Citadel Dispatch

Anjan Sundaram, an independent journalist and founder of the Stringer Foundation, shares his journey from Yale and Goldman Sachs to war reporting. He discusses how social media has transformed journalism, emphasizing the importance of fact-checking over raw footage. Anjan critiques the low pay for freelancers and explores sustainable funding through philanthropy and innovative models like Bitcoin. He elaborates on launching the Stringer Prize to recognize global journalists and highlights the need for a diverse and sustainable independent media landscape.

John Arnold, a Partner at Ten31, focuses on investing in Bitcoin businesses. He discusses the effects of institutional trading on Bitcoin prices and how liquidity cycles have overshadowed traditional halving impacts. Quantum computing risks are a major theme, with Arnold detailing vulnerable address types and offering practical mitigations. He also examines why gold and silver are currently outperforming Bitcoin, touches on the implications of Fed policy changes, and shares a bullish outlook for Bitcoin in the coming years.

Rob, the developer behind Kyoto, and Andreas, the creator of Bitcoin Safe, delve into the world of Bitcoin wallets. They discuss compact block filters and their potential to enhance privacy and streamline wallet synchronization. Rob shares the origins of Kyoto, emphasizing its focus on lightweight, private nodes. Andreas highlights the importance of hardware-only wallets for secure cold storage. The duo also explores multisig coordination over Nostr, addressing the challenges and future of user experience in Bitcoin wallet development.

Calle, the creator behind the Cashu open-source protocol and maintainer of BitChat Android, dives into the fascinating world of privacy and offline communication. He discusses the explosive growth of BitChat during protests and outages, revealing how download spikes can foreshadow unrest. Calle also compares Bluetooth mesh technology with Nostr integration, explores ephemeral identities, and highlights Cashu's rapid development in the Bitcoin ecosystem. He emphasizes the need for more Bitcoin developers and invites listeners to contribute to the thriving community.

NVK, co-founder of Coinkite and creator of the Coldcard wallet, dives into the fascinating world of secure Bitcoin storage. He discusses the growth of Coldcard's user base and the need for adaptable security amidst changing threat models. NVK highlights the importance of ethical design, explaining why Coinkite eschews mobile apps in favor of interoperable wallets. Listeners will be intrigued by his insights on features like Key Teleport for encrypted sharing, duress PINs, and inheritance strategies, emphasizing a robust yet user-friendly approach to self-custody.

In this engaging discussion, Alex B, Head of Ecosystem at Ark Labs, dives into the innovative Arkade protocol, which empowers self-custody for Bitcoin through advanced off-chain execution. He highlights Arkade's unique batching system that distinguishes it from Lightning, addressing double-spend risks and enhancing transaction efficiency. Alex also explores the protocol's potential for programmable finance, including loans and decentralized market options, emphasizing the importance of security and user autonomy in the evolving Bitcoin space.

Francis is the Founder of Bull Bitcoin, one of the best bitcoin brokerage services. They recently launched a self custody mobile wallet on ios and android: Bull Wallet. This rip was earlier today, in person, in Lugano. We are both here for the PlanB Forum.Francis on Nostr: https://primal.net/francisFrancis on X: https://x.com/francispouliot_Bull Wallet: https://wallet.bullbitcoin.comPlanB Forum: https://planb.lugano.ch/planb-forum/EPISODE: 181BLOCK: 920238PRICE: 929 sats per dollar(00:00:00) Catching up from Lugano: old rips, 2019 memories, and lore(00:01:07) Introducing Bull Wallet: goals, BDK under the hood, and UX vision(00:02:21) Lightning lessons: LDK attempts, liquidity pain, and Phoenix tradeoffs(00:04:38) Fee shocks and “just-in-time” channels: why Liquid entered the plan(00:06:24) Liquid + Boltz atomic swaps: architecture, Rootstock notes, and standards push(00:07:37) Designing for privacy and power users: Sparrow on mobile, Payjoin journey(00:12:21) Data minimization in practice: no push, no cloud leaks, strict dependencies(00:13:56) Shipping realities: iOS approval grind and cross‑platform necessity(00:15:11) Secure versus Instant: Liquid framing, hype cycles, and collaborative custody(00:19:13) The UX–compromise matrix: placing Liquid among trust models(00:21:24) Auto‑swap safety rails: keeping Liquid balances modest by default(00:24:26) Confidential transactions and buying flows: privacy wins via Liquid(00:27:24) Swap providers and resilience: Boltz today, multi‑provider tomorrow(00:31:05) Builders who ship: moving fast, potentially Ark or Spark in the future(00:32:11) Why Ark: unilateral exits, pre‑confirmed states, and costs(00:50:00) Ark tradeoffs without soft forks: watchtowers, refresh, and liveness(00:57:15) Ark vs Liquid in Bull Wallet: timelines, reckless testing, and user defaults(01:04:12) Payjoin, heuristics, and passive consolidation(01:11:01) Consolidation strategies: Liquid swaps, CT, and fee‑aware UTXO management(01:15:48) Lightning address UX with Liquid: directories, costs, and tiny payments(01:17:10) Nostr as a wallet backend: zaps, contact book, and secure comms(01:18:01) Multisig in practice: BitPay’s UX, Miniscript future, and mobile approvals(01:20:19) Operator messaging and alerts: following npubs inside the app(01:20:49) Core v30, OP_RETURN, and policy vs consensus(01:31:09) Funding open source: OpenSats, private companies, and shipping culture(01:35:15) Why open source keeps us sane: creativity, legacy, and closing notesmore info on the show: https://citadeldispatch.comlearn more about me: https://odell.xyz

Delve into how digital freedom is eroded by ad-driven surveillance and predatory business models. Explore the power of open source solutions and protocols that restore individual agency. Discover the innovative ways to fund open source projects with Bitcoin-powered grants through OpenSats. Hear case studies showcasing self-hosting, private AI, and user-aligned services. Finally, learn the critical link between profitability and scaling ethical freedom technologies, as sustainable businesses can drive the movement forward.

A conversation with Adam Back at Bitcoin Park's Custody and Treasury Summit in Nashville, TN. We discuss the current state of bitcoin custody and how it applies to individuals, small businesses, and public companies.Date: September 18, 2025Adam on Nostr: https://primal.net/adamback Adam on X: https://x.com/adam3us Bitcoin Park on Nostr: https://primal.net/parkBitcoin Park: https://bitcoinpark.com/ (00:00) Teaser(01:07) Not your keys, not your coins(01:49) Why self custody matters: seizure and asset protection(03:06) Early Bitcoin legal fears and Obama’s Swiss bank quote(03:54) Individuals adopt self custody; shift to business treasuries(04:22) Custody advice for small businesses and dentists(05:34) Multisig basics, redundancy, and vendor diversity(06:45) Single sig vs multi sig usability and learning curve(07:32) Practical setups: single sig cold storage and backups(08:24) Keeping multiple backups(09:06) Fireproof steel backups and moving to treasury topics(09:30) Public companies using custodians: risks and drivers(10:48) Collaborative custody among custodians and decaying multisig(12:10) Balancing third party risk vs operational self custody risk(12:43) Finality, time locks, and covenant based safety nets(13:59) Why multisig is essential for large organizations(14:56) Industry pushback and the case for proof of reserves(16:20) Adoption of proof of reserves and hybrid treasury strategies(16:51) Closing and audience Q&A introVideo: https://primal.net/e/nevent1qqsxtltftjfavnlg8ysjvnn9504l40ykq8hdw25pcmaljwdx0xp9wyswev5e3  more info on the show: https://citadeldispatch.comlearn more about me: https://odell.xyz

Miljan is the Founder and CEO of Primal. Bitcoin is an open protocol for money, nostr is an open protocol for speech, Primal brings the power of both into an easy to use interface for everyone.Search Primal in your favorite app store!Miljan on Nostr: https://primal.net/miljanEPISODE: 180BLOCK: 917284PRICE: 842 sats per dollar(00:00) Ten31 retreat(01:02) Retreat impressions and collaboration(01:32) How many bitcoiners(03:01) Estimating self custody users and real audience sizes(05:09) Stalled growth and focusing Primal on Bitcoiners(06:07) Curated "Getting Started" invite packs(09:14) Solving empty feeds: recommendations vs. decentralization(12:02) Improving follow discovery(14:53) Retention over onboarding: first-touch UX matters(16:11) Empowering users with tools, not surveillance models(18:08) Aligning incentives: Primal’s user-paid model(19:42) Live streaming on Nostr: open spec meets clean UI(22:20) Not competing with TikTok: high-signal over dopamine(25:06) Platform risk for streamers and Nostr’s modular freedom(28:05) Unified chat, zaps, and the magic of interoperable apps(29:25) Nostr’s organic growth(31:06) Creators’ final destination(34:50) AI in social: open models, features, and roadmap thoughts(41:05) Deepfakes, authenticity, and signed content value(46:02) Keys, key-rotation, and building resilient identity tools(49:28) Practical key management: tradeoffs from phone to multisig(53:12) Closing thoughtsmore info on the show: https://citadeldispatch.comlearn more about me: https://odell.xyz