Empire

This week, Bryan Pellegrino and Raz Zarick from LayerZero join the show to discuss Zero, the 100x breakthrough in blockchain architecture. We deep dive into the Zero origin story, the roadmap for 2026, LayerZero's ultimate vision, how to build a moat in crypto, hiring top talent and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Bryan: https://x.com/PrimordialAA

Follow Raz: https://x.com/ryanzarick

Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod

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Coinbase crypto-backed loans, powered by Morpho, enable you to take out loans at competitive rates using crypto as collateral. Rates are typically 4% to 8%. Borrow up to $5M using BTC as collateral and up to $1M using ETH as collateral.



Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here:

https://www.coinbase.com/onchain/borrow/get-started?utm_campaign=0126_defi-borrow_blockworks_empire&marketId=0x9103c3b4e834476c9a62ea009ba2c884ee42e94e6e314a26f04d312434191836&utm_source=empire

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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in New York City this March! Follow the link below to grab your ticket, and use code EMPIRE200 to get $200 off your ticket!



https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-nyc-2026

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:53) The Zero Origin Story

(13:55) Zero's 100x Breakthrough

(22:10) Achieving 2 Million TPS

(32:29) Coinbase Ad

(33:14) DAS Plug

(33:40) How To Build A Moat In Crypto?

(48:05) LayerZero’s Ultimate Vision

(57:37) The Impact of AI

(01:06:25) Zero’s Roadmap In 2026

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, we're back with another weekly roundup where Rob walks us through Dragonfly's most recent $650M raise. We deep dive into the state of crypto VC, what allocators look for when deploying into crypto, whether tokens are investable in 2026, if Base will launch a token, and more. Enjoy.

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Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM

Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire:https://x.com/theempirepod

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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in New York City this March! Follow the link below to grab your ticket, and use code EMPIRE200 to get $200 off your ticket!

https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-nyc-2026

--

Coinbase crypto-backed loans, powered by Morpho, enable you to take out loans at competitive rates using crypto as collateral. Rates are typically 4% to 8%. Borrow up to $5M using BTC as collateral and up to $1M using ETH as collateral.



Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here:

https://www.coinbase.com/onchain/borrow/get-started?utm_campaign=0126_defi-borrow_blockworks_empire&marketId=0x9103c3b4e834476c9a62ea009ba2c884ee42e94e6e314a26f04d312434191836&utm_source=empire

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:47) Inside Dragonfly’s $650M Raise

(10:57) The State of Crypto VC

(30:19) Coinbase Ad

(31:03) DAS Plug

(31:28) Are Tokens Investable?

(40:54) Will Base Launch A Token?

(45:23) Hyperliquid’s Policy Center

(48:55) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

This week, the Hivemind team breaks down the current market chop as equities trade sideways and crypto tries to hold on after a huge downturn. We deep dive into whether we’ve finally bottomed, reasons to be optimistic, AI’s impact on markets, Aave’s value accrual, and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Ceteris: ⁠https://x.com/ceterispar1bus⁠

Follow Jason: ⁠https://x.com/3xliquidated⁠

Follow Yan: https://x.com/YanLiberman

Follow Flip: https://x.com/trevor_flipper

Follow Empire: ⁠https://x.com/theempirepod⁠

Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/4jYEkBx⁠

Subscribe on Apple: ⁠https://bit.ly/3ECSmJ3⁠

Subscribe on Spotify: ⁠https://bit.ly/4hzy9lH⁠

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Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: ⁠https://blockworks.co/newsletter/⁠

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(00:00) Introduction

(01:24) Market Outlook

(18:54) AI’s Impact on Markets

(27:18) Reasons To Be Optimistic In 2026

(36:20) Aave’s Value Accrual

(45:28) Base, Zora & Pair Trades

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, the Hivemind team, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In the Quadrillions finale, we map the power shift from crypto building parallel markets to institutions integrating onchain rails into traditional finance. With Ribbit Capital’s Nick Shalek, and Goldman’s Mathew McDermott, we break down why the last wave of adoption stalled, why distribution beats ideology, and how networks like Canton are building from the inside out. This is the blueprint for “The New Wall Street.”

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Follow Canton: https://x.com/CantonNetwork

Follow Nick: https://x.com/nshalek

Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

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Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction

(1:37) Ribbit Capital's Tokenization Letter

(4:22) FinTech Companies Moving Onchain & Institutional Adoption

(15:01) Crypto at Goldman Sachs Today

(17:53) What Held Crypto Back?

(20:33) What Canton Brings to the Market

(29:25) Crypto's Institutional Pitch

(33:14) Permissioned and Permissionless Chains Are Symbiotic

(39:23) Closing Comments

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Disclaimer: “Quadrillions” is a mini-series produced by Blockworks, and is sponsored by Canton Network. Nothing on this show is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. It’s for informational purposes only, and the views expressed by anyone on the show are solely their opinions, not financial advice or necessarily the views of Blockworks.

Our hosts, guests, and the Blockworks team may hold positions in companies, funds, or projects discussed, including those related to Canton Network.

This week, Brett DiNovi and Lei Yang join the show to discuss the path forward for L2s. We deep dive into why we need L2s, MegaETH's 2026 roadmap, how to build a successful ecosystem, lessons learned from building MegaETH, and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Brett: https://x.com/bread_

Follow Lei: https://x.com/yangl1996

Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod

--

Coinbase crypto-backed loans, powered by Morpho, enable you to take out loans at competitive rates using crypto as collateral. Rates are typically 4% to 8%. Borrow up to $5M using BTC as collateral and up to $1M using ETH as collateral.



Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here:

https://www.coinbase.com/onchain/borrow/get-started?utm_campaign=0126_defi-borrow_blockworks_empire&marketId=0x9103c3b4e834476c9a62ea009ba2c884ee42e94e6e314a26f04d312434191836&utm_source=empire

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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in New York City this March! Follow the link below to grab your ticket, and use code EMPIRE200 to get $200 off your ticket!

https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-nyc-2026

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:57) Vitalik’s Post On L2s

(05:30) Do We Need L2s?

(11:52) What’s MegaETHs Moat?

(29:00) Ethereum’s Security Value

(33:53) Coinbase Ad

(34:38) DAS plug

(35:03) Value Accrual & What's Next For MegaETH?

(51:49) How To Build An Ecosystem?

(1:09:14) Lessons Learned From Building MegaETH

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.