On The Brink with Castle Island
548 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 272 ratingsHosts Matt Walsh and Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures explore the political, ethical, and economic significance of Bitcoin and other public blockchains and talk to some of the leading experts in the industry. Learn more and stay up to date at CastleIsland.vc and follow on twitter @CastleIslandVC
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Episodes
Michael Greenwald (Tiedemann Advisors) on the Dollar as a Policy Tool (EP.196)
March 22, 2021 10:00 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBMichael Greenwald is a former U.S. Treasury official with expertise in sanctions programs and using USD infrastructure to promote policy objectives. In this episode: What the weaponization of the dollar really means How sanctions mechanically work How Treasury and the State Dept carry out sanctions The risk of sanctions wearing blunt as a tool The growth of sanctions post 9/11 How sanctions against Russia represented a sea change in policy How the US deputizes SWIFT for sancti...
Weekly Roundup 03/19/21 (NYDIG's rumor, NFT taxonomies, BoFa's bad Bitcoin report) (EP.195)
March 19, 2021 10:00 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBNic and Matt return for another week of deals and news. In this episode: We announce onthebrink.shop What was Robby Gutmann from NYDIG rumoring on our recent episode? Morgan Stanley opens up their platform to Bitcoin funds A new taxonomy for NFTs Bridging the gap between NFT fans and skeptics Why NFTs are not bearer assets and are liabilities of an issuer We break down a popular thread debunking NFTs Bitmex Research publishes a book on the blocksize war BoFa publishes a ver...
Dennison Bertram and Raf Solari on Reforming DeFi Governance (EP.194)
March 18, 2021 10:00 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MBDennison Bertram and Raf Solari, the founders of Tally join the show. In this episode we discuss: Dennison and Raf’s career journeys into crypto and to founding Tally The current state of DeFi and how they think about an emerging taxonomy of projects Views on how voting and user interaction with DeFi protocols are evolving Comparison to legacy financial services like proxy voting How Tally is engaging with open-source communities to promote user engagement To learn more about Tally...
Robby Gutmann (NYDIG) on the Institutionalization of Bitcoin (EP.193)
March 15, 2021 10:00 - 52 minutes - 72.2 MBRobby Gutmann, CEO and Co-founder of NYDIG, and Co-founder of Stone Ridge, joins the show to talk about his firm's Bitcoin and digital asset ambitions. In this episode: The origins of NYDIG and Stone Ridge NYDIG's product suite and differentiation NYDIG's deliberate pro-Bitcoin stance Why Bitcoin is such a compelling opportunity to Robby Bitcoin's pace of development How much attention NYDIG pays to core development Is there a contradiction between open source money and inst...
Weekly Roundup 03/11/21 (GBTC redemption scenarios, Norwegian energy in Bitcoin, the NFT missing link) (EP.192)
March 12, 2021 11:00 - 45 minutes - 62.9 MBNic and Matt return for another intense week of deals. In this episode: New Bitcoin FUD dice? Is there any new Bitcoin FUD? Beeple sells an NFT for $69m Are NFTs art or the autograph? The missing link for NFTs – where do you show off your NFTs and demonstrate status? One issue with NFTs and IP Is NY Life getting into crypto? Norwegian oil billionaire embraces Bitcoin DCG buys back GBTC to bring it back to NAV Scenarios for how GBTC redemption occurs Why GBTC trading at ...
Zac Prince (BlockFi) on the Series D raise and a market update (EP.191)
March 11, 2021 14:00 - 31 minutes - 43 MBZac Prince, CEO and Cofounder of BlockFi joins the show once again to discuss BlockFi's newly announced Series D financing and to discuss market dynamics. In this episode: Announcing the Series D round of financing Growth of revenues and clients on the platform How BlockFi classifies itself in the taxonomy of banking, fintech, and brokerage Market worries around the GBTC discount Why did GBTC flip to being discounted? What the GBTC discount means for BlockFi How do the current ...
Matthew Le Merle on technology trends and the cryptoasset markets (EP.190)
March 10, 2021 23:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBMatthew Le Merle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Fifth Era and Blockchain Coinvestors joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Matthew’s views on The Rise of Generation C and some of the trends he foresaw ten years ago Views on the GameStop / WSB saga and what this portends for the financial markets in the years to come The state of the cryptoasset market and the infrastructure that is being deployed in 2021 How he thinks about approaching this industry as a leading fund of fu...
David Vorick (Nebulous) on the Maturation of Decentralized Cloud Storage (EP.189)
March 08, 2021 11:00 - 47 minutes - 64.9 MBDavid Vorick, the cofounder and CEO of Nebulous, the firm developing the Sia network, joins the show once again to talk about the growth of decentralized cloud storage. In this episode: Skynet reaches its 1 year anniversary Dweb versus Web3 Current capacity and utilization of the Sia network Where Sia stacks up in terms of the decentralized storage networks by usage How the internet ended up massively siloed Why data portability and thin internet applications are so important ...
Weekly Roundup 03/05/21 (GBTC discounted, Private Blockchains are Back, the Last Cycle?) (EP.188)
March 05, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 45 MBMatt and Nic are back. In this episode: More cured meats drama The Singapore sovereign wealth fund invests in Anchorage Will they or wont they - Goldman edition Bitcoin completes Paypal's original vision Schwab looks to add support for crypto Kings of Leon NFT Are NFTs the first truly mainstream application of blockchains? Are today's centralized public blockchains just a return of private blockchains? Citi releases the case for bitcoin GBTC trades at a steep discount to N...
Brian Flynn (Rabbit Hole) on NFTs and DeFi Customer Acquisition (EP.187)
March 01, 2021 16:12 - 29 minutes - 20 MBBrian Flynn, the founder and CEO of Rabbit Hole, a platform for driving customer acquisition for decentralized finance protocols joins the show. In this episide we discuss: Brian’s path to cryptoassets and the spark that led him to founding Rabbit Hole Views on NFTs and the use cases that we will see in the coming years Thoughts more broadly on the categories of decentralized finance that are the most enduring and likely to capture value How customer acquisition works now in DeFi and ...
Weekly Roundup 02/26/21 (Bitcoin vs Fedwire, ETF prospects, Is the Tether Saga Over?) (EP.186)
February 26, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 56.1 MBNic and Matt return for more news and deals of the week. In this episode: Is Bitcoin more reliable than Fedwire? Are stablecoins already superior to legacy infrastructure? Tether-Tron transactions exceed Tether-Ethereum The social utility of trading wholesale energy One chapter in the Tether saga closes Is the Tether story over? The ultimate takeaway from the Tether saga Square buys more Bitcoin Nic evangelizes bitcoin to his hairdresser A bitcoiner joins the Federal Rese...
Tieshun Roquerre (Namebase) on the Prospects for Decentralized DNS (EP.185)
February 25, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 86.8 MBNamebase founder and CEO Tieshun Roquerre joins us for a discussion of Handshake, decentralized DNS, and issues with the current system of domains. In this episode: The core technical problem with DNS today Why a blockchain for a decentralized DNS system makes sense How Satoshi anticipated blockchain-based DNS with BitDNS Could a global PoW blockchain system accommodate all of the world's domains? How Handshake learned from Namecoin, ENS, and other attempts from blockchain based DN...
Andy Edstrom on Bitcoin Adoption in the RIA Channel (EP.184)
February 23, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBAndy Edstrom, a financial advisor and Head of Institutional at Swan Bitcoin joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Andy’s new book Why Buy Bitcoin and why he embarked on writing a book about Bitcoin His path to understanding Bitcoin through the lens of an RIA His views on the prospects of a new Bretton Woods or Plaza Accord style arrangement in the coming years Prospects for an exchange-traded Bitcoin fund in the United States Bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset and the outlo...
Brannin McBee (Core Weave) on Greening the Grid, the Texas Meltdown, and Bitcoin Mining (EP.183)
February 22, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 101 MBCore Weave chief strategy officer and former energy trader Brannin McBee joins the show to talk about the grid meltdown in Texas and the impact of renewables on the grid. In this episode: Brannin's history in energy trading and energy analytics How his firm survived a 95% collapse in the price of natural gas – and how that presaged his work in the crypto space How Brannin's firm Core Weave alternates between mining ETH and monetizing GPUs through high-performance compute How wholesal...
Weekly Roundup 02/19/21 (MSTR's speculative attack, Coinbase trading at $77b, The Tulip Bubble Myth?) (EP.182)
February 19, 2021 11:00 - 33 minutes - 45.4 MBNic and Matt break down the headlines in yet another week of ATHs. In this episode: Our cured meat scandal We dissect crypto mafias Necessary conditions for a corporate mafia to form Microstrategy's speculative attack on the dollar How the corporate adoption story took us by surprise Is there a goodwill dividend for buying bitcoin? Is buying bitcoin a bitcoin strategy? Nic's 50k road trip to Tahanis in Ontario Coin Metrics' partnership with Bitgo and KPMG Verge has a year...
Teddy Fusaro (Bitwise) on the Bitwise DeFi Index Fund (EP.181)
February 17, 2021 13:00 - 49 minutes - 68.2 MBTeddy Fusaro, the President of Bitwise Asset Management joins the show. In this episode we discuss: The new Bitwise DeFi Index Fund The decentralized finance opportunity set and the narratives driving the space Teddy’s career path to cryptoassets and joining Bitwise The prospects of a Bitcoin ETFs Cured meats To learn more about Bitwise visit their website.
Rene Van Kesteren (BlockFi) on how BlockFi handles risk (EP.180)
February 17, 2021 04:59 - 33 minutes - 23 MBBlockFi Chief Risk Officer Rene Van Kesteren joins the show to explain how crypto lender and brokerage BlockFi engages in risk management. In this episode: Rene’s career trajectory and the path that led him to joining BlockFi The mechanics of how BlockFi offers interest bearing accounts The borrowing and lending market structure How BlockFi thinks about counterparty risk The reason why rates on U.S. Dollars are higher for stablecoins vs. dollars in a bank account How margin calls ...
Zachary Kelman (Kelman Law) on the lingering effects of Choke Point (EP.179)
February 15, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 61.3 MBRepeat guest Zach Kelman joins the show to break down the contemporary effects of Operation Choke Point from his perspective as a lawyer having worked in compliance and regulatory for large financial institutions. In this episode: The (pre)history of Choke Point – and how it wasn't a bolt from the blue How Choke Point was mechanically enforced against the banks Why industry-wide politicization of financial services is a poor policy to pursue How Choke Point lasted far beyond its o...
Weekly Roundup 02/12/21 (BNY Mellon supports Bitcoin, the Bitcoin energy debate, Elon Day) (EP.178)
February 12, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MBNic and Matt return for one of the most explosive weeks in the history of the podcast. In this episode: How Nic ended up at war with the Dogecoin fans CIV closes a $50m fund Tom Brady wins the Super Bowl Should responsible CFOs own Bitcoin on their corporate balance sheets? Bitcoin on the balance sheet as a signaling mechanism BNY Mellon announces support for Bitcoin The St Louis Fed is writing articles about DeFi Nic orangepills Central Bankers Our guesses for the first ce...
Edan Yago (Sovryn) on Bitcoin-Native DeFi (EP.177)
February 10, 2021 11:00 - 53 minutes - 72.9 MBEdan Yago, product lead at Sovryn, talks us through the prospects for DeFi on Bitcoin. In this episode: Edan Yago's origin story How Edan became disenchanted with the Bitcoin community's ambition Did Bitcoiners compromise on an original vision of adopting successful alternative technologies? Is Bitcoin sufficiently expressive to be a functional base layer for smart contracting? Was the original vision of sidechains abandoned? The state of the art in trustless sidechains Is the ...
Galen Wolfe-Pauly (Tlon) on Urbit and the Architecture of the Internet (EP.176)
February 08, 2021 11:00 - 54 minutes - 75.3 MBGalen Wolfe-Pauly, cofounder of Tlon, joins the show to give us an update on Urbit in light of the politicization of internet infrastructure. In this episode: The purpose of Urbit How the power of internet oligopolies has been recently revealed in the last few months Does the internet of today resemble the internet of 1994? The problem with having a single ToS/legal system for major internet platforms What's new with Urbit since our last Urbit episode in 2019 How hosting makes Ur...
Weekly Roundup 02/05/21 (Saylor Day reflections, IBM jettisons 'Blockchain', India Bitcoin ban) (EP.175)
February 05, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes - 50.9 MBNic and Matt return for another jam packed week. In this episode: Our reflections on Saylor day Is Ross Stephens the 2021 Bitcoin MVP? NYDIG bursts onto the scene Visa's overlooked crypto API pilot for banks Is hashrate moving to the US? Nic's ongoing spat with the Wall Street Journal Bitcoiin 2gen gets taken down by the SEC Soulja Boy's ENS name gets lost in Coinbase's vaullts IBM finally abandons 'enterprise blockchain' How will public markets treat Coinbase equity? I...
Amanda Fabiano (Galaxy Digital) on the North American Mining Ecosystem (EP.174)
February 03, 2021 11:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBAmanda Fabiano, the Head of Mining at Galaxy Digital joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Amanda’s path to finding her passion in the mining sector Her role in leading Fidelity’s mining initiatives Her views on the Bitcoin mining value chain and the categories that are most compelling Thoughts on the future of off-grid mining in the USA To learn more follow Amanda on Twitter or visit www.galaxydigital.io
Boaz Sobrado on Bitcoin adoption trends in Cuba (EP.173)
February 01, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 63.2 MBBoaz Sobrado, data analyst and the founder of whynotcuba.com joins the show to talk about trends in Cuban Bitcoin adoption. In this episode: How Boaz came to start an ecommerce company in Cuba and how Bitcoin became relevant to him The structure of Bitcoin trading markets in Cuba How Bitcoin currently trades in Cuba Drivers of Bitcoin adoption in Cuba Why Cuba until recently hasn't been known as an important jurisdiction for Bitcoin Why Cuba doesn't show up in the typical proxie...
Weekly Roundup 01/29/21 (Reflections on the debate, the Robinhood affair, Ray Dalio warms to Bitcoin) (EP.172)
January 29, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 45.1 MBNic and Matt return for another week of news and deals. In this episode: Our view on the Robinhood/Gamestop affair Why 'rebuilding the financial system from scratch' is a good idea, actually Could the brokerages deplatform Bitcoin financial products too? Will FTX be the last Gamestop market standing? Nic's reflections on the Mike Green / Grant Williams debate We correct the record on certain claims made in the debate We settle the question of inflation in the 40s We declare a...
Prof. Ladislav Krištoufek (Charles University) on the market effects of stablecoin issuance (EP.171)
January 25, 2021 11:00 - 52 minutes - 72.6 MBEconomics professor at Charles University Ladislav Krištoufek joins us for a discussion centered on his new paper, On the Role of Stablecoins in Cryptoasset Pricing Dynamics. In this episode: How Ladislav began covering crypto markets in 2013 Ladislav's research agenda as it pertains to the crypto markets Why the quality of so much Bitcoin academia is dubious The academic-practitioner gap and how to close it How Ladislav came to write his newest paper Methodological details Ho...
Weekly Roundup 01/22/21 (Bitcoin's 'double spend', our Tether perspective, Bitcoin as an escape valve) (EP.170)
January 22, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 55 MBNic and Matt cover an insane week of deals and market turmoil. In this episode: The Biden admin freezes the Treasury guidance on unhosted wallets Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expresses her concern about cryptocurrency for terrorist financing Bitcoin as a monetary escape valve The real reasons behind Treasury's concern about Bitcoin The prospects for monetary repression in the US Prospects for Chris Brummer as the new head of the CFTC Blackrock warms to Bitcoin Our point by...
Iain Murray (Competitive Enterprise Institute) on the history of Operation Choke Point (EP.169)
January 18, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBIain Murray, VP of Strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joins the show to discuss the history of Operation Choke Point, a 2011-2015 program used to exclude legal businesses from banking led by the DoJ and FDIC. In this episode: How Iain Murray came to be one of the main historians of Operation Choke Point The roots of Choke Point in the crackdown on poker sites in 2011 How Choke Point was started on a whim by two midlevel DoJ lawyers in 2011 How OCP targeted completely l...
Weekly Roundup 01/15/21 (Gensler in at SEC, the Spakkt, a new OCC charter) (EP.168)
January 15, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 43.7 MBNic and Matt return for another explosive week. In this episode: The bike saga enters its final chapter Sci Hub tries Handshake Is Choke Point returning? We break down the Bakkt SPAC FinCEN extends the comment period for its notice of proposed rulemaking Gemini announces a credit card with crypto rewards What Gary Gensler as SEC Chairman means for the industry Prospects for a Bitcoin ETF under a Gensler SEC The OCC creates a national crypto bank charter One reason why Miam...
Matthew Gould (Unstoppable Domains) on the blockchain domain name opportunity (EP.167)
January 11, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22 MBMatthew Gould, co-founder and CEO of Unstoppable Domains joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Matthew’s path into the cryptocurrency industry and the insight behind launching Unstoppable Domains. How Matthew sees the opportunity for blockchain-based domain systems. Tradeoffs between the various layer-one blockchains that are addressing this opportunity. Views on single sign-on and potential future adjacent use-cases. To learn more about Unstoppable Domains visit their website....
Weekly Roundup 01/08/21 (Banks can use blockchains, best FinCEN comment letters) (EP.166)
January 08, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 44.3 MBNic and Matt return for another week of ATHs. In this episode: Coindesk acquires Tradeblock The OCC says that banks can use public blockchains and stablecoins We digest the OCC letter Potential drawbacks to the new OCC guidance Has Brian Brooks had the most successful regulatory term in recent memory? The Treasury's comment period expires Does the Treasury even have the authority to pass these new rules? Our favorite comment letters in response to the Treasury rules Does JP...
Travis Schwab (Eventus) on trade surveillance, Bitcoin ETFs and 2021 predictions (EP.165)
January 04, 2021 11:00 - 35 minutes - 24.1 MBTravis Schwab, the founder and CEO of Eventus Systems, a company specializing in trade surveillance, joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Travis’ entrepreneurial journey and path to starting Eventus Systems How he came to see cryptoassets as a market opportunity Thoughts on current market structure, the role of exchanges, and the institutional readiness of this market How trade surveillance directly impacts the prospects of a Bitcoin ETF 2021 predictions To learn more about ...
Weekly Roundup 01/01/21 (XRP delistings, OFAC fines BitGo, 2021 ETF prospects) (EP.164)
January 01, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 43 MBMatt and Nic return for the first roundup of 2021. In this episode: Why some funds might be buying Bitcoin at year end Are Ripple fans buying Bitcoin? Are fair launches obsolete? Vaneck files for a new Bitcoin ETF CME futures are officially the most liquid futures market BitGo pays a fine to OFAC Exchanges start delisting XRP Will exchanges face repercussions for listing securities? Why being a security dooms the cross-border settlement use case for XRP Which Bitcoin skep...
Brian Venturo (CoreWeave) on the journey from mining crypto to the cloud (EP.163)
December 30, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 88.4 MBBrian Venturo is the CTO of CoreWeave, the largest North American GPU miner, which also doubles as a cloud infrastructure firm for general computation. In this episode: How Brian went from hobbyist Ethereum mining to wielding a fleet of 50,000 GPUs How Core Weave was able to cheaply acquire GPUs from insolvent mining farms The implications of the Ethereum DAG file growing beyond 4 GB and its effect on miners The effect of the looming PoS transition on miner decision-making Why Core...
Craig Warmke (N. Illinois University) on what Bitcoin is, and other philosophical questions (EP.162)
December 28, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 138 MBCraig Warmke is an assistant professor of philosophy at Northern Illinois University. He has written several papers on the subject of Bitcoin, both pertaining to the question of what Bitcoin actually is. We cover Craig's papers (linked below) and explore the role for philosophers in Bitcoin. How Craig realized there was an opportunity for philosophy in Bitcoin Other philosophers writing about Bitcoin Why philosophers don't take Bitcoin seriously The Bitcoin-related questions where phi...
Weekly Roundup 12/25/20 (FinCEN's proposed rules, the SEC takes aim at Ripple, predictions for 2021) (EP.161)
December 25, 2020 11:00 - 38 minutes - 52.8 MBNic and Matt return for a special Christmas episode of OTB. In this episode: Jay Clayton steps down and Elad Roisman takes over as interim SEC Chair We analyse the Treasury's proposed rule on VASPs and crypto transactions Why the FinCEN rule imposes greater demands on crypto transactions than cash as far as surveillance is concerned Are the proposed workarounds between VASPs and defi asset pools viable? Our book recommendation on the politicization of the Treasury Our analysis of...
Matt Hougan (Bitwise) on the prospects for a Bitcoin ETF in 2021 (EP.160)
December 21, 2020 11:00 - 39 minutes - 27.2 MBMatt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset management joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Bitwise’s new OTC trust product “BITW” The state of play for cryptoasset adoption in the RIA channel The evolving thesis for Bitcoin and other cryptoassets Prospects for a Bitcoin ETF in 2021 To learn more visit Bitwise Asset Management and follow Matt on Twitter. Sponsor notes: Withum is a forward-thinking, technology-driven advisory and accounting firm committed to ...
Weekly Roundup 12/18/20 feat. a pseudonymous fixed income trader (Our MSTR mea culpa, are CME futs cursed, what isn't a commodity?) (EP.159)
December 18, 2020 11:00 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBMatt and Nic return to cover a blockbuster week of ATHs. We invite a pseudonymous bond trader to give a rebuttal to our somewhat misguided take on the Microstrategy bond offering on last week's episode. Also in this episode: Our take on the STABLE Act (again) Are balances on the Dunkin and Starbucks apps stablecoins Paxos raises a $142m Series C SBI acquires B2C2 The BITW premium explodes Ruffer's telling reasons for investing $740m in Bitcoin The CME announces ETH futures .....
Amber Scott (Outlier Canada) on crypto-bank relationships in Canada (EP.158)
December 14, 2020 11:00 - 45 minutes - 63.1 MBCompliance expert Amber Scott joins the show to explain why crypto-firms are systematically excluded from the bank sector in Canada. In this episode: Our objective in launching a series on bank suppression of the crypto industry The current bank landscape in Canada Why crypto firms struggle to get access to banking in Canada Why money transmitters face a more burdensome treatment from banks What derisking is and why it is so common Whether MSBs and crypto firms deserve the treatm...
Weekly Roundup 12/11/20 (What's Treasury up to?, MSTR's bond offering, would the STABLE act kill Dunkin?) EP.157
December 11, 2020 11:00 - 44 minutes - 60.9 MBNic and Matt return to cover an avalanche of news and deals. In this episode: Blockstack's transmutation Bitso raises $62m Matt breaks down the Microstrategy bond offering Mass Mutual buys $100m worth of Bitcoin through NYDIG A bipartisan group of Representatives asked Jay Clayton for clarity on broker dealer custody for cryptoassets The looming crackdown on noncustodial wallets from Treasury The effect of requiring transactional metadata for on-chain transactions More commen...
Muneeb Ali (Blockstack) on Bitcoin-based Smart Contracts (EP.156)
December 09, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 88.8 MBMuneeb Ali, cofounder of Blockstack, joins the show to talk about the launch of Stacks 2.0 and its evolution from a securities offering to a freely tradable instrument in the U.S. New developments with Stacks and a novel legal opinion What constitutes sufficient decentralization and how Blockstack took cues from regulators Why Blockstack felt empowered to list their token on public US exchanges The current state of Blockstack governance Reflections on Ethereum's purported transmu...
Mustafa Yilham (Bixin) on the industrial Bitcoin miner perspective (EP.155)
December 07, 2020 11:00 - 47 minutes - 65.4 MBMustafa Yilham, VP of global business development at Bixin, joins the show. Bixin is an early Asia-based Bitcoin miner; they operate a popular wallet app, and they run a Bitcoin-denominated quant fund of funds. We cover prevailing myths around industrial Bitcoin mining and the reality of sourcing energy at competitive prices for mining. In this episode: The story behind Bixin's Bitcoin-denominated quant fund How Bixin's fund of fund employs a Bitcoin benchmark Why Bixin as a firm is n...
Weekly Roundup 12/04/20 (The Dastardly STABLE Act, USDC partners with Visa, Larry Fink evolves on Bitcoin) (EP.154)
December 04, 2020 11:00 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBIn this week's episode, Nic and Matt torch the STABLE Act cosponsored by their local representative Stephen Lynch (MA-8). Also covered: Stephen Lynch and Rashida Tlaib's STABLE Act What the STABLE Act requires of fintech providers hosting user balances What stablecoin issuers are not like banks Why the STABLE Act would be disastrous for competition in the Fintech space Why the moral positioning for the bill is internally inconsistent The prospects for the STABLE Act Why legisla...
Mathias Imbach (Sygnum Bank) on the importance of crypto banking (EP.153)
December 02, 2020 11:00 - 49 minutes - 67.4 MBMathias Imbach, cofounder and CEO of Sygnum Singapore, joins the show. In this episode: How Mathias came to cofound Sygnum The state of affairs in Crypto Valley in Switzerland today Why crypto banks are necessary and useful Why the company is split – cofounders, offices, and investors – between Zurich and Singapore Why Switzerland and Singapore are suitable venues for a crypto bank The case for convergence between traditional financial infrastructure and the crypto industry Syg...
Pelle Brændgaard (Notabene) on how crypto service providers are dealing with the Travel Rule (EP.152)
November 30, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 77.7 MBPelle Brændgaard, the cofounder and CEO of Notabene, an enterprise software company building compliance tools to enable trusted cryptoasset transactions between financial services firms, joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Pelle’s early work in distributed systems and pre-bitcoin cyber-cash projects His path to cofounding Uport and his views on decentralized identity systems The vision of Notabene how the firm is addressing the compliance needs of financial institutions and cryp...
Weekly Roundup 11/27/20 (What we are thankful for, USDC in Venezuela, is GBTC behind the rally?) (EP.151)
November 27, 2020 11:00 - 37 minutes - 51.5 MBNic and Matt return with a special Thanksgiving issue of OTB. In this episode: How Castle Island VC was almost Brink VC The difference between financialized walled-garden gold and its Bitcoin equivalent How USDC is being used in Venezuela via AirTM How stablecoins are now tools of geopolitical power projection Vaneck lanches an ETN on the Deutsche Bourse Is GBTC the cause of the rally The OCC proposes fair access to banking services A few people and organizations that we're t...
John Newbery (Brink) on funding Bitcoin development (EP.150)
November 24, 2020 12:30 - 54 minutes - 75.2 MBJohn Newbery, Bitcoin Core developer and founder of Bitcoin Optech, announces an independent nonprofit organization to support Bitcoin development, Brink. Donate here. In this episode, we discuss the formation and mandate of Brink, as well as the developer funding context that we find ourselves in. Covered in the episode: John Newbery's core developer story and how he came to found Brink Why John left Chaincode and struck out on his own Brink's mandate and foundational purpose Less...
Weekly Roundup 11/20/20 (Claytons leave the SEC, the not so quiet Quiet Rally, Bitcoin interest rates) (EP.149)
November 20, 2020 11:00 - 33 minutes - 46.3 MBNic and Matt return for deals and news of the week. In this episode: Nic's appearance on Bloomberg TV Is Jay Clayton's departure good for the SEC? Our dark horse pick for SEC Chair Scaramucci's fund considers a Bitcoin position Is Binance decentralized? How are enterprise blockchains still going? How Bitcoin is akin to gold in the 1970s Bitcoin's changing narratives as a strength How our quiet rally isn't quiet How to interpret the BTC inflow into GBTC Why digital asset ...
Parker Lewis (Unchained Capital) on unlocking Bitcoin's potential with multisig (EP.148)
November 16, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 99.8 MBParker Lewis, head of Business Development at Unchained Capital, and author of the Gradually then Suddenly series, joins the show. In this episode: Parker's progress in our Bitcoin fantasy league Our views on how Bitcoin gives purpose Bitcoin's relationship to the prospects for fiscal spending How the virus may have been an excuse to extend the fragile credit system Why Covid-related spending is often framed in moral, rather than economic terms How Bitcoin eschews academic debate...
Weekly Roundup 11/13/20 (Cred insolvency, Zelleification in Venezuela, Can Bitcoin be 6102'ed?) (Ep.147)
November 13, 2020 11:00 - 37 minutes - 51.5 MBNic and Matt return for news and deals of the week. In this episode: Cred files for bankruptcy Why Bitcoin banking is uniquely robust Why we should not be discouraged by the occasional failure of Bitcoin banks The ECB looks to create a CBDC within 2-4 years Gary Gensler's influence on the Biden administration XRP's fate hangs in the balance Stephen Lynch's letter to Brian Brooks criticizing his stance on crypto Zelle's influence in Venezuela and the reality of crypto-dollariz...