Weekly Roundup 02/16/24 (Treasury rebukes WSJ, BitVM, Ethereum ETF prospects) (EP.504)

Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode:  The SAB121 repeal bill passes the House with 21 Democrat votes Biden threatens to veto SAB121 repeal Trump endorses crypto Is Gensler a liability for Biden? A scandal deepens at the FDIC Senator Warren defends the embattled FDIC chair Robinhood gets a Wells Notice from the SEC Is FTX really offering over 100% recovery to creditors? We review the Ohio State commencement speech Greyscale withdraws their Ethereum ETF application Content mentioned in this episode: Nic on Medium, Five Perspectives on Stablecoins Wyatt on Medium, Monad & Stablecoins Sponsor notes: The Usage & Evolution of Decentralized Exchanges (DEX’s) In Coin Metrics' State of the Network issue 258, we explore activity across Ethereum decentralized exchanges (DEXs)

Will Peck, Head of Digital Assets at WisdomTree re-joins the show. In this episode we discuss: WisdomTree’s journey in digital assets and the firm’s strategy in the area. Views on the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States. Will’s views on tokenization and how the firm is approaching this category. WisdomTree’s New York Trust Charter and the opportunities that the license opens up. The evolving stablecoin landscape. Views on evolving regulatory landscape. To learn more about WisdomTree visit their digital assets page.

Matt and Nic are back for more news and deals. In this episode:  Matt get’s 2nd in Jeopardy at ETH Boston We reminisce over Nic’s 2020 holiday quiz Ian Cain’s Senate candidacy in MA CZ get 4 months in prison The significance of ‘4’ Did CZ deserve his sentence? Roger Ver arrested for tax fraud Tough week of outflows from the ETFs The chilling effects of the DoJ Samourai case Coinbase reports earnings Content mentioned: Nic’s 2020 Bitcoin Esoterica Compendium Sponsor notes: Measuring Exchange Quality & ‘Fake Volume’ Trusted Exchange Framework In Coin Metrics' State of the Network issue 257, we delve into our framework to assess exchange quality in digital asset markets

Ian Cain, republican candidate for U.S. Senate in the state of Massachusetts against Elizabeth Warren joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Ian’s personal background and path to politics. How he became interested in emerging / blockchain technology. Qubic Labs and fostering a startup ecosystem in Massachusetts. The on-chain municipal bond project in Quincy, MA. The key issues that MA voters care about. Elizabeth Warren’s posture on crypto and whether the “anti-crypto army” is a real thing or a political stunt. Stablecoins Digital asset market infrastructure and why it is important to prioritize this effort. Ian’s message for Massachusetts voters. Links: To support Ian Cain please visit www.cainforus.com To learn more about Qubic Labs visit www.qubiclabs.com Qubic’s Impact Report More on the Quincy Municipal Bond effort.

Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: CIV's new stablecoin survey What happened with Runes? Lawsuit against the SEC’s dealer rule New capital gains tax proposal How would taxing unrealized gains work? Two SEC lawyers leave in connection with the DEBT Box scandal The founders of Samourai wallet are arrested and charged by the DoJ Morgan Stanley close to permitting Bitcoin ETF to be solicited by their brokers Hong Kong Bitcoin ETFs go live Block is building Bitcoin mining hardware Visa’s stablecoin analytics dashboard Bitcoin Sign Guy sells his sign TikTok ban reactions Choke Point 2.0 moves to fintechs Content mentioned in this episode: Visa’s stablecoin dashboard IMF, A Primer on Cross-Border Bitcoin Flows FDAS Q1 Signals Report Sponsor notes: Layer-1 Landscape In Coin Metrics' State of the Network issue 256, we explore the diverse landscape of Layer-1 blockchains

Chris Harmse, co-founder and VP of Revenue at BVNK joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Chris’ career and the path to founding BVNK. The origin story of BVNK and how the company has evolved over time. The key drivers behind the adoption of stablecoins. Segmenting the stablecoin market. Interest bearing stablecoins and the impact that this category will have on the overall market. Tokenized money funds and the future of securities settlement. How stablecoins will refactor the global FX market. The regulatory landscape and how stablecoin adoption is evolving in various regions. To learn more about BVNK visit their website.

In this episode we sit down with Alexei Zamyatin, the founder of  Build On Bitcoin (BOB). Topics covered:  Why EVM-compatibility is important for Bitcoin and Bitcoin L2s Merge mining and fostering adoption of Bitcoin L2’s Why now for the Bitcoin Renaissance BitVM, use cases, and unlocks for Bitcoin

Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode:  Dubai is underwater The Lummis Gillebrand stablecoin bill and its prospects Do stablecoins affect the US’ ability to make sanctions? Avraham Eisenberg has been found guilty for the Mango markets hack Stablecoins as proto CBDCs Do stablecoins disintermediate commercial banks?  What do the 13F filings tell us about ETF flows?  Sponsor notes: Bitcoin’s 4th Halving In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 255, we understand the significance of the Bitcoin halving, its impact on miners and potential effects on BTC’s price as the 4th Bitcoin halving nears. Content mentioned in this episode: Timothy Massad, Stablecoins and national security: Learning the lessons of Eurodollars

Cynthia Lo Bessette and Matt Horne of Fidelity Digital Asset Management join the show. In this episode we discuss: The history of digital asset innovation at Fidelity. The decision to operationalize a digital asset-management capability under Fidelity’s Asset Management business unit. The launch of the Fidelity Bitcoin ETF and the path to getting this product to market. How Bitcoin ETFs are currently being consumed and the distribution of these products to various investor types and platforms. How Fidelity is approaching the tokenization of real world assets. Broader views on the future of public blockchain assets and the types of opportunities for asset managers. Learn more about Fidelity's Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund

Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Our reactions to the CPI print The SEC announces its intention to sue Uniswap Sen Warren doesn’t like the stablecoin bill Howard Lutnick weighs in on stablecoins again Saylor’s core dev funding controversy Sponsor notes: An Introduction to the Solana Network In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 254, we provide a data-driven overview of the Solana blockchain, exploring its architecture, ecosystem, network usage and adoption metrics