Empire
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Empire episodes

  • Beezie & Collector Crypt CEOs on Why Onchain Collectibles Are Exploding

    Tokenized collectibles are one of the hottest markets right now, turning an antiquated resale market into a liquid, gamified form of commerce built around collectors.


    This week, Beezie and Collector Crypt CEOs, Andrea Miele and Tuomas (Tuom) Holmberg, explain why tokenized collectibles are finding product-market fit and how crypto is reshaping a market long dominated by traditional marketplaces.


    They discuss instant buybacks, collector liquidity, sustainable platform economics, token ownership, and why gamified commerce could expand far beyond trading cards. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    02:03 How Collectibles Became a Market

    06:06 Why Are Pokémon Cards Booming?

    09:22 What’s Broken In Collectibles?

    14:53 How Digital Packs Actually Work

    18:31 How Do The Economics Work?

    27:04 Ads (TOKEN2049, Avalanche Summit)

    28:47 Can Lower Fees Win Users?

    37:42 What Does Blockchain Actually Add?

    45:06 Can Gamified Commerce Go Mainstream?

    48:36 Why Collector Crypt Has A Token

    53:51 How Does Token Value Accrue?

    57:09 How Big Can This Get?


    FOLLOW GUESTS

    › Andrea – https://x.com/AndreaMYellie

    › Beezie – https://x.com/beezie

    › Tuom – https://x.com/TuomHolmberg

    › Collector Crypt – https://x.com/Collector_Crypt


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    › TOKEN2049 Singapore is back October 7–8, bringing together 25,000 attendees, 300 speakers, and 500 exhibitors for one of the biggest weeks in crypto.

    Get your TOKEN2049 tickets here: https://checkout.token2049.com/events/asia?promo=DASPODCAST10&utm_source=Empire&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=daspodcast&utm_id=DASPODCAST


    › Avalanche Summit NYC lands Sept. 16–17. Save 15% with code BLOCKWORKS15: avalanchesummit.com/registration


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 1 min
  • Story vs Valuation, Hyperliquid TAM, Pump’s Problem & Ethena’s Token Reset

    What matters more in today’s market: the numbers or the story investors believe?


    This week, we debate crypto’s rebound and why markets increasingly reward narrative, momentum, and massive future outcomes over traditional valuation.


    We also cover Hyperliquid vs Pump, Ethena’s token overhaul, AI valuation mania, and the convergence of trading and social. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    01:07 Is Crypto Risk Worth It?

    08:07 Are AI Assistants Overhyped?

    13:40 Is Crypto Undervalued Again?

    22:06 Why Pump Trails Hyperliquid

    30:14 Ads (TOKEN2049, Avalanche Summit)

    34:12 Ethena Fixes Its Tokenomics

    42:33 How Does Ethena Keep Growing?

    49:30 Can FOMO Onboard Normies?

    56:10 Content Of The Week


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire– https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Santi – https://x.com/santiagoroel

    › Rob – https://x.com/HadickM

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    › TOKEN2049 Singapore is back October 7–8, bringing together 25,000 attendees, 300 speakers, and 500 exhibitors for one of the biggest weeks in crypto.

    Get your TOKEN2049 tickets here: https://checkout.token2049.com/events/asia?promo=DASPODCAST10&utm_source=Empire&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=daspodcast&utm_id=DASPODCAST


    › Avalanche Summit NYC lands Sept. 16–17. Save 15% with code BLOCKWORKS15: avalanchesummit.com/registration


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 4 min
  • New SEC Crypto Proposal Could Finally Fix Tokens

    Can new regulations finally fix the broken token market?


    This week, we debate whether the SEC’s new crypto framework meaningfully changes token design, capital formation, and investor protections.


    We dig into token cash flows, Hyperliquid’s institutional moment, if CLARITY is actually dead, regulatory first movers, and whether founders should ignore their VCs. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    00:28 Jackson Hole & SALT Symposium

    04:16 Can Regulation Revive Crypto?

    16:23 The Four-Year Cycle & Is It Time To Nibble?

    18:23 Hyperliquid’s Institutional Moment

    25:22 Who Loses From Regulatory Clarity?

    32:48 Which Projects Go First?

    39:10 Token Transparency Hits Bloomberg

    42:13 Travis Kalanick & Peak Founder Mode

    51:01 Content Of The Week


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Santi – https://x.com/santiagoroel

    › Rob – https://x.com/HadickM

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    56 min
  • Uniswap Is Building The Liquidity Network For Everything | Hayden Adams

    What if Uniswap isn’t really an exchange at all, but a liquidity network for every asset?


    This week, Uniswap Founder Hayden Adams explains how Uniswap is evolving from a consumer DeFi app into global financial infrastructure.


    We explore programmable market making, tokenized assets, public market's IPO problem, Robinhood’s breakout traction, and why DeFi could reshape capital markets. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    00:28 Uniswap Having A Moment

    03:31 What Is Uniswap Today?

    08:51 How Uniswap Runs The Business

    15:24 Who Is Uniswap Building For?

    22:09 DeFi Becoming Financial Infrastructure

    26:08 Why Do AMMs Keep Winning?

    38:39 The Next AMM Unlock

    52:06 Are Traditional IPOs Broken?

    01:01:14 Robinhood Chain & Uniswap Partnerships

    01:06:19 Uniswap’s New Tokenomics

    01:11:33 The $100 Million UNI Burn


    FOLLOW HAYDEN

    › X/Twitter – https://x.com/haydenzadams

    › Uniswap – https://x.com/Uniswap


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 17 min
  • Crypto’s Speculation Problem, Regulation Without CLARITY & The Gambling Economy

    Crypto adoption is accelerating, but does that mean token prices follow?


    This week, we unpack growing institutional interest in crypto as brokerages and fintechs push onchain, even as CLARITY stalls and memecoin activity dominates.


    We explore SEC and CFTC catalysts, Fomo versus Pump.fun, the durability of meme-driven markets, token value accrual, and crypto’s financialization problem. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    02:17 Has Crypto Found A Bottom?

    08:22 Can Regulation Replace Clarity?

    14:42 Fomo Vs Pump Fun

    22:07 How Founders Survive The Reckoning

    26:31 Is Crypto Worth The Venture Bet?

    34:39 Is Erebor Worth $8 Billion?

    41:40 Is Collector Crypt Just Gambling?

    48:03 Everything Is Becoming Financialized

    54:23 Why Santi Is Long AI

    57:26 What Benchmark Gets Right


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Santi – https://x.com/santiagoroel

    › Rob – https://x.com/HadickM

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said. onEmpire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 1 min
  • Morpho Is Coming For The $200 Trillion Credit Market | Paul Frambot

    Is DeFi’s future invisible financial infrastructure?


    This week, Cofounder & CEO of Morpho, Paul Frambot, joins to explore Morpho’s ambition to bring global credit markets onchain for fintechs and institutions.

    We discuss Midnight and fixed-rate lending, network effects, token-equity alignment, scaling distribution, and why direction can matter more than speed. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    00:19 Morpho’s Market And Token Thesis

    09:00 Ribbit’s Role In Morpho

    11:50 Morpho And Midnight Explained

    20:42 Why DeFi Becomes Infrastructure

    26:29 First Principles Beat Fast Execution

    29:30 Building Crypto’s GTM Machine

    37:52 Scaling Morpho Without Losing Direction

    42:19 Funding A $200 Trillion Ambition

    47:47 Where Morpho Grows Next

    57:37 Midnight’s Path Beyond Crypto Credit

    01:03:18 Agents And The Regulatory Frontier


    FOLLOW PAUL

    › X/Twitter – https://x.com/PaulFrambot

    › Morpho – https://x.com/Morpho


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 9 min
  • Venture Mandates, Cloudflare Wallets, Circle Earnings & Saddam Hussein Patek Philippe

    What separates lasting winners from everyone chasing the next trend?


    This week, we dig into why specialization may be the biggest edge in venture investing as crypto, AI, and traditional finance increasingly converge.


    We discuss venture mandates, stablecoin competition, Circle's earnings, Cloudflare's agent wallets, and why reputation compounds faster than capital. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    04:05 Crypto Venture Expands Beyond Crypto

    09:20 Can Crypto Funds Go Generalist?

    16:06 The Hidden Cost Of Dilution

    22:43 Crypto Venture Enters Hard Mode

    28:39 Ads (Peaq)

    29:25 Cloudflare Bets On Agent Wallets

    41:04 Is Circle Stock Mispriced?

    53:04 Western Union Goes Onchain

    01:02:13 Watches And Content Picks

    01:09:01 Amazon Discovery Rewrites History

    01:11:29 DAS Asia And London Preview


    Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation.

    Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Santi – https://x.com/santiagoroel

    › Rob – https://x.com/HadickM

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 14 min
  • AI Fatigue, Robinhood & Every Market Becoming Crypto | Weekly Roundup

    What happens when every market starts trading like crypto?


    This week, Santi and Rob examine how leverage, automation, and retail speculation are exporting crypto-style volatility across traditional finance.


    They also explore CLARITY’s fading odds, AI fatigue, Robinhood’s onchain expansion, and the battle between public and private tokenization. Enjoy!


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    00:58 CLARITY’s Falling Odds

    04:54 Everything Trades Like Crypto

    08:53 AI Capex and Semiconductor Volatility

    12:47 The Death of Long-Term Investing

    18:19 Why Market-Neutral Funds Win

    20:09 Institutional AI Fatigue

    24:22 AI’s Token Economics Problem

    25:55 peaq Ad

    26:41 AI Token Costs and Model Routing

    30:37 Robinhood Chain’s Early Traction

    34:13 Prediction Markets Eclipse Crypto

    38:51 Ethereum L2 Activity Collapses

    45:49 Ondo’s Private Chain Bet

    52:18 Stablecoin Adoption and Crypto VC

    58:55 Content of the Week


    Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation.

    Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Santi – https://x.com/santiagoroel

    › Rob – https://x.com/HadickM

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks


    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events


    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr 3 min
  • Robinhood's Plan to Bring Global Finance Onchain | Johann Kerbrat

    What happens when Robinhood turns crypto from a trading feature into the backbone of its global financial platform?


    This week, Robinhood's GM of Crypto, Johann Kerbrat, explains how Robinhood Chain connects DeFi, tokenized assets, and mainstream users.


    We explore global access, permissionless development, strategic partnerships, token economics, and whether equities and crypto eventually converge. Enjoy!



    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    00:59 Robinhood’s Onchain Vision

    04:46 Will Robinhood Move Fully Onchain?

    11:07 Inside Robinhood Chain’s Explosive Launch

    14:33 Building The Chain For Adoption

    16:15 Ads (peaq)

    17:00 Building Robinhood’s DeFi Stack

    21:20 Why DeFi Partners Stay Independent

    26:58 Tokenized Equities Go Global

    30:38 Robinhood’s Crypto Growth Strategy

    34:52 Competition And Financial Convergence


    Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation.

    Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz


    FOLLOW JOHANN

    › X/Twitter – https://x.com/JohannKerbrat

    › Robinhood Crypto – https://x.com/RobinhoodCrypto



    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks



    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events



    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    43 min
  • The Bill That Could Reshape Crypto In America with Greg Xethalis from Multicoin

    Is CLARITY the breakthrough crypto needs or just the beginning?


    This week, Jason and Multicoin’s Greg Xethalis unpack how the bill could reshape crypto’s regulatory future.


    They explore CFTC oversight, token classification, DeFi protections, disclosure requirements, and the fight threatening its passage. Enjoy!



    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 Intro

    01:20 How CLARITY Came To Be

    07:08 Who Built The CLARITY Act?

    11:05 What CLARITY Actually Does

    15:13 The New Token Taxonomy

    18:13 Ads (Peaq)

    18:58 When Is A Blockchain Mature?

    23:01 Protecting DeFi And Developers

    33:51 The Future Of Token Disclosures

    40:14 What CLARITY Could Unlock

    44:30 Closing Thoughts


    Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation.

    Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz


    FOLLOW GREG

    › X/Twitter – https://x.com/xethalis

    › Multicoin – https://x.com/multicoin


    FOLLOW THE SHOW

    › Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod

    › Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz

    › Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

    › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks



    EVENTS

    › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th

    https://blockworks.com/events



    DISCLAIMER

    Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    46 min

About Empire

From the publisher's feed

Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per…

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