Grayscale Investments

Unchained/Jan 19, 2026/48m

Bits + Bips: Why Grayscale Sees ATHs Before Q3, With ETH Outperforming

Thank you to our sponsor, Walrus! Walrus is where the world’s data becomes reliable, valuable, and governable. Geopolitical tensions are rising. Crypto legislation is stalled. And pressure on the Federal Reserve is intensifying. So why are Bitcoin and the broader crypto market holding strong? In this episode of Bits + Bips: The Interview, Steve Ehrlich sits down with Zach Pandl, Director of Research at Grayscale Investments, to unpack what’s been driving markets since 2026 began, from Washington’s regulatory battles to global instability and the Fed’s fight to maintain independence. They break down where U.S. crypto policy stands, why Wall Street isn’t waiting for Congress, and how macro forces like inflation, debt, and geopolitics are shaping crypto’s next move. Hosts: Steven Ehrlich Guests: Zach Pandl, Head of Research at Grayscale Links: Robinhood CEO warns Congress delay is hurting Americans - TheStreet Crypto: Bitcoin and cryptocurrency news, advice, analysis and more Senate Banking Committee postpones vote on crypto market structure legislation amid industry pushback Crypto bill delay 'may ultimately be constructive' for final product, Benchmark says Trump attacks on Jerome Powell testing Fed’s independence Why the Federal Reserve has historically been independent of the White House Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach Pandl

Director of Research

Unchained/Apr 23, 2025/1h 10m

Bits + Bips: Why a Trump vs. Fed Showdown Would Crush the U.S. Dollar - Ep. 822

An independent Federal Reserve has long been the cornerstone of U.S. economic stability, but what happens when that foundation is shaken? In this week’s episode of Bits + Bips, the panel digs into one of the most dramatic threats yet to financial markets: Donald Trump’s suggestion that he could fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. It’s not just political theater, it’s a potential major blow to the credibility of the U.S. dollar and the independence of the world’s most important central bank. Joining the panel is Zach Pandl, Head of Research at Grayscale, who explores why a rotation away from U.S. dollar assets might already be happening and what that means for bitcoin. Plus: Why the Fed’s independence is so crucial The telltale signs of a structural capital rotation out of the U.S. Whether bitcoin has officially decoupled from equities How young crypto HODLers will react to their first bear market And why this moment may look more like Argentina than America Show highlights: Sponsors: Bitwise Hosts: Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Steven Ehrlich, Executive Editor at Unchained Guest: Zach Pandl, Head of Research at Grayscale Links Trump Threatening Powell New York Times: Risk of Financial Panic Tempers Trump on Firing Powell Barrons: Trump Calls Powell a ‘Major Loser.’ 3 Ways He Could Sideline the Fed Chair Inconsistencies in Hard v. Soft Data Wall Street Journal: Trump Is Everywhere Except in the Economic Data Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia: Carefully Balancing Both Hard and Soft Data in Policy Discussions Dropping Dollar CNBC: U.S. Dollar Falls to Three-Year Low as Trump’s Powell Threats Further Dent Investor Confidence New York Times: The Dollar Keeps Falling as Its ‘Safe Haven’ Status Is Questioned Bitcoin Decoupling CNBC: Bitcoin Retakes $90,000 as Investors See It as Alternative to Diving Dollar and Turbulent Stocks Decrypt: Bitcoin Decoupling? BTC Rises as Equity Markets Swoon Timestamps: 👋 0:00 Intro 👀 3:44 Could Trump really fire Powell? And what would that mean for the Fed’s credibility 👷13:01 Why the Fed is seeing conflicting signals from the economy 📈📉 20:07 If Trump keeps Powell for now, how will the market react? 🚪 24:49 Why capital is rotating out of the U.S. and how it is such a big moment for bitcoin. 🤕 31:37 How much further the dollar could fall in this cycle? 🔗 42:43 Has bitcoin finally decoupled, and could it become a global reserve currency? 🧑‍💻 50:11 How the young age of crypto holders could reshape market dynamics 🧠 1:04:26 What specific things Ram, Alex, and Zach are watching now across macro and crypto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach Pandl

Director of Research

Unchained/Jun 19, 2024/1h 10m

Bits + Bips: Iggy Azalea, $MOTHER, and Celeb Coins: Is This the Top of the Crypto Cycle? - Ep. 662

A few weeks after its launch, Iggy Azalea's MOTHER memecoin is still in the spotlight. Host Joe McCann, who recently had dinner with her in New York, gives the inside scoop on how Iggy’s $MOTHER came to be, plus her plans. Also, Joe says Iggy is so bullish on Solana because it’s fast and cheap… but James Seyffart counters… nothing can be fast, cheap, and good. Except ETFs. Guests Phil Bonello and Kelly Greer delve into the role of venture capital in crypto, and more particularly into dynamics between liquid hedge funds and massive token generation events. And James tells a mind-blowing story about how one ETF and obscure SEC rules could cause whiplash to the prices of Apple and Nvidia stock over the next few months. Plus, after SEC head enforcer David Hirsch resigned from the SEC this week, everyone gave their takes on why. Is Hirsch going to BlackRock, or was he scared about a potential lawsuit? Show highlights: 00:51 The real story behind Iggy Azalea's MOTHER memecoin and the controversy between Joe and Haseeb Qureshi 07:26 Why Iggy is bullish on Solana, and whether MOTHER is a hopeful case for crypto, reflecting the evolving relationship between entertainment and Web3 12:35 Whether the market has already topped, given the involvement of celebrities in the industry 15:32 Whether VCs are extractive to the overall space, and how liquid funds and token unlocks impact the performance of assets 21:17 Why venture funds and hedge funds have different approaches to liquid crypto investments, and how memecoins are changing the game for allocators 33:18 Why there’s a 0% chance that SOL gets an ETF this year 34:19 What the recent macro trends point to, whether inflation going down is sustainable, and whether rate cuts are coming 43:32 Why Nvidia's rapid growth is about to trigger a multi-billion dollar rebalance in tech ETFs, and how both $NVDA’s and $AAPL’s stock prices might soon seesaw 54:35 The theories about why the SEC’s chief crypto enforcer David Hirsch resigned from the agency (hint: it might have to do with the election) 59:52 Why James believes Ethereum ETFs will launch on July 2 and what amount of inflows the ETH ETFs might garner, esp. considering potential ETHE outflows Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Joe McCann, Founder, CEO, and CIO of Asymmetric Guests: Kelly Greer, Vice President of Trading at Galaxy Philip Bonello, Founding Partner at Plaintext Capital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Bonello

Director of Research

Kelly Greer

VP of Business Development

Galaxy Digital

Empire/Jan 16, 2024/29m

The Bitcoin ETF: What Everyone Missed | Michael Sonnenshein, Grayscale CEO

In today's episode Jason is joined by Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale Investments, to discuss the long-awaited approval of a Bitcoin spot ETF and its implications. They analyze the behind-the-scenes challenges for approval and the ensuing fee war between ETF issuers. They dig into Grayscales place in the spot ETF market and competitive angle. They also discuss trading volume and flows, the potential pathway for an Ethereum ETF, and the broader significance of crypto assets becoming embedded in mainstream finance. Hear all of this and much more! - - Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/Sonnenshein 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: 01:43 Behind the Scenes of ETF Victory 06:06 The Fee Battles 11:07 Implications of the ETF 15:59 Arbitrum Ad 16:44 Harpie Ad 18:00 Outflows & Trading Volume 24:02 Grayscale Roadmap - - 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.

CEO

The Scoop/Mar 9, 2023/43m

Grayscale CEO breaks down his firm’s legal strategy against the SEC

Michael Sonnenshein is the CEO of Grayscale — the digital asset manager embattled in a court case against the Securities and Exchange Commission over the agency's refusal to convert Grayscale's flagship product, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), into a spot Bitcoin ETF. In this episode, Sonnenshein explains why a spot Bitcoin ETF could have shielded many U.S. market participants from the crypto 'carnage' of 2022, and how Grayscale's veteran legal team is working to ensure GBTC holders receive the most favorable possible outcome. During this episode, Chaparro and Sonnenshein also discuss: What will happen if Grayscale exhausts all its legal options Why Grayscale is waiting to lower its management fees How a spot Bitcoin ETF will draw more capital to crypto This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Circle, Railgun, Flare Network 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.

CEO

Unchained/Jan 27, 2023/38m

Why Grayscale Is Suing the SEC Over Its Denial of a Bitcoin ETF - Ep. 448

Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale Investments, gives an overview of his firm’s case against the SEC, which has denied requests to turn Grayscale’s bitcoin trust into an exchange-traded fund (ETF). With oral arguments kicking off March 7, Sonnenshein lays out what a worst-case “tender offer” would entail and whether DCG CEO Barry Silbert has any say over GBTC’s fate. Show highlights: why Grayscale charges higher fees than, say, the average ETF what Grayscale will do if it loses its case against the SEC why Grayscale has not filed for Regulation M relief Michael's comments on Gemini liquidating 31 million shares of GBTC the reason behind the October 2022 timing of Grayscale changing GBTC's “authorized participant” the relationship between Grayscale and DCG, and Barry Silbert's involvement in Grayscale's operations why the trust agreement of GBTC was changed Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Guest Michael Sonnenshein: Twitter Links CNBC: Court sets date for oral arguments in Grayscale's challenge of SEC's bitcoin ETF decision Reuters: Grayscale would appeal lawsuit against SEC if court rejects case, CEO says Ruling in Grayscale-U.S. SEC lawsuit likely within a year MarketWatch: Grayscale may ‘ultimately’ consider tender offer for bitcoin trust, CEO says CoinTelegraph: Grayscale terminates Bitcoin trust material agreements with Genesis CoinDesk: Grayscale Slams SEC's 'Unreasonable' Barring of Spot Bitcoin ETFs Bloomberg: Hedge Fund Sues Grayscale for Data on Battered Bitcoin Trust Bitcoinist: Here's What A Reg M Will Entail For Genesis, DCG And Bitcoin Why Investment Experts Say a Spot Bitcoin ETF Would Be Superior to Bitcoin Futures ETFs by Laura Shin Andrew Parish’s tweet on the possibility of the case going to the Supreme Court Grayscale’s End of Year CEO Letter to Investors Ycharts: GBTC Discount or Premium to NAV Previous coverage of Unchained on GBTC: Bitwise's Latest Plans to Get a Bitcoin ETF Approved DCG's Dilemma: Should It Sell Its GBTC Holdings to Repay Gemini? Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy? ‘The Last Big Whale’: Why the Crypto Contagion of 2022 Eventually Hit Genesis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CEO

The Scoop/Feb 16, 2021/41m

Grayscale's CEO details hiring plans, the long-term goal of a bitcoin ETF

Michael Sonnenshein took the reigns of cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale Investments earlier this year. At the helm of the more than $30 billion investment firm, Sonnenshein is charting a course for a broad expansion of the business, which is best known for its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. "We brought in $5.7 billion last year," Sonnenshein said. "We are launching new products, we are investing in technology, we're building out the various teams, it's really about continuing to stay ahead of the growth we are experiencing at really an unprecedented rate." New inflows into the firm helped push Grayscale's assets under management (AUM) to new highs, while also lining its pockets with fee-based revenue. Estimates by The Block Research suggest Grayscale has brought in more than $109 million year-to-date. In addition to new hires, the firm has a plan for upgrading its GBTC product to an exchange-traded fund should the regulators ultimately approve such a product. "We spent the better part of 2017 in SEC registration for Grayscale Bitcoin Trust," Sonnenshein told The Block. "And we made a lot of progress with the commission and ultimately realized the regulatory environment wasn't ready for a bitcoin ETF and we pulled out of that process." He added: "But we hope in the future, like we were planning to in 2017, to register and uplift GBTC onto a national securities exchange as a bonafide ETF." Still, competition is mounting, with BlockFi and Osprey recently rolling out new funds. There's also Bitwise, which has seen its assets under management climb towards $1 billion in recent months. In this episode of The Scoop, Sonnenshein breaks down its hiring goals for 2021 as well as the following: What a bitcoin ETF approval means for Grayscale's GBTC Why mounting competition will result in fees "absolutely" coming down Why he wants to convince a nation-state to buy GBTC The firm's #DropGold campaign and plans for future marketing campaigns The technology investments Grayscale is making in its platform to make the investing process more seamless This episode of The Scoop is brought to you by 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.

CEO

Bankless/Nov 16, 2020/1h 12m

39 - Grayscale: $10B Bridge to Crypto | Michael Sonnenshein

🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: http://bankless.substack.com/ ✊ STARTING GUIDE BANKLESS: https://bit.ly/37Q17uI ❤️ JOIN PRIVATE DISCORD: https://bit.ly/2UVI10O 🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/ 👕 BUY BANKLESS TEE: https://merch.banklesshq.com/ ----- 📢 DEVS OR BUILDER? APPLY TO FILECOIN ACCELERATOR FOR $20K GRANT ----- GO BANKLESS WITH THESE SPONSOR TOOLS: ⭐️LEDGER - BEST HARDWARE WALLET TO SECURE CRYPTO https://bankless.cc/ledger-20 💳 MONOLITH - GET THE HOLY GRAIL OF BANKLESS VISA CARDS https://bankless.cc/monolith 🚀 ZERION - INVEST IN DEFI FROM ONE PLACE (download it now!) https://bankless.cc/zerion 🤖YEARN - YIELD-SEEKING MONEY ROBOT THAT FARMS DEFI FOR YOU http://bankless.cc/yearn ------ Michael Sonnenshein is the Managing Director at Grayscale Investments, the largest digital currency asset management company by far. You may have seen a GBTC or ETHE products in your Schwab account, a way price exposure to ETH and BTC ...wondered what those things are? We're going to talk about that today with Michael. Grayscale has built a bridge for almost $10B to flow into the crypto world, by working inside the legacy system, rather than outside of it. Listen to this podcast to see how Grayscale is helping promote crypto! Retail products: What Greyscale products can the average, unaccredited retail investor buy today? What’s the difference between GBTC/ETHE and an ETF? What are the fees? Accredited investors products ($1m in assets or $200k per year) How do accredited investors power the Grayscale trust? What narratives that are driving the inflows? What are the most popular products with this group? Bitcoin Trust: $39.5 million Ethereum Trust: $9.0 million Large Cap Fund: $1.1 million Bitcoin Investor Study - what were the takeaways? Size of Greyscale relative to supply How much BTC supply - 400k in June (3-4% of all Bitcoin)? As a proportion of mined BTC? How much ETH supply do you own? Can Grayscale do a staked ETH product? Any other yield-bearing products? What’s Greyscale’s next move? Expanding more outside BTC? Getting acquired? AUM size? Specifically with DeFi? Action items: Read reports Bitcoin Investor Study https://grayscale.co/insights/bitcoin-investor-study-2020/ If you’re looking at GBTC or ETHE in your portfolio premium vs spot price first: https://ycharts.com/companies/GBTC/discount_or_premium_to_nav https://ycharts.com/companies/ETHE/discount_or_premium_to_nav 5 - star reviews the podcast! ------ Don't stop at the video! Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program http://bankless.substack.com/ Visit the official Bankless website for resources http://banklesshq.com/ Follow Bankless on Twitter https://twitter.com/BanklessHQ Follow Ryan on Twitter https://twitter.com/ryansadams Follow David on Twitter https://twitter.com/TrustlessState Follow DeFi Dad on Twitter https://twitter.com/DeFi_Dad ----- 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 we may add links in this channel to products we use. We may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. We'll always disclose when this is the case.

CEO

Bankless/Nov 2, 2020/1h 30m

37 - Crypto is Empowering | Phil Bonello

🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: http://bankless.substack.com/ ✊ STARTING GUIDE BANKLESS: https://bit.ly/37Q17uI ❤️ JOIN PRIVATE DISCORD: https://bit.ly/2UVI10O 🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/ 👕 BUY BANKLESS TEE: https://merch.banklesshq.com/ ----- 📢 DEVS OR BUILDER? APPLY TO FILECOIN ACCELERATOR FOR $20K GRANT ----- GO BANKLESS WITH THESE SPONSOR TOOLS: ⭐️LEDGER - BEST HARDWARE WALLET TO SECURE CRYPTO https://bankless.cc/ledger-20 💳 MONOLITH - GET THE HOLY GRAIL OF BANKLESS VISA CARDS https://bankless.cc/monolith 🚀ARGENT - OUR MOST RECOMMENDED DEFI WALLET https://bankless.cc/argent 🤖YEARN - YIELD-SEEKING MONEY ROBOT THAT FARMS DEFI FOR YOU http://bankless.cc/yearn ------ 37 - Crypto is Empowering | Phil Bonello Phil Bonelo - Director of Research of Greyscale - Former ikigai asset management - Messari. How crypto powers the individual. Phil speaks about technology for the people by the people, a central theme of the Bankless Nation. Crypto is an empowering technology. Elliptic curve cryptography provides the maximum level of ownership assurances over property, a service that the Nation State historically has had monopoly over. Cryptocurrency is a subset of cryptograpgy. Cryptography powers more thing than just 'crypto'. Why is it important to have individual-empowering technology? How does encryption empower the individual? Is this good? How does cryptography impact global labor markets? What does an internet-enabled economy produce? What else can we do with this power? Join us as we go on this journey! ACTIONS: 1) Read the Sovereign individual thesis - https://philjbonello.substack.com/p/the-sovereign-individual-investment ------ Don't stop at the video! Subscribe to the Bankless newsletter program http://bankless.substack.com/ Visit the official Bankless website for resources http://banklesshq.com/ Follow Bankless on Twitter https://twitter.com/BanklessHQ Follow Ryan on Twitter https://twitter.com/ryansadams Follow David on Twitter https://twitter.com/TrustlessState Follow DeFi Dad on Twitter https://twitter.com/DeFi_Dad ----- 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 we may add links in this channel to products we use. We may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. We'll always disclose when this is the case.

Phil Bonello

Director of Research

The Scoop/Oct 16, 2019/46m

A Conversation with Michael Sonnenshein, Managing Director at Grayscale

On this episode of The Scoop, Michael Sonnenshein talks about the largest Q3 that Grayscale has experienced in it's 6 year history, the increased participation of institutions in the space and the transference of traditional wealth that will be occurring over the next couple of decades -- a transference that will undoubtedly expand the scope and usage of digital currencies.

CEO