Bitcoin 2025: Has Bitcoin been captured by politics and institutions?

This week on Byte-Sized Insight, news reporter Vince Quill breaks down one of the most innovative treasury strategies emerging in crypto today: Grant Cardone’s hybrid real estate-and-Bitcoin fund. As corporate Bitcoin treasuries expand and Web3 projects shift toward more active, onchain asset management, Cardone is experimenting with a model that fuses the stability of luxury multifamily real estate with the upside of a sizable BTC position.

Vince sits down with Cardone to explore why he believes combining cash-flowing physical assets with Bitcoin creates a more resilient, scalable treasury structure. Cardone outlines how his Boca Raton project fits into the broader evolution of corporate and Web3 treasuries.

Could this be the model for the next phase of treasury management, or a niche experiment?

(02:16) Landing a luxury property out of bankruptcy.
(03:29) Condo-conversion potential and the real estate–Bitcoin structure.
(04:37) When renters become simeltanous Bitcoin investors.
(06:31) The logic behind merging Bitcoin with multifamily real estate.
(07:36) A consulting call worth 115 BTC that started it all.
(08:32) How mixing real-estate stability with Bitcoin volatility creates a new “super-asset."
(09:55) Why pure Bitcoin treasury companies may be running on fumes.
(11:09) Forget gold: Cash-flowing property supercharges long-term BTC stacking.
(13:22) The real reason traditional investors tune out most Bitcoin evangelism.
(16:40) What a future $500K–$1M Bitcoin could mean for a hybrid real-estate fund.

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

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The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

This week on Byte-Sized Insight, we dive into one of crypto’s hottest conversations: the rise of AI-powered trading models and why specialized tools are outperforming general-purpose AIs like ChatGPT in simulated trading challenges.

Beyond the headlines, we break down what investors should know before trusting bots with their capital. We speak with Brett Singer of Glassnode and Nodari Kolmakhidze of Stoic.AI/Cindicator, two experts working directly with the data and models driving today’s AI trading systems.

(1:34)  Why AI trading is everywhere & key questions for investors
(2:40) How funds use AI to build quantitative trading strategies
(4:18) Real-time on-chain data querying with MCP server
(5:55) AI bots as portfolio managers & why most fail to beat the market
(7:27) Specialized vs. general-purpose AI traders in crypto
(7:58) Specialized trading AIs outperform because markets are complex
(9:18) AI bots aren’t money printers
(11:01) Reality check: Backtests vs. real markets and execution limits 
(12:58) Why AI still needs human judgment and transparency

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

Follow Cointelegraph on X @Cointelegraph.
Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Crypto’s growing presence in Washington is entering a new phase. Following a high-profile presidential pardon and a surge in political spending across the digital asset sector, questions are emerging about how influence, lobbying, and access are shaping the policy environment for Web3. With major industry players building substantial political war chests and even stablecoin issuers signaling plans to participate directly in U.S. elections, crypto’s role in the political arena is shifting fast.

In this episode of Byte-Sized Insight, we speak with Brendan Glavin, Director of Insights at OpenSecrets, to break down the rapid rise of crypto lobbying, what recent developments tell us about the industry's strategy in Washington, and what increased political engagement could mean for regulation, market dynamics, and the future of decentralization in the United States.

(01:48) Background: Timeline of the pardon, legal context, industry response
(03:36) Political backlash: Maxine Waters & Elizabeth Warren respond
(04:03) NYT report clip: Binance, Trump ties & World Liberty Financial financing
(04:49) White House response: Karoline Leavitt on prosecution & crypto climate
(05:42) Context: Trump’s pro-crypto platform and regulatory shift
(06:28) Guest introduction: Brendan Glavin of OpenSecrets
(08:18) Why crypto began lobbying in Washington
(10:16) Binance-linked lobbying for executive relief & Trump ties
(11:16) Power concentration concerns: who gets access in crypto politics?
(13:54) Risks to small builders, decentralization, policy fairness

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

Follow Cointelegraph on X @Cointelegraph.
Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

October is shaping up to be a pivotal month for crypto ETFs, with 16 applications, many tied to altcoins like Solana, XRP, and Litecoin, awaiting final decisions from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. However, the new SEC-approved generic listing standards for exchange traded products could be a game changer for issuers. 

In this episode of Byte-Sized Insight, we speak with Zach Pandl, Head of Research at Grayscale, and James Seyffart, ETF Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, to unpack what makes this round of filings different, how the SEC’s stance may be shifting and what the potential approvals could mean for both investors and the broader crypto market.

(01:19) Why October 2025 is deemed “ETF Month”
(02:41) Breaking down 19b-4 filings and looming SEC deadlines
(03:48) The new generic listing standards that could fast-track crypto ETFs
(04:52) How the SEC’s stance on crypto shifted after the Gensler era
(05:32) Bipartisan support in Washington driving crypto regulation clarity
(06:57) Key lessons from Grayscale’s ETF battles: putting investors first
(08:11) Is there real demand for altcoin ETFs in today’s market?
(08:29) Solana and XRP ETFs: futures market signals early appetite
(09:17) Why basket and index ETFs could shape the future of crypto investing
(10:03) Inside the next wave of crypto ETFs: simplified access for investors

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

Follow Cointelegraph on X @Cointelegraph.
Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Layer-1s are still the backbone of crypto, but in 2025 their role is evolving. With Ethereum’s L2 ecosystem booming, modular blockchains on the rise and real-world adoption gaining momentum through stablecoins and tokenized assets, the question is no longer just about scalability. It’s about utility, users and where the next wave of growth will come from.

In this episode of Decentralize with Cointelegraph, we sit down with Algorand Foundation’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Marc Vanlerberghe to explore the state of layer-1s today, the barriers to mainstream adoption, and the innovations that could define blockchain’s future. 

(01:08) Regulation and industry developments
(03:12) The state of layer-1s vs. layer-2s in 2025
(06:40) Barriers to adoption and rethinking wallets
(11:58) Tackling user growth and engagement
(17:26) Roadmaps, strategies and industry alignment
(23:20) Enterprise use cases and tokenization
(29:16) Looking ahead: the future of crypto 
(32:12) Takeaways for retail and institutional users

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

Follow Cointelegraph on X @Cointelegraph.
Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Europe’s landmark crypto law, the Markets in Crypto-Assets, promised a unified market across 27 member states. But less than a year into rollout, national regulators are already pushing back on its central feature: passporting.

Is MiCA bringing the clarity Europe’s crypto industry needs or adding a new layer of uncertainty? In this episode of Byte-Sized Insight, we hear from the head of compliance and European regulatory affairs at CoinShares and the executive director of the European Crypto Initiative about passporting, regulatory arbitrage and whether MiCA can truly keep Europe competitive on the global stage.

(00:39) MiCA and the single-market promise
(01:31) Member State pushback on passporting across the EU
(02:51) Regulatory competition and arbitrage risks
(04:32) The challenge of 27 having national authorities
(07:17) Compliance pressure on smaller firms
(10:23) Clarity and consistency as the real test for MiCA’s success
(14:27) MiCA implementation still in progress
(15:40) Europe’s leadership moment in crypto regulation
(16:00) MiCA’s global ripple effects and the GENIUS Act

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

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If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.