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Latest Episodes:

We're Moving to Unchained. Follow Us There! Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Girl Gone Crypto: How These Wildly Entertaining Crypto Videos Get Made - Ep.165 Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

Lea Thompson, aka Girl Gone Crypto, talks about what goes into producing her popular “The Crypto Minute” vlog, what initially got her into crypto, and her recent decision to quit her day job and go full time crypto. In this episode we discuss:

what “The Crypto Minute” is all about, and all the crypto video content she produces (2:37)
how Lea comes up with creative content such as wearing a whale costume to portray Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor (5:04)
how long it actually takes to create “The Crypto Minute” (6:36)
what goes into producing “The Crypto Minute” and which family member is behind the camera (7:05)
the biggest challenges Lea faces when creating her videos and how she decides which stories make the final cut (8:56)
Lea’s favorite bloopers including, but not limited to, rug pulls, sushi, an Amazon money printer, and a few fake $100 bills (10:28)
how Girl Gone Crypto fell down the crypto rabbit hole and why her ukulele skills were instrumental to her crypto journey (12:54)
the time when JK Rowling tweeted about Bitcoin, resulting in Lea’s viral “A Muggle’s Guide to Bitcoin” video (17:31)
what type of crypto content works best on different social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok (20:00)
when Girl Gone Crypto stopped being a hobby and how it is going now that Lea is full-time crypto (21:46)
how Lea is trying to educate people about crypto in a simple and approachable way… one ninja suit at time (22:34)
Crypto News Recap (26:12)

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: https://bit.ly/3jzkTAD

Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla

The Sun Exchange: http://thesunexchange.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Lea Thompson: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto

Her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlGoneCrypto

Her TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlgone_crypto?source=h5_m

Lea's personal website: https://www.lealovescrypto.com/

Video Examples

2020 Year in Review… News Vlog Style: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto/status/1344384717466914817?s=20

A Muggle’s Guide to Bitcoin: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto/status/1261445010832015361?s=20

Hardware Wallets Explained: https://twitter.com/girlgone_crypto/status/1329580439820849153?s=20

Miscellaneous Information

Fair Use: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html

Money Printer: https://www.amazon.com/Printing-Machine-Magician-Close-Up-Accessories/dp/B07XRBDCL8

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-300k-btc-by-eoy/

Michael Moro on Tesla's BTC Buy and the New Genesis Treasury - Ep.164 Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Michael Moro, CEO of Genesis Global, discusses Tesla’s purchase of $1.5 billion in bitcoin and Genesis’s new unit: Genesis Treasury. He also talks about how demand has shaped Genesis’ bitcoin and crypto offerings over the years, which events have acted as catalysts for institutional demand, and what Genesis is expecting in 2021. In this episode Michael covers:

The significance of Tesla allocating $1.5 billion to BTC (1:08)
- How Tesla’s purchase is a result of the evolution of the asset class and why this is just the beginning
How Genesis got its start as a regulated BTC trading desk in 2013 (2:56)
What new products and services Genesis has launched since 2018 to meet institutional demand (6:11)
How Genesis came to launch Genesis Treasury and what this unit does (8:00)
- Understanding the idea of bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset and how the stock market is rewarding companies for getting into crypto
What the catalysts were in creating corporate demand for bitcoin and where corporate demand for bitcoin is coming from (10:52)
How corporate interest in bitcoin correlated with Microstrategy’s Bitcoin for Corporations event (13:16)
- Why institutions have been interested in Bitcoin as collateral, and why that narrative is new
How the conversation with institutions interested in buying bitcoin would be different in a bear market (16:00)
How GAAP accounting rules affect the quarterly earnings reports of publicly traded companies that hold bitcoin (19:03 )
His projections for how 2021 in crypto will play out (21:44)

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

The Sun Exchange: http://thesunexchange.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Michael Moro: https://twitter.com/michaelmoro

Genesis: https://genesis.global/

Genesis Treasury: https://genesistrading.com/treasury/

Recent institutional purchasing news:

Tesla’s BTC purchase: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/02/08/bitcoin-surges-above-43000-to-a-record-after-elon-musks-tesla-buys-1point5-billion.html
Twitter’s CFO considers Bitcoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/94459/twitter-cfo-bitcoin-btc-balance-sheet-comments
Microstrategy’s Bitcoin for Corporations event: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/bitcoin/videos/bitcoin-macro-strategy
Michael Saylor’s Unchained interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-michael-saylor-on-the-best-way-for-companies-to-buy-bitcoin/
Companies holding bitcoin: https://bitcointreasuries.org/

Genesis information:

Michael Moro’s presentation at Microstrategy’s event: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/bitcoin/videos/genesis
Genesis Global background: https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6024551/About%20-%20Genesis%20Global/About%20Genesis%20Global%20-%20Full%20Overview.pdf
Prime Brokerage Services: https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6024551/About%20-%20Genesis%20Prime/About%20Genesis%20Prime%20-%20Full%20Overview.pdf
Q4 market observations: https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6024551/About%20-%20Genesis%20Prime/About%20Genesis%20Prime%20-%20Full%20Overview.pdf

Miscellaneous:

Crypto and GAAP accounting : https://www.forbes.com/sites/shehanchandrasekera/2020/05/21/how-are-cryptocurrencies-classified-in-gaap-financials/?sh=40ed4f9865b2
Coin Metrics report on institutional investing: https://coinmetrics.substack.com/p/coin-metrics-state-of-the-network-330

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/41-trillion-in-aum/

Why Asia Is So Important to Crypto - Ep.163 Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

Mira Christanto, research analyst at Messari, recently wrote a comprehensive report on the crypto scene in Asia. In this episode, she covers cultural differences in crypto trading between East and West, plus gives us the latest on the diverse regulatory landscape within this large region. Some topics covered in this show include:

why Asia is an important geography in crypto
why Asia dominates the crypto futures trading markets
why DeFi fits better with Western culture, and centralized services are more respected in the East
the state of regulation across the region
what makes crypto regulation in Hong Kong unique
how the Chinese are approaching regulation, and how bitcoin is exchanged there
how Japan's crypto industry differs from that of other companies and why penetration is still somewhat low
why and how Korea is distinct from other crypto trading cultures
why Singapore's regulatory framework for crypto is the most sophisticated
what's happening in Southeast Asia and India
the status of crypto mining in China — and why the Western view of it is quite different from what it's like on the ground

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Sun Exchange: http://sunexchange.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Mira Christanto: https://twitter.com/asiahodl

Messari: https://messari.io

Messari's Asia Crypto Landscape report: https://messari.io/asia-crypto-landscape

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/25-billion-in-institutional-bitcoin-by-eoy/

Why the GameStop Insanity Is So Similar to Crypto - Ep.162 Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and founder of FTX, describes what happened between the Subreddit Wall Street Bets and hedge funds around the stock of GameStop this week. In this episode, he covers:

what happened with the stock of video game retailer GameStop this week
what that says about how to value a stock
how the traditional financial establishment reacted
how the events in GameStop this week are similar to the way crypto markets operate
how a crypto financial system could affect the ability of investors to do what the hedge funds did with GameStop — shorting more shares of the stock than actually exist
what led to FTX listing for tokenized versions of GameStop, Blackberry, AMC and Nokia, as well as a tokenized index fund of Wall Street Bets stocks
how the tokenized stocks and index work on the back end
why Robinhood restricted customers from purchasing shares in GameStop on Thursday
what the inspiration was for FTX

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

The Sun Exchange: http://sunexchange.com

Episode links:

Sam Bankman-Fried: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda

FTX: https://ftx.com

Roundups of what happened with Gamestop:

NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/business/gamestop-wall-street-bets.html

Vox: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22249458/gamestop-stock-wallstreetbets-reddit-citron

Early Wired story: https://www.wired.com/story/gamestop-stock-wall-street-bets-short-squeeze/

NYT analysis: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/technology/gamestop-stock.html

Sam on what can determine an asset’s price: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda/status/1354790766313234432?s=20

Chamath Palihapitiya on CNBC discussing Gamestop — defending individual investors: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/chamath-palihapitiya-closes-gamestop-position-but-defends-individual-investors-right-to.html

Videos: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/01/27/investor-chamath-palihapitiya-the-gamestop-story-is-pushback-against-wall-street-establishment.html

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/01/27/billionaire-investor-chamath-palihapitiya-on-gamestop-surge-and-rise-of-retail-investors.html

Gamestop price gyrations: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/gamestop-reverses-losses-and-surges-another-30percent-in-the-premarket-to-450-as-mania-continues.html

How many shares of GME are shorted: https://isthesqueezesquoze.com

FTX lists GME for tokenized spot and futures trading: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/92756/ftx-lists-gme-stock-for-tokenized-spot-futures-trading

FTX’s Wall Street Bets tokenized index fund: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda/status/1354790817060143114?s=20

Robinhood customers only being able to sell, not buy GME when Robinhood’s revenue biggest revenue source is sending order flow to hedge funds: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/robinhood-interactive-brokers-restrict-trading-in-gamestop-s.html

Matt Levine of Bloomberg on GameStop: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-01-28/knowing-when-to-sell-gamestop-stock-at-the-top-is-impossible?sref=m9L277rN

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-gamestop-is-like-crypto/

Is Tether a Fraud? Its Bank Says It's Not - Ep.161 Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Gregory Pepin, deputy CEO of Deltec Bank and Trust, responds to allegations in a blog post by the pseudonymous Crypto Anonymous, that Tether is a "highly probably fraud." In this episode, he covers:

how Deltec accounts for its reserves, and why they didn't show up on Crypto Anonymous's blog post
where the dollars backing Tethers are held
how Tethers get created
where Tether Ltd. keeps its cash equivalents
why there's more demand for trading with USDT than with USD partially because of the arbitrage opportunity between East and West
how Tethers get created using Deltec
why USDT gets minted in very round numbers as opposed to very specific numbers that USDC is minted in
where the cash equivalents backing Tethers are held
what type of due diligence Deltec conducted when it took on Tether Ltd. as a customer
why the perception that Tether is unregulated compared to other stablecoins is false
what Deltec thinks about the New York Attorney General office's investigation in to Tether
why Deltec has a "large position in bitcoin"

Thank you to our sponsor!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Episode links:

Gregory Pepin: https://twitter.com/dzrgreg

Deltec Bank: https://www.deltecbank.com/?locale=en

Crypto Anonymous’s Medium post: https://crypto-anonymous-2021.medium.com/the-bit-short-inside-cryptos-doomsday-machine-f8dcf78a64d3

Deltec having large position in bitcoin: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/91353/deltec-bitcoin-position-tether

Original video in which Deltec mentions its “large position in bitcoin”: https://www.deltecbank.com/2021/01/14/a-covid-year-in-review/

Deltec banking Tether: https://www.coindesk.com/deltec-chairman-says-tether-letter-on-bank-relationship-is-authentic

Tether not audited: https://www.coindesk.com/tether-review-claims-crypto-asset-fully-backed-theres-catch

Tether says it is fully backed: https://www.coindesk.com/tether-says-its-stablecoin-is-fully-backed-again

Tether current balances: https://wallet.tether.to/transparency?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=c035d054dd287020b16d6dbb4b70398ca7a99dcb-1611253376-0-AcOsT0Zqpd8Muzw5gnkSz6KKmTrN3WAssxGX8K-p_PkeZ2SUfW9EsAr-a2EkIojYzm5-3RA_1DHxpoK579d0YgtnxMYevlVRSS7RIAKh0sgk-ORzOZUDNgg_AvZjugdrxWVjTA9dCBf1hX4X83oU3-RTjQYn_qYukdRFJUq9a89BXyyDovL3bu4ohxSSVdworOR-cdxEiPURe4ZJrGIvuW3Ej2qJLJt3RDXfX6BfDANdpkVrU6O2KB4V0Or-HJjItS0uAu-L7KrTomXNv9anUv34_An8cH3VHYfB_OD-iyIvkgOh7RHd-Xafe-SJwPnUYg

What Tether is backed by: https://wallet.tether.to/transparency?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=c035d054dd287020b16d6dbb4b70398ca7a99dcb-1611253376-0-AcOsT0Zqpd8Muzw5gnkSz6KKmTrN3WAssxGX8K-p_PkeZ2SUfW9EsAr-a2EkIojYzm5-3RA_1DHxpoK579d0YgtnxMYevlVRSS7RIAKh0sgk-ORzOZUDNgg_AvZjugdrxWVjTA9dCBf1hX4X83oU3-RTjQYn_qYukdRFJUq9a89BXyyDovL3bu4ohxSSVdworOR-cdxEiPURe4ZJrGIvuW3Ej2qJLJt3RDXfX6BfDANdpkVrU6O2KB4V0Or-HJjItS0uAu-L7KrTomXNv9anUv34_An8cH3VHYfB_OD-iyIvkgOh7RHd-Xafe-SJwPnUYg

New York Attorney General’s office press release on investigation into iFinex: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2019/attorney-general-james-announces-court-order-against-crypto-currency-company

CoinDesk on NYAG investigation: https://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-ny-prosecutors-tether-850-million-allege

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-8-trillion-could-do-in-bitcoin/

What You Need to Know About Bitcoin Layer 2s - Ep.160 Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at Coinshares, and Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures, join me at the Stacks conference to discuss Bitcoin layer 2s. In this episode, they cover:

why layers 2s exist
how layer 2s, such as payment channels like Lightning, work
what kind of throughput layer 2s have
how moving Bitcoin to layer 2 affects the price
why people having moved $5 billion worth of Bitcoin to Ethereum
how Bitcoin moving to Ethereum affects the price
the most popular Bitcoin layer 2s

Thank you to our sponsor!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Episode links:

Meltem Demirors: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem

Nic Carter: https://twitter.com/nic__carter

Stacks: https://twitter.com/Stacks

Total value locked in Lightning: https://www.defipulse.com/lightning-network

Bitcoin on Ethereum: https://www.defipulse.com/btc

Stats on Lightning: https://bitcoinvisuals.com/lightning

What layer 2s mean for altcoins and base chain assets like Bitcoin: https://www.coindesk.com/rise-of-layer-2s-altcoins-like-ethereum

Sovryn: https://sovryn.app

RSK: https://www.rsk.co

Liquid network: https://blockstream.com/liquid/

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/stupid-bitcoin-rich/

2021 in Crypto: What to Expect in the Year Ahead - Ep.159 Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Frank Chaparro, director of news at The Block, gives his predictions for what will happen in crypto in 2021. In this episode, we discuss:

the big stories in crypto in 2020
how the market has changed in 2020
how the market differs from the 2017-2018 bubble
what big traditional financial services firms and investment banks will do in crypto in 2021
how crypto exchanges will experiment with their fee structures
how regulatory actions, such as the lawsuit against Ripple, will affect exchanges
what might happen to privacy coins as regulators become more active
what he expects to see from the upcoming Coinbase IPO and how that will affect the broader market

Thank you to our sponsors!

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Blocknative: http://blocknative.com/unconfirmed

Episode links:

Frank Chaparro: https://twitter.com/fintechfrank

The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com

The Block's 2020 year in review: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/promotions/2020-in-review/

Predictions from The Block's analysts: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/89788/2021-predictions-from-the-blocks-analysts

Unchained interview with Raoul Pal and Michael Novogratz: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-mike-novogratz-and-raoul-pal-on-the-single-greatest-brand-of-the-last-10-years/

Bittrex delisting privacy coins: https://twitter.com/BittrexExchange/status/1345056010981892096?s=20

Link to the Crypto News Recap:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/1t-40k-1200/

Laura's New Year's 2021 AMA: Your Questions About Privacy, the STABLE Act, Diem and More - Ep.158 Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

For the holidays, I'm doing two AMAs. In the second of two, I cover:

privacy blockchains
my thoughts on the STABLE Act
whether or not Facebook's Diem will have a positive or negative impact on crypto
what I miss from pre-COVID about the crypto community
how we can use blockchain and crypto to weed our propaganda and fake news
the best pick and shovel plays in crypto
what distinguishes a journalist from an entertainer
my thoughts on the state of media and journalism in the US

Thank you to our sponsors!

Blocknative: http://blocknative.com/unconfirmed

Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

Episode links:

Meltem Demirors on privacy in 2021: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-meltem-demirors-and-lyn-alden-on-the-perfect-conditions-for-bitcoin/

Jessie Liu episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-dojs-cryptocurrency-enforcement-framework/

Brian Brooks episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/

STABLE Act episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-rohan-grey-believes-stablecoin-issuers-need-to-be-banks/

Episodes on Coinbase: https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-coinbase-do-a-token-offering-when-it-goes-public/

https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinbase-in-turmoil-why-employees-walked-out/

Episode with Chad Cascarilla of Paxos:

https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/