Unchained

Latest Episodes:

The Chopping Block: Unraveling the SEC Hack, Futarchy, and Twitter Trolls - Ep. 593 Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Welcome to The Chopping Block, where crypto experts Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner bring you inside perspectives on critical topics in the crypto world. In this episode, they're joined by Gwart, the caustic comedian of Crypto Twitter, as they explore questions like: What is Gwart's stance on the overhyped nature of DAOs and governance in crypto? How does Gwart view the potential and risks of NFTs, particularly Bitcoin-based Ordinals? The team also dives into the recent SEC Twitter hack - what does this incident reveal about market manipulation and the importance of cybersecurity? They then explore the competitive landscape of Bitcoin ETFs, discussing the implications of their fee structures. Finally, they consider the significance of developing crypto infrastructure that resonates with the average user, not just the niche crypto enthusiast. Tune in for an engaging exploration of these pivotal questions shaping the future of cryptocurrency.

Show highlights:

🔹The concept of Ethereum alignment and its origins

🔹The SEC's Twitter account being hacked and a fake BTC ETF approval tweet

🔹Fees for different ETF issuers and Grayscale's fee reduction for GBTC

🔹The SEC's Twitter account being hacked and the fake BTC ETF approval tweet

🔹The potential use case of prediction markets in Taiwanese elections

🔹Imprisonment of individuals in Taiwan for betting on the election through PolyMarket

🔹Discussion on the concept of futarchy and its potential implementation

🔹The prevalence of centralized exchanges and their impact on user adoption

🔹Gwart's role as an observer and heckler in the crypto space

🔹Building infrastructure for onboarding users in crypto

🔹The dichotomy between the ideal of decentralization and the reality of user adoption

🔹Criticism of DAO governance and lack of significant innovation

Hosts

Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
Robert Leshner, Founder of Compound
Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures

Guest

Gwart, Crypto Twitter Icon

Disclosures

Links

Justin Drake on Bankless’ “57 - Ultra Sound Money | Justin Drake”: https://youtu.be/bWqhn1hXvVc
Justin Drake on “ETH’s Biggest Upgrade Since EIP1559 | MEV Burn w/ Justin Drake and Dom”: https://youtu.be/nb7x7n8Ga3U
Eliezer Yudkowsky – “AI Alignment: Why It's Hard, and Where to Start”: https://youtu.be/EUjc1WuyPT8
Eliezer Yudkowsky - “Why AI Will Kill Us, Aligning LLMs, Nature of Intelligence, SciFi, & Rationality”: https://www.dwarkeshpatel.com/p/eliezer-yudkowsky
Vitalik Buterin’s “An Introduction to Futarchy”: https://blog.ethereum.org/2014/08/21/introduction-futarchy
Arthur Breitman’s “Towards Futarchy in Tezos”: https://medium.com/tezos/towards-futarchy-in-tezos-54a7b8926967
“More arrests for betting crypto on Taiwan election via blocked website” by Jono Thomson (Taiwan News, Staff Writer): https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5070386

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Why Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Likely to Finally Start Trading on Thursday - Ep. 592 Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

It’s set to be a historic week in crypto, with the SEC widely expected to finally approve a spot Bitcoin ETF, although it’s not a 100% certainty. Two Bloomberg analysts who have followed all the developments closely since the beginning, James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas, join Unchained to discuss the final filings, the likely schedule, and whether all the applications are likely be approved on the same day. Then they dive into the real action: the cutthroat wars that have already begun, why Grayscale might be keeping its fees on the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust so high, and who the likely winners in what has traditionally been a “winner take most” category will be.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights:

What the recent 19b-4 and S-1 filings say about how close the ETFs are to approval
Whether Hashdex's existing futures ETF impacts its treatment in the spot Bitcoin ETF process
The likely timeline for trading to start post-ETF approval
The possibility of simultaneous launches for all approved ETF issuers
The SEC's concerns about ensuring a fair launch, informed by the BITO experience
Eric’s surprise at JP Morgan's involvement as an Authorized Participant
Why the SEC is approving the ETF despite Gensler’s stance against crypto
What extreme cases Eric believes might cause the ETF not to be approved
How BlackRock's low fees set a challenging benchmark for competitors
The potential for an issuer to offer even lower fees than current players
How issuer margins are thin due to marketing fees, and the impact of waivers
James’ theory about why Grayscale might be keeping the fee on GBTC so high
Predictions about which issuer(s) will gain the bulk of assets under management
The rumor about BlackRock introducing substantial liquidity on the ETF's first day
Eric and James's expectations for ETF inflows and market dynamics

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Guest:

James Seyffart, Research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Why the SEC May Want Cash Creation of Spot Bitcoin ETFs
Why It Looks Like BlackRock Could Win America’s First Spot Bitcoin ETF
Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10
Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Will a Spot Bitcoin ETF Finally Get Approved?

Links

Previous coverage of Unchained on spot Bitcoin ETFs:
The 4 Factors That Will Determine Which Spot Bitcoin ETFs Win Market Share
How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection
The Chopping Block: Are We Back? The ‘Low IQ’ Response to the Potential Spot Bitcoin ETF

Fees

Unchained: Fee Competition Heats Up Among BlackRock and Other Spot Bitcoin ETF Applicants
Caitlin Long’s tweet warning about no fees
Fidelity set their fee to .39%
Invesco/Galaxy chose to waive fees

Market participants:

Others:

Better Markets’ letter: The SEC Must Follow the Law and Reject Spot Bitcoin ETPs Which Will Inflict Massive Investor Harm
FXSTREET: BlackRock might be on track to create history with $2 billion inflows in spot Bitcoin ETF in a week
Eleanor Terrett of Fox News’ tweet on Better Markets’ letter
Scott Johnson of Van Buren Capital’s estimate

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The 4 Factors That Will Determine Which Spot Bitcoin ETFs Win Market Share - Ep. 591 Jan 05, 2024

Show notes

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

The past few days have been a busy stretch in the run-up to a potential spot Bitcoin ETF approval by the SEC. Goldman Sachs was revealed as a possible authorized participant (AP) for BlackRock and Grayscale’s offerings, the SEC met with representatives of major stock exchanges, and a report skeptical of an imminent SEC approval likely caused a 7% decline in Bitcoin. Spencer Bogart, general partner at venture capital firm Blockchain Capital, joined Unchained to break down what all of these events mean, as well as discuss who the likely winners will be among ETF issuers, the impact of a spot bitcoin ETF on companies such as MicroStrategy and Coinbase, and how a spot ETF will affect Bitcoin futures ETFs and leveraged crypto ETFs.

Show highlights:

Why the newly authorized participants in the spot Bitcoin ETFs are critical for maintaining the ETF’s price alignment
The reasons behind the excitement over Goldman Sachs becoming an authorized participant in the spot Bitcoin ETFs
How the Matrixport report led to a 7% drop in BTC value
The importance of seed funding for ETFs and its impact on their stability and growth
The pivotal role of distribution in an ETF and why Spencer emphasizes its significance
Whether the fees charged by ETF issuers will become a decisive factor for consumers in choosing their preferred ETF
The potential impact of changes in the Grayscale board on its aspirations to launch an ETF
How the introduction of a spot Bitcoin ETF might influence BITO, the futures-based Bitcoin ETF
Whether the launch of a spot Bitcoin ETF could affect the stock value of MicroStrategy
Spencer's reasoning behind why Coinbase stands to "absolutely benefit" from the introduction of a spot Bitcoin ETF

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Guest

Spencer Bogart, General Partner at Blockchain Capital

Links

Matrixport report

Why the SEC will REJECT Bitcoin Spot ETFs again
Jihan Wu’s tweet defending the analyst
Unchained: Why Did Bitcoin's Price Dip as ETF Approval Nears?

Market participants:

8-As

The Block: Fidelity, Grayscale filing 8-A forms show progress for spot bitcoin ETF applications

Fees

Fidelity set their fee to .39%
Invesco/Galaxy chose to waive fees

Grayscale:

Unchained: DCG CEO Silbert, President Murphy Exit Grayscale Board

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The Chopping Block: If Vitalik Is the Pope of Crypto, Is Justin Sun the Inverse Pope? - Ep. 590 Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. This week, they are joined by Laura Shin, the host of Unchained, to discuss the latest post from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who argues that crypto needs to get back to its idealistic cypherpunk roots. Is Vitalik the Pope of crypto, as Haseeb argues, and is there even a need for such an exemplary-type figure? And how do other influential crypto folks like Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko and Tron’s Justin Sun fit into this dynamic? The gang also discusses the likely imminent approval of a spot Bitcoin ETF in the U.S. and what it might mean for Bitcoin’s price and Ordinals Inscriptions.

Show highlights:

Who won the group’s bet on what the circulating supply of PayPal’s stablecoin, PYUSD, would be at the end of the year
The Orbit Bridge hack and how the potential involvement of North Korea could be a problem for the industry
How Vitalik’s post urging for a return to the cypherpunk ideals sparked a debate within the community
Whether Vitalik is like “the Pope of crypto” and whether there’s even a need for one
Why it’s so important to keep the cypherpunk ethos, according to Tarun
Why Tom believes, after reading Vitalik’s post, that the wrong lessons are being learned
How Vitalik and Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko could represent the religious leaders of two different approaches
Whether Justin Sun is the “inverse of Vitalik”
How GBTC holders are the most impacted ones given that the spot Bitcoin ETFs will be created and redeemed in cash
Whether the SEC is picking favorites in the Bitcoin ETF landscape
What could happen to the price of BTC if the ETF is approved
Whether the rise in Bitcoin’s price will increase fees so much that it crowds out Ordinals Inscriptions

Hosts

Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly
Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly
Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures

Guest

Laura Shin, journalist, author of ‘The Cryptopians,’ founder and CEO of Unchained

Disclosures

Links

Cypherpunk ideals

Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again by Vitalik Buterin
Quotes on Vitalik’s post on X
Business Insider: 'Heed these words of warning:' Ethereum founder threatens to leave if the crypto community doesn't grow up
The Block: Solana Labs CEO: It ‘doesn’t really matter’ if the network goes down again

Spot Bitcoin ETF

PayPal’s PYUSD bet:

The Chopping Block: Curve Crisis Concludes With a Whimper, PayPal’s PYUSD Raises New Questions

Orbit Bridge hack

Unchained: Orbit Chain Announces 'Significant Clue' in $81 Million New Year's Eve Hack
The Block: Orbit Chain's bridge reportedly hacked for $81.5 million

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Three Crypto Pioneers on Crypto’s Monolithic vs. Modular Debate - Ep. 589 Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Unchained, Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, Nick White, COO at Celestia, and Chris Burniske, partner at VC firm Placeholder discuss the differences between modular and monolithic, or integrated, blockchains, with Solana epitomizing the monolithic approach and Celestia the modular one. They all agree that both approaches have their merits and will likely coexist, but argue each lends itself to specific use cases and developer preferences.They also discuss what will drive the next crypto bull cycle, and each gives their best predictions for a specific development in the crypto industry in the next few years.

Show highlights:

Chris’s explanation of the modular vs. monolithic approach in blockchains
What drove Anatoly to prioritize speed in Solana's architecture and its impact on the network
What Celestia is and how it represents the first modular blockchain network
Whether developers and users will gravitate more towards modular or monolithic blockchains
How Solana, as one of the fastest blockchains, is gearing up to handle massive usage and scalability
Why Chris views Celestia as a frontrunner in the data availability sector
How Nick perceives the philosophical similarities and executional differences between Celestia and Solana
Whether there's potential for Solana to transition into a modular blockchain in the future
Why Chris believes that the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) might surpass the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) in user adoption
What challenges Bitcoin faces in developing actual Layer 2 solutions, especially considering its "doomers storage" issue
What could drive the next crypto bull market
Top predictions for 2024 and beyond
Anatoly’s perspective on how a significant hack could pose a serious setback for the entire industry

Thank you to our sponsors!

Guests:

Anatoly Yakovenko, cofounder of Solana Labs
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Anatoly Yakovenko on Solana’s Astounding Recovery and Its Future Plans
Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer?
Can Solana Seize Marketshare From Ethereum With Serum?
Anatoly Yakovenko on Why Solana Is Building the SAGA
Chris Burniske, partner at Placeholder
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Two VCs on Why This Is the Perfect Time to Invest in Crypto
2022 in Review + How Cobie and Chris Burniske Are Playing the New Year
Cobie and Chris Burniske on How to Navigate a Crypto Bear Market
How To Value A Crypto Asset
Nick White, COO at Celestia Labs

Links

Modular vs. monolithic

Alchemy:Modular vs. Monolithic Blockchains
Visa: Monolithic vs. modular blockchain
Chris Burniske’s tweet on modular vs monolithic

“The horrific inefficiencies of monolithic blockchains” by polynya

Blockworks: A spicy salvo launched in the monolithic vs modular debate
Unchained: What Is the Blockchain Trilemma?

Celestia

Spot Bitcoin ETF:

Ledger ConnectKit incident

Unchained: Ledger Library Compromised, Causing Confusion and Panic in Crypto Community

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The Chopping Block: How Jito Helped Put Solana on the Map Again - Ep. 588 Dec 29, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. This week, they are joined by Lucas Bruder, co-founder and CEO of Jito Labs, an infrastructure provider that mitigates the impact of maximum extractable value (MEV) on Solana — specifically spam and wasted block space. He and the gang discuss how the Jito airdrop this month helped rejuvenate Solana; how Jito differs from Flashbots, its counterpart on Ethereum; Solana’s potential scalability; and how Solana believers have been vindicated by the developments of the last few months.

Show highlights:

Why Jito is a crucial development in the Solana ecosystem and its potential impact on network performance
What sets Jito apart from its counterpart on Ethereum, Flashbots, in terms of functionality and benefits
Whether Solana's speed uniquely influences Jito's effectiveness compared to Flashbots
Lucas' explanation of maximum extractable value (MEV) and how it operates within the Solana network, providing insight into its complexities and advantages
Whether Solana's infrastructure could sustain block production if the AWS integration encounters disruptions
How the Jito airdrop may have rejuvenated the Solana network, potentially marking an end to its "ice age"
What recent surges in on-chain activity in Solana indicate about the network's health and user engagement
Where MEV fees in Solana are directed and who benefits from this value accrual within the ecosystem
Whether Solana dapps are evolving their architectures to mitigate MEV opportunities and enhance network security
How Tarun envisions the design of Solana's fee market for optimal efficiency and fairness
Whether Solana has the inherent capacity for infinite scalability and what potential bottlenecks might impede this growth

Hosts

Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly
Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly
Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures

Guest:

Lucas Bruder, CEO of Jito Labs

Links

MEV:

Previous coverage of Unchained on MEV:

Jito:

Solana’s recent activity and bull run:

Solana’s model:

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Arthur Hayes on Why Bitcoin Is Money and ETH Is a Shitcoin He Loves - Ep. 587 Dec 29, 2023

Show notes

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As 2023 nears its end, the crypto community is abuzz with speculation: will the relentless crypto winter give way in 2024? Crypto OG Arthur Hayes is confident that crypto is on an upswing. According to Hayes, these market cycles are historically recurrent, indicating a potential bull run in the near future.

In this episode, Hayes offers his insights on a range of compelling topics, from what he believes will be a resurgence of central bank money printing between 2024 and 2027 to the effect spot Bitcoin ETFs will have on crypto markets.

He also shares his views on the post-FTX blockchain landscape, the dynamics of Ethereum and memecoins, and why he thinks Tether won’t last.

Show highlights:

Why Arthur believes that central banks across the globe might resort to printing money again between 2024 and 2027
Why he's anticipating a bull run in the crypto market within the next year
Whether the financial system established post-World War II is on the verge of a breakdown
What Arthur recommends investors should do in the event of a spot Bitcoin ETF launch
Why he is confident that the launch of a Bitcoin ETF won't immediately lead to a massive surge in prices
How, according to Arthur, the collapse of FTX actually validated the resilience of the blockchain ecosystem
Whether the DCG crisis is likely to have a far-reaching impact on the crypto industry
Why Arthur maintains a bullish stance on ETH and the Ethereum ecosystem, despite labeling it a “shitcoin”
Whether he sees the use of the Bitcoin blockchain for trading memecoins (BRC-20s) as problematic
Why Arthur thinks Tether's dominance will be challenged with the entry of major U.S. banks into the stablecoin market
Why he firmly believes that AI systems will favor Bitcoin over traditional forms of money
Why, in Arthur's view, China may not aim to become the issuer of the global reserve currency
The investment strategy of Arthur’s family office, Maelstrom

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Guest

Arthur Hayes, CIO of Maelstrom.
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH
Arthur Hayes of Bitmex on Why Countries Will Turn to Digital
The Chopping Block: Arthur Hayes on Why Crypto Needs to Ditch the Banks
How Crypto and Blockchain Technology Could Change Financial Services

Links

Macroeconomics

CoinDesk: The Relationship Between Bitcoin and Interest Rates Is Breaking Down: Arthur Hayes
Bad Gurl by Arthur Hayes
The Periphery by Arthur Hayes
Arthur Hayes’ tweet: “the U.S. banking crisis is back”

Bitcoin ETFs and markets

Forbes’ Billy Bambrough on Arthur Hayes’ hot ETF take - “If ETFs managed by TradFi asset managers are too successful, they will completely destroy Bitcoin.”
Blockworks: Institutional custody of bitcoin could kill it, cautions Hayes
Arthur’s tweet on cash or in-kind Bitcoin ETFs
Unchained: Why the SEC May Want Cash Creation of Spot Bitcoin ETFs
Arthur’s meme on BlackRock

SBF and FTX

White Boy by Arthur Hayes
White Man by Arthur Hayes
New York Magazine: The Original King of Crypto Is Back Arthur Hayes rubbed success in the Feds’ face and got busted. Now he’s returning to a shell-shocked industry.

CZ and Binance

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2023 Crypto Year in Review: Is a Bull Market Around the Corner?- Ep. 586 Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

Take the Unchained 2023 survey!

In 2023, the crypto industry began with post-FTX fallout such as Operation Chokepoint 2.0, the failures of banks serving the crypto industry and the SEC's Wells Notice against Coinbase.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin Ordinals brought innovation to the Bitcoin network, while Ethereum's Shanghai upgrade introduced new functionalities.

The criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried was the dramatic climax of the year, as lawmakers’ concerns about crypto being used for terrorist financing brought crypto into the mainstream conversation. The year ended with Binance's substantial settlement with the U.S. government and spot Bitcoin ETFs in the horizon, ushering in what looks like the beginnings of another bull market.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Links

DCG

Unchained:Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy?

Reuters:Crypto lending unit of Genesis files for U.S. bankruptcy

CELSIUS

Unchained:

Operation Chokepoint 2.0

WSJ: Regulator Orders Crypto Firm Paxos to Stop Issuing Binance Stablecoin

The Verge: Kraken pays a $30 million fine and shuts down crypto staking in the US

Unchained:

Bitcoin Ordinals

Unchained:

Signature, Silvergate, SVB, USDC depeg

Investopedia: What Happened to Silicon Valley Bank?

CNBC: Stablecoin USDC breaks dollar peg after firm reveals it has $3.3 billion in SVB exposure

Unchained:

Reuters: Signature Bank failure due to 'poor management,' US FDIC report says

The Verge: Silvergate has collapsed

Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade

Unchained:

CoinDesk: What’s Next After the Ethereum Shanghai Upgrade Known as Shapella

PROMETHEUM

Unchained:

SEC vs. Binance and Coinbase

Unchained:

RIPPLE

Unchained:

CoinDesk: Ripple, Crypto Industry Score Partial Win in SEC Court Fight Over XRP

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Crypto Points Systems Are a 100x Opportunity, But Founders, Be Wary - Ep. 585 Dec 22, 2023

Show notes

Take the Unchained 2023 survey!

Over the past year, the crypto industry has seen the rise of a new trend: the adoption of points systems.

Li Jin, cofounder of Variant Fund, says that while points systems have long been a staple in the Web2 domain, their integration into the crypto ecosystem could have pitfalls.

She covers how these points are currently being leveraged within crypto applications in the hopes of driving user engagement and retention, why they’re taking off now, and why they’re off-chain. She also points out that, if implemented poorly, they could engender disloyalty instead of leading to sustainable communities, and urges founders to be thoughtful about the design of these systems, especially about how points translate to economic value.

Show highlights:

What points are in crypto and their role in rewarding user behavior
Examples of popular projects that have successfully implemented points systems
Why points mechanisms are gaining traction in crypto, offering benefits of tokens without the downsides
Whether points, which are currently off-chain, will eventually move on-chain, and the implications for users and founders
How points can incentivize inorganic behavior, drawing from Li Jin's experience in the Web2 sector
The potential pitfalls of points systems and how they can sometimes create more disloyalty than loyalty
Identifying which crypto projects are best suited for using points, and the importance of product-market fit
Why keeping the economic value of points ambiguous can enhance user engagement and loyalty
Whether points are being used by projects to navigate around regulatory challenges
Future developments in points systems, including the potential of bringing points on-chain for a universal loyalty system

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Guest

Li Jin, cofounder and General Partner at Variant Fund
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Will Every Piece of Media Enter the Internet as an NFT? Variant Fund Says Yes
The Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown!

Take the Unchained 2023 survey!

Swan founder and CEO Cory Klippsten is all-in on Bitcoin. Not only does he believe that Bitcoin is poised to reach $1 million by 2030, he also thinks most alt-coins add little to no value and will eventually all go to zero. Accordingly, his company is a massive bet on the future of Bitcoin, from educating people about the world’s first crypto and convincing them to eventually self-custody, to making private equity investments in the Bitcoin ecosystem, to eventually planning to launch the first US Bitcoin-only trust company to create a safer environment for investors.

Here he talks to Unchained about his crypto journey, the likely impact of spot Bitcoin ETFs on crypto adoption and prices, his extreme skepticism about Bitcoin Ordinals, when he first knew Sam Bankman-Fried was a fraud and why he thinks that crypto VCs have done a “massive disservice” to the world.

Show highlights:

What Swan Bitcoin is, its origin story and the future trajectory envisioned by Cory
Cory's journey into crypto, his journalism background and the shift to a Bitcoin-centric focus
How Cory is navigating discussions with hedge funds, family offices, and insurance companies in anticipation of a Bitcoin spot ETF
Swan’s Bitcoin-only investment strategies
How lending and borrowing with Bitcoin is evolving
Cory's private equity investments within the Bitcoin ecosystem
The rationale behind Swan launching the first US Bitcoin-only trust company
Swan's stance on financial privacy, especially after warning customers that banks might close their accounts if they used mixers
Cory's reasoning for advising against "trading" the Bitcoin spot ETF launch
Predictions on when BTC might reach new all-time highs
Cory's perspective on Bitcoin Ordinals and their impact on the Bitcoin mempool
The concerns about decreasing block rewards and the future security of Bitcoin
Why Cory was convinced of FTX's fraudulent nature after reviewing the balance sheet that led to SBF's downfall
Why he thinks that VCs have done a "massive disservice” to the world

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Guest:

Cory Klippsten, CEO of Swan Bitcoin

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Take the Unchained 2023 survey!

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Take the Unchained 2023 survey!

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