Blockchain Won't Save the World

Latest Episodes:

S1E15 Creating an NFT Crypto Collectable Business with Brendan Cooper from Panini Jun 13, 2020

Show notes

The fascinating story of how a $1bn company, famous for sticker books and trading cards, launched its own Blockchain business. Brendan is incredibly knowledgeable about Blockchain, DLT and Crypto, and he managed to convince a very traditional business to take the leap straight into Crypto Collectables - and he's got much more planned for the future. We talk about why they chose Hyperledger Sawtooth, how he helped Panini Executives to 'level up', and where wallets, mirror nodes and Zero Knowledge Proofs fit in his technology roadmap.

In this episode, we discuss:

- The history of the Panini collectables business

- Brendan's early Blockchain inspiration from Crypto Pepe

- Important adjacencies: Rare cars, artwork and fractional ownership

- Why 'Panini Coin' (or CoopCoin) never made it into production and the problem with the 'Crypto' moniker

- 'Levelling' up the Panini Executive Team to become Blockchain experts

- The reaction of traditional customers and the crypto community

- Why Panini's platform uses Hyperledger Sawtooth, Ethereum's UX and scaling challenges, and using mirror nodes for public verification

- Collectables technologies to keep tabs on: public protocols, crypto collectables, privacy solutions, DeFi and ZDP

- Future considerations - bearer instruments, custodial services, live sports feed oracles, full crypto, DAOs?

- What Fortnite should have learned before launching digital collectables

Links to topics mentioned in this episode:

Brendan's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendantcooper

Panini Blockchain - https://www.paniniamerica.net/blockchain

OpenSea - https://opensea.io

Starkware - https://starkware.co

International Standard Content Code - https://iscc.codes

Social Identity of Objects - https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170024485A1/en

S1E14 Why Executives Struggle With Blockchain - an Alison McCauley Masterclass Jun 06, 2020

Show notes

Alison McCauley, trained organisational psychologist and Blockchain thought leader, explains why companies and executives find it so hard to understand and adopt Blockchain technology. We discuss the barriers to embracing emerging technology, why Blockchain's hype cycle has been uniquely unhelpful, and predict how and where Blockchain adoption will be most impactful. In this episode we cover:

- How senior leaders think, and why emerging tech (and Blockchain specifically) doesn't fit their mental model

- Where hype comes from, and why Blockchain hype isn't comparable to that of AI or Cloud

- The psychology behind driving change and creating burning platforms

- The external factors impacting demand and peoples' expectations for Blockchain technology

- How Blockchain incentive models could be the missing ingredient for Contact Tracing apps

- Alison's most impactful use cases: voting, credentials, carbon credits, digital identity, DAOs

- What is the place for crytocurrencies in an enterprise context

Links to topics discussed in the show:

Alison's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unblocked

Alison's Twitter: @unblockedfuture

Edelman Trust Barometer: https://www.edelman.com/trustbarometer

S1E13 Blockchain Open Source Ecosystems with Marta Piekarska from Hyperledger Foundation May 30, 2020

Show notes

Getting the inside track on the Open Source movement and some of the Hyperledger Projects you may never have heard of... Marta is an Ecosystem Director for Hyperledger and is responsible for growing the community, progressing projects from ideas to Labs to Projects, and has worked with developers, enterprises and consortia worldwide. She also supports technical governance for Sovrin, and shares her views about the intersections between Sovrin, Hyperledger and Indy. In this episode we talk about:

- The importance of open source technology for developers, enterprises and governments

- The mission and goals of the Hyperledger Foundation

- The process and governance for starting and progressing Hyperledger Projects

- The origins of Cactus, the latest project in the Hyperledger 'greenhouse'

- A comparison between Sovrin and Hyperledger, and where they intersect with Hyperledger Indy

- Encouraging diversity, growing a Blockchain community and how to keep the peace

- Key learnings from Marta's past projects, including Caliper ('A Working Group that did real work'), Iroha ('Hyperledger's Greatest Hidden Secret') and Ursa ('Don't Implement Your Own Crypto')

- What's Next: Why interoperability and on-chain governance are needed, but the importance of defining 'how' and 'where'

Links to content discussed on the show:

Marta's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martapiekarska

Hyperledger YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_X0WkMtkWzaVUKF-PRBNQ

Hyperledger Website (for Developers): https://wiki.hyperledger.org

Hyperledger Website (for non-Developers): www.hyperledger.org

Marta's New Book: https://www.manning.com/books/permissioned-blockchains-in-action

S1E12: How to Patent Blockchain Inventions with Keir Finlow-Bates May 23, 2020

Show notes

This is one for the culture! Veteran inventor and holder of numerous Blockchain patents, Keir Finlow-Bates takes us through what it takes to innovate in the Blockchain space, why some of the world's largest companies are rushing to create Blockchain patents, and what it takes to get one. We also talk about Keir's approach to identifying where Blockchain can be disruptive, using the subconscious mind to create content, and why it's better to invent in a van than in a shed! In this episode we cover:

- Why companies like Visa, GM, Baidu and Walmart are churning out Blockchain patents

- Why Vitalik Buterin is wrong on patenting Blockchain innovations

- The process for patenting Blockchain propositions

- Why Keir became an inventor and how to generate new-to-world inventions

- Some of Keir's most famous Blockchain inventions (Proof of Location, Alternative Mining Power)

- How Blockchain could support the patent value chain (registration, licensing, transfer of ownership)

- Where P2P Networks, Asymetric Key Cryptography, Hash-Linked Lists and Byzantine Fault Tolerance provide most value

- The source material for Kier's legendary Blockchain vlogs

- The power of subliminal processing (this one is really cool!)

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Keir's Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/keirf/

ChainFrog: www.chainfrog.com

ThinkLair: www.thinklair.com

S1E11: Digital Cash: Rewiring Payments and Remittances with Jack Nikogosian, CEO of Aryze May 16, 2020

Show notes

What is Digital Cash, and how does it fit in a world with Libra, Central Bank Digital Currencies and Crypto? Jack Nikogosian has made the transition from Bitcoin to ICO to regulated digital bank, and explains the unique value of central bank-backed Digital Cash for enabling access to banking for all, and the goal of zero fee remittances worldwide. A truly transformative opportunity.

In this episode we discuss:

- The challenge of bringing Bitcoin to traditional banking systems

- The difference between Digital Cash, Stablecoins, CBDCs and Cryptocurrencies

- The cost of cross-border payments and remittances for migrant workers

- How digital cash could be a better underlying asset for Facebook's Libra

- The technology architecture for a digital cash bank (core banking, Ethereum, cloud, compliance, data centres)

- How to scale a digital cash ecosystem worldwide

- Migrating from an ICO token model to a traditional shareholding and buyback model (this is really cool...)

Links to topics discussed on the show:

Aryze: https://aryze.io/

Jack's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacknikogosian

Coinify: https://coinify.com

S1E10: Blockchain and The Internet of Things (IoT) with David Sønstebø, Founder of IOTA May 09, 2020

Show notes

Combining the exponential capability of both Blockchain and IoT is seen by many as the next major horizon for technology innovation, and few know more about this topic than David Sønstebø who takes us through everything you need to know in this space, from the use cases to the architecture, and when he expects the Blockchain+IoT fusion to reach the mainstream. In this episode we cover:

- Why the Internal of Things needs its own network, and why traditional connectivity and payment rails will not work

- The genesis of IOTA - from Internet Forums to International Foundation

- Key domains where Blockchain and IoT can have the greatest impact: Automotive, Supply Chain, Smart Cities

- A detailed comparison of Blockchain and Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG) architecture

- Interoperability with Hyperledger, Ethereum and other Blockchain protocols

- Unified Identity Protocol, IOTA Enterprise Edition and Distributed Identity for COVID-19

- Forecast for when IOTA and DAG infrastructure will be production ready and scaled

Links to topics discussed on the show:

IOTA: https://www.iota.org

Unified Identity Protocol: https://blog.iota.org/the-first-step-towards-a-unified-identity-protocol-7dc3988c8b0e

David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sonstebo-760319a5/

David's Twitter: @DavidSonstebo

S1E9: Blockchain and Self Sovereign Identity with Arwen Smit from Outlier Ventures May 02, 2020

Show notes

As the entire world is looking to Self Sovereign Identity (SSI) as a potential solution to COVID-19, Arwen Smit gives us some home truths about the complexity of identity management, what is required to develop SSI networks, and potential business models for private sector enterprises. Arwen is hugely knowledgeable and a pleasure to listen to - essential for anyone who wants to learn more about the digital identity space.

In this episode we cover:

- An overarching framework for identity and trust (human trust, cryptographic trust)

- The major problems that SSI aims to address (and some that is should not)

- How SSI could be applied to the COVID-19 Pandemic

- Critical challenges to consider (governance, ethics, fraud, commercial models)

- The relevance of Blockchain as an enabler for SSI

- Case studies including Estonia, MOBI, Sovrin, the UN and more

- Arwen view on 'If data is the new oil, is SSI the electric motor?' and,

- Her most valuable, most impactful, and favourite SSI use cases for the future

Links to topics discussed:

- Arwen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arwensmit

- Arwen's Website: https://arwensmit.com

- Identity Reboot: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Identity-Reboot-Reimagining-Privacy-Century/dp/1916314414

S1E8: Blockchain in the Danish Construction Industry with Niels Falk from HD Lab Apr 25, 2020

Show notes

A uniquely Danish view on construction, design and the disruptive impact of Blockchain. Niels has been working with the Danish Industry Foundation to explore technologies and use cases that can bring transparency, efficiency and solve age-old problems within the sector, and he explains why he thinks Blockchain offers something very different to what has gone before.

In this episode we discuss:

- Why the Construction industry has a data and transparency problem

- Ideation and prioritisation of the 150+ Blockchain uses cases that Niels and the team developed

- Deep dives on the team's priority use cases: Material traceability, IoT devices, Client decision making, Component tracing, and 'Proof of Work'

- Working with Stellar, Azure, Hyperledger, Quorum

- The future of BIM, 3D models, reality capture, generative design and exoskeletons

- Key challenges of working with Blockchain in the Construction industry

- Niels' prediction for when we'll see true digital transformation in the sector

How to find Niels:

Niels' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsfalk/

HD Lab: https://www.hdlab.dk/

*Apologies for some glitches in Niels' audio in this episode - Zoom was not having a good day...

S1E7: Stablecoins, CBDCs & Libra (Diem) with Gorazd Ocvirk and Gavin Pacini from Sygnum Apr 18, 2020

Show notes

Everything you wanted to know about Stablecoins in one podcast. The boys from Sygnum talk through how they created their own Swiss Franc Stablecoin under Swiss banking regulation, the different classifications of Stablecoin, and how the future may unfold in terms of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and Facebook's Libra. A must for anyone wanting to understand Stablecoins in more detail.

In this episode we cover:

- Stablecoin classification: Centralised crypto-collateralised, Decentralised crypto-collateralised, FIAT collateralised and CBCDs

- How to develop a Stablecoin using Ethereum ERC20 tokens

- Integrating Public Blockchain and HSMs with traditional core banking platforms

- The differences between permissionless cryptocurrencies and regulated stablecoins (KYC, Whitelists, Pauses and Confiscation)

- How many Stablecoins does the world need? Will there be one to rule them all, or multiple domain or country-specific coins?

- The value and potential impact of Libra and Central Bank Digital Currencies

References made in the show:

Sygnum: https://www.sygnum.com/

Gorazd's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorazd-ocvirk-phd-43ba4763/

Gavin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinpacini/

S1:E6 Blockchain in Supply Chain Management with Martijn Thijsen from the Port of Rotterdam Apr 11, 2020

Show notes

A great introduction to how Blockchain is being applied in the business of international supply chains and logistics. Martijn talks through how the Port of Rotterdam began exploring Blockchain business networks, creating partnership ecosystems and developing its own Deliver platform with ABN-AMRO and Samsung, along with a number of other topics, including:

- The role of a port in the wider technology innovation landscape

- Benefits of Blockchain in trade, logistics and trade finance

- How to form and govern a global business network

- Details about PoR's Deliver platform and its learnings and challenges to-date

- Interoperability between Blockchain networks (Hyperledger and Ethereum)

- The role of other exponential technologies in supply chains, including AI, Drones, Quantum and Digital Twins

References to topics mentioned on the podcast:

Port of Rotterdam: www.portofrotterdam.com

Blocklab: www.blocklab.nl

Deliver platform: www.deliver.community

Martijn's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martijnthijsen