How Bridge Got Bought by Stripe, Soneium’s Controversial Launch, and More!
This week on Unchained: Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams on the $1.1B Stripe acquisition, Soneium co-developer Sota Watanabe on why they blacklisted memecoins. Plus, episodes of B+B and TCB.
How New Stablecoin Startup Bridge Got Acquired by Stripe for $1.1 Billion
Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams shares the story of how his dream of working with Stripe came true, how Bridge survived the black eyes of Terra/Luna and the USDC depegging, and why U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins will remain dominant.
In October, the crypto industry saw a jaw-dropping acquisition: Bridge, a stablecoin-focused company, was bought by Web2 payments giant Stripe for $1.1 billion.
Now, three months later, Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams opens up about the wild journey that led to this moment, from navigating collapses like Terra’s UST and USDC’s depegging, to securing compliance and fraud prevention as core priorities.
Zach also delves into his vision for the future of stablecoins, whether the U.S. dollar will continue to dominate, and why global financial infrastructure needs an upgrade.
Plus, he recounts how timing and resilience helped Bridge stand out amidst massive industry challenges.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Why Sony Launched Soneium, an Ethereum L2, and Blacklisted Some Memecoins
This week, Sony launched Soneium, an Ethereum layer 2 aimed at supporting creators, fans, and developers—but its decision to blacklist certain memecoins sparked debate. Co-developer Sota Watanabe explains.
This week, Sony launched the mainnet for Soneium, its Ethereum layer 2 blockchain built on the OP Stack from Optimism. Soneium is designed to support creators, developers, and fans through tools like Sony’s NFT-based Fan Marketing Platform and Soneium Spark.
However, Soneium’s launch has sparked controversy. Its decision to blacklist some memecoins—over intellectual property concerns—has raised questions about the balance between decentralization and protecting creators’ rights. Even Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin weighed in, highlighting the tradeoffs businesses face in Web3.
In this episode, Sota Watanabe, director of Soneium, delves into the memecoin controversy, and explains the vision for the platform, their commitment to IP protection, and what’s next for Soneium in entertainment and finance.
Plus, at the end of the episode, Laura speaks to Ari Gore, head of communications at Zengo Wallet, about protecting your private keys and your cryptocurrencies from natural disasters.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Bits + Bips: AI Jobs Wipeout, Bitcoin as a Risk-Off Asset and Few Rate Cuts
What do Tether’s move to El Salvador, bitcoin’s role in sovereign reserves, and Coinbase’s major SEC victory reveal about the future of crypto—especially under a second Trump presidency?
This week, Bloomberg’s James Seyffart, Lumida’s Ram Ahluwalia, and guest Tom Dunleavy explore whether the “Fed pivot” is officially dead, how AI will impact the job market, and what Tether’s move to El Salvador means for U.S. stablecoin policy.
They also debate whether bitcoin could ever be a risk-off asset, how sovereign nations might already be accumulating BTC, and what the Coinbase legal win against the SEC signals for the future.
Plus, why volatility is still king in crypto and what lies ahead for the global markets.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
The Chopping Block w/ Guy Young: Lessons from USD0, Ethena’s Bold Vision, and DeFi’s Future
DeFi Drama & Dangers: USD0, Ethena’s Ascent, & Crypto’s Future w/ Guy Young
Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we’re joined by Guy Young, CEO and founder of Ethena Labs, to break down the hard truths behind DeFi’s most recent chaos. We dive into the USD0++ depeg and its ripple effects across the ecosystem, exploring what went wrong and the critical lessons for the future of stable assets. Plus, we discuss Ethena’s meteoric rise, Guy’s vision for synthetic dollars, and how innovative yield strategies are reshaping DeFi. Stay tuned as we debate, analyze, and uncover the hidden forces shaping crypto today.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
On Unregulated:
In Case You Missed It 👀
Here are some articles you will probably want to read:
Ethereum Accounts to Post on Social Media More After Criticism
The handle Ethereum will be used as a general account to share updates about the network, while EthereumFndn will focus on sharing specific announcements regarding the nonprofit, such as grants and disclosures for treasury movements.
Crypto Traders Smell Market Recovery as FARTCOIN Rises
Returning to a $1 billion market capitalization, the price of FARTCOIN, an AI memecoin, is largely impacted by its liquidity levels on decentralized exchange Raydium.
Jupiter Announces Details of Its Upcoming Airdrop of $575 Million Worth of JUP Tokens
Out of a total 700 Million JUP tokens to be distributed, 440 million tokens have been earmarked for users, 60 million JUP to stakers, and the remaining for growth campaigns to expand the user base.
Solana’s Inflation Rate Could Drop Under Multicoin Proposal
Solana’s current emissions mechanism is fixed, but if the proposal is enacted the network’s emissions rate would be variable, adjusting to market dynamics.
Ondo Is About to Unlock 34% More Tokens That Its Current $1.8 Billion Market Cap
The unlock of 1.9 billion previously restricted ONDO tokens is split between three allocations: ecosystem growth, protocol development, and private sales, according to Tokenomist.
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