In this episode, we dive deep into why memecoins have become undeniable for both retail and institutional investors. We explore key trading insights from Soros and Druckenmiller that apply to today's crypto market, then examine Kraken's L2 launch and what it means for exchanges. The conversation concludes with Stripe's $1.1B Bridge acquisition and why stablecoins are becoming the "superconductors" of financial services. Thanks for listening! - - Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Explore the SKALE Ecosystem at skale.space/ecosystem and stay up to date with the gas-free blockchain on X at @skalenetwork - - Supra Containers are secured by Supra’s L1 nodes and get access to Supra’s 500k TPS throughput, sub-second consensus latency, and all their built-in services like oracle price feeds and onchain randomness without any overhead. Supra is also MultiVM compatible so you can easily deploy your EVM, Move, and SVM smart contracts here. Get all the freedom, control, and tools you need to build super dApps and bring the world onchain. To learn more, visit www.supra.com/blockworks - - Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:17 NFT Acquisition 10:12 GOAT: New Meta? 28:50 Buy Now, Analyze Later 36:00 Skale Ad 36:39 Supra Ad 37:37 Kraken L2 Launch 43:55 Is Ethereum Hated? 50:32 Token Launches & FDVs 54:48 Stripe Acquires Bridge - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.