Dragonfly

Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Commerce forced Anthropic to shut down Fable V for the entire world. One government, one decision, zero global access. Is this the definitive case for decentralized AI? Jake Brukhman (Coin Fund), Jesus Rodriguez (Sentora), and Haseeb Qureshi (Dragonfly) debate the hottest topic at the intersection of crypto and AI: whether frontier AI can and should be decentralized — or whether we're repeating the same mistakes as decentralized storage.What you'll hear: why the government hand-picked who gets access to Mythos (and it wasn't Anthropic's call), whether consumer GPU swarms can realistically compete with data centers, what's really happening with on-chain hacks in 2026, and Haseeb's most controversial take: the world's most powerful AI should be treated like a nuclear weapon, not a public good.No easy answers. No consensus. Just the most important debate of 2026.

Jake Brukhman

Founder

CoinFund

Jesus Rodriguez

CEO

Sentora

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Rob Hadick and Gracy Chen dig into Bitget's universal exchange shift as more crypto exchanges look to become an “everything app.” Plus, Gracy lets slip details of U.S. plans and how it ties to its transfer of BGB ownership. Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠X⁠ Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. Bitget since September has said it is much more than a centralized cryptocurrency exchange. Dragonfly General Partner Rob Hadick and Bitget CEO Gracy Chen peel back Bitget's universal exchange branding to reveal the trends driving the company's expansion and really that of other exchanges both in TradFi and crypto. The main takeaway? “Users want a place to trade everything.” Gracy also teases Bitget's U.S. market entry plans and lets slip the real reason the company transferred ownership of BGB.  Plus, why Gracy is not so optimistic about AI agents materially impacting the crypto market and what Rob says needs to happen for altcoins to accrue value again. He says it is no longer a market where everything goes up and down together. Guests: Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget, previous appearances on Unchained: Why All Financial Institutions Are 'All Systems Go' on Stablecoins Stablecoins Are Popping Up Everywhere. What's the End Game? When a Crypto Treasury Company Is and Isn't Worth a Premium Why Crypto Has 'a Good Setup' for the Long Term Right Now: Bits + Bips Links: Unchained: Inside Robinhood’s Big Super App Plan: ‘There’s Still a Lot of Work to Be Done’ Coinbase Launches Stock Trading and Prediction Markets Crypto’s Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Uneasy Money: Why Peter Steinberger and Non-Crypto People Hate the Crypto Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Hadick

General Partner

Dragonfly

Gracy Chen

CEO

Bitget

Crypto still feels like a minefield for humans: Haseeb Qureshi argues that’s a clue, not a bug: blockchains and smart contracts are machine-readable systems that AI agents can parse, simulate, and execute far more reliably than people, shifting crypto’s core user from humans clicking through wallets to agents acting on our behalf. We also dig into the two-track future of agent commerce (safe, human-approved flows vs. the wild-west frontier), why major AI labs have avoided crypto training so far (liability), how agent-driven discovery could rewrite DeFi competition, and what this means for Dragonfly’s investing playbook. ------ 🎬 DEBRIEF | RYAN & DAVID UNPACKING THE EPISODE https://www.bankless.com/podcast/debrief-haseeb-quereshi-cryptos-not-made-for-humans-its-for-ai ------ 🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast 🪐GALAXY | INSTITUTIONAL DIGITAL FINANCE https://bankless.cc/galaxy-podcast ⚡ EUPHORIA | REAL-TIME ONE-TAP TRADING https://bankless.cc/euphoria 🌐BRIX | EMERGING MARKET YIELD https://bankless.cc/brix 🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT https://bankless.cc/bitget 🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS https://bankless.cc/TDRpro ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:42 Why Crypto’s Not Made for Humans 17:49 How AI Agents Think 28:51 Why Crypto x AI is Unexplored 32:58 The Botconomy & OpenClaw 43:42 How Long Until the Frontier is Here? 50:07 How Crazy Does it Get? 1:06:00 AI Thinks Crypto’s Cringe 1:10:31 Dragonfly’s New 650M Fund 1:13:05 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Haseeb Qureshi https://x.com/hosseeb Dragonfly https://www.dragonfly.xyz/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

In this episode of Unchained, Laura is joined by Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, and Sam MacPherson, Co-founder and CEO of Phoenix Labs, to break down the fast-moving world of stablecoins and stablechains. They discuss Ethena’s USDe $5 billion drop, the rise of “stablecoin-as-a-service” models, the emergence of payment-focused blockchains like Tempo and Codex, and the return of TradFi heavyweights like Visa, Mastercard, and Western Union to the digital dollar race. From liquidity challenges to regulatory shakeups and tokenized deposits, the conversation explores what it really takes to win the stablecoin wars, and, importantly, whether any of these players can even make a scratch to king Tether. Thank you to our sponsors! Binance Guests: Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Sam MacPherson, Co-founder and CEO of Phoenix Labs Links: Previous coverage on Unchained: Stablecoins Are Popping Up Everywhere. What’s the End Game? Why Every Chain Suddenly Wants Its OWN Stablecoin - The Chopping Block Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro and ads: Binance 📉 1:09 Why Ethena’s USDe plunged from $15B to $10B 🔮 5:34 Rob’s view on the future of Ethena 💸 7:06 Why Spark exited Ethena despite being an early believer ⚔️ 11:32 Protocol-native stablecoins—and why Rob and Sam disagree about the trend 💡 21:03 What it really takes to win the stablecoin wars + what makes Tempo's strategy “interesting” 💳 32:11 Tether’s USAT launch: can it succeed? 🏦 36:27 How Tether and Ripple are using the same acquisition playbook 🔥 39:40 Plasma’s emissions strategy and whether it’s sustainable 🏛️ 44:10 Inside Circle’s Arc testnet and its 100+ institutional partners ⛓️ 51:08 Codex and the debate: should stablechains be L1s or L2s? 💵 56:42 How Spark aims to stand out in the new wave of stablecoin competition 🏢 1:00:04 Why TradFi players are entering the space with so much strength 🚀 1:06:04 Why Rob remains so bullish on the future of stablecoins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Hadick

General Partner

Dragonfly

Sam MacPherson

DAO Member

MakerDAOPhoenix Labs

The stablecoin race is heating up. With the passage of the U.S. stablecoin law the floodgates have opened. Tether still dominates globally, but Circle, Stripe, and a wave of new “stablechains” are making their move. In this episode, Dragonfly partner Rob Hadick and Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz join Laura Shin to map out how this battle could reshape crypto and payments. Will ecosystem apps like Phantom and Jupiter keep their own stablecoins? Can Circle’s new Layer 1, Arc, compete with Tether’s network effect?  Don’t miss it! Thank you to our sponsors! Binance Aptos  Guests: Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro 🔥 2:50 What Rob and Mert expect from the coming flood of stablecoins and stablechains 🌐 12:06 How network effects could decide the winners in the stablecoin wars 💵 14:09 Whether Tether’s dominance is here to stay 💱 22:45 Why Forex matters—and why everyone still wants dollars 😎 27:15 Whether Tether even cares about its new competitors ⚠️ 33:18 What Rob calls the biggest existential threat to Tether 🏦 36:00 Can Circle’s new payments chain, Arc, really compete in this environment 🧩 40:42 Why Mert says Circle is in a difficult strategic position 🤝 45:17 How new Layer 1s risk pleasing no one by trying to please everyone 💣 52:55 Whether banks are doomed—and why employees might want to start exiting now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Hadick

General Partner

Dragonfly

Mert Mumtaz

CEO

Helius LabsHelius

On this week’s Weekly Rollup, Ryan and Haseeb debate if ETH’s new all-time high signals the top or just the start, with whales rotating from BTC into ETH and alt season heating up. Powell hints at rate cuts, ETFs keep pulling billions, and Tom Lee’s billion-dollar ETH bet takes center stage while treasury premiums sink. Meanwhile, Google teases an L1, Hyperliquid outpaces Robinhood, and Europe floats a digital euro, setting up another pivotal week in crypto. --- 📣RONIN “ONCHAIN NINTENDO” | DOWNLOAD THE RONIN WALLET https://bankless.cc/RoninWallet --- 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 & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:38 Big Sean Crypto https://x.com/altcoindaily/status/1960753873376961031 3:20 Powell’s speech last week https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/powell-opens-door-potential-rate-cut-speech-jack https://x.com/FinanceLancelot/status/1958934829082583312 https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1958907551442993491: https://x.com/charliebilello/status/1958910251819786478 https://x.com/AnnaEconomist/status/1958923556680536487 9:10 Markets https://x.com/JSeyff/status/1959982000804442559 https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1958941150041317514 https://x.com/speculatorart/status/1960322107864141966 https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/25/bitcoin-flash-crash-triggers-usd550m-in-sunday-l https://x.com/JacobKinge/status/1959724849598718428 https://x.com/lookonchain/status/1958767845934080277 https://x.com/woonomic/status/1960442328604200987 24:53 HYPE Crushing it - competitive with major exchanges https://x.com/cointelegraph/status/1960379396927213990 https://blockworks-research.beehiiv.com/p/is-hype-still-cheap-8541fea8eaae3e65 https://x.com/infinitybanyan/status/1960373080389304611 34:55 SOL DATs are coming - 3 of em! https://x.com/matthew_sigel/status/1959942140500365564 https://x.com/SolanaFloor/status/1959948823280619558 https://decrypt.co/336832/pantera-capital-eyes-1-25b-raise-solana-treasury-firm https://panteracapital.com/blockchain-letter/dat-value-creation/ https://mcga.com/news/trump-media-group-cro-strategy-to-acquire-cro-digital-asset-treasury https://blockworks.co/analytics/treasury-companies/market-data 42:01 Google is building its L1 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rich-widmann-a816a54b_all-this-talk-of-layer-1-blockchains-has-activity-7366124738848415744-7idA/ 49:35 US GOV - will publish GDP figures onchain! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEPqUdelFo https://blog.chain.link/united-states-department-of-commerce-macroeconomic-data/ https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1961067983800881224 https://x.com/krakenfx/status/1961081675175149795 https://etherscan.io/address/0x36ccdf11044f60f196e981970d592a7de567ed7b#code https://docs.chain.link/data-feeds/us-government-macroeconomic/addresses?page=1&testnetPage=1 51:41 The EU may release a Stablecoin on a public chain - Ethereum or Solana https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1958754787345727712 https://app.rwa.xyz/stablecoins https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/china-considering-yuan-backed-stablecoins-boost-global-currency-usage-sources-2025-08-21/ 56:45 Kanye West released $YZY https://x.com/kanyewest/status/1958346810801697237 https://x.com/CryptoHayes/status/1958356982991401006 https://x.com/lookonchain/status/1958355708010975580 https://x.com/JamesWynnReal/status/1958383968945831940 59:43 DOJ announced that it won’t bring charges against non-custodial developers https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1958645825732501566 1:04:51 Closing & Disclaimers --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Subscribe to the new Bits + Bips channels! 📺 YouTube  🎧 Podcast → Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Fountain🐦 X / Twitter  In this episode of Unchained, Guy Young, founder of Ethena Labs, and Rob Hadick, general partner at Dragonfly, unpack the emerging wave of Digital Asset Treasuries (DATs) and why altcoins may be the next to follow Bitcoin and Ethereum onto public markets. They explain why StablecoinX, a new infrastructure company within the Ethena ecosystem, is merging with a SPAC to go public on Nasdaq under the ticker “USDE,” anchoring its treasury with Ethena’s ENA token.  With $360 million in backing from investors like Dragonfly, Ribbit, Galaxy, and Polychain, the deal is testing whether public equity markets are ready for altcoin-native treasuries. Guy and Rob also discuss why some crypto wrapper stocks are trading at massive premiums, how capital gets misallocated in crypto, and whether ETH staking rewards represent real yield or just inflation.  They debate whether this trend is creating lasting infrastructure or just new packaging for old narratives. Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Mantle Re Guests: Guy Young, founder of Ethena Labs Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro 🧠 3:29 Why Ethena worked with a team launching an ENA  corporate treasury company 💰 10:38 Ways to structure public crypto treasury vehicles 🕵️‍♂️ 16:53 Whether treasury vehicles are just a flashy wrapper for vaporware 📉 22:28 Why Guy says there’s way more VC capital than good ideas in crypto right now 📈 31:20 How some DATs are trading at eye-popping premiums 🤔 37:15 Why Dragonfly backed TLGY but skipped other Bitcoin, ETH, or SOL plays 🏗️ 40:24 How the structure of these public vehicles shapes their value 🔄 47:39 What makes convertible debt different from SPACs or PIPEs 🧾 49:20 How investors should think about these new crypto treasury companies 📊 55:43 How Wall Street is being pitched on Ethena and USDE 💥 59:16 Whether this trend is legit or just another bubble waiting to pop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guy Young

CEO and Founder

EthenaEthena Labs

Rob Hadick

General Partner

Dragonfly

We’re joined by Haseeb Qureshi from Dragonfly Capital to discusses the SEC's Project Crypto and its impact on the crypto landscape. We celebrate Ethereum's 10th birthday, reflect on its growth, and analyze the ongoing trial of Roman Storm linked to Tornado Cash. The episode also covers the launch of Ethereum treasury company ETH Zilla and advancements in crypto ETF regulations. Haseeb: https://x.com/hosseeb —- 📣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 Ethereum's 10th Birthday https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/at-10-years-old-ethereums-future-is-brighter-than-ever-despite-recent-setbacks.html?taid=688a2118974852000113ad9a https://x.com/TimBeiko/status/1950578090108993904 https://x.com/ethereumfndn/status/1950179673872510997 7:47 Analyzing SEC's Project Crypto https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025-101-sec-permits-kind-creations-redemptions-crypto-etps https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/atkins-digital-finance-revolution-073125 26:56 Exploring Token Launchpad Wars https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1949657674003431788 https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1949790587877515697 https://x.com/0xMert_/status/1950324576204050752 48:41 The Roman Storm Verdict Discussion https://x.com/innercitypress/status/1950586483955626129 1:03:39 Closing Thoughts and Reflections --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

The weeks leading up to Pump.fun’s ICO were contentious: accusations that it was extractive, debates over decentralization, and outrage over allocations.  In the end, the company pulled off the third-largest ICO in crypto history, raising $600 million in 12 minutes. The day of, Solana barely flinched under the load, and onchain platforms like Hyperliquid and Raydium left CEXes looking outdated. In this episode of Unchained, Haseeb Qureshi of Dragonfly and Joe McCann of Asymmetric join Laura to break down: Whether this marks the return of ICOs The objections to the small ($10 million) airdrop to creators How Pump.fun’s ambitions could reshape memecoins, and maybe Solana itself And why TikTok might not need to worry just yet Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Xapo Bank Ledn Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner of Dragonfly Joe McCann, Founder, CEO & CIO of Asymmetric Previous coverage on the ICO: Pump.fun’s $1 Billion ICO Has Caused Controversy. Can It Succeed? Unchained: Pump.fun Becomes Third Largest ICO, Raises $600M in 12 Minutes  PUMP Traders Make Big Options Bets on the Token Surging Past Its ICO Price Pump.fun Draws Backlash After Confirming PUMP ICO SolanaFloor’s tweet on LetsBonk’s stats The Block: Pump.fun makes first acquisition, purchases Solana-based copy-trading wallet tracker Kolscan Dune Analytics Twitter thread on the PUMP ICO stats Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro 🚀 3:43 Why Joe says Pump.fun is one of the best crypto businesses he’s seen 📈 6:04 Whether this heralds the return of ICO mania 😤 7:11 Why the raise triggered backlash from parts of the crypto community 💸 8:32 Whether PUMP’s valuation can really be justified ⚙️ 12:10 How the exchange-first design created issues—and why others may copy it 📊 16:15 Whether PUMP’s distribution model helped or hurt its credibility ⏳ 21:43 Why the decision to have no token lockups sparked debate 👾 24:40 What kind of traders actually bought into the ICO ⚡ 32:56 Whether Solana’s performance makes it the new home for ICOs 🏦 37:50 Why Coinbase sat this one out 🔮 44:07 Where PUMP’s price might be headed in the medium term 📉 48:37 How Pump.fun lost some momentum—and what that says about the space 🧠 55:14 How Pump.fun plans to spend its $600 million war chest 📵 57:21 Whether Pump.fun can really take on Facebook 🔥 1:01:46 Why Joe still believes memecoins are just getting started Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Joe McCann

Founder and CEO

AsymmetricNodeSource

In this episode of Bits + Bips, we examine how rising global trade tensions could impact macro conditions, the Fed’s next move, and market stability. We also explore how investors should position themselves with inflation cooling and an uncertain policy path at the Fed. We then look at what’s happening on the crypto side: volume shifting to tokenized public equities, the growing number of corporate stablecoin plans, and whether the promise of tokenization is matched by meaningful traction. Joining hosts Joe McCann, Ram Ahluwalia, and Steve Ehrlich is Rob Hadick of Dragonfly, who shares his perspective on product-market fit in crypto, shifting market structure, and where real adoption may emerge. Sponsor: Bitwise Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Steve Ehrlich, Executive Editor at Unchained Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly LINKS: WSJ: Trump Faces Crucial Week for Reaching Trade Deals EU Still Hopes for Initial U.S. Trade Deal Before Deadline Reuters: Japan, South Korea face 25% tariffs as Trump ramps up trade war in letters to 14 nations CNN: Trump announces new tariffs of up to 40% on a growing number of countries University of Washington: OBBB Signed Into Law Unchained:  OpenAI Says Robinhood’s Stock Tokens Are Not Equity Tron Is Now More Expensive Than Ethereum. Will That Hurt Justin Sun’s New Company? AI Crypto Tokens Swoon as Nvidia Reaches a New All-Time High CoinDesk: CoreWeave to Acquire Core Scientific in $9B All-Stock Deal The Block: Bit Digital swaps entire treasury into Ethereum, says it's now a top public ETH holder after a $173 million splurge Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro 🎭 2:05 Why Ram sees the tariff drama as more theater than substance 🎌 7:09 Whether Trump is leveraging tariffs ahead of Japan’s elections 📉 8:17 How low inflation is pressuring Jerome Powell and the Fed’s next move ⚠️ 12:06 Why Rob says the market feels “fragile” right now 🪙 14:52 Whether bitcoin has truly matured into a macro asset 🛡️ 22:16 How to hedge in an uncertain landscape, and what to make of Elon’s political pivot 💵 30:05 Whether Elon Musk is preparing to launch a stablecoin on X 📊 32:26 Why digital asset treasury companies are so volatile, and how these deals really work 🧱 39:44 How the tokenization race is unfolding, and whether innovation is keeping up 🧠 47:47 How to think about investing in the tokenized assets and stablecoin narrative 🕳️ 1:01:47 Whether tokenized equities have any real killer use ⛏️ 1:03:54 What the CoreWeave-Core Scientific deal signals for bitcoin mining 📈 1:13:08 Whether we’re still in a bull market, and if now’s the time to take advantage of dip opportunities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Hadick

General Partner

Dragonfly

David from Blockworks and Omar from Dragonfly join the show to debate Coinbase vs Robinhood, two companies racing to become the dominant financial super app. We break down their business models, growth strategies, tokenized asset plays, and how each is approaching crypto, equities, and infrastructure. Will Robinhood’s slick UX and expanding product suite win the next generation? Or will Coinbase’s onchain infra and stablecoin moat prove unbeatable? Omar & Dragonfly https://x.com/TheOneandOmsy https://x.com/Dragonfly_xyz David & Blockworks https://x.com/EffortCapital https://x.com/BlockworksAdv --- 📣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 🟠BINANCE | THE WORLDS #1 CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://bankless.cc/binance --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:37 Understanding Coinbase 8:31 Coinbase B2B 13:39 Comparing Revenue, Valuation, & Infrastructure 23:12 Future Growth of Coinbase 28:14 Understanding Robinhood 38:22 Robinhood Competition 45:42 Robinhood 2021 Crisis Explained 48:14 Robinhood Bank 52:02 Tokenized Stocks & L2 55:32 Defending the Coinbase Moat 1:06:19 Forecasting Robinhood’s Future 1:11:08 Forecasting Coinbase’s Future 1:15:31 Closing & Disclaimers --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

David Rodriguez

Founder

Food for AllBlockworks

Omar Kanji

Partner

Dragonfly

This week, David and guest co-host Tom Schmidt (Dragonfly) unpack a deceptively quiet crypto market with Bitcoin dominance hitting 66% and altcoins eerily still. What meta could flip the trend? They dive into Circle’s explosive 10x IPO, Robinhood’s surprise crypto surge, and why Coinbase is finally catching up. Plus: the Kalshi vs. Polymarket drama, ICOs creeping back, and how meme coins might soon help you get a mortgage. Also: Vitalik’s Layer 1 pivot, prediction markets heating up, and signs of a new retail cycle forming. Tom Schmidt & Chopping Block https://x.com/tomhschmidt https://x.com/_choppingblock https://x.com/dragonfly_xyz ------ 📣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 🌐SELF | PROVE YOUR SELF https://bankless.cc/Self 🟠BINANCE | THE WORLDS #1 CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://bankless.cc/binance ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:46 Tom’s crypto vibe check 1:50 Markets 26:53 Kalshi Series C https://x.com/tomhschmidt/status/1937957381197185165 https://www.wsj.com/finance/prediction-market-kalshi-hits-2-billion-valuation-in-new-funding-round-2d0c8b4c https://x.com/tomhschmidt/status/1937957381197185165 https://x.com/hosseeb/status/1938065110351716707 36:50 US regulator orders Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to consider crypto for mortgages https://x.com/pulte/status/1937944964656152800 https://x.com/crypto_bobby/status/1937951968619639046 43:44 Ethereum https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1936037598805590364 49:04 What Tom’s excited about 53:01 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Tom Schmidt

Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Stablecoins are no longer a niche crypto curiosity—they're a full-blown financial revolution. In this episode, Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, joins us to unpack the emerging stablecoin tech stack and why cross-border payments, savings, and financial infrastructure are being rebuilt from the ground up. From Circle and Tether to next-gen orchestration layers and stablecoin-native blockchains, we explore why this $200 trillion global opportunity is only 5% unlocked—and who stands to win the most. ------ 📣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 🌐SELF | PROVE YOUR SELF https://bankless.cc/Self 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🏦INFINEX | THE CRYPTO-EVERYTHING APP https://bankless.cc/Infinex ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:08 Why Stablecoins? 6:50 The Stablecoin Train 20:26 Stablecoin Network Effects 22:55 Stablecoin Payments: Who Actually Wins? 26:51 Orchestration Layers 41:53 Stablecoin Blockchains 52:53 Stablecoin Singularity 56:03 Traditional Banks 59:38 Non-USD Stablecoins 1:02:05 How Many Stablecoins? 1:05:03 Circle IPO 1:09:32 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Rob Hadick https://x.com/hadickm Stablecoin Payments: Who Actually Wins? https://medium.com/@HadickM/stablecoin-payments-who-actually-wins-ebd72a1cc8b3 ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Rob Hadick

General Partner

Dragonfly

This week, Haseeb Qureshi joins us to break down Trump’s explosive new tariffs that rocked global markets and triggered a full-blown trade war with China. Stocks whipsawed, recession odds spiked, and the world scrambled to the negotiation table — except China. Was it 3D chess or policy chaos? Plus, we explore the ripple effects on crypto markets, investor sentiment, and what this all means for the future of U.S. economic leadership. It's a jam-packed Weekly Rollup you don't want to miss. Follow Haseeb on X: https://x.com/hosseeb ------ 📣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 🌐SELF | PROVE YOUR SELF https://bankless.cc/Self 🏦INFINEX | THE CRYPTO-EVERYTHING APP https://bankless.cc/Infinex ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:44 What has happened since Liberation Day? https://x.com/tier10k/status/1910020421870637132 https://x.com/Birdyword/status/1910364014825070652 https://polymarket.com/event/us-recession-in-2025 31:17 Inflation https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/1910311058222227586 41:49 Paul Atkins confirmed as the new SEC chair https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1910117967230300613 45:43 ETH/BTC Ratio & Crypto VC Funding https://x.com/pet3rpan_/status/1910345673288958052 58:36 MegaETH released its testnet https://x.com/megaeth_labs/status/1903099481874153880 https://x.com/0xBreadguy/status/1909619744455741709 1:03:05 Closing & Disclosures ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle has filed for an initial public offering with the SEC, as Trump’s tariffs cause turmoil in the markets and stablecoin bills make their way through Congress, promising to upend competition.  The information in its prospectus shows a company that has few aces up its sleeve, a lot of business deals to make and a perhaps lofty valuation. Omar Kanji, Partner at Dragonfly, joined the show to explain: How Circle can get USDC into the hands of users Circle’s staggering regulatory compliance costs vs. the likes of Tether Circle’s S-1 valuation of $5 billion Forthcoming regulatory clarity and how it changes the stablecoin game The potential impact of tariffs on Circle’s success Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! BitKey: Use code UNCHAINED for 20% off FalconX Mantle Guest Omar Kanji, Partner at Dragonfly Links Previous coverage on Unchained:  Congress Bickers Over Whether to Bail Out Stablecoins How a Radical Proposal in Trump’s World Could Hurt Stablecoins, but Boost Bitcoin Coinbase Aims to Jointly Pass Market Structure and Stablecoin Legislation in Congress Stablecoin Bills Could Squeeze Out $140 Billion Tether Circle files an initial public offering SEC: Circle’s S-1 Filing Coindesk: Circle is going public Fortune: 5 key takeaways X @dom_kwok: Circle’s IPO is historic Bloomberg: Bitcoin Succumbs to Risk Asset Slump as Trump Sets Tariffs Timestamps: 🤝 0:00 Introduction 🫰 4:04 Circle’s shockingly high distribution costs for USDC 💲 7:11 How much does Circle’s revenue depend on interest rates? 🤯 10:46 Circle’s staggering regulatory compliance costs vs. the likes of Tether 📈 16:02 How imminent regulatory clarity for stablecoins helps and hurts Circle 🫤 23:11 Is Circle’s $5 billion valuation realistic? ⚖️ 25:21 How stablecoin competition might look after stablecoin bills become law 😰 28:14 How will Trump’s tariffs affect Circle’s IPO? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Omar Kanji

Partner

Dragonfly

Joining the Weekly Rollup this week is Haseeb Qureshi, dissecting Trump's controversial Crypto Strategic Reserve announcement featuring Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and Ripple—causing an initial market surge and a swift reversal. They unpack Sam Bankman-Fried's candid prison interview with Tucker Carlson, revealing a stark divide between human empathy and detached pragmatism. Plus, Trump's erratic tariff policies are rattling macro markets; is it strategic or simply chaotic? Finally, they delve into Ethereum's leadership shuffle, Base's new speed upgrade challenging Solana, and AI's profound reshaping of crypto startups and blockchain usability. Follow Haseeb: https://x.com/hosseeb ------ 📣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  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ----- ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/coin/base:0x4c0edef22bb1eff56610d9ea21f346dfe1fd41c0  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES   0:00 Intro 0:26 Tucker Carlson Interviews SBF https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1897709140535132442  5:10 Trump announced strategic crypto reserves  https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114093946326587357  https://x.com/cz_binance/status/1896246000161001877  https://x.com/nic__carter/status/1896588091235656190  https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/1896966911721607536  https://imgur.com/a/Q3tPnYI  https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1896240960788627681  https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1896305838144548884  https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1896958095424729133  https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1896949387856933048  https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1896951231266140234  25:14 Tariffs & Macro Markets 41:20 Ethereum Foundation has new leadership!  https://x.com/ethereumfndn/status/1895851576251826227  https://x.com/tkstanczak/status/1895862549578469523  https://x.com/tkstanczak/status/1896246373919453285  https://x.com/ethereumfndn/status/1895442343689363652  https://x.com/TimBeiko/status/1892593175845368316  https://x.com/dannyryan/status/1895851747865944114  https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1895863075527700959  52:23 Base is getting faster and faster!  https://x.com/buildonbase/status/1895223243713458184?s=46  https://x.com/jessepollak/status/1895283716597166514  https://base.mirror.xyz/HwG1GQ5hoxz0OTOF_nQhNcVTk4Ae9cRIrcqVQ14N4-c  55:41 Devconnect https://x.com/BanklessHQ/status/1897321244158255567  1:00:14 AI Developments & Kaito https://x.com/Punk9277/status/1897684877098770736  1:16:12 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Joining us this week is Haseeb Qureshi who is here to help walk us through this week’s Weekly Rollup. We cover the major shift in the U.S. government’s stance on crypto, as Trump signs an executive order that establishes a national digital asset stockpile working group and bans CBDCs. The SEC also revokes SAB121, clearing the way for banks to custody crypto. Meanwhile, Venice AI’s token launch made waves, and Abstract Chain went live with a focus on creators and streamers. In markets, Nvidia’s $600B plunge rattled investors, and the Czech National Bank considers adding Bitcoin to its reserves. Plus, Gary Gensler lands a new job—back at MIT. ------ 💸 CRYPTO TAX CALCULATOR | CODE: BANKLESS15 https://bankless.cc/CryptoTaxCalculator ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin ----- ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/26?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00:00 Start 00:02:10 NVDA and Deepseek Selloff https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/27/nvidia-sheds-almost-600-billion-in-market-cap-biggest-drop-ever.html  00:08:26 Why It Sold Off https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/1883935713877782884  00:10:56 Markets 00:12:28 Why is The Vibe So Off? https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/1884408180014186958?s=46  00:16:53 Bitwise Files For Doge ETF https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1884349554256142735  00:21:01 Powell On Cutting Rates https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/fed-meeting-live-updates-traders-await-fed-chair-powells-comments.html  https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1884699251860553789  00:24:30 US Strategic Crypto Reserve? https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/strengthening-american-leadership-in-digital-financial-technology/  https://x.com/Geiger_Capital/status/1882534611693211932  00:29:21 Czech And Norway Invest In BTC  https://x.com/DavidFBailey/status/1884491705841508708  https://x.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1884901420677386243  00:33:28 SAB121 Repeal https://x.com/hesterpeirce/status/1882562977985114185?s=46  https://x.com/saylor/status/1882565582870270241?s=46  00:37:02 New Treasury Secretary https://x.com/USTreasury/status/1884377788263633262  00:38:48 Gary Returns To MIT https://mitsloan.mit.edu/press/former-sec-chair-gary-gensler-named-professor-practice-mit-sloan-school-management  00:44:01 Venice AI Token Launch https://x.com/AskVenice/status/1883925135825990091  https://x.com/ErikVoorhees/status/1883992467151663415  https://x.com/CoinbaseAssets/status/1884041161708356000  https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1884320943008538781  00:49:08 Abstract Chain Mainnet Launch https://x.com/AbstractChain/status/1883939915169423777  https://x.com/pudgypenguins/status/1884708668366545143  00:50:33 Symbiotic https://x.com/symbioticfi/status/1884266642416492713  00:52:48 TRUMP Token, Good And Bad https://x.com/hosseeb/status/1883466906080088478?s=46  https://x.com/Jesseeckel/status/1884615422521020626  00:58:02 TRUMP Is A Celeb Coin https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-28/trump-s-memecoin-can-now-be-used-to-buy-watches-and-sneakers  01:03:45 Haseeb’s Podcast And Parting Advice   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

The Scoop's host Frank Chaparro was joined by Dragonfly Partner Tom Schmidt. In this episode, Chaparro and Schmidt discussed the cryptocurrency market acting as an institutional asset class moving into 2025, and how this cycle has been different for venture captial operating within the space. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:39 Crypto as an institutional asset 11:47 Crypto market idiosyncrasies 18:20 Opportunities in 2025 22:28 Application in 2025 25:59 Anti-VC backlash 30:37 Customer acquisition 35:36 Closing thoughts GUEST LINKS Tom Schmidt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhschmidt/ Tom Schmidt on X - https://x.com/tomhschmidt Dragonfly - https://www.dragonfly.xyz/ Dragonfly on X - https://x.com/dragonfly_xyz

Tom Schmidt

Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

In today's episode Haseeb and Avichal return to Empire for a deep dive into the current state of the crypto market cycle. They debate whether we're heading toward a massive bubble or a more mature market phase. They also discuss the growing competition from Solana in the L1 sector. Then Haseeb and Avichal also dissect the impact of memecoins on crypto adoption, debate the real value of network effects, and analyze how Trump's potential election could reshape crypto's regulatory landscape. The episode concludes with a fascinating comparison between Ethereum and Intel, examining the risks of market dominance and innovation stagnation. - - Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts Follow Haseeb: https://x.com/hosseeb Follow Avichal: https://x.com/avichal Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7ww 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/ - - Explore the SKALE Ecosystem at skale.space/ecosystem and stay up to date with the gas-free blockchain on X at @skalenetwork - - It's time for an on chain Binance to emerge. Magic Eden is getting into token trading and their vision is to become on chain Binance and then much more as the entire world ends up moving on chain - - The self-custody wallet that's built for swapping. Created for a multi-chain world by the most trusted team in DeFi. Available on Chrome, iOS, and Android. https://blckwrks.co/UniswapWallet - - $cmETH, a Mantle native liquid restaking token, will launch together with Season 2: Methamorphosis, allowing users to easily participate in restaking, and earn $COOK rewards in addition to other yields. $COOK, the governance token of mETH Protocol, will allow holders to play a pivotal role in directing the strategic future of mETH Protocol. Learn more: https://x.com/mETHProtocol - - Ledger, the world leader in digital asset security, proudly sponsors Empire podcast. Celebrating 10 years of protecting over 20% of the world’s crypto, Ledger ensures the security of your assets. For the best self-custody solution in the space, buy a LEDGER™ device and secure your crypto today. Buy now at Ledger.com - - Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:44 Is this Crypto's Boom & Bust Cycle? 14:03 Does the Market Understand Crypto? 18:20 Super Cycle (Real) 28:14 Return Dispersion 36:00 Why People are Buying Memecoins 48:02 Skale Ad 48:41 Magic Eden Ad 49:25 Uniswap Ad 49:57 Mantle Ad 50:51 Ledger Ad 51:36 Impact of Memecoins on VCs 58:46 Ethereum's Position 01:21:46 Impact of New US Admin - - 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.

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Avichal Garg

Co-Founder and Partner

Electric Capital

Erik Torenburg and Haseeb Quereshi join us for today's debate. Should we accelerate or decelerate our tech progress? How about when it comes to something as powerful as AI? This is not just a debate in tech circles - this is a political debate that poised to define the next decade.  We’ve had leaders from both sides of the debate on the podcast - episodes with Elizer Yudkowski and Beff Jezos. You’ve heard what they think. Today’s episode is a discussion and at times a debate on these opinions to help you think through where you stand on this issue - Haseeb Quereshi tends toward the EA side which favors more caution and regulatory intervention around AI while Erik Torenburg tends toward the e/acc side of the issue which favors faster progress and lighter touch. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ 🔐 SAFE | USE SAFE, GET REWARDED. CHECK OUT SAFE PASS https://bankless.cc/SafePass_NL  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2  ⁠   🔗CELO | CEL2 COMING SOON https://bankless.cc/Celo  🔐 SAFE | USE SAFE, GET REWARDED https://bankless.cc/SafePass_NL  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle   🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/toku   🏙️ CONSENSUS | SAVE 20% WITH CODE BANKLESS https://bankless.cc/4aykesD  ------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Start 00:03:51 Intro To Haseeb and Erik 00:05:58 Definind EA 00:11:30 Reflecting on EA 00:19:23 Erik's Case For E/Acc 00:23:05 Defining E/Acc 00:27:18 The Problem with E/Acc & Humanism 00:34:20 How Big is This Debate Really? 00:46:31 AI Safety & Regulatory Capture 00:56:39 EA's Political Affiliation 00:59:43 Extinction Risk 01:11:04 Politicizing the Debate 01:19:56 The Pro Tech Case 01:24:08 Productive Tension 01:28:33 AI Ethics vs Safety 01:32:53 Pick a Side ------ RESOURCES Haseeb Qureshi https://twitter.com/hosseeb  Erik Torenberg https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Erik Torenberg

Team Member

Product HuntAndreessen HorowitzTurpentineVillage GlobalRapt.fm

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Haseeb Qureshi is a managing partner at the crypto VC firm Dragonfly. In this episode of The Scoop, Qureshi explains how the crypto VC landscape has changed during his five years at Dragonfly and why he believes 'points' are a more useful mechanism than airdrops for incentivizing user behavior. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 05:41 Dragonfly Early Days 09:45 Early Crypto VC 13:14 Competing in Layer-1s 26:11 Old Blockchains 29:26 Points 31:47 Airdrop Mechanism Design 37:38 Closing Thoughts

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

On today's episode of Empire Haseeb and Avichal return to Empire to discuss crypto in 2024. They debate whether we're entering a bull market and analyze key indicators like retail engagement, institutional flows, and blockchain development activity. The majority of the conversation focuses on a debate of the EVM versus alternative chains like Solana, Monad, or other virtual machines. They also touch on the sustainability of meme coins, and whether major consumer apps will emerge this cycle. They close out by discussing crypto's scalability trilemma, the prospect of regional fragmentation, and whether financialization detracts from user experience in areas like gaming. Stay tuned for all of this and much more! - - Follow Haseeb: https://twitter.com/hosseeb Follow Avichal: https://twitter.com/avichal Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: 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/ - - Arbitrum is a game-changer for daily Ethereum's users and developers, offering top applications and lower fees. As the leading scaling solution with 600+ apps, explore Arbitrum’s Portal to find your perfect fit. Interact with the home of DeFi, a flourishing NFT and creator ecosystem, and a rapidly growing Web3 gaming hub – Arbitrum has it all.  Get started at: portal.arbitrum.io  - - Harpie is the most advanced on-chain security solution for monitoring and protecting your crypto wallet from theft in real time. Harpie detects, blocks, and recovers compromised assets from malicious transactions before they execute, and is the only security tool to also protect users from off-chain signature attacks like the recent Ledger Connect Kit exploit. Secure your wallet for free at harpie.io. - - Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE10 to get 10% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home - - Timestamps: (01:48) Where are we in the cycle (07:28) Allocation Decisions and Mindset (11:30) Sentiment Outstripping Fundamentals (20:23) Developer Report & Performant Chains Exposure (29:49) Market Structure of Virtual Machine Adoption (42:21) EVM Landscape Prediction (56:26) Arbitrum Ad (57:13) Harpie Ad (58:28) Can Solana Overtake Ethereum? (01:09:00) The Big Consumer App (01:25:28) Speculation vs Social Experiences (01:31:15) Meme Coin Perspective - - 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.

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Avichal Garg

Co-Founder and Partner

Electric Capital

Today we are joined by Avichal Garg and Haseeb Qureshi to explain their investment frameworks and why their crypto thesis hasn't changed. We talk about the US crypto exodus, mental models for investing, why TAM (total addressable market) is useless, investing in private vs public markets, what crypto got wrong and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) The SEC, Binance and Coinbase: We Ripped the Bandaid Off (09:38) How Does This Affect Your Investment Decisions? (17:00) Mental Models for Investing (20:44) Value Creation vs Value Capture (23:33) Why TAM is Meaningless (28:19) Crypto’s Most Important Applications (31:06) How to Evaluate a Projects Potential (35:15) Bullish Decentralized vs Centralized Projects? (43:48) Thales ad (44:44) Carbon Ad (46:26) The Investment Environment, Layoffs and Shrinking Runways (01:06:01) Startups vs Liquid Tokens (01:11:38) What Crypto Got Wrong (01:16:53) Value Accrual: Should Protocols Flip the Fee Switch? - - Follow Avichal: https://twitter.com/avichal Follow Haseeb: https://twitter.com/hosseeb 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 Carbon. Carbon is a new DEX on Ethereum that makes concentrated liquidity easy. LPs can automate their liquidity strategy with custom on-chain limit and range orders: all from a beautiful UI.  Don't miss out on Carbon's "ROI Trading Competition" that's live until July 11! Here’s how to play: Click this Carbon link: https://bit.ly/43Vo2AB Create a new Carbon strategy  Boom. You're eligible to win USDC rewards based on the performance of your strategy - - This episode is brought to you by Thales.  Thales is an innovative digital options platform on Arbitrum and Optimism that gets you exposure to crypto assets in the simplest way possible. As simple as choosing UP or DOWN! Experience the simplicity and power of Thales by visiting https://thalesmarket.io/?mtm_campaign=blockworks today! - - Resources Electric Capital https://www.electriccapital.com/ https://twitter.com/ElectricCapital Dragonfly https://www.dragonfly.xyz/ https://twitter.com/dragonfly_xyz - -  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.

Avichal Garg

Co-Founder and Partner

Electric Capital

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

In this episode of Empire, Avichal Garg Founder of Electric Capital and Haseeb Qureshi Managing Partner at Dragonfly Capital join the show to discuss the fallout of FTX. Avichal and Haseeb discuss the structure between FTX and Alameda Research, looking behind the curtain into how intertwined the two entities were. We then go on to discuss the potential contagion between large CeFi companies in crypto who could have exposure to FTX and Alemeda. To hear all this and more, you'll have to tune in! -- Follow Avichal https://twitter.com/avichal Follow Haseeb: https://twitter.com/hosseeb 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. - - 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. Disclaimer: Scammers are impersonating Blockworks and replying to comments on some of our videos. Please be advised that we will NEVER reply to your comment asking you to contact us on whatsapp, telegram, provide investment advice, or solicit money from you. These are scam impersonator accounts and you should not respond to them.

Avichal Garg

Co-Founder and Partner

Electric Capital

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt from Dragonfly Capital. Haseeb and Tom are top venture capitalists with unique insights into crypto's current trends, new innovations and market sentiment. If you want expert advice on the market, these are two people you ask. We discuss: - the venture capital landscape - power is shifting to investors - being long crypto while fighting the Fed - supercharged crowdfunding - convertible bonds & debt financing - the changing meta - how projects choose where to build - the end of airdrops - market outlook - - Follow Haseeb: https://twitter.com/hosseeb Follow Tom: https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt 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 - - Referenced in the show: Dragonfly's letter to founders https://tinyurl.com/493vrmpp Tom's tweet on Porter Finance https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt/status/1533779269851176960 - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. - - (00:00) Introduction (01:33) Today's Narrative (05:25) A venture capitalist perspective (08:17) Rising interest rates and available capital (16:15) The big outstanding problems (21:29) Utilizing debt financing (27:35) The changing meta (31:49) Paraswap Ad (32:58) The layer one wars (36:00) How projects "shop around" protocols (39:10) Where should new projects build? (42:22) The end of airdrops (47:28) How founders should approach growth (51:25) Advice on down rounds (59:32) Public vs Private markets (1:02:47) How long will the bear market last? -- 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.

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Tom Schmidt

Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

First, Haseeb Qureshi was a Texas Hold’em poker player. Then Haseeb learned how to code and worked as a software engineer for Airbnb. He went down the crypto rabbithole and is now the managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, as well as an accomplished writer and coder. When Haseeb has come on the podcast previously, we covered theses and mental models. Today on Layer Zero, we explore the dynamics of being a venture capitalist in Web3. How does one find a path to becoming a VC? We dive into what to look for in an internal team and external portfolio companies, as well as proper form for selling investments in a credible and honorable way. Haseeb’s long term approach to Web3 is salient as always, and this episode is must-listen if you are interested in becoming a crypto VC. ------ 📣 ZERION | Trade Across 7 Networks and 500+ protocols https://bankless.cc/Zerion  ------ 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER:          https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/  🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST:                 http://podcast.banklesshq.com/  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:  👀 POLYGON | LAYER  2 DEFI https://bankless.cc/Polygon  ❎ ACROSS | BRIDGE TO LAYER 2 https://bankless.cc/Across  🦊 METAMASK | THE CRYPTO WALLET https://bankless.cc/metamask  💳 LEDGER | THE CRYPTO LIFE CARD https://bankless.cc/Ledger  🧙‍♂️ ALCHEMIX | SELF REPAYING LOANS https://bankless.cc/Alchemix  🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants  ------ Topics Covered: 0:00 Intro 4:30 Extremely Bullish and Bearish 9:04 Play-to-Earn Gaming 14:00 Poker & Venture Capital 17:15 Positive Sum Games 20:20 How to Add Value 26:22 How to be a Good Investor 32:09 Haseeb’s Pitch to Founders 34:22 How to Sell Tokens 39:45 Fad or Generational Wealth? 45:08 Near Protocols and Alt-L1s 50:00 VCs vs Retail 57:30 How to Take Responsibility 1:02:44 Airdrops 1:09:04 Fulfilling Web3’s Promises ------ Resources: Haseeb on Twitter https://twitter.com/hosseeb?s=20  Dragonfly Capital https://www.dcp.capital/  Bankless Podcast 103 with Haseeb https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/-103-blockchains-are-cities-haseeb  “Blockchains are Cities” https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/blockchains-are-cities-564327013f86  “Why Decentralization Isn’t As Important As You Think” https://haseebq.com/why-decentralization-isnt-as-important-as-you-think/  “I’m Worried No One Will Care About Rollups”  https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/im-worried-nobody-will-care-about-rollups-554bc743d4f1  ----- 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

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

On today's episode of Empire Jason Yanowitz is joined by Haseeb Qureshi of Dragonfly Cap and Avichal Garg of Electric Capital. Both are strong voices in the space when it comes to tokenization, metaverse, and multichain futures. With their unique perspectives, Haseeb and Avichal debate the merits of the crypto as cities philosophy, the future of Crypto, what a multichain world will look like & more. -- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices, and lowest slippage. -- Empire is brought to you by Blockworks, a financial media brand delivering breaking news and premium insights about digital assets to millions of investors. For more content like this, subscribe to Blockworks' free daily newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ Follow me and Santiago on Twitter, @JasonYanowitz and @santiagoroel; let us know what you thought of the show! Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UTePv1CR3APdKOiosR3Iq?si=41bc452345b649f9 Subscribe to the podcast on Apple: https://apple.co/3srZf7M

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Avichal Garg

Co-Founder and Partner

Electric Capital

On today's episode of Empire, Jason sits with Tom Schmidt of Dragonfly Cap and Tarun Chitra of Gauntlet for a DeFi deep dive. They cover a range of topics, from DAOs and governance, to the digitization of corporations in our increasingly technology-based world. Revisiting familiar subjects like tokenization and Web 2.0 creators coming to Web 3.0. -- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices, and lowest slippage. -- 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. -- Empire is brought to you by Blockworks, a financial media brand delivering breaking news and premium insights about digital assets to millions of investors. For more content like this, subscribe to Blockworks' free daily newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ Follow me and Santiago on Twitter, @JasonYanowitz and @santiagoroel; let us know what you thought of the show! Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UTePv1CR3APdKOiosR3Iq?si=41bc452345b649f9 Subscribe to the podcast on Apple: https://apple.co/3srZf7M

Tom Schmidt

Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Tarun Chitra

CEO

GauntletRobot VenturesGauntlet Network

First, Haseeb Qureshi was a Texas Hold’em poker player. Then Haseeb learned how to code and worked as a software engineer for Airbnb. He went down the crypto rabbithole and is now the managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, as well as an accomplished writer and coder. He recently published an article titled Blockchains are Cities, expanding on a mental model for understanding the crypto landscape from a high level perspective. We brought Haseeb back onto the Bankless Podcast to dive into this metaphor, which explains how cities (and blockchains) scale. We also explore the question of the decade: Will we live in a multi-chain world, or will there be “one chain to rule them all”? ------ ✨ DEBRIEF ✨ | Ryan & David's Unfiltered Thoughts on the Episode https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/debrief-haseeb-cities  ------ 📣 ALTO IRA | THE CRYPTO RETIREMENT ACCOUNT https://bankless.cc/AltoIRA  ------ 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER:          https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/  🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST:                 http://podcast.banklesshq.com/  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:  👀 POLYGON | LAYER 2 DEFI https://bankless.cc/Polygon  ❎ ACROSS | BRIDGE TO LAYER 2 https://bankless.cc/Across  🦊 METAMASK | THE CRYPTO WALLET https://bankless.cc/metamask  💳 LEDGER | THE CRYPTO LIFE CARD https://bankless.cc/Ledger  🧙‍♂️ ALCHEMIX | SELF REPAYING LOANS https://bankless.cc/Alchemix  🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants  ------ Topics Covered: 0:00 Intro 6:00 Haseeb and Context 11:35 Why Cities? 17:15 Limitations & Trust 23:27 Scaling Like Cities 31:15 Who’s Building Vertically? 36:27 Application Specific Chains 45:14 Building More Cities 54:23 Goals, Tradeoffs, and Winners 1:01:20 Cross-Chain Bridges 1:05:59 Cities or Nation States? 1:12:36 Security and Military 1:23:20 Individuals vs Chains 1:30:36 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Resources: Haseeb on Twitter https://twitter.com/hosseeb?s=20  Dragonfly Capital https://www.dcp.capital/  Blockchains are Cities https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/blockchains-are-cities-564327013f86  Why Decentralization Isn’t As Important As You Think https://haseebq.com/why-decentralization-isnt-as-important-as-you-think/  I’m Worried No One Will Care About Rollups https://medium.com/dragonfly-research/im-worried-nobody-will-care-about-rollups-554bc743d4f1  The ETH2 Metropolis https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/defi-in-the-eth2-metropolis-haseeb  ----- 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

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Some of the biggest names in the crypto industry discuss their personal giving philosophies, how blockchain technology could change the dynamics of giving to charity, and which crypto projects are making a lasting real-world impact. Guests include Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital; Caroline Ellison, co-CEO of Alameda Research; and Arthur Breitman, co-founder of Tezos. Show topics: the definition of effective altruism  why Haseeb thinks crypto is the best industry for effective altruism how Haseeb and Arthur differ in their philosophy of doing good why blockchain technology is less important than liquidity when donating money across borders whether Axie Infinity is making a real-world impact why Arthur thinks Axie’s impact will be short-term and not sustainable whether people should donate now versus later Haseeb’s and Arthur’s thoughts on how giving changes people what people working in crypto can do to give back Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unconfirmedcardearnfeb2021     Nodle: https://bit.ly/3AXGydJ     Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained    Episode Links   GiveDirectly https://www.givedirectly.org/unchained — all donations made here will be matched! There are $50,000 in matching funds available!    https://www.givedirectly.org/crypto-for-good-2021/   Guests Caroline Ellison https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-ellison-309216a7 Haseeb Qureshi https://twitter.com/hosseeb  Arthur Breitman https://twitter.com/ArthurB    Miscellaneous Effective Altruism https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/introduction-to-effective-altruism/ Code to Inspire https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-actually-fixes-this-how-code-to-inspire-uses-crypto-in-afghanistan/  Pineapple Fund https://pineapplefund.org/ BitGive https://www.bitgivefoundation.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Haseeb Qureshi

Managing Partner

DragonflyDragonfly Capital

Caroline Ellison

Co-CEO

Alameda Research

Arthur Breitman

Co-founder

Tezos