Unchained

Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world. Disclosure: I'm a nocoiner.
Website : https://unchainedpodcast.com
IPFS Feed : https://ipfspodcasting.net/RSS/381/Unchained.xml
Last Episode : September 22, 2023 7:00am
Last Scanned : 9 minutes ago

Episodes
Episodes currently hosted on IPFS.
Why FTX Might Try to Claw Back Funds From Retail Customers- Ep. 547
As lawsuits continue to pile up in the FTX saga, FTX chief John Ray III is focused on clawing back funds from former affiliates to pay back creditors. But how might that play out in court? Founder of 117 Partners Thomas Braziel, who specializes in the trading of bankruptcy claims, explains the different paths Ray may choose to go down and the potential outcomes of these cases.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
The chances of FTX winning in court against Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents
The case against Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman
Whether civil cases could turn into criminal ones
Whether bankruptcy proceedings and the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried are a coordinated effort
What retail clawbacks are and the likelihood that FTX will pursue them
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Guest
Thomas Braziel, founder of 117 Partners
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Will FTX Reboot? Here’s John Ray’s Internal Deadline for Making a Decision
Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In
Will Celsius Survive the Bankruptcy Process?
How Crypto Bankruptcy Claims Buyers Will Profit From the Collapse of FTX
Links
Previous coverage of Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX:
The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning?
How Much Prison Time Is FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Facing?
Why the Legal Process for FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Could Take Years
The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He?
Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion
Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting?
Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX?
The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn’t Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater
Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets
The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto?
Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC
Unchained:
New Suit Claims That FTX Kept Its Fraud All in the Family
Stanford University Will Return $5.5 Million to FTX
FTX Sues SBF’s Parents to Claw Back Misappropriated Funds: Report
Full text of the FTX lawsuit against Bankman and Fried
CoinDesk: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Dad Thought His Son Wasn’t Paying Him Enough, So He Got Mom Involved
Bloomberg: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Elite Parents Enabled His Crypto Empire
The Verge: The best stuff Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents bought using FTX money
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Published Friday
The Chopping Block: Will Warren of 0x on Its Settlement With the CFTC - Ep. 546
Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders chop it up about the latest news. This week, Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt speak to Will Warren, cofounder of 0x Labs, to discuss why the CFTC issued them a Wells Notice, how they responded to regulatory scrutiny, and how other countries may offer a blueprint for crypto regulation.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
why the CFTC issued a Wells Notice to 0x
how a decentralized application addresses the issue of geolocalization of users
how the team at 0x worked together with the CFTC to avoid violating the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) again
what are the implications of the settlement and who's liable for offering services
why it's so hard for crypto projects to follow the rules without clear regulatory guidance
why Haseeb says that the SEC wants this industry to “not exist”
how lack of regulatory clarity may be stunting US innovation
whether there's a conflict of interest between the companies building protocols and the protocols themselves
Hosts
Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly
Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly
Guest
Will Warren, cofounder of 0x Labs
Disclosures
Links
Unchained:
UniswapX Launches With MEV Protection and Gas Free Swaps
CFTC Charges Three DeFi Protocols With Violating AML Rules, Operating Without Licenses
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Published Thursday
Zeke Faux's Crypto Adventures and His Relationship With Former FTX CEO SBF - Ep. 545
Zeke Faux, author of 'Number Go Up,' shares his findings after making a deep dive into the world of crypto. From skepticism to a full-blown investigation, Faux recounts his journey that led him to the heart of crypto, meeting some of the most eccentric characters in the industry. As a Bloomberg investigative reporter, Faux brings a critical eye to the crypto sphere, unearthing the bizarre, the risky, and the downright astonishing facets of what the crypto community calls a financial revolution.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
what the book 'Number Go Up' is about
Zeke's background as an investigative reporter for Bloomberg
whether Zeke is skeptical about crypto
why Zeke thought it was a big deal to investigate Tether, the issuer of USDT
whether he had a conclusion on the fact that he couldn't find anything big about Tether
why Zeke says that Sam Bankman-Fried had a sloppy approach to risk management
why Zeke believes that SBF did not give so much money to charity even though he's an effective altruist
how projects like STEPN and Axie Infinity are 'clearly not the future of finance,' according to Zeke
how SBF had such an open relationship with the media that helped him when the FTX collapse happened
what Zeke found out investigating pig butchering scams in Cambodia
how Zeke’s attempt to buy a Mutant Ape to get into an Ape Fest in New York City taught him about crypto’s bad user experience
Thank you to our sponsors!
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LayerZero
Guest:
Zeke Faux, author of ‘Number Go Up’
Bloomberg: 11 Hours With Sam Bankman-Fried: Inside the Bahamian Penthouse After FTX’s Fall
Links
Tether
Unchained:
Is Tether a Fraud? Its Bank Says It's Not
Tether, the Multibillion-Dollar Stablecoin at the Heart of the Crypto Ecosystem
Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX
Unchained:
Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC
SBF Behind Bars: Why Revoked Bail Is a Big Deal for Crypto’s Biggest Trial
Pig butchering scams
Unchained: How This Prosecutor Is Spearheading the Fight Against Crypto ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams
Crypto in developing countries
Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption?
Anita Posch on Why ‘Bitcoin Is a Tool for Freedom’ – Especially in Africa
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Published Tuesday
With Execs Leaving and Market Share Declining, Can Binance Survive? - Ep. 544
In the wake of FTX’s collapse, Binance – already the biggest exchange in the world by a large margin – has continued to grow. But a series of challenges, including billions of dollars worth of customer outflows, the winding down of its stablecoin BUSD and the SEC and CFTC lawsuits related to its U.S. operations have challenged its market dominance. Steven Ehrlich, director of research at Forbes Crypto, joins the show to discuss how Binance has been dealing with a deluge of bad news and how it plans to forge a path forward.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
how the collapse of FTX impacted Binance and its market dominance
how Binance has been losing market share over the past few months
why Steven believes that Binance.US is in a "very tenuous situation"
whether Binance is feeling stronger now that the SEC experienced a partial loss in the Ripple case
the consequences of consumers losing trust in Binance, according to Steven
the speculation around the recently filed sealed motion filed by the SEC
whether the theory that Binance is the next FTX has some merits
how Binance.US needs to recuperate some market volume to increase its revenue
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Arbitrum Foundation
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Guest
Steven Ehrlich, director of research at Forbes Crypto
Links
WSJ:
Binance, the Biggest Player in Crypto, Is Facing Legal Risks Over Russia
More Binance Executives Leave, Including Some Overseeing Russia
How the Binance CEO Operates: Weigh the Risk, Calculate the Reward
What Is Happening With Binance?
Binance Lays Off Over 1,000 Employees
Some Binance.US Crypto Trading Was a Mirage, the SEC Alleges
Binance.US Legal, Risk Executives Leave the Crypto Exchange
Reuters:
Crypto exchange Binance hit by executive exodus
Paxos receives U.S. SEC notice over Binance's stablecoin 'BUSD'
Binance CEO's trading firm received $11 billion via client deposit company, SEC says
The Block:
Binance.US can't grow until CZ sells stake, fixes regulatory issues: sources
Binance to end support for BUSD, encourages conversion to FDUSD
Mastercard, Binance end crypto card partnership in four countries
Binance withdraws crypto license application in Germany
CoinDesk: SEC's Secret Binance Court Filing Has Observers Bracing for Bad News
John Reed Stark’s post on X
CFTC: CFTC Charges Binance and Its Founder, Changpeng Zhao, with Willful Evasion of Federal Law and Operating an Illegal Digital Asset Derivatives Exchange
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Published 09/15
Jeremy Allaire on Circle's ‘Multi-Decade’ Strategy and Where Stablecoin Regulation Is Headed - Ep. 543
It’s been a busy year for USDC issuer Circle, with several new product launches and partnerships, a crypto banking crisis to contend with, the entry of PayPal into the stablecoin business, and plenty of new global regulatory developments, including a bill in the U.S. now making its way through Congress. Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire joins Unchained for an in-depth discussion on the reasons behind Coinbase’s investment in Circle, how Circle has emerged stronger from the banking crisis, what he thinks of PYUSD, what he likes and doesn’t like about the current U.S. stablecoin bill, and his thoughts on what the final bill will look like.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
why Circle and Coinbase created the Center Consortium and why Coinbase acquired a stake in Circle
whether Circle is aiming to be acquired or become a public company, and why Jeremy is pursuing a "multi-decade" strategy
why Circle partnered with MercadoLibre and the stablecoin usage in Latin America [may need to cut if embargo does not stick]
how the company has been supporting developers to build applications
why Circle is launching native USDC on so many new blockchains
what the purpose of cross-chain transfer protocol (CCTP) is and what the big problems with bridges are
how Circle responded to Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and why the world began to feel that "it's not safe to be exposed to the US"
Jeremy's thoughts on the launch of PayPal's stablecoin, PYUSD
why having stablecoin legislation is a "national priority," according to Jeremy
why Jeremy is a proponent of a fully reserved banking system
why he thinks the US needs to "aggressively" take action to preserve the global reserve currency status of the US dollar
how China’s national digital currency is likely to develop
how crypto can provide a better way of providing identity without giving up privacy
why blockchain technology is much more than just a financial regulatory matter
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Arbitrum Foundation
Toku
LayerZero
Guest:
Jeremy Allaire, cofounder, Chairman and CEO of Circle
Previous appearances of Jeremy on Unchained:
Crypto on Every Corner: Driving Adoption With Jeremy Allaire and Meltem Demirors
Circle’s Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville on Why Crypto Will Be Bigger Than the Web
Jeremy Allaire on Why the US Government Needs a New Category for Digital Assets
Links
Unchained:
Coinbase Acquires Equity Stake in Circle Amid USDC Updates and Market Challenges
Will PayPal’s PYUSD Steal Market Share From Tether and Circle?
The Fall of SVB: What Happened and How It Affects Crypto
CoinDesk:
U.S. Stablecoin Bill Takes Big Step Despite Fight From Democrats, White House
Circle Seeks to Make Crypto Payments Easier With New 'Programmable Wallets'
Written Statement of Jeremy Allaire Before the United States House Committee on Financial Services, “The Future of Digital Assets: Providing Clarity for the Digital Asset Ecosystem”
South China Morning Post: Head of crypto firm Circle accepts ban in mainland China, but sees role for yuan-backed stablecoins
TechCrunch: Solana Pay integrates plug-in with Shopify for USDC payments
Decrypt: News Explorer — Circle Partners With Mercado Libre to Bring USDC to Chile
Jeremy’s comments on the launch of PYUSD
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Published 09/12
Could This Vitalik-Backed Protocol Bring Privacy to a Regulated Crypto World? - Ep. 542
Earlier this week, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and four co-authors published a paper describing a smart contract protocol called privacy pools that would enable crypto users to associate their funds with those being used for legitimate purposes versus those being used in criminal activity such as hacks or money laundering. The protocol addresses one of the main shortcomings of coin mixer Tornado Cash, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. government.
Chainalysis chief scientist Jacob Illum, one of those co-authors, discusses the impetus for the paper, the technology behind privacy pools and how they would work in practice, who would provide some of the necessary organization to operate the pools, and some of the early criticisms of the paper.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
what the current state of crypto privacy is and what the motivation was to write this paper
what privacy pools are and how they work
how zero-knowledge proofs are the key technology behind privacy pools
what the role of association set providers is in making this new technology work
what would happen in different potential scenarios, such as a "bad address" being discovered after a transaction has been made
how the protocol would protect the privacy and identity of the users
how law enforcement, credit score agencies and other organizations could have "special viewing privileges" of transactions, according to Jacob
how the community has been reacting to the recently published paper
Jacob’s response to criticisms the paper has received from industry players
why Chainalysis participated in the paper given that many people see them as 'anti-privacy'
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Arbitrum Foundation
Thales DAO
Toku
Guest
Jacob Illum, chief scientist at Chainalysis
Links
Unchained: Tornado Cash Cofounder Arrested, Another Sanctioned by U.S. Government
CoinDesk: Crypto-Mixing Service Tornado Cash Blacklisted by US Treasury
Blockchain Privacy and Regulatory Compliance: Towards a Practical Equilibrium
Matt Corallo’s tweet
Crypto lawyer Preston Byrne’s tweet
Previous coverage of Unchained on Tornado Cash:
The Chopping Block: 'Code Is Law' Is 'Obviously Not How Anything Works Ever'
The Chopping Block: Why DeFi May Be Over-Complying With Tornado Cash Sanctions
Preston Van Loon on Ethereum’s Merge and His Lawsuit Against TreasuryGiven the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant?
The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?
Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds?
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Published 09/08
The Chopping Block: Why Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire Is So Optimistic About Stablecoins' Future - Ep. 541
Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. This week, the group sits down with Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire to discuss how the USDC stablecoin issuer responded to the banking crisis that started at the end of 2022, what PayPal’s new stablecoin offering means for Circle and the rest of the industry, and whether central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) represent real competition for stablecoins.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
how the collapse of FTX and other companies led to a de-banking crisis for the industry
what the Circle Reserve Fund is
how the banking crisis in early 2023 caused a "flight from safety"
how regulatory clarity has improved in the aftermath of the banking crisis
why Jeremy actually hopes PayPal's recently launched PYUSD is successful
why Tarun believes Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are one of the most "boring concepts" within the industry
whether CBDCs pose a threat to businesses that issue stablecoins such as Circle
Whether the status quo on stablecoins in the U.S. of knowing-your-customer on redemption and minting, but not on holding, is likely to continue.
Hosts:
Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly
Robert Leshner, founder of Compound
Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures
Guest:
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle
Disclosures
Links
The Chopping Block: Was Crypto Just Debanked?
Will PayPal's PYUSD Steal Market Share From Tether and Circle?
The Fall of SVB: What Happened and How It Affects Crypto
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Published 09/07
Friend.tech: The Legal and Tax Ins and Outs of This Year’s Hottest Crypto App - Ep. 540
Friend.tech, a decentralized social media platform in which you can buy and sell “keys” in your friends on X (formerly known as Twitter) whose value can go up and down, has become a viral sensation, racking up as many as 100,000 users since launching on August 10. Should keys be considered securities and thus regulated by the SEC? How should gains and losses be taxed? And how private should users assume their communications and transactions on the platform are? Securities and banking law professor at George Mason Law School JW Verret, and tax partner and co-head of the Digital Assets and Blockchain Practice at Fried Frank Jason Schwartz, share their thoughts.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
how Friend.tech works and how the price of keys is determined
how Friend.tech is different from many other past attempts at creating a decentralized social media platform
whether the keys offered by Friend.tech could be deemed securities by the SEC
what wrapped Friend.tech tokens are and whether these could be considered securities
why the traditional approach to crypto taxation is bad for most Friend.tech taxpayers
what the tax implications of Friend.tech airdrops are
what Friend.tech users should assume about their privacy on the app
what the future holds for Friend.tech
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Guests:
J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law at George Mason Law School
Previous appearance on Unchained: Coinbase's Legal Action Against the SEC: How It Will Likely Unfold
Jason Schwartz, tax partner and co-head of the Digital Assets and Blockchain Practice at Fried, Frank
Friend.Tech Shows How Complicated Taxing Crypto Transactions Can Be by Jason Schwartz
Links
Unchained:
Friend.tech Threatens to Penalize Users That Move to Copies or Forks
Friend.tech Clarifies That Database of 100,000 Users Was Not Leaked
What Is SocialFi? A Beginner’s Guide
The ‘Howey Test’ and the Debate Over Crypto's Legal Status - Crypto Security vs Commodity
CoinDesk: Friend.tech Attracted NBA Influencers. So Why Does Everyone Think Crypto’s Latest Trend Will Die?
Decrypt: Friend.tech Renames Its Token—But Is It Even Legal?
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Published 09/05
Does Grayscale’s Win Against the SEC Mean a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Be Approved? - Ep. 539
This week’s emphatic ruling in favor of Grayscale in its suit against the SEC to convert its massive bitcoin trust into an ETF generated plenty of hopium among the bitcoin faithful that a spot bitcoin ETF will get approved soon and open a flood of investment in bitcoin. What are the odds of that truly happening now, though, and if it did, how much additional money could wind up being invested in bitcoin as a result? Also, which companies’ applications would get approved first and how would the various products compete with one other? Bloomberg’s senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas separates the hype from the reality in answering these questions and more.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
why Bloomberg increased the likelihood of a Bitcoin ETF being approved this year from 50% to 75%
how the ruling exceeded the expectations of the legal analysts at Bloomberg
why it's important that the ruling was a bipartisan decision
whether, from a legal perspective, it's "weird" to deny a spot ETF but approve a futures one
how a spot Bitcoin ETF would act as a bridge for Baby boomers to invest in crypto
what the two most likely SEC responses to the ruling are
what the likely timelines for an SEC spot Bitcoin ETF approval or disapproval would be
whether Gary Gensler's agency will approve Ethereum futures ETFs in the U.S.
why BlackRock's and Fidelity's ETFs are more likely to be approved first, according to Eric
how the different ETFs would compete in the market
why spot Bitcoin ETFs pose a serious threat to crypto exchanges' businesses
Eric's estimate of how much additional money would pour into Bitcoin if a spot Bitcoin ETF is approved
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Arbitrum Foundation
Thales DAO
Toku
Guest
Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence
Links
Previous coverage of Unchained on Grayscale and ETFs:
Why Grayscale Is Suing the SEC Over Its Denial of a Bitcoin ETF
Bitwise’s Latest Plans to Get a Bitcoin ETF Approved
DCG’s Dilemma: Should It Sell Its GBTC Holdings to Repay Gemini?
Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy?
‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis
Unchained:
Grayscale Wins Lawsuit Against SEC Over Denial of Bid to Convert GBTC Into a Bitcoin ETF
Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work?
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Published 09/01
The Chopping Block: Coinbase’s Paul Grewal on Why the SEC Is Going After Crypto So Aggressively - Ep. 538
Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra, chop it up about the latest news. This week, the gang goes in depth with Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal to discuss Grayscale’s win in its court case against the SEC, Coinbase’s ongoing dust-up with the SEC, the onerous new crypto reporting regulations proposed by the U.S. Treasury, and the unsettling legal arguments behind the government crackdown on Tornado Cash.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
why Paul considers the court ruling in favor of Grayscale in its case against the SEC “nothing short of monumental”
how much it actually matters if a spot Bitcoin ETF gets approved
what options the SEC has now to pursue its position
why BlackRock may have applied for its spot Bitcoin ETF when it did
how the SEC 'changed its tune' and went from approving Coinbase’s S1 to suing them in a federal court, according to Paul
how the collapse of FTX may have affected the SEC’s view of Coinbase
why Coinbase has decided to wage its battle against the SEC so publicly
when Paul expects a final decision to be made on the SEC’s lawsuit against Coinbase
what Paul would do to regulate the digital asset industry if he were Gary Gensler
whether the Treasury Department’s extensive proposed reporting regulations mean the crypto industry is “screwed”
why Paul believes that the government’s crackdown on Tornado Cash is "dead wrong on the law"
Hosts
Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly
Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly
Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures
Guest:
Paul Grewal, chief legal officer of Coinbase
Previous appearances on Unchained:
Just a Coincidence? Coinbase and Polygon Lawyers See Bad Omens in SEC Crackdown
Coinbase’s Top Lawyer Calls SEC Wells Notice a ‘Massive Overreach’
Disclosures
Links
Unchained:
Grayscale Wins Lawsuit Against SEC Over Denial of Bid to Convert GBTC Into a Bitcoin ETF
SEC Issues Coinbase a Wells Notice
Tornado Cash Cofounder Arrested, Another Sanctioned by U.S. Government
Bitcoin ETFs Explained: What Are They & How Do They Work?
Coinbase: We asked the SEC for reasonable crypto rules for Americans. We got legal threats instead.
TechCrunch: SEC settles first NFT enforcement case, fines LA media company $6M
The Block: Treasury, IRS release proposed crypto tax reporting rules
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Published 08/31
Oracles: Does the Backbone of DeFi Need Fixing? - Ep. 537
Oracles are all about bringing important data (mostly asset prices) onto the blockchain. As such, they’re a key part of decentralized finance. But oracle provider Pyth sees room for improvement as it relates to being more real-time than crypto incumbents like Chainlink. Mike Cahill, the CEO of a brand new Pyth-linked firm called Douro Labs, joins the show to explain the opportunity he sees in building better oracles.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
how Pyth Network works and what the upcoming Perseus upgrade consists of
Mike’s background in traditional finance
why oracles are necessary in crypto and what the challenges are for oracle providers
whether it’s hard for traditional institutions to participate in crypto protocols
what the four types of oracle solutions are and how they differ
how Pyth determines which data providers are allowed in the network and how that will change if it becomes more decentralized
why Mike compares the scalability of Pyth to how Facebook grew
why Douro Labs is being launched and why it will be solely focused on Pyth for now
the factors driving Pyth’s growth, according to Mike
Mike’s opinion on the current state of the crypto market and what the endgame is for Pyth
Thank you to our sponsors!
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TOKEN2049
Guest:
Mike Cahill, CEO at Douro Labs.
Links
What’s the Difference Between Pyth and Legacy Oracles
Unchained:
What Are Blockchain Oracles?
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Published 08/29
Is This the End of DeFi? Why the US Government Is Going After Tornado Cash - Ep. 536
On Wednesday, the U.S. Government indicted Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Roman Semenov for three counts of conspiracy involving a staggeringly large number: $1 billion in criminal proceeds. The U.S. Department of Justice attached North Korean hackers to a large portion of this sum, alleging that Tornado’s privacy tech enabled nefarious deeds. Amanda Tuminelli, chief legal officer of the DeFi Education Fund, joins the show to assess whether the U.S. Government got it right or is merely misguided in its understanding of how blockchain technology works. Should Tornado Cash devs be held to account for the criminal use of their software?
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:
why the U.S. Government says the cofounders of Tornado Cash facilitated money laundering
what the difference is between the concealment of potential proceeds of a crime versus the facilitation of that crime
why Amanda believes that if the government understood the technology they wouldn’t be making these allegations
whether the charges and the indictment will have implications for all software developers
whether these allegations could mark the “end of DeFi” in the U.S.
whether front-end applications in DeFi will need to mandate KYC checks for all users
how the charges appear to contradict earlier FinCEN guidance
how the DOJ will use the involvement of North Korean hackers to “make it look bad” for the jury
what the future of the case will look like and whether there will be a motion to dismiss the indictment
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Arbitrum Foundation
Thales DAO
Guest
Amanda Tuminelli, Chief Legal Officer at DeFi Education Fund
Links
Previous coverage of Unchained on Tornado Cash:
The Chopping Block: 'Code Is Law' Is 'Obviously Not How Anything Works Ever'
The Chopping Block: Why DeFi May Be Over-Complying With Tornado Cash Sanctions
Preston Van Loon on Ethereum’s Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury
Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant?
The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?
Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds?
Unchained:
Tornado Cash Cofounder Arrested, Another Sanctioned by U.S. Government
OFAC Updates Tornado Cash Sanctions To Include DAO
Coin Center Sues the US Treasury Over Tornado Cash Sanctions
Coin Center: New Tornado Cash indictments seem to run counter to FinCEN guidance
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Published 08/25