CoinDesk Podcast Network

Rapha (Rafa) Zagury, CEO of Elektron and manager of Tether’s 50 EH/s bitcoin mining portfolio, is a fintech-turned-Bitcoin infrastructure entrepreneur. He discusses Elektron’s global 200k-ASIC footprint across 32 sites. Topics include how Tether consolidated mining assets, the coming AI vs Bitcoin mining site bifurcation, energy and host strategies, and why hashrate growth matters.

Ryan VanGrack, Coinbase’s VP of Legal and Global Head of Litigation, who oversees the company’s litigation and regulatory strategy. He explains why Coinbase sued several states and argues for federal oversight of prediction markets. He contrasts prediction markets with sportsbooks. He defends the CFTC’s role and expresses cautious optimism about bipartisan market-structure legislation.

Mark Zalan, CEO of GoMining and Consensus Hong Kong 2026 speaker, is building simple tools to turn Bitcoin into everyday money. He explains shifting from mining access to payment rails, a payment card with terahash cashback, a four-hour yield product, and plans for travel and real estate integrations. He focuses on removing merchant, fee, and volatility barriers to spending BTC.

Nvidia reports a record $68.1B quarter and gives massive guidance that shakes markets. AI-driven crypto tokens and mining stocks rally on the tech surge. A gambling-related sanction against a Mr. Beast employee makes headlines. Regulators wrestle with prediction market oversight. Institutional investors quietly add crypto as a small, high-volatility allocation.

Fahmi Syed, President of the Midnight Foundation and a blockchain exec focused on privacy-preserving infrastructure. He discusses Midnight’s federated mainnet launch and strategic partnerships with Google Cloud and Telegram. He walks through Midnight City, a SimCity-style privacy simulation, and explains the concept of rational privacy for protecting data and enabling private on-chain trading.

Le Shi, Managing Director at Auros Hong Kong and macro-driven crypto strategist. He explains how global macro and US political headlines now steer bitcoin. Short takes cover TradFi-crypto convergence, market volatility and the hunt for a fresh catalyst before the US midterms. A concise look at what could break the current choppy regime.

William Campbell, project lead for USDKG and architect of Kyrgyzstan's gold-backed digital dollar, outlines the nation's bid to modernize and become a regional crypto hub. He explains using physical gold reserves and Ministry oversight to collateralize the token. The conversation covers launch blockchains, DeFi plans, institutional focus, and an Asia-first growth strategy.

A U.S. senator launches a probe into alleged $1.7 billion transfers tied to Iran and Binance’s response. A developer community bans crypto talk after scammers hijack accounts and create a fake token. On-chain signals hint that Bitcoin miners might be returning online after a period of capitulation.

Rehan Ahmed, CEO of Marketnode, building infrastructure for on-chain traditional assets in APAC. Raja Chakravorti, Chief Business Officer at Stellar Development Foundation, focused on institutional-grade tokenization and on-chain settlement. They discuss APAC’s $10 trillion wealth pool and rapid tokenization growth. Conversation covers settlement speed, scaling tokenized treasuries, and shifting from product creation to large-scale distribution.

Fakhul Miah, Managing Director at GoMining Institutional, a specialist in institutional custody and mining economics. He discusses how huge ETF inflows and institutional accumulation are muting volatility. He explores whether Bitcoin’s four-year cycle is changing. He outlines a 2026 mining shakeout favoring low-cost, infrastructure-grade operators.