Ben Strack

Denver

Senior Crypto Reporter at Blockworks

Senior crypto reporter for @Blockworks_, co-writer of the @forwardguidance newsletter ( https://t.co/KBTBiTrzqq)

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Articles

đȘ Friday charts

18 hours ago | mail.blockworks.com | Byron Gilliam |Donovan Choy |Ben Strack |Macauley Peterson

The legendary Peter Lynch advised investors to stop following the news. "The person who never bothers to think about the economy, blithely ignores the condition of the market, and invests on a regular schedule is better off than the person who studies and tries to time his investments, getting into stocks when he feels confident and out when he feels queasy." The news has been unusually nauseating this year: trade wars, real wars, recession fears, AI doomerism.
How tokenization's 'superpowers' could transform US stock access

19 hours ago | blockworks.co | Ben Strack

A major topic at Permissionless was stablecoins and broader tokenization. It was, in fact, one of the main themes of the "Rebooting the Global Financial System" panel I moderated yesterday. "Rebooting" could have been replaced with "rebuilding," a couple panelists agreed. But first, from an offstage chat with CoinFund president Christopher Perkins: He told me "stablecoin summer" is going to unlock "DeFi fall." "Tokenization is the new ETF," he explained.
Newly tokenized Janus Henderson CLO strategy sees $1B inflow

2 days ago | blockworks.co | Ben Strack

Before writing about crypto, I spent a couple years covering the traditional asset management industry (mutual funds, ETFs, etc). Janus Henderson was one of the companies on my beat. So when I saw the investment firm's name in my crypto-centric inbox this morning, I was once more reminded of the ongoing TradFi-DeFi intersection.
More crypto ETFs coming? A key SEC deadline is one week away

2 days ago | blockworks.co | Ben Strack

With capital pouring into spot bitcoin and ether ETFs in recent weeks, a fast-approaching SEC decision could spur the next wave of crypto fund launches. Though filings for single-asset ETFs have multiplied in recent months, products holding a basket of tokens could be the next to get the regulatory nod. Specifically, the securities regulator is set to rule on Grayscale Investments' proposal to convert its Digital Large Cap Fund (GDLC) to an ETF. Its deadline to do so is July 2.
Stablecoins 'tip of the iceberg' as RWA space matures: Ondo CEO

3 days ago | blockworks.co | Ben Strack

The growing attention to stablecoins is set to help fuel a new wave of on-chain assets, Ondo Finance CEO Nathan Allman said. Circle's successful IPO has created "even more of a buzz" around the blockchain space and what's next, he told me in an interview last week. CRCL stock has surged (with help from the Senate's GENIUS Act passage last week), opening at $250 on Tuesday - up roughly 70% from a week ago. "I think it's the tip of the iceberg," Allman said of stablecoins.
đȘ Blockchains may finally free banks from COBOL

4 days ago | mail.blockworks.com | Byron Gilliam |Jack Kubinec |Ben Strack |Kate Irwin

Imagine if Twitter, instead of publishing the worldâs stream of consciousness in real time, embargoed our posts during the day and released them all at once at 2 am every day. Or if the New York Times stockpiled its journalists' daily output and published it in a single daily batch. Such is the pre-internet dystopia in which our banking system still lives. Credit cards, Venmo and Apple Pay make it feel like weâre sending money in real time, but this is smoke and mirrors.
đźźŞ A brief history of not lugging gold around

1 week ago | mail.blockworks.com | Byron Gilliam |Jeffrey Albus |Ben Strack |Kate Irwin

In New York City, paying by check first became commonplace in the booming economy of the 1840s. This was a major financial innovation: Instead of walking out of the bank with a satchel of borrowed cash to pay for, say, a steamer full of Southern cotton at the docks, a merchant could have a loan credited to a checking account and then settle his purchases with a few strokes of the pen. As banking expanded and commerce sped up, checks offered a safer, faster way to move money through the city.
Crypto ETF filings multiply ahead of SEC index fund decision

1 week ago | blockworks.co | Ben Strack

I enjoyed my time off, but it's always nice to be back in the loop. A lot happened on the crypto ETF front while I was away. And perhaps you forgot we're approaching a very important SEC deadline. But first, checking up on ETF filings - as one does first thing after returning from abroad - I came across Yorkville America Digital's latest proposal. That would be a Truth Social-branded ETF that this time would hold both BTC and ETH.
ūüü™ Full circle moment

3 weeks ago | mail.blockworks.com | Jack Kubinec |Ben Strack |Felix Jauvin |Kate Irwin

Hey, readers. We‚Äôve got an extra special edition today, especially for those who haven‚Äôt done all their homework on Circle‚Äôs IPO. Katherine Ross from the Empire newsletter rounds out the stablecoin issuer‚Äôs debut on the NYSE, industry execs‚Äô thoughts and a picture of the upcoming landscape. Let‚Äôs get into it! Put away X for a second ‚ÄĒ it‚Äôs time for a detox from the drama. Let‚Äôs talk about Circle.
Circle ends NYSE debut up 167% from IPO price

3 weeks ago | blockworks.co | Ben Strack

Circle shares surged during their first day trading on the New York Stock Exchange as interest in the stablecoin issuer spilled over to retail investors. The company's stock opened around $69 - more than double the upsized IPO price of $31 per share. CRCL shares peaked at $103.75 before settling at $82 when the market closed, up 167% from the IPO price and about 20% from the opening price.