Should Inversion Buy a Bank or Payments Firm?

This week, we break down Coinbase’s $375 million acquisition of Echo and debate whether it was a good deal or not. We also dive into other top stories, including FalconX’s acquisition of 21Shares, Tempo’s $500 million raise, the latest developments in prediction markets, and more. Enjoy!

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Referenced In The Show:

State of Crypto 2025: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/state-of-crypto-report-2025/

https://www.ribbitcap.com/knowledge

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(05:11) Coinbase Acquires Echo For $375m

(24:09) FalconX Acquires 21Shares

(27:25) Ads (Blockdaemon, Peaq)

(28:35) Takeaways From The Fed Payments Conference

(35:30) The Market Structure Bill

(41:46) Ads (Blockdaemon, Peaq)

(42:57) Tempo Raises $500m at a $5b Valuation

(49:01) Are Banks In Trouble?

(53:34) Ads (Geodnet)

(54:22) Prediction Markets

(01:02:51) It’s CZ’s World, We’re Just Living In It

(01:06:22) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.