On The Brink with Castle Island

Thanksgiving takes center stage, with humorous tales of cooking mishaps and the joys of family gatherings. Legal developments shine with a court ruling overturning sanctions on Tornado Cash, setting a new precedent for decentralized finance. The future of crypto regulation is discussed, hinting at a potential shift from the SEC to the CFTC. Gratitude flows as notable players in the industry are acknowledged, while speculation about a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve stirs curiosity about its impact on government debt. The excitement of upcoming ventures in 2025 adds to the festive spirit.

The hosts dive into the buzz around Bitcoin potentially hitting $100k and the shocking resignation of SEC chair Gary Gensler. They dissect the ongoing lawsuit against the SEC by 18 state AGs, and the toss of the SEC’s dealer rule by a judge. Trump’s speculation about a crypto czar adds political intrigue, while MicroStrategy's trading premium raises eyebrows. They even conduct a humorous nocoiner draft, highlighting skeptics of Bitcoin amidst lively sports anecdotes. Reflecting on Bitcoin's decade-long journey, excitement for future innovations blooms.

Aaron McDonald, the founder of Futureverse joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Aaron's professional career and the path that led him to founding Futureverse. How he has built the company through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions. How blockchains and digital currency interact with Metaverse technologies. The future of virtual worlds and gaming technologies. The L1 and L2 blockchain ecosystem and how Futureverse has built their platform. To learn more about Futureverse visit their website.

Matt and Nic return for news and deals. In this episode: Nic recaps his trip to Congress Vibes in Congress post election The likelihood for stablecoin and market structure bills What are the prospects for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve What's happening in Devcon? 18 state AGs are suing Gensler and the SEC Gensler is hinting at retirement FTX sues Binance and CZ Sam Trabucco forfeits $70m in assets to the FTX estate Polymarket's Shayne Coplan raided by the FBI Doodles partnership with McDonalds The verdict on Fairshake's efforts in the election OCP developments and how Congress will tackle it We review Trump's cabinet appointments so far Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics, The Election Bull Run From the Perspective of Options Markets: Analyzing options markets to contextualize the election bull-run that brought BTC prices to $85,000.

David Low, CEO and cofounder of Hata joins the show. In this episode, In this episode, Wyatt and David discuss: Crypto adoption in Southeast Asia Regulatory attitudes Operating a centralized exchange Bitcoin interest vs other cryptoassets in the region

Nic and Matt are back with more news and deals. In this episode: Trump resoundingly wins the election A demographic realignment Polymarket versus the polls Podcasts and twitter versus the legacy media How did the pro-crypto candidates do? Trump promises to fire Gensler on day 1 How did the Fairshake PAC do? Review of key Senate races Will Trump execute on his crypto promises? Moreno defeats Brown in Ohio Will OCP2.0 finally end? What's the deal with Trump's Bitcoin reserve? How would the SEC change token issuance rules? How will Trump's election affect DeFi and cashflowing tokens? Why Tether is a big winner from the election Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics, Crypto Market & Polymarket Dynamics Heading Into Elections: In Coin Metrics' State of the Network issue 284, we analyze Bitcoin's (BTC) historical performance around prior elections and examine Polymarket data driven by 2024 elections.

Hadley Stern, the Chief Commercial Officer of Marinade joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Hadley's career in the blockchain industry. The early days of researching and building blockchain products at Fidelity. The landscape for banks in the United States as it relates to digital asset product development. The evolving regulatory landscape and the prospects of pro-innovation legislation. The staking landscape and how Marinade is going to market with its products and services. To learn more about Marinade visit www.marinade.finance

This week dives into major fundraising moves, with MicroStrategy planning to raise $42 billion to buy more Bitcoin. Coinbase is stepping up its game by pledging $25 million for midterm elections. Nishad Singh received a surprising sentencing outcome following FTX's fallout. BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF hit a record $872 million in inflows, reflecting increasing institutional interest. The U.S. Treasury's new report highlights stablecoin impacts on short-dated treasuries, while the Bank for International Settlements pulls back on its CBDC project.

Pat Larsen, the founder and CEO of Zenledger joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The latest developments in the tax and compliance categories within digital assets. How asset managers and large financial institutions are increasingly adopting digital assets. The compliance obligations of financial services firms as it relates to digital asset trading. The venture capital landscape for digital asset startups. The use cases that are currently driving adoption in the blockchain industry. To learn more about Zenledger, visit www.zenledger.io

Matt and Nic are back for more news and deals. In this episode: The Polymarket whale is identified BTCUSD predictions for the election Election models versus prediction markets Stripe acquires Bridge for $1.1b Did the Bridge deal make sense for Stripe? Stablecoins as Fintech 3.0 Nigeria frees Tigran Gambaryan Kraken is launching the Ink blockchain Buenos Aires is launching a blockchain-based identity solution Opera launches the minipay wallet A new paper from the Fed gives us new insight into the 2023 bank run Coinbase FOIAs the regulators behind OCP 2.0 Content mentioned in this episode: NY Fed, Tracing Bank Runs in Real Time Sponsor notes: Introducing Exchange Flow Metrics: In Coin Metrics' State of the Network issue 282, we introduce Coin Metrics' new exchange flow metrics for BTC & ETH Withum's Digital Currency and Blockchain Technology Team specializes in crypto-assets, offering accounting, tax and advisory solutions to fortify trust in a dynamic industry. Contact them today to get started. - withum.com/crypto