Compound

This week, Jake Chervinsky & MC Lader join the show to discuss the growth of Hyperliquid in 2026 and beyond. We deep dive into Hyperliquid's 24/7 markets thesis, how Native Markets won the USDH proposal, founding the Hyperliquid Policy Center, regulation in 2026 and more. Enjoy! -- Follow MC: https://x.com/Mclader Follow Jake: https://x.com/jchervinsky Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in New York City this March! Follow the link below to grab your ticket, and use code EMPIRE200 to get $200 off your ticket! https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-nyc-2026 -- ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy. To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:45) The Hyperliquid 24/7 Markets Thesis (06:02) Founding The Hyperliquid Policy Center (15:45) The State of DeFi Regulation (18:59) ZKsync Ad (19:34) The Hyperliquid USDH Proposal (29:59) Stablecoin Regulation In The US (38:05) The Hyperliquid 24/7 Markets Thesis (44:40) The Future of Stablecoins (57:53) Crypto Regulation In 2026 & Beyond -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

MC Lader

Co-founder

NMNative Markets

This week, Noah from Theia & Smac from Compound discuss why crypto’s next chapter won’t be powered by hype alone. They explain how valuations, narratives, fund structures, and real cash-flow durability are reshaping the industry, and why investors must adapt to a world where fundamentals finally matter. Enjoy! — Follow Noah: https://x.com/tradernoah Follow Smac: https://x.com/0xsmac Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Compound Annual Meeting: https://x.com/mhdempsey/status/1999119478936785108?s=20 — Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill of rights securing your freedom for the 21st century. Buy, store and spend ZEC privately using Zashi Wallet download today: https://electriccoin.co/zashi/ -- "Mantle Global Hackathon 2025 is live! Running from Oct 22 to Dec 31, Mantle invites builders to design the future of Real-World Assets (RWAs) on its modular L2 stack. Key Highlights: - $150,000 Prize Pool + Grants & Incubation opportunities - Access to Bybit's 7M+ verified users - Judges from Bybit Ventures, Spartan, Animoca Brands - 6 Tracks: RWA/RealFi, DeFi, AI, ZK, Infra, GameFi Join the Hackathon: https://www.hackquest.io/vi/hackathons/Mantle-Global-Hackathon-2025" -- GEODNET is the world’s largest RTK network, delivering real-time, centimeter-level precision for drones, robots, farmers, and first responders. Recognized by the U.S. Congress, this blockchain-powered network supports mission-critical applications across a wide range of industries. Discover how GEODNET is changing the world: [https://geodnet.com] -- Uniswap’s Trading API offers plug-and-play access to deep onchain and off-chain liquidity, delivering enterprise-grade crypto trading without the complexity - from one of the most trusted teams in DeFi. Click to get started with seamless, scalable access to Uniswap’s powerful onchain trading infrastructure. https://hub.uniswap.org/?utm_source=blockworks&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ww_web_bw_awa_trading-api_20251117_podcast_clicks -- Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:24) How Theia & Compound Are Positioned (05:58) Thoughts On Valuation Debate (10:50) Do Narratives & Storytelling Drive Markets? (22:24) Ads (Zcash) (23:01) Tension Between Old & New Investors (25:27) Having A View On Public Markets (28:53) Will Crypto Be The Fastest Horse Again? (33:44) Who Outperforms: Majors or Apps? (35:43) Ads (Zcash) (36:20) Identifying Durable Vs Ephemeral Advantages (40:49) State Of Crypto Liquid Funds (45:51) Activist Investing In Crypto (47:48) Ads (Mantle, Geodnet, Uniswap) (50:41) Views On Prediction Markets (53:55) Biggest Market Opportunities (01:01:36) Water Supercycle? — Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Noah Goldberg

Analyst

THTheia

Smac

Partner

Compound

Robert Leshner — the mind behind Compound, and now the founder of Superstate — believes the next trillion-dollar shift will come from bringing the world’s assets on-chain. In this episode, Cami sits down with one of DeFi’s earliest pioneers to unpack: Why DeFi itself shouldn’t change — but assets will How tokenized T-bills, basis strategies, and even equities are finally getting institutional traction Why regulatory “tailwinds,” not new laws, unlocked the RWA boom The two competing models of tokenized stocks — and why both will win What happens when DeFi becomes the infrastructure powering TradFi What he’d do differently after Compound’s messy transition to decentralized governance Robert also gives us a candid breakdown of how Superstate is building “canonical tokenization” — letting public companies turn their actual stock into blockchain-native assets — and why the real breakthrough won’t come from issuance… but from DeFi use cases.

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

Crypto’s bull run may be far from over, but the battleground is shifting.  On this week’s Bits + Bips, Bill Barhydt of Abra and Robert Leshner of Superstate join Ram Ahluwalia and Steven Ehrlich to debate:  The current state of the markets with a looming government shutdown  SWIFT’s move to build on Linea, an Ethereum layer 2 Hyperliquid vs Aster The future of perps vs. spot  Why some DATs are starting to look like grifts  Whether DeFi billionaires will ultimately eclipse their CeFi predecessors  Plus: Binance’s and Tether’s valuation, CZ as the entrepreneur of the decade, and why the industry may be entering an era of “perpification.” Thank you to Xapo for sponsoring this episode! Hosts: Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Steven Ehrlich, Executive Editor at Unchained Guests:  Bill Barhydt, Founder and CEO of Abra Robert Leshner, Co-founder & CEO of Superstate Links: Steve’s story on the DAT that claimed it raised much more than it actually did Subscribe to Bits + Bips newsletter here Timestamps: 🎬0:00 Intro 📈 3:26 Why Bill believes the bull run is far from over 🧐 5:10 Why Ram is pushing back on market FUD 🏛️ 9:10 Will a government shutdown impact markets? 🌐 12:48 Why SWIFT building on Ethereum’s Linea layer 2 is such a big deal 🏦 22:15 Whether it even matters if banks embrace crypto ⚠️ 27:50 How one DAT may have been the “ultimate grift” ⚔️ 35:58 Inside the DEX perps wars: Hyperliquid vs Aster 👑 40:32 How valuable Binance and CZ really are to the industry 🚀 50:39 What advantages make Hyperliquid stand out in the perp battle 🤔 53:14 Why picking winners in trading isn’t so simple 🔄 57:29 Winners in stablecoin race plus why perps are better than spot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Barhydt

CEO

Abra

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

Michael Dempsey is the Managing Partner at Compound, a thesis-driven, research-centric investment firm. We spent two hours talking through the past, present, and future of a bunch of topics in technology and investing. Michael started investing in AI in 2016. He was the first investor in now-unicorns Runway and Wayve. But he hasn’t done much AI investing over the past few years. We talk about why, how AI will intersect with robotics, the future of things like crypto and synthetic biology, and why so many deep tech companies mess up economic value capture. We also talk about what it means to be a thesis-driven venture firm, Compound’s research process and how to replicate it, what private and public market investors can learn from each other, advice for anyone starting in venture today, how to build a brand in VC, and why venture firms don’t compound and actually decay over time. Thank you to Kevin Kwok, Andy Weissman, Cristóbal Valenzuela, Blake Robbins, and Smac at Compound for their help brainstorming topics for this. Special thanks to Ramp for supporting this episode. It's the corporate card and expense management platform used by over 40,000 companies, like Shopify, CBRE and Stripe. Time is money. Save both with Ramp. Get $250 for signing-up here. Timestamps: (4:09) Leading Runway’s Seed in 2018 (10:15) Short-term ARR vs long-term sustainability (16:20) Compound, a research-centric investment firm (18:41) Investing in bio, crypto, real-world AI, and healthcare (23:58) VC firms do not compound, they decay over time (29:27) How to build a research-focused investment firm (41:30) Current state of venture slop (45:43) Building a brand as a VC firm (52:31) Investing in Wayve in 2016 (58:53) Why deep tech companies screw up economic value capture (1:04:57) How to approach massive funding rounds (1:08:36) Should VCs “play the game on the field”? (1:15:33) Compound is a forecasting firm (1:21:37) Advice for young people getting into VC (1:26:48) Public market investors underappreciate narratives (1:31:20) Michael’s crypto thesis + real use cases (1:40:07) Why crypto hasn’t seen mass adoption yet (1:49:00) Humanoid robots won’t work (1:54:42) Should you make a hyped launch video? Referenced Compound Runway Wayve Michael’s Blog Follow Micahel Twitter LinkedIn Follow Turner Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week.

Michael Dempsey

General Partner

Compound

Jake Chervinsky and Amanda Tuminelli join us to unpack the Roman Storm verdict—what it means for DeFi, why Section 1960 is a looming threat to open-source developers, and the strong grounds for appeal. We discuss the legal, political, and legislative paths forward, the role of Congress in protecting developers, and how the crypto industry can mobilize to prevent future prosecutions. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:24 Verdict First Impressions 4:22 Was it Successful? 6:26 Second Trial? 9:47 Money Transmitter Debate 15:20 Optimistic Setup? 19:56 Levels of Precedent 26:04 What’s Next? 30:26 Crypto Industry Agency 34:01 Regulatory Acts 37:33 Two Paths 44:35 Trump Administration 49:02 Upcoming Administrations 53:45 Call to Action 56:55 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Jake Chervinsky https://x.com/jchervinsky Amanda Tuminelli https://x.com/amandatums DeFi Education Fund https://www.defieducationfund.org/ Fund Roman Storm https://freeromanstorm.com/ Fund Alex Pertsev https://juicebox.money/v2/p/713 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Amanda Tuminelli

Executive Director

DeFi Education Fund

With Paul Atkins as the incoming SEC Chair, David Sacks as the AI & Crypto Czar, and potential CFTC leadership changes, the Trump administration is signaling a major shift for crypto, AI, and financial regulation.  Guests Mike Selig and Jake Chervinsky break down what this means for token launches, enforcement actions, inter-agency collaboration, and the fate of Operation Chokepoint 2.0. Could this mark the end of the U.S.’s regulatory hostility toward innovation? Show highlights: 02:18-What changes to expect under an Atkins-led SEC 08:58-Who could lead the SEC in the period between Gensler resigning and Atkins assuming 11:54-Whether the Democrats will nominate SEC Commissioner Crenshaw again 15:50-Elizabeth Warren's influence on the non-Republican SEC commissioner picks 23:39-Whether Atkins’ leadership at the SEC might shift crypto regulation away from aggressive enforcement 28:26-Whether Gensler’s recent promotion of people in enforcement roles will further his SEC’s regulation-by-enforcement strategy 38:52-Whether the SEC and Coinbase will reach a settlement 41:47-Why Mike and Jake think it’s not likely that the SEC will pursue litigation in the Ripple case 46:03-How the SEC might clarify securities laws around token sales, airdrops, and exemptions 55:14-Whether Atkins’ leadership could fast-track Hester Peirce’s Safe Harbor 59:53-How the CFTC's potential lead on crypto regulation might redefine how it splits duties with the SEC 1:03:03-Whether it even makes sense to have two financial regulatory agencies 1:11:00-Who might lead the CFTC  1:13:59-Why Jake and Mike believe combining AI and crypto under one ‘czar’ makes sense 1:20:31-How the appointment of Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary will affect the crypto industry 1:25:47-How the likely end to Operation Chokepoint 2.0 will create a “sea change” Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Robinhood & Arbitrum Kelp DAO Guests: Mike Selig, Partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher  Previous appearance on Unchained: Is Gary Gensler on a Mission to Put Crypto Down for Good? Jake Chervinsky, Chief Legal Officer at Variant Previous appearances on Unchained: The US vs. Crypto: Jake Chervinsky on Crypto's Legal and Regulatory Status Why the SEC vs. Ripple Order Is Now About 2 Things: Coinbase and Congress The Chopping Block: Jake Chervinsky on How the SEC Has Lost Credibility All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky Links Trump’s Office Picks:  Unchained:  Why Trump’s SEC Chair Pick, Paul Atkins, Is So Positive for Crypto David Sacks as A.I. & Crypto Czar? Why the Industry Was Surprised Trump Taps Paul Atkins for Next SEC Chair, Making Good on His Crypto Promises Democratic SEC Commissioner Is Stepping Down, but That Doesn’t Mean Trump Will Get 2 Outright Picks  Trump Taps Hedge Fund Manager Scott Bessent to Be Treasury Secretary A Degen Administration? Why the Crypto Czar May Be Allowed to Own Tokens Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations  Congressional Results John Reed Stark’s tweet:“current SEC Chair Gary Gensler is quietly working behind the scenes to lead the SEC from the grave” Operation Chokepoint 2.0 Forbes: How ‘Debanking’ Tech And Crypto Companies Could Kill Businesses Marc Andreessen and the CFPB: Debunking the Debanking Debunkers by Nic Carter Unchained: Regulators Are Limiting Banks Serving Crypto Clients. Does That Violate the Law?  Unchained: Killed By Politics, Ex-Diem Boss Says of Meta’s Stablecoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Selig

Attorney

Willkie Farr & GallagherCommodity Futures Trading Commission

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Robert Leshner is the CEO of Superstate, an asset management firm that tokenizes traditional financial assets like U.S. Treasuries and brings them onchain. In this episode, Leshner explains the advantages of tokenized assets, such as the ability to operate 24/7 and the increased composability with DeFi protocols. He also discusses the regulatory and macroeconomic tailwinds that have made this an opportune time to launch tokenized products. OUTLINE 00:00 Health & Routines 07:03 Superstate Overview 12:26 Growing DeFi with RWAs 15:22 RWA Revolution 24:24 Benefits of Tokenization 27:18 Onchain vs. Offchain Crypto Exposure 29:18 Real-time NAV Updates 38:16 Real-Time Settlement 41:01 Crypto's Role in TradFi 46:13 The Future of Finance 49:07 Crypto's Regulatory Climate 53:58 Superstate's Asset Roadmap 58:47 Personal Prioritization 62:27 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 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

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

Today Jake Chervinsky is back on the podcast to discuss Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's court case and its implications on DeFi and the crypto industry.    Could DeFi be made illegal in the United States? Are DeFi developers going to be prosecuted if criminals use their code? Is it just DeFi? What other sectors could be at risk? The answers to these and many other questions are discussed in today’s episode. ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2   🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku   ⚡️CARTESI | LINUX-POWERED ROLLUPS https://bankless.cc/CartesiGovernance   ⁠ 🦄UNISWAP | BROWSER EXTENSION https://bankless.cc/uniswap  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/zora:0x0c294913a7596b427add7dcbd6d7bbfc7338d53f/75?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 4:44 Roman Storm’s Case 12:52 Is DeFi at Risk? 18:20 The Ruling & Its Implications  21:29 Money Transmission Explained  25:52 Roman Storm’s Arrest 30:54 Are All DeFi Protocols At Risk?  36:17 Prosecution of Privacy 43:11 What This Ruling Means & What’s Next 48:41 Best & Worst Case Scenario 53:11 Other Sectors At Risk 57:35 Other Cases 1:03:48 Totalitarian Nightmare 1:08:21 SEC Updates 1:12:00 US Election 2024 1:17:30 Geofencing 1:23:21 Are We Winning & Conclusion ------ RESOURCES Jake Chervinsky https://x.com/jchervinsky  Jake Chervinsky’s Tweet https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1839412423096467753  A Practical Guide to Geofencing https://variant.fund/articles/practical-guide-to-geofencing/  Defend Roman Storm https://juicebox.money/@defend-roman-storm  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures ⁠

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Jake Chervinsky, chief legal officer of Variant, discusses the current state of crypto regulation, touching on several ongoing legal and regulatory issues in the crypto space, including Uniswap’s Wells notice, the Coinbase case, the Tornado Cash case, the Ethereum Foundation investigation and more. Chervinsky argues that the government's approach to these cases is often misguided, particularly in instances where they hold software developers liable for how third parties use their software. He also discusses the potential implications of the government's case against Tornado Cash, suggesting that it could have far-reaching consequences for all open-source software developers.  Chervinsky also delves into the SEC's ongoing investigations into the Ethereum Foundation, as well as the recent IRS draft form that lists unhosted wallets as a type of broker. He expressed concern about the potential impact of these investigations on the crypto industry, but remained optimistic about the future of DeFi in the US. Show highlights: How the Tornado Cash case could set a critical precedent for open-source software How the government’s Tornado indictment reveals a fear of unsurveilled financial systems, according to Jake What the implications of the Tornado Cash case could be for the broader DeFi space What lessons can be learned from the $62 million hack of Munchables on Blast How to address the challenge of malicious actors like North Korea using a permissionless system Whether Coinbase's staking services are considered a securities offering Whether Judge Failla’s ruling on Coinbase acting as a broker could be overturned Why Jake thinks the SEC will face significant challenges in its potential case against Uniswap Labs How the Debt Box case order impacts the SEC’s reputation, according to Jake How the industry is pushing back against the SEC’s regulation by enforcement with its own lawsuits for Lejilex and Beba The future of DeFi in the U.S. and its potential for success, according to Jake Why Jake believes the SEC will deny Ether ETFs and why he disagrees with the latest stablecoin regulation bill by Lummis and Gillibrand How the U.S. Presidential election could impact the future of the crypto industry Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Guest: Jake Chervinsky, Chief Legal Officer at Variant Previous appearances on Unchained: Why the SEC vs. Ripple Order Is Now About 2 Things: Coinbase and Congress The Chopping Block: Jake Chervinsky on How the SEC Has Lost Credibility All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky Links Tornado Cash Jake’s amicus brief with Amanda Tuminelli Unchained: Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant? Unchained: Is This the End of DeFi? Why the US Government Is Going After Tornado Cash Munchables exploit Unchained: Blast-Based NFT Game Munchables Recovers $62.5 Million Lost in Exploit SEC cases: Coinbase Unchained:  Why the SEC’s Case Against Coinbase Is So Significant for Crypto Court Rejects Coinbase’s Bid to Dismiss SEC Charges Against It Uniswap Unchained:  Gary Gensler’s Case Against Uniswap: Does the SEC Even Stand a Chance? SEC Puts DeFi in Its Sights With Potential Uniswap Suit Uniswap Blog Post on the Wells notice Marvin Ammori Thread on Wells notice Ethereum Foundation Unchained: SEC Investigating Ethereum Foundation Regarding Proof-of-Stake Transition: Report The Real Reason Why the SEC Might Be Going After Ethereum Debt Box Unchained: SEC Sanctioned for ‘Abuse of Power’ in Debt Box Lawsuit Beba DeFi Education Fund and Beba sue SEC over airdrop policies Lejilex Lawsuit document Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

While there is always a lot of activity on Crypto Legal Front, this particular moment in time feels especially active. Today on the show we have Jake Chervinsky and Amanda Tuminelli, two of crypto’s most impressive lawyers.  Every single court case, of which there are 5 different ones discussed in this episode today, brings new precedent and new clarity to the crypto space. The theme of this episode today might be… crypto bites back. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🏙️ CONSENSUS | SAVE 20% WITH CODE BANKLESS https://go.coindesk.com/4cBztCA  🏠 CASA | SECURE YOUR GENERATIONAL WEALTH https://bankless.cc/Casa  🔗CELO | CEL2 COMING SOON https://bankless.cc/Celo    🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/toku    ------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Start 00:05:18 Life as a Crypto lawyer 00:10:20 Coinbase Court Case 00:15:21 Are Airdrops Securities 00:19:34 Amanda's Take 00:22:22 Some Bad News 00:27:32 When Can We Expect Clarity? 00:30:11 Politics vs Policy 00:32:39 SEC vs ETH ETFs 00:36:55 ETH ETF Denial? 00:42:59 SEC Lying? 00:50:41 Leveraging Against Corruption 00:55:17 DeFi Education Fund vs SEC 01:03:56 Roman Storm 01:15:06 Can Courts Remain Impartial? 01:16:57 Elections Impact   ------ RESOURCES Amanda https://twitter.com/amandatums  Jake https://twitter.com/jchervinsky  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Amanda Tuminelli

Executive Director

DeFi Education Fund

Can we Tokenize the World? Robert Leshner, creator of Compound and one of the forefathers of DeFi, is on a mission to do so. With his new company Superstate, new product, tokenized t-bills and new location, New York city. Robert is trying to bring $300 trillion in TradFI assets on-chain. ------ ➡️ Apply to the Cartesi Grants Program here:  https://bankless.cc/Cartesi  ------ 🎧 Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Player:  https://bankless.cc/Podcast  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    ⁠   🔗CELO | CEL2 COMING SOON https://bankless.cc/Celo    🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/toku   🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle    ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🦄 UNISWAP | SWAP SMARTER https://bankless.cc/uniswap  ------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 4:27 Tokenization History 9:46 RWA Problem Statement 14:04 Opening the Door 26:37 Securities Laws 31:50 Tokenizing Treasuries 39:06 Superstate 46:57 Regulatory Constraints 56:01 The Future of RWAs 1:00:36 Pitching TradFi 1:05:13 2030 Prediction 1:06:57 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Robert Leshner https://twitter.com/rleshner   Superstate https://superstate.co/   Superstate - USTB Fund https://superstate.co/ustb   ------ Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

In the latest episode of the Empire Policy Series, Santi hosts Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to delve into recent allegations of Hamas leveraging cryptocurrency for terrorism funding, FinCEN's upcoming rules concerning crypto mixers, and the IRS's evolving crypto tax regulations. The trio also dissect the the forthcoming 3-6 months of crypto regulation and discuss recent bipartisan legislative triumphs in the stablecoin domain. To close out both Rebecca and Jake highlight the need for industry-wide collaboration to ensure regulations both foster innovation and effectively mitigate inherent risks. - - Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (1:31) Is Crypto Financing Terrorism? (11:37) Policy Maker Responses to Crypto Terrorism (18:34) Chainalysis Ad (19:38) Mixer Rule by Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (31:49) Defining the Mixer Use Case (45:22) Tax Provision for Crypto (51:59) Regulatory Outlook - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis. Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire. - - Resources Submit a comment on regulation https://www.protectdefi.org/ DeFi Education Fund https://www.defieducationfund.org/ The Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Rebecca Rettig

Chief Policy Officer

Polygon LabsJito LabsPolygonDeFi Education Fund

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Jason is joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky in today's special Policy Series episode to tackle the monumental implications of Grayscale ETF decision, Uniswap case dismissal and Tornado Cash indictments. They discuss how these decisions could impact the broader industry and what's coming up next for Bitcoin ETF decisions. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:37)The Importance of Grayscale ETF Victory (11:20) “Chainalysis Ad” (12:24) ETF Consequences & What's Next? (28:48) Uniswap Case Dismissal (36:52) Impacts of Decisions (39:39) Creating a New Asset Class (41:27) Cravath Paper & Tornado Cash Indictment - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis. Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire. - - Resources: Grayscale ETF https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1696544309699363201 https://blockworks.co/news/judges-grayscale-sec-ruling https://twitter.com/MTCoppel/status/1696856472762683814 Uniswap Case Dismissal https://blockworks.co/news/uniswap-class-action-dismissed https://twitter.com/haydenzadams/status/1696991910370411003 Cravath Paper & Tornado Cash https://twitter.com/Cravath/status/1697693810363351358?s=20 https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1/status/1697716451358982364 Crypto Use-cases thevaluedrop.io The Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Rebecca Rettig

Chief Policy Officer

Polygon LabsJito LabsPolygonDeFi Education Fund

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Join Santi and guests Rebeca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky in today's special Policy Series episode as they discuss the landmark Ripple case and its monumental impact. Explore the implications for future legislation, token sales practices, decentralization & governance, and get updates on MiCA & EU regulations.  - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:24) Landmark Ripple Case (14:00) Verdict Impact on Industry Financing (19:08) What's Next for Ripple Case? (24:35) Influence on Future Legislation (28:36) Token Sales in Practice (38:31) Decentralization & Governance (48:57) Digital Asset Market Structure Proposal (56:25) Updates on MiCA & EU (01:01:18) Call Your Representatives (01:09:02) Futures Curve (01:15:07) Recession Risk - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/  - - This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis.  Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases.  For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire. - - Resources   Crypto Usecases thevaluedrop.io  The Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn - -  Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Rebecca Rettig

Chief Policy Officer

Polygon LabsJito LabsPolygonDeFi Education Fund

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

XRP isn’t itself a security; it depends on how it’s sold. So said a federal judge last Thursday in the SEC vs. Ripple case and the implications are significant. Jake Chervinsky, chief policy officer at the Blockchain Association, and lawyer Kayvan Sadeghi, partner at Jenner & Block, join the show to discuss two major ramifications. One: U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres dealt a major blow to the legal theory underpinning the SEC’s case against Coinbase. Two: This order really “lights a fire” under U.S. lawmakers to act on a pair of crypto bills in Congress. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights: why this is an “extraordinary victory” for the industry, according to Jake whether Judge Torres made the right decision how the SEC could seek an interlocutory appeal to halt the case, though it’s unlikely what are the pending items in the case that need to be resolved why the order that Judge Torres issued is not a final judgment why it is more important to look at the transaction, not at the nature of the asset, to determine whether something should be deemed a security whether the SEC has the authority to call digital assets securities the significance of the “major questions doctrine” how the order in the Ripple case will affect other cases like the Coinbase one whether exchanges should re-list XRP why this case could be instrumental in steering the direction of crypto regulation in the U.S. whether other crypto tokens like SOL or MATIC should feel relieved with this new ruling why Jake says that this case will speed up the chances of crypto legislation getting passed what the differences are between the current crypto bills that are being proposed whether SEC Chair Gary Gensler should recuse himself from enforcement actions in the crypto industry Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Arbitrum Foundation TOKEN2049 Guests: Jake Chervinsky, chief policy officer at the Blockchain Association Previous appearances on Unchained: The Chopping Block: Jake Chervinsky on How the SEC Has Lost Credibility All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky Kayvan Sadeghi, partner at Jenner & Block and co-chair of the fintech and crypto assets practice. Links: Previous coverage of Unchained on the Ripple case:  New Order in SEC vs. Ripple Over XRP Is a Win for Crypto: What Happens Now? The Chopping Block: Should XRP Holders Really Be Rejoicing? The SEC's Lawsuit Against Ripple and 2 Execs: What You Need to Know  Ripple's XRP: Why Its Chances of Success Are Low SEC vs Ripple: Judge Rules XRP Sold on Exchanges Is Not a Security CoinDesk: Ripple, Crypto Industry Score Partial Win in SEC Court Fight Over XRP Ripple Labs Ruling Throws U.S. Crypto-Token Regulation into Disarray The Washington Post: Ripple ruling threatens SEC’s crypto regulation push Chair Gensler Must Recuse Himself From Digital Asset Enforcement Decisions - Blockchain Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Kayvan Sadeghi

Partner

Jenner & Block

Today we are joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to discuss the SEC's attack on crypto and how the industry needs to respond. Rebecca and Jake explore the SEC lawsuits, the McHenry-Thompson Bill, their expected US regulation timeline, DC's sentiment and more! Regulation and policy are becoming must-know topics for crypto participants, and this is your go-to source for everything you need to know. This is the second episode in an ongoing regulatory and policy series with Jake and Rebecca! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:53) The SEC Lawsuits: What’s Next? (10:53) “Chainalysis Ad” (11:57) The SEC Lawsuits: What’s Next? (16:02) We Need a Use Case to Show Regulators (21:06) The McHenry-Thompson Bill (38:23) Unprecedented Action by the SEC (45:47) MiCA, Global Legislation and the US’s Timeline (54:10) Non-Custodial Tax Reporting (56:18) DC's Sentiment: FTX Still Lingers - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis. Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire. - - Resources: The Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn Polygon https://polygon.technology/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Rebecca Rettig

Chief Policy Officer

Polygon LabsJito LabsPolygonDeFi Education Fund

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Welcome to “The Chopping Block” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner, chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, the Blockchain Association’s Jake Chervinsky breaks down the cases against Binance and Coinbase – and how they are different from FTX – what it means for the crypto industry, and who may be next. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights:  Why Jake believes that the Binance lawsuit didn’t present major surprises Whether the SEC is trying to ban the crypto industry by enforcement How Binance has been allegedly doing a huge amount of wash trading Whether Gemini is next on the SEC’s enforcement action list How CZ and Coinbase CEOs have responded to the complaints How the market reacted to the lawsuits What the differences are between the Binance case and FTX Why the SEC is alleging that Coinbase is operating as an unregistered broker, exchange, and clearing agency Whether token issuers can bring action against the SEC for harming their business or reputation Whether the crypto industry doesn’t take the SEC seriously Whether the EOS settlement in 2019 shows how inconsistent the SEC has been in its crypto enforcement actions  Whether these cases will have an impact in Congress and accelerate legislation  What would happen if Gary Gensler stops being the chair of the SEC Hosts Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly  Robert Leshner, founder of Compound Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly  Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures Guest Jake Chervinsky, chief policy officer at the Blockchain Association Previous Unchained Appearances: Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky Disclosures Links Unchained: SEC Sues Coinbase for Breaking Securities Laws SEC Files Motion to Freeze Binance’s Assets, Asks for ‘Sworn Accounting’ SEC Files 13 Charges Against Binance Including the Mishandling of Funds, Sale of Unregistered Securities SEC Calls Solana, Polygon, Algorand and Other Tokens Securities but Misses Ether in Binance Lawsuit US House Republicans Propose Bill That May Give Crypto Assets a Path to Becoming Commodities Fortune: Former Coinbase employee and his brother settle with the SEC, which again dodges proving whether cryptocurrencies are securities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Joining us today are the best in the biz Chervinsky & Amanda Tuminelli who are here to answer all our questions about the SEC and it's assault on the crypto industry as a whole.  ------ 📣 ASYMETRIX | STAKE stETH NOW https://bankless.cc/asymetrix-pod  ------ 🚀 Airdrop Alpha is waiting for you on Bankless.com  https://bankless.cc/Alpha   ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:  🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2    🦊METAMASK LEARN | HELPFUL WEB3 RESOURCE https://bankless.cc/MetaMask  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  👾STADER LABS | ETHX LIQUID STAKING https://bankless.cc/Stader  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/Toku  🎮IMMUTABLE | GAMING ECOSYSTEM https://bankless.cc/Immutable  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ------ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 6:05 Who are Jake and Amanda? 8:08 Breaking Down This Historical Moment 11:19 The SEC Never Wanted Crypto To Win 14:56 Why Is Gary So Confident? 18:43 David's Conspiracy Theory 23:52 What if Gary Actually Wins? 31:07 Clarity From The Court Date? 35:01 Does Gary Just Want the Fame? 36:49 Why The SEC Rejects Public Process 38:34 Is This Un-Constitutional? 44:06 Jake's Optimistic Take 48:14 The Digital Asset Bill 52:44 How YOU Can Take Action ----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Amanda Tuminelli

Executive Director

DeFi Education Fund

Today we are joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to discuss the state of crypto regulation. Rebecca and Jake explain how the US is falling behind, the EU's MiCA regulation, the SEC's attack on Coinbase, Gary's false sense of control and the hottest crypto bills in DC. Regulation and policy are becoming must-know topics for crypto participants, and this is your go-to source for everything you need to know. This is the first episode in an ongoing regulatory and policy series with Jake and Rebecca! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:40) The State of Crypto Regulation (02:36) Europe's MiCA Legislation (11:10) “Chainalysis Ad” (12:14) Coinbase’s Offshore Expansion (14:11) The UK’s Approach and What’s Next for the EU (19:07) Gary Gensler’s April Testimony (22:45) Coinbase’s Fight with the SEC (30:08) Warren Marshall Bill (35:21) The US Policy Outlook - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis. Chainalysis is the blockchain data platform. We provide data, software, services, and research to government agencies, web3 companies, financial institutions, and insurance and cybersecurity companies. Our data powers investigation, compliance, and business intelligence software that has been used to solve some of the world’s most high-profile criminal cases. For more information, visit www.Chainalysis.com/empire. - - Resources: Coinbase's response to the SEC’s Wells notice https://www.coinbase.com/blog/coinbase-responds-to-the-secs-wells-notice The Blockchain Association https://theblockchainassociation.org/ https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn Polygon https://polygon.technology/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Rebecca Rettig

Chief Policy Officer

Polygon LabsJito LabsPolygonDeFi Education Fund

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

In this episode of Empire, Robert Leshner - founder of Compound Labs - joins us to discuss how DeFi will evolve in the wake of Operation Choke Point 2.0 and the coordinated effort to debank crypto. We discuss what this means for today's DeFi protocols, the end of the DeFi Mullet thesis and how teams will respond. Then we explore Robert's thoughts on why MakerDAO's RWA strategy is short-sighted, the stablecoin landscape, the AppChain thesis and more! - - Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:24 Operation Choke Point 2.0 07:24 Compound Treasury and the DeFi Mullet 11:19 The Return of DeFi? 16:09 BTC vs ETH 19:17 Building in the US vs Offshore 26:25 Real World Assets 28:52 Quicknode ad 30:38 Synthetix Ad 32:17 Stablecoin Landscape 39:48 The AppChain Thesis and Value Accrual 48:24 Reputation, Limit Orders and Security - - Follow Rob: https://twitter.com/rleshner Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/  - - This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan! - - This episode is brought to you by Synthetix. Synthetix Perps is the most efficient decentralized perpetual futures engine, with 5/10 bp fees and up to 25x leverage. With a growing list of over 20 tradable markets, Synthetix Perps are available on Optimism via Kwenta.io and Polynomial.fi, with more coming soon! As a permissionless liquidity layer, Synthetix makes it easy for any protocol to integrate perps and earn 5%-10% of trade fees. - - Resources Compound https://compound.finance/ Bell Curve, S4 Premiere: A Journey Into The Dark Forest https://spoti.fi/3MpTjWH - -  Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

US financial regulators are conducting a coordinated front against certain crypto companies in what Compound Labs Founder Robert Leshner says is a "planned set of product takedowns." One particular case to watch is the SEC's potential suit against Paxos over its BUSD stablecoin, which the SEC is alleging is an unregistered security. According to Leshner, this case is of particular importance given the precedent it could set for the billion-dollar stablecoin industry: "If there's an argument that USDC and Tether are securities and this winds up being contested over months and years, if it doesn't go the right way, I think it's an Armageddon scenario for a lot of crypto." During this episode, Chaparro and Leshner also discuss: The trade-offs between CeFi vs. DeFi risks How to refine decentralized governance Why crypto is set to flourish off-shore This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Circle, Railgun, Flare Network, NordVPN About Circle Circle is a global financial technology company helping money move at internet speed. Our mission is to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. Visit Circle.com to learn more. About Railgun RAILGUN is a private DeFi solution on Ethereum, BSC, Arbitrum, and Polygon. Shield any ERC-20 token and any NFT into a Private Balance and let RAILGUN’s Zero-Knowledge cryptography encrypt your address, balance, and transaction history. You can also bring privacy to your project with RAILGUN SDK and be sure to check out RAILGUN with partner project Railway Wallet, also available on iOS and Android. Visit Railgun.org to find out more. About Flare Flare is an EVM-based Layer 1 blockchain designed to allow developers to build applications that can use data from other blockchains and the internet. By providing decentralized access to a wide variety of high-integrity data from other blockchains and the internet, Flare enables new use cases and monetization models. Build better and connect everything at Flare.Network About NordVPN NordVPN is essential for keeping crypto transactions secure, hiding your IP address, and protecting your devices from hackers and data theft. Get premium cyber-security on up to 6 devices for the price of a cup of coffee a month. Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal and try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee: Visit https://nordvpn.com/thescoop

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

In this episode of Empire, Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky join us to discuss how FTX's collapse will impact crypto regulation. SBF was the poster child of crypto in D.C. - how will his fallout damage crypto's reputation? Did regulators fail consumers, and how will they respond? What are the shortcomings of the DCCPA bill? How important are the political midterms, and what is happening in the securities vs commodities debate? Tune in to find out! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:54) SBF’s Unbelievable Damage (07:17) How Active Was SBF In D.C.? (09:52) The First Red Flags & DCCPA Threats (22:56) Where Regulators Failed (27:32) Expected Reaction From D.C. (33:43) Circle Ad (35:26) DCCPA Overview & Its Impact On DeFi (47:53) What The Midterms Mean For Crypto (50:55) The Litigation Phase (55:07) LBRY, Ripple & Progressive Decentralization (1:03:45) A Path Forward - - Follow Kristin: https://twitter.com/KMSmithDC Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Jake's tweet thread on DCCPA https://twitter.com/jchervinsky/status/1570451252852527104 Brian Amstrong's response to Elizabeth Warren https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1590511022104010753 Ron Hammond's tweet thread on FTX/SBF https://twitter.com/ronwhammond/status/1590741692348772352 Blockchain Association website https://theblockchainassociation.org/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Kristin Smith

CEO

Blockchain Association

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Blockchain AssociationVariant FundCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to discuss the state of crypto regulation. We explore what Tornado Cash sanctions mean for crypto, how to define decentralization, if tokens will be considered securities, Ethereum censorship, what to expect from future regulation and more! - - (00:00) Introduction (01:18) Tornado Cash Sanctions (16:09) Defining Decentralization (26:17) What Has Been Most Damaging to Crypto? (31:03) Do Regulators Understand the Nuances of Crypto? (37:35) What Regulations Should Be Prioritized Today? (39:27) A Focus on User Protection (46:17) Getting Congress on Our Side (59:45) The SEC's Attack on Crypto (Coinbase) (1:01:02) Uniswap Fee Switch Implications (1:08:17) ETH Validators & OFAC Compliance (1:19:27) Permissionless vs Permissioned DeFi - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Rebecca Rettig

Chief Policy Officer

Polygon LabsJito LabsPolygonDeFi Education Fund

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

On today's State of the Nation, it's time to bring back the crypto legal mind of Jake Chervinsky. With the recent OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash and the cascading chilling effect, our digital rights are under attack. Have we seen the death of crypto privacy? What can we do to help advocate for digital justice? As always, Jake brings a thoughtful and measured approach to these crucial topics. ------  Chainlink | Register for SmartCon 2022 with promo code “BANKLESS” https://bankless.cc/smartcon  ------  SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER:          https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/    ️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST:                 http://podcast.banklesshq.com/    ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:   LENS | ACCESS CODE: VITALIK https://bankless.cc/Lens   ROCKET POOL | ETH STAKING https://bankless.cc/RocketPool  ️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   BRAVE | THE BROWSER NATIVE WALLET https://bankless.cc/Brave   JUNO | BRIDGE FIAT TO LAYER 2 https://bankless.cc/Juno  ️ ZKSYNC | THE LAYER 2 SCALING ENDGAME https://bankless.cc/zkSync  ----- Resources: Jake Chervisnky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky  Set Alex Free: https://setalexfree.nl/  ----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

This week on The Defiant Podcast we speak to Jake Chervinsky, the executive vice president and head of policy at Blockchain Association, a non-profit trade association representing the crypto industry in Washington DC. Jake is one of the most qualified to discuss the US Treasury Department sanctioning Tornado Cash, a development that’s caused shockwaves through crypto. Thanking our podcast sponsors: 1inch is a DEX aggregator that finds the best rates across multiple networks. Why use a single DEX when you can use them all? Find your best deal at 1inch. Pods stETHvv allows you to accumulate more ETH in only one click. Every time ETH price bounces, up or down, the vault earns more ETH. In this market it's not a matter of IF price will move, but WEN. ZenGo a crypto wallet that uses biometric encryption, 3FA authentication and MPC wallet cryptography instead of private keys.

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Kristin Smith, executive director at Blockchain Association, and Jake Chervinsky, head of Policy at Blockchain Association, discuss the current state of crypto regulation. Show topics: why 2021 was a watershed year for crypto regulation and lobbying why Jake decided to move from Compound Labs to Blockchain Association what Kristin and Jake think about the current state of regulation in the crypto industry how crypto education will play a significant role in Blockchain Association efforts going forward how crypto will affect midterm elections why Kristin thinks crypto will not be a partisan issue long term what sort of budget Blockchain Association functions on what Kristin and Jake think about the President’s Working Group report on stablecoins why Jake does not think the US should issue a CBDC what Blockchain Association’s take is on SEC commissioner Hester Peirce’s “safe harbor” proposal why Kristin and Jake believes the idea of a “crypto czar” is not feasible how regulators are treating DeFi going into 2022 how crypto tax guidelines could be improved for centralized exchanges how Blockchain Association thinks tax code 6050I should be applied what issues could arise from DAOs in 2022+ what listeners can do to address the different regulatory topics discussed in this podcast Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021             Show Links   Guests Jake Chervinsky: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky  Kristin Smith: https://twitter.com/kmsmithdc Previous Unchained appearances: https://unchainedpodcast.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-looming-battle-over-privacy-in-crypto/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-congress-might-pass-laws-bad-for-proof-of-stake-and-defi/  ​​https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-crypto-regulation-with-jake-chervinsky/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-is-the-proposed-fincen-rule-for-unhosted-wallets-being-pushed-so-quickly/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-congress-might-pass-laws-bad-for-proof-of-stake-and-defi/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/what-the-crypto-industry-could-see-under-a-biden-administration/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/when-is-a-token-decentralized-enough-to-not-be-a-security-ep-056/     The Blockchain Association Website: https://theblockchainassociation.org/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn  2021 growth: ​​https://theblockchainassociation.org/crypto-industrys-leading-trade-association-more-than-doubles-membership-in-2021/ Jake joining the team: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2021/11/09/blockchain-association-fills-out-its-washington-team-with-seasoned-hands-798774 Regulatory Topics Discussed: a16z  https://a16z.com/2021/10/13/an-agenda-for-the-future-of-the-internet/ Tax Code 6050i https://www.coincenter.org/congress-takes-its-war-on-cash-to-digital-assets/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/not-reporting-info-on-some-transaction-partners-could-soon-be-a-felony/  Infrastructure Bill https://twitter.com/jerrybrito/status/1461317078175072263 President’s Working Group stablecoin report https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/11/01/biden-administration-to-congress-put-stablecoins-under-federal-supervision-or-we-will/ FATF Guidance https://twitter.com/coincenter/status/1453700485484097537    Articles Jake Mentioned Jake on CBDCs: https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2021/12/21/secure-americas-financial-strength-with-stablecoins-not-central-banks/  Gabriel Shapiro on DAOs: https://lexnode.substack.com/p/wyomings-legal-dao-saster  Morgan Harper thread: https://twitter.com/mh4oh/status/1463219384776806402    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristin Smith

CEO

Blockchain Association

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Blockchain AssociationVariant FundCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Jake Chervinsky is fighting on the front lines for the effective regulation of crypto, and he was a key contributor in the efforts to amend the United States Infrastructure Bill, which recently passed the Senate. On this State of the Nation, we discuss the unfolding events in US Legislation, and how we can move forward towards a cooperative and productive regulatory landscape. ------ 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/   🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🍵 MATCHA | DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGE AGGREGATOR https://bankless.cc/Matcha  🔐 LEDGER | SECURE YOUR ASSETS https://bankless.cc/Ledger  🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants  ------ 📣 TracerDAO | Building DeFi Infrastructure. Join the Discord! https://bankless.cc/TracerDAO  ------ Resources: Jake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky?s=20  The Blockchain Association: https://twitter.com/BlockchainAssn?s=20  ----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures

Jake Chervinsky

Partner

Variant FundBlockchain AssociationCompound FinanceCompoundVariantCompound LabsHCHyperliquid Policy Center

Robert Leshner is the founder of the Compound Protocol, which is pioneering decentralized borrowing and lending. He is returning to Bankless to discuss Compound Treasury, which is set to offer Compound's services to institutions. Is it Fintech? Is it Banking? Is it Crypto? Slick back your DeFi mullet and let's find out. Robert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rleshner?s=20  Compound Treasury: https://compound.finance/treasury  ------ 📣 KYBER | MAKE IT RAIN WITH RAINMAKER https://bankless.cc/kyber  ------  🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/  🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/  🎖 CLAIM YOUR BADGE: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/-guide-2-using-the-bankless-badge  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 💰 GEMINI | FIAT & CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://bankless.cc/go-gemini  🔀 BALANCER | EXCHANGE & POOL ASSETS https://bankless.cc/balancer  👻 AAVE | LEND & BORROW ASSETS https://bankless.cc/aave  🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING http://bankless.cc/uniswap  ----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs

It’s no secret that investors find themselves in a low-yield environment. And that backdrop is forcing investors to explore DeFi. That’s part of the logic behind the recently announced Compound Treasury, a new company that allows investors and firms to access the yields on Compound without engaging directly with the blockchain. On this episode of The Scoop, Compound Labs’ Founder Robert Leshner unpacks how institutional flows hunting for yield are finding their way to DeFi — and how he sees Compound Treasury playing a role facilitating that migration. “Compound Treasury is what we hope is an embodiment of this, where we can source the yields from the compound protocol and pass it to institutional customers and abstract away all of the nuance of interacting with smart contracts and managing the flow of funds." Leshner predicted that over time, DeFi and traditional finance will become more intertwined. “I think over time, yields will converge,” he noted. Until then, fintechs will look to services like Compound Treasury to juice yields which have been on a downward spiral. Wealthfront — which at one point offered a return of 2.5% APY for cash accounts — currently offers 0.10% APY. Robinhood offers 0.30%. There are a number of factors that are playing into high DeFi yields, including the existence of “natural risk premiums” in DeFi compared to traditional technical risks in legacy finance. He posited how DeFi could prove to be more resilient against risk relative to traditional financial systems in the long run: “You have what I would call ‘natural risk premiums’ that exist in DeFi that don't exist in traditional markets. The best being technical risk. So technical risk is the risk that the protocol itself just breaks in an unexpected way. Now, longterm, DeFi is safer infrastructure than anything in traditional markets. The reason being a smart contract when it's immutable, if it works, it'll work forever.” Episode 37 of Season 3 of The Scoop was recorded remotely with The Block’s Frank Chaparro and Compound Labs' Founder Robert Leshner Listen below, and subscribe to The Scoop on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. Email feedback and revision requests to podcast@theblockcrypto.com. This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Eventus, Kraken, and Exodus Eventus is the leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance, transaction monitoring and market risk solutions. Eventus offers a powerful, award-winning trade surveillance platform that is easy to deploy, customize and operate. Eventus is proven in the most complex, high-volume and real-time environments and supports many of the industry’s leading crypto exchanges including Coinbase, Gemini, ErisX and OSL. The company’s rapidly growing client base relies on Eventus’ responsive support and product development teams to overcome its most pressing regulatory challenges. About Kraken Whether you’re an experienced crypto trader or just starting out, Kraken has the tools to help you achieve financial freedom. With 50+ cryptocurrencies to choose from, industry-leading security and a wide variety of features to suit any investing strategy, Kraken puts the power in your hands to buy, sell and trade digital assets. Visit Kraken.com to get started today. About Exodus Exodus is leading the world out of traditional finance by building beautiful and user-friendly crypto products. Forget having to learn the nuances of different cryptocurrencies. Exodus is designed for everyone and hides the complex details behind a beautiful and intuitive interface. Buy and sell one cryptocurrency for another from the comfort of your wallet, in seconds. Funds remain under your full control. Secure, manage, stake, and exchange all of your favorite cryptocurrencies from one wallet. No account registration is required. Download Exodus at Exodus.com or directly from Google Play and the iOS App Store and you’re ready to go.

Robert Leshner

Founder

SuperstateCompoundCompound Labs