Bitcoin Magazine Podcast

Hosted by BTC Media

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Episodes

814

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

The Bitcoin Magazine Podcast is on a mission to stay on top of what's happening with everything Bitcoin, guiding listeners through the major stories shaping the price, philosophy and community around the financial revolution. The show will also feature brief interviews from leading experts in the space.

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60 recent

August 20, 202641 min

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan: BTC Is “Coiled” to the Upside | The Rise of Bitcoin’s Wealth Cycle

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan joins host Spencer Nichols on the Bitcoin Magazine Podcast to analyze why market apathy and "boring" price action often signal a major Bitcoin bottom. The pair dive into Bitcoin's role as a call option on a changing global monetary order, unpacking how macroeconomic uncertainty, fiscal debt, and real-world asset tokenization drive long-term value. Plus, Hougan shares key insights into institutional adoption, detailing how wealth managers and financial advisors are positioning themselves to lead the next major crypto cycle. Use code BM10 to get 10% off Bitcoin 2027 Conference in Nashville: https://2027.b.tc 🔶 Host: Spencer Nichols — Bitcoin Magazine 🔶 Matt Hougan, CIO - Bitwise Asset Management Chapters: 00:00 Is Bitcoin Near a Bottom? 01:21 The Four-Year Cycle: Where Bitcoin Stands Today 03:09 Bitcoin as a Call Option on Reserve Asset Status 05:35 Timeline to Bitcoin Becoming a Global Reserve Asset 08:09 Institutional Adoption & Bitcoin's Social Value 10:40 Where Will the Next Wave of Buyers Come From? 12:56 Institutional vs. Retail Flows: The ETF Data 14:44 Rates, the Fed & Macro Outlook18:08 Japan, the Yen & Global Bond Markets 19:49 Strategy (MSTR), Stretch & Bitcoin Treasury Companies 23:43 Which Companies Could Add Bitcoin 25:25 The Tokenization of Equities Explained 27:34 Tokenized Equities vs. the Stablecoin Boom 29:20 Impact on Global Equity Markets & Valuations 34:34 What Else Matt Is Watching in Bitcoin Markets 36:18 Bitcoin's Terminal State: 20 Years From Now 38:11 Sovereign Adoption: Bit Bonds & Bitcoin Mining #Bitcoin #MattHougan #Bitwise #BitcoinMagazine #BitcoinPodcast #BitcoinETF #BitcoinPrice #FourYearCycle #BitcoinBottom #StoreOfValue #Macro #FederalReserve #InterestRates #FederalDebt #YieldCurveControl #Japan #YenIntervention #Strategy #MSTR #MichaelSaylor #BitcoinTreasury #Tokenization #RWA #TokenizedAssets #WealthManagement #FinancialAdvisors #SovereignAdoption #Gold #MonetaryPolicy #BitcoinAdoption #BTC DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

August 7, 20261 hr 8 min

Tracking the Coldcard Hackers: Inside the $120M Bitcoin Theft with Alex Thorn

Over $120 million in Bitcoin has been drained from Coldcard hardware wallets and the attack is still ongoing. Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy, joins Spencer Nichols to break down exactly how the critical entropy bug in Coldcard's 2021 firmware was exploited, how he's tracing stolen funds on-chain, and what victims must do right now to have any chance of recovery. Thorn also explains why multisig and collaborative custody may be the only responsible path forward for Bitcoin self-custody. 🔶 Host: Spencer Nichols — Bitcoin Magazine 🔶 Alex Thorn — Head of Firmwide Research, Galaxy Chapters: 09:26 – Which Coldcard Devices Are Vulnerable 15:18 – Tracking the Attackers: Waves, Footprints & 1,600 Stolen BTC 23:46 – White Hats, Victim Reports & How to Prove Ownership 27:57 – Is Coinkite Liable? Negligence vs. Malice in the Firmware Bug 32:24 – Bitcoin's Soul-Searching Moment: Trust & Self-Custody Culture 37:56 – Multisig & Collaborative Custody Explained 43:09 – AI-Powered Attackers: The First Salvo of the Clanker Wars 50:46 – Open-Source AI, Encryption Battles & Internet Freedom 58:03 – Quantum Threats, Market Impact & Final Advice for Victims #Bitcoin #Coldcard #ColdcardHack #BitcoinSecurity #SelfCustody #HardwareWallet #AlexThorn #Galaxy #BitcoinMagazine #BitcoinPodcast #Multisig #ColdStorage #BitcoinNews #OnChainAnalysis #Cybersecurity #BTC #Coinkite #SeedPhrase #BitcoinHack #DigitalSecurity #AIcybersecurity #QuantumComputing #BitcoinCulture #CryptoHack #WalletSecurity DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

August 4, 202658 min

Even the Government Gets Robbed: Why the US Needs Bitcoin Custody Standards | BPH Ep 44

The government keeps getting robbed of its own Bitcoin and a new bill wants to fix that. The BPI team breaks down the American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA): what it would do for Treasury custody standards, why it has Democratic co-sponsors, and why they're bullish it could pass the House. They also cover the wave of digital-asset departures shaking up DC, from Hester Peirce to Paul Grewal. They also cover Kimi K3, China's open-source push, and the data center fight. 🔶 Connect with Zack Shapiro on X: https://x.com/zackbshapiro 🔶 Connect with Zack Cohen on X: https://x.com/zackcohen_ 🔶 Connect with Ken Egan on X: https://x.com/Bayman11771 🔶 Learn more about the Bitcoin Policy Institute: https://www.btcpolicy.org/ Chapters: 04:02 — Regulatory FUD: How the US Might Curb Chinese Models 10:04 — "FINRA for AI" & the Open-Source Debate 16:25 — Why China Went Open Source — and When It Flips 19:52 — Xi Jinping's Global AI Governance Play at Shanghai WAIC 27:31 — Robots, Health Care & the Industrial AI Layer 30:04 — America's Bipartisan Data Center Backlash 39:38 — AI's PR Problem: Capital, Labor & Memory Stocks 42:38 — The Jacobian Conjecture & Mastering AI Prompting 51:10 — ARMA, the Bitcoin Reserve Bill & DC Departures #Bitcoin #BitcoinPolicy #AIpolicy #KimiK3 #OpenSourceAI #OpenWeightModels #ChinaAI #ModelSovereignty #DavidSacks #AIRegulation #WorldAIConference #AIGovernance #DataCenters #DataCenterBacklash #JevonsParadox #ARMA #BitcoinReserve #StrategicBitcoinReserve #TreasuryBitcoin #CryptoPolicy #FreedomTech #AIprompting #FrontierAI #BitcoinPolicyInstitute #TechPolicy DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

August 1, 202647 min

Coinbase’s John D’Agostino: Why Bitcoin Doesn’t Need the Clarity Act to Win

Everyone keeps asking what the "big catalyst" for Bitcoin will be, but Coinbase's Head of Institutional Strategy John D'Agostino says that's the wrong question entirely. In this episode, host Spencer Nichols digs into why proven technology runs on micro catalysts, how regulatory clarity and the market structure bill could accelerate institutional adoption, and what the GENIUS Act already changed. D'Agostino also breaks down why roughly 40 countries are exploring Bitcoin on their balance sheets. 🔶 Host: Spencer Nichols — Bitcoin Magazine 🔶 John D'Agostino — Head of Strategy, Institutional at Coinbase Chapters: 04:38 — Why Market Structure Is "GENIUS on Steroids" 09:33 — Micro Catalysts vs. the One Big Catalyst 12:08 — AI vs. Crypto: The Battle for Capital 17:28 — Bitcoin's Role in an AI-Driven Economy 22:15 — Gold vs. Bitcoin & the Geopolitical Split 28:29 — 40 Countries Eyeing Bitcoin Balance Sheets 36:09 — Store of Value or Censorship-Resistant Payments?42:39 — Surviving Volatility & Playing the Long Game #Bitcoin #Coinbase #JohnDAgostino #BitcoinMagazine #MarketStructure #CLARITYAct #GENIUSAct #Stablecoins #Tokenization #InstitutionalInvestors #SovereignWealthFunds #BitcoinAdoption #Blockchain #CryptoRegulation #StoreOfValue #BitcoinETF #DigitalAssets #Crypto #DollarCostAveraging #BTC #OnChainFinance #BitcoinNews DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

July 30, 202650 min

Kraken Co-CEO: Sovereign Bitcoin Accumulation is an "Inevitability"

Is the U.S. really about to buy Bitcoin? Kraken co-CEO Dave Ripley tells Spencer Nichols why a U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve could happen within the next 12 months, based on discussions happening at the state and federal level. He unpacks sovereign adoption, tokenization, and the market-structure shift underway across crypto and traditional finance. 🔶 Host: Spencer Nichols — Bitcoin Magazine 🔶 Dave Ripley — Co-CEO of Kraken Chapters: 00:42 — Dave Ripley of Kraken on the state of the market 05:01 — How institutions are really entering crypto and tokenization 07:19 — Stablecoins and the rise of B2B cross-border payments 10:28 — Why Solana and Ethereum lead tokenization, not Bitcoin 14:17 — How crypto got political: Gensler, Warren and the Clarity Act 21:10 — Inside Kraken's Fed master account and Wyoming bank license 23:52 — The bank fight over stablecoin interest and the GENIUS Act 31:31 — Sovereign Bitcoin adoption and a possible U.S. reserve 38:15 — AI trading, agents as economic actors, and a bullish close #Bitcoin #Kraken #DaveRipley #BitcoinMagazine #Stablecoins #Tokenization #TokenizedStocks #GENIUSAct #ClarityAct #CryptoRegulation #StrategicBitcoinReserve #SovereignAdoption #InstitutionalAdoption #DeFi #NinjaTrader #FedMasterAccount #BitcoinNews #MarketStructure #AITrading #BTC #WyomingSPDI #QualifiedCustody DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

July 29, 202659 min

China's AI Gambit vs. America's Data Center Backlash: The New Tech Cold War

Is China's open-source AI strategy a values shift or a game-theoretic bluff? On this episode of The Bitcoin Policy Hour, the BPI team argues it's the latter and explains what happens when Chinese chips catch up to Nvidia. They dig into the Dean Ball vs. David Sacks debate over regulating Chinese models, "FINRA for AI," and the commoditization of intelligence. Plus: the first hearing on the American Reserve Modernization Act and the future of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. 🔶 Connect with Zack Shapiro on X: https://x.com/zackbshapiro 🔶 Connect with Zack Cohen on X: https://x.com/zackcohen_ 🔶 Connect with Ken Egan on X: https://x.com/Bayman11771 🔶 Learn more about the Bitcoin Policy Institute: https://www.btcpolicy.org/ Chapters: 1:34 — Kimi K3 Breaks Open-Weight Records 4:28 — Should the US Restrict Chinese AI Models? 10:25 — "FINRA for AI" & the Open Source Ethos 20:16 — Xi Jinping's Global AI Governance Push 28:14 — AI at the Industrial & Health Care Layer 30:44 — The Data Center Backlash37:06 — Why Opposition Went Bipartisan 43:05 — The Jacobian Conjecture & the Prompting Gap 52:00 — Bitcoin Reserve Bill (ARMA) & DC Departures #Bitcoin #BitcoinPolicy #AIPolicy #OpenSourceAI #KimiK3 #ChinaAI #ModelSovereignty #FreedomTech #DataCenters #XiJinping #GlobalAIGovernance #DavidSacks #DeanBall #StrategicBitcoinReserve #ARMA #BitcoinReserve #AIRegulation #USChinaAIRace #WorldAIConference #AIPrompting #BitcoinPolicyHour #BPI #Geopolitics #ArtificialIntelligence #Frontier DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

July 19, 202650 min

Bitcoin Investing in the Age of AI: Why Miners are Pivoting w/ MARA CEO Fred Thiel

Why are Bitcoin miners suddenly at the center of the AI infrastructure boom? Fred Thiel, CEO of MARA, explains "mullet data centers" — AI in the front, Bitcoin mining in the back — and why power is the bottom layer of Jensen Huang's AI pyramid. He details MARA's joint venture with Starwood, load-balancing technology that follows wind power in real time, and lessons from Bitcoin mining that now apply to hyperscale data centers. 🔶 Host: Spencer Nichols — Bitcoin Magazine 🔶 Fred Thiel — CEO of MARA Chapters: 01:38 — Bitcoin at $63K: Macro Correlation & Where Price Goes From Here 05:24 — Kevin Warsh's Fed, Inflation & AI's Impact on the Economy 09:04 — $600B+ in AI Capex: Jobs, Productivity & the Trillion-Dollar Buildout 12:20 — The AI Energy Bottleneck: Why Power Beats Chips 17:40 — Mullet Data Centers: Bitcoin Mining Until the AI Comes Online 24:01 — Data Centers & Communities: ESG Lessons From Bitcoin Mining 28:43 — AI Agents, Pathology & Why Humans Are the Blocking Factor 33:38 — Bitcoin as Digital Gold: Inflation, Deflation & Stablecoins 40:04 — The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin Wallets & What's Next for MARA #Bitcoin #BitcoinMining #FredThiel #MARA #MarathonDigital #AIDataCenters #ArtificialIntelligence #AIInfrastructure #EnergyDemand #DataCenters #QuantumComputing #PostQuantum #BitcoinSecurity #DigitalGold #Stablecoins #AIAgents #BitcoinPrice #Macro #Inflation #FederalReserve #BitcoinMagazine #BitcoinPodcast #EnergyMarkets #GridPower #Hyperscalers #DataSovereignty #BitcoinNews #BTC DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

July 16, 202614 min

This MIT Researcher Has a Plan to Put Privacy in Every Bitcoin Wallet

Armin Sabouri recently demonstrated how wallet fingerprints can be used to decompose payjoin transactions and recover payment amounts, and in this episode he explains what that means for privacy tools across the board. Shinobi and Armin discuss why standardization efforts like BIP 69 backfired, whether randomization can help, and how wallets can stop standing out on-chain. Grab your copy THE 2036 ISSUE👇https://store.bitcoinmagazine.com/pages/the-2036-issue 🔶 Shinobi — Bitcoin Magazine 🔶 Armin Sabouri — Payjoin Dev Kit contributor Chapters: 01:08 Why Build a Dev Kit Instead of a Special-Purpose Privacy Wallet 02:25 What Is Payjoin? How It Differs from Coinjoin 02:54 How Chain Analysis Works: The Common Input Heuristic Explained 04:10 Payjoin's Limitations: Counterparty Privacy Trade-Offs 04:40 Wallet Fingerprints: The Attack That Deanonymizes Payjoins 06:58 Building Open-Source Chain Analysis to Fight Chainalysis 08:16 From Payjoin to Multi-Party Coinjoins: The NS1R Design 10:14 Intersection Attacks and Measuring Privacy Across the Transaction Graph 13:20 Roadmap: A Dozen New Wallet Integrations and Privacy Research Ahead #Bitcoin #BitcoinPrivacy #Payjoin #PayjoinDevKit #Coinjoin #ChainAnalysis #WalletFingerprints #BitcoinDevelopment #BitcoinConference #BitcoinMagazine #ArminSabouri #Shinobi #Spiral #OpenSats #CakeWallet #BullBitcoin #OpenSource #BitcoinWallets #PrivacyTech #BitcoinResearch #BIP77 #CounterpartyPrivacy #TransactionGraph #BitcoinDev #PrivacyByDefault DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

July 14, 20261 hr 0 min

Why China's "Thousand Model War" is a Risk to US National Security | BPH Ep 42

AI is officially a national security issue and Washington is moving fast. The Bitcoin Policy Institute's Zack Cohen, Zack Shapiro, and Ken Egan break down Palantir and Nvidia's sovereign on-prem AI architecture, OpenAI's government-coordinated 5.6 rollout, and reports that Beijing may curb exports of China's top AI models. Then Zack Shapiro lays out his highest-conviction thesis: the biggest AI fortune won't be made by frontier labs, but by the people who help industry actually absorb the technology. Plus, a major CLARITY Act update as law enforcement opposition softens on Capitol Hill. 🔶 Connect with Zack Shapiro on X: https://x.com/zackbshapiro 🔶 Connect with Zack Cohen on X: https://x.com/zackcohen_ 🔶 Connect with Ken Egan on X: https://x.com/Bayman11771 🔶 Learn more about the Bitcoin Policy Institute: https://www.btcpolicy.org/ Chapters: 00:48 - Freedom Tech DC: Inside BPI's 2026 Summit & Mellon Auditorium Gala 05:43 - Palantir & Nvidia's Sovereign AI: Is the Future of AI On-Prem? 09:27 - David Sacks, Vendor Lock-In & the Case Against Frontier Lab Dependence 13:52 - Zack Shapiro's AI Absorption Thesis: The McKinsey of the AI Age 20:35 - From Refrigeration to Coca-Cola: Why AI Will Break the Billable Hour 28:14 - Morgan Stanley's Data: 40% of AI Adopters Are Seeing Real Benefits 30:09 - Will AI Agents Read Everything for Us? The Future of Content 36:43 - OpenAI 5.6, Government Gatekeeping & China's AI Export Curbs 50:50 - Anthropic's J-Space, AI Consciousness & a CLARITY Act Breakthrough #Bitcoin #BitcoinPolicy #BitcoinPolicyHour #BitcoinPolicyInstitute #BPI #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Palantir #Nvidia #OpenAI #Anthropic #Claude #SovereignAI #OnPremAI #AISafety #AIRegulation #AIConsciousness #Interpretability #CLARITYAct #BRCA #BitcoinRegulation #NationalSecurity #OpenSourceAI #ChinaAI #ExportControls #BigLaw #BillableHour #ChangeManagement #FreedomTech #FreedomTechDC #WashingtonDC #BitcoinMagazine #BitcoinConference #TechPolicy #AlexKarp #FrontierModelsDISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.

July 9, 202623 min

MIT's Ethan Heilman: 80% of Bitcoin is Quantum Vulnerable - How to Stop the Q-Day Threat

Quantum computing timelines are shrinking faster than most Bitcoiners realize and the latest Google research just made the attack 20x easier. Shinobi sits down with Ethan Heilman, research fellow at MIT's DCI lab, to separate quantum panic from quantum reality. They cover Q-day timelines, why algorithmic breakthroughs are the scariest threat, and how BIP 360 and post-quantum signatures could protect the network. Grab your copy THE 2036 ISSUE👇https://store.bitcoinmagazine.com/pages/the-2036-issue 🔶 Shinobi — Bitcoin Magazine🔶 Ethan Heilman — Research Fellow, DCI (Digital Currency Initiative) Lab at MIT Chapters: 2:12 – Why Algorithmic Breakthroughs Are Scarier Than Hardware Progress3:36 – Google's Quantum Paper & Neutral Atom Computers Explained5:10 – Quantum Labs Going Dark: The End of Public Warnings6:36 – Nation-States, US Law & Who Would Actually Attack Bitcoin10:14 – BIP 360, Hunter Beast & the Post-Quantum Solution Roadmap13:24 – Long-Range vs Short-Range Risk: Why 80% of Bitcoin Is Exposed15:21 – Doomsday Scenarios & How Large Holders Can Protect Their Coins18:45 – Giant Signatures, Block Space Fears & Final Takeaways #Bitcoin #QuantumComputing #BitcoinSecurity #QuantumComputers #PostQuantum #EthanHeilman #MITDCI #BIP360 #BitcoinMagazine #BitcoinConference #QDay #Cryptography #PostQuantumCryptography #BitcoinDevelopers #Qubits #GoogleQuantum #Taproot #SchnorrSignatures #BitcoinProtocol #QuantumThreat #BitcoinNews #BitcoinPodcast #DigitalCurrencyInitiative #BitcoinTech #QuantumSecurity #HashBasedSignatures #BitcoinSoftFork DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BTC Inc., Bitcoin Magazine, or any affiliated entities. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Nothing contained in this show constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments. Viewers should consult their own advisors before making financial or business decisions.