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Unchained
Unchained episodes
- Apps on the TON Blockchain Have Become Extremely Popular. Is It Sustainable? - Ep. 678
The Open Network, aka TON, has been on a tear since late February. TVL has skyrocketed 34x since the beginning of the year, reaching over $750 million as of the time of recording. The price of TON has more than tripled from about $2 to $7, and daily active addresses recently exceeded those of Ethereum in May and June. Games with fun names like Hamster Kombat and Catizen are gaining traction, and Pantera Capital, an OG crypto investor, is making its largest investments yet in TON.
In this episode, Alena Shmalko and Jack Booth from the TON Foundation discuss how TON has managed to garner this traction, especially after a rocky start when the SEC went after the original founder, Telegram.
Show highlights:- 00:00 Intro
- 02:13 Alena’s and Jack’s backgrounds and how they ended up at TON
- 05:35 How TON evolved from its origins with Telegram to its current status and how it began getting traction this year, according to Jack
- 11:21 How The Open League helped TON grow its TVL and other important metrics
- 15:40 How Telegram's collaboration with TON has evolved through time and how much they work together
- 24:47 Whether there are plans for TON to integrate with apps beyond Telegram
- 30:15 What in TON’s architecture allows it to be extremely scalable
- 33:20 The mechanics of Notcoin and why it has been so successful
- 36:49 Whether the rise of games like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat can be sustainable
- 46:05 The importance of USDT in Ton
- 51:53 When might a Bitcoin trustless bridge be deployed and why it could be significant
- 54:43 Whether TON is being used by criminals and what could be done to combat it
- 58:59 What strategies will lead TON to have $1 billion in TVL by the end of the year
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!- Polkadot
Alena Shmalko, Ecosystem Lead at the TON FoundationJack Booth, Director of Marketing at the TON FoundationLinks- Previous coverage on Unchained of TON:
- Could Telegram-Associated TON Blockchain Be the 'Next Solana' and Challenge Ethereum?
- Layer 2 Networks Are Arriving on the Telegram-Associated TON Blockchain
- TON Blockchain's Stablecoin Transfer Volume Reaches Record $299 Million on US Independence Day
- What Is Telegram's Ads Network on TON And How Will It Impact Advertisers & Creators?
History & Structure
- TON roadmap
- CoinDesk:
- Telegram Abandons TON Blockchain Project After Court Fight With SEC
- Telegram Agrees to Pay $18.5M Penalty in SEC Settlement Over Failed TON Offering
- Messaging App Telegram Gives Endorsement to TON Project; Token Surges
- Cointelegraph: Telegram ad platform to launch via TON blockchain
Notcoin:
- Decrypt: What's Next for Notcoin? Becoming the 'Netflix of Social, Viral Games'
- Notcoin, a Free Telegram Game Based on the TON Blockchain, Surges in Popularity
Hamster Kombat
- Cointelegraph: Hamster Kombat destined for Guinness World Record?
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1 hr 10 min - Congressman French Hill on Crypto and His Top Pick for the Next SEC Chair- Ep. 677
In this episode of Unchained, Congressman French Hill provides an insider's perspective on the present and future of crypto regulation.
Hill delves into the ongoing legislation and the implications of the FIT21 Bill, shares his views on who should succeed Gary Gensler as SEC chair if Trump is re-elected, and discusses the controversial role of the CFTC in regulating the crypto industry. He also touches on the potential impacts of the Chevron doctrine being overturned by the Supreme Court, Trump’s evolving stance on crypto, and the latest developments in the Binance executive detention case in Nigeria.
Show highlights:
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:26 How Rep. Hill's long-time passion for technological advancement led to his involvement in crypto and blockchain
- 04:00 The current state of ongoing legislation and why Rep. Hill is proud of the FIT21 bill
- 08:49 Who would be his top pick to chair the SEC if Trump is re-elected as president
- 11:42 Why he supports having the CFTC regulate the spot crypto markets
- 12:40 How he thinks teams should launch tokens in the US
- 15:02 How he thinks the overturning of the Chevron doctrine will impact crypto
- 20:02 Why Trump changed his mind on crypto, according to Rep. Hill
- 23:14 Why Congressman Hill is running for chair of the House Financial Services Committee
- 25:14 The update on Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive detained in Nigeria, whom Rep. Hill visited recently
- 28:13 Crypto News Recap
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!- iTrustCapital
- Polkadot
- PlayFi Labs
Guest- Congressman French Hill
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40 min - The Chopping Block: Trump's VP Pick, SEC's Future, and Congress' Crypto Legislation - Ep 676
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 invite Laura Shin and special guest Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association to discuss the latest in crypto politics. We dive deep into JD Vance's VP candidacy alongside Donald Trump and its implications for the crypto industry. We also explore the impact of recent political events on the crypto markets, the potential outcomes of key legislative efforts, and the future of the SEC post-2024 elections. Don't miss this insightful conversation on how the shifting political landscape might shape the future of crypto in the U.S.
Show highlights
🔹The attempted assassination of Donald Trump and its effects on the crypto market, including his announcement of JD Vance as his running mate.
🔹Analysis of Trump's changing stance on crypto, and his increasing willingness to engage with the industry and its leaders.
🔹Explanation of the Vice President's role in setting financial services and innovation policy, especially in a potential Trump administration.
🔹 Speculation on whether Gary Gensler will step down if Trump wins and what this could mean for crypto regulation.
🔹 Overview of recent meetings between crypto executives and White House officials, signaling a shift in the Biden administration's approach to the industry.
🔹 Examination of the significant fundraising by crypto PACs like the Fair Shake PAC and their impact on political and regulatory decisions.
🔹Discussion on the Digital Commodities Act, market structure bills, and the challenges of passing crypto legislation in the current congressional session.
🔹 The evolving bipartisan support for crypto legislation and the importance of maintaining this support for future regulatory clarity.
Hosts⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Laura Shin, Journalist, Author of ‘The Cryptopians,’ founder and CEO of Unchained
Guests
⭐️Kristin Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Blockchain Association
DisclosuresTimestamps
- 00:00 Intro
- 02:15 Trump & JD Vance
- 10:27 Politicians Stance on Crypto Policy
- 27:41 Crypto's Lobbying Efforts
- 34:56 Crypto's Political Influence
- 36:58 SEC Enforcement and Legal Battles
- 39:19 Speculations on Biden Administration's Crypto Stance
- 49:48 Legislative Pipeline and Market Structure Bills
- 01:01:36 Future of Crypto Regulation
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 8 min - Bits + Bips: How to Play the ‘Trump Trade’ in Crypto After the Assassination Attempt - Ep. 675
In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann, joined by guest Jack Platts, dive into the market's reaction to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, looking at how this event will influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election—and the crypto markets.
They also cover potential rate cuts: Could there be a cut this July? How big might the rate cut be in September? Could the decision ever be influenced by the upcoming election?
They also give their predictions for what percentage of the BTC ETF inflows the ETH ETFs will reach, and James talks about what he’s expecting for Grayscale’s ETHE (hint: his view would be positive for ETH).
Finally, they delve into what’s next for Bitcoin as the German government runs out of BTC and Mt. Gox distributions begin. Is it up only now?
Show highlights:- 00:00 Intro
- 01:18 Whether the Trump shooting has settled the election and whether the event caused a “flight to safety”
- 11:23 How election markets are becoming a place to watch election odds and whether crypto “leans right”
- 20:16 Whether rate cuts are coming in July or September and how much they’ll cut: 25bps or 50bps
- 29:06 How Joe views the relationship between global liquidity cycles, rate cuts, and Bitcoin's potential rise
- 34:41 What new updates there are about the Ethereum ETFs and their expected launch
- 42:08 Why Solana hasn't outperformed significantly since the Trump news
- 43:25 What market breadth indicates about the current market rally and the impact of rates in small caps
- 49:01 Everyone’s predictions of ETH ETF inflows and how much outflows we’ll see on Grayscale’s ETHE
- 53:04 What’s next for BTC after the German government is out of bitcoin, and with Mt. Gox distributions starting this week
Hosts:James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg IntelligenceAlex Kruger, Founder of AsgardJoe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of AsymmetricGuest:Jack Platts, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Hypersphere VenturesLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 5 min - Iggy Azalea on Memes, OnlyFans, and Her Plans to Make MOTHER a Success - Ep. 674
Iggy Azalea joins Unchained to share the story of how the $MOTHER token got started (spoiler: there was a brush with a potential scammer), her stresses during the launch, and what she plans to do about the price slumping over 60% since the all-time high. A master of memes and OnlyFans, she talks about how she is using her experience in both realms to make MOTHER a success, even though she has yet to make any money from the token.
She also discusses her beef with Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, the allegations that there was insider trading of MOTHER, and how she plans to avoid regulatory action.
Show highlights:- 00:00 Intro
- 01:27 How Iggy got “onchain” and interested in crypto
- 03:01 How Iggy's understanding of memes and the attention economy influenced her approach to music and now MOTHER
- 08:09 How a brush with “scammer” Sahil Arora sparked the MOTHER launch
- 11:56 How Iggy plans to integrate her token into her business ventures and what strategies she's using to achieve this
- 16:33 Why she chose two market makers – DWF Labs and Wintermute – and why she decided to name the coin "Mother"
- 23:53 The lessons she learned from her OnlyFans that she is applying to MOTHER
- 33:54 Iggy’s response to Vitalik Buterin's criticisms of her coin
- 41:31 What strategies Iggy believes will bring $MOTHER out of its current slump
- 47:33 How Iggy responds to allegations of insider activity and dumping $2 million worth of her token
- 55:15 Whether she is concerned about regulators coming after her and what she's doing to prevent that
- 1:02:55 What Iggy thinks about the criticism regarding celebrities launching memecoins
- 1:08:49 Whether Iggy has a preference between Solana and Ethereum
- 1:11:36 How she’s trying to onboard other celebs into crypto, and her plans for integrating $MOTHER into mainstream culture and fan interactions
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!- Polkadot
- Iggy Azalea, rapper, creator of $MOTHER
- Previous coverage of Unchained on Iggy and MOTHER:
- Solana Attracts Attention From Mainstream Celebrities Caitlyn Jenner, Davido, Iggy Azalea, Rich The Kid, and Trippie Redd
- MOTHER Sheds Half Its Value Since All-Time High Despite Iggy Azalea's Mastery of Crypto Memes
- Traders Coping As Iggy Azalea’s MOTHER Token Surpasses $100 Million Market Cap
- Bits + Bips: Iggy Azalea, $MOTHER, and Celeb Coins: Is This the Top of the Crypto Cycle?
- The Chopping Block: Iggy Azalea, Hamster Kombat, & Airdrop Insights
DWF labs
- CoinDesk: Iggy Azalea's MOTHER Token Jumps Over 50% After Partnering With DWF Labs
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 22 min - The Chopping Block: The Role of Media in Crypto, Blockworks Op-Ed, and Apps vs. Infrastructure - Ep. 673
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, Jason Yanowitz from Blockworks joins the squad to explore the media's significant role in the crypto industry. They discuss challenges faced by the media in meeting client demands and industry expectations, and highlight financial sustainability and biases. The hosts compare crypto media to mainstream journalism, examining the balance between journalistic integrity and revenue. They critique broader media trends, discussing monopolistic narratives and public dissatisfaction, with a specific look at political coverage. The episode concludes with reflections on the media's evolving role in truth dissemination amidst industry fragmentation.
Show highlights🔹 The Airdrop Era: Examination of the potential end of the airdrop/token narrative.
🔹 Investing in Apps vs Infrastructure: Debate on funding apps versus infrastructure projects.
🔹 Crypto Media Trends: Analysis of shifts in crypto media, major acquisitions, and industry stance.
🔹 Challenges in Crypto Media: Ethical questions and investor pressures media firms face.
🔹 Future of Media: Trends in media companies, prediction markets, and trust dynamics.
🔹 Media Integrity: Exploration of media's perception, skepticism around its business motives, and flawed business models.
Hosts⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate
⭐️Jason Yanowitz, Founder of Blockworks
DisclosuresTimestamps
- 00:00 Intro
- 02:30 Airdrops and Token Valuations
- 04:04 Apps vs. Infrastructure
- 14:26 Venture's Not a Charity
- 22:41 Crypto Media Landscape
- 32:31 Revenue in Media
- 34:26 Trust as the Cornerstone of Media
- 35:27 The Blockworks Op-Ed Controversy
- 38:55 Navigating Media Bias and Trust
- 44:18 Balaji's Anti-Media Sentiment
- 49:57 The Future of Media and Truth
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 5 min - How Satoshi Nakamoto and Vitalik Buterin Inspired Key Parts of Celestia - Ep. 672
Mustafa Al-Bassam was a teenage hacktivist who outsmarted a US government contractor, shamed the Westboro Baptist Church, hacked Sony a record number of times, and eventually got arrested—though his 80 transgressions got halved for a funny reason.
At the Modular Summit in Brussels, Laura had a fireside chat with Mustafa to discuss how he went from his teenage years as the head of LulzSec and member of Anonymous to founding Celestia, a project aiming to solve key issues in blockchain scalability by going with a modular approach.
He also discussed data availability sampling, why he believes Celestia has achieved significant product-market fit since its launch, and the three key components of Celestia’s road map.
Show highlights:
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:47 Mustafa’s origin story and how he became a developer who ended up hacking FBI affiliates and Fox News
- 05:32 How he hacked a military contractor to the US Department of Defense and Sony
- 09:16 Why Mustafa was arrested at the age of 16
- 11:14 What about Bitcoin attracted his attention and got him interested in the industry
- 15:22 Why he founded Celestia, after doing a PhD in scaling blockchains and understanding the problems of sharding
- 21:16 What data availability sampling is and why it is important
- 23:52 Why Mustafa believes that Celestia has had “extreme product market fit” since the launch
- 26:16 What’s next for Celestia and why Mustafa is so excited about the possibilities that increased block size can enable
- 29:36 How Celestia is working with zero knowledge accounts for defragmenting liquidity in rollups and access liquidity even within the Cosmos ecosystem
- 30:57 What the endgame for Celestia and the overall industry looks like, according to Mustafa
- 37:36 Q&A with the audience
- 44:44 Crypto News Recap
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!- iTrustCapital
- Polkadot
- PlayFi Labs
GuestMustafa Al-Bassam, co-founder of Celestia Labs.- Previous appearance on Unchained: Why the Celestia Team Sees a Future With 10,000 Roll-Ups
Links- Previous coverage of Unchained on modular blockchains:
- Three Crypto Pioneers on Crypto’s Monolithic vs. Modular Debate
- What Are Modular Blockchains? A Beginner's Guide
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 2 min - Why the SEC Lawsuit Against Consensys May Hold Little Ground - Ep. 671
In this episode, crypto lawyers Kayvan Sadeghi and Sam Enzer delve into the SEC's lawsuit against Consensys, which focuses on MetaMask's swaps and staking services, and explore the implications of the SEC's stance on MetaMask acting as a broker-dealer, and the classification of its staking product as a security.
They discuss how recent rulings on Coinbase and Binance challenge the SEC's claims, and whether differing judicial opinions could lead to the Supreme Court.
Also, they talk about the potential impact of the Supreme Court striking down Chevron deference for crypto regulation.
Show highlights:- 00:00 Intro
- 01:22 The key claims in the SEC's lawsuit against Consensys and how they relate to MetaMask's swaps and staking services
- 03:42 How recent Coinbase and Binance rulings challenge the SEC's claims against Consensys
- 09:29 Whether differing judicial opinions on whether wallets with private keys act as brokers could end up being decided by the Supreme Court
- 12:55 How the SEC will substantiate its claims that MetaMask acts as a broker-dealer and that its staking product is a security in Texas legal briefings
- 17:42 Why a token itself is not considered a security, according to Sam, and how this distinction affects secondary market transactions in the SEC's case against MetaMask
- 22:14 What Lido and Rocket Pool can do in response to the SEC tangentially naming their liquid staking tokens as securities
- 31:27 How the SEC and Consensys lawsuits will proceed, and whether conflicting rulings could arise from their parallel tracks
- 36:35 The key distinctions in the Binance case compared to those of Coinbase and Kraken, and how the Binance ruling might impact future crypto cases
- 50:08 What Chevron deference means and how its removal impacts crypto
- 56:49 How the elimination of Chevron deference affects current crypto cases and legislative gridlock
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!- Polkadot
Kayvan Sadeghi, partner at Jenner & BlockSam Enzer, partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel- Previous episode of Unchained with Sam and Kayvan: SBF Trial: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Lawyers Might Try and Win His Case
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 9 min - How Crypto Prediction Market Polymarket Signaled Early That Biden Might Drop Out - Ep. 670
Prediction markets are gaining mainstream traction, particularly with the upcoming US elections. In this episode, Nick Tomaino, founder of 1confirmation, which is an investor in Polymarket, explores how platforms like Polymarket identified the possibility that President Biden might drop out of the campaign before the mainstream media did. He talks about the journey of Polymarket, the challenges it faced, and how it overcame them to provide a credible platform for betting on political outcomes.
Finally, Nick explains why prediction markets are currently illegal in the U.S., the implications of the Supreme Court striking down Chevron deference, and what the future holds for prediction markets in the U.S.
Show highlights:- 00:00 Intro
- 01:28 Why prediction markets like Polymarket finally gained mainstream traction, and how 1confirmation became an early investor
- 04:01 What challenges Polymarket faced in its journey to mainstream recognition, and how it managed to overcome them
- 07:22 How prediction markets contribute to bringing more truth to the world, particularly in the context of media narratives and social media algorithms
- 12:52 What challenges have arisen from conflicts in resolving prediction markets on Polymarket
- 19:00 How bets are created and how the wording and resolution of prediction markets is managed on Polymarket
- 21:56 How trading volumes affect the credibility of prediction markets on Polymarket
- 22:38The regulatory environment of prediction markets in the US and whether the elimination of Chevron deference by the Supreme Court will have a positive impact on these markets
- 28:35 Crypto News Recap
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, pop op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!- iTrustCapital
- Polkadot
- PlayFi Labs
GuestNick Tomaino, Founder & General Partner at 1confirmationLinks
Recent news on Polymarket:
- Unchained: Polymarket Hits Record Highs in Monthly Users and Trading Volume Due to Presidential Election
- Crypto.news: Polymarket reverses Oracle decision on Barron Trump's involvement in DJT meme coin
- Decrypt: Ethereum ETFs Approved by the SEC? Yes—But Don't Bet On It - Decrypt
- Dune dashboard: Prediction Markets
Commentary:
- Vitalik’s tweet: “Prediction markets and Community Notes are becoming the two flagship social epistemic technologies of the 2020s. Both truth-seeking and democratic, built around open public participation rather than pre-selected elites. I want to see many more things like this.”
- Nick Tomaino’s tweet: “2024 will go down in history as the year prediction markets went mainstream.”
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42 min - The Chopping Block: Biden's Resignation Odds, Market Predictions, and Chevron Ruling's Impact on Crypto - Ep. 669
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, special guest Laura Shin is sitting in for Tom to discuss the impact of prediction markets on politics and crypto. They explore how prediction markets like Polymarket affect public perception during the presidential election, contrasting their reliability against traditional journalism. The conversation also touches on the implications of prediction markets on insider trading, market manipulation, and the role of expert information. Additionally, they discuss the Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine and its potential impact on regulatory shifts in the crypto industry. The episode provides an insightful analysis into how prediction markets could revolutionize journalism and the evolving landscape of crypto regulation.
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.
Show highlights🔹 Discussion on the recent presidential debate and its implications for prediction markets and the crypto industry.
🔹 Overview of the prediction market phenomenon and its growing importance in political forecasting.
🔹 Examination of the recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Chevron Deference and its implications for crypto regulations.
🔹 Debate on whether the ruling will lead to more specific legislation from Congress or if it will hinder effective rulemaking.
🔹 Speculation on how different political figures might impact future crypto legislation and regulation.
Hosts⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate
⭐️Laura Shin, journalist, author of ‘The Cryptopians,’ founder and CEO of Unchained
DisclosuresTimestamps
- 00:00 Intro
- 01:50 Presidential Debate Chaos
- 04:25 Mainstream Media vs. Prediction Markets
- 16:48 Insiders in Prediction Markets
- 30:38 Prediction Markets vs. Sports Betting
- 38:58 Market Manipulation
- 50:22 Supreme Court Ruling & Chevron Deference
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1 hr 8 min
About Unchained
From the publisher's feed
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…
Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world.