Maand: april 2026

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AI beleggen crypto NFA Podcast

$600M Crypto Hack Shock & AI Bubble Starts Cracking

NFA Podcast Season 2, Episode 10 is out now:

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More than $600 million vanished from crypto markets in just a few weeks, exposing structural weaknesses that still have not been solved. From a fake Ledger app stealing user funds to major exploits at KelpDAO and Drift Protocol linked to the North Korean Lazarus Group, the pattern is clear: front-end manipulation and bridge vulnerabilities remain the weakest links in crypto. At the same time, the industry faces reputational pressure from internal conflicts and power struggles, including the escalating legal battle involving Justin Sun and Trump-linked World Liberty Finance, and growing concerns around leadership credibility at OpenAI under Sam Altman.

Markets are sending mixed and contradictory signals. Crypto is recovering, sentiment is improving, and the Fear and Greed Index has moved back into positive territory, yet underlying risks are building. Oil prices are rising despite easing geopolitical tensions, gold remains stable, and traditional tech stocks are surging without clear catalysts. At the same time, data suggests rising credit defaults, particularly linked to AI investments, raising the possibility that financial stress in the AI sector could trigger broader economic consequences rather than the widely expected wave of job losses.

The trading competition reflects this uncertainty. A diversified portfolio driven by AI and semiconductor stocks continues to outperform, while a crypto-focused strategy struggles despite strong long-term narratives. Bitcoin remains under pressure relative to expectations, altcoins lag behind, and even high-profile assets fail to respond to positive momentum. The result is a market where conviction exists, but short-term performance remains unpredictable, reinforcing the importance of diversification in volatile conditions.

The NFA Podcast is not financial advice

Chapter List

00:00 – Cold Open: $600M Lost in Crypto

00:40 – Intro and Ceasefire Impact on Markets

01:00 – Fake Ledger App and Initial Hack Breakdown

04:20 – KelpDAO Exploit and Lazarus Group Activity

06:30 – Drift Protocol Hack and DeFi Vulnerabilities

08:00 – Vercel Hack and Front-End Attack Trend

09:40 – Justin Sun vs World Liberty Finance

11:30 – Sam Altman Trust Crisis and OpenAI Tensions

13:40 – AI Bubble and Rising Credit Defaults

17:40 – Markets: Fear & Greed, Bitcoin Dominance

18:50 – Oil, Gold and Macro Confusion

20:30 – AI vs Interest Rates: What Is Driving Layoffs

21:20 – Trading Competition Update Begins

21:40 – Nish Portfolio Performance

23:00 – Michiel Portfolio and AI Stock Gains

24:50 – Diversification vs Crypto Concentration

26:50 – Bitcoin Outlook and Market Sentiment

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AI beleggen crypto NFA Podcast

Dying sneaker brand turns into AI company, stock jumps 800%

No idea why Nish is smiling after Frackers beating her all year in the NFA Trading Competition

Dying sneaker brand Allbirds suddenly becomes an AI company and the stock jumps 800% in a single day. That one story tells you everything about today’s market.

Season 2, Episode 9 is out now

This episode breaks down how narratives are driving valuations across AI and crypto, often faster than fundamentals can keep up. From a failing consumer brand, sneaker brand All Birds, reinventing itself overnight to explosive growth at Anthropic, which now has a $30 billion projected annual revenue, the gap between reality and market perception is becoming impossible to ignore.

The discussion then shifts to one of the most controversial stories in crypto right now. Justin Sun publicly calls out World Liberty Financial after being unable to access tokens despite a $75 million investment. The episode unpacks what this reveals about smart contract control, insider structures, and the limits of decentralization.

Markets are moving just as fast. Sentiment flips from fear to greed in days, trading volumes double, and geopolitical developments start getting priced in almost instantly. The episode closes with the trading competition, where real portfolios, real decisions, and real mistakes show how difficult it is to navigate these conditions without emotion taking over. Although, truth be told, so far this year, to everyone’s surprise including himself, Frackers is winning the trading competition with an almost 50% return so far.

The NFA Podcast is not financial advice.

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Chapter list

00:00 – Cold open
Dying sneaker brand pivots to AI, stock jumps 800%

00:40 – Intro
Episode overview and key themes

01:30 – Clarity Act & OneCoin
Regulation updates and legacy crypto fraud

06:00 – Kraken breach
Insider attack and limited user data exposure

07:00 – AI hype story
Sneaker company rebrands to AI infrastructure

10:00 – World Liberty Financial
Justin Sun conflict and token control risks

14:30 – Anthropic growth
AI revenue explosion and valuation dynamics

15:30 – Markets update
Fear & Greed shift, crypto volume surge

16:30 – Macro & geopolitics
Ceasefire impact and oil pricing

20:00 – Polymarket discussion
Prediction markets vs investing

20:30 – Trading competition
Portfolio performance and strategy breakdown

28:00 – Closing
Key takeaways and next episode preview

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NFA Podcast

$2M Oil Tolls in Crypto… While Wallets Get Frozen

Using crypto to pay the Iranian regime $2 million Strait of Hormuz toll was not the crypto use anyone was hoping for in 2026

Circle froze 16 USDC wallets, raising serious concerns about stablecoin control and whether crypto is truly decentralized. In this episode, we break down the USDC freeze, crypto use in the Strait of Hormuz oil trade, AI benchmark failures and what it all means for crypto markets and global risk.

Season 2, Episode 8 is out now:

With oil tankers reportedly paying multi million dollar tolls using crypto rails, digital assets are no longer theoretical. They are being used in high stakes, time critical environments where traditional finance struggles to keep up.

The AI segment highlights a different kind of risk. New research shows that leading models can score highly on visual benchmarks without ever processing actual images. That undermines confidence in widely cited performance metrics and raises serious concerns about deploying these systems in fields like healthcare. At the same time, developments at Anthropic and OpenAI show how competitive pressure is shaping both strategy and reporting.

The episode closes on markets and macro. Oil volatility, a weak crypto market and broader uncertainty all point to a fragile environment. While a recession is not guaranteed, much depends on how quickly geopolitical tensions resolve. Across crypto, AI and global markets, the common theme is clear: systems that were assumed to be stable are now being tested under real pressure.

In the trading competition, Nish has moved into a defensive position after selling Ethereum into USDT, while Michiel is up roughly 42% year to date, driven by just two outperforming assets in an otherwise weak portfolio. The contrast highlights a key market dynamic: returns are highly concentrated, and diversification alone is not protecting investors.

Chapter list

00:00 – Episode preview

00:37 – Introduction

00:59 – Circle freezes USDC wallets

03:10 – Is crypto still decentralized

04:09 – Crypto used in Strait of Hormuz oil trade

06:11 – Political crypto donation bans

07:53 – AI benchmark failure explained

08:36 – Anthropic vs OpenAI and revenue reality

10:08 – Big Tech, regulation and social media risks

13:40 – SpaceX IPO and macro signals

14:10 – Oil price volatility and predictions

15:28 – Crypto market update and sentiment

17:22 – Trading competition update

19:04 – Recession outlook and global impact

21:20 – Outro

The NFA Podcast is not financial advice.