Hosts Matt Walsh and Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures explore news and deals in the public blockchain space and talk to some of the leading experts in the industry. Learn more and stay up to date at CastleIsland.vc and follow on twitter @CastleIslandVC
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Up close and personal with the real people behind the hits and misses in Boston's venture capital big time.
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Wyatt Lonergan and Juan Lopez (Vaneck Ventures) on Stablecoin Adoption and The Institutionalization of Crypto (EP.611)
37:10
37:10
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37:10Wyatt Lonergan and Juan Lopez of Vaneck Ventures join the show to talk stablecoins and institutionalization. In this episode, we cover: The landscape of stablecoin growth and activity A world with many stablecoins vs few stablecoins Winning/losing companies in the new stablecoin era Impact on the longer tail of altcoins…
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Weekly Roundup 04/18/25 (Signature Postmortem, Mantra collapse, Powell on stablecoins) (EP.615)
39:16
39:16
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39:16Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: We recap Nic’s article on why Signature collapsed Crypto exchange OKX announced their plans to expand to the US Kraken announced that US equities are now supported on the exchange MANTRA, a layer 1 network focused on RWAs, saw the price of its native token crash 90% in a ma…
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Fred Hsu and Michael Ho (D3) on Creating Efficient Domain Name Markets (EP.614)
32:04
32:04
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32:04Wyatt sits down with Fred Hsu and Michael Ho of D3 to talk domain markets. In this episode: The existing domain name industry and legacy systems An interoperable marketplace for domains New financial promitives around domains and RWAs More about D3
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Yuval Rooz and Eric Saraniecki (Digital Asset) on the Canton Network (EP.613)
43:07
43:07
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43:07Yuval Rooz and Eric Saraniecki, co-founders of Digital Asset join the show. In this episode we discuss: The origins of Digital Asset and the path to starting the firm. Views on privacy in the context of public blockchains. How enterprises and financial institutions are approaching tokenizing assets and leveraging blockchain technology. Examples of …
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Weekly Roundup 04/11/25 (Tether’s new stablecoin, Signature, dedollarization, DoJ disbands crypto team) (EP.612)
34:52
34:52
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34:52Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Is dedollarization happening? The SEC's Division of Corporate Finance released a "Statement on Stablecoins" The US Justice Department has disbanded its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement team The SEC releases new guidance on securities offerings in crypto markets FDIC Chai…
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Hoolie Tejwani (Coinbase) on The Evolution of Coinbase Ventures (EP.610)
29:13
29:13
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29:13Hoolie Tejwani, the head of Coinbase Ventures joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The history and rationale behind the launch of Coinbase Ventures. The evolution of the crypto venture category. Areas of focus for Coinbase Ventures. Stablecoins, Crypto/AI and consumer startup category. The regulatory landscape in the United States. Operation…
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Weekly Roundup 04/03/25 (Circle S1, Tariffs, Galaxy settles, BitMEX pardons) (EP.609)
36:14
36:14
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36:14Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: What’s the deal with the tariffs? Are the tariffs 4D chess? STABLE Act advances from committee Galaxy settles with the NYAG for touting Luna Trump pardons the BitMEX founders Coinlist returns to the US FDUSD has a depeg amidst Justin Sun drama Fidelity launches a no-fee cryp…
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Alexei Zamyatin (Build on Bitcoin) on True Rollups on Bitcoin (EP.608)
53:25
53:25
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53:25Alexei Zamyatin, the cofounder of Build on Bitcoin (BOB), joins the show to talk about the state of the art in Bitcoin Rollups. In this episode: Can Bitcoin achieve parity with Ethereum rollups? How BitVM and BitVMv2 changed the game for Bitcoin rollups When will Bitcoin rollups be considered “Stage 1” Ethereum’s existential crisis Bitcoin fees in …
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Weekly Roundup 03/28/25 (MiCA Stablecoins, Gamestop, Hyperliquid) (EP.607)
31:41
31:41
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31:41Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: We reflect on our podcast with Paolo Ardoino The EU’s MiCA rules make launching a stablecoin virtually impossible We explain the Ghiblification crazy OCC removes Reputation risk from bank supervision World Liberty Fi launches a stablecoin Hyperliquid suffers an exploit - are t…
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Paolo Ardoino (Tether) on stablecoin bills, pursuing an audit, and getting to 400m users (EP.606)
40:58
40:58
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40:58Paolo Ardoino, the CEO of Tether, rejoins the show for a timely discussion. In this episode: How is Paolo feeling about political trends in the US today? Tether is the 7th-largest buyer of USTs at the sovereign level Paolo’s decision to spend more time in the US What does Paolo make of the stablecoin bills in Congress? Does Tether want to eventuall…
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Brian Foster on Coinbase’s wholesale business (EP.605)
38:01
38:01
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38:01Brian Foster, the Global Head of Wholesale at Coinbase joins the show for his second appearance. In this episode we discuss: A catch-up on the Wholesale business at Coinbase and the types of customers that are active in this market How banks and broker-dealers are accelerating their efforts post-election Perspectives on build vs. buy vs. partner de…
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Weekly Roundup 03/21/25 (Trump addresses DAS, Kraken buys NinjaTrader, FIRM act advances) (EP.604)
40:13
40:13
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40:13Nic and Matt are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Trump speaks at DAS Is anyone in Washington talking about abolishing capital gains tax for crypto? Trump denounces OCP2.0 TON raises a huge round Remember IOTA? We reminisce about Slock it and the DAO What happened to Ethereum Classic? Can you redeem PAXG for physical gold? …
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Weekly Roundup 03/14/25 (SBR is real, Trump and Binance, CZ pardon rumors) (EP.603)
31:33
31:33
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31:33Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve exists Will the government buy additional Bitcoin? What does “cost neutral” mean? What’s the deal with our cheese reserve Have Bitcoiners lost their libertarian origins? The OCC reverses their anti-crypto guidance Sentiment in crypto is at all t…
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Jeff Park (Bitwise) on Digital Asset Alpha Strategies (EP.602)
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41:30
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41:30Jeff Park, the Head of Alpha Strategies at Bitwise Asset Management joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The latest developments at Bitwise, including the firm’s Alpha Strategy division. Yield strategies in the digital asset ecosystem. Stablecoins and how the idiosyncratic opportunities that active managers are pursuing. MicroStrategy Though…
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Brandon Mulvihill (Crossover Markets) on the future of market structure in the USA (EP.601)
40:05
40:05
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40:05Brandon Mulvihill, the co-founder and CEO of Crossover Markets joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The shifting regulatory landscape in the USA and the impact that it is having on traditional financial institutions. How banks and broker-dealers are responding to regulatory progress. The battle for “Primary Market” in the United States. The …
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Weekly Roundup 03/07/25 (Crypto Reserve, Debanking Bill, Broker Rule) (EP.600)
34:56
34:56
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34:56Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: We debate the prudence of a BTC reserve A Strategic Reserve of just BTC or altcoins? How would a crypto reserve be “strategic” Should the US Government just seize BTC to build the reserve? Is there a “strategic” purpose to owning a gas token? SEC task force for crypto is sta…
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Weekly Roundup 02/28/25 (Bybit Hack, SEC drops lawsuits, bank-issued stablecoins) (EP.599)
36:09
36:09
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36:09Matt and Nic return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Figure Markets announced the launch of their YLDS stablecoin, which is the first yield-bearing stablecoin to be approved by and registered with the SEC Crypto exchange Bybit was hacked on Friday for an estimated $1.48 billion worth of ETH in the largest hack in the industry's …
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Weekly Roundup 02/21/25 (Milei’s Libra scandal, physical gold chaos, are memecoins dead?) (EP.598)
30:59
30:59
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30:59Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Milei launches and immediately abandons the Libra memecoin Is the memecoin sector dead? What is the future of Solana post memecoin fallout? Hagerty’s GENIUS act gains bipartisan support Why securities laws exist What laws apply to memecoins? What’s going on with physical go…
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Weekly Roundup 02/14/25 (OCC and CFTC nominations, nation-state memecoins, Tigran retrospective) (EP.597)
29:04
29:04
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29:04Matt and Nic are back for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Our episode with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce The SEC and Binance are pausing their litigation Brian Quintenz nominated for CFTC Jonathan Gould nominated for OCC Central African Republic launches a memecoin Is Vitalik crashing out? CBOE wants to add staking to their ETH ET…
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SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on the journey ahead (EP.596)
30:00
30:00
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30:00SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The past several years of digital asset policy at the SEC Different ways that regulators have the potential to stymie technical innovation through policy SAB 121 The impact on the SEC’s policies on capital formation in the digital asset industry The role of Congress, specifi…
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Nathan McCauley (Anchorage) on the evolving banking and custody landscape (EP.595)
34:55
34:55
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34:55Nathan McCauley, the co-founder and CEO of Anchorage joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The history of Anchorage and the evolution of the company from a product and regulatory perspective. Operation Chokepoint 2.0 and the debanking of digital asset startups. How banks are approaching the digital asset custody ecosystem and the sub-custody …
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Weekly Roundup 02/07/25 (FDIC Files, House & Senate Hearings, SEC crypto priorities) (EP.594)
36:10
36:10
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36:10Matt and Nic are back for more news and deals. In this episode: Matt and Nic’s ski adventure Berachain launches Mike Lempres of Silvergate finally speaks What we learned in the Senate debanking hearing The FDIC releases 790 pages of new documents related to the pause letters The FDIC is reprimanded by a judge in the Coinbase case Senator Lummis rev…
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Mike Lempres on Silvergate’s Collapse, Bank Regulation, and Debanking (EP.593)
47:06
47:06
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47:06Former Chairman of Silvergate Bank Mike Lempres joins us for a discussion of Silvergate, the crypto-focused bank that was forced into liquidation in early 2023 following a bank run. This are the first on the record comments from any Silvergate executive following the voluntary liquidation announced in March 2023. In this episode: Mike’s background …
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Weekly Roundup 01/31/25 (Senate Debanking Hearing, Powell's pivot, Tokenized Securities) (EP.592)
35:06
35:06
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35:06Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode: Should we revisit Basel rules on Bitcoin? Jay Powell evolves on banks serving crypto Are banks going to offer crypto custody post SAB121? Gensler joins MIT Sloan Should crypto firms boycott MIT? The Senate will hold a hearing on debanking next week Choke Point 2.0 is gettin…
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Weekly Roundup 01/24/25 (Trump EO, the Stockpile, Ross Free, SAB121 Gone!) (EP.591)
39:33
39:33
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39:33The episode where we logged on and won forever. Probably the biggest week in crypto history... In this episode: Ross Ulbricht is granted a full pardon Did Ross Ulbricht deserve a life sentence? SAB121 is finally gone Why SAB121 was bad Crypto ball review Trump launches a memecoin Trump is inaugurated OCP2.0 is over CBDCs are banned We review Trump'…
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