Paxos

Brian Armstrong changed his profile picture to a memecoin. It pumped to thirty million. Ten thousand wallets piled in. Less than twenty-four hours later, he changed it back — and every one of those wallets felt it. That one move cracked open the week's biggest debate: what should Coinbase and Base actually be for? And what does it mean that Robinhood's new L2 — launched three weeks ago, supposedly for tokenized stocks — already has five hundred million in memecoin volume versus thirteen million in RWAs? This week on The Defiant, Camila Russo sits down with three guests who can't agree on anything — and that's exactly why this conversation works. Austin Campbell (Zero Knowledge / NYU Stern) says Base's behavior was both an intellectual and moral failing — memecoins are gambling, and Coinbase can't build payment infrastructure while promoting gambling to young people at the same time. Jason Yanowitz (Blockworks) says the strategy is closer to right than people admit, and the real problem is execution, not direction. Michael Lee (LienFi), a Base builder since day one, says Armstrong's PFP move caused real damage — but mercenary traders have also paid twenty million dollars to creators on Base, and nobody else is stepping in to do that. School bus. Rocket ship. Same company. That's the problem. Guests: Austin Campbell (Zero Knowledge / NYU Stern) | Jason Yanowitz (Blockworks) | Michael Lee (LienFi) Topics: Memecoins, Coinbase, Base, Robinhood L2, content coins, Brian Armstrong, crypto regulation, everything exchange

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

Jason Yanowitz

Co-Founder

Blockworks

Michael Lee

Founder

Evolve EnergyLILienFi

This week, Charles Cascarilla joins the show to discuss the current state of crypto and the future of Paxos. We deep dive into Paxos’ origin story and business model, the growth of stablecoin payments, whether Paxos may look to IPO in 2027, Charles' advice for founders and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Charles: https://x.com/chadcascarilla Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- 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 (02:03) The State of Crypto Today (22:24) How To Fix The U.S Debt Problem (32:24) ZKsync Ad, Blockworks IR (33:56) Behind The Paxos Business Model (43:32) Why Binance’s $BUSD Would Have Been The Largest Stablecoin (50:12) The GENIUS Act & The Global Dollar Network (59:46) Agentic Payments (01:05:32) Will Paxos IPO? (01:17:06) Advice For Founders -- 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.

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos

The battle for Hyperliquid’s USDH ticker is a referendum on what crypto wants to be: a community-first public good, or a globally scaled, institution-ready product.  With the clock ticking toward the proposal and voting deadlines, Agora’s Nick van Eck and Paxos Labs’ Bhau Kotecha lay out their cases—100% revenue back to users vs. 95% with enterprise distribution, “Hyperliquid alignment” versus “bring it to the masses,” and what each would build on day one if they win.  We also dig into liquidity, slippage claims, validator dynamics, and how a single ticker could shape the future of onchain markets. Thank you to our sponsors ⁠⁠Mantle⁠⁠! Guests: Nick van Eck, CEO and Co-founder of Agora Bhau Kotecha, Co-founder of Paxos Labs Links: Unchained:  Stablecoin Issuers Enter Bidding War to Launch Hyperliquid’s USDH Sky Joins Bidding War to Launch Hyperliquid’s USDH  Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro ⏱️ 0:45 How Laura breaks down the background of the proposals 💵 2:12 Why the USDH ticker matters so much for Hyperliquid 🌊 4:04 Why Hyperliquid is an ecosystem “you need to be in” 📜 5:38 How Agora explains its proposal to return all revenue 🏦 10:08 How Paxos makes its case for enterprise distribution 🤝 14:03 Why “Hyperliquid alignment” is central to this debate 🎁 17:05 Why Agora says it’s willing to give back 100% of revenue—what’s in it for them 💸 19:26 Why Paxos is pushing for 95% revenue back instead of 100% 🚀 24:03 What each side would build on day one if they win ⚖️ 31:49 How to characterize the differences between the two proposals ❓ 34:11 What it would mean if neither Agora nor Paxos wins 📉 39:23 Whether Paxos’s PYUSD suffers from slippage and liquidity issues 🗳️ 42:08 What voters should really consider when choosing a proposal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick van Eck

CEO and Co-founder

Agora

Bhau Kotecha

Paxos

Austin Campbell (NYU) and Omid Malekan (Columbia) debate a simple question: is Ethereum ready to host real-world assets? They walk through stress tests—what if an exchange is hacked, a stablecoin breaks, or a court order targets the chain—and whether the network should ever step in. You’ll hear where they agree and disagree, what protections are realistic today, and what still needs to be built before RWAs can scale. ------ 📣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 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 6:13 Twitter Debate Genesis 8:58 Bybit Hack 17:56 Crypto vs RWA Immutability 29:29 Ethereum Validator Intervention 33:11 Dealing with Multiple Jurisdictions 52:23 Credible Neutrality for a Multipolar World 1:00:32 Blockchain Use Cases 1:13:40 Consortium Chains 1:24:57 Closing Arguments ------ RESOURCES Omid Malekan https://x.com/malekanoms https://www.omidmalekan.com/ Austin Campbell https://x.com/campbelljaustin https://zero-in.beehiiv.com/ ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

Omid Malekan

Professor

Columbia Business SchoolColumbia University

Stablecoin-focused blockchains are popping up everywhere. Stripe, Circle, and more are betting they can dominate payments. But are these chains even needed? And will Ethereum ever be ready for real-world assets?  Austin Campbell, NYU professor and founder of Zero Knowledge Consulting, joins Unchained to cut through the hype. From why “the market eventually eats you” to how consumers, not companies, could be the real winners, Campbell unpacks the competitive landscape and warns that the ultimate champion might be someone who isn’t even on the field today. Thank you to our sponsors! Walrus Xapo Bank Guest: Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting Links: Unchained:  Circle to Launch Layer 1 Blockchain ‘Arc’ Stripe Is Building Its Own Layer 1 Blockchain: Report Fortune: Top crypto VC Matt Huang to lead Stripe blockchain Tempo as CEO, stay at Paradigm Timestamps: 🎬 0:00 Intro 💸 4:23 Whether the world really needs stablecoin-specific blockchains 🧪 9:45 How Stripe’s Tempo chain could gain an edge in the payments game 🌐 12:25 Why Circle’s Arc might struggle to stand out 🏆 15:19 Who could emerge as the winner of the stablecoin payments race 🗺️ 20:35 What the broader stablecoin chain landscape looks like right now 🏦 23:36 Whether crypto companies have a real shot at disrupting traditional finance 🙋‍ 27:51 Who could end up being the biggest winners 🧱 31:52 Why Ethereum may not be ready for the RWA moment 🔮 34:52 Who’s best positioned to capitalize on the next wave of blockchain-based payments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

Yield-bearing stablecoins have had decent growth, now topping $6 billion in supply and paying out nearly $600 million to users, according to data from Stablewatch. But just as these products go mainstream, the U.S. Senate is moving forward with a stablecoin bill that could ban them outright in America. In this episode, NYU professor and Zero Knowledge Consulting founder Austin Campbell joins Laura to break down: Why yield-bearing stablecoins are under fire in Washington Why Dems are pushing for the ban and who stands to benefit How this bill could give foreign issuers an edge over U.S. ones Whether yield-bearing stablecoins are securities under U.S. law And what the future holds for projects like Ethena, Sky, and others 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 Focal by FalconX Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting Unchained:  How the Senate Stablecoin Bill Enriches Corporations at the Expense of Consumers Stablecoin Bill Passes Key Hurdle: Dems Join GOP to Deliver a Crypto Win Tether in the Clear? Yes, Under This New Republican-Led Senate Stablecoin Bill Stablecoin Bill Stalls in Senate as GOP Cries Foul Over Dem Resistance Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 💣 1:29 Why the new stablecoin bill takes direct aim at yield-bearing stablecoins 🗳️ 3:36 How Democrats are driving the push for a ban and what their motivations might be 🏦 6:28 Why calling stablecoins “banks” leads to major policy confusion 🌍 13:49 How the bill could hand an advantage to offshore stablecoin issuers 🎒 19:31 Whether Tether is warning about risk or just protecting its own interests ⚖️ 21:09 Are yield-bearing stablecoins actually securities under U.S. law? 💰 23:40 What real benefits yield-bearing stablecoins offer to users 🚫 29:54 Why Austin opposes the proposed 10% interest cap 📚 32:04 Why Ethena would likely be regulated under market structure rules instead 📰 35:04 Weekly News Recap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

In today's episode Charles Cascarilla from Paxos and Nathan McCauley from Anchorage reveal why today's stablecoin giants keep billions in yield that could be flowing to users. They unpack USDG's approach through the Global Dollar Network, exploring why major companies might choose collaboration over competition. The conversation spans Tether's surprising resilience, USDC's challenging relationship with crypto builders, and bold predictions for stablecoin regulation and adoption in 2025. Thanks for tuning in! - - Help us shape the future of Empire. Fill out our audience survey and give us your thoughts: https://empire-31ed59.beehiiv.com/forms/01a0ba12-61d0-4a12-a6c6-8bbcdb3b0060 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 Charles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla Follow Nathan: https://x.com/nathanmccauley 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/ - - GEODNET’s native token, GEOD, can be easily mined with a GEODNET Satellite Miner, presenting a unique opportunity to generate passive income. By setting up a GEODNET base station, you can join this groundbreaking Web3 ecosystem that is powering the future of AI and robotics. Join the revolution today and learn more at https://geodnet.com. - - Unichain is a fast, decentralized L2 that’s built to be the home for DeFi and liquidity across chains. To stay updated on news including the upcoming launch of Unichain, visit www.Unichain.org or follow @Unichain on X. - - Petra Earn was designed to make DeFi more accessible for everyone—from seasoned pros to DeFi beginners. Manage your balance, claim rewards and deposit directly from the app. By supplying USDT to Aries lending pools, users have the potential to earn a higher yield compared to some traditional methods. Not financial advice. Participating in Defi carries risks. To learn more visit petra.app/earn - - Get up to speed on the biggest stories in crypto each week. In five minutes. Get the Bitwise Weekly CIO Memo delivered directly to your inbox at bitwiseinvestments.com/ciomemo/empire . - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (02:28) Paxos & Anchorage Business Model (05:45)  Stablecoin Landscape (14:38) USDC's Vampire Effect (24:53) Economics of USDG (39:03) Geodnet Ad (40:01) Uniswap Ad (40:48) Aptos Ad (41:31) Bitwise Ad (42:21) Dynamics of Consortium (49:35) Market Share of Stablecoins (55:36) Ethena's Business Model (59:13) Stablecoin Legislation Outloo (01:02:14)  Bullish Predictions - - 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.

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos

Nathan McCauley

Co-Founder & CEO

Anchorage Digital

We all know that the new Trump administration is likely to be more friendly to the crypto industry than the Biden administration was. And we know that the industry has generally been rather supportive and enthusiastic about the change at the White House. But what's actually coming next? What does being favorable to the industry really look like in practice? What does the crypto industry actually want to see in terms of changing regulations under a new administration? On this episode, we speak with Austin Campbell, professor at NYU's Stern School of Business and the CEO of stablecoin company WSPN USA about the possibilities ahead, and what moves the industry is hoping to see from the SEC and bank regulators.00 Read More: Trump Plans to Designate Cryptocurrency as a National Priority Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

Do you remember the 2008 crisis? It left a mark on many of us, fueling a distrust of bankers and politicians, and leading us to crypto as an alternative to the broken system. Today’s guest, Austin Campbell, a professor and former Chief Risk Officer at Paxos, explains how crypto, especially stablecoins, can protect everyday Americans from the risks of traditional banks. He’s here to show why the middle class should care about the future of finance. ------ 🎬 DEBRIEF | Ryan & David unpacking the episode: https://www.bankless.com/debrief-the-austin-campbell-interview   ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2     🦄UNISWAP | BROWSER EXTENSION https://bankless.cc/uniswap  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle    🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT  https://bankless.cc/toku   ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/zora:0x0c294913a7596b427add7dcbd6d7bbfc7338d53f/70?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:18  Austin’s Tweet Defending Crypto 13:55 How the Banking System Works 23:19 Who Manages Bank Risk? 32:37 Depositor Bailouts 41:36 Stablecoin Solution? 59:51 Stablecoin Impact on Banks 1:06:44 U.S. Payments Outdated? 1:10:15 Global Implications of Crypto Adoption 1:17:46 U.S. Regulatory Stance on Crypto 1:24:55 Anti-crypto Policy Motivation 1:32:13 Austin's Advice to Crypto Community 1:35:22 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Austin Campbell https://x.com/CampbellJAustin   Must Read Threads https://x.com/CampbellJAustin/status/1817590780879397114  https://x.com/CampbellJAustin/status/1821591319816581469  https://x.com/campbelljaustin/status/1823362155984388226  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

Austin Campbell is the managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting, an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, and used to work at Paxos in both Portfolio Management and Chief Risk Officer. He also was Co-Head of Digital Assets in Global Rates at CitiBank at JP Morgan for a decade.  Austin knows a thing or two about the TradWorld and we brought him on to help us navigate all of the TradNews that has surfaced in the last two weeks around the crypto space.  ------ 🚀 Unlock $3,000+ in Perks with Bankless Citizenship 🚀 https://bankless.cc/GetThePerks  ------ 📣 CYFRIN | Smart Contract Audits & Solidity Course https://bankless.cc/cyfrin  ------ 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   🧠 AMBIRE | SMART CONTRACT WALLET https://bankless.cc/Ambire  🦄UNISWAP | ON-CHAIN MARKETPLACE https://bankless.cc/uniswap  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ----- TIMESTAMPS:  0:00 Intro 5:12 Austin Campbell 7:14 TradFi Last Two Weeks  10:59 Political Conspiracy 15:05 Timing Analysis  17:17  BlackRock Bitcoin ETF 20:05 Other Bitcoin ETFs Denied  22:47 What's the SEC's Next Move? 24:00 How Bullish is This?  26:13 BlackRock & Coinbase/Kraken Partnership  31:15 EDX Markets  37:22 Unbundling of Crypto Exchanges 42:22 Stablecoins Landscape  49:55 Stablecoin McHenry Bill 56:50 International Stablecoins  57:55 Closing & Disclosures ----- RESOURCES: Austin Campbell https://twitter.com/CampbellJAustin  ----- 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

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

In this episode, Austin Campbell, a professor at Columbia Business School, discusses the recent allegations made by the CFTC against Binance, and whether or not criminal charges will be brought against company officers such as CEO Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, or former Chief Compliance Officer Samuel Lim. He also sheds light on how this case could shape which agency will have regulatory authority over crypto assets. Show highlights: what the CFTC's allegations against Binance are whether Binance and its employees will face criminal charges what the two most likely scenarios for Binance are, according to Austin how regulators got so many details and so much information from CZ's phone whether CZ is personally liable and whether the US could extradite him  how the CFTC used the complaint to state that BTC, LTC, ETH, and some stablecoins are commodities Why Austin believes Coinbase would be the "single biggest winner" if Binance US is shut down how this case is going to help determine which agency has jurisdiction to regulate crypto assets Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com Railgun DAO  Guest Austin Campbell, professor at Columbia Business School and Managing Partner at Zero Knowledge Consulting Previous coverage on Unchained: Just a Coincidence? Coinbase and Polygon Lawyers See Bad Omens in SEC Crackdown Links CFTC vs. Binance Unchained: CFTC Sues Binance and CZ Over US Regulatory Violations Bloomberg’s Matt Levine: The CFTC Comes for Binance Previous coverage on Unchained: The Chopping Block: Is This the Beginning of the End for Binance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Austin Campbell

Professor

New York UniversityPaxosZero Knowledge ConsultingColumbia Business SchoolWSPN USA

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Charles Cascarilla, co-founder of Paxos, to discuss the state of the market. How did we get here, and what should we expect next? Show highlights include: How the everything bubble started in 1995 What tradeoff the Fed has to make How low interest rates perpetuated the greatest lie The 3 likely scenarios going forward How Paxos plans to bring $700T of assets on chain Why stablecoins aren't actually stable What Richard is looking forward to next - - 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 -- 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. - - Referenced in the show: Paxos Website https://paxos.com/ Charles on "Invest Like the Best" (2019) https://tinyurl.com/32x95pfb Charles on "Invest Like the Best" (2020) https://tinyurl.com/2p92aszt -- (00:00) Introduction (01:12) The Macros Mess (08:17) The Everything Bubble (10:27) How To Invest In This Environment (13:06) What is Bitcoin's Narrative? (18:34) BTC and Crypto's Outlook In A Macro Bear Market (24:18) Short Or Long-Term Pain? (28:05) Paraswap Ad (29:13) Almost All Stablecoins Aren't Stable (35:54) Paxos Aims To Bring All Assets On Chain (38:28) Privacy Is A Requirement For Adoption (40:17) Crypto's Unlock (43:32) What Projects Emerge From The Bear? (45:35) The Most Exciting Thing in Web3 Today -- 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.

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos

In this discussion I moderated for Paxos, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla discuss GameStop, the broken traditional financial infrastructure, and how blockchain technology may change the future of settlements. Show highlights:   why Robinhood stopped trading on GameStop and AMC stock earlier this year what both Charles and Vlad think the feasibility of T+0 settlements versus Citadel’s and the DTCC’s aim of T+1 settlements  how the GameStop scenario would have been different in a T+0 environment  what it would look like if certain markets used T+0 settlements while others still settled on T+1 why Robinhood decided to add crypto back in early 2018 how Robinhood’s crypto operations work on the back end why Robinhood does not allow users to move crypto off-platform whether securities trading or crypto will be a larger portion of both Paxos’ and Robinhood’s business model what Paxos and Robinhood have planned for the near future   Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit  Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2   Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange     Episode Links:   People:   Charles Cascarilla   Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla/  Coindesk Profile https://www.coindesk.com/charles-cascarilla-most-influential-2020  Previous interview with Laura https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/  Blog post on the GameStop saga  https://www.paxos.com/what-lehman-brothers-gamestop-and-the-next-financial-crisis-have-in-common/    Vlad Tenev   Twitter https://twitter.com/vladtenev  CNN Article https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/investing/robinhood-gamestop-vlad-tenev/index.html  Tweet Thread on T+2 https://twitter.com/vladtenev/status/1356687248746455041    Companies: Paxos Twitter https://twitter.com/PaxosGlobal   Paxos Settlement Service https://www.paxos.com/securities/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-paxos/paxos-to-launch-settlement-of-u-s-listed-equities-after-secs-no-action-letter-idUSKBN1X727M   Wall Street Journal write-up https://www.wsj.com/articles/blockchain-makes-inroads-into-the-stock-markets-1-trillion-plumbing-system-11573131600    Robinhood   Twitter https://twitter.com/RobinhoodApp Robinhood Crypto https://robinhood.com/us/en/about/crypto/ Public offering https://blog.robinhood.com/news/2021/3/23/robinhood-markets-inc-confidentially-submits-draft-registration-statement    Miscellaneous Links   Citadel on settlements https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/95326/citadel-robinhood-shorter-settlements-congress DTCC on settlements https://www.dtcc.com/news/2021/february/24/dtcc-proposes-approach-to-shortening-us-settlement-cycle-to-t1-within-two-years    Other:   Caitlin Long Unchained episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/caitlin-long-why-avanti-will-be-a-new-kind-of-crypto-bank/    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vlad Tenev

CEO

RobinhoodHarmonic

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos

In this episode of Unchained, Charles Cascarilla, CEO and cofounder of Paxos, explains how the 2008 financial crisis led him to crypto, what financial plumbing has to do with GameStop, and how Paxos is leveraging blockchain technology to change financial services. In this episode Charles discusses: his work experience prior to Paxos and how the financial crisis in 2008 opened his eyes to Bitcoin and blockchain (01:07) what it was like to work in Bitcoin during the early days compared to now (4:02a) why Paxos decided to focus on building solutions for institutions rather than targeting the retail market like Coinbase (11:38) the relationship between Paxos and PayPal + why PayPal customers can’t send crypto directly to their wallets or crypto addresses yet (19:37) how Microstrategy and Tesla are bringing Bitcoin mainstream (25:31) what really happened with GameStop and Robinhood and why financial plumbing matters (30:34) how the Paxos Settlement Service is bringing greater transparency to financial markets by using blockchain technology (39:02) what other assets he thinks will be tokenized (50:32) stablecoin regulation and why this might be as good as it gets for Tether (58:36) why Paxos chose to pursue a New York State trust company charter instead of a BitLicense (1:06:15) what changes he would make to crypto regulation for 2021 and beyond (1:09:28) what’s next for Paxos (1:15:12)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://bit.ly/3jzkTAD Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla Square: https://square.com/go/unchained   Episode links:  Charles Cascarilla Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla/  Coindesk Profile: https://www.coindesk.com/charles-cascarilla-most-influential-2020 Previous interview with Laura: https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/ Presentation at Microstrategy’s Bitcoin for Corporation’s conference: https://www.microstrategy.com/en/bitcoin/videos/paxos Blog post on the GameStop saga: https://www.paxos.com/what-lehman-brothers-gamestop-and-the-next-financial-crisis-have-in-common/ Interview with Frank Chaparro: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/61823/the-scoop-paxos-cascarilla-coronavirus    Paxos Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaxosGlobal + https://twitter.com/PaxosStandard  Paxos Settlement Service: https://www.paxos.com/securities/ + https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-paxos/paxos-to-launch-settlement-of-u-s-listed-equities-after-secs-no-action-letter-idUSKBN1X727M Series C Fundraising: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/88133/142-million-series-c-paxos-crypto-stablecoins  Wall Street Journal write-up: https://www.wsj.com/articles/blockchain-makes-inroads-into-the-stock-markets-1-trillion-plumbing-system-11573131600 Plans to tokenize precious metals: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/15413/paxos-plans-to-put-precious-metals-on-the-blockchain   Other Links Paypal’s crypto-focused business unit: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/93668/paypal-crypto-business-unit-earnings-2021 Paypal’s Q4 earnings: https://www.coindesk.com/paypal-2020-results-outstanding-finish-to-a-record-year  Stablecoin rankings: https://stablecoinstats.com/ Tether whitepaper: https://tether.to/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/TetherWhitePaper.pdf BitLicense: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/apps_and_licensing/virtual_currency_businesses/regulation_history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos

A financial crisis triggered by a global pandemic has exposed underlying problems on Wall Street and the market as a whole. That's according to Paxos chief executive officer Charles Cascarilla, who made an appearance on the latest episode of The Scoop podcast with host Frank Chaparro.  Cascarilla – who spent the most formative years of his career as a hedge fund investor at Cedar Hill Capital during the 2008-2009 financial crisis – talked about unexpected liquidity issues across assets, such as Treasury securities and CAT bonds, and the problematic plumbing at the heart of it all. Cascarilla said that uncertainty of the pipes and plumbing added to the risk associated with volatility and the inability to price assets during an economic and health crisis. He said less risk can be created by knowing where one's assets are on a blockchain. In this episode of The Scoop, Cascarilla walked us through how Paxos is trying to usurp the current plumbing of Wall Street alongside power hitters like Credit Suisse and Instinet with a new blockchain-based settlement platform. The episode also dug into conditions that could result in widespread bank failures and nationalization of the industry. And of course, the discussion touched on bitcoin's role in a global crisis and whether the premier cryptocurrency emerges from this crisis period as digital gold.  Episode 12 of Season 2 of The Scoop was recorded remotely with Frank Chaparro, Ryan Todd and Charles Cascarilla, CEO of Paxos.

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos

My guest today is Chad Cascarilla, here to discuss some of the tail risks in the economy and markets as of March 24th in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Chad was one of the most successful investors during the global financial crisis with a specialty in the banking and finance systems. He now runs Paxos, a trust company which trades and custodies unique products like pax gold, bitcoin, and other tokenized assets including simple pax dollars. I feel it is important to avoid confirmation bias in times like this and not just talk to people are optimistic or long, and while I still believe this is ultimately a positive and optimistic conversation, Chad acknowledges and outlines scenarios that few are talking about yet in the markets.   This episode is brought to by Koyfin.   For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes (2:04) – (First question) – Today’s market and the porridge scenario (7:38) – Risks to the market that people aren’t focused on (10:54) – What lessons from 2008 do we need to heed this time (13:07) – How does he think about inflation on the other side of this crisis (16:02) – What does a too cold recovery look like (20:35) – Benefits of nationalizing the banks vs pumping liquidity (24:13) – What does the just right recovery look like (25:24) – Assets that might be ideal to hold in a too hot or too cold scenario (29:00) – His take on how Bitcoin has performed during this crisis (31:53) – The US’s inherent strengths compared to the rest of the global economy (34:50) – Advice for people             (38:59) – Paxos.com (39:48) – What is he monitoring to see which way things shake out   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag

Chad Cascarilla

CEO & Co-Founder

Paxos

My guest today is Chad Cascarilla, the CEO and co-founder of Paxos, which describes itself as a financial technology company “mobilizing assets at the speed of the internet.“ Thanks to more than 20 years of investing and financial services experience, Chad has a unique perspective on integrating blockchain technology with traditional systems. He also has one of my favorite bitcoin origin stories, which we explore. Before Paxos, Charles co-founded institutional asset management complex Cedar Hill Capital Partners in 2005 and its blockchain-focused venture capital subsidiary, Liberty City Ventures (LCV). Our conversation is less about cryptocurrencies and more about the history, current state, and potential future states of our financial system. Please enjoy. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes 1:32 - (First Question) – His work in the finance world before crypto’s 5:12 – Experience navigating the subprime mortgage trend and what it taught him about blockchain 9:59 – The levers that matter in the financial services industry today vs when he first started 14:07 – Open vs closed money in financial services 19:16 – How slowdowns are different in the modern era 23:06 – What would lead to a major winding down of global debt 27:09 – What would be his focus as a traditional investor 29:21 – How he first got involved with bitcoin             29:47 – Elliott Wave Newsletter 31:53 – His measured view of Bitcoin and living through the volatility of it             32:03 – Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System 35:57 – Allocation of a portfolio which includes crypto 36:54 – His involvement and feelings on gold 37:56 – The formation of Paxos and the problem it exists to solve 41:34 – How Paxos is impacting the space 44:12 – Advantages of a private blockchain 43:59 – What is Pax Gold and how does it work 48:53 – Bad ways and situations to own gold 52:12 – Using a stable coin 56:00 – Biggest problem they are working on now 57:23 – What should people be paying attention to in the crypto currency space             59:23 – Coindesk Research Archive 59:39 – Has the influx of interest in crypto helped in other spaces 1:02:11 – Other lessons people should learn from his career 1:04:53 – Kindest thing anyone has done for Chad   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag

Chad Cascarilla

CEO & Co-Founder

Paxos

Paxos wears many hats in the blockchain ecosystem. It offers one of the better known stable coins, $PAX. Operates a crypto currency exchange, that's itBit and the company provides products that help large firms use blockcain to improve their settlement systems. But at the heart of Paxos (according to CEO Charles Cascarilla) is to move the financial system onto the blockchain -- it's a move he says could prevent future financial calamities like what the market saw in 2008. On this episode of The Scoop Cascarilla talked about the growth of it's stable coin and why stable coins are a better alternative for merchants. I hope you enjoy the episode

Charles Cascarilla

CEO

Paxos