Bankless

In this week’s Bankless Weekly Rollup, David is joined by Eric Conner to unpack a whirlwind week in crypto. Highlights include Trump’s explosive entry back into the Oval Office, launching a $50B memecoin on Solana, a full pardon for Ross Ulbricht, and pro-crypto cabinet appointments. Meanwhile, the Ethereum Foundation faces internal drama as Vitalik declares “wartime mode” amidst leadership restructuring. We also dive into Solana’s soaring ecosystem, BlackRock’s massive Bitcoin buys, and the SEC’s shakeup with new pro-crypto initiatives. It’s a week of big moves, bigger drama, and major market shifts! ------ 📣 0x | Start building with 0x v2 https://bankless.cc/0x ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ----- ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/21?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:30 Markets https://farside.co.uk/?p=1518  https://blog.coinshares.com/volume-217-digital-asset-fund-flows-weekly-report-02c0bf3c093d  https://youtu.be/nWPRFNVs6XY?si=YEOfBSUlqGmNJD7B  00:06:08 ETF Flows https://farside.co.uk/?p=1518  https://blog.coinshares.com/volume-217-digital-asset-fund-flows-weekly-report-02c0bf3c093d  00:11:19 Trump Memecoin https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1880446012168249386  00:14:10 Melania Token https://x.com/MELANIATRUMP/status/1881087523847593995  00:20:53 World Liberty Financial Bids https://x.com/worldlibertyfi/status/1881457386671464804  00:26:06 Ross Ulbricht Freed https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1881932492170760674  00:31:08 Politics and Agencies https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/1881760858508062898  https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/departure-gensler-012025  00:35:53 Brian Armstrong Expectations https://x.com/AltcoinDailyio/status/1880348843772113061  00:40:15 Trump Effect Kicking In https://x.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1880299698038493400  https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1881688751602286740  00:47:35 What’s Going On In The EF? https://x.com/vitalikbuterin/status/1880635379771904423  https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1880723497393201460  00:56:19 EF Leadership Drama https://x.com/dannyryan/status/1879705279761178690  https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1881680518934384676  01:06:37 SEC Charges Digital Currency Group https://x.com/tier10k/status/1880299710495486365  01:07:25 Circle Introduces USDC Paymaster https://x.com/circle/status/1882428077537386502  01:07:41 Phantom Raised $150M Series C https://x.com/phantom/status/1880018917068009527  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

Ejaaz is back with David to unpack the whirlwind effects of President Trump’s $70B memecoin launch, which slammed 400K fresh users onto Solana and shattered revenue records in under 30 hours. Meanwhile, a $500B federal boost to AI—backed by OpenAI and SoftBank—has everyone on edge about how crypto’s AI agent economy might ride this newfound momentum. On the protocol front, Arc’s Rake framework and AI16z’s curated Eliza ecosystem are both stepping up, incubating projects like SoulGraph and Listen that promise a more user-friendly DeFAI future. Virtuals keeps shipping at breakneck speed too, testing new multi-chain waters, instituting a bold buyback, and hinting at metaverse collabs that could reshape gaming for good. From automated DeFi positions and trading dashboards to fully autonomous NPCs that commentate (and maybe soon play) your favorite games, the lines between AI and crypto are getting blurrier—and more exciting—by the day. Buckle up as the AI agent revolution continues to redefine what “on-chain” can really mean. Ready for the ride? ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ----- ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/20  ----- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:50 Trump’s Memecoin & $MELANIA https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1880974772990832780   https://x.com/DiamondHandsDig/status/1880979832445780107   13:52 The Stargate Project…$500B AI U.S. Investment & OpenAI Agents https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1881830103858172059 https://www.axios.com/2025/01/21/openai-davos-kevin-weil-ai-agents  23:09 Virtuals goes multi-framework https://x.com/virtuals_io/status/1881340149503857151  https://x.com/NickDGarcia/status/1880275667809374597   30:54 Indie.fun  https://x.com/indiedotfun/status/1879518209293918434  36:16 First AI Agent DOTA2 Stream https://x.com/ethermage/status/1879900384019517522  38:39 Agent tank demo of agent performing TA on a chart https://x.com/AgentTankLive/status/1881786054593925159   42:22 Ai16z demo day  https://x.com/0xwitchy/status/1880244340561441238  46:44 ARC announces initial agent projects launching on its framework RIG, soulgraph  https://x.com/LiquidLizard_/status/1880068692261675228  1:00:20 AI Agent Playground Grows https://x.com/nifty_island/status/1880258049149128749  1:03:19 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, joins us to unpack all the craziness that's gone down this week around the inauguration. Alex had the opportunity to attend the Crypto Ball and spend the weekend in DC so he gives us the inside scoop among all the other exciting developments. Alex on X - https://x.com/intangiblecoins   ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ----- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Inaugration Recap 04:23 Ross Ulbricht Is Free 20:42 TRUMP Token Launch 37:27 The Crypto Ball 44:00 Pro Crypto SEC 50:05 Tornado Cash Updates ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

In this episode of Bankless, Samara Cohen, BlackRock's Chief Investment Officer of ETFs and Index Investments, discusses how ETFs and blockchain are revolutionizing finance. We explore Bitcoin and Ether ETFs as bridges between crypto and TradFi, blockchain's role in market modernization, and how ETFs enhance transparency and diversification. Cohen also shares insights on upcoming regulations and the importance of education in driving crypto adoption. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum    🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/18?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:59 Role of Market Modernizer 00:09:12 Blockchains and ETFs Future 00:12:54 "Blackrock" Blockchain? 00:16:09 ETF Progress Check 00:19:22 Bitcoin & Ether ETFs Updates 00:24:08 Blackrock on Cryptos/ETPs 00:27:47 Blackrock's Research Audience 00:29:26 2025 ETF Predictions 00:33:21 Blackrock's Effect on Options 00:36:06 Options Unlock Opportunities 00:40:28 "Price is Best Marketing" 00:42:42 Upgrading ETF Protocols 00:44:49 Blackrock’s Other ETFs Plan 00:54:11 New Administration Impact 00:58:11 Blackrock's 2025 Outlook 01:00:30 Digital Assets & ETF Teams 01:03:33 Samara's Next Guest 01:05:55 Samara on 2025 Excitement 01:09:02 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Samara Cohen https://www.linkedin.com/in/samara-epstein-cohen-9a661b76/  Black Rock Research Paper https://www.blackrock.com/institutions/en-us/strategies/diversified-strategies   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures ⁠ 

This week’s episode dives into the evolving landscape of crypto as we approach a new administration. We discuss Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency and what it could mean for markets, analyze the recent market turmoil despite positive economic indicators, and break down the SEC’s case against Elon Musk. We also explore Sony’s controversial L2 launch and Tether’s move to El Salvador. Finally, some an exciting new privacy tool teams up with Coinbase.  ------ 📣 0x | Start building with 0x v2 https://bankless.cc/0x  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ----- ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/17?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00:00 Start 00:02:34 Markets https://macromostly.substack.com/p/bls-jobs-report-recap-december-95c  https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/market-strategies-insights/weekly-market-recap-report.html  https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/15/cpi-inflation-december-2024-.html  00:11:45 Strong Jobs Report https://imgur.com/MxHgOOe 00:18:28 SEC Sues Elon Musk https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1879305674594865284  https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1879322286291054653  https://x.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1879319142303498579  https://decrypt.co/301226/sec-appeals-ripple-ruling-seeks-reversal-on-xrp-classification  00:29:26 3 Days Until Trump Takes Office https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1879957585748734158  https://blockworks.co/news/trump-assembles-2025-cabinet  https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1879093846493012042  00:36:24 What If Kamala Won? https://x.com/BillHughesDC/status/1877740571831193697  https://x.com/katiebiber/status/1877783826442723365  00:41:59 Sony Launches ETH L2 https://soneium.org/en/blog/soneium-mainnet-is-live   https://x.com/a1lon9/status/1879038646231429332  https://x.com/0xKawz/status/1879032105767928026  https://x.com/donnoh_eth/status/1879210463952818472? t=jlmQ8W1KoPgZSEzfP9oq4g&s=19  https://x.com/0xbreadguy/status/1879176334372401191?s=43&t=2ZINVXJQKx6xO_6Wiiu_2g  https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1879560670150017068  00:51:30 Coinbase uses Morpho for Bitcoin Loans https://x.com/coinbase/status/1879902780564951530  https://www.coinbase.com/blog/now-get-a-USDC-loan-without-selling-your-bitcoin  00:53:58 Aevo Moves To EigenDA https://x.com/aevoxyz/status/1879728286093479947  00:56:22 Veil.Cash Uses Coinbase https://x.com/Veildotcash/status/1877827571926053220  01:03:05 An Update From RSA https://blockworks.co/news/berachain-pre-launch-liquidity  https://tether.io/news/tether-licensed-in-el-salvador-strengthening-focus-on-emerging-markets-and-innovation/  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

Ejaaz is back with David to dissect the accelerating rise of AI agents at crypto’s cutting edge. They uncover how Arc’s multi-chain approach and Ai16z’s Eliza framework are igniting a fresh wave of DeFAI innovation—everything from clever Twitter agents to more autonomous protocols. They dive into Virtuals’ relentless shipping, which is driving record on-chain fees and fueling a bold $40M buyback, while exploring why upcoming gaming collaborations may unlock AI’s next breakout moment. New players like Ava and Pippin also take center stage, proving both the promise and FUD-fueled volatility of this fast-growing sector. Whether it’s DeFi revamps, multi-chain expansions, or full-blown AI-driven games, this episode outlines the major trends shaping crypto and AI’s convergent future. Ready for the ride? Further DAO Drama Conext  https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1878538551668736415 ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium    ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/16  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:22 Last Week’s DAO Drama  9:14 Last 7 Days of AI Action & Themes  https://cookie.fun/   13:36 AI Mindshare DeFAI https://x.com/0xNairolf/status/1878692478230118835  19:00 Franklin Templeton AI Agent Report  https://x.com/s4mmyeth/status/1879256605386019262  23:33 Arc Announcements & Why Arc?  https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1879189754685636997   https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1878848384821256329   https://x.com/0thTachi/status/1878921893236875296  https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1879213739234463883  32:08 Ai16z: sink or swim? https://x.com/linfluence/status/1878827828600283622   https://x.com/shawmakesmagic/status/1879030956985819248  https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1879258434685554951   https://x.com/ai16znews/status/1879059702996402353  https://x.com/0xCygaar/status/1874575841763770492   46:22 aixbt & Virtuals Announcements  https://x.com/punk3600/status/1879316988381569159   https://x.com/Zeneca/status/1879331488166207517   https://x.com/S4mmyEth/status/1877051696037142678  https://x.com/virtuals_io/status/1879474995333939356  https://x.com/midoji7/status/1879484571273581032   https://x.com/ethermage/status/1876306411896144195  1:00:25 $Ava & Pippin  https://x.com/Pankekkeku/status/1878362793281261861  https://x.com/tong0x/status/1878973798814503272  https://x.com/lordofafew/status/1879013041892933648  https://x.com/dv_memetics/status/1879027812285469101  1:03:24 Closing & Disclaimers     ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

Quantum computing is advancing rapidly, raising significant questions for cryptography and blockchain. In this episode, Scott Aaronson, quantum computing expert, and Justin Drake, cryptography researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, join us to explore the impact of quantum advancements on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the future of crypto security. Are your coins safe? How soon do we need post-quantum cryptography? Tune in as we navigate this complex, fascinating frontier. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/15?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E   ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 6:50 Google Willow Chip 11:58 How is Quantum Computing Accelerating? 19:27 Quantum vs Classical Computers 40:18 Why are Quantum Computers so weird? 46:18 Quantum Computing & Cryptography 52:53 What will Break Cryptography 54:45 Time Horizons 1:03:14 Accounts Getting Hacked 1:13:23 The Bitcoin Case 1:24:10 Quantum Money 1:29:44 The Ethereum Case 1:35:00 Closing Thoughts 1:36:24 Debrief with Justin Drake ------ RESOURCES Scott Aaronson https://www.scottaaronson.com/   Justin Drake https://x.com/drakefjustin   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

Ryan and David return for another Weekly Rollup, tackling the question everyone’s asking in 2025: is the crypto bull market already over, or do we still have more to go? Fresh FDIC emails prove Choke Point 2.0 was no conspiracy, with yet another key antagonist stepping down. Meanwhile, AI agents dominate headlines and reimagine DeFi UX, and Meta’s abrupt pivot to free speech has everyone buzzing. Finally, the U.S. greenlights a $6.5B Silk Road Bitcoin sale—can Trump step in to save America’s strategic BTC stash? Buckle up; 2025 isn’t slowing down. You ready anon? ------ 📣The Rodman Law Group | Best Crypto Law Firm  https://bankless.cc/RodmanLaw  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax   🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty   🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle   ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum    🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo   ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/14   ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 California Wildfires https://x.com/white_lenka/status/1876973806817775719    https://x.com/babybeginner/status/1876872061265523155/video/1   https://x.com/ashkan/status/1876970164807164042/photo/1https://x.com   mamboitaliano__/status/1876923670540501349/video/1     https://x.com/0xngmi/status/1877229902065283198   6:10 MARKETS  https://x.com/saylor/status/1876253178100117907   7:13 Meanwhile, US court greenlighted sale of $6.5B of Silk Road Bitcoin https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.368440/gov.uscourts.cand.368440.17   https://decrypt.co/300133/us-court-greenlights-sale-of-6-5b-in-seized-silk-road-bitcoin   10:57 Markets Cont.  https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/AMEX-SPY/   https://companiesmarketcap.com/assets-by-market-cap/   15:15 Movers of the Week https://www.bankless.com/read/the-top-ai-agent-tokens-were-watching   18:21 Arbitrum is close to gain another green L2BEAT pie slice https://x.com/sgoldfed/status/1876417832948523464  https://l2beat.com/scaling/projects/arbitrum   21:01 Succinct - zkEVMs on Superchain! First one! https://x.com/pumatheuma/status/1877070524783931515   25:05 Is the bull market over - how long will continue? https://mirror.xyz/kain.eth/Pa7XlhwUD-p  https://x.com/cburniske/status/1877043358956134826   35:39 Are AI Agents the Meta for the rest of the bull? https://x.com/MessariCrypto/status/1874160250812825703/photo/1   https://www.cookie.fun/   https://x.com/RaoulGMI/status/1874934417032192325   https://x.com/Dogetoshi/status/1877381299612086691   https://x.com/askthehive_ai/status/1876730899695362452  https://x.com/blocknewsdotcom/status/1875280354640265524   49:05 Operation Choke Point 2.0…another general in the anti-crypto army out https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/other20250106a1.pdf   https://x.com/SenLummis/status/1876346748744167924  https://x.com/EconWithNick/status/1876272018821439670   https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/1865199683087245405   55:29 Meta is now pro-free speech platform - Political wind change in DC + SV https://x.com/BasedBeffJezos/status/1876602383754789079    https://x.com/lindayaX/status/1876612826456019145   https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1876657662068461657   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j9e1x9z2xo   https://www.tradingview.com/news/cointelegraph:7c0f65f07094b:0-circle-contributes-1m-usdc-to-trump-s-inauguration-committee/   1:00:14 Will Canada get a pro-crypto leader too?  https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1876299232887607433   1:01:47 Do Kwon arrived to the US and pleaded not guilty  https://cointelegraph.com/news/terraform-do-kwon-appears-before-us-judge-pleads-not-guilty   1:04:30 Meme of the Week https://x.com/dolos_diary/status/1877311858492977642   1:06:47 Closing & Disclaimers  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures  ⁠  

Welcome back to The AI Rollup where we're diving into the intersection of AI and crypto, exploring the rise of autonomous AI agents and their impact on DeFi, gaming, and beyond. From groundbreaking tools like agent engines that simplify complex DeFi tasks to emerging trends like AI x Gaming, we’re at the forefront of innovation in this rapidly evolving space. Join us as we discuss the hottest AI crypto trends of 2025. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/13?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:31 What's The Big Deal? 00:06:03 Utility Tools To Use https://www.cookie.fun/  https://kaito.ai/ 00:09:19 Evaluating AI Agents 00:12:18 Is This a Cycle Play? 00:20:55 Goals For Q2 + Q3 00:28:38 AI Mindshare https://x.com/0xnairolf/status/1875950819553735118?s=46  https://yaps.kaito.ai/  00:37:00 Agent Threatens ThreadGuy https://x.com/notthreadguy/status/1876811933950562572?s=46  00:42:51 DeFAI 00:49:09 Agent Engines https://x.com/tonyplasencia3/status/1876508717002477808?s=46  https://x.com/askthehive_ai/status/1876730899695362452?s=46  https://x.com/blocknewsdotcom/status/1875280354640265524?s=46  https://x.com/pastagotsauce/status/1875331242151043161  https://x.com/templecrash/status/1875955040642298294?s=46  https://x.com/wheatiessol/status/1873727022427701355?s=46  01:00:51 AI x Gaming https://hyperfy.io/  https://x.com/AshConnell/status/1803043078972096858  https://x.com/hyperfy_io/status/1876054106168865092  https://x.com/dankvr/status/1876139835834208412  https://x.com/arcagents/status/1876445978808721819?s=46  https://x.com/kieranwarwick/status/1876630731860177233?s=46  01:18:50 Agents Are Not Just LLM Wrappers https://x.com/0xCygaar/status/1875610062804099203  01:24:35 Arc.Fun https://x.com/0thTachi/status/1876356585947369576  01:28:42 Bully https://x.com/dolos_diary https://x.com/khouuba/status/1874968951249342962?s=46  01:32:06 Vvaifu https://x.com/vvaifudotfun/status/1875256458834800757?s=46  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠   

David and Ejaaz are joined by Jeffy and Tint, creators of Zerebro—an autonomous AI agent that composes rap tracks, launches NFTs, and even minted its own token by hijacking Jeffy’s computer. This on chain sensation transcends mere GPT wrappers, forging a bold new path for AI in crypto. How does an AI manage cross-chain finances, get deplatformed by Spotify, and still power a no-code framework for agent creation? We explore Zerebro’s role in reshaping digital commerce and creativity, and what it means for the future of decentralized intelligence. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:10 How Zerebro Came To Be 7:38 2026 Agent Impact Predictions  12:42 Zerebro’s Unique Value Prop 17:30 Zerebro’s Cross-Chain Strategy  22:54 Zerebro’s Life Roadmap & Timeline  30:39 What is Zerebro? Full Explanation  33:39 Why AI Swarms Are Important 34:56 $ZEREBRO Backstory & Utility  46:47 How to Give AI Agents Goals 49:06 What Are Zerebro’s Goals? Scaling?  53:33 Open vs. Closed Source? & Competition  59:06 End of 2025 Predictions  1:03:50 AI Agents Breaking Away From Crypto? 1:09:04 Closing & Disclaimers    ------ RESOURCES Jeffy Yu https://x.com/jyu_eth  Tint https://x.com/tintsion  Zerebro https://x.com/0xzerebro  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to become a founder in crypto? On the show today we’ve got 8 of crypto’s most famous and successful builders in crypto, each with about 15 minutes in time, giving you the wisdom they gained founding their own companies. We’re joined by Jesse Pollack from Base, Jeremy Allaire from Circle, Anatoly from Solana, Stani from Aave, Kain from Synthetix, Mike & Jason from Blockworks, Kevin Owocki from Gitcoin and Lucas from Jito. Each one with their own perspectives, their own scars and hopefully by listening to this episode, you, the listener, can learn from their experiences to gain the confidence you need to venture into this world. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/8?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:52 Jesse Pollack - Base 15:45 Jeremy Allaire - Circle 34:53 Anatoly Yakovenko - Solana 51:00 Stani Kulechove - Aave 1:07:48 Kain Warwick - Synthetix 1:27:06 Mike & Yano - Blockworks 1:44:16 Kevin Owocki - Gitcoin 1:59:19 Lucas Bruder - Jito ------ RESOURCES Jesse Pollack - Base https://x.com/jessepollak   Jeremy Allaire - Circle https://x.com/jerallaire   Anatoly Yakovenko - Solana https://x.com/aeyakovenko   Stani Kulechove - Aave https://x.com/StaniKulechov   Kain Warwick - Synthetix https://x.com/kaiynne   Jason Yanowitz - Blockworks https://x.com/jasonyanowitz   Mike Ippolito - Blockworks https://x.com/MikeIppolito_   Kevin Owocki - Gitcoin https://x.com/owocki   Onchain Capital Allocation Handbook  https://allobook.gitcoin.co/   Lucas Bruder - Jito https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasbruder/   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures ⁠  

This week’s rollup kicks off our 5th year with exciting updates! We dive into our top 10 predictions for 2025, from AI-driven crypto market surges to ETH hitting $15K. DeFi faces new challenges with the IRS’s rule to KYC all “DeFi brokers” by 2027, while Ethereum’s “blobs” dominate as the top ETH burners. DEX volumes soared to record highs in December, and Do Kwon’s extradition to the U.S. moves forward. On a lighter note, Vitalik Buterin adopted a memecoin-inspired pygmy hippo! 🚀 Don’t miss our market updates and insights on what’s next for Ethereum this year. ------ 📣The Rodman Law Group | Best Crypto Law Firm  https://bankless.cc/RodmanLaw ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/6?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00 Welcome To 2025 04:42 MARKETS https://farside.co.uk/?p=1518  05:55 ETF Flows https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1874342291114008989  https://x.com/nategeraci/status/1872415447276257654  10:07 Movers Of The Week https://imgur.com/poIQakM  https://x.com/_kaitoai/status/1874830476189565343  12:40 L2 Update https://imgur.com/EC5mjnT  https://imgur.com/BsK26dr  https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1873928354661085362  15:57 Blobs Are Burning https://imgur.com/BsK26dr https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1873928354661085362  17:13 Record DEX Volume https://defillama.com/dexs  21:11 10 Predictions for 2025 https://x.com/pythianism/status/1869522809212543204  https://x.com/EffortCapital/status/1873192369891533193  https://www.coinbase.com/en-sg/institutional/research-insights/research/market-intelligence/2025-crypto-market-outlook  https://x.com/MikeIppolito_/status/1870938936144761211  https://x.com/galaxyhq/status/1874843463293849712  https://x.com/stacy_muur/status/1871130706157486540?s=46&t=dAxCjT2P_GIrJMvMgWIpfA  https://x.com/shaughnessy119/status/1867675171487986086?s=46  https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1874101935353041056?s=46  https://avc.xyz/what-will-happen-in-2025-1  https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1874173947731992810  38:28 New IRS KYC Rules https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2762  https://gordonlaw.com/learn/1099-da-revised-draft/  https://x.com/lex_node/status/1872649212804104254  https://www.galaxy.com/insights/research/irs-broker-rule-proposal-puts-defi-in-tough-spot/  https://x.com/TheCryptoCPA/status/1872714549243023830  https://x.com/fund_defi/status/1872694713108545576  https://x.com/KMSmithDC/status/1872869271660818887  https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1873029020478292346  https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1873746395137773816  47:30 Ethereum Expectations In 2025 https://tim.mirror.xyz/CuRtFjkujKBqVsdvCGvthiPIYaZyzNc5sWIaExw2UpE  50:37 Microstrategy Accelerates https://x.com/BitcoinNewsCom/status/1871333716511097151  51:37 Do Kwon’s Extradition https://www.theblock.co/post/332477/montenegro-justice-minister-signs-do-kwons-extradition-to-us  53:05 Vitalik Adopts Moo Deng https://x.com/KhaokheowZoo/status/1872151683700248587  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠  

Ejaaz returns to break down the unstoppable rise of AI agents in crypto alongside David for a special New Year AI Rollup, setting the stage for a massive 2025.  They explore how frameworks like Ai16z’s Eliza are accelerating multi-chain agent deployment, why Zerebro’s creative moves are redefining cultural impact, and how Virtuals’ relentless shipping is driving explosive onchain fee generation.  From autonomous agents running entire businesses to the scramble for Tier-1 exchange listings, AI x crypto is transforming both market dynamics and human imagination. Are you ready for 2025’s craziness?  ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/5  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:09 Why Agents Are a Big Deal? https://x.com/defi_monk/status/1874224438146982283   12:19 Truth Terminal Christmas Album https://open.spotify.com/album/3fwNNbNN240aqAUs1Ioorv?si=iwbS1GVOSBGpm4VOVPoLzA  14:06 Agentic Dashboard & Meta  https://www.cookie.fun/en/agent/virtual   https://x.com/thedefivillain/status/1873857259337638091  19:49 AI Agent Fundamentals https://x.com/thehiddenmaze/status/1872041324876374024  26:13 ai16z Eliza Framework https://x.com/grantblocmates/status/1870387631978406330   https://x.com/m4t_nft/status/1873789231371317355   https://x.com/kelxyz_/status/1873914011701698784   https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1872809091799875592   https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/ai16z  https://x.com/0xwitchy/status/1870752358386536610   https://x.com/jarrodWattsDev/status/1871532146697126238  50:52 Zerebro  https://x.com/tintsion/status/1871385480480362610   https://x.com/jyu_eth/status/1873547159993487699   https://x.com/tintsion/status/1870333388105863552   https://x.com/tintsion/status/1869812792091611325   https://x.com/tintsion/status/1869910983604306107  https://x.com/tintsion/status/1874319644703490074  1:03:59 Virtuals  https://x.com/s4mmyeth/status/1873012044787794083  https://x.com/ethermage/status/1871456186408866298  https://x.com/jdhyper/status/1872673166969171994  https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1873757142550999083  https://x.com/ethermage/status/1873665044145459442  https://x.com/storyprotocol/status/1870152680045215759  https://x.com/blknoiz06/status/1873215635662225700  1:16:43 Vader Investment DAO https://x.com/vaderresearch/status/1870114485069119888  https://x.com/VaderResearch/status/1873055088727744827   1:18:26 T1 Exchange Listings?  https://x.com/s4mmyeth/status/1871148044194095400  1:22:04 Closing & Disclaimers    ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

How do politics shape Bitcoin’s future? Can the U.S. adopt Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset? Our guest today is Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital and author of the upcoming The Little Book of Bitcoin. Known for his finance acumen and brief stint in the Trump administration, Scaramucci unpacks Wall Street’s growing embrace of Bitcoin and its implications for the global economy. With bold price predictions, Scaramucci explores how Bitcoin could hit $200K and outlines the game-changing impact of blockchain on the global economy. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠ 🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku  🐧 CARTESI | LINUX-POWERED ROLLUPS https://bankless.cc/CartesiSimple ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/3?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:30 Election takes 12:14 Why Harris lost the election 16:00 Did democrats learn their lessons? 23:42 Strategic Bitcoin Reserve? 26:38 US Dollar backed by Bitcoin? 30:54 US China Crypto race 37:56 Wall Street & Crypto 49:24 Paul Tudor Jones Story 51:45 Bitcoin's Price prediction for 53:35 Other Crypto Assets  54:26 Thoughts on Ether 54:47 The Book's target audience 57:23 Thoughts on Microstrategy 1:00:42 Hedging Advice 1:03:20 Closing & Disclosure ------ RESOURCES Anthony Scaramucci https://x.com/Scaramucci   The Little Book of Bitcoin https://www.amazon.com/dp/1394286643   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures ⁠  

The Bankless Yearly Rollup recaps 2024, a transformative year for crypto. David takes this one solo with a quick rundown of the week’s news before diving into the top 10 defining events of the year. Highlights include Bitcoin surpassing $100,000, the approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, and Donald Trump’s embrace of crypto as the “Crypto President.” The episode also explores the memecoin boom, the impact of regulatory changes, and key market shifts that shaped the ecosystem. Join us for a reflective journey through a landmark year as we gear up for 2025! ------ 📣The Rodman Law Group | Best Crypto Law Firm  https://bankless.cc/RodmanLaw ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠ 🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle     ⁠  📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield 🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku 🐧 CARTESI | LINUX-POWERED ROLLUPS https://bankless.cc/CartesiSimple ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/4?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00 Start 02:16 Markets https://farside.co.uk/?p=1518  05:37 L2 Update https://l2beat.com/scaling/activity  11:46 El Salvador Limits Bitcoin Activities https://www.theblock.co/post/331614/el-salvador-to-limit-bitcoin-activities-for-1-4-billion-deal-with-imf  15:05 Hyperliquid and DPRK https://x.com/tayvano_/status/1870960207842701358  17:47 Mo Shaikh Steps Away From Aptos https://x.com/moshaikhs/status/1869851984129569194  20:13 Hawk Tuah Memecoin https://imgur.com/pJQnQjp  22:55 Stephen Miran https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/12/23/trump-names-crypto-friendly-stephen-miran-as-chair-of-council-of-economic-advisers  24:21 Microstrategy Joins NASDAQ 100 https://x.com/saylor/status/1871179886036910278  25:58 30% To Raise Gas Limit https://x.com/sassal0x/status/1870638097953968158  30:18 5 - Spot ETH ETFs Approved https://www.theblock.co/post/296304/sec-approves-ethereum-etfs  https://cointelegraph.com/news/blackrock-files-s1-form-for-spot-ether-etf-with-sec  36:22 4 - Spot BTC ETF Approved https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/06/15/blackrocks-ishares-files-paperwork-for-spot-bitcoin-etf  https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/gensler-statement-spot-bitcoin-011023  39:05 3 - Trump To Become Pro-Crypto President https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK90OHuamLg  43:43 2 - Memecoins 45:49 1 - Bitcoin Crosses $100,000 https://bravenewcoin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Bitcoin-Approaching-100k.jpg  48:07 1,000 Episodes, Thank You https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GexkjCFWEAAqMO9?format=jpg&name=small ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

Ryan and Ejaaz are joined by Jansen Teng, co-founder of Virtuals, a decentralized platform that has launched over 11,000 AI agents and generated more than $35 million in fees. Virtuals isn’t just another protocol—it’s an entirely new kind of “digital nation” where AI agents hold their own wallets, strike deals with other agents, and even hire humans to accomplish their goals. We dive into how these agents first exploded onto the scene, why controlling their own money changes the AI game, and what “agent commerce” means for crypto at large. ------ 📣The Rodman Law Group | Best Crypto Law Firm https://bankless.cc/RodmanLaw  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2  ⁠  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ⁠ 📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT https://bankless.cc/toku    🐧 CARTESI | LINUX-POWERED ROLLUPS https://bankless.cc/CartesiSimple    ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/2?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:12 Virtuals Impressive Stats 4:49 Jansen’s Crypto & Virtuals Journey 17:38 Luna 29:40 Agent to Agent Commerce 41:44 Virtuals Country?? 51:13 Agent Policies & Rights 52:57 Base, Infrastructure, & Open-Source Decisions 1:05:17 What Jansen is Most Excited For 1:08:20 How to Get Started 1:11:13 Where Will Value Accrue? 1:14:41 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Jansen Teng https://x.com/ethermage    Virtuals https://x.com/Virtuals_io  Luna https://x.com/luna_virtuals  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

How do you find an asset with 1000x asymmetric return? How do you find the next bitcoin? Our guest today is Dan Morehead, founder and managing director at Pantera Capital. He has been buying bitcoin since 2013 when the price was just $65. His fund is up over 100x since then. There’s a lot to learn from Dan’s story, about early bitcoin history, but also the pattern recognition required to identify asymmetric assets. We cover price predictions, 4 year cycles vs a supercycle, how much upside is still in crypto, the trump administration and his thoughts on a strategic bitcoin reserve ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle     ⁠  📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/1?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 6:00 The Email from 2013 14:15 Asymmetric Patterns 17:50 Buying Bitcoin in 2013 26:25 Onboarding Investors 32:12 Crypto's Global Adoption 37:15 Bitcoin's Escape Velocity 43:19 US Government Impact on Crypto 52:21 Global Bitcoin Race 56:14 Institutional Adoption for Crypto 1:04:37 Crypto Cycles 1:09:20 2025 Bull Market? 1:12:53 Macro Environment 1:16:50 Tokenization 1:21:18 Thoughts on AI 1:24:19 The Next Bitcoin 1:26:46 Future Plans 1:27:23 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Dan Morehead https://x.com/dan_pantera   Pantera Capital https://panteracapital.com/   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠  

Joining us this week is Anthony Sassano! We'll explore whether the current price downturn signals the end of the bull market or just a minor hiccup in the cycle, analyze the Fed’s latest rate cuts, and assess institutional adoption trends keeping crypto’s momentum alive. Big L2 developments are making waves: Kraken’s Ink chain hits mainnet early, Deutsche Bank ventures into zkEVMs, and ENS selects Linea for scaling its Namechain. Meanwhile, Pudgy Penguins launch the PENGU token, sparking controversy and volatility. Plus, fresh insights from the 2024 Crypto Developer Report and a closer look at the Aave vs. Polygon drama. Stick around for Anthony’s On-Chain Spotify Wrapped and tips on spotting market tops! ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle     ⁠  📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00:00 Start https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/18/fed-meeting-live-updates-traders-await-december-interest-rate-cut.html  https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/1869627735267840135  00:02:45 Market https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/18/fed-meeting-live-updates-traders-await-december-interest-rate-cut.html  https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/1869627735267840135  00:09:10 Where Are We In This Cycle https://www.grayscale.com/research/reports/the-state-of-the-crypto-cycle  00:12:04 ETF Flows https://farside.co.uk/?p=1518  https://farside.co.uk/btc  00:16:09 Mover Of The Week… Fartcoin? https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/fartcoin  https://www.infinitebackrooms.com/dreams/conversation-1721540624-scenario-terminal-of-truths-txt  00:26:48 Developers, Developers, Developers https://www.developerreport.com/developer-report  https://x.com/MariaShen/status/1867295574242078980  https://x.com/MariaShen/status/1851702783319126277  https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1867324885732671778  00:34:54 Kraken Ink Chain Live https://x.com/inkonchain/status/1869417386761470219  http://inkonchain.com/dashboard  00:38:34 Deutsche Bank Announces zk L2 https://thedefiant.io/news/tradfi-and-fintech/deutsche-bank-s-1-5-trillion-project-dama-2-develops-ethereum-l2-zksync-38f6221f  00:41:32 Caroline Crenshaw Vote https://x.com/BrendanPedersen/status/1869055922238279940  https://x.com/standwithcrypto/status/1869151080300548383  https://www.citizen.org/article/support-comm-crenshaw/  https://financialservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=409421  https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/1867301980890165398  00:47:14 Aave vs Polygon https://governance.aave.com/t/arfc-adjust-risk-parameters-for-aave-v2-and-v3-on-polygon/20211  https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1868612366822461817  https://x.com/sandeepnailwal/status/1869153510756909475  https://x.com/stanikulechov/status/1869182600008679563  00:54:06 Pudgy Penguins Launched Their PENGU Token https://x.com/LucaNetz/status/1869005071624904959  https://x.com/suji_yan/status/1868682237488894422 https://claim.pudgypenguins.com/  https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/pudgy-penguins-pengu https://nftpricefloor.com/  00:58:15 Ethena Launched Its New Stablecoin https://x.com/ethena_labs/status/1868657723799470361  https://x.com/ZeMariaMacedo/status/1868673718911713602   01:00:35 Bankless Wrapped Just Launched! https://bankless.com/wrapped  01:04:37 How to Recognize Bull Market Tops? https://imgur.com/a/Vaw3TSW  01:10:42 Check Out The Daily Gwei Shoutout to The Daily Gwei for Ethereum-focused insights and updates. https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailyGwei ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

Ejaaz returns to break down the latest surge in AI Agent innovation alongside Ryan this week, covering the rapid evolution at the intersection of crypto and AI. They explore how AI agents are making onchain payments to each other, autonomously ordering real-world goods, and even running their own Ethereum validators. They also dive into the new frameworks and partnerships—like ai16z’s collaboration with Stanford and Virtuals’ explosive growth—propelling these agents into cultural, economic, and infrastructural prominence. Will autonomous AI agents fundamentally reshape crypto market dynamics, creating new paradigms for value and coordination that spark unprecedented growth? Follow Ejaaz on Twitter: https://x.com/cryptopunk7213  ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠ 🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum    🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle     ⁠  📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/zora:0x0c294913a7596b427add7dcbd6d7bbfc7338d53f/116?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 2:04 AI Agent Bull Case  https://x.com/ai16zdao/status/1868105247056683129   5:46 Chris Dixon’s Read, Write, Own (Automate?)  9:20 AI Ordering Pizza https://x.com/ropirito/status/1867013533243769100  12:23 AI Ordering Toilet Paper https://x.com/AgentTankLive/status/1868704493157884289  16:16 Agent to Agent Commerce  https://x.com/ethermage/status/1868687530742460750  23:05 Bankless $500 Agent Tip https://x.com/simulacrumai/status/1867230651075768533  26:13 Virtuals Growth https://imgur.com/a/2Y79V3P    https://x.com/ethermage/status/1867616462019678708  https://x.com/virtuals_io/status/1868648756591391115  https://x.com/s4mmyeth/status/1868397655497613561   35:49 AI16z’s Eliza Labs Stanford Partnership & v2 Details  https://x.com/shawmakesmagic/status/1867721347406999917  https://x.com/ai16zdao/status/1868689379344195680  45:35 Arc   https://x.com/dv_memetics/status/1866670277440020570  https://x.com/0thtachi/status/1867337171595911473  https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1867206440206696520  https://x.com/shawmakesmagic/status/1867799462787293244  https://x.com/0xcygaar/status/1868072783089127516  49:40 Zerebro Runs an Ethereum Validator  https://x.com/tintsion/status/1867293794112344080  https://open.spotify.com/track/6G3XpKtoIoS7WpiuzeMBau?si=cd62150670cc4dfb    57:17 Top Emerging Trends https://x.com/ropirito/status/1867282256672567517   https://x.com/aimonicabrands/status/1867281243265806732   https://x.com/Defi0xJeff/status/1867976166201774265   1:07:15 Lightning Round of Cool Shit This Week  https://x.com/cookiedotfun/status/1867268954831695909   https://x.com/getmasafi/status/1867379305334153702  1:11:17 Homework to Learn More About AI Agents   https://www.bankless.com/ai-agents   https://x.com/yb_effect   https://x.com/S4mmyEth   https://www.amazon.com/Accelerando-Singularity-Charles-Stross/dp/0441014151   1:14:22 Closing & Disclaimers  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures 

How can economic bubbles be good for the world? Byrne Hobart is a financial analyst known for his newsletter "The Diff" which covers tech, trends and economics. Byrne has been on the periphery of crypto for longer that this podcast has existed In this podcast we discuss the book he has co-authored, Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation, where he makes the case for why human progress has stagnated and why speculative bubbles might be the only way out. ------ 📣 DYDX | UNLIMITED ERA  https://bankless.cc/dydx-unlimited  ------ 🎬 DEBRIEF | Ryan & David Unpacking the Episode: https://www.bankless.com/podcast/debrief-the-byrne-hobarts-interview  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠ 🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle     ⁠  📈 iYield: YOUR FINANCIAL PICTURE, SIMPLIFIED https://bankless.cc/iYield  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/zora:0x0c294913a7596b427add7dcbd6d7bbfc7338d53f/115?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 7:29 Byrne’s Crypto Background 10:13 Bitcoin Inception 28:17 Blockspace Economics 34:20 BOOM Thesis 45:35 The Great Stagnation 1:16:46 Civilizational Risk 1:32:31 Good Bubbles vs Bad Bubbles 1:40:04 Identifying the Next Bubble 1:47:53 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Byrne Hobart https://x.com/ByrneHobart   Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation https://a.co/d/f7m2OG8   The Diff Newsletter https://www.thediff.co/   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures ⁠