Discover
Bankless
1211 Episodes
Reverse
Crypto in 2026 is consolidating into a handful of high-stakes rivalries:
Ethereum vs. Solana for the center of gravity, Coinbase vs. Robinhood for the finance super-app, and Polymarket vs. Kalshi for prediction markets.
Arnav Pagidyala (Bankless Ventures) joins David and Ryan to map the investment implications, why incentives-driven L1s keep leaking liquidity, what makes Morpho’s institutional playbook work, and whether Hyperliquid, wallets, and onchain rails start eating the exchange business.
We also dig into the comeback of ICOs, what it would take for tokens to become truly investable, and why proof-of-personhood and privacy-preserving KYC may become unavoidable infrastructure.
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🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
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💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
https://bankless.cc/ico-watch
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
1:12 Ethereum & Solana
7:33 Why Solana is Winning
9:27 L1 Valuations
13:13 Coinbase & Robinhood
17:16 Base Contentcoins
20:32 Kalshi & Polymarket
23:19 Prediction Market Tokens
24:45 Store of Value Duopoly
27:21 Tokens in 2026
29:41 Tokens & Equity Alignment
31:01 MetaDAO
32:42 ICOs
34:44 Morpho
39:17 Morpho & Aave
40:41 Perp Exchanges
44:28 Proof of Personhood
48:42 Fat Wallet Thesis
51:45 X & Crypto
53:27 AI & Vibecoding
55:28 Is Crypto Dead?
57:18 Capital Stack Moving Onchain
59:10 What About TradFi?
1:02:15 Closing & Disclaimers
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RESOURCES
Arnav Pagidyala
https://x.com/0xArnav
Bankless Ventures
https://x.com/banklessvc
Investing Trends for 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poes3EpAR5c
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Washington takes center stage this week as crypto collides with power, policy, and markets. Ryan and David break down the CLARITY Act fight in the Senate, why banks want to kill stablecoin yield, and why Coinbase says the bill may be worse than no bill at all. They also unpack Trump’s DOJ targeting Jerome Powell and what it means for Fed independence, silver’s explosive move as markets search for safety, X’s push toward becoming a crypto super app, and the NYC mayor’s meme coin disaster. Plus: Tom Lee’s surprising MrBeast investment and what it signals about capital, culture, and crypto’s next phase.
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🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
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💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
https://bankless.cc/ico-watch
---
TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES
0:00 Intro
2:25 DOJ opened an investigation into Jerome Powell
https://x.com/federalreserve/status/2010510130970849338
https://x.com/federalreserve/status/2010510130970849338
https://x.com/LynAldenContact/status/2010526966953202125
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/powell-probe-highlights-trump-doj-role-white-house-enforcer-2026-01-14/
https://polymarket.com/event/jerome-powell-out-as-fed-chair-by
10:44 Markets
https://x.com/JesseCohenInv/status/2011311082896572766
https://www.coinnews.net/2025/01/09/american-silver-eagle-series-welcomes-2025-w-proof-edition/
https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/GLD:NYSEARCA
https://x.com/echodatruth/status/2010568502474571870
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/13/cpi-inflation-report-december-2026.html
https://polymarket.com/dashboards/fed-rates
20:52 Most important Legislation for crypto…ever?
https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2010709769187676430
https://x.com/DavidMMcintosh/status/2010389058271289845
https://www.aba.com/-/media/documents/letters-to-congress-and-regulators/ltrsenatestablecoin20260105.pdf
https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/01/11/jpmorgan-downplays-stablecoin-threat-as-local-bankers-warn-of-usd6-6t-risk
https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/2009795675635306737
https://x.com/USTransparent
https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2009809558605299914
https://x.com/SenLummis/status/2010939496830030038
https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/2011464338528166081
https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/2011464341556428936
https://x.com/davidsacks47/status/2011650262361129193
https://polymarket.com/event/clarity-act-signed-into-law-in-2026
https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/2010841027800895514
42:09 NYC Mayor Eric Adams issued a memecoin
https://x.com/runecrypto_/status/2010847811781230781
https://x.com/ericadamsfornyc/status/2010849167258566727
https://x.com/bubblemaps/status/2010890093431832789
https://x.com/ericadamsfornyc/status/2011541285354815932
https://x.com/buynyctoken/status/2011501230288257452
https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2010945632505127317
46:41 TOM LEE - BITMINE….invests $200m in MR BEAST MEDIA
https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/2011774463818518813
https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/2011810278980120830
49:53 World Liberty Financial launched a lending platform
https://worldlibertyfinancial.com/markets
https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/01/13/senate-s-warren-wlfi-tied-bank-application-should-be-halted-until-trump-divests
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/dolomite
51:45 Polygon….ALL IN on STABLECOIN STACK with two major acquisitions
https://x.com/0xPolygon/status/2011076681302446556
https://x.com/HadickM/status/2011099510957580437
https://x.com/sandeepnailwal/status/2009763000895344766
https://x.com/obchakevich_/status/2008876239285637419
54:21 X is rolling out Smart Cashtags & Killing InfoFi
https://x.com/nikitabier/status/2010277345651990564
https://x.com/jessepollak/status/2010404608263520356
https://www.theblock.co/post/385805/kaito-token-plummets-x-revises-api-policies-ban-infofi-crypto-projects
https://x.com/nikitabier/status/2011825522817270230
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/kaito
58:33 BitGo IPO - $2 billion! ($100 billion in custody)
https://x.com/AccessIPOs/status/2010727529238417549
59:16 The Golden Globes integrated Polymarket into their broadcast
https://x.com/shayne_coplan/status/2010862175607488709
1:00:38 David’s Market of the Week
https://polymarket.com/event/khamenei-out-as-supreme-leader-of-iran-by-january-31
https://x.com/polymarket/status/2009382529384497184
1:05:00 Closing & Disclaimers
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
What if the biggest threat to your freedom isn’t a bad decision - but a scoreboard you never agreed to? Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen joins Bankless to unpack how modern life quietly turns values into points: likes, GPAs, net worth, rankings, and performance metrics that feel objective - but often flatten what matters most. We explore what games really are, why “gamified” platforms like social media can be uniquely corrosive, and how “value capture” pulls you from meaning into measurable proxies. Then we get practical: playfulness, reflective control, and “value federalism” as ways to use metrics without letting them use you.
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💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
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---
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:58 “Is this the game you really want to be playing?”
5:45 What counts as a game (Bernard Suits’ definition)
11:38 Bankless “serious games” and the cheating test
16:29 Social media as “game-ish,” not truly a game
21:28 The magic circle and why points get dangerous
24:08 Rotten Tomatoes vs. forming your own taste
33:27 Portability: why metrics flatten nuance
38:15 Value capture: when your values get outsourced
45:52 Plato’s cave: “metrics are the new shadows”
54:12 The outsourcing dilemma: we can’t know everything
1:01:47 Playfulness as an antidote to metric hypnosis
1:12:55 Switching rule-sets: D&D, indie games, and redesigning incentives
1:16:22 Reflective control: using metrics without being used
1:20:21 Two endings: cynicism, hope, and the tradeoff of scale
1:23:38 Value federalism + why "Civilization" makes Thi miserable
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RESOURCES
C. Thi Nguyen
https://x.com/add_hawk
C. Thi Nguyen’s “The Score” Book
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/457380/the-score-by-nguyen-c-thi/9780241653975
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Is Canton a real blockchain or a new kind of capital-markets operating system?
Digital Asset co-founder Yuval Rooz explains why Canton prioritizes privacy as “need-to-know” information sharing and a federated “cantons” design that still allows atomic cross-canton transactions without bridges.
We unpack the two-tier architecture (edge validators + super validators that stitch cantons together and validate the public Canton Coin) and what that means for governance in regulated finance.
Plus: DTCC’s tokenization pilot starting with U.S. Treasuries, and why CC fees are USD-denominated with a burn/mint mechanism designed to track real network utility.
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🎬 DEBRIEF | RYAN & DAVID UNPACKING THE EPISODE
https://www.bankless.com/podcast/debrief-is-canton-even-a-real-blockchain
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🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
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💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
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------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:57 Canton Origin
8:02 Vitalik’s Post
14:15 Canton Philosophy
24:19 Canton Architecture vs Competitors
34:27 RWA Property Rights Debate
38:17 Canto Super-Validators
50:39 Canton Critiques
56:56 Decentralized vs Open Finance
1:02:16 Are Decentralized RWAs Possible?
1:07:04 Is Canton a Real Blockchain?
1:14:20 Canton Metrics
1:22:17 DTCC Relationship
1:25:27 Canton Token
1:30:43 Ethereum vs Canton in 2030
1:31:55 Closing & Disclaimers
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RESOURCES
Yuval Rooz
https://x.com/YuvalRooz
Canton
https://www.canton.network/
Omid Malekan vs Austin Campbell Professor Debate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-h-PeUOvDw
RWA Analytics
https://app.rwa.xyz/
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Prediction markets are turning into real-time intelligence, and policymakers are already reacting. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David unpack the Venezuela “Maduro” trade, the debate over fairness vs. public signal, and Polymarket’s expansion into real estate markets. They also cover Bitcoin’s lowest-vol year ever, Solana’s DEX surge, Ethereum’s stablecoin settlement ATH, Morgan Stanley’s crypto ETF filings, Zcash’s governance blowup, Lighter’s massive $LIT airdrop, Vitalik’s “trilemma solved” claim, Wyoming’s state stablecoin, and Strategy’s path toward major indices.
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🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
https://bankless.cc/the-defi-report
💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
https://bankless.cc/ico-watch
---
TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES
0:00 Intro
2:49 Markets
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2025-ray-dalio-kaf8e/
https://x.com/dampedspring/status/2008568524046991733
https://www.coinglass.com/pro/i/bl
https://www.dlnews.com/articles/regulation/bitcoin-least-volatile-year/
https://x.com/NTmoney/status/2007111582317215767
https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2007167084980044071
https://x.com/smyyguy/status/2009282261384888407
https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2007980573365502161
https://x.com/ericbalchunas/status/2008527564550156315
https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2008926447205843202
https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/2008542347425149247
14:03 Did Polymarket reveal the Venezuela invasion hours prior the announcement?
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4370431/trump-announces-us-militarys-capture-of-maduro/
https://x.com/JoePompliano/status/2007455311351718118
https://x.com/0xKelle/status/2008099287851561262
https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2007497192974459372
https://x.com/QuiverQuant/status/2008029132484206664
https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2008245382539882784
https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/2008184924377960502
25:41 Polymarket Market of the Week
27:42 ZEC dump and resignation
https://x.com/solidintel_x/status/2009172254496870816
https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/2009235841751613660
31:05 Lighter launched the Lighter Infrastructure Token
https://x.com/Lighter_xyz/status/2005862682608472263
https://x.com/bubblemaps/status/2006296418622001313
https://defillama.com/protocol/perps/lighter-perps
https://x.com/Lighter_xyz/status/2008309047787753497
35:27 Has Ethereum resolved the blockchain trilemma?
https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2007559523528233041
https://x.com/ralexstokes/status/2008707458563535022
https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2008174642066845778
https://x.com/dankrad/status/2008466291913265443
45:49 SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw resigned
https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/2007195935403847868
46:32 Major US retailers are accepting crypto payments
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/walmart-starbucks-more-accepting-crypto-202205775.html
48:14 Wyoming launches first US state-issued stablecoin
https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2008958574962028924
50:00 MSCI decided not to exclude DATs from their indexes
https://www.msci.com/indexes/index-resources/index-announcements
51:28 Closing & Disclaimers
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Brent Johnson returns to Bankless to update the Dollar Milkshake Theory and explain why the de-dollarization narrative misses the bigger trend. He argues markets may want out of the dollar, but the Eurodollar system keeps pulling demand back in, and “dollar down” headlines do not break the framework. Brent also covers how debt stress can spill into political instability, why stablecoins and the GENIUS Act could accelerate re-dollarization, and what this means for monetary sovereignty. We close with China’s counter-strategy and how Brent thinks about positioning from here.
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🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
https://bankless.cc/the-defi-report
💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
https://bankless.cc/ico-watch
---
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
1:20 De-Dollarizing vs Re-Dollarizing: Milkshake Recap
4:18 What a Sovereign Debt Crisis Actually Means
5:45 Central Banks as “Professional Can-Kickers”
8:56 Can They Slowly Let the Air Out?
11:03 Can AI Productivity Save the System?
13:06 2025 Setup: The Narrative for Dedollarization
18:06 BRICS: Conference Talk vs Structural Reality
23:37 Store of Value vs Medium of Exchange
34:24 “Crisis = Dollar Up” (and the April Exception)
39:06 Stablecoin Redollarization and the GENIUS Act
47:20 Monetary Sovereignty, Faster Bank Runs, Faster Dollarization
52:34 China’s Response: Two Currency Stacks
54:21 Positioning as an Investor
---
RESOURCES
Brent Johnson
https://x.com/SantiagoAuFund
The Dollar Milkshake Theory
https://research.santiagocapital.com/p/the-dollar-milkshake
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Crypto is maturing while attention moves elsewhere. In this Weekly Rollup, David Hoffman and Anthony Sassano break down silver, gold, and the S&P hitting new highs, the Aave civil war over control and fees, Uniswap’s unification win, a new pro crypto CFTC chair, and why quantum computing may be Bitcoin’s biggest long term risk.
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💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
https://bankless.cc/ico-watch
---
TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES
0:00 Intro
1:25 2025 & 2026
6:47 Markets
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/silver-10x-d-p-500-145100823.html
https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2003514479649390697
https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2003611075116433413
https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2003573927407440012
https://x.com/PeterSchiff/status/2004364997401760040
https://x.com/matthew_sigel/status/2006002866507690243
https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2006078375924793591
https://x.com/Mrcryptoxwhale/status/2005388225482031317
16:50 Is Aave in a civil war?
https://x.com/obsrvgmi/status/2003089533995471074
https://x.com/aave/status/1996591393817473247
https://governance.aave.com/t/aave-cowswap-integration-tokenholder-questions/23530
https://governance.aave.com/t/arfc-aave-token-alignment-phase-1-ownership/23616
https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/2002933974969315561
https://snapshot.org/#/s:aavedao.eth/proposal/0xbc606159ddeae0184c2086055637d3f357351ec0adc4c9f4150751bc41918eba
https://x.com/Marczeller/status/2004494332359741859
https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/2004503414705643866
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/aave
29:55 Uniswap UNIfication
https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2005306028506923234
https://vote.uniswapfoundation.org/proposals/93
41:36 Michael Selig is the new CFTC Chairman
https://x.com/cointelegraph/status/2001834127696249077
https://x.com/MichaelSelig/status/2003090594508214534
https://youtube.com/live/fPdqwebmJzE
https://youtube.com/live/yIKRSDhAf4A
48:39 Nic Carter says, Quantum is the biggest risk to Bitcoin
https://murmurationstwo.substack.com/p/bitcoin-and-the-quantum-problem-part
https://x.com/adam3us/status/2002049157662753197
https://x.com/Pledditor/status/2001896737775194208
https://x.com/Fiskantes/status/2002005763343184156
https://x.com/caprioleio/status/2001990974940274921
https://larryswedroe.substack.com/p/the-quantum-computing-threat-to-financial
1:02:11 Anthony’s 2026 Excitement
1:03:31 Closing & Disclaimers
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
David Hoffman sits down with Mike Ippolito to unpack why 2025 felt brutal despite new all-time highs and why that tension matters for 2026. They argue crypto is entering its “2002 internet” phase, where speculation fades, fundamentals matter, and consolidation accelerates. The conversation covers why Ethereum may see a renaissance, why Bitcoin sentiment could struggle, how prediction markets and equity perps actually play out, and what builders and investors should focus on as crypto matures from hype into real value creation.
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Mike Ippolito
https://x.com/MikeIppolito_
https://x.com/MikeIppolito_/status/1870938934337020106
https://blockworks.co/podcast/bellcurve
------
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
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------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:41 Evaluating 2025: The Best Worst Year
7:19 Looking Ahead to 2026
15:40 Investor Relations in Crypto
24:29 Evolving Revenue Discussions
27:44 The Future of DATS
30:06 VC Investment Trends
35:13 Prediction Markets: Incumbents Win
39:52 The Ethereum Renaissance
45:42 The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin
55:06 Consolidation in Blockchain Infrastructure
1:05:07 Corporate Chains: Hot Starts, Cold Ends
1:10:43 Closing & Disclaimers
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Ben Lakoff and Arnav Pagidyala from Bankless Ventures lay out how they’re thinking about crypto investing heading into 2026.
The conversation spans four persistent pillars of every cycle: DeFi, tokenization, capital formation, and speculation and how each is evolving as crypto matures.
Topics include the next wave of on-chain lending, equity perps, DeFi neobanks, verticalized tokenization platforms, compliant ICOs, prediction and opinion markets, and where AI agents may reshape crypto-native finance.
A candid look at what’s investable now, what’s changing, and how Bankless Ventures is underwriting the next cycle.
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🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
11:59 DeFi
36:20 Tokenization
50:25 Capital Formation
1:00:44 Speculation Markets
1:09:58 AI
1:13:26 Founders & Teams
1:15:31 Closing & Disclaimers
------
RESOURCES
Ben Lakoff
https://x.com/benlakoff
Arnav
https://x.com/0xArnav
Bankless Ventures
https://x.com/banklessvc
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Ryan and David skip a quiet holiday weekly rollup and instead break down the biggest 2026 crypto forecasts from Bitwise, Coinbase, Galaxy, Grayscale, CoinShares, Fidelity, a16z, and Pantera. They lay out the clearest consensus, stablecoins as real payment rails, tokenization scaling beyond pilots, and ETFs expanding institutional access, then hit the big debates around regulation, prediction markets, token value capture, and the growing quantum question for Bitcoin.
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📣M0 | THE UNIVERSAL STABLECOIN PLATFORM
https://bankless.cc/m0
------
BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:
🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS
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🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
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------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
2:14 Predictions for Stablecoins
6:42 Tokenization Trends
11:27 ETF Explosion
11:45 Market Structure Legislation
14:06 Prediction Markets Rise
15:20 Quantum Concerns
20:29 Broad Themes Emerge
24:11 Hybrid Finance Concept
28:02 Privacy in Crypto
33:27 DEX Transition Predictions
35:09 Tokenomics Evolution
39:43 Controversies in Predictions
42:58 Market Cycles & Macro Trends
48:12 Year-End Reflections on Ethereum
1:01:08 Bitcoin's Performance Overview
1:10:03 Future Visions for Crypto
1:10:40 Closing & Disclaimers
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Is the crypto cycle already over? Ben Cowen returns to break down what a post-euphoria cycle looks like, why Bitcoin may have already topped, and how 2026 could play out across crypto, stocks, and macro. We explore the case for a prolonged bear market, why a true alt season may not arrive, and the narrow scenarios where Ethereum could still make a fleeting run at new highs. From Fed policy and labor markets to AI stealing investor attention, this episode maps the competing paths ahead and what patient investors should be watching next.
------
📣INTO THE CRYPTOVERSE | GET 10% OFF
https://intothecryptoverse.com/ref/bankless/
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:49 Bitcoin's Cycle & its Implications
2:18 Ethereum's Performance & Expectations
8:58 Future Predictions for Ethereum
10:39 Comparing Ethereum to Tesla
12:32 The State of the Altcoin Market
18:26 Disappointment & Hope for ETH Holders
20:23 Macro Factors Affecting Crypto
24:37 Why No Euphoria This Cycle?
32:56 The Shift of Investor Attention
37:56 The Future of Crypto Cycles
44:16 The Need for Utility in Crypto
56:14 Gold vs. Bitcoin: A Comparison
59:45 Bitcoin's Unique Position in the Market
1:02:31 Patience and Strategy for Crypto Investors
1:06:01 Closing & Disclaimers
------
RESOURCES
Ben Cowen
https://x.com/intocryptoverse
Ben’s Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@intothecryptoverse
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Joey Krug (Founders Fund partner, former Pantera co-CIO, and Augur co-founder) returns to unpack whether the “crypto-native era” is fading as institutions and mainstream apps adopt crypto rails without adopting crypto culture.
We dig into prediction markets’ breakout (and why Polymarket finally found product-market fit), the coming regulatory fights around market structure and “insider” edges, and what’s next for founders building in a post-cypherpunk, distribution-first phase of crypto.
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
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------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
5:45 Is Crypto-Native Dead?
16:37 Lessons From Augur
20:29 Prediction Market’s Success
25:24 Just Gambling?
27:50 Prediction Market Regulation
41:03 Founders Fund Polymarket Bet
44:37 FBI Raid
46:47 Founders Fund Crypto Investment Thesis
53:46 DATs
57:02 Layer1 Valuation
1:00:40 ETH Valuation
1:04:32 What Would Joey Build Today?
1:06:13 Crypto x AI
1:10:09 Frontier Tech x Crypto
1:14:26 4-Year Cycles
1:16:16 Less Upside in Crypto Now?
1:19:37 Crypto Privacy
1:20:41 Last & Next Decade
1:23:05 Closing & Disclaimers
------
RESOURCES
Joey Krug
https://x.com/joeykrug
Augur
https://augur.net/
Founders Fund
https://foundersfund.com/
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Crypto prices are down, but the most important players are still building. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David break down Coinbase’s push to become a financial super app, JPMorgan’s first tokenized money market fund on Ethereum, and why regulators are quietly opening the door for onchain settlement through DTCC pilots.
They also unpack Solana’s Firedancer finally going live, the growing fight over tokenholder rights at Aave and what Uniswap’s unification proposal gets right, and why tokenization and prediction markets are advancing faster than prices suggest.
---
📣M0 | THE UNIVERSAL STABLECOIN PLATFORM
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💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
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---
TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES
0:00 Intro
2:14 Markets
https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/BTC-USD?hl=en&window=1Y&comparison=SOL-USD%2CETH-USD&type=line
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/12/12/barclays-sees-down-year-for-crypto-in-2026-without-big-catalysts
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/cpi-november-inflation-rate-rcna249847
https://x.com/0xNonceSense/status/2000561186497233247
https://x.com/leshka_eth/status/2000738467953967362
12:38 Bankless Announcements
https://x.com/Bankless/status/2001694903084937469
https://www.bankless.com/ico-watch/
https://x.com/JustDeauIt/status/2001380424329892009
20:12 Coinbase System Update
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1BRJjgWpwwpxw
https://www.coinbase.com/ccm
https://dune.com/entropy_advisors/robinhood-stock-tokens
https://www.coinbase.com/prediction-markets
https://app.morpho.org/base/borrow
https://swap.cow.fi/#/1/swap/0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48/GOOGLON
37:50 Aave Drama, v4 & the 2026 Master Plan
https://governance.aave.com/t/aave-cowswap-integration-tokenholder-questions/23530
https://x.com/aave/status/1996591393817473247
https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1999728596626342177
https://www.circle.com/blog/circle-signs-agreement-to-acquire-interop-labs-team-intellectual-property
https://x.com/howdymerry/status/1991932582938943798
https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2001566377656602705
https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/2001036446098919461
https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/2001303903447466476
47:20 Solana BreakPoint
https://x.com/solana/status/1999399841957576741
https://x.com/phantom/status/1999442547039756491
https://x.com/jerallaire/status/2000926577727562023
https://x.com/theoneandomsy/status/1999654845607710749
52:48 SEC says DTCC can tokenize stocks
https://x.com/Snapcrackle/status/1999389068321300814
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS5cDEyEf38
https://www.dtcc.com/news/2025/december/17/dtcc-and-digital-asset-partner-to-tokenize-dtc-custodied-us-treasury-securities
https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/canton
57:06 JPMorgan launched their first ever tokenized money market fund - Ethereum
https://x.com/ethereum/status/2000665928598524014
57:56 Do Kwon was sentenced to 15 years in prison
https://x.com/zoomerfied/status/1999237162361888869
59:43 New York Times put out another anti-crypto piece
https://x.com/intangiblecoins/status/2000334663479447557
https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/2000573428093341865
1:01:23 Netflix announced new Bitcoin comedy
https://x.com/BitcoinArchive/status/1999491003451867515
1:03:02 Closing & Disclaimers
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Trading is no longer just a financial activity; it has become a spectator sport. In this episode, Threadguy explains how Gen Z’s internet-native fluency, built through sneaker markets, NFTs, and meme cycles, translates into a new kind of market intuition: attention, momentum, and mimetics. We delve into “Entertainment Finance,” where perps, prediction markets, and live trading are starting to resemble streaming and esports more closely than Wall Street. Along the way, we explore why “internet capital markets” may pull everything on-chain over time, what happens when every asset becomes content, and why creators and traders will keep pushing into the open frontier.
---
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
---
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Threadguy: “Gen Z crypto face”
2:58 Sneaker Twitter: trade-first upbringing
8:03 Onboarding via social proof
13:08 Two Gen Z money paths
16:53 Crypto as opportunity engine
20:38 Why he won’t leave crypto
23:35 Media growth and infinite TAM
29:31 Entertainment finance: markets as content
37:28 Risk takers become “athletes”
42:27 PVP arcs and downfall appetite
44:25 Trading mimetics: valuation doesn’t matter
49:53 One internet note, spills to equities
55:15 Counterparty: home for internet markets
58:40 Token launch replaces IPO
1:02:38 Where to follow + content grind
---
RESOURCES
Threadguy
https://x.com/notthreadguy
Threadguy’s Twitch
https://www.twitch.tv/threadguy
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
The Fed cut rates and announced $40B/month in T bill purchases. Is that the signal to buy back into crypto? Mike says no. In this episode, we explain why “QE light” is not real easing, the key indicators Mike needs before flipping risk on, and what Bitcoin’s onchain market structure suggests about where this cycle could go next.
----
📣THE DEFI REPORT | FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE
https://thedefireport.transistor.fm/
https://thedefireport.io/
https://x.com/the_defi_report
https://x.com/JustDeauIt
----
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction to the DeFi Report
2:28 Current Market Positioning
9:25 Federal Reserve's Actions Explained
13:13 Economic Conditions & Predictions
18:35 Big Picture of Economic Strategy
23:17 Analyzing Bitcoin's Market Structure
29:57 Closing & Future Outlook
----
Not financial or tax advice. For educational purposes only.
Bitwise’s Matt Hougan and Ryan Rasmussen return with 10 big predictions for 2026.
From the case for $1M BTC (and why the classic four-year cycle may be dead) to a world where ETFs soak up more than 100% of new BTC/ETH/SOL supply.
We get into Bitcoin volatility vs. mega-cap tech, crypto equities vs. tech equities, and why Polymarket could smash past its 2024 election-era highs.
Plus: stablecoins as an “escape valve” that emerging economies may blame for currency stress, on-chain also known as “ETFs 2.0,” and how the Clarity Act could be the starter’s gun for ETH and SOL to run.
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🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS
https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca
🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
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💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Last Year Predictions
13:12 1. Bitcoin Breaks 4-Year Cycle
16:19 2. BTC Less Volatile Than NVDA
22:09 3. ETFs Purchasing New Supply of Crypto
30:02 4. Crypto Equities Outperforming Equities
37:23 5. Prediction Markets All-Time Highs
42:50 6. Stablecons Destabilizing Currencies
48:16 7. Onchain Vaults Doubling in AUM
52:56 8. Clarity Act Triggering ETH & Sol All-Time Highs
56:40 9. Ivy League Endowments Investing in Crypto
58:49 10. 100+ Crypto ETPs Launching
1:01:14 Bitwise Announcement
1:04:08 Bonus. Bitcoin Equity Correlation Falling
1:07:29 Progress in 2025
1:10:48 Cross-Generational Wealth Transfer?
1:13:02 Closing Thoughts & Disclaimers
------
RESOURCES
Matt Hougan
https://x.com/Matt_Hougan
Ryan Rasmussen
https://x.com/RasterlyRock
Bitwise
https://bitwiseinvestments.com/
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
AI is becoming the most powerful surveillance machine ever built and most people are feeding it their deepest secrets without realizing who can read them. Proton founder Andy Yen joins Bankless to explain how Big Tech captures your identity, why AI chat logs are a privacy disaster waiting to happen, and what a self-sovereign, user-aligned future could look like.
We explore how AI models profile you, why subscription business models don’t guarantee privacy, how Proton built Lumo without retaining user data, and why encrypted email remains the cornerstone of your digital identity. Andy also breaks down EU “chat control,” Apple’s privacy-washing, the crisis of trust in crypto, and the practical steps anyone can take today to reclaim their digital freedom.
---
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🦄UNISWAP LABS | SWAP NOW
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💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
---
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
2:18 Why Privacy Matters More Than Ever
3:24 How Screwed Are We? Andy’s 1–10 Privacy Score
5:43 Who Can Read Your AI Chats?
12:22 Worst-Case Scenarios: AI Breaches & Behavioral Profiles
15:08 AI Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself
16:55 Privacy as a Digital Civil Liberty
20:26 Can Big Tech Ever Offer Real Privacy?
26:28 Why Lumo AI Can Be Private (and Big Tech Won’t Copy It)
31:08 What Lumo Runs On & How It Competes With Frontier Models
35:45 The Case for a Self-Sovereign AI
38:46 How Proton’s Foundation Model Really Works
45:47 Can Private AI Be Sustainable?
49:47 The Full Proton Privacy Stack
54:59 The Messy State of Encrypted Chat Apps
58:49 Browsers, Search, and the Dark Patterns of AI Integration
1:02:53 Are iPhones Actually Private?
1:12:42 The Fight Over Encryption: EU Chat Control & Beyond
1:26:08 “A Backdoor for the Good Guys” — Why It Can’t Work
1:29:42 Financial Privacy = Freedom
1:32:58 Crypto’s Reputation Problem
1:39:24 Practical Privacy: The One High-Leverage Step
1:45:15 Two Futures: One Dark, One Bright
---
RESOURCES
Andy Yen
https://x.com/andyyen
---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
The final Fed meeting of 2025 delivered a surprise rate cut, but the real story is how the market is reacting. In this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David unpack what the new policy shift means for crypto liquidity, why regulators across the SEC, CFTC, and OCC are suddenly embracing onchain markets, and how Tom Lee’s massive ETH accumulation is reshaping sentiment.
We also get into Ethereum’s growing momentum from ZK advancements and blob upgrades, the ZKsync Atlas rollout, Base’s bridge drama with Solana, and Farcaster’s pivot away from social. Plus, the rise of tokenization, new prediction market rails, and whether this week marks the first real cycle turn for Ethereum.
------
📣REYA | ETHEREUM FOR TRADERS
https://bankless.cc/reya
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🦄UNISWAP LABS | SWAP NOW
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🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
------
TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES
0:00 Intro
5:01 Markets
https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1998424357232922883
https://www.theblock.co/post/381737/bitmine-13-2-billion-holdings-eth-treasury-expands-november-slowdown
https://x.com/RyanWatkins_/status/1998529576331522334
https://x.com/MikeIppolito_/status/1998495400869900626
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/10/fed-interest-rate-decision-december-2025-.html
https://x.com/jameslavish/status/1998835306800505140
https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1998407015756964343
https://x.com/JustDeauIt/status/1998905919577452765
24:52 Farcaster is pivoting to a wallet
https://farcaster.xyz/dwr/0xd29fe760
https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1997915182073626802
https://x.com/eth_call/status/1998406182092906534
http://x.com/nic_carter/status/1998813611997745386
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1999134280757235767
37:11 ZK … early stage of unleashing Ethereum’s vision
https://x.com/zksync/status/1996678308214264145
https://x.com/zksync/status/1996678311997853752
https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/1996990055043223659
https://x.com/zksync/status/1998405700637356056
https://x.com/Celo/status/1998780366988128562
47:06 Did Base launch a vampire attack on Solana’s liquidity?
https://x.com/jessepollak/status/1996750308933091359
https://x.com/vibhu/status/1996698682545107247
https://x.com/0xyoussea/status/1997763313909092415
https://x.com/solana/status/1999035191323759024
52:30 Ethereum's first Blob Parameter Only (BPO) fork is now live on the network
https://x.com/i/status/1998936032314523977
https://dune.com/hildobby/blobs
56:17 Regulators are doing a complete 180
https://x.com/OndoFinance/status/1998015670278148283
https://x.com/coinbureau/status/1997128653650657338
https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/12/08/cftc-launches-digital-assets-pilot-allowing-bitcoin-ether-usdc-as-collateral
https://x.com/joechalom/status/1998421401049710686
https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1998379541132402987
https://www.fdic.gov/news/inactive-financial-institution-letters/2023/fil23001.html
https://x.com/USComptroller/status/1998793576663187561
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/guaranteeing-fair-banking-for-all-americans/
https://occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2025/nr-occ-2025-123a.pdf
https://www.bankless.com/read/news/occ-calls-out-americas-largest-banks-for-politicized-and-unlawful-debanking-behaviors
https://www.theblock.co/post/381815/sen-moreno-calls-crypto-bill-talks-decently-frustrating-as-senate-races-toward-year-end-goal-posts
1:05:03 The New York Times put out an anti-stablecoin explainer piece
https://x.com/0xDeployer/status/1997754736158900440
https://x.com/nic_carter/status/1997866686439928004
1:06:50 Gemini can now offer prediction markets in the US - Stock Surges Nearly 14%
https://x.com/gemini/status/1998880024401973615
https://x.com/gondorfi/status/1998754620416344483
https://gondor.fi/
1:07:49 Meme of the Week
https://x.com/Bankless/status/1998064876892442788
1:09:36 Closing & Disclaimers
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
ICOs are suddenly back, but this time the projects are real, the mechanisms are better, and retail isn’t shut out. Ryan and David break down why MegaEth, Monad, Aztec, Zama, and Infinex are launching public sales all at once, how onchain auctions are fixing 2017’s mistakes, and what regulatory clarity means for U.S. participation.
They also dive into the rise of internet native capital markets on Ethereum, the shift away from airdrop farming, and why fair price discovery could be a defining theme of 2026.
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🦄UNISWAP LABS | SWAP NOW
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💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
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------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:13 Are ICOs Back?
2:54 The Rise of Capital Formation
5:04 Learning from 2017 ICO Mania
7:19 Regulatory Challenges & Arbitrage
10:56 Recent ICOs Overview
17:01 Exploring the MegaEth Sale
26:21 Monad's Unique Approach
30:40 The Innovative Aztec ICO
45:19 Upcoming Auctions: Zama & Infinex
1:04:41 The Future of Capital Formation
1:07:46 Closing & Disclaimers
------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
What was really happening inside the SEC during the Gensler years?
Today, we sat down with Corey Frayer, former senior crypto policy advisor to SEC Chair Gary Gensler and now Director of Investor Protection at the Consumer Federation of America.
We dig into how the agency thought about securities law, DeFi, Uniswap, stablecoins, SAB 121, and why platforms like Coinbase and Kraken ended up in the crosshairs.
Corey defends the Gensler playbook while responding to the industry’s harshest criticisms, from “regulation by enforcement” to claims of a political war on crypto.
Corey Frayer:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-frayer-990a6b2
------
🎬 DEBRIEF | RYAN & DAVID UNPACKING THE EPISODE
https://www.bankless.com/podcast/debrief-inside-gary-genslers-sec
------
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🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025
https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon
💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep
------
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
4:58 Crypto Industry Misconceptions
7:59 Corey’s Role & Background
14:20 How it All Started
24:16 No Path to Register?
31:26 Technology vs Economic Activity
38:22 Protecting Investors
41:07 DeFi Regulation
44:53 Uniswap’s Wells Notice
57:00 Fake DeFi vs True DeFi
1:03:41 Google Analogy
1:08:35 The Howey Test
1:16:53 SEC: Good or Evil?
1:26:52 GENIUS Bill
1:29:10 SAB 121
1:33:01 Crypto & SEC Political Impact
1:36:02 Paul Atkin’s SEC
1:38:15 What Would Corey Change?
1:41:23 Gary’s Text Messages
1:43:10 Is ETH a Security?
1:44:39 Gary Gensler’s Radio Silence
1:47:37 Gary’s Twitter April Fools PFP
1:50:44 Closing & Disclaimers
------
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After listening to the podcast, I realized just how important patience and strategy are in crypto right now. It seems Bitcoin’s cycle may have peaked, and most altcoins are struggling, though Ethereum could still surprise under certain conditions. I’ve been tracking ETH/BTC ratios, Bitcoin’s moving averages, and potential price targets, but I know that staying informed isn’t enough without proper tools. Personally, I use Gem Wallet to safely manage my holdings, monitor transactions, and check real-time balances. Combining careful research, market psychology insights, and reliable tools like https://gemwallet.com/ Gem Wallet helps me approach the market thoughtfully and reduce unnecessary risks.
this is a boring way to tell the development
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i think Link has proven its case. thank you.
Hello. I still think that one of the most proven ways to make money in 2022 is to invest in little-known coins, but promising ones. At first I asked for help, but now I'm trying to trade myself. You should also read the article https://changelly.com/blog/cheap-crypto-to-buy-now/ where you can find just such coins. You may also be interested in trading if you are not afraid to take risks.
I would like to invest in crypto. It is a good point to earn money.
Great episode....re secure decentralised bridges, your next guest at PolyChain has actually invested in one that's building a universal POW interoperable blockchain....Nervos Network.
Really nice one good to find it! https://www.hpinstantink.org/
David.... too much coffee 😆
nope,this guest makes too many grandiose general statements that are easily proven wrong with a little research.
great episode. thanks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️