Unchained

With the nomination of the pro-crypto Paul Atkins to be the next SEC chair, the crypto industry is potentially facing a 180 from the agency. As co-chair of The Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance initiative and a board member of Securitize, Atkins is not only pro-crypto, but also against the type of “regulation by enforcement” strategy of current Chair Gary Gensler.  In this episode, Cody Carbone, president at The Digital Chamber, explains why Atkins is likely to start reassessment of the agency’s lawsuits against crypto firms, why Trump might break with protocol to fill one of the commissioner seats that would typically be filled by a Democrat, and who he thinks might make for a good “crypto czar.”  Show highlights: Why Cody that Atkins leading the SEC would be a massive transformational shift  What can be expected from Atkins given his prior experience What crypto cases might be dropped under his leadership Whether Atkins could provide rulemaking before Congress passes legislation Cody’s hard criticism of Gary Gensler’s modus operandi Why Cody thinks Trump could surprise people when it comes to replacing Democratic Cmr. Jaime Lizárraga How long it could take for Congress to confirm Atkins Why Cody believes that Atkins will support Hester Peirce’s Safe Harbor proposal Whether the CFTC will be the primary regulator of the crypto industry in a Trump administration Whether the U.S. will have a crypto czar and who it could be What crypto legislation Cody thinks is likely to be passed in 2025 Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot iYield Guest Cody Carbone, President at The Digital Chamber Links Trump’s Office Picks:  Unchained:  Trump Taps Paul Atkins for Next SEC Chair, Making Good on His Crypto Promises Democratic SEC Commissioner Is Stepping Down, but That Doesn’t Mean Trump Will Get 2 Outright Picks  Trump Taps Hedge Fund Manager Scott Bessent to Be Treasury Secretary Trump’s Plans for a ‘Crypto Czar’ and a Crypto Advisory Council: Here’s What We Know  A Degen Administration? Why the Crypto Czar May Be Allowed to Own Tokens Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations  Congressional Results John Reed Stark’s tweet:“current SEC Chair Gary Gensler is quietly working behind the scenes to lead the SEC from the grave” Buckley LLP Infobytes Blog: SEC commissioner proposes cryptocurrency safe harbor Fox Business: Perianne Boring among contenders to lead agency involved with crypto in Trump admin Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:19 Why Cody believes Atkins would be a transformational SEC chair 03:13 Insights from Atkins’ past experience and what it means for crypto 07:19 SEC/crypto cases likely to be dropped under Atkins’ leadership 14:31 Potential for SEC rulemaking before Congress passes legislation 18:19 Cody’s critique of Gary Gensler’s regulatory approach 21:13 Why Trump might break with protocol to replace Democratic commissioner Jaime Lizárraga 23:27 Expected timeline for Congress to confirm Atkins 26:52 Support for Cmr. Hester Peirce’s Safe Harbor proposal 28:18 An expanded role for the CFTC in crypto regulation? 31:37 Speculation on the potential for a U.S. crypto czar 35:03 Key crypto legislation to watch for in 2025 38:24 Crypto News Recap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Noelle Acheson, and Ram Ahluwalia are joined by Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, to discuss the surprising mainstream buzz around XRP’s latest rally, dubbed the “most hated rally in crypto.”  They also analyze the new Treasury Secretary’s ambitious economic plan and what it could mean for inflation, fiscal discipline, and market stability. Meanwhile, Ethereum struggles to reclaim its narrative as the go-to blockchain, even as its ETH/BTC ratio shows signs of life. And in a moment that captures the personal side of crypto’s rise, the team reflects on Thanksgiving table conversations, where bitcoin and digital assets became unexpected stars.  Show highlights: Why the newly appointed Treasury Secretary might be the right person for the job Whether the December rates cut is unnecessary How Marc Andreessen brought Operation Chokepoint 2.0 to the spotlight How Facebook’s project Libra would have benefited the US Dollar hegemony Whether the U.S. Congress will pass stablecoin legislation in 2025 Why Ram believes Ryan Selkis would be a good Crypto Czar How people have been asking more about bitcoin during Thanksgiving Whether the XRP rally is a negative indicator What James thinks about the filings for news ETFs, such as WisdomTree’s XRP Why Alex thinks that ETH could continue its recent rally The impact of MicroStrategy being added to the Nasdaq-100, aka the QQQ ETF Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Noelle Acheson, Author of the “Crypto Is Macro Now” Newsletter  Guest: Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital Links Politics Unchained:  Trump Taps Hedge Fund Manager Scott Bessent to Be Treasury Secretary The Trump-Connected Brad Bondi Is A New SEC Chair Contender and Pro-Crypto Investing: How Scott Bessent Plans to Reshape the US Economy with His 3-3-3 Rule Macro Investing: US manufacturing improves in November as orders rebound, input price gains slow Operation Chokepoint 2.0 Forbes: How ‘Debanking’ Tech And Crypto Companies Could Kill Businesses Marc Andreessen and the CFPB: Debunking the Debanking Debunkers by Nic Carter Unchained: Regulators Are Limiting Banks Serving Crypto Clients. Does That Violate the Law?  Unchained: Killed By Politics, Ex-Diem Boss Says of Meta’s Stablecoin XRP Unchained:  XRP Becomes the Top Traded Token on Binance and Coinbase, Hits Almost 7-Year High XRP Rallies 70% in a Week to Top Solana, Tether Market Cap The Block: WisdomTree files with SEC for spot XRP ETF Ethereum Unchained: Ether Gains 19% Against Bitcoin in a Week After Months of Underperformance  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:15 Why the new Treasury Secretary could reshape the economy 06:28 Is a December rate cut unnecessary? 15:18 How Marc Andreessen spotlighted Operation Chokepoint 2.0 19:54 The missed opportunity of Facebook’s Libra for USD dominance 26:48 Will stablecoin legislation finally pass in 2025? 31:28 Why Ram thinks Ryan Selkis should be the “Crypto Czar” 34:45 Bitcoin conversations taking over Thanksgiving dinner 39:48 Is the XRP rally a red flag for the market? 48:15 James’s take on new ETF filings like WisdomTree’s XRP 55:48 Why Alex believes ETH could extend its recent gains 1:01:37 What MicroStrategy’s NASDAQ addition means for crypto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the crypto world celebrated a major legal victory when a federal appeals court struck down OFAC’s sanctions on Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts in a Coinbase-funded lawsuit. While this decision is a significant win for crypto, its implications go far beyond the industry—it challenges the very limits of U.S. sanctions authority on open-source code. In this episode, Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal and VP of Legal Leah Bressack discuss the case, the reasoning behind the court’s decision, and its broader implications, especially given that other cases are still in court. They address whether they think the government will appeal, how this ruling impacts other privacy tools and the other lawsuits, and why the case is a critical precedent for the intersection of code, law, and innovation. Plus, what does this mean for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm?  Show highlights: Why the decision was so significant, according to Paul What reasons the judge used in the ruling The basics of Tornado Cash and why OFAC sanctioned it in 2022 Why Coinbase decided to get involved in the case  Why a District Court had previously agreed with OFAC  Whether the government will appeal and what the implications of the case are outside of crypto When users could start using the protocol Whether users will be safe to use relayers, which add privacy Why Paul believes that the 11th Circuit, where the Coin Center Tornado Cash lawsuit was filed, will not ignore this ruling from the 5th Circuit Whether the judges were encouraging Congress to update IEEPA to make it possible for OFAC to sanction smart contracts Whether there’s a risk that under new legislation OFAC could sanction smart contracts How the case of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm could be impacted by this decision Paul’s and Leah’s take on Balaji’s proposal to build privacy-preserving zero knowledge smart contracts on ZEthereum Whether the judges’ opinion will have an impact on existing privacy projects What types of sanctions and regulations the government can impose to prevent money laundering Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Robinhood & Arbitrum Guests: Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s chief legal officer Previous appearances on Unchained: Coinbase’s Top Lawyer Calls SEC Wells Notice a ‘Massive Overreach’ - Unchained Just a Coincidence? Coinbase and Polygon Lawyers See Bad Omens in SEC Crackdown Leah Bressack, VP of legal at Coinbase Links Previous coverage of Unchained on Tornado Cash: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash? Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds? Unchained: Treasury Overstepped With Tornado Cash Sanctions, Rules U.S. Appeals Court Balaji’s tweet on Zatoshi and Zethereum Bankless: Roman Storm Speaks - Tornado Cash Developer on What’s at Stake Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:39 Why this ruling is a major milestone for crypto 02:50 The judge’s key reasoning in striking down the sanctions 04:00 Why Tornado Cash was sanctioned in 2022 06:43 How Coinbase became involved in this landmark case 13:05 Why the District Court initially sided with OFAC 15:55 Whether the government will appeal, and what’s at stake beyond crypto 21:22 When Tornado Cash could be used again 25:07 Are users safe to use relayers for added privacy? 33:53 Why the 11th Circuit might uphold this ruling 38:28 Whether Congress is being nudged to rewrite sanctions laws 40:52 Could new legislation let OFAC target smart contracts again? 44:46 What this means for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm 48:34 Thoughts on Balaji’s idea for ZEthereum 50:53 How the ruling could influence other privacy projects 54:08 What sanctions might look like in the fight against money laundering Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, special guest Casey Caruso from Topology joins the crew to tackle the latest in crypto and tech. They explore the rise of AI memecoins like Freysa, blending gamified AI agents with blockchain mechanics, and the fallout from a major hack. The discussion also highlights Hyperliquid’s $1.9 billion airdrop and its no-VC funding model, signaling new trends in token launches. The crew critiques decentralized science (DeSci), questioning its accountability and funding models, with a spotlight on Pump.Science’s tokenized longevity experiments. Finally, they examine the success of Base’s incentive-light approach and the impact of frameworks like Eliza on crypto’s evolution. Tune in for a dynamic take on innovation, trends, and challenges shaping the crypto world. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 The Rise of AI Memecoins: Exploring the explosive trend of AI memecoins like Freysa, their gamification, and unique mechanics. The crew delves into how these coins combine on-chain activity with AI, creating a new layer of engagement and speculation. 🔹 Freysa’s AI: A detailed look at how Freysa’s prize pool was jailbroken, the mechanics behind the attack, and what it reveals about the vulnerabilities of AI agents connected to smart contracts. 🔹 AI Agents and Crypto Innovation: An overview of AI-enabled agents and their crossover into crypto applications, with insights on current limitations, gamification trends, and how AI integrates with Web3 frameworks like Eliza. 🔹 Airdrop Trends and Hyperliquid: Breaking down Hyperliquid’s $1.9 billion airdrop, its innovative “no VC funding” model, and the market impact of launching into a bull market with a high float percentage. 🔹 The Decentralized Science Debate: Analyzing the potential and pitfalls of decentralized science (DeSci), including critiques of funding mechanisms, accountability, and the practicality of crowdfunding drug discovery through tokenized models. 🔹 Base’s Community-Led Success: Examining how Base has attracted top developers and projects without heavy incentive programs, reshaping the playbook for L1 and L2 ecosystems. 🔹 Pump.Science and Longevity Tokens: A closer look at Pump.Science’s tokenized longevity experiments, the mechanics of its funding model, and the aftermath of its private key leak. 🔹 Challenges of Token-Based Funding: Comparing decentralized incentive models for projects like DeSci with the successes and lessons learned from DeFi, highlighting the difficulty of creating effective accountability mechanisms. 🔹 The DAO Debate: Examining the viability of DAOs for deploying funds in high-stakes environments, with skepticism about their long-term effectiveness in innovation. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures Guest: ⭐️Casey Caruso, Founder Topology  Disclosures Timestamps  00:00 Intro 01:24 AI Memecoins & Freysa Challenge 07:07 Open Source Models & Security 21:15 Hyperliquid Airdrop 31:16 Blur vs. Blast Points 37:16 Decentralized Science (DeSci) 40:04 Criticisms of DeSci 48:18 Potential & Future of DeSci Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices