Crypto
Wall Street giants back $15M push to quantum-proof Bitcoin as the CLARITY Act nears a do-or-die deadline
On this episode of CoinDesk's Public Keys from the New York Stock Exchange, Jennifer Sanasie is joined by Charles Schwab Head of Crypto Research Jim Ferraioli, who breaks down the odds of a Fed hike, why he believes the CLARITY Act is not yet priced into Bitcoin, and his finding that some 60% of Bitcoin's daily price move can't be tied to macro factors. Galaxy Head of Firmwide Research Alex Thorn unpacks the newly launched $15 million Bitcoin Security Consortium — backed by nine firms including BlackRock, Coinbase, Fidelity, Galaxy, and Strategy — and Galaxy's own $5 million Bitcoin Quantum Readiness Initiative, while making the case that CLARITY is in its "11th hour" ahead of the August recess. Finally, FalconX Head of Derivatives Griffin Sears kicks off CoinDesk's Perps Week, explaining how perpetual futures jumped from crypto into oil, single-name equities, and pre-IPO SpaceX exposure. Plus, a look at ETF flows and a Crypto Fear & Greed reading stuck at 30.
White House's Patrick Witt: CLARITY is 'not a giveaway' to crypto and Trump's 'historic' ethics concession
CoinDesk's The Policy Protocol hosts Rebecca Rettig and Renato Mariotti open on the week's biggest policy news from SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce's statement on crypto vaults to the London Stock Exchange's launch of a 24/5 tokenized market. Then, Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President's Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, joins to make the case that the CLARITY Act deserves a Senate floor vote before the August recess and argues that President Trump's agreement to subject himself to conduct restrictions is a "historic" and unprecedented ethics concession. Witt also breaks down the CFTC's expanded mission and the fight over funding and staffing. Plus, Rebecca and Renato debrief on the lessons of MiCA and the state of bipartisan compromise on the Hill, and name the state attorneys general, led by an op-ed from Montana's AG, as their Person of the Week.
AI shock spares Bitcoin, Wall Street moves on-chain, and leveraged crypto ETFs explained
On this episode of CoinDesk's Public Keys from the New York Stock Exchange, Jennifer Sanasie is joined by Ben Emons, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of FedWatch Advisors, to break down the market fallout from Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 and why the Fed is now actively debating rate hikes rather than cuts ahead of the August 7th CLARITY Act deadline. Nadine Chakar, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Assets at DTCC, explains how the firm moved tokenized securities into live production and outlines DTCC's role as an institutional multi-chain orchestrator ahead of a full commercial launch. The conversation turns to ETF flows, where Bitcoin funds finished last week with $76 million in net inflows despite a $425 million outflow on Monday alone, and Ethereum ETFs outpaced Bitcoin inflows led by $135 million into BlackRock's ETHA. Finally, Bilal Little, Global ETF Strategist at Direxion, unpacks the debut of BTCU and EVMU — the industry's first 2x leveraged spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs — explains why an ETF wrapper beats margin on a crypto exchange for retail traders, and responds to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas's thesis that Bitcoin ETFs will mirror gold's 22-year "triumph and pain" trajectory. The episode closes with the Fear and Greed Index at 29.
Sen. Hagerty says Warren tried to 'destroy' GENIUS, warns CLARITY faces political headwinds
CoinDesk's The Policy Protocol host Rebecca Rettig is joined by guest co-host Ryan VanGrack, Coinbase's newly appointed Vice Chairman, to unpack the week's biggest crypto policy developments. They begin with the escalating legal standoff between Kalshi, the state of Michigan and the CFTC, before turning to the U.S.-U.K.'s new joint recommendations on stablecoins and tokenized assets. On the one-year anniversary of the GENIUS Act, Rebecca sits down with the bill's architect, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who reflects on the legislative battle to pass the landmark stablecoin law and explains why the CLARITY Act now faces an even more challenging political path. The episode closes with Hero of the Week Harry Jung, Patrick Whitt's deputy who is stepping into a leading White House role on crypto policy while Whitt takes military leave, and Zero of the Week Sam Bankman-Fried, after the Senate unanimously passed a resolution opposing any pardon or commutation for the former FTX founder.
Will the Clarity Act pass?
A new version of the CLARITY Act could arrive as soon as next week, but disagreements over ethics provisions leave crypto's biggest market structure bill racing against the congressional clock. Plus, Robinhood Chain processes more than $568 million in a single day, New Hampshire blocks a proposed bitcoin-backed bond, and what it all means for the future of crypto markets. CoinDesk's Sam Ewen hosts "CoinDesk Daily."
Elon Musk loses $50 billion in a single day; SpaceX moves bitcoin
SpaceX shares fell over 6% and Tesla dropped nearly 4% on Tuesday, wiping more than $50 billion off Elon Musk's net worth and pushing him below the $1 trillion mark. Meanwhile, SpaceX's bitcoin wallet — holding 18,712 BTC — made its first transaction in six months. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."
How an attacker stole $20M from BonkDAO using its own rules
An attacker spent $4.4 million buying BONK tokens, passed a malicious governance proposal with just 7 wallets voting, and walked away with $20 million from the treasury — without hacking anything. CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie hosts "CoinDesk Daily."
Why Markus Thielen says Bitcoin's pain isn't over yet
On today's Markets Outlook, 10x Research Founder and CEO Markus Thielen tells CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie why he sees Bitcoin dropping even more before recovery, with $7B in ETF outflows since mid-May and MicroStrategy stepping back as the last real buyer. Plus, why he stays bearish on Ethereum, why he's calling Hyperliquid overvalued, and why nothing turns around until the Fed goes dovish.
BTC ETFs bled $4B in worst month ever, Strategy's plan forward and an institutional super cycle for ETH?
On this episode of CoinDesk's Public Keys from the New York Stock Exchange, host Jennifer Sanasie is joined by CoinDesk Indices and Data to break down nearly $1.8 billion in weekly Bitcoin ETF outflows, Strategy's new capital plan, and whether the digital asset treasury narrative is back. SharpLink CEO Joseph Chalom joins to unpack the Ethereum Foundation's funding crisis, the launch of ETHlabs, and the company's $75 million raise, as he makes the case for an institutional supercycle in ETH. In this week's 10X, Kaizen founder Brian Jung breaks down his MicroStrategy short. Moody's Ratings Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Economy Fabian Astic explains how the firm is embedding credit ratings into tokenized securities on Solana and unveils the first-ever credit rating methodology for stablecoins. Plus, Midnight Foundation President Fahmi Syed details the partnership with Bank of England-regulated Monument Bank and why privacy is becoming the missing piece for institutional adoption.
Does the Clarity Act have a human trafficking blind spot?
CoinDesk's The Policy Protocol hosts Rebecca Rettig and Renato Mariotti open with two hot topics: Coinbase's SEC-registered AI agentic trading launch and tribal gaming operators' letter to Senators Thune and Schumer demanding that the CLARITY Act include a prohibition on prediction markets. Then Katie Boller Gosewisch, Executive Director of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking, joins to challenge CLARITY's Section 604, arguing that shielding DeFi developers from money-transmitter liability creates a "duty of care" gap that traffickers can exploit. Plus, Rebecca and Renato close by naming Meta as their Person of the Week for its reported move into points-based prediction markets.
