FCAT Crypto Brief™

Steven Goldfeder, CEO and co-founder of Offchain Labs, sits down with host Parth to discuss the birth of Arbitrum and his transition from cryptographer to CEO. They take a technical deep dive into Layer 2 (L2) rollups, their importance in blockchain scaling, and the differences between optimistic and ZK rollups. Steven highlights the challenges of achieving scalability while preserving security an...

Jack, Parth, and Ryan discuss a new open-source application that aims to turn old phones into hard wallets. They then touch on MetaMask’s new, in-beta, community feature “Snaps.” They conclude by speaking on news of Tether’s most recent financial attestation. Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 2:51 What Parth Tried Last Week, Air Gap 10:37 Metamask’s new capability 21:00 Tether attestation news   Stay con...

Jack, Jason, and Ryan talk about attending the Future Proof conference. They then discuss the news of FTX gaining approval to liquidate some of their assets. The hosts then touch on the news of Deutsche Bank partnering with a crypto custodian. Finally, they speak on Coinbase integrating the Lightning Network, and share their thoughts on the Lightning Network as it stands today.  Episode Topics: 0:...

This week Ryan and Parth speak about a blockchain explorer that aims to improve the user experience when scrubbing blockchains –– and while throwing in a hint of AI. Then the two hosts touch on Visa’s announcement to start utilizing USDC to help with settling payments. Finally, the two discuss a new update to Metamask that allows for users to transition from crypto to cash easier.   0:00 Intro 5:2...

Jack, Jason, and Parth speak on a new tokenized social media platform. They then touch on the news surrounding Tornado Cash and MakerDAO –– and the technical and philosophical questions that come from it. Topics 0:00 Intro 2:22 What we tried last week 8:29 Tornado Cash 17:30 MakerDAO’s endgame plan   Stay connected with us beyond the podcast by following FCAT on Twitter , Instagram , and LinkedIn...

Summary: This week Jack and Ryan talk about the recent price changes in the crypto market. Jack explains how macroeconomic conditions impact not only cryptocurrencies, but also traditional investments at large. They then speak on Coinbase’s approval to operate a futures commission merchant and on the first Bitcoin spot ETF launched in Europe.   Episode Topics:   0:00 Intro   3:25 Macro moves and t...

Jason and Jack interview Sterling Ingui, the Head of Next Gen Retirement Products, Workplace Investing at Fidelity. She’s worked for a diverse set of businesses ranging from universities to fine jewelry. She discusses her career evolution and how blockchain found her on the most recent episode of the Crypto Brief. Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 2:31 How Sterling got into the blockchain space 11:23 Ste...

Parth, Jason, and Ryan break down news related to Block’s bitcoin quarterly earnings and the exploit on Curve Financial. Finally, they spoke on PayPal’s stablecoin announcement. Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 2:35 What Parth Tried This Week: Nike Swoosh 7:59 Block Updates 18:38 Curve Financial Hack News 34:50 PayPal’s Announcement of Stablecoin Launch in Partnership with Paxos   Stay connected with us...

Summary: Parth, Jack, and Jason talk about Coinbase’s base protocol –– and the initial community reaction to it. They then touch on Worldcoin –– one of the hottest topics in not just crypto but all tech –– and talk about the pros and cons of its release. Finally, they address the fallout of the Curve Finance exploit.  Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 2:55 What Parth Tried this week 8:32 Worldcoin news 2...

The four hosts discuss the creation of FedNow and what it could mean for the future of payments. They then touch on Coinbase's messaging feature launch and Nasdaq abandoning its crypto custody offering.   Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 1:30 Jason’s crypto meet up 4:43 What Parth Tried this week 7:43 What is FedNow? 24:17 Coinbase Wallets and messaging 31:57 Nasdaq's Crypto Offering Stay connected with...

The four hosts discuss the results of Ripple’s legal case and the outcome of embattled crypto company, Celsius after its founder was officially charged. Finally, they talk about the controversy surrounding the exchange Prometheum. Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 2:49 Ripple lawsuit overview 19:25 Celsius’ legal woes 27:40 What’s the news with Prometheum? Stay connected with us beyond the podcast by fol...

Jack, Jason, and Parth discuss a decentralized approach to social media, the current stage of the bitcoin market, what’s going on with Ethereum staking, and recent updates done by a Circle –– and how the work that is being done now may play a role down the line.   Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 5:14 What Parth Tried This Week: Collect on Lens 11:28 Bitcoin News/Supply 14:40 Exchanges vs Over the Count...

The hosts chat about a hackathon that Parth attended. They then touch on changes in market sentiment for crypto –– and various potential causes behind them. Lastly, they discuss the new and updated Uniswap Version 4–– and how the introduction of “hooks” may change DeFi’s landscape and reputation.   0:00 Intro 03:51 Parth’s Hackathon Experience 09:09 What Parth Tried this week: KZG Ceremony 11:37 E...

Jason, Jack, and Parth interview crypto founder Maggie Love, who created the roughly $1 billion blockchain storage company, W3BCLOUD, and female-centered crypto educational program, SheFi. They discuss how she first learned about crypto, how she founded her first crypto startup, and advice for building in bear markets. Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 2:00 Maggie’s Jump into Crypto 8:57 Life at Consensy...

Jason, Jack, and Ryan talk about the recent actions by the SEC against crypto giants Coinbase and Binance. They talk about the specific charges filed at the exchanges and how the charge will impact the broader crypto system. Episode Topics: 0:00 Intro 3:03 Regulatory action against Binance 9:41 Regulatory action against Coinbase 12:23 Ripple effects of the SEC’s actions? 15:30 Implications for Eth...

Jason, Parth, and Ryan talk about the emergence of Bitcoin NFTs, Ordinals, and BRC-20 tokens –– and how they impact the overall Bitcoin and crypto ecosystem. The hosts also touch on trending news in the world of stablecoins.   Episode Topics: [4:10] What Parth Tried This Week: Sats Names [8:50] Differences between Ordinals, NFTs, and BRC 20’s [13:44] How Taproot opened the door for Bitcoin NFTs [1...

Jason and Ryan speak with Kevin Kelly, who is part of FCAT’s Bitcoin mining team, about how Bitcoin is created. The three talk about their personal history with mining, and touch on the different economic, political, and technological complexities of mining. Episode Topics: [4:45] What is Bitcoin Mining? [13:45] What are hashrates? [16:45] Energy Economics [20:05] Role of mining pools [22:30] Geog...

In this special edition episode, crypto-native Parth gives Ryan and Jack a rundown of the current state of Web3 gaming, how it differs from traditional gaming, what challenges the industry still faces and more. Episode Topics: [3:25] Differences Between Web3 Gaming & Tradition Gaming [6:30] Intersection of Gaming and Blockchain [11:35] Challenges and evolution of web3 gaming [20:25] Recent Win...

Jack, Jason, and Ryan discuss Ethereum’s blockchain having difficulties and delays with finalizing transactions. The guys then touch on new enterprise solutions that leverage distributed ledger technology. Episode Topics: [3:00] Ethereum Finality Delays [16:25] Enterprise Distributed Ledger Technology Please remember: this podcast is solely for informational and educational purposes and is not inv...

Hosts tackle the week’s hottest news: the revival of meme coins. Briefers dive into meme coin projects, including PEPE coin, fungible tokens for text on blockchain, as well as Coinbase updates and announcements. Episode Topics: [3:30] What Parth Tried This Week: Big Incorporation [8:00] Meme Coin Projects [10:00] What is Pepecoin? [12:15] Bitcoin NFTs? [25:00] Coinbase Sunsets Borrow Program [30:3...

Jack and Ryan debrief on their trip to Consensus, describing positive vibes despite the crypto winter. Hosts discuss the announcements made over the week, including news from Binance, Circle, and Mastercard. Episode Topics: [2:15] What Parth Tried This Week: Push Protocol [9:00] An Overview of Consensus [13:15] News from Binance US [19:45] Circle CCTP Goes Live [24:30] Mastercard’s Announcement of...

Ryan and Jack tackle this week’s top stories including Coinbase’s news to launch a derivatives exchange to international customers, MakerDAO’s votes to deposit $500 million in USDC to Coinbase cold storage custody, and the MEV sandwich attacks that made $1 Million in single day profit.  Episode Topics: [3:25] Coinbase Gets Bermuda License for International Derivatives Exchange [11:30] MakerDAO’s G...

Briefers take on the topic of crypto regulation but this time, from a global point of view, pointing out policies and progress across Asia, Europe, Africa and the United States. [4:00] Crypto Regulation: A Marathon, Not a Sprint Policies and Progress in: [7:10] Asia [23:00] Europe [30:10] Africa and the United States   Please remember: this podcast is solely for informational and educational purpo...

Briefers dive into the Shanghai-Capella upgrade, explaining what the upgrade means for users and how it can impact the ecosystem. Episode Topics: [1:40] What Parth Tried This Week: ShareMint [6:45] Shanghai & Capella Upgrades: What Is It, What Does It Mean for Users & What To Expect Please remember: this podcast is solely for informational and educational purposes and is not investment, ta...

Hosts tackle the biggest news of the week: the CTFC’s claims against Binance. Plus, Parth shares how he is participating in DeFi projects that push the limits and dives into Ticketmaster’s latest NFT initiative. Episode Topics: [1:45] Ireland’s Crypto Ecosystem – Takeaways from Jason’s Trip [8:10] What Parth Tried This Week: Degen Score [13:45] CFTC Action Against Binance [30:30] Ticketmaster NFT...