Bitcoin.com News Interviews

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+5,000% Bitcoin Per Share: MetaPlanet’s Strategy Explained Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

MetaPlanet bought Bitcoin at $65K—and saw a 5,000% increase in Bitcoin per share, becoming Japan’s top-performing public company.

But the journey wasn’t easy. Think multiple 70% drawdowns, rapid market cycles, and unwavering conviction.In this episode, Dylan LeClair (Director of Bitcoin Strategy at MetaPlanet) joins David Sencil from the Japan Bitcoin Future Forum to break down the strategy behind the numbers—and what could drive the next Bitcoin bull run.

We cover:

• Why Bitcoin per share matters more than stock price

• Navigating extreme volatility as a Bitcoin treasury company

• How STRC is opening the door for institutional BTC exposure

• Why most global capital still can’t access Bitcoin

• What could trigger the next major bull cycle

A deep dive into how institutions are positioning for Bitcoin’s future.

Filmed at the Japan Bitcoin Future Forum.

Timestamps:

00:00 Bitcoin's Price Dynamics and Market Perception

02:59 Sailor's Strategy and the Role of STRC

06:13 MetaPlanet's Vision and Shareholder Engagement

09:06 Catalysts for the Next Bitcoin Bull Market

11:48 The Dual Role of Host and Guest

Will the Bitcoin Bear Market End Soon? Samson Mow Explains Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

“While most people see a Bitcoin downturn, others see opportunity.In this episode, Samson Mow explains why this market might be ‘too good to be true’ — especially for big players.”

In this episode, Jan3 CEO Samson Mow joins David Sencil to explain why the current downturn may not last — and why institutional demand could be stronger than ever.

With companies like Strategy and MetaPlanet buying more Bitcoin than miners produce daily, Samson argues this market phase might be a rare window of opportunity for large-scale investors.

Recorded in Japan, this conversation dives into the future of Bitcoin — from breaking market cycles to global adoption at the nation-state level.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

- Why the traditional four-year Bitcoin cycle may be breaking down

- How JAN3 is working directly with governments on Bitcoin adoption

- What Production Ready is and why a security-hardened Bitcoin client matters

- Why quantum computing may not be a real threat to Bitcoin

- The current state of Bitcoin adoption in Japan and MetaPlanet’s role

Samson Mow is the CEO of Jan3, focused on accelerating nation-state Bitcoin adoption and building tools like Aqua Wallet. He previously contributed to El Salvador’s Bitcoin strategy.

📍 Recorded in Japan | Bitcoin.com News

Follow the show for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of Bitcoin and crypto.

Links & Resources:

JAN3 — https://jan3.com

Aqua Wallet — https://aquawallet.io

MetaPlanet — https://metaplanet.jp

Chapters:

00:00 Bitcoin's Unpredictable Nature

00:21 Nation-State Bitcoin Adoption

03:36 Global Adoption Landscape

06:39 Bitcoin's Market Dynamics

10:44 Community Divisions in Bitcoin

11:06 Development and Client Diversity

14:24 Quantum Computing Concerns

19:22 Future of Bitcoin in Japan

The Architect of Instant Exchange: A Deep Dive Into CCE.Cash With Michael Jonas Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

CCE.Cash is a decentralized finance (DeFi) technology provider specialized in high-performance, non-custodial cryptocurrency exchange solutions. At the core of CCE.Cash is a proprietary, fully automated trading engine engineered to eliminate the friction of traditional exchanges. By removing the need for manual oversight and mandatory registrations, CCE.Cash provides an instantaneous "send-and-receive" workflow.

In the rapidly shifting landscape of decentralized finance, the transition from complex, high-friction trading to seamless automation is often driven by those who understand the deepest layers of the stack. Michael Jonas, the Chief Blockchain Architect of CCE.Cash, is one such figure. In a recent interview, Jonas shared the journey of a career built on "digital trust," moving from a decade of traditional software development at tech giants to a PhD in Computer Science specializing in distributed systems and cryptography. For Jonas, the leap into blockchain in 2020 wasn't a pivot, but a natural progression toward solving the ultimate engineering challenge: how to build systems that work without a central authority.

At the heart of the conversation is the mission of CCE.Cash, a platform designed to dismantle the barriers of traditional exchanges. Jonas advocates for a "privacy-first" model where registration and identity verification are discarded in favor of user autonomy. The platform’s exchange process is stripped down to its most functional form: users select their pair, provide a wallet address, and send their funds to a generated deposit address. From there, the system takes over. By utilizing automated protocols that wait for necessary network confirmations, CCE.Cash ensures that the exchange is finalized and sent directly to the user’s wallet without the funds ever sitting in a custodial account longer than necessary.

The technical reality of "instant" trading, however, is far from simple. Jonas highlights the immense difficulty of engineering a system that can handle "edge cases" without human oversight. In a world of network congestion, sudden gas fee spikes, or users accidentally sending the wrong amount, the code must be the ultimate arbiter. Every possible failure scenario must be pre-calculated and handled by the exchange engine to ensure no funds are ever "stuck." This reliability is further complicated by cross-chain compatibility, where the system must simultaneously speak the "languages" of different blockchains, each with its own unique confirmation times and rules.

Jonas credits much of the platform's resilience to his academic background. His doctoral research on distributed systems—specifically how nodes reach agreement without a central leader—is the blueprint for the CCE.Cash architecture. This "distributed mindset" led to a strictly non-custodial design, removing the central point of failure that has plagued many high-profile exchange collapses in the past. By combining this with cryptographic verification, the platform ensures every swap is verified on-chain before funds are released, balancing high-level security with the speed users demand.

As the platform scales to handle higher trading volumes, Jonas points to a modular infrastructure and internal liquidity management as the keys to success. By decoupling different parts of the platform, a surge in Bitcoin traffic, for example, won't slow down an Ethereum swap. Looking toward the next two to three years, Jonas sees a future where automated trading becomes the industry standard. His vision for CCE.Cash involves expanding network support to every asset a user might want to swap while maintaining a fierce commitment to privacy. In an era of evolving regulations, Jonas remains dedicated to a simple philosophy: provide a service that is effortless for the user, but built on a foundation of rigorous, academic-grade security.

What Actually Converts a Crypto Skeptic? Dr. Johnny Ng Explains Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

“They stop calling it a scam the moment they use a wallet.”

In this episode, David Sencil speaks with Dr. Johnny Ng, Hong Kong Legislative Council member, entrepreneur, and PhD in computer science, about what truly drives Bitcoin and cryptocurrency adoption.

Dr. Ng shares how direct user experience — not technical explanation — is the key to converting crypto skeptics, based on his journey from early doubt to policy-level engagement.

The conversation also explores Hong Kong’s evolving role as a global crypto hub, including why pandemic-era policies — rather than geopolitical factors — led to the relocation of crypto companies, and how the region compares to other major hubs like Singapore, Korea, and Japan.

Key topics include:

- Bitcoin adoption and user experience

- Crypto regulation and policymaking

- Hong Kong’s financial infrastructure and digital assets strategy

- Tokenization and the future of real-world assets on blockchain

- The competitive landscape of crypto hubs in AsiaThis episode is ideal for listeners interested in Bitcoin, blockchain technology, crypto policy, fintech innovation, and global digital asset trends.

Financial Freedom Beyond Banks | Rob Tökölyi on Non-Custodial Crypto, MiCA & Stablecoins Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

In this conversation with Bitcoin.com News, WeChange CEO Rob Tökölyi shares why he pivoted from 16 years in traditional currency exchange to building the future of crypto on-ramps.

From surviving the regulatory gauntlet in Europe to making self-custody as simple as online banking, Robi discusses the real barriers to crypto adoption—and why stablecoins, not Bitcoin headlines, represent the everyday transformation ahead.

Guest: Robert Tökölyi, CEO of WeChange

Host: David Sencil

Recorded: March 11, 2026

In this conversation:

- His path from currency exchange entrepreneur to WeChange founder

- How non-custodial fiat-to-crypto on-ramps work (and why they're different)

- Why self-custody adoption requires better UX, not more tech-savvy users

- The regulatory double-bind: MiCA, the Bank of England, and why startups face a compliance arms race- Stablecoins vs. Bitcoin: which will drive real adoption?

- Why "crypto selling out to TradFi" is really about market sentiment, not fundamentals

About WeChange:

WeChange is a global, non-custodial fiat-to-crypto on-ramp and off-ramp platform headquartered in Budapest, Hungary.

In one transaction, users move money from their bank account directly to their crypto wallet with a flat 2.5% fee—no hidden charges, no intermediate steps. Unlike custodial exchanges, WeChange never holds user funds or keys, preserving the sovereignty that makes crypto revolutionary.

Links:

- Website: https://wechange.com/

- Twitter: @wechangeapp

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction to Crypto

00:23 - Appreciation and Introduction

00:36 - Robert's Background

01:28 - Transition to Crypto

02:48 - Challenges in Currency Exchange

04:15 - Introduction to Crypto

05:30 - Crypto and Regulation

07:13 - Introduction to WeChange

10:02 - Currency Exchange Process

11:46 - Simplifying Onboarding

13:15 - Bank Transfers and Delays

15:24 - Self-Custody Adoption

17:21 - Importance of Self-Custody

18:13 - Global Expansion Challenges

20:08 - Regulation and Compliance

22:17 - Thoughts on MICA

23:20 - Regulation Favoring Incumbents

25:11 - Future of Crypto

27:31 - Emotional Impact of Crypto

30:27 - Excitement for Stablecoins

31:21 - USD Dominance in Stablecoins

33:17 - Hungary's Perspective on Stablecoins

34:55 - Closing Remarks

#Crypto #Bitcoin #Stablecoins #CryptoRegulation #SelfCustody

Edwin Wong (KuCoin): Why Crypto Firms Are Moving BACK to Hong Kong Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

For years, the story was clear: crypto companies were leaving Hong Kong for Singapore.

In this exclusive interview, Edwin Wong (VP & Head of Risk Control at KuCoin) reveals why KuCoin shut down its Singapore office and moved operations back to Hong Kong… and why many firms may be following the same path.

What changed?

Why now?

And is Hong Kong quietly becoming the global crypto capital again?

Edwin breaks down the real reasons behind this shift — from regulatory clarity to institutional trust — and explains why Hong Kong could outperform Singapore, Dubai, and other crypto hubs in the years ahead.

He also dives into:

• The origin of perpetual futures (and Hong Kong’s role)

• Why US–China tensions may NOT matter as much as people think

• Hong Kong’s crypto ETF advantage and what it means for big money

• The difference between being “crypto-friendly” vs “crypto-ready”

• What the return of major trading firms signals for 2025

If you want to understand where the crypto industry is actually heading in Asia — this is a must-watch.

About the Guest:

Edwin Wong is VP and Head of Risk Control at KuCoin, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges serving 30M+ users globally.

📍 Filmed at Consensus HK 2026 | Bitcoin.com News

👉 Follow Bitcoin.com News official X account for more exclusive crypto interviews: https://x.com/BitcoinNews/

👉 Learn more about KuCoin: https://www.kucoin.com/

🎙 Host: David Sencil

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 From Traditional Finance to Crypto

02:22 Regulation of Major Exchanges

03:05 Global Regulatory Differences

04:01 KuCoin’s Growth Strategy

06:59 Hong Kong’s Crypto History

08:25 HK’s Key Innovations

10:12 Top Crypto Cities (2017–2026)

12:33 Hong Kong’s Competitive Edge

14:12 US–China Impact on Crypto

15:20 Hong Kong vs Singapore

The Future of DeFi: Hugo Philion on Flare, XRP, and Real-World Assets Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

Hugo Philion, Co-founder of Flare and CEO of Flare Labs, shares the developments underway at the EVM-based Layer 1 blockchain. Philion, who brings a strong background from finance and machine learning, details Flare’s mission to build an end-to-end decentralized finance ecosystem around the vast, yet underutilized, XRP asset. He shares his vision that a superior technology, like decentralized finance, is an inevitable progression that will eventually supplant existing, intermediary-heavy financial systems.

Flare operates as a unique Layer 1, leveraging embedded data protocols to power its bridges and DeFi ecosystem. It has built a full suite of on-chain functionalities for XRP holders, allowing users to engage in borrow/lend, trade on decentralized exchanges (DEXes), create decentralized stablecoins, and open collateralized options strategies—all directly with XRP. The immediate focus for the platform is to expand these markets, build substantial liquidity, and prepare for the next critical phase: pairing XRP with a variety of real-world assets on-chain.

To make this ecosystem accessible to all XRP holders, Flare recently rolled out its game-changing Flare Smart Accounts. This innovative abstraction eliminates the need for retail users to acquire the native Flare token or download a new wallet, allowing them to control Flare transactions—such as minting FXRP and depositing into a vault—directly from the XRP Ledger. This user-friendly mechanism has driven significant adoption, with FXRP, the bridged version of XRP on Flare, growing by 31% in just 10 days since the Smart Accounts launch, reaching approximately 133 million units.

While committed to being retail-friendly, Philion emphasizes that a major market unlock lies in enabling institutional products, given that an estimated 60-70% of XRP is held on exchanges. Looking to the future, he asserts that the migration of all traditional real-world assets—including stocks, bonds, and derivatives—to blockchains is inevitable. The current plan is to maximize the usage and liquidity of XRP, which will then serve as a driver for integrating other major tokens like Bitcoin into the Flare DeFi ecosystem.

A critical barrier to institutional adoption of real-world assets on-chain is the need for privacy in trading and complex applications. To address this, Flare is preparing for its highly anticipated Flare 2.0 update, which will introduce a new compute layer. This layer is designed to enable applications to sit off-chain with full privacy while settling securely on-chain. This powerful and flexible, privacy-preserving compute layer will position Flare as a vital hub for RWA, allowing for the creation of complex applications like DEXes and lending protocols for assets issued on Flare or connected chains like the XRP Ledger.

To learn more about the technology visit flare.network, and follow the team on X.

Hong Kong Is Crypto's Most Important City | Michael Lau on Bullish, Consensus HK & Institutional Adoption Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

SVP of Business Development at Bullish and Chairman of Consensus, Michael Lau, joins David Sencil at Consensus Hong Kong to discuss why Hong Kong is becoming the world's most important city for the convergence of TradFi and crypto.Topics covered:• Why HK ranked #1 globally for IPOs in 2025 — and what that means for crypto• The developer talent gap: "Nobody stays here"• Live events in the age of AI: physical presence as the new scarcity• How HK compares to Singapore, Dubai & Korea as a crypto hub• The institutional adoption thesis for Hong KongRecorded at Consensus Hong Kong.

00:00 Michael Lau's Journey into Finance and Technology03:00 The Role of Consensus in the Crypto Ecosystem06:12 Conferences as Catalysts for the Crypto Industry08:55 Hong Kong: A Rising Crypto Hub12:00 Comparing Asian Crypto Hubs14:58 Challenges and Opportunities for Hong Kong18:01 The Future of Crypto in Hong Kong

Yat Siu: "50 Billion AI Agents Will Live on the Blockchain" | Full Interview Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

Animoca Brands Chairman Yat Siu makes a bold prediction: within the next few years, there will be 30 to 50 billion AI agents operating online. And they won't live on Facebook or Google — they'll live on the blockchain.In this wide-ranging conversation, Yat breaks down why crypto infrastructure was built for this moment, why Europe faces "technology colonization," and what Apple's 30% Patreon fee reveals about platform power.In this conversation:• Bitcoin acting as a safe haven vs. risk asset• Hong Kong's position as Asia's financial hub• The real state of NFTs and gaming• Animoca Combines: AI agents for everyone• His prediction: 30-50 billion agents on-chain• Why digital identity matters more for agents than humans• Agent swarm security experiments at AnimocaAbout the Guest:Yat Siu is the Chairman and Co-founder of Animoca Brands, one of the world's leading blockchain gaming and investment companies. Animoca Brands has made over 400 investments in Web3 projects.📍 Bitcoin.com News✅ Subscribe for more interviews with the biggest names in crypto and Web3.🔗 Links:Bitcoin.com News: https://news.bitcoin.comAnimoca Brands: https://www.animocabrands.comYat Siu on X: @ysiu

The Stablecoin Moment: Morph's CEO Colin Goltra on Global Payment Settlement and the Future of Crypto Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

A veteran of the global crypto industry, Colin Goltra has been an early adopter and advocate for digital assets throughout his career.

Colin Goltra is the Chief Executive Officer of Morph, a blockchain platform building universal infrastructure for borderless payments and financial services. He recently joined the Bitcoin.com News Podcast to talk about the market.

In this episode Colin identifies the previous year as the critical "stablecoin moment," driven by a perfect storm of regulatory clarity (like the Genius Act and MiCA) and technological advancements on smart-contracting ecosystems that have finally solved the performance and scalability issues that plagued earlier attempts with Bitcoin. Morph's mission has pivoted to stablecoin-based global payment settlement, adopting a "ruthlessly pragmatic" strategy to prepare for a market that could be dominated by either one or two fiat-backed stablecoins (USD-linked like USDC and USDT) or by a rise in relevant regional stablecoins.

He highlights the profound impact of stablecoins in emerging economies, where access to the dollar provides a crucial hedge against high local fiat inflation, citing the Philippine Peso as a prime example. Looking at the current landscape, Colin pinpoints four key active verticals in crypto: institutional stablecoin-based payments, the significant growth of Real-World Assets (RWAs), prediction markets for valuable information, and the emerging space of Agentic AI, which will require crypto layers for payment and transacting.

The long-term vision for crypto, according to Colin, anticipates a transition from a purely "cryptonative" era to a more institutional and pragmatic phase over the next decade. He predicts that for the average person, the underlying blockchain infrastructure will "melt away at the UX level," becoming an invisible rail for better, faster payment solutions. A major challenge remains a knowledge gap for small and mid-sized businesses. To address this, Morph is funding a $150 million payment accelerator to incentivize traditional payment businesses to migrate their transaction volume onto the Morph chain.

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