Empire

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

This week, we’re back with another roundup covering whether it’s time to buy the dip, crypto’s VC mass extinction event, the state of secondary markets, Drift’s $280M exploit, Bitcoin’s quantum threat and more. Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

(05:34) Time To Buy The Dip?

(10:42) Crypto’s VC Mass Extinction Event

(23:55) Crypto's Token Reset

(39:25) ZKsync Ad

(40:07) Blockworks Investor Relations

(40:58) Drift Exploited For $280M

(59:28) Bitcoin's Quantum Threat

(01:10:18) 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, Dmitry Tokarev joins the show to discuss how he built one of crypto's largest institutional custody platforms. We deep dive into the Copper origin story, what's broken with crypto custody today, Dmitry's new venture (Bron) and more. Enjoy!

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Follow Dmitry: https://x.com/tokarev_d

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

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(05:14) The Copper Origin Story

(14:55) How To Scale a Company

(19:07) ZKsync Ad

(19:50) Blockworks Investor Relations

(20:40) Building Bron: How To Fix Crypto Custody

(34:18) Why Bron Is Launching a Token

(43:10) Lessons Learned From Fundraising

(48:35) What To Own 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.