In this episode, we dive deep into why memecoins have become undeniable for both retail and institutional investors. We explore key trading insights from Soros and Druckenmiller that apply to today's crypto market, then examine Kraken's L2 launch and what it means for exchanges. The conversation concludes with Stripe's $1.1B Bridge acquisition and why stablecoins are becoming the "superconductors" of financial services. Thanks for listening!

- -

Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis.

Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j

Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7

Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

- -

Explore the SKALE Ecosystem at skale.space/ecosystem and stay up to date with the gas-free blockchain on X at @skalenetwork

- -

Supra Containers are secured by Supra’s L1 nodes and get access to Supra’s 500k TPS throughput, sub-second consensus latency, and all their built-in services like oracle price feeds and onchain randomness without any overhead. Supra is also MultiVM compatible so you can easily deploy your EVM, Move, and SVM smart contracts here.

Get all the freedom, control, and tools you need to build super dApps and bring the world onchain. To learn more, visit www.supra.com/blockworks

- -

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:17 NFT Acquisition

10:12 GOAT: New Meta?

28:50 Buy Now, Analyze Later

36:00 Skale Ad

36:39 Supra Ad

37:37 Kraken L2 Launch

43:55 Is Ethereum Hated?

50:32 Token Launches & FDVs

54:48 Stripe Acquires Bridge

- -

Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.