Exclusive: Alpaca founder reveals secret behind $435M raise

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  July 27, 2026 at 12:35  |  31:16  |  The Block
Speakers
Tim Copeland — Co-Host & Head of Growth, The Block
Cam Benick — Head of Onchain Research, Bitwise

Summary

The episode covers a slew of crypto news including exchange shutdowns, hacks, and ETF flow trends. The main segment features Bitwise's Cam Benick presenting a new quarterly staking report, highlighting a divergence between improving onchain fundamentals and bearish price action, with bullish staking dynamics on Ethereum, Solana, Hyperliquid, and Avalanche.

  • BitMart exchange announces full platform shutdown; users urged to withdraw funds.
  • AAA hot wallet hack escalates to $11.8M in losses with ongoing sweeps.
  • KB Kookmin Bank plans blockchain-based cross-border payments using JPMorgan's Kexus.
  • Storage Labs files Chapter 11; STORJ token drops 20%.
  • US Bitcoin ETF volume cools to lowest since October 2024, while Ether ETFs lead inflows.
  • Robinhood in talks with Crypto.com to add prediction market contracts.
  • MicroStrategy boosts USD reserves to $3.75B for dividend coverage, no new Bitcoin buys.
  • Bitwise staking report: record ETH staked (40.2M), high staking ratios on Solana, Near, Hyperliquid, Avalanche; upcoming network upgrades to drive further activity.
Ideas
Tim Copeland Co-Host & Head of Growth, The Block 7:46
Ether ETF rotation building over Bitcoin.
Ethereum staking demand is at a record high with 33% of supply staked and a 40-day entry queue; upcoming upgrades (Glamsterdam's EPBS and EGOTA) will improve scalability and decentralization, and institutions are pouring into staking both directly and via ETFs.
Cam Benick Head of Onchain Research, Bitwise 12:15
Solana's high yield and growth attract capital.
Solana staking yield remains attractive at ~6% driving a 68% staking ratio, tokenized equity volume exploded from $1M to $3B in one year, and upcoming upgrades (Appenlow for sub-second finality, 200ms slot times) will further boost trading activity.
Cam Benick Head of Onchain Research, Bitwise 25:47
New HYPE buybacks from USDC yield.
Hyperliquid is launching permissionless prediction markets (HIPP4) and partnering with Circle/Coinbase to use up to 80% of USDC yield on-chain to buy and burn HYPE, creating a new buyback revenue stream independent of trading fees.
Cam Benick Head of Onchain Research, Bitwise 26:31
Avalanche RWA traction with $2B inflow.
Avalanche is gaining real-world asset traction with Japan's largest tokenized platform Progma creating its own Avalanche L1 and bringing approximately $2 billion in tokenized assets onto the ecosystem.
Up Next

This The Block video, published July 27, 2026, features Tim Copeland, Cam Benick discussing ETH, SOL, HYPE, AVAX. 4 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Tim Copeland, Cam Benick  · Tickers: ETH, SOL, HYPE, AVAX