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Unchained

Unchained

Written by: Laura Shin
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About this listen

 Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world. Disclosure: I'm a nocoiner.Copyright 2020 Laura Shin. All Rights Reserved. Politics & Government
Episodes
  • DEX in the City: Why Prediction Market 'Insider Trading' Isn't Illegal — Yet

    DEX in the City: Why Prediction Market 'Insider Trading' Isn't Illegal — Yet
    Jan 10 2026
    Thank you to our sponsor, Mantle! Canton's in bed with Nasdaq, a Google DeepMind's paper talks up the role of blockchain in an agentic economy and an alleged insider cashes in on Maduro's capture. In this DEX in the City episode, hosts Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, Jessi Brooks and Vy Le dive into the implications of Canton's Nasdaq deal, why DeepMind's study matters for crypto and the legality of insider trading on prediction markets. Vy highlights what Canton's Nasdaq deal signals about the priorities of institutions adopting blockchain technology. Katherine and Jessi engage in what happens when the machines take over. Plus, should federal officials be banned from using prediction markets? Hosts: Jessi Brooks Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos TuongVy Le Links: Bitcoin Rallies to $93,000 After U.S. Attack on Venezuela How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Why the Black Friday Whale’s $192 Million Crypto Trade Was Legal DEX in the City: Insider Trading and Crypto: What the Law Actually Says Google DeepMind’s agentic economy paper Pawthereum's website A copy of Rep. Ritchie's bill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • Why 2026 Is 'Too Chaotic' to Make Crypto Predictions

    Why 2026 Is 'Too Chaotic' to Make Crypto Predictions
    Jan 9 2026
    Thank you to our sponsor, Mantle! In this Unchained podcast episode, guests Alex Thorn and Ryan Graham share their 2026 outlook for Bitcoin and the broader crypto market, exploring why the year looks unusually uncertain. The conversation also digs into questions around Ethereum’s long-term value, whether killer apps are enough to drive adoption, prediction markets’ push into sports betting, and why the privacy meta could continue in 2026. Hosts: Laura Shin Guests: Ryan Graham, Research Analyst at Messari Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital Links: DAT Stocks Are on Sale. Are They a Buy? Plus, Why Crypto Is Dead Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Says Blockchain Trilemma ‘Has Been Solved’ Solana Withstands Week-Long DDoS Attack Solana Mulls Proposal to Lower Inflation Rate Western Union Files ‘WUUSD’ Trademark After Solana Stablecoin Reveal Why the Privacy Coins Mania Is Much More Than Price Action The Chopping Block: Hyperliquid vs. Tarun, ADL Transparency & The Coming Perps Arms Race How to Trade Prediction Markets Without an Opinion on the Event Why Wall Street Banks Need to Launch Their Own Stablecoins How the GENIUS Act Creates a Built-In Advantage for Banks and Deposit Tokens Klarna Launches Stablecoin Built on Stripe’s Tempo Chain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • The Chopping Block: 2025 Winners & Losers + 2026 Predictions - Ep. 998

    The Chopping Block: 2025 Winners & Losers + 2026 Predictions - Ep. 998
    Jan 8 2026
    Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. It's a new year, and that means the crew is back with their annual year-end awards and predictions episode. First up: the 2025 winners and losers. From Trump's meme-coin windfall to Gary Gensler's legacy getting torched, from prediction markets going mainstream to Web3 getting its official eulogy — no one is safe. The team debates the biggest surprises (Circle's shocking IPO run, Ethereum's pivot under new leadership, Zcash's unlikely comeback), the best new mechanisms (ICO 2.0, DATs, federal preemption), and the year's best memes (including the Chopping Block's own tariff factory video). Then comes the flops and comebacks: AI agents that overpromised, Berachain's fall from grace, and Tether somehow winning again. Finally, the crew reviews how badly their 2025 predictions aged — spoiler: not great — and lays out fresh calls for 2026 including AI-powered hacks, stable-coin-funded AI capex, and equity perps taking over DeFi. New year, fresh takes, brutal honesty — let's get into it. Show highlights 🔹 Biggest winner debate — Trump's meme-coin empire, prediction markets going mainstream, and M&A consolidation reshaping the industry. 🔹 Gary Gensler's legacy destroyed — Haseeb declares his SEC tenure the biggest loser as every initiative got reversed. 🔹 Web3 pronounced dead — Tarun writes the epitaph on the "ownership economy" thesis as NFT sentiment hits rock bottom. 🔹 Bitcoin as biggest loser? — Robert's controversial pick: BTC underperformed in a year that should have been its best. 🔹 Circle IPO shocks — From skeptics to $70B market cap, the stablecoin thesis briefly took over Wall Street. 🔹 Ethereum pivot surprise — Vitalik's leadership shake-up and new EF direction restored optimism no one expected. 🔹 DATs dominate mechanism talk — Robert calls them highest "absolute value of impact" — amplifying volatility both ways. 🔹 AI agents flopped hard — From mania to annoyance, the speculative thesis collapsed and sentiment turned hostile. 🔹 2025 predictions reviewed — The team confesses their misses (150K BTC, 5x AI agent caps) with Tom winning at 2/3. 🔹 2026 predictions dropped — AI-generated $100M+ hacks, stable-coin-funded AI capex, and equity perps hitting 20% of DeFi volume. Hosts: ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:26 Crypto Industry Overview 02:39 Biggest Winners of 2025 07:32 Biggest Losers of 2025 13:29 Biggest Surprises of 2025 22:24 Best New Mechanisms of 2025 28:49 Best Memes of 2025 33:24 Best and Worst Pivots of 2025 39:15 Biggest Flops of 2025 41:31 Biggest Flop of 2025 42:58 Bitcoin's Disappointing Year 45:30 Biggest Comeback Stories of 2025 49:12 Favorite Guests of 2025 52:40 Reflecting on 2025 Predictions 56:33 Predictions for 2026 Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 8 mins
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