Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
This week, Josh Lim from FalconX joins the show to discuss the recent market sell-off. We deep dive into Josh's outlook for 2026, who is crypto's marginal buyer, the Ethereum L2 roadmap, Kyle Samani's announcement of leaving Multicoin and more. Enjoy!
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Coinbase crypto-backed loans, powered by Morpho, enable you to take out loans at competitive rates using crypto as collateral. Rates are typically 4% to 8%. Borrow up to $5M using BTC as collateral and up to $1M using ETH as collateral.
Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here:
coinbase.com/onchain/borrow/get-started?utm_campaign=0126_defi-borrow_blockworks_empire&marketId=0x9103c3b4e834476c9a62ea009ba2c884ee42e94e6e314a26f04d312434191836&utm_source=empire
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00:00 Introduction
03:41 State of the Market
08:48 Josh’s Outlook For 2026
18:45 The SaaS-Pocalypse & Crypto's Marginal Buyer
26:12 Coinbase Ad
26:58 The Crypto to AI Rotation
37:24 The Ethereum L2 Roadmap
47:27 Kyle Samani Leaves Multicoin
01:01:45 Why Is Josh Still In Crypto?
01:03:57 Content of The Week
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
This week, Josh Lim from FalconX joins the show to discuss the recent market sell-off. We deep dive into Josh's outlook for 2026, who is crypto's marginal buyer, the Ethereum L2 roadmap, Kyle Samani's announcement of leaving Multicoin and more. Enjoy!
--
Follow Josh: https://x.com/joshua_j_lim
Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM
Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel
Follow Empire:https://x.com/theempirepod
--
Coinbase crypto-backed loans, powered by Morpho, enable you to take out loans at competitive rates using crypto as collateral. Rates are typically 4% to 8%. Borrow up to $5M using BTC as collateral and up to $1M using ETH as collateral.
Manage crypto-backed loans directly in the Coinbase app with ease. Learn more here:
coinbase.com/onchain/borrow/get-started?utm_campaign=0126_defi-borrow_blockworks_empire&marketId=0x9103c3b4e834476c9a62ea009ba2c884ee42e94e6e314a26f04d312434191836&utm_source=empire
--
00:00 Introduction
03:41 State of the Market
08:48 Josh’s Outlook For 2026
18:45 The SaaS-Pocalypse & Crypto's Marginal Buyer
26:12 Coinbase Ad
26:58 The Crypto to AI Rotation
37:24 The Ethereum L2 Roadmap
47:27 Kyle Samani Leaves Multicoin
01:01:45 Why Is Josh Still In Crypto?
01:03:57 Content of The Week
--
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.






![How Arbitrum Landed Robinhood
Gm! This week Yano is joined by Steven and AJ from OffChain Labs to dive into all the behind-the-scenes happenings of one of the biggest deals in recent crypto history - the collaboration between Arbitrum and Robinhood to tokenize both public and private US stocks for European markets.
Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross.
Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts
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Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh
SKALE is the next evolution in Layer 1 blockchains with a gas-free invisible user experience, instant finality, high speed, and robust security. SKALE is built different as it allows for limitless scalability and has already saved its 50 Million users over $11 Billion in gas fees.
SKALE is high-performance and cost-effective, making it ideal for compute-intensive applications like AI, gaming, and consumer-facing dApps. Learn more at https://skale.space and stay up to date with the gas-free invisible blockchain on X at @skalenetwork
Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and high yield. No empty emissions, just real yield and sequencer fees routed back to DeFi users.
Pre-deposit now: Earn high APRs with Turtle Club [https://app.turtle.club/campaigns/katana] or spin the wheel with Katana Krates [https://app.katana.network/krates]
Mantle is building the financial infrastructure for a tokenised future—bridging traditional finance and on-chain innovation through six integrated product pillars: Mantle Network, mETH Protocol, Function BTC, and the upcoming launches of MantleX, Mantle Banking, and the Mantle Index Four (MI4) Fund. Anchored by one of the largest community-governed treasuries in the industry, valued at over $4 billion, Mantle is delivering institutional-grade products designed for global capital markets.
Follow Mantle on X: https://x.com/Mantle_Official
Zenrock is a permissionless, decentralized custody network backed by 1RoundTable Partners, 10T, Maven11, and Spartan. Live on Jupiter, $ROCK is the native token for transactions within the Zenrock ecosystem and secures Zenrock’s decentralized custody network.
The first application launching on Zenrock is zenBTC – yield-bearing Bitcoin on Solana. zenBTC is now live.
Ledn is the leading platform for Bitcoin-backed loans, offering a secure and transparent way to unlock liquidity without selling your Bitcoin. Ledn has issued over $9 billion in loans since 2018 and has never lost a single satoshi of client assets, earning a reputation as the name you can trust in the crypto space.
Visit https://www.ledn.io to learn more.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
02:45 BTS Of Robinhood X Arbitrum Collab
07:25 Launch & Migrate Strategy
19:01 Ads (Skale, Katana)
20:49 What Did Robinhood Want The Most Out Of Arbitrum
24:03 Business Model Breakdown
38:22 Ads (Skale, Katana)
40:09 The Largest Digital Nation
42:31 OpenAI Tokens
46:56 Next Up To Work With Arbitrum
51:57 Ads (Mantle, Zenrock, ,LEDN)
54:26 Mistakes Around L1s and L2s
01:13:16 Corporate Treasuries
01:16:53 Acquisitions
01:20:13 Stablecoins
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. How Arbitrum Landed Robinhood](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lSibUTs6Fh0/mqdefault.jpg)


![No, We Have Not Topped | Weekly Roundup
Happy Friday! On this week’s Roundup, Yano and Santi are joined by Ro to dive in and explore the signals, indicators and metrics that might or might not point to a top of the cycle. From Chamath’s SPAC, borrowing and lending numbers, Kanye meme coins, NFTs and more all provide unique insights into the potential frothy Q4 ahead of us.
Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from David Canellis.
Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts
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Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz
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Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh
GEODNET is the world’s largest RTK network, delivering real-time, centimeter-level precision for drones, robots, farmers, and first responders. Recognized by the U.S. Congress, this blockchain-powered network supports mission-critical applications across a wide range of industries.
Discover how GEODNET is changing the world: [https://geodnet.com]
Get up to speed on the biggest stories in crypto each week. In five minutes.
Get the Bitwise Weekly CIO Memo delivered directly to your inbox at bitwiseinvestments.com/ciomemo/empire
Mantle is pioneering Blockchain for Banking as a revolutionary new category that sits at the intersection of TradFi and web3.
Key elements for Mantle as the Blockchain for Banking:
- Transactions posted to the blockchain
- Compatibility with TradFi rails
- Integrated DeFi features
UR, built by Mantle, is the first real-world example: an on-chain money app offering Swiss IBANs and unified access to fiat (EUR, CHF, USD, RMB) and crypto — bringing crypto into everyday finance.
Mantle Network, the access layer — transforms Mantle Network into a purpose-built vertical platform — the blockchain for banking — that enables financial services on-chain. Mantle leads the establishment of Blockchain for Banking as the next frontier.
Follow Mantle on X (@Mantle_Official) for the latest updates on Mantle as the Blockchain for Banking.
Citrea is the first zero-knowledge rollup to enhance the capabilities of Bitcoin blockspace and enable Bitcoin applications (₿apps). Citrea is optimistically verified by Bitcoin, offering the most Bitcoin-secured and native way to extend BTC’s utility to DeFi.
Learn more about Citrea: https://citrea.xyz/?utm_source=bellcurve&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=website_promo
Follow Citrea on X/Twitter for the latest on its journey to mainnet: https://x.com/citrea_xyz
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
04:01 Top Indicators Explored
25:33 Ads (Geodnet, Bitwise)
27:02 Lending Markets & Leverage
45:55 Private Markets
54:38 Ads (Geodnet, Bitwise)
56:00 Ads (Mantle,Citrea)
57:36 Overlooked Sectors
01:12:30 Content Recs
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. No, We Have Not Topped | Weekly Roundup](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n-HRRoTpJUY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Finding Alpha In Crypto, Mamdani Wins & The AI Gold Rush | Weekly Roundup
This week, Pranav Kanade joins the show to discuss the current state of markets. We deep dive into how Pranav finds alpha in crypto, Mamdanis win in NY, have we topped, are L1s overpriced, why the hot money is in AI & more. Enjoy!
Follow Pranav: https://x.com/vaneckpk
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Zcash is encrypted Bitcoin. Your digital bill of rights securing your freedom for the 21st century.
Buy, store and spend ZEC privately using Zashi Wallet download today: https://electriccoin.co/zashi/
Katana is a DeFi-first chain built for deep liquidity and high yield. No empty emissions, just real yield and sequencer fees routed back to DeFi users.
Pre-deposit now: Earn high APRs with Turtle Club [https://app.turtle.club/campaigns/katana] or spin the wheel with Katana Krates [https://app.katana.network/krates]
00:00 Intro
02:49 The Opportunity For Tokenization
10:27 Mamdani Wins In NY
27:35 Finding Alpha In Crypto
32:05 Ads (Zcash, Katana)
33:17 Are L1s Overpriced?
36:18 Can People Actually Outperform BTC?
45:32 Have We Topped?
49:47 The Hot Money Is In AI
59:08 Ads (Zcash, Katana)
01:00:21 Can Crypto Ever Get To 100m+ Active Users?
01:12:42 Content of The Week
Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. Finding Alpha In Crypto, Mamdani Wins & The AI Gold Rush | Weekly Roundup](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nndl0glVtBg/mqdefault.jpg)