Episode notes
Crypto adoption is accelerating, but does that mean token prices follow? This week, we unpack growing institutional interest in crypto as brokerages and fintechs push onchain, even as CLARITY stalls and memecoin activity dominates. We explore SEC and CFTC catalysts, Fomo versus Pump.fun, the durability of meme-driven markets, token value accrual, and crypto’s financialization problem. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:17 Has Crypto Found A Bottom? 08:22 Can Regulation Replace Clarity? 14:42 Fomo Vs Pump Fun 22:07 How Founders Survive The Reckoning 26:31 Is Crypto Worth The Venture Bet? 34:39…
Podcast
Empire
Blockworks · Business · English
Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.
More from Empire All episodes →
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4 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
Robinhood Is Proving Distribution Captures Crypto’s Value | Weekly Roundup
Can Robinhood turns the crypto trenches into a serious business? This week, we unpack Robinhood Chain’s explosive growth and what it could mean for tokenized markets, Ethereum, and traditional finance. We also explore the new meme-stock mechanics, Ethena’s neobank push, Hyperliquid’s U.S. path, and why distribution still captures the most value. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:46 Robinhood Chain’s Billion-Dollar Run Rate 05:26 Can Memecoins Move Stocks? 14:14 Why 24/7 Stocks Don’t Scale 20:53 Who Captures Crypto’s Value? 22:01 Ads (Token2049, Avalanche Summit) 23:41 Who Captures Crypto’s…
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31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr
Beezie & Collector Crypt CEOs on Why Onchain Collectibles Are Exploding
Tokenized collectibles are one of the hottest markets right now, turning an antiquated resale market into a liquid, gamified form of commerce built around collectors. This week, Beezie and Collector Crypt CEOs, Andrea Miele and Tuomas (Tuom) Holmberg, explain why tokenized collectibles are finding product-market fit and how crypto is reshaping a market long dominated by traditional marketplaces. They discuss instant buybacks, collector liquidity, sustainable platform economics, token ownership, and why gamified commerce could expand far beyond trading cards. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro…
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28 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
Story vs Valuation, Hyperliquid TAM, Pump’s Problem & Ethena’s Token Reset
What matters more in today’s market: the numbers or the story investors believe? This week, we debate crypto’s rebound and why markets increasingly reward narrative, momentum, and massive future outcomes over traditional valuation. We also cover Hyperliquid vs Pump, Ethena’s token overhaul, AI valuation mania, and the convergence of trading and social. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:07 Is Crypto Risk Worth It? 08:07 Are AI Assistants Overhyped? 13:40 Is Crypto Undervalued Again? 22:06 Why Pump Trails Hyperliquid 30:14 Ads (TOKEN2049, Avalanche Summit) 34:12 Ethena Fixes Its Tokenomics…
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20 Aug 2026 · 55 min
New SEC Crypto Proposal Could Finally Fix Tokens
Can new regulations finally fix the broken token market? This week, we debate whether the SEC’s new crypto framework meaningfully changes token design, capital formation, and investor protections. We dig into token cash flows, Hyperliquid’s institutional moment, if CLARITY is actually dead, regulatory first movers, and whether founders should ignore their VCs. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Jackson Hole & SALT Symposium 04:16 Can Regulation Revive Crypto? 16:23 The Four-Year Cycle & Is It Time To Nibble? 18:23 Hyperliquid’s Institutional Moment 25:22 Who Loses From Regulatory Clarity?…
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17 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 16 min
Uniswap Is Building The Liquidity Network For Everything | Hayden Adams
What if Uniswap isn’t really an exchange at all, but a liquidity network for every asset? This week, Uniswap Founder Hayden Adams explains how Uniswap is evolving from a consumer DeFi app into global financial infrastructure. We explore programmable market making, tokenized assets, public market's IPO problem, Robinhood’s breakout traction, and why DeFi could reshape capital markets. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Uniswap Having A Moment 03:31 What Is Uniswap Today? 08:51 How Uniswap Runs The Business 15:24 Who Is Uniswap Building For? 22:09 DeFi Becoming Financial Infrastructure 26:08…
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10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Morpho Is Coming For The $200 Trillion Credit Market | Paul Frambot
Is DeFi’s future invisible financial infrastructure? This week, Cofounder & CEO of Morpho, Paul Frambot, joins to explore Morpho’s ambition to bring global credit markets onchain for fintechs and institutions. We discuss Midnight and fixed-rate lending, network effects, token-equity alignment, scaling distribution, and why direction can matter more than speed. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:19 Morpho’s Market And Token Thesis 09:00 Ribbit’s Role In Morpho 11:50 Morpho And Midnight Explained 20:42 Why DeFi Becomes Infrastructure 26:29 First Principles Beat Fast Execution 29:30 Building…
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7 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Venture Mandates, Cloudflare Wallets, Circle Earnings & Saddam Hussein Patek Philippe
What separates lasting winners from everyone chasing the next trend? This week, we dig into why specialization may be the biggest edge in venture investing as crypto, AI, and traditional finance increasingly converge. We discuss venture mandates, stablecoin competition, Circle's earnings, Cloudflare's agent wallets, and why reputation compounds faster than capital. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 04:05 Crypto Venture Expands Beyond Crypto 09:20 Can Crypto Funds Go Generalist? 16:06 The Hidden Cost Of Dilution 22:43 Crypto Venture Enters Hard Mode 28:39 Ads (Peaq) 29:25 Cloudflare Bets On…
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31 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
AI Fatigue, Robinhood & Every Market Becoming Crypto | Weekly Roundup
What happens when every market starts trading like crypto? This week, Santi and Rob examine how leverage, automation, and retail speculation are exporting crypto-style volatility across traditional finance. They also explore CLARITY’s fading odds, AI fatigue, Robinhood’s onchain expansion, and the battle between public and private tokenization. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:58 CLARITY’s Falling Odds 04:54 Everything Trades Like Crypto 08:53 AI Capex and Semiconductor Volatility 12:47 The Death of Long-Term Investing 18:19 Why Market-Neutral Funds Win 20:09 Institutional AI Fatigue 24:22…
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27 Jul 2026 · 43 min
Robinhood's Plan to Bring Global Finance Onchain | Johann Kerbrat
What happens when Robinhood turns crypto from a trading feature into the backbone of its global financial platform? This week, Robinhood's GM of Crypto, Johann Kerbrat, explains how Robinhood Chain connects DeFi, tokenized assets, and mainstream users. We explore global access, permissionless development, strategic partnerships, token economics, and whether equities and crypto eventually converge. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:59 Robinhood’s Onchain Vision 04:46 Will Robinhood Move Fully Onchain? 11:07 Inside Robinhood Chain’s Explosive Launch 14:33 Building The Chain For Adoption 16:15…
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23 Jul 2026 · 45 min
The Bill That Could Reshape Crypto In America with Greg Xethalis from Multicoin
Is CLARITY the breakthrough crypto needs or just the beginning? This week, Jason and Multicoin’s Greg Xethalis unpack how the bill could reshape crypto’s regulatory future. They explore CFTC oversight, token classification, DeFi protections, disclosure requirements, and the fight threatening its passage. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:20 How CLARITY Came To Be 07:08 Who Built The CLARITY Act? 11:05 What CLARITY Actually Does 15:13 The New Token Taxonomy 18:13 Ads (Peaq) 18:58 When Is A Blockchain Mature? 23:01 Protecting DeFi And Developers 33:51 The Future Of Token Disclosures 40:14 What…
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