The Scoop: Bitcoin stalls, but blockchain innovation rages on

Amidst a whirlwind of executive orders, whispers of a strategic crypto reserve, Elon Musk’s DOGE shaking up the political establishment, and even talk of U.S. territorial expansion, it’s hard to believe the Trump administration is only in its third week. Meanwhile, Bitcoin appears to be trapped in yet another emotionally charged range, shifting market sentiment by the day. Despite the volatility, we can’t help but stay bullish on crypto’s future.

A big reason for our optimism is our recent episode with Story Protocol Co-Founder Jason Zhao. His enthusiasm and confidence in unlocking trillions in intellectual property (IP) value through blockchain is nothing short of infectious. While much of crypto’s past has been dominated by high-tech debates — decentralization, zero-knowledge proofs, scaling solutions — Story Protocol shifts the focus to a different kind of creator, and we can’t help but be excited at the prospect of bringing their IP and assets onchain.

Zhao highlighted the onboarding of Hollywood filmmaker David S. Goyer ("Blade," "The Dark Knight" trilogy) and his latest project, "Emergence." Not only does it share a name with what we consider the greatest crypto conference ever, but it could also redefine creative collaboration. "Emergence" promises to empower fans, creatives, and even AI to expand upon its sci-fi universe and share in its success by having skin in the game. Every creator can track their contributions to it through the blockchain, allowing fans and artists to enjoy, create, and profit from their activities – all made possible through programmable IP.

This represents more than just a new use case; it’s a potential paradigm shift. Crypto has long struggled to break out of its bubble of traders, degens, and (let’s be honest) scammers. But by allowing creators to program terms into their IP and streamline access for those who want to license it, Story Protocol is opening the doors to an entirely new audience. We’re excited to see where this leads—and we’re glad to be along for the ride.

The Block’s Frank Chaparro serves up the latest headlines, charts, trends, and views on crypto and DeFi from around The Block, Twitter, and The Scoop pod.  Subscribe to The Scoop newsletter , which hits inboxes on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

Subscribe to The Scoop on  Youtube ,  Apple ,  Spotify ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher  or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please send feedback and revision requests to  [email protected] .