The Decrypting Crypto Podcast

In this week's episode, Matt gives a full overview of the EigenLayer protocol, how restaking changes the way new projects are launching, and what this means for staking on Ethereum.

In this week's episode we do a deep dive into the DeFi innovation happening within the liquid restaking space via Pendle. Alongside this, we give a regulatory update on the SEC's fight with Coinbase, Ripple, and more.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we discuss the following stories: * The Ethereum Dencun Upgrade * Microstrategy Doubles Down on Bitcoin... AGAIN * WIF is set to appear on the Las Vegas Sphere

In case you didn't notice, it's airdrop season. Free money is raining down but airdrop farmers have to get smarter about how they're going to qualify for these juicy payouts. We speak with Theo and Sami, the cofounders of Noder.bot which is a node-as-a-service platform focused on setting you up with pre-mainnet nodes. You don't need any technical knowledge and it's a simple one-click install. If you're exploring airdrops, you have to check this out. Listeners can get early access to Noder.bot using code: decrypt

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * Sotherbys is auctioning off an Ether Rock… we must be back! * Inflows to Bitcoin ETFs reach new highs, powering a BTC rally * The Ethereum ETF applications are coming in thick and fast - we share an interesting trade that could really pay off in the run up to the spot ETF approval

In this week's episode we cover: * Ark 21shares amended its spot ETH ETF filing to include a cash creation/redemption process (similar to spot BTC ETFs) and some language surrounding staking. * A look at the underground site where basic AI is being used to bypass KYC and AML. * Ethereum's Dencun upgrade reaches the final stages of testing, going live on the Holesky testnet, paving the way for it to hit the Ethereum mainnet in late Feb or early March.

We do a deep dive into the latest major theme in the crypto space: Restaking. We bring in Mike Silagadze, CEO of EtherFi to break down what restaking is and why it's such an important innovation for the Ethereum ecosystem and beyond. We talk about the more than $700m of TVL that EtherFi has gained in the past few weeks and what's next.

In this week's episode, we dig into the data behind the capital flows of four days of trading the Bitcoin ETFs. Lots to unpack and we discuss why the BTC price has been down-only, and why you should still be bullish in the short to medium term.

In this week's episode, we explore the current airdrop season happening on and off Solana, sharing some interesting projects that could result in airdrops. Enjoy!

In this episode, Matt and Austin share their predictions on where BTC and ETH price will top, whether the Fed will reduce rates (and if so, when), plus they share three big predictions for major events in 2024.

In this episode, we unpack the current situation with the Bitcoin and Ether spot ETFs, breaking down why this is bullish and what it means from a practical standpoint. We also dig into the recent surge in price action across the crypto space, including MOON's 600% gain.

In this week's episode, we discuss the surge in activity in the NFT space, with daily trading volumes hitting 3-month highs, plus we dig into the NFT marketplace wars and make some predictions on how the space will shake out. All that, plus we discuss the SBF guilty verdict and what's next in the FTX saga.

In this week's episode, we discuss the u-tun made by Reddit on their blockchain-based community points system, plus we discuss the recent headlines surrounding crypto's role in the Isreal-Hamas conflict, and where they're being overstated.

In this week's episode, we discuss how Pudgy Penguins have been leveraging their IP to truly build a brand that reaches a mainstream (non-crypto) audience. Also, we take a look at the latest setback for UK crypto holders.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we discuss the absolute insanity of what SBF's parents were handed out directly from FTX and Alameda during it's time operating. Everything from Persian rugs and expensive vases through to $1m+ salaries and multi-million $ properties! Plus, we look at some of the recent questions from the SEC into Binance US's operations.

In this week's episode, we cover the following stories: * The Mila Kunis-led "Stoner Cats" cartoon series has been charged by the SEC for an unregistered offering of NFTs. * FTX Gets Court Approval to Sell Billions in Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana * Judge Dismisses Sam Bankman-Fried's Pretrial Jail Release Request * The Lazarus Group have stolen over $270 million dollars worth of crypto in the last 102 days

In this episode, we do a deep dive into the latest project to take crypto Twitter by storm: FriendTech.

In this week's episode we cover: + PayPal launches PYUSD stablecoin + Alchemix got back the 4,820 Alchemix ETH (alETH), worth $8.3M, from the Curve hacker + The rise of GambleFi

In this episode, we give an update on the $70mn Curve exploit that's led to nearly 50% of Curve's TVL moving out of the protocol, as well as the huge portion of $CRV tokens at risk of liquidation from founder, Michael Egorov's, loans.

In this week's episode we dig into the highly controversial Worldcoin project, uncovering the tech, token economics and issues is raises.

In this week's episode we cover: 1. The unbelievable story of the death of Multichain Bridge 2. Judge Rules Ripple Sales of XRP Were Not Securities—Except to Institutions

In this week's episode we cover the following stories: - The much anticipated Azuki "Elementals" mint went live… and holders weren't very happy - FTX "reboot" talks have begun - Microstrategy bought a ton more Bitcoin over the past month

In this week's episode, we cover the following stories:. * There's been a slew of news relating to major institutions that typically operate outside of crypto, entering the space more aggressively with their own crypto products. * Fed Chair Jerome:Powell: Bitcoin Has 'Staying Power' as an Asset Class

In this week's episode, we do a deep dive into the SEC complaints against both Coinbase and Binance to summarise all the important information.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * $587M worth of Optimism ($OP) tokens unlocked yesterday * Crypto Bridging Protocol Multichain 'Unable to Contact' CEO Zhaojun * Bitcoin was trading at ~20% discount on Binance Australia this week * Binance are Reportedly Cutting 20% of its Workforce

In this week's episode of the podcast, we cover the following stories: * Bitcoin is Now the Second Most Popular Blockchain for NFTs * Binance commingled customer funds and company revenue, according to a Reuters report with former insiders * Gemini Says DCG Missed $630M Genesis Loan Payment

In this week's episode of the podcast, we cover the following stories: * Tether Says It Will Buy Bitcoin for Stablecoin Reserves * Has Ledger just destroyed its reputation? * Axie Infinity: Origins app is launching on the App Store

In this week's episode of Off Chain we cover the following stories: * BRC-20 tokens have been causing chaos on Bitcoin * Binance temporarily paused BTC withdraws, followed by billions in BTC "outflows" * Is memecoin mania over? * Bittrex Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

In this week's episode we cover the following stories: * Coinbase's monthly trading volume falls to a 16-month low in April 2023 * Binance US Walks Away From Voyager Deal * Coinbase is suing the SEC

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * The Ethereum Shappella (that's the Shanghai and Capella upgrades) went live yesterday evening * Twitter to enable stock & crypto trading in partnership with eToro (kind of…) * CryptoGPT raises $10mn in Series A @ a $250mn valuation * Limewire is back!

In this week's episode we discuss the following stories: * Dogecoin pumps over 30% in a single day after Elon changes the Twitter logo to a Shiba Inu * 3AC founders open crypto exchange after bankrupting their first effort * Yuga Labs partners with Gucci to sell 3,333 Otherside-branded Silver Pendants (KodaPendants)

In this week's episode, we discuss the following stories: * The CFTC is suing Binance, and it's a pretty big deal * Date confirmed for the Ethereum Shanghai Update * The RESTRICT Act, and How it Could Be Used to Ban Bitcoin

Aki Balogh is the co-founder and CEO of DLC.Link, a company building Discreet Log Contracts (DLCs) on Bitcoin that enable bitcoins to be stored onchain and then utilized via smart contracts across other chains. Lending is an obvious use case here as it removes the third-part risk of requiring a custodian to manage your bitcoin that you borrow against (or via a wrapped BTC token). DLCs solve this and could be a game-changer for Bitcoin. * https://twitter.com/AkiBalogh * https://www.linkedin.com/in/akibalogh/ * https://www.dlc.link/

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * The outlook for the markets based on the Fed's latest rate decision * The much-anticipated Arbitrum airdrop is happening today (as we record) * SEC Warns Coinbase of Enforcement Over Its Staking Rewards Products

In this week's episode, we do a deep dive into the future of banking in the crypto space. We discuss: * First Silvergate collapses, then SVB, and now Signature Bank. * A primer on why SVB failed. * What this could mean for the future of banking in the crypto space and what we really need from it. * What will the Fed do on March 22 at the next rate review announcement?

In this week's episode of Off Chain we cover the following stories: * Silvergate is shutting operations and liquidating * Tensor Plans Massive Airdrop for Solana NFT Traders * Yuga Labs, "TwelveFold" Ordinals collection auction ends * FCA, Met Police Continue Bitcoin ATM Crackdown in East London

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we discuss the following stories: * Coinbase announces L2 chain, Base. * Voyager Clients Vote 97% in Favor of $1B Restructuring Plan * Yuga Labs announces a 300-piece generative art collection on Bitcoin (Ordinals) * IMF: Banning Crypto 'Should Not Be Taken Off The Table' * Nishad Singh, FTX's Director of Engineering, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government by violating campaign finance laws. * No, Visa isn't slowing down plans for crypto products.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * OpenSea drops fees and reduces creator royalties (temporarily) * Rep. Tom Emmer Says Fed Must Not Create Digital Currency 'Surveillance State' * Solana Spaces shuts down NYC and Miami retail stores after just one year * Yuga Labs accused of IP theft for trademarking BAYC wolf skull logo

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * Kraken settles with SEC and shuts down staking service, plus pays $30m fine * Norwegian Authorities Recoup $5.9M From Axie Infinity Ronin Exploit * Paxos ordered to stop issuing new BUSD stablecoins * Who guaranteed Sam Bankman-Fried's $250 million bond?

We speak with Karel Vuong, COO and cofounder of Treasure, the #1 marketplace for gaming and NFTs on Arbitrum. There's been a lot of excitement around Arbitrum in general, and many interesting new projects are choosing to deploy there. Karel has a unique insight into the growing gaming and NFT ecosystem that's developed there.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we discuss the following: * The UK release more information on their plans for a digital Pound CBDC. * Robinhood Wants to Buy Its Shares Back from Sam Bankman-Fried * Arbitrum announces the launch of "Stylus", it's next-gen programming environment * Signature Bank Lawsuit Alleges It 'Substantially Facilitated' FTX Fraud * Binance Will Temporarily Suspend US Dollar Bank Transfers

Ordinals, an innovative and divisive new project has brought NFTs to Bitcoin. Coined as "Digital Artifacts" by Ordinals founder, Casey Rodarmor, the NFTs have been the topic of much debate. On one side, there's the argument that Bitcoin should be exclusively used for financial transactions, with anything outside of this being a deviation from its mission. On the other side, Ordinals is paving the way for new use cases on Bitcoin that can both drive additional revenue for miners and increased interest from end users. Whatever your stance, it's clear that Ordinals has brought renewed interest in the Bitcoin blockchain. And with some of these early NFTs being sold for over 1 bitcoin (~$23,000) it's been capturing the imagination of speculators. In this episode, we share a full overview of how the technology works, why it's important, and how you can start exploring it yourself, featuring commentary from a few great minds building in the Bitcoin NFT space.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * Bitcoin NFTs * Elon is making a push toward enabling crypto payments via Twitter * Solana shared details on the Solana dApp Store * Liquid Staking on Ethereum continues to grow

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * Binance admits it commingled customer funds with token reserves * BlockFi accidentally revealed a $1.2B exposure to FTX & Alameda Research * Celsius, the bankrupt crypto lender, might be launching a token * FTX Creditors Include Apple, Netflix and Coinbase, Court Documents Reveal * Mango Labs Sues Avi Eisenberg Over Mango Markets Exploit * An update on Portugal

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * Liquid Staking Derivative Tokens (why they're pumping and what you need to know) * A history of the Winklevoss Twins & Gemini * The 3AC crew are launching a new startup called GTX and they're trying to raise $25m

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * Gemini, DCG, and the web of lies… * FTX Restructuring Team Has Clawed Back $5B in Lost Assets * Binance sees $12B withdrawn in 60 days * Coinbase lays off another 950 people (20%) in their 2nd round of layoffs * NFTs have been on a tear since the start of the year * Shanghai Ethereum Upgrade set for March

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * Unpacking Sam Bankman-Fried's arrest * Unpacking inflation and the economic outlook for 2023

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * FTX's Collapse Was a Crime, Not an Accident * Apple blocks Coinbase Wallet app release over 30% royalty demands * DeFi/web3 companies raised $3bn in Q3. * Winamp (yes… Winamp - the classic music player for windows) now supports music NFT playback

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * Coinbase Wallet will no longer support XRP (or BCH, XLM, and ETC) * BlockFi has filed for bankruptcy * OpenSea's market share is getting eaten up by Blur.io * ApeCoin has been rallying ahead of staking rollout * SBF says the FTX hacker may have been a former employee * Brazil Legalizes Crypto as a Method of Payment * Crypto Remains Largest Investment Sector in 2022, Outpacing Fintech And Biotech

In today's episode, we speak with the incredible TommyD. Tommy Danvers AKA TommyD has had a wildly successful career in the music industry. He's a multi-platinum award-winning music producer, a songwriter, and a DJ. On top of that, he's the creator of a whiskey brand (8O8 Whisky) as well as Tokentraxx, a company leading the way in web3 adoption in the music space. We discussed this in a fascinating interview where Tommy shares his experience of the industry's inner workings and how web3 technology will play a role in its future. While there's still a long way to go until we see mainstream adoption, Tommy's explanation on how web3, and more specifically, NFTs, will change how fans form relationships with their favourite artists and become even greater advocates was an eye-opener for me. If you're interested to hear what the next phase of evolution within music might look like, tune in for the full interview. * More about Tommy "TommyD" Danvers: * https://twitter.com/TommyDanvers * https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-danvers-993b1b1b/ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TommyD

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * The state of the market: the grizzliest of bears * The FTX wallet hacker dumping ETH on the market * An overview of the Genesis bankruptcy situation and contagion * Grayscale's Bitcoin Investment Trust - a great discount or alarm bells for the path ahead?

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we discuss: * The current state of things in the FTX situation. * The cult problem in crypto. * What are the lessons to be learned and where do we go from here?

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * The implosion of FTX & Alameda Research. * The market is testing Tether's peg (USDT).

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * Reddit NFTs have taken the market by storm * FTX may be launching a stablecoin in the not-too-distant future * Apple just updated its App Store terms to give guidance on NFT sales within apps * Mango Markets attacker has outed himself, and is now offering some hot tips for crypto trading on Aave (lol) * Meta's Metaverse Division Reports $3.67B Quarterly Loss * Justin Sun has somehow sold ETH at the peak of the market consistently through the bull market

In this week's episode of Off Chain, Matt flies solo and digs into the following stories: * Magic Eden is the latest NFT marketplace to make creator royalties optional, leaving just OpenSea as the last major marketplace standing that enforces them. Matt walks through the argument for and against creator royalites. * A house was bought using the Ethereum blockchain. Matt explains how the buyer used a decentralized lending platform to finance the deal and then purchased a single-family home in the US for 175,000 USDC.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * A deep dive into the current macroeconomic environment with a look more specifically at what's happening in the UK economy and how it's bleeding into the global economy. * The Mango Markets $100mn exploit. * Damien Hirst begins burning art from his project, "The Currency". * Google is using Coinbase Commerce to accept crypto from its Cloud customers.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we do a deep dive discussion into The Merge. We break everything down so that you can understand the following: * What is The Merge? * The environmental benefits of The Merge. * The economic benefits of The Merge. * What won't get better post-Merge? * What happens to staked ETH post-Merge? * Do you need to do anything if you hold ETH pre-Merge? * What's next after The Merge? We then discuss the following questions: * Is The Merge short and/or long term bullish for Ethereum? * Does this put more pressure on Bitcoin to transition to an energy-efficient consensus mechanism in the future? * Could this lead to the eventual flippening of ETH/BTC? * The Merge addresses a lot of things, but it still doesn't address the issue of decentralization and governance. PoS means that those with the deepest pockets have the largest say in the future of the network, and benefit the greatest from it. Is this acceptable over the long term?

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * Ragnarok (metaverse gaming company) founder admits he lost $1.8mm of treasury funds speculating on ETH (essentially gambling with the treasury). * Crypto.com accidentally sent woman $10.5M instead of $100, and didn't notice for 7 months. * Arbitrum executed its much anticipated Nitro upgrade to increase speed and efficiency (on Wednesday). * Mt.Gox Repayment gets pushed to September, and 137K Bitcoin is on hold.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * Emergency changes to the BendDAO protocol could result in 600+ liquidations of blue chip NFTs. * Telegram CEO proposes auctioning usernames & links as NFTs. * FTX grew revenue 1,000% during the bull market (as shown by leaked financials). * Crypto Lender Hodlnaut announces police inquiry and 80% staff cut. * Mercado Libre has launched its own Ethereum cashback token. * Portuguese banks are shutting down the accounts of crypto exchanges.

In this week's episode, I speak with Preston Johnson, the founder of WAGMI United and co-Chairman of Crawley Town Football Club. Why am I interviewing the chairman of a professional sports team? Well, they're doing something a little different. Very different, in fact. This is the story of how a web3 project raised funds to buy an English football team and has grand plans to take them from the fourth tier of English football, all the way to the top. There's nothing conventional about the way they're running the club. The fans have a say in the players that the club buys, who they bring in as backroom staff, and can even vote to fire Preston as Chairman if the club isn't promoted to the next division within two years. Regardless of what you think about crypto, these examples are a great step forward for a local fanbase. And let's face it, if you've witnessed some of the ways in which English football clubs have been run in the more conventional sense in the past few years, it's clear that something needs to be done differently. Will the WAGMI United group be able to turn around the fortunes of Crawley Town? Only time will tell. If you're a fan of sports, have an interest in how crypto is being applied in the real world, or well, if you're a Crawley Town FC fan, I think you're going to enjoy this episode.

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * Acala Stablecoin aUSD Collapses After Parachain Exploit * Are the Tornado Cash sanctions a good thing or an attack on privacy? * Do Kwon gives his first interview since the Luna crash * Robinhood, Genesis, and Crypto.com make more layoffs.

Bennett Collen, CEO and cofounder of Endstate, is on a mission to bridge the gap between physical and digital goods. In tandem with his cofounder and renowned sneaker designer, Stephanie Howard, they've built beautifully designed sneakers paired with a digital NFT. Not only does this serve as a proof of ownership but can get you access to exclusive events, give you a digital representation of your sneaker in the metaverse, plus much more. We dig into the future of physical and digital products, plus dig into the early success that Endstate has seen so far,

In this week's episode of Off Chain, we cover the following stories: * U.S. imposes sanctions on virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash. * Coinbase posts a $1B net loss in Q2. * Tiffany's sells out custom Cryptopunk 'NFTiff' pendants for $50,000 each. * MoonDAO sent someone to space last week. * Canada's second largest pension is tangled up in the Celsius collapse. * Plus more.

I speak with Gwendolyn Regina, the Investment Director at Binance's BNB Chain. We discuss how the current macro environment is shaping her investment strategy, which sectors Binance is looking to continue to invest in, and what she's most excited for over the next 9-12 months.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * A major exploit on the Solana blockchain resulted in ~$6mm worth of SOL/USDC being drained from individual wallets. * ZB Exchange has lost nearly $5M in suspected hack; pauses withdrawals. * The Nomad bridge was hacked and $190mm in funds were lost. * Meta's Metaverse division lost $2.8B in Q2; What does this mean for their Metaverse vision? * MicroStrategy Reports $917M Bitcoin Impairment Charge. * Solana Opens IRL Retail Store and Web3 'Embassy' in New York.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * Lido faces runway issues and calls on the DAO (unsuccessfully) to raise more funds. * US Stablecoin bill has been pushed out until after August recess. * The UK Government is taking steps on making stablecoins a form of payment. * The NFT Worlds project is sent into chaos as Minecraft rugs them. * More bad news for Coinbase, plus much more.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * The news of The Merge being locked in for September 19th. * The 3AC contagion continues, and this time it's Genesis. * Binance flips Coinbase (and so does Uniswap). * OpenSea layoffs & more.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * Celsius files for chapter 11 bankruptcy. * The Mt.Gox case is finally reaching a settlement, with 150,000 BTC (~$3bn) set to be paid out to creditors * A deeper look into the current state of the crypto market. * WZRDS Project Punishes Flippers By Burning Listed NFTS. * GameStop launched its NFT marketplace 48 hours ago. It's done over $2,000,000 in trading volume. * & more.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * How hackers of the Ronin bridge tricked a Sky Mavis employee into fake job. * Voyager Capital is the latest casualty in the web3 VC space along with 3AC filing for bankruptcy. * Has North Korea's crypto losses impacted their nuclear program?! * The latest on the Roger Ver / CoinFlex debacle.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * The latest $100mm bridge hack. * The drama unfolding with Solend. * 3AC's implosion. * The Solana smartphone. * Plus a whole lot more in our news roundup.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * US Senators Introduce Crypto Bill Outlining Sweeping Plan for Future Rules. * The Case Against The PoolTogether Inc Co-Founder And Pooly NFTs. * Started on June 15th, an anonymous individual is sharing 137.21GB of private Telegram group chats and messages that were gained via an exploit. * PayPal now allows the transfer of crypto to external wallets. * Coinbase has been rescinding job offers.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * Tron Becomes DeFi's Third-Largest Blockchain (in TVL) Thanks to Terra-Like Stablecoin * LUNA reboot (Terra 2.0) fell over 70% just hours after its launch * Goblin Town NFT collection explodes in popularity and claims the second spot in OpenSea's 7-day volume rankings behind BAYC * Block's 2022 Bitcoin Report is out, and makes an interesting observation: the more you know about Bitcoin, the more optimistic you are * Binance has raised a $500M web3 and crypto fund

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the following stories: * FTX moves into stock trading. * The LUNA hard fork proposal passes. * OpenSea loses its place as the top NFT marketplace by daily trading volume. * a16z launches a $4.5bn web3 fund. * GameStop launches... an Ethereum wallet (wut?). * Will the Merge ever happen? * And the Portugal crypto tax drama continues.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we cover the biggest stories of the past week in web3. This includes: * The governance proposal that's targeting a hard fork of the Terra blockchain. * The state of Bitcoin mining in China. * Do Kwon's legal battles. * How Stablegains has lost $48mm of investor's cash and has no way to pay them back. * Robinhood launching a web3 wallet.

If you listened to our episode on STEPN back in March, you're probably familiar with the term "move-to-earn". It's a subset of play-and-earn and it's gaining a lot of traction. Put simply, these web3 games center around you doing physical activity in exchange for crypto-based rewards. STEPN has arguably been the category creator here and now boasts over 300,000 DAUs, but there are a lot of new projects entering the space that are building on the model. Genopets is one of them. It's probably unfair to say they're new to the space because this project has been in the works for several years, but what I love about it is how they blend together the nostalgia of a Tamagotchi game with a physical exercise game element. If you have no idea what a Tamagotchi is, well, you obviously didn't grow up through the 90s! Actual gameplay to one side, the Genopets tokenomics are really interesting. They have both a completely free-to-play element that doesn't require you to purchase an NFT initially, as well as a path that includes buying in-game assets. I've been playing in the beta and have been enjoying it so far, and I believe they're slated for a full launch in Q3 of this year. If you've enjoyed some of the recent episodes where we've been speaking with GameFi teams, this one's going to be popular with you. I talk with Albert Chen, the co-founder & CEO, as well as Kevin Kim, the COO, and we dig into all aspects of the gameplay, game economy, and what to expect from the future of the project. * Genopets website [https://www.genopets.me/].

Markets have been in turmoil this past week, triggered by rising inflation concerns and then the monumental de-pegging of the Terra stablecoin, $UST. We dig into exactly what happened, including how someone has walked away with around $800mm in profit as a result. All this and more in this week's episode of Off Chain, your weekly roundup of the biggest stories happening in web3.

We sit down with Shane Mac, the cofounder of XMTP, which aims to become the communication network for web3. We discuss the evolution of communication and how there's a huge gap in web3 for wallet-to-wallet communication that requires an infrastructure layer like SMTP to power it.

In this week's episode of Off-Chain, we dig into the biggest web3 stories of the week, including: * The $320mm Otherside land sale. * Square Enix goes all-in on GameFi. * The $55mm Fantom liquidation that's been causing chaos on the network. * Tennessee is legally recognizing the formation of DAOs. * Fort Worth is running a small Bitcoin mining experiment. * Coinbase takes out the first Bitcoin-backed loan. * Kraken's new NFT marketplace.

I speak to Bumzy, one of the early contributors to the Crabada ecosystem, and now leading growth at CrabaDAO. We take a look under the shell of the play & earn game that's accounting for over 60% of the Avalanche network's transactions. * Bumzy's Twitter [https://twitter.com/0xBumzy]. * Crabada website [https://www.crabada.com/]. * CrabaDAO website [https://www.crabadao.com/].

This is the first episode of our new weekly series, Off-Chain, that covers the biggest stories in web3 from the past week. In this week's episode, we cover: * Stripe launching crypto payments. * Fidelity offers Bitcoin as a 401(k) investment option. * Optimism has announced its token launch (plus airdrop). * Coinbase announces beta of NFT marketplace.

I speak with Palmer, the cofounder of Monster Champions, a brand new play and earn game that's just launched. The game looks to create an exciting experience both on and off chain for players, with some interesting tokenomics to keep things growing sustainably. * Palmer's Twitter. [https://twitter.com/PalmerTheDev] * Monster Champions website [https://www.monsterchampions.xyz/].

In this episode, we speak with Shehan Chandrasekera, the Head of Tax at Cointracker, to walk through all of the different tax considerations for individuals holding cryptocurrencies and NFTs. We discuss staking rewards, airdrops, wash sale rules, gas fees, NFTs, and more. * Cointracker website [https://www.cointracker.io/] * Shehan's Twitter [https://twitter.com/TheCryptoCPA]

Jones Dao is a protocol that's focused on managing options trading strategies for retail investors through their vaults. Options trading in DeFi is just starting to take off, with Dopex really leading the charge here, and Jones Dao are very closely aligned with them, using Dopex for the majority of their options trading. Options trading in general is an enormous part of traditional finance. Even retail investing platforms like Robinhood see the majority of their revenue (~38%, in fact) come from options. And what's great about this for DeFi is that options trading can be extremely profitable regardless of wider market conditions. Ice Cream, one of the cofounders, talks through this in more detail in the episode, and shares their plans for going multi-chain, adding new vaults, the introduction of veJONES, and something I'm particularly interested in - their synthetic options LPs. * Jones DAO website [https://jonesdao.io/]. * Jones DAO docs [https://docs.jonesdao.io/jones-dao/]. * Ice Cream's Twitter [https://twitter.com/FroyoFren].

In this episode we interview Yawn Rong, one of the co-founders of STEPN. STEPN is one of our favorite new play & earn apps that is probably best described as a version of Strava or MapMyRun on the blockchain. New players are earning ~$25 each day for doing 10 minutes of walking, whereas some power users are earning as much as $400+ each day! Don't miss this one. * STEPN website [https://stepn.com/]. * STEPN whitepaper [https://whitepaper.stepn.com/]. * STEPN Twitter [https://twitter.com/Stepnofficial].

If, like me, you grew up in the 90s and loved football, you probably spend a disproportionate amount of your time playing football management games like Championship Manager (later Football Manager). Well, Metasoccer is bringing all of that nostalgia onto the blockchain. They're building a play & earn football management game. You own everything from the players, backroom staff, and stadia as NFTs, and you compete in a league against others around the world. In this episode, I speak to Gustavo Sabino, the head of growth at Metasoccer, about how it all works. * Metasoccer website [https://metasoccer.com/]. * Metasoccer documentation [https://whitepaper.metasoccer.com/]. * Metasoccer Twitter [https://twitter.com/MetaSoccer_EN].

Nat Eliason runs the treasury at Crypto Raiders, a popular play & earn game within the Polygon ecosystem. We discuss how Nat made the leap from working in web2 to taking on a major role in an emerging web3 project, as well as sharing what he's helping to build at Crypto Raiders.

The founder of Metafabric, an ambitious web3 project that aims to build a social network within the metaverse, speaks to the podcast about what they're building, why it's important, and what the future of wallet-to-wallet communication in web3 will look like.

I speak with the founder of Metagoons, a web3 incubator that combines the play-to-earn guild model with an incubator for emerging web3 creators. * Metagoons website [https://metagoons.gg/]. * DJ's Twitter [https://twitter.com/Igotawizz].

We talk to FoodFarmer, the founder of Food Farmer Finance, about his "farming-as-a-service" platform. The platform is one of a few in the emerging FaaS space that looks to deliver returns from yield farming to investors in a completely passive way.

In this episode, we speak to Miles Anthony, founder of Decentral Games - the creator of ICE Poker. Miles walks through how play-to-earn gaming wokrs, give a deep dive into the economics of ICE Poker and how the whole thing works. Poker has arrived in the metaverse and people are making real money from it. Don't miss this one. Decentral Games: https://decentral.games/ Miles on Twitter: https://twitter.com/0xMiles

After two US Senators sent a strongly-worded letter to a number of the payment processing companies that had initially joined the Libra Association, a mass exodus began. The letter, sent to the likes of Stripe, Visa and Mastercard, urged them to leave the association, threatening to subject them to "a high level of scrutiny from regulators" on all of their payment activities. This is quite the blog for Libra, Facebook, and it raises some serious concerns around the approach taken by the US Senators.

Off the back of the news that researchers at Google have developed a quantum computer that managed to compute a problem in under 3 minutes that the world's most powerful classical supercomputer would take 10,000 years to complete, we look at the implications on blockchain and the technology that we use in our every day lives. Not only that, but we look at how Kik has taken the bold move to retire their 300 million user product to focus on fighting the SEC around the launch of their cryptocurrency, Kin (plus much more).

We speak with the CEO of MyCrypto, Taylor Monahan, to see how her mindset has changed and how MyCrypto has evolved since we last spoke to her over a year ago. Taylor shares why she believes DApps have a long way to go before they're truly useful to the masses, the personal security challenges that end users are facing in 2019, and also some of the upcoming new features of MyCrypto.

Crypto lobbyists are worried about Libra's impact on cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin getting caught in the crossfire of regulatory action, while Facebook is worried that Libra may never see the light of day. We dig through Facebook's quarterly report to highlight how the company is currently feeling about Libra's chances.  Also, we talk through the implications of the Marshall Islands launching their own cryptocurrency, the Marshallese Sovereign (SOV), and why it's different from other state-run cryptocurrencies like the Petro. Oh, and a group of nuclear power plant workers in Ukraine decided it would be a good idea to use the plant's supercomputer to mine cryptocurrency!

Ok, cryptocurrency isn't tax-free everywhere, but Portugal has taken the bold stance of not requiring income tax or capital gains deductions on personal cryptocurrency transactions. Beach house in the Algarve, anyone? On the other side of the globe, China announces its own digital currency to go up against the likes of Libra - we discuss all this and more.

We speak with Greg Freeman, CTO of the real estate investment platform, iFunded. Greg shares his thoughts on how security tokens are going to shape the future of private investments over the coming years, and why decentralization is NOT the goal here.

We speak with Raakhee Miller, CEO of Bitsian - a cryptocurrency exchange aggregator - about her past in the traditional financial services sector (senior positions in both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs), her take on how these giants are going to move and play in the crypto space over the coming years, and what she thinks about Facebook's Libra project.

We speak to Riccardo Spagni, one of the founding developers of Monero, about security tokens and how they can be used to create liquidity and channel for communication within organizations. We also discuss the latest privacy-enhancing technologies and what Riccardo thinks of Facebook's Libra project.