Crypto In America

Bryan Pellegrino is the Co-Founder & CEO of LayerZero Labs. In this conversation, we discuss how a 2011 U.S. online poker ban led him to crypto as an “escape hatch,” early sports gambling, learning how insecure and centralized cross-chain bridges were, interoperability, the 700% increase in traffic on LayerZero, building an L1, and working with institutions to connect tradfi to blockchains.

This episode is sponsored by Gemini: https://gemini.com/CIA 

Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/j1qHWn-a6SU

Watch On Rumble: https://rumble.com/v77wham-layerzero-ceo-brian-pellegrino-on-interoperability-stablecoins-and-bringing.html

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is powered by Sei.

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Bryan Pellegrino To Crypto In America!

0:30 - What Does ‘Crypto In America’ Mean To Bryan?

2:00 - Poker Ban Got Him Into Crypto

6:00 - First Company Bryan Launched - Starting Sports Gambling

10:00 - Building Cross-Chain Bridges On Ethereum 

12:15 - Interoperability 

17:00 - Explaining Bridges Security Value Proposition To Legislators In DC 

21:00 - LayerZero Explained 

23:30 - Transfer Volume Raised By 700% 

26:15 - Working With Wyoming Stable Token Commission

27:30 - Connecting TradFi To Public Blockchains 

30:45 - The Amount Of Interest From Institutions

30:30 - Launching L1 Layer “Zero” - Why Is LayerZero The Choice For Interoperability? 

38:00 - Does LayerZero Need Regulatory Clarity? 

41:00 - Where 2M TPS Demand Comes From

47:30 - L1 Winners & Losers

50:45 - Bryan Is Focused On Building

#crypto #bitcoin #blockchain #investing #technology #america

Crypto and traditional finance are moving closer than ever. From Franklin Templeton tokenizing ETFs to Fannie Mae exploring crypto-backed mortgages, this week’s developments point to accelerating adoption and a shrinking divide between TradFi and DeFi.

We break it all down, including a new push to bring tokenized deposits to banks with Matter Labs CEO Alex Gluchowski, a deeper dive into the SEC’s latest guidance on crypto transactions with Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel Taylor Lindman, and a growing effort to mobilize crypto voters ahead of the midterms with Stand With Crypto's Executive Director Mason Lynaugh.

We’re celebrating our 1-year anniversary with SEC Chairman Paul Atkins! 

We cover his crypto origin story, how sentiment in DC has shifted, the push toward tokenization and on-chain markets, the SEC’s evolving token taxonomy, partisan politics in finance, what could define 2026, and his relationship with former Chairman Gary Gensler.

This episode is sponsored by Gemini: https://gemini.com/CIA 

Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/7zca04lKljA

Watch On Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/CryptoInAmerica

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is powered by Sei.

Learn more about Sei: 

https://www.sei.io/

Follow Crypto in America: https://x.com/CryptoAmerica_

Follow Sei: https://x.com/SeiNetwork

Follow our hosts

Jacquelyn: https://x.com/jacqmelinek

Gerald: https://x.com/thatgerald

Eleanor: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro

0:30 - What Does ‘Crypto In America’ Mean to  Chairman Atkins

2:30 - Getting Involved With Crypto Back in 2016

4:45 - Biggest Surprise Since Coming Back to the SEC? 

6:30 - Have Opinions On Crypto Changed For The Better?

9:00 - Tokenization

12:15 - Token Taxonomy 

18:00 - Relationship With Gary Gensler 

21:00 - Partisan Politics In Financial Services 

25:30 - What Will Be The SECs Most Significant Move In 2026? 

28:00 - What Chairman Atkins Is Paying Attention To Outside Of The SEC

30:00 - Thanks Chairman Atkins For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#crypto #bitcoin #blockchain #investing #technology #america

We are live at DC Blockchain Summit 2026 with Chris Pavlovski, the founder and CEO of Rumble. Crypto In America will be streaming on Rumble starting today! In this conversation, we discuss Tether’s $775M investment in Rumble, launching Rumble Wallet for creator tipping (Bitcoin, USDT, and Tether Gold), rolling out Rumble Shorts, Rumble Cloud expansion, and why crypto and payments are core to Rumble’s long-term ecosystem. We also get into free-speech, global censorship battles, Rumble’s court win in France, and media shifts towards podcasts and live streaming.

Follow Us On Rumble! https://rumble.com/user/CryptoInAmerica 

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is powered by Sei.

Learn more about Sei: 

https://www.sei.io/

Follow Crypto in America: https://x.com/CryptoAmerica_

Follow Sei: https://x.com/SeiNetwork

Follow our hosts

Jacquelyn: https://x.com/jacqmelinek

Gerald: https://x.com/thatgerald

Eleanor: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro

0:30 - What Does ‘Crypto In America’ Mean To Chris

2:00 - Tether’s Investment In Rumble (Wallet, Video Shorts and AI Plan)

6:25 - Times Square Wallet Campaign

7:57 - Creator Payments and Fees

11:09 - Why Crypto Fits Rumble’s Ecosystem

14:16-  Free Speech Versus Big Tech

17:21 - Fighting Global Censorship

20:18 - US Regulation

22:42 - Rumble’s Audience Evolution

26:58 - The Future Of Media 

29:00 - Thanks Chris For Joining! 

#crypto #bitcoin #blockchain #investing #technology #america

Clarity was the name of the game in Washington this week as the SEC and CFTC released long-awaited guidance on how federal securities laws apply to crypto, finally providing a semblance of rules of the road the industry has been waiting for.

At the same time, the SEC greenlit Nasdaq’s plan to offer tokenized settlement for stock trading, and the CFTC issued a no-action letter to Phantom, allowing it to provide users with access to regulated derivatives markets.

Plus, new details on a potential path forward for the CLARITY Act — and have lawmakers finally reached a stablecoin yield deal?

We discuss all of this and more with Phantom CEO Brandon Millman, Solana Policy Institute President Kristin Smith, and Cahill partner Lewis Cohen.

We’re live with Brian Nistler, Head of Policy at Uniswap Labs, at ETHDC. In this conversation, we discuss all updates on CLARITY Act, Title III, & the BRCA, the importance of developer protections through legislation, Uniswap’s evolution, guidance on trusting DAOs, governance risks and delegation, thoughts on the Roman Storm retrial, and how BlackRock partnered with Uniswap.

This episode is sponsored by Gemini: https://gemini.com/CIA 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lK_Xqd0fml4

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is powered by Sei.

Learn more about Sei: 

https://www.sei.io/

Follow Crypto in America: https://x.com/CryptoAmerica_

Follow Sei: https://x.com/SeiNetwork

Follow our hosts

Jacquelyn: https://x.com/jacqmelinek

Gerald: https://x.com/thatgerald

Eleanor: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Back To The Show Brian

1:00 - What Does ‘Crypto In America’ Mean To Brian

1:45 - Clarity Act Update

3:30 -  Why Developers Should Care About Legislation

5:25 - Is Legislation Partisan? 

7:00 - Will Clarity Act Pass?

8:45 - How Uniswap Has Evolved

10:50 - Changing Governance Structure

14:00 - DAOs Are Not Dead?

16:00 - Advice For Trusting DeFi

19:45 - Delegation and Participation

23:30 - Roman Storm Retrial 

26:00 - Blackrock Working With UniSwap

29:00 - Thanks Brian For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#crypto #bitcoin #blockchain #investing #technology #america

Today’s show features guests from across the spectrum. We’ll speak with Keri Curtis Axel, defense lawyer for Tornado Cash developer and co-founder Roman Storm, as the DOJ attempts to retry Storm on counts the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on in his August trial. Axel gives an update on the case from the defense’s perspective and weighs in on what some see as an eyebrow-raising move from the same administration that has promised to make America the crypto capital of the world.

We’re also joined by Todd Ziegler, founder of TCS Blockchain, who’s working to help truckers get paid faster after deliveries through a new partnership with PayPal.

And friend of the show Cody Carbone, CEO of the Digital Chamber, stops by to give us an update on where policy discussions stand on Capitol Hill around the Clarity Act and what to expect from next week’s DC Blockchain Week.

Zach Abrams is the Co-Founder of Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform that was acquired by stripe in early 2025. Prior to starting bridge, he served as chief product officer at Brex, head of consumer at Coinbase and GM at Square. In this conversation, we discuss his thoughts on the stablecoin market, his journey as a founder in crypto, how Bridge quadrupled it’s business in 2025, the Stripe acquisition, partnering with Visa, pursuing a bank charter and the latest thoughts on policy in DC and the yield debates related to the Clarity Act.

This episode is sponsored by Gemini: https://gemini.com/CIA 

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Y3bQRjEQtdlNx1fxmS8hB?si=813495451b9f4e4e 

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crypto-in-america/id1799000155 

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is powered by Sei.

Learn more about Sei: 

https://www.sei.io/

Follow Crypto in America: https://x.com/CryptoAmerica_

Follow Sei: https://x.com/SeiNetwork

Follow our hosts

Jacquelyn: https://x.com/jacqmelinek

Gerald: https://x.com/thatgerald

Eleanor: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Zach To Crypto In America

2:00 - What Does ‘Crypto In America’ Mean To Zach?

3:00 - Zach’s Thoughts On Stablecoins Today vs. Previous Years

6:00 - Moment Zach New That Stablecoins Would Replace Traditional Rails

10:00 - The American Founder Journey In Crypto - Building Bridge 

15:45  - Bridge Quadrupoled in 2025 - What Caused It?

19:30 - Stripe Acquisition

24:45 - Thoughts on Agentic Payments 

29:00 - Partnership With Visa - Stablecoins Integrating With Global Rails 

35:00 - Pursuing A Bank Charter

38:00 - Thoughts on Yield Disagreements In Clarity Act

46:45 - Underrated Usecases For Stablecoins

49:00 - Advice To Founders In This Space

52:00 - Zach Is Paying Attention To The Changes In Media, Test Scores

54:30 - The Rat Theory

55:30 - Thanks Zach For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#crypto #bitcoin #blockchain #investing #technology #america

Crypto exchange Kraken unlocked a major milestone this week: gaining coveted access to the Federal Reserve. The U.S.’s second-largest exchange became the first crypto company in history to be granted a master account, giving it a direct line into the Fed’s payment rails, though not full banking powers.

We break down what this moment means for Kraken and the broader crypto industry with the exchange’s Global Head of Policy and Government Affairs Jonathan Jachym.

We also dive into the latest regulatory developments, including a new OCC rulemaking proposal and fresh guidance on the capital treatment of tokenized securities, with Ethena Labs Deputy Counsel Larry Florio.

Will Corkin is the Co-Founder & COO of SOMA.Finance. In this conversation, we discuss his decade-plus history in crypto, from STOs to DEFI and Co-Founding MANTRA. We also get into Will’s thoughts on MANTRA’s $5B crash, starting SOMA, getting licensed for tokenized securities, what makes Soma different from the competition, an inside look at the license approval process, and why Pre-IPO shares will be the next big product to drive adoption.

This episode is sponsored by Gemini: https://gemini.com/CIA 

Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/jft8qTi71nk

Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

This show is powered by Sei.

Learn more about Sei: 

https://www.sei.io/

Follow Crypto in America: https://x.com/CryptoAmerica_

Follow Sei: https://x.com/SeiNetwork

Follow our hosts

Jacquelyn: https://x.com/jacqmelinek

Gerald: https://x.com/thatgerald

Eleanor: https://x.com/EleanorTerrett

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Welcome Will Corkin To Crypto In America!

0:30 - What Does ‘Crypto In America’ Mean To Will

2:00 - Why Build A US Company In Hong Kong?

6:00 - Navigating Crypto In 2010s 

9:00 - Starting STOs

10:50 - Getting into DeFi early

12:00 - Co-Founding MANTRA

15:00 - Lessons From Working At A Crypto Exchange To Starting Soma

18:50 - Reacting To MANTRA’s $5B Crash

21:50 - Soma’s License To Operate A Non-Custodial Platform For Tokenized Securities

27:30 - What Makes Soma Different? (US Retail Access, Asset Ownership)

33:45 - How Long It Took To Get Approval 

36:45 - Lessons Learned From Approval Process 

38:30 - The State Of Tokenization

42:30 - New Products From Tokenization 

45:00 - Pre-IPO shares & Decentralized Exchange will Drive Adoption 

50:45 - Customers Want Pre-IPO Shares

53:00 - Thanks Will For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#crypto #bitcoin #blockchain #investing #technology #america