RECENT EPISODES
Wed 9 Sept"Block applies to establish national trust bank" Sep 09, 2026Jack Dorsey's Block has applied to establish Builders Bank and Trust, an uninsured National Trust Bank aimed at providing custody services for assets like Bitcoin and stablecoins under federal supervision. This move reflects a broader trend among fintech and crypto firms seeking national bank charters, with 23 of the 40 recent applications focused on digital assets. Additionally, regulatory challenges persist, as India's financial intelligence unit has issued non-compliance notices to several cryptocurrency platforms.Tue 8 Sept"Visa's stablecoin settlement volume surpasses $20 billion ARR." Sep 08, 2026Visa's stablecoin settlement volume has surpassed a $20 billion annualized run rate, reflecting a remarkable year-over-year growth of over 15 times. This surge is driven by nearly tripling the number of active stablecoin-linked card programs globally. However, Visa faces working capital challenges for issuers that could affect its expansion. In response, CreditCoup has introduced a stablecoin-denominated revolving credit facility, significantly lowering borrowing costs and demonstrating the increasing integration of stablecoins in traditional finance.Thu 3 Sept"Worldcoin open-sources ProveKit" Sep 03, 2026Worldcoin has made a significant move by open-sourcing ProveKit, a zero-knowledge identity toolkit that enhances privacy in verifying personal claims like age and nationality. This toolkit operates locally on devices, ensuring that sensitive data remains inaccessible to third parties. ProveKit is designed for compatibility with the Aztecs noir programming language and boasts 128-bit post-quantum security, positioning it as a robust alternative to traditional identity verification methods.Wed 2 Sept"G20 Finance Ministers agreed to pursue clearer rules for digital assets" Sep 02, 2026In this episode, G20 finance ministers and central bank governors discuss their agreement to pursue clearer regulations for digital assets, emphasizing the balance between fostering innovation and ensuring financial stability. The group is awaiting findings from the Financial Stability Board on global stablecoins, which will inform future regulatory frameworks. Additionally, the G20 reaffirms its commitment to enhancing cross-border payments, aiming to streamline international transactions and improve efficiency in the global financial system.Tue 1 Sept"Payward partnering with London Stock Exchange " Sep 01, 2026Payward, the parent company of Crackin, is partnering with the London Stock Exchange to tokenize the 100 largest companies listed on the exchange, marking a significant advancement in stock trading by integrating blockchain technology. The initial tokenized products will be available on Crackin and other platforms within the X stocks alliance, although UK investors will face restrictions until regulatory approval is obtained.Mon 31 Aug"Saylor says 'We're back' with BTC buys" Aug 31, 2026Michael Saylor's announcement of a renewed commitment to Bitcoin purchases, declaring "We're back," signals a significant shift in market sentiment towards the cryptocurrency. This episode explores the implications of Saylor's bullish stance on Bitcoin, potentially influencing investor confidence. Additionally, the discussion on Kalshi, America's leading prediction market platform, highlights innovative trading strategies while cautioning listeners about the associated risks. The interplay between Saylor's investment strategy and emerging trading platforms may shape future market trends.Fri 28 Aug"Charles Schwab to add Solana, Avalanche and Chainlink" Aug 28, 2026Charles Schwab is expanding its cryptocurrency offerings by adding Solana, Avalanche, and Chainlink to its platform, catering to client demand for diverse investment options. This strategic move aims to enhance trading activity and attract more investors to the platform, which already manages over $12 trillion in assets. In contrast, Public Citizen reports significant losses for investors in crypto ventures linked to former President Trump, totaling at least $4.7 billion, highlighting the risks in the volatile crypto market.Tue 25 Aug"Grayscale launches ZCSH" Aug 25, 2026Grayscale has launched ZCSH, the first US ETF providing direct exposure to Zcash, debuting on NYSE Arca with a 2.5% fee aimed at supporting the Zcash ecosystem. This initiative reflects Grayscale's strategy to convert crypto trusts into ETFs, enhancing investor accessibility. The Head of Index at Grayscale noted that the rise of AI-driven financial surveillance may increase demand for privacy-focused assets like Zcash, underscoring the growing importance of privacy in finance.Mon 24 Aug"Strategy forms new USD Cash reserve" Aug 24, 2026In this episode, Strategy reveals its recent decision to sell 18 million shares of MSTR for approximately $2 billion, using part of the proceeds to boost its USD cash reserve to $5 billion. The company now controls about 4% of Bitcoin's maximum supply, with its holdings valued at $66 billion, reflecting significant unrealized gains.Fri 14 Aug"Tether says 'clean' audit rating comes back from KPMG." Aug 14, 2026Tether International received an unqualified audit opinion from KPMG US covering its full 2025 financial statements, marking the first completed independent financial audit in the company's history. The engagement followed AICPA standards, covered reserves, USDT liabilities, income, equity, and cash flows, and included a physical count of every gold bar held by Tether. Audited statements showed reserves exceeding liabilities by 6.8 billion dollars at year-end.Fri 7 Aug"Trump reviewing bipartisan ethics language in Clarity Act" Aug 07, 2026The Senate faces a closing window before a month-long recess to pass the Clarity Act, with Trump reviewing bipartisan ethics language that would require him to divest crypto-related business holdings while allowing him to defer federal taxes on those gains potentially indefinitely, a provision central to winning Democratic votes for the first comprehensive federal crypto regulatory framework.Fri 31 Jul"Chuck Schumer introduces Anti-Corruption Bureau targeting digital assets" Jul 31, 2026Chuck Schumer introduced legislation to establish an independent seven-member anti-corruption bureau with subpoena and asset recovery powers, targeting profiteering by the president, senior officials, and major contractors, with the bill structured to insulate the agency from presidential budget control.Thu 30 Jul"Visa CEO says the firm will be multi-coin, multi-chain" Jul 30, 2026Visa CEO Ryan McInerney declared the company will remain multi-coin and multi-chain, positioning Visa as a neutral connector to whichever stablecoins and networks achieve adoption rather than backing any single winner. Visa is also among more than 140 companies supporting the planned OUSD launch, which would allow fee-free minting and redemption while sharing most reserve income with distribution partners, a structure analysts see as potentially more competitive than USDC or USDT.Thu 23 Jul"BitMEX to shutter after 11 yrs" Jul 23, 2026BitMEX will permanently shut down on September 23rd 2026 after 11 years, following a failed sale process that began in February 2025, with new registrations already halted and all remaining positions to be force-closed at closure. Users who leave funds on the platform after shutdown face monthly fees equal to the greater of 50 dollars or 1 percent annually.Mon 20 Jul"Strategy sells more shares for cash reserves" Jul 20, 2026Strategy sold 2.7 million MSTR shares between July 13 and July 19, raising $225 million and bringing its total cash reserve to $3.2 billion, with no Bitcoin purchases made during that period, signaling a deliberate pivot toward rebuilding liquidity over accumulation. The company holds just over 843,000 BTC valued at more than $54 billion but carries roughly $9 billion in paper losses, and despite endorsements from JP Morgan and CryptoQuant, MSTR stock fell 4 percent last week.Fri 17 Jul"US Crypto market-structure bill faces test" Jul 17, 2026The US crypto market structure bill known as the Clarity Act is nearing a critical Senate vote, with Majority Leader John Thune pressing for floor action before the August 7th recess and Trump set to meet with Senators Moreno and Lummis to resolve disputes over ethics language restricting officials from profiting on crypto while in office.Thu 16 Jul"Senate announces resolution against pardon for SBF" Jul 16, 2026The US Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution, sponsored by Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego, declaring that Sam Bankman-Fried should not receive a presidential pardon or commutation following his clemency request filed in June 2026. Bankman-Fried was convicted in November 2023 on seven fraud charges tied to the FTX collapse and sentenced to 25 years. The episode also covers Ledger launching AgentStack, an open-source toolkit letting AI agents propose blockchain transactions while requiring physical hardware approval for every execution.Tue 14 Jul"HMRC will introduce “no gain, no loss” treatment for some crypto lending" Jul 14, 2026HMRC will introduce no gain, no loss treatment for qualifying crypto lending and liquidity pool transactions from April 6, 2027, reversing its 2022 guidance that had treated DeFi activity as taxable disposals even without an economic cash-out. The reform affects around 700,000 people, deferring capital gains tax until an actual disposal occurs, though differences between deposited and received amounts will still trigger a gain or loss.Mon 13 Jul"SBI Group trials new lending product "Jul 13, 2026SBI VC Trade opens applications on July 16th for a 12-week lending product denominated in JPYSC, Japan's first trust-bank-backed yen stablecoin, offering depositors a 3% annual yield with the stablecoin pegged one-to-one to the yen and backed by 100% reserves. JPYSC runs across Avalanche, Ethereum, Polygon, and Kaia, and Lawson convenience stores will begin testing JPYSC payments at a Tokyo location in early August alongside KDDI and Hashport, giving the stablecoin an early retail use case within weeks of launch.Thu 9 Jul"Swift launches blockchain-based pilot" Jul 09, 2026Swift launched a blockchain-based shared ledger pilot involving 17 major banks across six continents, allowing institutions to move bank-issued tokenized deposits around the clock before final settlement clears through existing payment rails. Built in nine months, the system is designed as an orchestration layer that could support programmable money and agentic commerce, though its path to full production depends on how well it integrates with legacy infrastructure.Wed 8 Jul"BNB chain building new L1 for agentic trading" Jul 08, 2026BNB Chain is developing a new Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for agentic trading, targeting sub-50-millisecond pre-confirmation and sub-1-second finality to match centralized exchange speed while preserving self-custody. A testnet is planned for late 2026 and mainnet for early 2027, with the chain sitting alongside BNB Smart Chain as a settlement hub rather than replacing it.Wed 1 Jul"New Trump disclosure shows hundreds of millions in crypto-related income" Jul 01, 2026Trump's 927-page financial disclosure reveals hundreds of millions in crypto-related income, including more than $65 million from selling equity in WLF HoldCo, $236 million in token sale proceeds distributed by World Liberty Financial, and roughly $2 million in Ether staking rewards. Democrats are citing the disclosure to push ethics restrictions on federal officials holding digital assets into pending crypto legislation.Tue 30 Jun"UK's FCA finalizes major crypto rulebook " Jun 30, 2026The UK's Financial Conduct Authority has finalized a sweeping crypto regulatory framework covering exchanges, custodians, stablecoin issuers, staking firms, lending platforms, and certain DeFi firms, with formal authorization set to begin October 25th, 2027. The rulebook introduces prudential capital requirements, market abuse controls, consumer protections, and stablecoin standards, with no blanket exception for fungible tokens.Mon 29 Jun"Saylor hints at more buys" Jun 29, 2026Michael Saylor's latest post on X teased another Bitcoin purchase for Strategy, which already holds 847,363 BTC at an average cost of roughly $75,646 per coin against a current price near $60,000, leaving the treasury about $13 billion underwater. Critics including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and on-chain firm CryptoQuant have called the accumulation model flawed.Mon 29 JunDraft Episode for Jun 29, 2026Bitcoin opened June 29th at $59,872, with Strategy holding 847,363 BTC at an average cost near $75,646, leaving its treasury roughly $13 billion underwater as Michael Saylor signaled another purchase and MSTR shares hit their lowest point since February 2024. India's USDT premium surged above 9 percent after Enforcement Directorate raids on five crypto payment firms accused of facilitating $265 million in unauthorized cross-border transfers, tightening domestic liquidity ahead of a July 2nd parliamentary meeting on crypto regulation.Thu 25 Jun"SBI Holdings to acquire Bitbank" Jun 25, 2026SBI Holdings is acquiring Bitbank, one of Japan's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, extending the financial conglomerate's domestic crypto strategy and accelerating consolidation in Japan's retail digital asset market.Tue 23 Jun"Bill banning Fed USDC heads to House" Jun 23, 2026A bill banning the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC or any substantially similar digital asset until December 31, 2030 was attached to the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which passed the Senate 85 to 5 and now heads to a House floor vote. The anti-CBDC language reflects the Trump administration's position that a US digital currency is off the table, with policy focus shifting instead to market structure through the Clarity Act.Mon 22 Jun"Bank of Korea moves CBDC pilot into phase 2" Jun 22, 2026The Bank of Korea is advancing its CBDC pilot into a second phase that requires commercial banks to embed deposit tokens directly into core account systems for transactions and settlements, with additional tests covering bank-run e-wallets and blockchain-based government subsidy distribution through digital vouchers. This contrasts sharply with the United States, where the Trump administration has ruled out issuing a CBDC.Tue 9 Jun"SBF files for presidential pardon" Jun 09, 2026Sam Bankman-Fried, currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy tied to the collapse of FTX, has filed for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump despite Trump stating in January he had no plans to grant one. In DeFi, Morpho raised 175 million dollars at a valuation of up to 2 billion dollars in one of the largest funding rounds in the sector's history, signaling continued institutional interest in on-chain lending infrastructure.Tue 9 Jun"SBF files for presidential pardon" Jun 09, 2026Sam Bankman-Fried, now 34 and serving a 25-year sentence at a low-security federal prison in Santa Barbara, has filed for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, who effectively rejected the request by pointing back to January comments ruling out clemency. A year of public flattery toward Trump on X appears to have yielded nothing.Mon 8 Jun"Strategy a buyer again" Jun 08, 2026Strategy added 1,550 Bitcoin for roughly 101 million dollars last week while simultaneously disclosing its first Bitcoin sale since 2022, a 32 BTC disposal worth about 2.5 million dollars to fund dividends on its STRC preferred shares. JP Morgan noted the small sale unsettled markets, highlighting how sensitive investors have become to any sign Strategy could turn net seller.Thu 4 Jun"Coinbase launches pre-IPO perpetual futures" Jun 04, 2026Coinbase launched pre-IPO perpetual futures contracts beginning with SpaceX, which carries a reported expected IPO valuation of 1.8 trillion dollars. The contracts settle in USDC, offer up to 5x leverage, trade with no expiry, and automatically convert to a standard perpetual if the company lists publicly, though holders receive no ownership or voting rights.Wed 3 Jun"Binance to shutter centralized NFT service" Jun 03, 2026Binance is closing its centralized NFT marketplace on July 3rd 2026, requiring users to withdraw transferable NFTs to Binance Wallet or another compatible wallet before that date or permanently lose access. Non-transferable assets, including Binance Academy Core certificates, cannot be recovered and will simply disappear, with PDF certificates offered as a substitute.Tue 2 Jun"Mt Gox moves BTC" Jun 02, 2026On June 2nd 2026, Mt. Gox moved approximately $739 million worth of Bitcoin in its first on-chain transfer since late March, with the coins remaining unspent and their connection to creditor repayments unclear, as the trustee still holds 34,504 BTC worth roughly $2.4 billion ahead of an October 2026 repayment deadline.Mon 1 Jun"Strategy sells some BTC" Jun 01, 2026Strategy made its first Bitcoin sale since December 2022, offloading 32 BTC between May 26 and May 31 to raise roughly $2.5 million for STRC preferred stock dividends, while Saylor characterized the move as consistent with a net accumulator posture targeting 10 to 20 purchases for every coin sold.Mon 18 May"Another big Strategy BTC buy" May 18, 2026Strategy made its sixth-largest weekly Bitcoin purchase on record between May 11 and May 17, acquiring 24,869 BTC for roughly $2 billion at an average price just above $80,000 per coin, bringing total holdings to 843,738 BTC, or more than 4 percent of the 21 million coin supply cap. The buys were funded through at-the-market sales of MSTR common stock and STRC preferred stock, while the company separately agreed to repurchase $1.5 billion of its 2029 convertible notes.Thu 7 May"BNY expands crypto custody business" May 07, 2026BNY is expanding its crypto custody services in the UAE, emphasizing its leadership in the asset management space amid rising demand for Bitcoin and Ether custody. The cryptocurrency market reflects significant activity, with Bitcoin at $81,425. Additionally, Pantera Capital notes the growing tokenization market, primarily driven by stablecoins, which dominate market value despite its immaturity. Meanwhile, a high-profile sentencing highlights ongoing security challenges in the crypto space.Thu 7 May"BNY expands crypto custody business" May 07, 2026BNY is expanding its crypto custody services in the UAE, initially focusing on Bitcoin and Ether, reflecting a strong commitment to the crypto market despite rising challenges, including significant fraud incidents. Additionally, American Bitcoin faces financial difficulties with a $82 million loss, while market insights from Pantera Capital highlight the immaturity of the tokenization sector and the dominance of stablecoins within the $321 billion valuation.Thu 23 Apr"Blockchain capital raising $700M" Apr 23, 2026The key topics include Blockchain Capital's significant $700 million fundraising for growth-focused investments, indicating strong interest in blockchain ventures. Also highlighted is the rising cryptocurrency crime, exemplified by a recent home invasion in France involving a large crypto transfer. Lastly, MetaMask's advancements in user-friendly features for decentralization and support for multiple networks reflect ongoing enhancements in the crypto ecosystem.Wed 22 Apr"Justin Sun sues World Liberty Financial" Apr 22, 2026Justin Sun is suing World Liberty Financial over governance issues and alleged unjustified actions involving WLFI tokens. In the crypto market, Bitcoin and Ethereum prices are noted, alongside Upshift's partnership with Securitize to enhance on-chain reporting. Additionally, UK retail investors gain tax-free access to crypto ETNs through an innovative finance ISA, while Volo Protocol faces a $3.5 million loss from exploitation, underscoring security challenges in decentralized finance.