Empire

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the latest DeFi exploit of KelpDAO which saw $290M in funds exploited. We deep dive into how to resolve the recent exploits in DeFi, the rivalry between Kalshi and Polymarket, will the Clarity Act pass and more. Enjoy!

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This episode is brought to you by Fidelity Crypto. Learn more at https://Fidelity.com/crypto

Fidelity Crypto was built in-house with over a dozen years of crypto experience. So you can trade crypto and stocks in one place at Fidelity, backed by industry-leading security. Fidelity Crypto. We're here to help you feel good about investing in crypto.

Crypto is offered by Fidelity Digital Assets, NA, is not insured by FDIC or SIPC and includes risk of complete loss. Securities offered by Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC. Member NYSE, SIPC.

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:25) The Fallout From KelpDAOs Exploit

(18:08) Fidelity Crypto Ad

(18:43) Crypto Is At An Inflection Point

(39:10) Fidelity Crypto Ad

(39:51) Kalshi & Polymarket Push To Launch Perps

(01:00:58) ZKsync Ad

(01:01:33) Will The Clarity Act Pass?

(01:04:53) What Is USDai?

(01:09:52) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, Jason and Mippo sat down to discuss the Blockworks rebrand! They examine the trust problem in crypto, onchain capital markets, disclosure frameworks, industry consolidation, and Blockworks’ evolution over the years.  Enjoy!

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Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:10) The Current State of Crypto

(07:08) Crypto’s Trust Problem

(09:12) Blockworks’ Solution

(12:02) The Data Behind Tokens

(17:11) Blockworks’ Evolution

(25:00) Issues With Tokens

(35:25) The Blockworks Rebrand

(39:45) Crypto Sentiment

(43:51) Closing Comments

Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, Logan Jastremski joins the show to discuss his current crypto thesis in 2026. We deep dive into who wins the competition for onchain trading volume between Solana and Hyperliquid, are L1s overvalued, Logan's highest conviction bets in 2026 and more. Enjoy!

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:02) Logan’s Crypto Thesis in 2026

(05:30) Are L1s Overvalued?

(16:02) Solana vs Hyperliquid

(29:40) ZKsync Ad

(30:15) Why Was Hyperliquid So Successful?

(43:35) Opportunities In 2026

(50:35) The Tesla Thesis

(56:54) Can Twitter Scale To A Finance Platform

(01:02:20) Which Would You Own: BTC vs NVDA

(01:05:28) Final Thoughts

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the current state of markets as the S&P hits a new all time high. We then deep dive into Tether's $150M recovery plan for Drift, Kraken's $200M raise, the impact on Microstrategy's $STRC, why have L2s underperformed and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:11) State of The Market

(12:40) The Hyperliquid Thesis

(25:18) ZKsync Ad

(25:52) Tether’s $150M Drift Recovery Plan

(28:17) The SEC’s New DeFi Guidance

(32:05) Microstrategy's $STRC

(34:50) Kraken Raises $200M From Deutsche Börse

(40:53) Why Have L2s Underperformed

(53:19) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, Adrian Cachinero Vasiljevic & Luca Prosperi join the show to discuss what's next for DeFi in 2026. We deep dive into why are rates so low in DeFi today, how to mitigate risk, the growth of stablecoins, the fallout from Drift's exploit, the opportunity for prediction markets and more. Enjoy!

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Referenced in the show:

https://kitchen.steakhouse.financial/

# 68 | The Physics of On-Chain Lending (I): https://dirtroads.substack.com/p/68-the-physics-of-on-chain-lending?triedRedirect=true

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:42) Why Are Rates in DeFi So Low?

(16:32) The Physics of Onchain Lending

(24:33) ZKsync Ad

(25:16) The Biggest Risk In DeFi Today

(52:58) What’s Next For DeFi In 2026 & Beyond?

(01:02:18) How To Mitigate Risk In DeFi

(01:09:43) Fallout From Drift’s $280M Exploit

(01:15:15) Prediction Markets

(01:19:52) What's Exciting In Crypto Today?

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the biggest problem within DeFi today. We then deep dive into Anthropic's announcement of Mythos, the state of crypto fundraising, the biggest winners in crypto today, are we buying the dip and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:32) Why Is DeFi Unattractive?

(26:45) ZKsync, Blockworks IR

(28:16) Anthropic Announces Mythos

(49:46) What’s Happening In Crypto Fundraising?

(57:34) The Biggest Winners in Crypto Today

(01:04:45) Are We Buying The Dip?

(01:13:35) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, the Hivemind team breaks down the ceasefire in Iran and how it could impact markets going forward. We then deep dive into the 2026 IPO window, is AI a bubble, the fallout of Drift's $280M exploit, Polymarkets recent announcement and more. Enjoy!

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To stay up to date with future Hivemind episodes:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Delphi_Digital

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hivemind/id1704667885

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Follow Ceteris: ⁠https://x.com/ceterispar1bus⁠

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: ⁠https://blockworks.co/newsletter/⁠

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:50) State of The Market

(09:53) Finding Opportunities In Crypto

(15:15) Is AI In a Bubble?

(26:35) The Return of Active Investing

(37:42) Prediction Markets

(51:40) The Drift Exploit Fallout

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, the Hivemind team, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, Charles Cascarilla joins the show to discuss the current state of crypto and the future of Paxos. We deep dive into Paxos’ origin story and business model, the growth of stablecoin payments, whether Paxos may look to IPO in 2027, Charles' advice for founders and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Charles: https://x.com/chadcascarilla

Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:03) The State of Crypto Today

(22:24) How To Fix The U.S Debt Problem

(32:24) ZKsync Ad, Blockworks IR

(33:56) Behind The Paxos Business Model

(43:32) Why Binance’s $BUSD Would Have Been The Largest Stablecoin

(50:12) The GENIUS Act & The Global Dollar Network

(59:46) Agentic Payments

(01:05:32) Will Paxos IPO?

(01:17:06) Advice For Founders

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Making Tokenization a Reality: Bringing Assets Onchain

Speakers: Samara Cohen, Jason Yanowitz

This is a panel from DAS New York 2026. To explore more Blockworks events, visit blockworks.co/events

Inside Western Union's Stablecoin Fueled Future