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How Crypto Played the Political Game and BlackRock's Journey in Crypto

This week on Unchained: Fairshake's efforts in the US elections and BlackRock's head of digital assets on how the world’s largest asset manager tok crypto mainstream.

November 16, 2024

The crypto industry, through Super PAC Fairshake, put more money into the 2024 elections than any industry has in the past. What could the industry get for its efforts?

The 2024 elections have reshaped the future of crypto in Washington. With almost $200 million in donations, the Fairshake Super PAC not only backed pro-crypto candidates but also took bold risks by challenging entrenched incumbents. This strategic gamble appears to have paid off, leading to the most crypto-friendly Congress in U.S. history.

In this episode, Coinbase’s Faryar Shirzad and Kara Calvert reveal the behind-the-scenes decisions that drove this unprecedented effort, discuss why crypto needs to transcend partisanship, and explain how this election could usher in long-awaited regulatory clarity. They also delve into the global stakes of blockchain adoption and whether the U.S. can reclaim its leadership as other nations surge ahead in Web3 innovation.

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

BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF has set new ETF records, driving unprecedented inflows and making Bitcoin more accessible. Robbie Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, breaks down how this came to be.

BlackRock’s entry into crypto through its bitcoin ETF (and later on the spot ether ETF) has rewritten the record books, driving massive inflows and reshaping the narrative for institutional crypto adoption.

Robbie Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, unpacks the story behind this monumental shift. He shares the journey from skepticism to success, how BlackRock’s ETF has changed the market, and the surprises even he didn’t expect.

Plus, he explains why he believes people mistake bitcoin for a risk-on asset, what the investment case is for Ethereum, and what’s next for crypto in 2025.

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:

Several prominent members of the Ethereum community criticized the proposal for its long timeframe and all-at-once upgrade strategy.

In the aftermath of U.S. citizens electing a pro-crypto President, Vice President, and Congress, several crypto companies and protocols broke a large number of records.

The financial titan is expanding the world’s largest tokenized fund to Aptos, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism’s OP Mainnet, and Polygon.

The bleeding from ETH ETFs has stopped. And Bitwise appears to be gearing up to offer staking yields in ETFs.

The Ethena Foundation also announced on Friday the approval of a fee switch to redirect protocol revenue to ENA token holders.

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