Empire

Ben Leventhal, co-founder of Resy and Blackbird, and Li Jin from Variant Fund discuss the intersection of the consumer market and crypto. They explore the potential of crypto as a new computing platform and its impact on ownership. Other topics include passive CRM for restaurants, global token compensation, loyalty as a use case for crypto, emotional attachment to restaurants, and creating a marketplace for restaurant reservations.

Special guest Ram Ahluwalia discusses the controversies surrounding DCG (Digital Currency Group) including the 'Widow Maker' trade. They explore the interconnectedness of capital markets and crypto, Genesis' financial troubles, Gemini's involvement, legal consequences, and the rise of decentralized and classic prime brokerage in the crypto space.

The podcast discusses the anticipated approval of a Bitcoin ETF and its potential impact on institutional money in crypto. They also explore Solana's ability to attract developers and whether it will be an ETH killer. The conversation delves into the entry of institutional players in the crypto space and examines the unique distribution strategy of Telegram and Tron.

Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck, and Martin Leinweber, digital asset strategist at Market Vector Indexes, dive into topics such as the macroeconomic climate, prospects of a Bitcoin ETF approval, capturing crypto native value through Ethereum staking rewards, and the demand for these products from institutions. They also discuss the current market situation, the significance of cash flow products in the Ethereum market, and the shift from proof of work to proof of stake in Ethereum.

Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky discuss allegations of crypto financing terrorism, upcoming FinCEN rules for crypto mixers, and evolving crypto tax regulations. They analyze the broad implications of the mixer rule and anti-money laundering regulations, as well as the expansion of the definition of a broker in the tax code. The guests emphasize the need for collaboration in the industry to foster innovation while mitigating risks.

Jason Kam, Founder of Folius Ventures, and Ben Forman, Managing Partner of ParaFi Capital, discuss the recent crypto price action, the potential of an Ethereum ETF for DeFi, gaming and prediction markets driving adoption, tokenizing real-world assets, the macro landscape, opportunities in liquid and illiquid markets, growing institutional interest, and the early innings of a new bull market.

Anatoly Yakovenko, a cryptocurrency expert, joins the show to discuss Solana's end game. The topics covered include finding crypto's perfect use case, disrupting legacy financial rails, challenges of building through a bear market, crypto's killer use case, stablecoins, the future of Solana, waves of adoption in crypto, building community in Solana, and what Solana has learnt from Ethereum.

The podcast discusses the potential impact of ETFs on the crypto industry, including their role in boosting crypto adoption and maturity. The speakers explore the layers of security and regulation associated with ETFs and speculate on the timeline for crypto ETF products. They also highlight the benefits of ETFs in terms of credibility, accessibility, and transparency. Additionally, the podcast examines Coinbase's exceptional performance and its significance in shaping the future of crypto.

On this episode, they discuss the ongoing Sam Bankman-Fried trial, including damning testimonies from key witnesses. They also talk about the implications for GBTC's Bitcoin ETF conversion, the Genesis and DCG lawsuit allegations, and Uniswap's fee structure changes. The podcast takes a lighthearted turn with conversations about surprise boxes, shaving heads and beards.

In this podcast, they discuss overlooked aspects in the bear market, decentralized storage potential, poor regulation's impact on bad actors, and the future of crypto. They also cover jurisdictional competition, remaining optimistic in identifying quality investments, and the importance of nuance in analyzing projects. They explore memory in the crypto community, building detection solutions for code vulnerabilities, struggles with projects outside of Ethereum, and the potential of Filecoin. They delve into moving from centralized to decentralized providers, the risk of projects losing traction, and the impact of founder leadership.