
Coinbase: Around The Block
The easiest way to stay in the know on all things crypto.
Latest episodes

Sep 13, 2022 • 44min
Helium’s Amir Haleem on the Difficulty of Building a Sovereign Blockchain
Earlier this month, developers behind Helium proposed to migrate the network off of its own blockchain onto Solana. In this episode of Around the Block, Founder and CEO of Helium, Amir Haleem, shares the vision behind Helium, the key moments and decisions that shaped the network, and why the move to Solana could be the project’s best bet.Today's conversation was recorded on September 7th. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock

Sep 6, 2022 • 40min
Tornado Cash and Crypto Implications with Faryar Shirzad, Sheila Warren, and Jake Chervinsky
The U.S. government’s action against Tornado Cash sent shock waves through the crypto community and left most of us with more questions than answers. In this episode of Around the Block, Host Viktor Bunin, Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation Sheila Warren and Head of Policy for the Blockchain Association, Jake Chervinsky, discuss Tornado Cash: what happened, who it impacts, and how we can think about working with policymakers as they try to learn and understand this new technology. Today's conversation was recorded on August 30th. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock

8 snips
Aug 30, 2022 • 1h 30min
Brian Armstrong & Vitalik Buterin Discuss Decentralization, Privacy, and More
The Merge is rapidly approaching and will transition Ethereum from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake after 7 years of research and development. In this episode of Around the Block, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong discuss Coinbase’s responsibility as an infrastructure operator, maintaining a credibly neutral Ethereum network, and why Ethereum leaves privacy up to the builders. This episode is hosted by Senior Protocol Specialist Viktor Bunin. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock

Jul 20, 2022 • 35min
What Makes Bitcoin Special with River CEO Alexander Leishman
Much of the excitement over this last cycle surrounded Ethereum and smart contract based applications. However there are still many who are sticking to building on Bitcoin. River CEO Alex Leishman is one of them, building a Bitcoin only bank. In this conversation, we talk to Alex about what makes Bitcoin special and what keeps him dedicated to it. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock

Jul 13, 2022 • 36min
The Future of Stablecoins & CBDCs with Visa’s Head of CBDC Catherine Gu
Visa's Head of CBDC, Catherine Gu, discusses the future of stablecoins and CBDCs, exploring motivations behind CBDCs, design choices and policy objectives, interoperability of CBDCs and stablecoins, private market stablecoins, and the importance of privacy in CBDCs.

Jun 29, 2022 • 38min
The Merge with the Ethereum Foundation's Justin Drake
After years in the making, the Ethereum Merge is fast approaching. In this conversation with Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, we break down how the merge will help make Ethereum a more eco-friendly, economically efficient, and secure network. Note: Merge timing predictions have shifted since the episode was recorded, with Vitalik Buterin noting that it may be pushed back to September or October should developers need more time. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock

Jun 22, 2022 • 35min
Bitcoin ETFs & the SEC with Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein
Grayscale is the world’s largest digital asset manager, offering a wide range of secure, regulated and future-forward digital asset investment products. In this conversation with Grayscale CEO, Michael Sonnenshein, we discuss the state of regulated crypto investment products. More specifically, GBTC, and what’s taking the SEC so long to finally approve a spot Bitcoin ETF. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock

Jun 15, 2022 • 37min
Breaking Down the Bitcoin Energy Debate w/ Nic Carter (Castle Island)
In this episode of Around the Block with Castle Island VC’s Nic Carter, we get to the heart of what is driving the Bitcoin mining debate. Carter gives a breakdown of what people are concerned about when it comes to mining activities, and offers his own take on the issue. We also get the chance to dispel common misconceptions surrounding Bitcoin mining and the current state of mining using renewable energies. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Around the Block with CoinbaseAround the Block is lifting the hood on the crypto economy—one conversation at a time. Hosted by Justin Mart on the Coinbase Ventures team. New episodes weekly.Never miss a beat— Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block.Website: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblockYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn7cmPJn_LI&list=PL0zEUTVaoPOyNcYavOkwIXsVHtU6839jC

Jun 8, 2022 • 30min
Cryptocurrency & the Changing World Order with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong
A frank discussion with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong about the state of the economy, crypto, and Coinbase as a whole. We discuss the market downturn, Coinbase’s market positioning, and end with Brian’s thoughts on Ray Dalio’s, “Changing World Order,” and crypto’s place within it. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.

Jun 1, 2022 • 31min
The Ownership Economy with Variant Fund’s Li Jin
Web3 has been commonly defined by three words: read, write, own. In this conversation with Variant Fund's Li Jin, we discuss how Web3 can enable ownership to be distributed across the internet as seamlessly as the internet distributes communications. We learn how the “ownership economy” will enable all kinds of new user experiences and how the next big internet applications will be ones that turn users into owners. Today's conversation is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. Actual results may vary materially from any forward-looking statements made and are subject to risks and uncertainties.Check our homepage for more episodes and exclusive content from Around the Block: https://coinbase.com/aroundtheblock