Self-custody is foundational to bitcoin's value with Zack Shapiro | The Last Free Americans

Self-custody is foundational to bitcoin's value with Zack Shapiro | The Last Free Americans

From The Bitcoin Frontier by Unchained Capital, Inc

November 18, 2025 · 56 min · Season 2 · Episode 8

About this episode

Zack Shapiro discusses the importance of self-custody in relation to bitcoin's value and the implications of the Clarity Act for financial freedom.

Zack Shapiro is the head of legal and policy at the Bitcoin Policy Institute and a key architect behind the Peer-to-Peer Rights Fund. He’s spent years on the frontlines where law, technology, and human freedom intersect—helping lawmakers and judges understand what it means to hold value in the digital age. In this episode, Zack joins The Bitcoin Frontier to break down why self-custody is foundational to bitcoin’s value, how the Clarity Act could define financial freedom for a generation, and why the right to hold your own money might be the most American right of all. We dig into the constitutional roots of property rights, how U.S. law is being stretched to fit a peer-to-peer world, and why the fight for non-custodial software developers will determine the future of bitcoin in America. SUPPORT THE PODCAST: → Subscribe → Leave a review → Share the show with your friends and family → Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com → Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=you... → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?ut... TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 – Intro & the mission behind The Last Free Americans series 2:00 – What self-custody…

People in this episode

Host: Unchained Capital, Inc

Guest: Zack Shapiro

Topics covered

  • self-custody
  • bitcoin value
  • financial freedom
  • Clarity Act
  • property rights
  • peer-to-peer technology

Keywords

  • self-custody
  • bitcoin
  • Clarity Act
  • financial freedom
  • property rights
  • peer-to-peer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bitcoin Policy Institute

More episodes of The Bitcoin Frontier

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Bitcoin Frontier podcast page.