2025 was supposed to be the year for crypto.

Instead, it delivered all-time highs… followed by one of the most confusing pullbacks we’ve seen in years. Bitcoin hit new records, then gave them back. Altcoins struggled. Expectations got wrecked. And everyone was left asking the same question:

What the hell just happened?

In Episode 799 of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel and Travis close the books on 2025 and look ahead to what 2026 might bring — without pretending they have a crystal ball.

They break down:

• Why 2025 felt bullish on paper but disappointing in reality

• The massive liquidation event that changed market momentum overnight

• Why the four-year cycle may already be broken

• How Bitcoin behaved more like a “stablecoin” than a risk asset this year

• Why nation-states, ETFs, and institutions are quietly reshaping the market

• What macro factors, liquidity, elections, and money printing could mean next

• Why zooming out still tells a very different story than staring at short-term charts

The guys debate whether Bitcoin is gearing up for another major leg higher or settling into a new kind of market entirely — one driven less by retail euphoria and more by institutions, governments, and global liquidity.

It’s part recap, part reality check, part cautious optimism… and a reminder that after nine years and nearly 800 episodes, Bad Crypto is still here, still asking the hard questions, and still bullish on the long game.

As the calendar flips to 2026 and Episode 800 looms, this is your moment to reflect, recalibrate, and remember why you got into crypto in the first place.

Out with the old.
In with the new.
And as always…

Stay bad.

Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, crypto traders have lived and died by the halving clock. Boom. Bust. Rinse. Repeat.
But what if that old rhythm doesn’t work anymore?

In Episode 798 of The Bad Crypto Podcast, Joel and Travis make the case that Bitcoin has officially graduated from “speculative science experiment” to institutional-grade asset class — and that changes everything.

We break down why this cycle looks nothing like the last ones, including:

• Why banks that mocked crypto are now quietly building custody, trading, and ETF pipelines
• How public companies, governments, and ETFs are soaking up Bitcoin supply
• Why institutional buying is far “stickier” than retail panic selling
• How regulation shifts (OCC, FDIC, Fed guidance) removed the biggest barriers between banks and Bitcoin
• Why the classic 80% crash may no longer be the default outcome
• What January and February could reveal about whether the cycle is truly broken
• Why Gen Z asking for crypto for Christmas might be the most bullish signal of all

We also dig into adoption curves, Bitcoin treasuries, ETF inflows, government holdings, and the uncomfortable reality that the market may have changed the rules while many traders are still playing the old game.

If you’re waiting for the “inevitable crash” so you can say “told you so”…
you might want to listen first.

Because Bitcoin doesn’t look like it’s leaving.
It looks like it’s settling in.

🎧 Episode 798 — from Puerto Rico to Dubai
📺 Watch on YouTube
🎙️ Listen wherever podcasts live

Stay bad.

Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone in crypto has a horror story.

In this episode, Joel and Travis turn the mic on themselves and the community for a raw, honest look at loss, regret, and the painful side of the crypto journey.

Travis recounts how he lost 55 Bitcoin he mined back in 2010 after a hardware failure and no backup of his keys. Joel shares how he was seconds away from reading a 2FA code to a fake “Google security” caller that could have compromised everything tied to his account. Add in a 10 ETH honeypot scam, drained wallets, and NFT phishing, and you start to see a pattern: nobody is immune.

Along the way, they read anonymous posts from the CoinFessions account on X – real stories of people who:
– Turned life-changing gains into dust by trying to time “one more pump”
– Lost six figures to scams and bad decisions
– Sat through entire bull runs and never took profits
– Finally got it right after years of pain and one big, smart exit

This episode covers:
– Why even experienced users still get wrecked
– The psychology behind never taking profits on the way up
– How grief, stress, and desperation make you vulnerable to scams
– Why experiences and relationships matter more than your portfolio balance
– A brief look ahead at what macro conditions and liquidity might mean for the next phase of the market

If you have ever:
– Round-tripped your portfolio
– Lost coins to a scam, bad link, or bad judgment
– Felt alone or ashamed about your mistakes

…this is group therapy. You are not the only one.

The Bad Crypto Podcast has been here since 2017, and the guys are still in the arena with you. Pull up a chair, listen in, and maybe walk away feeling a little less wrecked and a little more human.

Support the show: https://badcryptopodcast.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.