Ryan Watkins

This week, Ryan Watkins join the show to discuss the current state of crypto and where he sees the most opportunity in 2026. We deep dive into running a crypto fund in 2026, do four year cycles still exist, the Hyperliquid thesis, token unlocks and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ryan: https://x.com/RyanWatkins_ Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:02) Running A Crypto Fund In 2026 (09:55) Do Four Year Cycles Exist? (16:36) peaq Ad (17:22) How To Find A Trade (25:52) The Hyperliquid Thesis (49:44) Is The Hyperliquid Trade Overcrowded? (53:28) Opportunities In Crypto, Token Unlocks & The L1 Trade (01:02:16) Zcash & Privacy -- 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.

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Thank you to our sponsor, Adaptive Security! As AI makes deception easier, security gets harder. Adaptive runs deepfake and phishing simulations so your team can train for real-world threats. Explore more: http://adaptivesecurity.com Why is crypto sentiment so low despite the growing adoption narrative? In this episode of Unchained, Syncracy Capital co-founder Ryan Watkins unpacks why he thinks crypto is in a “twilight zone” and why the market could take investors by surprise. He also sheds light on why he thinks bitcoin is underperforming gold and what needs to change. Plus what he is excited about in the coming years and why crypto is not just fintech. Is a big move ahead? Listen to find out! Guests: Ryan Watkins, Co-Founder of Syncracy Capital Links: Why Gold Rose and Bitcoin Tumbled on Japan Bond Turmoil Has Bitcoin Failed to Live Up to the Digital Gold Narrative? Will Bitcoin’s New Phase Change It Forever? And Is the 4-Year Cycle Dead? Why the Crypto Markets Seem Down Bad as Bitcoin Dips Below $100K Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Perp DEXs are on fire, with volumes topping $1 trillion a month for the first time.  Aster, backed by YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), has suddenly vaulted to the top of volume charts, but is its rise organic, or manufactured?  But while everyone frames the battle as Aster vs. Hyperliquid, Syncracy’s Ryan Watkins and Sunny Shi argue the real fight is much bigger: decentralized exchanges versus centralized giants like Binance.  Plus: what role Solana will play in the next chapter in the perps DEX wars? And won’t Ethereum even compete?  Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Binance⁠ Token2049 Guests: Ryan Watkins, Co-Founder of Syncracy Capital Sunny Shi, Investor at Syncracy Capital Links: Unchained:  Nearly $12 Billion in HYPE Token Unlocks Loom Ahead: Maelstrom Why Hyperliquid Should Cut Its Total Token Supply Nearly in Half Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Sunny Shi

Investor

Syncracy Capital

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, we’re joined by Jon Charbonneau and Ryan Watkins to unpack the bombshell news of Robinhood Chain—an Arbitrum-based network debuting tokenized U.S. stocks, 3× crypto perps, and that head-scratching $500 K liquidity cap. From riffing on whether proof-of-stake yields are just “money in a box,” to debating Solana’s first U.S. staked ETF, to sizing up the looming perp wars between Robinhood and Coinbase, the crew maps a common thread: corporate chains and regulatory work-arounds are colliding with crypto’s decentralization ideals, forcing builders, traders, and even ETF hawks to rethink where real security, fairness, and opportunity will live next. Show highlights 🔹 Robinhood Chain Revealed – Why the trading-app giant paid up to launch an Arbitrum-based “Robinhood Chain,” starting with 24/5 perpetuals and tokenized U.S. stocks, plus a rumored $500 K–liquidity cap that has Crypto Twitter howling. 🔹 Tokenized-Stock Gold Rush – From Tesla and SpaceX pre-IPO shares to on-chain S&P stalwarts: does 24/7 trading finally make equity tokens stick, or is it just another CFD in disguise? 🔹 Perps Arms Race – Coinbase’s 5-year “quasi-perp” futures vs. Robinhood’s 3×-leverage launch vs. Hyperliquid’s 20× turbo deck—who wins the battle for retail flow? 🔹 Solana ETF First-Mover – RexShares files a staked-SOL C-Corp ETF, beating BlackRock to the punch and testing Wall Street’s appetite after ETH’s lukewarm debut. 🔹 Proof-of-Stake Reality Check – The crew dismantles the “economic security” myth, asks whether validator cartels make inflation rewards pointless, and floats proof-of-governance as the next model. 🔹 Hyperliquid vs. The World – Why a single Tokyo data center is eating CLOB volume, what zk-rollup challengers are planning, and how latency games redefine “decentralized exchange.” 🔹 $2 B Prediction-Market Beef – Paradigm-backed Kalshi clashes with PolyMarket after a viral “little rats” tweet; inside the influencer war and the CFTC license flex. 🔹 Conference FOMO No More – New-York-privileged hosts roast ETH CC in Cannes and declare the age of fly-to-France crypto tourism officially over. 🔹 Reg-Tech vs. Fin-Tech – From transfer agents to T+1 settlement: why outdated TradFi plumbing, not blockchains, still blocks global access to U.S. securities. 🔹 Super-App Skepticism – The panel pokes holes in “super-app” buzzwords and explains why sequencing—product-first, chain-later—matters more than catchy slogans. ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly  Guests ⭐️ Ryan Watkins, Co-Founder of Syncracy Capital ⭐️ Jon Charbonneau, Co-founder & General Partner at DBA Timestamps 0:00 Intro 02:59 Robinhood Chain 15:05 Debate on Tokenized Stocks 27:18 Perpetuals (Perps) in the Crypto Market 37:15 Robinhood's New Crypto Traders 39:26 The Solana ETF Approval 41:17 Understanding Staking and ETFs 43:36 The Future of Proof of Stake 46:20 Governance in Ethereum and Other Chains 56:26 Corporate Chains and Validator Selection 01:04:31 Polymarket vs. Kalshi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Charbonneau

Analyst

DBA ResearchDBADelphi Digital

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

On Tuesday, a pseudonymous X account claimed that Pump.fun, Solana’s breakout memecoin launchpad, would raise $1 billion via an ICO at a $4 billion valuation. The potential deal? Multiple CEX listings, a 10% community airdrop, and maybe even a launch by the end of the month. The community reaction? Not great. In this episode, Syncracy Capital’s Ryan Watkins joins to break down the backlash, whether the raise makes sense, and what this kind of fundraising says about the current state of crypto. He discusses: Whether Pump needs $1 billion and what they’d even do with it Why some people are furious, even as Pump prints revenue If this is bullish or bearish for Solana Why an airdrop was not pursued Whether the $4 billion valuation makes sense Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Ledn FalconX Human Rights Foundation Ryan Watkins, Co-founder of Syncracy Capital Unchained: Pump.fun Mulls $1B Token Sale Nextfckingthing’s tweet breaking the news  Ansem’s tweet on “pump fun raising $1B at $4B after Trumpcoin launch is like the second plane hitting the towers” Ansem’s poll Ryan’s tweet on “Pump anger”  Solojay tweet on Pump’s top 25 wallets Mosi’s tweet on why “Pump's ICO seems like an asymmetric bet (skewed to the downside)” Timestamps: 👋 0:00 Intro 🤔 4:03 Why skepticism around Pump.fun’s $1B raise is valid 💰 7:06 What Pump would even do with $1 billion 📈 21:17 Whether a $4B valuation actually holds up 🔥 24:08 Will this ICO hurt SOL? 🎁 27:05 Why Pump chose not to do a big airdrop 📱 28:56 Whether Pump.fun can hold its ground as SocialFi competition heats up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Blockchains were supposed to capture the majority of the value in crypto. But what if that’s wrong? For years, the Fat Protocols Thesis argued that blockchains would be the biggest winners. But new data suggests that apps like Uniswap, Ethena, and others are now out-earning many networks. Are we watching the rise of “Fat Apps” instead? On this episode, Ryan Watkins, Co-founder at Syncracy Capital, talks about:  Why the biggest apps are generating more revenue than many layer 1s Why Ethena is launching its own blockchain What this means for Ethereum, Solana & other L1s How blockchains can compete on value capture 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 Ryan Watkins, Co-founder at Syncracy Capital Links Unchained: Ethena Labs and Securitize to Launch New EVM Blockchain for DeFi Syncracy Capital: Applications Capture Fees, Blockchains Store Value Hansolar’s tweet  Pump.fun launches its own DEX  Timestamps: 👋0:00 Intro 💰 2:12 Why apps are out-earning the blockchains they run on 🔗 5:44 Ethena’s move: why it’s launching its own chain 📈 8:33 The rise of “Fat Apps” and what it means for crypto 🚀 12:50 How today’s crypto founders think differently from past builders 🏆 15:51 The blockchain architectures that will dominate ⚖️ 22:32 Whether L1s can compete in this new environment 📊 241:27 How blockchains accrue value and why MEV isn’t the best metric 📰 31:00 News Recap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Syncracy Capital co-founder Ryan Watkins sheds light on Ethereum, Solana and finding the next "generational winners" in the crypto market. OUTLINE 00:00 Intro 01:47 Watkins' Crypto Journey 05:22 Syncracy's Liquid Strategy 06:51 Crypto Market Analysis 08:52 Ethereum's Underperformance 13:14 Long-Only 15:34 Picking Winners 20:38 SOL Trade 28:27 Bitcoin vs. Crypto 34:16 Market Cycle Analysis This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Polkadot Polkadot is the blockspace ecosystem for boundless innovation. To discover more, head to polkadot.network The Block Community The Block is launching a new community experience for fans of The Scoop! Follow us on Lens to stay in the loop: hey.xyz/u/theblockcommunity The Block Newsletters The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Ryan Watkins and Wilson Withiam, senior research analysts at Messari, explain the nuts and bolts of Ethereum 2.0, including how it will transform ETH as an asset and why they believe it will be Ethereum’s most ambitious upgrade yet. Topics include: the different phases of Ethereum 2.0 and the functions they serve the problems Ethereum hopes to solve with this upgrade the technical requirements needed to ensure the launch can happen the new proof of stake consensus and why Ethereum is leaving proof of work behind the requirements necessary to maintain a validator node on the Ethereum 2.0 network why users won’t be able to use their ETH once it is staked on Ethereum 2.0 the incentives and services that will allow users staking on Ethereum 2.0 to continue using their ETH on Ethereum 1.0 whether the appeal of DeFi is a threat to Ethereum 2.0 staking how Ethereum 2.0 incentivizes client diversity the monetary policy of “minimum necessary issuance” that supports Ethereum 2.0 how Ethereum 2.0 will allow ETH to achieve the unprecedented combination of a store of value, a capital asset, and a commodity what will be done in the short term to help ease the scaling problem while ETH 2.0 is being built whether scalability can be efficiently addressed in time to prevent migrations to other blockchains and the most significant risks Ethereum 2.0 is facing   Thank you to our sponsor! Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com   Episode links: Ryan Watkins: https://twitter.com/RyanWatkins_ Wilson Withiam: https://twitter.com/wilsonwithiam   Messari Crypto: https://messari.io/   Messari report on Ethereum 2:0: https://messari.io/road-to-eth2     Amount of ETH in the Ethereum 2.0 Deposit Contract: https://etherscan.io/address/0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa#analytics https://www.stakingrewards.com/earn/ethereum-2-0   ETH issuance based on amount staked: https://docs.ethhub.io/ethereum-basics/monetary-policy/#proof-of-stake-impact Dan Elitzer article on DETH: https://medium.com/ideo-colab/the-deth-of-ethereum-98553866e81b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Watkins

Co-founder

Syncracy CapitalMessari

Wilson Withiam

Analyst

Messari