Episodios

  • Bitcoin is pristine collateral—with Jon Melton
    Jun 25 2025

    What if the future of credit markets is built on bitcoin? In this episode, we sit down with Jon Melton, Head of Lending at Unchained and a veteran of Morgan Stanley, Silvergate, and Xapo. Jon shares his journey from Wall Street to building a bitcoin-backed credit business, helping institutions safely borrow dollars against their bitcoin without losing control. We explore why bitcoin is pristine collateral, how interest rates in this market may evolve, and why re-hypothecation risk matters. Jon explains how collaborative custody transforms the borrowing experience and outlines the future of institutional credit on a bitcoin standard. We also discuss why the regulatory tide in America has turned—and what that unlocks for bitcoin’s next wave.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtube


    TIMESTAMPS:

    0:00 - Intro

    4:45 - Conviction through doing the work

    10:07 - Managing $1.5b in bitcoin loans with zero losses

    16:08 - What Wall Street still doesn’t understand about bitcoin

    20:11 - Why bitcoin embodies American values

    26:27 - How interest rates might evolve in bitcoin lending

    30:12 - Why Unchained never rehypothecates your bitcoin

    36:22 - How big will bitcoin lending get in 10 years

    41:10 - What unlocks the next wave of bitcoin credit markets

    46:25 - The biggest risk to bitcoin


    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → Jon Melton’s Twitter: https://x.com/jmelton21mm

    Más Menos
    51 m
  • MBA grads still don’t get bitcoin, here’s why with Anil Patel
    Jun 18 2025

    What if you were introduced to digital scarcity before bitcoin even existed? In this episode, we sit down with Anil Patel, author of The Bitcoin Handbook and creator of widely shared bitcoin graphics featured in Michael Saylor keynotes. Anil shares how selling concert tickets sparked his early understanding of scarcity, and how that insight shaped his approach to bitcoin. We discuss his take on bitcoin’s future as a store of value, treasury asset, and sovereign protection tool, and why he believes bitcoin’s price will rise forever. Anil unpacks his journey from pitching bitcoin to MBA classmates in 2013 to now building educational content that simplifies complex ideas. We explore the rise of bitcoin treasury companies, how centralized platforms differ from bitcoin’s ethos, and the enduring value of reading and low time preference in a distracted world.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtube


    TIMESTAMPS:

    0:00 - Intro

    1:09 - Anil’s early digital scarcity insight from concert ticketing

    5:12 - Why bitcoin will go up forever, according to Anil

    12:07 - Building a personal and family bitcoin reserve

    14:18 - Bitcoin treasury companies vacuuming up supply

    16:17 - Pitching bitcoin to his MBA class in 2013

    23:32 - Evolving bitcoin education and content creation

    29:22 - Why early bitcoiners understood digital scarcity

    32:16 - Sovereignty vs number go up—why both matter

    40:16 - Mental models and heuristics to cut through noise

    43:08 - Innovation is accelerating—so is bitcoin’s upside


    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → Anil Patel’s Twitter: https://x.com/anilsaidso

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    57 m
  • DOGE couldn’t fix the dollar with Sam Callahan
    Jun 11 2025

    What if bitcoin treasury companies become the most powerful corporations of the next decade? In this episode, we’re joined by Sam Callahan to explore how lightning adoption, corporate strategy, and macro uncertainty are reshaping the global economy. Sam explains why companies like Strategy are pioneering a new capital structure based on bitcoin, how BTC-native yield on the Lightning Network could disrupt traditional finance, and why institutions are finally waking up to sound money. We cover everything from regulatory arbitrage and ETF flows to lightning yield flywheels, safe haven behavior, and the future of corporate balance sheets. Sam also breaks down how tether and stablecoin adoption could drive a new phase of economic activity on lightning—and what it means for investors looking to outperform.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtube


    TIMESTAMPS:

    0:00 - Intro

    1:21 - How bitcoin treasury companies are revolutionizing finance

    5:20 - Bitcoin treasury companies vs real estate leverage

    10:01 - Why this cycle could mimic 2017’s parabolic run

    12:46 - Why bitcoin adoption is at a major inflection point

    16:36 - Who’s next to buy bitcoin: corporates or governments?

    22:31 - If bitcoin hits 50% of gold, price hits $1 million

    28:06 - Bitcoin is starting to show safe haven behavior

    34:39 - How lightning and tether could explode BTC-native yield

    46:16 - Spend fiat or spend and replace bitcoin?

    52:30 - Why DOGE can’t stop the era of fiscal dominance


    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → Sam Callahan’s Twitter: https://x.com/samcallah

    Más Menos
    1 h y 4 m
  • Is bitcoin’s wealth creation era over or just beginning? with Trace Mayer
    Jun 4 2025

    Bitcoin’s volatility is falling—and Trace Mayer thinks that may signal the end of its wealth creation era. In this episode, we sit down with early bitcoin investor and proof of keys holiday founder Trace Mayer to unpack where we are in bitcoin’s lifecycle and what comes next. Trace breaks down his recent debate with Peter Schiff, explaining why subjective value theory and entrepreneurship are at the heart of bitcoin’s superiority over gold. We explore bitcoin’s declining volatility, why Strategy’s strategy may be riskier than it looks, and how bitcoin financialization is accelerating faster than expected. Trace also shares why proof of reserves matters, the long-term risk of custodial centralization, and how legal frameworks might evolve to protect against contentious forks.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtube


    TIMESTAMPS:

    0:00 - Intro

    1:24 - Debating Peter Schiff on sound money and bitcoin

    5:44 - Why Satoshi was a monetary entrepreneur

    10:07 - Bitcoin vs gold: scarcity, portability, and use cases

    20:36 - The light side vs dark side of investing with bitcoin

    23:18 - Saylor’s strategy: capital gains vs cash flow

    28:01 - Bitcoin volatility is declining—is the wealth creation phase over?

    33:45 - The financialization of bitcoin is accelerating

    40:01 - Global instability, geopolitics, and bitcoin

    49:46 - Capital controls: bitcoin’s role


    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → Trace Mayer’s Twitter: https://x.com/TraceMayer

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    1 h y 2 m
  • Hal Finney was right about $10mm bitcoin with Adam Back
    May 27 2025

    Bitcoin might still be wildly undervalued—and Adam Back explains why. In this episode, we sit down with Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, early cypherpunk, and inventor of hashcash, the proof-of-work system that inspired bitcoin mining. Adam shares the story of receiving the first known email from Satoshi Nakamoto, why he didn’t buy bitcoin until it hit $100, and how early ideas like b-money and bit gold shaped Satoshi’s breakthrough. We explore the importance of a fixed supply, why halvings still move the market, and how doubt keeps bitcoin underpriced. Adam weighs in on treasury adoption, supply shocks, and whether this cycle could break the diminishing returns theory. We also discuss volatility, long-term thinking, and the $100 trillion opportunity bitcoin is unlocking.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtube


    TIMESTAMPS:

    0:00 - Intro

    1:00 - Why selling bitcoin is like playing against a rigged casino

    7:38 - Why Adam didn’t buy bitcoin until it hit $100

    10:11 - Realizing bitcoin had bootstrapped into something real

    13:35 - The underrated role of Nick Szabo, Wei Dai, and Hal Finney

    19:24 - Why the 2008 financial crisis was perfect timing for bitcoin

    22:32 - Is bitcoin drifting from its cypherpunk roots?

    26:01 - How doubt keeps bitcoin undervalued

    27:52 - Why $10 million bitcoin is still possible

    31:19 - Why volatility makes bitcoin hard to sell

    36:36 - Why halvings still impact the price despite being predictable

    42:35 - Why this cycle could invalidate the diminishing returns theory

    46:14 - The global unbanked: a $100 trillion bitcoin market

    48:12 - The 200-week moving average as a price floor

    50:10 - Price reflexivity: why people buy because it’s going up

    53:07 - The shrinking tradable supply and why halvings still matter

    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → Adam Back’s Twitter: https://x.com/adam3us

    Más Menos
    1 h y 5 m
  • What if $100,000 bitcoin is just the beginning? with Vijay Boyapati
    May 20 2025

    In this episode, we sit down with Vijay Boyapati, author of The Bullish Case for Bitcoin, to explore where we really are in the current market cycle and what comes next. Vijay breaks down four frameworks for valuing bitcoin, explains why gold parity is almost inevitable, and outlines how ETFs and corporate treasury strategies are reshaping adoption. We talk through HODL waves, why the current price action still feels boring, and what it might take to push bitcoin to $10mm+ per coin. Vijay also discusses quantum computing and AI as emerging risks, the importance of ossification, and how a future of abundance may still require sound money. Finally, he shares what he’d update in his original thesis and why the story of Satoshi may become one of the defining legends of the next thousand years

    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:
    → Subscribe
    → Leave a review
    → Share the show with your friends and family
    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com
    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description
    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description
    → Read Joe Burnett’s new report, Repricing the Economy in Bitcoin: https://www.unchained.com/go/repricing-the-economy-in-bitcoin?utm_campaign=strivereport&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=tbf&utm_content=youtube

    TIMESTAMPS:
    0:00 - Intro
    2:08 - Valuing bitcoin at $1M and $10M
    4:01 - HODL waves and the psychology of selling
    5:49 - Four frameworks for bitcoin valuation
    10:06 - Why bitcoin surpassing gold is nearly certain
    12:27 - How early we still are in global adoption
    14:38 - Why ETFs changed the bitcoin game
    17:32 - How MicroStrategy tapped the bond market
    20:36 - What’s holding bitcoin back today
    22:41 - Why hyperbitcoinization is unlikely this cycle
    23:18 - How bitcoin cycles crash and reset
    27:11 - What could break the MicroStrategy model
    29:34 - How long-term investors may soften future crashes
    30:27 - Would you change anything in the bullish case?
    35:06 - Quantum computing and bitcoin’s biggest risk
    38:02 - Will AI abundance make money obsolete?
    41:29 - Why time guarantees bitcoin’s role in the future
    46:00 - Bitcoin ossification vs. protocol changes
    49:27 - Will self-custody or custodians win long term?
    51:40 - What would Satoshi think today?
    54:19 - Is bitcoin a digital organism?
    56:05 - Outside of bitcoin, what excites Vijay most?
    57:09 - Where to find Vijay and his work

    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:
    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained
    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom
    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter
    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital
    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD
    → Vijay Boyapoti’s Twitter: https://x.com/real_vijay

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    58 m
  • Can bitcoin spark a nuclear renaissance?
    May 13 2025

    What if bitcoin could spark a nuclear renaissance? In this episode, we’re joined by Ryan, better known as Nuclear Bitcoiner, to explore the intersection of nuclear energy and bitcoin. Ryan shares how bitcoin aligns with long-term infrastructure like small modular reactors and how it may reshape the economics of power generation. We walk through the advantages of nuclear over wind and solar, the implications of AI and data center demand, and how microgrids could decentralize the future energy landscape. Ryan also breaks down fusion vs. fission, the role of hash rate flexibility, and why nation-states will inevitably compete for mining dominance. From financing nuclear with bitcoin bonds to rethinking scarcity itself, this episode offers a forward-looking view of energy, incentives, and acceleration.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Learn why every business will buy bitcoin: https://unchained.com/frontier


    TIMESTAMPS:

    00:00 - Intro

    01:01 - Why Ryan became the nuclear bitcoin

    03:03 - How bitcoin mining fits perfectly with nuclear microgrids

    06:36 - Why nuclear beats wind and solar on resilience

    11:32 - Can small nuclear reactors decentralize the grid?

    14:11 - The AI and data center energy boom is bullish for nuclear

    16:24 - Why Microsoft wants to own a nuclear plant

    20:02 - Bitcoin may fix nuclear financing

    22:43 - How radiation is misunderstood—and actually saves lives

    25:14 - What’s the difference between nuclear fusion and fission?

    27:33 - The myth of “cheap” wind and solar energy

    30:09 - Bitcoin mining adds unmatched flexibility to the grid

    36:25 - Could bitcoin mining one day use more energy than the world does today?

    41:05 - Why perfect scarcity is so hard to understand

    44:51 - How bitcoin bonds could revolutionize nuclear financing

    52:30 - Final thoughts on bitcoin, nation-states, and the future of energy

    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → Nuclear Bitcoiner’s Twitter: https://x.com/NuclearBitcoinr

    Más Menos
    54 m
  • From fighter jets to $2.4mm bitcoin with George Bodine
    May 6 2025

    What happens when a former underground miner and Navy fighter pilot goes all in on bitcoin? In this episode, we sit down with George Bodine to find out. George shares his unique journey—from hauling rock beneath the earth to flying jets—and how it led him to see bitcoin as the only escape from a broken monetary system. We explore his view on inflation, the collapse of the American dream, and why he believes bitcoin could reach $2.4 million by 2030. George breaks down the risks of yield products, the role of ETFs and MicroStrategy, and the repeal of SAB 121. He shares his thoughts on Tether and 21 Capital, the rise of the national strategic bitcoin reserve, and the possibility of sovereign accumulation. We close with a thoughtful discussion on whether bitcoin is ultimately for optimists or pessimists—and his message to the next generation.


    SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

    → Subscribe

    → Leave a review

    → Share the show with your friends and family

    → Send us an email podcast@unchained.com

    → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=TBF-podcast-description

    → Watch the video premiere of Bitcoin, Not Crypto: https://unchained.com/frontier


    TIMESTAMPS:

    0:00 - Intro

    1:14 - From underground miner to Navy pilot to Delta captain

    4:17 - Realizing you can’t outrun fiat money after the GFC

    6:57 - Living through Nixon’s gold shock and the petrodollar pivot

    9:06 - Why gold bugs are future bitcoiners

    12:51 - Will young people be locked out of owning meaningful bitcoin?

    16:49 - A volatile but hopeful transfer of wealth to ethical builders

    18:59 - Coinbase yield product and the future of bitcoin financial services

    27:52 - Tether, 21 Capital, and Strategy

    30:19 - SAB 121, stablecoin legislation, and the national strategic reserve

    46:51 - Bitcoiners will inherit the world

    50:11 - TradFi anger, denial, and inability to accept yield-less assets

    01:05:28 - Will art improve on a bitcoin standard?


    WHERE TO FOLLOW US:

    → Unchained X: https://twitter.com/unchained

    → Unchained Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom

    → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter

    → Joe Burnett’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IIICapital

    → Jose Burgos (Director of Media Production) on Twitter: https://x.com/DeFBeD

    → George Bodine’s Twitter: https://x.com/Jethroe111

    Más Menos
    1 h y 11 m