FCAT Crypto Brief™

Join us to hear about emerging crypto broker-dealer arrangements, new opportunities for crypto spending and conversion, and how decentralized identities are changing the game. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [2:01]: Second special purpose broker dealer license granted [12:10]: cbBTC has entered the chat [23:40] : How does ENS work? [27:40]: New strategies using ENS       Stay connected with us beyond...

Hosts discuss l aunch of Mercuryo Spend, Polygon’s new token and MakerDao’s rebrand.   Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [2:50]  What Parth Tried Last Week: Inheritance planning built into a Crypto wallet [7:32]  Launch of Mercuryo Spend Card [18:40]  MakerDAO rebrand to Sky [28:34]  Polygon introduces new token   Stay connected with us beyond the podcast by following FCAT on Twitter , Instagram , and...

Host, Parth Gargava is joined by special guest, Michael Dascal, Director of Quantum Product Management for the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology. Tune in as Michael simplifies quantum computing for those not in the space and dives into the biggest fears surrounding quantum computing, as well as the exciting advancements on the horizon. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [4:10] Explaining quantum co...

Host, Ryan Stuebe is joined by special guest, Matt Allen from FCAT’s Bitcoin Mining team to discuss mining economics, economic and network impacts of the halving, data from previous halvings and live listener questions. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [4:05] Economics of Bitcoin Mining [6:55] The Reality of the Halving Hype [12:40] Economic Impact of the Halving [22:00] A Wild Card in the 2024 Halvin...

Jack and Parth welcome Sergey Nazarov of Chainlink to the podcast to discuss the beginnings of Chainlink and its current place in the market, as well as Nazarov’s perspective on tokenized assets, cross-chain security and the future of smart contracts. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [1:45] Chainlink’s Role in the Crypto Space [6:30] Chainlink’s Early Days [11:00] Transition to Tokenized Assets [18:35...

Hosts welcome Chris Kuiper, Director of Research with Fidelity Digital Assets to discuss potential developments we may see in 2024 and how major milestones may impact the crypto community in the year to come. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [2:15] 2023 - The Calm Before the Storm? [5:30] Macro Trends & Their Impact on Bitcoin [11:00] Market impact from first approved spot-crypto products [21:00]...

Hosts take turns sharing their highs and lows from 2023 and shine light on what their hopeful for in the coming year. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [5:00] Ryan’s Low for 2023 - Collapse of SVB [12:30] Jason’s High - The Shapella Upgrade [19:20] Parth’s High - Solana Survived [21:50] Ryan’s High - Interpretability & Development Growth [23:30] Jack’s Low - Lack of Killer Use Cases [27:00] Jason’s...

Ryan interviews Jack, now a Research Associate for Avon Ventures, about the current macro state of VC and how it relates to crypto markets, how regulatory clarity may change things and what the next 6-12 months can bring. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [2:30] Summary on sentiment [11:30] What would increased regulatory clarity mean for VCs and the companies they're funding? [14:05] Exiting investmen...

Jason, Jack and Ryan tackle answering some of the top questions submitted by listeners.   Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [2:40] How do the hosts see the role of Ethereum evolving in the coming year? [14:50] What are the implications of major banks and institutions becoming more active in the ecosystem? What excites the hosts the most about companies building? [28:15] Beyond ETPs, what are the hosts...

Hosts dive deep into the push behind Pyth’s Token Airdrop, exploring its impact on on-chain data dynamics and the evolving landscape of decentralized finance. Additionally, the hosts delve into JPMorgan's foray into blockchain interoperability, analyzing the potential disruptions and advancements progress in this space could bring to the broader blockchain ecosystem. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [...

Parth kicks off the episode examining the Ethereum Attestation Service. Then, hosts dive into a conversation on how crypto exchanges earn revenue and how they may seek to diversify their revenue streams using L2 solutions. Finally, Jack gives us a look at the macro environment and discusses the widespread optimism around a potential Bitcoin ETP approval.   Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [2:45] What...

Parth kicked off the conversation sharing CryptoMiso.com, a tool that rates blockchains based on developer activity. Hosts then provide a recap of Sam Bankman-Fried's trial and discuss its implications for the crypto industry. Finally, they dive into the latest developments on Solana, highlighting the significance of the Firedancer testnet launch for the blockchain's scalability, performance, and...

Parth kicks of this episode sharing his experience with building a Compound liquidation bot. Then, the hosts dive into a conversation about restaking on EigenLayer after Ether. Fi rolled out their liquid staking token. Finally, they wrap up talking about DTCC’s recent acquisition of Securrency. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [3:10] What Parth Tried This Week - Building a Compound Liquidation Bot [10...

This week, we welcome Nic Carter, founding partner of Castle Island Ventures and Fidelity alum to the podcast. Nic shares his story of an almost decade-long of journey in crypto, reflects what is now considered to be a prescient take on stablecoins, and shares what makes him optimistic about the future of crypto. Nic is a general partner at Castle Island Ventures and the cofounder of blockchain da...

Hosts dive into the benefits and challenges of real world asset tokenization and discuss tokenization platforms, including the recent introduction of JPMorgan’s Oynx Blockchain. Plus, hear about potential changes in demand in DeFi and new innovations out of Goldfinch. Episode Topics: [0:00] Intro [3:45] What Parth Tried This Week: Soma Finance [10:45] JPMorgan Introduces Tokenization Platform [25:...

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...