On The Brink with Castle Island

In this episode, we host Nick Neuman, CEO of Casa to discuss their recent stablecoin launch and: Casa’s value proposition How customers use Casa The decision to expand beyond Bitcoin to Ethereum The rationale behind supporting stablecoins Building custody tools for security versus convenience Nick’s views on experimentation on Bitcoin Further reading: Protect your stablecoins: Hold USDC and USDT with Casa

Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode:  Coinbase’s positioning ahead of the ETF Cantor CEO Howard Lutnick acknowledges their Tether role Where do we stand on cash creation versus in-kind creation for the Bitcoin ETF? Coinbase launches an RWA hub in Abu Dhabi Kucoin settles with the state of New York Do Kwon is staying in Montenegro a bit longer Coinlist settles an OFAC violation FASB adopts (again?) fair value accounting for Bitcoin SBF’s lawyer said he was the “worst witness he’s ever seen” The status of Warren’s anti-ML crypto bill How potent will the crypto lobby be in 2024? Content mentioned in this episode: Charles Rettig, IRS Digital Assets Plan Would Be a Setback for Taxpayer Services Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics State of the Network’s Q4 2023 Mining Data Special In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 237, we spotlight crucial developments and data across the mining ecosystem

Itai Turbahn, CEO of Dynamic, talks about seamless web3 logins, breakout applications in web3, Passkeys, account abstraction, and Dynamic's Series A funding round.

Brian Foster, Global Head of Wholesale at Coinbase, joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Brian’s career and the path that led him to joining Coinbase. An overview of the Coinbase business model and how the company is segmented. The evolution of the Coinbase Institutional business. The Wholesale business at Coinbase and how the company is positioned with brokers, banks and ETF issuers. Views on the Bitcoin ETF proposals and how Coinbase is positioned in this market segment. The BlackRock partnership and how Coinbase and BlackRock are collaborating. Views on the evolution of the competitive landscape for Coinbase. BASE, RWAs and stablecoins. Learn more at coinbase.com

In this episode, we sit down with Rowan Stone who leads Business Development at Base – the layer-2 network on Ethereum launched by Coinbase earlier this year. Rowan expands on: The decision to build Base using Optimism's OP stack and the "Superchain" vision The vectors of centralization in L2 networks and the path to decentralization Early use cases on Base across DeFi, loyalty and the creator economy The role of business development in growing an L2 network

Matt and Nic return for deals and news of the week. In this episode:  Chainalysis Geography of Crypto adoption Jamie Dimon comes out against crypto – again Our vote for Time Person of the year The AICPA announces their stablecoin attestation framework Do Kwon is being extradited to the US Nubank is getting into crypto Rep McHenry is retiring Content mentioned in this episode: Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index It’s all a Game by Colleen Sullivan Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics STATE OF THE NETWORK—State of Stablecoins:Signs of Returning Liquidity In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 236, we look into stablecoin supply, usage, adoption and key trends in market evolution

Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis, joins the show to talk about their 2023 Geography of Crypto Adoption report. In this episode:  The difficulty of ascertaining reliable illicit finance data for crypto Why Chainalysis started publishing the Geography of Crypto report Why emerging markets dominate in terms of crypto adoption How Chainalysis devised their methodology What the variables in their index mean Potential sources of error or noise in the data How Chainalysis overlays internet traffic data with blockchain data to determine usage on a country by country basis Top countries on the index and changes from prior years Evidence for cryptodollarization What variables correlate with crypto adoption globally Countries with positive year/year growth in crypto adoption Content mentioned in this episode: Chainalysis, The 2023 Global Crypto Adoption Index

Ruud Smets and Marc de Kloe, partners at Theta Capital, bring their wealth of knowledge in hedge funds and blockchain investments to the discussion. They explore Theta's venture into blockchain funds and the educational efforts needed for institutional investors. The pair dives into the significance of fund capacity and co-investment strategies. They share insights on emerging trends for 2024 and elaborate on the impact of the Legends4Legends charity conference, merging investment with philanthropy.

The podcast covers topics such as the SEC's investigation into Binance US, in-kind versus cash creations for ETFs, the FDIC scandal, the future of GBTC, Elizabeth Warren's criticism of Subway, and the influence of Gary Gensler. They also discuss recent fundraising deals, legal issues with Binance, inflation and corporate greed, the artificial smell of Subway stores, and frustrations with the SEC regarding Bitcoin ETFs.

Vivek Ramaswamy is a Republican candidate for President in 2024. In this episode we sit down to dig into his crypto policy proposals:  Vivek’s keynote in Ft Worth Vivek’s crypto platform and how that derives from his convictions Vivek’s view on Bitcoin mining Is Choke Point 2.0 real? Is banking a utility? ‘Choke Point 6.0’ and how it goes beyond just crypto and banking Does the suppression of speech have a technological solution? Can public blockchains actually be supportive of the US Dollar? Further resources: Vivek2024.com Vivek’s Speech in Ft. Worth: “Three Freedoms of Crypto Policy”