Unchained

Unchained

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Unchained episodes

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto - Ep.199

    Jake Chervinsky, general counsel at Compound Labs, and Kristin Smith, executive director of The Blockchain Association, talk about the storm brewing in the cryptosphere involving self-custody and privacy. In this episode, they cover:

    • the differences between hosted and self-hosted wallets and how transactions between them differ
    • why the ability to transact from self-hosted wallets is so important
    • compliance and regulation in the traditional financial world and how it could affect self-custody
    • the “Swiss rule” and what it could mean for the rest of the world
    • the proposal by FinCEN to lower the threshold for collecting data on transactions from $3,000 to $250
    • how regulators might achieve their goals without “dragnet” surveillance
    • how the amount of crime and money laundering in the traditional financial system compares to that in the crypto world
    • why OTC brokers are considered the most significant money laundering risk in crypto, and how that risk might be mitigated
    • how different political environments can influence the value of peer to peer transactions
    • whether Americans should be willing to give up some of their financial privacy in favor of security
    • what the recent statement by the DOJ's cryptocurrency enforcement framework labeling anonymous transactions as "high-risk activity indicative of possible criminal conduct" could mean for privacy coins like Monero and Zcash
    • Gary Gensler's appointment as head of Biden's financial policy transition team and whether to view it as a positive or negative for crypto
    • whether they think the incoming Congress will be in favor of more surveillance or more privacy
    • whether there might eventually be regulations for developers who write code for self-hosted wallets
    • how potential rules regarding self-custody could affect non-monetary items like NFTs
    • and the next big developments they are watching out for regarding this issue

     

    Thank you to our sponsor! 

    Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

     

    Episode links: 

    Jake Chervinsky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky

    Compound Labs: https://compound.finance

     

    Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/kmsmithdc

    The Blockchain Association: https://theblockchainassociation.org/

    https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn

     

    FinCen NPRM: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/10/27/2020-23756/threshold-for-the-requirement-to-collect-retain-and-transmit-information-on-funds-transfers-and

     

    Coin Center commentary on lowering FinCEN threshold: https://www.coincenter.org/app/uploads/2020/10/Coin-Center-Comment-FinCEN-FRB-250-threshold.pdf 

     

    Unchained episode about the FATF travel rule: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/ 

     

    The choice of Gary Gensler to lead the financial policy transition team: 

    https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-biden-election-day-2020/card/peMRHGPJasECSPLezSFx

     

    https://www.coindesk.com/biden-confirms-gary-gensler-will-lead-financial-policy-transition-team

     

    Shapeshift delists Zcash: https://www.coindesk.com/shapeshift-delists-privacy-coin-zcash-over-regulatory-concerns

    Jessie Liu interview on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-dojs-cryptocurrency-enforcement-framework/

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    1 hr 12 min
  • Why Bitcoin Now: Bitcoin Under a Biden Administration - Ep.198

    In this episode, Dan Tapiero, founder of 10T Holdings and Gold Bullion International, and Cathie Wood, CEO and CIO at ARK Invest, discuss the long election week in the U.S. and how they believe Bitcoin will behave in a post-election world. They also talk about:

    • how a changeover from a Trump to a Biden administration could affect Bitcoin
    • how the prospect of legal challenges from the Trump administration might affect Bitcoin
    • whether they think the presidential election influenced Bitcoin’s precipitous price jump in the first week of November
    • what it takes to change the mind of a Bitcoin skeptic in the investment world
    • whether gold investors are becoming more resistant or more embracing of Bitcoin
    • whether Democratic control of the Senate would affect Bitcoin
    • how they expect the new wave of rising coronavirus cases and lockdowns to affect economies and Bitcoin
    • the new inflation policy introduced by Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell and how it will affect Bitcoin
    • the recent Bitcoin halving and how they expect Bitcoin to perform over the next year
    • how banking will change over the next few years and how that will affect Bitcoin
    • their thoughts on central bank digital currencies and how an increase in CBDCs might affect Bitcoin
    • what factors they are looking at right now when thinking about what could happen with Bitcoin over the next year

     

    Thank you to our sponsor! 

    Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

     

    Episode links: 

    Cathie Wood: https://twitter.com/cathiedwood

    Ark Invest: https://ark-invest.com/

    Yassine Elmandjra: https://twitter.com/yassineARK

     

    Dan Tapiero: https://twitter.com/DTAPCAP

    10T Holdings: https://10tfund.com/

    Gold Bullion International: https://bullioninternational.com/

     

    Unchained with Brian Brooks: https://unchainedpodcast.com/acting-comptroller-of-the-currency-brian-brooks-on-crypto-banks/

     

    Jerome Powell speech on targeting inflation of 2%: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/27/powell-announces-new-fed-approach-to-inflation-that-could-keep-rates-lower-for-longer.html

     

    Bitcoin-gold correlation: https://coinmetrics.io/correlation-charts/#assets=btc-gld

     

    Bitcoin-S&P 500 correlation: https://coinmetrics.io/correlation-charts/#assets=btc-s&p

     

    Forbes profile on Cathie Wood: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2020/10/05/how-cathie-wood-beat-wall-street-by-betting-tesla-is-worth-more-than-1-trillion/?sh=12d44f813d45

     

    ARK Invest Bitcoin white papers: https://ark-invest.com/white-papers/bitcoin-part-one/

    https://ark-invest.com/white-papers/bitcoin-part-two/

     

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    1 hr 13 min
  • Why Bitcoin Now: Meltem Demirors and Lyn Alden on the Perfect Conditions for Bitcoin - Ep.197

    In this seventh installment of the Why Bitcoin Now series, Meltem Demirors, the chief strategy officer at Coinshares, and Lyn Alden, the founder of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy, discuss the state of Bitcoin since June, amidst the presidential election – which takes place on the date of publication of the show -- and a global pandemic. Topics discussed include:

    • the significance of bitcoin staying above $10k for over three months
    • why the pandemic has created the conditions for which Bitcoin was designed
    • how the markets may react to a Trump or Biden win
    • why they believe, no matter which party wins, there will be massive deficits and a money-printing debt spiral
    • why other countries see opportunities to erode the supremacy of the US dollar
    • why Bitcoin has shown that it’s possible to have money without state
    • how the current record unemployment and massive stimulus efforts during the pandemic have impacted Bitcoin
    • the increasing interest in Bitcoin from traditional investors
    • the IMF’s recent call for a “New Bretton Woods moment”  and how it may impact crypto
    • China’s DCEP central bank digital currency and the effects it may have on increasing China’s trade leverage
    • why the pandemic has made clear the importance of bringing more Bitcoin mining onshore
    • whether or not Bitcoin will be able to remedy growing wealth inequality
    • why privacy/encryption will be the main issue Bitcoiners need to watch from the coming administration

     

    Thank you to our sponsors! 

    Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

     

    Episode links: 

    Lyn Alden: https://twitter.com/LynAldenContact

    Lyn Alden Investment Strategy: lynalden.com

    Meltem Demirors: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem

    Coinshares: https://www.coinshares.com/

     

    Lyn’s post on how the economy and stock market perform under Democratic vs. Republican presidents: https://www.lynalden.com/presidential-elections/

     

    US stimulus spending: https://datalab.usaspending.gov/federal-covid-funding/#section-tracking

     

    IMF New Bretton Woods speech: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/10/15/sp101520-a-new-bretton-woods-moment

     

    Stocks in a bubble: https://www.longtermtrends.net/sp500-price-earnings-shiller-pe-ratio/

     

    Meltem on the financialization of internet infrastructure: https://medium.com/coinshares/the-financialization-of-compute-connectivity-66beaffe7501

     

    BitOoda report on Bitcoin mining: https://bitooda.medium.com/bitcoin-mining-hashrate-and-power-analysis-bitooda-research-ebc25f5650bf

     

    Bloomberg wealth report: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-08/top-50-richest-people-in-the-us-are-worth-as-much-as-poorest-165-million

     

    Cash app’s Bitcoin sales: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/74001/square-q2-bitcoin-cash-app

     

    JPMorgan research note on Bitcoin: https://fortune.com/2020/10/26/jp-morgan-chase-bitcoin-predictions-analyst-jpm-cryptocurrency/

    https://twitter.com/DTAPCAP/status/1319703750450302980?s=20

    Forbes interview with Daniel Masters of Coinshares: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/10/24/jp-morgan-veteran-daniel-masters-explains-how-blockchain-will-end-commercial-banks/#77ec4f6a6bdd

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    1 hr 26 min
  • Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks on Crypto Banks - Ep.196

    Brian Brooks got his start in traditional finance before joining Coinbase in 2018 and is currently the acting comptroller of the currency. In this episode, he discusses:

    • how his background in traditional financial services led him to take a position at Coinbase
    • whether the role blockchain and crypto will likely play in the financial future is being recognized at the federal level
    • whether or not banks have always had the authority to custody crypto for their customers
    • how he expects things to unfold in the coming years as banks begin to become more involved in crypto custody
    • his thoughts on Kraken and others launching crypto banks and whether it will lead to the founding of other crypto banks
    • how his office is pushing for a national fintech charter, and how it could affect less crypto-friendly states
    • whether banks that work with crypto companies supporting unhosted wallets are prohibited from holding stablecoin reserves
    • whether or not OCC regulations cover DeFi, and the regulatory challenges that open source protocols present
    • whether he sees a time when governments and regulators participate in the governance of crypto platforms
    • what roles he thinks public and private sectors, as well as commercial banks, should play in the creation of a central bank digital currency
    • what stance the OCC might take around privacy in blockchain transactions
    • how U.S. regulators can offer more clarity to the crypto industry
    • and how he thinks the pandemic, its effect on the economy, and the government’s response through stimulus will affect the crypto industry

     

    Thank you to our sponsor!

    Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

     

    Episode links: 

    Brian Brooks: https://twitter.com/BrianBrooksOCC

    Office of the Comptroller of the Currency: https://www.occ.gov

     

    Letter to authorize banks to provide crypto custody services for customers: https://www.occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/interpretations-and-actions/2020/int1170.pdf

     

    The significance of the letter for banks and crypto companies: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthougan/2020/07/27/the-occs-notice-on-crypto-is-a-really-big-deal/#13aad8806301

     

    The OCC’s statement on federally chartered banks and crypto custody: https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2020/nr-occ-2020-98.html

     

    His support for a federal licensing framework for crypto companies: https://www.coindesk.com/us-banking-regulator-suggests-federal-licensing-framework-for-crypto-firms

     

    Questions about the OCC’s stablecoin guidance

    https://www.coindesk.com/questions-occ-first-guidance-stablecoins

     

    CSBS “One Company, One Exam” policy: https://www.coindesk.com/csbs-firms-explained

     

    Battle with states over federal licensing program: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/31/currency-comptroller-reshape-banking-406393 

     

    FinCEN’s 2019 Regulatory Guidance: https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/new-fincen-guidance-affirms-its-longstanding-regulatory-framework-virtual

     

    Federal Reserve says it is exploring a central bank digital currency: https://www.coindesk.com/fed-reserve-evaluating-digital-dollar-but-benefits-still-unclear-says-chairman 

     

    His view that a CBDC should be designed by the private sector: 

    https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/69216/heres-how-brian-brooks-disagrees-with-fed-chair-jerome-powell-on-the-digital-dollar

    The OCC’s Financial Inclusion Project: https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/minority-outreach/project-reach.html

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    51 min
  • How This DOJ Strike Force Hunts Down Cryptocurrency Criminals - Ep.195

    Magistrate judge Zia Faruqui, and Jessi Brooks, assistant U.S. attorney in the national security section at the United States Attorney’s Office, have prosecuted several cryptocurrency-related cases, many of them amongst the most well-known. In this episode, they talk about:

    • how they came to be involved in the prosecution of so many cases involving cryptocurrency
    • the nature of civil forfeiture cases
    • the Al-Qassam Brigades case, which led to the largest ever seizure of a terrorist organization’s cryptocurrency accounts, and the terrorist organization’s use of dynamic addresses in an attempt to elude detection by authorities.
    • how Al Qaeda used Telegram to pursue cryptocurrency donations
    • the case involving ISIS and counterfeit PPE for COVID
    • the process of seizing funds from unhosted wallets
    • the North Korean affiliated Lazarus Group, and how they were able to amass $2580 million worth of cryptocurrency
    • the methods hackers will use to cash out stolen crypto funds to fiat
    • how different government agencies in the U.S., as well as in other countries, are coordinated when tackling these cases
    • the Welcome to Video case and how they went about prosecuting a person in a foreign country
    • how they’ve seen the use of cryptocurrencies by criminals evolve over time
    • and whether or not they think decentralized exchanges will make it easier for criminals and hackers to cash out

     

    Thank you to our sponsor! 

    Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

     

    Episode links: 

    Jessi Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-brooks-8289ab32/

    Zia’s Faruqui: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zia-faruqui-a73ba11a5/

     

    Three terror-finance cybercrime cases: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/global-disruption-three-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns

     

    The Al-Qassam Brigades case: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/global-disruption-three-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns

     

    Scam PPE site: https://www.wired.com/story/isis-allegedly-ran-a-covid-19-ppe-scam-site/

     

    Civil forfeiture complaint against North Korea-affiliated hackers, Lazarus Group: 

    https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/united-states-files-complaint-forfeit-280-cryptocurrency-accounts-tied-hacks-two

    https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1310411/download

    https://blog.chainalysis.com/reports/lazarus-group-north-korea-doj-complaint-august-2020

     

    Welcome to Video indictment: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/south-korean-national-and-hundreds-others-charged-worldwide-takedown-largest-darknet-child

     

    Dark Scandals: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/03/13/dark-deja-vu-irs-announces-charges-in-takedown-of-multi-million-dollar-child-exploitation-website-funded-by-bitcoin/#4a09b2ac28ae

    https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/press-release/file/1257581/download

    Jonathan Levin from Chainalysis on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-bitcoin-led-to-the-demise-of-the-largest-child-porn-site/

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    1 hr 7 min
  • SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on BitMEX, DeFi and a Token Safe Harbor - Ep.194

    Hester Peirce, AKA “Crypto Mom,” was just confirmed to a second term as SEC Commissioner of the Securities Exchange Commission in August. In this episode, she talks about:

    • the reasons for her dissent in the Unikrn Settlement and what she believes would have been a proper penalty
    • the current status of her token safe harbor proposal
    • her thoughts on fair launch projects as opposed to traditional VC-backed tokens
    • her view on how the SEC should view airdrops
    • her thoughts on whether existing securities laws could be tweaked as opposed to implementing a safe harbor
    • whether she thinks DeFi governance tokens should be considered securities
    • her thoughts on DeFi playing its own regulatory role
    • her thoughts on the Securities Clarity Act introduced in Congress
    • the chances of a Bitcoin ETF being approved by the SEC in the future
    • the charges against BitMEX and the effect it may have on the industry in general
    • stablecoins, and how they might raise securities issues
    • and whether she thinks that all securities could one day be tokenized

    Thank you to our sponsor!

    Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

     

    Episode links: 

    Hester Peirce: https://twitter.com/HesterPeirce

    SEC: https://www.sec.gov

     

    Her dissent on the Unikrn settelement: https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-statement-settlement-charging-token-issuer

     

    Unconfirmed interview on her safe harbor proposal: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-on-her-safe-harbor-proposal/

    Her token safe harbor proposal: https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/peirce-remarks-blockress-2020-02-06

     

    Unchained interview with Cmr. Peirce: https://unchainedpodcast.com/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-come-talk-to-the-sec/

     

    Proposal in The Block on ways to amend existing securities law instead of issuing a token safe harbor: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/57207/case-for-reg-a-response-commissioner-peirce-sec-token

     

    Is UNI a security: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/78231/uniswap-token-security-debate

     

    FCA banning crypto derivatives and ETNs: https://www.coindesk.com/fca-bans-sale-of-cryptoderivatives-to-retail-consumers-in-uk

    https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79911/uk-regulator-fca-bans-crypto-derivatives-retail-users

     

    Securities Clarity Act: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/78231/uniswap-token-security-debate

     

    Statement on ATS’s: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/marketreg/mr-noaction/2020/finra-ats-role-in-settlement-of-digital-asset-security-trades-09252020.pdf

     

    SEC chairman Jay Clayton says all stocks could be tokenized: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/79783/all-stocks-tokenized-sec-chairman-clayton

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    31 min
  • Can Solana Seize Marketshare From Ethereum With Serum? - Ep.193

    Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of FTX and Alameda Research,  and Anatoly Yakovenko,  the co-founder and CEO of Solana Labs, discuss the Project Serum ecosystem that they are building on the Solana blockchain, and the unique approach to scaling the Solana blockchain is taking.

    In this episode, they talk about:

    • their backgrounds, and how they became involved in crypto
    • why Solana takes a different approach to scaling and how it is implemented
    • why they think a relatively lower number of nodes is sufficient to protect from attacks or collusion
    • what the vision for Solana is, who they see using it, and how Serum fits into that vision
    • why they think there haven’t been more crypto projects migrating to Solana yet
    • Solana’s proof-of-history algorithm and how it works
    • how Solana plans to attract DeFi developers
    • why Serum was made interoperable with Ethereum
    • the types of traders they are hoping to attract with Serum, and what their experience will be like on the platform
    • why Project Serum is an ecosystem and not just an order book exchange
    • how high-frequency trading firm Jump Trading came to adopt Serum
    • how Serum will manage trading tokens from different chains
    • the purpose of Serum’s two tokens, SRM and MSRM
    • and what’s in store for Project Serum in the future

     

    Thank you to our sponsors! 

    Crypto.Com: https://www.crypto.com

    Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod

     

    Episode links: 

    Anatoly Yakovenko: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko

    Solana: Solana.com

    Sam Bankman-Fried: https://twitter.com/SBF_Alameda

    Project Serum: https://www.projectserum.com

    Project Serum on Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectserum

     

    Solana CoinList auction in March: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/59952/blockchain-project-solana-raises-1-76m-from-its-launch-auction-on-coinlist

     

    Solana network stats: https://explorer.solana.com

     

    The Block Research on Solana: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/76615/solana-blockchain-overview

     

    Proof of history: 

    https://medium.com/solana-labs/proof-of-history-a-clock-for-blockchain-cf47a61a9274

     

    Serum: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/72924/ftx-dex-serum-solana-blockchain

     

    Tether: https://medium.com/solana-labs/tether-to-bring-usdt-to-the-solana-network-77864184b20

    Jump Capital: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/76826/veteran-market-maker-jump-trading-forays-into-defi-to-provide-liquidity-for-ftxs-solana-based-dex

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    1 hr 14 min
  • Why Bitcoin Now: Andreas Antonopoulos and Dan Held on Bitcoin’s Monetary Policy - Ep.192

    Andreas M. Antonopoulos, speaker, educator, and the author of Mastering Bitcoin, Mastering Ethereum, and The Internet of Money, Volumes 1, 2, and 3, and Dan Held,  growth lead at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange, discuss the core features of Bitcoin's monetary policy, including how it differs from traditional central bank monetary policy, what gives it value and yet how it seems to have derived value from thin air. Plus, we talk about how the coronavirus pandemic will affect Bitcoin. In this episode, we cover:

    • how monetary policy in general is defined
    • the core feature of Bitcoin’s monetary policy, and how it differs from previous forms of money
    • the similarities and differences between Bitcoin and gold
    • why the hard cap on Bitcoin is unique and so important
    • the difficulties in analyzing and classifying Bitcoin
    • whether or not transaction fees alone can sustain the network once all 21 million Bitcoin have been minted
    • if Bitcoin will be able to fulfill its original vision of democratizing finance and serving as an everyday medium of exchange
    • why they think Bitcoin has recently been more correlated with the stock market
    • their thoughts on the stock to flow model and whether it works for Bitcoin
    • how they think the coronavirus, unprecedented quantitative easing, and increasing inflation will impact Bitcoin’s adoption and price
    • how crypto banks that don’t conduct fractional reserve banking or lending might change the economy

     

    Thank you to our sponsors! 

    Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

    Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod

     

    Episode links: 

    Andreas Antonopoulos: https://aantonop.com

    On Twitter: https://twitter.com/aantonop

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aantonop/

    Dan Held: https://www.danheld.com

    On Twitter: https://twitter.com/danheld

     

    Dan Held on Bitcoin's monetary policy: https://medium.com/the-bitcoin-times/information-theory-of-money-36247aebdfe1

     

    Dan Held on Bitcoin's security model: https://www.danheld.com/blog/2019/6/16/bitcoins-security-is-fine

     

    Unchained interview with Saifedeam Ammous: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-saifedean-ammous-on-why-bitcoin-is-the-most-advanced-form-of-money/

     

    Mises’ Regression Theorem: https://mises.org/library/bitcoin-regression-theorem-and-emergence-new-medium-exchange

     

    Stock to flow model: https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/modeling-bitcoins-value-with-scarcity-91fa0fc03e25

     

    https://medium.com/@100trillionUSD/bitcoin-stock-to-flow-cross-asset-model-50d260feed12

     

    Why the stock-to-flow model is wrong: https://www.coindesk.com/why-the-stock-to-flow-bitcoin-valuation-model-is-wrong

     

    Federal Reserve announcement about letting inflation run higher than normal to achieve a 2% target rate of inflation: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20200827a.htm

    Kraken launching the first crypto bank: https://unchainedpodcast.com/the-first-crypto-bank-what-kraken-financial-will-do-and-how/

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    1 hr 47 min
  • How Matthew Leising Confronted His Suspects in the DAO Attacks - Ep.191

    Matthew Leising, a reporter at Bloomberg who began covering crypto in 2015, is out with a new book Out of the Ether: The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist that Almost Destroyed It All. In this episode, he discusses:

    • the catalyst that led to him writing his new book, which covers the early history of Ethereum and the DAO attack of 2016
    • why he thought the story of the DAO hack was compelling enough to make a book, and how he went about reporting it
    • the surprising things he learned about Ethereum’s early days and Vitalik
    • the twists and turns during his quest to discover the identity of the DAO attacker
    • why he thinks separate people were responsible for the two biggest DAO attacks
    • his meeting in Tokyo with one of the prime suspects of a copycat DAO attack
    • why he decided to end his story at the Ethereum hard fork and chose not to write about Ethereum Classic 
    • what he feels the long-term significance of the DAO and the hard fork has been for Ethereum
    • why he thinks the lessons of the DAO are not being heeded today
    • what he thinks the next chapter of Ethereum will be and how it will unfold
    • the differences he’s found as a journalist covering crypto as opposed to covering more traditional finance
    • and how the book is about more than just the DAO

     

    Thank you to our sponsors! 

    Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

    Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod

     

    Episode links: 

    Matthew Leising: https://twitter.com/mattleising

    Out of the Ether: The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist that Almost Destroyed It All: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Out+of+the+Ether%3A+The+Amazing+Story+of+Ethereum+and+the+%2455+Million+Heist+that+Almost+Destroyed+It+All-p-9781119602934

     

    Matt's original Bloomberg article on the DAO attack, "The Ether Thief": https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2017-the-ether-thief/

     

    Excerpt in Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-16/a-trip-down-the-crypto-rabbit-hole-in-search-of-the-dao-hacker

     

    Excerpt in CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/55m-hack-ethereum-down

    Decrypt's interview with Matt about the book: https://decrypt.co/41952/book-sheds-new-light-on-ethereums-55-million-dao-hack

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    1 hr 10 min
  • Andre Cronje of Yearn Finance on YFI and the Fair Launch: 'I'm Lazy' - Ep.190

    Andre Cronje, the developer of yearn.finance, talks about all things DeFi and the past, present, and future of yEarn. In this episode, he discusses:  

    • what Yearn Finance is, and what led him to develop it and eventually open it to the public
    • his history and background, leading up to the development of Yearn
    • the processes and mechanisms involved in yEarn v1 and yEarn v2
    • why he decided to do a "fair launch" of the YFI token, despite being in debt as a result of building Yearn
    • why he felt that a Decrypt article about him in August was a "horrible hatchet job"
    • why he disagrees with what he sees as the current anti-VC narrative
    • his thoughts on the phenomenal rise in YFI's price and why the price of a YFI token still doesn't matter
    • how and why he decided governance participation would be a requirement for earning tokens in the Balancer/yCurve/YFI pool
    • the governance processes in Yearn and his thoughts on whether or not a Compound-style form of governance would be better
    • how he might mitigate whales dominating the vote
    • what he means by "I test in prod" and how people have misinterpreted his meaning
    • why he briefly walked away from DeFi
    • whether he agrees that YFI could be a new structure to replace existing traditional business structures
    • his response to the allegations by XAR Network
    • whether he would consider moving Yearn to another blockchain
    • his vision for what Yearn can become
    • and how much YFI he currently owns personally

     

    Thank you to our sponsors! 

    Crypto.com: http://crypto.com

    Gods Unchained: https://playgu.co/unchainedpod

     

    Episode links: 

    Andre Cronje: https://twitter.com/AndreCronjeTech

    Yearn Finance: https://yearn.finance

    https://docs.yearn.finance

     

    CoinDesk on Yearn: https://www.coindesk.com/what-is-yearn-finance-yfi-defi-ethereum

     

    The Block report on yEarn Finance: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/75189/defis-yield-aggregator-dao-yearn-finance

     

    Post introducing $YFI: https://medium.com/iearn/earning-yfi-y-curve-fi-53b5fd347f0f

     

    Delegated vaults: https://medium.com/iearn/delegated-vaults-explained-fa81f1c3fce2

    V2: https://medium.com/iearn/yearn-finance-v2-af2c6a6a3613

     

    Delphi Digital report on yETH yVault: https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/yeth-now-do-you-understand/

     

    yETH collateralization ratio: https://defiexplore.com/cdp/13972

     

    Tony Sheng newsletter: https://tonysheng.substack.com/p/yfi-ponzinomics

     

    Yearn Governance: https://medium.com/iearn/yearn-governance-forum-7b7c9d0300ac

     

    yInsure Finance: https://medium.com/iearn/yinsure-finance-a-new-insurance-primitive-77d5d4217896

     

    Delegated funding DAO vaults: https://medium.com/iearn/delegated-funding-dao-vaults-7ab05a63d7ba 

     

    Siege Rhino question about governance: https://twitter.com/SiegeRhino2/status/1303415750238101504?s=20

     

    Andre’s “Building in DeFi Sucks” post: https://medium.com/@andre_54855/building-in-defi-sucks-b8fdfda0ef58?source=---------17------------------

    Andre quits in February: https://decrypt.co/21068/founder-of-promising-defi-project-abandons-the-toxic-cryptosphere

    Andre close to quitting in August: https://decrypt.co/37995/exclusive-yfi-andre-cronje-broke-quitting-defi

     

    What Andre wishes he had known before building Ethereum dapps: https://medium.com/iearn/things-i-wish-i-knew-before-building-ethereum-defi-dapps-cd6bf0f07a16 

     

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    1 hr 17 min

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Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura…