Markets Outlook

Hyblock Capital co-founder and CEO Shubh Varma joins CoinDesk’s Ray Salmond on Markets Outlook in the aftermath of the largest hack in crypto history. Varma says the order books barely moved because Binance could cover the $6.3 billion loss and refunded users in coin, not dollars. Plus, what the Democrats’ midterm wave means for crypto regulation, why he thinks Bitcoin’s next run will come from capital rotating out of the AI trade, and his contrarian call that 2027 will be bullish despite a Fed that’s raising rates. - This episode is brought to you by Grayscale, the world's largest digital asset-focused investment platform. Grayscale's mission is to make digital asset investing simple and open to every investor. Learn more at grayscale.com [grayscale.com]. - Learn more about CoinDesk Data & Indices at coindesk.com/institutions. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Shubh Varma Joins Markets Outlook 01:51 - Why Bitcoin Shrugged Off the Biggest Hack in History 04:12 - The Spot vs. Perps Signal to Watch 06:55 - Is Alt Season Dead for Good? 09:29 - Do Retail Investors Even Need to Trade Crypto Anymore? 12:38 - What the Midterm Blue Wave Means for Crypto 14:29 - Is AI Stealing Bitcoin’s Bull Run? 17:38 - The Contrarian Bull Case for 2027

Alex Gluchowski, CEO and co-founder of Matter Labs, explores why banks struggle to turn blockchain pilots into working businesses. He discusses Prividium Commander, institutional control planes, the hidden plumbing behind digital assets, and a path from private networks to zero-knowledge systems. The conversation also covers privacy, bank-level transaction volumes, tokenized deposits, and Matter Labs’ vision for connected global markets.

Juan Otero, CEO of Travala, joins CoinDesk’s Jennifer Sanasie on Markets Outlook to explain how the company’s new AI travel agent lets you book any of 2.2 million hotels in more than 230 countries just by chatting. Otero walks through how Travala uses BNB Chain’s machine payment protocol for gasless transactions and Binance Pay for settlement. Plus, he lays out the bigger plan: a future where agents anywhere can book hotels, flights, activities and car rentals on crypto rails. - This episode is brought to you by Grayscale, the world's largest digital asset-focused investment platform. Grayscale's mission is to make digital asset investing simple and open to every investor. Learn more at grayscale.com. - Digital asset vaults are growing rapidly, but understanding the risks behind them requires more than on-chain data. S&P Global Ratings' Vault Risk Assessment (VRA) delivers independent, forward-looking insight into vault credit quality, governance, and risk management, helping bring institutional-grade risk transparency to digital asset markets. Learn more at https://www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/products/vault-risk-assessments. - Learn more about CoinDesk Data & Indices at coindesk.com/institutions. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Travala’s Juan Otero Joins Markets Outlook 01:51 - Travala’s AI Travel Agent 02:25 - How AI Agents Pay With BNB Chain’s Machine Payment Protocol 03:16 - Why BNB Chain and Binance Pay? 04:17 - Booking a Hotel by Chatting With an Agent 07:05 - Can You Trust an AI Agent With Your Wallet? 08:00 - Crypto Rewards vs. Credit Card Points 09:29 - Who Is Travala’s AI Agent For? 11:12 - The Future of Agentic Travel on Crypto Rails

Tyler Spalding, president of the Acronym Foundation and Anvil Protocol leader, discusses Anvil’s new SDK and its push to bring DeFi into everyday business. He explores letters of credit for purchases, reservations and receivables, plus Founders Fund’s $5 million token investment. The conversation also covers governance, AI-era collateral, and Bitcoin, Ether and tokenized assets powering future credit markets.

Nik Kunkel, founder of blockchain data company Chronicle, examines a transparency gap affecting $12.3 billion in tokenized assets. He explores five standards for trustworthy asset data, cryptographic proof of reserves, and why missing metadata limits DeFi growth. The conversation also covers BlackRock, BNY Mellon and Galaxy’s on-chain ambitions, plus how real-time verification could reshape regulation.

Michael Terpin, entrepreneur, investor, and author of Bitcoin Supercycle, charts Bitcoin’s next major cycle. He discusses the path to $120K, a potential 2028–29 market collision, million-dollar Bitcoin, and the looming supply shock. He also explores tokenized fixed income, Bitcoin’s post-mining future, and an altcoin supercycle featuring stablecoins, tokenized stocks, and meme-asset hybrids.

Nikhil Chandhok, Circle’s Chief Technology and Product Officer, discusses Arc’s launch, USDC-powered gas, opt-in privacy, AI agents, and why BlackRock and Visa became validators. He also explores DeFi, institutional adoption under GENIUS, and Circle’s outlook for Bitcoin and Ethereum. Andrea Miele of Beezie joins to discuss tokenized luxury goods, provenance, and liquidity.

Ran Neuner, entrepreneur and founder of Crypto Banter, shares a bullish Bitcoin outlook, exploring post-golden-cross volatility, Treasury buybacks, liquidity, and the potential for a historic crypto rally. He discusses Ethereum’s breakout against Bitcoin, tokenization, social trading, AI agents, and why revenue-generating apps may outshine layer ones. Wil Harris also explains how oil is entering the on-chain world.

Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise Asset Management, joins Jennifer Sanasie for a special edition of Markets Outlook from the New York Stock Exchange to unpack the market's overnight flip from despair to euphoria. Hougan explains why a traditional 60/40 portfolio is "100% fiat currency," why holding 0% Bitcoin has become a misallocation, and where he's allocating now. Plus, why he gives Bitcoin a good chance of reclaiming $100K this year and sees $1.3 million by 2035.  Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon also joins to unpack Stellar crossing $4 billion in tokenized real-world assets, a 400% jump since January. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Matt Hougan Joins Markets Outlook 00:45 - Despair to Euphoria: What Flipped the Market 03:20 - AI Stocks vs. Bitcoin 05:49 - Brand New Rails: Stellar Crosses $4B in Tokenized RWAs 08:05 - Bitcoin, Zcash, and the Tokenization Trade 14:15 - Matt's Bitcoin Price Prediction This Year and By 2035 - This episode is brought to you by Grayscale, the world's largest digital asset-focused investment platform. Grayscale's mission is to make digital asset investing simple and open to every investor. Learn more at grayscale.com. - This episode is brought to you by RealFi, a smarter stablecoin, backed by real-world assets. Join the Testnet now at realfi.co. - This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.

Pierre Rochard, CEO of The Bitcoin Bond Company, joins Jennifer Sanasie on Markets Outlook to unpack the narratives driving crypto markets heading into Q4. From his 80K year-end price target to his rebuttal of Mark Cuban's "chips are the new crypto" take, Pierre breaks down why Bitcoin's scarcity story remains intact and why miners pivoting to AI could actually be a tailwind for Bitcoin price. Plus, Bullish's new Head of Tokenization joins to unpack what it means to be the first regulated exchange to trade tokenized equity. - Timecodes: 00:00 - Pierre Rochard Joins Markets Outlook 00:56 - Watching the Fed and Treasury 02:14 - Pierre’s Bitcoin Price Target 02:24 - Responding to Mark Cuban: Chips vs. Bitcoin 06:01 - Why Cuban May Have Latched Onto the Wrong Narrative 07:25 - Will Retail Come Back to Bitcoin? 09:24 - Brand New Rails: Bullish Launches Tokenized Equity Trading 12:02 - Self-Custody vs. Exchanges Post-ColdCard 13:42 - The Best Ways to Get Bitcoin Exposure 15:32 - Bitcoin Miners Pivoting to AI 17:21 - Why Miners Leaving Is Actually Bullish for Bitcoin - This episode is brought to you by RealFi, a smarter stablecoin, backed by real-world assets. RealFi is launching August 2026. Join the Testnet now at realfi.co. - This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.