Crypto and Blockchain Talk - Making You Smarter

Latest Episodes:

Bonkers for Bitcoin? You Betcha! Edan Yago Tells Us Why #121 Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Bitcoin is on the up! As you have seen from our last podcast episodes, global companies such as PayPal and Square are putting their money (or bitcoin) where their mouth is and giving Bitcoin the validity that it so surely needed. Many people knew from the word go that Bitcoin was going to be a game-changer on the global economic stage, and one of those people is Edan Yago - a long time name in the Bitcoin game and contributor to the Sovryn protocol. Join me, Aviva Ounap, host of Crypto and Blockchain Talk, and Edan as we explore why he is bonkers for Bitcoin and what this could be for you.

50 Shades of Grayscale! Is Bitcoin the Investors Safe Word? #120 Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is a digital currency (cryptocurrency) investment product that investors can buy and sell in their own brokerage accounts. On January 21, 2020, it became an SEC reporting company, registering its shares with the Commission and designating the Trust as the first digital currency investment vehicle to attain the status of a reporting company by the SEC.

Grayscale’s $5.1 billion in Bitcoin under management is fast being challenged by firms including CoinShares and MicroStrategy, who have also made heavy investments in BTC, entering the same space. But what does this mean to you? Join Aviva Ounap, host of Crypto and Blockchain Talk, and Ben Jessel of Forbes.com as we explore 50 Shades of Grayscale and see if it is as sexy as it seems.

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

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Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

It’s a Square Deal! Square purchases $50m of BTC! #119 Oct 21, 2020

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Enter cryptosphere, stage right! Square has just announced buying $50m worth of bitcoin, which is only 1% of its assets from Q2 of 2020. They apparently just realized that crypto holds great potential to bring empowerment and it aligns with Square goals. What is even more interesting is that Square made all of the documentation regarding their crypto investment completely open-source to make it easier for other companies to understand the process in case they are interested in purchasing BTC themselves. How lovely is that! Join me, Aviva Ounap, host of Crypto and Blockchain Talk, and Ben Jessel of Forbes.com as we have a natter about this latest foray into crypto and what it is all about.

UPDATE: Ben was close! After listening to this podcast, you will understand, but the Central Bank of the Bahamas has officially launched its national digital currency! The sand dollar is a digital version of the Bahamian dollar.

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

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Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

What is Blockchain #118 Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

What is Blockchain?

You’ve heard this word everywhere lately, but what does it really mean? Simply put, it’s a way of structuring and storing data. Think of how you pack things up to move. Things are put in boxes, the boxes are labeled with the contents, and then it is stacked inside the moving truck or storage unit. That’s it, really.

So why is that revolutionary? Or special?

It’s not that special or revolutionary at all. How it is being used, is what the fuss is all about. It enables something called distributed ledger technology (or DLT), which is an important step in the evolution of how data is stored and shared. Until now, most companies had private databases. They just had no other means. If they allowed anyone to look at their databases, it would have created huge security risks. With blockchain technology, it can be owned by no one, added to by its users, and all the information can be seen publicly. This use of a public ledger creates transparency never before seen, which in turn enables a company (or government) to show what they are up to, be held accountable, and thus gain trust.

That’s a very simple way of understanding a blockchain. The great thing about it is its simplicity. It can be created very quickly. There are YouTube tutorials under 20 minutes long showing you how to code your own blockchain from scratch! A blockchain can also be written in JavaScript, one of the most widely used and easy to learn coding languages. Someone who has never coded before, EVER, could learn how to code a JavaScript blockchain in under a week, just following simple guides and tutorials.

Here are some real-world uses that are already applying blockchain technology:

Decentralized Internet
Smart Contracts
Decentralized Markets
Distributed Cloud Storage
Decentralized Social Networking Sites
Encrypted Messaging
Proof of Ownership
Authenticated Voting
Stock exchange
Real Estate
Shipping, Logistics, and Food Processing

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

Federally chartered banks and thrifts may provide custody services for crypto assets #117 Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

Did you know that now, Federally Chartered Banks and Thrifts May Provide Custody Services For Crypto Assets? Do you even know what this means? Well, we can tell you that The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today published a letter clarifying national banks' and federal savings associations' authority to provide cryptocurrency custody services for customers. According to their press release, "National and state banks and thrifts have long provided safekeeping and custody services, including both physical objects and electronic assets. The OCC has specifically recognized the importance of digital assets and the authority for banks to provide safekeeping for such assets since 1998. " So the OCC concluded that providing cryptocurrency custody services, including holding unique cryptographic keys associated with cryptocurrency, is a modern form of traditional bank activities related to custody services. They further stated, "From safe-deposit boxes to virtual vaults, we must ensure banks can meet the financial services needs of their customers today,"

Join Aviva Õunap, host of Crypto and Blockchain Talk, and Jonathan Dunsmoor, Founder, and Principal of Dunsmoor Law, as we explain the significance of this announcement while giving definitions and insights.

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

The Crypto Roundup, World View #116 Sep 05, 2020

Show notes

It’s the Crypto Roundup, World View episode! We talk about Ethereum’s increasing popularity due to DeFi, stablecoins in China and so much more. Join the host of Crypto and Blockchain Talk, Aviva Ounap, and Ben Jessel of Forbes.com today and tune into this week’s educational and interesting podcast!

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

Paypal Has a Crypto Future! Who is Next? #115 Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

Paypal and Venmo are going crypto! PayPal apparently is going to allow the buying and selling of crypto to its 325 million users which will ramp up adoption and of course, add legitimacy to digital currency – and Venmo is looking to do more of the same. It is all remarkably interesting, but what does this mean for crypto enthusiasts like you and me? Join Aviva Ounap, host of Crypto and Blockchain talk, and Ingamar Ramierz from Manditoken.io as we have a look at the payments landscape and how this could play out.

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

Kodak Moments: A Snapshot of a Company in Trouble? #114 Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

It's a Kodak Moment for sure! On July 28 of 2020, Kodak announced it was allegedly getting a $765 million loan from the US Government to aid it in producing drug ingredients. What happened next was obvious - the news about this federal support led to its stock to explode by 2,190% the next day. But this was not the end of the excitement as the SEC, or US Securities and Exchange Commission, then announced that it was investigating the firm on its extraordinary stock growth and whether any insider trading took place, as shares traded up 26% in the market immediately before the announcement was made public. After this podcast aired, the Kodak share price crashed by over 30%, as it was announced that the $765 million loan was put on ice, pending investigation. But don't forget, in 2018 Kodak went into crypto with their KodakCoin and their Kodak KashMiner, which weirdly enough was not to be integrated with and mine their KodakCoin – it mined Bitcoin. In 2018, when they released the news about their crypto, blockchain, and mining endeavors, Kodak's stock prices rose almost 120 percent. So what is Kodak up to? Join me, Aviva Ounap, and Jonathan Dunsmoor of Dunsmoor Law as we look at Kodak, their disconnected and seemingly erratic business movements, and discuss whether are they about to fall foul of the SEC with allegations of insider trading. Listen today!

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

Wirecard: How to make Billions Disappear! #113 Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”, said Sir Walter Scott, and how right he was! Billions are missing from Wirecard’s coffers, and no one knows yet where it went, but there are many ideas.

Wirecard has taken part in what the head of Germany's financial watchdog calls "a massive criminal act". So, what happened, and more importantly, how did their auditing firm, Ernst & Young (EY), not catch this earlier?

And do not forget, EY lost a million of other people’s money in BTC during another ‘work episode’ https://www.coindesk.com/quadriga-inadvertently-sent-btc-to-dead-ceos-cold-wallet-ey-report. How come EY cannot seem to stop dropping the ball? Olaf Scholz, Germany’s finance minister, defended his handling of the Wirecard scandal by blaming EY, Wirecard’s long-standing auditors.

Regardless, some ex-Wirecard staff has been arrested, and some others are on the run, but more importantly, certain Wirecard operations will resume with relaxed restrictions, such as the UK subsidiary. Hm.

German authorities have asked Russian officials for help to arrest Jan Marsalek, the former Wirecard AG executive who is apparently hiding somewhere in Russia after he converted a cache of money to BTC and sent it there.

Join me, Aviva Õunap, host of Crypto and Blockchain Talk, and Ben Jessel, Forbes.com journalist as we have a look at Wirecard, EY, and possibly, allegedly, one of the biggest scams of all time.

There is an excellent timeline published here:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/the-rise-and-fall-of-wirecard-12976930,

In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music!

So stay tuned and enjoy.

We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

The Unequal Scales of Justice? The Roulette Wheel of Fines, Penalties, Disgorgements and Jail Time #112 Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

You do the crime, you do the time – so they say, but sometimes punishments for identical crimes are unequal and even puzzling. Let us start with the case of Charles C. Liu and Xin Wang, a married couple and U.S. citizens in California, who raised over $27 million USD from Chinese companies claiming they were going to use these investments to build a cancer treatment centre.

It was discovered by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the couple did not use all of the funds towards their stated project, and that once they secured the money, although they had the land, no development work was being undertaken. What the SEC did find was that $11.8 million USD was transferred back to Chinese companies owned by Liu and other monies were used for personal expenses by the couple. The courts ruled that the couple had to pay a disgorgement award requiring the couple to pay back the full amount they had obtained from the investors, in addition to a civil penalty of US$8.2 million.

But let us compare this to Telegram, the company who raised $1.7 billion USD during what the SEC deemed an illegal securities sale. They agreed to return $1.2 billion to investors and they are only going to be paying an $18.5 million penalty. So, what about all the interest on the $1.7 billion raised (and banked) and the difference in amounts, a mere $500 million USD. Where is that going?

Join me, Aviva Ounap, and Jonathan Dunsmoor of Dunsmoor Law, as we look at SEC justice, and compare fines, penalties and disgorgements of these two cases and wonder about the logic behind their punishments.

Tune in to CryptoAndBlockchainTalk.com, the podcast that makes you smarter about the worlds of blockchain and cryptocurrency, and everything in between. It is our mission to interview the brightest stars in this space, bringing them straight to your ears for your listening pleasure, and best of all, for free! In addition, all interviews are streamed on Crypto24Radio.com, bringing you the latest news on all things blockchain and crypto-related all day, every day - plus music! So stay tuned and enjoy. We LOVE having you as our listener, and friend!

___________________________

Do you want us to talk about your project or company? Email us: education@saviidigital.com

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