Building The Perfect Portfolio In 2026 | Tushar Jain & Pranav Kanade
This week, Tushar Jain & Pranav Kanade join the show to discuss the current state of markets. We deep dive into where are we in the cycle, where to allocate in 2026, how to value tokens, stablecoin chains & more. Enjoy!
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Follow Tushar: https://x.com/tushar_jain
Follow Pranav: https://x.com/vaneckpk
Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel
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Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here:
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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in New York City this March! Follow the link below to grab your ticket, and use code EMPIRE200 to get $200 off your ticket!
https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-nyc-2026
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Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:20) Where Are We In The Market Cycle?
(06:35) Allocating In Crypto
(16:12) Coinbase Ad
(16:57) DAS Plug
(17:22) How To Value Crypto Tokens
(32:28) Investing In Apps vs L1s
(38:10) Crypto Social & Stablecoin Chains
(53:00) Investing In AI
(59:40) Positioning In 2026
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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.
Finding Alpha In Crypto, Mamdani Wins & The AI Gold Rush | Weekly Roundup
This week, Pranav Kanade joins the show to discuss the current state of markets. We deep dive into how Pranav finds alpha in crypto, Mamdani's win in NY, have we topped, are L1s overpriced, why the hot money is in AI & more. Enjoy!
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Follow Pranav: https://x.com/vaneckpk
Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel
Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
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Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh
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Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill of rights securing your freedom for the 21st century.
Buy, store and spend ZEC privately using Zashi Wallet download today: https://electriccoin.co/zashi/
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Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and high yield. No empty emissions, just real yield and sequencer fees routed back to DeFi users.
Pre-deposit now: Earn high APRs with Turtle Club [https://app.turtle.club/campaigns/katana] or spin the wheel with Katana Krates [https://app.katana.network/krates]
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(00:00) Intro
(02:49) The Opportunity For Tokenization
(10:27) Mamdani Wins In NY
(27:35) Finding Alpha In Crypto
(32:05) Ads (Zcash, Katana)
(33:17) Are L1s Overpriced?
(36:18) Can People Actually Outperform BTC?
(45:32) Have We Topped?
(49:47) The Hot Money Is In AI
(59:08) Ads (Zcash, Katana)
(01:00:21) Can Crypto Ever Get To 100m+ Active Users?
(01:12:42) Content of The Week
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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.
Cycles Don’t End Before They Start | David Kalk & Pranav Kanade
Gm! This week we're joined by David Kalk & Pranav Kanade to discuss the current state of crypto markets. We deep dive into the unwinding of the basis trade, what's next for BTC & alt's, the psychology of trading, market reflexivity, is the cycle over & much more. Enjoy!
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Follow David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkalk/
Follow Pranav: https://x.com/vaneckpk
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod
Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh
Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts
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ZKsync is the pioneering zero-knowledge technology powering the next generation of builders with limitless scale. Secured by math and designed for native interoperability, ZKsync enables an elastic, ever-expanding network of customizable chains.
Deeply rooted in its mission to advance personal freedom for all, the ZKsync technology makes digital self-ownership universally available.
To learn more about ZKsync, visit http://www.zksync.io
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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.
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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
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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
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WalletConnect is the onchain connectivity network . If you’ve connected to a Web3 app, you’ve seen WalletConnect. It’s everywhere—an icon of trust in crypto, as recognizable as Visa at checkout.
The numbers speak for themselves: Over 220 million connections and 35 million users worldwide use WalletConnect to power their Web3 experience. @WalletConnect on X and Telegram or visit https://WalletConnect.Network
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Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:47) State Of The Market
(05:07) Unwinding Of The Basis Trade
(10:40 Ads (ZKSync, Geodnet)
(12:42) Finding The Best Trade In Crypto
(15:42) Reflexivity In Crypto
(19:40) Allocating To Crypto
(22:02) Ads (ZKSync, Geodnet)
(24:04) Why Have Alt’s Underperformed?
(28:08) Is The Cycle Over?
(40:13) Ads (Aptos, Bitwise, WalletConnect)
(42:32) How Does Macro Impact Crypto?
(46:08) Trading This Cycle
(49:55) Narratives vs Fundamentals
(53:32) A Framework For Investing In Crypto
(58:35) Crypto Market Inefficiencies
(01:00:30) The Psychology Of Trading
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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.
VanEck portfolio manager lays out themes defining this crypto bear market
Pranav Kanade is a portfolio manager at VanEck.
In this episode, Kanade analyzes some of the trends and opportunities that he sees playing out during the current crypto bear market.
Kanade says that crypto builders should be focusing on building products that help onboard new users into the ecosystem:
"If I were to criticize this space for something, it's that a lot of people are too focused on building things for the existing user base rather than building things for people that are not current users... I'd love to see more of that.The VanEck Ethereum Strategy ETF launched in early October as one of the first ETFs ever to launch based on ether futures.