Billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper joins "CoinDesk Spotlight" with a bold prediction that bitcoin could dethrone the U.S. dollar within 10 years as the dominant global currency. Plus, he advocates for the inclusion of bitcoin in company treasuries alongside fiat currencies for stability and weighs in on an AI-driven future with revolutionized jobs and productivity. And, personal reflection on the individuals who shaped him and the legacy he hopes to leave.
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This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes.
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This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Spotlight” is produced by Sam Ewen, Christine Lee, Jennifer Sanasie, Taylor Fleming and Victor Chen.
A free market economy does not generate jobs or money. Instead, it creates wealth through exchange and production. Government intervention, contrary to what mainstream economists believe, does not enhance wealth, but instead destroys it.
A tool to help finance housing, business, and other community development projects on tribal land is in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. President Trump’s executive order eliminates funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI). It’s unclear what the order means in practicality. His budget reduces federal funding for CDFIs by almost $300 million. If the cuts to CDFIs are realized, it could significantly curtail progress on affordable housing, small businesses, green energy, and other projects.
Check out our free report on forecasting Bitcoin’s hashrate: https://blockspace.media/insight/download-our-report-hashrate-forecast-for-2025-2027/
Welcome to The Mining Pod! Today, Will and Colin dissect Galaxy's report on the crypto lending market. The crypto lending sector crashed 80% after peaking at $64.4 billion in Q4 2021 following failures at Genesis, BlockFi, and Celsius which fissured the lending landscape during bitcoin’s 2022 bear market. Since then, DeFi lending has surged 959% to $19.1 billion and has now overtaken centralized lending. Plus, Tether emerged from the bear market as the dominant player in centralized lending, why ASIC-backed loans haven’t recovered from 2021’s go-go days, and why bitcoin miners will increasingly leverage their HODL to access financing.
# Notes:
- Crypto lending market: $36.5B in Q4 2024
- DeFi lending grew 959% since Q4 2022
- Tether controls ~70% of centralized lending
- ASIC-backed loans collapsed in 2022
- Large miners beginning Bitcoin lending operations
- Interest rates lower in DeFi vs. OTC markets
00:00 Start
03:34 Why does lending matter?
05:56 Lender types
07:02 DeFi loan market
08:30 Lending market growth
24:47 Future of the lending market
25:41 Lava
27:02 AAVE
28:22 Interest rates
31:54 Predictions: Miners using BTC as collateral
33:22 Predictions: Rates converging with tradfi
35:10 Predictions: Retail lending products
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The stock market mess many connect to President Donald Trump's intense tariff policy is, as of this morning, largely corrected. We'll unpack the recent market rollercoaster ride and discuss what to make of it all. Plus, a sweeping tax bill could extend many tax cuts from Trump's first term — but plenty of twists are expected ahead. And Trump is in Saudi Arabia for a four-day trip to the Gulf. What's on the agenda?
Caleb O. Brown hosted the Cato Daily Podcast for nearly 18 years, producing well over 4000 episodes. He has gone on to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute. This is one among the best episodes produced in his tenure, selected by the host and listeners.
President Trump is in Saudi Arabia to encourage more investment in the U-S. The outlook for tariffs. Air traffic control upgrade. CBS News Correspondent Steve Kathan has today's World News Roundup.
From the BBC World Service: Japanese carmaker Nissan will cut 20,000 jobs globally as it struggles with falling sales in China and heavy price discounts in the U.S. We'll hear more. And later in the program, leaders and economists in Africa gather in Togo to discuss the continent's debt challenges. Plus: slashed duties on parcels from China and Hong Kong to the U.S. and calls for unity from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, but under the Trump administration, NIH is freezing funding to several universities, including Northwestern. One of the projects being delayed is cutting-edge research on ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Reset learns more about the effect of this freeze on patients and early career scientists with Josh Leonard, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Companies are rushing to import merchandise while a temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China is in place, but what happens after the 90-day arrangement expires is unclear. As President Trump visits the Middle East, economic opportunities and security issues top the agenda. Jurors hear often graphic testimony on the first day Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Carrie Kahn, Jacob Ganz, Rafael Nam, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Contributing reporting byXimena Bustillo.
