CoinDesk Podcast Network

A Zoomer arrested for stealing $46M from the US Marshals, Kraken makes history with a Fed Master Account, and IREN builds to 150,000 GPUs.

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin.

Chris Johhansen of Ion Stream and Kaan Farahani of Luxor join us to talk about the insane arrest of John DeGuida for allegedly stealing $46 million from the US Marshals Service. We break down Kraken Financial’s historic Fed Master Account and what a "skinny" seat at the table means for the industry. Plus, we analyze the massive pivot from ASICs to GPUs and review the tumultuous Bitcoin hash rate data from February.

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Notes:

* Zoomer stole $46M from US Marshals Service (his dad!)

* Kraken gets first Fed Master Account.

* Iren expanding GPU fleet to 150,000.

* Difficulty adjustment targeting 7.5% up.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

04:53 Difficulty Report by Hashrate Index

07:49 $46M Stolen from US Marshals Service

15:35 Kraken Financial Granted Federal Reserve Master Account

21:48 AI Compute & Neocloud Dynamics

24:11 AI boom vs crypto boom

27:39 AI inference vs training

30:44 Scoping AI deals

32:41 H100 are still viable?

36:35 Hashrate

37:46 February suprises

44:40 What ASICs are profitable?

45:36 More hashrate declines?

47:36 5 cents per KWH

49:29 Hashrate prediction

52:51 IREN Expands GPU Fleet

1:01:44 Cry Corner: Miners Are Dumping BTC?

👉CleanSpark

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world.

👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool

Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining

Ripple brings Coinbase Futures to platform.

Ripple is expanding its institutional reach, adding the full range of crypto futures listed on Coinbase Derivatives to its Ripple Prime platform. After clearing $3 trillion in volume last year, the move allows clients to trade regulated futures for Bitcoin, Ether, and XRP. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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Nexo is the premier digital wealth platform. Receive interest on your crypto, borrow against it without selling, and trade a range of assets. Now available in the U.S with 30 days of exclusive privileges. Get started at nexo.com/coindesk.

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

Crypto pushes back against Ray Dalio's comments on Bitcoin.

Billionaire Ray Dalio blasts Bitcoin again, claiming it lacks the qualities of gold and faces existential threats from quantum computing. Crypto experts are pushing back on those comments, arguing his critiques are "tired" and already priced in. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

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Nexo is the premier digital wealth platform. Receive interest on your crypto, borrow against it without selling, and trade a range of assets. Now available in the U.S with 30 days of exclusive privileges. Get started at nexo.com/coindesk.

-

This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

Chris Seedor joins the podcast to discuss the terrifying rise in physical Bitcoin attacks and how to mitigate risk. We cover stainless steel backups, multi-sig setups, and why AI-driven phishing is changing the security game forever.

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin.

Chris Seedor of Seedor & Bitsurance joins us to talk about the rising threat of physical "wrench attacks" and advanced Bitcoin self-custody. We discuss the 70% spike in violence against BTC owners, using Miniscript for time-locked security, and how AI-driven phishing is bypassing video IDs. Chris explains why simple seed phrases are high-risk and how protocol changes like covenants could revolutionize reactive security for all holders.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

* Physical attacks up 70% since 2024 

* 74 documented Bitcoin physical attacks 

* 1 in 10 kidnappings resulted in death 

* Successful attacks occur 66% of the time 

* $1.5B Ethereum stolen in Bybit hack 

Timstamps

00:00 Start

03:26 Chris has a real job?

05:40 Hardware wallet vs steel backup?

08:12 Understanding your risk surface area

11:17 Attacker landscape

15:50 Shift in mindset

17:10 Even smart people get scammed

18:38 AI supercharging scams

20:50 New ways of securing your BTC

23:48 What's happening technically

25:58 Security on other chains

28:42 Softforks

31:53 Tools for the baddies (ordinals / runes)

👉CleanSpark

CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world.

👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool

Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining

Kraken secures access to a Fed master account. What does it mean for crypto?

Kraken has become the first crypto-native company to secure direct access to the Federal Reserve’s payment systems. In today's Markets Outlook Jonathan Jachym, Kraken’s Global Head of Policy and Government Relations, joins CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie to discuss the years-long journey to this milestone and what it means for the future of U.S. dollar settlement and institutional crypto adoption. Plus, Kraken's response to President Trump’s recent calls for the Senate to pass the CLARITY Act and stop banks from "undercutting" American innovation.

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Timecodes:

01:03 - Inside Kraken’s Historic Fed Approval02:27 - The Four-Year Regulatory Journey04:40 - Bypassing Banks to Make Transfers Faster and Safer06:15 - Why Kraken Won Where Others Failed08:16 - Response to Pushback from Banks on Fed Master Accounts10:16 - Trump’s CLARITY Act Push vs. The Banks

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This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.