Bankless

Last week felt like four different crashes happening at the same time: AI software stocks melting down, crypto capitulating, gold and silver whipping around, and markets suddenly panicking about AI CapEx. Jim Bianco returns to Bankless to explain what actually changed: why AI is collapsing the cost of building software (and threatening SaaS pricing models), how “synthetic Bitcoin” in TradFi can amplify volatility even when nothing breaks onchain, and why the next crypto cycle can’t be powered by “permission” narratives, it has to be powered by replacement and building.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
0:44 Super Bowl ads as a market metaphor
2:30 WTF was last week? Four selloffs collide
8:38 Why crypto traded like “software” in the selloff
13:52 AI CapEx fears: are we overbuilding the infrastructure?
17:00 The 1999 playbook: infra boom → crash → app-layer winners
28:53 Where the value accrues: users, not the hyperscalers
35:36 Gold & silver: why silver behaves like an “altcoin”
39:09 Why Jim is bearish on China
44:21 Trump, Europe, defense spending, and the “go to 11” problem
49:09 Synthetic Bitcoin: the offchain float problem
56:52 Crypto’s next narrative: replacement, not permission
1:01:57 Kevin Warsh, Fed independence, and a new Fed–Treasury accord
1:09:40 Portfolio wrap: puke signals, building signals, and 4–5–6 returns

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RESOURCES

James Bianco
https://x.com/biancoresearch

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Robinhood isn’t just adding another crypto feature—it’s assembling a new exchange stack: stock tokens, an Ethereum L2 built for real-world assets, and a wallet that can plug into DeFi. Johann Kerbrat (GM of Crypto at Robinhood) joins Bankless to unpack what “24/7 markets” actually requires, why liquidity and routing are the hidden battleground for tokenized equities, and how “Certified by Robinhood” could become a distribution moat for onchain apps. Along the way, they compare Robinhood’s approach to tokenization with the NYSE’s 24/7 tokenized platform plans and Nasdaq’s tokenized securities proposal, and dig into what U.S. regulatory clarity would need to unlock stock tokens stateside. Subscribe for more on the new financial rails being built in real time.

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🚀ROCKETPOOL
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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
3:43 Is Robinhood Building a New Exchange?
4:45 Robinhood Chain testnet: what it enables for builders
9:17 What’s actually unique about this L2
10:44 “Certified by Robinhood” explained
12:52 Mainnet timing & NYSE/Nasdaq vs Robinhood tokenization approaches
16:34 Stock tokens today: EU access, U.S. questions
18:16 The liquidity problem (and how routing fixes it)
21:28 What tokenized equities unlock beyond trading
23:23 Robinhood Wallet’s role in the stack
24:57 The CLARITY Act: what matters to Robinhood
30:49 Strategic bets: Talos, Bitstamp, and going institutional
38:51 Lighter + perps: DeFi vs CeFi (and the U.S. CFTC wall)
43:21 What’s next: “one ecosystem” + prediction markets
45:13 Builder call-to-action

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RESOURCES

Johann Kerbrat
https://x.com/JohannKerbrat

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

MegaETH mainnet is live, kicking off a new frontier for Ethereum scaling: ultra-low latency, massive throughput, and an execution environment built to unlock apps that can’t exist on L1.

Lei Yang & Namik break down why Vitalik’s latest L2 framing validates “barbell” scaling, what users actually inherit from Ethereum (censorship resistance, exit guarantees, and fraud-proof security assumptions), and why stages + governance are harder than they look. 

Plus: the mainnet stress test (11.4B tx in 7 days, 55k peak TPS), the economics shift toward stablecoin yield with USDM, proximity markets for MEV, and MegaETH’s aggressive app-incubation strategy.

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https://bankless.cc/ico-watch

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:41 Vitalik’s L2 Pivot Tweet

14:05 Property Rights on MegaETH

21:10 Stage 2 & Rollup Design

30:34 MegaETH’s Stress Test Numbers

40:42 MegaETH’s Throughput

47:02 Business Model

52:15 MEV

1:00:18 Other MegaETH Products

1:02:19 App Strategy

1:07:04 Mega Mafia

1:10:48 MegaETH x AI Agents

1:15:53 Mega Token

1:20:17 Mainnet Release

1:21:11 Closing & Disclaimers

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RESOURCES

Lei Yang

https://x.com/yangl1996

Namik

https://x.com/NamikMuduroglu 

MegaETH

https://www.megaeth.com/ 

MegaETH Stress Test

https://stress.megaeth.com/ 

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

A single Vitalik tweet just snapped Ethereum’s scaling narrative into focus: the rollup-centric roadmap is over, and a new path is here. Ryan and David break down what Vitalik actually said (and what he didn’t), why stage 2 plus rollup interop proved far slower than anyone hoped, and why L1 scaling, powered by ZK, may be Ethereum’s real reset button in 2026. Along the way, they unpack the quiet death of the “L2s are Ethereum” meme, the community’s whiplash reaction, and what differentiated “gen 2” L2s must do to earn their place in the alliance.

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🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET
https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🃏SHOWDOWN | NEXT-GEN POKER
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🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT
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👑BANKLESS PREMIUM | AD-FREE & BONUS EPISODES
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🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
https://bankless.cc/TDR-pro

💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES
https://bankless.cc/ico-watch

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 The Rollup-Centric Roadmap: 2020 → 2026
1:26 What Vitalik Actually Said
3:15 The Understated Bombshell: L1 Scaling + ZKVM
6:28 “Branded Shards” Are Over
8:12 “L2s Are Ethereum” Is Dead (But Not the Alliance)
12:29 Vitalik’s Follow-Up: Differentiation Wins
15:51 The Reaction: Praise, “I Told You So,” and Anger
18:23 The NATO Analogy for L2s
20:51 The Messaging Risk: Does Ethereum Push Rollups Away?
23:25 Why Did It Take So Long to Say This Out Loud?
30:09 Was Modular Wrong? What We Thought vs What We Got
33:20 Ryan’s Retrospective: Wins + Three Missteps
38:01 David’s Take: ZKVM Precompile = “Manhattan Project”
39:57 The Cost: Wasted Time, Misallocated Capital, Leadership Tension
45:39 What Happens Next: Base Leaving, New North Star, Anyone’s Game
51:04 Signs the Pivot Is Working

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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Crypto enters a full-blown pain market as Bitcoin, ETH, tech stocks, and even gold sell off together. Ryan and David break down why crowded trades are unwinding across markets, what the Warsh Fed chair pick means for rates and risk assets, and whether crypto has become uniquely fragile in this cycle. They dig into Vitalik’s L2 pivot and what it signals about Ethereum’s next era, unpack massive institutional paper losses at Strategy, BitMine, and Galaxy, and analyze Polymarket odds on where Bitcoin goes next. Plus: OGs selling to ETF buyers, the Clarity Act standoff between banks and crypto, and how to survive the psychology of a real bear market.

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📣KRAKEN | DEFI EARN

https://bankless.cc/Kraken

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BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET

https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🃏SHOWDOWN | NEXT-GEN POKER

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🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT

https://bankless.cc/bitget

👑BANKLESS PREMIUM | AD-FREE & BONUS EPISODES

https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS

https://bankless.cc/TDR-pro

💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES

https://bankless.cc/ico-watch

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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

3:23 Markets

https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2019413451471483282

https://x.com/MelMattison1/status/2018821072934846482

https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2018215213959729487

https://imgur.com/xGMBu9p

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/bitcoin

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/ethereum

https://x.com/zerohedge/status/2017679054619414773

https://x.com/AggrNews/status/2017670162481053771

https://imgur.com/fOOPShT

https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2018251708833669137

https://x.com/fundstrat/status/2018317901682373032

https://x.com/mmmikema/status/2017517404461666668

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/02/04/tom-lee-says-bitmine-s-usd6-billion-ether-paper-loss-is-by-design

https://x.com/deitaone/status/2018680207368950085

https://x.com/nic_carter/status/2018698942083412050

https://x.com/Polymarket/status/2017655487936807237

https://polymarket.com/event/what-price-will-bitcoin-hit-before-2027/?via=bankless

https://x.com/ericbalchunas/status/2019079756008800685

https://x.com/Matt_Hougan/status/2018695396386570257

https://x.com/Zeneca/status/2017713330341953547

24:49 Federal Reserve & Kevin Warsh

https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2017204939139764607

https://x.com/AshCrypto/status/2017223525522919707

https://x.com/Eric_BIGfund/status/2017077398479470788 

https://x.com/shahh/status/2017266603126292607

https://x.com/avichal/status/2017107032034464256

https://x.com/RayDalio/status/2017687126926602643

https://x.com/LukeGromen/status/2013334684130746521

https://x.com/AltcoinDaily/status/2017296093621719062

31:57 Ethereum Roadmap Pivot

https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/2018727620624384059

https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1267464298919534593

https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2019341766407725170

https://x.com/tkstanczak/status/2018969582506328077

https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2018739946706596309

https://x.com/RyanWatkins_/status/2018722118955913367

https://x.com/josephdelong/status/2019116049694880021

https://x.com/Shaughnessy119/status/2018745708648574999

https://x.com/KhanAbbas201/status/2019155752955289652

45:16 Clarity Act & Stablecoin Yield

https://x.com/coinbureau/status/2016953240601186316

https://x.com/fintechfrank/status/2017622525987954840

https://x.com/aosipovich/status/2017173012546486292

https://x.com/Bankless/status/2017335175533715783

https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/02/02/white-house-crypto-meeting-on-market-structure-bill

https://x.com/BrendanPedersen/status/2018456230214435027

https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/2018472709622292899

https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2019207030276300833 

https://polymarket.com/event/clarity-act-signed-into-law-in-2026/?via=bankless

https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/02/03/trump-adviser-says-white-house-won-t-allow-crypto-bill-to-attack-president-on-ethics

https://x.com/tier10k/status/2017780627894898788

https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2018467240136294821 

https://x.com/NeerajKA/status/2019108061969866759 

57:05 MetaMask Stocks & Bitwise Acquisition

https://x.com/OndoFinance/status/2018722106553348414

https://www.theblock.co/post/388379/bitwise-acquires-chorus-one

https://www.8004scan.io

58:31 Polymarket & Culture

https://x.com/Polymarket/status/2018731372920344582

https://x.com/litcapital/status/2018734492999885030

https://x.com/nycmayor/status/2019105073423327680

https://polymarket.com/sports/nfl/games/week/15/nfl-sea-ne-2026-02-08/?via=bankless

1:03:02 Closing & Disclaimers

1:03:18 Moment of Zen

https://x.com/tomwarren/status/2019039874771550516 

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures