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The Bitcoin Frontier

The Bitcoin Frontier

Written by: Unchained Capital Inc
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 Explore how bitcoin as a monetary tool is transforming lives and perspectives. Through in-depth conversations, uncover stories of innovation, disruption, and growth as we chart the ever-evolving bitcoin frontier. Whether you're a bitcoin veteran or just curious, The Bitcoin Frontier is your guide to the future of money.© 2026 Unchained Capital, Inc Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Venture on a bitcoin standard with Allen Farrington

    Venture on a bitcoin standard with Allen Farrington
    Jan 13 2026
    Allen Farrington is an investor at Axiom BTC Capital and a writer known for sharp, contrarian takes on bitcoin and adjacent topics like bitcoin venture capital, fiat “plumbing,” and stablecoins. With Axiom, Allen uniquely focuses on clients’ returns not coming from financial engineering, but from productive deployment of capital to solve real world problems.In this episode, Allen joins The Bitcoin Frontier to share how bitcoin exposes the fiat distortions inside venture capital, why clear lines between saving and investing change founder and limited partner (LP) behavior, and what a bitcoin-first stack means for payments and stablecoins. We dig into local capital allocation on a sound-money standard, free/open-source dynamics and moats, and why lightning + ecash may be the endgame for stablecoins.SUPPORT THE PODCAST: → Subscribe → Leave a review → Share the show with your friends and family → Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=you... → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?ut...TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Intro & disclaimer; setting up VC in a world of finite money2:12 – Bitcoin as “fixing the plumbing”: unwinding fiat distortions vs fantasizing about the end state4:45 – How artificially low rates monetize other assets and push allocators out the risk curve7:28 – Pension funds, liabilities, and why flows into venture decouple from fundamentals9:46 – “Thousand-x or bust”: why LP incentives shape VC behavior (and fund crypto)12:02 – Saving vs investing: why buying bitcoin ≠ venture investing (and Axiom’s thesis)16:05 – Local investing on a sound-money standard and higher opportunity costs for founders20:52 – Measuring in bitcoin terms: hurdle rates, returns, and what “outperforming bitcoin” really means27:15 – Trusted third parties are security holes… so where do businesses add value? (non-custodial services)32:06 – Moats in a FOSS world: compete by delivering value, not lock-in36:50 – “Zero to One,” monopolies, and why ruthless excellence beats user exploitation41:10 – Open vs closed source: the healthy tension in bitcoin-native companies44:22 – Allen’s “half-baked” stablecoin thesis: why new “stablecoin blockchains” are a dead end47:06 – The Genius Act: fully reserved dollars, surveillance tradeoffs, and limited real-world impact so far48:55 – Lightning as settlement layer for fiat tokens; taproot assets / RGB today, ecash tomorrow55:00 – Could fully reserved rails hollow out small banks? Centralization pressures and unintended consequences56:44 – Closing: where to find Allen and Axiom BTCWHERE TO FOLLOW US: → Unchained X: https://x.com/unchained → Unchained LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Allen Farrington’s Twitter: https://x.com/allenf32 → Timot Lamarre’s Twitter: https://x.com/TimotLamarre → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production): https://x.com/DeFBeD
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    58 mins
  • Dictators fuel bitcoin adoption with Anna Chekhovich | The Last Free Americans

    Dictators fuel bitcoin adoption with Anna Chekhovich | The Last Free Americans
    Dec 30 2025

    Anna Chekhovich is a Russian activist who manages the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s finances while living in exile. She runs payrolls, budgeting, and fundraising for a movement that faces surveillance, asset seizures, and sanctions. What sets Anna apart is her operational playbook for keeping an organization alive when banks fail you. In this episode, Anna joins The Last Free Americans to share how bitcoin became ACF’s plan B for payroll and donations, how activists build practical off-ramps under hostile regimes, and how she co-designed a simple three-day training that now serves activists from more than 50 countries.

    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
    → Subscribe
    → Leave a review
    → Share the show with your friends and family
    → Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com
    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast
    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast

    TIMESTAMPS:
    0:00 - Intro, disclaimers, and why Bitcoin self-custody matters for human rights
    1:04 - Running ACF finances under surveillance and in exile
    3:23 - Bank freezes and the shift to bitcoin as plan B
    4:52 - Paying 300 plus staff when accounts are seized
    5:57 - Donor safety in authoritarian regimes and why self-custody is essential
    7:10 - Explaining self-custody in the U.S. context
    9:37 - The HRF webinar design and why simplicity wins
    12:09 - Day 1 playbook: custody types, first wallet, sending sats
    12:41 - Day 2 playbook: last mile options, P2P, meetups, and ATMs
    13:52 - Day 3 playbook: self-hosted crowdfunding with BTCPay Server and cold storage
    16:22 - Why lightning for live demos and choosing simple wallets like Muun
    20:57 - Sanctions and supporting family via P2P off-ramps
    31:19 - Multisig for nonprofits and where Unchained fits
    35:02 - Privacy by default with coinjoin and better ops hygiene
    39:14 - The peace time case for self-custody and financial dignity

    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:
    → Unchained X: https://x.com/unchained
    → Unchained LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom
    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter
    → Joe Kelly’s Twitter: https://x.com/josephkelly
    → Anna Chekhovich’s Twitter: https://x.com/AnyaChekhovich

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    43 mins
  • Bitcoin’s volatility is the signal in the noise with Mark Connors

    Bitcoin’s volatility is the signal in the noise with Mark Connors
    Dec 16 2025
    Mark Connors is a veteran credit analyst and macro thinker who’s spent nearly four decades on Wall Street, from the bond desks of Solomon Brothers to the hedge fund trenches. What makes Mark unique is his ability to pull the lens back—connecting regime changes in global finance to bitcoin’s rise as the asset with true integrity.In this episode, Mark joins The Bitcoin Frontier to share how his career shaped his understanding of risk, why bitcoin is the next monetary regime shift, and how Wall Street is still missing the plot. We dig into why bitcoin’s volatility is actually a superpower, how financial plumbing is breaking beneath the surface, and why institutions will eventually be forced to adopt bitcoin as pristine collateral.SUPPORT THE PODCAST: → Subscribe → Leave a review → Share the show with your friends and family → Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=you... → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?ut...TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Intro & Mark’s 40-year Wall Street journey through credit and crisis3:15 – Lessons from Solomon Brothers to Bitcoin Park: where integrity lives6:05 – How bitcoin fits into the third monetary regime since Bretton Woods8:00 – The “hacks” that brought bitcoin into Wall Street’s line of sight10:00 – Bitcoin as collateral and the coming collateral crisis12:20 – Understanding volatility: why bitcoin’s risk is asymmetric17:00 – The myth of volatility and the truth about upside variance21:00 – “Good vol” vs “bad vol”: how bitcoin surprises to the upside25:00 – Why rebalancing into bitcoin beats traditional 60/40 portfolios29:00 – Can Wall Street co-opt bitcoin through paper markets?31:00 – The importance of holding your own keys and verifying collateral35:00 – Convincing older investors and rebuilding credibility post-FTX37:00 – Regime changes, Bretton Woods, and how history rhymes43:00 – How the dollar was “saved” by energy and the petrodollar system46:00 – Hidden cracks in the financial system and repo stress explained49:00 – How new liquidity facilities show a fragile, patched-up system52:00 – Will Wall Street adopt bitcoin for safety or profit?55:00 – The slow cultural shift toward integrity in finance57:00 – The ultimate incentive: clients demanding bitcoin exposure1:00:00 – Risks to bitcoin: mining centralization, paper supply, and innovation1:02:00 – Where to follow Mark and how he’s educating advisorsWHERE TO FOLLOW US: → Unchained X: https://x.com/unchained → Unchained LinkedIn: / unchainedcom → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Mark Connors’s Twitter: https://x.com/riskdimensions → Timot Lamarre’s Twitter: https://x.com/TimotLamarre
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    1 hr and 4 mins
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