Stablecoins, Regulation, Mining And 2026 Outlook

Since inception, ARK has researched and published thoughts on the cryptocurrency ecosystem within Big Ideas and through articles, whitepapers, monthly Bitcoin reports and podcasts. Now, in coordination with Bitcoin Park, ARK is pleased to introduce a monthly conversation with leaders in the Bitcoin space, to discuss everything happening in the rapidly-changing and still nascent Bitcoin ecosystem. Published through the For Your innovation podcast channels, this monthly series aims to be informative and enlightening, including experts with diverse viewpoints.

Guests on this month’s Bitcoin Brainstorm include:

• Lorenzo Valente: Director of Digital Assets at ARK Invest
• Frank Corva: Former Bitcoin White House Correspondent and Contributor to Forbes Crypto
• Jeff Booth: General Partner of Ego Death Capital and Board Member of Core Scientific 
• Rory Murray: VP Digital Assets Management at CleanSpark
• Cathie Wood: Founder, CEO and CIO at ARK Invest
• Rod Roudi: Co-Founder, Bitcoin Park

Key Points From This Episode:

0:00 — Welcome + 2025 → 2026 setup

0:52 — 2025 price action: $120k, 10/10 flash crash, four-year cycle & volatility

5:06 — Why 2025 was a “before/after” year: Genius Act, Clarity Act, institutional rails

10:13 — Stablecoins vs Bitcoin: “usurping a role” + medium-of-exchange reality check

12:38 — Circular economies on the ground: Kibera (Afribit) + real-world usage

20:32 — US adoption push: Square/Block terminals + merchant acceptance

22:26 — The “de minimis” tax exemption: why it matters + political momentum

28:04 — Privacy + developer protections: Clarity Act language, Samourai/Tornado Cash concerns

32:01 — Bitcoin as pristine collateral: miners, credit markets, yield/treasury management

48:29 — Mining & energy convergence: AI/High Performance Computing (HPC) shift, hashrate decentralization, supply chain/ASICs

56:14 — Bold predictions for 2026: normalization + “de-taboo-ization” of Bitcoin

Learn more about Bitcoin Park: bitcoinpark.com

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)