Stephan Livera Podcast

Latest Episodes:

US Government Fiscal Collapse Accelerates with Peter St Onge SLP561 Apr 03, 2024

Show notes

Peter St Onge rejoins me on the show to share some insight into how bad the US government fiscal situation is getting. We talk:

How much debt there is and what’s next here
The impact on the people
Japanese interest rates rising
Japanese economic impacts
AI and where the jobs will come from
Bitcoin outlook

Links:

X: @profstonge
Site: P rofs t o nge .com

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Tracking the new Bitcoin ETFs with Thomas Fahrer SLP560 Mar 30, 2024

Show notes

Thomas Fahrer, co-founder of Apollo joins me to talk about the Bitcoin ETFs. We talk:

Analysing the Bitcoin ETFs
What further institutional adoption looks like
How much capital could flow into Bitcoin
The Bitcoin FOMO scenario
Disagreements on the power law model
MSTR and Bitcoin

Links:

X: @thomas_fahrer
Site: Heyapollo.com

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Background
03:02 - The Significance of Bitcoin ETFs
13:33 - Rebalancing and Volatility
21:19 - Grayscale's Declining Bitcoin Holdings
25:41 - Swan.com
27:00 - Mempool.space
27:45 - Coinkite.com
33:35 - Possible Motivations for Grayscale's Actions
34:03 - Successful ETF Launch and Consistent Demand
37:23 - Bitcoin Price Rise and Demand - Supply Dynamics
39:44 - Volatility and Orderly Transition
41:07 - Bitcoin's Historical Price Patterns
44:05 - Flaws in Power Law Model
45:05 - Bitcoin's Potential to Replace Traditional Assets
46:41 - Flaws in Power Law Model and Fiat Currencies
50:11 - Importance of Fundamental Analysis
51:38 - Bitcoin's Bullish Case and Fundamental Properties
58:51 - Closing Thoughts

How to Ride Through This Bitcoin Bull Cycle with Vijay Boyapati SLP559 Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

My friend Vijay Boyapati (Author of the Bullish Case for Bitcoin, and part of the Swan team) rejoins me on the show to talk about HODLing, share his analysis on things, and offer some tips on how to HODL. We talk:

What phase of the cycle we’re in
HODLer psychology
Does Bitcoin get captured?
Is Bitcoin for Everyone?
Self custody tech
GBTC and Bankruptcies
Common traps and how to avoid them

Links:

X: @real_vijay
Genesis thread https://twitter.com/real_vijay/status/1744454450138526162

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Overview
03:01 - The Excitement of Bull Markets
05:54 - The Slow Build-Up and Parabolic Moves
08:46 - Hodling Through Adversity
13:07 - The Nature of Bitcoin Cycles
16:02 - The Reachability of Bitcoin Participants
19:45 - Coinkite.com
21:00 - NomadCapitalist.com
22:08 - The Challenges of Self-Custody
30:00 - The Feasibility of Self-Custody for All
34:14 - Bitcoin as a Superior Monetary Base
35:10 - Concerns about Concentration Risk
38:07 - Mempool.space
39:16 - Swan.com
40:12 - Government Influence on Bitcoin ETFs
43:32 - Multipolar World and Bitcoin Adoption
44:01 - US Favorability towards Bitcoin
46:51 - Genesis Bankruptcy and Grayscale's Future
50:11 - Common Traps in a Bull Cycle
59:54 - Dealing with Corrections in a Bull Cycle

Mi Primer Bitcoin Goes International with John Dennehy SLP558 Mar 23, 2024

Show notes

Mi Primer Bitcoin (My First Bitcoin) has grown since I last spoke with them on the show. John from the team rejoins me to talk about how things have developed. The team has now taught over 25,000 students in El Salvador and they are now expanding internationally.

Links:

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Background
01:16 - Bitcoin Diploma and Infrastructure
03:37 - International Expansion and Node Network Governance
05:27 - Course Format and Duration
08:16 - Teaching Bitcoin in Public Schools
09:14 - Collaboration with Ministry of Education
12:37 - Different Approaches to Teaching Bitcoin
15:27 - Continued Education and Advanced Courses
17:55 - Coinkite.com
19:06 - Swan.com
20:18 - Mempool.space
21:13 - Bitcoin Education for Different Age Groups
23:48 - Format and Agenda of Bitcoin Education Conferences
26:15 - Collaboration with Governments and Universities
29:37 - Localization and Modification of Curriculum
32:31 - Focus on International Expansion
34:26 - Challenges of Education for the Masses
36:48 - Adapting Curriculum to Rising Fees
39:17 - Empowerment and Independence in Bitcoin Education
40:40 - Call for Support and Contributions

Swapping across Bitcoin, Lightning and Liquid with Kilian from Boltz.exchange SLP557 Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

How do we interact with Bitcoin in a multi layer world? What cost savings and trade offs are necessary here? What even counts as a layer? Kilian from boltz.exchange joins me to talk about swapping across Bitcoin on-chain, Lightning and Liquid. We discuss:

How swapping works
What makes it atomic and non-custodial
What counts as layer 2
Fee savings and trade offs

Links:

X: @kilrau
Site: boltz.exchange
X: @boltzhq
Taproot feature blog post: Introducing Taproot Swaps: Putting the "Fun" Back into Refunds!

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
N omadcapitalist.com

Stephan Livera links:

Chapters/Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and Background
03:07 - Boltz.exchange: Moving Between Bitcoin Layers
05:35 - Use Cases for Lightning Service Providers
09:45 - Enhancing Wallet Functionality
13:20 - Non-Custodial Atomic Swaps
21:43 - Coinkite.com
23:07 - NomadCapitalist.com
24:25 - Fees and Fee Savings
29:35 - Trust Model of Liquid
32:40 - Regulatory Risks for Liquid
37:10 - Transaction Limits on Liquid
38:58 - Mempool.space
39:59 - Swan.com
41:02 - Scalability of Liquid
44:15 - Integration of Liquid with Other Services and Wallets
51:22 - Pragmatism in Bitcoin Adoption
55:45 - Operating in a High-Fee Environment
57:45 - Closing Thoughts

The First Bitcoin Circular Economy - Arnhem City Netherlands with Patrick van der Meijde SLP556 Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

Patrick van der Meijde, founder of BitKassa and co founder Arnhem Bitcoin City joins me to talk about his experience with co-founding one of the earliest Bitcoin ‘circular economy’ communities in 2014.

How he got started
Taking payments pre-lightning
Are there enough people spending?
Resurgence in circular economies
Adopting Bitcoin Arnhem City

Links:

X: @PatrickvdMeijde
Site: adoptingbitcoinarnhem.com
Site: arnhembitcoinstad.nl
Cofounder @BitKassaNL
Cofounder Arnhem Bitcoin City @Bitcoinstad
Youtube: 10 years of merchants accepting bitcoin in Arnhem

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera Links:

Chapters/Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and Background
01:55 - Bitcoin Narratives in 2014
04:45 - Transaction Fees and Challenges
08:46 - Arnhem Bitcoin City and its Evolution
09:55 - Context of Arnhem City in the Netherlands
11:45 - Capital Gains Tax in the Netherlands
12:33 - Impact of AML Regulations
14:13 - Merchants Keeping Bitcoin
15:00 - Swan.com
16:14 - Mempool.space
17:11 - Coinkite.com
18:40 - Merchant Churn and Turnover
23:35 - Importance of Local Community
28:55 - Adopting Bitcoin Conference in Arnhem
31:32 - Transition to Lightning Network
35:45 - Success Rates of Lightning Network Payments
36:30 - Improvement of Lightning Network
37:53 - Conclusion and Event Details

Bitcoin Atlantis 2024 interviews - Alden, Lavish, Strolight, Pouliot, Roose, Todd (SLP555) Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

While in Madeira for Bitcoin Atlantis, I did some interviews on a range of topics with Lyn Alden, James Lavish, Tomer Strolight, Francis Pouliot, Steven Roose and Peter Todd. We discussed:

is Macro mid curve?
USG debt
Using analogies to teach bitcoin
librerelay
MEV concerns
Self custodial and scaling

Links:

Lyn Alden X: @LynAldenContact
Site: lynalden.com

Tomer Strolight X: @TomerStrolight
Bitcoin is Generational Wealth - A Short Film by Matt Hornick and Tomer Strolight
Swan Signal Bitcoin Blog

Francis Pouliot X: @francispouliot_
Site: BullBitcoin.com

Steven Roose X: @stevenroose3
GitHub: github.com/stevenroose

Peter Todd X: @peterktodd
Site: Petertodd.org

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Bitcoin DLC Self Custodial Finance with Philipp Hoenisch of 10101 SLP554 Mar 02, 2024

Show notes

What applications exist for Bitcoin self custodial finance? Philipp Hoenisch, founder of 10101 (pronounced ten-ten-one) joins me on the show to talk about bitcoin trading without counterparty risk. We discuss: