Crypto Journalism and Investigative Reporting by Laura Shin
Laura Shin, one of the most prominent journalists in crypto, continues to shape public understanding of blockchain and DeFi in 2025. As host of the “Unchained” podcast, which surpassed 40 million all-time downloads, Shin remains a go-to source for deep-dive interviews with founders, regulators, and whistleblowers. In 2024, she published the updated edition of her book The Cryptopians, featuring new insights into Ethereum's early governance and the rise of DAOs.
Shin was formerly a senior editor at Forbes and became the first mainstream journalist to dedicate full-time coverage to the crypto space. Her investigative reporting has uncovered major conflicts and pivotal moments in crypto history, including the early days of Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum, the ICO boom, and DeFi’s explosive growth. She holds degrees from Stanford and Columbia’s School of Journalism. Known for her impartiality and depth, Shin continues to lead conversations around regulation, innovation, and ethical standards in blockchain media.
Application layer bargains are more appealing than base layer, JD Dorman says
JD Dorman said that, in his view, the most attractive opportunities are found at the application layer rather than the base layer. Laura Shin reported that Dorman discussed HyperliquidX, which he ...
Laura Shin: Institutions focus on ETFs and cold storage despite recent crypto hacks
Institutions are paying attention to ETFs and institutional cold storage rather than recent major crypto hacks, according to Matt Hougan. Laura Shin reported that while there has been a series of ...
Differentiating protocol strength and token value remains an issue, jdorman81 notes
Analyst jdorman81 said that while Ethereum as a protocol is highly effective, many people continue to conflate the strength of the protocol itself with the value of its token. Laura Shin shared ...
Laura Shin: Deutsche Bank launches bitcoin and ether custody service for paying clients
Deutsche Bank has launched its bitcoin and ether custody service for paying clients, according to a Reuters report. The product page specifies availability for Corporate Bank clients, while a ...
Moody's Ratings tests multi-chain token integration with Chainlink, Laura Shin notes
Moody's Ratings has added its Token Integration Engine to Canton in March and to Solana in June, each on a network-by-network basis. The company also began a new trial with Chainlink, sending test ...
AI agent features planned for Coinbase Wallet, Oxxbid states
Coinbase Wallet is planning to add AI agent capabilities, according to a statement from Oxxbid, who said the features are coming this year. Laura Shin reported the update in a recent ...
Laura Shin: Criticism of Trump family crypto initiatives debated within crypto community
Laura Shin reported that some members of the crypto community have described criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump and his family's crypto ventures as disloyal. She highlighted that another ...
Zcash NU7 upgrade goes live and shifts to faster blocks, Laura Shin notes
Zcash's NU7 upgrade went live at block 3,543,405 at 9:34 p.m. ET Thursday, shifting the blockchain network to 25-second blocks. Laura Shin reported that about 12,224 ZEC, valued at roughly $16 ...
Laura Shin: Two Prime WBTC vault on Pareto lends wrapped bitcoin offchain
Two Prime's WBTC vault on Pareto gathers wrapped bitcoin onchain and lends it offchain. Two Prime CEO Alexander Blume states that this structure means "the source of capital is not a VC subsidy." ...
Unilateral power to reverse transactions signals central oversight, SEC staff notes
Staff from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Corporation Finance division have provided guidance in a frequently asked questions document, stating that having unilateral authority to ...
Laura Shin: Anthropic research model found Linux kernel bug behind urgent Solana validator alert
An unreleased Anthropic research model identified the Linux kernel bug that led to Anza issuing an urgent alert for Solana validators. According to Anthropic, its model wrote an exploit for the ...
U.S. support for Binance customers contrasts with earlier penalties, Laura Shin notes
Laura Shin questioned the U.S. government's efforts to assist or protect Binance customers after previously penalizing Binance founder Changpeng Zhao for allowing U.S. users to access the ...
Laura Shin: AI agents could make censorship-resistant money more valuable over time
AI agents may surpass China's face scanners in their ability to monitor individuals, according to intangiblecoins. Laura Shin shared this view, noting the argument that increased surveillance ...
Coinbase's Q3 net income reaches $719 million, CFO Alesia Haas notes
Coinbase reported net income of $719 million for the third quarter, with the result attributed mainly to unrealized gains on the crypto it holds for investment. Chief Financial Officer Alesia Haas ...
Laura Shin: U.S. venue for Hyperliquid perpetual futures planned with ICE backing
A U.S. venue for Hyperliquid perpetual futures is being developed with backing from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), owner of the New York Stock Exchange, according to trade[xyz]. Laura Shin ...
Bithumb, Daishin Securities and Mirae Asset disclose breaches, Laura Shin reports
Bithumb, Daishin Securities and Mirae Asset Global Investments each disclosed a security breach on October 28. Daishin reported that 38,490 customers were affected, while Bithumb did not provide a ...
Laura Shin: Keystone reports breached web store held personal data in 25,964 buyer records
Keystone has revealed that its breached web store retained personal information in 25,964 buyer records. Laura Shin reported that some of this data was kept beyond the 180-day retention period set ...
Bitcoin falls under $80,000 in Asia session, Laura Shin notes
Bitcoin briefly dropped below $80,000 in Asian trading. Brazilian President Lula was reported to have won Brazil's runoff in what prediction markets described as an upset. Foundation announced ...
Laura Shin: Papertrade.xyz halted token transferability after people deposited seeking quick gains
Papertrade.xyz has halted the transferability of its token after people deposited and attempted to quickly lose money in hopes of earning a token they expected to sell. Laura Shin reports that ...
Ether ETFs face roughest 2026 month and main buyer prepares to halt, Laura Shin notes
Ether ETFs are having their worst month of 2026, with performance described as the weakest so far this year. Laura Shin added that ether's steadiest corporate buyer is about to stop buying. No ...
Laura Shin: Ethereum developers unschedule Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi testnet
Ethereum developers have unscheduled the planned Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet. Christine D. Kim said this decision was made after ChainSecurity identified security issues in the ...
