Crypto Options Unplugged

In this week’s Crypto Options Unplugged, Imran Lakha and David Brickell sit down with Andrew Melville, Head of Research at Block Scholes, to explore one of the most important shifts happening in crypto today: the acceleration of institutional adoption and the emergence of prediction markets as a new financial primitive.Andrew shares how Block Scholes has become a leading provider of crypto derivatives and volatility data, supplying institutions, hedge funds, exchanges, and even Bloomberg. The discussion examines why institutional interest is no longer a future narrative but a present reality, with banks, structured product desks, and traditional financial firms increasingly building crypto capabilities despite challenging market conditions.The conversation then turns to market structure, Bitcoin’s resilience amid macro uncertainty, ETF flows, volatility dynamics, and the growing influence of AI-driven capital allocation. The trio debate why crypto volatility remains subdued despite large price swings, and how institutional capital may reshape the industry over the coming years.Finally, Andrew provides his perspective on prediction markets, the evolution of decentralized finance, and why the next wave of growth may come not from speculation alone, but from real-world applications and infrastructure being built today.#crypto #trading #cryptocurrencynews #podcast

Crypto finally broke lower last week, smashing through long-term supports triggering cascading liquidations, massive unwinds, and multi-year extreme put skew/vol explosion (front-end puts hit -30 vol skew, implieds ~100). Panic pricing peaked, and spot had sharp retrace (BTC back ~67K range) suggests worst may be over — potential retest of 74K as resistance before real bottom forms (without vol blowout). Guest Praneeth Srikanti (Ethereal Ventures partner) joins David for an indepth interview covering : VC crypto still active (pre-seed/seed focus), thesis shifting to risk/trust infrastructure (neutral, non-aligned layers for AI-era compute/power/settlements), tokenomics converging equity/token views, AI as crypto accelerator (provenance, deterministic agents, yield sources). Like and subscribe for more. Deribit FZE does not accept UAE retail clients or US clients, and clients from other restricted countries.

Gold Parabolic, Crypto Still Stuck – Why The Disconnect?Text: Crypto remains frustratingly range-bound (85–95K zone) despite gold/silver parabolic moves and macro liquidity tailwinds. Geopolitical noise easing (Greenland tariffs looking like classic Trump deal-making fade), but US government shutdown risk looms this weekend — could delay key crypto bills. BTC/ETH testing major supports (98K Fib + short-term holder cost basis provided overhang above), put skew elevated (protection demand strong), suggesting lows may not be in yet. Guest Adam Brice (ex-precious metals broker, now Hivemind Capital trader) joins Imran & Dave: discusses gold/silver decoupling, quantum risk (real but 5–10+ years out), generational shift (millennials value digital/non-sovereign assets), and why the alt narrative needs fresh momentum.Deribit FZE does not accept UAE retail clients or US clients, and clients from other restricted countries.

Can Crypto wake up in 2026: risk appetite returns, big Dec 26 expiry overhang gone, and BTC/ETH finally looks to move higher while gold/stocks are already at new highs. But vol stays crushed — BTC still the “least loved” major asset despite the macro tailwinds (Fed’s ongoing “not-QE QE” T-bill buys + Fannie/Freddie MBS purchases + SLR tweaks = serious liquidity juice). Guest Reqir Van Damir (ex-Galaxy, now DRW senior trader) joins Imran & David to unpack the structural shift: Asian whales de-risking BTC (now seen as “US risk” post-ETF/MSTR accumulation), rotating into gold/silver/commodities amid de-dollarization + AI capex boom. Treasury-company supply drying up, but new buyers (who loaded at 92–107K) are underwater and could add pressure if we break 85K (then quick vacuum to 70K). Long-dated put skew remains sticky — institutions hedging, short-term traders overwriting topside.Takeaway: Macro is screaming bullish, but crypto needs fresh narrative/momentum to catch up. 85K is the line — hold it and 100K+ looks very real in Q1. Break it and 70K becomes the test.Deribit FZE does not accept UAE retail clients or US clients, and clients from other restricted countries.

In this Christmas episode, Imran and David reflect on a frustrating 2025 for Bitcoin - despite gold/silver moves, ETF inflows and increasingly bullish macro and policy tailwinds. The duo blame persistent whales selling and reflexive “4-year cycle top” concerns for capping the upside. The liquidity outlook is set to brighten in 2026 with the FED’s new T-bill purchases and SLR tweaks for banks to buy more duration. The financial suppression playbook should be fully engaged. They still expect another big debasement wave to hit next year, driving Bitcoin (and risk assets) higher once year-end funding squeezes fade. Stay patient. The structural bull case is stronger than ever.Deribit FZE does not accept UAE retail clients or US clients, and clients from other restricted countries.