Blockchain Insider Podcast by 11:FS

Latest Episodes:

142. Insights: DeFi, defined. Aug 11, 2021

Show notes

Simon Taylor and Cuy Sheffield are back to discuss all things decentralized finance. In this insights episode, Simon and Cuy aim to break DeFi down: what is it, how does it work, what can you do with decentralised finance, how is it having a real world impact and how much more could be done with it?

What is the story so far, how does Defi reward its investors differently to banks, and what does the future hold?

Simon and Cuy are joined by some fantastic guests who are experts in the ever evolving DeFi space:

Gwera Kiwana, Ops Analyst, 11:FS
Robert Leshner, CEO of Compound Finance

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Special Guests: Gwera Kiwana and Robert Leshner.

141. News: Is USDC now rivalling Tether? Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

Simon Taylor and Cuy Sheffield are back this week to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and Crypto including:

FTX Crypto Exchange Valued at $18B in $900M Funding Round 2:12
Visa Crypto Cards Have Racked Up $1B in Spending in 2021 10:10
USDC Stablecoin Backer Circle to Go Public in $4.5B SPAC Deal 15:20
Square is making a hardware wallet for Bitcoin 23:44
How Axie Infinity Creates Work in the Metaverse 31:50

Simon and Cuy are joined by some fantastic guests:

Camila Russo, Founder of The Defiant
Sina Nader, COO FTX US

The Tweet of the Week comes from @RyanWatkins_ : “In Q2 2021 Ethereum settled $2.5 trillion in transactions. This represents +65% QoQ and +1,490% YoY, and puts Ethereum on pace to settle $8 trillion in 2021.”

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Special Guests: Camila Russo and Sina Nader.

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140. Insights: Stablecoins and CBDCs explained Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Simon Taylor is back with a new co-host, Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto at Visa, to discuss all things stablecoins. In this insight episode, Simon and Cuy aim to start at the very beginning, and dive deeper down the stablecoins rabbit hole.

What are the problems with existing payments systems? What are the similarities and differences between stablecoins and CBDCs? How do they work against fiat? How can they maintain stability? Listen now to find out all of this, and much much more.

Simon and Cuy are joined by some fantastic guests who are experts in the evolving stablecoins space:

Mike Dudas, VP of Ventures, Paxos
Joao Reginatto, VP of Product at Circle

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Special Guests: Joao Reginatto and Mike Dudas.

Insights: Why does crypto matter? (First published on Fintech Insider) Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

Our expert host, Simon Taylor, is joined by a great panel of guests to talk about all things crypto.

In the first part of the show, we want to take a look at just how far we’ve come. How far the crypto space has come in the last year - not just in terms of bitcoin surges but also the real steps forward in terms of adoption by big organisations, regulators and even central banks to start taking this crypto phenomenon seriously.

Why is it booming so much now? Does crypto matter more now than it ever has before? And last but not least, is crypto mainstream, and why should we care about it?

This week's expert guests include:

Shivani Siroya, CEO and founder of Tala
Diogo Monica, CEO of Anchorage
Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto, Visa

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Special Guests: Cuy Sheffield , Diogo Mónica, and Shivani Siroya.

139. Interviews: Yuval Rooz, CEO of Digital Asset & a special announcement from Simon Taylor May 14, 2020

Show notes

In a special episode of Blockchain Insider, Simon Taylor is in conversation with Yuval Rooz, CEO of fintech company Digital Asset. Yuval became CEO of the fintech company in 2019 and since then has shifted focus to smart contracts and DAML. We kick off the episode with the reasons for this change, the importance of distributed ledger and power of DAML. Moving onto the bigger picture issues in blockchain, Yuval and Simon also discuss the importance of interoperability as governments move towards central bank digital currencies and the opportunities for DLT applications beyond fintech and financial services in a post-coronavirus world.

But first, we hear a special announcement from host Simon Taylor about the current COVID-19 pandemic and the future of the podcast.

Small business financial services are only 1% finished. Our latest research examines the Jobs to be Done and cultural insights on what US business owners need, and the digital services that will help them meet their goals. Download the research for free by heading to bit.ly/digitalsmb.

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Special Guest: Yuval Rooz.

138. Bitcoin halvening approaches as China and Libra battle for supremacy Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

Simon Taylor is back this week to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. Of course, he is not alone, and in this episode, Simon is joined in the studio by:

Garrick Hileman - Head of Research at Blockchain.com
Isabelle Corbett - Head of Government Relations at R3
Max Kantelia - Co-founder of Zilliqa

This week is all about CBDCs and stablecoins. First up, Libra is back in the headlines and making waves in the stablecoin world as it tries to win regulatory approval. Meanwhile, China is taking its digital yuan up a level. Not only has the central bank confirmed mobile app trials, but big brands are also getting in on the action with Starbucks, McDonald's and a host of other big firms testing the CBDC. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:

Facebook scales back Libra as it tries to win regulatory approval (03:30)
China Launches National Blockchain Network (08:55)
China Central Bank Confirms Digital Yuan Mobile App Trials (09:39)
Starbucks, McDonald’s Among 19 Firms to Test China’s Digital Yuan (14:09)
Central Banks Recommended to Ban Stablecoins (19:16)
Andreessen Horowitz is reportedly raising as much as $450M for new crypto fund (27:05)
Options Market Signals Doubt Bitcoin Price Will Rise After Halving (36:20)

The Tweet of the Week comes from @DTAPCAP about bitcoin trades in Lebanon. Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an immediate financial and operational crisis, permanently reshaping the financial services industry. This change must be swift and unavoidable - check out our research report to find out more: Info.11fs.com/covid19

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Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsider

Special Guests: Garrick Hileman, Isabelle Corbett, and Max Kantelia .

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137. Can central banks kill crypto? Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

Simon Taylor is back this week to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. Of course, he is not alone, and in this episode, Simon is joined remotely by Blockchain Insider returners:

Lex Sokolin - Fintech Co-head at ConsenSys
Olivia Vinden - Head of Fintech and Innovation UK at Alpha FMC

It's a big week for cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin Cash sees it's first halving, resulting in each new transaction block being reduced from 12.5 BCH to 6.25 BCH. On the other side of the crypto spectrum, Ether is on a high with prices rising by 20% ahead of their upgrade. Whilst France experiments with a digital Euro, we also get into a discussion about how CBDCs might be moving us further away from the goals of cryptocurrencies. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:

Programmable fintech payments startup Sila raises $7.7M seed to wipe out ACH (01:55)
Bitcoin Cash just went through its first halving (08:23)
Ether Rises to 28-Day High Amid Positive Sentiment for Coming ‘Eth 2.0’ Upgrade (14:33)
France's central bank begins experimenting with digital euro (23:01)
Paxful launches peer-to-peer trading between gold and Bitcoin (35:22)

The Tweet of the Week comes from @Melt_Dem about the future of CBDCs. Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!

Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter

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Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsider

Special Guests: Lex Sokolin and Olivia Vinden.

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136. Central bank digital currencies in the age of coronavirus Apr 09, 2020

Show notes

Simon Taylor is back this week to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. Of course, he is not alone, and in this episode, Simon is joined in the studio by:

Richard Crook - Director at Lab 577
Dave Hudson - Chief Engineering Officer at R3

This week we kick things off with a discussion about central bank digital currencies. As coronavirus continues to spread across the globe we're beginning to see shifts in attitudes towards CBDCs. In the US, before Donald Trump signed into law the largest economic stimulus package in US history, there were murmurs of a digital dollar just before it was dropped from the bill. Meanwhile, in China, efforts to create a national digital currency have just gone up a notch as they complete development of the basic functions of a CBDC. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:

House stimulus bills adopt then promptly drop 'digital dollar' (02:18)
Turning A Crisis Into An Opportunity, China Gets One Step Closer to CBDC (07:43)
Shift in payments habits because of coronavirus fears could bolster central bank digital currencies says BIS (11:30)
Square says bitcoin 'engagement' on its Cash App has grown in recent weeks amid market volatility (17:05)
HSBC Puts $10B of Private Placements on R3’s Corda Blockchain (27:44)
CFTC announces finalized guidance on the 'actual delivery' of digital assets (36:04)

The Tweet of the Week comes from @antony_btc about "magical money" (41:49). Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!

If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsider

Special Guests: Dave Hudson and Richard Crook.

Links:

Technical difficulties - we'll be back next week! Apr 02, 2020

Show notes

We've had some technical difficulties with remote recording and unfortunately, that means no new episode this week. Fear not, as we're back next week and the week after with more of the latest and greatest in blockchain, crypto and DLT news.

Whilst you're here, why not check out some of the other shows in the 11:FS podcast family? We've got Fintech Insider, Insurtech Insider, which recently had a blockchain special, and the brand new Fintech Marketing Podcast. Check them out by clicking the links below.

Fintech Insider - https://link.chtbl.com/fintechinsider
Insurtech Insider - https://link.chtbl.com/insurtech
Fintech Marketing Podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/fintech-marketing-podcast

If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsider

135. Crypto vs cash as a safe haven as markets react to coronavirus Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

Vinay Gupta - Founder and CEO of Mattereum
Obi Nwosu - CEO of Coinfloor

This week we kick things off with a discussion about cash, crypto and coronavirus. In the past few weeks, COVID-19 has taken its toll on markets worldwide, and in today's episode, we talk about how cash has become the new safe haven as the value of crypto and gold continues to tank. While many cryptocurrency advocates have long likened bitcoin to gold as the ultimate financial safe haven, in these challenging times the markets are saying otherwise. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:

Cash Is the New Safe Haven as Crypto, Gold Continue to Tank (01:44)
Bank of England releases white paper on central bank digital currencies (12:01)
DeFi Leader MakerDAO weighs emergency shutdown following ETH price drop (25:59)
ING invests in enterprise blockchain securities lending platform HQLAX (39:12)

The Tweet of the Week comes from @MalcMili13 about crypto merch and celebrity endorsements (42:32). Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!

If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!

Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsider

Special Guests: Obi Nwosu and Vinay Gupta.

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