Laura Walsh returns this week to help me unpack the whirlwind of events shaking up crypto, finance, and politics—from Trump’s memecoin antics to regulatory shifts and the ever-increasing adoption of crypto by institutional finance.

Laura Walsh is a Techstars All Star Mentor, advisor, founder, web3 OG and friend, and in this episode, we dive into:

Trump’s Memecoin Playbook – How the former U.S. president’s memecoins raked in millions in fees and what it says about crypto speculation today.
Gary Gensler’s Exit from the SEC – What his departure means for the regulatory landscape and whether this signals a new era for crypto.
Institutional Finance Embracing Blockchain – The latest on Circle’s acquisition of Hashnote’s tokenized money market fund and why crypto natives, not TradFi, are fueling the real-world asset movement.
Regulatory Clarity & Crypto Adoption – How the SEC’s new crypto task force led by Hester Peirce is changing the conversation around compliance and innovation.
Lessons from the Irish Whiskey Trade Battle – A fascinating parallel between crypto lobbying and how the Irish whiskey industry successfully pushed for tariff exclusions in the U.S.
Canada’s Response to Trump’s Trade Threats – The geopolitical implications of America’s shifting trade policies and how Canadians are rallying against expansionist rhetoric.

There’s no shortage of action in this episode—memecoins, market shifts, regulatory updates, and some fascinating history lessons all packed into one conversation!

Resources & Mentions:

Gary Gensler Leaves SEC, and Cryptocurrency-Friendly Mark Uyeda Is Appointed (Binance, 20-Jan-25)

SEC Forms New Crypto Task Force Spearheaded by Hester Peirce (CoinDesk, 21-Jan-25)

Trump’s meme coin is a reminder of crypto’s dumbest use case (CNN, 21-Jan-25)

Alternative viewpoint on memecoins from Kevin DeGods (X/Twitter, 20-Jan-25)

Canada has threatened ‘dollar for dollar’ retaliatory tariffs and ‘nothing is off the table’ (National Post, 21-Jan-25)

The Irish whiskey playbook: an insider’s guide to how firms must navigate Trump’s DC (Business Post, 20-Jan-25)

Dfns Raises $16 Million to Expand Crypto Wallet Infrastructure (Pymnts.com, 17-Jan-25)

Circle buys tokenized money market fund Hashnote-USYC (Finextra, 21-Jan-25)

Tornado Cash off OFAC List (Cointelegraph, 22-Jan-25)

Ross Ulbricht pardoned (X, 21-Jan-25)

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