The Scoop

On this episode of The Scoop, Bittrex Global CEO Stephen Stonberg joined host Frank Chaparro for a discussion on Bittrex’s US and global businesses, his outlook on security tokens, and how the company is tackling regulatory tightening in an effort to safely enter markets across the world. In its global business, Stonberg said that Bittrex is testing out lending and staking products as well as dipping its toes into STOs or Security Token Offerings, such as in real estate, stocks, cars, etc. Bittrex test-launched a limited number of what Stonberg termed ‘unsolicited ETFs’ like "Google tokenized and Tesla tokenized" which they are currently only selling to a small subset of clients via their Bermuda license. As the market matures and investors eventually look for yield in alternative products outside of utility tokens, Bittrex is positioning itself to capture that market share. “I would expect that as utility tokens become a more mature market, that you won't see those types of returns," said Stonberg. Stonberg views real estate on the blockchain as one of the use cases that will reshape the industry. In fact, Bittrex is exploring the potential of STO-based tokens, such as in real estate as well as possibly art and IPOs, as Stonberg suggested. “I really think that you're going to see everything being tokenized. Why should we not have real estate tokenized? Like, why should if you're IPOing a company, why does it have to be an IPO? Why can't it be in the venture stage?” As for where competitors are in the adoption cycle, Stonberg added: "Right now, we're in the fund build phase where the regulators haven't caught on yet." However, he did not comment on whether Bittrex has plans at this time to fundraise or enter public markets. Episode 56 of Season 3 of The Scoop was recorded remotely with The Block’s Frank Chaparro and Stephen Stonberg, CEO at Bittrex Global. Listen below, and subscribe to The Scoop on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. Email feedback and revision requests to podcast@theblockcrypto.com. This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Bakkt, Kraken, and Exodus Bakkt® unlocks the $1.2+ trillion of digital assets that is currently held in cryptocurrencies, rewards and loyalty points, gaming assets and merchant stored value. We began in 2018 with the vision to bring trust and transparency to digital assets. Through the Bakkt Warehouse and Bakkt Bitcoin Futures and Options contracts, we serve institutional clients in an end-to-end regulated market with true price transparency. For consumers, Bakkt aggregates digital assets to enable instant liquidity and to empower users to trade, transfer and pay however they want. Visit Bakkt.com for more information About Kraken Whether you’re an experienced crypto trader or just starting out, Kraken has the tools to help you achieve financial freedom. With 50+ cryptocurrencies to choose from, industry-leading security and a wide variety of features to suit any investing strategy, Kraken puts the power in your hands to buy, sell and trade digital assets. Visit Kraken.com to get started today. About Exodus Exodus is leading the world out of traditional finance by building beautiful and user-friendly crypto products. Forget having to learn the nuances of different cryptocurrencies. Exodus is designed for everyone and hides the complex details behind a beautiful and intuitive interface.   Buy and sell one cryptocurrency for another from the comfort of your wallet, in seconds. Funds remain under your full control.   Secure, manage, stake, and exchange all of your favorite cryptocurrencies from one wallet. No account registration is required. Download Exodus at Exodus.com or directly from Google Play and the iOS App Store and you’re ready to go.

dYdX founder Antonio Juliano discusses the evolution of dYdX and the broader DeFi landscape, highlighting the need for DeFi to move beyond copying tradfi products and build truly innovative applications made possible by decentralization. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:33 DeFi's Development 04:24 dYdX Mega Vault AMM 05:32 dYdX Prediction Markets 08:47 High-Performance Blockchain Development 10:35 Appchain Drawbacks 12:47 dYdX vs. Hyperliquid 14:36 New dYdX Markets 17:11 Onchain RWA Derivatives 18:39 DEX Adoption Hurdles 21:24 Crypto Market Makers 22:22 dYdX Development Roadmap 23:47 Appchain Advantages GUEST LINKS Antonio Juliano on X - https://x.com/AntonioMJuliano Antonio Juliano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniojuliano/ dYdX - https://dydx.exchange/ dYdX on X - https://x.com/dYdX This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Syncracy Capital co-founder Ryan Watkins sheds light on Ethereum, Solana and finding the next "generational winners" in the crypto market. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:47 Watkins' Crypto Journey 05:22 Syncracy's Liquid Strategy 06:51 Crypto Market Analysis 08:52 Ethereum's Underperformance 13:14 Long-Only 15:34 Picking Winners 20:38 SOL Trade 28:27 Bitcoin vs. Crypto 34:16 Market Cycle Analysis This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Ripple Head of Product Jasmine Cooper and Axelar Co-Founder Sergey Gorbunov discuss advancements in Real World Assets (RWAs), tokenization, and interoperability. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:12 Interoperable RWAs 04:18 Regulatory Clarity 08:09 RWA Tech Stack 11:37 White Labeling RWAs 13:05 Choosing a Chain 14:43 XRP Ledger RWA Experience 20:35 Asset Issuance 101 22:49 Global Accessibility of RWAs 26:05 Corporate Admin Crypto Adoption 27:26 Advancements in Interoperability 30:26 Axelar's Development Roadmaps 31:39 Institutional RWA FAQs 34:25 Closing Thoughts 35:55 Axelar Wrap-Up This is episode is sponsored by Axelar Foundation. Axelar is scaling chain abstraction to hundreds of new blockchains with its Mobius Development Stack (MDS). Find out more at axelar.network/mobius The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Justin Slaughter is the vice president of regulatory affairs at Paradigm. In this episode, Slaughter and Chaparro discuss the Democratic Party's performance leading up to and during the recent election, particularly in relation to the crypto industry. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:19 2024 Election Recap 04:47 Harris Campaign 07:50 Single-Issue Crypto Voters 11:13 Democratic Party Policy 22:48 Policy Flip-Flopping 26:49 Split Ticket Voters 36:37 New SEC Regime 43:01 Pro-Crypto Democrats 45:06 Predictions & Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Alex Gluchowski is the Co-Founder CEO of Matter Labs, a company focused on scaling Ethereum using zero-knowledge proofs, and Matthias Broner is their Head of Growth for Latin America. In this episode, Gluchowski and Broner discuss the QuarkID project in Buenos Aires, which uses zero-knowledge proofs to give citizens control over their digital identity and serve as a model for decentralized digital identity systems. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:25 Blockchain Scaling 07:19 Buenos Ares ZK-Powered 12:01 Government Innovation 16:40 DID Tech Stack 18:25 ZK 101 19:57 Impact on Argentinian 21:39 DID Expansion 25:59 Crypto's Utility 31:33 Development Roadmap 32:42 Public Services Onchain 34:50 DID Security 36:24 ZKsync Roadmap This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Robert Leshner is the CEO of Superstate, an asset management firm that tokenizes traditional financial assets like U.S. Treasuries and brings them onchain. In this episode, Leshner explains the advantages of tokenized assets, such as the ability to operate 24/7 and the increased composability with DeFi protocols. He also discusses the regulatory and macroeconomic tailwinds that have made this an opportune time to launch tokenized products. OUTLINE 00:00 Health & Routines 07:03 Superstate Overview 12:26 Growing DeFi with RWAs 15:22 RWA Revolution 24:24 Benefits of Tokenization 27:18 Onchain vs. Offchain Crypto Exposure 29:18 Real-time NAV Updates 38:16 Real-Time Settlement 41:01 Crypto's Role in TradFi 46:13 The Future of Finance 49:07 Crypto's Regulatory Climate 53:58 Superstate's Asset Roadmap 58:47 Personal Prioritization 62:27 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Erik Voorhees and Teana Baker-Taylor are co-founders of Venice, an open-source and uncensored AI chatbot and content generation platform. In this episode, the Venice co-founders discuss the vision and approach of their product in contrast to more restrictive and centralized AI models like ChatGPT. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:43 Origin of Venice AI 02:37 'AI is like Bitcoin but scarier' 07:29 Proprietary AI Models 09:12 Regulatory Inefficiencies 11:16 Global AI Regulatory Regimes 16:46 AI Censorship 20:11 Moderation on Venice 25:01 Freedom vs Privacy 34:11 Venice Pricing Model 36:35 AI Agents 39:44 AI 'Rights' 50:37 Venice Roadmap 54:10 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Michael Shaulov is the Co-Founder & CEO of Fireblocks. In this episode, Shaulov discusses how Fireblocks' core business has evolved over the past few years, particularly in the area of stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Business at Fireblocks 06:15 Fireblocks & Stablecoins 09:59 RWA TVL Growth 15:36 Institutional Stablecoin Adoption 25:22 TradFi's Adoption of Crypto Infrastructure 29:27 Onchain Identity Systems 38:10 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Sam Hallene and Aryan Sheikhalian are analysts at CMT Digital, a subsidiary of the CMT Group. In this episode, Hallene and Sheikhalian unpack the key trends they are observing in crypto's VC market, including the intersection of blockchain and AI and its implication for improving user data ownership, verified inference, and the use of blockchain to govern non-deterministic models. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 05:31 Current VC Landscape 07:02 VC Market Decoupling 12:11 PMF in Crypto 15:58 Non-Financial Use Cases 22:00 DeFi's Future 23:17 Tokenization Trends 29:13 Crypto Venture Market Forecast 35:56 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Sandy Peng is the co-founder of Scroll. In this episode, Peng discusses scaling Ethereum and particularly emphasizes the importance of business insight and experience outside of crypto in driving application-level innovation. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:07 Peng's Journey to Scroll 04:27 Peng's Regulatory Background 07:52 Industry Headwinds 10:31 Ethereum Scaling Competition 15:00 Consumer Crypto Apps 16:49 Improving Crypto UX 23:06 Stepn's Success 26:11 ZK Advantages 29:45 Scroll's Roadmap 34:14 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

This episode of The Scoop features Bitget Wallet COO Alvin Kan, and two builders from the TON ecosystem — Catizen co-founder Ricky Wong and Miles, a core team member of Tomarket. The conversation explores how Telegram's large user base is enabling rapid adoption and growth of Telegram 'Mini Apps' on top of the TON blockchain. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:29 TON Overview 03:06 TON's Advantages 06:21 TON's Future 08:29 Catizen's Hyper Adoption 10:30 Tomarket Overview 12:34 Ton Ecosystem Collaboration 15:54 Building on TON 17:14 TON's Consumer Focus 20:56 TON User Behavior 24:45 User Retention 27:59 TON Roadmap 31:47 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Vishal Gupta is the co-founder and CEO of TrueX — a new stablecoin-native trading platform. In this episode, Gupta unpacks how TrueX aims to provide a "stablecoin-native" trading experience with segregated custody, primarily targeted at institutional clients in the United States. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:50 TrueX Overview 11:13 Exchange Innovation 14:42 Institutional Client Trading Needs 17:52 Stablecoin Collateral 19:21 TrueX Matching Engine 23:11 Segregated Service Offerings 25:52 TrueX Funding 27:41 Broker Adoption 31:06 Crypto's Credit Market 33:51 True Markets Roadmap 35:50 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Steve Kurz is the Global Digital Head of Asset Management at Galaxy Digital. In this episode, Kurz and Chaparro discuss the current state and future of crypto asset management, including the challenges and opportunities in the industry. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:53 Refining Market Structure 03:36 Galaxy Strategy 06:31 TradFi Capital Allocators 09:17 Future Products 13:26 Galaxy PMF 15:05 Crypto Lending 17:11 Regulatory Climate 19:40 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

David Ripley is the CEO of Kraken. In this episode, Ripley discusses Kraken's strategic expansion into institutional services, including custody and lending. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 03:57 Institutional Crypto Services 07:22 FTX Fallout 11:02 Institutional Adoption 15:25 Crypto Credit Crisis 17:10 Crypto Banking 19:14 Regulatory Environment 22:39 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

This episode of The Scoop was recorded with former chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton. Chaparro and Clayton discuss how the crypto industry has evolved since Clayton's tenure as head of the SEC. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:54 Crypto's Evolution 03:42 Crypto Securities & Crypto Commodities 07:02 Token Fundraising 09:57 US Crypto Exchanges 11:12 2022 Crypto Credit Crisis 12:47 The Future of Finance 15:05 Short Selling 16:08 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

This episode of The Scoop was recorded with US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Falcon X Global's Head of Revenue and Business Austin Reid live at the SALT Conference in Jackson Hole. Senator Scott and Reid discuss the growing political interest in crypto and digital assets in the United States, and the need for better education that clearly conveys the value proposition of this new form of technology. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Crypto's Political 03:05 Trump's Crypto Shift 04:23 US Regulatory Landscape 08:06 Crypto's 'Branding' 16:23 Bipartisan Crypto Support 18:23 Harris' Crypto Policy 19:48 SEC Leadership Change This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Carlos Domingo is the founder and CEO at Securitize. Earlier this year, Securitize partnered with BlackRock to launch the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL). In this episode recorded live at last week's SALT Conference, Domingo discusses the successful launch of BUIDL and highlights the growing institutional adoption of tokenized treasuries over stablecoins. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Blackrock & BUIDL 02:13 Strengthening Crypto Collateral 05:50 Tokenization Evolution 09:04 Crypto UX 11:16 BUIDL Target Audience 13:53 TradFi in Crypto 17:03 Tokenization Value Prop 19:05 Securitize Roadmap This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Anthony Scaramucci serves as both the founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, as well as the founder and chairman of SALT Conferences.  In this episode recorded live at last week's SALT Conference in Jackson Hole, Chaparro and Scaramucci discuss the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election and the rising importance of the 'crypto vote.' OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 04:16 2024 Election 14:19 Presidential Crypto Policy 15:58 Donald Trump 19:59 China Policy 25:05 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Caitlin Cook is the director of growth at the onchain fitness platform Moonwalk Fitness. In this episode, Cook shares how Moonwalk is attempting to build a consumer crypto app that helps people hit their health goals through daily step competitions. Moonwalk plans to tap into fitness communities, influencers, and corporate wellness programs to attract a broader non-crypto audience. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 02:12 Moonwalk Overview 02:56 Consumer Crypto Apps 21:44 Moonwalk's GTM Strategy 23:32 Moonwalk's Roadmap 27:17 Daily Exercise 32:16 Closing Thoughts This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters