The Crypto Beat

The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by Superfluid Co-Founder & CEO Fran Renzi.In this episode, Copeland and Renzi discussed Superfluid, a protocol that allows for continuous, second-by-second streaming of cryptocurrency payments. Renzi explains how the protocol works by using a different accounting method than traditional token transfers, allowing for more efficient and scalable recurring payments, with potential applications in areas like employee compensation, subscription services, and gaming. OUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:25 Sponsor break01:14 Diving Into Superfluid04:27 How Superfluid Works08:49 The Accountant’s Nightmare11:05 Scaling 17:10 Going Cross-Chain21:32 Garnering Participation24:02 Hacker House Results29:24 Meme Coins vs Utility Season32:49 Reasons For Money Streaming39:57 Smart Contracts and Smarter Payroll43:18 Banks, Blockchains, and Bottlenecks49:17 Streaming For Games50:55 ConclusionThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links:Fran Renzi - https://x.com/francescorenziaSuperfluid - https://x.com/superfluid_HQAre you hiring in crypto?Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test.Faster hiring, stronger teams.Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campusThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor:AwakenUse Awaken to save time and money on your taxes. Go to https://awaken.tax/ to learn more.

The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by Offchain Labs Co-Founder & CEO Steven Goldfeder.In this episode, Copeland and Goldfeder discussed Arbitrum’s latest developments, including the BoLD protocol, which enhances security and decentralization for optimistic rollups. They discuss the broader Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem and challenges in governance. The conversation also touches on Ethereum’s long-term strategy, competition with Solana, and what a U.S. strategic crypto reserve should consist of.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:48 Arbitrum’s BoLD move05:43 How decentralized is Arbitrum today?11:07 DAO ETH deployment debate15:25 Layer 2s and Ethereum’s value proposition18:55 Activity shifting to Solana and Hyperliquid23:33 Are Layer 2s ready for Appchains?26:26 The Layer 2 business development battle29:12 Will Arbitrum share sequencer revenue?33:23 Lobbying and bribing in Arbitrum governance37:31 Crypto politics & the U.S. reserveThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links:Steven Goldfeder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgoldfed/Steven Goldfeder on X - https://x.com/sgoldfedOffchain Labs - https://www.offchainlabs.com/Offchain Labs on X - https://x.com/OffchainLabs

The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by Ethos CEO Trevor Thompson.In this episode, Copeland and Thompson discuss reputation scores in crypto and how Ethos aims to bring accountability through on-chain trust mechanisms. The discussion also covers the potential impact of reputation markets, comparisons to Friend Tech, and how transparency influences trust in the crypto space.OUTLINE00:00 - Introduction01:17 - Ethos explained03:44 - Ethos’s vouching system06:15 - Reputation growth07:50 - Points and potential token launch11:28 - Lessons from Friend.tech13:58 - Transparency and accountability18:37 - Building a strong community23:53 - Preventing scams with reputation scores29:33 - Weighing reputation scores33:32 - Ethos markets40:29 - Potential long cons42:24 - KOL tokenization and reputation45:27 - The future of Ethos48:45 - Closing thoughtsThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links:Trevor Thompson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-thompson-atx/Trevor Thompson on X - https://x.com/0x5f_ethEthos - https://www.ethos.network/Ethos on X - https://x.com/ethos_network

The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by Taiko COO Joaquin Mendes Izard and Commit-Boost/Fabric Shepherd Drew Van Der Werff.In this episode, Copeland, Mendes Izard and Van Der Werff explored based rollups on Ethereum, discussing their benefits, challenges, and how they differ from other Layer 2 solutions. They also address challenges like speed and cost inefficiencies, the potential for pre-confirmations to improve user experience, and the broader implications for Ethereum’s scaling roadmap.OUTLINE00:00 Intro00:28 Sponsor break01:18 What is a based rollup?02:22 The benefits of based rollups04:16 How based rollups work05:42 Do validators opt into this system?13:05 Revenue streams17:43 Support for based rollups25:04 Main challenges for based rollups29:59 Native rollups31:07 Layer 2s and interoperability36:41 Ethereum value capture41:57 ConclusionThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links:Drew Van Der Werff - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-van-der-werff-cfa-58422348/Drew Van Der Werff on X - https://x.com/DrewVdWJoaquin Mendes Izard - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaquin-mendes-izard/Joaquin Mendes Izard on X - https://x.com/Joaquin_Mendes1Taiko - https://taiko.xyz/Commit-Boost - https://x.com/Commit_BoostFabric - https://x.com/Fabric_ethereum

The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by Bio Protocol Co-Founder and CEO Paul Kohlhaas.In this episode, Copeland and Kohlhaas discussed the concept of decentralized science (DeSci) and how Bio Protocol is using blockchain technology to decentralize scientific research and funding.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction and understanding DeSci05:39 The typical DeSci participant10:42 Regulatory concerns13:29 How Bio works18:22 Value accrual for Bio24:25 The role of tokens32:13 DeSci as the next meta?43:15 Binance and CZ47:01 Responsibility in DeSci50:26 Paul’s entry into the space56:04 ConclusionThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links:Paul Kohlhaas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kohlhaas/Paul Kohlhaas on X - https://x.com/paulkhls/Bio Protocol - https://www.bio.xyz/Bio Protocol on X - https://x.com/bioprotocol

The Block's Editor-in-Chief Tim Copeland was joined by Matter Labs Co-Founder and CEO Alex Gluchowski to discuss the growth of Layer 2 networks and the increasing institutional adoption of blockchain technology. Gluchowski explains how Ethereum is becoming the platform of choice for enterprises and institutions due to its credible neutrality, security, and ability to support private and public chains through technologies like zk-rollups.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction03:07 Ethereum's transformation and growth06:06 Institutional adoption of blockchain09:10 Ethereum vs. competing platforms13:40 Interoperability 17:07 Applications24:43 Value accrual in the ethereum ecosystem28:17 Native L2 networks32:50 Application-specific rollups 35:01 Governance tokens 37:48 Future of crypto and regulation43:11 Decentralization 46:29 Growth and privacy 48:12 Conclusion The Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links: Alex Gluchowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gluchowski/Alex Gluchowski on X - https://x.com/gluk64Matter Labs - https://matter-labs.io/Matter Labs on X - https://x.com/the_matter_labs

The Block's Editor-in-Chief Tim Copeland was joined by Reveel CEO Adrien Stern to discuss ongoing UX issues facing the crypto space and how to find comprehensive solutions.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction and Trump memecoin02:44 Crypto payment problems05:48 Diving deeper into Reveel13:09 Crypto x AI16:27 Working towards decentralization21:36 Ethereum Foundation28:03 Crypto’s dream UX environment31:24 Are all stablecoins created equal?35:04 Shifting regulatory landscape37:04 ConclusionThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersGuest links: Adrien Stern - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriensternAdrien Stern on X - https://x.com/AdrienSternReveel - https://r3vl.xyz/Reveel on X - https://x.com/r3vl_xyz

The Block's Editor-in-Chief Tim Copeland was joined by The Block's Policy Reporter Sarah Wynn and Mysten Labs President Kevin Boon to discuss the evolving U.S. regulatory landscape for the crypto industry, particularly following U.S. President Donald Trump's electoral victory.Note: Kevin Boon was Chief Legal Officer at Mysten Labs at time of recording.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction 03:24 Policy Changes Post-Trump Election 12:30 Regulation by Enforcement and SEC's Culture Shift 18:45 Gary Gensler's Legacy and Industry Impact 24:10 Crypto Regulation 30:04 Wells Notices and SEC Enforcement Actions 34:51 Ripple's Win Over the SEC 39:00 EU's MiCA Regulation and Global Crypto Adoption 42:51 Future of U.S. Crypto Legislation 44:06 Closing Remarks The Block CommunityThe Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunityThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersKevin Boon and Mysten Labs can be found at the following links: Kevin Boon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinboon/Kevin Boon on X - https://x.com/kevinboon_mlMysten Labs - https://www.mystenlabs.com/Mysten Labs on X - https://x.com/Mysten_Labs 

The Block's Editor-in-Chief Tim Copeland was joined by Bitstamp CEO Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux to discuss Robinhood's move to acquire Bitstamp, the recent market surge and the current crypto regulatory landscape.OUTLINE00:00 Introduction 00:44 Robinhood acquisition 04:15 Robinhood embraces crypto 06:15 European crypto regulations 10:15 Euro vs Dollar stablecoins 13:41 Institutional expansion 15:46 Mt. Gox distributions 17:13 ETFs 21:24 Microstrategy 23:09 US election’s impact 27:23 Strategic Bitcoin reserve 28:33 Closing thoughtsThe Block CommunityThe Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunityThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersJean-Baptiste Graftieaux and Bitstamp can be found at the following links: Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux on X - https://x.com/jb_bitstampLinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jb0001/Bitstamp on X - https://x.com/bitstampBitstamp Website - https://www.bitstamp.net/ This episode is brought to you by our sponsor, Bitkey.Get the bitcoin wallet that works like the money apps you already use.Because simplicity is the best security. For a limited time, $99. Buy Bitkey

Arthur Hayes is the CIO of Maelstrom.In this episode, Hayes and Copeland discuss the US election, the role of quantitative easing in driving crypto adoption, the launch of Bitcoin ETFs, and the rise of meme coins. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:10 US election predictions 04:58 Quantitative easing 06:47 Fiat endgame 09:35 Next 3 months 13:34 Trump's DeFi project 14:05 JPY carry trade 19:38 Bitcoin ETFs 21:16 Future altcoin ETFs 22:19 Memecoin supercycle 23:07 Truth Terminal 24:05 Airheads NFT project 26:51 Making it all back 28:05 AI's impact on trading 30:09 Exchange listing fees 38:38 Memecoins vs. utility coins 40:50 Closing thoughtsThe Block CommunityThe Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunityThe Block NewslettersThe Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newslettersArthur Hayes and Maelstrom can be found at the following links: X - https://twitter.com/CryptoHayes Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/arthur__hayes Newsletter - https://cryptohayes.substack.com Website - https://maelstrom.fundThis episode is brought to you by our sponsor, Bitkey.Get the bitcoin wallet that works like the money apps you already use.Because simplicity is the best security. For a limited time, $99. Buy Bitkey