The Chopping Block: 2025 Winners & Losers + 2026 Predictions - Ep. 998 | Unchained

The hosts of the podcast "Chopping Block" review the biggest winners, losers, surprises, and memes of 2025 in the crypto space, and make predictions for 2026. Winners include equity-based crypto companies benefiting from regulatory clarity and prediction markets like PolyMarket. Losers encompass altcoins, Gary Gensler's legacy, and the Web3 thesis. Surprises include Zcash's resurgence and Circle's IPO. Memes range from a video about working in a Chinese toy factory to the "fell for it again" award. Predictions for 2026 include Bitcoin hitting $150K, a big tech company launching a crypto wallet, and equity perps growing to 20% of DeFi per volumes. The hosts express optimism for 2026, anticipating institutional involvement and developer activity.

Outlines

Part 1: 2025 Year in Review: Winners and Losers

Part 2: Market Surprises, Mechanisms, and Memes

Part 3: Pivots, Flops, and Comebacks

Part 4: Reflections and 2026 Predictions

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The Chopping Block: 2025 Winners & Losers + 2026 Predictions - Ep. 998

Unchained

Part 1: 2025 Year in Review: Winners and Losers

The Chopping Block's 2025 Crypto Year in Review: Winners, Losers, and Predictions

2025's Biggest Winners: Equity Firms, Prediction Markets, Trump, and Derivatives Platforms

2025's Biggest Losers: Altcoins, Gary Gensler's Legacy, Web3, and Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

Part 2: Market Surprises, Mechanisms, and Memes

Biggest Surprises of 2025: Zcash's Comeback and Circle's IPO Surge

Ethereum's Pivot: A Surprise Turnaround Fueled by New Leadership

Best New Mechanisms: Tasteful ICOs, DATs, PropAMMs, and Federal Preemption

Best Memes of 2025: Chinese Toy Factory, Digital Asset Stockpile, and "Fell For It Again"

Part 3: Pivots, Flops, and Comebacks

Best Pivots: Galaxy to AI, ETH as Stablecoin Layer, CoreWeave, and Lighter

Biggest Flops: Liquidation Mechanisms, AI Agents, Bearer Chain, and Bitcoin's Relative Underperformance

Comeback Stories: Near, Maple Finance, Tether's Reputation, and Bybit's Hack Recovery

Part 4: Reflections and 2026 Predictions

Favorite Chopping Block Guest: Joe Weisenthal's Skeptical Perspective

2025 Prediction Review: Mostly Wrong, with a Few Base Hits

2026 Predictions: AI Hacks, Stablecoin Funding, Bitcoin, and M&A

2026 Vibe: Temperance, Institutions, and a Fucking Great Year

The Chopping Block: 2025 Winners & Losers + 2026 Predictions - Ep. 998

Unchained

Part 1: 2025 Year in Review: Winners and Losers

00:00The Chopping Block's 2025 Crypto Year in Review: Winners, Losers, and Predictions

The Chopping Block's 2025 Crypto Year in Review: Winners, Losers, and Predictions

02:442025's Biggest Winners: Equity Firms, Prediction Markets, Trump, and Derivatives Platforms

2025's Biggest Winners: Equity Firms, Prediction Markets, Trump, and Derivatives Platforms

07:322025's Biggest Losers: Altcoins, Gary Gensler's Legacy, Web3, and Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

2025's Biggest Losers: Altcoins, Gary Gensler's Legacy, Web3, and Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

Part 2: Market Surprises, Mechanisms, and Memes

13:24Biggest Surprises of 2025: Zcash's Comeback and Circle's IPO Surge

Biggest Surprises of 2025: Zcash's Comeback and Circle's IPO Surge

17:52Ethereum's Pivot: A Surprise Turnaround Fueled by New Leadership

Ethereum's Pivot: A Surprise Turnaround Fueled by New Leadership

22:23Best New Mechanisms: Tasteful ICOs, DATs, PropAMMs, and Federal Preemption

Best New Mechanisms: Tasteful ICOs, DATs, PropAMMs, and Federal Preemption

28:52Best Memes of 2025: Chinese Toy Factory, Digital Asset Stockpile, and "Fell For It Again"

Best Memes of 2025: Chinese Toy Factory, Digital Asset Stockpile, and "Fell For It Again"

Part 3: Pivots, Flops, and Comebacks

33:24Best Pivots: Galaxy to AI, ETH as Stablecoin Layer, CoreWeave, and Lighter

Best Pivots: Galaxy to AI, ETH as Stablecoin Layer, CoreWeave, and Lighter

39:22Biggest Flops: Liquidation Mechanisms, AI Agents, Bearer Chain, and Bitcoin's Relative Underperformance

Biggest Flops: Liquidation Mechanisms, AI Agents, Bearer Chain, and Bitcoin's Relative Underperformance

44:04Comeback Stories: Near, Maple Finance, Tether's Reputation, and Bybit's Hack Recovery

Comeback Stories: Near, Maple Finance, Tether's Reputation, and Bybit's Hack Recovery

Part 4: Reflections and 2026 Predictions

49:12Favorite Chopping Block Guest: Joe Weisenthal's Skeptical Perspective

Favorite Chopping Block Guest: Joe Weisenthal's Skeptical Perspective

52:392025 Prediction Review: Mostly Wrong, with a Few Base Hits

2025 Prediction Review: Mostly Wrong, with a Few Base Hits

1:01:572026 Predictions: AI Hacks, Stablecoin Funding, Bitcoin, and M&A

2026 Predictions: AI Hacks, Stablecoin Funding, Bitcoin, and M&A

1:03:502026 Vibe: Temperance, Institutions, and a Fucking Great Year

2026 Vibe: Temperance, Institutions, and a Fucking Great Year