BIG @_SportingCrypto Newsletter
'The State of Prediction Markets 2025'
In this long-form post, I discuss:
โ๏ธ The meteoric rise of prediction markets over the last 12 months
โฝ The sports takeover
๐ The verticalisation of this market
Newsletter in the comment below ๐
๐จ Ep. 83 of @TokenizedPod: The Headless Merchant Economy
@cuysheffield is joined by:
๐ @nlevine19, Partner, @a16zcrypto
๐ @gmoneyNFT
๐ @blauyourmind, CTO, @join_royal
To discuss:
โ AWS, Google, Coinbase enabling AI agent payments
๐ค Headless Merchants
๐ช Pay per token model replacing subscriptions for content
๐ค Traders and investors as early agentic payment users
๐ณ Card on front, stablecoin settlement in hybrid model
๐ธ Using AI agents to make money trading
๐ AI agents trading stocks with self fulfilling predictions
โ๏ธ Circleโs Arc blockchain for institutional stablecoin use
๐ Local currency stablecoins for treasury yield in emerging markets
***
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
2:13 AWS, Google, Coinbase enabling AI agent payments
3:51 Headless Merchants
5:59 Pay per token model replacing subscriptions for content
10:04 Traders and investors as early agentic payment users
13:42 Card on front, stablecoin settlement in hybrid model
15:50 Using AI agents to make money trading
21:27 AI agents trading stocks with self fulfilling predictions
35:12 Circleโs Arc blockchain for institutional stablecoin use
41:19 Local currency stablecoins for treasury yield in emerging markets
***
๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ '๐๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต' ๐๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฃ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐บ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ! ๐
New Candy lore just dropped.
@tadtweets joined @PetBerisha on @_SportingCrypto to talk through the road here, the lessons learned, and why the next era of Candy is being built differently.
Worth the listenโด
The @_SportingCrypto Podcast is back! ๐จ
In this episode we're joined by:
โข @tadtweets, CEO, @CandyDigital
We discuss:
โ๏ธ Candy Digital's troubled history and NFT bubble
๐ค Board observer role and Futureverse merger issues
๐ฅ Revenue model challenges and IP license costs
๐ธ Royalty enforcement problems on secondary markets
โ๏ธ Solana Metaplex Core for protocol level royalties
๐ Primary issuance focus instead of secondary markets
๐ Non-sports digital collectibles
***
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
5:34 Candy Digital's troubled history and NFT bubble
6:46 Board observer role and Futureverse merger issues
12:17 Revenue model challenges and IP license costs
13:03 Royalty enforcement problems on secondary markets
20:40 Solana Metaplex Core for protocol level royalties
24:39 Primary issuance focus instead of secondary markets
33:30 Non-sports digital collectibles
***
๐ Search 'Sporting Crypto Podcast' on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or any Podcast Player! ๐
๐ I am very excited to join @PetBerisha on @_SportingCrypto tomorrow for my first podcast since joining @CandyDigital. A lot is going on at https://t.co/CErKK6F3N6 and I am delighted to share whatever I can. Please listen when you have the chance!๐ฅ
๐จ Ep. 81 of @TokenizedPod:ย Ex Libra Boss David Marcus on Meta Stablecoin Payouts and Global Dollar Accounts
@sytaylor & @cuysheffield are joined by:
๐ @davidmarcus, CEO & Co-Founder, @lightspark
To discuss:
โก๏ธ Lightsparkโs evolution from Bitcoin Lightning Network to stablecoins
๐ How Grid Global Accounts enable platforms to create branded accounts
๐ค Delegating money movement to AI agents
๐ Meta launches stablecoin creator payouts in select markets
๐ช The opportunity to build creator neobanks with stablecoins
โ๏ธ Using alternative data for global credit underwriting onchain
๐ฆ Western Union stablecoin rollout replacing correspondent banking
๐ Making platform issued stablecoins maximally fungible across networks
๐ Visa stablecoin backed cards hit $7 billion run rate
***
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
4:37 Lightsparkโs evolution from Bitcoin Lightning Network to stablecoins
9:18 How Grid Global Accounts enable platforms to create branded accounts
13:25 Delegating money movement to AI agents
16:27 Meta launches stablecoin creator payouts in select markets
21:44 The opportunity to build creator neobanks with stablecoins
26:06 Using alternative data for global credit underwriting onchain
35:23 Western Union stablecoin rollout replacing correspondent banking
39:08 Making platform issued stablecoins maximally fungible across networks
47:07 Visa stablecoin backed cards hit $7 billion run rate
***
๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ '๐๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต' ๐๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฃ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐บ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ! ๐
Our guest for Monday's Tokenized Podcast
@sytaylor and @cuysheffield are joined by:
๐ @davidmarcus, CEO & Co-Founder, @lightspark
Out on Monday at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT
Find it on ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐, ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ or ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฒ by searching "Tokenized Podcast" ๐ท ๐
๐จ Ep. 7 of Agentic Commerce:ย PayPalโs Plan to Win the Agent Economy
@sytaylor & @bamazizimesh are joined by:
๐ @KausikRajgopal, EVP, Strategy, Corporate Development & Partnerships,ย @PayPal
To discuss:
๐ต Trust and fraud management in agentic commerce
๐ค AI-driven purchase journeys during Black Friday
๐ Merchants needing AI channel product discoverability
๐ช Payment options for AI agents including stablecoins
๐ฅ Consumer versus agent payment optimization differences
โ๏ธ PayPal integrations with Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity
๐ Travel and hospitality as key agentic commerce use case
๐ธ Stablecoin use for microtransactions and real-time settlement
โ๏ธ Interoperability challenges among multiple agent protocols
***
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:45 Trust and fraud management in agentic commerce
05:51 AI-driven purchase journeys during Black Friday
08:17 Merchants needing AI channel product discoverability
11:28 Payment options for AI agents including stablecoins
13:29 Consumer versus agent payment optimization differences
15:19 PayPal integrations with Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity
20:54 Travel and hospitality as key agentic commerce use case
27:31 Stablecoin use for microtransactions and real-time settlement
32:33 Interoperability challenges among multiple agent protocols
***
๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ '๐๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต' ๐๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฃ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐บ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ! ๐
The liquidity is driven by the promise of buybacks.
Not a bad thing, but if Gatcha players stopped offering buybacks tomorrow, that liquidity would disappear very quickly.
what's happening with trading cards is a great reminder that liquidity begets liquidity
nfts won't make a come back without deep, active markets
right now you can buy pretty much any trading card (pokemon or sports) and flip it
there's a buyer for anything at all price levels
@boredHirshy@0xkioto No. I am mostly bearish on tokens as an incentive layer, though. I think operations and inventory are key, but diff companies will always verticalise into one specific category and try to use that as a wedge.
@boredHirshy Really good piece by @0xkioto.
To me the two metrics that truly matter are:
1) P/E on individual collectibles
2) the take to sales ratio
Issue is in all of this, all collectors care about is good inventory, so being 'good' to your customers is not condusive to 1)