Bankless

Episode: #17
June 15, 2020

An alien visits earth. He sees our cities, our governments, our moral codes. He's curious, "What's are you trying to do here?" he asks the humans. 

The humans respond: "We're trying to get coordinated".

Coordination is how humanity rose above the animals. Built the pyramids. Put a man on the moon.

We've coordinated as hunter-gather societies in tribes. As agrarian societies in kingdoms. As industrial societies in nation states.

And now...as information societies in digital nations like Ethereum and Bitcoin. This. Changes. Everything. 

Covered:

• • Uh...why are we here? What's the point?
  • A nation is more than a nation state!
  • The thing that makes humans special
  • Getting past Dunbar's number
  • The rise & limits of nation states
  • The next evolution of the nation
  • How you become a citizen of Ethereum

Join us next Monday for a fresh episode!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)
• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing

-----
Resources discussed:

• (Article) A Bankless Nation (part 1)
• (Podcast) Episode 12 talks about Settlement Assurances

-----
Episode Actions:

1. Read David's "A Bankless Nation" piece from last week 
2. Subscribe to Bankless newsletter so you don't miss part 2!

-----
Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

-----
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Visit official Bankless website for resources

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Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #16 June 8, 2020

Nic Carter is one of our favorite writers in crypto. He's shaped our thoughts on many subjects over the years. Now we got to sit down and talk the challenging stuff. The stuff typical podcasts never as him...we dive right in.

He's a bitcoin yes...is he an Etherean? He's bullish on stablecoins...is he bullish ETH value accrual? He thinks free banking is good...does he think Maker is good?

Nic believe in bitcoin values...does he believe in bankless values?

This episode is jam packed with insights.

Covered:

• • Is Nic an Etherean?
  • What does Etherean even mean?
  • Are stablecoins good or bad for ETH?
  • Why the entire point is blockspace demand
  • How economically dense transactions win
  • Settlement assurances & property rights
  • Why crypto banks aren't all bad
  • Emerging digital nation states
  • Will this bankless thing work?

Plus Ryan and David discuss:

• How David got pepper sprayed last weekend
• Bankless as an anti-authoritarian movement
• Building it up not burning it down

Join us next Monday for a fresh episode!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)
• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing

----- Resources discussed:

• (Article) It’s the settlement assurances, stupid - Nic Carter
• (Article) Visions of Bitcoin - Nic Carter
• (Article) Crypto-fiat: Mutualistic or Parasitic - Nic Carter
• (Article) While the cities burn below - RSA

----- Episode Actions:

1. Read some Nic Carter articles! (see above)
2. Catch up on previous episodes (#2, #7, #12)
3. Pump Bankless by giving us a 5-star review on iTunes!

----- Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

----- Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #16
June 8, 2020

Nic Carter is one of our favorite writers in crypto. He's shaped our thoughts on many subjects over the years. Now we got to sit down and talk the challenging stuff. The stuff typical podcasts never as him...we dive right in.

He's a bitcoin yes...is he an Etherean? He's bullish on stablecoins...is he bullish ETH value accrual? He thinks free banking is good...does he think Maker is good?

Nic believe in bitcoin values...does he believe in bankless values?

This episode is jam packed with insights.

Covered:

• • Is Nic an Etherean?
  • What does Etherean even mean?
  • Are stablecoins good or bad for ETH?
  • Why the entire point is blockspace demand
  • How economically dense transactions win
  • Settlement assurances & property rights
  • Why crypto banks aren't all bad
  • Emerging digital nation states
  • Will this bankless thing work?

Plus Ryan and David discuss:

• How David got pepper sprayed last weekend
• Bankless as an anti-authoritarian movement
• Building it up not burning it down

Join us next Monday for a fresh episode!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)
• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing

-----
Resources discussed:

• (Article) It’s the settlement assurances, stupid - Nic Carter
• (Article) Visions of Bitcoin - Nic Carter
• (Article) Crypto-fiat: Mutualistic or Parasitic - Nic Carter
• (Article) While the cities burn below - RSA

-----
Episode Actions:

1. Read some Nic Carter articles! (see above)
2. Catch up on previous episodes (#2, #7, #12)
3. Pump Bankless by giving us a 5-star review on iTunes!

-----
Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

-----
Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #15 June 3, 2020

The bankless boys think ETH is undervalued and they explain why. Also, a talk on governance why putting it on-chain is a money killer. Join Ryan and David in this special bonus episode.

Covered:

• • ETH fundamentals are fire
    • Metrics 
      • Gas usage at all time higher
      • Daily active users up
      • Stablecoins on Ethereum up
      • BTC tokenized on Ethereum up
      • Network fundementals up!
    • So why isn't price up?
    • Maybe ETH is Undervalued!
  • New Crypto.com wallet is protocol sink thesis!
  • Maker on Coinbase is a big deal
  • On-chain gov hurts store-of value 
    • Decreases credible neutrality
    • Handing the keys to plutocrats

Join us next Monday for a fresh episode!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)

----- Resources discussed:

• (Article) ETH is doubly undervalued
• (Tweet) Why ETH is headed to bull market

----- Episode Actions:

1. What do you think - is ETH undervalued?
2. Give Bankless at 5-star review on iTunes!

----- Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

----- Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #15
June 3, 2020

The bankless boys think ETH is undervalued and they explain why. Also, a talk on governance why putting it on-chain is a money killer. Join Ryan and David in this special bonus episode.

Covered:

• • ETH fundamentals are fire
    • Metrics 
      • Gas usage at all time higher
      • Daily active users up
      • Stablecoins on Ethereum up
      • BTC tokenized on Ethereum up
      • Network fundementals up!
    • So why isn't price up?
    • Maybe ETH is Undervalued!
  • New Crypto.com wallet is protocol sink thesis!
  • Maker on Coinbase is a big deal
  • On-chain gov hurts store-of value 
    • Decreases credible neutrality
    • Handing the keys to plutocrats

Join us next Monday for a fresh episode!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)

-----
Resources discussed:

• (Article) ETH is doubly undervalued
• (Tweet) Why ETH is headed to bull market

-----
Episode Actions:

1. What do you think - is ETH undervalued?
2. Give Bankless at 5-star review on iTunes!

-----
Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

-----
Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #14 June 1, 2020

Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss on Bankless!

The mainstream world knows them as Zuckerberg's bane from "The Social Network" but the bankless world knows them as multi-faceted entrepreneurs, early believers in crypto, and the founders the Gemini exchange.

Whatever you think you know about the Winklevoss twins you have to admit...these guys have an uncanny ability to see the future.

So what do they see in our future?

Future of crypto?

Future of DeFi? Of the world?

They bridged technology to our social lives. They bridged crypto to Wall Street. What bridges are they building next?

Is Gemini the DeFi-friendly bank we've been waiting for?

We cover:

• • How Cameron & Tyler "see things" early
  • What the Winklevosses first saw in Bitcoin
  • The evolution of crypto banks
  • JPMorgan is banking Gemini!!
  • Big Banking vs Big Tech
  • Is Gemini DeFi friendly?
  • Why the Winklevosses are ETH whales
  • What's the next crypto-sized opportunity?

Will the Winklevosses turn Gemini into a bridge to DeFi money protocols? Listen to the episode and decide for yourself!

Note: David and I skipped our Big Picture chat this week to get straight to the Winklevoss convo but we're releasing our Big Picture chat in a special Bankless episode coming to you on Wednesday June 3rd!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)

----- Resources discussed:

• (News) JP Morgan Banks Gemini
• (Article) How to Bank your Businness without a Bank

----- Episode Actions:

1. Look at DAI trading pair on Gemini
2. Download Bonus Bankless podcast on Wednesday!
3. Give Bankless at 5-star review on iTunes

----- Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

----- Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #14
June 1, 2020

Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss on Bankless!

The mainstream world knows them as Zuckerberg's bane from "The Social Network" but the bankless world knows them as multi-faceted entrepreneurs, early believers in crypto, and the founders the Gemini exchange.

Whatever you think you know about the Winklevoss twins you have to admit...these guys have an uncanny ability to see the future.

So what do they see in our future?

Future of crypto?

Future of DeFi?

Of the world?

They bridged technology to our social lives. They bridged crypto to Wall Street. What bridges are they building next?

Is Gemini the DeFi-friendly bank we've been waiting for?

We cover:

• • How Cameron & Tyler "see things" early
  • What the Winklevosses first saw in Bitcoin
  • The evolution of crypto banks
  • JPMorgan is banking Gemini!!
  • Big Banking vs Big Tech
  • Is Gemini DeFi friendly?
  • Why the Winklevosses are ETH whales
  • What's the next crypto-sized opportunity?

Will the Winklevosses turn Gemini into a bridge to DeFi money protocols? Listen to the episode and decide for yourself!

Note: David and I skipped our Big Picture chat this week to get straight to the Winklevoss convo but we're releasing our Big Picture chat in a special Bankless episode coming to you on Wednesday June 3rd!

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Ramp - the fiat onramp for DeFi (mention Bankless!)
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• Multis - bank your business without a bank (1 mon. trial!)

-----
Resources discussed:

• (News) JP Morgan Banks Gemini
• (Article) How to Bank your Businness without a Bank

-----
Episode Actions:

1. Look at DAI trading pair on Gemini
2. Download Bonus Bankless podcast on Wednesday!
3. Give Bankless at 5-star review on iTunes

-----
Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

-----
Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #13 May 25, 2020

Argent is the closet thing we've seen to a mainstream ready bankless wallet. Is this crypto's Netscape moment?

Ryan & David sit down with Itamar the co-founder of Argent to find out. Coming off a big week of releases, Itamar tells us how DeFi's almost reached parity with traditional finance, hasn't quite found product market fit in developed countries, but why he's incredibly bullish about the future.

We cover:

• The why:
  • Why Itamar's here
  • Argent's ethos
  • What makes Argent Bankless
  • The walled garden approach
• The what:
  • Why typical wallets suck
  • Superpowers with DeFi
  • What's holding us back
  • What if Argent goes away?
  • Collecting an email address
  • Argent in Argentina
• The when:
  • 1 billion users & Argent in 5 years
  • Finding the Netscape of crypto
  • Two things he wants from the Bankless community

How soon until 1 billion users? Listen and decide for yourself.

Before the episode begins we also talk about:

• Why if feels like 2016 again
• The BlockFi breach and "DeFi fixes this"

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Rocket Dollar - tax shelter your crypto ($50 w/ "BANKLESS")
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• DYDX - trade, margin, BTC perpetuals (10% off with this link) (trade.dydx.exchange/r/bankless)

----- Resources discussed:

• (Article) It's 2016 again
• (Article) How to get your first DeFi Wallet (Argent)
• (Podcast) Learn about the Dai Savings Rate in Ep #9

----- Episode Actions:

1. Download the Argent wallet & try it!
2. Use a money protocol on Argent (how to)
3. Share the wallet with a crypto newbie! 

----- Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

----- Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #13
May 25, 2020

Argent is the closet thing we've seen to a mainstream ready bankless wallet. Is this crypto's Netscape moment?

Ryan & David sit down with Itamar the co-founder of Argent to find out. Coming off a big week of releases, Itamar tells us how DeFi's almost reached parity with traditional finance, hasn't quite found product market fit in developed countries, but why he's incredibly bullish about the future.

We cover:

• The why:
  • Why Itamar's here
  • Argent's ethos
  • What makes Argent Bankless
  • The walled garden approach
• The what:
  • Why typical wallets suck
  • Superpowers with DeFi
  • What's holding us back
  • What if Argent goes away?
  • Collecting an email address
  • Argent in Argentina
• The when:
  • 1 billion users & Argent in 5 years
  • Finding the Netscape of crypto
  • Two things he wants from the Bankless community

How soon until 1 billion users? Listen and decide for yourself.

Before the episode begins we also talk about:

• Why if feels like 2016 again
• The BlockFi breach and "DeFi fixes this"

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Rocket Dollar - tax shelter your crypto ($50 w/ "BANKLESS")
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• DYDX - trade, margin, BTC perpetuals (10% off with this link)
  (trade.dydx.exchange/r/bankless)

-----
Resources discussed:

• (Article) It's 2016 again
• (Article) How to get your first DeFi Wallet (Argent)
• (Podcast) Learn about the Dai Savings Rate in Ep #9

-----
Episode Actions:

1. Download the Argent wallet & try it!
2. Use a money protocol on Argent (how to)
3. Share the wallet with a crypto newbie! 

-----
Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

-----
Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter

Episode: #12 May 18, 2020

When someone gives you money how confident are you that it's really yours? That's a settlement guarantee. It operates at the base layer of our societal tech stack and usually requires law and nation-states to enforce. With crypto we have something new, we have settlement assurances. That changes everything.

Protocols with higher settlement assurances are more dense. They sink to the bottom of our societal tech stack and become the foundation for everything else. This is the protocol sink thesis, that DeFi protocols with the highest settlement assurance will become the base layer..the base layer for crypto banks, commercial banks, and even nation-state banks.

When enough value is locked and enough time has passed, the money protocols win. That's what the thesis predicts!

Dive into the protocol sink thesis w/ Ryan & David!

We cover:

• Settlement guarantees through time
• Legal system settlement & traditional finance
• Why protocol settlement changes everything
• Protocol Sink Thesis ("How DeFi Wins")
  • Why Trusted things get built on
  • How DeFi protocols sink
  • Time Value Locked as the meter stick
• How to test the thesis
• The transition to long-term thinking

Understanding this thesis will help you become a better crypto investor. Before the episode begins we also talk about:

• ETH FUTURES!
• Grammy-award winner RAC issues on Ethereum

-----

Tools from our sponsors to go bankless:

• Rocket Dollar - tax shelter your crypto ($50 w/ "BANKLESS")
• Monolith - holy grail of bankless Visa cards
• Aave - money lego for lending & borrowing
• DYDX - trade, margin, BTC perpetuals (10% off with this link) (trade.dydx.exchange/r/bankless)

----- Resources discussed:

• (Article) It's the Settlement Assurances Stupid
• (Article) Crypto-fiat: mutualistic or parasitic?
• (Article) Great protocol sink
• (How-to) How to buy $TAPE token
• (VIDEO) David's Settlement Assurances talk

----- Episode Actions:

1. Watch David talk about this at Ethereal 
2. Watch for evidence of protocol sink thesis:
   • Crypto exchanges add DeFi protocols
   • Trustless stablecoins like DAI taking from USDT
   • Stablecoins issued on public chains like Ethereum
   • More value flowing into BTC and ETH
3. Give Bankless a 5-star review on iTunes right now!

----- Subscribe to podcast on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Feed

Leave a review on iTunes

Share the episode with someone you know!

----- Don't stop at the podcast!

Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program

Visit official Bankless website for resources

Follow Bankless on Twitter | YouTube

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Follow David on Twitter