Joseph Chalom lays out why Ethereum Institutional exists, how it differs from Etherealize, and why he thinks Michael Saylor is in a pickle.
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Sharplink, BitMine, and Joe Lubin spent the past ten days launching two new organizations aimed at convincing Wall Street to build on Ethereum, backing them with commitments from more than fifty institutional supporters.
Joseph Chalom, CEO of Sharplink and a board member of the new Ethereum Institutional, joins Laura Shin to make the case that Ethereum's real competition isn't Solana or Canton. It's inertia: the reluctance of the world's largest institutions to touch financial rails they don't already trust.
Chalom walks through how Ethereum Institutional differs from Etherealize and the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, why Robinhood building on Arbitrum still counts as a win for Ethereum, and what it would take for ETH to capture the value flowing through the network as tokenized real-world assets grow past $31 billion. He pushes back on claims that the Ethereum Foundation's culture is broken, then turns to Strategy's preferred stock drama and says plainly that Michael Saylor is in a pickle.
Host:
Laura Shin, Host / Unchained
Guests:
Joseph Chalom - CEO of Sharplink
Timestamps
🚀 01:33 Why Sharplink, BitMine, and Joe Lubin launched Ethereum Institutional
🧭 05:51 How Ethereum Institutional differs from Etherealize and the EEA
🃏 10:15 Chalom says institutional inertia, not Solana, is Ethereum's real threat
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🧩 16:20 Why Chalom says Robinhood building on Arbitrum is still a win for Ethereum
⚡ 20:54 Does value actually flow back to ETH the token
🏛️ 24:33 Chalom pushes back on the idea that Ethereum's culture is broken
🤝 29:01 Why Chalom says Sharplink's shareholders and Ethereum's ecosystem are aligned
📉 32:18 Chalom says Michael Saylor is in a pickle over Strategy's preferred stock drama
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Joseph Chalom and Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum and why it is “the only game in town.”
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The institutions are here and they may have already picked their preferred blockchain.
Sharplink Gaming CEO Joseph Chalom and Etherealize co-founder Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum. They say the network is the only chain being discussed by institutions thinking about tokenization, dismissing Solana as a possible contender. They explore what this means for ether and why anticipated upgrades only strengthen the case.
Meanwhile, Danny maintains that L2s are still part of the Ethereum roadmap, albeit agreeing with Vitalik that they need to evolve.
Plus, why Joseph thinks privacy will unlock Ethereum's next DeFi wave and why Danny sees AI agents as the salve to crypto's UX woes, though he calls the current activity “a toy.”
Guest:
Joseph Chalom, President/CEO at SharpLink Gaming Inc.
Danny Ryan, Co-Founder & President of Etherealize
Links:
Unchained:
Vitalik Targets Block Building as Ethereum Prepares Glamsterdam Upgrade
Vitalik Buterin Lays Out Quantum Defense Plan for Ethereum
Can Solana Edge Out Ethereum to Win the AI Agent & RWA Race?
Ethereum Researchers Outline Seven Forks Through 2029 in New “Strawmap”
BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why.
Want to Hire an AI Agent? Check Their Reputation Via ERC-8004
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In this episode of Bits + Bips, former BlackRock executive and SharpLink co-CEO Joseph Chalom joins hosts Austin Campbell, Chris Perkins, and Ram Ahluwalia to discuss why the Federal Reserve may move to ease rates despite a “Goldilocks” economy, the growing role of stablecoins in foreign exchange and settlement, and how major banks like JPMorgan and Citi are expanding their use of blockchain.
The conversation also explores Japan’s first yen-backed stablecoin, the implications of AI for the labor market, and the generational shift that could make crypto wallets the default interface for finance.
Plus, the implications of CZ’s pardon and why it’s “bullish” to have Mike Selig chairing the CFTC.
Sponsors:
Binance
Mantle
Hosts:
Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida
Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting
Christopher Perkins, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund
Guest:
Joseph Chalom, Co-CEO of SharpLink Gaming, Inc.
Links:
Reuters: Fed poised to cut rates this week, with more easing likely on tap
WSJ: Trump Considers Fed Chair Selection by Year-End From Slate of Five Finalists
CoinDesk: Gov. Waller: U.S. Fed to 'Embrace Disruption,' Pitches 'Skinny' Master Account Idea
Reuters: World's first yen-pegged stablecoin debuts in Japan
EF: ERC-8004: Trustless Agents
Bloomberg: JPMorgan to Allow Bitcoin, Ether as Collateral in Crypto Push
Unchained: Trump Pardons Binance Founder CZ
CNBC: Trump names Michael Selig to chair CFTC; Selig cites crypto capital goal
Timestamps:
🎬 0:00 Intro
💸 3:23 Why the Fed will likely still cut rates despite a “Goldilocks” economy
👷♂️ 6:47 Why Joseph says the labor market is at a “moment that matters” as Amazon cuts 30,000 jobs
🏛️ 8:26 What Chris shockingly heard at a recent Fed conference
⚖️ 10:15 What could force the Fed to become hawkish
🚀 12:33 How the Fed is “frontrunning innovation”
💴 14:46 Why Japan’s first fully yen-backed stablecoin, JPYC, is significant
🌍 17:36 Why Chris is so excited about stablecoins disrupting FX markets
🔗 22:55 Why L1 tokens may be the next “strategic commodity”
🏦 26:25 How major banks are joining the stablecoin race
👛 31:33 Why retail adoption could explode in the coming years
🤖 33:37 How AI agents could soon manage our payments
💡 36:34 Why JPMorgan decided to accept bitcoin and ether as collateral
⚖️ 44:04 Was CZ’s pardon fair, and what about “pay to play” concerns
🐂 54:55 Why having Mike Selig chair the CFTC is “bullish” for crypto
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What does BlackRock’s former crypto lead see in Ethereum that others still miss? Joseph Chalom joins Bankless to take us inside the IBIT/ETHA ramp, why BUIDL launched on Ethereum mainnet, and the simple—but powerful—framework he uses to value ETH as “high-octane money.” We break down staking inside ETFs, the tokenization roadmap from stablecoins to the S&P in your wallet, and the real mechanics of ETH treasury companies—mNAV premiums, ATMs, converts, and the transparency metrics that matter. Less hype, more architecture: if security, liquidity, and 24/7 settlement are the future, this is the bridge.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
3:53 Larry Fink’s arc: skeptic to champion
9:15 Joseph’s crypto journey
18:09 Aladdin × Coinbase Prime
20:55 Building IBIT
24:28 ETHA & ETH ETF staking approval
36:04 Tokenization roadmap & magnitude
44:48 SharpLink’s ETH bet
50:13 Ether as “high-octane money”
58:54 Beyond ‘buy and hold’
1:03:11 ETH vs BTC treasuries
1:06:09 Radical transparency
1:10:31 mNAV, ATMs & buybacks
1:19:10 Where’s the price impact?
1:25:32 How many treasuries win?
1:29:25 Closing thoughts
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RESOURCES
Joseph Chalom
https://x.com/joechalom
Sharplink
https://www.sharplink.com/
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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures