In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger, and Joe McCann are joined by Jeff Park of Bitwise to discuss some of the latest developments in the crypto world. They share their thoughts on a controversial ECB paper about Bitcoin, breaking down why they believe the authors missed the mark. They also dive into the rising institutional interest in spot Bitcoin ETFs and how Trump’s momentum in the polls could impact the market, especially for altcoins. Plus, the conversation explores the significance of Bitcoin ETF options and why they could have a larger impact than many expect.

Show highlights:

• Why the guys believe that the ECB paper on Bitcoin is a joke
• How the Minneapolis Fed report said that prohibiting Bitcoin would allow the government to operate at permanent deficits 
• The institutional demand for spot bitcoin ETFs
• How Trump has been rising in the polls and what the Trump trade looks like at the moment
• Whether polls and Poylmarket bets on the U.S. elections are manipulated
• How the Fed is putting more focus on jobs than inflation
• When the bitcoin ETF options might launch and which issuers will get it first
• How memecoins succeed and the rise of AI memecoins like GOAT, fueled by the AI bot truth_terminal
• What the $1.1 billion acquisition by Stripe of stablecoin company Bridge means 
• Why Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial token sale was a flop

Sponsors:

• Gemini
• Stellar 

Hosts:

• James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence
• Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard
• Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric

Guest:

• Jeff Park, Head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise

Links

• ECB paper on bitcoin: Bitcoin Appreciation Could Be ‘Fuelling The Division Of Society’
• Omid Malekan’s rebuttal to the paper by Bindseil & Schaaf (of the ECB)
• Minneapolis Fed report: Unique Implementation of Permanent Primary Deficits? | Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
• Alex Kruger’s tweet on memecoins 
• Alex Thorn’s tweet on bitcoin adjusted by inflation

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro
• 03:08 Why the ECB’s Bitcoin paper missed the mark
• 10:17 Political motivations behind the Minneapolis Fed report on Bitcoin
• 14:18 Rising institutional demand for spot Bitcoin ETFs
• 21:38 How Trump’s poll momentum could impact crypto
• 32:14 Are election polls and Polymarket bets manipulated?
• 43:36 Why the Fed is prioritizing jobs over inflation
• 52:37 When will Bitcoin ETF options launch?
• 1:01:08 What makes memecoins, including AI memecoins like GOAT, succeed?
• 1:13:00 The significance of Stripe’s $1.1 billion crypto deal
• 1:18:02 Why the WLFI token sale was a “flop”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices