Empire

This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the biggest problem within DeFi today. We then deep dive into Anthropic's announcement of Mythos, the state of crypto fundraising, the biggest winners in crypto today, are we buying the dip and more. Enjoy!

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:32) Why Is DeFi Unattractive?

(26:45) ZKsync, Blockworks IR

(28:16) Anthropic Announces Mythos

(49:46) What’s Happening In Crypto Fundraising?

(57:34) The Biggest Winners in Crypto Today

(01:04:45) Are We Buying The Dip?

(01:13:35) 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 ceasefire in Iran and how it could impact markets going forward. We then deep dive into the 2026 IPO window, is AI a bubble, the fallout of Drift's $280M exploit, Polymarkets recent announcement and more. Enjoy!

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To stay up to date with future Hivemind episodes:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Delphi_Digital

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hivemind/id1704667885

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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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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:50) State of The Market

(09:53) Finding Opportunities In Crypto

(15:15) Is AI In a Bubble?

(26:35) The Return of Active Investing

(37:42) Prediction Markets

(51:40) The Drift Exploit Fallout

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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.

This week, Charles Cascarilla joins the show to discuss the current state of crypto and the future of Paxos. We deep dive into Paxos’ origin story and business model, the growth of stablecoin payments, whether Paxos may look to IPO in 2027, Charles' advice for founders and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Charles: https://x.com/chadcascarilla

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

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

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ZKsync is the Bank Stack of Ethereum. It is a network of chains secured by cryptography, not validators. Its cutting-edge ZK innovation enables the privacy, performance and connectivity that businesses need to thrive in the digital assets economy.

To find out more visit: https://www.zksync.io/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:03) The State of Crypto Today

(22:24) How To Fix The U.S Debt Problem

(32:24) ZKsync Ad, Blockworks IR

(33:56) Behind The Paxos Business Model

(43:32) Why Binance’s $BUSD Would Have Been The Largest Stablecoin

(50:12) The GENIUS Act & The Global Dollar Network

(59:46) Agentic Payments

(01:05:32) Will Paxos IPO?

(01:17:06) Advice For Founders

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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.

Making Tokenization a Reality: Bringing Assets Onchain

Speakers: Samara Cohen, Jason Yanowitz

This is a panel from DAS New York 2026. To explore more Blockworks events, visit blockworks.co/events

Inside Western Union's Stablecoin Fueled Future

Speakers: Jason Yanowitz, Devin McGranahan

This is a panel from DAS New York 2026. To explore more Blockworks events, visit blockworks.co/events