Crypto Confidence podcast artwork

Crypto Confidence podcast

27 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratings

The consumer's guide to cryptocurrencies and blockchain - navigating new technologies the smart and safe way, helping you understand and research the changes that the crypto-economy is bringing to us all. From the social impact of blockchain projects globally, to how to take your first steps buying cryptocurrencies and tokens, the BlockSparks team will be your hosts as you explore the future of money.

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Episodes

CCP27: Mentoring Women in Emergent Tech (Susan Maddison)

September 06, 2019 08:30 - 44 minutes - 37.3 MB

Today we’re returning to a theme close to all of our hearts here at BlockSparks, that of empowering women in emergent technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrency. There are still far too few women making their careers in these exciting industries of the future, but there are some brilliant people working hard to redress that balance, and we’re delighted to be joined by one of those today, Susan Maddison, one of the founders of Women in Tech Revolution! Keep in touch with Witechrev: ...

CCP26 Narrative: Rewarding Creativity on the Blockchain

August 23, 2019 08:18 - 40 minutes - 34.8 MB

Artists, writers and creators have always struggled to find ways to monetise their work effectively, and in an era of ad-funded online clickbait, it has never been more challenging. Distributed ledger technology is enabling new platforms to democratise that creativity, and share the rewards generated directly and fairly with the writers who create it. As the world becomes more and more aware of the idea that we DO pay for the things we read and watch one way or another, we now have a choic...

CCP25: Blockchain-Based Altruism with GiveNation

August 09, 2019 05:45 - 42 minutes - 36.1 MB

Today, Maya Middlemiss meets Alyze Sam and Arnaud Saint-Paul, from GiveNation. GiveNation unites children everywhere in the world and assists young minds to become philanthropists by means of educational games geared towards a sustainable financial future. Through an enjoyable gaming experience, children are rewarded with cryptocurrency, and they’re positivity impacting our planet.   Discover more at: ✔️Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheGiveNation ✔️Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T...

CCP24 Understanding liquidity and digital assets

July 26, 2019 07:37 - 48 minutes - 39.8 MB

It's a term we hear a lot both within traditional financial services and investment, but also in relation to cryptoassets in particular. We thought it was important to get to the bottom of liquidity and what it means for any currency or commodity, so we're very glad to be joined by Bill Smith of CryptEquities to help us clarify this important concept. Bill is a serial entrepreneur involved in a diverse range of projects, about which you can learn more here., and here is the link to Crypt...

CCP23: Creating "Beyond The Chain"

July 12, 2019 06:39 - 38 minutes - 32.9 MB

Today Maya is joined by her colleague Diana Berryman, Head of Social Media at BlockSparks, to talk about a special project: the publication of Beyond The Chain.  Beyond The Chain is a novel - about liberation, mental health, relationship, memory... and bitcoin. Written first and foremost to tell a story, the book also serves as a valuable primer for those new - like the protagonist - to understanding the basic principles of crypto and blockchain, as a path to personal financial freedom and...

CCP22 Who in the world really needs a Facebook cryptocurrency?

June 28, 2019 04:00 - 41 minutes - 35.3 MB

So it's official: Project Libra has been announced to a waiting world, and we can finally get a look at the worst-kept secret in blockchain... Facebook, and a consortium of corporate partners, are creating Libra Coin. Their stated aim is to offer fast low cost payments to the millions of unbanked people around the world, but the details are still hazy. To help us try and unpack them, we speak to software developer Jeansy Molanza, whose knowledge of blockchain combines with life experience ...

CCP21 Proof of What? Consensus Mechanisms

June 12, 2019 21:47 - 44 minutes - 37 MB

This week we are joined by Raghav "Reggie" Jerath, serial entrepreneur, leadership and management professional, from Gath3r, to talk about different models in use to secure blockchain transactions. We have talked in the past about the 'proof of work' consensus mechanism used in the Bitcoin blockchain, to process transactions and generate new coins as block rewards, but this is not the only approach. Other blockchains use different methods to secure the same alignment of incentives and ensu...

CCP20: Live(ish) from the Malta AI and Blockchain Summit

May 31, 2019 07:33 - 33 minutes - 29.8 MB

Much of the content for this episode was recorded live on the expo floor at the Malta AI and Blockchain Summit. Here are the people we spoke to/about: Sabine Roiss, CEO Assistant at Salamantex GmbH -The Easy Way for Crypto Pay Rutger van Bergem, CEO/founder, Catalaxy  Podcoin -,  download it from your App Store and use the code ‘Crypto’ to kick-start your savings with 300 podcoins Davin Broadbent from DustAid -  - sweeping up the crypto dust for a wide range of good causes Yelena K...

CCP19 Buying your first bit of crypto

May 17, 2019 06:37 - 36 minutes - 31.5 MB

This episode includes an audio blog of the recent post “Help me buy some cryptocurrency!”, which was written *before* the crazy price action of May 2019... but stands by every word of warning about responsible investing, doing your own research, and not getting carried away. If you have either listened or read and you want to get started buying your first cryptocurrency, here's the link to Coinbase as discussed. This link helps support the show, and fund the creation of educational materia...

CCP18: Blockchain for Authors and Creatives

May 03, 2019 04:00 - 49 minutes - 40.4 MB

PODCOIN We first met Sukhi Jutla briefly in episode 17, where she told us about the Alliance of Independent Authors and her pioneering work publishing a book directly ON the blockchain. Naturally we were keen to talk to Sukhi again, and this interview took us from her days in the world of corporate banking (followed by a welcome escape), through discovering her entrepreneurial potential, and being appointed to advise the Mayor of London on blockchain technology. A fascinating conversat...

CCP17: Blockchain Books Celebration

April 19, 2019 09:59 - 34 minutes - 30.4 MB

The show this week is a celebration of books and we have some recommendations, from some great people in the Blockchain space, of some of the best books to learn about blockchain and crypto. Here’s a list of the recommended books and where you can find them: Crypto Made Easy by Angela Wright https://makecryptoeasy.com/misc-19380818 Blockchain Revolution by Don and Alex Tapscott https://amzn.to/2vd5o8Y The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous https://amzn.to/2PhrQXP Blockchain in Pr...

CCP16: A Woman’s Place is in Blockchain, with Jen Greyson

April 05, 2019 04:00 - 44 minutes - 37.5 MB

Jen Greyson is the CEO and founder of CoCo, the airbnb of office space.  Her career began in corporate America, and found her way to the blockchain world about 2 years ago - finding a huge contrast between the secrecy of the business world and the transparency and collaborativeness of blockchain projects, as well as the speed of change of and development. She also felt an immediate sense of connection and fit, with the community and everything it’s working to accomplish. Jen’s present pr...

CCP15: Investing in Digital Assets, with Veronica Mihai

March 22, 2019 05:00 - 37 minutes - 32.4 MB

If you have been with us for a little while then you’ll know we talk a lot about some of the challenges and implications of managing your cryptocurrencies and holding them securely. But, it’s important to understand that there are alternatives to direct investment, and there exist a growing range of funds and managed products, which provide other opportunities. You don’t have to buy and hold cryptocurrencies yourself, to be exposed to the growth potential. To discuss this we’re very please...

CCP14 Ethical data on the Blockchain

March 08, 2019 08:00 - 46 minutes - 38.6 MB

We talk a lot about how the blockchain is tamper-evident and censorship resistant. But what does this mean for the data it holds? How will we have to rethink the way we share, disclose and commodify data - whether that’s our personal data, or information about things which affect us? With powerful new regulation in Europe in 2018, including a mandatory ‘right to be forgotten’, these are important issues for every consumer to consider and understand. And we’re delighted to have with us to d...

CCP13: Understanding Peer-to-Peer with LocalCoinSwap

February 22, 2019 01:00 - 39 minutes - 27.8 MB

Today The Crypto Confidence podcast talks to an expert in the principles of peer-to-peer crypto trading, to bring this important concept to life for listeners seeking to better understand the way bitcoin was originally envisaged. Nathan Worsley, CTO of LocalCoinSwap (LCS) details how the LCS exchange is bringing the original vision of Nakamoto to life. He says, “Peer-to-peer was the original principle of the Satoshi whitepaper in 2009. There was nothing in there about vast centralised po...

CCP12: Tokenising all the world

February 08, 2019 09:00 - 24 minutes - 23.5 MB

I’m flying solo today as I wanted to talk to you today about a concept in digital currency which we bump into a lot, but can require a bit of explanation. That is the idea of tokenisation.  This is a fundamentally disruptive idea (sorry, there’s that word again, but it’s true - the fortunate thing is, the disruption is largely at the institutional stage, with relatively little impact on you as the user) If you like, tokenisation is the disruption of money So to appreciate this, we have t...

CCP11: What happens when you click "pay now"?

January 25, 2019 09:00 - 47 minutes - 39.4 MB

- with Chris Wessels from Paybase So what does happen when you click ‘pay now’? Chris Wessels, the CTO Of Paybase, explained the tremendous difference between a simple shopping cart - where payment goes from shopper to the merchant via a simple gateway - compared with a marketplace scenario involving multiple buyers and sellers. Paybase is the most flexible payments solution for platform businesses. Online marketplaces, gig/sharing economy platforms and cryptocurrency businesses are all ...

CCP10: Cryptocurrency mining

January 11, 2019 09:00 - 37 minutes - 32.7 MB

On the Crypto Confidence Podcast today I’m talking to Felicity Feinman from ArgoMining So many of our listeners are curious about crypto mining so Felicity joins us to explain more about that, about what ArgoMining are doing and how anyone can get involved. Follow ArgoMining on their social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and of course you should visit their website if you want to get started in crypto mining. Crypto Alphabet: H is for hashing (and hashrate an...

CCP9: Blockchain in the media

December 28, 2018 09:00 - 33 minutes - 29.7 MB

On the Crypto Confidence Podcast today I’m talking to my BlockSparks colleague and PR expert, Helen Moore, about what has been said about Blockchain in the media in 2018. We chat about the way that crypto and blockchain are portrayed in the media, how sentiment can affect the markets and what the big news stories of the year were. Follow Helen on Twitter here. Read more about Google’s most asked question of 2018 “What is Bitcoin?”. Find out about Coinbase adding Paypal to their platfor...

CCP8: How DOVU is disrupting the mobility ecosystem

December 14, 2018 09:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MB

Today we are joined by Melissa Tate from DOVU which is a crypto-rewards platform for travel. Melissa tells us about how their platform and token works, about how the way we get around is changing and how there was a need for a solution to an increasing travel problem. DOVU collects data to help create better infrastructure to assist cities to make travel easier and more efficient. This will include buses, trains, cars, bikes and more. Earn tokens by sharing data about the kind of travel th...

CCP7: Blockchain, energy and the environment

November 30, 2018 09:00 - 22 minutes - 22.4 MB

I just had a chat with a friend, one from the list of Crypto Conversations, that we all have to have with people who don’t understand it. No, not the “but it isn’t backed by anything” one, or even the “surely it’s for drug dealers and terrorists” one. It was the one I think of affectionately as “number 3”, the one about energy use. It comes in the top 3 because, depending on which tabloid headline you read, cryptocurrency mining is of course single-handedly responsible for global warmin...

CCP6: The Crypto101 Story and book

November 16, 2018 09:00 - 32 minutes - 29 MB

Today we are hugely privileged to welcome Matthew Aaron from Crypto101 podcast to our own podcast. We talk to Matthew about the heartbreaking personal losses he suffered in his family, which he later realised could have been averted, had cryptocurrencies and blockchain been available solutions. Solutions which literally have the power to save lives. Matthew’s search for better answers led to the creation of one of the podcasts which inspired us to launch Crypto Confidence. He wanted to c...

CCP5: Careers in Blockchain and tech

November 02, 2018 09:00 - 26 minutes - 25.2 MB

Today we talk about jobs in tech and Blockchain with the wonderful Natalie Furness co-founder of WiTechRev, a regular meet up for women to get into sexy Industry 4.0 technologies; Blockchain, Crypto, AI/ML, Big Data, VR, AR, Automation, Cyber Security, IoT. We discover what Natalie’s background is, how she became interested in technology, primarily for healthcare in the beginning, and how those technologies can help make information clearer for all concerned. This then morphed into an inte...

CCP4: Learning about crypto and blockchain

October 19, 2018 08:00 - 21 minutes - 21.7 MB

Today we explore learning about the Blockchain, because this is a forever ongoing process! I am joined by my colleague Diana Berryman, who runs social media at BlockSparks, for ourselves and for our clients. I recruited her to the team based on her expertise in this particular craft, so she had to get up to speed fast on the brave new world of blockchain and crypto.   So I wanted to talk to Diana about what helped her to do this, which resources she found most useful at the start. Our di...

CCP3: The Blockchain Doesn't Care About You

October 05, 2018 07:00 - 18 minutes - 31 MB

The Blockchain Doesn’t Care About You What is this blockchain, on which we store our cryptocurrency? It's not your bank: it has no customer service department, no helpdesk, no pens on the end of bits of string. It won't lend a sympathetic ear if you fall on hard times.  But it can't control or reverse your transactions either, or decide who you can and can't pay. It's challenging, and liberating, at the same time - because it's certainly not what we're used to. No wonder it takes a lit...

CCP2: What you do, and do not, need to know about the blockchain

September 21, 2018 08:05 - 19 minutes - 32.2 MB

Keeping up with all aspects of all technological advances is impossible in 2018. We just need to know enough to put things to work for us, safely and effectively. Today we dive in - a little way - to the blockchain technology which underpins cryptocurrencies, and the way they can be used to transfer value seamlessly from one person to another, without a trusted third party. We take a small but necessary peek at encryption too. If you like what you hear, we’ll be sharing new episodes ev...

Introduction to the Crypto Confidence Podcast

September 08, 2018 15:29 - 11 minutes - 31.2 MB

Welcome to the introductory episode of the Crypto Confidence show - where we want to help you take your first steps in the new crypto-economy, the safe and smart way. If you like what you hear, we’ll be sharing new episodes every fortnight. So please subscribe via your podcast app of choice. Keep in touch with us on Facebook at Crypto Confidence,  and the official BlockSparks page too.  Tweet us with your questions, or email [email protected] And remember: nothing in this podcast or...

Twitter Mentions

@cryptoconfpod 16 Episodes
@aleenavero 1 Episode
@felicityfeinman 1 Episode
@mcbrideforbus 1 Episode
@witechrev 1 Episode
@jeansymolanza 1 Episode
@paybase 1 Episode
@natalie_furn 1 Episode
@johnboatman_uk 1 Episode
@blocksparks 1 Episode
@alicehlidkova 1 Episode
@thegivenation 1 Episode
@gath3r_io 1 Episode
@matthew__101 1 Episode
@jengreyson 1 Episode
@helenmoore 1 Episode
@nathanworsley_ 1 Episode
@argomining 1 Episode
@localcoinswap_ 1 Episode
@kylegraden 1 Episode