L1 narrative? Tune in to find out!

We'll drop a new 1000x episode on Empire's RSS feed and the 1000x YouTube channel every two weeks. Hit the links below and give us a follow!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:36) Market Outlook: Retail Didn’t Show Up

(08:06) The Mystery BTC Buyer

(13:01) Event-Driven Price Movements

(18:47) The Debt Ceiling Opportunity

(27:22) Pepe, Shiba & New Money

(31:57) The AppChain Thesis and Alt L1s

(40:37) Crypto: 24/7 Dopamine

(44:04) Moving Beyond the Casino Use Case

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Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman

Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz

Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3FuSarX

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/

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Resources:

Golden Tree

https://www.goldentree.com/

Cumberland

https://cumberland.io/

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x 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. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Doodles: The Pixar of Web3 | Julian Holguin Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Today we are joined by Julian Holguin, the CEO of Doodles. Julian reveals how Doodles is creating an IP powerhouse that will become the Pixar of Web3. The OG Doodles NFT collection is just the tip of the iceberg (their "Toy Story"), with even more exciting things to come.

In this episode, Julian explains the power of combining narrative with technology, Doodles' business plan and collaboration with global brands, the secret to community content creation, Doodles' growth strategy and more! You won't want to miss this inside look at one of the most captivating NFT/IP houses in Web3!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:26) Doodles Origin Story

(08:44) Julian’s Digital Media Background

(15:41) Building the Pixar of Web3

(20:09) Why Leverage NFTs?

(23:47) The Impact of Doodle’s Floor Price

(27:16) Quicknode

(29:04) Synthetix

(30:43) The Business Model

(39:29) Collaborations with Global Brands

(44:32) Why Choose Flow for Doodles 2?

(51:12) Scarcity, Utility and Community Content Creation

(58:49) The Doodle Bank

(01:04:46) Doodle’s Audience and Value Accrual

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Follow Julian: https://twitter.com/jholguin

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

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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/

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This episode is brought to you by Synthetix. Synthetix Perps is the most efficient decentralized perpetual futures engine, with 5/10 bp fees and up to 25x leverage. With a growing list of over 20 tradable markets, Synthetix Perps are available on Optimism via Kwenta.io and Polynomial.fi, with more coming soon! As a permissionless liquidity layer, Synthetix makes it easy for any protocol to integrate perps and earn 5%-10% of trade fees.

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Resources

Doodles

https://doodles.app/

https://twitter.com/doodles

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Gary Gensler’s Crypto Crusade | Roundup Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss Gary Gensler's crypto crusade. The SEC Chair has continually attacked crypto and revealed this week that... he has never owned or interacted with any "digital asset". We debate Garry's comments from this week's committee meeting, if regulators are pushing companies like Coinbase out of the US and why we remain optimistic.

We also cover Flashbot's new MEV Share protocol, an ongoing mystery wallet exploit, the meme coin craze and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(05:06) Gary Gensler: An Anti-Crypto Cruade

(20:32) “Valora Ad”

(21:26) Coinbase's Global Expansion

(28:27) Flashbots Launches MEV Share

(30:00) On-Going Mystery Wallet Exploit

(39:49) Meme Coins, MEV & Jared from Subway

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Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel