DeFi should feel 'magical' for average consumers, says Coinbase product director behind new bitcoin-backed loans

Arthur Breitman is the Co-Founder of Tezos. In this episode, Breitman joins The Scoop to discuss the launch of uranium.io, a new marketplace for trading uranium powered by blockchain technology that looks to make investing in uranium more accessible to retail investors. The conversation also touched on geopolitical and technological tailwinds that could drive greater demand for nuclear energy. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Sponsor break 02:41 How uranium markets work today 05:36 The limitations of uranium ETFs and futures 07:10 Tokenization and RWA evolution 15:56 Why start with uranium 18:33 Why uranium is red hot right now 23:30 Lessons from entering the uranium market 28:01 Beyond commodities 31:13 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Arthur Breitman on X: https://x.com/ArthurB Uranium.io on X: https://x.com/uranium_io Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test. Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

Kyle Samani is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Multicoin Capital. In this episode, Samani discusses the current state of the crypto market and venture capital funding in the industry. Samani highlights areas which he believes are key investment opportunities, and lays out why he sees a brighter future for Solana in on-chain finance over Ethereum. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:32 Sponsor Break 02:24 VC Funding Downtrend 08:04 Clarifying Crypto's Usecases 13:46 New Era of Crypto Regulation 17:06 Regulatory Clarity = Increased Investment? 22:49 Samani's Revised Solana Thesis 25:28 Solana vs. Ethereum 32:17 Closing Thoughts & Predictions GUEST LINKS Kyle Samani on X: https://x.com/KyleSamani Multicoin capital on X: https://x.com/multicoincap Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test. Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

Michael Rihani is the director of products at Coinbase and one of the chief architects behind Coinbase's new bitcoin-backed loan product for everyday consumers. In this episode, Rihani explains how Coinbase's new loan product is designed to make DeFi feel 'magical,' and how this fits into Coinbase's broader strategy of bringing the power of blockchain technology to a global audience. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:57 Sponsor Shoutouts 03:11 Coinbase's New Loan Product 07:50 The "DeFi Mullet" 09:21 Morpho Integration 11:52 CeFi+DeFi Synergy 17:00 Coinbase's Product Roadmap 21:00 Making DeFi "Magical" 23:12 DeFi Adoption Roadblocks 25:54 The Future of DeFi Lending GUEST LINKS Michael Rihani on X: https://www.x.com/MichaelRihani Coinbase's crypto-backed loans: https://www.coinbase.com/loans Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test. Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

In this episode, host Frank Chaparro is joined by M13 General Partner Latif Peracha and M13 Principal Mark Grace. The conversation explores the risks and opportunities presented by crypto's volatile liquid tokens, as well as the need for crypto founders to balance short-term liquidity with long-term potential when it comes to bootstrapping. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:17 Sponsor Shoutouts 03:40 Overview of M13 08:07 Generalist Crypto VCs 10:35 IPOs vs. ICOs 12:42 Token Volatility 18:32 Taking Profit 22:30 Opportunities in CeFi vs. DeFi 28:20 Regulatory Clarity & Innovation 31:17 Predictions & Closing Thoughts GUEST LINKS M13 - https://www.m13.co/ M13 on X - https://x.com/M13Company Latif Peracha on X: https://x.com/latifperacha Mark Grace on X: https://x.com/markwgrace Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test. Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by The Digital Chamber President Cody Carbone. In this episode, Chaparro and Carbone discussed the current U.S. policy landscape for the crypto industry under the new Trump administration. With growing bipartisan support and regulatory clarity, the conversation highlights how crypto is becoming a mainstream political issue with significant economic and electoral implications. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:12 Sponsor break 03:05 The tone has shifted 05:37 IRS DeFi rule nullified 09:25 Stablecoin legislation 12:35 Fine-tuning crypto policy 15:31 Crypto’s growing political influence 18:01 How Trump changed the crypto debate 24:14 The next six months 28:56 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Cody Carbone - https://www.linkedin.com/in/codycarbone/ Cody Carbone on X - https://x.com/CodyCarboneDC The Digital Chamber - https://digitalchamber.org/ The Digital Chamber on X - https://x.com/DigitalChamber This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Paris Blockchain Week Chairman Michael Amar. In this episode, Chaparro and Amar discussed the origin and development of Paris Blockchain Week. Amar shared anecdotes of the various challenges and milestones reached over the years, and gave tips on curating a top-tier crypto conference. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 00:56 - Sponsor break 02:49 - Michael Amar’s journey into crypto 06:55 - The development of Paris Blockchain Week 08:57 - Capturing the Zeitgeist each year 11:11 - Crypto conference oversaturation 13:40 - The Biggest Challenges in Running a Crypto Event 18:28 - The European crypto landscape 20:35 - Expectations for 2025 22:20 - Emerging sectors and trends 25:33 - Advice for founders entering the crypto space 30:38 - Conclusion GUEST LINKS Michael Amar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarmic/ Michael Amar on X - https://x.com/amarmic Paris Blockchain Week - https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/ Paris Blockchain Week on X - https://x.com/Parisblockweek This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Yellow Card Financial CTO and Co-Founder Justin Poiroux. In this episode, Chaparro and Poiroux discussed the rapid adoption of stablecoins in emerging markets, particularly in Africa. They explore how stablecoins are solving cross-border payment issues, and how Yellow Card is looking to bridging the gap between the developing world and the global financial system. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 00:58 - Sponsor break 03:44 - Understanding Yellow Card 05:56 - Challenges of building in Africa 08:04 - How Yellow Card addresses cross-border payments 15:53 - Yellow Card’s origins 20:02 - Early challenges 25:03 - Educating users & building trust in emerging markets 28:26 - Looking ahead 34:40 - Conclusion GUEST LINKS Justin Poiroux - https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinpoiroux/ Yellow Card Financial - https://yellowcard.io/ Yellow Card Financial on X - https://x.com/yellowcard_app This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Ryze Labs Founder and Managing Partner Matthew Graham. In this episode, Chaparro and Graham discussed the intersection of the crypto market, AI, and robotics, with Graham highlighting several key technological advancements that could have a profound impact on how the markets function and alter humanity's role in them. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction and market overview 1:30 AI x Crypto: current trends 08:16 The Turing test  12:19 The future of AI companions 18:33 The human edge in an AI world 19:54 The AI economy 24:46 Robotics 30:33 Investigating and investing in hardware 39:36 Looking ahead and conclusion GUEST LINKS Matthew Graham - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattysino/ Matthew Graham on X - https://x.com/mattyryze Ryze Labs - https://x.com/RyzeLabs Ryze Labs on X - https://www.ryzelabs.io/en/home This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more. Uranium.io Investing in uranium is now widely accessible. Visit uranium.io to learn more.

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Arca CIO Jeff Dorman. In this episode, Chaparro and Dorman discussed the disconnect between market sentiment and the developments in the crypto space. Dorman goes over the actual use cases of the crypto ecosystem and how they are being drowned out by memecoins and scandals, highlighting that big outside players are beginning to get on board. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:11 Sponsor break 02:04 Memes taking the spotlight 06:40 Crypto’s adolescent stage 11:29 Common misconceptions about crypto 18:50 Assessing value in the crypto space 23:00 Are we still early? 29:37 The future of crypto 34:50 Where are the liquid funds? 41:30 Tradfi will eventually come 45:04 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Jeff Dorman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-dorman-cfa-61063129 Jeff Dorman on X - https://x.com/jdorman81 Arca - https://x.com/arca Arca on X - https://www.ar.ca/

The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by August Co-Founder and CEO Aya Kantorovich. In this episode, Chaparro and Kantorovich went over the state of crypto capital markets, the resilience of DeFi during market downturns, and how banks are looking to get started in DeFi. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction  01:08 From banking to crypto  02:30 Why institutions avoid DeFi  05:33 How institutions impact volatility  10:50 Crypto as the weekend market  17:00 Bitcoin as a reserve asset  20:01 Cambrian explosion of memecoins  26:28 Coinbase earnings  31:42 The resiliency of deFi  37:49 AI Agents  42:00 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Aya Kantorovich - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayakantorovich/ Aya Kantorovich on X - https://x.com/aya_kantor August - https://www.augustdigital.io/ August on X - https://x.com/august_digital