Stephan Livera Podcast

Latest Episodes:

What’s Next for Bitcoin and Mutiny Wallet with Ben Carman SLP551 Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

Ben Carman of Mutiny Wallet rejoins me on the show to talk about what’s coming next for Bitcoin. We talk about scaling Bitcoin and contrast the different mindsets, discuss different soft fork proposals and directions Bitcoin could go. We also talk about what impact covenants will have and the latest with Mutiny Wallet.

Bitcoin’s biggest challenges
Taxonomy of Bitcoin development culture
Soft forks and covenants
What ‘counts’ as a Bitcoin L2?
What are the big benefits of covenants?
Mutiny Wallet - a new Hybrid era?
Will people get priced out?
Fedimint support
Synthetic USD or swaps?
Inscriptions and Spam

Links:

Site: mutinywallet.com
X: @benthecarman
nostr: npub1u8lnhlw5usp3t9vmpz60ejpyt649z33hu82wc2hpv6m5xdqmuxhs46turz
Inscriptions post: https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzdesxgerxdp58yenyvejqgswrlemlh2wgqc4jkds3d8ueqj9a2j3gcm7r48v9tskdd6rxsd7rtcrqsqqqa28wdzn0j

Sponsors:

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

Stephan Livera links:

Timestamps/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Bitcoin's Challenges: Scaling and Social Consensus
08:50 - Different Perspectives on Bitcoin's Future
16:10 - The Importance of Unilateral Exit and Self-Custody
21:16 - The Potential of Covenants for Scaling Bitcoin
25:23 - Mempool.space
26:17 - Coinkite.com
27:37 - Bitcoin Ark - A Payment Pool
31:11 - Introduction to Mutiny Wallet
34:36 - Addressing Security Concerns
37:06 - Simplifying Onboarding and Social Features in Mutiny Wallet
41:50 - The Challenge of Scalability and Affordability
43:50 - Building a Hybrid Wallet with Fediment Support
45:50 - NomadCapitalist.com
47:50 - Swan.com
49:07 - Guardians and Discoverability in Mutiny Wallet
50:50 - Multiple Federation Support in Mutiny Wallet
55:25 - Stable Channels and Synthetic USD in Mutiny Wallet
01:00:20 - The Role of ETFs and Number Go Up in Bitcoin Adoption
01:04:40 - The Debate on Inscriptions and Shitcoins in Bitcoin
01:08:01 - Closing Thoughts

Dispelling False Narratives About Bitcoin with Daniel Batten SLP550 Feb 16, 2024

Show notes

Do the lies about Bitcoin frustrate you? Join us in this episode as we discuss the ways to dispel and debunk some of the most egregious false climate narratives on Bitcoin with Daniel Batten, Managing Partner at CH4 Capital. We discuss:

The biggest bitcoin climate myths
Dishonest portrayal in the media
“Per transaction” fake methodology
Where Cambridge CCAF is wrong
Bitcoin’s PoW and ‘ideological intransigence’
ESMA submission
How Bitcoiners can help

Links:

Prior episodes referred to

Sponsors:

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

Stephan Livera links:

Timestamps/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
01:51 - Daniel's Journey with Bitcoin
09:13 - Biggest Bitcoin Climate Myths
18:34 - Coinkite.com
19:37 - Mempool.space
20:34 - How Media Perceptions about Bitcoin Changed Over Time
36:20 - Cambridge Bitcoin Estimate
44:45 - Swan.com
45:54 - Acknowledging Other Paths To Sustainability
57:10 - Submission to ESMA and Correcting False Narratives
01:09:21 - Bitcoin's Environmental Benefits
01:12:40 - Closing Thoughts

Is Everything Good For Bitcoin? with Christian Keroles SLP549 Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

We talk about monetary maximalism, and whether everything is good for bitcoin with Christian Keroles of HRF. We discuss:

Monetary maximalism: descriptive or prescriptive
Bitcoin Spam
Antifragility
What bitcoiners are getting wrong on personal finance
How 2023 played out with “ordinals”
Not being used to winning

Links:

Sponsors:

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

Stephan Livera links:

Timestamp/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
01:22 - Defining Monetary Maximalism
03:10 - Monetary Maximalism as an Observation
05:00 - Descriptive vs Prescriptive Monetary Maximalism
09:50 - The Debate on Ordinals and Spam
21:05 - The Nuisance Level of Spam
22:48 - What Are Most Bitcoiners Getting Wrong On Personal Finance
29:49 - The Emergence of Ordinals and Inscriptions
32:27 - Coinkite.com
33:28 - Swan.com
34:31 - Mempool.space
35:54 - The Umbrella Term of Ordinals
41:16 - The Fallout and Consequences of Bitcoin Developments
48:53 - The Strengthening of Bitcoin through Challenges
53:20 - The Debate on Filtering in Bitcoin
58:32 - The Emergence of Runes Protocol
01:02:13 - Bitcoin's Winning Streak
01:04:35 - Confusion and False Narratives
01:07:37 - The Base of Bitcoin: 21 Million Coins and HODL
01:08:37 - Closing Thoughts and Bitcoin Adoption

Bitcoin Oasis 2024 interviews - Zucco, Rizzo, Dashjr, Prince Philip, De La Torre SLP548 Feb 10, 2024

Show notes

We’re trying something a little different this episode! While at Bitcoin Oasis 2024 in Dubai I captured some short interviews with some speakers at the conference. We covered a wide range of topics ranging from Bitcoin Spam, to nation state adoption and honestly grappling with bitcoin user adoption trade offs. The speakers interviewed are:

Alejandro De La Torre of Demand Mining
Luke Dashjr of Ocean Mining
Prince Philip of Serbia, from JAN3
Pete Rizzo of Bitcoin Magazine
Giacomo Zucco of Plan B Network

Links:

Alejandro De La Torre X: @bitentrepreneur
Luke Dashjr X: @LukeDashjr and https://ocean.xyz/
Prince Philip of Serbia X: @PrincFilip1 and https://jan3.com/
Pete Rizzo X: @pete_rizzo_ and Bitcoinmagazine.com
Giacomo Zucco X: @giacomozucco and https://planb.network/

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Timestamps/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction
01:44 - Alejandro De La Torre Interview
08:26 - Luke Dashjr Interview
21:10 - Swan.com
22:46 - Mempool.space
23:47 - Prince Philip of Serbia Interview
37:08 - Pete Rizzo Interview
54:29 - Coinkite.com
55:46 - NomadCapitalist.com
57:20 - Giacomo Zucco Interview
01:13:26 - Closing Thoughts

Big Changes in El Salvador with Mike Peterson SLP547 Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Mike Peterson from Bitcoin Beach El Zonte, El Salvador rejoins me on the show to give listeners some updates from El Salvador. Having a reduced crime rate and improved investment and tourism into the country has driven big changes! We talk:

How things look a few years on from the Bitcoin Law
Life on the ground in El Salvador
How easy it is to move
El Salvador $1M Citizenship Program
Dealing with on chain fees
Custodial vs Self Custodial and pragmatism
‘Circular Economies’ and insights from his networking around the world

Links:

X: @Bitcoinbeach
YT: @LiveFromBitcoinBeach

Sponsors:

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

Stephan Livera links:

Timestamps/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Background

01:20 - Two and a Half Years After Bitcoin Adoption in El Salvador

05:21 - Financial Innovation in El Salvador

09:36 - Bottom-Up vs Top-Down Adoption of Bitcoin

11:00 - Ease of Setting Up in El Salvador

21:05 - Coinkite.com

22:13 - Mempool.space

22:56 - Swan.com

24:15 - Living on Bitcoin in El Salvador

31:48 - Bitcoin Meetups and Events in El Salvador

35:51 - Circular Economies and Bitcoin Adoption

40:55 - Insights from Other Circular Economies

50:05 - Custodial vs. Non-Custodial

54:21 - The Bitcoin Beach Podcast

56:16 - Closing thoughts

2024 Lightning Wallet Overview with Anita Posch SLP546 Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

Get an overview of lightning wallets in this episode with Anita Posch. Anita walks through what she found in testing self custodial lightning wallets under conditions of poor internet connectivity. We also talk about themes that came up at the recent Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town South Africa.

On the ground insights
Results of the self custodial wallet test
Which LN apps came out best?
The situation with fees
Where the test might not be suitable
How things may change with a Liquid or Fedimint approach

Links:

Sponsors:

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

Stephan Livera links:

Bitcoin Life Insurance with Zac Townsend SLP545 Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

What does Life Insurance look like when it’s all priced and done in Bitcoin? Zac Townsend (CEO and co-founder of Meanwhile) joins me on the show to talk about it. We discuss:

Life insurance as a model
Term or Whole life
Bitcoin denomination
Is it the next Celsius or BlockFi?
Does it work under a deflationary
Private credit fund

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Where Did Bitcoin Come From? The Genesis Book with Aaron van Wirdum (SLP544) Jan 26, 2024

Show notes

Aaron van Wirdum rejoins me to talk about his exploration of how Bitcoin came to be. We talk about his new book, The Genesis Book. In this book, Aaron explores some of the technologies, and philosophies that led to the creation of Bitcoin. We discuss:

What he learned in making this book
Hayek and the Austrians
Extropians
Cryptography and the Cypherpunks
Libertarians
Precursor tech to Bitcoin

Links:

X: @AaronvanW
Site: http://thegenesisbook.com/
Nostr #npub1art8cs66ffvnqns5zs5qa9fwlctmusj5lj38j94lv0ulw0j54wjqhpm0w5

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Stephan Livera Substack newsletter

Timestamp/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

01:07 - Motivation for Writing the Book

04:05 - Bitcoin's Origins and Evolution

08:21 - The Influence of Hayek and Austrian Economics

18:54 - The Connection Between FOSS and Bitcoin

25:49 - The Extropians and Their Vision

30:47 - The Cypherpunks and Their Ideology

32:28 - Swan.com

33:52 - Mempool.space

35:00 - Coinkite.com

39:30 - The Rise and Fall of DigiCash

51:20 - The Crypto Wars and Government Regulation

56:26 - Pre-cursor Electronic Cash Projects

01:01:20 - Satoshi's Clever Insight

01:03:00 - Closing thoughts

Bitcoin Mining Around the World with Seb Gouspillou (SLP543) Jan 21, 2024

Show notes

Sébastien Gouspillou is a French Bitcoin miner, entrepreneur, and speaker. He is the CEO of BBGS (Big Block Green Services) and he joins me to talk about Bitcoin mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Oman and elsewhere around the world:

Bitcoin mining in the DRC
Bitcoin mining in Oman
Using various forms of energy
Working in different environments
Narrative shifts in Bitcoin Mining and Proof of Work

Links:

X: @SebGouspillou
Site: bbgsmining.com

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Stephan Livera Substack newsletter

Timestamps/Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Background

02:34 - Challenges and Risks in the Congo

04:30 - Bitcoin Mining in Virunga National Park

09:28 - Performance and Investment in the DRC

14:10 - Economic Opportunities and Job Creation

23:31 - Bitcoin Mining in Oman

28:05 - Challenges of Solar-Powered Mining

31:38 - Bitcoin Mining in the Middle East

41:30 - Mining Potential in Africa

45:05 - Energy Sources

47:37 - The Environmental Impact of Bitcoin Mining

55:35 - Closing Thoughts

Defending Bitcoin PoW in the EU with Lyudmyla Kozlovska and Bota Jardemalie (SLP542) Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

It seems that the EU is constantly coming out with bad new regulations that will impact Bitcoiners and Bitcoin miners. Joining me today is Lyudmyla Kozlovska and Bota Jardemalie from the Open Dialogue Foundation - Bitcoin and human rights advocates. We talk about: