The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by August Co-Founder and CEO Aya Kantorovich.

In this episode, Chaparro and Kantorovich went over the state of crypto capital markets, the resilience of DeFi during market downturns, and how banks are looking to get started in DeFi.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction 

01:08 From banking to crypto 

02:30 Why institutions avoid DeFi 

05:33 How institutions impact volatility 

10:50 Crypto as the weekend market 

17:00 Bitcoin as a reserve asset 

20:01 Cambrian explosion of memecoins 

26:28 Coinbase earnings 

31:42 The resiliency of deFi 

37:49 AI Agents 

42:00 Conclusion

GUEST LINKS

Aya Kantorovich - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayakantorovich/

Aya Kantorovich on X - https://x.com/aya_kantor

August - https://www.augustdigital.io/

August on X - https://x.com/august_digital

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Lightspark Co-Founder and CEO David Marcus.

In this episode, Chaparro and Marcus discuss the vision and technology behind scaling Bitcoin as a global payment network. Marcus explained how new developments, including stablecoins on Bitcoin, could transform worldwide financial systems and directly lead to an increase of GDP.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

01:52 Lightspark's mission and Bitcoin's Role

04:39 Challenges in scaling Bitcoin

09:44 Lightspark's evolution

16:10 Stablecoins x Bitcoin

21:27 Stablecoin improvements over traditional payments

27:20 Past regulatory challenges

30:23 Changing regulatory climate

35:19 Future outlook

41:37 Conclusion

GUEST LINKS

David Marcus - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmarcus/

David Marcus on X - https://x.com/davidmarcus

Lightspark - https://www.lightspark.com/

Lightspark on X - https://x.com/Lightspark

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by SonarX Founder Patrick Kim, SonarX Global Head of BD Jesse Bornstein, and Senior Web 3 Specialist at AWS, Everton Fraga.

In this episode, Chaparro, Bornstein, Fraga and Kim discussed the challenges of managing and consuming the exponential growth of blockchain data across multiple chains. Patrick, Jesse, and Everton explained how the proliferation of blockchains has led to a big data problem with petabytes of data that is difficult for enterprises to fully utilize, and what solutions there are to these issues.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

03:02 The Challenge of Blockchain Data Management

08:47 Multi-Chain Data Complexity and Solutions

14:13 Standardizing and Simplifying Blockchain Data

19:57 Institutional Challenges

23:13 Stablecoins, RWAs, and Data Demands

28:25 Public Blockchain Data and Practical Use Cases

32:23 Supporting Multiple Blockchains

35:11 AI's Role in Blockchain Data Integration

38:16 Advice for Developers and Businesses

43:23 Conclusion

GUEST LINKS

Jesse Bornstein - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-bornstein-10a774a/

Everton Fraga - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evertonfraga/

Patrick Kim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickkim/

SonarX - https://www.sonarx.com/

SonarX on X - https://x.com/SonarX_HQ

AWS - https://aws.amazon.com/

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Congressman and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

In this episode, Chaparro and Emmer discussed President Trump's first weeks in office, the Democrat's missteps with voters in general and on crypto, and alleged waste and fraud in government spending.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction and Super Bowl Recap

02:13 Crypto Policy and Political Dynamics

07:11 Identity Politics and Crypto Perception

10:18 Democrats' Missteps and Voter Alienation

12:40 Speed of Policy Changes and Potential Risks

15:27 Fraud in Government Agencies

17:19 Congressional Oversight and Budget Issues

20:32 Ensuring Long-Term Crypto Regulation

22:33 Promises to the Crypto Industry

25:46 Malice in Crypto Regulation?

28:11 Stablecoin Legislation

30:29 Closing Remarks and Farewells

GUEST LINKS

Rep. Tom Emmer - https://emmer.house.gov/

Rep. Tom Emmer on X - https://x.com/tomemmer

GOP Majority Whip on X - https://x.com/GOPMajorityWhip

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by VP of Product at QuickNode, Josh Neuroth.

In this episode, Chaparro and Neuroth explored the rapid growth and increased adoption of blockchain by traditional financial institutions. They also unpacked QuickNode’s role in providing high-performance infrastructure to support both emerging blockchain projects and enterprise adoption.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction and Quick Node's Journey

03:14 Trends in Blockchain and Enterprise Adoption

07:38 Financial Institutions and Blockchain Scaling

12:54 Developer Activity Surge on Solana and Base

18:11 Emerging Ecosystems and Quick Node's Focus

21:30 Future Plans and Tokenization of Real-World Assets

25:38 Conclusion and Farewells

GUEST LINKS

Josh Neuroth - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshneuroth/

Josh Neuroth on X - https://x.com/EastofETH

QuickNode - https://www.quicknode.com/

QuickNode on X - https://x.com/QuickNode

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Custodia Bank Founder and CEO Caitlin Long.

In this episode, Chaparro and Long discussed the state of crypto banking, the potential restructuring of regulations under the Trump administration, and the Federal Reserve's stance on crypto.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

1:39 Powell’s crypto remarks

3:02 Custodia and the Fed

7:19 Trump’s crypto executive order

8:34 Banks’ path to crypto custody

12:12 12 month forecast

17:51 State of crypto banking

24:34 The Crypto Vote

30:15 Trump’s meme coin

32:50 Privatising fed wire

38:40 Crypto in Wyoming

41:25 Closing thoughts

GUEST LINKS

Caitlin Long - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-long-/

Caitlin Long on X - https://x.com/CaitlinLong_

Custodia Bank - https://custodiabank.com/

Custodia Bank on X - https://x.com/CustodiaBank

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Cambrian Asset Management President Tony Fenner-Leitão.

In this episode, Chaparro and Fenner-Leitão discussed his firm's approach to the crypto market, which involves using machine learning and data-driven models. They also touched on the impact of increased institutional participation and regulatory changes in the crypto space and how these developments have affected the overall market dynamics.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

03:29 Lack of liquid participants

08:25 Cambrian’s perspective on the Trump meme coin

13:31 Shifting market dynamics

17:18 Regulatory changes

22:56 Cambrian’s requirements for entering a market

29:16 Active management vs VC allocation

35:39 Conclusion

GUEST LINKS

Tony Fenner-Leitão - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyfennerleitao/

Cambrian Asset Management - https://www.cambrianasset.com/

Cambrian Asset Management on X - https://x.com/CambrianAsset

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 Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Story Protocol Co-Founder Jason Zhao.

In this episode, Chaparro and Zhao discussed the inefficiencies and challenges in the current IP landscape, and how Story aims to address these by allowing creators to monetize and license their IP in a more open and efficient manner, especially in the context of the rise of AI.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

05:29 Philosophy meets Crypto

09:08 The world of intellectual property

12:49 The financialization of IP

16:55 AI and ownership of IP

20:20 Getting started with AI and IP

24:40 Standing out in a sea of Picassos

27:45 Gen AI platforms

31:49 Story Protocol looking ahead

34:03 Conclusion

GUEST LINKS

Jason Zhao - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonjinzhao/

Jason Zhao on X - https://x.com/jasonjzhao

Story Protocol - https://www.story.foundation/

Story Protocol on X - https://x.com/StoryProtocol

The Scoop's host Frank Chaparro was joined by LMAX Group CEO David Mercer.

In this episode, Chaparro and Mercer discussed the accelerating institutional adoption of crypto, with major banks entering the market and driving stability, maturity, and significant capital inflows. They also explored how improved interoperability between tradfi and crypto could increase adoption by enabling more seamless asset movement between the two ecosystems.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

02:43 Bullish vs Bearish narratives

06:23 Improving regulatory environment

09:24 This ain’t mania

14:54 Competent credit offering  

18:55 The necessary infrastructure 

24:04 Capitalising on future growth

33:35 Good tech solutions will win

35:19 Conclusion

GUEST LINKS

David Mercer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercerdavid/

David Mercer on X - https://x.com/mercerdavid

LMAX Group - https://www.lmax.com/

LMAX Group on X - https://x.com/LMAX

The Scoop's host Frank Chaparro was joined by Dragonfly Partner Tom Schmidt.

In this episode, Chaparro and Schmidt discussed the cryptocurrency market acting as an institutional asset class moving into 2025, and how this cycle has been different for venture captial operating within the space.

OUTLINE

00:00 Introduction

01:39 Crypto as an institutional asset

11:47 Crypto market idiosyncrasies

18:20 Opportunities in 2025

22:28 Application in 2025

25:59 Anti-VC backlash

30:37 Customer acquisition

35:36 Closing thoughts

GUEST LINKS

Tom Schmidt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhschmidt/

Tom Schmidt on X - https://x.com/tomhschmidt

Dragonfly - https://www.dragonfly.xyz/

Dragonfly on X - https://x.com/dragonfly_xyz