The Crypto Conversation

Catherine Coley is the CEO of Binance.US - the San Francisco based digital asset marketplace that serves American traders under the blue-chip Binance brand. Catherine says that CZ led Binance to the top by adopting a remote-first, decentralized approach. Why you should listen: Catherine says Binance U.S. is the perfect mix for the 'ambitious trader', someone who knows markets, wants to see order depth and market structure, and wants to use the best trading tools available. Binance executed flawlessly in its first year of operation, growing at a scale beyond any other exchange. By adopting a remote-first, decentralized approach, CZ allowed the Binance team to be their best selves. Catherine also talks about her time as the head of XRP Institutional Liquidity at Ripple during the 2017 bull run. There was a button on the Ripple website that traders could push to find out where to buy XRP that sent an auto-email to Catherine. She says at the peak of the rally, she received 17,000 emails in a six-hour window. Key takeaway: The U.S. exchange market is competitive, but Catherine is confident to be the CEO of the leading exchange brand in crypto and working with the best trading engine available. While some see the U.S. as falling behind in the global crypto market, Catherine sees an incredible opportunity to get it right. She says crypto represents freedom and we are at the very beginning of the crypto revolution globally. Catherine still does customer support which gives her invaluable insight into Binance customer needs. Catherine is a major Star Wars nerd, a mega Mandolorian fan and she proudly wears her Darth Vader costume every year for May the 4th and Halloween. The Crypto Conversation is proudly sponsored by DeFi leaders NEXO Click here to borrow instantly in 45+ fiat currencies Click here to earn daily interest on your idle assets Supporting links: Binance.US Binance.US on Twitter Catherine on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin The Bitcoin Halving NEXO If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.

Kevin Kelly is a co-founder and macro strategist at Delphi Digital, an independent research boutique providing institutional-grade analysis on the digital asset market. Kevin has been tracking what he calls an "inflection point" in the "everything rally." Is the Coronavirus the black swan event that will trigger a major correction across global financial markets? What does this mean for the crypto markets? Why you should listen: Kevin was a U.S. Equity Strategist at Bloomberg before falling down the crypto rabbithole and taking his macro skills to the digital asset space. Kevin gives his helicopter view of the fast-moving macro situation. All markets are extremely volatile and the situation is changing daily as markets react to rising concern over the potential for a global Coronavirus pandemic. Key takeaway: The Coronavirus is a black swan event that is likely to get worse before it gets better. When confronted by a highly contagious virus, it is better to be paranoid early, rather than panic late. Google, Amazon and Facebook have too much market power and too much control over user data. The promise and potential of Web 3.0 is to give power back to the individual by giving them the tools to monetize their data and attention. Supporting links: Delphi Digital Systemic Risk of Pandemic via Novel Pathogens The Transall Saga The Bitcoin Halving Kevin Kelly on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Andy talks with self-described 'flash loans maximalist' Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of the Aave Protocol. We explore the increasingly exotic and esoteric landscape of Decentralized Finance or Money Lego - the DeFi ecosystem built on Ethereum. Against the backdrop of the recent DeFi exploits, we discuss the new flash loan innovation that allows traders to take out a loan without collateral by paying back the loan in the same smart contract transaction. Why you should listen: Ethereum developers and the DeFi community see the emerging decentralized finance model as a genuine alternative to the legacy financial system. Listen as Stani explains his vision for the Aave protocol and the use cases for flash loans. DeFi is still in a nascent stage andexploits are an inevitable part of the growth cycle as the technology matures. These events are necessary to strengthen the system before it is ready for mainstream use. Key takeaway: Decentralization is a journey, not a destination. DeFi may be the decentralized, accessible, immutable financial system of the future, however, the technology is new and still in the experimental stage. The current smart contract attack surface remains open to exploits. Supporting links: Aave Flash Loans Stani on Twitter Aave on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.

In part 2 of our conversation with Bram Cohen, Bram outlines the flaws in the financial system, and how Bitcoin was supposed to address them. Bram then takes on Bitcoin, his view is that Bitcoin is too centralized and that its energy footprint is wasteful. Bram explains how his new cryptocurrency project Chia hopes to build on the blueprint of Bitcoin, but instead of using the energy-intensive proof-of-work consensus algorithm, Chia uses proof of space and time, free hard disk space, to create a new Nakamoto-style consensus algorithm. Why you should listen: Bram's vision for Chia is to create a cryptocurrency with the same properties as Bitcoin, but without the enormous energy footprint, and he wants it to be decentralized, and for any individual to be able to farm (mine) the network and participate. Bram says Chia has several unique features that will encourage adoption and even capture market share from Bitcoin. Key takeaway: Bitcoin is a revolutionary idea that solved the trusted third party problem and the double spend problem but miners are too centralized and the energy footprint is wasteful. Bram's vision for Chia addresses these two perceived weaknesses. Links: Bram Cohen's Wikipedia page Chia Chia Green Paper Bitcoin Bitcoin Hash Rate By Mining Pool Dr Who Bram on Twitter Chia Project on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.

This is part one of a two-part conversation with Bram Cohen. Bram is the inventor of the peer to peer BitTorrent protocol that changed the world in the early 2000s, disrupting the way we understand copyright, how we consume content, and leading to the destruction and rebirth of corporate media companies. Bram is now working on Chia Network, a cryptocurrency with the same properties as Bitcoin, but without the intensive energy footprint. Chia uses a new consensus algorithm called Proof Of Space and Time. Why you should listen: The BitTorrent protocol was a catalyst for the golden age of file-sharing in the early 2000s. Bram says it was never about being a crusader against copyright, he was simply interested in moving data from point A to point B. Listen to Bram's memories of being a childhood programming prodigy, his early start-up failures, and his impressions of Hal Finney and Satoshi Nakamoto during the early years of Bitcoin. Key takeaway: At its peak, BitTorrent had hundreds of millions of users and accounted for 40% of all internet traffic. At the core of this was the idea that information wants to be free - and the tension behind that idea is still at the root of what it means to be extremely online today. BitTorrent is the world's largest decentralized protocol. Bitcoin is the second largest. Bitcoin is a revolutionary idea but miners are too centralized and the energy footprint is growing. Bram's vision for Chia addresses these two perceived weaknesses. Links: Bram Cohen's Wikipedia page Chia Chia Green Paper United States of America Mathematical Olympiad Mojo Nation BitTorrent Copyright Hal Finney Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds Bitcoin IRC Channels Bram on Twitter Chia Project on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.

In this episode of the Crypto Conversation Andy is joined by Arif Khan, CEO of Alethea AI, a decentralized Synthetic Content Network that allows users to own the rights to their AI-generated identity, secured by a blockchain. Are you ready to monetize your likeness, face and voice data in a trusted environment? Why you should listen: Deepfakes are hyper-realistic AI-generated synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness. Deepfakes can be used to deceive, such as a manipulated video of a politician deployed in an attempt to cause political unrest. However, individuals and media companies are now using the tech in exciting and creative new ways to enable virtual influencers and new digital and social media opportunities. The result is that the lines between virtual, digital, social, and reality continue to blur. Key takeaway: Synthetic Media is an emerging creativity multiplier that enables a new kind of storytelling. Like all technology, it can be used in both positive and negative ways. China's attempt to contain the Coronavirus is likely to accelerate the trend towards remote work, VR, and virtual identities. The future is likely to be weirder and stranger than you dared hope. Supporting links: Alethea AI War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast 1938 Lil Miquela Sapiens Alethea AI on Twitter Arif on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

In this episode of the Crypto Conversation Andy is joined by Rekt Capital, a trader and technical analyst who has been studying Bitcoin's price history to look at the effect of the previous halving events on Bitcoin's price performance. Rekt Capital says the Bitcoin Halving is an important catalyst that will propel Bitcoin into a new bull market. Why you should listen: Andy and Rekt Capital discuss the Bitcoin Halving in a macro context to address the following questions: How did each of the previous two Bitcoin Halvings affect Bitcoin's price? Are there any recurring tendencies as to how these two Halvings affected Bitcoin's price? How could Bitcoin's upcoming third Halving potentially affect Bitcoin's price? Is the Bitcoin Halving priced in? Key takeaway: The amount of Bitcoin that is created every 10 minutes gets cut in half every four years. This is why the Bitcoin Halving can be seen as a catalyst that leads to Bitcoin price appreciation. It is important to develop an understanding as well as the ability to appreciate, with a level-head, the historical significance of the Bitcoin Halving effect on Bitcoin's price. Of course, past performance doesn't guarantee future outcomes. But as Mark Twain said, two things can be said about history. "History doesn't repeat itself — but it often rhymes." Supporting links: Brave New Coin Halving Countdown Rekt Capital Bitcoin-Halving-Everything-You-Need-To-Know Rekt Capital TA Course (use discount code cryptoconversation) Brave New Coin Bitcoin Liquid Index Rekt Capital on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

In this episode of the Crypto conversation I'm joined by Pierre Ansaldi and Paul Salisbury from Brave New Coin to discuss the Bitcoin halving, and the new halving countdown page on Brave New Coin. The Bitcoin halving is a key macro event for Bitcoin in 2020, and as we get closer to the halving, Bitcoiners and the rest of the world alike will be watching Bitcoin's price action. Why you should listen: With increasingly turbulent global financial markets and less than 100 days until the Bitcoin halving, while stock markets fall, the BTC price is soaring. Investors are asking when is the halving, and is it priced in? Find out more! Key takeaway: Brave New Coin's new halving countdown page is dedicated to estimating the date and time of the next Bitcoin Block Reward Halving. We have created four scenarios based on different block time metrics. Each scenario is a moving estimate and the timestamp, charts, and values shown on the page are re-calculated daily. The page provides everything you need to watch all of the data around the halving. Supporting links: Brave New Coin Halving Countdown Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Scott Freeman, a former prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, is the co-founder of JST Capital, a firm specializing in providing a full suite of traditional financial services to institutions and high-net worth individuals in the digital asset market. On this episode of the Crypto Conversation, Scott and Andy discuss institutional investors, whether the Bitcoin halving is priced in, and the effect of the Coronavirus on the financial markets. Why you should listen: As we begin a new decade, many market watchers had expected turbulence and volatility, and 2020 is not playing around. The Coronavirus is driving the global news cycle and impacting all financial markets as governments scramble to contain the virus and prevent a pandemic. In the meantime, with just 100 days until the Bitcoin halving, while stock markets fall, the BTC price is soaring, is the halving priced in? Key takeaway: It's too early to know what will happen with the Coronavirus but it's already having a negative impact on the global economy. Andy and Scott discuss a note on the virus by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a statistician and risk analyst whose work concerns problems of randomness, probability, and uncertainty. Taleb's take is that in order to contain such a virus, all resources must be diverted to containment as soon as possible, an opportunity that China missed. Taleb's view is that while there is a very high probability for humanity surviving a single such event, over time, there is eventually zero probability of surviving repeated exposures to such events. Supporting links: JST Capital Systemic Risk of Pandemic via Novel Pathogens Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Samson Mow is the Chief Strategy Officer at Blockstream, a company dedicated to building the financial infrastructure of the future on the Bitcoin blockchain. Samson is an outspoken defender of Bitcoin and a self-described toxic maximalist. On this episode of the Crypto Conversation, Samson explains the Blockstream thesis for Bitcoin, why Bitcoin is the centre of the blockchain universe, and what it's like to be the target of crypto conspiracy theories. Why you should listen: Blockstream is building an array of products and protocols to support, extend, and protect the Bitcoin ecosystem. Samson says the Blockstream Satellite has captured people's imagination and Andy ponders how Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite network might support Bitcoin. Plus Samson and Andy discuss Bitcoin stock-to-flow, how the Lightning network can scale Bitcoin to 25,000,000 tps and much more. Key takeaway: Companies that are participating in the Bitcoin industry should help to grow and secure the network by mining. Blockstream mining is helping to facilitate this. Samson believes in calling out scams and has embraced the Bitcoin maximalist persona. A certain segment of the population is naturally attracted to conspiracy theories and crypto is no exception. The wildest conspiracy theory about Blockstream is that it is controlled by The Bilderberg Group. Supporting links: Blockstream Excellion Starlink Pixelmatic Magical Crypto Friends Blockstream on Twitter Samson on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Daniel Masters is the Executive Chairman at Coinshares, a leading digital asset management firm. The Coinshares Group manages nearly $700 million of assets on behalf of a global investor base. Daniel has a long history in the financial markets and was once the global head of energy and trading at JP Morgan. Now he wants to position CoinShares to be the crypto equivalent. Why you should listen: CoinShares is an umbrella company to some of the most innovative investment vehicles in the crypto space and Daniel has a bold vision for the next decade of blockchain. Key takeaway: Bitcoin is and will be complementary to the existing financial system. CoinShares have put physical gold on the bitcoin blockchain with the gold backed token DGLD. Supporting links: CoinShares DGLD XBT Provider Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Matthew Graham is the CEO of Sino Global Capital, a team of Beijing-based investment bankers. China sees blockchain as a key strategic technology pillar critical to the next decade of growth. As it prepares to deploy a state-issued digital currency or DCEP (Digital Currency / Electronic Payment) China has a unique opportunity to take control of its monetary system and get a jump on other nation states. What are the implications for China and its citizens? Why you should listen: China's leaders are engineering-minded and technologically bold. China has a large influence on the crypto space. The majority of bitcoin mining is based in China, and China's changing stance towards crypto assets has tended to have an exaggerated effect on the volatile crypto markets. China sees blockchain very differently from the west and appears uniquely positioned to be the first large nation state to deploy a state-issued digital currency. Plus Andy and Matthew discuss Tokenization, Star Wars, sneaker trading. Key takeaway: A state-issued digital currency is a powerful idea. However, if combined with other technologies such as facial recognition, a social credit score, digital identity, and phone tracking, it would be an authoritarian method of control. State issued digital currency puts into stark relief the potential of an open, borderless, decentralized non-state issued digital currency such as Bitcoin. Supporting links: Sino Global Capital Matthew on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Andreas M. Antonopoulos has spent the last decade traveling the world, delivering hundreds of live talks on Bitcoin. Combining his knowledge of economics, psychology, technology, and game theory with his unique views on politics and history, Andreas makes a compelling case for the importance of open, decentralized, borderless, censorship-resistant, neutral, public blockchains. As we enter the 2020s, Andreas reflects on the first decade of blockchain and asks what happens next? Why you should listen: Andreas M. Antonopoulos is a critically-acclaimed best-selling author, speaker, educator, and one of the world's foremost bitcoin and open blockchain experts. A prolific speaker, teacher, author and bitcoin advocate, Andreas says this has become his life mission. After achieving his goal of reaching 10 million people by 2020, his next goal is to reach 100 million by the end of 2022. Key takeaway: Bitcoin had an incredible first decade of existence. It started as an idea on a small cryptography email list and grew into the world's most valuable, decentralized blockchain network. Learn why Andreas describes himself as a Gen X who aspires to be a millennial. Andy and Andreas talk science fiction, discussing the dystopian near-future as depicted by Cory Doctorow, George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley. Finally, in the Crypto Conversation hot take section, Andreas says that The Next Generation is his favorite Star Trek universe. Supporting links: Aantonop.com The Aantonop Youtube Channel Andreas on Twitter Unauthorized Bread Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Sergey Nazarov is the CEO at Chainlink where he is spear-heading the smart contract oracle revolution. Sergey believes that blockchain technology has the ability to change the way societies distribute wealth, enforce contracts, and share, monetize, and utilize critical information. Relentlessly focused and logical, Sergey is single-minded in his approach to unleashing the true potential of smart contracts. Key takeaway: Smart contracts have the potential to change the world by making it possible for anyone to enter into a digital agreement with anyone else. But there's a problem - for the potential of smart contracts to truly be unleashed - they need a reliable way to connect with events in the real world - this is called the 'oracle problem.' An oracle's function is to find and verify real-world occurrences and provide this data to a blockchain based smart contract in a manner that is decentralized and not vulnerable to a single point of failure. This is the solution that Chainlink provides. Why you should listen: Sergey says that the blockchain space is in an early form and has a long way to evolve, he is committed to helping this process. He sees smart contracts as an extremely reliable form of automation that has the potential to unlock vast amounts of value across the existing financial system, and also improve emerging markets by enabling individuals to pursue their economic destiny in whatever manner they see fit. Finally, in the Crypto Conversation hot take section, Sergey explains his passion for science fiction and the Star Trek and Expanse universes. Supporting links: Chainlink The Brave New Coin Chainlink Nick Szabo Smart Contract Essay Chainlink on Twitter Sergey on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Chris Brookins is the author of a new report - Ethereum Price Forecast into 2020 - a data first analysis. The report assess Ethereum's tumultuous 2019 and attempts to address the question - is an ETH price reprieve on the horizon? Against the backdrop of the Ethereum 2.0 Serenity blockchain upgrade, Andy and Chris discuss how the Ethereum team plan to maintain the network's position as the leading smart contract platform blockchain and how this might lead to a new bull cycle for the ETH token. Key takeaway: Ethereum has had a tumultuous 2019 and there are further growing pains ahead. The upcoming, long-anticipated launch of Ethereum 2.0 in January will be the most important and comprehensive update in the network's history. The 2.0 launch will reconfigure and adjust many existing Ethereum network dynamics. Chris's report analyzes Ethereum's seasonal characteristics and uses the Hurst exponent to tease out a likely trajectory in 2020. We verify the fundamental metrics driving price and assess their implications for the future of the Ethereum network. Why you should listen: Chris Brookins is the Founder and CIO of Valiendero Digital Assets, a quantitative cryptocurrency investment fund founded out of Carnegie Mellon University. Andy and Chris discuss Nike's patent to tokenize sneakers on Ethereum, Chris gives his assessment of Plan B's Bitcoin stock to flow model and he shares a view on what he expects to happen around the Bitcoin halving. Finally, Andy and Chris geek out over The Expanse and agree that it is an accurate depiction of a dystopian near future. Supporting links: Ethereum Price Forecast 2020 Report Ethereum At The Crossroads Report Valiendero Chris on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Kadan Stadelmann is the Komodo Platform's Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Kadan's background includes coding from an early age which led to him becoming a white-hat hacker and operations security and penetration testing at the nation-state level. Komodo has conducted the world's first web browser-based atomic swap and is expanding its decentralized exchange solution, AtomicDEX, to web browsers. The atomic swap is a smart contract technology that allows users to trade digital assets without any third-party involvement. Key takeaway: To date, most decentralized exchange solutions have been clunky and lacking in users. Komodo says that the AtomicDEX is now the industry leader. Komodo has been working on atomic swaps since 2014 and has collaborated with their inventor, Tier Nolan. In the last four months, Komodo has launched the first DEX for mobile phones, on-boarded thousands of users, and executed the first web browser-based atomic swap. Komodo is on a mission to make it so that if you want to trade crypto without a middleman, you can do it by typing in a URL or pulling out your phone." Why you should listen: Hear why Kadan's experience working in op-sec at the nation-state level led to a realization that trustless, decentralized solutions are the most effective means to change the world. Plus, hear Kadan's diplomatic assessment of the McAfeeDEX, and learn why Kadan is extremely pessimistic about humanity's future. Supporting links: Komodo Platform AtomicDEX Kadan on Twitter Komodo on Twitter AtomicDEX on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Notsofast is the pseudonymous Twitter persona of a crypto OG. Notsofast was a prolific early altcoin spec miner, a dogecoin enthusiast and one of Crypto Twitter's most helpful personalities. Notsofast is a consultant to many blockchain projects and an advocate for the potential of decentralized, permissionless systems. An insightful and engaging speaker Notsofast says it's important to get friendly with the idea of cognitive dissonance. Key takeaway: Deploying a pseudonymous persona gives the individual a blank canvas to build a solid reputation by setting a good example. This is a kind of superpower. Notsofast's entry into crypto came via Dogecoin, a fun community and an entry into the space that allowed users to not take themselves too seriously, or have to engage with fringe political beliefs. Notsofast has approximately 300 altcoin bags and believes that while Bitcoin maximalism is a strong argument for the success of blockchain generally, there is a part of it that descends into groupthink meaning nuanced discussion is lost. Why you should listen: Hear why Dogecoin is an oscillator that has proven store of nostalgia properties, and while Notsofast was once a prolific spec miner, hobbyist mining opportunities are rare now that anyone can launch their own token. Notsofast says it's important to get friendly with cognitive dissonance and he uses the Indian parable of the blind men and the elephant to illustrate the difficulties of grokking the crypto asset space. Plus Andy and Notsofast discuss Willy Woo's Oscillators and Degenerators thesis, why families might be natural crypto custodians and the practicalities of securing 300 different altcoin holdings. Supporting links: Notsofast at CoinfestUK Die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain Willy Woo's Oscillators and Degenerators The parable of the blind men and an elephant The Wasp Factory Cryptochrisw on Twitter Notsofast on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Alex Mashinsky is a successful entrepreneur best known for inventing VOIP which enables 1B people to talk over the internet for free. VOIP disrupted the Telecom companies, and now Alex wants to disrupt the banks with Money Over IP. His newest start-up Celsius Network has a massive goal - allow crypto users to unbank themselves by depositing crypto with Celsius, and receive interest rates on crypto deposits or fiat loans that are far superior to legacy banking. Key takeaway: Alex Mashinsky is a fascinating guy with a fascinating background. He was born into communism, raised under socialism, and he has made a fortune via capitalism. Alex views Decentralization as a 4th system - and the one system that has the potential to benefit the 99%, not just the 1%. Is there a theme running through Alex's career? Yes. The theme is taking a risk, trusting your gut, and trying to change the world by disrupting an entire industry. Alex has done this once, and now he wants to do it again. First the Telecom companies, and now the banks. Why you should listen: Alex is positioning Celsius to bring mainstream users into the crypto ecosystem by offering financial services with rates superior to the legacy system, and to the emerging DeFi ecosystem. Alex has a long history of successful investments and missed opportunities. In fact, in a roundabout way, Alex founded Uber before it was Uber, it was called GroundLink, and he then got crushed by Uber. Alex has 50 patents that make everything from voice over internet, Twitter, Skype, the App Store, and Netflix streaming possible. Alex has made 120 VC investments, he's raised over a billion dollars for his companies, and Alex has achieved exits to the value of $3 billion. Supporting links: Celsius.network Mashinsky Groundlink Alex on Twitter Andy on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Danny Kim is Head of Growth at SFOX, a crypto trading platform and prime dealer for whale traders and institutional investors. SFOX is connected to 20+ exchanges and OTC desks to provide a single point of access to the crypto markets. SFOX was one of only two crypto companies to make Y Combinator's list of the Top 100 most valuable companies to come out of its accelerator program. Key takeaway: A prime dealer provides a single point of liquidity to all the major crypto exchanges, a vital access point for large whale traders and institutional investors. The prime dealer model is an evolution in the Bitcoin and crypto markets as more sophisticated traders demand a more comprehensive liquidity solution via a single trading platform. The exact amount of OTC volume is unknown but may be up to 70% of the market. Why you should listen: Danny explains the animal-inspired suite of SFOX algorithms - Polar Bear, Tortoise, Hare, and the Gorilla. He says the institutions are coming, however, it's a slow and steady process due to the complex requirements of the larger pension funds and custodial clients. In the Crypto Conversation hot take round, Danny says he is a fan of Andrew Yang, and his favorite science fiction film is Interstellar. Supporting links: SFOX SFOX on Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Andy on Twitter SFOX-Crypto-Volatility-Report Brave New Coin Y Combinator Top Companies

Professional trader and market analyst Josh Olszewicz joins Andy Pickering for a brain dump on the crypto news cycle. Bakkt's volume hit a new all-time-high, and Square had its sixth consecutive growth quarter - bullish for Bitcoin? Plus recent developments in China, why Libra is dead in the water, and Andy tells the story of how Kim Dotcom introduced him to Bitcoin. Key takeaway: Crypto has a scam problem, a fungibility problem, and a user-experience problem, are these solvable? Darknet markets still prefer Bitcoin over privacy coins, why? As Boomers fade out, millennial adoption of Bitcoin as digital money for a digital world will become inevitable. China has been working on the digital yuan for 3-4 years, what is really happening, and why China is so adept at playing the long game. Bitcoin's stock to flow model suggests a $55,000 Bitcoin after the 2020 halving. Why you should listen: Andy and Josh discuss whether "nocoiner" is a derogatory term in the same way as "Ok Boomer," and Josh outs himself as an Overwatch and Magic: The Gathering enthusiast. Everyone is mad at Facebook, and just as well, as Libra looks like it is designed to use private social media data to calculate credit scores. That would be dystopian. The story of the next decade will a Darwinian battle between decentralized digital currencies, corporate coins, and central bank digital currencies. Spoiler alert - Josh picks Bitcoin as the winner. Supporting Links: Plan B - The Bitcoin Stock to Flow model Josh On Twitter Brave New Coin on Twitter Andy on Twitter Josh's Brave New Coin reports Josh's Trading tips Ledger Status Libra is Architecturally Unsound

BTSE is a crypto asset exchange and futures trading platform. BTSE has partnered with crypto data company Brave New Coin to create two indices - the BBCX and BBAX, around which BTSE has developed futures trading products. Brian Wong and Lina Seiche from BTSE talk to Andy Pickering about crypto futures trading, the role of marketing and social media in crypto, and we finish with the Crypto Conversation hot take round. Key takeaway: An index tracks the performance of a basket of assets to represent the overall strength of a market. The new BTSE BBCX index tracks Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin and can be combined with leveraged futures trading. Brian discusses the collaborative process working with the Brave New Coin market data team to create the index. Brian and Lina explain why they think the next Bitcoin bull run will be even bigger than 2017, how futures trading allows miners and traders to hedge their positions and why liquidity attracts liquidity. Why you should listen: Lina talks about the importance of separating signal from noise on social media and at crypto conferences. She explains why there is a first-place prize of 10 Bitcoins in the BTSE trading competition and why centralized exchanges need to win the trust of their users. In the Crypto Conversation hot-take round, Brian says he admires the vision of Andrew Yang, Lina explains why BTSE sponsors the Magical Crypto Friends, and why she respects Elon Musk's vision to take humanity to another planet. Not to be outdone in the sci-fi stakes, we learn that Brian's Twitter handle is a reference to the Infinite Square Well - the particle in a box model in quantum mechanics. Brian says that his favorite sci-fi film is Interstellar, while Lina admits to being more of a fantasy fan, and picks the Lord of the Rings as her fantasy literature of choice. Supporting links: Btse.com Btse trading-competition Btse-x-bnc-bbcx-index-futures-trading-tutorial Brave New Coin indices-program BNC-BTSE Composite Index (BBCX) Brave New Coin BNC-pro.com Andy on Twitter Lina on Twitter Brian on Twitter Fluffy Pony sells BTSE like a BOSS Particle in a box

Tal Kol is the co-founder of Orbs, a public blockchain for enterprise. Tal is a veteran of Israel's 8200 unit, a military intelligence agency comprised of the smartest 18 - 21 year-olds in Israel. Alumni of the unit have been unusually successful in the global startup scene. Tal believes that the Dapp model is flawed, that Dapps can't compete with their centralized counterparts, and that public blockchains should work with enterprise to build out Web 3.0. Key takeaway: Tal says the 8200 unit is a tech incubator and it's one of the reasons why Israel is a global technology innovator. Learn why Tal says public blockchains for Dapps such as Ethereum, Tezos, EOS, and Cosmos will not succeed and nor will private, permissioned blockchains such as Corda and Hyperledger. Instead, Tal thinks that public blockchains that help enterprise is the only model that makes sense. Why you should listen: Tal has some extremely insightful things to say about human nature, power, corruption, and how blockchain can help. Does blockchain have a role to play in the Israeli Palestine conflict? In the Crypto Conversation hot take round, we get deep - Tal says that the global populace and the 1% have a different understanding of governance, power, and how the world really works. Everything is up for manipulation, and nothing can be trusted because power corrupts - can blockchain help? Finally, Tal explains why the laws of physics suggest that in the future as humans start to expand beyond Earth - we will inevitably split into different races and end up at war with each other across the universe. Supporting links: Orbs.com Medium.com/@talkol Kardashev_scale Brave New Coin BNC-pro.com Andy on Twitter Tal on Twitter

John McAfee speaks to us from inside a Faraday cage. At the height of the 2017 crypto bull run John made a wild Bitcoin price prediction and bet his manhood on it coming true. John is a renegade, he's an outlaw, he may or may not be on the run from the US government and he has just launched a new decentralized exchange that he says will rival Binance in six months time. Key takeaway: A passionate Libertarian, John seeks to free people from corrupt governments. His latest endeavour is the McAfee Decentralized Exchange (DEX). A DEX cannot be shut down by authorities. John believes that governments will continue to crack down on the crypto ecosystem and to defend against this, it is critical that a network of decentralized exchanges exist to enable the free exchange of crypto assets. Why you should listen: John is a notorious prankster, trickster, and modern day pirate. That makes him a very entertaining interview subject. Listen as John explains why he is talking to us from a Faraday cage so that the authorities cannot track him. We discuss John's wild Bitcoin price prediction, why he thinks the math says that Bitcoin hits 1 million by Dec 31, 2020, and why John believes this is a bet he can't lose. Plus - John's fascinating history working as a programmer at NASA, and on black projects at Lockheed, and we finish with the Crypto Conversation hot take round. Supporting links: McAfee2020.com McAfeedex.com Brave New Coin Liquid.com/bnc BNC-pro.com Faraday cage Andy on Twitter John on Twitter

A crypto entrepreneur and blockchain evangelist, Fran Strajnar is the founder and CEO of Brave New Coin. Fran says his mission is to "terraform the digital asset landscape." Brave New Coin's latest product is BNC Pro - a ground-breaking all-in-one crypto portfolio management platform. Key takeaway: Information flow in today's crypto economy is fragmented, fallible and flawed. Market beating insight and advantage is available to those who can assemble, curate and filter this data quickly. Launching in November, BNC Pro is an all-in-one crypto asset management solution that integrates a user's portfolio with Brave New Coin's verified market data, newsfeeds and analysis tools - delivering actionable insights in near real-time. Premium tools are unlocked using the BNC Token which is launching via IEO on November 4th at Liquid.com. Why you should listen: Fran explains his vision for the future of the crypto and blockchain space and why BNC Pro is positioning to be the terminal experience at the heart of the industry. Plus - why science fiction is the literature of ideas, and the eerie similarities between Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984. Fran explains Star Trek's unique ability to provide a glimpse of the future, it's foreshadowing of mobile phones, iPads, and other technology, and how Gene Roddenberry's clever commentaries on the cultural issues of the day shaped today's world. Supporting links: Brave New Coin Liquid.com/bnc BNC-pro.com A-pioneering-business-model-for-a-frontier-industry Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near Kardashev scale Fran on Twitter.com Andy on Twitter Brave New World

Mark Yusko is the CEO of Morgan Creek Capital. Mark is one of the most insightful investors and most articulate Bitcoin bulls on the planet. Mark's investment thesis is that the greatest wealth is created by being an early investor in innovation. Making that investment requires believing in something before the majority of people understand it. Key takeaway: Being able to generate significant wealth from investing early in innovation requires doing the work and having conviction. Blockchain and crypto assets are a technological evolution equivalent to the internet. Why you should listen: Andy and Mark discuss Ray Kurzweil's Law of Accelerating Returns, why new technology adoption tends to follow an s-curve, and why the human brain struggles to understand the speed of exponential growth. Plus - why crypto is a virus that will keep spreading, the myth of Warren Buffett's "Aw shucks" persona, why institutions must #GetOffZero and allocate to Bitcoin, and Mark explains why he thinks Tesla is a good company but not a good stock. Links: Morgan Creek Capital Brave New Coin Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near The Virus Is Spreading Inside Bill's Brain Mark's Webinar on #GetOffZero Mark Yusko on Twitter Andy Pickering on Twitter

Jake Yocom-Piatt, Decred co-founder and project lead talks about the mysterious Decred origin story and how it relates to Satoshi Nakamoto. A hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake store of value asset, Decred has strong governance, good security, privacy features, and an innovative incentive alignment. If Bitcoin is about being your own bank, so is Decred - but it's also about having a say in your bank's policies. Plus, surveillance capitalism, Decred's new privacy features and we listen to the 'Privacy Flow' hip-hop track. Key takeaway: Decred is about reorganizing society around fairer games. Decred's point of difference is the addition of a governance system on top of a hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake cryptocurrency. Decred now has privacy features that compete with Monero and Zcash. Bitcoin maximalists often support two other projects - Monero and Decred. Why you should listen: Jake is a fascinating guy with very strong opinions. Learn why he thinks Satoshi Nakamoto was a team of at least three people and the mysterious similarities in the origin stories of Bitcoin, Monero and Decred. Plus - listen to Decred's 'Privacy Flow' hip-hop track, and learn why Jake feels vindicated by Edward Snowden's revelations. Supporting links: Decred.org medium.com/decred Twitter.com/decredproject blog.companyzero.com/2015/11/bitcoins-biggest-challenges placeholder.vc/blog/2018/5/12/decred-investment-thesis

Hedera Hashgraph is an enterprise-grade distributed ledger platform. After years of development, Hedera came out of stealth mode and launched the public beta of its mainnet in September. The Hedera team describes the Hashgraph as a 3rd generation public ledger (they refer to Bitcoin as 1st generation and Ethereum as 2nd generation). Hedera claims the Hashgraph can process up to 10,000 transactions per second, an order of magnitude faster than current blockchains. Rather than use a blockchain platform, the Hedera Hashgraph is based on a DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph). This form of DLT doesn't rely on a proof-of-work or proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. Instead, Hedera network participants act as nodes that validate each other's transactions which leads to faster consensus. However, the hashgraph is not decentralized. Instead, it has a governing council with members including corporate heavyweights such as IBM and Boeing. Mance Harmon co-founder and CEO of Hedera Hashgraph talks about his early years at the Missile Defense Agency where he met Leemon Baird, the inventor of the Hashgraph algorithm. The two tech entrepreneurs say they've solved blockchain's scalability problem. Have they? Let's try and find out... Key takeaway: Hedera is no threat to Bitcoin. But when compared to platform blockchains like Ethereum, Hedera appears to offer a compelling feature set and faster transaction times. Why you should listen: Mance explains why he thinks Hedera is a generation ahead of current blockchains, why the team has been consciously controversial, and why existing within legal and regulatory frameworks is a feature, not a bug. Supporting Links Hedera.com Hedera Hashgraph - Time for Some Fud by Eric Wall Counter Fud by Hedera's Paul Madsen Counter Counter Fud by Eric Wall Fair Access v. Fair Ordering, & Transactions Per Second Examined & Explained Twitter.com/hashgraph Twitter.com/ManceHarmon

The Bitcoin price has risen 300% in 2019 but the long-suffering altcoin markets have not been able to keep pace. Earlier this month, while BTC was in a range, we started to see some altcoin moves. ETH, Stellar and Dodge all made gains in USD and BTC terms. Is there an alt window opening? What are the chances of a Q4 alt season? When is the point of maximum opportunity and minimum risk for altcoins? Can Bitcoin lead a market-wide recovery? Or is there simply more pain to come? Altcoin trader, crypto market researcher, author, and analyst Nik Patel provides his assessment of the crypto markets and where we are in the wider altcoin market cycle. Key takeaway Trading altcoins is extremely risky but it can be profitable. Due to the varied trading experience and diverse nature of global market participants, the altcoin markets are a hyper volatile expression of pure human emotion. Why you should listen Learn why Nik is short term bearish on BTC and why he thinks an alt season may be on the cards for Q4 2019. Nik discusses his website, his research process, the book he published in 2018, An Altcoin Trader's Handbook, and he reflects on the importance of security and what he learned after a significant portfolio loss due to a hack. Supporting links altcointradershandbook.com An Altcoin Trader's Handbook (on Amazon) A-Notsofast-security-primer Jameson Lopp's privacy-protection-proposal turtlebc.com/tools/bull_percentage/btc twitter.com/cointradernik twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ

Bitcoin is the best performing asset on the planet across the last ten years. Modern Portfolio Theory suggests that by allocating 5% of an investment portfolio to Bitcoin, investors could generate outsized returns without taking on high levels of risk. Jack Tatar, an investor, advisor, and author talks about crypto assets as an investment class and reflects on the impact of the book he co-authored - Crypto Assets, the Innovative Investor's Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond. Key Takeaway: Modern Portfolio Theory suggests that an investment portfolio should allocate 5% towards high-risk, high-return assets such as Bitcoin. Investors can reduce overall risk while maximizing return by holding a diversified portfolio of non-correlated assets. Why you should listen: Learn why Jack thinks Bitcoin hits $20,000 in 2020 and the likely impact of the Bitcoin halving. Plus Jack talks about the altcoin market, his favorite sci-fi novels and the two portfolios he tracks for his Forbes crypto asset newsletter subscribers. Links Forbes.com/newsletters/forbescryptoassetadvisor Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor's Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory The Sirens of Titan What's the Deal With Bitcoin? twitter.com/JackTatar twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ

While the SEC drags its feet, the EU is embracing blockchain and the emerging Security Token Offering model. Monique Bachner, a Luxembourg based company law and corporate governance expert discusses the different regulatory approaches of the EU and the U.S. Key Takeaway: Blockchain friendly EU directives are creating a positive regulatory framework for Security Token Offerings. Why you should listen: Learn why Luxembourg is a hub for blockchain, tech and AI. Plus, just because tokenization will soon make it possible to trade a digital sword for a fraction of a Ferrari, it doesn't mean you should. eublockchainforum.eu thinkblocktank.org twitter.com/moniquebachner twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ

Despite a compelling 'world computer' narrative, Ethereum has failed to deliver market-ready applications at scale. With its future no longer a foregone conclusion, Aditya Das discusses his new report that assesses the Istanbul hard fork and Ethereum 2.0. Can the roadmap deliver on the blockchain's early promise? bravenewcoin.com/ethereum-at-the-crossroads twitter.com/bravenewcoin twitter.com/Dascryptoforyou twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ

Ed Felten, a founder at Offchain Labs and Professor of Computer Science at Princeton who served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer to President Obama, joins Andy for a fascinating, wide-ranging discussion on the potential of smart contracts, Bitcoin's exponential growth curve, the tensions between technology and public policy, and why blockchain voting is a non-starter. https://offchainlabs.com https://twitter.com/OffchainLabs https://twitter.com/EdFelten https://twitter.com/bravenewcoin https://twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ

NEM Ventures director Dave Hodgson speaks to NEM's investments in Vimba and IoDLT and how its Catapult upgrade will accelerate the coming wave of interoperable blockchains. Also covered is the emerging Security Token Offering model - and Dave explains the differences between ICOs, STOs and IEOs, before another round of crypto hot takes. https://nem.io/ https://nemventures.io/https://vimba.co/ https://iodlt.com/ https://twitter.com/NemVentures https://twitter.com/bravenewcoin https://twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ https://verifiedtokenframework.com/

Blockstack's Brittany Laughlin joins Andy to explore Blockstack's historic SEC approval and why it's a game-changer for crypto investors around the world. Plus, why Donald Trump's tweets and Facebook's Libra are good for crypto — and another round of crypto hot-takes. https://blockstack.org/ http://www.lattice.vc/ https://medium.com/s/story/why-decentralization-matters-5e3f79f7638e https://twitter.com/br_ttany https://twitter.com/AndyPickeringNZ https://twitter.com/bravenewcoin

Josh Olszewicz reveals the secrets behind successful crypto trading — and explains why most who attempt it end up losing their shirts. Josh also analyzes June's epic Bitcoin rally - and identifies the crucial technical indicators that signaled the bull run weeks in advance. Josh's Brave New Coin reports Josh's Trading tips & tricks

Researcher Andrew Gillick talks about 2 new investment reports that examine negative interest rates and their effect on the economy, plus Modern Monetary Theory and what it means for Bitcoin. He covers the emergence of central bank digital currencies, why negative interest rates could provide an upwind for new forms of commodity money such as Bitcoin and Litecoin, and the likely impact of the May 2020 Bitcoin halving event. Download the reports here: The end of cash: Investing in digital scarcity as a hedge against negative interest rates The war on fake news: An opportunity for decentralized media