In this episode of FYI – For Your Innovation, ARK's CEO Cathie Wood hosts a wide-ranging conversation with Marco Santori, CEO of Solmate, and Dr. Arthur Laffer, renowned economist and longtime ARK advisor. Together, they explore the evolving crypto landscape, regulatory shifts, and why Solana is emerging as a powerful foundation for next-generation financial infrastructure. Santori, previously Chief Legal Officer at Kraken and General Partner at Pantera, shares why he’s now focused on building Solmate atop the Solana blockchain—and why the Middle East is a critical part of that strategy. He explains Solana’s technical advantages, from base-layer speed to support for smart contracts, and its potential to become the platform of choice for high-frequency trading, AI-driven transactions, and decentralized financial services. Dr. Laffer brings historical context to the conversation, contrasting private and government-controlled currencies and making the case for innovation in monetary systems. He also reflects on why he joined the board of Solmate and what excites him about its approach to financial infrastructure and economic growth.

● [0:00] Meet the guests: Marco Santori’s legal background and early Solana investment

● [4:45] Regulatory whiplash: How the U.S. landscape shifted under a new administration

● [7:16] Dr. Laffer’s crypto “aha” moment and the history of private money

● [13:30] Why Marco chose Solana: performance, smart contracts, and AI readiness

● [18:05] Ethereum vs. Solana: decentralization, speed, and Wall Street applications

● [23:27] Solmate’s board and Middle East connections

● [30:14] Why the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is betting on Solana

● [37:09] The evolution of Solmate from digital asset treasury to infrastructure company

● [42:38] Revenue strategy: building cash flow, not just holding tokens

● [46:23] The Middle East as a geographic and latency hub for blockchain innovation

● [51:06] High-frequency transacting: the next frontier in trading

● [52:31] Solana and on-chain prediction markets

In this episode of The Brainstorm, hosts Sam, Brett, and Nick are joined by Cathie Wood to discuss a range of pressing economic and technological topics. The conversation kicks off with the implications of Jerome Powell's subpoena and the broader economic initiatives under the Trump administration. Cathie Wood shares insights on the impact of these policies on consumer sentiment, inflation, and the housing market. The discussion also delves into the dynamics between Apple, Google, and AI technology, highlighting the strategic partnerships shaping the future of digital assistants like Siri. The episode wraps up with a lively debate on the potential of humanoid robots and the evolving landscape of innovation and investment.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Wolf.financial, and sponsored by Public. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Cathie Wood discusses the economic impact of Jerome Powell's subpoena and recent Trump administration policies on consumer sentiment and inflation.
• The conversation explores the strategic partnership between Apple and Google, focusing on AI technology and its implications for Siri.
• The hosts debate the potential of humanoid robots and the investment landscape for innovation in this field.
• The episode touches on the dynamics of the housing market and the influence of political and economic factors on housing prices.

To learn more about WOLF: https://wolf.financial

To learn more about Public: https://public.com/

Since inception, ARK has researched and published thoughts on the cryptocurrency ecosystem within Big Ideas and through articles, whitepapers, monthly Bitcoin reports and podcasts. Now, in coordination with Bitcoin Park, ARK is pleased to introduce a monthly conversation with leaders in the Bitcoin space, to discuss everything happening in the rapidly-changing and still nascent Bitcoin ecosystem. Published through the For Your innovation podcast channels, this monthly series aims to be informative and enlightening, including experts with diverse viewpoints.

Guests on this month’s Bitcoin Brainstorm include:

• Lorenzo Valente: Director of Digital Assets at ARK Invest
• Frank Corva: Former Bitcoin White House Correspondent and Contributor to Forbes Crypto
• Jeff Booth: General Partner of Ego Death Capital and Board Member of Core Scientific
• Rory Murray: VP Digital Assets Management at CleanSpark
• Cathie Wood: Founder, CEO and CIO at ARK Invest
• Rod Roudi: Co-Founder, Bitcoin Park

Key Points From This Episode:

0:00 — Welcome + 2025 → 2026 setup

0:52 — 2025 price action: $120k, 10/10 flash crash, four-year cycle & volatility

5:06 — Why 2025 was a “before/after” year: Genius Act, Clarity Act, institutional rails

10:13 — Stablecoins vs Bitcoin: “usurping a role” + medium-of-exchange reality check

12:38 — Circular economies on the ground: Kibera (Afribit) + real-world usage

20:32 — US adoption push: Square/Block terminals + merchant acceptance

22:26 — The “de minimis” tax exemption: why it matters + political momentum

28:04 — Privacy + developer protections: Clarity Act language, Samourai/Tornado Cash concerns

32:01 — Bitcoin as pristine collateral: miners, credit markets, yield/treasury management

48:29 — Mining & energy convergence: AI/High Performance Computing (HPC) shift, hashrate decentralization, supply chain/ASICs

56:14 — Bold predictions for 2026: normalization + “de-taboo-ization” of Bitcoin

Learn more about Bitcoin Park: bitcoinpark.com