There are numerous ways to consume content nowadays as long as one has decent network speed at a reasonable price. Everywhere you go, someone is consuming some kind of content in some way, shape, or form.
Being a mostly visual society, many technological advances put visual engagement first and foremost among the five senses. It’s only in recent years that there seems to be a growing awareness of building engagement with the other senses. Of these, podcasts are the fast-leading the non-visual pack, which is why we found it suitable to bring you our picks for the Top 10 Crypto Podcasts.
Compared to the amount of effort and money that goes into making videos, aural programs have a lower barrier to entry. All one needs is a good microphone, a decent voice, and interesting content to keep listeners engaged.
Podcasts are easy to access for anyone, whether or not you are visually impaired. You can listen to them while doing chores, in between tasks, or stuck in traffic.
With the rise of podcasting, aural learners have finally found their new university. The types of podcasts available have a huge range that caters to all kinds of interests including our favourite topic: crypto content.
We're All Ears
If you’re like me, then chances are you have at least one mate who has always been banging on about podcasts. I could never fathom some people’s obsession with them. My eyes would glaze over whenever I heard the word. I began to wonder whether certain people ever did anything else besides listen to bloody podcasts all day long.
But with podcasts, I tumbled down a rabbit hole I’m in no hurry to get out of. And I’m not alone. According to recent research, 68 million people in the US alone (24% of the population) listen to podcasts on a weekly basis. There are reckoned to be more than 1.5 million podcasts in existence, with the number steadily rising all the time.
Podcasts are the new Encyclopedia. Image via Shutterstock From doing my best to ignore podcasts, I now can’t get enough of them. I’ll listen to almost anything and I’m subscribed to hundreds of different shows, covering all manner of subjects.
Imagine my delight then when my new-found love of podcasting began to overlap with my crypto obsession: a double whammy of joy. And it turned out that my colleagues here at the Coin Bureau were equally hooked. If you’ve ever wondered what Guy does when he’s not making his videos, then I can tell you that it involves a pair of headphones, a comfy chair and a blissful trance.
Top 10 Crypto Podcasts in 2024
As the crypto landscape evolves rapidly, it's important to keep up with current news and the latest developments in crypto land. Just like YouTube channels, podcasts on crypto are also a dime a dozen these days. With so many out there, how do you know which ones are worth your attention?
Well, we’ve put our heads together and come up with a list of the ten best cryptocurrency podcasts available. In this article, we give a quick rundown of what you can expect from each one, as well as profiles of those involved. Just so you know, these are in random order as each one of them is awesome in its own right. Before diving in, maybe you might want to check out Guy's picks. Either way, grab those headphones, find a quiet corner, sit back, relax, and enjoy…
1. Coin Bureau Podcast
We’re all familiar with Guy’s analysis of the latest in crypto news. He tells us what’s going on, breaks down the components, gives his take on where things could end up, and how it affects us. In the Coin Bureau podcast, Guy and his longtime friend Mike are the hosts, helping listeners navigate the going-ons in the crypto world.
Here's looking at you baby. Image via Twitter Occasionally, there are also guests making an appearance on the show. That’s when Guy puts on his interviewer’s hat as he chats with guests to get their take on the important events affecting the crypto world. Just like the Youtube channel, expect to get some content with real depth wherever Guy’s involved.
2. Bankless
Hosted by Ryan, the more conservative one, and David, the risk-taker, Bankless is a crypto insider’s podcast and definitely not for the uninitiated. The show regularly features interviews with crypto influencers and key figures in the crypto space. Each episode is more than an hour long and jam-packed with content that requires lots of careful listening. The upside is that you will really get to learn a lot more about the projects being discussed in great detail.
Go Bankless with the Bankless crew. Image via Bankless We recommend giving this top crypto podcast your fullest attention and where applicable, even some note-taking as it is definitely one of the go-to podcasts when doing DYOR on crypto projects. This is as close to the horse’s mouth when it comes to the veracity of what’s out there.
3. Unchained
Crypto can often seem a bit of a boy’s club, so it’s refreshing to see Laura Shin hosting this excellent podcast. Shin is a former senior editor at Forbes and the first journalist from the mainstream media to cover crypto full time. She releases weekly episodes of Unchained, in which she talks to some of the biggest players in blockchain and crypto.
Image via Soundcloud Previous guests include some of the most recognisable names in the cryptoverse, including Vitalik Buterin, Yearn Finance’s Andre Cronje, Brave’s Brendan Eich, and even the Binance overlord himself, CZ. Shin also talks with lawmakers and politicians who are actively shaping crypto regulation, as well as the investors who are keeping the money flowing in. In short, if you want to keep abreast of what’s going on in the world of crypto, you can’t afford to ignore Unchained.
4. CoinDesk Podcast Network
CoinDesk is one of the most respectable news outlets for all crypto news. They have a large enough following to host their own crypto conference in Austin every year. Given the reach that they have, it makes sense that they would branch out into the podcast space to expand their offerings.
Catch up on the latest news with CoinDesk Podcast. Regular segments include Breakdown, which can be viewed as the audio version of their news articles together with some light commentary, and The Hash, which is a discussion amongst CoinDesk staff on the topics of the day. This daily crypto podcast also offers ad-hoc topics in their own individual segments. Each episode is 20 - 30 mins long, making it the ideal podcast to squeeze in some crypto news in between pockets in the day.
5. The Pomp Podcast
Anthony ‘Pomp’ Pompliano is an American tech investor and entrepreneur whose ‘interests lie at the intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship and economics.’ The Pomp Podcast, delivered in quite a heavy “bro” style, which may not work for everyone, grew out of his daily newsletter which he would send out to friends, family and clients. As the list of recipients grew, he decided to branch out into new media and a video of each podcast is uploaded to YouTube. The podcast used to be known as Off the Chain.
The Legendary Pomp Podcast. Pomp’s range of subjects can be pretty broad, making this a great podcast for those interested in the bigger picture beyond the confines of Bitcoin and blockchain. Episodes are released daily and generally last about an hour. Those wanting to focus on crypto may have to be selective with which episodes they choose to listen to, but Pomp is always entertaining and knows how to get the best from his guests.
6. Stephan Livera Podcast
Another well-known crypto sage shares his wisdom with us in one of the most consistently highly-rated crypto podcasts going. Stephan is a co-founder of Ministry of Nodes and Bitcoiner Ventures, thus he has the necessary pedigree to provide solid commentary. He also has a knack for making tricky concepts easy to understand and attracts a good range of guests, including Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey and Lightning Labs’ Elizabeth Stark.
The Stephen Livera Podcast. Episodes are released every few days and are recommended for anyone looking to further their knowledge of bitcoin and economics around it.
7. Crypto 101
Aaron “Pizza Mind” and Bryce Paul are the hosts of Crypto 101, a podcast featuring interviews with the rank-and-file working in crypto and smaller crypto projects that are under the radar. We don’t often get to hear from this group as the focus is usually on the influencers.
Find out about interesting projects from Crypto 101.Through interviews with them, Bryce and Aaron help listeners discover what’s actually being worked on. Each episode, around 40 - 50 mins, revolves around a topic that goes beyond the headlines to truly understand what is behind it from the ones who are doing the actual work. This podcast has a lot to offer if you want to learn how the crypto world works.
8. Crypto Conversation with Andy Pickering
Crypto Conversation with Andy Pickering is a podcast that’s focused on builders in the crypto world. If you’re wondering what are people actually building in this space, this is the podcast to check out. Andy’s interview style is quite casual, he allows the guests to speak without much interruption, and gently guides them to the key topic once they’ve introduced themselves.
Hear from the builders with Andy Pickering. The majority of the episodes are about 30 minutes or so, and he manages to pack in quite a bit in that space in a non-overwhelming fashion, which is no mean feat. The projects featured on the show are probably a bit on the left field, which makes them quite interesting as these don’t have as much noise as the major ones. It’s also rare to not feel fatigued at the end of each episode while also feeling more knowledgeable about stuff
9. What Bitcoin Did
As its name suggests, the What Bitcoin Did podcats from Peter McCormack has a BTC-related focus, though that doesn’t stop it veering off to investigate a whole heap of topics relevant to the digital gold. McCormack isn’t afraid to get stuck in to the subject with his interviewees and episodes generally last an hour or so, but can sometimes go on much longer. This isn’t a problem though, as McCormack knows his subject inside out and gets some impressive guests along to chew the fat with him.
What Bitcoin Did? It changed the world.Previous guests included the likes of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Jameson Lopp and Blockstream’s Rusty Russell. McCormack himself is a journalist who has run WBD since 2017 and now also runs the Defiance platform and podcast. He’s one of those people whose body of work throws up hours of fascinating material.
What Bitcoin Did is so well put together that it could easily appeal to those with only a passing interest in Bitcoin and the issues around it. For anyone looking to see how deeply embedded crypto now is in the fabric of our lives, this is the place to go.
10. The DeFiant
Crypto has always been a bro-centric world and it’s always refreshing to see a crypto success with a woman leading the charge. The DeFiant is one of those female-led crypto entities that have succeeded in crossing all kinds of boundaries into the mainstream crypto space. The founder, Camila Russo, is the author of The Infinite Machine, the first book about the history of Ethereum, and is a financial journalist by trade.
Be part of the Defiant group The podcast, part of The DeFiant project, features weekly interviews with key crypto figures in the industry, in an hour-long episode. Her journalistic chops stand her in good steed although some might find it difficult to understand due to a strong accent. This is a great podcast for those who are not very tech-minded as Camila does a great job in summarising the more techie bits from the guests as part of her interview strategy.
Honorable Mention: The Missing Crypto Queen
There aren’t enough superlatives to describe this extraordinary podcast, which follows the OneCoin scandal and the disappearance of its founder, Dr. Ruja Ignatova. Gripping is one. Jaw-dropping another.
Jamie Bartlett’s investigation into OneCoin and the carnage it has created is so engrossing (there’s another) that it can easily make a whole day disappear, much like Dr. Ruja herself. It’s not technically a crypto podcast, given that it’s more concerned with the ease with which people can be made to believe in a scam, but we can’t recommend it highly enough here at the Coin Bureau.
Legend of Missing Crypto Queen. Onecoin scandal. Image via BBC You may be familiar with the sorry saga of OneCoin, or this may be the first time you’ve heard the name. Either way, make this your next listen , and see how many times your jaw hits the floor.
Conclusion: Something for Everyone
There is probably a whole heap of podcasts out there just waiting to be discovered. This is merely a collection of the ones we happen to like best right now. If you’re not sure where to start, this list is a good one to get you going for a while.
Doing your own research can be a laborious process, but listening to the best of these shows can make it a pleasure. It’s also reassuring to know that, for those coming to crypto for the first time, there’s a wealth of resources out there making it more accessible. Good luck on your journey to uncovering the best crypto podcasts for yourself. Stay informed and entertained!
In case the above list wasn't enough to satisfy your knowledge for all things crypto related, you may also be interested in checkout out our top picks for the Best Crypto YouTube Channels, Top Crypto Telegram Channels, and Best Personal Finance YouTubers.
