Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we dive into the impact of celebrity-endorsed memecoins, featuring Iggy Azalea's new coin 'Mother' and Andrew Tate's 'Daddy.' We discuss how these phenomena influence the broader crypto market, recent trends in airdrops, and the challenge of Sybil resistance. Additionally, we explore the permissionless nature of crypto and the trade-offs involved in fun and chaotic projects, including the explosive rise of 'Hamster Kombat.' Tune in for an in-depth look at how pop culture intersects with the core principles of cryptocurrency, shaping current market sentiment.

🔹 Crypto Market Sentiment: Discussion on the latest market trends and how inflation numbers are impacting the community. 

🔹 Memecoins & Celebrities: Analysis of Iggy Azalea's $Mother and the phenomenon of celebrity-launched memecoins. 

🔹 Emerging Memecoins: Insights into new memecoins, including issues with fake and hacked accounts. 

🔹 Tap-to-Earn Games: Overview of the rapid growth of simple click-based games like Hamster Kombat. 

🔹 Airdrop Controversies: Exploration of recent controversies, particularly involving zkSync and LayerZero, and challenges of Sybil attacks. 

🔹 Future Airdrop Strategies: Discussion on the evolution and need for clear, ungameable metrics.

⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly 

⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly

⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate

⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures

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Nathaniel Popper just published his latest book, "The Trolls of Wall Street," covering the Wall Street Bets phenomenon. Funnily enough, his book comes at a time when there are striking similarities with the current memecoin mania in crypto. 

In this episode, Popper explores the rise of online investing communities like Wall Street Bets and their reflection of broader societal changes, particularly among young men. 

He also touches on the parallels between the trolling culture of these communities and the rise of figures like Donald Trump, and delves into the hidden dangers and psychological influences of memes in modern investing.

Show highlights:

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

Previous coverage of Unchained on memecoins:

The book:

Meme culture

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Robinhood has been in the spotlight for its $200 million acquisition of European crypto exchange Bitstamp. The TradFi app’s venture into crypto is paying off: its recent earnings showed that revenue is growing substantially, and the Bitstamp acquisition is just one way the company will grow the pie.

Johann Kerbrat, general manager of Robinhood Crypto, came on the show to discuss the acquisition, Robinhood's plans for expanding its crypto business internationally and into the institutional market, the company's approach to listing crypto assets, how regulation has affected its business decisions, and its efforts to bridge traditional finance and decentralized finance.

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

• Polkadot

Acquisition of Bitstamp: 

Robinhood’s crypto business:

Regulatory actions:

Memecoin mania

Ether ETFs:

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Coinbase’s “onchain summer” has kicked off with the launch of its new smart wallet. This interview with Luke Youngblood, founding contributor to Moonwell, gives a peek at how it’s sweetening the pot for developers and users alike. 

In this episode, Youngblood describes how smart wallets are different from traditional wallets, how they do away with past security issues, and the more minor potential risks that still do exist with smart wallets. He also gives details on the ways that Coinbase is trying to use its smart wallet to get users onchain: making it much easier to transact onchain directly from their Coinbase accounts, subsidizing gas costs for certain dapps, and making sure everything is web-accessible. 

Plus, he explains why Moonwell chose Base, how it is branching out to non-crypto native DeFi users, such as populations that only have mobile phones and not desktop computers in geographies like Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and how the DeFi lending protocol differentiates itself from bigger ones that have established a beachhead on Base. 

Show highlights:

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

• Luke Youngblood

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In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann, along with guest Hal Press, founder of North Rock Digital, dive into the intricate challenges of pitching the ETH spot ETF to traditional finance and the Federal Reserve’s anticipated next steps. They discuss why Biden vetoed the repeal of SAB 121, and why that veto lends credence to an alternative theory as to why the SEC approved Ethereum ETFs. 

Also, they talk about why the spot ETH ETFs are already turning out to be different from the Bitcoin ETFs, Hong Kong's (and perhaps China’s?) crypto ambitions, recent U.S. macroeconomic indicators, and whether or not Roaring Kitty’s recent antics with GME stock are illegal—and how he’s impacting memecoins. 

Politics: 

Ether ETFs:

Hong Kong

• Bloomberg: Hong Kong Says 11 Crypto Exchanges Are Closer to Getting Permits

Other recent events: 

TIMESTAMPS

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In this episode, Laura Shin speaks with former CFTC chairman Chris Giancarlo and former CFTC chief innovation officer Daniel Gorfine on the pressing need for the U.S. to safeguard the dollar. They explain why they believe the future of regulation is the government operating nodes on blockchains rather than regulating intermediaries, why even private USD stablecoins will want a USD central bank digital currency, and how China might export the technology behind the digital yuan—and its surveillance capabilities—to other countries. They also touch on how the upcoming U.S. elections could influence crypto policy, why stablecoins are more than just trading instruments, and what the U.S. must do to maintain its financial leadership.

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

First Bits + Bips episode: Bits + Bips: Does Macroeconomics Point to a Potential Crypto Supercycle?

Stablecoins:

SAB 121

• Unchained: President Biden Vetoes SAB121 Repeal

FIT21

Spot Ether ETFs

• Unchained: Analysts Up Odds of Spot Ether ETF to 75% as Prometheum Launches Product That Treats ETH as a Security

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Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in crypto. This episode explores the buzz around LeBron James' potential memecoin, the recent approval of Ether ETFs, and Biden's shifting stance on crypto policy. We dissect the implications of Trump's pro-crypto promises and the FIT21 legislation. Tune in for a lively debate on celebrity coins, the market's reaction to regulatory changes, and the evolving landscape of political influence in the crypto space.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

🔹 Celebrity Coins: In-depth discussion on the rise of celebrity-endorsed cryptocurrencies, focusing on LeBron James' potential memecoin and its market implications.

🔹 Ether ETF Approval: Examination of the recent Ether ETF approval, the political motivations behind it, and how it might impact the broader crypto market.

🔹 Biden's Crypto Policy: Analysis of Biden's evolving crypto stance, including recent outreach to the crypto industry and the potential effects on the upcoming elections.

🔹 Trump's Crypto Strategy: Debate on Trump's newfound pro-crypto stance, his promises to the crypto community, and the potential impact on his voter base.

🔹 FIT21 Legislation: Overview of the Financial Innovation and Technology in the 21st Century Act, its key provisions, and the potential for bipartisan support.

🔹 Political Influence in Crypto: Discussion on the increasing influence of politics in the crypto space, including the roles of key figures and the impact of regulatory developments.

⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly 

⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly

⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate

⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures

Timestamps 

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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

After some big wins for the crypto industry (and big losses for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission), Jason Gottlieb, partner at Morrison Cohen, delves into how the upcoming US elections could reshape the SEC’s crypto agenda, the political pressures influencing SEC decisions, and the potential impact that a new SEC chair could have.

Gottlieb provides insights into ongoing court battles involving major crypto firms like Coinbase and explores the broader political implications of the Democrats' recent outreach to the crypto industry.

Show highlights:

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

Political turn and ongoing cases:

SAB 121

• Bloomberg: As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Are Pushing US Regulators to Change Crypto Guidance 

FIT21

Spot Ether ETFs

• Unchained: Analysts Up Odds of Spot Ether ETF to 75% as Prometheum Launches Product That Treats ETH as a Security

TIMESTAMPS:

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Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, joins Unchained to explore the dramatic shift by Democrats in the last few weeks on crypto. She explains why she believes the overturning of SAB 121 and the House vote for the FIT21 bill were both instrumental to the White House's changing view on crypto and may have played a role in the SEC’s surprising approval of spot ETH ETFs. 

Having worked for years on passing crypto legislation and as a lifelong Democrat, Sheila describes what kinds of arguments were persuasive to Democratic members of Congress, addresses some criticisms of the FIT21 bill, and gives her perspective on the debate about single-issue voters.

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

SAB 121

• Bloomberg: As Bitcoin Rallies, Banks Are Pushing US Regulators to Change Crypto Guidance 

FIT21

Spot Ether ETFs

• Unchained: Analysts Up Odds of Spot Ether ETF to 75% as Prometheum Launches Product That Treats ETH as a Security

Ethereum Foundation investigation

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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

With crypto becoming more politicized than ever, US Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis came on Unchained to talk about the recent regulatory action in Washington DC.

With crypto becoming more politicized than ever, U.S. Senator from Wyoming Cynthia Lummis came on Unchained to talk about the recent regulatory action in Washington, D.C.

She delves into what led to bipartisan support to repeal SAB 121, and how the strength of the vote there in both the House and Senate may have affected the about-face decision to approve spot ether ETFs. Sen. Lummis also explains why she disagrees with how Gary Gensler’s SEC is handling the industry, how to avoid the next TerraUSD, why she feels Wyoming-chartered Custodia Bank is not being treated fairly, the ban on a Chinese-owned, Wyoming-based Bitcoin mining firm, and what advice she would give to the crypto industry during this election year.

Show highlights:

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

Ether ETFs

SAB 121

FIT21:

• Unchained: FIT21 Bill Heads to The Senate: Should We Really Be Excited?

Open cases:

Timestamps:

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