The Gwart Show | Blockspace Media

Jake Chervinsky, CEO of the Hyperliquid Policy Center, joins us to talk about the critical mission of advocating for American access to decentralized markets. We dive deep into the limitations of the Commodity Exchange Act, the challenges of KYC in a permissionless world, and the evolving relationship between the SEC and CFTC. Jake explains why the current regulatory framework fails DeFi and how a new approach to licensing or exemptions could finally allow US traders to access products like Hyperliquid perps legally. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes: • HPC launched in mid-February 2024. 
 • CEA assumes centra...

Chris Bae Founder of Enhanced Digital Group, and Rory Murray, Director of Digital Asset Management at CleanSpark, join us to talk about the professionalization of the Bitcoin mining industry. From managing $40 billion at UBS to overseeing 13,300 BTC at CleanSpark, Rory & Chris break down the three regimes of mining evolution: Wildcat, Market Share, and the current Margin era. We explore why the "Texas Hedge" is failing, how miners use options to manage risk, and why the next frontier for hashrate is AI data centers. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** * CleanSpark holds ~13,300 BTC * Chris Ray formerly managed $40...

Nick Forster, CEO of Derive joins us to talk about his journey from trading equity options at SIG to building the leading decentralized options platform. Nick talks the shift from AMMs to app chains and why institutional liquidity is moving on-chain. Nick explains Derive's strategy of 'exporting' complex derivatives to 7+ chains and why on-chain transparency is the only fix for centralized OTC risks. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Captured 90% of on-chain options market share. * Traditional AMMs yielded 5-10% annually initially. * RFQ for institutional liquidity. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:19 Nick's background 01:20 History of Options 04:15 The journey toward an...

Noah Goldberg, Partner at Theia Research, talks about the shifting dynamics of the crypto market in 2025. We chat about why crypto funds are facing attrition, the "Spac-like" collapse of recent projects, and the pivot toward fintech rails. Noah breaks down the fundamentals of Hyperliquid, the reality of token overhang, and the challenges for venture capital in an environment of compressed returns.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

→ Funds should be up 50% annualized in 2023-24

→ Binance TGE tokens down 80-90% after 90 days

→...

Dean Eigenmann, Co-Founder of Market Start Inc, joins us to talk about the massive shift in crypto market dynamics. Dean explains his transition from the "closeted" world of MEV trading to launching a liquid-focused fund. We discuss why venture capital overhang has left the market without marginal buyers and why "crypto mullets" are the future of critical infrastructure. Dean also breaks down the math behind token buybacks, comparing the success of Hyperliquid to the struggles of Helium and Jupiter. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: → Tokens should be equity → Hyperliquid 11 employees → Jane Street conspiracy Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:28 Pivoti...

Zack Shapiro, Head of Policy at the Bitcoin Policy Institute and Founder of Rains, joins us to talk about the shifting landscape of crypto regulation under the Trump administration. We discuss why the CLARITY Act is in limbo, the "Defi mullet" and the legal challenges facing AI agents. Zack gives a behind-the-scenes look at the banking lobby's war on stablecoin yields and evaluates the progress of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

* Banks lobbied for 1:1 yield ban.

* Coinbase...

Kevin and Mitchell, Co-Founders of Sierra, talk about how their backgrounds in central banking and liquid funds led them to build a next-generation stablecoin protocol. We chat about the mechanics of yield, the regulatory landscape for platforms like Polymarket, and why the current shift in crypto is moving toward lean, efficient fintech models.

Notes:

* 95% to 100% of capital earns yield

* Money market yields currently 2-3%

* Industry shift to fintech and robotics

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00:44 Mitchell's background

02:11 Kevin's background

Tyler Whittle, Head of Product at Project 11 , joins us to talk about the intersection of quantum hardware and cryptographic security. He explains why current encryption like RSA and ECC are vulnerable , the progress made by Google’s Willow in noise reduction , and the specific NIST timelines for 2035. Tyler says the industry can prepare for Q-Day with new standards and why the transition is a race against time for global financial privacy and the Bitcoin network.

Notes:

* NIST says to deprecate classical crypto by 2035.

* Google Willow reduces noise as...

David Hoffman, Podcaster at Bankless, joins us to talk about the evolution of crypto from a naive 2017 dream to the harsh reality of 2026. We dive into the "blockchain, not Bitcoin" rebirth, the death of Discord-led communities, and why Wall Street's tokenization is missing the point. David shares his excitement for AI-driven capital markets, the innovative app ecosystem on MegaETH, and why his portfolio remains heavily weighted in ETH despite the nihilistic market sentiment.

Notes:

* Ryan Sean Adams took a 3-month sabbatical.

* David Hoffman's portfolio is still mostly ETH.

...

Lucas & Hersch from World Markets joins us to break down why crypto trading infrastructure is fundamentally broken: how fully onchain order books, unified risk engines, and capital-efficient design could reshape perps trading.

Chapters:

0:02 Intro & guest background

1:28 From exchanges to hedge funds

3:26 Monad vs MegaETH decision

5:00 Why L2s beat L1s for trading

6:49 DeFi security flaws explained

10:29 How onchain traders find alpha

18:01 What World Markets actually is

21:59 1010 Crash explained

28:13 Why centralized exchanges fail

47:48 The 50...

David Hoffman, Podcaster at Bankless, joins us to talk about the evolution of crypto from a naive 2017 dream to the harsh reality of 2026. We dive into the "blockchain, not Bitcoin" rebirth, the death of Discord-led communities, and why Wall Street's tokenization is missing the point. David shares his excitement for AI-driven capital markets, the innovative app ecosystem on MegaETH, and why his portfolio remains heavily weighted in ETH despite the nihilistic market sentiment. Notes: * Ryan Sean Adams took a 3-month sabbatical. * David Hoffman's portfolio is still mostly ETH. * Bankless VC fund downsized to 15-20 checks. * China is aggressively increasing...

Max Resnick, Lead Economist at Anza, joins Gwart to talk about optimizing Solana for financial markets. He discusses the shift from Ethereum, the mechanics of MCP to stop censorship, and how "ACE" (Application Control Execution) empowers apps. Max discusses dominance of Prop AMMs, the controversy around block packing, and how Solana plans to compete with Hyperliquid in the perp market.

Notes:

- Binance retail fee is ~10 basis points
- Prop AMM execution gap up to 10 bps
- Humidify quotes 0.1 bps spreads

Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:28 ...

Bitcoin developer Brandon Black (ReardenCode) analyzes the reality of the quantum computing threat to Bitcoin. He explains the timeline for potential encryption breaks and why the sky isn't falling just yet. Brandon explains proposed solutions like BIP 360 and OP_CAT, and we debate whether Satoshi's stash will eventually be stolen or confiscated.

Notes:

* RSA keys moved from 1024 to 4096 bits

* 2-3k logical qubits needed to break ECC

* Logical qubits need 99.999% accuracy

* Biggest quantum factored number is ~15.

* BIP 360 new BC1Z address type.

Timestamps:

00:00 ...

Vladimir Novakovski, CEO of Lighter, explains their pivot from AI to a high-speed DEX. He addresses the controversy behind their zero-fee model and how ZK circuits ensure verifiability. Vlad says they're surprised at the success of Forex on Lighter, future plans for options and fixed income, and addresses community questions about token value and equity rights.

Notes:
- Spent 18 months building tech stack
- 1,000+ trading shops in contact with Lighter
- Polymarket has "pretty efficient" pricing

Timestamps:
00:00    Start
00:35    Surprises of success
02:50    Winning Perp DEX Season
06:30    Regulations
1...

Ruslan Fakhrutdinov from Extended Perp Exchange talks about building a unified margin across perps, vaults & yield, spot, and an integrated lending market. He explains critical components for a trustless perp DEX such as self-custody and on-chain solvency checks. Ruslan shares his experience with user acquisition programs, the total cost of execution vs. zero fees, and Extended's transparent fee model. We also discuss gauging sustainable product market fit in a post-airdrop environment and the roadmap for cross-asset collateral.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:
* Perp DEX market share grew 15-20%
* Vault e...

Zcash cofounder Ian Miers discusses zero-knowledge proofs, why Bitcoin's public ledger creates massive privacy problems, how SNARKs enable trust without exposure, quantum computing threats to cryptocurrency, identity and reputation systems, and why a blockchain needs privacy to function as actual money.

Notes:
• Zcash launched as first industrial zero-knowledge proof application
• Zero Coin published 2013 (before Ethereum or SNARKs existed)
• Quantum computers need thousands of qubits to break RSA
• Blockchain transparency makes Bitcoin "Twitter for bank accounts"

Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:19 What's Ian up to?
01:25 Creating Zcash
05:59 Why ZK tech is a big de...

Keone Han and Kevin McCormick from Monad Foundation join us to talk about their upcoming mainnet launch on November 24th, why building quality infrastructure takes years not months, their unique Momentum grants program that prioritizes user acquisition costs and retention over vanity metrics like TVL, and how to maintain team focus when crypto Twitter operates on a two-day attention span.Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

• Monad mainnet launches November 24, 2025

• Momentum grants focus on cost-per-user acquisition

• Team values long-term building over quick releases

• Testnet ecosystem includes 15+ applicat...

Annanay Kapila, CEO & Founder of QFEX, joins us to talk about his journey from high-frequency trading at Flow Traders and Tower to building a revolutionary exchange platform. We discuss how crypto market structure solves traditional finance inefficiencies, his Y Combinator experience, regulatory strategy, 100X leverage mechanics, prediction markets, and why sports betting actually works. Launching December 2025. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Tower did half of all major exchange volume • QFEX raised funding through Y Combinator • YC takes 7% equity for $125K investment • Bitcoin trades at 100X leverage on exchanges • S&P futures limited to 10X leverage • QFEX waitlis...

Kaledora Linn, Co-Founder at Ostium, joins us to talk about revolutionizing onchain trading by bringing traditional finance assets like stocks, commodities, and FX to DeFi through perpetual contracts. We explore why perps are superior to tokenization for trading, the evolution from single-asset to cross-asset platforms, how macro news drives modern volatility, capital efficiency challenges, and why retail traders prefer perps over options. Plus institutional use cases and the future of "perpification." Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Ostium offers up to 200:1 leverage • Mirror had billions in open interest on stocks • Synthetix was heavily over-collateralized with SNX • Perps do...

DeFi Dave, Head of Growth at Cap Money, joins us to talk about how Cap found product-market fit for restaking. Dave breaks down Cap's three-sided marketplace connecting stablecoin users, market makers (operators), and risk takers. Operators access undercollateralized loans backed by restaked ETH/BTC, paying 8-11% to beat their strategies. If they fail, risk takers eat the loss—users stay protected. We also dive into lore building, why most restaking hype was overblown, and how Cap brings Wall Street on-chain. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: - Cap has $15-20M currently lent to operators - Op...

Gordon Liao, Head of Research at Circle, discusses the explosive growth of USDC to a $50 billion market cap. Gordon also explains how stablecoins are revolutionizing cross-border payments, the regulatory landscape shaping crypto, Circle's strategic IPO timing, and why blockchain-based payment rails will disrupt tradfi.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

• USDC reaches $50B market cap

• Cross-border payments cost 6-7% traditionally

• Stablecoins settle transactions in seconds

• PayPal launched PYUSD competitor

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00...

Austin Federa, founder of Double Zero, joins us to talk about building a new internet optimized for blockchain. We dive into how Double Zero uses private fiber networks from trading firms like Jump to reduce jitter and latency for validators, why proof-of-utility beats proof-of-stake for infrastructure, how they secured a rare SEC no-action letter, and the wild token launch that had everyone screaming online.Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com# Notes:• Double Zero has 30% of Solana validators connected• Network has $23 billion in total connected value• Validators pay 5% of block rewards as fees• 50% of revenue is burned, 50% to fiber co...

Facundo Werning, former Tether country manager for Latin America and now at Agora, joins us to talk about his journey from Argentine policy work to the front lines of the stablecoin wars. We dive deep into how stablecoins actually work in emerging markets, why Agora is positioning itself as the credibly neutral alternative to Tether and Circle, the real state of crypto adoption in Argentina, and why traditional banks are about to get completely upended.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

NOTES:

• Argentina has more US cash per ca...

James Christoph explains why MicroStrategy can't be replicated, DATs are doomed, and crypto markets are more efficient than people think. Plus: Celestia's inflation problem, Ethena's systemic risks, and why Hyperliquid nailed their stablecoin strategy. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com NOTES: • MicroStrategy's structure makes it impossible to blow up • DATs trading at discounts lack restart mechanisms • Ethereum staking yields ~40 bps after inflation/taxes • Celestia's inflation driving price toward zero • Ethena's depeg could trigger cascade in Pendle/Aave • Hyperliquid has ~$10B USDC bridged, negotiating revenue split
Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:27 Who is James Christoph? 00:49 Solana treasury companies 04:18 Tom Lee memory hole ...

Mallesh, formerly Special Mechanisms Group and Rice University joins us to talk about his move to Tempo, Stripe's new payments-first blockchain.We dive into why they built another L1, multi-stablecoin architecture, MEV challenges in payments, with credible neutrality Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Tempo is designed for fast finality payments • Stablecoin agnostic w/ AMM • Reserved block space for payment txns • Cross-border wire transfers are still broken for traditional systems Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:25 Who is Mallesh? 01:50 Special Mechanisms Group 03:49 Consensys

05:34 Tempo 08:14 Advantages of Tempo 10:36 Specific Tempo designs 13:58 Fungible stablecoins 14:44 Tether & economies of scale 18:14 Validator set 22:45 Payments...

Malesh, formerly Special Mechanisms Group and Rice University joins us to talk about his move to Tempo, Stripe's new payments-first blockchain.We dive into why they built another L1, multi-stablecoin architecture, MEV challenges in payments, with credible neutrality

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

• Tempo is designed for fast finality payments

• Stablecoin agnostic w/ AMM

• Reserved block space for payment txns

• Cross-border wire transfers are still broken for traditional systems

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00:25 Who is Malesh?

01:50 Special Mechanis...

Eric Yakes, venture capitalist at Epoch Ventures, joins us to talk about Bitcoin's path from digital gold to banking system integration. We dive deep into his 130-page report on Bitcoin banking, stablecoin dynamics as Trojan horses for Bitcoin adoption, and why he believes we're heading toward a hybrid financial system that bridges traditional finance with crypto innovation. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com NOTES: • Bitcoin lending market could 4x from 50 to 200 basis points • Trading volumes may increase 17x in next 5 years • Tether holds about 5% of reserves in Bitcoin • Bitcoin could reach $100 trillion market cap • SAB 121 repeal opens banks to c...

Rory Murray, Director of Digital Asset Management at Cleanspark, joins us to discuss his journey from global macro investing to leading Bitcoin mining operations, the Griid acquisition, cost structures, hedging strategies, and how the business is evolving into a hybrid energy‑finance powerhouse. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: Clean Spark: “America’s Bitcoin miner” Margins shrink toward zero over cycles Hedging via covered calls at $65K Power contracts lock in multi‑million deals Bitcoin used as collateral for loans Goal: monetize megawatts, not just hash Timestamps: 00:00 Start 04:38 GRIID role 14:36 Managing BTC treasury 20:21 HODL strategy 24:09 Ellipsis Labs 25:10 Min...

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce joins us to talk about the evolving crypto regulatory landscape—from the Clarity Act and the Howey test to protocol ownership, governance tokens, and the challenges of MEV. She shares insider perspectives on market‑structure bills, self‑custody, and what regulators really care about in decentralized finance. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: Fit‑21 introduced market‑structure framework. Clarity Act pending in House & Senate. SEC can use existing authority for interim rules. Token offerings lack suitable registration exemptions. Governance tokens may or may not be securities. MEV remains a regulatory gray area. Timestamps: ...

Anatoly from Solana joins us to talk about the recently launched Seeker phone and its strategy to break Apple/Google's 30% monopoly through crypto-native distribution. We dive deep into Hyperliquid's centralized matching engine vs Solana's decentralized approach, Bitcoin as digital gold vs investment, the meme coin phenomenon, and why hardware might be key to building alternative app ecosystems. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com NOTES: • Seeker sold 150K units targeting crypto users • Apple/Google charge 3000 basis points (30%) • Spreads dropped from 5bp to sub-2bp in a year • Hyperliquid has 30K daily active traders • Bitcoin works same at $10K or $100K p...

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Benedict Brady, former quant trader and founder of Meridian joins us to talk about Solana's dark pool ecosystem, Jupiter's market dominance, the move from traditional AMMs to sophisticated trading infrastructure, MEV wars, and how his AI-powered trading assistant is changing crypto trading interfaces.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00:19 Benedict intro

02:32 Solana focused work

05:14 Solana market evolution

13:03 RFQ vs Dark AMM

15:24 Partial RFQ Fills

17:17 Dark AMMs in practice

19:58 Define "Dark"

23:46 ...

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Alex B from Ark Labs joins us to talk about the Ark protocol and Arkade implementation - a Bitcoin layer 2 that uses transaction batching and virtual UTXOs to scale Bitcoin beyond Lightning. We explore how Ark competes with roll-ups, enables Bitcoin capital markets, and could transform Lightning's UX while maintaining self-custody. Alex explains the technical innovations, use cases from payments to lending, and why this could be Bitcoin's answer to Ethereum's scaling solutions.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

NOTES:<...

Felix Jauvin, Macro Economist and host of Forward Guidance podcast, joins us to talk about the regime shift from monetary to fiscal dominance, why Bitcoin and risk assets are hitting all-time highs despite high interest rates, the treasury company revolution led by MicroStrategy, and why "hyper gambling your way to wealth" has become a rational strategy in our current economic environment. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** • US running 7% GDP deficit during full employment • Bitcoin at ATH despite 5% interest rates • MicroStrategy's 0% coupon convertible bonds • Stablecoins can't pass yield to holders • Treasury companies trading above NAV • Fiscal dominance re...

FILL OUT THE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Josh Lim from FalconX joins us to talk about the massive boom in corporate crypto treasury vehicles. We talk about how these deals work, from management teams and investment bankers structuring vehicles to raise capital, to the 45-60 day liquidity windows and 2-6x NAV premiums investors are seeing. Josh explains the Michael Saylor playbook, yield strategies, and whether this trend is sustainable or headed for a crash.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

• Tr...

FILL OUT THE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Christopher Goes, early Ethereum contributor and IBC protocol creator, joins us to talk about why Ethereum failed as a world computer, the organizational chaos at Cosmos (including a CEO who declared himself Jesus), privacy solutions like Narmada, intent-based systems, and how crypto shifted from idealistic public goods to pure attention-driven capitalism.

Follow our guest on Twitter! @cwgoes

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Notes:

• Co...

FILL OUT THE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Carl Dong, founder of Obscura VPN and former Bitcoin Core developer at Chain Code Labs, joins us to talk about his transition from Bitcoin development to building privacy infrastructure. We discuss his work on reproducible builds, supply chain security, the funding dynamics of Bitcoin development, and why he created the first multi-hop VPN that eliminates single points of trust.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

01:09 Carl's professional background

02:54 Personal...

FILL OUT THE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Robert Chang, crypto trader and prolific Twitter shitposter, joins us to talk about his wild ride through crypto's highs and lows - from being a Luna lunatic to losing everything on Hyperliquid, navigating AI agent metas, getting rugged by VCs stealing his ideas, and why internet capital markets might just be elaborate poker chips with better marketing.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

• Luna looping strategy led to total account loss

• Hyperliquid refunded liquidation due to o...

FILL OUT THE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Doug Colkitt, co-founder of Fogo and Ambient Finance joins us to talk about building the fastest Solana-based blockchain for trading. Doug explains why order books are winning over AMMs, how Fogo's 21-validator set enables 40ms blocks, and why verifiability matters more than full decentralization for perp DEXs.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00:13 Doug history

02:28 What is Fogo?

02:53 ...

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Liam from Through (formerly Fire Dancer engineer) joins us to talk about building a high-performance L1 blockchain from scratch. We dive into why Solana has structural limitations, his leaderless consensus design, proof-of-burn mechanisms, and why economic security is overrated. Plus takes on trading, Fire Dancer's progress, and the future of DeFi.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

NOTES:

• Fire Dancer has ~10% of Solana network

• Through team is only 5 people currently

• Testnet launching in 1-2 months timeline

• SDK support targetin...

Welcome back to The Gwart Show! Today, Bitcoiner Post Capone joins us to talk about the risks of OP_CAT activation, MEV extraction concerns on Bitcoin, how increased expressivity could lead to mining centralization, the promise of scaling solutions like Arc and Spark, and why constrained covenants like CTV might be a better path forward than unlimited expressivity.

Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00:27 Who is Post Capone?

03:05 OP_CAT

07:11 Erosion of MEV

11:29 Expressivity of OP_CAT

20:56 Execution on...