Deep Dive on the Past, Present and Future of Crypto ETFs with Federico Brokate of 21shares
Release Date: 12/04/2025
What’s Next for Crypto Markets with Scott Melker
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Scott Melker, the Wolf of All Streets. Listen in as they discuss why Bitcoin has begun outperforming traditional safe-haven assets during rising geopolitical tension, how market cycles and technical levels around $60K–$70K may signal a broader bottoming process, and why unexpected macro shocks—like the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank—have historically catalyzed major crypto rallies. They also explore whether upcoming U.S. legislation like the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act could reshape the industry, the growing tension...
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Monitoring the (ETF) Situation with James Seyffart of Bloomberg Intelligence
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest James Seyffart, Senior Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Listen in as they break down why ETF flows keep accelerating despite a choppy macro backdrop, how the “ETF wrapper” is expanding beyond plain-vanilla index exposure into active, options-based, and leveraged products, what the latest flow data is signaling about sector rotation (energy, materials, and industrials leading), why esoteric filings like prediction market ETFs are gaining momentum, and what’s actually happening under the hood in crypto...
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How Maple Built an Onchain Finance Juggernaut with Sid Powell of Maple
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Sid Powell, Co-Founder and CEO of Maple. Listen in as they discuss Maple’s evolution from the 2022 credit crisis to over $4B in AUM, why overcollateralized onchain lending is attracting family offices, funds, and institutional capital seeking T-bill-beating yields with daily liquidity, and how Maple is expanding beyond crypto-native users through DeFi integrations, securitized products, and fintech distribution. They also explore the growing opportunity in tokenized collateral—from Bitcoin to gold, equities, and...
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Decentralized Data Markets for the AI Era with Rebecca Simmonds of Walrus Foundation
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Rebecca Simmonds, Managing Executive of the Walrus Foundation. Listen in as they discuss why the next phase of AI won’t just be about better models or smarter agents, but about trust, provenance, and ownership of the data those systems rely on. From decentralized storage and verifiable data markets to the rise of personal AI agents and new monetization models for user data, the conversation dives into how crypto infrastructure could become the economic and security layer for the AI economy. They also discuss the...
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Why Crypto Will Power the Economy of Things with Leonard Dorlöchter of peaq
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Leonard Dorlöchter, Co-Founder of peaq. Listen in as they discuss the rise of the machine economy and agentic commerce, why blockchain is emerging as the economic layer for AI agents, robots, and connected devices, how concepts like DePIN and machine RWAs enable community-owned, revenue-generating infrastructure, why machines are better suited than humans to transact onchain using stablecoins and DeFi, and how identity, reputation, and autonomous payments could unlock the largest product-market fit blockchain has ever...
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Dollar Debasement, CLARITY, Tokenization Supercycle and More with Bill Barhydt of Abra and Perianne Boring of The Digital Chamber
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with Bill Barhydt, Founder and CEO of Abra, and Perianne Boring, Chair of the Board of Directors of The Digital Chamber. Listen in as they discuss why crypto feels like it’s at an inflection point, Bill’s macro case for a liquidity-driven risk-on setup (and why gold may be leading while Bitcoin lags), how stablecoin legislation has shifted the policy battleground toward rewards and yield as banks push to protect deposits, why agencies (SEC/CFTC/Treasury) can move fast but market-structure laws are needed to future-proof regulatory...
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Are Stablecoins the First Truly Global Financial Product with Bhau Kotecha of Paxos Labs
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Bhau Kotecha, Co-Founder and Head of Paxos Labs. Listen in as they discuss why stablecoins are becoming the default onchain financial building block, how Paxos and Paxos Labs power major tokenization and crypto brokerage initiatives (including PYUSD and USDG) while making DeFi services like lending, borrowing, staking, and yield strategies safer and easier for institutions to embed, why the Washington policy fight is shifting toward rewards and yield as the key battleground after the GENIUS Act, how stablecoins could...
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Stablecoins Go To Washington with Jillian Friedman of Symbiotic
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Jillian Friedman, Chief Operating Officer at Symbiotic. Listen in as they discuss Jill’s journey from founding a crypto-focused law firm in 2014 to helping pioneer Canada’s early digital asset market infrastructure, why regulatory ambiguity has pushed talent and innovation out of Canada, how U.S. stablecoin policy is converging on the key battle over yield as the GENIUS Act is implemented and the proposed CLARITY Act takes shape, and how Symbiotic’s “shared security” model aims to unlock capital efficiency by...
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Blockchain for the Enterprise: Unlocking New Use Cases with Eric Piscini of Hashgraph
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Eric Piscini, CEO of Hashgraph. Listen in as they discuss Eric’s early work building Deloitte’s blockchain practice, why enterprises initially leaned toward private and permissioned systems, how today’s focus has shifted from “buying blockchain” to buying real solutions, what makes Hedera’s 32-member Governing Council model distinctive (including governance, validators, and industry-spanning adoption), how regulatory clarity in the U.S. and Europe is shaping institutional engagement, and how interoperability,...
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Building Internet Capital Markets with Thomas Uhm of the Jito Foundation
DeFi Decoded
Join Alex Tapscott as he decodes the world of crypto with special guest Thomas Uhm, Chief Commercial Officer at the Jito Foundation and Advisor to Jito Labs. Listen in as they discuss what Abu Dhabi Finance Week and Solana Breakpoint reveal about institutional crypto sentiment, why ADGM is emerging as a serious hub for digital asset regulation and capital formation (with major players spanning BlackRock, Circle, Tether and more), how Solana’s market structure is evolving through Jito’s block-building, priority-fee “tips,” and the upcoming BAM framework for application-controlled...
info_outlineJoin Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of crypto with special guest Federico Brokate, Global Head of Business Development at 21Shares. Listen in as they discuss the rapid rise of Bitcoin ETFs from IBIT’s record-breaking launch to today’s shifting mix of retail and institutional holders, the tension and interplay between DATs and ETFs as vehicles for crypto exposure, how new SEC generic listing standards have opened the door to products on Solana, Ethereum, XRP, Doge and even staked assets, the case for index and basket strategies such as top-10 ex-Bitcoin products and future active and factor-based crypto ETFs, why this cycle’s “Bitcoin up, everything else lagging” dynamic is reshaping how investors think about diversification and power-law outcomes in digital assets, and how jurisdictions from Brazil and South Korea to Saudi Arabia are building regulated ETF frameworks that could broaden global access to the asset class.