Month: December 2023

Messy weather causing travel headaches for the holiday return. Top US officials meet with Mexico's president to discuss the record number of migrants at the southern border. CBS Radio lost a co-worker and friend- respected journalist Tom Foty. Those stories and more are in today's World News Roundup anchored by CBS Correspondent Monica Rix

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Sheila Warren's top picks from the year, compelling discussions with Noelle Acheson and Hyun Song Shin, shedding light on Bitcoin's impressive performance, India's evolving crypto landscape, and the challenges faced by central banks in a tokenized world. It's a celebration of insightful conversations and noteworthy moments that defined the financial narrative in the past year. 

This episode is sponsored by Cboe Digital

We are celebrating the holiday season with a special "Money Reimagined" edition featuring the hosts' top picks from the year in our 'Best of' compilation.

In this week's episode, Sheila Warren selects two of her favorite picks: 

• Noelle Acheson On What’s Not Happening With Bitcoin
• The Impact of Tokenization on the Monetary System and the Need for Tokenized Central Banks

In the first installment, Sheila Warren is solo talking with Noelle Acheson CoinDesk collaborator and author of the Crypto is Macro Now newsletter on Substack. Acheson provides persuasive proof of Bitcoin's resilient performance over the course of the year, demonstrating its remarkable outperformance in comparison to conventional stocks.

They explore the importance of Bitcoin ETFs, with Warren offering insights into India's changing perspective on cryptocurrency and its position in global crypto regulations, offering a thorough analysis of the country's evolving landscape.

Sheila’s second pick is a conversation Michael and she both had with Hyun Song Shin, Head of Research at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), about the recent release of the Annual Economic Report. 

They examine the challenges presently confronting central banks, and explore the immobilization or locking of tangible assets, along with the legal obstacles associated with tokenization.

From our sponsors:

Do you have a trusted partner for your crypto trading? Cboe Digital will introduce financially settled margin futures on Bitcoin and Ether on January 11th, 2024 with physically delivered contracts to follow. Listed and cleared on Cboe’s U.S. regulated exchange and clearinghouse, and complemented by a liquid crypto spot market for greater ease and access. We invite you to learn more about this and all applicable risk disclosures at cboedigital.com/coindesk.

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Money Reimagined has been produced and edited by senior producer Michele Musso and our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “The News Tonight ” by Shimmer. 

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The Nigerian government is providing free train rides and a 50% reduction in public bus fares over the festive period. So, what's been the reaction from Nigerians?

Also with a series of coups and major civil unrests across Africa, we are asking if democratic gains made over the last few decades are being reversed.

And a look back at the horrific fire that killed up to 80 people in Johannesburg last August.

2023 was another packed year for crypto, with some big winners, and regulatory news taking the main spot. 

Take the Unchained 2023 survey!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

In 2023, the crypto industry began with post-FTX fallout such as Operation Chokepoint 2.0, the failures of banks serving the crypto industry, and the SEC's Wells Notice against Coinbase.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin Ordinals brought innovation to the Bitcoin network, while Ethereum's Shanghai upgrade introduced new functionalities. 

The criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried was the dramatic climax of the year, as lawmakers’ concerns about crypto being used for terrorist financing brought crypto into the mainstream conversation. The year ended with Binance's substantial settlement with the U.S. government and spot Bitcoin ETFs in the horizon, ushering in what looks like the beginnings of another bull market. 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Arbitrum Foundation  |  Uniswap  |  Popcorn Network

Links | 

DCG

Unchained: Gemini vs. DCG Is Heating Up. Could Gemini Force Genesis Into Bankruptcy?

Reuters: Crypto lending unit of Genesis files for U.S. bankruptcy

CELSIUS

Unchained: 

7 Revelations From Celsius’ Examiner Report

Why the Celsius Examiner Report Shows 'a Complete Disaster in Almost Every Way'

Operation Chokepoint 2.0

WSJ: Regulator Orders Crypto Firm Paxos to Stop Issuing Binance Stablecoin

The Verge: Kraken pays a $30 million fine and shuts down crypto staking in the US

Unchained: 

Coinbase’s Top Lawyer Calls SEC Wells Notice a ‘Massive Overreach’

Just a Coincidence? Coinbase and Polygon Lawyers See Bad Omens in SEC Crackdown

Bitcoin Ordinals

Unchained: 

Bitcoin Ordinal NFTs Are Hot and Getting Hotter. What's the Hype About?

Bitcoin’s Daily Transaction Fees Surpass Ethereum’s for First Time Since 2020

Signature, Silvergate, SVB, Bank Failures and USDC Depeg

Investopedia: What Happened to Silicon Valley Bank?

CNBC: Stablecoin USDC breaks dollar peg after firm reveals it has $3.3 billion in SVB exposure

Unchained: 

The Chopping Block: Was Crypto Just Debanked?

Why Caitlin Long and Meltem Demirors Are Worried About Crypto’s Future in the US - Cryptocurrency

SEC Issues Coinbase a Wells Notice

Rep. Emmer on Why He Believes Gary Gensler Is a ‘Bad-Faith Regulator’

Reuters: Signature Bank failure due to 'poor management,' US FDIC report says

The Verge: Silvergate has collapsed

Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade

Unchained: 

Shapella in the Rearview: After Major Upgrade, What’s Next for Ethereum? 

Staked Ethereum Withdrawals Enabled As Shanghai Upgrade Goes Live

CoinDesk: What’s Next After the Ethereum Shanghai Upgrade Known as Shapella

Prometheum

Unchained: 

Prometheum and Paradigm in Debate: Can the Status Quo Work for Crypto

These 2 Crypto Trading Platforms Agree With SEC Chair Gary Gensler

Crypto Community Unearths Questionable History of SEC-Aligned Prometheum - Cryptocurrency Regulation

SEC vs. Binance and Coinbase

Unchained: 

SEC Files 13 Charges Against Binance Including the Mishandling of Funds, Sale of Unregistered Securities

SEC Sues Coinbase for Breaking Securities Laws

SEC Sues Binance, Coinbase: ‘This Is Not the End of Crypto in the United States’

Ripple

Unchained: 

New Order in SEC vs. Ripple Over XRP Is a Win for Crypto: What Happens Now?

The Chopping Block: Jake Chervinsky on How the SEC Has Lost Credibility

CoinDesk: Ripple, Crypto Industry Score Partial Win in SEC Court Fight Over XRP

Bitcoin ETFs

Unchained: 

Grayscale Wins Lawsuit Against SEC Over Denial of Bid to Convert GBTC Into a Bitcoin ETF

Does Grayscale’s Win Against the SEC Mean a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Be Approved?

Why a Spot Bitcoin ETF Will Probably Launch No Later Than January 10

How Much Money Will Flow Into Bitcoin ETFs? Here’s One Projection

Why Financial Advisors Are So Excited About a Spot Bitcoin ETF

Market Forecaster Raoul Pal Says There’s a Good Chance Bitcoin Will Hit $100K-$200K in 2024

Why Swan CEO Cory Klippsten Is Still Convinced That Bitcoin Is Headed to $1 Million

SBF Trial

Unchained: 

How Heated Sidebars During the SBF Trial Could Impact the Jury’s Decision

While Wang Reveals Alameda’s Special Privileges

Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: Here’s Everything That Happened So Far

Did Sam Bankman-Fried Have Intent to Defraud FTX Investors?

A 20+ Year Sentence? Why the Evidence Against SBF Was Too Hard to Overcome

Terrorism in crypto

Unchained: How Much Money Are Terrorists Actually Raising in Crypto?

WSJ: Hamas Militants Behind Israel Attack Raised Millions in Crypto

Binance settlement 

Unchained: 

How Binance Will Open All Its Activity to the U.S. Government 

Binance to Pay $4.3B Penalty to Resolve U.S. DOJ Criminal Investigation; Changpeng Zhao Resigns, Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Charges

WSJ: Binance Penalties Include a Number of Crypto Industry Firsts: The Treasury Department’s FinCEN is imposing its first-ever monitorship on the cryptocurrency exchange

Points systems

Unchained: Crypto Points Systems Are a 100x Opportunity, But Founders, Be Wary 

Li’s Newsletter: Lessons on Points Programs for Crypto Apps

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Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC.  Distributed by CoinDesk. Senior Producer is Michele Musso and Executive Producer is Jared Schwartz. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On our website and in our app, “The Economist explains” is one of the best-read features. Today we invite a few of their authors to keep explaining. What is tranq dope? Why did France get so het up about bedbugs (06:48)? Can superstars’ stadium shows actually affect inflation (11:50)? And, having at last seen Donald Trump’s, what is the back story of the mugshot (17:39)?

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