Decrypt News

Ripple is buying back shares at a $50 billion valuation. Across Protocol is testing one of crypto’s holy grail. And Binance is back under scrutiny over a new Wall Street Journal report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bitcoin is outperforming gold and stocks during the Iran war. Polymarket brought in one of the most powerful surveillance firms on earth to watch its markets. And Meta just bought the social network for AI agents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy just bought another billion in Bitcoin. Nasdaq is teaming up with Kraken for tokenized stock trading. And the US Treasury may be giving in on crypto privacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crypto markets are swinging as the Iran conflict pushes oil prices sharply higher. Prediction market giants Polymarket and Kalshi are raising at massive valuations. Two of the biggest fintech companies in the world are racing to build payment rails for AI agents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New York Stock Exchange just invested in one of crypto’s biggest exchanges. Michael Saylor’s new “Stretch” product is having a massive week. A lovable NFT brand is in some new legal trouble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kraken just made history at the Federal Reserve, Bitcoin is flashing bottom signals, and the smart money is raising billions into the dip. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Decrypt is a next-generation media company positioned at the intersection of emerging technology, alternative finance, and culture. Decrypt was founded in 2018 with a simple mission: to demystify the decentralized web. As the Crypto  industry’s impact has grown, so has our coverage. Today, we exist to capture compelling narratives that span technology’s reach into every facet of life.  We’re passionate about the interplay between technology and culture. This dynamic space is filled with untold stories. We’re here to tell them, and create a few of our own.  Our mission is to inform about current events, educate about emerging technology, and empower those with a creative vision to bring it to life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a while there, Adidas Web3 lead Erika Wykes-Sneyd worried her push to get the 74-year-old brand working with Web3 partners might not work out. "Like signing a deal with the Bored Ape Yacht Club when Gargamel and Gordon were not doxxed individuals—that got me nervous," she told Stacy Elliott and Andrew Hayward. "Approving the first ever ETH purchase on a public company. Like DAX organizations are pretty risk averse. I was like, definitely could get fired for this." Spoiler: She wasn't fired. Now, the company's crafting narratives for its new ALTS collection.For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Stacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjAndrew HaywardTwitter: @ahaywaErika Wykes-SneydTwitter: @shadows_ethPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avenged Sevenfold lead singer Matt Sanders, a.k.a. M. Shadows, is rehearsing for the band's upcoming tour and also figuring out how to upend what it means to be a fan. The band launched a Deathbats Club NFT collection in 2021. That is to say, they were early. The lead singer said it was timed to give fans a chance to get comfortable with Web3 technology ahead of the group's 2023 tour, when the NFT holders can use their Deathbats for early access to tickets. M. Shadows also talks to hosts Andrew Hayward and Stephen Graves about AI and Web3 gaming.For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Andrew HaywardTwitter: @ahaywaStephen GravesTwitter: @stephengravesM. ShadowsTwitter: @shadows_ethPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Web3 bug bounty platform Immunefi launched two years ago, CEO and founder Mitchell Amador says the bug bounties weren't great and adoption was slow. But the tides started to turn because even if exploiting a smart contract nets a bigger payday than a bounty, it comes with a huge drawback. "There's a ton of risk when you engage in this, you know, wantonly criminal behavior and steal $200 million from someone else," he said. "There's no way someone's not going to come looking."For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Stacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjLiam KellyTwitter: @Liam_GallasMitchell AmadorTwitter: @MitchellAmadorPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's no doubt that the SEC dealt Kraken—and the outlook for crypto staking products in the U.S.—a big blow when it announced a $30 million settlement and ordered the company to stop offering the service to its customers in the states in February. Now Marco Santori, the company's chief legal officer, says the exchange is eager to move on from it. That means reckoning with a really challenging regulatory environment and growing its customer base overseas. And as Santori quips: "Kraken's master account application has not yet been rejected."For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjMarco SantoriTwitter: @msantoriESQPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arthur Hayes says the speed at which projects like Terra grow and then implode is a feature of the crypto industry, not a bug. He founded crypto exchange Bitmex in 2014 and then became the original crypto bad boy. In 2021 the DOJ charged him in with violating the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act for not implementing an anti-money laundering program at Bitmex. He plead guilty and was sentenced to two years probation and six months of home detention. In fact, he was still sporting an ankle bracelet on a recent cover of New York Magazine. Now he's living in Singapore, offering up his views on the crypto industry with long form, meme-filled essays, and still thinks the crypto industry will save investors from what he calls a broken banking system. "I don't care if you're capitalist or you're a communist. Everybody put on a lot of debt. We've passed the point where that debt is becoming useful," he said. "And therefore everyone is going to take an L unless they get some crypto or some gold—some hard asset that's outside of the traditional banking system."For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjArthur HayesTwitter: @CryptoHayesPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthony Scaramucci of hedge fund SkyBridge Capital got burned by Sam Bankman-Fried: he co-hosted SALT conferences with FTX and sold a 30% stake in SkyBridge to FTX Ventures. And yet, "The Mooch" tells Dan Roberts and Stacy Elliott "I'm more bullish now than I have ever been" on crypto as an investment case. He discusses his frustration with SBF, how wrong he thinks politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Gary Gensler are about crypto and how to regulate it, what he sees happening next with adoption, and we even talk a little Trump. For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjAnthony ScaramucciTwitter: @ScaramucciPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our latest gm AMA, recent guest Friederike Ernst, Co-founer and COO of Gnosis, hopped into our listener Telegram room and answered questions via voice memo. Friederike talked about the Gnosis merge with xDai, how to decentralize a DAO, whether prediction markets should be considered a public good, why Gnosis chose not to have a single figurehead, and much more. Make sure you go back and listen to her full gm episode from March 22 before enjoying this bonus AMA. And make sure you join our Telegram room, open to all listeners, at t.me/gmpodcast.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteFriederike ErnstTwitter: @tw_tterPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grab your picks and shovels for a Bitcoin mining deep dive. Even as Texas aims to pass a bill limiting rewards for Bitcoin miners, Toronto-based Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 is bullish on growth across the U.S. That's why Hut 8 recently announced a merger of equals with U.S. Bitcoin Corp. Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton joined Dan Roberts and Stacy Elliott to talk expanding into the U.S., dealing with regulatory pushback post-FTX, why Texas is such a hotspot, and where she'd like to expand globally down the road (the climates may surprise you). For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjJaime LevertonTwitter: @JaimeLevertonPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first gm AMA, recent guest Neal Stephenson hopped into our listener Telegram room and candidly answered questions via voice memo. Neal is the "Snow Crash" author who coined the term "metaverse" and is now working on open metaverse blockchain Lamina1. Make sure you go back and listen to his full gm episode from March 4 before enjoying this bonus AMA. And make sure you join our Telegram room, open to all listeners, at t.me/gmpodcast. Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteNeal StephensonTwitter: @nealstephensonPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Move over, DeFi—ReFi is coming? Gitcoin founder Kevin Owocki has stepped away from DeFi grant-giving machine Gitcoin as it fully decentralizes and is now focused on regenerative finance (huh?) and ReFi incubator Supermodular. He aims to "regenerate the regenerators." He explains it all to Dan Roberts and Liam Kelly, and also talks DAO structure, crypto factions, NFT use cases, his book "Greenpilled," and much more.For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteLiam KellyTwitter: @liam_gallasKevin OwockiTwitter: @owockiPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gnosis first launched in 2015 as a decentralized prediction market built on Ethereum. Now it's a DAO, a multi-sig wallet, a staking chain, and a vibrant community with its own GNO governance token. Co-founder and COO Friederike Ernst talked to Dan Roberts and Stacy Elliott about the careful evolution of Gnosis, decentralization impostors, account abstraction, DeFi UX failures, why Ethereum is the "Manhattan of crypto," and much more. For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjFriederike ErnstTwitter: @tw_tterPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Grewal is the Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase and a former U.S. magistrate judge in Northern California. He gave Dan Roberts and Stacy Elliott his candid takes on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX, the SEC's crackdown on staking, the sanctioning of Tornado Cash, and more alpha on how Coinbase is approaching the current unfriendly US regulatory environment.For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStacy ElliottTwitter: @stacyannjPaul GrewalTwitter: @iampaulgrewalPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Roberts and Stephen Graves returned from NFT Paris feeling super bullish after seeing tons of artists, builders, and luxury brands show up—and even Brigitte Macron. They recap the conference and play four interviews conducted there with Yat Siu (Animoca Brands Chairman), Sebastien Borget (The Sandbox COO), Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel (Arianee CEO), and Erika Wykes-Sneyd (Web3 lead at Adidas).For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @gmdecrypt on Twitter.Be sure to join the gm Telegram room for direct access to our hosts and guests.Hosts and guests:Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwriteStephen GravesTwitter: @stephengravesYat SiuTwitter: @ysiuSebastien BorgetTwitter: @borgetsebastienPierre-Nicolas HurstelTwitter: @mr_pnhErika Wykes-SneydTwitter: @heyerikawsPodcast thumbnail art by Grant Kempster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.