Raoul Pal: The Journey Man

It’s an Ethereum news bonanza. U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase has launched its own layer-2 Ethereum-based network called Base. This comes just days before the upcoming, highly anticipated Shanghai upgrade moves onto another testnet. What does it mean for Ethereum and staking? Ash Bennington will discuss all of this with Jaydeep Korde, the founder and CEO of Launchnodes, which builds software infrastructure to expand access to Ethereum staking. Plus, the IMF issues crypto guidelines, Australia has questions for Binance, 3AC NFTs go on sale, and Colombia holds a court hearing in the metaverse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bitcoin remains dominant in terms of its market cap while other cryptocurrencies continue to make strides on adoption. Bitcoin expert Jimmy Song joins Ash Bennington to discuss what the future holds for the OG coin. Plus, the SEC opposes Binance.US's move for Voyager Digital, the head of the Bank for International Settlements says fiat currency has “won the battle" against crypto, and some $370 billion of bitcoin is dormant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Talk about a bullish case. Michaël van de Poppe, the founder and CEO of Eight Global who goes by Crypto Michaël, says the price of bitcoin presents a "big opportunity for upside potential." He joins Ash Bennington to walk us through his investment thesis. Plus, Coinbase stock is swinging after reporting Q4 2022 earnings, Tezos lands Google Cloud as its validator, Arbitrum surpasses Ethereum in daily transactions, and dozens of Bored Ape NFTs get sold — but the market seems ok with that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the future of crypto multiple blockchains working seamlessly together rather than one or two dominant but separate chains? And how can we ensure this is secure and user-friendly at mass scale? Ash Bennington is joined by Sergey Gorbunov, co-founder of Axelar cross-chain network, and Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at crypto investment fund Dragonfly Capital, to discuss this also discuss this plus FTX Japan resuming customer withdrawals, Ordinals moving to Litecoin, and Hong Kong pushing ahead with a pro-crypto agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Polygon is moving at the speed of light, not only to expand the possibilities of blockchain technology but to broaden and enable a new, scaleable Web3 world. Antoni Martin, co-founder of Polygon, joins Raoul to dig into how and why Polygon is moving so quickly, how they are innovating, and just why they’re so open to embracing other partners in the space. They also touch upon digital identity and why that is already a critical matter for the ecosystem to solve. Recorded on January 30, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Want to know what Raoul and Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Delphi Digital, think of the year ahead? What risks and opportunities do they see on the horizon? Well, this is the interview for you. Raoul and Kevin dig into the macro big picture and dollar liquidity before digging into what’s getting them excited about crypto for the year ahead. In particular, Raoul and Kevin talk about the growth opportunities for Ethereum, NFTs, and what the space needs to do to grow even bigger. Recorded on February 2, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is in the news again after charging Terraform Labs and its co-founder Do Kwon for allegedly perpetuating a $40 billion fraud. But what's inside the complaint has sent chills through the crypto industry, as the SEC expands its policy of what should be registered as a security. Ash Bennington is joined by Jake Chervinsky, the chief policy officer at the Blockchain Association, to get his take on the story and the wider regulatory climate in Washington D.C. Plus, more questions arise about Binance and its relationship with purportedly independent Binance.US, Sony's bets on Web3, and Japan moves ahead with a digital yen CBDC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a busy day in the crypto world: the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules on who can custody digital assets, Binance reportedly admits it expects incoming fines from U.S. regulators, and the ongoing mystery as to who co-signed Sam Bankman-Fried bail bond is resolved. Ash Bennington will discuss this and much more with Christopher Perkins, the president of CoinFund and former managing director at Citi and Lehman Brothers. Plus, Hong Kong's green bonds, Square Enix and SoftBank bet on blockchain, and why Keanu Reeves took the crypto red pill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The title of Tuesday's U.S. Senate hearing on crypto regulation tells you all you need to know about Washington’s current stance on digital assets: “Crypto Crash: Why Financial System Safeguards are Needed for Digital Assets.” Our guest host Santiago Velez, co-founder and R&D division lead at Block Digital, is joined by Jones Day partner Abradat Kamalpour to discuss its recent report on crypto regulation and the unique state, federal, and international challenges. Plus, BUSD recovers its peg, Ethereum shuns OFAC-compliance, and Bitcoin NFTs surpass 100,000. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Crypto brokerage Paxos has been ordered to halt issuing BUSD, and a massive $16 billion stablecoin market cap is now up for grabs. As it turns out, Circle, the issuer of USDC, might be behind the sudden regulatory interest. Brian Estes, CEO and CIO of Off the Chain Capital, joins Ash Bennington to break it all down. Brian and Ash also dig into some more optimistic stories including good news about the NFT market and DeFi performance in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices