The Decrypting Crypto Podcast

Off Chain 3/30/23: Binance is in Big Trouble Mar 30, 2023

In this week's episode, we discuss the following stories:

The CFTC is suing Binance, and it’s a pretty big deal
Date confirmed for the Ethereum Shanghai Update
The RESTRICT Act, and How it Could Be Used to Ban Bitcoin

Removing Custodial Risk from Bitcoin with Aki Balogh of DLC.Link Mar 27, 2023

Aki Balogh is the co-founder and CEO of DLC.Link, a company building Discreet Log Contracts (DLCs) on Bitcoin that enable bitcoins to be stored onchain and then utilized via smart contracts across other chains.

Lending is an obvious use case here as it removes the third-part risk of requiring a custodian to manage your bitcoin that you borrow against (or via a wrapped BTC token). DLCs solve this and could be a game-changer for Bitcoin.

https://twitter.com/AkiBalogh
https://www.linkedin.com/in/akibalogh/
https://www.dlc.link/

Off Chain 3/23/23: The Fed's Next Move, Arbitrum's Monster Airdrop, and Coinbase's Wells Notice Mar 23, 2023

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

The outlook for the markets based on the Fed’s latest rate decision
The much-anticipated Arbitrum airdrop is happening today (as we record)
SEC Warns Coinbase of Enforcement Over Its Staking Rewards Products

Off Chain 3/16/23: The Future of Crypto Banking Mar 16, 2023

In this week's episode, we do a deep dive into the future of banking in the crypto space. We discuss:

First Silvergate collapses, then SVB, and now Signature Bank.
A primer on why SVB failed.
What this could mean for the future of banking in the crypto space and what we really need from it.
What will the Fed do on March 22 at the next rate review announcement?

Off Chain 3/9/23: Silvergate collapses, Tensor's airdrop, and Yuga's Ordinals collection Mar 09, 2023

In this week's episode of Off Chain we cover the following stories:

Silvergate is shutting operations and liquidating
Tensor Plans Massive Airdrop for Solana NFT Traders
Yuga Labs, “TwelveFold” Ordinals collection auction ends
FCA, Met Police Continue Bitcoin ATM Crackdown in East London

Off Chain 3/2/23: COIN drops BASE, Yuga's Bitcoin Collection, and the IMF Hates Crypto Mar 02, 2023

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we discuss the following stories:

Coinbase announces L2 chain, Base.
Voyager Clients Vote 97% in Favor of $1B Restructuring Plan
Yuga Labs announces a 300-piece generative art collection on Bitcoin (Ordinals)
IMF: Banning Crypto 'Should Not Be Taken Off The Table'
Nishad Singh, FTX’s Director of Engineering, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government by violating campaign finance laws.
No, Visa isn’t slowing down plans for crypto products.

Off Chain 2/23/23: Blur vs OpenSea Feb 23, 2023

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

OpenSea drops fees and reduces creator royalties (temporarily)
Rep. Tom Emmer Says Fed Must Not Create Digital Currency 'Surveillance State'
Solana Spaces shuts down NYC and Miami retail stores after just one year
Yuga Labs accused of IP theft for trademarking BAYC wolf skull logo

Off Chain 2/16/23: Operation Choke Point (SEC vs Crypto) Feb 16, 2023

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

Kraken settles with SEC and shuts down staking service, plus pays $30m fine
Norwegian Authorities Recoup $5.9M From Axie Infinity Ronin Exploit
Paxos ordered to stop issuing new BUSD stablecoins
Who guaranteed Sam Bankman-Fried’s $250 million bond?

The future of gaming on Arbitrum with Karel Vuong of Treasure Feb 14, 2023

We speak with Karel Vuong, COO and cofounder of Treasure, the #1 marketplace for gaming and NFTs on Arbitrum.

There's been a lot of excitement around Arbitrum in general, and many interesting new projects are choosing to deploy there. Karel has a unique insight into the growing gaming and NFT ecosystem that's developed there.

Off Chain 2/9/23: Britcoin is coming Feb 09, 2023

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we discuss the following:

The UK release more information on their plans for a digital Pound CBDC.
Robinhood Wants to Buy Its Shares Back from Sam Bankman-Fried
Arbitrum announces the launch of “Stylus”, it’s next-gen programming environment
Signature Bank Lawsuit Alleges It 'Substantially Facilitated' FTX Fraud
Binance Will Temporarily Suspend US Dollar Bank Transfers

Your primer on Bitcoin NFTs (Ordinals) Feb 08, 2023

Ordinals, an innovative and divisive new project has brought NFTs to Bitcoin.

Coined as “Digital Artifacts” by Ordinals founder, Casey Rodarmor, the NFTs have been the topic of much debate. On one side, there’s the argument that Bitcoin should be exclusively used for financial transactions, with anything outside of this being a deviation from its mission. On the other side, Ordinals is paving the way for new use cases on Bitcoin that can both drive additional revenue for miners and increased interest from end users.

Whatever your stance, it’s clear that Ordinals has brought renewed interest in the Bitcoin blockchain. And with some of these early NFTs being sold for over 1 bitcoin (~$23,000) it’s been capturing the imagination of speculators.

In this episode, we share a full overview of how the technology works, why it's important, and how you can start exploring it yourself, featuring commentary from a few great minds building in the Bitcoin NFT space.

Off Chain 2/2/23: Bitcoin NFTs Feb 02, 2023

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

Bitcoin NFTs
Elon is making a push toward enabling crypto payments via Twitter
Solana shared details on the Solana dApp Store
Liquid Staking on Ethereum continues to grow

Off Chain 1/26/23: Binance under pressure, BlockFi sees more pain, and Celsius to launch a token?! Jan 26, 2023

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

Binance admits it commingled customer funds with token reserves
BlockFi accidentally revealed a $1.2B exposure to FTX & Alameda Research
Celsius, the bankrupt crypto lender, might be launching a token
FTX Creditors Include Apple, Netflix and Coinbase, Court Documents Reveal
Mango Labs Sues Avi Eisenberg Over Mango Markets Exploit
An update on Portugal

Off Chain 1/19/23: Why you should pay attention to the rally in LSD tokens Jan 19, 2023

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

Liquid Staking Derivative Tokens (why they’re pumping and what you need to know)
A history of the Winklevoss Twins & Gemini
The 3AC crew are launching a new startup called GTX and they’re trying to raise $25m

Off Chain 1/12/23: The demise of DCG & new hope for FTX customers Jan 12, 2023

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

Gemini, DCG, and the web of lies…
FTX Restructuring Team Has Clawed Back $5B in Lost Assets
Binance sees $12B withdrawn in 60 days
Coinbase lays off another 950 people (20%) in their 2nd round of layoffs
NFTs have been on a tear since the start of the year
Shanghai Ethereum Upgrade set for March

Off Chain 12/15/22: What to expect from 2023 (oh, and SBF is arrested) Dec 15, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

Unpacking Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest
Unpacking inflation and the economic outlook for 2023

Off Chain 12/8/22: SBF vs Crypto; Crypto vs Apple Dec 08, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

FTX’s Collapse Was a Crime, Not an Accident
Apple blocks Coinbase Wallet app release over 30% royalty demands
DeFi/web3 companies raised $3bn in Q3.
Winamp (yes… Winamp - the classic music player for windows) now supports music NFT playback

Off Chain 12-1-22: Coinbase ditches XRP, and BlockFi goes bust Dec 01, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

Coinbase Wallet will no longer support XRP (or BCH, XLM, and ETC)
BlockFi has filed for bankruptcy
OpenSea’s market share is getting eaten up by Blur.io
ApeCoin has been rallying ahead of staking rollout
SBF says the FTX hacker may have been a former employee
Brazil Legalizes Crypto as a Method of Payment
Crypto Remains Largest Investment Sector in 2022, Outpacing Fintech And Biotech

The multi-platinum music producer bringing web3 music the masses Nov 29, 2022

In today's episode, we speak with the incredible TommyD.

Tommy Danvers AKA TommyD has had a wildly successful career in the music industry. He’s a multi-platinum award-winning music producer, a songwriter, and a DJ. On top of that, he’s the creator of a whiskey brand (8O8 Whisky) as well as Tokentraxx, a company leading the way in web3 adoption in the music space.

We discussed this in a fascinating interview where Tommy shares his experience of the industry's inner workings and how web3 technology will play a role in its future.

While there’s still a long way to go until we see mainstream adoption, Tommy’s explanation on how web3, and more specifically, NFTs, will change how fans form relationships with their favourite artists and become even greater advocates was an eye-opener for me.

If you’re interested to hear what the next phase of evolution within music might look like, tune in for the full interview.

More about Tommy “TommyD” Danvers:

Off Chain 11-17-22: The state of the crypto market and what lies ahead Nov 23, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

The state of the market: the grizzliest of bears
The FTX wallet hacker dumping ETH on the market
An overview of the Genesis bankruptcy situation and contagion
Grayscale's Bitcoin Investment Trust - a great discount or alarm bells for the path ahead?

Off Chain 11-17-22: Where do we go from here? Nov 17, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss:

The current state of things in the FTX situation.
The cult problem in crypto.
What are the lessons to be learned and where do we go from here?

Off Chain 11/10/22: Crypto's Lehman Moment. Nov 10, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

The implosion of FTX & Alameda Research.
The market is testing Tether's peg (USDT).

Off Chain 10/27/22: Reddit shows how to reach the mainstream with NFTs. Oct 27, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

Reddit NFTs have taken the market by storm
FTX may be launching a stablecoin in the not-too-distant future
Apple just updated its App Store terms to give guidance on NFT sales within apps
Mango Markets attacker has outed himself, and is now offering some hot tips for crypto trading on Aave (lol)
Meta’s Metaverse Division Reports $3.67B Quarterly Loss
Justin Sun has somehow sold ETH at the peak of the market consistently through the bull market

Off Chain 10/20/22: The Death of Creator Royalties. Good or Bad? Oct 20, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, Matt flies solo and digs into the following stories:

Magic Eden is the latest NFT marketplace to make creator royalties optional, leaving just OpenSea as the last major marketplace standing that enforces them. Matt walks through the argument for and against creator royalites.
A house was bought using the Ethereum blockchain. Matt explains how the buyer used a decentralized lending platform to finance the deal and then purchased a single-family home in the US for 175,000 USDC.

Off Chain 10/13/22: Pound Sterling is a Shitcoin. Oct 13, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

A deep dive into the current macroeconomic environment with a look more specifically at what's happening in the UK economy and how it's bleeding into the global economy.
The Mango Markets $100mn exploit.
Damien Hirst begins burning art from his project, "The Currency".
Google is using Coinbase Commerce to accept crypto from its Cloud customers.

The Merge Explained: The What, Why, and How (and what we can expect) Sep 15, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we do a deep dive discussion into The Merge. We break everything down so that you can understand the following:

What is The Merge?
The environmental benefits of The Merge.
The economic benefits of The Merge.
What won't get better post-Merge?
What happens to staked ETH post-Merge?
Do you need to do anything if you hold ETH pre-Merge?
What's next after The Merge?

We then discuss the following questions:

Is The Merge short and/or long term bullish for Ethereum?
Does this put more pressure on Bitcoin to transition to an energy-efficient consensus mechanism in the future?
Could this lead to the eventual flippening of ETH/BTC?
The Merge addresses a lot of things, but it still doesn’t address the issue of decentralization and governance. PoS means that those with the deepest pockets have the largest say in the future of the network, and benefit the greatest from it. Is this acceptable over the long term?

Off Chain 9/1/22: Crypto.com's $10.5m blunder, the web3 founder that gambled away $1.8m of funding, and Arbitrum's Nitro update goes live. Sep 01, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

Ragnarok (metaverse gaming company) founder admits he lost $1.8mm of treasury funds speculating on ETH (essentially gambling with the treasury).
Crypto.com accidentally sent woman $10.5M instead of $100, and didn't notice for 7 months.
Arbitrum executed its much anticipated Nitro upgrade to increase speed and efficiency (on Wednesday).
Mt.Gox Repayment gets pushed to September, and 137K Bitcoin is on hold.

Off Chain 8/25/22: 600+ NFTs are about to get liquidated, Telegram's NFT usernames, and FTX's huge growth. Aug 25, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

Emergency changes to the BendDAO protocol could result in 600+ liquidations of blue chip NFTs.
Telegram CEO proposes auctioning usernames & links as NFTs.
FTX grew revenue 1,000% during the bull market (as shown by leaked financials).
Crypto Lender Hodlnaut announces police inquiry and 80% staff cut.
Mercado Libre has launched its own Ethereum cashback token.
Portuguese banks are shutting down the accounts of crypto exchanges.

The web3 project that bought an English Football Club with plans of taking them to the Premier League. Aug 22, 2022

In this week's episode, I speak with Preston Johnson, the founder of WAGMI United and co-Chairman of Crawley Town Football Club.

Why am I interviewing the chairman of a professional sports team? Well, they’re doing something a little different. Very different, in fact. This is the story of how a web3 project raised funds to buy an English football team and has grand plans to take them from the fourth tier of English football, all the way to the top.

There's nothing conventional about the way they're running the club.

The fans have a say in the players that the club buys, who they bring in as backroom staff, and can even vote to fire Preston as Chairman if the club isn’t promoted to the next division within two years. Regardless of what you think about crypto, these examples are a great step forward for a local fanbase.

And let’s face it, if you’ve witnessed some of the ways in which English football clubs have been run in the more conventional sense in the past few years, it’s clear that something needs to be done differently.

Will the WAGMI United group be able to turn around the fortunes of Crawley Town? Only time will tell.

If you’re a fan of sports, have an interest in how crypto is being applied in the real world, or well, if you’re a Crawley Town FC fan, I think you’re going to enjoy this episode.

Off Chain 8/18/22: Are the Tornado Cash sanctions a good thing or an attack on privacy? Aug 18, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

Acala Stablecoin aUSD Collapses After Parachain Exploit
Are the Tornado Cash sanctions a good thing or an attack on privacy?
Do Kwon gives his first interview since the Luna crash
Robinhood, Genesis, and Crypto.com make more layoffs.

How Endstate's NFT-paired sneakers are bridging the gap between physical and digital products Aug 15, 2022

Bennett Collen, CEO and cofounder of Endstate, is on a mission to bridge the gap between physical and digital goods. In tandem with his cofounder and renowned sneaker designer, Stephanie Howard, they've built beautifully designed sneakers paired with a digital NFT.

Not only does this serve as a proof of ownership but can get you access to exclusive events, give you a digital representation of your sneaker in the metaverse, plus much more.

We dig into the future of physical and digital products, plus dig into the early success that Endstate has seen so far,

Off-Chain 8/11/22: US Sanction Causing Chaos in Crypto, Coinbase's Woes Continue, and Tiffany's Just Sold $12.5m of Cryptopunk Pendants. Aug 11, 2022

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories:

U.S. imposes sanctions on virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash.
Coinbase posts a $1B net loss in Q2.
Tiffany's sells out custom Cryptopunk 'NFTiff' pendants for $50,000 each.
MoonDAO sent someone to space last week.
Canada’s second largest pension is tangled up in the Celsius collapse.
Plus more.

How BNB Chain's investment director is planning on deploying their $1bn+ ecosystem fund Aug 08, 2022

I speak with Gwendolyn Regina, the Investment Director at Binance's BNB Chain. We discuss how the current macro environment is shaping her investment strategy, which sectors Binance is looking to continue to invest in, and what she's most excited for over the next 9-12 months.

Off-Chain 8/4/22: Slope Wallet Chaos on Solana, Yet ANOTHER Bridge Hack, and Meta's Metaverse Play Aug 04, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

A major exploit on the Solana blockchain resulted in ~$6mm worth of SOL/USDC being drained from individual wallets.
ZB Exchange has lost nearly $5M in suspected hack; pauses withdrawals.
The Nomad bridge was hacked and $190mm in funds were lost.
Meta’s Metaverse division lost $2.8B in Q2; What does this mean for their Metaverse vision?
MicroStrategy Reports $917M Bitcoin Impairment Charge.
Solana Opens IRL Retail Store and Web3 'Embassy' in New York.

Off-Chain 7/28/22: Lido Runway Concerns, Minecraft Bans NFTs, and a TON of Regulatory Updates Jul 28, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

Lido faces runway issues and calls on the DAO (unsuccessfully) to raise more funds.
US Stablecoin bill has been pushed out until after August recess.
The UK Government is taking steps on making stablecoins a form of payment.
The NFT Worlds project is sent into chaos as Minecraft rugs them.
More bad news for Coinbase, plus much more.

Off-Chain 7/20/22: THE MERGE IS COMING AND WE'RE RICH AGAIN... right? RIGHT?!?! Jul 21, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

The news of The Merge being locked in for September 19th.
The 3AC contagion continues, and this time it's Genesis.
Binance flips Coinbase (and so does Uniswap).
OpenSea layoffs & more.

Off-Chain 7/14/22: Celsius files for bankruptcy, the WZRDS NFT project comes under fire, and GameStop does over $2mm in NFT trading volume in 48 hours. Jul 14, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

Celsius files for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The Mt.Gox case is finally reaching a settlement, with 150,000 BTC (~$3bn) set to be paid out to creditors
A deeper look into the current state of the crypto market.
WZRDS Project Punishes Flippers By Burning Listed NFTS.
GameStop launched its NFT marketplace 48 hours ago. It's done over $2,000,000 in trading volume.
& more.

Off-Chain 7/6/22: Crypto has nuked North Korea's plans, Voyager Capital files for bankruptcy, and the real reason for the Ronin bridge hack. Jul 06, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

How hackers of the Ronin bridge tricked a Sky Mavis employee into fake job.
Voyager Capital is the latest casualty in the web3 VC space along with 3AC filing for bankruptcy.
Has North Korea's crypto losses impacted their nuclear program?!
The latest on the Roger Ver / CoinFlex debacle.

Off-Chain 6/24/22: The Solana Smartphone, a $52mm Superyacht, and SBF Saves the Day (again). Jun 24, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

The latest $100mm bridge hack.
The drama unfolding with Solend.
3AC's implosion.
The Solana smartphone.
Plus a whole lot more in our news roundup.

Off-Chain 6/9/22: Regulation is coming and it could be much more aggressive than we expected. Jun 09, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

US Senators Introduce Crypto Bill Outlining Sweeping Plan for Future Rules.
The Case Against The PoolTogether Inc Co-Founder And Pooly NFTs.
Started on June 15th, an anonymous individual is sharing 137.21GB of private Telegram group chats and messages that were gained via an exploit.
PayPal now allows the transfer of crypto to external wallets.
Coinbase has been rescinding job offers.

Off-Chain 6/2/22: 10 hours of goblin sounds, Tron's the 3rd largest chain by TVL, and Luna 2.0. Jun 02, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

Tron Becomes DeFi’s Third-Largest Blockchain (in TVL) Thanks to Terra-Like Stablecoin
LUNA reboot (Terra 2.0) fell over 70% just hours after its launch
Goblin Town NFT collection explodes in popularity and claims the second spot in OpenSea’s 7-day volume rankings behind BAYC
Block’s 2022 Bitcoin Report is out, and makes an interesting observation: the more you know about Bitcoin, the more optimistic you are
Binance has raised a $500M web3 and crypto fund

Off-Chain 5/26/22: Blood in the water for OpenSea, the LUNAtics living up to their name, and GameStop are doing what GameStop do best... confusing us all. May 26, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories:

FTX moves into stock trading.
The LUNA hard fork proposal passes.
OpenSea loses its place as the top NFT marketplace by daily trading volume.
a16z launches a $4.5bn web3 fund.
GameStop launches... an Ethereum wallet (wut?).
Will the Merge ever happen?
And the Portugal crypto tax drama continues.

Off-Chain 5/19/22: the possible Terra fork, China's ban on Bitcoin mining isn't working, and the latest pegs getting tested. May 19, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the biggest stories of the past week in web3. This includes:

The governance proposal that's targeting a hard fork of the Terra blockchain.
The state of Bitcoin mining in China.
Do Kwon's legal battles.
How Stablegains has lost $48mm of investor's cash and has no way to pay them back.
Robinhood launching a web3 wallet.

Genopets: combining move-to-earn tokenomics with the nostalgia of 90's Tamagochi pets May 16, 2022

If you listened to our episode on STEPN back in March, you’re probably familiar with the term “move-to-earn”. It’s a subset of play-and-earn and it’s gaining a lot of traction.

Put simply, these web3 games center around you doing physical activity in exchange for crypto-based rewards. STEPN has arguably been the category creator here and now boasts over 300,000 DAUs, but there are a lot of new projects entering the space that are building on the model.

Genopets is one of them.

It’s probably unfair to say they’re new to the space because this project has been in the works for several years, but what I love about it is how they blend together the nostalgia of a Tamagotchi game with a physical exercise game element.

If you have no idea what a Tamagotchi is, well, you obviously didn’t grow up through the 90s!

Actual gameplay to one side, the Genopets tokenomics are really interesting. They have both a completely free-to-play element that doesn’t require you to purchase an NFT initially, as well as a path that includes buying in-game assets.

I’ve been playing in the beta and have been enjoying it so far, and I believe they’re slated for a full launch in Q3 of this year. If you’ve enjoyed some of the recent episodes where we’ve been speaking with GameFi teams, this one’s going to be popular with you.

I talk with Albert Chen, the co-founder & CEO, as well as Kevin Kim, the COO, and we dig into all aspects of the gameplay, game economy, and what to expect from the future of the project.

Genopets website.

Off-Chain 5-12-22: The monumental UST de-peg and $4bn Bitcoin short position that's melting down the market May 12, 2022

Markets have been in turmoil this past week, triggered by rising inflation concerns and then the monumental de-pegging of the Terra stablecoin, $UST.

We dig into exactly what happened, including how someone has walked away with around $800mm in profit as a result. All this and more in this week's episode of Off Chain, your weekly roundup of the biggest stories happening in web3.

Building the communication protocol for web3 with Shane Mac from XMTP May 09, 2022

We sit down with Shane Mac, the cofounder of XMTP, which aims to become the communication network for web3. We discuss the evolution of communication and how there's a huge gap in web3 for wallet-to-wallet communication that requires an infrastructure layer like SMTP to power it.

Off-Chain 5/5/22: The $320mm Otherside land sale, Fantom liquidation drama, and Tennessee is recognizing DAOs. May 05, 2022

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we dig into the biggest web3 stories of the week, including:

The $320mm Otherside land sale.
Square Enix goes all-in on GameFi.
The $55mm Fantom liquidation that's been causing chaos on the network.
Tennessee is legally recognizing the formation of DAOs.
Fort Worth is running a small Bitcoin mining experiment.
Coinbase takes out the first Bitcoin-backed loan.
Kraken's new NFT marketplace.

Crabada: the game responsible for over 60% of Avalanche transactions May 02, 2022

I speak to Bumzy, one of the early contributors to the Crabada ecosystem, and now leading growth at CrabaDAO. We take a look under the shell of the play & earn game that's accounting for over 60% of the Avalanche network's transactions.

Off-Chain 4/28/22: Bitcoin 401(k)s, Optimism's token launch, and Coinbase's NFT marketplace has arrived. Apr 28, 2022

This is the first episode of our new weekly series, Off-Chain, that covers the biggest stories in web3 from the past week.

In this week's episode, we cover:

Stripe launching crypto payments.
Fidelity offers Bitcoin as a 401(k) investment option.
Optimism has announced its token launch (plus airdrop).
Coinbase announces beta of NFT marketplace.

The tokenomics and game mechanics behind Monster Champions Apr 13, 2022

I speak with Palmer, the cofounder of Monster Champions, a brand new play and earn game that's just launched. The game looks to create an exciting experience both on and off chain for players, with some interesting tokenomics to keep things growing sustainably.

Everything you need to know about crypto taxes in 2022 with Shehan Chandrasekera Apr 04, 2022

In this episode, we speak with Shehan Chandrasekera, the Head of Tax at Cointracker, to walk through all of the different tax considerations for individuals holding cryptocurrencies and NFTs. We discuss staking rewards, airdrops, wash sale rules, gas fees, NFTs, and more.

Cointracker website
Shehan's Twitter

Creating Hard Yield: How the Jones DAO team are leading innovation in DeFi Mar 28, 2022

Jones Dao is a protocol that’s focused on managing options trading strategies for retail investors through their vaults. Options trading in DeFi is just starting to take off, with Dopex really leading the charge here, and Jones Dao are very closely aligned with them, using Dopex for the majority of their options trading.

Options trading in general is an enormous part of traditional finance. Even retail investing platforms like Robinhood see the majority of their revenue (~38%, in fact) come from options. And what’s great about this for DeFi is that options trading can be extremely profitable regardless of wider market conditions.

Ice Cream, one of the cofounders, talks through this in more detail in the episode, and shares their plans for going multi-chain, adding new vaults, the introduction of veJONES, and something I’m particularly interested in - their synthetic options LPs.

Jones DAO website.
Jones DAO docs.
Ice Cream's Twitter.

Move & Earn: Why STEPN is paying people as much as $100+ per day to go for a short walk Mar 21, 2022

In this episode we interview Yawn Rong, one of the co-founders of STEPN. STEPN is one of our favorite new play & earn apps that is probably best described as a version of Strava or MapMyRun on the blockchain. New players are earning ~$25 each day for doing 10 minutes of walking, whereas some power users are earning as much as $400+ each day! Don't miss this one.

STEPN website.
STEPN whitepaper.
STEPN Twitter.

How Metasoccer are creating Football Manager for the blockchain Mar 14, 2022

If, like me, you grew up in the 90s and loved football, you probably spend a disproportionate amount of your time playing football management games like Championship Manager (later Football Manager).

Well, Metasoccer is bringing all of that nostalgia onto the blockchain. They're building a play & earn football management game. You own everything from the players, backroom staff, and stadia as NFTs, and you compete in a league against others around the world.

In this episode, I speak to Gustavo Sabino, the head of growth at Metasoccer, about how it all works.

Nat Eliason on building Crypto Raiders and making the jump from web2 to web3 Mar 07, 2022

Nat Eliason runs the treasury at Crypto Raiders, a popular play & earn game within the Polygon ecosystem. We discuss how Nat made the leap from working in web2 to taking on a major role in an emerging web3 project, as well as sharing what he's helping to build at Crypto Raiders.

Fabriclord on creating a social network for the metaverse Feb 28, 2022

The founder of Metafabric, an ambitious web3 project that aims to build a social network within the metaverse, speaks to the podcast about what they're building, why it's important, and what the future of wallet-to-wallet communication in web3 will look like.

Building a web3 ecosystem incubator with DJ from Metagoons Feb 24, 2022

I speak with the founder of Metagoons, a web3 incubator that combines the play-to-earn guild model with an incubator for emerging web3 creators.

Farming as a Service: a hands-off approach to yield farming Feb 21, 2022

We talk to FoodFarmer, the founder of Food Farmer Finance, about his "farming-as-a-service" platform. The platform is one of a few in the emerging FaaS space that looks to deliver returns from yield farming to investors in a completely passive way.

Poker in the Metaverse: How Decentral Games are building web3 poker inside Decentraland Feb 14, 2022

In this episode, we speak to Miles Anthony, founder of Decentral Games - the creator of ICE Poker. Miles walks through how play-to-earn gaming wokrs, give a deep dive into the economics of ICE Poker and how the whole thing works. Poker has arrived in the metaverse and people are making real money from it. Don't miss this one.

Decentral Games: https://decentral.games/

Miles on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0xMiles

The Decrypting Crypto podcast is back... Feb 10, 2022

Lonely Libra's Lost its Friends Oct 18, 2019

After two US Senators sent a strongly-worded letter to a number of the payment processing companies that had initially joined the Libra Association, a mass exodus began. The letter, sent to the likes of Stripe, Visa and Mastercard, urged them to leave the association, threatening to subject them to "a high level of scrutiny from regulators" on all of their payment activities. This is quite the blog for Libra, Facebook, and it raises some serious concerns around the approach taken by the US Senators.

Quantum Computing and its Future Threat to Encryption Oct 07, 2019

Off the back of the news that researchers at Google have developed a quantum computer that managed to compute a problem in under 3 minutes that the world's most powerful classical supercomputer would take 10,000 years to complete, we look at the implications on blockchain and the technology that we use in our every day lives. Not only that, but we look at how Kik has taken the bold move to retire their 300 million user product to focus on fighting the SEC around the launch of their cryptocurrency, Kin (plus much more).

Taylor Monahan on Why DApps Still Have a Long Way to Go Sep 24, 2019

We speak with the CEO of MyCrypto, Taylor Monahan, to see how her mindset has changed and how MyCrypto has evolved since we last spoke to her over a year ago. Taylor shares why she believes DApps have a long way to go before they're truly useful to the masses, the personal security challenges that end users are facing in 2019, and also some of the upcoming new features of MyCrypto.

Libra May Never Launch But Could Hurt Bitcoin in the Process Sep 16, 2019

Crypto lobbyists are worried about Libra's impact on cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin getting caught in the crossfire of regulatory action, while Facebook is worried that Libra may never see the light of day. We dig through Facebook's quarterly report to highlight how the company is currently feeling about Libra's chances.

Also, we talk through the implications of the Marshall Islands launching their own cryptocurrency, the Marshallese Sovereign (SOV), and why it's different from other state-run cryptocurrencies like the Petro.

Oh, and a group of nuclear power plant workers in Ukraine decided it would be a good idea to use the plant's supercomputer to mine cryptocurrency!

Crypto is Tax Free! Sep 09, 2019

Ok, cryptocurrency isn't tax-free everywhere, but Portugal has taken the bold stance of not requiring income tax or capital gains deductions on personal cryptocurrency transactions. Beach house in the Algarve, anyone? On the other side of the globe, China announces its own digital currency to go up against the likes of Libra - we discuss all this and more.

Greg Freeman on Why Decentralization is NOT the Goal of Security Tokens Aug 28, 2019

We speak with Greg Freeman, CTO of the real estate investment platform, iFunded. Greg shares his thoughts on how security tokens are going to shape the future of private investments over the coming years, and why decentralization is NOT the goal here.

JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley & Facebook's Future in Crypto with Raakhee Miller Aug 22, 2019

We speak with Raakhee Miller, CEO of Bitsian - a cryptocurrency exchange aggregator - about her past in the traditional financial services sector (senior positions in both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs), her take on how these giants are going to move and play in the crypto space over the coming years, and what she thinks about Facebook's Libra project.

Riccardo Spagni on Creating Liquidity with Security Tokens Aug 07, 2019

We speak to Riccardo Spagni, one of the founding developers of Monero, about security tokens and how they can be used to create liquidity and channel for communication within organizations. We also discuss the latest privacy-enhancing technologies and what Riccardo thinks of Facebook's Libra project.

Could Regulation Kill Facebook's Libra Adoption? Aug 02, 2019

We speak with prominent blockchain attorney, Marc Boiron, to discuss the regulatory risks and hurdles ahead surrounding both Libra and Calibra.

Is Libra a Force for Good or Evil? Jul 24, 2019

Is Facebook's new cryptocurrency, Libra, a force for good or evil? Are the companies involved within the Libra association incentivized to be bad or good actors? And is the launch of Calibra, the mobile payments wallet run by Facebook, a thinly veiled excuse for Facebook to simply get mesh together more of the world's financial data? We discuss all of the above and more in this detailed first look at Libra.

Like the Price of Bitcoin, We're Back! Jul 22, 2019

After a 6-month hiatus, Matt and Austin are back to keep you updated with all the latest goings-on in the blockchain space... and there's been a LOT going on!

Mass Layoffs in the Crypto Space Dec 28, 2018

We’ve had price rises and price lows, an influx of ICOs and a wave of projects dying, but now we have the latest trend in crypto starting to surface… layoffs. Some of the largest companies in the space, including ConsenSys, Bitmain, and Coinbase have all been laying off staff. We explore why.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e07-crypto-layoffs/

The Giants of Tech are Hungry for Blockchain Dec 14, 2018

The giants of tech are making their move on the blockchain space. Amazon launches their Blockchain-as-a-Service offering, Intel files a new patent for an energy-efficient Bitcoin miner, and IBM, well, IBM has their hands in all of the crypto pies!

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e06-tech-giants-blockchain/

Money Mayweather, DJ Khaled & GDPR Dec 07, 2018

The SEC is cracking down on “influencer” promoting securities, GDPR might be a big hurdle for the blockchain to get over, is cryptocurrency the answer to Africa’s electrification issues, and we take a look at a group of 24 ICOs that raised a combined $2.8 billion that have now hit a point when they have 0 trading volume…

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e05-mayweather-khaled/

It's a Bloodbath Out There Nov 30, 2018

Bitcoin suffers its largest weekly loss in value since 2013 and most other major cryptocurrencies follow suit. We unpack why this is happening, take a look at why Overstock are more bullish than ever on crypto, and how some companies are using “Blockchain for Good”.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e04-crypto-bloodbath/

Forkception: the Fork of a Fork! Nov 23, 2018

One day after the Bitcoin Cash fork, we take a look back at how this all came about, summarize the major implications from each fork proposal, and discuss the ongoing "hash war" that has broken out bitcoin Bitcoin ABC and Bitcoin SV.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e03-forkception/

Why IBM is Investing so Heavily in Blockchain Nov 19, 2018

We speak with Jerry Cuomo, VP of Blockchain at IBM about how his team is planning to invest in the ecosystem. Jerry discusses IBM’s approach to building partnerships in the industry, why they’re so bullish on blockchain, and how it may shape the future of IBM as a company.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e02-ibm-blockchain/

How BitTorrent's Creator is Building a Better Bitcoin Nov 09, 2018

We speak with Bram Cohen, creator of BitTorrent and founder of Chia, a blockchain project that claims to be a “better bitcoin”. We take a look back at the past decade of bitcoin, highlighting some key milestones, plus we dive into how cryptocurrencies might have played a role in influencing the US midterm elections. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s03/e01-bram-cohen-chia

Coinbase Growth Concerns, Fidelity's Big Move, and Bitcoin's Risk from Whales Oct 26, 2018

Coinbase has seen an 80% dip in active users since late 2017, Fidelity Investments has made a huge move into the crypto space, the SEC is taking more aggressive steps on projects that run ICOs, and we discuss the fact that 32 individuals own 1 million of the total 17 million bitcoin. All this and more in our series 2 finale. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e18-coinbase-fidelity-whales

Taking Back Ownership of our Identities with Blockchain Oct 19, 2018

We speak with Edmund John, founder of SelfKey about how he’s on a mission to give people sovereignty of their identities through the use of open source software and blockchain technology. We also dive into some news from BitTorrent founder, Bram Cohen, as well as a huge security breach of the US hardware supply chain that’s been discovered, with fingers pointing to Chinese spies. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e17-blockchain-digital-identities

ASIC Mining: a Contributor to Centralization or a Security Necessity? Oct 12, 2018

Coinbase has opened the floodgates for all kinds of cryptocurrencies to be listed on their platform, Tim Berners-Lee is here to save us all (again), and we take a look at the current state of ASIC mining. Don’t know what that is? Don’t worry, we explain all and start to pose some tough questions for the industry to answer. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e16-asic-mining/

Could Blockchain Technology Transform the Healthcare Industry? Oct 05, 2018

A critical bug was discovered in Bitcoin’s code threatening to bring the integrity of the cryptocurrency as a whole. We briefly discuss a slightly unexpected “flippening” between XRP and ETH, and then we take a deeper look at how blockchain could revolutionize the healthcare sector. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e15-blockchain-healthcare-industry/

Most ICOs Die Within 4 Months, 20% Are Scams, Yet $20 Billion Has Been Raised in 2018 (so far) Sep 28, 2018

We take a look back over the past 3 years of ICOs, digging into the number of projects launching ICOs, how many have died, how many are scams, and how much they’ve raised. Not only this, but we discuss an alarming ICO sell off that’s been taking place in September. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e14-ico-retrospective/

A Deep-Dive into the Sia Project - Cloud Storage on the Blockchain Sep 21, 2018

There are tons of different applications for blockchain technology, but one of the biggest industries that it’s looking to disrupt is cloud storage. In this week’s episode, we take a deeper look at the Sia project that looks to take some market share in an industry that’s expected to be worth $88 billion by 2022. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e13-sia-cloud-storage-blockchain/

How and Why Cryptocurrencies Increase (and fall) in Value Sep 14, 2018

What causes cryptocurrencies to see huge gains (and losses) in value? What’s going on over in Venezuela with their national cryptocurrency, the Petro? And has China really banned ALL cryptocurrency events? We answer all these questions and more in the latest episode of the Decrypting Crypto Podcast. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e12-why-cryptocurrency-increases-value/

Interview: David Bleznak, CEO of Totle - Is Crypto Actually Decentralized? And Why Decentralized Exchanges are the Future Sep 07, 2018

We speak with David Bleznak, the CEO of Totle, an easy-to-use crypto portfolio management tool and decentralized trading platform. We discuss the current state of decentralization of cryptocurrency (or lack thereof!) and we go deep into explaining what decentralized exchanges are, and why David believe’s they’re the future. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e11-david-bleznak/

Interview: Alexis Gauba & Aparna Krishnan - Alternatives to Proof of Work Consensus + Women in Blockchain Aug 31, 2018

We speak with Alexis Gauba & Aparna Krishnan, co-founders of Mechanism Labs, an open source set of experiments focused on pushing forward research in the blockchain space. We discuss their research into alternative consensus protocols, and they give some advice for other women entering the blockchain space. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e10-alexis-gauba-aparna-krishnan/

Interview: Colin Stewart of Producer's Token - Revolutionizing the Food Industry With Blockchain Technology Aug 24, 2018

We speak with Colin Stewart of Producers Token, a platform with the modest vision of completely revolutionizing the agricultural supply chain. We discuss how blockchain (and its surrounding technology) can be used to empower producers and streamline the food industry’s supply chain. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e09-colin-stewart/

Interview: David Roon, Co-Founder of OpenLaw - Democratizing Legal Support via Blockchain Aug 17, 2018

We speak with David Roon, Co-Founder of OpenLaw, a platform that seeks to democratize the access to legal support for the masses through blockchain technology. We discuss how smart contracts can be used to create legally binding agreements, and how OpenLaw’s open source markup language can help give anyone access to secure legal contracts without having to pay huge legal fees. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e08-david-roon/

Interview: Gee Chuang, CEO of Listia - Why Cryptocurrencies Will Revolutionize E-Commerce Aug 10, 2018

We speak with Gee Chuang, CEO of Listia and co-founder of Ink Protocol about how he grew Listia to over 10 million members, implementing its own virtual currency before even Bitcoin was created, and now why he believes crypto will completely revolutionize e-commerce. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e07-gee-chuang/

Interview: Gleb Nikitin, Co-Founder of MetaHash - Crypto Mining, dApps & Blockchain Adoption Aug 03, 2018

We speak with Gleb Nikitin, co-founder of MetaHash about how his project takes a new approach to gaining consensus within the mining process, what the future of decentralized applications has in store for us, ad how far we are away from mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e06-gleb-nikitin/

Interview: Benji Rogers, Co-Founder of dotBlockchain Media Project - How Blockchain will Revolutionize the Music Industry Jul 27, 2018

We speak with Benji Rogers, a musician and technologist, now based out of New York and the co-founder of the dotBlockchain Media Project. We discuss how blockchain technology could revolutionize the music industry and how he's on a mission to change things. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e05-benji-rogers/

Interview: Amy Wan, CEO of Sagewise - ICOs, Smart Contracts & Regulation for Crypto Jul 20, 2018

We speak with Amy Wan, CEO of Sagewise, about how the smart contracts are going to revolutionize the legal space, why the most recent wave of ICOs is presenting whole new legal challenges for blockchain companies, and finally, what the future holds for regulation within the crypto space. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e04-amy-wan/

Interview: Andrew Keys from ConsenSys - Ethereum and the Tokenization of the World Jul 13, 2018

We speak with Andrew Keys, from ConsenSys, about how the Ethereum blockchain is going to facilitate the widespread tokenization of assets across the world. We dig into what this actually means for the general public and how it's going to transform commerce. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e03-andrew-keys/

Interview: Radko Albrecht, CEO of BitBond - Financial Inclusion via the Blockchain Jun 29, 2018

We speak with Radko Albrecht, CEO of BitBond, about how the current financial system is broken and how blockchain technology can improve it. Radko is an advocate for financial inclusion and they're pioneering some interesting technology at BitBond, as well as a whole new take on the ICO. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e02-radko-albrecht/

Interview: Taylor Monahan, CEO of MyCrypto Jun 22, 2018

We speak with Taylor Monahan, CEO of MyCrypto, about how she first created the company and some of the drama surrounding the split with her old company, MyEtherWallet. As well as this, Taylor gives her view on what the biggest adoption hurdles are for blockchain and where she sees the industry going. Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s02/e01-taylor-monahan/

S01E09: The Case Against Bitcoin Jun 08, 2018

There are a lot of rational and valid arguments against the current state of Bitcoin. From the technical hurdles of mass adoption, through to the fact that the large proportion of wealth is held by a very small number of people. This episode takes an objective look at each argument and discusses it in detail.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e09-the-case-against-bitcoin/

S01E08: What is Ethereum? Jun 01, 2018

The second-largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, is very different from the largest, Bitcoin. But why? Within this episode, the fundamental differences between Ethereum and Bitcoin will be explained and the utility that the Ethereum blockchain brings will be discussed.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e08-what-is-ethereum/

S01E07: Transferring and Storing Cryptocurrency May 25, 2018

Making your first ever transaction can be a little daunting. This episode will walk through the process of transferring your cryptocurrency to another person, as well as the best ways to store your crypto. This will include a run-down of the different types of wallets, along with their pros and cons.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e07-transferring-storing-crypto/

S01E06: Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) May 18, 2018

Another hot topic in the world of cryptocurrencies is Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Within this episode, we discuss what an ICO is, as well as how they’re used within blockchain projects. Regulation will be discussed as well as how to evaluate the potential investment opportunity of an ICO.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e06-initial-coin-offerings/

S01E04: Understanding Cryptocurrency Mining May 04, 2018

One of the most confusing aspects of blockchain technology is the act of mining. Within this episode, we'll be taking you through the concept of mining, some of the basic terminologies will be explained and, using Bitcoin as an example, the end to end process of mining Bitcoin will be walked through.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e04-cryptocurrency-mining/

S01E03: What Gives Cryptocurrencies Value? Apr 11, 2018

Within this episode, you'll will be walked through the basics of how a cryptocurrency is valued at a specific price. Parallels will be drawn against precious metals, like gold, and also how anything is defined as a form of currency in the first place. You'd be surprised how much more bitcoin ticks the boxes than even the US dollar.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e03-what-gives-cryptocurrencies-value/

S01E02: Buying Your First Cryptocurrency Apr 09, 2018

This episode goes through the process of buying your first cryptocurrency. This includes explaining the various different stages along the way, including, trading your fiat currency for crypto, trading that crypto for different crypto, and then storing it safely in a wallet. You'll find advice given on the best platforms and tools to use, as well as any nuances of buying certain cryptos (e.g. you can’t buy Ripple on Coinbase).

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e02-buying-your-first-crypto/

S01E01: What is Bitcoin? Apr 09, 2018

Using Bitcoin as the primary example, we focus on helping you, the listener, better understand the fundamental concepts behind cryptocurrencies. This will include blockchain technology, what a cryptocurrency actually is, and some definitions of jargon related to it (mining, nodes, blocks, etc.).

This is the first episode of series 1 of the Decrypting Crypto podcast, designed to ease you into the initial concepts behind blockchain technology.

Full show notes: https://thecoinoffering.com/podcast/s01/e01-what-is-bitcoin/

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Decrypting Crypto Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected