The Best Crypto Podcasts Worth Listening To in 2026

Crypto podcasts have a problem. Most are noise dressed up as insight: hype cycles repackaged as analysis, price predictions wrapped in confident-sounding voices, guest interviews that never push back on anything.

The good ones are different. You can tell within ten minutes. The host knows enough to catch a bad answer. The guests are builders, researchers, or investors with something real to say. And when something doesn't add up, someone says so.

This list is the shows that cleared that bar in 2026. They cover different corners of the space (Bitcoin, DeFi, macro, regulation, technical depth), so you can pick what fits your interests rather than listening to everything and retaining nothing.

What Makes a Crypto Podcast Worth Your Time

Before getting into the list, it's worth knowing what to filter for. The crypto podcast space has a signal-to-noise problem, and a few quick checks save a lot of wasted listening.

Signs a podcast is worth your time:

• The host pushes back when something doesn't add up

• Guests have direct experience: founders, researchers, developers, analysts with actual track records

• The show covers what's happening now, not just what happened last cycle

• They disclose sponsorships clearly and don't let sponsors shape the content

• Opinions are explained, not just stated

Red flags to skip:

• Every guest is bullish on their own project, with no challenge

• Price predictions delivered with total confidence

• Heavy rotation of the same influencer circuit

• Episodes that feel like extended sponsor reads

One more thing: match the podcast to what you actually want. A show like Stephan Livera is excellent if you want deep Bitcoin economics. It's not the right entry point if you're three weeks into crypto and still figuring out what a wallet address is. Picking the right show for your level matters more than picking the "best" one.

The Best Crypto Podcasts in 2026

Bankless

Host: Ryan Sean Adams and David Hoffman
Focus: Ethereum, DeFi, crypto markets, macro
Frequency: Daily
Best for: Anyone serious about Ethereum and DeFi
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | bankless.com

Bankless has been one of the dominant voices in crypto since 2020 and is still the go-to show for anyone tracking the Ethereum ecosystem. Ryan Sean Adams and David Hoffman run a format that blends protocol-level analysis, founder interviews, and weekly rollups of what actually matters in crypto markets.

In 2026, the show has leaned harder into stablecoins, institutional DeFi, and the evolving Ethereum vs. Solana question. The weekly rollup episodes are particularly good: tight summaries of market structure, policy news, and on-chain developments that don't waste time.

The hosts have a strong Ethereum conviction, which is worth knowing going in. They disclose it. You get more out of the show if you account for it rather than treating every take as neutral analysis.

Better for DeFi and Ethereum listeners than Bitcoin maximalists.

What Bitcoin Did

Host: Danny Knowles (formerly Peter McCormack)
Focus: Bitcoin, macroeconomics, monetary policy, freedom
Frequency: Two to three times per week
Best for: Bitcoin-first listeners, beginners looking for a grounded entry point
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | whatbitcoindid.com

What Bitcoin Did has been running since 2017 and remains the clearest Bitcoin-first podcast for listeners who want substance without jargon. Danny Knowles took over hosting duties and has kept the show's core strength intact: plain language, well-researched guests, and a genuine willingness to ask the questions a thoughtful listener would ask.

The guest list runs from economists and developers to journalists and policymakers. Episodes regularly connect Bitcoin to wider conversations about monetary systems, financial freedom, and why the existing system works the way it does.

It's accessible without being dumbed down. Rarer than it sounds. If you're new to crypto and want to understand Bitcoin beyond the price, this is a sensible starting point.

Bitcoin-focused. Not the show for altcoin or DeFi coverage.

Unchained

Host: Laura Shin
Focus: Crypto news, regulation, market structure, DeFi
Frequency: Weekly
Best for: Listeners who want journalism-quality depth and regulatory context
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | unchainedcrypto.com

Laura Shin is a former Forbes editor and one of the few crypto journalists who approaches the space with genuine investigative rigor. Unchained lands the biggest guests in the industry: founders, regulators, VCs, and economists. And the interviews are notable for their depth. Shin has conducted some of the most probing interviews with controversial figures in the space, including SBF, well before his downfall.

The show covers a lot of regulatory ground, which is relevant as policy frameworks around stablecoins, DeFi, and digital assets become more concrete. If you want to understand where crypto is heading legally and structurally, not just technically, Unchained is worth a weekly listen.

Episodes run around an hour. The production is clean, and the research behind each interview is visible.

Broad coverage. Good for intermediate to advanced listeners. Strong on regulation and market structure.

Stephan Livera Podcast

Host: Stephan Livera
Focus: Bitcoin, Austrian economics, Lightning Network, self-sovereignty
Frequency: Two to three times per week
Best for: Serious Bitcoin-only listeners who want economic and technical depth
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | stephanlivera.com

Stephan Livera is Head of Education at Swan Bitcoin and has been interviewing Bitcoin developers, economists, and researchers since 2018. The podcast sits at the intersection of Austrian monetary theory, Bitcoin technology, and financial sovereignty. And it does that without being preachy about it.

Guests include Bitcoin core developers, Lightning Network builders, hardware wallet makers, and economists who take the monetary critique of fiat seriously. Recent episodes have covered Lightning economics, Ark protocol developments, and Bitcoin custody security. Niche but substantive.

It's not a beginner show. The conversation assumes you know what a UTXO is and have an opinion on custodial versus non-custodial. But if you're past that stage and want genuinely high-signal Bitcoin content, the episode library here is deep.

Bitcoin-only. Dense. Not for beginners. One of the best for serious Bitcoin education.

Empire

Host: Jason Yanowitz
Focus: Crypto markets, DeFi, industry, venture, regulation
Frequency: Two to three times per week
Best for: Investors, founders, and anyone tracking where the industry is heading
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | blockworks.co/podcast/empire

Empire is produced by Blockworks and hosted by Jason Yanowitz, the company's founder. It covers crypto from a market and industry perspective: who's building what, where the capital is flowing, what's actually gaining traction, and what the regulatory environment means for operators.

The guest list is consistently strong. VCs, protocol founders, regulatory experts, and operators with real insight into how crypto companies actually work. The show doesn't get lost in philosophy. It focuses on the mechanics of the industry.

It's particularly good on the evolving market structure around stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, and the institutional layer building on top of crypto rails. Good for listeners who think about crypto as an industry to understand and invest in, not just a technology to follow.

Intermediate to advanced. Strong market and business focus. Less technical than Stephan Livera, more industry-oriented than What Bitcoin Did.

Coin Bureau Podcast

Host: Guy Turner and team
Focus: Broad crypto education, market analysis, project reviews
Frequency: Weekly
Best for: Beginners and intermediate listeners who want structured, hype-free education
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | coinbureau.com

Coin Bureau has built a reputation over several years for crypto content that avoids the hype and keeps the focus on education and honest analysis. The podcast carries that same ethos. Episodes cover Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi protocols, regulatory developments, and market cycles without the breathless urgency that makes a lot of crypto content exhausting.

It's one of the more accessible shows on this list. Guy Turner and the team explain concepts clearly without talking down to the listener. A balance that's harder to achieve than it looks. The release cadence is slower than some shows here, which reflects the more considered approach to each episode.

If you're newer to crypto and want a reliable weekly show that doesn't assume you're already deep in the weeds, this is a strong pick.

Best for beginners and intermediate listeners. Good all-rounder. Slower release cadence.

The Defiant

Host: Camila Russo
Focus: DeFi, Ethereum, decentralized finance ecosystem
Frequency: Weekly
Best for: Anyone tracking DeFi protocols, governance, and the Ethereum ecosystem closely
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | thedefiant.io

Camila Russo founded The Defiant as a DeFi-focused media outlet in 2019, and the podcast is a natural extension of that, deeply focused on what's actually happening in decentralized finance. Protocol updates, governance votes, stablecoin mechanics, yield strategies, and the people building the infrastructure.

The show assumes familiarity with DeFi basics. It's not a first-principles explainer; it's a follow-along for listeners who are already engaged with the ecosystem and want to track protocol-level developments and the people driving them.

Recently, the coverage has included RWA tokenization, DeFi regulation, the stablecoin landscape, and the growing relationship between on-chain and institutional finance. Good content for the LearningCrypto reader who's moved past the basics and wants to stay current on where DeFi is heading.

DeFi-focused. Assumes existing knowledge. Excellent for listeners already engaged with the Ethereum ecosystem.

CryptoTips (We'll Keep This Brief)

Platform: YouTube
Focus: Crypto fundamentals, market analysis, critical thinking
YouTube

It felt a bit odd putting together a list of crypto content worth watching and leaving our own YouTube channel out entirely.

CryptoTips is where Heidi and Toby (us) share what we're actually seeing in the market, break down fundamentals, and cut through the narratives that don't hold up under scrutiny. Over a decade of experience in the space, no agenda beyond helping you think more clearly about it.

How to Fit Podcasts Into Your Week

The biggest mistake with crypto podcasts is trying to listen to everything. You'll spend more time consuming than thinking. Pick two or three shows that match your level and goals, and actually engage with them rather than treating them as background noise.

Commutes, gym sessions, and cooking are all good. But the episodes that actually stick are the ones you listen to with enough attention to notice when something doesn't quite add up. That's when you're learning rather than just consuming.

A simple starting stack: one show for Bitcoin fundamentals (What Bitcoin Did or Stephan Livera, depending on your depth), one for broader market and industry context (Empire or Unchained), and the Coin Bureau Podcast if you want a weekly education anchor. Add Bankless or The Defiant if DeFi is your primary interest.

Podcasts Are One Input. LearningCrypto Is Where You Put It Together

Good podcasts sharpen your thinking. They surface questions you hadn't considered and give you frameworks for understanding a fast-moving space. But listening is passive. Understanding is active.

LearningCrypto is built for the active part. The daily pre-market brief gives you on-chain context before the market opens. The Satoshi Indicator translates data into a clear daily signal. Ask Crypto lets you query live blockchain data directly. So when a podcast guest makes a claim about exchange flows or smart money behavior, you can check it yourself in real time.

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