Blockchain Insider Podcast by 11:FS

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 30. Bitcoin Falls, Whales Rise and an Interview With bitFlyer CEO Jan 25, 2018

Show notes

After the market beatdown, Simon and Colin dissect the sustainability of current prices and how much longer regulators will stand idly by whilst pump and dumps continue to happen. Our first story comes from Coindesk, talking about the price action where Bitcoin 'defended' the $11,000 mark. Conversely, the Evening Standard came out with a story claiming investors were swapping their bitcoin for physical gold- are people actually swapping digital gold for it's physical counterpart? Staying with Bitcoin (shock, horror), Forbes claim that criminals are dropping BTC for other cryptocurrencies due to expensive, lengthy transactions. Criminals are apparently preferring more private coins.

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase recorded $1 Billion in revenue! The exchange exploded in 2017, so it's no surprise that it's booked such lofty numbers as the interest in cryptocurrencies continues to grow. Moving on and more from Coindesk, regulators gon' regulate as the SEC outlines reasons for reluctance to list cryptocurrency ETF's.

Next, Shell has just made its first investment in blockchain with UK startup Applied Blockchain, and we have the pleasure of bringing you a soundbite from CEO Adi Ben-Ari! He explains what Applied Blockchain do, and how it's easy for Developers/Engineers to 'see through' certain crypto projects. Staying with large companies sticking their hands in the blockchain pie, IBM and Maersk form new blockchain company for international cargo which will automate paperwork for shipping across international borders.

And lastly, Swift have signed an agreement with 7CSD's to explore blockchain post trade processes. Although no specific details have been leaked, Swift have claimed that the agreement is more exploratory in its nature. One to watch.

We also bring you interviews with bitFlyer's CEO and founder Yuzo Kano and COO Andy Bryant, as the largest Japanese cryptocurrency exchange comes to Europe!

Please do make sure to listen to the last 2 minutes for some great Orca/Whale related gags as Simon, Colin and the production team are struck by a giggling disease.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show @bchaininsider and if you really love the show, why not leave us a review on iTunes?

Special Guests: Adi Ben-Ari, Andy Bryant, and Yuzo Kano.

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Ep.29. Kraken on With Crypto After the Market Bloodbath Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

On today's show, we just had to start with crypto price bloodbath January has brought. Simon and Colin dissect rumours of centralised exchanges being banned in China & South Korea, as winter comes for crypto markets.

Next, Mike Novagratz makes a '$400m bet' attempting to form a giant crypto merchant bank. Novagratz (who went big on both Bitcoin & Ethereum early) had plans for a crypto hedge fund which were cancelled in the past, so it remains to be seen what happens with this project. Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum founder, is another blockchain personality in the news today, who left VC firm Fenbushi Capital.

Drama is never far from the cryptocurrency ecosystem and Tron, a Chinese crypto project has been accused of plagiarism with regards to their whitepaper. Translation issue? Or is there more in this story?

ICO's were most certainly hot in 2017 and chat app Telegram hopes to raise up to $1.2 billion in an ICO. How will ICO's develop in 2018? The explore what could happen with that regard, but it seems initial coin offerings will still be a prevalent in 2018.

Kraking on, Kraken, the world's 5th largest cryptocurrency exchange is back after a troublesome upgrade. Many speculated that some of the upgrades were un-professional with fears surfacing that some money could be lost. Sticking with exchanges, we discuss Binance-the fastest growing 'unicorn' in the crypto-currency world which has now surpassed a $1 billion valuation less than 6 months after launching. Truly extraordinary!

Last but not least, we bring you interviews with two Ryan's! We were spoilt today as Ryan Shea came on the show to discuss Blockstack, a new internet for decentralized apps. The second Ryan, Ryan Selkis- came on to discuss his interesting blog titled 'I see You XRP' discussing all things Ripple, XRP and what's happening in the markets.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show @bchaininsider and if you really love the show, why not leave us a review on iTunes?

Special Guests: Ryan Selkis and Ryan Shea.

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Ep. 28. Where now for Ripple? & Blockchain gets all Zuck'ed up Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

We begin this week's news by discussing Mark Zuckerberg's interest in decentralisation, as he made it his 'challenge of the year' to study how it could 'fix' Facebook. Speaking of Zuck, XRP (Ripple's crypto-currency) had an incredible run up peaking at over $3.80, making Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen actually wealthier than Mark Zuckerberg for a short period of time. This massive run saw Ripple monetarily become the second largest crypto asset in terms of market cap, so, as you can imagine Simon and Colin discussed the project at great length!

Regulators are always a hot topic in the crypto sphere and this week was no different as Texas regulators ordered Bitconnect to cancel their token sale.

We also saw Visa drop their cryptocurrency backed debit cards due to violation of operating regulations, which had users scrambling. Tying into 'dropping users', Bittrex, Binance and Bitfinex all halted new user sign ups due to incredible demand. Binance in particular claimed that they were seeing over 250,000 new users a day at one point, this enormous volume evidently reflecting the current rush of retail investors into the crypto space. Could these issues give decentralised exchanges an important role to play in 2018?

Next, the Bank of England drops plans for its own cryptocurrency, fearing instability. Government backed cryptocurrencies stories really started surfacing in 2017, and it seems 2018 is no different.

Moving on to some stranger news, we discuss Dentacoin- a dentistry based cryptocurrency that shot up 900%. Does this reinforce fears that the crypto market is in bubble territory?

As always there's an array of topics we didn't have time to discuss including: Qtum - the next big thing?, Bitcoin Miners Shifting Outside China Amid Clampdown and What crypto didn’t give us in 2017.

We also bring you an interview with Nordea's Head of Blockchain and DLT, Ville Sointu.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show @bchaininsider and if you really love the show, why not leave us a review on iTunes?

Special Guest: Ville Sointu.

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Ep. 27. XRP's Ripple effect and Blockchain use cases Jan 04, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to the very first show of 2018! We kick off the year with a bang, including some of the biggest stories from the holiday season, our predictions for 2018 and an interview with Peter Rizzo, Editor at Coindesk.

First up on the first show of 2018 we take a look at Blockchain and crypto predictions for the year to come. Why will this be the year that institutional investors really get involved? Will 2018 be the year that web 3.0 takes off? How will ICOs evolve through 2018, and will pump and dump syndicates come under regulatory scrutiny? Check out Simon's 2018 blog right here.

Next, it's fast-becoming a weekly feature, it's the cryptocurrency prices piece. On its 9th birthday, we ask how high Bitcoin can really go? Plus, Ether brings in the new year with a record high, and who are the crypto Billionaires getting rich from Ripple's XRP?

Is it really true that nobody has come up with a use case for Blockchain in ten years? And is current technology simply the first stage in a wave of change that will take place over the next 10 to 20 years?

10 points to Colin, who, just two days into 2018, has already nailed one of his predictions for the year. So why has the ECB's Yves Mersch called Bitcoin a major threat to financial stability?

Next in the news, we discuss how the US has closed a crypto loophole, and whether this will hit the market.

What's up with Revolut? Or rather, what's up with Revolut crypto rates? How do they apply and how do they compare to other options?

This week we're also very lucky to hear from Pete Rizzo, Editor at Coindesk, a leading industry news source. Pete explains how Coindesk went about curating 2017's Most Influential list and how they aimed to reach a consensus on the most influential players in DLT in 2017.

And we didn't have time to talk about: whether Israel's central bank is considering digital currency; Putin's view on a possible CryptoRouble; and Blockchain's impact on the NHS. Check out the links below for all the stories we've discussed today.

Missing out on the conversation? Tweet the show @bchaininsider or to read more about the news stories and have your say visit fintechinsidernews.com.

Special Guest: Pete Rizzo.

Links:

Ep. 26. Holiday Interview Special - Tim Swanson, & Somil Goyal: Adjoint Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

As it's the Christmas break we are not here this week!
But instead of the usual news overview we're giving you an interview-only special show, featuring Tim Swanson and Somil Goyal from new smart contracts start up Adjoint.

Tim and Colin look back at the last year in blockchain and cryptoassets and give their predictions for 2018.
Somil tells Colin all about Adjoint and what their first year in industry has looked like and what their plans for growth are in 2018 and the years to come.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to all our listeners!

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show @bchaininsider and if you really love the show, why not leave us a review on iTunes?

Special Guests: Somil Goyal and Tim Swanson.

Ep. 25. Keanu Reeves on bitcoin, Vanguard on Blockchain and Cardano Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

G-Sass is back in France this week but that won't stop him joining Simon for this week's installment of the news show.

First up this week, the guys explore the implications of competition in the crypto futures space, as the CME launches its contract to compete with CBOE.

Bringing the cryto debate firmly into the mainstream, we discuss the French finance minister's intervention, urging a debate at the G20. Plus, why has Keanu Reeves spoken out over Bitcoin and what does it mean for the future of cryptoassets?

Why has Bill Miller's hedge fun put half its money in Bitcoin and what could his strategy be? Plus, has Bitcoin really become the biggest bubble the world has ever seen? The guys also discuss the nature of Bitcoin - is it a commodity? - and is the price totally fictional or is it really related to something?

Our very own Pete Townsend, 11:FS Asset Management Lead, joins us this week to break down Vanguard's plan to adopt blockchain technology.

We discuss the Gnosis Dutch exchange - do check out the blog post here - and finally, Cardano, the "Ethereum of Japan" has jumped into the top six cryptocurrencies by market cap of USD $12bn. So what's all the fuss about and is it really as secure as bitcoin?

And we didn't have time to discuss: Loopring's decentralized exchange and open protocol; HODL -
why the only good bitcoin advice is four years old; and, once again, CryptoKitties.

And to finish up this week, we bring you interviews with Mark Jeffrey from Guardian Circle and Paul Forrest from MBN Solutions.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Missing out on the conversation? Tweet the show @bchaininsider or to read more about the news stories and have your say visit fintechinsidernews.com.

Special Guests: Mark Jeffrey and Paul Forrest.

Ep. 24. CBOE futures, Bitcoin mining energy usage & investing responsibly Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

G Sass is back in London for a second week in a row to join Simon for this week's recap of the top Blockchain news - and what a week of news it was.

Bitcoin futures are now available for trading through CBOE. So what's a future, what's the significance of having a bitcoin future, and what was the impact when these futures launched?

Next, why your grandmother should not be buying bitcoin, despite how easily some platforms are making it. The guys discuss the importance of investors' understanding of the market and risk. And if you do want to get up to speed on bitcoin, Colin gives his thoughts on the essential reading, and where to look for more information.

Why are we so preoccupied with the energy consumption of bitcoin mining? And how might this impact the debate on energy use and climate change? Let us know why you think we're so attached to the energy narrative around bitcoin @BchainInsider.

Digital Asset Holdings has been selected by Australian Stock Exchange, making it the first exchange to commercialise DLT.

France will allow blockchain technology for trading unlisted securities (those not on the main exchange). So what will be the impact on startups and the listings market?

And, MAMA has launched! That is, the Multichain Asset Management Association, an industry trade body for asset management startups. Plus, news that UBS is to launch a live Ethereum platform with Barclays, Credit Suisse and others.

Next up, why has an ICO been halted after the SEC raised concerns over registration? And what does this say about the prospects for ICOs in the USA?

And this week we also bring you an interview with Jamie Burke, founder and CEO at Outlier Ventures. Simon and Colin hear about Jamie's experience as an angel investor, the next phase of the web and the importance of decentralisation. They also discuss tokenomics and IOTA - why is it different to other DLTs and what's on their road map?

That's it for this week. Don't forget, this episode is sponsored by ZILLA, a new ICO marketplace app. Browse ICOs, upvote or downvote so the good ones rise to the top and, if you like an ICO, participate with one-click! Pre-register for the limited ZILLA beta app at ZLA.io/bi.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Missing out on the conversation? Tweet the show @bchaininsider or to read more about the news stories and have your say visit fintechinsidernews.com.

Special Guest: Jamie Burke.

Links:

Ep. 23. Bitcoin goes stratospheric, Ethereum Cryptokitties and R3 CEO interview Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Colin has returned to the UK from his Australian adventure to join Simon back at our home in WeWork, Aldgate Tower. Once more, Bitcoin has hit a record high. But could the cryptocurrency's price be losing momentum? Bitcoin exchange Coinbase now has more users than stock brokerage Schwab, so what are the implications for its price? And, following its lawsuit defeat, Coinbase was forced to report some users to the IRS. Plus, as Bitcoin futures trading gets nearer, we ask why the price is still rising and what will contribute to its maturity?

Five blockchain predictions for 2018, including non-financial applications, the internet of things and smart contracts. But will governments advance cryptocurrency tax rules?

The cryptocurrency flash crash on the Bitfinex exchange caused uproar last week. So what caused it and could it have been avoided? Plus, was it really that bad? And, why did Bitfinex hire a law firm and team up with Tether? So many questions.

And - it's finally here...the story of the week. Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. We bring you - CryptoKitties. Sims for Bitcoin. We explore why oh why one special CryptoKittie sold for $117,000. One hundred and seventeen. Thousand. US dollars. But please, don't fork your kitties. And how is "a silly game about cats" accounting for 17% of the Ethereum network? We also consider the more serious implications, including why the ERC721 contracts are going to displace Ethereum ICOs in 2017.

This week we are delighted to bring you an interview with R3 CEO David Rutter. Simon and David talk about blockchain's arrival, the joys of gardening leave and R3's journey from start up to leading blockchain firm. They also discuss the development of R3's platform, Corda, and their work with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Project Ubin. We hear about the significance of anti-trust law, going through Series A fundraising and the advantages of being a network business.

Don't forget, this episode is sponsored by ZILLA, a new ICO marketplace app. Browse ICOs, upvote or downvote so the good ones rise to the top and, if you like an ICO, participate with one-click! Pre-register for the limited ZILLA beta app at ZLA.io/bi.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Missing out on the conversation? Tweet the show @bchaininsider or to read more about the news stories and have your say visit fintechinsidernews.com.

Special Guest: David Rutter.

Links:

Ep. 22. Can Bitcoin really hit $100,000? Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

This week, normal service is resumed as we returned, inexorably, to ANOTHER new Bitcoin high - this time, over $9,000 and, according to many, fast approaching $10,000. So is it just the result of more buyers than sellers in the market, or could there be other reasons? Plus, why maths might mean Bitcoin could reach $100,000 by 2021.

Bonds on Ether! Nivaura has issued the UK's first regulated Ether bond. But what will be the impact on CSDs?

Following a spate of rogue ICOs, we discuss the possibility that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) will crack down, and more fool the first ICO to fall foul of the DoJ as they might be looking to set an example.

Non-financial blockchain applications are coming. But will it succeed in blockchain-based air travel? Several airlines have partnered up to try to use DLT to iron out some of the bumps in air travel with luggage.

Plus, how to talk about cryptocurrency at the dinner table, and Ripple did a thing...again.

This week we also bring you two special features. Firstly, a roundtable on the ICO space with Ruth Wandhofer, Global Head Regulatory, Market & Innovation Strategy at Citibank; Jeff Bandman, Principal at Bandman Advisors; Lawrence Wintermeyer, Principal at Capstone; and Oliver Oram, founder and CEO at Chainvine. And second, Simon talks to very special guest Commissioner Brian Quintenz from the CFTC about the derivatives markets and the potential impact of distributed ledger technology (DLT).

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Missing out on the conversation? Tweet the show @bchaininsider or to read more about the news stories and have your say visit fintechinsidernews.com.

Special Guests: Brian Quintenz, Jeff Bandman, Lawrence Wintermeyer, and Oliver Oram.

Ep. 21. Bitcoin futures & ConsenSys London launch party Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to an unusual show for us in recent weeks, as a new bitcoin high doesn't feature as our lead story!

Getting us off the mark, the guys explore the new Bitcoin futures option from LedgerX priced at $10,000. Why did someone buy it, and could we be buying too?

Next up, SegWit2x is back in the news, but having been called off last week, how has it caused some nodes to stumble?

And our story of the week - the CME Group has announced that it'll launch Bitcoin futures. So does this represent Wall Street advancing on Bitcoin, or is it bringing crypto ever-closer to the mainstream? Answers on a postcard, please do let us know what you think @colingplatt or @sytaylor.]

WTF Colin G Platt? Could your next trip to the cinema feature a blockbuster funded by crypto? If everything goes to plan for one Hollywood producer, then absolutely! So, will Hollywood become the next industry to be disrupted by DLT?

And R3 founder and CEO David Rutter has spoken about why 2018 is a key year for him, and what it'll take to make it a success. So what do the guys think?

We also bring you a roundtable on the state of blockchain recorded live at the ConsenSys launch part in Shoreditch, London, featuring Alex Batlin and Ed Budd from ConsenSys, Lawrence Lundy from Outlier Ventures, and Charlene Chen from BitPesa. The guys discuss where we are with distributed ledger technology (DLT), the impact it's had on financial services and where it's heading. Simon also caught up with Jeremy Millar about ConsenSys' plans for growth and their move to London.

We hope you enjoy the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe.

Missing out on the conversation? Tweet the show @bchaininsider or to read more about the news stories and have your say visit fintechinsidernews.com.

Special Guests: Alex Batlin, Charlene Chen, Ed Budd, Jeremy Millar, and Lawrence Lundy.

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