Stablecoins & Prediction Markets, Nothing Else | Weekly Roundup

21 snips

Aug 29, 2025

The hosts explore the booming world of stablecoins, highlighting notable fundraising efforts and innovative fintech models. They dive into the exciting realm of prediction markets, showcasing new platforms and discussing regulatory challenges. Insights on market dynamics reveal the impact of macroeconomic factors like interest rates and the surge in decentralized tech. Mixed in are light-hearted anecdotes from New York City, adding a humorous touch to their market analyses and investment strategies.

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ANECDOTE

Weekend Trip Home For College Football

Rob mentions he's an Ohio native and is heading to Ohio State's opening football weekend.
He frames this as a personal weekend ritual tied to family and college pride.

INSIGHT

On-Chain Card Issuance Displaces Banks

Rain replaces issuer banks by acting as its own BIN sponsor and settling Visa transactions in stablecoins on-chain.
That enables on-chain securitization of receivables and 365-day stablecoin settlement with merchant acquirers.

ADVICE

Back Category Leaders, Not The Herd

Lean into high-quality, defensible teams because capital now chases winners, not rising tides.
Aim for meaningful allocations in category leaders instead of small bets across many similar startups.

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Happy Friday! For this week’s Roundup, Rob and Yano dive into the recent stablecoin raises (Rain and M0) and explore the exponentially growing industry of prediction markets and discuss what could be beyond PolyMarket and Kalshi. They also touch upon the macro environment, where we are in the cycle and leave some killer content recs.

Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis.

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GEODNET is the world’s largest RTK network, delivering real-time, centimeter-level precision for drones, robots, farmers, and first responders. Recognized by the U.S. Congress, this blockchain-powered network supports mission-critical applications across a wide range of industries.

Discover how GEODNET is changing the world: [https://geodnet.com]

Get up to speed on the biggest stories in crypto each week. In five minutes.

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"Mantle is pioneering ""Blockchain for Banking"" as a revolutionary new category that sits at the intersection of TradFi and web3.

Key elements for Mantle as the ""Blockchain for Banking"":

- Transactions posted to the blockchain

- Compatibility with TradFi rails

- Integrated DeFi features

UR, built by Mantle, is the first real-world example: an on-chain money app offering Swiss IBANs and unified access to fiat (EUR, CHF, USD, RMB) and crypto — bringing crypto into everyday finance.

Mantle Network, the access layer — transforms Mantle Network into a purpose-built vertical platform — the blockchain for banking — that enables financial services on-chain. Mantle leads the establishment of Blockchain for Banking as the next frontier.

Follow Mantle on X (@Mantle_Official) for the latest updates on Mantle as the 'Blockchain for Banking'."

Citrea is the first zero-knowledge rollup to enhance the capabilities of Bitcoin blockspace and enable Bitcoin applications (₿apps). Citrea is optimistically verified by Bitcoin, offering the most Bitcoin-secured and native way to extend BTC’s utility to DeFi.

Learn more about Citrea: https://citrea.xyz/?utm_source=bellcurve&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=website_promo

Follow Citrea on X/Twitter for the latest on its journey to mainnet: https://x.com/citrea_xyz

Is your treasury losing value to inflation? Learn how to make digital assets like ETH and SOL productive with uncorrelated, protocol-driven staking rewards. A new report from Liquid Collective and EigenCloud outlines a practical guide for CFOs to integrate institutional-grade staking and restaking.

Read The Productive Treasury Report: https://liquidcollective.io/corporate-treasury-staking/

Chapters:

(03:06) Rain

(19:36) M0’s Rise

(25:58) Ads (Geodnet, Bitwise)

(27:26) Prediction Markets

(47:51) Ads (Geodnet, Bitwise)

(49:12) Ads (Mantle, EigenLayer, Citrea)

(51:38) DATs priced in?

(56:47) Cycle Analysis

(01:02:23) 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, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.