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This Week on Unchained: Monero's Surge, the Fall of the Dollar, and Polygon's Big Pivot
Don’t miss this week’s content and interviews!
Good Sunday!
Gold is doing exactly what it does when money is being quietly diluted.
Bitcoin, as usual, is being debated.
That gap is where most investors get confused and where the opportunity tends to form.
In our latest piece, we break down why gold is winning right now, how bitcoin historically fits into this phase of the cycle, and the specific catalysts that could shift leadership back to crypto.
This is a clear framework for thinking about portfolio construction in a debasement regime.
If you want to understand how this trade actually pays over time, read the full article and subscribe to get these analyses weekly.
In Case You Missed It 👀
Prediction markets are growing fast. Most participants are still trading for fun. Here’s how professionals extract probability, time decay, and structural edge instead.
Now, here’s what we unpacked this week on Unchained:
🕵️ Uneasy Money on Privacy Coins in an AI World
Why Monero is ripping, how Vitalik’s “walkaway test” reignited debate over Ethereum’s future, why scams like NYC’s token still succeed, and whether X’s algorithm is suppressing crypto discourse.💳 Polygon’s Big Pivot to Payments
Why Polygon is becoming a regulated U.S. payments platform, what its Coinme and Sequence acquisitions signal, and whether POL can win in a stablecoin-dominated market.🌍 What If the Dollar Loses Reserve Status?
Why VanEck thinks gold could hit $39,000, which currencies might benefit from a reserve reset, and where Bitcoin fits if trust in the dollar erodes.🟡 Has Bitcoin Failed as Digital Gold?
Why gold and silver are surging while Bitcoin lags, Vinny Lingham’s case for a gold-backed stablecoin, and whether BTC’s “digital gold” narrative still holds.🤖 Bits + Bips on AI, Energy & the Fed
How AI collides with inflation and energy constraints, why productivity gains could force the Fed’s hand, and why Bitcoin keeps resurfacing when faith in central banks weakens.⚖️ DEX in the City on DeFi and the Market Structure Bill
What the Senate’s draft legislation gets wrong, why DeFi could get swept up with centralized platforms, how stablecoin yield is being redefined, and whether Trump is shaping the regulatory outcome.
Uneasy Money: In a World of AI, Are Dino Privacy Coins a Good Bet?
The crew discusses Monero’s record run, Vitalik’s “walkaway test” and X algorithm drama.
Privacy is back on the radar as Monero gets compared to silver. Meanwhile, Vitalik wants Ethereum to ossify, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ NYC token rugs and X’s algorithm has crypto Twitter up in arms.
In this episode of Uneasy Money, hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz and Taylor Monahan unpack: Monero’s sudden surge, Vitalik’s “walkaway test,” why blatant scams like Adams’ NYC token continue to succeed and whether X has been suppressing crypto content.
Don’t miss Kain’s story on how he lost nearly $250K in a wild vibe coding experiment.
Plus, Is Vitalik’s “walkaway test” too “aspirational?” And could X cashtags usher in the next altseason?
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Polygon’s Big Pivot: Why the Network Is Pivoting to Payments and What It Means for POL
Polygon is shifting focus to payments. What does it mean for the network and its native token POL?
Ethereum scaling network Polygon is charting a new course. Polygon on Jan. 13 announced that it was becoming a “regulated U.S. payments platform” following the acquisition of Web3 services companies Coinme and Sequence.
In this Unchained episode, Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron reveals the motivations behind the pivot and what it means for the network and its native token POL. He says that despite the pivot, Polygon is not becoming an application chain.
Can Polygon thrive in the stablecoin-dominated space? And will POL benefit?
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
What Happens if the Dollar Loses Its Reserve Status?
Is gold on the cusp of an unprecedented rally? Eric Fine breaks down VanEck’s bold prediction on what happens if the U.S. dollar loses its reserve status.
Gold could trade as high as $39,000 if the dollar loses its reserve status, according to VanEck.
Eric Fine, managing director of VanEck’s Active Emerging Market Debt Management walks through how the company arrived at the staggering figure and why some markets are in a concerning position in the wake of the potential reserve reset.
Will China’s CNY emerge as the new king? And will Bitcoin be one of the winners?
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Has Bitcoin Failed to Live Up to the Digital Gold Narrative?
Vinny Lingham unpacks Bitcoin’s underperformance and his plans to launch a gold-backed stablecoin.
As tensions between the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve rise, gold and silver have surged to new price records, but Bitcoin continues to look uncertain.
In this Unchained podcast episode, Xash cofounder Vinny Lingham explains the real reason behind Bitcoin’s underperformance. He also unveils plans to launch a gold-backed stablecoin and how it would work.
Has Bitcoin failed on its digital gold promise?
Plus, is silver overheated? And is the privacy coin meta fated to fail?
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Bits + Bips: How AI and Energy Prices Will Force the Fed’s Hand
If trust in central banks erodes, what replaces it? This week’s Bits + Bips connects AI, energy, inflation, and Bitcoin.
In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins are joined by Daniel Ives, one of Wall Street’s most closely followed technology analysts, to break down how AI is colliding with macroeconomics.
They debate whether AI will ultimately be inflationary or deflationary, why energy may become the binding constraint on technological growth, and how rising productivity could force the Federal Reserve into uncomfortable trade-offs.
The conversation also covers pressure on central bank independence, the fragility of trust in fiat systems, and why Bitcoin increasingly enters the conversation when that trust erodes.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
DEX in the City: Why the Market Structure Bill May Not Be Good for DeFi
The Senate’s crypto market structure bill text is here. The crew alongside Summer Mersinger unpack the key contention.
After months of anticipation, U.S. Senators have unveiled draft crypto market structure legislation.
In this episode of DEX in the City, hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and Vy Le are joined by Blockchain Association CEO and former CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger to unpack all the provisions that stand out. These include the bill’s attempt to draw a line between centralized and decentralized platforms, the amended stance on stablecoin yield and exemptions for assets with ETFs.
Would the bill “sweep up all of DeFi?” Has crypto lost the fight over stablecoin yield? And is Trump playing interference for crypto?
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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