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This Week on Unchained: Ethereum's Privacy, Monad, MegaETH, DATs, and More
Don't miss this week's content!
Juan Aranovich
November 30, 2025
Good Sunday! Here’s what we unpacked this week on Unchained:
🛡️ Ethereum’s privacy leads explain what the new privacy cluster could change for transactions, institutions and the broader competition with Zcash.
🎙️ Choose Rich Nick recounts how his persona took off and why he wants to build a Barstool Sports-style media brand for crypto.
🚀 Uneasy Money breaks down Monad’s launch, MegaETH’s stumble, Polymarket’s approval and the week’s chain-level dramas.
⚖️ DEX in the City unpacks how insider trading law actually applies to crypto and how blockchains complicate enforcement.
📄 Why Berachain gave Brevan Howard a rare refund option and what it signals about venture deal terms.
📈 Bits + Bips looks at why markets are turning more bullish even as DATs continue to lag behind.
What Ethereum Will Look Like When It Implements Its New Privacy Focus
The Ethereum Foundation last month revealed a new privacy focus. Two of the initiative’s leaders discuss the motivations behind the move, how it hopes to transform transactions and bring institutions onchain.
The Ethereum Foundation last month said it was taking its privacy efforts a step further. It announced the Privacy Cluster, a group of 47 coordinators, cryptographers, engineers and researchers with one mission: to make privacy “a first-class property of the Ethereum ecosystem.”
At Ethereum DevConnect, the EF’s Andy Guzman and Oskar Thorén join Unchained to discuss the formation of the group in the context of Zcash’s recent resurgence, why privacy is important for crypto, and the motivations behind Ethereum’s recent push.
They also delve into the difference between the current privacy push and past efforts, as well as how it could unlock new use cases and the reaction of institutions. Additionally, they talk about competition with Zcash, reveal implementation timelines, and delve into the impact on crypto data analysis.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Can ‘Choose Rich’ Nick Create the Barstool Sports of Crypto?
Nick O’Neill, more popularly known by his persona “Choose Rich Nick,” delves into how he became internet famous, the man behind the persona, his endgame and the secret to his success.
Nick O’Neill has become one of crypto’s biggest viral sensations over the past year with his “Choose Rich Nick” persona. But beyond a content creator, he is a businessman and developer.
In this Thanksgiving/Black Friday episode of Unchained, he discusses how he stumbled into internet fame, the man behind the persona and how he intends to become the Barstool Sports of crypto and NFTs.
He also delves into what really happened at the controversial Avalanche yacht party and what it was like being viewed as “gay” for doing theater as a child. Plus how he feels about attacks on his looks and the secret to his success.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Uneasy Money: Monad Soars After Launch. Was Its Slow ICO an Advantage in the End?
The crew delves into Monad’s mainnet launch performance, the lessons from MegaETH’s botched TVL campaign, Polymarket’s CFTC greenlight, Cardano’s chain split and more.
In this episode of Uneasy Money, hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz and Taylor Monahan discuss Monad’s mainnet launch performance and how its ICO strategy may have proven solid in the end.
They also delve into MegaETH’s botched TVL campaign with Kain explaining why scrambling is bad for projects.
In addition, they dissect Polymarket’s CFTC greenlight, Klarna’s stablecoin launch, Cardano’s chain split and Berachain’s secret Brevan Howard deal.
DEX in the City: Insider Trading and Crypto: What the Law Actually Says
The DEX in the City crew explores the complexities of insider trading law and how it applies to crypto from projects to digital asset treasury companies.
Insider trading has become a hot topic in crypto in recent months, from questionable digital asset treasury stock trades to suspiciously timed asset trades amid news-led market volatility. But do people really know what it means?
In this episode of DEX in the City, hosts Jessi Brooks of Ribbit Capital, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos of StarkWare and Vy Le of Veda explore the complexities of insider trading law and how blockchain technology can make it easier to detect.
They also delve into how AI agents impact market dynamics, the problem with regulators not being able to hold crypto and how insider trading law would differ from centralized to decentralized platforms. Plus Katherine talks about the future of front-running and Vy explains how DATs should approach insider trading policy.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Why Berachain Gave Brevan Howard a Secret $25M Escape Hatch
The documents behind one of the strangest VC terms we’ve seen in crypto.
Crypto funding rounds often look glamorous from the outside: big name investors, big valuations, big narratives. But behind the scenes, the terms can look very different — and sometimes, radically so.
In this episode of Bits + Bips, host Steve Ehrlich sits down with reporter Jack Kubinec, who broke the story about Berachain’s Series B and one of the most unusual terms we’ve seen in a major token deal: a lead investor receiving the right to ask for its entire $25 million investment back, for up to a year after Berachain’s token launched.
Jack walks through what the documents show, why lawyers say the clause is extremely rare, and how a refund right like this could impact other investors, and even trigger MFN clauses. They also unpack Berachain’s market struggles since TGE, the state of the Nova Digital fund inside Brevan Howard, and the transparency questions this episode raises across crypto venture investing.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Bits + Bips: Why the Markets Now Have a Bullish Setup
Markets look constructive, but DATs may be the weakest link.
In this week’s Bits + Bips, Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins dig into a macro environment that’s suddenly turning more supportive: QT ending, institutions stepping in, improving liquidity signals, and major catalysts across global markets. But while the setup may be bullish, one corner of crypto isn’t participating at all: DATs, which Ram calls “a death spiral.”
The hosts debate whether altcoins can recover, whether Strategy pushed its structure too far, if banks’ unrealized losses still matter, and why the return of ICO-style launches may say more about regulation than mania.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
In Case You Missed It 👀
Bitcoin and the crypto industry have been battered over the past two months, but the market is now showing early signs of stabilization.
JPMorgan is bringing institutional money onchain with JPMD on Base, betting that regulated deposit tokens can beat stablecoins at their own game.
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