BlackRock's Crypto Strategy With Samara Cohen

Listen to this episode from Empire on Spotify. Gm! This week we're joined by Samara Cohen to discuss BlackRock's crypto strategy in 2025. We deep dive into the success of the Bitcoin ETP launches, investor demand for crypto, why Samara is bullish on tokenization, how to bridge traditional assets onchain & much more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/empire?utm_source=podcasts Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Join the Empire Telegram: https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Grab your tickets to Permissionless IV. Use code EMPIRE10 for 10% off: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-iv -- Petra Earn was designed to make DeFi more accessible for everyone—from seasoned pros to DeFi beginners. Manage your balance, claim rewards and deposit directly from the app. By supplying USDT to Aries lending pools, users have the potential to earn a higher yield compared to some traditional methods.Not financial advice. Participating in Defi carries risks. To learn more visit https://petra.app/earn -- Zenrock is a permissionless, decentralized custody network backed by 1RoundTable Partners, 10T, Maven11, and Spartan. Live on Jupiter, $ROCK is the native token for transactions within the Zenrock ecosystem and secures Zenrock’s decentralized custody network. The first application launching on Zenrock is zenBTC – yield-bearing Bitcoin on Solana. zenBTC will be live in April 2025. -- Crypto never sleeps. So we built an Al analyst that never blinks.Meet Focal by FalconX: a GenAI insights engine built for institutional crypto. Already used by 80+ funds managing $10B+ in AUM. 🔹 Screen, chart, and analyze 1300+ tokens 🔹 Summarize market-moving news instantly 🔹 Integrates data from CoinGecko, Kaito, Token Terminal, Tokenomist, The Tie Get started today: https://askfocal.com -- Token.com is a social-first crypto platform transforming how people discover and trade through crypto content. The revolutionary in-feed trading turns complex crypto into intuitive investments, while content creators earn from every trade and projects amplify their stories through native tokens - creating a new era of social media-powered crypto discovery. Just scroll to watch and tap to invest. Download the app! -- Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (07:48) What Are ETFs vs ETPs? (12:00) A New Regime For Markets (14:31) Ads (Aptos, Zenrock) (15:51) Active vs Passive Investing (18:44) BlackRock's Bitcoin ETP Launch (24:53) Why Was The IBIT Launch So Successful? (29:00) Ads (Aptos, Zenrock) (30:20) Investor Demand For Bitcoin (33:34) How Does Bitcoin Trade During A Market Sell Off? (37:37) Who Is Actually Buying The Bitcoin ETP? (39:04) Was The Ethereum ETP Launch Successful? (41:19) Investor Demand For Crypto (46:27) Ads (Falcon x, Token.com) (47:54) Why BlackRock Is Bullish On Tokenization (53:46) How To Bridge Assets Onchain (01:00:34) BlackRock's 10 Year Vision For Crypto (01:07:24) Does Speculation Drive Adoption? (01:09:16) Final Thoughts -- 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.