On The Brink with Castle Island

By Castle Island Ventures

Technology Business Investing

What's On The Brink with Castle Island about?

Hosts Matt Walsh and Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures explore the political, ethical, and economic significance of Bitcoin and other public blockchains and talk to some of the leading experts in the industry. Learn more and stay up to date at CastleIsland.vc and follow on twitter @CastleIslandVC

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Weekly Roundup 09/22/23 (SB...

09.22.2023

Matt and Nic return for news and deals. In this episode: We recap the conferences Nic's Columbia lecture snafu The Bitcoin security budget debate One theory for what might provide Bitcoin with long term security FTX sues Joseph Bankman and ...

On The Brink with Castle Island episodes:

09.22.2023 Weekly Roundup 09/22/23 (SBF family in focus, Tether is lending again, BTC security budget) (EP.454) Matt and Nic return for news and deals. In this episode: We recap the conferences Nic's Columbia lecture snafu The Bitcoin security budget debate One theory for what might provide Bitcoin with long term security FTX sues Joseph Bankman and ...
09.21.2023 Henri Stern (Privy) on Wallet Experiences for Mainstream Users (EP.453) Henri Stern, CEO and co-founder of Privy, joins us to discuss: The contradictory functions that wallets serve Offering in-app non-custodial embedded wallets Balancing the trade offs of security versus convenient recovery How customers are customizing their embedded wallet experience The ...
09.15.2023 Weekly Roundup 09/15/23 (Token 2049 reviewed, Stables are the killer app) (EP.452) Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode. We review Singapore and Token 2049 Singapore food reviews Is crypto pivoting to Asia? Singapore bans the 3ac boys from the Securities industry for 9 ...
09.13.2023 Peter Johnson (BH Digital) on the Relentless rise of Stablecoins (EP.451) Peter Johnson, co-head of Venture at Brevan Howard Digital, returns to the show to talk about his latest theses on stablecoins. In this episode: The origins of Peter's interest in stables We review Peter's prior stablecoin predictions USDC versus USDT ...
09.11.2023 Martin Carrica (Mountain Protocol) on creating an interest-bearing stablecoin (EP. 450) Martin Carrica, cofounder of Mountain Protocol, joins us to discuss their launch of their USDM, permissionless interest-bearing stablecoin. In this episode: Martin’s story and origins of his desire to create a stablecoin Obtaining a registered digital assets company in Bermuda ...
09.08.2023 Weekly Roundup 09/08/23 (The Bitcoin security budget, Visa onboards stables, 2 years of El Salvador law) (EP.449) Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Ryan Salame pleads guilty Our thoughts on the latest turn of the Bitcoin security budget debate What are the prospects for fees to develop on ...
09.05.2023 Lee Bratcher (Texas Blockchain Council) on PoR legislation in TX (EP.448) We sit down with Lee Bratcher, President and Founder of the Texas Blockchain Council. Lee is one of the primary architects of Texas' Proof of Reserve bill, now in effect. In this episode: The origin of the TBC Why Lee ...
08.31.2023 Weekly Roundup 09/01/23 (SEC loses vs Grayscale, Impact Theory implications) (EP.447) Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Tether is actually the most interventionist stablecoin when it comes to freezing Should we be bullish on PYUSD? Why stablecoin data shows meaningful utility for ...
08.25.2023 Weekly Roundup 08/25/23 (Coinbase v Circle, Tornado Cash indictment, chat app tokens) (EP.446) Matt and Nic are back for more news and deals. In this episode: The Bitcoin halving is coming up We review the Republican Presidential debate We review the state of New Jersey Coinbase takes a stake in Circle Hidden tensions ...
08.21.2023 Darshan Vaidya (Credora) on Risk Management and Credit Markets (EP.445) Darshan Vaidya, the founder of Credora joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The crypto credit markets, what went wrong in the last cycle and how the market functions today Thoughts on Real-World-Assets on chain Comparisons of risk management ...
08.18.2023 Weekly Roundup 08/18/23 (Stablecoins offshoring, Better Markets oddity, more Prometheum) (EP.444) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Geographic distribution for USDC v USDT Blockchains have become dollarized What’s the deal with Helium’s phone plan? SBF heads to jail We inaugurate a new member ...
08.11.2023 Weekly Roundup 08/11/23 (PayPal's stablecoin, the Fed's oversight program, Ryan Salame emerges) (EP.443) Matt and Nic are back with more news and deals. In this episode: Matt's op-ed in Coindesk SAB121 is still bad SEC scope creep We investigate PayPal's stablecoin Why would PayPal want to issue a stablecoin? What does PYUSD mean ...
08.04.2023 Weekly Roundup 08/04/23 (SEC vs HEX, Base and BALD, Curve hacked) (EP.442) Matt and Nic are back for more deals and news. In this episode: Nic's early Do Kwon experience Reflecting back on Terra/Luna The SEC charges Richard Heart and HEX Is the SEC's case against Richard Heart flimsy? Does the SEC ...
07.28.2023 Weekly Roundup 07/28/23 (Market Structure bill advances, stablecoin catch-22, debanking in the UK) (EP.441) Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Nic's issues editing the show Why Washington is attacking PoR Why Big 4 audit firms aren't working on PoR The Financial Innovation and Technology in ...
07.26.2023 Richard Meissner (Safe) on Account Abstraction Adoption and Barriers (EP.440) In this episode, we hosted Richard Meissner, CTO of Safe, to illuminate the state of adoption of smart contract wallets following the roll out of ERC-4337 (an effort to standardize account abstraction on Ethereum). Our conversation covers: The limitations of ...
07.21.2023 Weekly Roundup 07/21/23 (Nasdaq reconsiders custody, the Torres doctrine) (EP.439) Matt and Nic are back with more deals and news. In this episode: Was XRP discovered or created? The saga of Otter 841 Matt’s wildlife trouble More SAB121 chaos Rep Ritchie Torres sends Gensler a tough letter What is the ...
07.14.2023 Weekly Roundup 07/14/23 (Ripple gets a W, Machinsky arrested, PoR in federal legislation) (EP.438) Matt and Nic are back with a huge week in the markets. In this episode: Ripple gets a key win in their summary judgment versus the SEC Implications for XRP holders Implications for exchanges and other tokens Prometheum’s denials about ...
07.10.2023 Amir Haleem (Nova Labs) on Helium, DEPIN, and DeWi (EP.437) Amir Haleem, the founder of Nova Labs (formerly named Helium, Inc) joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The origin of Helium and the Helium network Amir’s views on L1 blockchains and the path that the company took in ...
07.07.2023 Weekly Roundup 07/07/23 (Taylor Swift’s FTX secret, XRP vs glazed donuts, ETF seeding) (EP.436) Matt and Nic are back for more deals and news. In this episode: Matt’s plover rivalry Matt’s struggles against animals Taylor Swift actually did sign that partnership with FTX Are Eras tour tickets securities? Lightning in emerging markets Could we ...
07.03.2023 Jose Lemus (IBEX Mercado) on Lightning adoption in Emerging Markets (EP.435) Jose Lemus, CEO and cofounder at IBEX Mercado, joins the show to talk Lightning and its growing usage in emerging markets. In this episode: The origins of IBEX How IBEX clients are using LN in emerging markets How Lightning as ...
06.30.2023 Weekly Roundup 06/30/23 (ETF frenzy continues, Prime Trust insolvency, how Stablecoins are like Eurodollars) (EP.434) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: The problem with SEC SAB 121 Pickleball is driving up American healthcare costs Microstrategy buys some more Bitcoin Fidelity refiles their Wise Origin Bitcoin ETF Why ...
06.23.2023 Weekly Roundup 06/23/23 (FTX and K5 clawbacks, Prime Trust chaos, ETF frenzy) (EP.433) Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Bitcoin hits 30k Wyoming’s stable token developments The story behind FTX’s mammoth $500m outflow to K5 global Why was SBF spending hundreds of millions cozying ...
06.19.2023 Chris Rothfuss on Wyoming’s Blockchain Strategy & the WY Stable Token (EP.432) Wyoming state senator and Minority Floor Leader in the Wyoming Senate, Chris Rothfuss joins the show. We cover Wyoming’s crypto efforts to date to create a stable and secure digital asset ecosystem. In this episode: Senator’s Rothfuss’ pre-politics career and ...
06.16.2023 Weekly Roundup 06/16/23 (Prometheum madness, the Hinman emails, HK’s crypto banking play) (EP.431) Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Coin Metrics derives new estimates of Bitcoin’s electricity consumption Nic reviews his Lasik experience Matt takes Prometheum to task Is Prometheum a patsy for the ...
06.10.2023 Weekly Roundup 06/09/23 (SEC v Coinbase and Binance, Market Structure bill, the curious case of Prometheum) (EP.430) Matt and Nic return for another week of deals and news. In this episode: Token disclosure practices Matt tries pickleball Sequoia is breaking up into parts Will Chinese and American capital markets be severed? What’s in the proposed House market ...
06.05.2023 Lili Infante (CAT Labs) on Combating and Preventing Crypto Crime (EP.429) In this episode, we sat down with Lili Infante, Founder and CEO of CAT Labs. Lili shared: Her experience spearheading the formation of the crypto taskforce at the DOJ How the crypto-enabled crime landscape has evolved and become more sophisticated ...
06.02.2023 Weekly Roundup 06/02/23 (Crypto-eurodollars, SBF's defense, debt ceiling debate) (EP.428) Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: The debt ceiling debate is resolved What happened to Paxos’ / Paypal’s stablecoin? Offshore dollar stablecoins are growing while onshore stablecoins are shrinking Stablecoin policy ...
05.26.2023 Weekly Roundup 05/26/23 (The real Greenidge story, MEV on Bitcoin, Fed data on adoption) (EP.427) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Validators sign up to stake ETH post merge Will there be MEV on Bitcoin? What's the deal with Worldcoin? Is the wash sale tax loophole stalling ...
05.19.2023 Weekly Roundup 05/19/23 (Texas PoR bill, the Hinman test revisited, what's up with Worldcoin?) (EP.426) Nic and Matt return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Nic and Matt reminisce on the Bitcoin Miami conference Ripple wins a key victory over the SEC in the Hinman test Texas passes a proof of ...
05.17.2023 FactSet + CoinMetrics on Institutional Crypto Data (EP.425) Chris Ellis, Head of Strategic Initiatives at FactSet and Tim Rice, founder of Coin Metrics join the show. In this episode we discuss: The partnership between FactSet and Coin Metrics how the companies are jointly going to market. How FactSet ...
05.12.2023 Weekly Roundup 05/12/23 (BRC20 mania, are high fees good for Bitcoin, the Wyoming stable token) (EP.424) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: BRC20 PEPE versus ERC20 PEPE Is PEPE an alt right coin? What’s driving up fees on Bitcoin? The relationship between HEX, XEN, and VPMX Bitcoin’s circular ...
05.08.2023 Steven Walbroehl (Halborn) on Blockchain Cybersecurity (EP.423) Steven Walbroehl, the co-founder and CTO of Halborn joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Steven’s crypto origin story and how he began tinkering with public blockchains. How Halborn’s work differs across traditional financial services customers versus decentralized organization ...
05.05.2023 Weekly Roundup 05/05/23 (Bank apocalypse, Biden’s miner tax, Bhutan’s crypto ambitions) (EP.422) Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Updates on South Shore Bar Pie The CIV boys consider new sponsors Regional banks keep failing Is the turmoil in the bank sector deflationary or ...
05.02.2023 Simon Forster and Duncan Trenholme (TP ICAP) on Crypto Market Structure (EP.421) Simon Forster and Duncan Trenholme of TP ICAP join the show. In this episode we discuss: - TP ICAP's journey in the crypto / blockchain space. - The market structure for institutional cryptoasset trading. - The future of tokenization and ...
04.28.2023 Weekly Roundup 04/28/23 (First Republic in trouble, Hong Kong embraces crypto, did crypto cause the banking crisis?) (EP.420) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: What’s the deal with south shore bar pie? We review Consensus in Austin Nic’s 2022 Coin Center dinner incident Nic’s gas siphoning incident First Republic appears ...
04.21.2023 Weekly Roundup 04/21/23 (Harberger taxes, SEC v Bittrex, stablecoin hearing) (EP.419) Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: We debate some curious new sponsors The Miami gas shortage Nic’s impressions of NFT NYC We review Eric’s Orb When do Harberger taxes work? CIV ...
04.19.2023 Dan Tapiero on Growth Investing in 2023 (EP.418) Dan Tapiero, the founder of 10T Holdings and 1 Round Table Partners joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The performance of Bitcoin as a macro asset over the past year. The current regulatory environment and how the USA ...
04.17.2023 Eric Wall on Eric's Orb (EP.417) Eric Wall is a cryptocurrency researcher, analyst, critic, and investor. In this episode we sit down to discuss the creation and premise of his new project, the Orb. What is the orb? How did the orb come about? How to ...
04.14.2023 Weekly Roundup 04/14/23 (ETH unstaking, FedNow vs CBDCs, NYT on mining, FTX 2.0 gets closer) (EP.416) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Is Ethereum going through a ‘bullish unlock’? Did the SEC decicion around staking help decentralize Ethereum? What is a commodity? We pitch futures for restaurant bookings ...
04.12.2023 Dennison Bertram (Tally) on the Future of DAOs (EP.415) Dennison Bertram, the co-founder and CEO of Tally, returns to the show. In this episode we discuss: Dennison’s career in the crypto industry from exchange founder to founding Tally. How to frame DAOs from a total addressable market perspective. What ...
04.07.2023 Weekly Roundup 04/07/23 (OCP2.0 remedies, Treasury on DeFi, FTX.com relaunch?) (EP.414) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: What are the prospects for dealing with OCP 2.0? Creditors are considering relaunching FTX int’l The boundary between being a visionary and a scammer Nic’s feud ...
04.05.2023 Lorien Gabel and Benjamin Thalman (Figment) on Staking and the Ethereum Shanghai Upgrade (EP.413) Lorien Gabel and Benjamin Thalman of Figment join the show. In this episode we discuss: The founding story of Figment and the focus of the firm. The evolution of proof of stake blockchains and how Figment helps their customers with ...
04.03.2023 David Thompson (Cooper & Kirk) on What Can be Done about Operation Choke Point 2.0 (EP.412) In this episode I sit down with David Thompson, managing partner at Cooper & Kirk. We cover the emergence of Operation Choke Point 2.0 and what recourse can be sought by the industry. In this episode: Cooper & Kirk's track ...
03.31.2023 Weekly Roundup 03/31/23 (CFTC v Binance, McHenry’s stablecoin bill, Gruenberg’s questionable testimony) (EP.411) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. Cooper and Kirk’s white paper on Operation Choke Point 2.0 How bank regulators put crypto-facing banks in a catch-22 SBF charged with bribing a Chinese official Is Sam funding ...
03.28.2023 Matt Hougan (Bitwise) on Crypto Market Narratives and the Launch of BITC (EP.410) Matt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The banking crisis and Operation Chokepoint 2.0 The decisions facing the Fed and the second order impacts of Fed policy How the ...
03.24.2023 Weekly Roundup 03/24/23 (Do Kwon apprehended, SEC v Coinbase, bank crisis retrospective) (EP.409) Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Matt’s turkey trouble continues Nic’s vespa problem Nic’s latest Choke Point 2.0 article Did the government destroy Signature on purpose? Who is the main architect of ...
03.20.2023 Jamil Dhanani & Nick Sainato (Gamma) on Building a Trustless Ordinals Marketplace (EP.408) Jamil and Nick, co-founders of Gamma.io, join us on the show to discuss: Lowering the barrier to inscribing NFTs on Bitcoin Why creators and collectors are excited about NFTs on Bitcoin Designing a trustless Ordinals marketplace that aligns with its ...
03.20.2023 Nick Hansen (Luxor) on Ordinals, Blockspace, and Mining Pools (EP.407) Nick Hansen is the cofounder and CEO of Luxor, a Bitcoin mining pool. He joins to talk to us about his excitement around ordinals and inscriptions, and how Luxor is thinking about the opportunity. The history of ordinals and how ...
03.17.2023 Weekly Roundup 03/17/23 feat. Alex Thorn (Bank crisis, Fed makes $2T available, Signature mysteries) (EP.406) Matt and Nic are back to cover a dramatic week in crypto. Galaxy Digital's Alex Thorn also joins to provide market color. In this episode: Bitcoin’s price action in response to the bank runs USDC recovers its peg FTX crime ...
03.10.2023 Weekly Roundup 03/10/23 (Silvergate wind-down, NYAG comes after ETH, more bank runs) (EP.405) Matt and Nic are back for another tumultuous week of news and deals. In this episode: Nic’s Vespa crisis FTX crime family update Grayscale’s oral arguments go well against the SEC in the GBTC case Binance.US wins the right to ...

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