Why The Banks Changed Their Tune On Bitcoin

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Presented collaboratively by Early Riders & Onramp Media…

Final Settlement is a weekly podcast covering capital markets, dealmaking, early-stage venture, bitcoin applications and protocol development.

This week Michael, Liam, and Brian break down the banks' accelerating tokenization push: BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan joining a 54-firm UK tokenization task force, Swift's blockchain ledger pilot with 17 banks, and what it means for Bitcoin's role in the emerging plumbing. They dig into Satya Nadella's AI sovereignty thesis, Microsoft's Frontier Company data play, Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI, and the Fed's new AI task force under Kevin Warsh. The guys run through a stack of deals: TerraWolf's $19 billion Anthropic infrastructure agreement, OLAMA's $65 million raise, Paradigm's $1.2 billion fourth fund expanding into AI and robotics, and Tether's $20 million investment in Mercado Bitcoin. They close on TradFi's crypto expansion via SBI Holdings and Russia's Alpha Bank, Kraken's $22 million lawsuit win, where the Clarity Act stands ahead of the midterms, and Spiral's new open source push to merge Bitcoin and AI.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Show Overview

00:18 - Market Sentiment and Show Focus

01:15 - Banks and Traditional Enterprises in Digital Asset Space

02:40 - UK Tokenization Task Force and Use Cases

03:40 - Swift Blockchain Ledger Pilot with 17 Banks

04:34 - Global Sprint in Tokenized Securities and Deposits

07:23 - Bitcoin's Role in the Future of Digital Infrastructure

09:39 - The Bullish Case for Bitcoin Amidst Tokenization

12:28 - AI Tools and Sovereignty in Data Ownership

15:37 - Microsoft's Investment in AI and Data Sovereignty

22:16 - Microsoft Frontier Company and Proprietary Data Platforms

25:07 - The Importance of Human Agency in AI Adoption

28:40 - AI and the Disruption of Traditional Business Models

29:08 - Apple Suing OpenAI Over Trade Secrets

32:36 - The Long-Term Impact of AI and Open Source Models

36:50 - DoorDash's AI Code Reviewer and Internal AI Adoption

38:19 - Fed's AI Task Force and Economic Policy

43:32 - Russia's Strategic Use of Bitcoin and Digital Assets

50:07 - Paradigm's New Fund and Broader Tech Investment

55:13 - Traditional Finance's Entry into Crypto and Digital Assets

01:02:41 - Regulatory Developments and the Future of Crypto Legislation

01:09:18 - Bitcoin's Role in the Future of Digital Infrastructure

01:11:21 - Open Source AI and Bitcoin Integration

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