In this episode of Hardcore Finance, Alex and Shimon speak with Rob Frasca. Rob is a serial entrepreneur who has built and brought three venture-backed startups to successful exits. He is the co-founder and managing partner of COSIMO Ventures, a venture capital firm that specializes in investing in promising blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies. Frasca frequently speaks on cryptocurrencies and he and his team invest in disruptive technologies that promise to reshape the way global markets operate in an increasingly digital world. He believes blockchain technology represents the single-largest value creation event of our lifetimes. Through COSIMO X, the firm’s public tokenized fund, Frasca hopes to deliver immense value to investors seeking access to these emerging blockchain opportunities.In the episode, we discuss the following:* Global monetary policy and its implications on cryptocurrency prices* Value created vs value captured in various crypto projects* Why blockchain technology is the biggest value creation in a long time* The ascent of China and central bank digital currencies* Will the federal reserve raise interest rates next year, how many times and at what magnitude?* The effect technology has on deflation that can potentially offset inflation driven by monetary expansionReferences:Niall Ferguson - The square and the TowerFollow Rob on Twitter:https://twitter.com/robfrascaApple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/MrEbitdahttps://twitter.com/ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)Support the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

Shimon and Alex welcome David Blatt to the show. David is CEO of CapStack Partners, focused on helping clients find real estate investment & capital solutions. He is also the Founder & CEO of Banxel, the first lender2lender marketplace to syndicate, buy & sell real estate loans. With a background in distressed real estate, Mr. Blatt has successfully structured & closed countless complex deals. He is also a frequent public speaker & writer on innovation & capital market trends in real estate. Follow David on Social:https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidblatt-capstackceohttps://twitter.com/capstackceoApple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

Bitcoin just hit all time highs and then the market dropped. What does this mean? What's really going on? How does the macro landscape affect the markets? And the latest from the Biden Administration.Shimon and Alex seek out the truth.Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

In today's episode of the hardcore finance show, Alex and Shimon discuss the recent weekly events. We talk about china banning bitcoin (again), capital controls, evergrande and their real estate woes, the recent price drop in the markets, the infrastructure bill and its implication on inflation and treasury interest rates, and what does all of this mean about the future. Will the higher rates drive higher real growth, or will they collapse asset prices?Join us for a fascinating discussion!Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

What a week it has been. El Salvador is adopting Bitcoin, crypto markets are REKT, The IMF is rooting against the underprivileged, and Coinbase is airing out their dirty SEC laundry. Shimon and Alex discuss a whirl wind of a week!Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

Shimon and Alex welcome back Gil Eyal and Eliaz Tobias of Crowdsense. Crowdsense is one of the best tools in the market for finding signal in noise and can quickly analyze thousands of data points to help investors trade. This is acutely applicable to Crypto as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, Polkadot and even GameFi tokens like Star Atlas and Axie Infinity are driven by retail sentiment.We discuss whether social media sentiment can predict price movements of cryptocurrencies, the social influencers effect on cryptocurrency adoption, different algorithms that crowdsense users and many more topics. https://www.crowdsense.ai/starfund.iohttps://twitter.com/gileyalhttps://twitter.com/CrowdsenseaiApple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

Shimon and Alex open up the brand new Hardcore Finance Studio. We then re-examine the markets and why people should invest in Bitcoin - as a special request from our fans.Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

In this solo episode, Shimon discusses why governments could let Bitcoin survive and thrive. Some of the questions discussed are:- How could getting rid of the state monopoly of money creation help the state collect more tax revenue?- When would this relevant? - What is our Bitcoin price target before governments start to care? - What is the optimal tax %? - Why do low interest rates hurt productivity and tax collection? Tune in to find out!Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSpotify Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcHardcorefinance.comFollow us on Twitter@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

In this solo episode, Shimon explores a thesis under which governments choose to not stop bitcoinI wanted to start from a desired end result (bitcoin becomes world money) and examine a scenario under which it could happen.The main thesis of bitcoin supporters is that governments cannot stop it. I don’t agree. If the governments could put people on the moon, stop the nazi regime that at some point ruled a huge chunk of the world, and destroy the USSR - a government that had lots of nukes and sent the first man into space and back, they can stop bitcoin.Another thesis is that governments are not efficient, lazy, lack political will, don’t have the resources to commit, and that’s why they won’t stop it. This is a more believable argument, but it assumes that bitcoin is not significant enough, in which case it’s not very interesting. If bitcoin fulfills its promise and becomes world money, and becomes a threat to government revenues, a cost/benefit analysis would justify committing the resources required to stop it.This episode explores a scenario under which governments will choose to not stop bitcoin. The only way under which this could happen (given bitcoin being significant enough) is if it increases the government's tax revenue.At first glance it sounds ridiculous, but this is exactly why I wanted to record this episode. Buckle up.Follow us on twitter!@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSubscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSubscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcOur youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrg492YbLDRnx5yXVFj_XFASupport Hardcore Finance: https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donateSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)

Glenn Kirschner, Shimon Lazarov and Alex Chizhik chat about the Mueller Report, the workings of the USA legal system on both the federal and state level, Trump’s legal troubles, Trump’s associates charged with fraud and other types of financial crimes and foreign interference into the USA policies.Glenn Kirschner is a retired federal prosecutor who worked under Robert Mueller as chief of homicide in DC. After his public service, Glenn became a legal analyst for MSNBC and other news outlets and started his youtube channel Justice Matters where millions of people tune in every day to get a deeper understanding on the most recent legal developments.We discussed:Glenn’s path to becoming a federal prosecutorWorking with Robert Mueller as his supervisorGlenn’s take on the Mueller report. Was it the right decision to not indict a sitting presidentWhen will charges be brought against Trump now that he is no longer presidentObstruction of justice and other crimes that Trump has publicly committedThe Jan 6 insurrection and Trump’s involvement in itThe recent indictment of Tom Barrack and the UAEs influence on Trump’s speeches and policiesState’s rights vs federal decision makingThe supreme court vs local state legislationand a lot more…Follow Glenn on twitter @glennkirschner2Follow Glenn’s channel on youtube Justice MattersFollow us on twitter!@MrEBITDA@ShimonLazarovSubscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/36u8fmbrSubscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4zv6syfcOur youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrg492YbLDRnx5yXVFj_XFASupport Hardcore Finance: https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donateSupport the show (https://www.hardcorefinance.com/donate)