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.
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
Your hosts dr. Nisheta Sachdev and Michiel Frackers discuss a wide variety of topics from the worlds of tech, web3, or in this day and age: AI and crypto.
This episode of the NFA Podcast moves from institutional crypto adoption to pure chaos in markets and personal finance. Mastercard signals deeper commitment to crypto with a broad partner network, but the real question remains execution versus headlines. At the same time, Meta’s expected 20 percent layoffs raise a bigger issue: is AI replacing jobs or simply becoming too expensive to fund at scale?
Episode 6 from season 2 of the NFA Podcast is out now, on:
YouTube
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
The episode shifts into one of the most extreme real world crypto stories to date, where a UK investor loses $172 million in Bitcoin after his wife secretly installs cameras to steal his seed phrase. This leads into a broader discussion on self custody, wallet security, and how fragile even large crypto fortunes can be.
On regulation, the SEC’s classification of major tokens like Bitcoin and Ethereum as commodities could unlock a much larger US market for crypto fundraising. At the same time, geopolitical tensions and oil dynamics raise questions about global power shifts and their long term impact on markets.
In tech and AI, Ben Affleck’s $600 million AI company InterPositive sale highlights the growing value of generative video tools, while Swedish startup Lovable reaches $100 million monthly revenue with only 146 employees, showing how AI is redefining productivity.
The markets segment reflects complete confusion. Despite war and macro instability, crypto behaves unpredictably, with Bitcoin acting differently than in previous crises. The episode closes with the trading competition, where concentrated bets outperform diversification, driven largely by a single winning position.
Chapter List
00:00 Introduction and episode overview
00:45 Start of News segment
01:16 Mastercard enters crypto with 85 partners
02:41 Meta layoffs and the real cost of AI
05:24 $172M Bitcoin theft via seed phrase spying
07:45 Security, wallets and self custody discussion
11:04 SEC defines crypto commodities vs securities
11:48 Ray Dalio and shifting global power dynamics
13:16 War, oil and macro predictions
16:22 Ben Affleck sells AI company for $600M
18:15 VC billboard marketing and fundraising dynamics
19:47 Lovable hits $100M revenue with 146 employees
21:08 AI CMO tools and growth hacking automation
22:27 Start of Markets segment
22:50 Crypto behaving irrationally during global conflict
24:09 Market data: cap, altcoin index, fear and greed
Dr. Nisheta Sachdev and Michiel Frackers are back from their summer vacation! No, not together and actually, they didn’t really have a vacation but they were swamped getting ready for the Tracer Initial Exchange Offering (IEO). More on that later, but for now, please enjoy episode 25 of the NFA Podcast where Nish and Frackers are thrilled about the imminent altcoin season and not so much about Mark Zuckerberg’s AI efforts…
Episode Summary
In this week’s NFA Podcast, Nish and Frackers cover the biggest tech and crypto stories shaping the markets. The discussion starts with macro forces driving crypto, including ETF inflows and interest rates, and how these overshadow internal crypto news. They unpack the classic cycle of Bitcoin ATH, Ethereum surge, and the coming of altcoin season, with dominance and fear and greed indices painting a mixed picture.
The hosts then dissect Meta’s fourth AI restructuring in six months. They critique Mark Zuckerberg’s buy-versus-build track record and ask whether Meta can produce AI products that are more than bolt-on features. They also highlight how consumer awareness and competition from platforms like Telegram and TikTok could challenge Meta’s dominance.
Other stories include Thailand allowing tourists to convert crypto into Thai baht to boost tourism, new hardware wallet recovery models to replace vulnerable seed phrases, and Blue Origin accepting crypto (but converting to USDT immediately). The US government’s $6M reward for information on Garantex, a Russian crypto exchange used for illicit activity, rounds out the news.
Finally, Nish and Michiel update listeners on their trading competition. Both portfolios are at $128 after a tough week, with Pudgy Penguins dragging Michiel down and meme coin A$$DAQ giving Nish some excitement. Solana, Broadcom, and Nvidia continue to show strength, proving that AI remains the strongest market driver.
Chapter List
· 00:00 Intro and episode overview
· 01:07 Macro vs crypto drivers
· 02:30 Altcoin season signals
· 04:02 Meta’s AI restructuring
· 05:11 Zuckerberg’s business model critique
· 07:00 Competition and consumer shifts
· 08:03 Thailand’s crypto tourism plan
· 09:16 Seed phrase security and new wallet models
· 10:54 Blue Origin accepts crypto for space flights
Q: What signals suggest altcoin season is starting?
A: Bitcoin and Ethereum have hit highs, typically followed by alts moving. Market dominance is shifting but indices show a transition phase.
Q: Why does Meta keep restructuring its AI division?
A: Zuckerberg has hired many researchers and acquired startups, but struggles to integrate them into a coherent business strategy.
Q: How is Thailand using crypto to boost tourism?
A: The government is allowing tourists to exchange crypto into Thai baht for 18 months as a pilot program.
Q: What’s the issue with seed phrases?
A: They remain a massive vulnerability. New models like Rider wallet use backup tags and multi-friend recovery.
Q: Is Blue Origin really accepting crypto?
A: Yes, but payments are converted immediately into USDT, raising questions about whether it’s genuine adoption or just PR.
Q: How did the trading competition go this week?
A: Both Nish and Michiel ended at $128 after losses across the board. Pudgy Penguins dragged Michiel’s portfolio down while A$$DAQ provided volatility for Nish.
Nish killed me in the trading competition and could not stop gloating. Very poor winner.
Summary
News and macro discussion
The episode begins with a breakdown of the biggest story in tech: Mark Zuckerberg’s billion-dollar attempt to poach AI talent from his competitors: Human Machines Lab (Mira Murati), OpenAI and Anthropic. Nish and Frackers discuss how Zuckerberg’s superintelligence memo was inspired by, if not copied, from a character.ai memo from several years ago.
They reflect on how investors reward execution and momentum over originality or ethics. Other headlines include strong earnings by Apple and Microsoft and Amazon’s weak AWS numbers. In crypto, the CoinDCX hack is revealed to be an insider job involving $44 million in stolen assets, with on-chain sleuth ZachXBT helping expose it. The SEC’s “Project Crypto” is also discussed as a potential shift toward lighter regulation, although the lack of clarity left markets unmoved.
Market commentary and token picks
The middle segment covers how traditional markets and crypto reacted to this mix of strong earnings and regulatory uncertainty. Michiel points out that Ethereum still hasn’t broken its previous all-time high, which he sees as a signal of weakness despite increased buying from large entities like Ether Machine. Nish notes Tether’s reported $4.9 billion profit in Q2, noting that the figure is unaudited.
Trading challenge and portfolio results
In the final part of the episode, Nish and Michiel reveal the results of their increasingly competitive trading competition. Nish went full degen, flipping $30 into $240 on the AIR token before swapping into another meme coin called A$$ and ending at $135. He describes the emotional rollercoaster of near-instant profits followed by losses, calling it a full round-trip. Michiel took a more conservative approach, sticking with a mix of Nvidia, Broadcom and Bitcoin, and ended the week with a 17 percent gain since the start of the competition in early June. They compare strategies, risk tolerance and the psychology of trading in volatile markets. The segment ends with reflections on why most traders underperform even during bull markets, and a reminder by Nish that the challenge is about learning, not outperforming each other. Michiel is not buying it.
Chapter list
00:00 – Intro and episode preview
Overview of topics including Meta, CoinDCX hack, SEC regulation and the trading competition
01:30 – Zuckerberg’s $1B AI poaching strategy
Discussion on Meta offering $5 to $10 million per engineer and the ethics behind it
04:00 – Meta’s plagiarized superintelligence memo
Breakdown of Zuck memo’s similarities to character.ai and what it reveals about Meta culture
06:20 – Big Tech earnings and market reactions
Apple, Amazon and Microsoft results and how the market is responding
08:10 – Circle and Figma IPO chatter
Comments on IPO valuations and investor psychology
09:30 – CoinDCX hack and insider involvement
How $44 million was drained from an Indian exchange by insiders, and how ZachXBT helped trace it
12:00 – SEC’s “Project Crypto” grace period
Discussion on a possible regulatory shift and its unclear impact on token markets
14:30 – Ethereum’s weak price action despite good news
Why ETH still hasn’t hit a new ATH and what that means for investor confidence
17:00 – Tether’s $4.9B quarterly profit
Questions around how Tether generates its profit and whether it’s sustainable or lega
20:00 – Trading competition recap begins
Nish explains how he turned $30 into $240 and then back to $135 using AIR and A$$
In this week’s episode of the NFA Podcast, Nish and Michiel unpack one of the most eventful weeks in crypto, AI, and regulation we’ve seen in months.
We begin with two major pieces of legislation that could reshape the crypto landscape in the US: the Genius Act and the Clarity Act. The Genius Act requires all stablecoin issuers operating in the US to maintain asset-backed reserves, a move clearly aimed at increasing trust and transparency in a market long criticized for its opacity, particularly with players like Tether, which still hasn’t completed a full audit. Meanwhile, the Clarity Act formally classifies digital assets as commodities, shifting the regulatory framework and potentially giving clearer jurisdiction to the CFTC over the SEC. What does this mean for companies like Circle, whose USDC coin is already regulated and backed by reserves? Nish and Michiel break it down.
From legislation to security breaches, the episode shifts focus to the $44 million hack of CoinDCX, one of India’s largest crypto exchanges. Although CoinDCX insists that no user funds were compromised, the theft from their liquidity wallet raises fresh questions about operational security. Michiel suspects North Korea’s involvement, especially given the regime’s recent history of targeting exchanges like Bybit. Nish points out that the scale of the loss is devastating even if users weren’t directly affected, especially in a fast-moving and trust-sensitive market like India.
The conversation then pivots to AI agents, specifically the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Agent and Perplexity’s Comet. These new tools promise to automate web tasks and increase user efficiency, but they come with alarming trade-offs. These agents can take full control of your browser and system, with unclear limits on what data they access. Michiel raises the core question: “Why would anyone hand over control of their computer to a company they don’t fully trust?” He also tells a disturbing story involving a Dutch tech reporter and a ChatGPT hallucination that suggested pairing risotto with a “poop sandwich.” The story is both humorous and troubling and drives home how unreliable LLMs can be when misused or blindly trusted.
The pair then dive into market movements, specifically the altcoin rollercoaster that played out over the past week. The Altcoin Index fluctuated wildly, dropping from 62 to 42 in a matter of hours, only to rebound to 55. Bitcoin remained relatively stable, but altcoins like Solana (+24%), Dogecoin (+35%), XRP (+21%) and BNB (+16%) saw significant gains. Nish explains that this cycle is unlike previous bull runs, with institutions entering, regulations shifting, and meme coin frenzies returning. She also notes that staking protocols like Aave and Hype are losing momentum, while Layer 1s are back in favor.
Nish’s trading competition update is one for the books: despite not making a single move while on vacation, her NEAR position surged 43%, leading to a total portfolio gain of 38% over two weeks. Michiel’s more conservative portfolio—50% in Bitcoin, the rest split between Nvidia and Broadcom—returned just 1% this week, though he reminds listeners that he’s still up 14.57% since early June. Together, they discuss what this means for active vs passive strategies, risk management, and how fast recovery can happen in crypto – if you survive the drawdown.
The show closes with predictions for next week. Michiel thinks Bitcoin will remain stable and altcoins will rise slightly. Nish sees the Altcoin Index staying in the 50–60 range. Michiel plans to move half of his Bitcoin into a yet-to-be-determined altcoin, possibly Solana. They end with a reminder that none of this is financial advice—and a lesson both hosts agree on: if something in your portfolio is eating you up emotionally, it’s probably time to let it go.
Keywords
crypto news, Genius Act, Clarity Act, CoinDCX hack, ChatGPT hallucinations, AI agents, altcoin season, Ethereum, NEAR Protocol, Solana, Sui, trading strategy, meme coins, stablecoin regulation, US crypto law, emerging tech
Tags
#CryptoNews
#AltcoinSeason
#AIagents
#GeniusAct
#ClarityAct
#Solana
#Ethereum
#NEARprotocol
#Stablecoins
#ChatGPT
#CryptoHacks
#NotFinancialAdvice
#NFApodcast
YouTube Chapters
00:00 Intro and trading competition banter
01:10 Genius Act and Clarity Act explained
02:55 $44 million CoinDCX hack
03:35 Rise of AI agents and privacy concerns
05:15 ChatGPT and the poop sandwich story
08:00 LLMs, hallucination risk, and misinformation
09:45 Altcoin volatility and market signals
13:20 Ethereum institutional buying
14:25 DeFi vs layer 1s
16:00 Nish’s 38 percent gain with NEAR and Solana
18:30 Michiel’s conservative portfolio and gains
21:00 Predictions for altcoin index and Bitcoin
23:00 Next week’s trade plans
25:00 When to cut losses and not FOMO back in
25:57 Final thoughts and sign-off
Key Takeaways
The Genius Act and Clarity Act have significant implications for crypto regulations in the US.
CoinDCX, a major Indian exchange, was hacked for $44 million, raising concerns about security in the crypto space.
Agentic AI tools are emerging, but they raise privacy and security concerns.
Misinformation from AI tools like ChatGPT can have serious consequences, as seen in various examples.
The current altcoin season is unpredictable, with varying performances across different tokens.
Investing in crypto should be approached with caution, treating it like gambling.
Holding onto investments without trading can sometimes yield better results, as seen in the trading competition.
It’s important to accept losses and move on rather than waiting for a recovery.
The market is experiencing a shift, with new blockchain protocols emerging as potential leaders.
Do your own research and avoid making impulsive decisions based on market trends.
In episode 20, Nish records from a tropical war zone of broken podcast gear while Michiel holds steady with TradFi tech picks and an 8 percent portfolio gain. The episode opens with Robinhood’s wild move to offer tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX, raising questions after OpenAI denied any involvement.
The hosts break down how this ties into the broader risk landscape post-SVB, with stablecoins like Tether still lacking a real audit, and USDC emerging as the safer bet. They also explore why OpenAI still can’t go public, how Microsoft quietly benefits through a revenue-sharing deal, and how Nvidia is nearing a 4 trillion dollar valuation despite a China sales ban.
One of the biggest tech stories: DeepMind has launched the first human trial of a drug designed entirely by AI, potentially compressing the pharmaceutical pipeline by years. Meanwhile, Samsung predicts a 40 percent drop in quarterly profits due to weak AI chip sales, showing the gap between AI hype and hardware reality.
In fintech, Soulflare adds stock trading with zero KYC or announcement, raising regulatory questions. And in the trading competition, Nish gets rugged again on Pump.Fun and drops to 24 dollars, while Michiel’s conservative picks push him to an 8 percent gain. The episode closes with reflections on market delusion, geopolitical risks, and a plea to the Illuminati to stop messing with their portfolios.
*In crypto, “getting rugged” (short for rug pulled) refers to a situation where a project’s creators or insiders suddenly and deliberately remove liquidity or value, leaving investors with worthless or severely devalued tokens.
Episode 19 of the NFA Podcast with Nish & Frackers is available here:
And of course on LinkedIn but in two parts, because for some odd reason LinkedIn does not allow videos longer than 15 minutes.
Here is part 1 and here is part 2 of Episode 19: Nish Got Rugged.
Summary
The NFA Podcast’s latest episode, hosted by Nisheta Sachdev and Michiel Frackers, covers recent developments in the crypto and tech world, while also featuring their ongoing trading competition. Nish and Michiel cover a whirlwind of crypto drama, political irony, and market twists.
They start with JP Morgan’s stablecoin launch, a $100M hack in Iran where the attackers burned the funds and BitGet’s partnership with UNICEF to fund girls’ education. Then they discuss Tron’s U.S. IPO following a possible presidential intervention and debate whether the SEC’s crypto probes are justified.
The episode heats up with a breakdown of Microsoft’s strategy to lock in OpenAI revenue while potentially blocking its IPO, and how Meta’s $100M AI sign-on bonuses reflect desperation in the AI arms race.
Nish shares a wild ride on PumpFun, turning $6 into $240 before getting rugged in a gamified token ecosystem that collapsed overnight.
The trading competition updates, personal AI cautionary tales, and a few sharp takes on egos (Trump, Zuck, and crypto bros alike) round out a packed episode.
Final score? Michiel’s steady portfolio beats Nish’s degen bets this week.
The NFA Podcast’s latest episode, hosted by Nisheta Sachdev and Michiel Frackers, covers recent developments in the crypto and tech world, while also featuring their ongoing trading competition.
Key news topics include Binance’s launch in Syria and Hong Kong’s efforts to create a crypto tracking tool against money laundering. They discuss the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict and its surprisingly muted impact on the markets, attributing it to market adaptation to frequent negative news.
Michiel highlights a significant European initiative led by France’s President Macron, Nvidia, and Mistral, aiming to offer an AI platform that keeps data within Europe, countering US dominance and data control concerns, especially in light of the Trump administration’s influence.
Nish reveals staggering figures from a Forbes article detailing Trump’s $1.2 billion wealth creation through crypto, including NFTs, meme coins, and a stablecoin business.
In their trading competition, Michiel admits to being “way down” , while Nish details her strategy of investing in a “Uranium” meme coin on PumpFun, turning her initial $78 into $140 by the end of the episode. They conclude with market predictions, both believing Bitcoin will go up next week, and Nish advises against high-risk trades with significant capital.
Chapter List with Timestamps
1. 00:00 — Welcome & What’s Coming Up
Nish introduces the episode’s topics: Iran-Israel conflict, Binance news, Trump’s crypto wealth, and the trading competition.
2. 00:29 — Trading Competition Banter
Nish teases her portfolio success, Michiel calls her out on meme coin obsession.
3. 02:32 — News Section Kickoff
The hosts lay out the episode format: news first, markets second.
4. 03:46 — Iran-Israel Tensions & Market Impact
Discussion on Israel’s strike, media narratives, and muted market reactions.
5. 07:09 — Binance Launches in Syria & Hong Kong’s New Crypto Tool
Breakdown of Binance’s controversial expansion and Hong Kong’s proposed blockchain tracking system.
6. 09:58 — France, Mistral & AI Sovereignty
Michiel explains Macron’s alignment with Mistral and Nvidia, plus the European backlash over US tech dominance.
And on LinkedIn in two parts, because for some odd reason LinkedIn does not allow videos longer than 15 minutes. Here is part 1 and here is part 2.
This week on the NFA Podcast, Nish and Michiel break down a packed week in crypto and tech. They discuss Circle’s IPO and what it signals for crypto’s position in public markets. The collapse of Builder AI raises questions about due diligence and investor hype. On the political front, Trump and Elon Musk are in open conflict but the hosts think it will not change the crypto policy and tech influence in the White House.
They also cover how social media algorithms affect younger users, why AI live shopping hasn’t taken off and how it’s possible that Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan are being labeled as emerging crypto hubs. The episode wraps up with updates from the NFA trading challenge where Nish is kicking Michiel’s butt. Finally, Nish and Michiel share their short takes on Bitcoin, altcoins and the market sentiment.
This week’s NFA Podcast breaks down what actually happened at Token2049 in Dubai: more escorts than engineers, overcrowded venues, and 530 side events. Nish shares stories from the crypto trenches, Abu Dhabi’s investment into Binance via the Trump Family’s vehicle World Liberty Finance. We also talk about the scandal around Movement Labs, why Apple’s AI promise is still vaporware, how Zuvu is building the AI orchestration layer we need, and ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s new startup Thinking Machines Lab with full Andreessen Horowitz backing and her 100% control. Plus: AI chip stock moves, Eric Trump’s take on banks, and tokenized marble bunkers in the Italian mountains.
Chapters
00:00 – Intro and Token2049 Recap
09:50 – Trump Token Deal: Abu Dhabi, Liberty Finance, and Binance
13:43 – Movement Labs Scandal & Market Maker Manipulation
15:17 – Tech Earnings: Meta, Amazon, Apple
19:07 – AI Orchestration, Zuvu, and Apple’s Missed Promise
23:45 – Mira Murati’s New Startup with Full Control
27:31 – OpenAI’s Bold Revenue Claims & VC AI Hype
29:58 – Eric Trump Predicts Bank Extinction
31:20 – Stock Moves: From Nvidia to Broadcom
32:11 – Defense Tech and Tokenized Bunkers
Keywords
Movement $38 million dump, AI fragmentation, AI orchestration, AI subscriptions, AI tools integration, Abu Dhabi Binance investment, Amazon ads revenue, Andreessen Horowitz, Apple AI fail, Binance delisting, Broadcom stock, CoinDesk investigation, Dubai crypto event, Eric Trump, Eric Trump banks, Human Machines Lab, Kuwait bitcoin mining, Liberty stablecoin, Meta earnings, Mira Murati, Movement Labs, Nvidia, OpenAI $129B revenue claim, Palantir sell-off, Token2049, Trump token, World Liberty Finance, Zuvu, crypto conferences, defense tech, escorts at crypto events, founder control, marble bunkers Italy, market maker scandal, side events, tokenized bunkers
