Word on the Block | Forkast.News
294 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsA weekly, 30-minute podcast interviewing leading CEOs, policymakers, and thought leaders in the world of blockchain. Produced from Asia by Forkast.News, and hosted by award-winning anchor Angie Lau, Word on the Block goes beyond the headlines in providing in-depth, 1:1 interviews with the newsmakers shaping the rapid innovation and impact of blockchain, crypto, and emerging technology on business, politics, and the global economy.
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Episodes
In Conversation with Vitalik Buterin, Co-Founder of Ethereum: On Eth 2.0, Finance, and China
October 27, 2019 03:50 - 15 minutes - 14 MBWith Ethereum 2.0’s release just around the corner, co-founder Vitalik Buterin has been busy talking about what to expect from the new system and its use of proof-of-stake validation. Ethereum 2.0 is meant to address a number of issues that the current system has. It is billed as improving scaling, security, and other issues in order to create an environment that bolsters decentralized applications (DApps) as well as smart contracts. Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with But...
Balancing Innovation and Regulation in Blockchain (ft. Ronald Tucker)
October 21, 2019 11:51 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBRon Tucker, Founder and Chair of the Australian Digital Commerce Association, describes his long-running involvement in the industry and the reasoning behind his faith in the technology. As the head of a crypto exchange, Tucker has been involved in navigating and advising the regulatory steps that institutions such as FATF are taking. Contrary to concern about these new policies stymying the growth of the industry, Tucker asserts that the regulation is necessary in providing a safe environme...
How Blockchain Fights Modern Slavery (ft. Mark Blick, Diginex)
October 18, 2019 06:51 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBIt may be jarring to consider, but there are currently more slaves in the world now than at any other point in history. According to figures from the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, there were about 40.3 million people who can be considered modern slaves in 2016. That means that one in 200 people in the world is a slave. Forecast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Mark Blick, Head of Government; Blockchain Technology at Diginex...
Explaining Blockchain to Unwilling Enterprises (ft. Accenture’s David Treat)
October 11, 2019 23:00 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MBAs the managing director, global blockchain lead at consulting firm Accenture, David Treat spends his days engaging with enterprise leaders across various industries about blockchain, from understanding the topic until implementation. Forkast.News spoke with Treat on the sidelines of OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum to find out how these conversations play out, and how Treat manages to open their minds about this technology.
Explaining blockchain to unwilling enterprises (ft: Accenture’s David Treat)
October 11, 2019 19:51 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBAs the Managing Director, Global Blockchain Lead at consulting firm Accenture, David Treat spends his days engaging with enterprise leaders across various industries about blockchain, from understanding the topic until implementation. Forkast.News spoke with Treat on the sidelines of OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum to find out how these conversations play out, and how Treat manages to open their minds about this technology.
Making it Rain in Bahrain: Rain's CEO talks Cryptocurrency in the Middle East (ft. Joseph Dallago)
October 09, 2019 14:06 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBWhen one thinks of cryptocurrency hotspots, one’s first thought is not of the Middle East. Joseph Dallago, Co-Founder and CEO of Rain, the first Bahrain-based digital currency exchange, aims to change that. Rain provides people with easy access to the world of cryptocurrencies, promising regulatory safety while offering exciting new investments. It targets the Middle Eastern market by being localized to Arabic, providing customer support, and tailoring registration to Arabic documents. Furth...
How Catalonian Minister Jordi Puigneró is Using Blockchain to Change Governance
October 08, 2019 13:29 - 25 minutes - 46.6 MBCatalonian Minister of Digital Technology and Policies Jordi Puigneró talks regulation, popular appeal, and what blockchain can do for a country. As a member of an elected public administration, Puigneró believes that he has the obligation to serve the people. In the case of blockchain, Puigneró expects that the technology will create a new class of power in society - that of “empowered digital citizens,” on equal ground with the judicial, executive, legislative, and journalistic societal pow...
Is the World Ready for a Federated Currency? (ft. David Shrier, Oxford & MIT Futurist)
September 29, 2019 23:00 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBIncorruptible. Improved funds flow. Transparency and traceability. These are all promises of blockchain / digital technology to help the modern-day issues of cash-based economies. But should this responsibility be held by companies or governments? David Shrier, author of upcoming book from MIT Press in November 2019, “Trusted Data” dives into the debate of a digital currency, sparked by Facebook’s Libra Project, and how governments are reacting with their own Central Bank Digital Currency (C...
Blockchain is a Paradigm Shift for the Planet (ft. Joseph Lubin, ConsenSys & Ethereum)
September 28, 2019 00:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBWhat is the next big thing? As far as Joseph Lubin, Founder of Consensys, is concerned, we are already experiencing it as you read this. Lubin shares how blockchain is already a killer app, being used globally as a new database technology. He notes cryptocurrency is already enabling cross-border transactions that help facilitate trade and raise money. But how does Lubin respond to questions about governance? In this exclusive one-on-one interview at the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum in...
Top Takeaways from OECD Blockchain Policymakers & Ahead in 2020 (ft. Blockchain Policy Center Head)
September 23, 2019 23:00 - 18 minutes - 34.3 MBIn just one year’s time, it appears that global policymakers and regulators have woken up to blockchain in a serious way. Caroline Malcolm, new in her role as Head of OECD Blockchain Policy Center, shares key highlights from this second global blockchain policy forum held by OECD in Paris, Sept. 12-13, 2019. In this candid conversation, Malcolm shares how the hype and fear around cryptocurrencies is fading and now evolving into serious discussions about policy and its impact on innovation. Fr...
Top Takeaways from OECD Blockchain Policymakers & What's Coming in 2020 (ft. Blockchain Policy Center Head)
September 23, 2019 23:00 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBIn just one year’s time, it appears that global policymakers and regulators have woken up to blockchain in a serious way. Caroline Malcolm, new in her role as Head of OECD Blockchain Policy Center, shares key highlights from this second global blockchain policy forum held by OECD in Paris, Sept. 12-13, 2019. In this candid conversation, Malcolm shares how the hype and fear around cryptocurrencies is fading and now evolving into serious discussions about policy and its impact on innovation. F...
China Telecom Introduces its Blockchain SIM Card Project (ft. David Wei Liang, China Telecom)
September 19, 2019 22:00 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBIn anticipation of China Telecom’s new blockchain SIM card project, Director of its Blockchain Research and Development Departments, David Wei Liang, peaks to Angie Lau, Editor-in-Chief of Forkast.News, about the reasoning behind embarking on the project, the product’s uses and implications, and the timeline of its adoption.
It's All in the Nuance: French Blockchain Investor Translates Le Maire’s Libra Remarks (ft. Michael Amar, PBWS)
September 16, 2019 15:21 - 6 minutes - 6.31 MBFrance’s Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire made waves last week at OECD’s second annual Global Blockchain Policy Summit Sept. 12, 2019 in his introductory remarks in Paris, targeting Facebook’s Libra project. In no uncertain terms, Le Maire said he wants to block Libra in Europe as he stated that “monetary sovereignty” of nations would be at risk. “In these conditions, we cannot authorize the development of Libra on European soil,” Le Maire said. Forkast.News gets a more nuanced view on th...
It's All in the Nuance: French Blockchain Investor Translates Le Maire’s Libra Remarks
September 16, 2019 15:17 - 6 minutes - 12.6 MBFrance’s Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire made waves last week at OECD’s second annual Global Blockchain Policy Summit Sept. 12, 2019 in his introductory remarks in Paris, targeting Facebook’s Libra project. In no uncertain terms, Le Maire said he wants to block Libra in Europe as he stated that “monetary sovereignty” of nations would be at risk. “In these conditions, we cannot authorize the development of Libra on European soil,” Le Maire said. Forkast.News gets a more nuanced view on tho...
What are the Rules of Insider Trading When it Comes to Crypto? (ft. NYC attorney, Jason Gottlieb)
September 16, 2019 02:07 - 14 minutes - 13 MBThe world of insider trading as relates to cryptocurrency -- what are the rules that govern trading crypto, in the eyes of the SEC, CFTC, and the like? Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief, Angie Lau sits down with attorney and partner, Jason Gottlieb, at NY-based Morrison Cohen law firm to discover the in's and out's of trading.
Why is China's Central Bank Launching a Digital Currency?(ft. UChicago Booth Economist)
September 12, 2019 22:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBJust earlier this month, China announced that it intends to launch its own cryptocurrency, specifically one that is backed by the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) after four to five years of research. Many deemed that this is a response to Libra, a cryptocurrency project spearheaded by Facebook, as central banks around the world have expressed their concerns about the lack of central bank oversight for this specific project. But what exactly has been going on with PBoC’s cryptocurrency — and o...
What Regulators Think at OECD: Blockchain Adoption Starts with Gov't? (ft. R3's Regulatory Head)
September 12, 2019 22:00 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBForkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Isabelle Corbett at the OECD Blockchain Policy Forum 2019 in Paris, France. Isabelle Corbett, R3 Head of Regulatory Affairs and Public Sector Partnerships, says she’s assessing the “tone” of regulators at OECD to understand what is being viewed positively, and what is being viewed with caution, but is not discouraged by Le Maire’s remarks. Corbett says gov tech is a way governments are applying tokenization from land registries to vehi...
South Korea, China, and Japan -- Bold Moves Ahead for Blockchain Acceptance? (ft. William Pesek)
September 05, 2019 00:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBForkast.News Editor-in-Chief, Angie Lau, sits down with William Pesek to deep dive on his latest piece on why the East, specifically China, South Korea, and Japan, might be making bold moves in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency.
Private vs Public Blockchain: Why Enterprises Need Both (ft. Tomaz Levak, OriginTrail)
September 04, 2019 00:00 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBIn its genesis, blockchain was designed with the intention of it being a decentralized peer-to-peer network. However, these networks can either require permission by a controlling entity (a private blockchain) or be truly permissionless and everyone can make modifications (a public blockchain). But when it comes to enterprises and businesses, which one is better? On one hand, a private blockchain is more flexible as the controlling parties are able to mold and amend the network’s rules to en...
Should Global Digital Currency Replace the US Dollar? Rabobank's Michael Every Breaks It Down
August 29, 2019 13:53 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBIn this last week, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney made waves in the crypto industry by espousing, as a pillar of traditional banking, an alternative to the very system he heads. At a speech in the U.S., Carney put forward the idea of a “synthetic hegemony currency” - in other words, a central bank-banked cryptocurrency that could replace the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency. Michael Every, experienced economist and Head of Financial Markets Research Asia-Pacific at Rabobank,...
Pegging Cryptocurrency to the Global Economy Growth? (ft. Daniel Popa, Anchor AG)
August 26, 2019 22:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBA month ahead of the launch of Anchor’s stablecoin, its founder and CEO Daniel Popa sits down with our Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau to discuss why the world needs a two-token stablecoin pegged to the global economy — not the traditional US dollar peg — especially at a time where recession looms over investors’ heads. Since 18 months ago, Popa’s team of economists and blockchain developers sought out to create an index named the monetary measurement unit (MMU) to peg the Anchor currency to. The...
Could the Global Economy Push Bitcoin to an Inflection Point? (ft. Kevin Kelly, Delphi Digital)
August 24, 2019 01:38 - 16 minutes - 15 MBIn this episode of Word on the Block, Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Kevin Kelly of Delphi Digital to explore the recent trends in the market has seen for Bitcoin given monetary policy. Is the global macroeconomic environment creating an opportune moment for cryptocurrency? What does this inflection point look like? From the negative-yielding debt to long-term currency devaluation, Kelly explains why institutional investors might want to start paying attention.
Why Blockchain Compares to the Rise of the Internet (ft. Steven Nerayoff, ADAPtive Holdings)
August 22, 2019 22:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBIn this episode of In Conversation With, Angie Lau sits down with Steven Nerayoff, a prolific investor and advisor in blockchain as well as chairman of CasperLabs. Nerayoff compares the blockchain revolution to the boom of the Internet. In its rudimentary form, ARPANET, the predecessor the Internet as we know it, didn’t receive much commercialization until the 90s. The advent of Netscape, however, rendered the Internet a visual experience where it quickly began to spread globally. For Nerayo...
From Myanmar to South Korea: Breaking Down Blockchain's Future in Asia (ft. Paul Ulrich, GSMA)
August 12, 2019 02:27 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBGSMA Senior Policy Manager Paul Ulrich sits down with our Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau to share his expert opinion on governmental and regulatory telecommunications companies’ attitudes towards cryptocurrencies. As the intermediary between governments and other parties, Ulrich is familiar with the inner workings of international bureaucracies. He balances the potential benefits of blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption with the risks they pose, in context with individual countries’ circumstance...
(Part II) International Regulators on Cooperating to Govern Cryptocurrency (ft. PBWS)
August 06, 2019 11:12 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBIn an unofficial, behind-the-scenes discussion following the on-stage conversation about the challenges of regulating cryptocurrency at Paris Blockchain Summit Week, our panelists consider how blockchain plays into each of their national or institutional interests, and how those interests relate to each other on a global scale.
Blockchain Adoption Starts with Gamification: the Future of Crypto (ft. Yat Siu, Animoca Brands)
August 06, 2019 11:11 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBIn this episode of "In Conversation With...", Editor-in-Chief, Angie Lau, sits down with Yat Siu, musician-turned-Internet-pioneer, who sheds light on the infinite potential of blockchain, especially as expressed through the gaming market, which his company, Animoca Brands, aims to develop and exploit. As one of the first Internet Service Providers in Asia, Siu has ample experience and skill in detecting and growing revolutionary technologies. The next big, world-changing discovery, “much li...
(Part I) Financial Innovation: Governing Crypto with the World's Leading Regulators (ft. Paris Blockchain Week Summit)
August 02, 2019 06:58 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBLooking back on the impact that Bitcoin and following crypto advancements had on the financial world, a panel of heavy hitters in financial regulation discuss the need for international regulatory cooperation in the interest of facilitating financial innovation. Panelists congregated in Paris for its inaugural Blockchain Week Summit: -- Caroline Malcolm, Head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Blockchain Policy Centre -- Giles Ward, Senior Policy Adviso...
(Part I) Financial Innovation: Governing Crypto with the World's Leading Regulators (ft. PBWS)
August 01, 2019 15:04 - 32 minutes - 59.3 MBLooking back on the impact that Bitcoin and following crypto advancements had on the financial world, a panel of heavy hitters in financial regulation discuss the need for international regulatory cooperation in the interest of facilitating financial innovation. Panelists congregated in Paris for its inaugural Blockchain Week Summit: -- Caroline Malcolm, Head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Blockchain Policy Centre -- Giles Ward, Senior Policy Advisor ...
Why Japan May Be Zuckerberg’s Best Friend Right Now (ft. William Pesek, Contributor)
July 30, 2019 12:25 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBA month after Facebook announced Libra, its new blockchain and eponymous cryptocurrency project, the world has not only had a chance to sit down, research, and process the news, but to form opinions on it and draw lines of defense. William Pesek, award-winning, Tokyo-based journalist and author, breaks down two opposing reactions to Libra.
Government vs Tech: The Threat of Regulators to Cryptocurrencies (ft. Stefan Rust, Bitcoin.com CEO)
July 27, 2019 01:10 - 26 minutes - 48.8 MBIn April 2012, Stefan Rust bought Bitcoin for the first time, at $5. Now, 7 years later, he is CEO of Bitcoin.com, a company that aims to make Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Core alike more accessible to the general public, and that is home to all manner of cryptocurrency services via its eponymous web portal. In this episode, our Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Rust to talk about the future of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Recent events including the U.S. Senate Banking Co...
Government vs Technology: The Threat of Regulators to Cryptocurrencies (ft. Stefan Rust, Bitcoin.com CEO)
July 27, 2019 01:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBIn April 2012, Stefan Rust bought Bitcoin for the first time, at $5. Now, 7 years later, he is CEO of Bitcoin.com, a company that aims to make Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Core alike more accessible to the general public, and that is home to all manner of cryptocurrency services via its eponymous web portal. In this episode, our Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Rust to talk about the future of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Recent events including the U.S. Senate Banking C...
Can Taiwan Be Silicon Valley Without the Price Tag? (ft. Jason Hsu, Taiwan Congressman)
July 26, 2019 12:40 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBTaiwan faces an existential threat. It is a nation that is dependent on exports, but like other developed nations, recognizes that in order to survive, it needs to champion high-technology industries as labor-intensive industries leave for nations with cheaper workforces like Vietnam or China. Could blockchain and cryptocurrency be part of the answer? Jason Hsu is known in Taiwan as the Crypto Congressman (yes, check his business card, it is officially his title). He sees blockchain an...
Why Blockchain is the Hot Topic at Asia’s Leading Event for Next-Gen Tech (ft. Ling Wu, TBCASoft)
July 24, 2019 08:04 - 27 minutes - 25 MBIt wasn’t even on the agenda last year. Ling Wu, Founder and CEO of TBCASoft, tells us why blockchain is taking the Shanghai Mobile World Congress 2019 by storm. Wu is the Chairman of the Carrier Blockchain Study Group (CBSG) Consortium, an initiative between TBCASoft and SoftBank to build a cross-carrier blockchain platform with leading global telecom operators. Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Wu to discuss how every telecom company could be a bank and why 5G is critical to mobile ...
What’s Next for CZ? Binance CEO on Getting Hacked, Being Compliant, and His Future (ft. CZ, Binance)
July 10, 2019 08:55 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBChangpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, is one of the most influential figures in cryptocurrency / blockchain circles. From flipping burgers at McDonald’s to getting his computer science degree at McGill University, to now Founder and CEO of Binance; CZ has built one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. In this unreserved 40-minute conversation, CZ reveals how Binance was forced to be compliant, how he views Facebook Libra, and how a recent $40 million dollar hack was a blessing in d...
The Status of Blockchain in Asia, From "China Internet Report" Author (ft. Edith Yeung)
July 10, 2019 08:43 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBIs Asia gaining ground in the technology race? Edith Yeung, advisor at 500 Startups, partner at Proof of Capital, and author of “China Internet Report” (link to new 2019 report: scmp.com/china-internet-report) shares why Asia is the place to be for blockchain adoption. For a VC who spends half her time in Silicon Valley, she recognizes that there is an economic hunger that drives adoption differently from Hong Kong to Singapore, Mainland China to the rest of the region. The sheer size of pop...
Self-Made with a Multi-Billion Dollar Trading Platform, BitMEX(ft. Arthur Hayes, CEO of BitMEX)
July 04, 2019 09:58 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBIn a candid conversation, Co-Founder and CEO of BitMEX Arthur Hayes defends why BitMEX is set up in Seychelles, the promise of blockchain for everyone, why ICOs are not a problem, and why his industry is not a “scam.” This self-proclaimed “economist-history nerd” and former Deutsche Bank banker, who joined then lost his job at Citi as head trader of Asian ETFs, says that BitMEX as a crypto exchange actually protects investors by limiting the loss to only the amount put into the market. Thi...
SEC Sues Kik for $100M ICO -- Why This Could Change Everything (ft. Jason Gottlieb, Morrison Cohen)
June 24, 2019 14:56 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBIn this episode of Word on the Block, Angie Lau speaks with Jason Gottlieb, attorney and partner at Morrison Cohen, on why the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is suing messaging app service Kik for its initial coin offering of Kin Token.
Will the G20 Summit in Osaka be the Bretton Woods of the 21st Century? (ft. William Pesek, contributor)
June 24, 2019 14:39 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBIn the latest episode of Word on the Block, Angie speaks with Willie Pesek, Tokyo-based columnist, to discuss the upcoming G20 Summit in Osaka, where the world’s largest economies will discuss the planet’s most pressing political and economic issues. The Osaka meeting is of particular interest because the G20 agreed to initiate dialogue on cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings.
Blockchain and its Potential for Social Impact with UNICEF (ft. Christina Lomazzo, UNICEF)
May 29, 2019 12:20 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBAngie Lau, Editor-in-Chief of Forkast.News, sits down with Christina Lomazzo of UNICEF to discuss how blockchain can be used for social impact.
(Full Interview) In Conversation with Charles Hoskinson, Co-Founder of Cardano and Ethereum
May 29, 2019 12:16 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MBHow the race to get billions of users onto blockchain has this mathematician thinking about the future of work. Could decentralization be the one thing that actually binds us together. Charles Hoskinson sits down with Angie Lau, in Hong Kong a week after Hong Kong Blockchain Week and shares his vision of how 2019 will be the year of innovation for Cardano, that will lead to scale in 2020.
Forkast.News | In Conversation with Karim Sabba, Paris Blockchain Week Summit
May 29, 2019 11:55 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBAngie Lau, Editor-in-Chief of Forkast.News, sits down with Karim Sabba, Co-Founder of Paris Blockchain Week, to discuss how France is trying to grow its influence in the blockchain industry.
Can Cryptocurrencies Restore Japan’s Former Economic Glory? (ft. William Pesek, Journalist)
May 29, 2019 11:49 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBWith a rapidly aging population, low birth rate, and shrinking work force, it is hard to imagine Japan will ever recover from its economic slump. However, Blockchain technologies and investment could be precisely what the nation needs in order to stimulate inflation, and quite possibly, revitalize its economic heyday of the 1980s. In this episode of “Word on the Block,” Willie Pesek, Asia watcher and award-winning journalist, speaks with Angie Lau on the current state of the Japanese economy.
OECD's Blockchain Policy Center on International Blockchain Regulation (ft. Caroline Malcolm, OECD)
May 14, 2019 14:54 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBAngie Lau sits down with Caroline Malcolm, Head of Blockchain Policy Centre at OECD, at Paris Blockchain Week Summit in April 2019 to talk about recent trends in the regulatory space.
Are We Ready for Cryptocurrencies as an Alternative Asset Class? (ft. Kevin Kelly, Delphi Digital)
May 11, 2019 07:52 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBAngie Lau sits down with Kevin Kelly, Co-Founder of Delphi Digital, to deep dive on what investors should be on the look out for the upcoming quarter.