Is Axie Infinity a video game, an ecosystem, or a burgeoning nation-state? Still early in its development, Axie is already the highest-grossing NFT game, approaching $3 billion in all-time sales and continuing to set new monthly records. Jeffrey Zirlin first met his fellow co-founders of Sky Mavis, Axie Infinity’s parent company, through the CryptoKitties community. Now, lines that used to separate gaming, social media, and commerce are blurring. And Zirlin and his team are key players in that process. Hear from Zirlin where the journey started and where it’s headed from here. Interviewed by Ash Bennington on January 12, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Proof of Stake properly scale, let alone provide real services to the general public? A true believer in the core DeFi value proposition, Ryan Allis, managing partner at HeartRithm and publisher of Coinstack, addresses these issues in an interview with Ash Bennington. Allis also talks about the fierce competition among smart-contract platforms, Ethereum’s once and future dominance, and other macro factors at work in the cryptosphere right now. Filmed on January 12, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raoul Pal, CEO and Co-Founder of Real Vision, sits down with Yassine Elmandjra, analyst at ARK Invest, to talk all things Crypto and what's ahead in 2022. Yassine is one of Raoul's favorite analysts in the space and never misses an opportunity to sit down with him and exchange ideas. This is one you won't want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Piers Kicks, a member of the investment team at Bitkraft, is one of the best investors in the world at the intersection between gaming, the metaverse, and blockchain. His first Real Vision interview last year was a revelation (you could tell by Raoul's shocked facial expressions!) and opened everyone's eyes well ahead of the crowd on the future of the metaverse. It became a legend in the hallowed halls of Real Vision's archives. This time around, Piers brings yet more fire and Raoul's facial expressions are again hilarious as he unveils where this is all going from play-to-earn gaming to AI programmed NFT's of digital historical characters that you can own and interact with ⁠— Mind-blowing again! Recorded on January 17, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SuperWorld is expanding the Metaverse. In SuperWorld, users can buy digital plots of land which correspond to actual locations on Earth. In this interview, Hrish Lotlikar, co-founder and CEO of SuperWorld, and Nick Halaris, president of Metros Capital, explore concepts surrounding digital estate. The number of new projects which fit under the metaverse umbrella seems to be growing by the day. However, as Halaris points out, there seems to be a lack of quality when these projects are compared to Web 2.0. Lotlikar, formerly in the digital production and gaming industry in Los Angeles, is working to merge the metaverse with the real world. Halaris and Lotlikar explore the details of SuperWorld as well as broader ideas related to digital ownership. What exactly do I own? How can I monetize my digital plots of land? Tune in for a fascinating discussion from two digital real estate pioneers. Recorded on January 11, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The key to crypto’s integration into mainstream use is reducing “friction.” Whether it’s downloading MetaMask, operating a crypto wallet, navigating peer-to-peer transactions, or even simply opening accounts with Binance, Coinbase, or Kraken, there’s a lot of ground for the average person to navigate right now. Ed Woodford is on a mission to speed crypto adoption by the public. And he just raised $105 million to fund that mission. He is working with some of the largest institutions in the world, including Bain Capital, to bring the Web 2.0 user experience to crypto’s decentralized world. Institutional interest is booming, and this factor could prove critical to building robust decentralized financial infrastructure capable of supporting use by the masses. Woodford, co-founder and CEO of ZeroHash, talks about next steps with Santiago Velez, co-founder and division lead of research and development of Block Digital. Recorded on January 13, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three recent filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicate Walmart is getting deeper into the metaverse. It plans to create its own cryptocurrency and to offer digital versions of its products via NFTs. Does this signal broader consumer adoption of digital assets and virtual experiences? Meanwhile, new partnerships and fresh acquisitions suggest that old-school and new-school companies are getting ready to service more consumers. Cami Russo and Robin Schmidt of The Defiant join Real Vision's Elaine Ly to share their insight. Recorded on January 19, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the art world is fast transitioning into the blockchain, artists wish to seize an opportunity to meet the demands of the parabolic growth of NFTs. From working with big power fashion brands like Prada and Chanel, Blair Breitenstein’s work has also graced the pages of Vogue and Tatler. When asked about why the pivot to NFTs, Breitenstein said, “I had to. Instagram was favoring video. I was way too dependent on them.” But as art meets tech and culture, how does an artist launch a full collection? Tune in to hear a candid conversation with Blair Breitenstein on how she went on a one-woman mission to single-handedly launch her NFT collection, the “1,989 Sisters.” Interviewed by Elaine Ly on January 6, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is your chance to benefit from an exchange of ideas between two brilliant modern thinkers. Mike Green, chief strategist and portfolio manager at Simplify Asset Management, is a well-known Bitcoin bear. On the other hand, Robert Breedlove, founder of the “What Is Money?” podcast, is one of its most vehement proponents. Their disagreements originate from deeper convictions surrounding the proper methods of organizing society and the economy: Laissez-Faire versus centrally planned. Real Vision senior editor Ash Bennington moderates this fiery debate between Breedlove and Green on the roles of money and the state. The discussion begins on Bitcoin and weaves into larger political and socio-economic topics within which Bitcoin could play a significant role. Recorded on January 7, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Privacy is a topic that can be somewhat confusing within crypto. While Bitcoin can be transacted anonymously, its ledger is public, and privacy is not guaranteed. This system has its benefits, but it’s not the best for storing or transporting sensitive information at the individual or corporate level. Sebastian Bürgel, founder of HOPR, is bolstering one of the core founding pillars of crypto, using blockchain to preserve anonymity. He and his team at HOPR are aiming to implement a blockchain solution that keeps the importance of privacy at the forefront. The use cases in the privacy-blockchain realm are numerous and continue to grow. Bürgel, as a founder and programmer himself, gives viewers a technologist’s insights into a rich and growing field. Interviewed by Ash Bennington on January 10, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices