Crypto Insiders, Pokémon Cards, the Bull Case for DATs, and More!

Good Saturday! Here’s what we unpacked this week on Unchained:

• 🕵️ Insiders Dumping on Retail – Bubblemaps reveals how political and celebrity tokens are gamed from day one.

• 🎴 Pokémon onchain – Collector Crypt explains how trading cards became a $100 billion crypto opportunity.

• 📊 DATs vs ETFs – Bits + Bips breaks down why DATs might be crypto’s most powerful new product.

• 🗞️ The Chopping Block: Trump’s $22B Gold Paper – Buybacks, garbage coins, and political tokens under the microscope.

How Crypto Insiders Are Sidestepping the Law to Dump on Retail

One-sided LPs, leaked tips, unclear laws—are insiders gaming the system in plain sight?

Behind some of the biggest token launches of the past year — from Trump’s $TRUMP coin to the recent Kanye West’s $YZY, to the collapse of $LIBRA and this week’s launch of $WLFI — the same insider names keep popping up.

In this episode, Bubblemaps CEO Nicolas Vaiman explains how figures like Hayden Davis of Kelsier Ventures, celebrity promoter Sahil Arora, Naseem, and even Justin Sun have profited from chaotic launches.

We dig into the mechanics of insider “snipes,” one-sided LPs that hide selling, and why celebrity and political tokens so often collapse right after launch.

Finally, Nick asks: if “no one is coming to save us,” what real protections can the industry build?

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Why Pokémon Cards Are Better Onchain (and How to Trade Them)

Last week’s launch of CARDS sparked a flurry of trading in Pokémon cards onchain. The CEO of Collector Crypt explains why trading card games are poised to break out.

Pokémon cards are no longer just collectibles stuffed in a binder. They’re becoming liquid, tradable assets onchain.

In this episode, Collector Crypt CEO Tuom Holmberg and Bitwise’s Danny Nelson explain how the project is reimagining the $100 billion trading card industry. From slashing eBay’s 13% fees to near-zero, to solving decades-old authentication problems with vaulting and NFTs, to launching a token that surged 700% in weeks, Collector Crypt is pushing trading cards into crypto rails.

We also explore whether this is the start of a “Polymarket moment” for collectibles, how these cards could be used in DeFi, and if mainstream investors might soon allocate to Pokémon decks alongside BTC and ETH.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Bits + Bips: The Case for Why DATs Are Superior to Crypto ETFs

DATs: fad, fix… or the next great crypto cash machine? Plus, the crew drops some alpha on which alts could soon take off.

DATs aren’t done. They may just be getting started.

In this episode, CoinFund’s Chris Perkins and Upexi’s Brian Rudick join Ram Ahluwalia and Steven Ehrlich to dissect why some DATs could outcompete ETFs for certain investors, the bullish accretion math behind premiums, and what makes a winning vehicle.

We also dig into whether this is altcoin season or a head fake, why Galaxy’s tokenized-share move matters, and the one market unlock Perkins says could change everything.

Use this episode to pressure-test your assumptions: are DATs “just banks,” or the best product-market-fit crypto has found for TradFi capital?

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: Trump’s $22B “Gold Paper” DeFi Launch, Buybacks & Garbage Coins

Trump’s $22B “Gold Paper” DeFi Launch, Buybacks & Garbage Coins – The Chopping Block

This week, the crew dives into the wild debut of World Liberty Financial — Trump’s $22B DeFi token that launched with a “gold paper,” insider allocations, and buybacks despite no product.

We break down the Trump family’s $5B paper fortune, the disputed Aave deal, and whether WLFi is a serious stablecoin project or just another garbage fire in crypto’s moat. From Justin Sun’s backing to Thanksgiving dinner debates, we unpack what WLFi means for politics, memes, and markets.

Then we zoom out to Gavin Newsom’s memecoin tease, the U.S. Commerce Department posting GDP onchain, and fresh CFTC moves that could reshape crypto exchanges and ETFs.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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