Outlook for 2026: Grind and Iterate

This week, Keone Hon joins the show to discuss the recent launch of Monad. We deep dive into Monad's ICO, launching on Coinbase, the state of airdrops in crypto today, do we need another L1, whether public vs corporate chains are competitors and more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Keone: https://x.com/keoneHD

Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

--

Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

--

Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill of rights securing your freedom for the 21st century. Buy, store and spend ZEC privately using Zashi Wallet download today: https://electriccoin.co/zashi/

--

Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and high yield. No empty emissions, just real yield and sequencer fees routed back to DeFi users.

Pre-deposit now: Earn high APRs with Turtle Club [https://app.turtle.club/campaigns/katana] or spin the wheel with Katana Krates [https://app.katana.network/krates]

--

"Mantle Global Hackathon 2025 is live! Running from Oct 22 to Dec 31, Mantle invites builders to design the future of Real-World Assets (RWAs) on its modular L2 stack.

Key Highlights:

- $150,000 Prize Pool + Grants & Incubation opportunities

- Access to Bybit's 7M+ verified users

- Judges from Bybit Ventures, Spartan, Animoca Brands

- 6 Tracks: RWA/RealFi, DeFi, AI, ZK, Infra, GameFi

Join the Hackathon: https://www.hackquest.io/vi/hackathons/Mantle-Global-Hackathon-2025"

--

Uniswap’s Trading API offers plug-and-play access to deep onchain and off-chain liquidity, delivering enterprise-grade crypto trading without the complexity - from one of the most trusted teams in DeFi.

Click to get started with seamless, scalable access to Uniswap’s powerful onchain trading infrastructure. https://hub.uniswap.org/?utm_source=blockworks&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ww_web_bw_awa_trading-api_20251117_podcast_clicks

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:35) Behind The Monad Launch

(06:42) Monad's Exchange Listing

(13:20) Ads (Zashi, Katana)

(14:37) Monad's Pre Deposit Strategy

(22:10) Monad’s Airdrop

(27:05) Ads (Zashi, Katana)

(28:21) Launching On Coinbase

(32:40) Launching Mainnet

(38:33) Ads (Mantle, Uniswap)

(40:35) Developing An App Ecosystem

(46:30) Why Do We Need Another L1?

(47:47) Public vs Corporate Chains

(52:36) What’s Next For Monad In 2026?

--

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.