Ben Strack

<div id="highlights-block_6285486c715ef" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Blockworks Research will first focus on DeFi and seeks to expand its coverage to other sectors</li>
 <li>Web application’s offerings to include project and tokenomics analysis, daily briefs with market updates, and protocol and project models</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Blockworks has launched a research offering designed for a range of investors and industry watchers seeking to learn more about DeFi and other crypto sectors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The media company’s co-founders, Jason Yanowitz and Michael Ippolito, unveiled <a href="https://www.blockworksresearch.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the new web application</a> Wednesday during the Permissionless event in Palm Beach, which Blockworks is co-hosting.



Founded in 2018, Blockworks has spent the past few years building out its events and conferences, as well as its podcast network, editorial brand and newsletter.



“We’ve been building this huge community of investors who are investing into crypto with this core thesis that crypto will eventually become one of the largest asset classes in the world,” Yanowitz said. “Now, it’s time to go deeper.”&nbsp;



Blockworks Research will focus on DeFi (decentralized finance) and seeks to expand its coverage to other sectors. The company will publish research on segments such as layer-1s, layer-2s, DAOs, gaming and NFTs — starting at the product and protocol level.



The company has a 10-person research team and plans to scale the unit over time, Yanowitz said.



The offering was designed for crypto executives seeking to keep up with industry development, as well as builders, investors and retail traders.



In addition to data, Blockworks Research will offer project and tokenomics analysis, daily briefs with market updates, protocol and project models, corporate access calls, governance updates and access to analysts.&nbsp;



The launch comes after the crash of Terra’s algorithmic stablecoin, UST, and the blockchain’s other native token, LUNA. Though the timing wasn’t planned, Ippolito said, the recent events are a good reminder of the need for better data and analysis.



“There’s definitely a lot of…following people and not doing their own research,” he said. “So one of the things we feel we can give back to the community is providing good primary research, and hopefully that can advance the space.”



<hr class="wp-block-separator">
Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.
<hr class="wp-block-separator">

Blockworks Unveils New Research Offering

<div id="highlights-block_619c0b7e28978" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Puneet Singhvi’s unit will outline a distinct strategy on how its institutional client group should pursue new products, clients and investments</li>
 <li>Benefits of blockchain and digital assets are efficiency, instant processing, fractionalization, programmability and transparency, Citi executive says in internal memo</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



<a href="https://www.citigroup.com/citi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Citi</a> has appointed a head of digital assets for its institutional client group (ICG) and plans to continue its hiring spree in the space.



Puneet Singhvi will join the ICG’s business development team on Dec. 1, according to a memo obtained by Blockworks. The note was written by Emily Turner, the ICG’s head of business development, and sent to colleagues.



“We believe in the potential of blockchain and digital assets including the benefits of efficiency, instant processing, fractionalization, programmability and transparency,” Turner wrote. “ICG’s digital asset efforts are a continuation of our work with blockchain, and are consistent with our strategy to research emerging technologies, collaborate with partners to develop solutions and implement new capabilities enabled by robust governance and controls.”



Singhvi was most recently working with the company’s global markets division, where he led many of Citi’s foundational steps in the blockchain and digital assets as well as its relationships with major financial market infrastructure providers, according to the memo.&nbsp;



He will build out the team and work with other Citi divisions to identify and develop products and capabilities for digital assets.&nbsp;



“The ICG Digital Assets team will provide subject matter expertise, product development, project management and importantly outline a distinct strategy on where and how ICG should pursue digital asset opportunities including new products, new clients, and new investments,” Turner explains in the note.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The memo also announces the appointment of Shobhit Maini and Vasant Viswanathan as co-heads of blockchain and digital assets for Citi’s global markets division.&nbsp;



Citi intends to fill up to 100 additional roles to support its digital asset capabilities across the ICG, a spokesperson told Blockworks.&nbsp;



This is not the financial services giant’s first foray into crypto.&nbsp;



The global bank <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/citi-considering-trading-bitcoin-futures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said in August</a> that it was looking into trading bitcoin futures contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) for some of its institutional clients.&nbsp;



Citi also <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/citi-leads-15m-investment-into-digital-asset-company-amberdata/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">led a $15 million Series A funding round</a> for digital asset data company Amberdata in September. More recently, <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/citi-ceo-fraser-were-building-the-infrastructure-for-retail-real-time-payments/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser</a> told Yahoo Finance that digital assets would be part of the future of financial services and markets, noting that the company was working to connect clients to wallets and enable corporate clients to accept consumer payments.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/?source=end" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter</a>&nbsp;now.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>

Citi Looking to Fill 100 New Digital Asset-Related Roles

Jack Farley

Is the 40-year era of falling bond yields and low inflation coming to an end? That is the question investors have been asking themselves for months, and now that October&#8217;s CPI reading hit its highest level since 1991, it is a query that can no longer be avoided.



Eric Basmajian of EPB Macro Research is confident that all this anxiety about inflation is unnecessary. On today&#8217;s episode of &#8220;<a href="https://youtu.be/qJWwUFZPhnQ">Forward Guidance</a>&#8220;, Basmajian tells me why he thinks the rate of inflation will soon relent, and why he thinks the bull market in bonds is nowhere close to over. 



Pointing to the fall in economic growth rates as measured by industrial production, hirings, and real rates of consumption and income, Basmajian argues that an overweight allocation to Treasury bonds will protect investors from a slowdown in growth, as can be seen by the rolling over of coincident factors such as industrial production, hirings, and real rates of consumption and income.&nbsp;



Basmajian explores particularly volatile parts of the Consumer Price Index like durable goods and rent, and he explains his long-term view that aging populations will ensure low bond yields in the United States just as they did in Europe and Japan.



Check out what they had to say in the video below. 👇



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Inflation Won&#039;t Last (Here&#039;s Why) | Eric Basmajian" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qJWwUFZPhnQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Podcast: Inflation Won’t Last (Here’s Why) | Eric Basmajian

<div id="highlights-block_617811dfb339a" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>“Forward Guidance” explores how stocks, bonds, the dollar, commodities, and crypto are impacted by macro variables such as inflation, growth, and liquidity</li>
 <li>Each episode offers long-form interviews with sophisticated macro thinkers</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Today I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be hosting a new macro interview series called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5ZJc1R95g">Forward Guidance</a> on the Blockworks podcast network.



The show will explore in-depth the risks and opportunities that investors face in today&#8217;s unprecedented macro environment.&nbsp; More specifically, we will explore a paradox at the heart of today&#8217;s markets.



On the one hand, with the help of central banks, risk assets are floating higher by the day, companies are hiring workers at breakneck speeds, and consumer spending and corporate earnings are at record levels.



At the same time, cracks are appearing in the very foundation of our financial markets. A slowdown in commercial lending, wobbles in China’s real estate sector and the surging cost of commodities threaten the narrative the central banks want us so desperately to believe.



That everything is fine.



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5ZJc1R95g" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forward Guidance</a> is a show dedicated to uncovering the heart of this conundrum. Twice a week, I’ll be speaking directly with fund managers, analysts, and financial industry professionals about how investors can grow and protect their wealth in this brave new macro world. These episodes will air on Tuesday and Friday.



The show launches today, Tuesday, October 26th, with Lyn Alden of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy as the first guest. Alden shared her thoughts on why she thinks the global financial system is nearing the apogee of a long-term debt cycle, and the only way to unwind the leverage without causing ruinous economic data is through persistently higher inflation and a significantly weaker US dollar.&nbsp;



Alden also discussed her views on surging energy costs, China’s stock market woes and the flurry of new bitcoin ETFs that have come to market recently.&nbsp;



I will also be hosting a live show with the co-founder of Blockworks, Michael Ippolito. More on that later…



<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5ZJc1R95g" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listen</a> to the inaugural episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx5ZJc1R95g" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forward Guidance</a> on YouTube.



Watch the first episode. 👇



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Unwinding of the Long Term Debt Cycle | Lyn Alden" width="1024" height="576" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jx5ZJc1R95g?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>

New Macro Podcast Embarks on Cross-asset Class Journey

Liz Coyne

<div id="highlights-block_613fab56321c7" class="highlights">
 
</div>



Digital Asset Summit 2021, New York City — Blockworks&#8217; Digital Asset Summit 2021 is our flagship US-based institutionally focused crypto <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/digital-asset-summit-2021-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conference</a> for asset managers and financial services professionals.



Hosted Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 14 &#8211; 15, this in-person event features leaders from the world of finance and digital assets discussing crypto from the perspective of industry practitioners.



While the event is sold out, we are thrilled to be able to bring you all the main stage content via livestream.



<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/digital-asset-summit-2021-2/#form0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Follow this link and log-in to watch now.</a>

Digital Asset Summit 2021 Live from NYC

Jason Yanowitz

<div id="highlights-block_60f5948bef2eb" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>More than 3,000 registrants are expected to attend Permissionless in Spring 2022</li>
 <li>Today, more than $50 billion in assets are stored on DeFi platforms — a number that is expected to increase to more than $1 trillion in assets by 2025.</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>


<div id="highlights-block_60f5947aef2ea" class="highlights">
 
</div>



Blockworks is excited to announce the launch of <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/permissionless" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Permissionless</a>, the world’s largest DeFi conference, set to take place in Spring 2022.&nbsp;The conference and expo will be in-person at a U.S. based location to be announced soon. 



We’re proud to partner with Electric Capital, Dragonfly Capital, Multicoin Capital, Delphi Digital, Bitwise and Bankless on Permissionless with the shared goal of bringing DeFi to the world.&nbsp;



<h3>What is DeFi?</h3>



Decentralized Finance, or DeFi for short, is a global alternative to legacy financial services. With DeFi platforms, anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can access transparent financial services such as savings, loans, trading, insurance and more.



Today, more than $50 billion in assets are stored on DeFi platforms — a number that is expected to increase by more than 10 times by 2025.



&#8220;DeFi is the single most exciting sector of the crypto market, with huge potential, incredible innovation, and of course, significant risks,&#8221; said Matt Hougan, chief investment officer, Bitwise. &#8220;We’re seeing huge demand from institutional and professional investors to learn about the space, and many are investing. The world needs a conference like Permissionless and needs it now.&#8221;



&#8220;DeFi is going to disrupt traditional finance in the same way that Amazon disrupted Sears.&nbsp;The writing is on the wall. It&#8217;s finance, but faster, cheaper, better,&#8221; said Hougan.



<h3>Introducing Permissionless</h3>



Permissionless is the one place where professional investors can learn what DeFi&nbsp;is, what it isn’t and what it could become.



The two-day conference and exhibition includes networking, expert panels, hands-on sessions, debates and roundtable discussions that explore the big-picture potential of DeFi, and provide deep dives into DeFi protocols like Aave, Uniswap, Compound and Maker to help guests generate alpha for their portfolio.



Topics include:



<ul><li>The rise of DAOs&nbsp;</li><li>How to successfully yield farm</li><li>An update on EIP-1559&nbsp;</li><li>DeFi from the eyes of an institutional investor</li><li>Ethereum competitors and the potential of a multichain future</li><li>How to govern a DeFi-led world</li></ul>



Buy your ticket today. The first 100 <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/permissionless" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Permissionless</a> tickets are $15.59.



On September 1st, ticket prices increase to $99. Prices go up on an ongoing basis as the event nears.

Blockworks Launches Permissionless, the World’s Largest DeFi Conference

Michael Ippolito

<div id="highlights-block_60ae87980a957" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Digital Asset Summit is the first crypto conference designed for a financial audience</li>
 <li>Our audience is carefully monitored and made up only of finance and crypto capital markets professionals</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Crypto is transitioning to an institutional asset class at an unprecedented rate.



News continues to pour in every day as banks, trillion dollar asset managers, financial institutions and even governments move to accept and integrate bitcoin.



As an entirely new cohort of professional investors and institutions struggle to learn about crypto, the question remains: what are the best resources?



<h3>An institutional conference for finance professionals</h3>



<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/digital-asset-summit-2021-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Digital Asset Summit</a> is the first crypto conference designed for a financial audience.



At Blockworks’ two-day, flagship event based in of New York City, there will be no talk of <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sharding.asp#:~:text=Sharding%20is%20a%20database%20partitioning,process%20more%20transactions%20per%20second.&amp;text=Sharding%20can%20help%20reduce%20the,blockchain%20network%20into%20separate%20shards." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharding</a>, <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/z/zksnark.asp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">zk snarks</a> or a candy-coated vision of what blockchain can be.



Instead, you will hear from real practitioners, investors and professionals who traffic in these markets every day.



Every topic is carefully constructed to answer the question: how will we build new capital markets to support a new asset class?



<h3>Who should attend?</h3>



The DAS audience is extremely targeted and capped at 750 attendees.&nbsp;The attendees fall into three buckets:



<ol><li>Asset Managers (Family Offices, Macro Hedge Funds, Long Only, Crypto Native Funds)</li><li>Financial Institutions (Investment Banks, Insurance Companies, Payment Processors)</li><li>Crypto Infrastructure (Prime Brokerage, Lending, Trading Services, Liquidity Providers)</li></ol>



If you want to meet retail, this conference isn’t for you. Our audience is carefully monitored and made up only of finance and crypto capital markets professionals.



<h3>What will the conference cover?</h3>



Below is a sample of the type of content you can expect to be on the DAS agenda:



<ul><li>Perspectives from the Buy-Side: Inside a Bull Run</li><li>Institutional Market Access and the Rise of Prime Brokerage</li><li>The Future of Financial Services and Digital Assets</li><li>The State of Crypto Market Structure: Liquidity, Arbitrage and Security</li><li>Institutional Lending and Yield Generation</li></ul>



At Blockworks, our mission is to bridge the gap between finance and crypto.&nbsp;<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/digital-asset-summit-2021-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DAS</a> is one of the most important things we do to get the right people in the room and move the conversation forward.



<a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/digital-asset-summit-2021-2/#pricing2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Buy a ticket</a> today and get the early-bird discount. Prices increase on June 4th.

The Institutionalization of Crypto

<div id="highlights-block_609b32c5ba521" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>In 1944, the most powerful countries in the world gathered in a small hotel in sleepy Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to create a new monetary system for the world</li>
 <li>While the Bretton Woods system has long been discarded, today we find ourselves in a similar position as the allied nations did back then.</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



In 1944, the most powerful countries in the world gathered in a small hotel in sleepy Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.



World War II was drawing to a close, and the Allies had come together for one purpose:



<h3>Creating a new monetary system for a new world.</h3>



After 22 days of intense deliberation, the conference settled on a monetary system with the US dollar at the center.



The Allies also created the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to uphold global financial security and oversee fair trade practices.



While the Bretton Woods system has long been discarded, today we find ourselves in a similar position as the allied nations did back then.



Our monetary system is not working.



Governments around the world are in a race to the bottom to debase their currencies. Trade wars are breaking out. Inequality is worse than it has ever been.



The end of the US dollar’s status as reserve currency is no longer a question of if, but of when.



So now the question is: What is the future of money?



During a <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/bretton-woods-the-realignment/#info1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conference</a> hosted by Blockworks at the very same historic hotel in Bretton Woods, today’s foremost economists, investors, academics and thinkers will gather for three days and attempt to answer that question and consider:



<ul><li>The history of money itself</li><li>An overview of the short- and long-term debt cycles</li><li>Today’s financial plumbing</li><li>The complicated relationship between the US and China</li><li>Bitcoin and the promise of a new monetary system</li></ul>



It has never been more important to ask these questions than it is today. Be part of the conversation and the solution. Join us for Bretton Woods: The Realignment (August 11-13, 2021). Apply to attend <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/events/bretton-woods-the-realignment/#info1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

Bretton Woods and the Future of Money

Today I&#8217;m excited to announce a new Blockworks podcast called &#8220;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lyn-alden-explains-connection-between-inflation-bitcoin/id1558223079?i=1000513411286">On the </a><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lyn-alden-explains-connection-between-inflation-bitcoin/id1558223079?i=1000513411286" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Margin</a>&#8221; that explores the growth of digital assets from the perspective of financial industry professionals.



Central banks are in a global race to debase their currencies, interest rates are at all-time lows, and inequality is growing faster than ever before. At the same time, digital assets like Bitcoin are gathering momentum and finally attracting the attention of financial institutions, companies, and even governments.



&#8220;On the Margin&#8221; takes a look at the emerging phenomenon of bitcoin, not from the perspective of industry talking heads, but from Wall Street veterans. I&#8217;ll be speaking directly with fund managers, analysts, and financial industry professionals about how they view the growth of the digital asset ecosystem.



&#8220;On the Margin&#8221; is a two-part show. Once a week I&#8217;ll be interviewing industry experts, and then at the end of the week I&#8217;ll be joined by my co-host <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tyler Neville</a> where we&#8217;ll break down the top crypto and macro stories of the week. Episodes go live every Wednesday and Saturday morning.



The show launches today, March 17th, with Lyn Alden of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy as the first guest.&nbsp;Next up, I will be joined by Dan Tapiero of 10T Holdings and Grant Williams of &#8220;Things That Make You Go Hmm.&#8221;



Subscribe to &#8220;On the Margin&#8221; today on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lyn-alden-explains-connection-between-inflation-bitcoin/id1558223079?i=1000513411286" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple</a> or <a href="https://spoti.fi/3bTa9uw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spotify</a>, or watch the episode on <a href="https://bit.ly/3vy1UvK" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube</a>.

New Podcast from Blockworks Explores Crypto From Macro Investors’ Perspectives

Many of today’s unicorn crypto companies started as a dream — entrepreneurs who took a leap of faith on a small internet phenomenon called Bitcoin.&nbsp;



Throughout my time in this space, I&#8217;ve been fortunate enough to meet hundreds of founders building this new financial system. Everyday, we hear the announcements, the fund raises, and the product launches.



But I wanted to hear the real stories –&nbsp;the stories that usually aren’t publicly shared.



On Empire, I’ll reveal the personal struggles, bold moves, and tough decisions that these individuals have gone through to build this new industry. For any NPR or Guy Raz fans out there, you can think of Empire like a &#8220;How I Built This&#8221; for the Bitcoin and crypto industry.



Empire launches on Thursday, March 4th, 2021.



Episodes will be released every Thursday morning. Early guests include Muneeb Ali of Blockstack, Mike Belshe of BitGo, Bobby Ong of CoinGecko, and Joe Lubin of ConsenSys. 



Subscribe to Empire today on <a href="https://apple.co/389JSpL">Apple</a> or <a href="https://spoti.fi/3uVnxpC">Spotify</a>. Watch the episode on <a href="https://youtu.be/EolJbJC8zZ0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube</a>.

New Podcast from Blockworks Showcases the Personal Stories of Crypto Founders

Bitcoin and crypto are no longer obscure internet phenomena. Over the past decade, they have become a critical alternative asset class that impacts nearly every institution in the world.



At Blockworks, we’ve been helping investors understand this emerging asset class for nearly three years.&nbsp;



Today, Blockworks is excited to announce the launch of our editorial site.



Leveraging our new site and <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/newsletter/">daily newsletter</a>, our editorial team will focus on the asset managers, companies, and individuals that shape the crypto industry.&nbsp;



The goal of our editorial team is simple: to provide investors and finance professionals with the news, analysis, and insights they need to make informed decisions about the digital asset space.



<h3>What you can expect:</h3>



As an independently-owned company that has never raised venture money, coverage from Blockworks will have no agenda.&nbsp;



We pledge to report on the industry in a way that is unbiased, fact-based and accessible.&nbsp;



We will dutifully cover markets, investment trends, and regulatory developments that connect the emerging crypto ecosystem with the broader world of macro finance.



<h3>Why now?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>



Bitcoin has emerged as a non-sovereign, global, decentralized, digital store of value.&nbsp;



The industry is experiencing record institutional inflows, from macro hedge funds, to university endowments, to RIAs.



This transformation is happening at one of the most uncertain moments in the history of our global financial system. In a three month time span in 2020, central banks printed $25 trillion.



Corporate and sovereign debt levels are at all time highs, interest rates are at all time lows, and inequality is increasing faster than ever before.



If we’ve learned one thing in 2020, it’s that the “old way” of doing things isn’t working. 



We’re entering into a new world of finance, and Blockworks is here to help you navigate it.&nbsp;



<h3>About Blockworks:</h3>



Blockworks is a financial media brand that delivers breaking news and premium insights about digital assets to millions of investors.&nbsp;



Our editorial content, newsletters, podcasts and events provide investors with the critical analysis and information they need to make smarter decisions about digital assets.



Got tips about what we should cover, or questions for our editorial team? Let us know at news@blockworks.co