Bankless

1231 Episoden

Zero Crypto at Home: Bankless in the Age of Wrench Attacks and Phishing | Jameson Lopp and Beau
25.02.2026 | 1 Std. 42 Min.
Crypto’s newest threat isn’t a smart contract exploit, it’s a knock at your door. In this episode, Ryan sits down with Jameson Lopp (Casa) and Beau (former CIA, now safety at Pudgy Penguins) to map the real security landscape for crypto holders in 2026: the phishing traps you’ll see daily, the physical “wrench attacks” that terrify the community, and the practical systems that can make both dramatically less effective. If going bankless is about freedom, this is the playbook for keeping that freedom without turning into your own security team.

---
📣ROCKET POOL | PERMISSIONLESS STAKING
https://bankless.cc/Rocketpool

---
BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET
https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🪐GALAXY | INSTITUTIONAL DIGITAL FINANCE
https://bankless.cc/galaxy-podcast

⚡ EUPHORIA | REAL-TIME ONE-TAP TRADING
https://bankless.cc/euphoria

🌐BRIX | EMERGING MARKET YIELD
https://bankless.cc/brix

🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT
https://bankless.cc/bitget

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
https://bankless.cc/TDRpro

---
TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
2:45 The 2026 threat landscape: third parties, privacy, then physical
8:07 Most likely vs most dangerous: phishing vs wrench attacks
17:23 Minimize attack surface + separate your money by risk
20:27 The “3-wallet” model: daily spend, risky ops, deep cold vault
25:08 Hot vs cold: the $1k rule + don’t sign when you’re not sharp
30:01 Social engineering defense: authenticate everything, trust nothing inbound
36:22 Password managers + the 2FA ladder (passkeys/YubiKeys win)
45:05 “Dedicated signing machine” and air-gapped thinking
47:30 Wrench attacks: how targets are found + what the attacks look like
52:50 Why France stands out (and what Dubai’s data shows)
57:37 “Zero Crypto at Home”: multisig + geography + time delays
1:12:27 Duress wallets: why they don’t reliably work
1:16:38 Home hardening checklist: cameras, lights, panic buttons, doors/windows
1:30:59 Onchain privacy reality + tax software pitfalls
1:37:40 Is this a setback for the Bankless vision?

---
RESOURCES

Jameson Lopp
https://x.com/lopp
https://casa.io/

Beau
https://x.com/beausecurity
https://beausecurity.substack.com/

RSA’s Article - Zero Crypto at Home
https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/2016572587363520933

---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Ethereum's Last Big Upgrade: The zkEVM | Ansgar Dietrichs
23.02.2026 | 1 Std. 20 Min.
Ethereum’s next big leap might not look like a single “flip the switch” moment—but it could change how the chain verifies everything. In this episode, Ansgar Dietrichs comes back to unpack the ZK EVM: why “re-executing every block” has been Ethereum’s hidden scaling tax, how real-time proofs finally make a different verification model viable, and what it would take to transition safely without sacrificing the verifiability that keeps Ethereum credibly neutral. They explore the three true bottlenecks of blockchain scaling (compute, IO, bandwidth), the roadmap from optional proofs to mandatory proofs, and why client diversity could look radically different in a ZK-native future.

---
📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24
https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium

---
BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET
https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🪐GALAXY | INSTITUTIONAL DIGITAL FINANCE
https://bankless.cc/galaxy-podcast

⚡ EUPHORIA | REAL-TIME ONE-TAP TRADING
https://bankless.cc/euphoria

🌐BRIX | EMERGING MARKET YIELD
https://bankless.cc/brix

🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT
https://bankless.cc/bitget

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS
https://bankless.cc/TDRpro

---
TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro
0:43 Ethereum’s Biggest Upgrade
4:35 The Core Idea: Verify Blocks Without Re-Executing
10:40 From Bitcoin’s “Verify Cheaply” to Verifying Full Execution
16:22 Cryptography 2.0: Proving Arbitrary Computation
22:56 Scaling All 3 Constraints: Compute, IO, Bandwidth
32:33 Why Ethereum Has Been “Slow” by Design
38:29 3× Per Year: Scaling Now, Not Someday
41:28 ZK Isn’t About Faster Blocks (But Speed Still Improves)
46:33 Rollout Plan: Optional Proofs → Mandatory Proofs
49:59 Dependencies: Block-in-Blobs, Repricing, New State Trees
54:14 Security Reality Check: Performance → Security → Production
1:01:24 Client Diversity in a ZK World
1:10:51 Timeline: ZK Ethereum, Around 2030
1:16:31 Second-Order Wins: L2 Bridging and Beyond Crypto
1:20:49 Closing: Build the Boring Infrastructure, Enable the Apps

---
RESOURCES

Ansgar Dietrichs
https://x.com/adietrichs

---
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
ROLLUP: Prediction Market War | Base Leaves Optimism | Tomasz Exits EF | Clarity Act Lives | Harvard Buys ETH
20.02.2026 | 1 Std. 9 Min.
A legal war over prediction markets just went public. Ryan and David break down the CFTC’s claim of exclusive authority, the backlash from state officials and lawmakers, and why this fight is really about whether markets or politics get to define truth. They explore why AI-powered prediction markets may be crypto’s strongest product-market fit yet, and why that scares regulators. Plus: Harvard rotates from Bitcoin into Ethereum, Base breaks from Optimism, Zora expands to Solana, the Ethereum Foundation leadership reshuffles, signs of life for the Clarity Act, institutions buying DeFi tokens, Europe’s unrealized-gains wealth tax, autonomous “life” on Ethereum, OpenAI’s EVMbench, and what ETHDenver says about where crypto goes next.

---

📣ROCKET POOL | PERMISSIONLESS STAKING

https://bankless.cc/Rocketpool

---

BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET

https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🪐GALAXY | INSTITUTIONAL DIGITAL FINANCE

https://bankless.cc/galaxy-podcast

⚡EUPHORIA | REAL-TIME ONE-TAP TRADING

https://bankless.cc/euphoria

🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT

https://bankless.cc/bitget

🌐BRIX | EMERGING MARKET YIELD

https://bankless.cc/brix

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS

https://bankless.cc/TDRpro

---

TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

2:27 MARKETS

https://x.com/hiwhaledegen/status/2023372409303450065

4:33 PREDICTION MARKETS REGULATORY FIGHT

https://x.com/ChairmanSelig/status/2023744651216240966

https://x.com/GovChristie/status/2023821634344550892

https://x.com/SenWarren/status/2023877196323188764

https://x.com/govcox/status/2023795059980988874

https://x.com/RepCasten/status/2024212119491588303

https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/2023794107274194944

https://x.com/SenatorHagerty/status/2023802779899252901

https://x.com/SenMcCormickPA/status/2023831838461194501

https://x.com/tyler/status/2023761976481259585

https://x.com/kylascan/status/2023786873605476719

https://x.com/ADoricko/status/2023834015699173398

https://x.com/abcampbell/status/2024281289700802568

https://x.com/NTmoney/status/2024505537514394104

25:18 BASE LEAVES OPTIMISM

https://blog.base.dev/next-chapter-for-base-chain-1

https://x.com/lex_node/status/2024181767813427402

https://x.com/intangiblecoins/status/2024184295493886317

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/optimism

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/arbitrum

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/polygon

https://x.com/web3_data/status/2023716576126755249

https://polymarket.com/event/will-base-launch-a-token-in-2025-341/?via=bankles

35:24 ZORA EXPANDS TO SOLANA

https://x.com/zora/status/2023797263651533053

https://x.com/js_horne/status/2023809356739838390

https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/2023872648032272642

https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2023990750082445561

40:04 ETHEREUM FOUNDATION SHAKEUP

https://x.com/tkstanczak/status/2022315368430067847

https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2022318344288792618

https://x.com/aerugoettinea/status/2022318885047779576

https://x.com/dannyryan/status/2022318587281572257

44:56 CLARITY ACT SIGNS OF LIFE

https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/2024238762021036201

https://polymarket.com/event/clarity-act-signed-into-law-in-2026/?via=bankles

https://x.com/altcoindaily/status/2024174959707541638

49:16 APOLLO x MORPHO (INSTITUTIONS BUYING DEFI TOKENS)

https://x.com/AggrNews/status/2022482933974544669

https://x.com/RyanWatkins_/status/2022680420270379400

https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/2023054776762876157

52:14 AAVE TOKEN ALIGNMENT PROPOSAL

https://x.com/TheiaResearch/status/2022037595568603406

https://x.com/Marczeller/status/2022073505341219033

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/aave

56:09 NETHERLANDS UNREALIZED GAINS WEALTH TAX

https://x.com/BitcoinNewsCom/status/2021978390870347923

https://x.com/balajis/status/2022360046122995851

58:55 AUTONOMOUS LIFE ON ETHEREUM (CONWAY)

https://x.com/0xSigil/status/2023877649475731671

https://x.com/sterlingcrispin/status/2024254432498639322

1:04:56 OPENAI EVMbench

https://openai.com/index/introducing-evmbench/

1:06:24 ETHDENVER REFLECTIONS

https://x.com/EthereumDenver/status/2024234929840935318

https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2024215091856527753

1:08:05 CLOSING & DISCLAIMERS

---

Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Lyn Alden: How to Survive The Gradual Print Era — Fed Chair Warsh, Gold & Bitcoin
16.02.2026 | 1 Std. 38 Min.
Lyn Alden joins us to make sense of the “everything, everywhere, all at once” macro moment.

A fourth-turning-style unwind of the long-term debt cycle, rising fiscal dominance, and a rare, headline-level clash over Fed independence—plus what a Kevin Warsh Fed might actually do under real-world constraints.

We dig into the “gradual print” era, why gold is ripping, how a more multipolar monetary order could emerge (gold, bitcoin, and stablecoins in different roles), and what trade war dynamics mean for the dollar’s privilege.

Lyn also explains why Bitcoin has lagged gold this cycle, how much the four-year crypto cycle still matters, the risks around treasury companies and quantum narratives, and how she’s thinking about portfolio construction in 2026.

------

📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24

https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium

------

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET

https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🌐BRIX | EMERGING MARKET YIELD

https://bankless.cc/brix

🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT

https://bankless.cc/bitget

👑BANKLESS PREMIUM | AD-FREE & BONUS EPISODES

https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS

https://bankless.cc/TDR-pro

💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES

https://bankless.cc/ico-watchch

------

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 What’s Happening?

6:23 The Fourth Turning

13:59 Fed Independence

30:40 New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh

37:46 The Gradual Print

42:16 Gold

53:56 China vs US

1:07:14 Bitcoin vs Gold

1:12:37 Crypto 4-Year Cycles

1:23:26 Proof-of-Work vs Proof-of-Stake

1:28:12 Frontier Tech

1:35:11 Lyn Alden’s 2026 Portfolio

1:39:24 Cash Strategy

1:41:30 Closing & Disclaimers

------
RESOURCES

Lyn Alden

https://x.com/LynAldenContact

Lyn Alden Newsletter

https://www.lynalden.com/

------

Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠
ROLLUP: Crypto Pain Market | Coinbase Super Bowl Rug Pull | IBIT Liquidation Cascade | Prediction Markets Explode | BlackRock x Uniswap
13.02.2026 | 1 Std. 6 Min.
Crypto feels cooked in 2026, and the Super Bowl proves it. Ryan and David unpack Coinbase’s Backstreet Boys rug pull ad and what it reveals about crypto’s collapsed public narrative. Then they dig into the brutal selloff, why IBIT’s record volume hints at forced TradFi liquidation, and what Polymarket is pricing for Bitcoin under $50K. From Robinhood’s prediction markets exploding into a real revenue engine to the political fight over who regulates “gambling vs markets,” the thesis is clear: finance is the only use case still scaling. Plus: LayerZero’s new “world computer” L1, MegaETH and Aztec’s bear market launch playbook, Vitalik finally calling ETH a store of value, ENS staying on L1, BlackRock bringing BUIDL to Uniswap, and the weirdest loose end of all, SBF’s missing tungsten cube.

---

📣ROCKET POOL | PERMISSIONLESS STAKING

https://bankless.cc/Rocketpool

---

BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

🔮POLYMARKET | #1 PREDICTION MARKET

https://bankless.cc/polymarket-podcast

🌐BRIX | EMERGING MARKET YIELD

https://bankless.cc/brix

🏅BITGET TRADFI | TRADE GOLD WITH USDT

https://bankless.cc/bitget

👑BANKLESS PREMIUM | AD-FREE & BONUS EPISODES

https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium

🎯THE DEFI REPORT | ONCHAIN INSIGHTS

https://bankless.cc/TDR-pro

💰ICO WATCH | UPCOMING PUBLIC TOKEN SALES

https://bankless.cc/ico-watch

---

TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

0:32 Super Bowl Coinbase Commercial

https://x.com/julia_fiedler5/status/2020672759508967576

10:02 Markets

https://x.com/cryptorand/status/2021894696268660736

https://x.com/TheDemocrats/status/2019492504614150375

https://polymarket.com/event/what-price-will-bitcoin-hit-before-2027/?via=bankles

https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/2019835733503255006

https://x.com/DegenerateNews/status/2020846896084852796

https://x.com/blckchaindaily/status/2021967204653445163

https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2020860553732768085

https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz

https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/2021325189674357204

25:46 Prediction Markets Growth has been explosive

https://x.com/theoneandomsy/status/2021399052366250280

https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2021603112541102400

https://x.com/movietimedev/status/2021278393136808099

https://x.com/mattplatkin/status/2021335653091508323

https://x.com/GovChristie/status/2019515642836054038

https://x.com/michaelselig/status/2019533204068393280

34:51 A tail of Three Chains - LayerZero, Robinhood, MegaETH

https://x.com/LayerZero_Core/status/2021338847972663394

https://x.com/a16zcrypto/status/2021348447656476841

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/layerzero

https://x.com/LayerZero_Core/status/2021343796236321036

https://x.com/RobinhoodApp/status/2021585052417630465

https://youtu.be/KcpMRlmrkEw

https://x.com/megaeth/status/2020876108342927670

https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/2021265395307495795

https://x.com/Zac_Aztec/status/2021707048497602777

https://x.com/sjdedic/status/2021960471704707177

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/zama

https://app.hyperliquid.xyz/trade/MEGA

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/layerzero

44:04 Are non-financial crypto dead?

https://x.com/matthuang/status/2020858831065043159

https://x.com/jessepollak/status/2020962065100538091

https://x.com/cdixon/status/2019837259575607401

https://x.com/hosseeb/status/2020451853633511696

50:04 ETH & BlackRock

https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2019814868140933287

https://x.com/ensdomains/status/2019789111557808146

https://x.com/BrantlyMillegan/status/2019791852531069313

https://x.com/vitalikbuterin/status/2019818956530274327

https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/2021587358999630034

https://x.com/KalshiTrade/status/2021586037034651819

https://fortune.com/2026/02/11/blackrock-uniswap

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/uniswap-token-jumps-following-blackrock-165720913.html

https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/uniswap

57:13 MrBeast acquired a Gen Z‑focused banking app

https://x.com/MrBeast/status/2020910218360782929

https://x.com/BuckOnTwidder/status/2021005048654987354

59:17 You can now give your agent a self-custodial wallet!

https://x.com/programmer/status/2021649037074870627
https://docs.cdp.coinbase.com/agentic-wallet/quickstart.

https://x.com/base/status/2021413560740721048

1:01:10 Safemoon founder sentenced to 100 months in prison

https://x.com/IRS_CI/status/2021340944143196568?

1:02:19 SBF suck up…full on propaganda - pardon by summer?

https://x.com/SBF_FTX/status/2021932965047988515

https://themissingbillions.com/

1:05:42 Closing & Disclaimers

---

Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures