First Mover

Grayscale has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to convert its bitcoin trust to a bitcoin spot ETF. Will the SEC give it the green light soon? What could it mean for the crypto community at large? Grayscale Global Head of ETFs Dave LaValle shares insights on today’s “First Mover.” NFT.NYC is underway. NFT42 CEO Jimmy McNelis explains the latest NFT trend and the seed funding round for his company Nameless. Plus, regulatory news from CoinDesk Managing Editor for Global Policy & Regulation Nikhilesh De.

1 nov. 2021

“First Mover” hosts react to Facebook’s announcement of its corporate name change to “Meta” in anticipation of the next-generation internet. Meanwhile, investment firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) outlines vision on Web 3 in a letter “We Deserve a Better Internet.” Tomicah Tillemann, Global Head of Policy at Andreessen Horowitz, shares insights into the topic. Plus, markets insights from MarketGauge Managing Director Michelle Schneider and details on Nigeria’s CBDC rollout from Bitt CEO Brian Popelka.

29 oct. 2021

“First Mover” hosts dig into today’s top stories. Shiba Inu coin is the most talked-about cryptocurrency on Twitter in India. SHIB managed to flip DOGE for the 9th position on the top cryptocurrency by market cap list before it crashed about 30% earlier Thursday, allowing DOGE to regain its title as the 9th biggest coin. Indian crypto exchange WazirX Founder & COO Siddharth Menon provides his insights into the rise of SHIB. Associated Press is launching NFT collections of historical moments on Binance. Dwayne Desaulniers, AP Blockchain and Data licensing director, discusses the significance of this initiative. Plus, markets insights from Eddie Ghabour, Key Advisors Group co-owner and managing partner.

28 oct. 2021

“First Mover” hosts dive into the biggest news moving the crypto markets today. FTX Crypto Exchange finalizes LedgerX acquisition. This comes after FTX raised over $420 million, which brings the firm’s valuation to $25 billion. FTX Founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried shares insights into the latest funding round and acquisition. Investment firm Republic Head of Crypto and Tokenization Andrew Durgee shares his markets analysis. Plus, CoinList CEO Graham Jenkin discusses a plan for expansion after raising $100 million in the latest funding round.

27 oct. 2021

“First Mover” hosts take a look at the crypto markets as VanEck is launching its bitcoin strategy ETF today Meanwhile, Solana’s hitting a new all-time high, Economist is now on the NFT auction block, and it’s selling “Down the rabbit hole: The promise and perils or decentralised finance” cover as an NFT. Economist reporter Alice Fulwood joins to discuss.

26 oct. 2021

“First Mover” hosts discuss today’s hot topics: Olumide Adesina, a Nigeria-based certified Investment Trader and CoinDesk Contributor, shares insights into the launch of eNaira, Nigeria’s central bank digital currency, and David Nage of crypto asset manager Arca and Haseeb Qureshi of Dragonfly Capital, weigh in on market movements as bitcoin holds steady above $60K. Plus, what Matt West, the first DeFi developer to run for Congress, has to say about his platform as he runs for Oregon’s congressional 6th District as a Democrat.

25 oct. 2021

“First Mover” team discusses Valkyrie Funds launching the second bitcoin futures ETF in the U.S., under the ticker “BTF” on the Nasdaq this morning. CEO of Valkyrie Leah Wald shares insights into this launch. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has replaced Binance as the world’s biggest bitcoin futures platform, thanks to the strong investor appetite for the recently launched ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF. Amar Gautam, CEO of Hyperlinq, provides analysis on the news and crypto markets. Plus, Lyn Ulbricht, mother and advocate for the founder of the now-defunct Silk Road website Ross Ulbricht, joins as CoinDesk’s Crypto Policy Week guest.

22 oct. 2021

“First Mover” hosts discuss the top stories moving the crypto markets: more bitcoin futures ETFs are set to start trading today and Monday. Ex-U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Chris Giancarlo shares insights into bitcoin ETF regulation. Jacobi Asset Management wins approval to launch a physically backed bitcoin ETF in Guernsey. Jacobi Asset Management CEO Jamie Khurshid shares his insights behind the approval and his analysis on crypto markets in general. Plus, Clinique is expanding into Metaverse with its first NFT collection available for rewards members. Clinique Head of Metaverse Projects Cathy Hackl joins the discussion.

21 oct. 2021

“First Mover” team dives into the top stories impacting the crypto markets today: Bloomberg is reporting ProShares bitcoin futures ETF BITO debuts as second-highest traded fund ever with about $1 billion traded on the first day, Galaxy Digital Research reveals top 10 things that show crypto is booming in its latest report, and Alex Thorn, Galaxy Digital head of firmwide research, shares details of this report. Plus, an investigative report from CoinDesk Reporter Anna Baydakova on a black market for verified accounts on major exchanges, and Blockchain Association Executive Director Kristin Smith Blockchain’s take on crypto regulations.

20 oct. 2021

“First Mover” team dives into the top stories moving the crypto markets today. ProShares is launching the first bitcoin futures ETF in the U.S. “BITO” on the New York Stock Exchange today. Bitcoin price breaks the $62K resistance level on this news. Anderson Kill Partner Preston Byrne, MarketGauge Group Managing Partner Michele Schneider and Chamber of Digital Commerce Chief Policy Officer Teana Baker-Taylor join the discussions.

19 oct. 2021