RECENT EPISODES
Fri 6 NovWill the Democratic Sweep Cloud Crypto Market Structure? | CoinDesk DailyA Democratic sweep of Congress could further complicate passage of the Clarity Act, though the bill had already stalled and a revised, bipartisan version may still be possible. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $430 million in net outflows Thursday amid a broad market sell-off. Against that weakness, Injective rallied after Nasdaq approved the listing of Canary Capital’s staked INJ ETF.Fri 6 NovCould Any U.S. Rulebook Have Stopped the $6.3B Binance Hack?Taylor Monahan says the roughly $6.3 billion Binance attack showed North Korean hackers manipulating systems in ways a U.S. rulebook or offshore registration could not reliably prevent. The industry responded by freezing about $3 billion in stablecoins within 45 minutes. The discussion also examines how a CLARITY bill provision allowing issuers to freeze assets without a court order could ease law enforcement’s work, while raising concerns about new risks and incentives.Thu 5 NovGoogle Could Take Stake in TeraWulf’s $19B AI Project | CoinDesk DailyGoogle agreed to backstop Anthropic’s rental obligations for 401 megawatts of computing capacity at TerraWulf’s Kentucky campus, a 20-year project valued at $19 billion; Google could become a part-owner only if Anthropic fails to pay. Kraken parent Payward and clients bought an undisclosed amount of Aave tokens, not equity. Crypto insurer SOTR’s backing totals $23.5 million, 500 Bitcoin and 2,000 Ether.Wed 4 NovIs the AI Boom Keeping Bitcoin from Its Next Bull Run? | Markets OutlookShubh Varma argues Bitcoin’s next bull run may depend less on near-term crypto fundamentals than on capital rotating out of the AI trade, though the timing is uncertain. He sees subdued trading activity but room for prices to rise quickly if buying returns, and expects crypto could defy bearish consensus in 2027. The discussion also examines why a broad altcoin season may not return in its past form.Wed 4 NovHunter Biden Says Democrats Have It Wrong on CryptoHunter Biden argues many Democrats misunderstand crypto and says its potential for refugees and people excluded from banking is being eclipsed by partisan politics. The discussion examines industry donations, Donald Trump’s crypto ventures and stalled legislation, before turning to Biden’s Laptop token: its embedded prediction market, troubled launch and his claim that the market maker deployed far less capital than expected.Wed 4 NovDemocrats Take Congress After Crypto’s Election Spending Fails | CoinDesk DailyDemocrats were projected to take both chambers of Congress, while crypto super PACs’ $63 million effort to unseat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown failed. Elizabeth Warren was likely to chair the Senate Banking Committee, a consequential hurdle for crypto legislation. The episode also examines debate over AI data-center construction after Gina Hinejosa won in Texas on a platform supporting a moratorium; Texas accounts for 27% of planned U.S. data-center power capacity.Tue 3 NovNorth Korea Denies It Was Behind $6.4B Binance Hack | CoinDesk DailyKim Yo-jung denied North Korea’s role in the $6.4 billion Binance hack and called the FBI’s attribution a political attack, while Elliptic cited on-chain evidence linking the theft to the DPRK and said $2.85 billion had been frozen or seized. The episode also covers Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino’s statement that the company holds about 150,000 Bitcoin, and Mercado Bitcoin’s plan to absorb a $40 million hack loss so customers lose nothing.Mon 2 NovBitcoin ETFs Hit by $643M Selloff as Binance Hack Shakes CryptoSpot Bitcoin ETFs reversed more than $440 million in early-week inflows with $643 million in Friday outflows, ending the week down about $203 million; the timing may reflect concern over the Binance hack, but flows don’t establish investors’ motives. TRM Labs attributed the attack to North Korea and said about $6.4 billion was drained across 10 blockchains in roughly 20 minutes. Binance pledged to cover user losses, while recovery and future institutional ETF flows remain key uncertainties.Mon 2 NovBinance Bleeds $6B After Record Hack | CoinDesk DailyMore than $6 billion left Binance-linked wallets in the 24 hours after withdrawals reopened following the October 29 hack, while Binance said it had replenished roughly 95% of stolen assets. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $643 million in one-day outflows, their largest since June, though the figures do not establish how much was tied to the hack. Crypto super PAC Fair Shake spent $154 million during the election cycle.Tue 27 OctNBA Enters Prediction Markets as NFL Pushes Back | CoinDesk DailyThe NBA has named Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction-market exchanges under an agreement with the CFTC, while barring league and team personnel from trading NBA event contracts—a move contrasting with the NFL’s pushback as states consider gambling-law oversight. The episode also covers federal approval of Ripple National Trust Bank to manage RLUSD reserves and provide institutional custody, and Keystone’s response to a breach that exposed nearly 26,000 buyer records.Mon 26 OctMusk Warns AI Debt Markets Have "Shut Off" for Most Firms | CoinDesk DailyElon Musk said SpaceX could raise $40 billion in debt for AI GPUs because Starlink and rocket launches provide steady revenue, while debt markets have largely shut off for firms reliant on AI data centers. The episode also covers a vulnerability in older Electrum versions that could redirect payments to an attacker, and reports of banks blocking or delaying crypto-related transfers.Mon 26 OctErik Voorhees Predicts AI Will Generate Entire Movies in Minutes by 2030Erik Voorhees predicts that by 2030, AI could turn a spoken sentence into a film in about a minute, or render ideas as videos or virtual-reality worlds. He points to Venice AI’s growing video use and a festival drawing roughly 700 to 750 submissions as evidence of rapid progress, while distinguishing today’s clip-based production from his forecast. He also discusses Venice’s privacy-focused design and the creative freedom he says fewer restrictions can offer.Fri 23 OctPolymarket Fires CMO Over Fake-Trades Scandal | CoinDesk DailyPolymarket fired CMO Matthew Medaver after an internal probe into reported fake trades, as the board reportedly sought to shed the startup image ahead of a possible IPO; the New York Post also described a dispute over his termination. Senator Richard Blumenthal is seeking answers about Tether payments to Nexum while its owner advised President Trump on crypto policy. Ethereum developers paused a Hootie testnet upgrade over a flaw that could make failed transactions permanent.Fri 23 OctStablecoins Causing Bank Deposit Flight Is 'Mathematically Not Possible' Says CEOAustin Campbell argues stablecoins cannot mathematically cause deposits to disappear: purchases and redemptions move deposits between holders and institutions, while Treasury transactions are not unique to stablecoins. The discussion examines the OCC’s final rule, including its case-by-case treatment of exchange rewards and penalties for unapproved issuance, and distinguishes stablecoins from tokenized bank deposits such as JPMorgan’s permissioned Ethereum deposit token.Thu 22 OctChina Moves to Seize 61,800 Bitcoin in $5.7B Fraud Case | CoinDesk DailyChinese prosecutors are moving to seize more than 61,800 Bitcoin linked to a $5.7 billion unlicensed wealth-management scheme that drew over 102,000 investors from 2014 to 2017. U.S. agencies have halted about $833 million in crypto tied to scams and seized 503 fraudulent websites, much of it linked to scam centers in Burma, Cambodia and Laos. Bitcoin ETFs saw more than $1 billion in weekly inflows, though analysts say sustained stronger flows have historically accompanied steep rallies.Wed 21 OctMusk Floats SpaceX-Tesla Merger With 30,000 Bitcoin | CoinDesk DailyElon Musk says SpaceX and Tesla are exploring a possible merger; together, the companies hold 30,221 Bitcoin. SpaceX reported about $14.5 billion in revenue, above estimates, while Tesla’s results were due after Wednesday’s market close. The OCC’s new stablecoin-rewards rule requires federal sign-off, and Zcash’s planned Nu7 upgrade is expected to nearly triple transaction speed while ending support for Sprout.Wed 21 OctWhy Banks Can't Move Beyond Blockchain Pilots, According to Matter Labs | Markets OutlookMatter Labs’ Alex Glukowski argues that banks’ blockchain pilots stall not because tokenization is difficult, but because production requires identity, permissions, compliance, monitoring, and integration with existing systems. He explains how Previdium Commander aims to let institutions add operational controls without replacing their infrastructure, with a staged path to shared ledgers. The conversation also covers zero-knowledge proofs for privacy with oversight and the high transaction capacity banks may need.Tue 20 OctJPMorgan Says Bitcoin Will Beat Stocks, Bonds and Gold | CoinDesk DailyJPMorgan’s long-term base case forecasts Bitcoin returns of 10% annualized over the next 10 years, ahead of the bank’s outlook for U.S. stocks, bonds and gold; it is the first time the bank has put a range on Bitcoin. Microsoft, Alphabet and Goldman Sachs have objected to tokenized versions of their shares trading on OKX ICE. France’s National Assembly narrowly backed a proposal to tax crypto-to-stablecoin swaps at 31.4%, potentially from 2027 if it clears the remaining budget process.Tue 20 OctS&P Global Ratings Launches New Risk Assessment for DeFi Lending VaultsS&P Global Ratings has launched a Vault Risk Assessment for DeFi lending strategies, examining eligible markets as well as current allocations, withdrawal liquidity, curator policies, operational security and governance. Andrew O’Neill stresses that the assessment is not a credit rating: it evaluates potential principal impairment and withdrawal timing. He also discusses tighter controls after exploits, vaults’ possible role in on-chain finance, and how agentic AI could accelerate both value flows and risks.Mon 19 OctCiti Reveals Top Crypto Stock Picks Ahead of Q3 EarningsAhead of Q3 earnings, Citi upgraded Galaxy and Gemini and downgraded Securitize, favoring crypto businesses tied to infrastructure over token prices. The discussion covers Bitcoin miners’ push into high-performance computing, Bullish as a tokenization play, and why uncertainty over Securitize’s future economics and share unlocks weighs on its outlook. It also examines how inflation fears and ETF outflows can quickly shift demand for crypto assets.Mon 19 OctJPMorgan Brings JPM Coin to Ethereum | CoinDesk DailyJPMorgan is bringing JPM Coin, its dollar-deposit token, to Ethereum, extending a payment and settlement offering already available on Base. The bank says it targets crypto firms making blockchain payments, financial firms settling trades and companies backing tokenized assets; its Kinexys network handles more than $7 billion in daily transactions. The episode also examines Strategy’s approaching golden cross and the latest departure from the White House’s digital-assets team as crypto legislation and agency rulemaking continue.Fri 16 OctElon Musk's Flying Tesla Roadster Unveiling Boosts Tokenized TSLA | CoinDesk DailyElon Musk’s Roadster unveiling, featuring SpaceX thruster technology, coincided with a surge in tokenized Tesla trading while U.S. stock markets were closed: Hyperliquid’s Tesla Perpetual rose about 4.9% to roughly $378, and hourly volume jumped nearly 1,600%. The activity came ahead of Tesla’s October 21 earnings report.Fri 16 OctCFTC’s Michael Passalacqua Reveals Plan B for Crypto Regulation After CLARITY Act StallsWith the CLARITY Act stalled, CFTC official Michael Passalacqua explains the agency’s contingency plan and its push to let crypto exchanges opt into a uniform federal framework, including a proposal for leveraged retail crypto trading. He discusses the proposal’s limits and open questions as it enters a 60-day comment period, plus the CFTC’s coming rulemaking on on-chain finance and how regulators might address autonomous AI trading agents.Thu 15 OctRealFi Says Its Stablecoin Yield Tops 12% as Ethereum Launch NearsRealFi says its USD RF stablecoin was yielding about 12% annualized, with rates varying as its portfolio combines private credit, Treasury bills, money-market funds, and other assets. After a clean Cardano mainnet launch, the company is preparing an Ethereum launch planned for the following month, where it aims to grow total value locked and extend access to its yield-bearing DeFi product.Thu 15 OctLarry Fink Warns Data Center Halt Would Cause Recession | CoinDesk DailyLarry Fink warned that halting U.S. AI data center construction could stall an economy increasingly driven by AI investment and push it into recession, as national debt has risen from $8 trillion in 2000 to $40 trillion today. Crypto markets saw nearly $483 million in Bitcoin and Ether futures liquidations amid Fed policy uncertainty. Payward plans a regulated U.S. derivatives offering built on Hyperliquid technology, while Hyperliquid itself remains closed to U.S. customers.Thu 15 OctAI Agents Can Now Book Hotels and Pay With Crypto | Markets OutlookTravala CEO Juan Otero discusses an AI travel agent that searches more than 2.2 million hotels across 230 countries and lets users book with crypto without creating an account. The consumer app uses BNB Chain for gasless payment authorization and Binance Pay, with users approving each payment and receiving on-chain booking confirmations. The conversation also covers AVA rewards for agent-led bookings and how Travala’s BNB Chain integration differs from its developer-focused travel MCP with Base.Wed 14 OctSamsung Puts Stablecoins on 82M Galaxy Devices; BTC Slides on Hot CPISamsung Wallet is set to add USDC transfers on Solana to 82 million U.S. Galaxy devices in the last week of the month, with no new app or Samsung transfer fee and bank payouts available in more than 60 countries. Bitcoin hovered around $80,000 after hot CPI derailed expectations for an October Fed pause; an analyst attributed the pullback partly to long-term-holder selling and institutional ETF positioning, while saying it did not signal runaway inflation or a bear market.Wed 14 OctRipple Gives AI Agents Their Own Crypto Wallets | CoinDesk DailyRipple is bringing wallet technology to the XRP Ledger so apps and AI agents can create accounts, hold crypto and make payments; it says X402 has processed more than 13 million agent payments, about 25% of ledger activity. Standard Chartered has launched crypto trading and in-house custody for wealthy clients in the UAE.Tue 13 OctHackers Hid a Spy Chip in Ledger Wallets to Steal $93M | CoinDesk DailyThe episode examines reports that covert hardware implants in Ledger wallets sold by Southeast Asian reseller Crypto Billus captured recovery phrases during setup, with researchers estimating more than 300 wallets affected and losses of up to $93.2 million; a cited $10 million Tether freeze is not confirmed as related. It also covers South Korea’s move to block 27 sites tied to unregistered crypto activity and Bitmine’s purchase of 12,500 ether, bringing its holdings to about 4.9% of ETH supply.Fri 9 OctKraken Parent Backs CFTC's Plan to Regulate Spot Crypto Without CongressKraken parent Payward supports the CFTC’s proposed framework for regulating centralized spot crypto platforms, arguing the agency can act under existing law while Congress’s legislative route has stalled. The proposal is only an initial step, and Payward plans to comment. Its reach may depend on whether platforms offer margin trading and whether crypto is delivered to customer-controlled on-chain wallets; the CFTC’s legal authority remains open to challenge.Wed 7 OctIran Tanker Attacks Push Oil Higher and Bitcoin Lower | CoinDesk DailyIranian attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil higher as Bitcoin fell from near $86,600 to just above $84,000. FXPro said a drop below $83,000 could signal seller control and open a path to $80,000. The episode also examines Abstract’s planned December 15 shutdown, the second Ethereum-linked chain closure announced in less than a week after Blast.Wed 7 OctCloudflare CEO Says AI Agent Traffic Could Be 1,000X Human Traffic in Five YearsCloudflare CEO Matthew Prince says agent traffic surpassed human online traffic in early 2026 and could reach 1,000 times human traffic within five years, though he cautions that his forecasts have been wrong. He sees agents disrupting advertising and subscriptions, while their data requests could create a market for paid access to publishers’ information. That market may require tens of millions of transactions per second—far beyond current crypto payment capacity—and its eventual infrastructure remains unsettled.Tue 6 OctAnvil Launches SDK as Founders Fund Leads $5M Token Investment | Markets OutlookAnvil launched an SDK to embed its Ethereum-based, collateral-backed letters of credit in websites and business tools, enabling uses such as reservations and buy-now-pay-later without foregrounding crypto. Founders Fund led a $5 million token investment, with Pantera also participating. Tyler Spalding discussed governance and the prospect of Bitcoin, Ether, and tokenized real-world assets serving as collateral, including through future AI-driven transactions.Tue 6 OctCFTC Proposes Crypto Rules to Fill Congress's Gap | CoinDesk DailyThe CFTC has proposed two crypto rules after Congress failed to pass market-structure legislation: CTX would cover trades involving leverage, margin or financing, while CAM would create a category for crypto trading venues; public comments are open for 60 days. The episode also covers Treasury’s withdrawal of proposed rules on transfers to self-hosted wallets and crypto mixers, and sanctions tied to fundraising for Hamas, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in crypto transfers.Tue 6 OctGrayscale Says Investors Are Leaving ‘Money on the Table’ in Unstaked ETH ETFsSteve argues that investors in unstaked ether ETFs are forgoing staking rewards, while Grayscale says it stakes about 80% of its portfolio and staking added roughly 100 basis points of outperformance in the product’s first year. He urges investors to compare not only management fees, but also rewards passed through, the share of assets staked, staking queues and liquidity risks.Mon 5 OctNYSE Owner Joins OKX to Launch Tokenized Stocks | CoinDesk DailyOKX-ICE, the joint venture of OKX and NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange, told the SEC it plans a venue for trading tokenized shares in more than 60 U.S.-listed companies; the SEC’s new innovation exemption provides a route for such trading, but the transcript does not say whether the venture qualifies. Ether gained 70% in Q3 while its median daily market depth remained well below Bitcoin’s, and Zcash’s NU7 testnet upgrade targets faster transaction batches.Fri 2 OctPatrick McHenry Sees a Lame-Duck Window for CLARITYPatrick McHenry says a post-midterm lame-duck session could give the Senate another chance to pass the CLARITY Act, which cleared the House with nearly 300 votes but remains stalled in the Senate. He warns failure could push future crypto legislation into smaller pieces. The episode also examines how lawmakers should define liability and user responsibility as AI agents trade with less direct oversight.Thu 1 OctOpenAI, Google and Meta Pledge Outside AI Audits Under Voluntary White House Deal | CoinDesk DailyOpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic, Nvidia and xAI agreed to let outside auditors review safety controls for their most capable AI models under a voluntary White House pact with no deadline or penalties. The episode also examines the crypto industry’s more than $8 million in first-half lobbying for a market-structure bill that failed, and CFTC proposals that could bolster federal oversight of prediction markets.Thu 1 Oct70% of Tokenized Assets Fall Short on Transparency, Report Finds | Markets OutlookChronicle’s review of about 20 tokenized assets found that 70%, worth roughly $12.2 billion to $12.3 billion, fell short of its transparency standards; named examples include Syrup, USDC, Prime and Falcon X. Nicholas Kunkel explains why verified, timely on-chain data about holdings and asset events is essential for DeFi risk management, and how its absence limits protocols’ balance-sheet capacity. The discussion also explores institutional adoption and policy treating assets consistently whether represented in crypto form or not.Wed 30 SeptRobinhood's AI Can Now Trade While You Sleep | CoinDesk DailyRobinhood says its AI agents can research markets, develop strategies and place trades around the clock; more than 150,000 people have opened agentic accounts since the infrastructure became available to outside agents. The company is also offering eligible U.S. customers crypto perpetual futures with up to 10x leverage on Bitcoin and Ether. Separately, Brazil’s CSDBR will use the public XRP Ledger as a parallel ownership record for selected BTG investment funds.