Empire

This week, Jason and Mippo sat down to discuss the Blockworks rebrand! They examine the trust problem in crypto, onchain capital markets, disclosure frameworks, industry consolidation, and Blockworks’ evolution over the years.  Enjoy!

–

Follow Blockworks: https://x.com/blockworks

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

Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:10) The Current State of Crypto

(07:08) Crypto’s Trust Problem

(09:12) Blockworks’ Solution

(12:02) The Data Behind Tokens

(17:11) Blockworks’ Evolution

(25:00) Issues With Tokens

(35:25) The Blockworks Rebrand

(39:45) Crypto Sentiment

(43:51) Closing Comments

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, Logan Jastremski joins the show to discuss his current crypto thesis in 2026. We deep dive into who wins the competition for onchain trading volume between Solana and Hyperliquid, are L1s overvalued, Logan's highest conviction bets in 2026 and more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Logan: https://x.com/LoganJastremski

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

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

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

--

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/

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:02) Logan’s Crypto Thesis in 2026

(05:30) Are L1s Overvalued?

(16:02) Solana vs Hyperliquid

(29:40) ZKsync Ad

(30:15) Why Was Hyperliquid So Successful?

(43:35) Opportunities In 2026

(50:35) The Tesla Thesis

(56:54) Can Twitter Scale To A Finance Platform

(01:02:20) Which Would You Own: BTC vs NVDA

(01:05:28) Final Thoughts

--

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 to discuss the current state of markets as the S&P hits a new all time high. We then deep dive into Tether's $150M recovery plan for Drift, Kraken's $200M raise, the impact on Microstrategy's $STRC, why have L2s underperformed and more. Enjoy!

--

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

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

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

--

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/

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:11) State of The Market

(12:40) The Hyperliquid Thesis

(25:18) ZKsync Ad

(25:52) Tether’s $150M Drift Recovery Plan

(28:17) The SEC’s New DeFi Guidance

(32:05) Microstrategy's $STRC

(34:50) Kraken Raises $200M From Deutsche Börse

(40:53) Why Have L2s Underperformed

(53:19) Content of The Week

--

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, Adrian Cachinero Vasiljevic & Luca Prosperi join the show to discuss what's next for DeFi in 2026. We deep dive into why are rates so low in DeFi today, how to mitigate risk, the growth of stablecoins, the fallout from Drift's exploit, the opportunity for prediction markets and more. Enjoy!

--

Follow Adrian: https://x.com/adcv_

Follow Luca: https://x.com/LucaProsperi

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

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

--

Referenced in the show:

https://kitchen.steakhouse.financial/

# 68 | The Physics of On-Chain Lending (I): https://dirtroads.substack.com/p/68-the-physics-of-on-chain-lending?triedRedirect=true

--

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/

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:42) Why Are Rates in DeFi So Low?

(16:32) The Physics of Onchain Lending

(24:33) ZKsync Ad

(25:16) The Biggest Risk In DeFi Today

(52:58) What’s Next For DeFi In 2026 & Beyond?

(01:02:18) How To Mitigate Risk In DeFi

(01:09:43) Fallout From Drift’s $280M Exploit

(01:15:15) Prediction Markets

(01:19:52) What's Exciting In Crypto Today?

--

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 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!

--

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

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

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

--

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/

--

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

--

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.