From a surprise SEC pivot that clears the way for staking-enabled ETFs to Wall Street banks quietly testing crypto desks, this week (May 23 – May 29 2025) delivered regulatory momentum and real-world adoption. Europe piloted blockchain-settled sovereign bonds, Chainlink and ZKsync shipped interoperability upgrades, and Telegram’s $300 million xAI deal sent TON flying. Meanwhile, Bitcoin held above $106 K and ETH pressed toward $2.6 K on record ETF inflows.

In this episode of the Bitcoin Podcast, hosts Dee, Corey, Jessie, and Ahmad cover a wide-ranging discussion about Bitcoin Ordinals, a new protocol for creating non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Bitcoin blockchain, highlighting the potential and ongoing debates about their utility. Corey offers a detailed explanation of the concept and its origin, tracing it back to the NFT craze on Ethereum and the broader development in the blockchain ecosystem. The team also touches on the broader implications and challenges of integrating fungibility with non-fungibility in digital assets, drawing parallels with game economies and discussing the nuances of collectibility and community dynamics. Throughout the conversation, they also reflect on the lessons learned from previous ventures in NFTs and digital collectibles, emphasizing the importance of sustainable community support for any token's lasting value.Chapters00:00:00 How Did the Bitcoin Podcast Begin Again?

00:00:00 What's New in Season Two and Who's Hosting?

00:00:57 Are Bitcoin Ordinals Changing the NFT Game?

00:01:46 Is Being Busy Always a Bad Thing?

00:03:11 How Does Corey Handle All Hands Meetings?

00:03:41 What's the Secret to Dee's Wedding Planning?

00:04:12 Should We All Be Eating More Pineapples?

00:04:41 How Are Bitcoin Ordinals Similar to NFTs?

00:06:05 Are Bitcoin NFTs a Copycat of Ethereum?

00:06:47 Why Did Bitcoin Once Dismiss NFTs?

00:07:10 What is Fungibility, and How Is Bitcoin Redefining It?

00:09:06 Are NFTs Just an Artificial Craze, or Is There More to Them?

00:10:11 What's the Connection Between Gaming Skins and NFTs?

00:11:47 Could Game Economies and the Black Market Collide?

00:13:13 How Do Tokens Resemble an Ecological Balance?

00:15:35 Can Different Game Economies Be Unified by Blockchain?

00:20:02 What Makes Bitcoin NFTs Unique Compared to Ethereum's?

00:22:25 Why Does Rarity Matter in Bitcoin Ordinals?

00:24:10 Can the Auditability of UTXOs Affect Bitcoin's Fungibility?

00:25:50 Are Certain Physical Items Actually NFTs in Disguise?

00:26:22 Why Should We Avoid Cash in Favor of Digital Currencies?

00:27:00 How Did the Chicken NFT Craze Take Off?

00:31:00 Which Factors Determine the Long-Term Value of Tokens?

00:34:06 What Lessons Have We Learned From the Chicken NFT Craze?

This episode explores Binance’s massive settlement with the SEC, Ethereum ETF momentum, South Korea’s sweeping new crypto rules, Chainlink’s enterprise play, and Robinhood’s growing Web3 bet—all while BTC and ETH show signs of consolidation after recent rallies.

Links:HIO Discord: https://discord.gg/Mq6TUHv4

Codex Discord: https://discord.gg/ChK3ew3A

Waku Discord: https://discord.gg/UADwEA64

Status Discord: https://discord.gg/cWTjmjNK

Logos Discord: https://discord.gg/SrtQBha3

Website: https://Thebitcoinpodcast.com

Markets tread water while regulators turn the heat up: this week (10 – 16 May 2025) the Fed’s draft stable-coin framework lands alongside fresh FCA proposals, the SEC punts once more on the ETH ETF, and Hong Kong issues its first retail-ready trading licences. On the tech front Polygon unveils AggLayer and Uniswap super-charges cross-chain swaps, while PayPal and Shopify push crypto checkout to tens of millions of shoppers. BTC grinds above $104 k; MATIC jumps 20 %. Get every headline you need in under 15 minutes with Dee Weekly.

• Stable-coins set to go mainstream (Deutsche Bank note) — https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/stablecoins-becoming-mainstream-dollar-gold-stable-genius-act-2025-5

• Stable-coin bills advance in Congress — https://www.debevoise.com/insights/publications/2025/05/stablecoin-bills-advance-in-congress-as-admin

• SEC delays spot-ETH ETF decision — https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/04/14/sec-delays-decisions-on-in-kind-redemptions-ether-etf-staking

• UK FCA crypto discussion paper — https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2025/05/uk-fca-discussion-paper-proposes

• Hong Kong first retail VASP licences — https://www.sfc.hk/en/Welcome-to-the-Fintech-Contact-Point/Virtual-assets/Virtual-asset-trading-platforms-operators

• Nigeria drops criminal charges against Binance exec — https://www.reuters.com/technology/nigeria-binance-case-update-2025

• Polygon AggLayer breakout program — https://polygon.technology/blog/pol-value-accrual-post-2-introducing-the-agglayer-breakout-program

• Uniswap permissionless bridging live — https://blog.uniswap.org/permissionless-bridging-is-now-live

• BTC price history — https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/historical-data/

• ETH price rally analysis — https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/05/16/ether-bears-are-done-and-that-s-fueling-eth-price-surge-crypto-benchmark-issuer-says

• MATIC price history — https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/wmatic/historical-data/

• PayPal 3.7 % APY & global checkout expansion — https://newsroom.paypal-corp.com/2025-04-23-Buy-Hold-Earn-Rewards-PayPal-USD

• Shopify integrates Solana Pay — https://www.quicknode.com/guides/solana-development/solana-pay/shopify

Links:HIO Discord: https://discord.gg/Mq6TUHv4

Codex Discord: https://discord.gg/ChK3ew3AWaku Discord: https://discord.gg/UADwEA64

Status Discord: https://discord.gg/cWTjmjNKLogos Discord: https://discord.gg/SrtQBha3

Website: https://Thebitcoinpodcast.com

This week on Dee Weekly we unpack the OCC’s surprise green-light for U.S. banks, Ethereum’s freshly-activated Pectra upgrade, a Bitcoin Core overhaul, and adoption moves from Morgan Stanley, Visa, and PayPal—all while BTC flirts with $103 K and ETH rockets 29 %. Stay ahead of the market with concise analysis across regulation, global policy, tech breakthroughs, price action, and real-world adoption.

Links to All Articles Mentioned

• OCC clarifies bank authority to engage in crypto custody — https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2025/nr-occ-2025-42.html

• U.S. House schedules FIT21 market-structure vote — https://www.bhfs.com/insights/alerts-articles/2024/house-passes-landmark-crypto-bill

• ESMA issues MiCA market-abuse guidelines — https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2025-04/ESMA75-453128700-1408_Final_Report_MiCA_Guidelines_on_prevention_and_detection_of_market_abuse.pdf

• Nexus Global Payments launch (Project Nexus) — https://fintechnews.sg/109698/payments/nexus-global-payments/

• Ethereum Pectra upgrade activated — https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/05/07/ethereum-activates-pectra-upgrade-raising-max-stake-to-2048-eth

• Bitcoin Core 27.0 release notes — https://bitcoincore.org/en/releases/27.0/

• Solana Firedancer testnet hits 1 M TPS — https://nexo.com/blog/solana-firedancer

• Bitcoin reclaims $100 K — https://www.investopedia.com/watch-these-bitcoin-price-levels-as-cryptocurrency-reclaims-usd100k-level-11731488

• BTC price data — https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BTC%3DF/history/

• ETH price data — https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ETH%3DF/history/

• SOL price data — https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SOL-USD/history/

• Morgan Stanley to add crypto trading to E*Trade — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-01/morgan-stanley-plans-to-offer-crypto-trading-to-e-trade-clients

• Visa invests in BVNK and expands USDC settlement — https://bvnk.com/blog/visa-invests-in-bvnk

• Coinbase × PayPal integrate fee-free PYUSD — https://www.coinbase.com/blog/coinbase-and-paypal-to-advance-stablecoin-payments

  
  

  Links:

  HIO Discord: https://discord.gg/Mq6TUHv4Codex Discord: https://discord.gg/ChK3ew3A

  Waku Discord: https://discord.gg/UADwEA64Status Discord: https://discord.gg/cWTjmjNK

  Logos Discord: https://discord.gg/SrtQBha3

  Website: https://Thebitcoinpodcast.com

Catch up fast with a Dee Weekly’s crypto update. We unpack Bitcoin’s latest bank-friendly green light, Ethereum’s May 7 “Pectra” upgrade, soaring ETF inflows, and Project Nexus’s game-changing cross-border payment rail—all in one streamlined episode. Dive into must-know regulatory shifts, Lightning Network adoption, and price action for BTC, ETH, and SOL. Subscribe now for authoritative crypto news, tech breakthroughs, and adoption trends delivered in under 20 minutes.

• Fed rescinds 2022 crypto-bank memo — https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/04/29/fed-rollback-crypto-policy/

• UK crypto regulation bill (exchanges & stablecoins) — https://www.theblock.co/post/280001/uk-fca-crypto-draft-law-2025

• Project Nexus cross-border payments hub — https://www.bis.org/about/bisih/topics/fmis/project_nexus.htm

• Ethereum “Pectra” upgrade announcement — https://blog.ethereum.org/2025/04/28/pectra-announcement

• Coinbase rolls out Lightning withdrawals — https://decrypt.co/225012/coinbase-bitcoin-lightning-network-lightspark

• BTC / ETH / SOL price charts — https://coinmarketcap.com

• Morgan Stanley adds crypto to E*Trade — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-30/morgan-stanley-e-trade-crypto-integration

• Luxury jeweler Messika accepts crypto — https://decrypt.co/225045/messika-jewelry-crypto-payments

Links:

HIO Discord: https://discord.gg/Mq6TUHv4

Codex Discord: https://discord.gg/ChK3ew3A

Waku Discord: https://discord.gg/UADwEA64

Status Discord: https://discord.gg/cWTjmjNK

Logos Discord: https://discord.gg/SrtQBha3

Website: https://Thebitcoinpodcast.com

The Bitcoin Podcast returns for its second season, exploring the latest in cryptocurrency news and discussions on Bitcoin's evolving landscape. Once focused heavily on initial adoption, the hosts now consider what true adoption means in the context of recent technological advancements like L2s and regulatory developments impacting the market significantly. They dive deep into the nuances of Bitcoin's network growth and the Lightning Network's capacity and implications, while also humorously reflecting on past podcast episodes and entertaining conjectures about the future of Bitcoin. The podcast invites listeners to join them once again, aiming to reclaim their place as a leading voice in the crypto community by tackling contemporary issues with humor and informed conjecture.

00:00:00 What’s the Buzz about the Bitcoin Podcast’s Comeback?

00:00:39 Why Is Season Two of Our Bitcoin Podcast Different?

00:01:23 Can You Guess the Real Length of Our Podcast Season?

00:02:01 What Major Developments Have Shaped Bitcoin in 2025?

00:02:28 How Has the Lightning Network Fared Over the Years?

00:03:22 What Milestones Is Bitcoin Achieving with AI Integration?

00:03:49 Why Haven't We Listened to Every Bitcoin Podcast Episode?

00:05:51 Who Really Created the Lightning Network?

00:06:19 How Did Lightning Network Evolve into a Game Changer?

00:08:03 Is the Lightning Network Living Up to Its Hype?

00:08:57 What's behind the Decrease in Bitcoin Lightning Channels?

00:09:39 What's Going on with Uniswap’s 24-Hour Volume?

00:11:48 Why Should You Care about Lightning Network’s Capacity?

00:12:26 How Did Bitcoin’s Integration with Ordinals Impact its Market?

00:14:01 Are Bitcoin Nodes Increasing or Decreasing?

00:15:16 Is Bitcoin's Power Consumption Limiting Its Growth?

00:16:54 What's the Trend in Bitcoin Vs. Ethereum Dominance?

00:18:50 How Has the Web3 Ecosystem Evolved with Bitcoin L2s?

00:21:48 Are Bitcoin Roll-ups the Future of Blockchain Scalability?

00:25:34 Is Regulation Keeping Up with Web3 Technology?

00:27:38 Are We Facing Real Blockchain Adoption or Hype?

00:30:27 Could Bitcoin Be Manipulated by Institutional Players?

00:34:19 Is There a Conspiracy behind Bitcoin’s Market Movement?

00:36:55 What’s Next for Season Two of Our Podcast?

In this Logos Podcast episode, Jarrad Hope interviews Federico Ast, founder of Kleros, a decentralised arbitration service.

Federico shares his journey into the crypto world, influenced by Argentina's economic challenges, and describes how he envisioned Kleros as a tool to globally democratise access to justice through low-cost arbitration.

They explore the mechanics of Kleros, emphasising its use of blockchain for transparency and economic incentives to ensure fair decision-making. The conversation also highlights Frederico's thoughts on the necessity of blending historical governance insights with modern decentralised systems to create efficient and legitimate solutions.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY:

Logos Twitter

Logos Discord

RESOURCES:

Jarrad Hope X

Federico Ast X

Kleros X

READING & COURSES:

The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age

Yale Introduction to Political Philosophy

Yale Power and Politics in Today’s world

Oxford Very Short Introduction series

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:02 What Led You to Start Kleros?

00:03:46 Is Kleros Rooted in Practical Necessity?

00:06:00 How Do Economic Incentives Play a Role in Kleros?

00:10:26 How Did Kleros Handle Disputes in Prediction Markets?

00:18:17 How Do You See Kleros as a Tool for Decentralized Justice?

00:22:35 How Does Kleros Address Real World Problems?

00:28:01 How Has Kleros Bridged The On-Chain and Real-World Divide?

00:33:27 How Does Enforcement Work in Kleros?

00:41:15 Can Kleros Shape Future Governance Models?

00:44:10 What Can DAOs Learn From Political History?

00:48:22 What’s Next for Kleros and Decentralized Justice?

00:54:39 Which Books and Courses Should Blockchain Enthusiasts Read?

This week Jarrad Hope spoke to Jameson Lopp to discuss his decade-long effort to promote self-custody in Bitcoin by lowering technical barriers for users, emphasizing the fight against human nature's preference for convenience over security. Lopp traces his journey into Bitcoin and Cypherpunk ideology, highlighting the appeal of cryptography in creating open and fair systems resistant to manipulation.

Both Lopp and Hope explore various technological solutions and the challenges inherent in privacy and decentralization, such as the pitfalls of centralization in legacy protocols and the need for vigilant, iterative improvements in Bitcoin.

Finally, Lopp underscores the importance of evolving Bitcoin's base protocol to foster more innovation at the second layer, while maintaining the decentralized ethos of the network.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Logos Twitter

Logos Discord

Jarrad Hope talks to Diego Gutierrez-Zaldivar, Chairman and Co-founder at IOVLabs and co-founder of Rootstock.io, about his lifelong mission to create an equitable society by integrating technology and social work.

He believes that Bitcoin can transform society by establishing a peer-to-peer monetary system, merging his passion for technology with social transformation, particularly in financially unstable regions such as Latin America.

By collaborating with governments and NGOs, Diego aims to scale and implement decentralized digital trust frameworks, ensuring financial inclusion while preserving individual freedom.