Bankless

Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, joins us to unpack all the craziness that's gone down this week around the inauguration. Alex had the opportunity to attend the Crypto Ball and spend the weekend in DC so he gives us the inside scoop among all the other exciting developments. Alex on X - https://x.com/intangiblecoins   ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ----- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Inaugration Recap 04:23 Ross Ulbricht Is Free 20:42 TRUMP Token Launch 37:27 The Crypto Ball 44:00 Pro Crypto SEC 50:05 Tornado Cash Updates ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

In this episode of Bankless, Samara Cohen, BlackRock's Chief Investment Officer of ETFs and Index Investments, discusses how ETFs and blockchain are revolutionizing finance. We explore Bitcoin and Ether ETFs as bridges between crypto and TradFi, blockchain's role in market modernization, and how ETFs enhance transparency and diversification. Cohen also shares insights on upcoming regulations and the importance of education in driving crypto adoption. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙 FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum    🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐 CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/18?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E  ------ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:59 Role of Market Modernizer 00:09:12 Blockchains and ETFs Future 00:12:54 "Blackrock" Blockchain? 00:16:09 ETF Progress Check 00:19:22 Bitcoin & Ether ETFs Updates 00:24:08 Blackrock on Cryptos/ETPs 00:27:47 Blackrock's Research Audience 00:29:26 2025 ETF Predictions 00:33:21 Blackrock's Effect on Options 00:36:06 Options Unlock Opportunities 00:40:28 "Price is Best Marketing" 00:42:42 Upgrading ETF Protocols 00:44:49 Blackrock’s Other ETFs Plan 00:54:11 New Administration Impact 00:58:11 Blackrock's 2025 Outlook 01:00:30 Digital Assets & ETF Teams 01:03:33 Samara's Next Guest 01:05:55 Samara on 2025 Excitement 01:09:02 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Samara Cohen https://www.linkedin.com/in/samara-epstein-cohen-9a661b76/  Black Rock Research Paper https://www.blackrock.com/institutions/en-us/strategies/diversified-strategies   ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures ⁠ 

This week’s episode dives into the evolving landscape of crypto as we approach a new administration. We discuss Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency and what it could mean for markets, analyze the recent market turmoil despite positive economic indicators, and break down the SEC’s case against Elon Musk. We also explore Sony’s controversial L2 launch and Tether’s move to El Salvador. Finally, some an exciting new privacy tool teams up with Coinbase.  ------ 📣 0x | Start building with 0x v2 https://bankless.cc/0x  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  🎮RONIN | THE FUTURE OF WEB3 GAMING https://bankless.cc/Ronin  ----- ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/17?referrer=0x077Fe9e96Aa9b20Bd36F1C6290f54F8717C5674E ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 00:00:00 Start 00:02:34 Markets https://macromostly.substack.com/p/bls-jobs-report-recap-december-95c  https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/market-strategies-insights/weekly-market-recap-report.html  https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/15/cpi-inflation-december-2024-.html  00:11:45 Strong Jobs Report https://imgur.com/MxHgOOe 00:18:28 SEC Sues Elon Musk https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1879305674594865284  https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1879322286291054653  https://x.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1879319142303498579  https://decrypt.co/301226/sec-appeals-ripple-ruling-seeks-reversal-on-xrp-classification  00:29:26 3 Days Until Trump Takes Office https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1879957585748734158  https://blockworks.co/news/trump-assembles-2025-cabinet  https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1879093846493012042  00:36:24 What If Kamala Won? https://x.com/BillHughesDC/status/1877740571831193697  https://x.com/katiebiber/status/1877783826442723365  00:41:59 Sony Launches ETH L2 https://soneium.org/en/blog/soneium-mainnet-is-live   https://x.com/a1lon9/status/1879038646231429332  https://x.com/0xKawz/status/1879032105767928026  https://x.com/donnoh_eth/status/1879210463952818472? t=jlmQ8W1KoPgZSEzfP9oq4g&s=19  https://x.com/0xbreadguy/status/1879176334372401191?s=43&t=2ZINVXJQKx6xO_6Wiiu_2g  https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1879560670150017068  00:51:30 Coinbase uses Morpho for Bitcoin Loans https://x.com/coinbase/status/1879902780564951530  https://www.coinbase.com/blog/now-get-a-USDC-loan-without-selling-your-bitcoin  00:53:58 Aevo Moves To EigenDA https://x.com/aevoxyz/status/1879728286093479947  00:56:22 Veil.Cash Uses Coinbase https://x.com/Veildotcash/status/1877827571926053220  01:03:05 An Update From RSA https://blockworks.co/news/berachain-pre-launch-liquidity  https://tether.io/news/tether-licensed-in-el-salvador-strengthening-focus-on-emerging-markets-and-innovation/  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠ 

Ejaaz is back with David to dissect the accelerating rise of AI agents at crypto’s cutting edge. They uncover how Arc’s multi-chain approach and Ai16z’s Eliza framework are igniting a fresh wave of DeFAI innovation—everything from clever Twitter agents to more autonomous protocols. They dive into Virtuals’ relentless shipping, which is driving record on-chain fees and fueling a bold $40M buyback, while exploring why upcoming gaming collaborations may unlock AI’s next breakout moment. New players like Ava and Pippin also take center stage, proving both the promise and FUD-fueled volatility of this fast-growing sector. Whether it’s DeFi revamps, multi-chain expansions, or full-blown AI-driven games, this episode outlines the major trends shaping crypto and AI’s convergent future. Ready for the ride? Further DAO Drama Conext  https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1878538551668736415 ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium    ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax  🦄UNISWAP | BUG BOUNTY PROGRAM https://bankless.cc/Uniswap-Bug-Bounty  ⚖️ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  🌐CELO | BUILD TOGETHER AND PROSPER https://bankless.cc/Celo  ------ ✨ Mint the episode on Zora ✨ https://zora.co/collect/base:0x4be6cd4d402fed49eb2de95fbc8e737e8ffd3e7f/16  ------ TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 0:22 Last Week’s DAO Drama  9:14 Last 7 Days of AI Action & Themes  https://cookie.fun/   13:36 AI Mindshare DeFAI https://x.com/0xNairolf/status/1878692478230118835  19:00 Franklin Templeton AI Agent Report  https://x.com/s4mmyeth/status/1879256605386019262  23:33 Arc Announcements & Why Arc?  https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1879189754685636997   https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1878848384821256329   https://x.com/0thTachi/status/1878921893236875296  https://x.com/arcdotfun/status/1879213739234463883  32:08 Ai16z: sink or swim? https://x.com/linfluence/status/1878827828600283622   https://x.com/shawmakesmagic/status/1879030956985819248  https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1879258434685554951   https://x.com/ai16znews/status/1879059702996402353  https://x.com/0xCygaar/status/1874575841763770492   46:22 aixbt & Virtuals Announcements  https://x.com/punk3600/status/1879316988381569159   https://x.com/Zeneca/status/1879331488166207517   https://x.com/S4mmyEth/status/1877051696037142678  https://x.com/virtuals_io/status/1879474995333939356  https://x.com/midoji7/status/1879484571273581032   https://x.com/ethermage/status/1876306411896144195  1:00:25 $Ava & Pippin  https://x.com/Pankekkeku/status/1878362793281261861  https://x.com/tong0x/status/1878973798814503272  https://x.com/lordofafew/status/1879013041892933648  https://x.com/dv_memetics/status/1879027812285469101  1:03:24 Closing & Disclaimers     ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures