Join Matt and Nick as they discuss how Bitcoin put in its strongest September in over a decade. They also cover U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ first comments about blockchain; crypto announcements from Visa and PayPal; altcoins; and more.

Key Takeaways

• Bitcoin (BTC) put in its strongest September in over a decade. We now enter Q4, which is BTC’s best quarter based on past performance.
• BNY Mellon, the world’s largest custody bank, received approval from the U.S. SEC to custody the spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. It was also granted an exemption from SAB 121, essentially making it commercially viable for BNY Mellon to start offering crypto custody services.
• U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said she wants the country to “remain dominant” in blockchain and other emerging technologies. While it is somewhat encouraging to see Harris finally mentioning crypto, we still lack any clear details about her crypto policies would be if she wins November’s election.
• PayPal and Visa each announced their latest crypto offering, a promising sign for adoption.
• While FTX distributions are likely to start in Q4, the process will likely extend into 2025. This story is not as bullish as many are making it out to be.
• Among the altcoin updates covered: Celestia’s $100M funding round, EigenLayer’s EIGEN token becomes transferable, and Ethena’s new stablecoin tied to BlackRock’s BUIDL fund.

Join Matt and Nick as they break down Token2049 and Solana Breakpoint 2024, two of the largest crypto conferences of the year. They also discuss the latest with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the upcoming crypto project associated with Donald Trump and the Trump family.

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. central bank cut rates for the first time in more than three years. Further cuts are expected by year-end and throughout 2025, ideal conditions for risk-on assets such as crypto.
• Donald Trump and other Trump family members shared limited information about World Liberty Financial and its WLFI token.
• Token2049 was likely the largest crypto conference to date. Key themes included DePIN and Crypto x AI.
• Solana Breakpoint was an overwhelming success. It featured Firedancer development updates, multiple project announcements, and more. Next year’s will be in Abu Dhabi from December 11–13.
• Among the altcoin updates covered: USDC stablecoin arrives on Sui and Maker officially rebrands to Sky.

Join Matt and Nick as they break down Trump’s new crypto project, World Liberty Financial, and Japan’s largest energy company expanding into Bitcoin mining. They also discuss certain altcoin updates related to Solana, EigenLayer, Ethereum Name Service, and more.

Key Takeaways

• Crypto prices have rebounded, led by BTC. Notably, the ETH/BTC pair hit its lowest level since April 2021.
• World Liberty Financial, the upcoming DeFi project tied to the Trump family, is gearing up for launch. More details to come this week when Donald Trump appears on an X Space.
• A subcommittee of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee gathered for a 90-minute hearing devoted to DeFi for the first time. More crypto hearings will take place before the end of the month.
• Japan continues to adopt crypto and blockchain technology, with recent news highlighted by the country’s largest energy company announcing that it had started mining BTC with excess energy.
• Coinbase’s launch of cbBTC, a wrapped BTC token, may spur additional growth in the Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem.
• Among the altcoin updates covered: Solana Breakpoint 2024; Chainlink SmartCon 2024; EIGEN stakedrop; and ENS integrating into PayPal and Venmo.