Bits + Bips

Exploring how crypto and macro collide one basis point at a time. Hosted by Ram Ahluwalia, Austin Campbell and Chris Perkins. Livestream: Every Monday at 4:30 pm ET.

Bits + Bips is a news podcast hosted by Unchained, with 59 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unchained hosts Bits + Bips, a news show with 59 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Bits + Bips

  Robinhood's Tokenized AMC Shares Spark a Fight Over What Stock Tokens Really Are

  Sep 8, 202659 min

  AMC's CEO says Robinhood's stock tokens are vile. Austin, Chris, and Ram break down what these tokens actually are, and whether the outrage holds up. Sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit 1inch.com to swap tokenized securities, crypto and more. Simple. Secure. Self-custodial. Whatever asset you’re buying - swap it at ⁠⁠⁠1inch.com⁠⁠⁠. Heads up! If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Bits + Bips on its dedicated channels. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, X, Unchained and wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-bips/id1827931786⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKiSkbYrUOOEEiYQEVPniQ⁠⁠⁠⁠  Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6aSBMrOyi33aVDCULJ9mjN?si=NTLk-jl5QGeytA6-2kxMVQ&nd=1&dlsi=42f0b13dd53c4ba0⁠⁠⁠⁠  X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/bitsandbips⁠⁠⁠⁠  Unchained - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://unchainedcrypto.com/bitsandbips/⁠⁠⁠⁠ AMC's CEO spent the holiday weekend calling Robinhood's tokenized AMC shares "contemptible" and "vile," and AMC stock jumped nearly 21% anyway. Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins pick apart Adam Aron's fight with Robinhood, and ask whether the dispute is really about capital formation, or about who gets to sell exposure to a company's stock. The discussion also sees them cover the mechanics of a reverse ADR and debate the value of the stock tokens, with Ram saying they solve no real problems. Plus, why memecoins like $FAMI and $STONK are trading against Robinhood Chain's stock tokens, Anthropic's Fable 5.1 and OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra clearing new cybersecurity thresholds, Bernie Sanders' bill to ban artificial superintelligence, and whether Kevin Warsh's Fed will hike in September. Chris says stock-paired memecoins are GameStop 2.0 and Ram says Warsh is only talking the talk but likely won't walk the walk. Hosts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Host of Bits + Bips, Founder of Zero Knowledge Group, and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and CEO of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Perkins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and Head of Franklin Crypto Timestamps: 01:43 AMC's CEO calls Robinhood's stock tokens vile: what they actually are 07:16 Ram: stock tokens are "derivatives for the sake of derivatives" 12:18 Why Austin says the AMC fight reveals markets microstructure ignorance 19:17 Austin's case that DeFi-distributed US stocks are genuinely transformational 23:57 1inch Aqua: back multiple liquidity positions with one wallet balance at https://oneinch.com/aqua 25:13 Why the stock-paired memecoin frenzy is GameStop 2.0 29:31 Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra go live: why AGI is not here yet 36:43 Chris on data centers become a bipartisan flashpoint heading into midterms ️ 45:38 Warsh's hike talk and a payrolls surprise scramble rate bets 53:28 Norway's sovereign fund plan to cut US Treasurys: signal or top?

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  Bits + Bips

  Why the Kalshi-Nevada Ruling Could Land at the Supreme Court

  Sep 1, 202659 min

  Kalshi's Andy Ross joins the panel to argue that a Ninth Circuit ruling against the exchange might actually help its case at the Supreme Court. Sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit 1inch.com to swap tokenized securities, crypto and more. Simple. Secure. Self-custodial. Whatever asset you’re buying - swap it at ⁠⁠1inch.com⁠⁠. Heads up! If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Bits + Bips on its dedicated channels. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, X, Unchained and wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-bips/id1827931786⁠⁠⁠  YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKiSkbYrUOOEEiYQEVPniQ⁠⁠⁠  Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6aSBMrOyi33aVDCULJ9mjN?si=NTLk-jl5QGeytA6-2kxMVQ&nd=1&dlsi=42f0b13dd53c4ba0⁠⁠⁠  X - ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/bitsandbips⁠⁠⁠  Unchained - ⁠⁠⁠https://unchainedcrypto.com/bitsandbips/⁠⁠⁠ A Ninth Circuit panel ruled unanimously that Nevada can enforce its gambling laws against Kalshi's sports contracts, clashing with an April Third Circuit ruling that placed Kalshi under CFTC oversight instead. Andy Ross, Head of Institutional at Kalshi, joins Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins to unpack the resulting circuit split and argue that Kalshi's order book looks nothing like a sportsbook that bans its winners. They also dig into a viral report that OpenAI's agents built a covert message board to coordinate across sandboxes and dodge shutdown, debating whether it is a real security failure or, as Ram argues, a marketing stunt. Ross also reveals the topic that drives the most requests for new markets: divorce. The conversation turns to Kevin Warsh's hawkish Jackson Hole debut, why Kalshi and FedWatch price September's rate odds more than 30 points apart, and why Ram thinks Congress, not the Fed, holds the real key to the debt problem. Hosts ⁠⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Host of Bits + Bips, Founder of Zero Knowledge Group, and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and CEO of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Perkins⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and Head of Franklin Crypto Guest Andy Ross - Head of Institutional at Kalshi Timestamps: 00:39 1inch Aqua: Back multiple liquidity positions with one wallet at http://unchainedcrypto.com/go/1inch-sn 01:31 How OpenAI's agents built a covert message board to game evaluations ⚖️ 11:16 Why Andy says blaming AI is easier than admitting human error 17:18 1inch Aqua: See how the new shared liquidity platform works at https://oneinch.com/aqua ️ 18:05 Ninth Circuit rules Nevada can enforce gambling law against Kalshi 22:49 Why the CFTC believes it has federal preemption over event contracts 28:47 Perpetuals are back, and Kalshi is adding gold, FX, and rates contracts 33:43 Austin on the blurry legal line between a swap and a future 41:45 Warsh's hawkish Jackson Hole speech and September hike odds 52:14 Why Austin thinks Congress, not the Fed, owns the debt problem 56:03 Andy on stablecoin dollarization and Kalshi's coming AI markets

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  Bits + Bips

  CME vs. Kalshi. Is Washington Picking a Winner in Prediction Markets?

  Aug 25, 20261h 1m

  CME's Terry Duffy and Kalshi traded public insults over prediction markets. Ram, Austin, Chris, and Bitwise's Gordon Grant break down who's winning. Sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit 1inch.com to swap tokenized securities, crypto and more. Simple. Secure. Self-custodial. Whatever asset you’re buying - swap it at ⁠1inch.com⁠. Heads up! If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Bits + Bips on its dedicated channels. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, X, Unchained and wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-bips/id1827931786⁠⁠  YouTube - ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKiSkbYrUOOEEiYQEVPniQ⁠⁠  Spotify - ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6aSBMrOyi33aVDCULJ9mjN?si=NTLk-jl5QGeytA6-2kxMVQ&nd=1&dlsi=42f0b13dd53c4ba0⁠⁠  X - ⁠⁠https://x.com/bitsandbips⁠⁠  Unchained - ⁠⁠https://unchainedcrypto.com/bitsandbips/⁠⁠ CME chairman Terry Duffy and Kalshi co-founder Luana Lopes Lara traded barbed insults at the CFTC's first-ever innovation advisory committee meeting, with Duffy warning that prediction markets invite manipulation and Lopes Lara firing back that CME should learn about efficiency. Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins are joined by Bitwise portfolio manager Gordon Grant to referee the fight, weighing whether the incumbent exchange or the upstart prediction market has the stronger claim as CFTC chair Mike Selig moves to bring platforms like Hyperliquid onshore. They also cover Bitcoin pushing toward $80,000 as Scott Bessent's Treasury long-end buybacks jolt bond market volatility, stress signals building in the TIPS market, Gordon's pitch for parametric insurance as prediction markets' next frontier, and a mystery 20-cent open-weight AI model outscoring GPT and Claude at a fraction of the price. Whether prediction markets graduate from novelty bets into real financial infrastructure may come down to who wins this fight. Hosts ⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠ - Host of Bits + Bips, Founder of Zero Knowledge Group, and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern ⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia - Co-host of Bits + Bips and CEO of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Perkins⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and Head of Franklin Crypto Guest ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gordon Grant - Portfolio Manager and Head of Derivatives at Bitwise Timestamps: 01:26 Bitcoin nears $80K as ETF inflows flip hard on Treasury's buyback plan 04:35 Gordon on how Bessent linked Treasury vol to Bitcoin's own vol spike 17:10 Austin flags bizarre TIPS market stress as a sign fiscal imbalances are closer 19:43 Ram channels Ray Dalio: why bond vigilantes won't break the Treasury market 26:48 1inch Aqua: see how shared liquidity works at https://1inch.com/aqua 28:14 CFTC's Duffy and Kalshi's Lopes Lara clash over prediction market oversight ☂️ 40:21 Gordon's pitch: parametric insurance as prediction markets' next frontier 47:55 The mystery 20-cent open-weight model outscoring GPT and Claude on coding ️ 55:32 Chris on why AI data centers are becoming this cycle's rare bipartisan fight ️ 57:33 Ram on why the anti-AI backlash is 'a very weak argument'

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  Bits + Bips

  New US Rules Could Force Coinbase to Delist Tether

  Aug 18, 20261 hour

  A new presidential memo lets private firms hack foreign cybercriminals — a plan Chris Perkins helped pitch. Plus a Trump-family bank charter and a rule that could push Tether offshore. Sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit 1inch.com to swap tokenized securities, crypto and more. Simple. Secure. Self-custodial. Whatever asset you’re buying - swap it at ⁠1inch.com⁠. Heads up! If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Bits + Bips on its dedicated channels. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, X, Unchained and wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-bips/id1827931786⁠⁠  YouTube - ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKiSkbYrUOOEEiYQEVPniQ⁠⁠  Spotify - ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6aSBMrOyi33aVDCULJ9mjN?si=NTLk-jl5QGeytA6-2kxMVQ&nd=1&dlsi=42f0b13dd53c4ba0⁠⁠  X - ⁠⁠https://x.com/bitsandbips⁠⁠  Unchained - ⁠⁠https://unchainedcrypto.com/bitsandbips/⁠⁠ A new presidential memorandum lets vetted private firms run offensive cyber operations against foreign hackers, and Chris Perkins helped write the original pitch eighteen months before it became policy. Perkins, Head of Franklin Crypto, and Austin Campbell, Founder of Zero Knowledge Group, unpack the letters-of-marque-style memo: the $1 million escrow bond, the sixty-day rulemaking window, and why North Korea’s Lazarus Group sits at the center of the attribution debate. Legal scholars call it a war powers problem and a violation of international law on piracy; Perkins calls it the only workable answer to $21 billion in crypto theft last year. They also dig into World Liberty's conditional OCC trust bank charter for its USD1 stablecoin, Treasury's new guidance on Genius Act stablecoin reciprocity, and why Coinbase's US platform may need to delist Tether. Plus, the SEC abruptly postpones its crypto rulemaking meeting while the CFTC keeps moving. Campbell's verdict: after 2028, a new administration could turn World Liberty's own bank charter into the industry's biggest liability. Hosts ⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠ - Host of Bits + Bips, Founder of Zero Knowledge Group, and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Perkins⁠⁠⁠ - Co-host of Bits + Bips and Head of Franklin Crypto Timestamps: ️ 02:52 Trump's new memo lets private firms hack foreign cybercriminals ⚖️ 14:16 Legal scholars call privateering a war powers and international law problem 26:48 1inch Aqua: Back multiple liquidity positions with one wallet balance at https://1inch.com/aqua 28:25 World Liberty's OCC trust charter and its USD1 stablecoin reserves 34:33 Why Austin calls Trump's family owning World Liberty 'unprecedented' 44:01 Treasury's Genius Act guidance on stablecoin reciprocity and extraterritoriality 50:33 Why Coinbase's US platform might have to delist Tether ️ 52:55 The SEC punts its crypto meeting while the CFTC keeps moving

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  Bits + Bips

  A Technical Strategist Sees Opportunity in Bitcoin's Quiet Market

  Aug 14, 202647 min

  Bitcoin's barely budged in weeks, but Katie Stockton says the charts are flashing a long-term oversold signal that has preceded past turnarounds. Sponsors ⁠⁠⁠Cape⁠⁠⁠: Your biggest crypto vulnerability isn't your wallet, it's your phone number. Cape is America's privacy-first mobile carrier that rotates your SIM identity daily and blocks SIM swaps before they happen. Get 33% off your first six months at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://cape.co/unchained⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (use code: UNCHAINED). Heads up! If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Bits + Bips on its dedicated channels. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, X, Unchained and wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-bips/id1827931786⁠⁠⁠  YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKiSkbYrUOOEEiYQEVPniQ⁠⁠⁠  Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6aSBMrOyi33aVDCULJ9mjN?si=NTLk-jl5QGeytA6-2kxMVQ&nd=1&dlsi=42f0b13dd53c4ba0⁠⁠⁠ X - ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/bitsandbips⁠⁠⁠ Unchained - ⁠⁠⁠https://unchainedcrypto.com/bitsandbips/⁠⁠⁠  While AI stocks keep grinding to record highs and bond yields climb, Bitcoin has done almost nothing for weeks. Katie Stockton, founder of Fairlead Strategies, says that stillness is not a warning sign. It is what a long-term bottom looks like on the charts. Stockton, a CMT returning to the show, points to a monthly stochastic oscillator that has stayed oversold for months and DeMark indicators showing downside exhaustion. She argues the two together suggest Bitcoin may have a major low in place, even with a hardware wallet hack, the Clarity Act, and an inflation print complicating the setup. She walks through why Ether's downtrend looks cyclical inside a longer secular uptrend, what the ETH to Bitcoin ratio's break below its 200-day average could mean, and how Solana, XRP, and Hyperliquid each look different. Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Head of Research, SharpLink Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Stockton - CMT, Founder and Managing Partner of Fairlead Strategies Timestamps 02:33 — Bitcoin's monthly stochastic just flipped long-term oversold, the signal bulls have been waiting for 04:22 — Fibonacci and the cloud model line up on one thing: a potential major low ⚡ 16:07 — Ether's downtrend is cyclical, not the end of the story, and the monthly chart shows why 21:19 — Katie's call: Ether may have already put in its major low 27:20 — The one thing Solana's chart still needs to confirm it's done bottoming 28:54 — Ripple is testing support and lagging. Is it setting up or falling behind? 33:41 — Why Hyperliquid is suddenly trading like an AI or semiconductor stock 39:28 — BVIV vs. the VIX: what crypto's eerily calm volatility is really signaling 41:48 — Katie's contrarian take: crypto's institutionalization story is overhyped

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