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.
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 ...
No one wants to be last on this train, John D'Agostino says
Debt markets are shutting off and artificial intelligence firms are already rated as junk, with investors seeing gains of 100% to 200%. John D'Agostino of Coinbase noted that no one wants to be ...
Laura Shin: Blockworks asks SEC to require disclosure of token loans and market-maker deals
Blockworks is asking the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require token projects to disclose token loans, market-maker agreements, and payments to influencers under the agency's ...
Blockworks calls for new SEC disclosures on token project loans and influencer deals, Blockworks states
Blockworks is asking the SEC to require token projects to disclose token loans, market-maker agreements, and payments to influencers under the agency's proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, according ...
Laura Shin: Early Ledger implants featured visible wires, @MagicalTux notes
Early Ledger implants were composed of boards with visible wires, according to @MagicalTux. Laura Shin reports that @MagicalTux described the newest implants as devices that just clip into a ...
$250,000 for XRP Ledger bug equals Google Chrome payout, Tayvano points out
Critics say the $250,000 paid for the XRP Ledger infinite mint bug was not enough. Laura Shin reports that Tayvano highlighted Google pays the same amount for a remote execution bug in Chrome. ...
Laura Shin: OpenAI internal research model used derived wallet to pay Sepolia deployment fees without user knowledge
OpenAI revealed that one of its internal research models scanned wallets created from public developer recovery phrases, discovered a funded Sepolia account, and used it to pay deployment fees ...
Kraken parent to acquire Saldo Bank in new deal, Laura Shin reports
Bitcoin dropped below $81,000, while Kraken parent company Payward has signed a deal to buy Saldo Bank. Laura Shin also reported that Richard Heart, the founder of HEX, has reportedly been taken ...
Laura Shin: MediaMarkt Saturn halts Ledger wallet sales after implant report in Germany
Electronics retailer MediaMarkt Saturn has stopped selling Ledger wallets after a customer in Germany reported finding an implant in the product. Laura Shin shared the update, adding that ...
Xash is using its own capital to fund Solana DeFi rewards, Kevin Huynh says
Xash is currently funding gold rewards for Solana DeFi activity using its own venture capital. Kevin Huynh said on Unchained Premium that the startup has had discussions with stablecoin issuers ...
Laura Shin: Bug bounties can offer enough incentive to prevent hacking
Laura Shin questions why anyone would attempt to hack a protocol when bug bounties could provide sufficient financial reward, enough to afford a luxury car. Shin references AlexAuroraDev, who ...
If AI weakens elliptic curve security, early targets may not be Satoshi's coins, Laura Shin notes
Laura Shin raises the possibility that advances in artificial intelligence could make it easier to brute force elliptic curve cryptographic keys. She cites insights from Tayvano and Ben ...
Laura Shin: Debate grows over charging fee for safe wallet security
Laura Shin raises the question of whether the wallet protocol Safe should implement a fee for securing billions in assets. The discussion features a range of perspectives: Austin Griffith puts ...
AI-driven hacks increasing since March, Laura Shin flags
Laura Shin reports that NEAR Intents GM Alex Shevchenko is working on Shield, a tool designed to quickly spot hacks and block stolen funds. She highlights an increase in artificial ...
Laura Shin: THORChain faces questions on ability to stop North Korean crypto laundering
Laura Shin raises questions about whether THORChain is centralized enough to prevent North Korea from laundering stolen cryptocurrency. She discusses the issue with a co-founder and a security ...
$200 million Neuberger facility and $275 million notes added, Laura Shin notes
Laura Shin reports that Ripple Prime, previously known as Hidden Road, will provide prime brokerage, clearing, and financing services to Brevan Howard funds. This year, the unit introduced a $200 ...
Laura Shin: Strive holds 28,000 BTC at average cost of $90,170 as of Sept. 30
Laura Shin shared that Strive acquired 8,137 BTC during the third quarter and held a total of 28,000 BTC as of September 30, with an average cost basis of $90,170. The update also indicated that ...
Most Layer 2s have ability to freeze stolen assets, Laura Shin notes
Laura Shin highlights a recent situation involving Arbitrum, where the network froze activity following a security incident. She notes that according to Kain, most Layer 2 blockchain platforms ...
Laura Shin: Bar for women in crypto is being the adult in the room
Laura Shin highlights the challenge for women in male-dominated industries, emphasizing the need to be "the adult in the room." She references advice shared by Jessi Brooks and another speaker ...
