Bits + Bips: Bitcoin's Geopolitical Upturn and the $100K Question

Key Takeaways

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  Crypto reacts first to geopolitical shifts

  “I feel like this particular cycle has been very different than in the past cycles of every time we have a world political situation or the economy situation moving in. We have seen crypto going down. But right now, we are in a sort of a cease file... the first impact is on crypto market as soon as the oil prices went down or expected to go down.”

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  Ethereum recently outperformed Bitcoin during relief

  “Eth, picking Eth actually has outperformed in last forty eight hours with around 6.7 to 7%, then Bitcoin jump, which is great because as you know, I won't call myself eat maxi, but I'm a big eat believer. Said that, I feel like this particular cycle has been very different than in the past cycles.”

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  Prediction markets face major insider trading

  “I am like, this is not the first time I feel like PolyMarkets has been PolyMarkets has been highlighting that there are multiple times when it comes to Trump administration, from his VP pick to then going into this genius act, to, like, multiple things, like, exactly before, doing the first missile into Iran, etcetera etcetera. We have been seeing this so called insider trading.”

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  Institutional ETF inflows returned after withdrawals

  “But I don't know how much of this is institutional waiting that they're putting money aside and let's bring in so much on ETF, which we saw, like, a huge amount of money coming into ETFs. I just really don't know how much was it wait and watch versus, oh, this is this is an asset we have to go in sort of a thing.”

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  Stablecoin yield remains a legislative hurdle

  “And if the Clarity Act passes without allowing yield-bearing stablecoins, has the banking lobby won? Kavita Gupta, founder and general partner at Delta Blockchain Fund, sits down with Steven Ehrlich to work through a week of whipsawing markets, fragile geopolitics, and structural shifts that could define where crypto goes from here.”

Episode Description

Why ETH outperformed Bitcoin this past week, what's really behind the prediction market activity during the Iran situation, and what comes next for institutional crypto adoption. --- Thank you to our sponsors! Ether.fi — 15% cash back on food and rideshare apps, 3% on everything else, borrow at 4% or less Citrea — Trust minimized BTC, native stablecoin CT-USD, Bitcoin capital markets --- A tenuous Iran ceasefire sent oil prices tumbling this past week, and crypto responded before any other asset class. Bitcoin climbed to around $72K, Ethereum outperformed with 6.7 to 7% gains in 48 hours, and billions poured back into ETFs after months of withdrawals.  But amid the rally, uncomfortable questions are surfacing: who profited from suspicious prediction market bets placed just before the ceasefire announcement? Are Middle Eastern governments and corporations now using Bitcoin as actual settlement infrastructure? And if the Clarity Act passes without allowing yield-bearing stablecoins, has the banking lobby won?  Kavita Gupta, founder and general partner at Delta Blockchain Fund, sits down with Steven Ehrlich to work through a week of whipsawing markets, fragile geopolitics, and structural shifts that could define where crypto goes from here. Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠⁠⁠⁠, Head of Research, SharpLink Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kavita Gupta, Founder & General Partner at Delta Blockchain Fund Links: Ceasefire, Markets & Institutional Flows: Crypto Markets Rebound After Iran-Israel Ceasefire Deal (Unchained) Bitcoin ETFs Record $5 Billion in Daily Volume as Inflows Top $870 Million (Unchained) Crypto Adoption in MENA 2025: Crisis, Adaptation, and Growth (Chainalysis) Prediction Markets & Insider Trading: DEX in the City: Why Prediction Market 'Insider Trading' Isn't Illegal — Yet (Unchained) DEX in the City: How Prediction Markets Pose a National Security Risk (Unchained) Trading Volumes on Prediction Markets Will Drop After the November Election. Will New Market Entrants Still Attract Users? (Unchained) DOJ and CFTC Drop Investigations Into Polymarket: Report (Unchained) Clarity Act & Stablecoin Regulation: Bessent Presses Senate on Clarity Act, Labels Resistant Crypto Leaders 'Nihilists' (Unchained) Circle Stock Plunges 20% as Clarity Act Draft Threatens Stablecoin Yield (Unchained) Treasury Secretary Bessent Presses Congress to Pass CLARITY Act (The Hill) Bessent Ramps Up Pressure on Congress to Pass CLARITY Act (CoinTelegraph) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices