Ryan Watkins unpacks the bull case for Solana and what’s driving crypto markets

Edan Yago is the co-founder and CEO of BitcoinOS, a Layer 2 platform and "operating system" for Bitcoin. In this episode, Yago and The Block's Frank Chaparro discuss BitcoinOS and how Bitcoin can evolve from being just “digital gold” into a fully programmable, global ledger for ownership and financial innovation. OUTLINE 00:00 – Introduction
 02:17 – Bitcoin and digital property rights
 04:40 – Bitcoin’s spirit of innovation
 08:17– Bitcoin smart contracts vs. rival chains 
 15:29 – Bitcoin DeFi’s value add
 20:44 – Solving scalability
 25:12 – Bitcoin, AI, and the next Trillion in assets
 28:28 – The next five years
 35:07 – Short term shifts 37:42 - Conclusion GUEST LINKS Edan Yago - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edanyago/ Edan Yago on X - https://x.com/edanyago BitcoinOS - https://www.bitcoinos.build/ BitcoinOS on X - https://x.com/BTC_OS This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network

Zachary Townsend is the co-founder and CEO of Meanwhile, a life insurance company for the crypto economy. In this episode, Townsend and The Block's Frank Chaparro discuss Meanwhile's model of Bitcoin-denominated life insurance and the advantages of this approach vs. traditional dollar-denominated insurance policies, such as protection against inflation and the ability to borrow against the policy's value tax-free. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:48 How Meanwhile works 10:33 Role of insurance in the Bitcoin economy 14:09 Charting new territory 16:38 Bitcoin vs dollar-denominated insurance 20:32 Approaching new customers 24:10 Zac’s background 26:23 Looking forward 30:04 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Zac Townsend - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zactownsend/ Zac Townsend on X - https://x.com/ztownsend Meanwhile - https://meanwhile.bm/ Meanwhile on X - https://x.com/meanwhilelife This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network

Himanshu Sahay is the Co-Founder and CTO of Arch. In this episode recorded live at Emergence in Prague, Sahay and The Block's Frank Chaparro discuss the evolution of crypto lending after the 2022 market turmoil and Arch's approach to expansion and collateral. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:16 Intro to Arch  03:15 Shifting collateral standards  07:33 The state of crypto credit 12:48 New administration, new regulation 14:35 Debanking and Barron Trump 17:41 Arch’s global expansion 19:29 Encounters with Voyager and Celsius 20:47 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Himanshu Sahay - https://www.linkedin.com/in/himanshusahay/ Himanshu Sahay on X - https://x.com/hhsahay Arch - https://archlending.com/ Arch on X - https://x.com/ArchLending This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network

Samantha Bohbot is the Chief Growth Officer & Partner of RockawayX, a blockchain-focused venture capital fund. In this episode recorded live at Emergence in Prague, Bohbot and The Block's Frank Chaparro discuss discuss challenges facing European firms compared to their American counterparts, and RockawayX's credit fund and developing opportunities in DeFi. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:36 RockawayX 03:38 Tech and investment in Europe 07:11 Post-election investment 09:19 DeFi rally 11:58 Crypto credit 17:56 Standing out to investors 21:24 Value-add investor 25:32 The race to the bottom 27:52 Conclusion GUEST LINKS Samantha Bohbot - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-bohbot-7622b933/ Samantha Bohbot on X - https://x.com/samantha_bohbot RockawayX - https://www.linkedin.com/company/rockawayx/ RockawayX on X - https://rockawayx.com/ This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network

David Wells is the founder and CEO of Enclave Markets, an institutional-grade digital asset trading platform that bills itself as the first Fully Encrypted Exchange (FEX). In this episode recorded live at Emergence in Prague, Wells and Chaparro discuss Enclave's model, the maturing crypto market and the potential for more sophisticated trading strategies and liquidity. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:21 Enclave Markets 04:12 The Enclave experience 05:53 Crypto capital markets 06:57 The maturing crypto market 08:54 Inefficient markets 10:01 New products and strategies 12:42 Concluding thoughts GUEST LINKS David Wells - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-wells-12792413/ David Wells on X - https://x.com/wellsda2 Enclave Markets - https://www.enclave.market/ Enclave Markets on X - https://x.com/enclavemarkets This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network

Bill Barhydt is the founder and CEO of Abra, a global platform for digital asset prime services and wealth management. In this episode recorded live at Emergence, Barhydt and Chaparro discuss how building a successful crypto businesses requires careful navigation of complex legal and regulatory hurdles, and how this process might change under the upcoming Trump administration. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:57 Building in Crypto 05:38 Abra's Pivots 09:48 Surviving FTX 14:18 Abra's Future Strategy 16:26 Regulation & Innovation 20:32 Closing Thoughts GUEST LINKS Bill Barhydt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbar/ Bill Barhydt on X - https://x.com/billbarX Abra - https://www.abra.com/ Abra on X - https://x.com/abraglobal This episode is brought to you by our sponsor: Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network

Jon Kol is the co-founder of Hyperlane, an interoperability protocol. In this episode, Kol and Chaparro discuss the challenges and progress of blockchain interoperability, and how the industry may now be turning a corner. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 04:24 A year away 08:50 Interchange singularity 10:30 Bridge opportunities 13:32 Balancing speed and security 18:35 Poor UX, Poor DevX 20:11 Who’s the buyer? 26:52 Conclusion This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Bitkey Bitkey is the safe, easy way to own and manage bitcoin. Learn more at Bitkey.world The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters GUEST LINKS Jon Kol - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-kol-4bb37a9b/ Jon Kol on X - https://x.com/thePalenimbus Hyperlane - https://hyperlane.xyz/ Hyperlane on X - https://x.com/hyperlane

Joshua Lim is the co-founder of Arbelos Markets. In this episode, Lim and Chaparro discuss the crypto market surge sparked by Donald Trump's election as U.S. President. Lim sheds light on how the Trump administration's regulatory stance could pave the way for institutional investors to dive deeper ino the crypto space, potentially driving higher trading volumes and boosting liquidity across the ecosystem. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Macro Tailwinds 03:17 Flows & Volume 08:14 Market Opportunities 12:29 ETF Flows' Impact on Crypto 21:30 Crypto Credit Market 24:52 MicroStrategy's Strategy 27:37 Market Predictions 33:08 Banks & Crypto Adoption This episode is brought to you by our sponsors, Polkadot & Bitkey. The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters GUEST LINKS Joshua Lim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-lim-1b27098/ Joshua Lim on X - https://x.com/joshua_j_lim Arbelos Markets - https://arbelos.xyz/ Arbelos Markets on X - https://x.com/arbelosxyz

Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and Managing Partner of Skybridge. In this episode, Scaramucci and Chaparro discuss the recent U.S. Presidential election and its implications for the crypto industry. Scaramucci analyzes the factors that led to Kamala Harris's loss, naming crypto as a key factor. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:36 2024 Presidential Election Retrospective 04:16 Trump's Cabinet 07:37 The Future of the Democrats 11:29 Market's Response to Trump Victory 14:23 New SEC Chair 19:17 D.O.G.E 22:54 Closing Thoughts  This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Bitkey Bitkey is the safe, easy way to own and manage bitcoin. Learn more at Bitkey.world The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters GUEST LINKS Anthony Scaramucci on X - https://x.com/scaramucci Anthony Scaramucci - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anscaramucci/ Skybrdige on X - https://x.com/skybridge Skybridge - https://www.skybridge.com/

dYdX founder Antonio Juliano discusses the evolution of dYdX and the broader DeFi landscape, highlighting the need for DeFi to move beyond copying tradfi products and build truly innovative applications made possible by decentralization. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:33 DeFi's Development 04:24 dYdX Mega Vault AMM 05:32 dYdX Prediction Markets 08:47 High-Performance Blockchain Development 10:35 Appchain Drawbacks 12:47 dYdX vs. Hyperliquid 14:36 New dYdX Markets 17:11 Onchain RWA Derivatives 18:39 DEX Adoption Hurdles 21:24 Crypto Market Makers 22:22 dYdX Development Roadmap 23:47 Appchain Advantages GUEST LINKS Antonio Juliano on X - https://x.com/AntonioMJuliano Antonio Juliano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniojuliano/ dYdX - https://dydx.exchange/ dYdX on X - https://x.com/dYdX This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters