Bankless

What was really happening inside the SEC during the Gensler years? Today, we sat down with Corey Frayer, former senior crypto policy advisor to SEC Chair Gary Gensler and now Director of Investor Protection at the Consumer Federation of America. We dig into how the agency thought about securities law, DeFi, Uniswap, stablecoins, SAB 121, and why platforms like Coinbase and Kraken ended up in the crosshairs. Corey defends the Gensler playbook while responding to the industry's harshest criticisms, from “regulation by enforcement” to claims of a political war on crypto.  Corey Frayer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-frayer-990a6b2  ------

At our Bankless Summit in Buenos Aires, four standout talks captured the frontier of crypto's next chapter. Lincoln Murr lays out why x402 is emerging as the missing payment layer for the agentic internet. Shay Ketsdever explains how bots already run modern markets, and how programmable auctions and privacy can turn the bot economy into something that benefits people instead of exploits them. Michael Dong shows how real-time ZK proving unlocks a hundred-fold expansion of Ethereum's computational power. And Luca Prosperi reframes money as a network, warning that today's stablecoin architecture is a single point of failure and arguing for a more resilient, distributed monetary system. ------

Bitcoin hit a rare signal this week, dropping to its cheapest level relative to gold in nearly 15 years. Is that a buy signal or something deeper in the macro picture? Ryan and David break down what the BTC–gold anomaly really means, how liquidity, rates, and Trump's surprise Fed Chair pick factor in, and whether the market is entering a shallow cycle instead of a true winter. We also cover Ethereum's Fusaka upgrade, Vitalik's push to bring builders back to L1, Polymarket's mainstream breakout and CNN–Kalshi deal, and Aztec's 16K ETH privacy auction. Plus, the SEC's coming innovation exemption and the growing alliance between Larry Fink and Brian Armstrong. ------

This episode showcases four of the most important talks from our Bankless Summit event in Buenos Aires for Devconnect, each capturing how Ethereum is evolving as it enters the real world. Tomasz K. Stańczak reveals the EF's new priorities around developer acceleration, founder support, institutional engagement, and unifying the L2 ecosystem. Ansgar Dietrichs explains why Ethereum is shifting from long-term exploration to near-term execution, detailing the plan to 3x L1 scale annually and accelerate real-time ZKVM progress. Dankrad Feist makes the case for a DeFi-centric L1 where Ethereum becomes the global liquidity layer for RWAs and high-value settlement. And Danny Ryan closes with a raw, personal account of building proof of stake, surviving an SEC scare, and why he still believes Ethereum can meaningfully reshape global finance. These talks matter because they chart the clearest picture yet of where Ethereum is heading, what the next decade requires, and how its core builders are steering it there. ------

Michael Nadeau called the top before the 10/10 crash. In this episode, he sits down with Ryan to explain why. They break down the onchain data that flipped him risk off, Bitcoin's decisive break below the 50-week moving average, and why global liquidity and rate cuts may not rescue this cycle. Michael shares the price zones where Bitcoin becomes compelling again, how long-term holder behavior maps to past tops, and the framework he's using to build a high conviction watch list for the next bull. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io/ ------

If crypto wins without privacy, did we actually win? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Aztec co-founders Zac Williamson and Joe Andrews to unpack their eight-year quest to build a private world computer for Ethereum, covering the Aztec ignition chain, zero-knowledge-powered “private intents,” and how you can route trades across L1 and L2s without exposing your strategies or balances. They dive into ZK Passport (turning your NFC e-passport into a proof of personhood), the coming breakdown of selfie KYC in an AI world, holistic on-chain identity, Aztec's one-shot move to a fully decentralized L2. Along the way, Zac and Joe get candid about the regulatory risk of building privacy rails, echoes of the early SSL wars, and what keeps them grinding after nearly a decade of R&D to ship Aztec Alpha ---

Ethereum is transparent by design, and that's a problem if you don't want your entire financial life on display. Rand Hindi, co-founder of Zama, joins us to explain how fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) can turn Ethereum into an encrypted, confidential blockchain where contracts stay composable and UX feels exactly the same. We get into why blockchains were public in the first place, why “anonymous addresses” were never enough, how FHE compares to ZK and MPC, and what a world of private DeFi, encrypted stablecoins, and on-chain “digital immortality” could look like.  ------

Happy Thanksgiving! Ethereum is heading into one of its biggest upgrades of the year. In this week's Weekly Rollup, Ryan and Anthony Sassano break down the Fusaka hard fork, what it ships for L2 scaling and gas limits, and why Justin Drake's real-time ZK proving demo could reshape Ethereum sooner than expected. They revisit the four-year cycle debate, unpack Tom Lee's “supercycle” conviction, and catch up on Monad's mainnet launch, the CFTC clearing Polymarket for U.S. users, and growing concern about Bitcoin's quantum risk. Anthony Sassano & The Daily Gwei  https://x.com/sassal0x https://x.com/thedailygwei  ------

Monad just launched Mainnet! That's why Ryan sits down with Monad co-founder Keone Hon today. We ask the blunt question: do we really need another general-purpose L1? Why not just build this as an Ethereum L2 instead? Keone explains how Monad's parallel, pipelined EVM works under tight consumer-hardware constraints (32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 100 Mbps), delivering ~500M gas/sec, 400ms blocks, and fast finality while preserving decentralization. Enjoy the episode! ------

Global liquidity veteran Michael Howell joins to map out the “master variable” driving asset prices: a 65-month global liquidity and debt refinancing cycle that underpins booms, busts, and the recent “everything bubble.” He breaks down the coming debt maturity wall, rising repo stress, the shift from Fed QE to “Treasury QE,” and a new capital war between a US dollar stablecoin system and China's gold-backed strategy. Plus, what all of this means for Bitcoin, gold, equities, and how to position as the current cycle rolls over.  ------

We analyze the crypto market's turbulence as Bitcoin falls below $90k, signaling potential bear market conditions. Also, it's DevConnect! We discuss investor sentiment, and examine key updates like Vitalik Buterin's roadmap for Ethereum and Aave's new app. Tune in for essential market updates! ------

America isn't just leading the AI race; it's increasingly built on it. Investor–author Ruchir Sharma joins Bankless to unpack why U.S. growth, stock gains, and even debt complacency are now tethered to a single story, and what a sensible hedge looks like. We trace how U.S. dominance happened, what could puncture the current euphoria, and where the real diversification lives: quality stocks that have lagged, broad ex-US exposure with currency tailwinds, and selective bets in India, China, and reform winners like Greece and Poland. We also tackle the “gold + stocks up together” puzzle, why that correlation can bite in a tightening cycle, and Ruchir's “two cheers” case for Bitcoin as a portfolio asset whose utility still has room to grow. ---

Bryan Johnson lays out “Don't Die,” a moral framework that puts existence first and turns longevity into a shared fight against entropy. We pressure-test the hard stuff: selfishness, inequality, stagnation, and the so-called two-species future. Bryan argues these are solvable with smart societal engineering if “don't die” is for everyone. He breaks down Blueprint as a practical on-ramp with evidence-based health, behavior, and social habits. We finish on crypto, from his Braintree days with Coinbase to how web3 could power a broad “don't die” commons. ------

Market uncertainty? On this week's Weekly Rollup, Ryan and guest co-host Tom Schmidt dig into a jittery crypto market, Trump's new economic ideas aimed at boosting sentiment, and whether the four-year cycle prophecy is finally catching up with Bitcoin. They also cover Coinbase bringing ICOs back to U.S. retail, Uniswap's long-awaited fee switch moment, and JPMorgan launching a deposit token on Base. Plus: Zcash's 4,000 percent surge, Ethereum's renewed privacy push, Binance tightening rules on shielded coins, and a privacy-wallet developer receiving a five-year prison sentence. ------

Ethereum hasn't reached full speed yet. Now it might. Justin Drake of the Ethereum Foundation outlines Lean Ethereum, a plan to optimise the stack so validators stop executing and start verifying. With zk proofs in under 12 seconds and on-prem provers around 10 kW, the base layer can reach gigagas capacity and roughly 10,000 TPS while getting more decentralized. Add Fossil, seconds-level finality, and post-quantum signatures, and the changes stick. We unpack the EthProofs race, the four-phase path to mandatory proofs, the three-times-a-year gas target in EIP-7938, and why native rollups could remove gas ceilings for L2s. If you're wondering whether Ethereum can scale without turning into a data center chain, this is the roadmap. ---

BlackRock's Head of Crypto Robbie Mitchnick joins Ryan to unpack how institutions are actually allocating (and why correlation to “digital gold” matters), what the ETF data says about demand for BTC and ETH, and why the October leverage flush didn't dent long-term adoption. We dig into BlackRock's tokenization roadmap, from the BUIDL-style tokenized money market funds and the Genius Act angle to the stablecoin flywheel, plus what's still missing: secondary liquidity and pragmatic regulatory clarity. Robbie lays out a realistic 24–36 month path, a 2026 “show-me” phase for real utility, and candid advice for allocators on sizing and asset selection. ------

Is the crypto bull market really over, or just pausing while AI takes the spotlight? On this week's Weekly Rollup, Ryan and guest co-host Haseeb break down Bitcoin's 10/10 crash, hidden leverage, and the “Bitcoin silent IPO” thesis. They also cover the $128M Balancer hack, DeFi's decentralization debate, L2 vanity metrics, Brian Armstrong's prediction market stunt, and why Peter Thiel says Bitcoin's becoming a BlackRock coin. ------

Payment chains are heating up. Not every “stablecoin chain” is playing the same game. Codex cofounder and CEO Haonan Li joins David to map the real landscape: what neutrality looks like in practice, why the bottleneck isn't TPS but fiat-to-stable friction, and how on-chain FX could pull global flows. We dig into the Bear-Chain incentive trap. Why Codex chose to build as an Ethereum L2. The case for app-specific rollups that return value to ETH. And the growing split between projects that bundle value toward Ethereum and those that pull it away. ---

Micropayments were always meant to be part of the internet, but the technology never existed to make them work. Until now. David sits down with Sam Ragsdale, CEO of Merit Systems, to unpack x402, a new protocol reviving the long-dormant “Payment Required” status code to enable crypto-powered microtransactions across the web. They explore how x402 could transform how machines, AI agents, and humans pay for internet resources, reshape online business models beyond ads, and unlock a new economy of autonomous agents and programmable commerce. ------

Land isn't just dirt under buildings—it's the world's oldest, strangest asset, worth an estimated $180T, quietly steering credit cycles, politics, and who gets to build the future. Economist editor and Money Talks host Mike Bird joins us to decode the “land trap”: why superstar cities underbuild, how mortgages turned banks into land-collateral machines, and what Japan's 1980s super-bubble can (and can't) teach us about China's managed deflation today. We trace ownership from Babylonian stone ledgers to modern cadastres, ask whether America ever ran a de facto “land standard,” and explore pragmatic exits: build where demand is, deepen capital markets so homes aren't the only savings vehicle, and tax land value uplift to fund infrastructure. ---

Luke Gromen makes the case that “debasement” isn't a trade, it's the new regime. We unpack why assets look strong in dollars yet stagnate in gold/Bitcoin terms, the global reserves shift back toward gold, how a U.S. gold reprice to $10k–$20k could fund a balance-sheet reset, the risks of “paper gold,” Bitcoin's potential catch-up (and a possible East=gold, West=BTC split), AI as an accelerant, and a pragmatic portfolio framework for navigating a 100-year reset. ------

Markets got the treat they were waiting for with a Fed rate cut and pause on quantitative tightening, but prices still fell. Why? This week, Ryan and David break down why the markets got spooked, what Powell really said about December cuts, and what it means heading into November. We also cover MegaETH's oversubscribed ICO, Monad's airdrop, Polymarket's confirmed token, and JP Morgan's $34B Base token estimate. Plus Solana's new ETF, Western Union's stablecoin, Circle's controversial L1 launch, the X402 payment boom, and the latest on Consensys and Securitize IPOs. ------

Neobanks might be the quiet coordination hack that makes Visa optional. David sits down with Frax's Sam Kazemian to map the new payment stack: why cards today settle over Visa yet still onboard users into stablecoins, how Frax USD (payments) pairs with sFRAX USD (savings), and why Ethereum remains the “savings/issuance” base while specialized payment chains battle for flows. Sam unpacks Frax's white-label issuance strategy and RWA plumbing, shares an institutional DD story that highlights reliability over hype, and lays out the metrics that actually matter—card acceptance, bank deposits, chain coverage, and real-world spend. If you're tracking how stablecoins, neobanks, and RWAs converge into an on-chain economy, this one connects the pipes. ---

NBA Star Tristan Thompson and Coinbase CLO Paul Grewal break down why pro athletes are moving into Bitcoin, crypto, and onchain prediction markets. We cover stablecoin rewards after the Genius Act, Coinbase's fight to preserve consumer yield and staking, the CFTC vs. state path for prediction markets, and Tristan's new onchain app, basketball.fun. ------

Downtober drags on… but not all is bearish. On this week's Weekly Rollup, Ryan and David break down why sentiment feels cold despite strong BTC, and the three ways this cycle could play out. Plus, gold is ripping! Can crypto catch up? We also cover Dankrad's jump to Tempo, Coinbase's Echo deal, Polymarket's NHL play, the Fed's potential FedWire opening, and the AI trading showdown. ------

a16z crypto's CTO Eddy Lazzarin and partner Daren Matsuoka return for our annual State of Crypto to map where 2025 really is on the curve: a price–innovation cycle poised to hand the baton back to builders, Bitcoin holding ~50% share, and 70M people now using crypto on-chain out of 716M owners. We dig into why institutions are actually shipping (not just PR), how stablecoins now rival Visa-scale volumes and sit among top U.S. Treasury holders, why DEX spot share near 20% changes price discovery, and how perps, infra throughput, and fee-switch economics are reshaping revenue across chains. Plus: prediction markets' second act, the AI×crypto handshake (agents, proof-of-humanity, IP), and Bitcoin's long-dated quantum dilemma. ---

Is the crypto cycle already over, or is this just a reset before one last push? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to break down why he went 70% cash ahead of the flash crash, what late-cycle data he's watching, and the signals that would flip him back risk on. We dig into Bitcoin's 50-week moving average, ETH's $8–10K scenarios, slowing ETF flows, rising leverage, and whether global liquidity and AI could still drive a melt-up. Michael explains why this cycle has felt muted, what would confirm a top, and how he's positioning into year-end. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io/ ------

Futarchy flips governance on its head—decisions aren't voted on, they're traded on.  In this conversation with Felipe Montealegre of Thea Research and Proph3t, co-founder of MetaDAO, we explore how market-driven governance can eliminate the token “rug pull” problem, create true shareholder protections on-chain, and unlock the next era of crypto capital markets.  From prediction markets and token design to MetaDAO's “ownership coins,” this is how futarchy could make crypto investable again. ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:51 What is Futarchy? 4:26 US Capital Markets vs Futarchy 6:39 Futarchy Incentives 12:01 Futarchy Market Participants 16:05 A New Form of Governance 18:59 Liquidity & Insider Participation 24:03 Futarchy Genesis 31:31 Crypto Rugs 47:45 Trustworthy Tokens 53:00 Umbra Example 1:00:37 MetaDao 1:07:20 Unrugable Tokens 1:12:42 Regulation 1:18:31 What's Next? 1:20:48 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Felipe Montealegre https://x.com/theiaresearch  Proph3t https://x.com/metaproph3t  MetaDao https://metadao.fi/  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Markets just saw a $19B wipeout in a single day. In this week's Weekly Rollup, we break down the Friday Flash Crash, what really caused it, and whether it signals the end of the cycle or just a reset. We also cover Binance's leaked listing fees, a major Chinese tech company quietly building on Ethereum, and reports that the U.S. may add $14B in Bitcoin to its strategic reserve. Plus, Democrats renew their push against DeFi, and Larry Fink gears up for BlackRock's next big crypto play. ------

A $19B liquidation wave hit crypto 10 days after Lighter's public mainnet—so we asked founder/CEO Vladimir Novakovski why they built a ZK L2 Perp DEX on Ethereum, how the escape hatch actually protects users, and what really happened under extreme stress. We dig into ADL vs. LLP, trader-first design, and why verifiability (not vibes) should govern order matching and liquidations. Vlad shares throughput targets, why Lighter chose custom ZK circuits over a generalized ZKVM, and what's next: Spot, universal cross-margin, and a ZKVM sidecar for a broader platform play. We close with lessons from the cascade, realistic tradeoffs of being an L2, and how L2Beat “stage upgrades” fit into the roadmap. ---

Binance listing fees, finally out in the open. CJ Hetherington, Founder of Limitless, published the offer he received after no NDA. 8% of total token supply and $250k. We dig into why the founders accept deals like this, the hidden sell pressure, and how onchain price discovery can replace CEX gatekeeping. CJ also breaks down Limitless on Base, instant-settlement price markets, and the path to Coinbase via Aerodrome. ------

Tom Lee and Arthur Hayes map how crypto is flipping Wall Street: BTC at fresh highs, ETH's comeback, and a surge of institutional capital, tokenization, and stablecoin rails. Tom lays out Bitmine's big ETH accumulation and bold targets (BTC $200–250k, ETH $10–12k), while Arthur dives into cycles, liquidity, why perps outshine leveraged ETFs, and the looming clash between prediction markets and TradFi. Plus: banks turning into on-chain tech companies and what Tether's rise signals for the new banking stack. Please visit https://fundstrat.com/tom  for complimentary access to Tom Lee's daily market updates, real-time market alerts, live webinars, and curated stock lists. ------

Gold shatters $4,000, Bitcoin quietly hits new all-time highs, and Wall Street just made its biggest bet yet on prediction markets. In this week's Weekly Rollup, we break down why the debasement trade is heating up, how the AI bubble is shaping markets, and what it all means for crypto's next move. We cover BNB's explosive run to the #3 spot, ICE's $2B investment in Polymarket, and ETH staking ETFs officially going live. Plus, Solana ETF approval looks imminent, Asian capital rotates onchain, and Galaxy steps back into retail with a familiar face at the helm. ------

In this episode of Bankless, Ryan and David dive into prediction markets and their place in today's financial landscape. They unpack how peer-to-peer markets differ from traditional sportsbooks, spotlighting Polymarket and Kalshi, and explore scalability, regulation, and societal impact. Are these markets tools for informed decision-making or just another gambling avenue? ------

Why does China build so much faster—and what does that reveal about two very different ways of running a society? Ryan and David sit down with Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, to unpack China's “engineers-in-charge” model versus America's “lawyerly” governance. We cover how this shapes daily life and growth (from subways and high-speed rail to batteries, EVs, and drones), common western misconceptions about China (surveillance, social credit, “imminent collapse”), why U.S. capital markets soar while Chinese manufacturing dominates, what an American “abundance agenda” could look like, and Dan's closing prescription: the U.S. needs ~20% more engineering; China needs ~50% more rights-protecting legalism.  ------

OpenAI's personalization leads, Christina Kaplan and Samir Ahmed map the shift from an “assistant with a notebook” to Pulse—the part of ChatGPT that quietly preps your day while you sleep. We unpack how short- and long-term memory work across sessions and why April's subtle update changed the experience, show how daytime chats stay aligned with overnight prep, and close on the big questions: privacy, consent, and why this is an assistant/representative—not a digital clone. ------

How do you spend money in ways that actually make life better? Morgan Housel, author of the new book The Art of Spending Money, explores status vs. satisfaction, the hedonic treadmill, and why money's best use is buying independence. We also cover quiet compounding, a practical 15-stage path to financial freedom, when to spend vs. save, helping kids without spoiling them, and small experiments that raise the utility of every dollar. ------

In this week's Weekly Rollup, Uptober kicks off with Bitcoin and Ethereum surging toward all-time highs as Tom Lee drops another $1B into ETH and Vanguard finally opens its doors to crypto ETFs. We cover Stripe's push to break the Tether–Circle duopoly with its new stablecoin platform, Cloudflare's surprising entry into onchain payments, and Swift teaming up with Consensys on blockchain rails. Plus, Zcash rockets 200%, Ethereum's Lighter perps exchange goes live, and Circle sparks debate with plans for reversible USDC. ---

Authoritarian regimes are upgrading their playbook — from surveillance cameras and spyware to algorithmic censorship and AI-driven policing. Steven Feldstein, senior fellow at Carnegie and author of The Rise of Digital Repression, joins Bankless to map the expanding world of repression technology. We cover everything from Nepal's protest movement to China's sophisticated censorship stack, the global spyware industry, and the unsettling rise of predictive policing and AI in warfare. Along the way, Feldstein explains how financial repression and social credit systems extend state power into the economic sphere — and where crypto fits into the story of resistance.

Authoritarian regimes are upgrading their playbook — from surveillance cameras and spyware to algorithmic censorship and AI-driven policing. Steven Feldstein, senior fellow at Carnegie and author of The Rise of Digital Repression, joins Bankless to map the expanding world of repression technology. We cover everything from Nepal's protest movement to China's sophisticated censorship stack, the global spyware industry, and the unsettling rise of predictive policing and AI in warfare. Along the way, Feldstein explains how financial repression and social credit systems extend state power into the economic sphere — and where crypto fits into the story of resistance. ---

Is this really the cycle top, or just a reset before Q4 fireworks? Michael Nadeau from The DeFi Report joins Ryan to decode the latest onchain and macro data. We dig into Bitcoin's key levels, ETH's $4K line, and why September's liquidation event might have cleared the path for new highs in Q4. Michael explains what a “mini alt season” tells us about dominance, where fresh capital could come from, and how to think about positioning ahead of year-end. Michael Nadeau & The DeFi Report: https://x.com/JustDeauIt https://thedefireport.io/research/is-the-top-in ——————

Crypto vs. Banks — the proxy war for the future of money is heating up. Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and former CFTC Commissioner, joins Bankless to unpack the battle over the GENIUS Act, why banks are fighting to roll it back, and how stablecoins have become the frontline. From Elizabeth Warren's fading influence to the $700M bank lobbying machine, we explore what's really happening on Capitol Hill, the global stakes for stablecoins, and how upcoming U.S. policy could reshape innovation, regulation, and consumer freedom. ---

In this week's Weekly Rollup, we break down “Downtemper” market moves as Bitcoin and Ethereum slide, and examine why Vitalik Buterin is calling low-risk DeFi Ethereum's true backbone. We highlight Tether's ambitious $500B raise, Polymarket's mainstream moment on South Park, and Gary Gensler's testy CNBC appearance. We also cover Paul Atkins' push for pro-crypto regulation, the heated debate over whether Base should be regulated like Nasdaq, and the surprising deletion of 86 million bank accounts in Vietnam as digital ID mandates expand. ------

James Seyffart from Bloomberg Intelligence joins to break down the state of crypto ETFs and their explosive growth.  We cover the rise of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, the debate between ETFs and DATs, and the institutional inflows reshaping the market. James explains how advisors, hedge funds, and sovereign wealth funds are participating, the regulatory hurdles around staking ETFs, and why basket products may be the next big wave.  We also explore the implications of tokenized ETFs, the S&P 500's gatekeeping of crypto companies, and what to watch for in the coming months as approvals and new products hit the market. ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:18 DATs vs ETFs 6:18 DATs Final Equilibrium  9:21 ETFs 1-Year Check-in 23:42 Crypto Indexes 30:41 ETF Approval Process 41:03 Solana ETF 44:17 BTC & ETH ETFs 56:11 What's Driving the Price? 59:39 Crypto Companies in the S&P 1:07:17 Blackrock Tokenized ETFs? 1:13:59 Key Outcomes 1:19:14 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES James Seyffart https://x.com/JSeyff  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesseyffart  Bloomberg Intelligence https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/products/bloomberg-terminal/research/bloomberg-intelligence/  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Vitalik Buterin just declared DeFi as Ethereum's “killer app.” In his new post, he compares it to Google Search, the dependable core business that powers everything else. Ryan and David break down why Vitalik believes DeFi has finally earned this title, how it survived the volatility of the last cycle, and what it means for ETH as collateral, culture, and revenue. They cover the Google analogy, the risks DeFi has outgrown, and why this moment could define Ethereum's future. ------

What happens when stablecoins break apart the traditional business model of banks? Economist Charles Calomiris explains how the “unbundling” of payments and lending reshapes finance, why politics matter more than technology, and what this revolution could mean for the dollar's future. ------

In this Weekly Rollup, we discuss the implications of recent Federal Reserve rate cuts on crypto markets, exploring their potential benefits for Bitcoin and Ethereum. We highlight the SEC's easing of crypto ETF regulations, Tether's new compliant stablecoin, and SEC Chair Paul Atkins' vision for clearer regulations. Finally, we touch on how global finance is adapting to crypto innovations in Ghana and Nepal. ---

What if payment chains are the “AWS moment for money”? Simon Taylor — fintech veteran, ex-Barclays crypto lead, and author of FinTech Brainfood — joins Bankless to map the convergence of fintech and crypto. From stablecoins serving as the Trojan horse for tokenisation to Tempo's push for a payments chain, Simon explains why finance is on the brink of its biggest infrastructure shift since Visa. We cover the rise of payments L1s, the regulatory roulette of stablecoins, and whether neutrality and permissionlessness can survive in corporate-led networks. Plus, Simon breaks down the differences between stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and CBDCs — and explains why the future of finance is already being rebuilt on-chain. ---

Why do recessions feel like a relic of the past? Macro strategist Vincent Deluard argues we've entered an era where fiscal dominance, structural inflation, and relentless asset debasement reshape how capital flows and how investors must position themselves. We cover the U.S. supercycle, the role of tech and energy, why the “2% inflation target” is dead, and what a portfolio looks like in the age of permanent stimulus. ------

In the 2nd Weekly Rollup of Flat-tember, we discuss whether the crypto bull market is over amid rising unemployment and market uncertainty. We cover stablecoin competition for Hyperliquid partnerships, Justin Sun's frozen WFLI tokens, and Nasdaq's tokenized equities. With Ethereum leading in asset tokenization, they also reflect on lost SEC Chair Gensler's texts and the rise of DAOs, alongside major moves from Fidelity and Robinhood. —-