The Crypto Beat

Episode 75 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Lucas Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins and Igloo Inc., to break down his strategy for transforming Pudgy Penguins into a billion-dollar brand by prioritizing emotional connection, consumer products, and real-world distribution over traditional crypto narratives. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 01:02 - 10/10 Market Impact 02:28 - Wh...

Episode 74 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Richard Teng, Co-CEO of Binance to discuss the current state of crypto markets and the long-term outlook for the industry. He explains why fundamentals like stablecoins, ETFs, and tokenization continue to strengthen despite short-term volatility, and how global regulation is accelerating adoption. OUTLINE 00:44 - Introducti...

Episode 73 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Sam Green, Founder of Cambrian Network, and Austin Griffith, Head of Builder Growth at the Ethereum Foundation. They discuss how AI agents are already building smart contracts, managing capital, and interacting with onchain systems, while also introducing new risks around security and user control. OUTLINE 02:01 - Introduct...

Episode 72 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Nikola Plecas, VP of Payments at TON Foundation, to break down how Telegram is evolving into a crypto payments platform. He explains TON’s strategy around merchant tools, stablecoin payments, and reducing friction for everyday users, while highlighting key growth areas like remittances and crypto commerce. OUTLINE 00:00 - I...

Episode 71 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Charlie Lee, creator of Litecoin, to reflect on crypto’s evolution from its early cypherpunk roots to today’s institution-driven market. He explains why Litecoin has remained focused on fast, reliable payments, the importance of privacy and fungibility, and how new trends like AI intersect with crypto. OUTLINE 00:00 - Intro...

Episode 70 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Thomas Cowan, Head of Tokenization at Galaxy Digital, and Jim Hiltner, Co-Founder of Superstate. The conversation explores how Superstate tokenized Galaxy’s equity onchain, the regulatory and infrastructure challenges involved, and why institutions are increasingly exploring tokenization. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 00:57...

Episode 69 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Markus Infanger, SVP at RippleX | Ripple. The conversation explores why firms like Aviva Investors are experimenting with tokenized funds, how blockchain infrastructure could modernize financial market plumbing, and where institutional DeFi is gaining traction. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 01:19 - Aviva Tokenization Announc...

In episode 68 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with BitGo CEO Mike Belshe. The discussion covers BitGo’s pursuit of a national bank charter, the expanding role of traditional finance in the crypto ecosystem, and why market structure, custody infrastructure, and clear regulation will be essential to long-term industry adoption. OUTLINE 00:00 – Introduction 01:11 – BitGo’s...

In episode 67 of The Crypto Beat, Tim and Kelvin were joined by Ethos Network CEO Trevor Thompson to discuss the escalating bot crisis on X and how AI tools like OpenClaw have made it trivially easy to spin up fake accounts at scale. He argues that biometric solutions like WorldCoin aren't cypherpunk enough, and instead pitches Ethos's social consensus model — where humans vouch for each other's a...

In episode 66 of The Crypto Beat, Tim and Kelvin were joined by Galaxy's Michael Marcantonio and Ondo's Matt Blumberg to discuss the ways in which AI agents will operate in the economy, and how crypto and DeFi and primed to play a key facilitating role. They also make the case that despite bearish price action, every fundamental indicator is screaming bullish. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 02:40 -...

In episode 65 of The Crypto Beat, Tim and Kelvin were joined by Casey Craig, co-founder of Euphoria, and Bread, head of ecosystem at MegaETH. Together they discuss how Euphoria turns complex on-chain options into a one-tap mobile trading game built on MegaETH's 10ms block times. They discuss the "consumer DeFi" thesis, the morality of gamified finance and  MegaETH's KPI-locked token launch strateg...

In episode 64 of The Crypto Beat, Aave-Chan Initiative Founder Marc Zeller  discusses the ongoing governance dispute between the Aave DAO and Aave Labs, arguing it's not simply drama but governance working as intended.  OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 01:22 - The Aave DAO vs Labs Dispute 06:00 - Fox Guarding the Henhouse 09:38 - Return on Investment Framework 12:02 - The CowSwap Fee Redirect 14:02 -...

In episode 63 of The Crypto Beat, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argues crypto is in a self-fulfilling four-year cycle bear market, where retail investors sold in anticipation of the downturn and made it real, but says this period feels far less existential than 2018 or 2022. He sees BlackRock's aggressive push into tokenization and DeFi as a landmark signal that on-chain finance is inevitable, though fu...

In episode 62 of The Crypto Beat, Lido's Head of Node Operators Will Shannon and Chaos Labs' Head of Vaults Craig Le Riche join the show to unpack what BlackRock buying UNI tokens means for DeFi, the CFTC's new crypto innovation panel, and Aave's proposal to return 100% of protocol revenue to its DAO. The bulk of the conversation dives into vault infrastructure, and why chasing unsustainable yield...

In episode 61 of The Crypto Beat, Kelvin and Tim were joined by Christian Lopez of Cohen & Company Capital Markets to discuss why mid-scale crypto companies face a "consolidate or die" moment as big banks prepare to enter the space post-regulation. He explains how stablecoin yields could disrupt traditional banking's cost-of-capital advantage, and makes the case that Bitcoin is this generation...

In episode 60 of The Crypto Beat, Kelvin and Tim were joined by Thomas Coratger, post-quantum team lead at the Ethereum Foundation, to break down how Ethereum is preparing for quantum computing with a 2030 target for shipping post-quantum resistant consensus. He explains how AI is accelerating both defense and offense in this race, and warns that bridges and DeFi oracles are particularly vulnerabl...

In episode 59 of The Crypto Beat, Miden Co-Founder Azeem Khan discusses how most crypto users don't realize how exposed their on-chain activity really is, drawing parallels to the 1990s encryption wars. He makes the case for "compliant privacy" as the path to institutional adoption, explains why the cypherpunk ethos needs a pragmatic update, and shares what he's learned from pitching privacy tech...

In episode 58 of The Crypto Beat Wintermute's Head of OTC Trading Jake Ostrovskis and Kaiko Senior Researcher Adam McCarthy join Kelvin and Tim to discuss why crypto feels like a bear market — compressed basis, dead retail, and Bitcoin stuck between risk asset and digital gold narratives. The conversation pivots to Hyperliquid's HIP3 and HIP4 as rare bright spots, the challenges of pricing RWAs an...

Jordi Alexander and Zaheer Ebtikar join Tim Copeland break down why crypto sentiment seems to be at its worst in years despite supportive macro tailwinds, arguing the market is suffering from a sort of regime change: ancient whale distribution, exhausted infrastructure narratives, and a duration mismatch between builder timelines and speculator expectations. They discuss the shift toward real prod...

Anthony Pompliano and Jeff Park argue that deflation, not inflation, may be Bitcoin’s biggest headwind, challenging the narrative that fueled institutional adoption in 2020. They suggest institutions aren’t trying to exit fiat, but are instead integrating Bitcoin into the legacy system to attract new clients and revenue. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - The Independent Investor 05:45 - Institu...

The Block's Kelvin Sparks was joined by Solstice Founder Ben Nadareski and BonkX founder Jovan Tisma, who argue stablecoins will become the standard settlement layer within 10 years, compressing bank margins but unlocking DeFi access for retail. They stress the importance preserving permissionless principles while institutionalizing, and believe lifestyle-focused payments—not speculation—will driv...

Tim Copeland and Kelvin Sparks were joined by Mike Cahill from Pyth and Niklas Kunkel from Chronicle discuss how oracles are transforming from simple price feeds into critical infrastructure for tokenized real-world assets. They explore the explosive growth in tokenized money market funds and CLOs, the shift toward B2B adoption by DeFi protocols rather than retail, and new business models—Pyth's d...

Tim Copeland was joined by Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of The Ether Machine, and Guilherme Gomes, Founder and CEO of OranjeBTC todiscuss the rapid rise of digital asset treasury companies. The conversation explored how these firms aim to outperform crypto ETFs through active management, including staking, DeFi, leverage, and capital markets strategies, while highlighting the risks around execution, pr...

In episode 52 of the Crypto Beat, Kelvin Sparks and Tim Copeland were joined by Bybit CEO Ben Zhou to discuss how he bootstrapped a derivatives-focused exchange and grew Bybit into a one-stop crypto platform. Ben also reflects on managing a $1B hack with radical transparency, surviving brutal bear markets, and why he thinks RWAs and on-chain capital markets will be a defining theme going into 2026...

In episode 51 of the Crypto Beat, Kelvin Sparks was joined by "Code is Law" co-director James Craig and Wildcat Finance co-founder Lawrence Day discuss the real human, technical, and legal fallout of major DeFi hacks, and the origins and making of the documentary. OUTLINE 00:00 – Introductions 03:00 – The Hack That Sparked the Film 07:00 – Idealists vs. Pragmatists in Early Crypto 10:00 – Emotion,...