Binance

The hype around cryptocurrency is at an all-time high, as the industry makes a major push to go mainstream. But is it all a giant pump-and-dump scheme? Software engineer and celebrated crypto critic Molly White and the SEC's Associate Director of Enforcement Carolyn Welshhans join Anant Raut and Aaron Yeater for a braintwister of a discussion on such topics as what is money; if blockchain is so secure how does so much crypto keep getting stolen; and is crypto a giant scam. Listen to this episode to learn more about whether ordinary investors will be left holding the bag when the crypto bros cash out.

With special guests:

Molly White, Software Engineer and Founder, Web3 is Going Just Great and Carolyn Welshhans, Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission

Related Links:

Web 3 is Going Just Great

Hosted by:

Anant Raut and Aaron Yeater, Analysis Group, Inc.

In the 2nd episode of the new year, the Lucky Lead crew kicks off with a breakdown of the hottest NFT project across blockchains - the NodeMonkes. They talk through price action, rare sales, what's driving the buying and some predictions before hearing from a whale JFellz on his buying experience. Tyler then runs through the day's news, quickly hitting on Binance investing in $MEME, 50 Doodles vs 5 BTC, and a y00ts sweep and dump exposing ETH's current issues. They wrap up the show with a quick convo around NFT project takeovers (Lazy Lions) and NFT equity for holders.

As another kingpin falls, what’s next for crypto?

At the start of November, Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted. After weeks of complex testimony, the jury took just four hours to find him guilty of defrauding customers and investors out of billions of dollars. Things looked like they couldn’t get anymore dramatic–- until they did. Just a few weeks later, with Sam awaiting sentencing, a second kingpin was also toppled. In a sweeping settlement with the Department of Justice, Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, pled guilty to failing to prevent money laundering and stepped down as CEO of Binance. In this episode, host Tom Wright delves into the downfall of two of the biggest names in crypto. With help from crypto investigator James Block, entrepreneur Margaux Avedisian, and Wall Street Journal reporter Angus Berwick, Tom unravels the details of CZ’s plea deal with regulators and the fate of Binance, and asks: what’s next for crypto?

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"Consumer demand will accelerate the need for security, privacy and regulation. Like zero-knowledge (ZK) where you can prove something is true without revealing all information. And of course, security infrastructure, which is very interesting and important at this current moment, even before the next bull market. For example, one of the companies we invested into Ledger, a digital asset hardware wallet. You basically have an app store interface where you can trade, you can stake. We see a lot of adoption of crypto in not just a retail space because of increased awareness, in the media, and new DeFi applications coming up, but also in the adoption of enterprise space. So a lot of these enterprises will be thinking to themselves, okay, in my treasury, not just do I need to hold USD and other currencies, maybe I need to also hold Bitcoins, or something else. DBS Bank, They're now holding some of this Sandbox Land, but where do they hold it? They can't hold it just in a wallet and then they throw it into some cabinet somewhere. They need to have the right, security hardware. So we believe this, will accelerate the adoption of applications like ledger, which is like a hardware wallet, for both retail and enterprise. So we believe that age-old saying of selling shovels during a gold rush is still very true." - Kelly Choo

Fresh out of the studio, Kelly Choo, founding partner from True Global Ventures discusses the state of generative AI and crypto in 2023 and what to look forward in 2024. Kelly started with his take on the recent departure of CZ from Binance and the ouster and return of Sam Altman in Open AI and how this impacts the AI and crypto landscape. From there, he broke down how they are looking at the next wave of generative AI companies specifically in the education, metaverse and legal space and crypto companies from ERC 6551 in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to zero-knowledge proofs. Last but not least, Kelly defines what success would mean for both AI and crypto in 2024.

Episode Highlights:

[0:50] Quote of the Day #QOTD from Kelly Choo

[1:43] What has Kelly Choo been up to?

[3:19] CZ, Binance, and the Rise of Singaporean CEOs

[4:32] SamAltman OpenAI and Microsoft

[7:30] OpenAI Developer Event 

[10:05] The Current State of GenAI

[14:41] What Kind of Business Models are Going to be Proving Successful in the GenAI Space?

[16:48] True Global Ventures and AI Startups 

[19:23] Review of 2023 Web3 Megatrends

[28:03] What is ERC6551? AKA Programmable NFT's

[30:44] Web3 Tech We Should be Paying Attention To

[32:36] Impact of AI and Web3 on Gamer User Experience

[35:02] The Saudi Government Gets into Crypto

[38:55] Is the Apple Vision Pro a Game Changer?

[39:31] AR and VR Market Predictions

[41:01] BTC ETF and their Impact

[44:26] Regulatory Changes

[45:39] What Does Great Look Like for Crypto and Web3 in 2024?

[46:38] Closing

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong (@bernardleong, Linkedin) hosts and produces the show. Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G.Thomas Craig (@gthomascraig, LinkedIn).

Nvidia sees shares fall in extended trade with the company warning that export restrictions will seriously hamper China sales this quarter, even as overall revenue triples in Q3. Minutes from the Fed’s November FOMC meeting show officials have little appetite for rate cuts so far, but raise hopes that rate increases are now over. In crypto news. Binance boss CZ steps down and pleads guilty to money laundering charges. The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been ordered to settle $4.3 bn with U.S. authorities. Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day humanitarian pause in order to release hostages and prisoners from both sides. The U.K. eyes a raft of tax cuts ahead of today’s Autumn Statement. We are live in Westminster ahead of this afternoon’s announcement. 

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CZ steps down from Binance. Circle introduces the Bridged USDC Standard. Optimism outlines efforts for OP Stack chain compatibility. And RWA.xyz expands its directory listings.

“He is somebody who likes double or nothing coin flips – and this is basically his last coin flip.”

Since kicking off on October 3, the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried has generated headlines around the world. It’s produced hours of witness testimony and endless reams of evidence – but what do you really need to know? In this bonus episode, managing producer Megan Dean talks to reporter Tracy Wang about the biggest bombshells to hit the courtroom during the prosecution, including the “jaw-dropping” testimony of former Alameda Research CEO, Caroline Ellison. Plus, with Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyers likely to launch his defense in the coming days, we hear from federal criminal defense attorney Ken White on their potential strategy – and what could happen if Sam takes the witness stand.

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With FTX’s debts spiraling and Alameda’s books a blackhole, Sam needs to bring in more cash fast to keep the two companies afloat. But CZ has been biding his time — and he’s done tolerating Sam’s backstabbing. When CoinDesk publishes an explosive article exposing Alameda’s financials, CZ seizes the opportunity for revenge, sending shockwaves through the market and triggering panic. As investors scramble to retrieve their assets, Sam is hit with charges of wire fraud, securities fraud, and intent to defraud the U.S. government.

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Life’s a beach for Sam — he moves FTX to the Bahamas just as China starts cracking down on crypto and lands a jaw-dropping $200 million funding deal with Sequoia Capital. He attracts the backing of Wall Street financier and one-time Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci and throws a glitzy conference featuring former presidents and celebrities. But as FTX's popularity soars, financial irregularities begin to emerge, and the truth behind Sam’s empire starts to unravel.

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Sam spends hundreds of millions to buy name recognition and political influence for FTX in the U.S. — and suddenly his upstart crypto exchange is everywhere, from the Miami Heat’s arena to the halls of Congress. Football stars, models, and TV personalities endorse the FTX brand. It’s part of Sam’s plan to pitch himself as the squeaky-clean face of American crypto, in contrast to the Chinese-Canadian CZ, whom Sam paints as a foreign spy. But Sam’s got a secret. 

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Sam moves Alameda Research’s headquarters from Berkeley to Hong Kong to take advantage of the unregulated crypto market there. Caroline comes along for the ride, struggling to manage the stress of he r new job. Sam pitches investors on a new idea: a crypto exchange called FTX that will offer all kinds of risky crypto products. After all, why bet in the casino when you can own it?

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Starting his career at a secretive Wall Street firm, Sam learns to gamble and is praised for taking big risks. He embraces Effective Altruism, a movement aimed at doing “the most good,” and starts “earning to give” big donations to charity. He strikes out on his own to found a trading firm, Alameda Research, and exploit bitcoin price differences between Japan and the US — but is his origin story of immense arbitrage profits really all it’s cracked up to be? When staff quit in protest over his ethics, Sam doubles down and turns to an old friend from his Wall Street days to serve as his loyal lieutenant: Caroline Ellison.

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Two cryptocurrency titans, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, and Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, the founder of Binance, face off in an epic struggle for the soul of crypto – a battle that will result in eight felony charges and a $32 billion meltdown just a few years later. When they first meet in Singapore in 2019, Sam approaches CZ as a mentor — but soon turns on him to build wealth and political influence.

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Premieres September 19.

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Is cryptocurrency drifting from being a niche to a fad? As of late, the S.E.C. has filed charges against Binance and Coinbase for money laundering and not registering as a broker. Will these two companies be heading for the crypto junk pile to join FTX?

supporting links

1.     Majority of Americans aren’t confident in cryptocurrency [Pew Research Center]

2.     The 2023 Crypto Crime Report [Chainalysis]

3.     Cryptocurrencies in Household Finance [Michael Weber Survey] 

4.     Crypto Glossary [CoinDesk]

5.     Coinbase [Website]

6.     Coinbase [Wikipedia]

7.     Brian Armstrong/Chairman and CEO, Coinbase [Bio on Wikipedia]

8.     Binance [Website]

9.     Binance.US [Website]

10.  Binance [Wikipedia]

11.  Changpeng Zhao/Co-founder and CEO, Binance [Bio on Wikipedia]

12.  S.E.C. Chairman, Gary Gensler [Investopedia]

13.  S.E.C./Security Exchanges Commission [Wikipedia]

14.  C.F.T.C./Commodity Futures Trading Commission [Wikipedia]

15.  Now might be a good time to consider quitting crypto [VOX]

16.  The Key Points You Should Know About Cryptocurrency [GEVEO]

17.  CoinShares [Asset Manager]/Website

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