David Marcus is a renowned entrepreneur and executive in the tech industry known for his leadership roles at PayPal and Meta.
In this episode, Marcus unpacks how his latest venture, Lightspark, is helping transform Bitcoin's Lightning Network into a real-time global settlement layer for the internet.
Lightspark raised about $173 million last year at a valuation of almost $1 billion at the time, as reported by The Block.

Outline:
2:33 - David Marcus' Bitcoin journey
5:29 - Lightspark & Bitcoin
9:50 - Lightspark adoption
12:37 - Regulatory tailwinds for bitcoin
16:33 - Merchant payment innovation
23:25 - Lightspark’s partnerships
26:26 - SEN/SIGNET replacement
28:47 - Lessons learned from libra
40:21 - What’s next for Lightspark
43:43 - Closing thoughts

This episode is brought to you by our sponsors PayPal and CleanSpark.
About PayPal
Make your crypto move with PayPal. Get started today at PayPal.com/crypto
About CleanSpark
CleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) is America’s Bitcoin Miner™. Visit cleanspark.com/theblock to learn more about the CleanSpark way.

David Marcus wants to make Bitcoin's Lightning Network the global settlement layer for the internet

Welcome to The Scoop, The Block's flagship podcast covering finance and technology industries through unmatched interviews with top thought leaders, cultural icons and industry veterans. The Block’s Frank Chaparro hosts new guests every week, diving into breaking news and topics ranging from NFTs, to the impact of DeFi on Wall Street, to Bitcoin's role in the economy and beyond.

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Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether.
In this episode, Ardoino discusses the strategic vision of Tether and its expansion into new business units, including AI and education.
The current market cap of Tether's primary product USDT is hovering around $110 billion.
OUTLINE
00:00 Tether & Disintermediation
08:12 Tether’s New Strategies
17:44 Macroeconomics & USDT Growth
21:07 Tether’s Reserves
25:00 Tether Gold
27:22 AI Revolution
33:07 Tether’s AI Division
38:30 Tokenized RWAs
43:47 Closing Thoughts

This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot
Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more head to polkadot.network

The Block Community
The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens on stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity

The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Tether's next big bet is on AI, says CEO Paolo Ardoino

Jake Brukhman is the founder and CEO of CoinFund.
In this episode, Brukhman explores the intersection of AI and blockchain technologies and their impact on consumers, and shares his thoughts on the saturation of the early-stage crypto VC market.
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
01:33 CoinFund's Structure & Strategy
05:56 Early vs. Late Stage Crypto Venture
16:37 Crypto AI & DePIN
28:35 Crypto DePIN
32:51 Tokenomics & PMF
37:00 Interoperability Trends
41:14 Shifting LP Expectations
46:50 Closing Thoughts 

This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot
Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more head to polkadot.network

The Block Community
The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens on stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity

The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Crypto VCs are slowly transitioning into generalists

Denelle Dixon is the CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation — the primary development team supporting the Stellar blockchain.
In this episode, Dixon emphasizes the potential of blockchain technology to transform financial services in low- to medium-income countries, particularly in Africa and South America.
She also addresses the need for policymakers to create a supportive environment for the industry and the importance of asset issuance and payments in creating equitable access to the global financial system.
 
This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot
Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more head to polkadot.network

The Block Community
The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens on stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity

The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe visit theblock.co/newsletters

The crypto industry is refocusing on the uses of its tech stack, says Stellar Development Foundation CEO

Luke Hoersten is the founder and CEO of Bitnomial — a derivatives exchange that aims to replace the underlying rails of the global commodities trading market with crypto.
Bitnomial has obtained regulatory approval for an exchange license, a clearinghouse license and a brokerage license, making them the first business to have all three licenses under one roof.
In this episode, Hoersten discusses the technical innovation to collateral management and trading offered by crypto and the future of collateral management in the crypto derivatives market. 

OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
04:36 Bitnomial's Licenses
05:48 Bitnomial's Product Suite
07:46 Competition 
12:09 Phases of Crypto Collateral 
19:01 CME Marketshare 
21:07 Importance of Derivatives 
24:55 Future of Crypto Derivitives 
32:18 Onshore vs. Offshore Derivatives 
35:09 TradFi Perps 
37:37 Closing Thoughts

We’re entering the next phase of crypto derivatives

Zaheer Ebtikar is the founder and CIO of Split Capital.
In this episode, Ebtikar discusses the opportunity of liquid crypto investment strategies and the challenges faced by crypto venture firms, including crowded markets and longer lock-up periods.
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
05:14 Evolution of Crypto Venture
08:12 Nuances of Liquid Crypto Funds
10:58 Liquid Fund Capital Allocators
13:59 Crypto Market Inefficiencies
17:38 Shifting Fundamentals
20:38 Impact of ETFs
22:49 Market Opportunities
37:02 Closing Thoughts

David Marcus wants to make Bitcoin's Lightning Network the global settlement layer for the internet

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