Matt Liu is the co-founder of Origin Protocol, an Ethereum-powered platform for NFTs, DeFi, Liquid Staking, and Restaking. Why you should listen Origin has a stablecoin, the Origin Dollar (OUSD) to support users as they passively earn yield on OUSD held in wallets – as opposed to being staked or locked up in a protocol. Ethereum restaking has become one of 2024’s most disruptive narratives. The thriving sector is teeming with innovation, offering new opportunities for builders and users alike. Matt says he learned that if you want to remain at the forefront, you need to constantly evolve along with the space. This principle allowed him to take liquid staking by the horns with Origin Ether. In a few months, they brought a product to market that continues to deliver value for users. Today, Origin Ether is approaching $100M of TVL while delivering higher risk-adjusted yields than the top liquid staking tokens like stETH, rETH, and frxETH. His new product is Prime Staked ETH (primeETH), a liquid restaked token (LRT) that provides liquidity for assets that have been deposited into EigenLayer. By converting staked ETH into primeETH, users can stack ETH staking yield, EigenLayer points, and primeETH XP points all while remaining liquid. primeETH is a reward-bearing token that works similarly to cTokens. primeETH tokens are not rebasing like stETH or OETH. Instead, the underlying rewards accrued by restaking positions are reflected in the price of primeETH over time as it increases in value. primeETH was developed by Matt and the Origin Protocol team that have launched multiple DeFi products with $100M+ in TVL. Prime Staked is a fork of Kelp which has been battle-tested with hundreds of millions of funds and has been audited by sigmaPrime and code4arena. The primary change to the codebase was the addition of new LSTs and configuring their associated oracles. Each of the newly added assets have been carefully reviewed to make sure they don't introduce new reentrancy vectors or unexpected behaviors.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget VIP Link with BONUS 1000 USDT Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Origin Protocol Prime Staked 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.  

Lark Davis is a cryptocurrency investor, influencer, YouTuber, and founder of weekly crypto newsletter, Wealth Mastery. He shares his top crypto narratives for 2024, and why it's better to be an investor than a trader.  Why you should listen Lark Davis began creating cryptocurrency content in 2017, starting on the Steam blockchain and then transitioning to YouTube. His Wealth Mastery newsletter combines insider insights and market analysis to offer cryptocurrency investors opportunities to grow their wealth, stay ahead of the curve, and avoid costly mistakes. Lark focuses mostly on longer-term investments rather than day trading, to ride the market cycle for potential gains. He advises caution when entering the market late in a cycle as the risk-reward decreases significantly. Lark shares his thoughts on the current investible narratives in crypto such as layer twos, DeFi, and crypto gaming. Andy and Lark discuss AI technology and how it is impacting content creation. Lark predicts that AI will soon replace some content creators while acknowledging its current limitations regarding voice quality and inflection. However, he anticipates premium demand for human content creators who will offer unique perspectives compared to AI-generated content. Finally, Lark says Dune is his favorite sci-fi book and expresses admiration for its writing style, battles, mythology, and world-building. Supporting links Bitget Bitget VIP Link with BONUS 1000 USDT Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Wealth Mastery 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.  

Peter Curk is the CEO of ICONOMI, an advanced crypto investment and portfolio platform that makes it easy for beginners and for power users to choose from hundreds of Crypto Strategies and copy them with a single click.   Why you should listen ICONOMI is a cryptocurrency portfolio management platform. Offering a suite of tools and infrastructure, ICONOMI enables experienced traders to create and manage their own Crypto Strategies, with advanced features to align strategy with market conditions. These include algorithmic trading execution, one-click portfolio rebalance, smart price discovery on multiple exchanges, and portfolio automation management rules. Beginner traders can copy more experienced crypto strategists. There are more than 150 different public strategies on the platform. ICONOMI has just launched its new digital asset wealth management platform, ICONOMI Wealth for professional asset managers.  The platform will enable small and mid-sized asset management firms, as well as financial advisors, to launch and manage multiple cryptocurrency portfolios, while supporting their own clients. Asset management firms may be looking into launching their digital asset strategy, or their clients may be requesting alternative investments. If they don’t have the know-how or resources to build internal infrastructure, ICONOMI Wealth can bridge the gap. By leveraging the ICONOMI Wealth platform, they can access ICONOMI’s full suite of expert services to tap into digital assets without high costs and complexities, while ensuring the safeguarding of investor assets through cold storage solutions. Supporting links Bitget Bitget VIP Link with BONUS 1000 USDT Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet ICONOMI ICONOMI Wealth 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.  

Spada₿oom is the founder of BadgerDAO, a Bitcoin-focused DeFi protocol. The team is working on eBTC – a groundbreaking new synthetic asset that capitalizes on the evolution of ETH staking to create the most transparent and capital-efficient borrowing facility for Bitcoin on Ethereum in DeFi.   Why you should listen eBTC is a protocol that allows anyone to use Lido’s Staked Ether (stETH) as collateral to borrow a synthetic Bitcoin asset with zero borrowing fees. Powered by non-custodial, immutable, governance-minimized smart contracts, it aims to be the most trustless and censorship-resistant synthetic Bitcoin in DeFi. eBTC is the first protocol to focus exclusively on the ETH/BTC ratio. While most of the trading and strategies for this pair are currently done off-chain using centralized counter-parties, eBTC empowers users to now bring this activity on-chain with extreme transparency. Further, due to its immutability and composability, it enables any protocol to integrate its functionality and build on top of it. Its vision ignited by the abundance of highly publicized financial collapses in 2022, eBTC has been designed as a response to the shortcomings of the centralized and opaque financial infrastructure that is commonplace within the blockchain space. By moving more ETH/BTC activity on-chain within immutable smart contracts, eBTC moves the space further away from the centralized solutions for borrowing Bitcoin currently seen in the market today. Supporting links Bitget Bitget VIP Link with BONUS 1000 USDT Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet eBTC 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.  

Hinza Asif is the CEO of NFTStudio24, a decentralized media platform based in Japan that's empowering journalists and reporters worldwide.  Why you should listen Traditional media involves lengthy editorial processes, where journalists may spend weeks on a story, only to have it become the property of the media house they work for. NFTStudio24 is a platform that allows journalists to publish their stories directly to their decentralized media network. Once published, these stories become the sole property of the author, giving them full ownership. The platform leverages blockchain technology to reward journalists for their contributions based on engagement metrics such as views, likes, shares, and comments. Readers can engage with the story by liking, sharing, and commenting, which increases its visibility and earns the author rewards in the form of cryptocurrency tokens. The goal is to democratize access to information and empower journalists to tell the stories that matter most to them and their communities. Supporting links Bitget Bitget VIP Link with BONUS 1000 USDT Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet NFTStudio24 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.  

Dave Weisberger is the co-founder and CEO of CoinRoutes, a leading provider of algorithmic trading strategies and execution management. Why you should listen CoinRoutes has an extensive algo suite and market data plant specifically designed around crypto market structure and its intricacies. They provide best-in-class smart order routing, along with the infrastructure for exchange market access and market data consolidation, with options for both UI and API users. Dave talks about the challenges of trading in the crypto markets, the benefits of algorithmic trading strategies, and CoinRoutes' role in providing liquidity and better pricing for traders. Dave also shares his thoughts on the recent approval of bitcoin ETFs and their potential impact on bitcoin's adoption as a store of value. He emphasizes that transparency is an advantage in crypto markets but warns about conflicts of interest due to knowing who is behind certain wallets. Dave expresses concerns about US financial regulation under Elizabeth Warren's influence and highlights the importance of having a supportive regulatory environment for crypto innovation. He concludes by mentioning CoinRoutes' plans for international expansion, its focus on DeFi solutions, and its goal to simplify trading processes while providing more efficient execution for users. Supporting links Bitget Bitget VIP Link with BONUS 1000 USDT Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet CoinRoutes 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.  

Mostafa Al-Mashita, is co-founder, and Yacine Ouldchikh is a Senior Trader at Secure Digital Markets (SDM), a digital asset brokerage firm that offers institutional, high net worth, and corporate clients access to spot trading, derivatives, and lending services. Why you should listen Mostafa and Yacine from Secure Digital Markets discuss the market structure and deeper trends driving the crypto markets in 2024. They analyze the impact of the spot Bitcoin ETFs and the potential for an Ethereum ETF. They highlight the growing interest from institutional investors and financial advisors in cryptocurrencies. They mention their focus on building a global financial services ecosystem at Secure Digital Markets, with plans to release a mobile app and expand their presence internationally. SDM offers comprehensive liquidity and settlement solutions that generate efficient crypto asset exposure. SDM bridges the gap between institutional balance sheets and Web3 by offering highly liquid onramps into the digital currency market. SDM accommodates the unique execution needs of its clients through multiple technology solutions including GUI (SDM.Live), API, and RFQ. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Secure Digital Markets SDM Crypto Report SDM 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.  

Naveen Jain and Riccardo Spagni are contributors at Tari Labs, building Tari. Tari is a new open-source, decentralized protocol that reimagines the future of digital assets. Tari is being architected as a merge-mined sidechain of Monero and will inherit its security model. Why you should listen Tari is an open-source blockchain protocol built in Rust. Tari is architected as a merge-mined sidechain with Monero. Tari aims to provide programmable privacy and composable confidentiality. Tari's philosophy is to normalize privacy in the crypto space and offer a spectrum of confidentiality options for users. Privacy is treated as a spectrum rather than a binary outcome. Tari's protocol allows developers to build applications with varying degrees of confidentiality, meeting user expectations and complying with regulatory requirements when necessary.  It allows developers to build applications on top of it, such as NFT marketplaces, DeFi platforms, and more.  The Tari protocol has a live testnet available for users to explore and participate in mining. Interested individuals can download the Tari Aurora wallet from the App Store and start mining on the testnet. The team is working towards the mainnet launch soon. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Tari 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.  

Prince Jindal and Jung Won Kim are co-founders at  Lantern Finance, a US-based staking platform built for the everyday crypto investor. Why you should listen Lantern Finance is for crypto beginners, crypto OGs, and everyone in-between, offering a seamless Ethereum staking experience for all experience levels.  Lantern's robust security measures are supported by BitGo, an industry leading US-based, qualified crypto custodian. Lantern charges 15% of staking rewards, allowing you to keep more of your rewards. Lantern is the first consumer crypto app to offer USD loans against staked ETH. This revolutionary product allows users to take out loans that pay themselves off (i.e. self-paying loans). When you borrow against your staked crypto, it means you are still earning staking rewards. These staking rewards can be used to offset your loan’s interest payment, creating an automatic, self-repaying loan.  Imagine you bought a house with several bedrooms and decided to live in one of them. Every month you have to pay for the mortgage on the house out of your own pocket. This is like paying for your loan while your assets are unstaked.  Lantern is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business (MSB) and has robust KYC and AML processes in place. Every client has direct access to the Lantern team for support including by telephone. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Lantern Finance PH Lantern: (415) 365-0100 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.  

James McDowall is the founding partner of Arcanum Capital, a venture capital firm focused on supporting enterprising and forward-thinking teams that are establishing decentralized networks and applications for the global blockchain ecosystem. Why you should listen Arcanum Capital has just announced its second fund, the Arcanum Luganodes Fund. The new fund is focused on further early-stage investments, as well as more established growth-stage investments at higher valuations, with this made possible by Arcanum’s collaboration with Luganodes a leading ‘staking services’ provider. Luganodes is a Swiss-operated, institutional-grade, non-custodial staking provider born out of the Lugano Plan B Program, an initiative driven by Tether and the City of Lugano. The partnership with Luganodes will help Fund II gain access to some of the most sought-after Layer 1 and Layer 2 investment opportunities in the space and enable us to add even more value to our portfolio networks. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Arcanum Capital 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.  

Alex Ryvkin is the CEO of Rho Labs, building Rho Protocol, an interest rate derivatives protocol and the first institutional grade on-chain rates market. Why you should listen Rho Protocol is a new institutional-grade decentralized marketplace on Arbitrum that allows retail and professional traders to efficiently exchange rate risk via on-chain swaps and futures in a secure, efficient, and compliant manner.  Rho Protocol’s first family of products are fixed-to-floating interest rate swaps on a diverse set of index rates. In TradFi, this product comprises over 60% of the total outstanding interest in interest rate derivatives. The protocol is currently in beta with big expansion plans for new products planned for 2024. Rho raised $2.2m in a pre-seed funding round late last year. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Rho Protocol 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.  

Dr. Fan Long is the co-founder of Conflux Network, a PoW/PoS Hybrid Blockchain. Dr. Fan Long graduated from Tsinghua University Yao Class, and he holds Ph.D of Computer Science from MIT. His research interests include systems security, programming languages, and blockchain. Why you should listen Conflux is a public blockchain with superior performance, a unique consensus mechanism, and an innovative dual-space design. These features enable Conflux to deliver a fast, secure, and decentralized platform that is well-suited for various applications, including decentralized finance and Web3. Conflux employs a hybrid consensus mechanism, combining Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), ensuring high security, throughput, and decentralization. Conflux's PoW consensus leverages the Tree-Graph ledger structure and GHAST algorithm, delivering a high transaction throughput of up to 3,000 TPS and confirmation latency within 1 minute, while maintaining the same level of decentralization as Bitcoin Fan explains Conflux's unique features such as its hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake blockchain, the tree graph ledger structure, and its compliance with Chinese regulations. Fan explains China's stance on blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation, highlighting their concerns about capital outflow and support for technology development. Fan Long shares some use cases of Conflux Network, including NFTs being used as marketing tools in China and collaborations with China Telecom to develop a blockchain SIM card that allows easy access to web3 assets. Future plans for Conflux include an upcoming hard fork to enhance performance and compatibility with Bitcoin layer two solutions. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Conflux Network 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.  

Dr. Dmitry Zhelezov is the Co-Founder and CEO and Marcel Fohrmann is the Co-Founder and CFO of Subsquid, a decentralized data lake and query engine that offers developers permissionless, cost-efficient access to on-chain data from over 100 chains and is integrated into a large ecosystem of Web2- and Web3-native developer tools. Why you should listen Subsquid Network is a decentralized query engine optimized for batch extraction of large volumes of data. It currently serves historial on-chain data ingested from 100+ EVM and Substrate networks, including event logs, transaction receipts, traces and per-transaction state diffs. In the future, it will additionally support general-purpose SQL queries and an ever-growing collection of structured data sets derived from on- and off- chain data. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Subsquid 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.  

JC Kim is the CEO of Planetarium Labs, a community driven, Web3 gaming company founded in South Korea and backed by Animoca. They create games where users can create, share, own, and earn.  Why you should listen Planetarium Labs has created Nine Chronicles, the first-ever Web3 RPG game. The game combines blockchain technology with immersive gameplay. The game is a fantasy  MMORPG powered by the players, set in a world that can never be shut down. Infinitely moddable and owned by the community, Nine Chronicles invites you to aid the goddess Freya in her eternal struggle against an evil ravaging the land.  Nine Chronicles is the first-ever fully on-chain, open-source RPG. All of the transactions are recorded on-chain, which means there isn’t a traditional server like traditional RPGs. Anyone can access the code and create different versions of the game utilizing the IP, giving the community and the players true ownership of the game. In addition to enjoying the gameplay, players can contribute to the game’s ecosystem and content and get involved in ways that they would not be able to in traditional RPG games.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Nine Chronicles Planetarium Labs 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.  

Chris Kline is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Bitcoin IRA, a crypto IRA platform for investing in cryptocurrencies with self-directed IRAs.  Why you should listen In 2015, Chris launched Bitcoin IRA, the world’s first company allowing U.S. investors to purchase Bitcoin for their IRA and 401(k) retirement accounts. He developed the process and partnerships to create a full-service, turnkey solution allowing investors to capitalize on the rapidly growing digital currency market space for their retirement portfolio while maintaining full IRS compliance.  Under his direction, the company has grown to over $100 million in assets under custodianship.   Bitcoin IRA was the world’s first platform that allowed clients to open, fund and trade their retirement accounts with digital assets, firstly Bitcoin, and now a multitude of different digital assets. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Bitcoin IRA Bitcoin IRA ph: 877-936-7175 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.

Chris Bradbury is the CEO at Summer.fi, a DeFi front end that enables users to deploy capital into DeFi, using best-in-class UI/UX. Why you should listen Summer.fi is a DeFi front end that enables users to deploy capital into DeFi, via three main products, advanced automation features, and various strategies, from basic to very sophisticated. Summer.fi (previously Oasis.app) began as one of the first projects by MakerDAO, even before Single Collateral Dai, in 2016.  Summer.fi, became a standalone entity after the full decentralization of Maker. The Summer.fi mission is to build the most trusted app to deploy capital in DeFi, using best-in-class UI/UX. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Summer.fi 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.

Danielle Wall Elliott is the COO at Nayms, the crypto native insurance marketplace. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink sees tokenization of RWA as the next big unlock.    Why you should listen Nayms is the world’s leading, fully regulated marketplace for on-chain insurance. They are paving the way in providing a new digital asset risk market that allows regulated brokers and underwriters to find digital asset capital providers to share in the premium and liability covering digital asset risk. Nayms’ traceable smart contract is built on a trustless system, meaning insurance brokers can place a contract between market participants in a limitless number of areas and share in the future value of such open trade. At Nayms, marketplace users are the product. These users are digitally native brokers, new-age carriers and investors fit for the world of digital assets. Nayms isn’t new technology for old companies, it’s new technology for the insurance participants of the future, who deserve the back-end infrastructure capable of conducting truly digital insurance with the market, for the benefit of coverholders. Nayms recently launched the first institutional tokenized (re)insurance marketplace on Base. Nayms introduces insurance as an asset class and users can earn yield on real world assets by committing capital onto their marketplace. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Nayms 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.  

Mark Hendrickson is the General Manager of Leather, the Bitcoin wallet for the fast-emerging Bitcoin Economy. Why you should listen Mark explains the importance of Ordinals on Bitcoin and their potential for storing different types of data securely on-chain. He emphasizes that Leather is a Web3 wallet for Bitcoin users and highlights the value proposition of Bitcoin as a foundation for building a new digital economy. With the surge of interest in Ordinals in 2023, Leather had impressive growth metrics for the year, and they expect this to continue in 2024. Leather has Ledger integration, and is working on an app-based wallet for this year.  The Leather vision is to be the gold standard among Bitcoin wallet brands, built to last so that users can explore Bitcoin Web3 knowing that they have a reliable hub to come back to. Mark says a complete Bitcoin wallet user experience involves best-in-class UX, code health, and content geared toward user needs, and being a responsible steward, helping usher in the next generation of Bitcoiners. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Leather Gamma 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.  

Swaroop Hegde is a co-founder at PowerLoom - a decentralized Data Layer for Web3 that is scaling trustless data and building on-chain data primitives. Why you should listen The Powerloom Protocol is a decentralized data protocol designed to meet the growing data requirements of smart contract-based applications, including DeFi, games, and other user-centric platforms. It incentivizes participating peers to achieve consensus on state transitions and event emission observations across multiple smart contracts. By utilizing data compositions on smaller, consensus-reached data units, Powerloom stands as a peer-validated and accurate information source, empowering rich data applications such as dashboards, bots, aggregators, and insights trackers. Powerloom in a nutshell: Powerloom acts as a decentralized library catalog for blockchain data, providing verified and up-to-date information from multiple chains. Powerloom has a snapshot-driven approach to data retrieval, which allows for efficient scaling and trust in the results. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet PowerLoom 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.  

Pan Lorattawut is the CEO of VUCA Digital, the blockchain consulting firm behind the CROWN Token Project. Prior to VUCA Digital, Pan was Senior VP at Meketa Investment Group, a full-service investment consulting and advisory firm with $1.4 trillion-plus in assets under advisement in the United States.  Why you should listen CROWN Token (CROWN) is issued by Vega Investment Group, an affiliated company of T&B Media Global, a global IP management and entertainment investment company, and is developed and managed by the VUCA Digital team.  T&B Media Global manages, produces, and invests in live-action and animated feature films and TV series that are distributed globally.  Through this network CROWN can leverage a portfolio of intellectual properties (IPs) to expand into adjacent businesses both in the physical and digital world. CROWN aims to be a token for the entertainment industry by bridging traditional IPs with blockchain technology to enhance the core business and create additional value to both IP owners and the community. With CROWN, the audience can become part of the story. Through their proprietary ADOT platform, token holders can vote to select a film’s direction, character designs and art concepts, or content that T&B and partners will produce. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Pan’s LinkedIn Pan’s Twitter  CROWN Token Project CROWN Token Project Twitter  VUCA Digital’s LinkedIn T&B Media Global 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 a historic move, the SEC today announced that it has approved eleven Bitcoin Spot ETFs. U.S. investors will now be able to gain exposure to Bitcoin when trading begins tomorrow. Andy marks the historic occasion by recapping the days events and looking forward to what happens next for Bitcoin.  Why you should listen Finally, after a multi-year effort by the Bitcoin community, all eleven much-anticipated Bitcoin Spot ETFs have been approved by the SEC and will begin trading tomorrow. Bitcoin’s journey has been a strange and wild ride. Exactly 14 years ago today, Hal Finney tweeted that he was “Running bitcoin.” In the years afterward, Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto disappeared, and Bitcoin began its slow journey from a curious collectible for cypherpunks and cryptographers, to a payment mechanism for the dark web, to a speculative bet, to a means of outpacing inflation, and today, to a full embrace from the traditional financial system.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet The Sandbox 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.

Sebastien Borget is the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of The Sandbox a virtual world that leverages blockchain technology to empower users to create, build, buy, and sell digital assets in the form of a game.  Why you should listen Players, brands and companies can create worlds and experiences with the game’s built-in tools. The Sandbox has a native currency SAND, alongside a variety of in-game NFTs.The Sandbox is empowering a global community of players, creators, and owners to participate in an emerging digital economy. Players can own virtual LAND and launch their own Experiences, own SAND to earn passive income and participate in governance of The Sandbox metaverse, purchase unique avatars and equipment to make gameplay experience more fun, and use catalysts and gems to create assets for players and Experience builders. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet The Sandbox 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.  

Rena Shah is a former petroleum engineer turned Bitcoin strategist at Trust Machines. Trust Machines has the goal of onboarding 1 billion people into Bitcoin. Why you should listen Trust Machines is building the largest ecosystem of Bitcoin applications to maximize the value of the Bitcoin network. They are Bitcoin layer agnostic and currently use Stacks, Lightning, DLCs and are always open to exploring other tools. Trust Machines are building applications that focus on real-world utility that brings users deeper into web3 through the lens of decentralization only Bitcoin provides. Products include Console, a web3 messaging app for online communities that lets users retain privacy and own their identity, and Leather, a premium self custody Bitcoin wallet for Web3.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Trust Machines 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.  

Simon Chadwick is Co-founder and CEO at Eclipse Fi, a modular launch and liquidity protocol on Cosmos. Eclipse Fi aims to revolutionize token launches, and support innovation across Cosmos and up-and-coming Layer2s. Why you should listen Simon says that the goal of Eclipse Fi is to align quality projects with users by providing a platform for launching tokens that attracts users into the ecosystem and builds a community. Simon discusses the concept of a launch pad and how it is evolving into something more meta. He talks about bringing different types of launch and distribution mechanisms to align early communities of projects. Recognising a substantial market gap for a dependable launch platform, the team established Eclipse Fi as a go-to primitive launch platform for DeFi and Web3, addressing multiple issues related to launchpads and token launches. Eclipse Fi aims to become the hub for GTM, launches, and liquidity bootstrapping. A place where builders and the community can get involved and help to innovate and shape the future of token launches sustainably.  They chose the Cosmos ecosystem with Neutron as an initial home base due to the lack of adequate launch solutions, the high quality of projects and chains being developed, the strong focus on quality DeFi, and the cross-chain interoperable nature of IBC. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Eclipse Fi 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.  

Claude Eguienta is the Chief Executive Officer at Mimo Capital, a company that creates protocols providing tokenized real-world assets. So far, it has created the Kuma and Parallel protocols. Kuma is a DeFi protocol that provides tokenized real-world assets. The Parallel protocol is a lending platform for overcollateralized stablecoin loans. Why you should listen Kuma is a DeFi protocol that provides tokenized real-world assets in various forms.  The Parallel protocol is a lending platform for overcollateralized stablecoin loans. It allows users to mint price-stable tokens backed by various currencies after depositing collateral.  Claude explains that Kuma aims to provide sustainable returns within the crypto world by tokenizing assets like treasury bills (T-bills). The Kuma protocol is designed to provide a balanced portfolio by combining tradfi and crypto. Claude says the industry is gradually moving towards tokenizing riskier assets with higher yields, which would offer better commissions and differentiated products.  The Parallel protocol was created to solve the problem of providing a euro stablecoin in a cost-effective way. It allows users to deposit volatile assets as collateral and borrow stablecoins against them. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Mimo 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.  

Jeff Owens is co-founder of Haven1 - an EVM-compatible layer 1 blockchain designed to offer a secure, trusted environment to drive the mass adoption of on-chain finance. DeFi with training wheels.   Why you should listen Incubated by the team behind digital wealth platform, Yield App, Haven1 incorporates a provable identity framework and robust security guardrails at network level to provide retail, professional and institutional investors with an on-chain finance platform. Haven1 aims to bridge DeFi for Web2.5 users. It is built for secure transactions on-chain, fulfilling Web3’s promise to integrate a DeFi feature into the system. Among Haven1’s notable initiatives is its provable identity framework, which provides a solution for transparent and verifiable financial transactions. The complexities of transitioning into Web3 require long-term preparation for major communities to adopt due to the issues involved with blockchain awareness, interoperability, user experience, and scalability issues. Web2.5 provides a familiar feel of Web3 through its hybrid purpose, and Haven1 aims to bring Web2.5 users to easily navigate DeFi transactions in the Web3 space. With Haven1, you can seamlessly buy, trade, and sell your preferred assets within the network, free from hefty fees imposed by centralized authorities like banks. To unlock these benefits, all you need is a Haven1 token, and generally, there are no associated costs when moving assets between accounts.  In a real-world setting, leveraging Haven1’s capabilities for transitioning from Web2.5 to Web3 promises a future of integrated financial inclusivity within the current centralized financial system. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Haven1 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.  

Chris Shei is the founder and CEO of OneSafe, a financial technology company that partners with crypto-friendly banks to provide banking services for web3 startups. Why you should listen Chris shares his personal history with cryptocurrencies, including being debanked in the early days by JPMorgan and Citibank. He explains that OneSafe is a financial technology company, not a bank, and partners with crypto-friendly banks to provide banking services for web3 companies. OneSafe is available for businesses worldwide and allows them to easily open US-based bank accounts. The goal is to bridge the gap between the crypto ecosystem and traditional finance for web3 startups. Chris describes OneSafe as a global neo-bank for crypto-friendly businesses, offering bank accounts and 24/7 crypto on/off ramp services without fees. The company has a waitlist, but expedited applications are available with the referral code "Brave New Coin."  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet OneSafe 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.  

Gabriel Barros is a Developer Advocate at Cartesi, an app-specific rollup protocol with a virtual machine that runs Linux distributions. At Cartesi, he delivered its Proof of Stake pool staking system, and now is working on Developer Relations, fostering the ecosystem of Cartesian developers.    Why you should listen Cartesi is an app-specific rollup protocol with a virtual machine that runs Linux distributions, creating a richer and broader design space for DApp developers. Cartesi Rollups offer a modular scaling solution, deployable as L2, L3, or sovereign rollups, while maintaining strong base layer security guarantees. The Cartesi Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Cartesi technology and the decentralization of the Cartesi ecosystem. The Foundation's mission is to be a supporting member of the Cartesi community, through fundings, education programs, grants, strategic alliances, and other focused activities. The Foundation is committed to supporting the development of the Cartesi ecosystem; bringing mainstream scalability and convenience to DApp developers and users.  The Cartesi Machine is breakthrough tech that expands what's possible with DApps. We're getting a glimpse into a future where application-specific rollup chains could handle DApps that were previously unimaginable. For example, in 12 seconds, Eth can process 10 million changes to the blockchain, but Cartesi can process up to 3.6 billion changes in 12 seconds. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Cartesi Cartesi Docs Cartesi Honeypot 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.  

Derek Yoo is CEO at Moonsong Labs, an innovation lab facilitating the development of next-generation protocols and software infrastructure in Web3. Moonbeam is a platform for cross-chain connected applications that unites assets and functionality from many blockchains. Why you should listen Moonbeam is a smart contract platform for building connected applications that can access users, assets, and services on any chain. By uniting functionality from Ethereum, Cosmos, Polkadot and more into a single platform, Moonbeam solves today’s fragmented user experience — unlocking true interoperability and paving the way for the next generation of applications. The Moonbeam platform uses integrated cross-chain messaging to allow developers to create smart contracts that access services across many remote blockchains. This approach, plus Moonbeam’s developer-friendly EVM platform, vast tool support, and modern Substrate architecture, creates the ideal development environment for building connected applications. Devs can combine the functionality of multiple specialized chains or simply deploy natively on Moonbeam to bring projects to new users. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Moonsong Labs Moonbeam Network 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.  

Dan Keene is the Chief Business Officer and on the Founding Team of Portal Foundation. Portal is the universal gaming ecosystem, powered by $Portal. Through market-leading tech products and a world-class network, Portal is bringing blockchain gaming to mainstream audiences.   Why you should listen Portal is a universal gaming platform with a mission to onboard the first billion gamers into Web3. Portal provides a single, seamless point of entry into blockchain gaming for both Web2 and Web3 gamers, giving games access to millions of gamers worldwide in the process. The global games market is set to hit US$334.00 billion this year, witnessing extensive growth in game studios and player numbers. While Web3 gaming holds immense disruptive potential, current challenges include player education, onboarding, and distribution. Gamers struggle to transition due to the complexities of multiple chains and tokens, limiting blockchain game developers from reaching the broader traditional gaming community. These are the problems that Portal solves. Portal is at the forefront of the Web3 gaming revolution, with 180+ games already signed to integrate with the platform in just four months. This includes Web3 gaming giants such as Star Atlas and Space Nation. Powered by LayerZero, the leading interoperability protocol, Portal enables seamless integration between games on various chains. The integration allows gamers to access and use $Portal for game assets on Portal - regardless of their Web3 familiarity or the game’s chain. Portal gives gamers a sleek, intuitive experience of jumping into blockchain games, reminiscent of traditional gaming experiences. The underlying tech and integration of LayerZero mean that Portal can facilitate an entry point for any gamer into any ecosystem or game, effectively making the blockchain aspect of Web3 gaming invisible. This bypasses the large learning curve and multiple steps required for gamers to jump into Web3 gaming, allowing Portal to better cater to traditional gamers looking to enter blockchain gaming. Portal has also established a distribution partnership with Magic Eden, the leading cross-chain NFT platform, enabling users of Portal to purchase any NFTs using the $Portal token. This makes the token a Magic Eden-verified currency and allows for additional utility. With a shared vision for facilitating seamless, cross-chain interaction for digital assets and gaming, the partnership simplifies the NFT aspect often associated with Web3 gaming. Go to Crystal Dash on the link below to earn Portal Rewards.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Portal Crystal Dash 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.  

Kai is a core contributor to RAILGUN, a DeFi privacy toolkit powering a rich on-chain Zero-Knowledge privacy ecosystem.   Why you should listen Transactions on public blockchains like Ethereum are viewable on the ledger. Whilst blockchains are a huge technological advancement for financial freedom, they have fundamental shortcomings in protecting the human right of privacy, which is also core to true financial freedom. RAILGUN is a secure and composable private DeFi solution. As a flexible smart contract, RAILGUN achieves higher levels of privacy than other protocols, including dedicated privacy coins and chains.  RAILGUN uses zk-SNARKs to encrypt wallet balances, transaction history, and transaction details so that users can use something like Ethereum with all its benefits (liquidity, dApps, and security) and remain private. With zk-SNARKs, you can prove you have the right to spend tokens (i.e., you have a sufficient balance) completely privately. RAILGUN uses a new kind of wallet technology (called 0zk addresses) with this kind of Zero-Knowledge proving, meaning that assets held in RAILGUN are yours and yours only and can only be spent (and viewed) with your private key. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet RAILGUN 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.  

Andrew McFarlane is CTO at Validation Cloud an Institutional Staking-as-a-Service provider and Web3 infrastructure platform. Why you should listen Web3 infrastructure platform Validation Cloud has launched a staking-as-a-service platform for institutions. The platform enables institutions to deploy validators in bulk and earn rewards through smart contract automation. Institutions can stake on-demand and the platform is non-custodial. Validation Cloud has designed its platform to ensure that it is SOC2 compliant, a voluntary compliance standard defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The framework is designed to uphold high data security standards for companies, ensuring that customer information adheres to five principles: security, privacy, confidentiality, processing integrity and availability. The target market includes institutions in the staking space such as asset managers and custodians. Andrew explains that Validation Cloud provides security, scalability, and operational expertise to these institutions, allowing them to participate in staking without building their own team or infrastructure. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Valdation Cloud 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.

Jonas Simanavicius is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Syntropy, the data layer for Web3. Why you should listen Syntropy is a decentralized oracle and data network that uses patented technology to stream data in real-time from 12+ blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Base, Osmosis, and more. Syntropy has 40+ SDKs for instant deployment and full composability. When compared to other providers, Syntropy is up to 5 times faster (due to streaming), up to 95% more efficient (no persisted data), decentralized and trustless. The platform operates on a Gas-for-Data principle and provides rewards for community publishers and builders. Consumers have the option to subscribe to validated publications or create their own private streams. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Syntropy 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.  

Gracy Chen is MD at Bitget, a leading crypto copy trading and cryptocurrency exchange platform. Bitget’s mission is to inspire individuals to embrace crypto and connect with the future. Why you should listen Gracy joins Andy to talk about 2023, highlighting the key events impacting the crypto industry during that year. Gracy shares her experiences from traveling around the world, meeting people involved in Web3 projects, discussing regulatory frameworks with government officials in Singapore, being part of a TV reality show called Killer Whale in Los Angeles, and exploring innovation in Dubai. Debbie says there two major trends anticipated by institutional investors: Bitcoin Spot ETFs and US interest rate hikes. These, along with the Bitcoin Halving are seen as strong potential catalysts for a new crypto bull market and a possible Bitcoin Super Cycle.   Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet 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.  

Trent McConaghy is an AI and blockchain expert and the founder of Ocean Protocol, a decentralized data marketplace. Ocean’s newest product is Predictoor, a decentralized prediction feed platform.   Why you should listen Trent shares his journey from being raised on a farm to studying electrical engineering and computer science. He talks about his experience in starting companies focused on AI for chip design and exploring the creative uses of AI through his PhD.  Trent has always been ahead of the curve and has been publishing thought pieces on tokens, blockchain, big data, AI, solarpunk, nfts, Moore’s law, transhumanism, UBI, human actualisation, life on mars, and Dyson spheres over the two decades. Trent focuses his work at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and data. Ocean Protocol aims to connect the dots and envision future possibilities by focusing on interpolation rather than extrapolation. They have been building decentralized data marketplaces since 2017. Their core team has been divided into three sub-teams to pursue different traction hypotheses in data and AI.  One of the projects is Predictoor, which focuses on time series prediction using accurate prediction feeds and data coordination. The goal of Ocean Protocol is to create an open data economy where individuals and organizations can easily make money by adding value to data through AI models, predictions, actions, and revenue generation loops. Ocean Protocol is now focused on allowing people to make money in the Ocean ecosystem, particularly through DeFi.  Predictoor is a two-sided marketplace where predictors submit predictions and traders buy those predictions. The predictions are made every five minutes for various cryptocurrencies and traders can purchase them for a straightforward price of $1 per feed per day. The accuracy of the predictions determines whether users can make money, taking into account fees and slippage. Predictions can be made using AI ML models based on historical data. This crowdsourced approach allows data scientists to practice their skills while providing accurate prediction feeds to users. The goal is to have thousands or even millions of accurate prediction feeds available in different domains such as weather forecasts, traffic congestion, digital asset prices, etc., benefiting various industries and normal people alike. For example, accurate predictions for energy demand and price are crucial at both individual and national levels to avoid issues like brownouts or blackouts. Predictions are closely linked with intelligence and can be applied across various industries. Trent emphasizes the importance of accurate predictions through crowdsourcing combined with skin-in-the-game incentives on-chain, where custody is decentralized.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Ocean Protocol Predictoor 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.  

Maksim Hramadtsou is the founder and CEO of GoodCrypto and goodcryptoX - a next-generation non-custodial DEX trading platform that revolutionizes DEX trading with the help of ERC-4337 Account Abstraction and Smart Contract Wallets. Why you should listen Maksim founded 2018 GoodCrypto in 2018, an all-in-one crypto portfolio manager and multi-exchange trading terminal. GoodCrypto supports 35 centralized exchanges and has grown to over 200k registered users and over $3B of trading volume. Following the launch of Uniswap v2 in 2020, Maksim and his team have looked at integrating DEXs in the app to provide DEX traders with the same UX and trading tools they are accustomed to when trading on CEXs.  They believe that DEX trading should be fully non-custodial - anything less that that directly contradicts the whole point of decentralized trading The recent adoption of ERC-4337 Account Abstraction has provided the opportunity to create a fully non-custodial feature-rich DEX trading platform - this is goodcryptoX. goodcryptoX creates a smart contract wallet that only the user controls. It is tied to your social login or an existing Metamask wallet. That smart contract wallet issues ’session keys’ - a kind of on-chain API key to your wallet that allows our platform to trade on your behalf within the smart contract-enforced limits that you set. This allows goodcryptox to bring to DEXs most of the features of CEX trading: from trailing stop order and stop-loss/take-profit combos to DCA and Grid trading bots and trading on technical indicators and TradingView webhooks. Besides CEX functionality, smart contract wallets allow goodcryptoX to also offer a number of unique DeFi-specific features: from the ability to pay gas fees in any ERC-20 token and automated buying of gas tokens when they are cheap and using them when the network becomes congested to automatically bridging your tokens to an L2 chain like Arbitrum, running your bots there to save on gas fees and auto-bridging them back after. goodcryptoX will support all leading DEXs on all EVM-compatible blockchains. GOOD token is the native utility token of goodcryptoX. GOOD provides revenue share, governance, and swapping fee discounts. Join the waitlist now! Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet GoodCrypto goodcryptox 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.  

Gennaro D'Urso is the founder of Pharma Collective and Israel Mersky is the Director at Pharma Collective. Gennaro has a background in science and entrepreneurship, while Israel comes from the advertising industry and has experience in the pharmaceutical psychedelic space.   Why you should listen Gennaro and Isreal discuss the problems with big Pharma's business model, which focuses on new drug discovery rather than affordable medications that meet public health needs. They propose building an ecosystem to manufacture essential drugs or repurpose existing ones for broader use. Gennaro discusses the mission of Pharma DAO, which is to develop affordable drugs and combat the monopoly of big pharma. By involving the community in identifying needs and participating in trials, Pharma DAO aims to establish a sustainable economic model through royalties received from for-profit companies. Israel highlights potential strategies such as repurposing off-patent drugs and supporting manufacturing to address drug shortages. Collaboration with small pharmaceutical companies is crucial, as they play a significant role in manufacturing essential medications. However, these smaller companies face challenges due to profit margins and outdated technologies. The goal is to create funding models that support projects between millions and hundreds of millions of dollars, filling the gap where traditional funding falls short. Licensing agreements rather than investments are pursued with for-profit companies, allowing Pharma DAO to receive royalties for self-sustainability. This model has been successful before with organizations like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. They emphasize the importance of decentralization, community involvement, and equal voting rights.  The next steps include a proper launch, raising awareness, setting up efficient mechanisms, and involving the community in decision-making. They believe that decentralized technologies can have a significant impact on public health and encourage people to join as members to make a difference. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Pharma Collective Pharma Dao 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.

Jasper De Gooyer is the co-founder and CTO at SEDA, a multichain, permissionless protocol connecting real-world data to any network on-chain.   Why you should listen SEDA is a decentralized oracle network designed to bring data from the real world onto the blockchain. It is a multichain, permissionless protocol connecting real-world data to any network on-chain by enabling the integration of external data and events into smart contracts. Jasper says the SEDA team made the conscious decision to build the 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑙𝑒. This is absolutely core to the design. It means that just as any user can interact with Ethereum to perform deterministic computation, any contract can interact with the Seda Protocol to perform deterministic computation on non-deterministic data. SEDA has launched its first testnet, with mainnet coming in Q1, 2024. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet SEDA Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin  

Tanya Petrusenko is the CEO at Bitmedia, a global crypto advertising platform that helps crypto companies find crypto users around the world. Why you should listen Bitmedia started in 2014 to provide advertising opportunities for businesses in the emerging crypto space. Back then, there were few competitors, and most ads were on Bitcoin Talk. The goal was to connect crypto publishers with advertisers and enable monetization through ads. Bitmedia has grown over the years and currently has around 120 team members. Despite challenges during bear markets when budgets are tight, they continue to attract advertisers preparing for future growth. They also explore other niches like gaming to diversify their offerings. The Bitmedia engine is a self-serve platform where advertisers can easily set up ad campaigns based on their preferences such as target audience or ad format. The system tracks various metrics for performance evaluation. Account managers help guide advertisers who may be unfamiliar with digital advertising processes. In terms of building brand loyalty in the crypto space, Bitmedia collaborates closely with brands to craft unique campaigns that resonate with their target audience. Tanja explains that her company works with various established companies to help them with advertising, specifically branding campaigns. They utilize performance tracking and aim for brand recognition. They also engage in PRS and KOL marketing, creating stories and publishing them on top crypto media outlets while promoting businesses to key opinion leaders. Tanja discusses their previous efforts to use blockchain for advertising but mentions that they are currently focusing on building their own DSP (Demand-Side Platform) for buying traffic and ads from different media outlets. She also mentions plans for a decentralized ad exchange using smart contracts to combat ad fraud.  In terms of the future of crypto advertising, Tanja believes that traditional advertising technologies should be prioritized over blockchain-based solutions at this point because the technology is not yet mature enough in the crypto market. However, she envisions AI playing a role in future developments within the industry. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Bitmedia 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.  

Andy records a video podcast to check in on the current narratives and data points impacting the crypto markets. With approximately 150 days until the 4th Bitcoin Halving, and less than two months until the likely approval of multiple Bitcoin Spot ETFs, the markets are leaning bullish.  Bitcoin has been on an upward trend for the last 4 weeks, gaining over 36% in that time. Solana has outperformed Bitcoin and most other assets, gaining 190% in the last four weeks alone. Andy looks at all this, and much more in today’s market sentiment report. Watch this episode on YouTube Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Andy on Twitter  Aditya 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.  

Aditya Das is Head of Research at Volcan Capital, a financial services company focused on investment opportunities in El Salvador.    Why you should listen   Aditya has authored a comprehensive research report titled "Invest in El Salvador," which covers various sectors of the country's economy and highlights its emerging opportunities for investors. Volcan Capital has created two investment funds, that are tokenized on the Bitcoin Blockchain. The funds are, the El Salvador Real Estate Investment Trust Fund and the El Salvador Technology Venture Fund. El Salvador has made significant progress in the last decade, particularly in addressing its issues with gang violence and improving safety. The government-implemented measures have been controversial but effective in reducing crime rates. El Salvador has successfully managed its fiscal deficit and restructured its debt, leading to improved credit ratings and increased foreign investment. President Nayib Bukele is seen as a populist leader who has embraced progressive financial policies and actively communicates with the public through social media platforms like Twitter.  El Salvador became the first country to make Bitcoin legal tender in 2021. This decision was driven by the need for an alternative currency since El Salvador uses US dollars as its primary currency but lacks monetary sovereignty. Bitcoin offers benefits for remittances and acts as a hedge against potential devaluation or economic instability caused by external factors. El Salvador has set up legislation and a regulatory framework for Bitcoin service providers, which has attracted prominent exchanges like Bitfinex and Binance. The country offers a separate company registry and clear language in its regulations to support Bitcoin-related companies. El Salvador's embrace of Bitcoin as legal tender also provides a ready-made base of users for these companies. Additionally, the country has created a separate framework for digital asset service providers, embracing digital assets other than Bitcoin. El Salvador's use of geothermal energy from volcanoes for Bitcoin mining adds to its appeal as an innovative hub. Volcan Capital is ready to assist international capital looking for a geopolitical hedge or growth prospects in this emerging market: in other words, the Singapore or Dubai of 40 years ago.   Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Volcan Capital Andy on Twitter  Aditya 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.  

Jae Yang is the CEO of Tacen and the Chief Architect of Project TXA. Tacen and Project TXA are sister projects - Project TXA develops the hybrid decentralized exchange protocol (hDEX) and the decentralized settlement layer (DSL), while Tacen develops the world’s first hDEX interfaces for traders to use (Tacen Swap and Tacen Exchange). Why you should listen Jae Yang is the CEO of Tacen and the chief architect of Project TXA, an open-source project that aims to build a cross-chain settlement network. Tacen is a commercial entity building an exchange on top of the TXA settlement network.  Both projects were inspired by Jae's frustrations with traditional crypto exchanges including custody issues, lack of transparency in proof of reserves, and centralization. Project TXA seeks to address these issues by providing fast cross-chain transactions and noncustodial exchanges.  The target audience is experienced traders looking for secure and low-cost options beyond centralized exchanges. Jae Yang also emphasizes compliance with regulations while maintaining user privacy. Tacen Exchange is live on multiple networks with various crypto pairs available for trading. Interested individuals can learn more through technical documentation, code repositories, joining Discord, or visiting the exchange website. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Tacen Projext TXA 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.  

Collin Woodward is the President and General Counsel of StealthTest. This secure, cloud-based environment enables teams to create their own Ethereum and EVM-compatible test networks for private and secure Web3 development. Why you should listen StealthTest is designed to ensure industry Web3 projects can protect their privacy, compliance, and IP. With a track record including Chainlink, CertiK, and Gary Vee, StealthTest pioneers scalability, reliability, and swift deployment of secure blockchain apps. StealthTest is a comprehensive infrastructure solution for smart contract development, testing, and deployments. Nestled securely within cloud-based, private testing environments, the platform provides blockchain infrastructure to service every phase of the Web3 product lifecycle. This allows developers to direct their energies toward crafting innovative applications, liberating them from the complexities of node deployments and environmental variables. Engineered for optimal functionality, StealthTest is designed to minimize maintenance and maximize cost efficiency via resource autoscaling and frictionless network upgrades. This is accomplished through a proven, repeatable node deployment strategy and a hands-off management approach, eliminating the common headaches associated with self-managed node upkeep. StealthTest supports all EVM networks. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet StealthTest 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.  

Jonathan Bertrand is CEO at D-Central Technologies, a Bitcoin mining company empowering pleb miners to industry giants. D-Central is North America and Europe's one-stop shop for hardware, hosting, and repair. Why you should listen Since its inception in 2016, D-Central has been at the forefront of innovation and development within the Bitcoin mining sector. The company operates a physical and online retail store making it easy for hobbyists to access Bitcoin mining hardware. D-Central also operates a comprehensive Bitcoin ASIC Service Center, which includes diagnosis and repair of ASIC hardware issues, firmware updates, overclocking, optimization of hardware performance, cleaning and maintenance for prolonged life expectancy, replacement parts for damaged or worn parts, technical support and troubleshooting assistance.   D-Central runs a comprehensive Bitcoin Mining Hosting solution, and now sell Bitcoin Space Heaters. These heaters repurpose the heat generated from cryptocurrency mining, turning what was once considered waste into a valuable resource for homeowners. As Bitcoin miners work tirelessly to validate transactions and secure the blockchain, they produce a significant amount of heat. Instead of letting this heat dissipate into the surroundings, Bitcoin Space Heaters capture and channel it to warm living spaces, ensuring that every joule of energy is put to good use. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet D-Central 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.  

Riad Wahby is the CEO and co-founder at Cubist, a company focused on key management solutions for Web3. Riad has a background in electrical engineering and computer science, particularly zero-knowledge proofs. Cubist was founded after Riad and the team identified the problem of key security as a major challenge in Web3 applications. Why you should listen Cubist began as a developer of hardware-backed, non-custodial key storage and signing infrastructure that enables institutional blockchain staking providers to protect staking keys and secure withdrawals.  The company was started by Wahby, his co-founder, former fintech COO and fraud prevention expert Ann Stefan, and two other Computer Science and Engineering professors from Carnegie Mellon and UC San Diego. Cubist has just launched a first-of-its-kind Wallet-as-a-Service platform called CubeSigner to support everything from loyalty programs to market makers to games to custody platforms across virtually every chain. The WaaS solution is differentiated in that applications can request signatures through revocable signing sessions via simple API calls, and then the WaaS signs from within secure hardware. As a result, keys are constantly safe because users can’t accidentally leak keys and attackers can’t steal keys. CubeSigner is designed to solve the trade-off between convenience/usability and security when it comes to managing keys. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Cubist 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.

Ayush Ranjan is the Co-Founder and CEO at Huddle01, whose mission is to democratize WebRTC and make it more private, secure, and scalable.   Why you should listen Huddle01 is building a decentralized real-time communication network. Developers can leverage their suite of developer-friendly SDKs to enable powerful audio/video experiences on your app with just a quick plug in. Ayush talks about privacy concerns with video communication platforms like Zoom and how that led him to create Huddle01, a peer-to-peer video calling platform with added layers of security and scalability. Ayush explains how WebRTC works and its evolution from peer-to-peer to server-based communication. He highlights the challenges of centralization, such as lack of content encryption and latency issues caused by distant servers. Ayush discusses the concept of a people-powered communication network, where individuals can become nodes and power calls without relying on centralized servers. This leads to increased privacy, reduced latency, and the creation of a new bottom-up economy. Ayush also highlights features of Huddle01 that differentiate it from platforms like Zoom, such as seamless integration with popular streaming sites, enhanced privacy options, crypto primitives for avatars, and cheaper call recordings using filecoin storage. Andy acknowledges the importance of building user-friendly platforms regardless of users' familiarity with web3 technology. The conversation then shifts to the concept of "DePIN," which refers to leveraging blockchain technology for decentralized physical infrastructures. Examples include Helium's approach to creating a decentralized 5G mobile network and Filecoin's role in enabling individuals to become storage providers. The discussion concludes by emphasizing the need for more affordable communication infrastructure in order to reduce costs currently associated with centralized systems. Ayush describes the different layers of Huddle01, including the app layer for consumers, the SDK layer for developers, and the protocol layer for miners and validators. Ayush envisions a future where Huddle powers all communication platforms, making calls more immersive and solving global problems more effectively. Looking ahead, Ayush sees a utopian future where humans explore outer space and achieve higher levels of energy consumption through advanced infrastructure systems like Dyson Spheres. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Huddle01 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.  

Justin Flitter is the founder of NewZealand.AI Their mission is to help businesses scale their superpowers with Artificial Intelligence to increase productivity or create new digital experiences. Why you should listen Justin shares his background in marketing and emerging technology, and his involvement with the New Zealand AI community. He talks about starting The AI meetup and organizing events to showcase companies using AI. Last year's launch of Chat GPT changed everything and the AI revolution is now upon us. Andy and Jason discuss the ways that AI is impacting sectors such as business and education. The conversation concludes with a discussion on how AI impacts different sectors such as education and business. Finally, Andy and Jason reflect on their time spent on Twitter, and how Elon Musk's ownership has changed the platform.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet New Zealand AI 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.  

Pelli Wang is the Co-Founder and COO of Bracket Labs. Bracket Labs' mission is to democratize financial products for all users, specifically mainstream leveraged structured products within DeFi.  Why you should listen Bracket Labs focuses on building range-bound products for traders in the DeFi derivatives space using web3 technology. The platform is built on Arbitrum and has recently launched a testnet called Passage. They aim to simplify options trading for users who are native to DeFi but may not be comfortable with traditional options platforms. Look out for mainnet coming soon and some trading competitions! Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Bracket Labs 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.  

Mayur Relekar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana, a Web3 adoption and integration network. Arcana provides developer tools and SDKs that enable developers to build user-friendly Web3 applications. Why you should listen Akana initially focused on decentralized storage but later shifted to building products for developers in the Web3 space. The three products they have released are Auth, which allows users to log into Web3 apps with email or social accounts; Gasless, which provides a gasless experience for app users by sponsoring their gas fees; and SendIt, a simple way to send crypto to an email ID or Twitter handle without requiring the recipient to be a SendIt user. Mayur Relekar discusses the success of SendIt, which gained 50,000 users in six days and has now reached 500,000 users. He also highlights the need for user-friendly experiences in Web Three and believes that builders are starting to prioritize user needs. Mayur emphasizes the importance of creating applications that solve real problems for users and compares it to moving from building "vitamins" to "painkillers." Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Arcana 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.  

Austin Federa is the Head of Strategy at Solana Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Switzerland that provides grants and supports development on the Solana network. Solana is known for its fast, cheap, and scalable blockchain solution with transactions finalizing in 400 milliseconds and low fees of around $0.25 per transaction.  Why you should listen Solana first gained adoption due to its ability to handle a high volume of transactions at low costs compared to other L1 blockchains like Ethereum. The Solana Network continues to grow with about 2,000 nodes globally, demonstrating decentralization and increasing stake distribution compared to other networks like Ethereum or Polygon.  Visa is running a pilot program using the USDC stablecoin on the Solana network after previously conducting it on Ethereum. Austin says that the collapse of FTX did not significantly impact Solana as users continued transacting and builders kept building on the network. The network is resilient and has a strong community.  Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Solana 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.  

Solo Ceesay is the CEO and co-founder of Calaxy, a social marketplace for creators, built on Hedera Hashgraph. He aspires to bridge the gap between fans and creators that legacy media has created by utilizing the limitless capabilities of distributed ledger technology.   Why you should listen The creator economy is among the fastest-growing sectors of the internet. Calaxy aims to empower the next generation of creators by streamlining the process and cutting out expensive intermediaries. The platform offers creators an end-to-end toolkit to build community, sell a range of experiences, and receive instant payouts.  Designed for simplicity, the app features a home feed to connect with the platform’s experience, together with an ‘experience scroll’ where users can discover tailored experiences provided by their favorite creators.   Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Calaxy 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.

Evan Cheng is the Co-Founder and CEO at Mysten Labs building Sui, an innovative, decentralized Layer 1 blockchain that redefines asset ownership. Evan previously spent time at Apple and Meta.   Why you should listen Sui aims to make Sui the most accessible smart contract platform, empowering developers to create great user experiences in web3.  To usher in the next billion users, Sui empowers developers with various tools to take advantage of the power of the Sui blockchain. The Sui Development Kit (SDK) will enable developers to build without boundaries. Sui is a smart contract platform maintained by a permissionless set of validators that play a role similar to validators or miners in other blockchain systems. Sui offers scalability and unprecedented low-latency for simple use cases. Sui makes most transactions processable in parallel. This better utilizes processing resources and offers the option to increase throughput by adding more resources. Sui forgoes consensus to instead use simpler and lower-latency primitives for simple use cases, such as payment transactions and asset transfers. This is unprecedented in the blockchain world and enables a number of new latency-sensitive distributed applications ranging from gaming to retail payment at physical points of sale. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Sui 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.  

Dr. Marco Krohn and Dr. Anthony Jefferies are co-authors of a new book - Decrypting Money - A Comprehensive Introduction to Bitcoin. The book provides a high-level overview of Bitcoin's properties, decentralization, mining, and its role in the larger context of money. Why you should listen In Decrypting Money, cryptocurrency experts Marco Krohn, Anthony Jefferies, Marco Streng, and Zoran Balkic pull back the curtain on the world of public ledgers, decentralization, mining, blockchains, and private keys. On the podcast, the authors discuss the historical context of Bitcoin and its relevance in today's financial landscape. They highlight the recurring issue of centralized control over money supply throughout history and how Bitcoin offers a decentralized alternative. The authors express optimism about Bitcoin's progress, acknowledging its adoption and integration into conventional financial markets while recognizing that it is still not widely accepted as a medium of exchange. They also discuss the upcoming Bitcoin halving event, emphasizing that making concrete predictions about its impact is difficult but expressing confidence in Bitcoin's long-term value as an asset class. The book is published under a Creative Commons license, allowing people to distribute copies freely. The authors are long-time Bitcoiners and believe spreading knowledge about Bitcoin and decentralized systems is important. Listen to the podcast to learn how to win a copy of the book! Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Decrypting Money Book 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.  

Riyaz Faizullabhoy and Nassim Eddequiouaq, are the former Chief Technology Officer and Chief Security Officer of a16z Crypto, and the founders of Bastion. Bastion is an enterprise-focused web3 orchestrator enabling companies to seamlessly integrate web3 infrastructure into enterprise technologies through a compliant, white-label platform.  Why you should listen Bastion, founded by the former Chief Technology Officer and Chief Security Officer of a16z crypto, empowers enterprises to develop products and experiences that unlock the full potential of web3 for their end users by allowing brands to implement new, or expand existing, infrastructure. Using Bastion’s proprietary routing system, companies can now leverage the utility of the blockchain only when necessary, providing a pragmatic solution for web3 implementation. Through its comprehensive platform, the Company eliminates the need to individually source solutions such as custody, wallet management, and user onboarding. Bastion combines the simplicity of web2 with the efficiencies of web3, so businesses can create faster, easier ways for people to pay, play, connect, and shop, all while simultaneously offering valuable insights through data analytics. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet Bastion 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.  

Rekt Capital is a cryptocurrency trader and technical analyst. In this episode, Andy and Rekt discuss the historical patterns and tendencies leading up to the Bitcoin halving, including pre-halving periods, retracements, and post-halving rallies.  Why you should listen Rekt Capital suggests that the next 140 days present an opportunity for dollar-cost averaging and accumulation before potential price increases post-halving. He mentions the possibility of Bitcoin dropping below $20,000 before the halving, but cautions that it is not guaranteed. The conversation highlights the importance of this time period for long-term investors to position themselves strategically for the upcoming cycle. Andy and Rekt discuss the potential impact of spot ETFs on Bitcoin's price, emphasizing the fact that both ETFs and halving events are long-term catalysts that will have significant effects over future cycles. Rekt also discusses the importance of long-term time horizons, the psychological number that is a $100k Bitcoin, strategies for selling Bitcoin during peak periods, such as dollar cost averaging out of the market, the altcoin money cycle, and the inevitability of meme coins. Supporting links Bitget Bitget Academy Bitget Research Bitget Wallet REKT Capital 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.  

Marc Taverner is the CEO and co-founder of XEROF, a financial services provider for crypto assets. Marc says the idea for XEROF stemmed from a recognition of the friction between traditional finance and crypto assets. XEROF aims to provide compliance-first solutions that bridge this gap for high net-worth individuals, businesses, corporates, web3 companies, asset managers, and family offices globally.    Why you should listen XEROF offers services such as cross-border payments using stablecoins like tether USDT to reduce fees and increase cash velocity; facilitating real estate purchases with cryptocurrency through currency conversion; supporting web3 companies' periodic conversion of treasury into fiat currencies for operational costs; and providing institutions with an Active Managed Certificate (AMC) to gain exposure to crypto assets in a regulated manner. This allows asset managers to recognize placements as assets under management without needing to take custody of the underlying asset.  Supporting links Bitget XEROF 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.  

Andrew Smith is the founder of Versatus Labs. Versatus is building a decentralized compute stack to make it easier for developers to build on blockchains. Their vision is similar to cloud compute providers like AWS, but for blockchain technology. They aim to reduce the language barrier and provide tools for developers to build applications on any chain. They believe that attracting more developers will lead to the creation of killer apps and drive mass adoption of Web3 technology.   Why you should listen Andrew Smith discusses the challenges of talent acquisition in Web3 development and emphasizes the need to make the hiring process easier and reduce barriers. He predicts that within the next decade, about a third of all applications will be built on decentralized stacks. Andrew provides an overview of Versatus' layer one blockchain and consensus mechanism. Andrew projects a future where Web3 has multiple killer apps and over 100 million daily active users, with trillion-dollar market cap platforms. He believes that decentralization is the future but acknowledges the current knowledge gap in blockchain technology among most people.   Supporting links https://partner.bitget.com/bg/BNC0  Versatus 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.  

Billy Sullivan is the COO, and Arran Potter is the founder at Grease Monkey Games, a Melbourne games studio building immersive community-driven games for fans of Motorsport. Billy and Arran are Motorsport and car culture enthusiasts IRL and in the digital realm.    Why you should listen Founded in 2013, Melbourne-based Grease Monkey Games is the developer of Torque Burnout and Torque Drift, both available on mobile devices, with the latter also released on PC. In 2022 Animoca Brands acquired Grease Monkey Games for an undisclosed amount. Torque Drift 2 is an upcoming Web2 meets Web3 motorsport game from Grease Monkey Games. From the colorful drift scene of Tokyo streets to professional competitions sponsored by global brands, Torque Drift 2 invokes all aspects of drift culture. From nostalgic nightscapes to major league championships, your drift style and gameplay choices will determine your legacy as a drift legend. With extensive profile and garage customization options as digital collectables, linear and open-world environments, a powerful suite of player custom creation tools, and a multitude of feature support for both single and multiplayer experiences, Torque Drift 2 aims to offer a ‘play-your-way’ experience that players can define for themselves. The game will have continuous releases of interactive experiences such as a tuning garage open to players starting as early as Q3 2023, with the full release of the game staged for 2024.  Supporting links Bitget Grease Monkey Games Torque Motorsport  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.  

Brian Courchesne started his career on Wall Street and became interested in Bitcoin in 2014. He recognized a need for licensed advisors in the space and founded DAIM to provide professional management of crypto assets. DAIM's typical clients are busy business owners looking to make larger allocations to the crypto space. They offer personalized portfolio recommendations and manage assets according to their model portfolio. Additionally, they provide services such as tax optimization and access to various retirement accounts, including a unique corporate 401k plan that allows employees to invest in Bitcoin alongside traditional funds. Why you should listen DAIM is a successful traditional and digital asset manager that uses its unique investing experience to help its clients achieve their investment goals. DAIM’s expertise, research, and access gives clients the confidence to stay at the forefront of modern investing. DAIM has established relationships with traditional and digital investment technology companies and are able to take disconnected platforms and combine them into streamlined solutions. Supporting links Bitget DAIM 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.  

Ethena Labs - Enabling the Internet Bond   Guy Young is the CEO and Founder of Ethena Labs, the crypto infrastructure company building USDe, the first-ever global internet bond and stablecoin not reliant on existing banking institutions.    Why you should listen Ethena Labs is a decentralized stablecoin protocol built on Ethereum that will provide a crypto-native solution for money not reliant on traditional banking system infrastructure, alongside a globally accessible and permissionless dollar denominated savings instrument - the 'Internet Bond'. Ethena’s stablecoin, USDe, will provide the first censorship resistant, scalable, and stable crypto-native solution for money by delta-hedging staked Ethereum collateral. USDe will be fully collateralized transparently onchain and free to compose throughout DeFi. The ‘Internet Bond’ is built upon USDe and will combine yield derived from staked Ethereum as well as the basis in both perpetual swap and futures markets, to create the first onchain bond that can function as dollar denominated savings instrument for users worldwide.   Supporting links Bitget Ethena 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.  

Valio - Next Generation Asset Management Platform   Karlis is the of founder Valio, an asset management platform that connects users to leading traders and digital asset managers. Why you should listen Valio.xyz is a new cross-chain asset management platform that aims to solve the technical challenges that have held back decentralized asset management. It works by allowing investors to allocate their capital to traders without the need for trust. Investors are able to allocate capital to traders without trusting them, while traders have access to the many chains supported by LayerZero, to craft flexible strategies that can include long-tail crypto assets, derivatives and, eventually, the full gamut of DeFi. Valio.xyz is incubated by Openhedge, a venture studio. The core team is made up of six experienced professionals with backgrounds in software engineering, investment banking, and DeFi. Supporting links Bitget Valio 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.  

Jason Grewal is the Chief Legal Officer at SYS Labs, a company building products and services for Web3. Why you should listen Rollux is SYSLabs’ premier product, an EVM rollup platform rooted in Bitcoin’s PoW for unparalleled security, scalability, and affordability. Bitcoin is the most secure store of value in blockchain. Its value is protected against malicious actors through its Proof-of-Work protocol and a decentralized global network of miners. Rollux inherits Bitcoin security by deploying Syscoin on the base settlement layer. Syscoin is a dual-chain (EVM + UTXO) blockchain project that uses merge mining to deploy over 30% of Bitcoin’s security, and continues to grow. Jason also introduces Camada, a compliant capital-raising platform that aims to connect investors and issuers worldwide while ensuring regulatory compliance. Jason expresses his opinion on the current state of crypto regulations, highlighting the lack of consensus and unified approach among regulatory agencies. He believes that a new regulatory regime is needed to accommodate the technology and innovation in the crypto industry. Jason also discusses Syslabs' product, SuperDapp, a social platform with AI capabilities and self-custody wallet features. By creating an AI-driven super app that unifies chat, Web3, and social functionalities, SuperDapp aims to transform how users interact with technology and bridge the gaps in the existing fragmented ecosystem. SuperDapp offers an integrated platform where users can access multiple services and features without the need to switch between applications.   Supporting links Bitget SYSLabs 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.  

Lodewyck Berghuijs is the CEO and co-founder of Delos Digital, the parent company to Kodoma and Pantheon Mining. Lodewyck shares his personal journey into bitcoin mining after facing challenges in the music industry due to COVID-19.  Why you should listen The narrative around Bitcoin's energy consumption is evolving, with a shift towards recognizing its positive impact on driving sustainable energy sources. Pantheon's focus is on catering to high-net-worth individuals, while Kodoma offers fractionalized Bitcoin mining for retail investors. The conversation touches on the challenges faced by individual home miners due to energy costs and technological advancements. Lodewyck stresses the importance of decentralization and encourages more people to participate in Bitcoin mining through the options provided by Pantheon and Kadoma. He highlights the profitability potential of bitcoin mining compared to simply buying and holding bitcoin, especially when considering long-term strategies aligned with halving cycles. Supporting links Bitget Pantheon Kodoma 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.  

Paul Salisbury is the co-founder of Everlasting, a digital currency hybrid custody initiative founded in New Zealand. Everlasting provides users with sovereignty over their assets while mitigating risks such as hacks or loss of funds. The goal is to offer a robust solution that can cater to individual investors, asset managers, and high-net-worth individuals. Why you should listen Paul Salisbury discusses the need for a more secure and flexible approach to on-chain finance. He mentions the challenges of estate planning and inheritance in crypto, where lawyers are hesitant to handle digital assets stored in hardware wallets or seed phrases. To address these issues, Paul introduces a technology approach that allows non-technical users to securely participate in asset signing and approval workflows. The goal is to create an environment where users have control over their assets and transactions are auditable. Paul emphasizes the importance of decentralization and avoiding centralized risks. He also mentions the potential for hybrid custody options that provide more choices for individuals entering the crypto market. Paul Salisbury discusses the challenges faced by the current exchange custody industry and emphasizes the need for hybrid models to accommodate different user cases. He highlights the importance of providing a comfortable way for non-technical users to access tokenized financial products without compromising security. He believes that simplifying complexity for users and enhancing privacy is critical for future advancements in the crypto space.  Supporting links Bitget Everlasting 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.  

Corey Caplan and Adam Knuckey are the co-founders of Dolomite, a next-generation money market and margin trading protocol built on Arbitrum.    Why you should listen The decision to build Dolomite on Arbitrum was driven by the need for faster transactions and lower gas fees compared to Ethereum mainnet. Dolomite aims to provide a better decentralized exchange experience by addressing the limitations of existing decentralized exchanges. Adam Knuckey explains that the goal of building Dolomite was to enable lending platforms for modern DeFi, incorporating features like voting, staking, vesting, and rewards. They aim to create a platform that offers decentralized exchange capabilities and maximizes yield earning potential through efficient asset utilization. Corey Caplan further discusses how Dolomite's infrastructure can solve liquidity crunch scenarios and retain control over assets during stressful situations. He highlights the ability to earn swap fees and lending yield simultaneously as a key advantage. The team tracks metrics like TVL and borrow activity while focusing on shipping utility through the platform. Despite market fluctuations, Dolomite has retained its TVL without any incentive programs due to its usefulness for users.  They also mention their collaboration with OffChain Labs and Chainlink, highlighting how Dolomite relies on these teams for securing its network and valuing user collateral. The conversation shifts to broader perspectives on DeFi, with Corey discussing the analogy between the early internet and the current state of DeFi, while Adam mentions the challenges posed by unclear regulations in the industry. Adam Knuckey emphasizes the importance of approaching projects in a secure and proper manner, rather than treating legal matters as an afterthought. He acknowledges that overcoming this challenge can be difficult, but making the best efforts is crucial.    Supporting links Bitget Dolomite 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.  

Fred Thiel is the CEO of Marathon Digital Holdings, one of the largest Bitcoin mining companies on the planet. The company holds 13,000 BTC in its corporate treasury.   Why you should listen Fred Thiel discusses the role of Bitcoin mining in balancing the grid and incentivizing renewable energy. He explains how miners can use stranded energy from solar and wind farms, benefiting both the operators and consumers. Fred also addresses the narrative shift towards recognizing Bitcoin's positive impact on renewable energy sources. The conversation then shifts to the potential approval of Bitcoin ETFs by institutions like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Vanguard. Fred shares his perspective on the likelihood of these approvals happening and highlights the growing separation between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in terms of narrative and risk profiles.  Fred emphasizes Marathon's preparedness for the upcoming Bitcoin halving, regardless of whether prices go up or down, due to their reserves and efficient mining operations.  Supporting links Coinsbee Marathon Digital Holdings 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.  

Jay White is the co-founder of Space and Time, a decentralized data warehouse. Space and Time can be understood as a web3 native database platform with applications in gaming and DeFi.  Why you should listen Space and Time is (SxT) is a decentralized data warehouse that comes preloaded with indexed blockchain data from major chains. You can join tamperproof on-chain data with your own off-chain datasets in a simple SQL format and publish the result to smart contracts, dapps, dashboards, BI tools, and ML models. Proof of SQL is a novel zk cryptography that proves that queries run in SxT are verifiably tamperproof. SxT revolutionizes data for Web3, powering sub-second queries and enterprise-scale analytics in a tamperproof and blockchain-anchored way. The development process is ongoing with an alpha launch recently completed. Space and time investors include Chainlink, Microsoft, Samsung Next, among others. Supporting links Coinsbee Space and Time 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.  

Tomer Afek is the CEO and Co-founder of Spacemesh, a layer 1 Proof of Space Time (PoST) protocol. Following mainnet launch on the 14th of July 2023 they have created the “People’s Coin” magic internet money, that anyone can mine from home, no special mining gear required.  Why you should listen Spacemesh is a decentralized smart contract platform that uses Proof of Space-Time (PoST) as its consensus protocol. It has a mesh structure to order transactions. SpaceMesh relies on PoST due to the team's belief that it is less resource intensive, more easily decentralized, and better secured compared to Proof of Work and Proof of Stake.  Spacemesh intends to build a decentralized, secure, and scalable cryptocurrency and smart contracts platform that can be used by anyone with excess hard drive space.  Spacemesh want to reinvent “Magic internet money everyone can join via mining from home”, to keep the cryptocurrency money system always open, dynamic, fair, and decentralized. They believe that it will pave the way for a world that is more equitable, facilitating more and better cooperation regionally, nationally, and globally. Supporting links Coinsbee Spacemesh 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.  

Jett Tang is the executive producer of The Next Crypto Gem, a Reality  TV series that premieres September 7. It’s the first crypto-related TV show of its kind. Think Shark Tank meets The Apprentice in Web3. Why you should listen The Next Crypto Gem is a crypto reality TV show starring Brian D. Evans, Layah Heilpern, George Tung as judges. The Next Crypto Gem puts the best projects in the wild world of cryptocurrency to the ultimate test. Each week the judges challenge the teams to explain their projects through a series of competitions with real-world applications. Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington, and YouTube’s BitBoy make guest appearances.  The executive producer, Jet Tang, says that he and the team at Hourglass wanted to create a show that could bring crypto to the mainstream via the power of television. Tang says it is important to highlight the pioneers and builders in the crypto space to change negative media perceptions. He explains that season one is just the beginning and they plan to expand with more productions in season two.  The goal is to present crypto in a fun and entertaining format to the masses while also educating them. The show will sprinkle in concepts such as tokenomics, crypto basics, and blockchain understanding. The script and pacing is designed to entertain so those who have no understanding of the industry can enjoy the program along with the crypto natives. https://www.coinsbee.com/en/ https://hourglassx.com/    

Dermot O’Riordan is the director of Pocket Network. Pocket Network's mission is to build censorship-resistant technology that will lay the foundation for reorganizing the world’s institutions toward a more equitable, hyper-connected, interplanetary future. Why you should listen Pocket Network is one of the pioneering projects driving the DePin revolution. Since 2017, it has empowered developers with reliable, performant, and cost-effective access to blockchain data. It does this by decentralizing remote procedure calls (RPC), a standardized method for developers to interact with a blockchain network, allowing them to send and receive data from that network. Decentralized Physical Infrastructures (DePIN) leverage blockchain technology to build and operate real-world physical infrastructure in a permissionless, trustless, and programmatic way. For some, this possibility represents the apex of what blockchain can achieve - giving distributed individuals the ability to collectively build, maintain, and operate networks without the need for a centralized entity. https://www.coinsbee.com/en/ https://www.pokt.network/ 

Yves La Rose is the CEO of the EOS Network Foundation and a modern-day samurai. EOS was the largest ICO and raised over $4 billion in the biggest initial coin offering of all time. With its promise of being more efficient than other cryptocurrencies, EOS gained a reputation as "Ethereum on Steroids." Over time, however, users declined, its token's value declined, and developers left the project. Yves La Rose and the EOS community are determined to bring EOS back from the dead. Why you should listen The EOS community, led by Yves La Rose, feels that the ICO funds were used for unrelated ventures and that Block.one has neglected the project. The community has shifted its focus and is determined to regain control of the platform. As a result, there is now a renewed emphasis on developing the core technology of EOS. The EOS Network Foundation is coordinating and advancing the EOS network, including its upcoming major consensus upgrade, Antelope Leap 5.0. Yves expresses optimism for EOS's future and aims to regain its position among the top ten cryptocurrencies due to its scalability, mass adoption potential, and impressive transaction capabilities at low cost with reliable uptime. https://www.coinsbee.com/en/ https://eosnetwork.com/  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.

Boris Alergant is the Head of DeFi at Ripple. He discusses the challenges of institutional adoption in DeFi and the importance of compliance.  Why you should listen Ripple's report, "2023 Crypto Trends in Business and Beyond," explores tokenizing assets, managing them securely, and facilitating asset movement on the XRP ledger. The report also highlights that global finance leaders are increasingly interested in exploring DeFi. Boris explains how businesses have become more open to blockchain technology over time, recognizing its potential for cost reduction and growth. He emphasizes that institutions want to use blockchain technology but need a compliant way to do so. The conversation touches on decentralized identity as a solution for regulatory compliance in DeFi and predicts that younger generations inheriting wealth will drive adoption of blockchain technology. Legacy banks face pressure from innovative neo-banks, which may lead to their eventual adoption of new technologies. The podcast concludes with discussions around Ripple's products aimed at removing frictions in traditional banking systems, particularly cross-border payments. Boris Alergant explains the two components of Swift, which are the messaging layer and settlement layer. He emphasizes that traditional correspondent banking can be slow and costly. Ripple is working to create more efficient solutions like ODL to enable faster and cheaper payments. Boris also mentions the disruption happening in traditional financial services activities through technologies like DeFi. He discusses Ripple's partnership with crypto native companies and their use of XRP on the Root Network blockchain.  He highlights the AMM functionality proposed by Ripple for the XRP ledger as a way to minimize impermanent loss in liquidity pools.  Supporting links Coinsbee Ripple 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.  

Keone Hon is the Co-Founder and CEO of Monad, an EVM-compatible L1 that can process 10k TPS. Keone explains why he decided to move on from Jump Trading and start a new venture with Monad, focusing on building an ultra-high-performance EVM blockchain that improves upon Ethereum's throughput. He highlights the need for pipelining in transaction execution and state access to achieve higher performance. Why you should listen Keone discusses the need for pipelining in the Ethereum virtual machine to improve efficiency and scalability. Monad is focused on building execution systems that can handle a high number of transactions per second. The team also aims to support developers through grants and create better user experiences in open finance. Keone acknowledges that Ethereum's roadmap has changed over time and emphasizes the importance of adapting based on market feedback. He believes that delivering a better user experience is crucial for widespread adoption of decentralized finance. Monad has received backing from Dragonfly Capital and Placeholder, and they are currently working on their DevNet, testnets, and documentation. Supporting links Coinsbee Monad 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.  

There are approximately 281 days until the next Bitcoin halving. In this episode, Andy looks at several data points related to the Bitcoin halving cycle, and the fast-rising odds that suggest not just one, but a group of Bitcoin Spot ETF applications are likely to be approved soon. Plus, what did David Bowie say about the internet in 1999 that was so eerily prescient? Supporting links Coinsbee 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.

Raj Brahmbhatt is the co-founder and CEO of Zeebu, a blockchain-based settlement platform for telecom carriers. Zeebu aims to revolutionize the telecom wholesale voice industry by introducing a decentralized ecosystem for voice traffic exchange. Traditional voice traffic exchange is riddled with inefficiencies, opaqueness, and trust issues, which leads to higher costs and remittance delays. Zeebu addresses these pain points by leveraging blockchain technology to create a trustless ecosystem for buyers and sellers to exchange voice traffic directly. The platform provides transparent and auditable records of all transactions, reducing the risk of fraud and disputes.  Why you should listen Raj says the global telecom industry is a vital part of the global telecommunications ecosystem, facilitating the exchange of voice, data, and messaging between carriers and operators. However, the sector is fraught with challenges, including inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and high costs, which all lead to revenue loss for telecom wholesale voice businesses. With the advent of Web3 technology, there is an opportunity to address these pain points to create a more efficient, secure, and cost-effective telecom wholesale ecosystem. Zeebu aims to leverage blockchain, tokens, and smart contract technology to create a decentralized marketplace for telecom operators, carriers, and service providers, enabling them to transact with each other securely, and earn rewards for every transaction made on the platform. The platform’s key features include transparent pricing, smart contract-enabled payment settlements, reducing the need for intermediaries and manual intervention. Additionally, the platform will provide loyalty token rewards for every transaction made on the platform, incentivizing both buyers and sellers to participate in the ecosystem.  The Zeebu (ZBU) loyalty token is designed to introduce a B2B loyalty program and revolutionize global business transaction settlements. Raj says B2C initiatives are in the works.  Supporting links Coinsbee Zeebu 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.  

Daniel Dizon is the Founder of Swell, an Ethereum liquid staking protocol, backed by Mark Cuban, Bankless, Framework, Apollo, Maven 11, and more. Daniel is actively involved in the DeFi ecosystem as an early-stage strategic advisor and angel investor. Previously, Daniel founded and exited a software start-up and formerly served in corporate finance advisory roles, including portfolio management for multibillion-dollar portfolios for various public sector clients.  Why you should listen Liquid staking allows users to stake their ETH to earn rewards while using their ETH in DeFi applications simultaneously. Daniel highlights that Ethereum staking is growing but has great potential for further adoption. Swell has seen significant growth with 45,000 ETH ($80 million USD) being staked and over 10,000 unique wallets participating in their protocol. The success can be attributed to innovative features like gamified incentivization through "Pearls" and community engagement through events called Voyages. Supporting links Coinsbee Swell 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.

Christopher Brookins is the co-founder of RociFi, a DeFi primitive for on-chain scoring and capital-efficient lending. Why you should listen RociFi enables borrowers with clean EVM-compatible on-chain history and reputation to borrow with collateral while offering lenders a high, stable deposit yield.  In order to borrow on RociFi, users must mint an ERC-1155 token, NFCS (Non-Fungible Credit Score). The NFCS proves ownership of the address bundle that the borrower wishes to be credit scored. The need for a unique, non-transferable on-chain credential that unlocks greater utility and safety across Web3 has grown in interest since Vitalik Buterin’s recent post about “Soulbound” tokens. RociFi’s NFCS (Non-fungible credit score) is designed to be Web3’s first, verified token for credit, reputation, and trust.  As the need for on-chain reputation and credit scoring grows, Chris says RociFi is moving away from under-collateralized lending and will focus on credit scoring, expanding utility, and integration with other projects. Potential future directions for the protocol include reconfiguring credit scores for lower borrow rates or partnering with existing liquidity pools. There is an upcoming token launch for ROCI via an IDO which will unlock elements of integration and collaboration in their platform. They aim to grow liquidity responsibly and decentralize the credit scoring apparatus. After token launch, the core team plans to introduce an incentive and staking system designed to attract and retain sticky token holders that promote long-term growth and sustainability of the protocol. Supporting links Coinsbee RociFi 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.  

Moka Han is the COO at BitKeep Wallet which has been acquired by Bitget and rebranded to the Bitget Wallet. With over 10 years of experience in FinTech, Moka has led BitKeep to achieve several growth milestones and into the largest multi-chain wallet in Asia. Why you should listen Bitkeep’s collaboration with the Bitget exchange and brand repositioning as Bitget Wallet was conceptualized from a desire to take their integrated trading features to the next level to better cater their services towards the needs of their users. The wallet is now a fully-furnished application with a portfolio of useful features for users, such as Assets Discovery and Management, Swap Service, NFT Trading Marketplace, PoS Staking, DApp browser, Launchpad, and more. As a self-custodial Web3 "Wallet Exchange", Bitget Wallet aims to serve as the ultimate gateway for users to explore the world of Web3 with just a tap of a finger by integrating these purpose-built features on a dynamic interface. Click here to get a Crypto Red Packet Deposit bonus with the Bitget Wallet. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Crypto Red Packet Deposit Bonus Link Bitget Wallet 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.

Jake Claver is the founder of Digital Ascension Group, and a business leader, keynote speaker, and performance expert who helps professionals build wealth and grow their businesses.    Why you should listen Jake services a client list of high-net-worth individuals to help them secure wealth for generations to come. He runs the Beyond Broke Mastermind Group to give individuals affordable access to a powerful network, game-changing knowledge and deal flow. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Digital Ascension Group Beyond Broke Mastermind 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.  

Graham Elwood is a comedian, filmmaker, and podcaster. He has just spent time on the ground in El Salvador exploring the country's Bitcoin adoption. He is producing a new documentary called Bitcoin Saves El Salvador. Why you should listen Graham first learned about Bitcoin when Max Kaiser appeared on his show Political Vigilante. Graham discusses his experience in El Salvador, particularly in Bitcoin Beach, where he witnessed the adoption of Bitcoin and its positive impact on the local community. NGOs like My Premier Bitcoin and Hope House are educating locals about using Bitcoin in a circular economy and providing language education. Graham was impressed with being able to use Bitcoin for everyday transactions like renting a surfboard and noted the lack of crime compared to other Latin American countries. He highlights how legalizing Bitcoin has helped redirect extortion money back into the economy, creating hope for a brighter future in El Salvador. The adoption of Bitcoin varies across towns and regions, but there is overall optimism among those he spoke with regarding President Bukele's actions against criminals and corruption and the adoption of Bitcoin.  Graham is raising funds for his documentary project and hopes that the Bitcoin community will support it. He sees potential in combining Bitcoin with film production ensure fair compensation for content creators. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Graham Elwood Graham 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.  

Petr Kozyakov is the Co-founder and CEO of Mercuryo, a global payments infrastructure platform. Why you should listen Mercuryo began in 2018 as an onramp solution to help users buy crypto easily and at lower costs. Later, they expanded their services to provide banking solutions, payment solutions, and to act as a bridge between traditional financial institutions and crypto companies. They now work with many high profile international fintechs and crypto companies. Petr talks about the challenges faced by crypto companies in accessing fiat infrastructure due to banks' risk aversion towards cryptocurrencies. Petr also mentions that self-custodial wallets are becoming popular among users after incidents like the FTX collapse, leading to increased demand for using crypto in daily life. Petr predicts that by 2024, large crypto players will start providing fiat services, leading to real crypto adoption in the second half of 2024 and beyond. He emphasizes the importance of efficiency, sustainability, and finding real use cases for cryptocurrencies in improving operations. Petr highlights his company's ability to provide all services in one place, easy integration, and a long-term strategy for partners to evolve into crypto fintechs quickly. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Mercuryo 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.

Denis Creighton is the CEO of IMPT, a carbon-offsetting ecosystem designed to connect global retail brands with socially responsible individuals and businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.   Why you should listen Described as the Planet's Loyalty Programme, IIMPT is a carbon-offsetting ecosystem designed to connect retail brands with socially responsible individuals and businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting is a mechanism that allows individuals, organizations, or companies to compensate for their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by funding projects that reduce or remove an equivalent amount of emissions elsewhere. The idea behind carbon offsetting is to achieve carbon neutrality, where the total emissions produced are balanced by an equivalent reduction in emissions or removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While carbon offsetting can play a role in mitigating climate change, its effectiveness and impact can vary depending on several factors. IMPT’s tech stack demonstrates the value of Web3 by aiming to unlock transparency and verification in the carbon credit industry. IMPT aims to disrupt two areas: online retail shopping and the carbon credits industry. IMPT has the power to give socially conscious shoppers the ability to make a difference by reducing their carbon footprint through easy and adaptable ways. With the carbon credits sector — by using the benefits of the blockchain and the non-fungible token (NFT) process IMPT aims to build a credible and transparent ecosystem.    Supporting links Bitget VIP Link IMPT 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.  

Micky (Mr. Telecom) Watkins is the CEO at World Mobile, a mobile network owned by the people and built on blockchain technology. Micky shares his background in telecommunications and his passion for connecting the unconnected.  Why you should listen Micky understands the importance of internet access for underserved communities and is focused on providing connectivity. World Mobile started as a privacy-based platform but shifted its focus to connecting the unconnected to address the fact that half of the world's population lacks proper internet access. Mickey explains how they set up an air node device in a remote village in Tanzania, which had a positive impact on the villagers' lives by improving communication and economic opportunities. They further explore World Mobile's mission to connect unconnected regions using off-the-shelf hardware, proprietary technology, and a sharing economy model that incentivizes individuals to host infrastructure. World Mobile, a mobile network operator based on the blockchain, is expanding its sharing economy model to connect unconnected populations in various regions. They have successfully implemented their vision in Zanzibar and Pakistan, and are now focusing on fine-tuning the sharing economy around the globe. By utilizing blockchain technology and smart contracts, World Mobile aims to reduce bureaucracy and ensure privacy for users. They have developed different types of nodes (air nodes, earth nodes, ether nodes) to provide connectivity in rural areas and address gaps in coverage. World Mobile's goal is to connect one billion people by 2030 through its shared economy approach.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link World Mobile 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.

Elena Sinelnikova is the Decentralization Coordinator of the MetisDAO Foundation and co-founder of Metis, a layer-2 solution built on Ethereum powering dApps, businesses, and communities by scaling Ethereum to what it’s meant to be - boundless. Why you should listen Metis, a layer-2 solution built on Ethereum works to provide a completely decentralized infrastructure to support the emerging web3 economy. Metis’ goal is to simplify the process of decentralization by making the technology accessible, adaptable, and affordable for anyone to get involved, from individual developers to established enterprises. With the lowest fees available across blockchain ecosystems, Metis makes it easier for businesses to utilize blockchain technology efficiently and at low cost. Elena discusses how they solve for scalability, security, and decentralization while maintaining their vision of easy onboarding for businesses onto the blockchain to create a Web3 economy.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Metis 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.  

David Tse, a professor at Stanford University and co-founder of Babylon Chain, discusses the integration of proof-of-work Bitcoin security with proof-of-stake chains. The combination of these two opposing security models creates a more powerful protocol.  Why you should listen Babylon Chain was founded in 2021 and has integrated with 28 Cosmos chains on its testnet.  David Tse discusses the importance of increasing the value of Bitcoin to maintain high security and value. He explains Babylon's Bitcoin staking protocol, which utilizes assets such as Bitcoin to secure proof of stake chains. David envisions a future where only a few chains like Bitcoin and Ethereum provide security for other chains while their tokens focus on utility and application development. He believes that blockchain will one day have a tremendous impact on changing how humans interact, similar to wireless communication infrastructure.    Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Babylon Chain 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.  

Maxwell McKendry is Director of Business Development for Phi Labs, building out the Archway blockchain - an incentivized L1 blockchain that allows developers to capture the value their dapps create, enabling sustainable economic models. Mainnet launch is coming in July. Why you should listen Max McKendry, Director of Business Development for Phi Labs discusses Archway blockchain, which aims to incentivize developers by enabling them to capture the value that their dapps create and build sustainable economic models. The Archway Foundation held a public sale through Coin List where they distributed 5% of the total supply. The purpose was to distribute, supply, and decentralize the protocol, which sold out in under an hour.  They plan on launching Mainnet in early July with user-facing applications as well as developer-facing tooling along with AWS-like interoperability with easy-to-use tools for web two developers and users who want to launch new business models on-chain easily while being intuitive at the same time. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Archway 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.  

Josh Frank is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Tie - a Premium Digital Asset Data provider for institutions.    Why you should listen The Tie’s core offering, The Tie Terminal, is the fastest and most comprehensive platform for institutional digital asset market participants. With its unmatched breadth and depth of data coverage, combined with a suite of powerful, customizable tools, The Terminal provides an all-in-one solution to stay on top of the crypto market. The Tie has a large range of datasets and dashboards, for example, the Tie Terminal Funds Screener provides a real-time feed of the most recent fundraises in the crypto space, with each fund's most recent amount raised, the number of new investors in that raise, as well as aggregated totals. The Funds Screener has advanced filtration capabilities that enable you to discover opportunities that meet specific criteria. For example, identify any firm that has raised $25M+ in aggregate, raised capital since January 1st, and has made investments in 10+ crypto projects. Clicking any fund within the Funds Screener will take you to a dedicated profile, where you'll find a breakout of the fund's investments, granular details around capital they've raised, as well as news, headcount growth, company descriptions, and other key metrics. The Tie’s primary clientele includes traditional and crypto-native hedge funds, OTC desks, market makers, banks, and other institutional market participants.    Supporting links Bitget VIP Link The Tie 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.  

Arjun Kalsy is the Head of Ecosystem at Mantle, a modular layer two blockchain designed to help scale Ethereum and drive mass adoption of decentralized technologies.  Why you should listen Arjun explains the unique features of Mantle's technology, including its modular architecture and data availability solution provided by EigenLayer. The rebranding from BitDao to Mantle signals a commitment to becoming a product-focused DAO with one brand and one token (MNT) across the entire ecosystem. The goal for Mantle is mass adoption of decentralized and token governed technologies through community ownership and governance. Main net launch for Mantle is scheduled for mid-July 2023.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Mantle 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.  

zondacrypto is one of the largest digital asset investment platforms in Europe with over 1 million users. The company was established in 2014 and  is the leading crypto payments provider in central and eastern Europe.    Why you should listen Long ago, people traded seashells. Then raw materials like copper and gold. Today, it’s crypto. zondacrypto believe that everyone should have a place to buy and sell, just like we always have. Their exchange is a regulated platform where you can join 1 million+ people trading in cryptocurrencies. Zonda is the biggest crypto payments provider in central and eastern Europe and are iimplementing digital currency payments and driving the dynamic of crypto payments adoption in the EU. The upcoming zondacrypto token (ZND) will be introduced soon with an updated fee structure, featuring a tiered system, and an enhanced user experience. ZND is a utility token that will offer users unique benefits such as lower trading fees, staking, exclusive access to new projects, and the ability to participate in governance decisions. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link zondacrypto 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.  

Abdul Osman is the founder and CEO of Goracle - a Decentralized Oracle Network built on the Algorand blockchain. With the new cross-chain compatibility feature, Goracle can import data from Ethereum and other blockchains, opening up new use cases. Why you should listen Goracle is a decentralized blockchain oracle solution built on the Algorand blockchain. It provides a secure and reliable way for smart contracts on the Algorand blockchain to access off-chain data. With the new cross-chain compatibility feature, Goracle can import data from Ethereum and other blockchains, opening up new use cases and opportunities for developers. Goracle is in Testnet and plans to launch to Mainnet this month. Goracle’s features enable Algorand to act as a settlement layer for other blockchains, providing seamless access to data on other chains and facilitating cross-chain liquidity. This feature will enable developers to build a wide range of applications without building their own centralized oracles. For example, developers can now build DeFi apps that allow users to trade assets across multiple blockchains. Other use cases for cross-chain applications include supply chain management, gaming, and asset management. For example, developers can build applications that track the movement of goods across different blockchains, verify the ownership of virtual assets in games, or manage a portfolio of assets across different blockchains. Goracle is conducting an IDO for their $GORA token on June 28 via Tokensoft.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Goracle $GORA IDO 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.  

Brandon “Psifour” Conley is a Bitcoiner and cypherpunk and an enthusiastic proponent of the Bitcoin Ordinals Project. Why you should listen The Ordinal Theory Handbook explains that Ordinal theory concerns itself with satoshis, giving them individual identities and allowing them to be tracked, transferred, and imbued with meaning. Satoshis, not bitcoin, are the atomic, native currency of the Bitcoin network. One bitcoin can be sub-divided into 100,000,000 satoshis, but no further. Ordinal theory does not require a sidechain or token aside from Bitcoin, and can be used without any changes to the Bitcoin network.  Ordinal theory imbues satoshis with numismatic value, allowing them to be collected and traded as curios. Individual satoshis can be inscribed with arbitrary content, creating unique Bitcoin-native digital artifacts that can be held in Bitcoin wallets and transferred using Bitcoin transactions. Inscriptions are as durable, immutable, secure, and decentralized as Bitcoin itself. Other, more unusual use-cases are possible: off-chain colored-coins, public key infrastructure with key rotation, a decentralized replacement for the DNS. For now though, such use-cases are speculative, and exist only in the minds of fringe ordinal theorists. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Ordinal Theory Handbook Gamma A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto 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.

Josh Olszewicz, Head Of Research and Portfolio Manager at Valkyrie Investments, returns to the Crypto Conversation for a Crypto Market Update. Josh gives us the Valkyrie update and shares his views on the current market. Plus, hear Josh’s thoughts on Ethereum, Bitcoin Ordinals, and his Bitcoin price targets for the peak of the next bull market.   https://partner.bitget.com/bg/BraveNewCoin https://valkyrieinvest.com/

Winston Zhang is a co-founder at Cega, DeFi’s Exotic Options Protocol - a platform that offers safer and more transparent yield strategies. Why you should listen Cega is building the next evolution in defi derivatives. Cega is the first protocol focused purely on exotic derivatives, a class of options products that combine basic options (e.g. call/put) with advanced options characteristics to create packaged offerings for investors which generate superior yield, provide downside protection, and express infinite views of the financial market. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Cega 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.

Liam Bacon and Jacob Horgan are the co-founders of Aradena, a gaming platform that uses innovative gameplay developments and web3 to revolutionize competitive gaming. The token sale for the Aradena Gold token is happening soon. Why you should listen Aradena: Battlegrounds offers a unique, immersive and compelling battle system that is strategic and fun. A competitive strategy game that combines the deck-building mechanics of CCGs like Hearthstone, with the strategic moment-to-moment gameplay of the likes of Civilisation, Warhammer and XCOM - all this creates a new and exciting competitive strategy gameplay experience, set in the medieval fantasy Kingdom of Aradena. Liam and Jake discuss the principles behind creating a successful blockchain game, which includes creating gameplay that is fun and addictive. They explain their sustainable game economy design, which involves having more syncs than sources to control token emissions. They also introduce their dual economy system with silver and gold economies. In terms of user acquisition strategy, they focus on targeting both Web3 gamers and traditional gamers by removing barriers to entry for traditional gamers. Their ultimate goal is to onboard millions of traditional gamers into web3 gaming by providing an amazing game experience enhanced by Web3 technology. Finally, they talk about their Aradena Battlegrounds game which utilizes trading card game mechanics in a snappy gameplay format. Aradena will be launching its closed beta soon, which requires owning one of their Warrior NFTs; they will also launch their token sale shortly after the closed beta release date announcement. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Aradena 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.  

Harrison Hines is the CEO and co-founder of Fleek, the web3 development and infrastructure platform, and Fleek Network, the decentralized Edge network, and protocol.  Why you should listen Fleek is a Web3 infrastructure platform that surfaces protocols like IPFS, Arweave, Filecoin, Akask, POKT, ENS, and more. Fleek lets developers use them independently or combine them together to create awesome new Web3 experiences. Harrison discusses his journey in the industry and how he was drawn to decentralizing the web. He explains that Fleek is a Web3 development platform that focuses on the non-smart contract side of DApps such as IPFS hosting and storage. Harrison also talks about the current state of Web3 developer culture and its potential for growth, but notes that there are still gaps to fill such as better tooling and more user-friendly experiences for developers using these protocols. He highlights the Fleek Network's ability to offer cost advantages without sacrificing performance or reliability when compared with traditional cloud providers in Web Two. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Fleek 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.  

Dan Edlebeck is the Director of Ecosystem at Phi Labs, a core contributor to Archway, the value capture chain. Archway, is a new network that seeks to fairly incentivize the contributions of its participants. The Archway protocol and community are making efforts to align the interests of all participants and build a fairer, developer-first ecosystem. Why you should listen Archway is an incentivized L1 blockchain that allows developers to capture the value their dapps create, enabling sustainable economic models. Archway is designed to be scalable, secure, and interoperable. It is built on the Cosmos SDK and uses Tendermint consensus.  Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Archway 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.

Brett Sager is a commercial trial lawyer at Ehrenstein Sager, a business law boutique providing bespoke trial and transactional services. Sager specializes in digital asset disputes, especially in play-to-earn games and Metaverse land sales. Why you should listen Play-to-Earn games provide an opportunity for investors to earn profits while having fun. However, until the regulation of digital assets is more established, investors should be careful when investing their digital resources in games in the metaverse. Although PTE games create an opportunity for rewards, they invite potential risks for gaming investors. That risk exists because the digital asset industry does not face the same federal oversight as traditional investments such as stocks and bonds. For now, a PTE game or virtual real estate investor won't receive the same financial and nonfinancial disclosures they would otherwise receive if they were purchasing a more traditional investment. Do your due diligence.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Ehrenstein Sager What to be aware of with P2E games Metaverse investing is high risk 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.  

The next Bitcoin halving is estimated to take place in 334 days. Andy discusses the performance of Bitcoin this year, and asks Google's Bard AI for its assessment of Bitcoin, and what the best strategies are to trade the halving. Why you should listen Despite regulatory headwinds and economic instability, buying pressure for Bitcoin continues with prices up over 70% this year.  Google Bard provides some possible strategies for investing in Bitcoin, including buying before or after the halving. Google Bard also provides some potential benefits and drawbacks of Bitcoin for the world, leaving it up to individuals to decide if it's good or not. Will history repeat leading to a new bull market as part of the Bitcoin 4-year halving cycle? Position accordingly.  Supporting links Bitget VIP Link 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.

Joel Kruger, a trader, collector of digital art and bitcoin, and strategist at LMAX Group, discusses his background in investment banking and how he got involved with LMAX Group. He provides an overview of the institutional exchange's FX and cryptocurrency offerings and his role as a strategist at the LMAX Group.   Why you should listen Joel shares his thoughts on traditional markets such as equities and currencies, noting concerns about inflation potentially putting pressure on equity markets. On the other hand, he is optimistic about the outlook for cryptocurrencies in 2023 due to positive fundamentals that are specific to crypto. While there are regulatory headwinds that need to be addressed before full institutional adoption can take place, Joel believes that all signs point towards increased interest in this asset class from larger players looking to allocate down the line. Joel Kruger shares his views on the SEC's mixed commentary and lack of regulatory clarity for the crypto industry. He emphasizes the importance of providing a regulatory-compliant structure for clients, while also acknowledging that regulators don't want to make any hasty decisions. Kruger is optimistic about the potential in digital assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, which he sees as complementary to each other. He also discusses NFTs and believes that their current bearish market is just another cycle that will eventually lead to a flight to quality within the space. Finally, Kruger encourages investors to apply calmness during periods of excess craziness when believing in an asset's value proposition. Supporting links Bitget VIP Link LMAX Digital 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.  

David Schwed is COO at Halborn, an Elite Blockchain Security Solutions provider. Halborn brings ethical hackers and blockchain specialists into companies to protect the services and apps from cyber attacks and exploits.  Why you should listen Halborn was founded in 2019 by renowned ethical hacker Steven Walbroehl and growth hacker Rob Behnke. The fully remote organization has since grown to over 100 offensive security engineers. Profitable since inception, co-founders Steven Walbroehl and Rob Behnke bootstrapped Halborn into a world-class Web3 security firm. Today, Halborn is growing rapidly, serving over 250 clients focusing on Layer 1 blockchains, infrastructure providers, financial institutions, and application and game developers. Some of Halborn’s most notable clients include Solana Foundation, Avalanche, and Figment.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Halborn 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.  

Pradeep Goel is the Chief Executive Officer at the Solve Care Foundation. Solve Care is a blockchain platform for digital health networks.   Why you should listen Solve Care offers a decentralized healthcare model, where all stakeholders, from the patient, physician, insurance companies, care coordinators, and healthcare institutions have a better and more direct peer-to-peer relationship. It is a model where patients are empowered to have sovereignty over their healthcare data, giving them control over their healthcare journey. The current model that protects centralized healthcare systems around the world fails to serve the needs of the patient and the doctor in a manner that can be fundamentally improved via blockchain. Solve.Care is a global healthcare platform that redefines care coordination, improves access to care, reduces benefit administration costs, and helps reduce fraud and waste across the healthcare sector globally. Its interoperable, composable, full-stack platform is the first in the world to successfully deploy digital currency and blockchain technology for value-based healthcare payments. Upon this platform, multiple Care Networks are built and operated to create an ecosystem for patient-centric care based on medical conditions, economic and social needs, and other tailored eligibility criteria. In short, their mission is to make healthcare work better for our parents, children, society, business, and the future global economy.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link Solve Care 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.  

Gracy Chen is MD at Bitget, a leading crypto copy trading and exchange platform. Bitget’s mission is to inspire individuals to embrace crypto and connect with the future. Why you should listen Based on a survey of Bitget users, over 70% of crypto investors go to social media for crypto-related information, largely outperforming other channels like traditional media, search engines and offline conferences. Learn how Bitget is filling the gap to support mass adoption of crypto with social trading, Bitget Academy and Insights and Bitget Launchpad for new projects. Established in 2018, Bitget is the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange with a core focus on copy trading. Serving over 8 million users in more than 100 countries and regions, the exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter by providing a secure, one-stop trading solution. It also inspires individuals to embrace crypto through collaborations with credible partners, including legendary Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi, the leading Italian football team Juventus, and official eSports events organiser PGL.   Supporting links Bitget VIP Link 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.  

Christos Makridis is the COO of Living Opera, an art and technology startup at the intersection of technology, fine arts, classical music, and philanthropy. Why you should listen Technology is a vehicle for creating transformative, immersive experiences that empower and inspire people at scale. By combining the timeless beauty of fine art, especially opera, with technological tools, Living Opera is building a flourishing worldwide community. The NFTs are a funding mechanism for giving: Living Opera provides free training and mentoring experiences for aspiring artists otherwise unable to receive resources, including providing them with world-class voice lessons in Italy. Living Opera views blockchain technology as a catalyst for positive change in the arts. Using revenues from the Magic Mozart collection, they will launch a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) for grant-making, community-building, and education in the arts, starting with and specializing in opera, to award micro-grants to young artists and promote skill acquisition.  Supporting links Living Opera 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.

Jamil Dhanani is the co-founder of Gamma, the open marketplace for Bitcoin NFTs, including STX and Bitcoin Ordinals. Why you should listen Gamma is a Bitcoin-based NFT marketplace and a home for your Web3 social identity. Gamma started as an open marketplace for Bitcoin-secured NFTs on the Stacks blockchain, and has since added support to view Ethereum NFTs, and most recently support for Ordinals — including a no-code creator portal for Ordinal inscriptions. Thanks to Ordinal Theory (which references the ordering of individual Satoshis), we can now inscribe data onto single Satoshis on the Bitcoin blockchain directly and transact them like NFTs. Whether it’s an image, a memo, or anything else you want to inscribe, this data is truly immutably and securely stored directly on the L1 Bitcoin Blockchain. Before NFTs took off on Ethereum, NFTs had originated on Bitcoin. But due to the complexities and limitations of the Bitcoin blockchain, Bitcoin-native NFTs could never really take off — until now. At the time of writing, nearly 200,000 inscriptions have already been made, and creating your own inscriptions are easier than ever thanks to Gamma’s no-code Ordinal inscription tool. With the rise in interest around Ordinals, Bitcoin blockchain activity has increased greatly, giving miners more fees and putting positive effects on the security and decentralization of Bitcoin. And because of Bitcoin’s robustness, every inscription is immutably and permanently secured on the Bitcoin blockchain. Stacks is a smart contract layer for Bitcoin that brings extra functionality to the Bitcoin base layer, allowing us to build everything from DeFi to Bitcoin-secured NFTs. Because Stacks allows for scalability and functionality beyond Bitcoin, we can create a robust ecosystem of Bitcoin-secured NFTs using the Stacks blockchain.  Supporting links Gamma 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.  

Robert Quartly-Janeiro is Chief Strategy Officer at Bitrue, an advanced cryptocurrency management platform.   Why you should listen   Bitrue is a forward-thinking cryptocurrency exchange platform dedicated to providing the most trustworthy digital asset management services in a simple, efficient and secure manner. Launched in 2018, Bitrue is a global company with a vision in providing both novice and advanced traders a simple, yet highly secured and efficient environment to manage digital assets in a better way. The company was built by a good mix of digital finance experts, cyber security specialists and blockchain developers, who share the same passion of redefining crypto trading experiences. Supporting links Bitrue 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.  

Siddarth Patil is cofounder and COO at Comdex, layer-1 infrastructure for seamless deployment of DeFi applications in the Cosmos ecosystem, powering DeFi in the multi-chain future.  Why you should listen The Comdex chain is built to enable the bridging of capital to assets across the DeFi and CeFi ecosystems. A decentralized ecosystem of solutions enables limitless access to global liquidity in finance. Comdex aims to deliver a robust infrastructure layer that supports the seamless creation and deployment of DeFi applications in the Cosmos ecosystem.  Comdex is a technological infrastructure that facilitates the creation of DeFi. In addition to the stablecoin, the chain has a decentralized exchange (called cSwap) and a decentralized money-market (called Commodo). The infrastructure can be utilized to create decentralized apps (dApps), including decentralized futures, perpetual exchanges, peer-to-peer markets, and more. However, builders and users need a common means of on-chain exchange. Supporting links Comdex 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.

Joshua Scigala is the founder of The Standard -  a decentralized stablecoin protocol that enables users to lock up crypto and or physical gold to generate fiat-pegged stablecoins.  Why you should listen Trillions of US Dollars worth of assets, such as gold and cryptocurrencies, are locked away in vaults and digital wallets around the world. The Standard.io, a next generation monetary system, unlocks this stored value. It enables users to generate a stable virtual currency called “Standard Euro”, with more stablecoins based on other fiat currencies coming soon.  This is achieved by locking up collateral in smart contracts, called Smart Vaults. This allows people to spend their locked-up funds without selling their assets. The protocol is governed by a community of “Standard Token” holders which form a DAO. The Standard DAO will manage the protocol by making key decisions utilizing smart voting mechanisms and prediction markets.The innovative concept of stable virtual currencies backed by rare assets constitutes a new privatized and decentralized Gold Standard for the 21st century. Supporting links The Standard 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.  

David Wyly is CEO at Decentra Inc, a Blockchain Software Development and Consulting Services company based in Silicon Slopes, Utah. Why you should listen Decentra, Inc. was born out of the need for organizations to build niche, powerful, accessible, and beautiful Web3 products without the need to staff their own product and engineering teams.  They started with Decentra’s flagship product: the All For One mobile app. With its easy-to-use user interface and an intuitive non-custodial multi-chain wallet, those who are new to DeFi can more easily onboard and experience crypto in a way that isn’t overwhelming. Decentra’s leadership team is a group of industry professionals who have more than 75 years of combined industry experience.  David Wyly, Decentra CEO was recently appointed by Governor Cox to the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force for the State of Utah, and spends his time advocating for decentralization principles and the right for everyone to freely build, use, trade, and own digital assets and cryptocurrencies. Supporting links Decentra All for One 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.

Mikko Ohtamaa is the CEO and Co-founder of Trading Strategy, an algorithmic trading protocol for decentralized markets. Mikko is a pioneer in the blockchain and Python space having been in the industry since 2012, working as a CTO of one of the first Bitcoin exchanges LocalBitcoins. Why you should listen Algorithmic trading is a method of trading where an individual uses a computer program (an algorithm) that has predefined rules and instructions to place a trade on an exchange. These predefined rules can be based on timing, price, quantity, action, or any mathematical model. A trader or strategy developer will create a trading algorithm with specific trade rules and then the owner will deploy this algorithm for it then to execute trades automatically on the trader's behalf. On Trading Strategy users will be able to create or invest in algorithmic trading strategies on decentralized markets. The Trading Strategy protocol facilitates automated cryptocurrency trading built on a safe and secure non-custodial Framework. Traders can access automated trading strategies created by skilled strategy developers and quants. Strategy developers and quants can create and easily deploy trading algorithms for decentralized markets and get rewards for their performance. Supporting links Trading Strategy 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.  

Robert Miller is VP of Growth at Fuse, a business and consumer-friendly blockchain for mainstream adoption of web3 payments. Why you should listen Fuse is an enterprise-grade, use-case agnostic, reliable, and secure decentralized EVM-compatible public blockchain. Fuse is designed for entrepreneurs and organizations that want to experiment, launch and scale Web3 apps and integrate crypto payments. Anyone can build on the Fuse Blockchain and leverage enterprise-ready, decentralized tech - be it existing crypto projects, start-ups, or blue-chip companies. From gaming, social, or Web3 payment-focused products, Fuse is designed as a decentralized blockchain infrastructure built to power the future of Web3. The Fuse SDK lets companies plug Web3 services and crypto payments into their existing mobile products with business-ready smart contract wallets, eliminating the complexities of Web3. Supporting links Fuse 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.

Owen O’Donoghue is co-founder of InfiniGods, a Web3 gaming studio building a suite of fun, free-to-play blockchain games. O'Donoghue is the former Director of Gaming at Facebook, and knows what it takes to establish and legitimize an industry. He was a part of the Facebook mobile gaming boom of the 2010s and sees a similar path forward for Web3 via quality, fun, and accessible games. Why you should listen InfiniGods is a blockchain gaming studio with a suite of Web3 games centered around ancient mythologies and civilizations. The company was founded in 2021 and raised a seed round of $9M led by Pantera Capital and joined by Framework Ventures and Animoca Brands. The team has worked at major gaming companies such as Facebook, EA, LucasArts, Scopely, DGN & Zynga. They believe that blockchain technology can solve many problems that Free to Play games faced in Web2. In particular, giving players ownership over their in-game assets can create a better consumer experience. Supporting links InfiniGods 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.

SynFutures is a next-generation Web3 decentralized derivatives platform that creates an open and trustless derivatives market by enabling trading on anything with a price feed anytime.   Why you should listen SynFutures democratizes the derivatives market by employing an Amazon-like business model, giving users the tools to freely trade any assets and list arbitrary futures contracts within seconds. It is the first protocol in the decentralized derivatives industry to introduce permissionless asset listings powered by an innovative Synthetic Automated Market Making (sAMM) model. Deployed on multiple blockchains, SynFutures is currently the largest derivatives exchange on Polygon and is among the top three most actively used decentralized derivatives exchanges.  Backers include Tier 1 Web3 institutional investors Pantera Capital, Polychain Capital, Susquehanna International Group (SIG), Dragonfly Capital, Standard Crypto, and Framework Ventures  Supporting links SynFutures 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.  

Jaydeep Korde is the founder of Launchnodes, which provides nodes on infrastructure, the public cloud or bare metal, for Ethereum and other proof-of-stake blockchains. Launchnodes make it easy to spin up pre-configured, secure Validator, Beacon, Geth, and RPC nodes, allowing you to become a Solo Staker.  Why you should listen The Launchnodes mission is to make Solo Staking and independent access to blockchain data easy, without third-party dependency. They provide self-serve options and support for non-technical Stakers. Helping those building at scale as well as delivering end-to-end managed services and consultancy, for clients who are looking for specific support and financial outcomes. Launchnodes’ services are designed to be easy, scalable, and secure, leveraging the public cloud. Launchnodes believes that Ethereum staking returns can be used as a long-term financing tool to fund positive outcomes related to climate change, inequality, and new infrastructure. Their model for Impact staking is about building an ecosystem of partners and open-source experiments that use staking returns to drive social impact and share the data related to that impact. Supporting links Launchnodes 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.  

Derivatives Data is a new product in Brave New Coin’s market data product suite. Developed by BNC in response to the accelerating growth in crypto derivatives trading, the product provides comprehensive real-time data on the crypto derivatives market. Track the next expiring Bitcoin Futures, compare funding rates between Perpetual swaps, or explore open interest across Option strikes.    Why you should listen Brave New Coin’s Aditya Das and Ryan Greaves join Andy to discuss the crypto derivatives market and the new derivatives data offering from Brave New Coin. BNC’s market-data platform provides high up-time, low latency data throughput to support a range of business and trader use cases. It’s built for enterprise developers with BNC’s robust exchange and asset mapping to avoid duplicate and inconsistent ticker symbols. The data tracks Futures, Perpetuals, and Options using data from Binance, BitMEX, Bybit, Deribit, Kraken, LedgerX, and OKX. Supporting links Derivatives Data Page  Derivatives Data Articles on BNC 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.  

Eric and Ethan Parker are the co-founders of Giddy, a self-custodial crypto wallet that aims to make DeFi accessible for everyone. After experimenting with Bitcoin mining in 2012, Eric moved to Ethereum mining which led to an interest in DeFi. After helping a friend recover funds from the BSC chain, he realized there was a need for a DeFi wallet that was accessible to mainstream users. Giddy was born. Why you should listen Giddy is on a mission to make decentralized finance accessible to everyone. With Giddy, you can buy, send, receive, and earn rewards from your crypto in one safe and easy-to-use mobile app. US-based and VC-backed, Giddy was founded by a team of engineers with decades of experience in mobile app development, security, finance, and cryptography. Giddy began in 2021 by helping people tap into the rewards of decentralized finance, but quickly learned the tools are limited and the knowledge barriers are too high for many to overcome. So they've put themselves to work solving these challenges with a powerful but joyful mobile app. Giddy is a self-custodial crypto wallet that has a recoverable private key, fiat onramp and offramp capabilities, and single-swipe staking into multiple DeFi protocols. Supporting links Giddy 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.  

Curtis Schlaufman is the Global Head of Marketing at Enya Labs - a core contributor to the Boba Network, an Ethereum Layer 2 Optimistic Rollup scaling solution. Why you should listen Founded by a team of Stanford faculty and alumni, Enya Labs is an innovator of software frameworks specializing in distributed systems engineering and application development. The Company serves clients and organizations by facilitating the interoperability between web2 and web3 and promoting the widespread adoption of blockchain technology for a more transparent and connected world. Boba Network is an optimistic-based multichain layer-2 scaling solution that aims to unlock the potential of rollup technology and enable more flexible blockchain communication. The protocol is fully compatible with EVM-based tools and has already deployed multichain support for Avalanche, BNB, Moonbeam and Fantom, supporting lightning-fast transactions and fees anywhere from 40-100X less than the respective layer-1. Boba Network is powered by Hybrid Compute technology that brings the power of Web2 on-chain, with smarter smart contracts that allow developers to leverage off-chain compute and real-world data to deliver enriched experiences for decentralized applications. Supporting links Enya Boba Network 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.  

Kevin Callahan is Co-Founder at Uniblock, who provide a collection of blockchain tool kits designed to make Web3 development faster and scalable.  Why you should listen Uniblock provides blockchain toolkits such as the APIs, SDKs, and No-Code tools needed to build any Blockchain application. They offer various products and services, including a blockchain-based e-commerce platform, digital identity management solutions, and a suite of developer tools and APIs. The company is focused on providing user-friendly and accessible blockchain technology to businesses of all sizes, making it easier for them to leverage the benefits of blockchain without the need for extensive technical knowledge or expertise.   Supporting links Uniblock 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.

Berk Ozdogan aka Firestorm is the Head of Strategy at Dexalot, a decentralized central limit order book exchange. Previously, he worked in traditional finance at JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and Bank Of America Merrill Lynch. Firestorm is an electronic trading expert across FX and Equities asset classes, focusing on algorithmic execution, automated market making, and liquidity curation. Why you should listen Dexalot chose the Avalanche platform due to its advantages in speed, throughput, and near-instantaneous finality. Previous attempts to bring Central Limit Order Book Functionality on blockchains with inferior consensus protocols typically led to limited adoption, high slippage, and large amounts of market risk for the users. Dexalot solves these issues. Supporting links Dexalot 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.  

Matthew Sedigh is the CEO at Xclaim, a marketplace for crypto bankruptcy claims. Users who have accounts with stranded assets at FTX, Genesis, Celsius, Voyager or BlockFi can sell the claim on their account to recover some liquidity.    Why you should listen Xclaim has helped more than 10,000 creditors manage more than $750 million of claims through an open and efficient marketplace that ensures a fair trading experience for all. Users with trapped accounts with Genesis, Celsius, Voyager or BlockFi can sell the claim on their account to recover some instant liquidity - compared to the years and uncertain outcome the court process will take. Supporting links Xclaim 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.  

Lucas Kiely is Chief Investment Officer at Yield app, a regulated digital wealth platform that offers its customers a comprehensive suite of wealth management products to manage their digital assets. Why you should listen Yield App unlocks the full potential of digital assets with a simple, safe, and secure digital wealth platform anyone can use to earn. As well as an earn platform, and a Web3 research and development studio called Yield App Labs, Yield App offers a tailored product suite consisting of capital guarantee products, single-strategy and multi-strategy regulated funds and a full traditional structured products platform.  Supporting links Yield App 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.

Justin Banon is the Co-Founder of Boson Protocol, Web3’s commerce layer. Boson Protocol aims to revolutionize commerce by tokenizing real-world items as NFTs, bridging the gap between decentralized technologies and the transfer and trade of physical goods, while minimizing arbitration, cost, and trust.  Why you should listen Decentralized commerce allows brands to bridge the gap between shopping at home and in an actual store. Through virtual realities, brands can offer a virtual shopping experience where customers can buy a product in their store in the metaverse, and have a physical version delivered directly to their door. Boson previously partnered with some of the world's most sought-after brands during 2022’s Metaverse Fashion Week, including Tommy Hilfiger. It attracted attention after it purchased the most expensive Dolce & Gabbana suit ever sold as an NFT, for $1 million USD.  Boson was recently awarded World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer status for its potential to democratize and reshape global commerce.  The revenue opportunities of the metaverse through e-commerce have been forecast to reach a potential $2.6 trillion by 2030.  Supporting links Boson Protocol 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.

Jack Vinijtrongjit is Co-Founder and CEO at AAG Ventures, a Web3 infrastructure company focusing on providing software that helps users simplify interactions with blockchain applications and the Metaverse.   Why you should listen AAG is a web3 infrastructure company focusing on providing software that helps simplify interactions with blockchain applications and the Metaverse for mainstream users and traditional companies. AAG provides a secure and easy-to-use MetaOne® wallet, as well as infrastructure software, such as a cross-chain search engine and GameFi SDK for enterprise companies. With the belief that education is the key to unlock the potential of web3, AAG is also exploring the concept of Learn-and-Earn with the mission of enabling economic opportunities worldwide via the Metaverse economy. AAG aims to bring 1 billion people into the Metaverse economy by 2030. Supporting links AAG Ventures 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.

William Quigley is the co-founder of WAX, a web3 ecosystem for gaming and NFTs, and Tether, the most traded cryptocurrency in the world. William was an early investor in leading Web 1.0 era companies including Paypal, and early blockchain companies such as Kraken and Coinbase. Why you should listen WAX, or Worldwide Asset eXchange, is a carbon-neutral design for seamless transactions. It's specifically known for trading digital assets. WAX blockchain is hyperfocused on gaming and digital collectibles. In 2020 William Shatner of Star Trek fame released a series of digital photographs on WAX, helping pioneer the early NFT trading movement. Supporting links Wax 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.

Paddy Cerri is the Chief Blockchain Architect for the Minima Protocol. Minima is a blockchain and peer-to-peer network designed to be accessible to as many people as possible by making it compact enough to run on mobile and IoT devices. It is complete, quantum-resistant and secured by every single one of its users. Why you should listen The Minima network will enable people or devices to exchange value or information directly and securely, without third party interference. Minima has no centre of control, as each user - by simply downloading a mobile app - contributes to the network as an equal participant. The Minima blockchain uses the Minima coin as its currency. It is a store of value and medium of exchange, enabling peer-to-peer value transfer to any participant on the Minima network. Supporting links Minima Protocol 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.

Borja Villalobos is the co-founder of Banger Games, a decentralized gaming ecosystem that rewards players using a Blockchain-based crypto economy. Why you should listen Made by gamers, Banger is a unified hub for all gamers. Banger is a blockchain-powered gaming platform that provides its users with an array of earning possibilities through one global gaming currency. Banger is set to become the go-to community for both gamers and publishers to thrive, enabling different Play2Earn tools that allow gamers to earn while enjoying a complete gaming experience.  Banger provides publishers and developers with a variety of features, such as blockchain integration SDK and crypto-enabled monetization methods. Supporting links Banger Games 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.

Xiao Xiao is an investment director at HashKey Capital. Launched in 2018, HashKey Capital manages over $1 billion in assets. HashKey operates in Hong Kong and Singapore, with a presence in the U.S. and Japan. Why you should listen HashKey Capital, the investment arm of financial-services firm HashKey Group, has just closed its third fund with $500 million in capital. The fund will invest in crypto and blockchain initiatives around the world with a focus on emerging markets and Web3.  The HashKey FinTech Investment Fund III was backed by institutional investors, including sovereign-wealth funds, businesses and family offices. It will invest in the infrastructure, tools and applications that can help achieve mass adoption of blockchain technologies. Supporting links Hashkey Capital 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.

Anthony Mongiello is CEO and Co-Founder of the Bulls and Apes Project (B.A.P.), a multi-faceted entertainment and media company born in Web3. Why you should listen Mongiello says the team’s focus is on delivering digital and physical goods and services by creating compelling brands and intellectual properties. At Bulls and Apes Project, they bring top-notch art and creativity that draws consumers into the ecosystem with gamification, events, and media that keep holders engaged and connected. Supporting links Bulls and Apes 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.

Gregory d'Incelli is a Crypto Fund of Funds Manager and Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Scenius Capital. Why you should listen Scenius Capital, a multi-strategy fund of funds focused on digital assets and blockchain technology. Scenius provides investors a single turnkey vehicle to gain diversified access to best-in-class actively managed investment strategies in the digital assets sector. Supporting links Scenius Capital 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.

Gaurav Dubey is the CEO of TDeFi, a Crypto Incubator and Advisor for blockchain startups, currently incubating and advising DeFi, NFT, EdTech, Gaming, and crypto projects for over 45 companies. Supporting links TDeFi 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.  

Sakina Arsiwala is the founder of Taki App. Taki is a token-powered social network where everyone can own, manage and earn their own rewards by participating in community conversations. Why you should listen Taki is a token-powered social network where all users can earn a daily income. Anyone can create their own crypto creator coin to jumpstart their personal economies. Creators create value by creating content and users can participate in their economies by supporting them. On Taki all users can earn cryptocurrency for simply showing up and doing things they already do — chatting, sharing, creating.  Creators can focus less on the size of their following, and can build a robust personal economy creating their own creator coin and engaging with their fans. Everything is on-chain and portable. By making the onramp to crypto easy and accessible Taki hope to enable the next 100 million users. Taki is pioneering a new #EngageToEarn model where casual users can earn crypto for just showing up and consuming content, interacting with friends, and making new friends, just as they normally would. Taki is a social network that has the token built into its core. Taki differentiates on crypto economy design. Users can easily create their own coins that are freely tradable on the platform and off, and represents a better way for creators/users to monetize their content.  Supporting links Taki 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.

Boyd Cohen is the CEO/Co-Founder of Iomob, the Internet of Mobility Network, and the WheelCoin M2E platform. Why you should listen The Internet of Mobility is a global decentralized mobility network whereby any vehicle - public, shared, private, electric, or autonomous - can be discovered, combined, booked, unlocked, and paid for by any user of any interface. The Internet of Mobility is a decentralized marketplace that aggregates the highly fragmented ground mobility market - an industry that is worth over $6tn. The IoM standardizes and democratizes access to mobility services. The result is a mobility network that works for the mobility service providers (MSPs), system integrators, demand partners, and most importantly - for the end user. Supporting links Iomob 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.

Bernd Stöckl is the CPO and co-founder of Palmswap, a decentralized perpetual contract trading protocol that aims to become the next-generation perpetual DEX for cryptocurrency markets. Why you should listen Palmswap is a decentralized trading platform based on Binance Smart Chain. More chains are coming soon. Palmswap offers 100% on chain perpetual futures. Users can open long positions (bet that the price of a coin goes up) or open short positions (bet that the price goes down), users can also leverage up (use borrowed funds to trade assets more than your wallet balances) without owning the underlying asset. Palmswap doesn’t require Registration or KYC requirements, users have full control over their own assets with the lowest fees possible. Palmswap offer PALM token rewards for active traders on the DEX. PALM token is a governance token designed to facilitate and incentivize the decentralized governance of the protocol, users stake and farm it by providing liquidity. You get also incentivized by trading on the protocol through Tradingcycles. 50% of the exchange revenue will be used to buy back and burn PALM. Supporting links Palmswap 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.

Sam Huber is the CEO and founder of LandVault, an end-to-end metaverse solution for Web2 and Web3 digital experiences. Why you should listen LandVault builds engaging experiences in the Open Metaverse. Starting from their first build in 2021, the process of planning, building, and activating a metaverse experience is something the company has continued to improve upon. So far, LandVault has successfully completed 200 metaverse experiences spread across 100 million sqft in multiple virtual world platforms, like The Sandbox, Decentraland, and Somnium Space, to name a few. This was accomplished with a team of 120+ in-house professional builders. Supporting links LandVault  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.

Chris Fortier is VP of Product for Yuga Labs, working across the entire Yuga Labs ecosystem including Bored Ape Yacht Club, Otherside, CryptoPunks, Meebits, and more. Why you should listen The Yuga team want the Otherside Metaverse to be ‘Web3-Native Roblox’ for Adults, Otherside is a gamified, interoperable metaverse currently under development. The game blends mechanics from massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) and web3-enabled virtual worlds. Think of it as a metaRPG where the players own the world, your NFTs can become playable characters, and thousands can play together in real time. The mission is to make Otherside immersive, interactive, and collaborative in a way that’s never been done before. So in the spirit of Dungeons and Dragons, Otherside will be an always-evolving experience co-created with its players. With an Otherdeed, you can participate in prototype builds, demos, and tests that shape the final game design and experience.  Chris says there is no bear market for story-telling, and they’re continuing to work hard on making Web3 experiences that are awesome.  Supporting links Yuga  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.

Austin Kimm is the Director of Strategy & Investments at Choise.com a new solution that combines elements of centralized and decentralized financial solutions within a single marketplace. Why you should listen Almost one million users take advantage of Choise.com to buy crypto, earn interest on their holdings, or boost their income with attractive earn products and ultimate security. Choise.com is a brand-new solution that connects CeFi and DeFi. Austin says they call Choise.com a MetaFi ecosystem, as they are gathering multiple solutions in a single marketplace to offer more opportunities to earn on crypto. New CeFi and DeFi products appear every day, but it is still a challenge for people to make use of them: one has to move between blockchains, platforms, wallets to access liquidity pools or multi-currency deposits. Choise.com will aggregate the most profitable crypto solutions of the industry, regardless of their complexity under one roof. They will make it possible for both crypto newbies and pros to find an interesting way to earn on crypto every single moment in one app. Supporting links Choise 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.

Wolfgang Rückerl is the Co-Founder and CEO of Entity web3 launch pad, and Istari Vision, an augmentative growth engine for MultiversX. Why you should listen Wolfgang led the development of the Entity Launchpad, which launches innovative Web3 projects and includes complimentary tools for reward strategies, investment analytics, and crypto taxation compliance. Wolfgang prides himself on being an innovator and blockchain instructor, as well as a mentor for ascendant Web3 companies. He has experience as a fintech innovator and blockchain instructor, and regularly mentors DeFi startups working on the MultiversX network. Prior to founding Istari Vision, Wolfgang worked in the ethical AI and data privacy industries. Supporting links Istari Vision Entity 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.

Jeff Morris Jr. is the Founder and Managing Partner of Chapter One, a Web3-focused venture capital fund that works with early-stage crypto UX startups. Why you should listen Jeff Morris Jr. is Founder and Managing Partner of Chapter One, a Web3-focused venture capital fund that works with early-stage crypto UX startups. Chapter One provides a full-stack team of product-focused builders to offer round-the-clock support for founders. Chapter One is a full-stack fund that invests early in generational companies building Web3 products that enable people to own their time, money, and ideas. Supporting links Chapter One 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.

Kurt Hemecker is COO of the Mina Foundation, building on the Mina Protocol to create a privacy and security layer for web3. Kurt is the former Head of Business Operations at Facebook's Diem Association (formerly Libra). Why you should listen Using zero knowledge technology, Mina is creating the infrastructure for a secure, democratic future. Mina’s zkApps, smart contracts powered by zero knowledge, keep users in control of their privacy by validating and sharing proofs of their data, rather than the data itself. Think about getting a loan by simply sharing a proof of your personal ID and credit score, rather than the data itself.  No risk of your personal information being hacked or sold. You are the only one owning your data, and it never leaves your device. Supporting links Mina 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.

Jacques Swanepoel is CTO at Seal Storage Technology, cloud storage and blockchain experts with over 100 years of experience in enterprise data storage from Seagate, Oracle, Cisco, and more.  Why you should listen Seal provides sustainable, immutable, and affordable data storage. They are stewarding their clients into decentralized cloud storage, and making Web3 an accessible reality for enterprises, research institutes, NFT, and Web3 firms alike. Seal has decentralized cloud storage partnerships with the ATLAS Experiment at CERN, UC Berkeley, and the University of Utah.  Supporting links Seal 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.

Andy Beal is ecosystem lead at Forta Network, a real-time detection network for security and operational monitoring. Forta protects $36b in TVL including 52% of the top 30 DeFi protocols. Why you should listen Forta is a real-time detection network for security and operational monitoring of blockchain activity As a decentralized monitoring network, Forta detects threats and anomalies on DeFi, NFT, governance, bridges and other Web3 systems in real-time. Given timely and relevant alerts about the security and health of owned or dependent systems, protocols and investors can react quickly to neutralize threats and prevent or minimize loss of funds. Underlying Forta is a decentralized network of independent node operators that scan all transactions and block-by-block state changes for outlier transactions and threats. When an issue is detected, node operators send alerts to subscribers of potential risks, which enables them to take action. The future is multi-chain. That is why Forta continues to expand into the emerging landscape of new L1s and L2s, bringing runtime monitoring and anomaly detection to Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, BNB Chain, Fantom, Arbitrum, and Optimism. Supporting links Forta 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.

Pavel Bains is an entrepreneur, futurist, designer, and investor in exponential technologies. He is the founder of Bluzelle, gamefi for cosmos, and Executive Producer of MixMob. Andy and Pavel talk science fiction, gaming, and pop culture and the intersections with the growing web3 ecosystem. Supporting links Bluzelle Mixmob 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.

Ken Liao is the Founder of Xverse, an advanced Bitcoin wallet for Web3. Xverse is building the world’s most advanced Bitcoin Web3 wallet. Founded in 2021, Xverse empowers individuals across the world to access the true potential of Bitcoin for NFTs, DeFi and Decentralized Applications by delivering a beautifully designed, easy-to-use wallet. Available for iOS and Android, the app allows users to secure, manage and exchange Bitcoin powered by Stacks, and soon the Lightning Network. Xverse is a self-custody wallet and the keys to the wallet are encrypted locally on users' own devices, ensuring privacy, security and complete control over their wealth and data. For more info visit http://xverse.app. Supporting links Secret Key Labs Xverse 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.

Brendan Eich is the creator of JavaScript and the co-founder and CEO of Brave Software, makers of Brave, the Web3 privacy-focused browser. Why you should listen Brendan helped build Web1 and Web2 through his creation of JavaScript and Mozilla – JavaScript’s unintended consequences - which Brendan has described as “Frankenstein's monster” led to a toxic digital ecosystem and was a catalyst for the targeted advertising and invasive tracking that consumers experience today on the internet.  The Brave Browser is an open-source, privacy-by-default web browser with a blockchain-based digital advertising platform and crypto wallet. Brave Wallet, a crypto wallet built into the Brave desktop browser, and mobile apps, enables Brave users to store, manage, grow, and swap crypto from a single wallet. Unlike most crypto wallets, the Brave Wallet does not require extensions; it’s browser-native, reducing security risks and reliance on extra CPU and memory. Users can transact with almost any crypto asset with safety and performance, as well as connect with other wallets and Web3 DApps. Supporting links Brave 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.

Alex Salnikov is the Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Rarible, a community-centric NFT marketplace. Rarible has just launched a suite of new features including aggregated listings from more marketplaces and new token rewards for traders. Why you should listen Rarible, a decentralized community-centric NFT marketplace and protocol, has introduced Rarible 2. Rarible 2 brings about new changes for Rarible.com and the distribution of the $RARI token. The establishment of RARI Foundation also pushes the Rarible protocol another step towards decentralization. Under the new update, Rarible.com has become a first-of-its-kind aggregated marketplace for NFTs, showcasing the best prices for listings from the top NFT marketplaces hosting Ethereum NFTs. The RARI DAO has approved a new locking and rewards program for $RARI token, offering sustainable token incentives for both buying and listing Supporting links Rarible 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.

Oleg is Fomenko is the co-founder and CPO of Sweatcoin, and the CEO of Sweat Economy. Are you ready to walk into crypto? Why you should listen Sweat Economy is the network that grows with every step. Products: Sweatcoin (non-crypto) and Sweat Wallet (crypto) reward hundreds of millions of people for their steps. Oleg says that by incentivizing movement, which we know to be associated with health, we can help to catalyze and bring health to their users. Sweat Economy is building features and partnerships that will increase token demand. New features are coming soon - Learn & Earn, crypto-to-crypto trading, and the SWEAT dynamic NFT game — that will drive demand for SWEAT, and produce revenue to funnel back into buy and burn Supporting links Masterworks Sweat Economy 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.

Joshua Scigala is founder of The Standard -  a decentralized stablecoin protocol that enables users to lock up crypto and or physical gold to generate multiple fiat pegged stablecoins.  Why you should listen   Trillions of US Dollars worth of rare assets, like gold and cryptocurrencies, are locked away in vaulting facilities and digital wallets around the world. The Standard.io, a next generation monetary system, unlocks this vast stored value. It enables users to generate a stable virtual currency called “Standard Euro”. This is achieved by locking up tangible and intangible assets as collateral in decentralised smart contracts, called Smart Vaults. This allows people to spend their locked up funds without selling their assets. The protocol is governed by a community of “Standard Token” holders which form a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The Standard DAO will manage the protocol by making key decisions utilizing smart voting mechanisms and prediction markets.The innovative concept of stable virtual currencies backed by rare assets constitutes a new privatized and decentralized Gold Standard for the 21st century.   Supporting links Masterworks The Standard 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.

Teymour Farman-Farmaian is the founder of Slide, a Web3 UX startup that provides dApps with the infrastructure for easy onboarding by any user. Why you should listen Slide aims to make web3 effortless for dApps and everyday users. Users of Slide-enabled dApps can purchase NFTs with card, custody and manage assets without installing wallets, seamlessly transact with any asset across any blockchain (with no blockchain-specific gas fees), and enjoy a web3 experience as simple as web2. Olaf Carlson-Wee (1st Coinbase employee, Polychain founder, and one of Slide’s lead investors) has called Slide a “browser-level moment” for web3. Supporting links Masterworks Slide 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.

Midas Investments is a custodial crypto-investment platform with one mission — provide passive income streams to crypto investors by combining the best features of CeFi and DeFi. Why you should listen Midas Investments is a custodial crypto-investment platform with one mission — provide passive income streams to crypto investors. By combining the simplicity of CeFi with the transparency of DeFi strategies, and fueled by an algorithmic infrastructure and 24/7 portfolio monitoring, Midas has built an ecosystem of intuitive tools that allows any investor to generate sustainable, passive income in the crypto economy. They call this CeDeFi. Supporting links Masterworks Midas Investments 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.

Hugo Philion is the co-founder and CEO of Flare Networks. Flare enables secure interoperability between chains, scaling the use of blockchain by enabling all digital assets and on-chain data to flow freely.  Why you should listen The Flare Network is a new layer-1 blockchain aiming to connect everything, including off-chain data and other layer-1 blockchains through their F-Asset, State Connector and Layer Cake protocols.  Flare is designed to be an advanced network that features cross-chain interoperability. This system will facilitate a fully decentralized cross-chain future, which issafer than the current alternative. The open protocols that Flare Network provides allow developers to create different kinds of interoperability solutions. Their goal is to connect everything, while still maintaining a decentralized system. Supporting links Masterworks Flare 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.

Tom Norwood is co-founder of Loop Finance, empowering Web 3.0 Communities in the Cosmos ecosystem. Why you should listen Loop originated back in 2017 on the EOS network as Trybe. When EOS user numbers dwindled, the team rebranded to Loop and moved to Terra. After the demise of Terra, Loop Finance is now on the Juno Network and has grown its user base throughout the Cosmos ecosystem. Loop Finance is the central hub, and includes a DEX and NFT launchpad and marketplace as the first products to launch and enable Web3 use cases. Supporting links Masterworks Loop Finance 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.

Kyle Fry is the CEO and co-founder of Digital Markets - a platform that connects the world's best assets with global investors through a network of digital securities exchanges.  Why you should listen Digital Markets (DIGTL) connects the world’s best assets with global investors through a network of digital securities exchanges and alternative trading venues, allowing issuers to quickly access the world’s capital at a fraction of the cost, and providing investors with exciting investment opportunities. Supporting links Masterworks DIGTL 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.

Dim Niko is the founder of the DimNiko digital marketing agency. Dim is now developing 3Commerce, a suite of solutions and a token ecosystem that enables direct to consumer brands to integrate blockchain technology to increase Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and decrease Customer Acquisition Costs, at the push of a button.  Why you should listen Dim helps ecommerce brands integrate blockchain to drive growth. Blockchain based loyalty programs and product linked NFTs close the gap between brands and their community of customers, as well as enable brand collaborations in a way never seen before. 3Commerce introduces all-new revenue streams into the ecommerce business model, as well as increases lifetime value while decreasing customer acquisition costs. https://thehundreds.com/blogs/monologue/thestreet Supporting links Masterworks 3Commerce 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.

Nick Swinmurn, Zappos founder and Golden State Warriors co-owner, has turned his attention to Web3 with the NFT-powered sports prediction game, Play Hellebore. Why you should listen Hellebore is an NFT-powered play-and-earn sports prediction game that brings together the features of traditional sports “Pick’em” and player-based fantasy sports leagues on one platform.  Hellebore players can predict the outcomes of games in the NFL, NCAA Football, MLB, and European professional soccer to earn NFTs (called Sibers), unlock physical and digital prizes, and increase their player rating – allowing them to tilt the odds in their favor.  Players can create or join custom leagues with friends, family, or strangers to compete directly against other players, similar to traditional player and statistics-based fantasy sports leagues. Supporting links Masterworks Hellebore 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.

Marius Ciubotariu is the founder of Hubble Protocol, a DeFi project that is supercharging liquidity on Solana. Hubble is a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on the Solana blockchain. In Phase 1 of development, Hubble enables you to borrow the stablecoin USDH against multiple assets. Borrowing USDH allows users to access the liquidity in their long-term holding tokens. USDH is a censorship-resistant, crypto-backed stablecoin, soft-pegged to the US Dollar. USDH is fully collateralized by a basket of crypto assets, deposited into a Hubble Smart Contract. USDH is Solana-native, and can be held in any Solana wallet. For every 1 USDH on the market, more than $1 of crypto is deposited into Hubble.   Supporting links Masterworks Hubble Protocol 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.

Weso is lead developer at Beefy Finance, a Multi-Chain Yield Optimizer that autocompounds crypto assets for the best APYs. Why you should listen Beefy Finance is a decentralized, multi-chain Yield Optimizer platform that allows its users to earn compound interest on their crypto holdings. Beefy Finance automatically maximizes the user rewards from various liquidity pools (LPs),‌ ‌automated market-making (AMM) projects,‌ ‌and‌ ‌other yield‌ farming ‌opportunities in the DeFi ecosystem. The main product offered by Beefy Finance is the 'Vaults' in which you stake your crypto tokens. The investment strategy tied to the specific vault will automatically increase your deposited token amount by compounding arbitrary yield farm reward tokens back into your initially deposited asset.  Supporting links Masterworks Beefy Finance 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.

After spending time at Robinhood, Jay Jog is now co-founder and engineering lead for Sei Network, a L1 blockchain with a built-in orderbook. Sei is the fastest Defi layer 1 and is optimized to give DeFi apps an advantage, enabling entirely new financial products. Why you should listen Most layer 1s fall into a barbell distribution: two extremes with general-purpose chains on one end (Ethereum, Solana) and app-specific chains on the other (dYdX, Osmosis).  Sei unlocks a new design space between the two—not general-purpose nor app-specific, but DeFi-specific, which enables Sei to create an environment custom-built for DeFi applications. Sei features a built-in order matching engine, frontrunning protection, and the fastest finality of any chain (600 ms) currently in market. The combination of these optimizations make it possible for new types of financial products to emerge — everything ranging from live sports betting to complex options and futures. Supporting links Masterworks Sei Network Are You Living in a Simulation Jay 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.

Max Krupyshev is the Co-Founder and CEO of the crypto payment ecosystem CoinsPaid. CoinsPaid provides cryptocurrency payment services and personal wallets to businesses and individuals. CoinsPaid is one of the world’s largest crypto payment providers. Why you should listen Max Krupyshev is a Ukraine entrepreneur with experience in developing fintech and crypto projects. He stood at the origins of this market in Ukraine, launching a Bitcoin Foundation to promote crypto adoption in the country. Max believes that digital assets can improve the financial sector, and works to make their adoption easier, faster and more transparent.  Supporting links Masterworks CoinsPaid 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.

Alex Zeltcer is CEO & Co-Founder of nSure.AI, which helps businesses to prevent fraud in the crypto and digital goods space by leveraging predictive AI fraud detection - instead of jeopardizing the user experience. Why you should listen nSure.ai is an advanced payment fraud prevention platform that protects sellers of digital goods, Crypto and Fintech businesses with a chargeback guarantee solution. Alex says businesses should use behavioral analysis and recognize scalable fraud patterns. He says that a safety strategy — one that emphasizes blocking fraud while streamlining the user experience — removes these friction points and increases conversion rates by more than 100%. Supporting links Masterworks nSure 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.

Matt Wisniewski is the founder of Satellite IM, a fully-integrated decentralized messaging platform that is tackling today’s data ownership and privacy issues. Why you should listen Unlike popular instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and Google Chat, Satellite IM enables users to chat in a decentralized and peer-to-peer way, without any intermediaries storing or tracking users’ data. Satellite gives its users peace of mind with end-to-end encryption without sacrificing the quality of video calls and recording. Satellite's early access is available now. Supporting links Masterworks Satellite IM 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.

Daniel Tamas is the founder of WAM - a platform for hypercasual gamers to earn crypto, socialize and have fun. Why you should listen With your WAM account, you can play in several short or long tournaments — a few hours or a few days — and compete against players entering that tournament. There are currently players from over 30 countries who are on the platform and at the end of each tournament, you can win some digital coins and increase your player profile. Supporting links Masterworks WAM 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.

Alan Vey is co-founder and CEO of Aventus Network a user-friendly, interoperable blockchain for enterprises. Why you should listen The Aventus Network (AvN) began as a layer-2 blockchain protocol that brings scalability, lower costs, and speed to Ethereum transactions. It enables digital asset issuance, management, and ownership, bringing the scale of permissioned blockchains and the security and interoperability of public blockchains — without the shortcomings of either. Aventus is now focused on interoperability - Alan says “The blockchain industry is rolling out much like the internet did, where there was siloed value in various intranets which, when connected up by the internet, led to an explosion in value through the network effect. Blockchain is the same today. Various layer 1s and 2s all need to be connected so value can seamlessly transfer everywhere across the internet of blockchains. In August Aventus won a Parachain slot on Polkadot and now Aventus users can easily deploy across Ethereum and Polkadot. The Aventus mission is to enable companies in any ecosystem to capitalize on a vast series of use cases – including NFTs, video games, loyalty schemes, event ticketing, supply chain provenance, and cargo management – via enterprise-grade modular architecture and future-proof themselves via blockchain interoperability. Supporting links Masterworks Aventus Network 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.

Ruben Merre is CEO and co-founder of NGRAVE, a next-generation crypto hardware wallet with the highest security-certified OS in the world (EAL7). Why you should listen Founded in 2018, NGRAVE is a digital asset security provider offering user-friendly maximum security solutions for blockchain and crypto use cases. Its flagship product — crypto hardware wallet “NGRAVE ZERO” — is the only financial product in the world with a custom operating system featuring the highest security certification: EAL7.  NGRAVE’s product suite is a 3-tier solution. ZERO, the offline touch-screen hardware wallet allows users to securely store and transact their crypto.  GRAPHENE, the stainless steel encrypted backup solution ensures that users never lose their keys.  LIQUID is a mobile app that connects users in real-time to the blockchain without ever exposing their private keys. Supporting links Masterworks NGRAVE 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.

It’s merge week - the week that Ethereum will finally transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. The Ethereum foundation says that the Merge will be ‘the most significant upgrade in the history of Ethereum.’ The switch to PoS will replace energy-intensive mining, and instead secure the network with staked ETH.   Why you should listen The Merge represents the joining together or ‘merging’ of the execution layer, Ethereum as we know it today, with a consensus layer called the Beacon chain. The Beacon chain uses a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus model that will replace the current Proof-of-Work (PoW) model that the mainnet currently uses. The switch to PoS will replace energy-intensive mining, and instead secure the network with staked ETH.   The merge is set to cut the emission rate of Ethereum by 90% (according to some analysts). PoS makes securing the network much cheaper than with Proof-of-Work because PoS validators are paid far less than PoW miners. Calculations from some analysts suggest that the inflation rate cut to Ethereum will be the equivalent of “three Bitcoin halvings”.   Bitcoin bulls generally tout the halving as a powerful bullish tailwind and often focus on investing for around 4 years. If Ethereum bulls are right then the PoS transition will be 12 years of halving cycles in a single event.  Supporting links Masterworks 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.

Diego De Tommaso is co-founder and COO of OVER an AR and NFT Metaverse platform that layers over the entire world. Why you should listen OVER is building an augmented reality (AR) open metaverse and enabling users to create unique geolocalized experiences that bridge the gap between our physical and digital worlds. Utilizing world-class, community-driven 3D mapping, OVER provides users and builders with the opportunity to own AR metaverse real estate, map their local areas, and explore Web3. Committed to cross-platform interoperability, OVER supports real-time augmented reality capabilities, AI avatar motion-captured interactions, and hyperrealistic NFT assets which, in time, will be transmissible between metaverses.  Supporting links Masterworks OVER 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.

Holger Arians is CEO of Banxa, which aims to accelerate Web3 projects with its global on-and-off ramp solution. Through its extensive network of local payment solutions paired with the required crypto licenses, Banxa gives its partners and projects access to global audiences with less friction and higher conversions. Why you should listen With positive year-on-year growth and over $1b in transactions, Banxa is one of the fastest-growing global on and off-ramp solutions. Through its extensive network of local payment solutions paired with the required regulatory licences, Banxa gives its partners and projects access to global audiences with less friction and higher conversions. As a publicly traded company, Banxa is one of the few global on and off ramp providers that is transparent in both its ownership and reporting. Supporting links Masterworks Banxa 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.

Adam De Cata is CEO of NFT Tech, a new platform that works with global brands, influential individuals, artists, celebrities, and athletes wanting to experiment with Web3. Why you should listen NFT Tech works to develop infrastructure, assets, real estate and IP in the metaverse, build and generate revenue from P2E and M2E games, and bring insights and benefits to the public markets. By bridging the gap between traditional capital markets and the Web3 space, NFT Tech is mainstreaming decentralized ownership, NFTs, and the metaverse.  Following the signing of multi-year contracts with major brands, NFT Tech has aggressive partnership and contract goals and expects to close several more by year-end. The Company has already announced partnerships with the Australian Open, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Sony Sports, and an exclusive multi-year deal with World Table Tennis. Supporting links Masterworks NFT Tech 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.

Phillip Shoemaker is the former Apple App Store Director. He is now Executive Director at Identity.com, a non-profit organization pioneering pseudonymous on-chain identity verification for Web3. Why you should listen Identity.com is an open-source, decentralized platform that offers developers permissionless authentication and verification while allowing consumers to control their own data. Identity.com is a product of Identity Technologies, Inc., a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization to promote social welfare that will create a world where individuals and organizations can freely access decentralized identity verification services on demand. Identity.com is the leading identity-verification nonprofit providing an open-source, decentralized ecosystem. It also provides a marketplace focusing on verifying credentials rather than exchanging personally identifiable information. Together with Identity.com, companies and developers may create convenient, on-demand identity verification solutions that offer consumers more control over their digital identities. Supporting links Masterworks Identity 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.

Chris Castig is co-founder of Console, a Web3 Discord with DAO Tooling for decentralized communities. He’s a General Manager at Trust Machines and an adjunct professor at Columbia University Business School.  Why you should listen Console is designed to be a web3-ready Discord. Discord is currently home to many NFT communities but it is not crypto native, and preyed upon by crypto scammers. Console is built from the bottom up to give the web3 community more control over their personal data with a crypto-native application.  Chris says Console is Built on Web3 Principles:  Console is decentralized, in the first release identity verification, voting and multisig transactions will be on-chain and decentralized. Moving forward, Console will employ a progressively decentralized approach based on the needs of its communities.  Console is open source and secure by design — Users are verified with native smart contracts, not third-party bots. Because identity is stored on the Bitcoin blockchain, you can feel safe knowing that your identity is secured by Bitcoin. And unlike Facebook, Instagram, Discord and nearly every other social media app, Console doesn’t own access to your identity, uers do. Console will be community owned via the Console DAO. Console is currently in beta, you can sign up for the waitlist or to get early access for your community. Supporting links Masterworks Console 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.

Jason Cozens is the founder and CEO at Glint - a platform and app that enables users to digitally buy, sell, send, and use gold as everyday money.  Why you should listen Jason began development of Glint in 2015, launching the first iteration of the Glint app three years later. Jason’s vision for a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to prosper has culminated in the creation of a global payments platform that enables its users to buy, sell, save, send and spend real, allocated gold, even at the checkout, using the Glint Mastercard and the Glint app. Glint, which also supports fiat currencies on its platform, has over 104,000 registered users in over 200 eligible countries. Glint, regulated by the FCA in the UK, has completed more than $300 million worth of transactions to date. Glint clients’ gold is securely stored in a Brinks vault in Switzerland, insured by Brinks with Lloyds of London. Supporting links Masterworks Glint 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.

Brett Herskope aka Eliherf is head of growth at Gamma, the platform built to become a hub for Web3 social identity, centered around NFTs. Brett is also the project lead for the Stacks Parrots NFT collection. Why you should listen Brett has a background in education, and he has found that these skills have helped him to become a strong advocate for NFT communities.  Brett says digital scarcity will help usher in a future world of abundance, whether it’s it 21 million Bitcoin or 402 Stacks Parrots.  Gamma consists of three core platforms: its user-first marketplace for exploring and collecting NFTs, its creator-first launchpad for artists to deploy fully-tested no-code smart contracts, and its social platform. As well as leading the Stacks Parrots team, Eliherf is an advocate for the entire Stacks ecosystem of projects, NFT teams and communities. Everyone knows Eliherf and Elihef knows everyone. He says it’s important to look after your mental health and don’t stop having fun with it… Supporting links Masterworks Gamma 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.

Andy is here with a special episode to mark an auspicious occasion - it's the 300th episode of the Crypto Conversation podcast. Thank you for listening!  Supporting links Masterworks 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 use.

Simon Harman is founder and CEO of Chainflip - a cross-chain AMM designed to seamlessly allow users to swap tokens across ecosystems without violating chain sovereignty. Why you should listen Chainflip is a decentralized, trustless protocol that enables cross-chain swaps between different blockchains. Chainflip is what DeFi users have been waiting for - easy and intuitive swaps from one major blockchain to another. Chainflip will connect and bridge major ecosystems like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polkadot, Solana, or Cosmos to allow users to navigate through this growing multi-chain space. Supporting links Masterworks ChainFlip 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.

Corbin Fraser is Head of Financial Services at Bitcoin.com. Corbin is a hacker, entrepreneur, and builder with over nine years of experience in Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. A vocal advocate for p2p cash and optimizing the user experience of crypto for mass adoption, Corbin has helped position Bitcoin.com as one of the most widely used crypto wallets globally with millions of monthly active users. Why you should listen Bitcoin.com is on a mission to make crypto accessible to millions more people. Their approach to crypto onboarding, encompassing educational resources and intuitive technology has already opened the door to millions of crypto curious investors.  The financial services team focuses on creating intuitive and easy-to-understand user experiences, tying together Bitcoin.com products, partner services, and community financial service offerings across web, mobile, smart devices, and beyond. Their flagship product, the Bitcoin.com Wallet, with over 33 million wallets created, serves anyone in the world who has an internet connection - regardless of nationality, socioeconomic status or access to “traditional finance”. They’re launching Verse, a rewards and utility token for the Bitcoin.com ecosystem and the gateway to DeFi. Supporting links Masterworks Bitcoin.com 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.

Will Peck is Head of Digital Assets at WisdomTree. WisdomTree is a traditional asset manager with crypto exchange-traded products in EU (and a pending filing in the US) that is launching an app for retail investors in the US. Why you should listen WisdomTree has a history as the world’s largest, independent ETF sponsor and is now working to bridge the gap between TradFi and DeFi. WisdomTree is launching a blockchain-native mobile app, WisdomTree Prime, which will provide retail access to select crypto assets such as bitcoin or ether. The app will also offer tokenized versions of traditional, physical assets such as the U.S. dollar and gold. The WisdomTree Prime beta is live and they are selecting users from the waitlist on a rolling basis, with a national U.S. rollout targeted for later this year. Supporting links Masterworks WisdomTree Prime 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.

Josef Tetek is an ambassador and analyst at Satoshi Labs and Trezor. Josef is a long-time bitcoiner with a background in Austrian economics and political philosophy. Josef believes that Bitcoin is the next step in mankind’s monetary evolution.  Why you should listen Josef is a long-time Bitcoiner with a background in Austrian economics and political philosophy and is the author of two books: Bitcoin: Separation of Money and State, and Enemies of State, Friends of Liberty.  “There’s no doubt that many current crypto projects with risky business models will collapse - including some exchanges. This cleansing process - whilst painful in the short-term - will ultimately be good for the long-term future of Bitcoin. We have to move on from the current get-rich-quick crypto mentality and think much further into the future. When viewed over the long-term, saving in bitcoin should be seen not only as conservative but fiscally prudent. And with withdrawal freezes being put in place, it has demonstrated yet again that if you hold crypto on a centralized exchange you do not have control of your assets. When crypto values are heading north people pay little attention to the risks involved, but in a bear market, the custody tables turn very quickly.   “The only way to really own your own cryptocurrency is via self-custody - cold storage on a hardware wallet. This is how bitcoin was intended - no middle man, p2p, sovereign ownership of one's own money.” Supporting links Nootopia Satoshi Labs 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.

João Ferreira founder of Defi Basket - a portfolio management protocol that lets users buy a DeFi portfolio in a single transaction.  Why you should listen DeFi Basket lets users invest with a single transaction in multi-token, multi-protocol strategies that you can create or copy from others. Portfolios are called baskets. For example, The Stablecoins Maxi basket is a portfolio designed to provide exposure to non-USD stablecoins. It allows you to park your funds into a safe and stable investment, while you reduce your exposure to the US Dollar. This basket invests in liquidity pools that provide high single or double digits yields, each focused on a single stablecoin. This allows maximum returns with minimum impermanent loss. When you invest in a basket, you are given a financial NFT that shows how much you own of each asset. It can be transferred, lent, or sold as an NFT. Supporting links Nootopia DeFi Basket 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.

Tracy Leparulo is the CEO of Untraceable, the Crypto & Blockchain Events company behind the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto.  Why you should listen Since 2013 Tracy and her team have run leading events and marketing campaigns within the blockchain and crypto space. From major conferences to hackathons to launch events. The Untraceable team creates unforgettable experiences that build the blockchain and crypto community. The Blockchain Futurist Conference is August 9 - 10 in Toronto, Canada. Speakers include Vitalik Buterin and more on panel discussions including: NFTs, the metaverse, DeFi, cryptocurrency, DAOs and more.  Supporting links Nootopia Blockchain Futurist Conference  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.

Stefan Rust is the founder of Laguna Labs, a cutting-edge blockchain development house. It has developed Truflation, an independent, on-chain inflation index that aims to provide cryptographically true information on price inflation using the most recent and accurate real-market data.   Why you should listen Stefan Rust is the founder of Laguna Labs, a cutting-edge blockchain development house, under which he has launched trustednode.io, truflation.com, and nuon.fi.  Truflation is an independent, on-chain inflation index that aims to provide cryptographically true information on price inflation using the most recent and accurate real-market data. Founded in 2021, Truflation offers independent and censorship-resistant inflation calculations based on census-level price information from more than 30 data sources in real time. Truflation was built on the premise of revolutionizing century-old models and methodologies that are no longer relevant. Truflation leverages 30+ data sources to give multiple confirmations of price from different sources.  Supporting links Nootopia Laguna Truflation 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.

Jadu is an AR platform and narrative layer for Web3 and the metaverse. Jadu is pioneering the functionality of digital assets in AR and the physical world by converting 3D NFTs into playable avatars and objects that can interact with each other in an ever-expanding AR game world. Jadu is minting 11,111 AVAs in August. Why you should listen Asad J. Malik is the founder of Jadu. He has a background in storytelling, film, music, and AR. Asad is leading a team of talented creatives and technologists to build the world’s most exciting Web3 AR platform. Jadu’s vision is to build unparalleled 3D utility for NFTs, partnering with key players in the crypto community to deliver a virtually native future where the creation of content is democratized, decentralized, and creator-owned in a world where players can build valuable communities. Jadu Hoverboards are NFTs that can be used to fly your avatars in the Metaverse and in Augmented Reality. Along with Jadu Jetpacks, they will function as key transport mechanisms in Jadu’s AR Mirroverse game. Jadu is minting 11,111 AVAs in August. Jadu AVAs are built natively for mobile and will be the most technically and creatively ambitious Avatars in Web3. Each of the 11,111 #JaduAVAs will be 3D full-body game-ready avatars and will also unlock a whole new genre of AR gameplay within the Jadu App. Supporting links Nootopia Jadu 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.

Kyle Rojas is Edge & Node Business Development and Partnerships at The Graph, a web3 protocol for indexing and querying blockchain data to empower developers to build and give users access to blockchain data in a verifiable and decentralized way. Why you should listen The Graph is working to decentralize data indexing and query services for all public data on all blockchains. What Google did for web2 in a centralized and rent-extracting way, The Graph is doing for web3 in a permissionless, open-source, and inclusive way. Since The Graph launched its decentralized network in July, a huge community of indexers are serving query requests, curating useful information, and staking to protect the network. The Graph is an indexing protocol for querying networks like Ethereum and IPFS. Anyone can build and publish open APIs, called subgraphs, making data easily accessible. Subgraphs can be composed into a global graph of all the world's public information. This data can be transformed, organized, and shared across applications for anyone to query with just a few keystrokes. The Graph is an indexing protocol for querying networks like Ethereum and IPFS. Anyone can build and publish open APIs, called subgraphs, making data easily accessible. Subgraphs can be composed into a global graph of all the world's public information. This data can be transformed, organized, and shared across applications for anyone to query with just a few keystrokes. Supporting links Nootopia The Graph  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.

Christopher Brookins is the co-founder of RociFi, a new DeFi primitive for under-collateralized lending. In order to borrow on RociFi, users must mint an ERC-1155 token, NFCS (Non-Fungible Credit Score). The NFCS proves ownership of the address bundle that the borrower wishes to be credit scored. The NFCS operates as on-chain reputation and credit score. Why you should listen RociFi enables borrowers with clean EVM-compatible on-chain history and reputation to borrow with reduced or zero collateral while offering lenders a high, stable deposit yield. Initially, RociFi’s approved assets for lending and collateral will be USDC, DAI, USDT, ETH, and WBTC. As the protocol grows in adoption, it will function similarly to a Layer 1 whereby DeFi and TradFi firms can build new capital markets services atop RociFi, thus creating a decentralized credit economy. In order to borrow on RociFi, users must mint an ERC-1155 token, NFCS (Non-Fungible Credit Score). The NFCS proves ownership of the address bundle that the borrower wishes to be credit scored. The need for a unique, non-transferable on-chain credential that unlocks greater utility and safety across Web3 has grown in interest since Vitalik Buterin’s recent post about “Soulbound” tokens. RociFi’s NFCS was designed to be that and more by becoming Web3’s first, verified token for credit, reputation, and trust (CRT), i.e. proof of CRT. Supporting links Nootopia RociFi 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.

Aditya Das is an analyst and researcher at Brave New Coin. With Bitcoin struggling to stay above the key $20,000 price level, investors are bracing for a long crypto winter. Fundamental analysis, however, suggests that Bitcoin is oversold.    Why you should listen   Fundamental analysis examines the internal and external factors that affect the value of a business or commodity. The value of an investment can be affected by factors such as the state of the global economy or by new updates to the core product of a company. These factors can affect the intrinsic value of an asset before they are reflected in the market value. The market value of an asset, the price investors actually pay for an asset, is affected by speculation and is driven by emotional factors and beliefs around what may occur in the future. Aditya Das explains 5 fundamental indicators that are designed to reflect the intrinsic value of Bitcoin. They are also designed to discount factors like speculation. Currently, the price of BTC is depressed because of concerns around a possible global recession, high-interest rates and the potential for a long crypto winter. While indicators such as the Mayer Multiple currently sit at around historical cycle lows, the crypto fear and greed index suggests that the crypto market is still in a state of ‘extreme fear’. Although the price of BTC is above $20,000, a bleak macro-economic situation will continue to be a factor for why sentiment may remain depressed in the short term.   Supporting links Nootopia Techemynt 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.

Pascal Tallarida is the founder of Jarvis Network, a trading platform to buy, sell and exchange stable and liquid synthetic fiat currencies powered by an on-chain Forex market. Why you should listen Jarvis Network’s mission is to bring decentralized finance to everyone. Stablecoins have a key role to play in DeFi adoption. Non-USD stablecoins struggle to be liquid and maintain their peg.  Syntthereum’s role is to solve these issues and launch non-USD stablecoins (JFIATs). Synthereum is the first protocol of the Jarvis Network. The protocol pioneers a capital-efficient manner to issue and exchange synthetic fiat currencies called jFIATs, on multiple EVM-compatible network.  In May, Techemynt launched a new partnership with Jarvis. As part of the launch, a new pool featuring Techemynt’s 1-for-1 backed stablecoin NZDS and Jarvis’s synthetic jNZD. The pool will go by the ‘2nzd’ moniker and LP tokens of the pool will also be known as 2nzd tokens and will be stakeable on other platforms. 2nzd is yield-bearing as well.  Supporting links Nootopia Jarvis Network Techemynt 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.

The NZDS is a New Zealand Dollar stablecoin backed 1:1 with physical New Zealand Dollars in cash and cash equivalents. NZDS was launched in March 2021 by Techemynt, a registered New Zealand Financial Services provider, using the FiatToken framework developed by Centre that is the basis for USD-Coin (USDC).  Why you should listen As a blockchain-based stablecoin, NZDS combines the stability and value of the New Zealand Dollar with the intrinsic utility of cryptocurrency to allow arbitrage, remittance, and digital payments.  After working in Traditional finance at places like Standard & Poor’s in New York, and Reuters and Cantor Fitzgerald in Tokyo, Scott has spent the last four years in the digital asset space with Techemy Capital, Brave New Coin, and now with Techemynt to build out the market for the New Zealand Dollar Stablecoin. Supporting links Nootopia Techemynt 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.

Ari Redbord is Head of Legal and Government Affairs at TRM Labs, the blockchain intelligence company. Ari was previously the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary and the Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the United States Treasury.   Why you should listen   To build a safer financial system, TRM Labs developed the first blockchain intelligence platform that combines cross-chain data with threat intelligence, advanced analytics, and intuitive visualizations to help organizations detect crypto fraud and financial crime. Fast-growing cryptocurrency businesses like Circle, FTX US and MoonPay use TRM Transaction Monitoring to detect suspicious activity and meet Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulatory requirements.  Supporting links Nootopia TRM Labs 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.

Jack O'Holleran is co-founder and CEO at SKALE Labs, an Ethereum Layer 2 multichain network.  Why you should listen Skale aims to solve the blockchain scalability problem by facilitating processing between blockchains and decentralized applications, helping the ecosystem run hundreds of millions of smart contracts and transactions per second. SKALE is an open-source Web3 blockchain network buil on Ethereum. The SKALE Network is governed by the SKALE DAO. There are over 50 unique companies, business entities, organizations, and DAOs that work to support, run, and govern the SKALE Network. All core smart contract changes require a decentralized multisig approval held by numerous unique entities and contributors.  The network is also supported by two entities, the N.O.D.E. Foundation and SKALE Labs. SKALE Labs is the core team involved in proposing technical specs, supporting with open source code contributions, and educating the public on the technical elements of the SKALE Network. The N.O.D.E. Foundation is located in Vaduz, Liechtenstein and SKALE Labs is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Supporting links Nootopia Skale Network 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.

Chris Zhu is the founder of Mirror World, a Game Matrix powered by an interoperability SDK layer that accelerates Web3 game development for Web2 developers. Why you should listen Mirror World is the intersection of NFTs, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, and interoperability. Chris aims to build the ‘Nintendo of the Metaverse’ by creating digital native beings capable of learning and communicating with their owners. Mirror World is a content matrix with AI-powered virtual life forms in each one of its games. All virtual lives are interoperable across all games, which ensures that holders will have the freedom to enter each one of the GameFi. After publishing 3 different types of games, we will publish a standard economic framework for more content producers to connect to our game ecosystem. Mirror World will be an AI-powered virtual carnival that yields crypto returns of the people, by the people, for the people. Supporting links Mirror World 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.

Fringe Finance is a decentralized money market designed to unlock the capital spread in crypto assets regardless of their capitalization and supported network. We talk with CTO Brian Pasfield. Why you should listen Fringe Finance is a decentralized money market designed to unlock the capital spread in crypto assets regardless of their capitalization and supported network. With a next-generation DeFi lending and borrowing ecosystem, Fringe aims to unlock the dormant capital from traditional financial markets and all-tier cryptocurrencies. The Fringe Finance Primary Lending Platform has just been released. Collateral and stablecoins have been deposited. You can deposit your $USDC to collect interest or use your $LINK, $MATIC, $REN, $BNT, $OGN, $IOTX, or $TOMOE to collateralize $USDC loans. Supporting links Fringe Finance 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.

Patricia Trompeter is the CEO of Sphere 3D Corp., a net carbon-neutral Bitcoin miner.  Why you should listen Patricia Trompeter is the CEO of Sphere 3D Corp., a net carbon-neutral cryptocurrency miner.   The Company is rapidly growing its industrial-scale mining operation through the capital-efficient procurement of next-generation mining equipment and partnering with data center operators.  Sphere 3D has 6.0 EH/s of capacity under contract for deliveries this year. Currently, the Company operates a fleet of 1,000 miners and expects delivery of an additional 59,000 miners by year-end 2022 for a total hashing capacity of 6.0 exahash.  "Our primary focus is growing our mining operations. Our fleet of S19j Pros is producing as expected, and we are deploying our new miners as rapidly as possible. We are laser-focused on executing our strategy of becoming a leading carbon-neutral Bitcoin mining company," said Patricia Trompeter, CEO of Sphere 3D.  Supporting links Sphere 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.

Will Rush is the founder of Stack, an app that goes where school curricula won’t, and educates the next generation about personal finance. It does this by harnessing Gen Z’s interest in cryptocurrency to teach them about responsible investing habits.  Why you should listen Stack is going to be the first crypto platform to welcome investors under the age of 18 (thanks to custodial accounts). Stack is a Seattle-based startup building a crypto platform for teenagers and others disenfranchised by the financial system. Stack will soon launch a gamified platform that allows teens to invest in more than 30 cryptocurrency coins. Parents co-own the account if the user is under 18. Users earn social and merchandising rewards for responsible investment activity and for watching educational videos.   Supporting links Stack 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.

Haste Arcade is the world’s first Instant Leaderboard Payout arcade. The arcade enables players globally to earn real-time, peer-to-peer rewards for simply placing on a game's leaderboard. The vision for Haste is to have the platform serve as a fun and entertaining visual representation of micro transactions, and how they can empower new business models.  Why you should listen Joe De Pinto was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. After spending 4 years playing professional baseball in the Chicago White Sox farm system, he co-founded his first venture, Barpay, in 2015 with Daniel Wagner. The company has since grown to become a leader in the mobile ordering and payment space. In January 2021, along with Wagner, he co-founded Haste, the world’s first Instant Leaderboard Payout arcade. De Pinto’s vision for Haste is to have the platform serve as a fun and entertaining visual representation of micro transactions, and how they can empower new business models. Haste Arcade is a developer SDK and player site with ILP Games™ or Instant Leaderboard Payout™. Games enable players globally to earn real-time, peer-to-peer rewards for simply placing on a game's leaderboard.  Supporting links Haste Arcade 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.

Kraken is one of the OG global crypto exchanges, founded in 2011. In 2020 Kraken launched in Australia. Andy speaks to Kraken’s Aussie MD, Jonathon Miller.   Why you should listen Jonathon came to Kraken in 2020 as a founder of Australian crypto exchange Bit Trade and was one of the founding members of the Blockchain Association of Australia.   Kraken acquired Bit Trade in 2020 and appointed Jonathan as MD of its new Australian operation. Outside of crypto, Jonathan is one half of Sydney group Magnetic Heads, a baroque blend of new wave and post-punk, cold wave and avant-pop via synths, guitars, and exquisite production. Supporting links Kraken Magnetic Heads 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.

Gamma is the leading marketplace for creators and digital collectors to find, list, and sell NFTs, secured by the Bitcoin blockchain. Gamma also provides a minting platform for creators to launch their NFT collections without any code, and a social platform built to become a hub for the world's web3 social identity, centered around NFTs. Why you should listen Jamil Dhanani is the founder of Gamma, the leading marketplace for creators and digital collectors to find, list, and sell NFTs, secured by the Bitcoin blockchain. Gamma was launched in September of last year as STXNFT.com. They have now rebranded as Gamma, a platform built to become a hub for the world’s Web3 social identity, centered around NFTs. Gamma aims to serve as the home for collectors, creators, and investors to come together to explore, trade, and showcase extraordinary NFTs through the Bitcoin ecosystem. Supporting links Gamma 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.

Stacked Invest is a simple, easy-to-use platform for crypto investing. Equipped with ready-to-grow, personalized, and professionally managed portfolios, Stacked aims to be the “life jacket” that saves people from the typical pain points of crypto investing. Why you should listen Joel Birch is the CEO of Stacked Invest, a simple, easy-to-use platform for crypto investing. Equipped with ready-to-grow, personalized, and professionally managed portfolios, Stacked aims to be the “life jacket” that saves people from the typical pain points of crypto investing. Pre-built Stacks are designed to give users instant access to pre-built portfolios modeled after some of the most popular crypto indexes, hedge funds, and other investor portfolios. The platform’s ready-to-grow portfolios, called Stacks, and digital advising tools make investing quick and easy for the masses, allowing the average individual to enter the crypto space without discomfort or uncertainty.  Stacked has been approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate as an investment advisor. This classification makes Stacked one of the few crypto-focused entities offering investment advice while being registered with a federal regulatory agency. Supporting links Stacked 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.

Pollen is a DeFi 2.0 asset management protocol that allows communities to curate fully optimized and dynamically rebalanced custom asset pools. Why you should listen Frederico Teixeira is a quant analayst at Pollen. Frederico is a Mathematician and holds a PhD in Computational Modelling from ETH Zurich. He has over 15 years of experience in the numerical solution of differential equations, high-performance computing, optimisation, uncertainty quantification, meta-modelling, and machine learning.  Pollen is a permissionless protocol that allows communities to launch fully backed Asset Pools that reflect their community’s values. Pollen asset Pool allocations are optimized, continually rebalancing to ensure that the assets in the DAO outperform the market. Index Tokens are backed by dynamically rebalanced Asset Pools designed for markets that operate 24/7. Governance processes allow communities to launch asset pools on their terms, leveraging the collective intelligence from the Pollen protocol with the autonomy to grow, customize and develop to meet their community needs. Supporting links Pollen 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.

Michael Brooks is the CEO and founder of goLance, an award-winning online freelance marketplace that's used to recruit, screen, hire, manage, and pay global talent. A fast-growing segment of goLance users transacts using crypto. Why you should listen Michael Brooks is the CEO and founder of goLance, an award-winning online freelance marketplace that's used to recruit, screen, hire, manage, and pay global talent. He runs the company, which has more than 600,000 users and $94+ million in payouts, entirely with freelancers. Michael is a leading author on HackerNoon. Links goLance Michael on HackerNoon 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.

Anthony Ng is the Founder and CEO of Metalend, a decentralized lending and borrowing protocol for fiat-backed stablecoins. The future of Defi cannot be built by USD stablecoins alone, users need access to their local currencies to live life. A decentralized lending marketing protocol that supports a wide range of stablecoins is necessary. Why you should listen Metalend Finance is a decentralized open-source lending protocol on Ethereum. It supports local currencies and this currently includes Singapore Dollar (XSGD) and Indonesian Rupiah (XIDR) and the New Zealand Dollar Stablecoin (NZDS).  “We aim to create a whole new community that is more comfortable trading in their home currency. This opportunity to use local currencies for lending brings greater access, ease, relatability, and most importantly many new investors from countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia,” said Anthony Ng. Links Metalend Techemynt 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.

Brent Xu is the Founder and CEO of Umee, a Cross Chain DeFi hub designed to operate seamlessly across protocols. Brent has extensive experience in blockchain and venture investments and previously held business strategy roles at ConsenSys and Tendermint and Cosmos. Why you should listen After cutting his teeth working with Tendermint to build Gravity Dex and the Gravity Bridge on the Cosmos network, Brent Xu founded Umee in April 2021 to bring cross-chain DeFi use cases to the Cosmos and Ethereum ecosystems. Umee aspires to create a DeFi experience across blockchain networks and resolve three major issues universal to all DeFi projects: detached yields, concentrated systemic risks, and isolated capital. Umee was designed to use the IBC protocol, an “internet of blockchains,” created from the Cosmos ecosystem. Initially implementing a cross-chain borrowing and lending framework, Umee’s vision evolved to include DeFi and open finance more broadly. To accomplish this, Umee would need to break the existing silos between blockchains with novel bridging solutions — a difficult and critical obstacle to the broad adoption of DeFi. The native UMEE token is a Proof of=Stake asset that can exist as a Cosmos SDK token and as an ERC20 token on Ethereum. Ab initio, Umee would be built to be interoperable with blockchains such as Terra, Crypto.com, Binance Chain, Osmosis, Secret Network, and many, MANY others. In plain language, users could lend, borrow, stake, delegate, and more, across dozens of chains. Umee secured its seed round funding led by Polychain, with investors including Coinbase Ventures, Alameda, Ideo CoLab, ConsenSys Ethereal, and others. Links Umee 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.

Powerledger develops software solutions for the tracking, tracing, and trading of renewable energy. They believe in the democratization of power, for a sustainable future. Why you should listen Anya Nova is head of blockchain development and staking at Powerledger. Powerledger platforms track and trade features help users stay on top of the provenance and flow of energy. It can give consumers choice over the energy they’re using and facilitate peer to peer trading. Solar P2P energy trading can deal with excess solar in the grid without subsidy. Their platform technology is being used to ensure the trading of environmental commodities such as renewable energy certificates and carbon credits, are more transparent, secure, and efficient. Their platform TraceX is a digital marketplace and exchange for carbon and renewable energy credits. Links Powerledger 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.

Breno Araujo is the Founder and CEO of Boto - the no-code automation platform for creating and sharing bots that automate your crypto, NFT, and other blockchain or DeFi activities. Why you should listen Using a simple drag-and-drop platform, Boto’s goal is to democratize bots by establishing a community in which both developers and non-developers can create and share automation.  Before Boto, Breno was head of Revenue Intelligence for Ripple and has been in the blockchain space since 2016. Breno has been coding since he was 12 years old, and has an MBA from INSEAD and a BSc in Mechatronics Engineering from PUC-Rio (Brazil). Links Boto 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.

NFT Butler is an automation tool to make mass bidding requests on OpenSea. Users can create multiple tasks for several collections on Opensea and configure the task to bid on every token of their choice with a specific bid price and validity period. Why you should listen An NFT Butler license can be purchased on OpenSea. The current floor is around 1 ETH. There are only 1000 NFT Butler licenses available. Having one allows the owner to use a collection scanner to find the most profitable collections, mass bidding on OpenSea with up to 6000 bids/h, and smart bidding (outbidding, relative to floor price bidding, trait-filtered bidding). Want a free 1-week trial? It’s the NFT Butler x The Crypto Conversation Promotion. Join the official NFT Butler discord: https://discord.gg/nftbutler Redeem the voucher: "!redeem 6FH1TD3R4SHO" in get-a-trial channel. This will activate your 1-week trial The team will list the NFT Butler Lifetime License with 15% discount on OpenSea for you.  Supporting links NFT Butler NFT Butler on OpenSea 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.

Festival Pass is embracing the evolution of entertainment into Web 3. It is the world's first live events subscription service across music, film, food & wine, theater, tech, and innovation. Users can enjoy thousands of events locally and globally for one monthly fee. The Festival Family Founder NFT is a limited collection of 10,000. The Founder NFT comes with the ultimate utility and includes a lifetime founder membership to festivalPass with $1,200 worth of credits annually to redeem for over 80,000 live events in North America and 600,000 hotels globally. Why you should listen Ed Vincent is the founder and CEO of Festival Pass. The world's first live events subscription service across music, film, food, and wine, theater, tech and innovation, and more.  The company was founded on the mission to inspire people to lead active and engaging lives through passion-connected member experiences. Members of Festival Pass can enjoy 80,000 plus live events from notable festivals like Coachella and ACL Music Festival, to live shows with GRAMMY-winning artists like Dua Lipa, John Mayer, Billie Eillish and more with a unique credit system. Members can also use their credits to book rooms at over 600,000 hotels at reduced rates. Festival Family is an NFT Project from festivalPass, the world's first live event subscription marketplace. The Festival Family Founder NFT is a limited collection of 10,000 total Founder NFTs that will be made available in tranches of 1,000. Each new tranche will launch when the previous one is sold out.  Price will increase per tranche. Once minted out, there will be no more Founder NFTs offered.   The Founder NFT comes with the ultimate utility that includes a lifetime founder membership to festivalPass with $1,200 worth of credits annually to redeem for over 80,000 live events in North America and 600,000 hotels globally. Plus access to quarterly bucket list events only available to NFT holders.   Supporting links Festival Pass Festival Family NFT 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.

James West is the co-founder of Globe. A crypto exchange funded by Y Combinator and Pantera Capital, Globe’s goal is to enable its customers to exchange everything. Globe offers new products such as volatility trading among more traditional spot and perpetuals markets, and innovative approaches to managing risk with their Unified Margin system. Why you should listen Globe co-founder and CEO James West is a technologist, digital assets pioneer, and former trader and investor. He led the quantitative team at a hedge fund for four years, growing it from a small family fund to $300m assets under management with incredible risk-adjusted returns. He earned his PhD from UCL, just across from DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, his research has now generated over 600 citations. Prior to that, he studied algebraic geometry at Cambridge University under 2018 Fields Medallist Caucher Birkar. Globe aims to be a robust and rewarding exchange platform, with market-leading performance and deep liquidity, and payouts and fee discounts for staking GDT, the token that powers Globe. They are a provider of Bitcoin security services that enable users to have total self-custody over their crypto holdings, without risk of theft or hacks like those experienced by exchanges.  Supporting links Globe 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.

Nick Neuman is the founder of Casa – a provider of Bitcoin security services that enables users to have total self-custody over their crypto holdings, without risk of theft or hacks like those experienced by exchanges.  Why you should listen Nick talks about the importance of Bitcoin self-custody and the risk of BTC loss if they don’t properly secure their holdings. Most bitcoin wallets only require 1 key to send bitcoin. Casa uses multiple keys which makes your money extra safe and secure. Casa is a multi-sig, multi-device, multi-location solution with the ease of the app.  If you do lose a key or have one stolen, you can swap it out for a new one. Simply transfer your bitcoin to the new, healthy set of keys using your two remaining keys from the initial set. Casa App walks you through it all, step by step. Supporting links Casa 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.

Crypto dev Andre Cronje is back, advising the Fantom Foundation after publically turning his back on crypto earlier this year. We speak to Fantom Foundation CEO Michael Kong to find out more... Why you should listen Fantom is a high-performance, scalable, EVM-compatible, smart-contract platform. Fantom’s mainnet deployment, Fantom Opera, is built on Fantom’s consensus mechanism, Lachesis. Fantom is a leaderless, asynchronous, and byzantine fault-tolerant Layer 1 blockchain protocol. Crypto dev Andre Cronje is back, advising the Fantom Foundation after publically turning his back on crypto earlier this year. We speak to Fantom Foundation CEO Michael Kong to find out more... Supporting links Fantom 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.

Josh Reyes is the co-founder of the Minke, a DeFi platform that aims to be the easiest way to use DeFi via an app designed for mobile. Minke offers savings rates 40x higher than big banks. Why you should listen Co-founders Josh Reyes and Marcos Teixeira met as early employees at Melbourne startup SmartrMail. Like that venture, the global team is operating remotely with early employees based in Australia, Portugal, Japan, Brazil, and the UK. Minke is a non-custodial wallet, meaning only you have access to your money, not Minke, not anyone else. Minke believes self-custody is the safest way to protect your money in the long-term. Marc Andreessen coined the famous phrase “Software is eating the world" predicting that large swathes of the economy will be taken over by software and technology. That’s not a 10x improvement, it’s a 38x one. Warren Buffet says compounding interest is the 8th wonder of the world. Minke see these trends as the power behind DeFi’s growth.  Supporting links Minke 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.

Sergey Nazarov is the Co-founder of Chainlink, the industry-standard oracle network for connecting smart contracts to real-world data and off-chain computation.  Why you should listen In this podcast Sergey lays out his current thinking on how teams and protocols such as Chainlink are building a world powered by cryptographic truth. Sergey explains how smart contracts are becoming an increasingly important part of the global economy, and he talks about the importance of the Chainlink community as the crypto ecosystem continues to mature.  Supporting links Chainlink 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.

Adrian Brink is the founder of Anoma, a blockchain protocol that enables private, asset-agnostic cash and bartering. Adrian founded Anoma to fight surveillance capitalism and the over-concentration of power in fiat currency, by protecting individuals’ privacy through zero-knowledge technology. Why you should listen Anoma is a proof-of-stake blockchain protocol that enables multi-asset privacy and bartering among any number of parties. Adrian is a passionate advocate for embedding privacy into blockchain networks as part of the next iteration of our financial infrastructure and believes that there has been a loss of individual financial sovereignty and privacy by non-consensual usage of sensitive data by third parties. Anoma was established to address these concerns with zero-knowledge privacy built-in, and is making progress towards its goal, raising $26M in November led by Polychain Capital. Supporting links Anoma 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.

Andy Blood was executive creative director at Colenso BBDO and a creative strategist at Facebook. He is the creator of the multiverse series “Near Futures. Far-Fetched” an intriguing series of NFTs that are available on the Lithoverse NFT platform. Why you should listen Near Futures. Far-Fetched is a collection of six short stories with one thing in common: somewhere in the multiverse these stories will be true. The themes explored range from The Last Bitcoin (set in the year 2139), to the social network of objects, a terrorist group infiltrating CERN, our too-smart cities becoming dumb, weaponizing ‘clean’, and first contact with intelligent non-human life. Near Futures Far-Fetched is a continuation of the creative partnership between CENNZnet and Andy Blood that produced last September’s world first ‘Book As NFT’ project. Each individual story NFT is available in an edition of ten. With each sale granting its owner a 1% share of the revenue of the full and final collection released as an NFT. Andy Blood is the author of ‘Full Bleed’ a book of ‘Remarkable stories and hard-won lessons from the coalface of creativity and the bleeding edge of advertising and technology.’ Supporting links Masterworks The Last Bitcoin The 1993 Group Fridge has 83 Friends Smart Cities Dumb The Golden Seashell Spore Andy on Twitter  The Bloodster 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.

Chiente Hsu is the ex-Managing Director and Global Head of Quantitative Investment Strategy and Research at Morgan Stanley. She is the founder of ALEX, an open-source DeFi development company built on the Stacks Blockchain. Why you should listen ALEX is an open-source DeFi development company built on the Stacks Blockchain and modeled on the world’s financial markets. The ALEX mission is simple: to give customers the tools to become the masters of their own financial experience. On our platform, you can lend, earn, and borrow BTC, minimize the risks, and maximize returns with fully decentralized integrated financial solutions.  Supporting links Masterworks ALEX 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.

IBEX believes that a well-developed system of financial markets is indispensable for the health and efficiency of a society. The combination of robust and sophisticated markets and financial institutions, as well as diversity in instruments and financial products, supply the need for people and the general economy. There is a strong correlation between the development of financial markets and socioeconomic well-being. Bitcoin can help. Why you should listen IBEX CEO, Jose Lemus talks about Bitcoin’s path to mainstream adoption and his experiences on the ground in El Salvador.  Supporting links Masterworks IBEX 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.

Dave the Wave is an investor, trader, and technical analyst. A contrarian, Dave is respected on Crypto Twitter for his objective, rational approach to technical analysis. Dave’s thesis is that Bitcoin is following a Logarithmic Growth Curve model. Logarithmic growth suggests exponential gains at the beginning that slowly taper off towards a plateau in the long term. Why you should listen: Andy and Dave discuss Dave’s Logarithmic Growth Curve model. Dave says that Bitcoin is a nascent currency in the process of capitalization. There are periods of volatility in both directions as new people add and subtract liquidity in adoption waves.  Despite sometimes being misunderstood as bearish, Dave says that if Bitcoin follows the Logarithmic Growth Curve, Bitcoin could hit almost $1million in approximately ten years' time.  Dave analyses several other Bitcoin models, such as Stock to Flow, and Lengthening Cycles, and explains why in his view, they have been invalidated, leaving Bitcoin’s  Logarithmic Growth Curve as the last model standing.  Supporting links Masterworks Dave the Wave  The Logarithmic Growth Curve Dave 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.

Chris Harmse is the co-founder and MD of crypto financial services company, BVNK. The BVNK platform bridges fiat and crypto together. Combine your crypto and fiat banking into one place, with payments, trading, custody, and yield integrated into one account.   Why you should listen BVNK launched in the UK last October and is primarily aimed at the massively underserved mid-market enterprise sector (high net worths, family offices, mid-sized companies) and offers treasury, payment and investment transactions together on a single platform, based on crypto and fiat currencies.  The platform provides a business account for settlement, exchange and payment of crypto, access to markets for large-volume trades and a yield service where funds are deployed to earn interest.    Supporting links Masterworks BVNK 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.

Dignity Gold is a blockchain development company creating securities tokens to establish investment opportunities in the U.S. precious metals mining and minerals sectors.  Why you should listen Kent M. Swing is Chairman of Dignity Gold. Kent is an owner of several real estate operating companies as well as commercial and residential real estate properties throughout the United States.  Steve Braverman is president and CEO of Dignity Gold. Steve has more than 30 years of experience in securities trading and investment management.  The DIGau token is a verified gold reserve-backed security token represented by a pledge of at least $6 billion in gold reserves in tailings and alluvial placer deposits. DIGau is supported by a minimum of $6 billion of the gold reserves pledged to Dignity Corp.’s parent company, Dignity Gold, under deeds of trust and a pledge and security agreement.  This was represented by 3,442,144 ounces of gold reserve or, $6 billion dollars divided by the market price of gold on the day of the agreement. Supporting links Masterworks Dignity Gold 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.

Dave Balter is the CEO of Flipside Crypto, the platform lets users get paid to learn about protocols and chains, and level up to become a crypto-SQL superstar. Why you should listen Flipside enables growth and strategic business insights for the blockchain industry through actionable market intelligence obtained from a community of highly skilled, highly motivated analysts. Flipside’s free-to-use platform gives analysts access to an unparalleled variety of bounty programs, distributing token incentives to users for answering questions and performing tasks in campaigns tailored to their skill, experience and knowledge level. Supporting links Masterworks Flipside 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.

Shiv Malik is the CEO of Pool, a data platform and marketplace that wants to increase data privacy and enable individuals to monetize their own data. Why you should listen Pool’s purpose is to redistribute power, value, and control in the data economy. Pool's platform supports organizations that enable ordinary people to monetize and share their data. These are called Data Unions. And because those people are positively engaged in sharing their information, data products on Pool’s platform are richer, more relevant, and easier to license. It’s data working for everyone. UK-based Pool, currently valued at $39m, is building a data marketplace and associated payment rails for new data-sharing entities called data unions. These new data-sharing organizations are themselves seeking to leverage shifts in privacy, the end of consumer data following Chrome’s deletion of third-party cookies, and new EU rules for data portability which are due to come into effect next year. Supporting links Masterworks Pool 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.

We’re unofficially celebrating 250 episodes of the Crypto Conversation. To celebrate, Andy is joined by Rory Manchee, CEO at Brave New Coin. Why you should listen After spending six years as Head of Business Development for Brave New Coin and Techemy, Rory has been part of the global blockchain conversation at the highest level. Rory joins Andy to unofficially celebrate three years and 250 episodes of the Crypto Conversation podcast and his appointment as Brave New Coin CEO.  Supporting links Masterworks 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.

Nick Rose is the CEO and co-founder of  Ethernity Chain - the NFT issuing platform and marketplace for athletes and celebrities. Leveraging their own IP Ethernity has launched verified artwork from Shaq, Bruce Lee, Lionel Messi, the James Dean and Marilyn Monroe estates, Nas, and Muhammed Ali. Why you should listen Earlier this year, Ethernity raised a $20 million funding round -  led by Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin and founder of League of Legends Thomas Vu - and announced the launch of Ethernal Labs - a studio-style approach to producing and fostering creative ventures in the NFT space.  Supporting links Masterworks Ethernity 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.

Kiwi tech entrepreneur Daniel Batten has an intriguing thesis. He sees Bitcoin as an unexpected superhero - his view is that Bitcoin mining can drive us to 70% renewables-based energy consumption by 2030.  Why you should listen If we’re unable to transition to 70% renewable energy by 2030 the earth will face runaway climate change. Bitcoin mining could be the catalyst to drive the increased adoption of renewable energy this decade. Bitcoin miners are location agnostic, time-of-day-agnostic, and have an insatiable appetite for both existing and new energy production. This lowers the economic barrier that has been preventing the faster adoption of renewables. That’s why Bitcoin is an unexpected superhero. Supporting links Masterworks Daniel Batten 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.

SparkWorld is an innovative community-centric web3 ecosystem, powered by Fair Prediction Launches and underpinned by the SPRK token.   Why you should listen Jolyon Horsfall is the founder of SparkWorld, an innovative community-centric web3 ecosystem on a mission to creatively overcome the challenges of whitelisting, randomized minting, and prelaunch NFTs through a gamified trustless marketplace that creates value for everyone. Spark facilitates Fair Prediction Launches (FPLs) through a new mechanism that distributes NFTs in the most equitable and engaging way possible using gamification and prediction markets. Supporting links Masterworks SparkWorld 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.

Sheldon Dearr is technical lead at Octopus Network,  a multichain, interoperable crypto network and Web3 incubator designed to facilitate a new wave of web innovation. Why you should listen Sheldon is a security engineer who was referred to as the "King of Major Incidents" during his time at HP due to his ability to solve problems. Sheldon has a keen understanding of the complex world we all operate in.  Octopus Network is a multichain crypto network for launching and running Web3.0 application-specific blockchains — appchains. Appchains in the Octopus Network benefit from flexible and cost-effective leased security (LPoS), out-of-the-box multichain interoperability, complete infrastructure, and a ready-to-be-engaged community. The core of the Octopus Network is the Octopus Relay — a set of smart contracts running on the NEAR blockchain, aka mainchain, that implements the security leasing market. The Octopus Network chose to build on NEAR because it offers a more cost-effective, scalable, user-friendly, and interoperable L1 solution for building appchains. The Octopus Accelerator Programme is a collection of courses and seminars available to both Substrate developers and Web3.0 teams funded by the Octopus Foundation. The Octopus Foundation will directly fund 20 appchain projects through the Octopus Accelerator Programme each year, granting them up to $1M in total per year.  Supporting links Masterworks Aventus Network 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.  

Alan Vey is the co-founder and CEO of Aventus Network, a layer-2 blockchain protocol that brings scalability, lower costs, and speed to Ethereum transactions. Why you should listen The Aventus Network (AvN) is a layer-2 blockchain protocol that brings scalability, lower costs, and speed to Ethereum transactions. It enables digital asset issuance, management, and ownership, bringing the scale of permissioned blockchains and the security and interoperability of public blockchains — without the shortcomings of either. Eth 2.0 is designed to address Ethereum’s scalability and speed issues, where will this leave the scores of layer 2 solutions that have emerged over the past five years?   Supporting links Masterworks Aventus Network 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.

Big Town Chef is a play-to-earn, NFT farming, trading and cook-off Web3 game. Powered by $BURP, the game is in partnership with celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo.   Why you should listen Big Town Chef is a metaverse game that enables players to farm, trade virtual ingredients, and compete in cook-off battles. All in-game activity will take place in an immersive and engaging 3D Metaverse environment called Big Town. Big Town Chef is built on blockchain technology and allows users to earn tokens that can be traded for tangible real-world rewards and valuable digital assets. Powered by the $BURP token on the Polygon network, Big Town Chef is the next generation of interactive online decentralized gaming. Users can steer the narrative, shape the experience, and vote on the direction of the wider organization. Those looking to learn more about the crypto space can enjoy the process of growing virtual foods and competing with other players while earning in-game credits that equal real-world revenues. Supporting links Masterworks Big Town Chef 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.

Last week the Bitcoin 2022 conference took place in Miami with announcements coming from some of the most prominent Bitcoin speakers and companies. Did it deliver? Why you should listen The Bitcoin 2022 Conference in Miami took place April 6-9 with speakers including Jordan Peterson, Jack Malles, Adam Back, Cathie Wood, and Peter Thiel. Supporting links Masterworks Bitcoin 2022 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.  

Medha Parlikar is the Co-Founder and CTO of CasperLabs, a blockchain built for enterprise adoption. The CasperLabs mission is to lead the era of distributed computing by giving every organization access to state-of-the-art technologies and services. Why you should listen CasperLabs is the team behind the development of the Casper Network. It provides services and support for organizations of all sizes, from enterprise to startup. Guided by open source principles, CasperLabs is committed to supporting the next wave of blockchain adoption among businesses and providing developers with a reliable and secure solution. The Casper Network is the first live proof-of-stake blockchain built off the Casper CBC specification. Casper is designed to accelerate enterprise and developer adoption of blockchain technology today and evolve to meet user needs in the future.  Supporting links Masterworks CasperLabs 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.

Zaki Manian is the Co-Founder of Sommelier Finance, a DeFi platform and coprocessor for the EthereumVM. Why you should listen Zaki believes that regulators can be supportive of the incredible innovation going on in the DeFi space by developing a regime of awards rather than punishments for DeFi projects that move the industry towards reasonable integration with financial safeguards that regulators are bound to pursue. Sommelier is a bet that Ethereum will be a dominant player in the global economy. Sommelier consists of the Cosmos Stargate SDK, its Tendermint-based consensus layer, and a decentralized, bi-directional Ethereum bridge, managed by a global network of validators. Liquidity Providers (LPs) will be able to use the Sommelier to author and execute complex, and automated financial transactions, such as portfolio rebalancing, limit orders, batched orders, as well as a host of other features that traders have come to expect from CeFi, but that are not currently available in DeFi. Supporting links Masterworks Sommelier Finance 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.

With Bitcoin holding steady at $46,000, and both whales and shrimps accumulating, is Bitcoin warming up again? Why you should listen The 19,000,000 Bitcoin has been mined, whales and shrimps are accumulating, and anticipation is mounting that we’ll hear some big Bitcoin news out of this weeks Bitcoin 2022 conference.  Supporting links Masterworks Bitcoin 2022 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.

Christian Keroles is Managing Director of Bitcoin Magazine and a passionate Bitcoiner who thinks Hyperbitcoinization is going to happen faster than anyone thinks.  Why you should listen Founded in 2012, Bitcoin Magazine was the first ever magazine dedicated solely to covering the cryptocurrency space. Its reporting focus is on Bitcoin, its underlying blockchain technology and the industry that has built up around it. The team is organizing the Bitcoin 2022 Bitcoin Conference in Miami. This takes place April 6-9 with speakers including Jordan Peterson, Jack Malles, Adam Back, Cathie Wood, Peter Thiel, Eric Weinstein, and many more.  Supporting links Masterworks Bitcoin 2022 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.

Arie Trouw is Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Directors at XY Labs, building the XYO Network. The network is described as a reality oracle that empowers people to participate in the world's data economy through the validation of anonymous and secure geospatial data. Why you should listen The XYO Network is a reality oracle that empowers people to participate in the world's data economy through the validation of anonymous and secure geospatial data. The world is full of data producers and data consumers. XYO connects both parties and provides a token economy to encourage data flow and value. With over 4 million nodes and counting, XYO is one of the largest operating blockchain node networks in the world. Supporting links XYO Network 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.

Brett Herskope aka Eliherf is a project lead for Stacks Parrots, a collection of Parrot NFTs on Stacks. Eliherf is also head of community for several NFT communities in the Stacks ecosystem.  Why you should listen Eliherf has a background in education, and he has found that these skills have helped him to become a strong advocate for NFT communities. He says the best community managers are like a concierge or a barista. They are welcoming and know eveyone’s name.  Stacks Parrots is a collection of 402 unique and talking parrots NFTs secured by Bitcoin living in the metaverse. As well as leading the Stacks Parrots team, Eliherf is an advocate for the entire Stacks ecosystem of projects, NFT teams and communities. Everyone knows Eliherf and Elihef knows everyone. He says it’s important to look after your mental health and don’t stop having fun with it.  Supporting links Stacks Parrots Stacks Foundation 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.

Brian Bondy is the co-founder, CTO, and lead developer for Brave Software, developer of Brave, the open-source, privacy-by-default web browser with a blockchain-based digital advertising platform and crypto wallet. Why you should listen Brave is an open-source, privacy-by-default web browser with a blockchain-based digital advertising platform and crypto wallet. Brave Wallet, a crypto wallet built into the Brave desktop browser, and mobile apps, enables Brave users to store, manage, grow, and swap crypto from a single wallet. Unlike most crypto wallets, the Brave Wallet does not require extensions; it’s browser-native, reducing security risks and reliance on extra CPU and memory. Users can transact with almost any crypto asset with superior safety and performance, as well as connect with other wallets and Web3 DApps. The Brave Wallet supports all EVM compatible chains and L2s, and unlike other wallet extensions, the Brave Wallet is built with an open MPL license, enabling developers to make contributions easily. Brave believes that the crypto ecosystem should not only be open source, but should also be enabled via tools and wallets with an open license. Brave will soon integrate the Solana blockchain into the Brave browser, providing default Solana ecosystem support to Brave’s 42 million monthly active users and 1.3 million verified Creators. Brave will soon default to Solana for cross-chain and Solana native DApps.  The Solana blockchain enables faster low-fee transactions which help in the adoption of DeFi and Web3.  Supporting links Brave 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.

Cody Willard, an American investor and hedge fund manager and ex-anchor on the Fox Business Network is a co-founder of SKTLs ("Sky's The Limit"). The SKTL Space Tokens will be airdropped free-of-charge to U.S. and Canadians on May 6th, Space Day, 2022. Why you should listen The SKTL ERC20 token project is a cryptocurrency token for space enthusiasts. SKTL tokens are designed to capitalize on the future of the space economy while at the same time providing funds to clean up space debris. Space debris is an ever-growing problem that has the potential to severely affect the space economy and the ease of access to outer space. Morgan Stanley predicts that the global space industry could surpass a total value of $1T by 2040. The designers of the SKTL token believe this estimate is conservative and expect the space economy to become a multi-trillion dollar economy within the next ten years and become perhaps the single largest economic revolution in history over the next decades. There is a cloud of more than 9,000 tons of space debris flying around in space at more than 10x the speed of a bullet that poses a huge risk to satellites, rockets, and anything else needed for the space economy. The SKTL cryptocurrency token is a smart contract that is intended to reward holders for humanity’s progress in developing and exploring space while also providing a fund to help with ensuring that Space remains open to humanity.  This token provides a way for token holders to benefit from the incredible potential growth that the Space economy offers while also supporting the very necessary social good of space cleanup. Supporting links SKTL 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.

Megapont is a pixel art nft project on Stacks. Megapont is a fictional universe in which advanced scientific mutations accelerated the evolutions of every species on Earth. Earth is currently a thriving, bustling paradise that has been at peace for a generation. Megapont Ape Club is a celebration of the more scenic members of the Megapont world. Why you should listen Stacks is an open-source network of decentralized apps and smart contracts built on Bitcoin. Stacks unleashes Bitcoin's full potential by bringing scalable transactions and general-purpose smart contracts to Bitcoin without doing any modification. The Megapont Ape Club is the #1 NFT collection on Stacks by trading volume. Mark McKenzie is the founder of Megapont. His next NFT collection the MegaKongs will mint on Ethereum in April. Mark is building Apes Together an NFT community that provides chain-agnostic tooling for NFT collections. Supporting links Megapont 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.

Plutus and Obsidian are the co-founders of Byzantion, the #1 NFT Marketplace on Stacks. Users can buy, sell, auction, and discover Bitcoin-Secured NFTs on the Byznation Universal Marketplace. Why you should listen Stacks is a layer-1 blockchain that connects to bitcoin and brings smart contracts to it and decentralized apps to it. Because Stacks enables smart contracts, it gives the ability to create NFTs and gives them the security of the bitcoin network. Provenance is key when it comes to art and the way to prove provenance for NFTs is through entries on the blockchain. To trust that a piece's provenance remains intact, you must tie it to the most secure blockchain you can, which is what Stacks does. The Stacks ecosystem is home to a passionate fast-growing community of builders and marketplaces such as Byzantion, a marketplace where users can collect NFTs such as Crash Punks and Megapont Apes. Supporting links Byzantion 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.

TommyD is an award-winning multi-platinum selling music producer, songwriter, artist, DJ, and creator of 808 Whisky. He is the founder of TokenTraxx is a British tech company that uses Web3 tools to innovate how we all engage with music. Why you should listen TokenTraxx is built by musicians for the music community, providing a whole new way to create, curate and collect music. Token||Traxx provides a powerful opportunity for Creators to engage on every level with fans using NFT technology, whilst creating a whole new income stream. Those who have a good ear for music can become Curators and can earn from their ability to spot untapped potential by building brilliant playlists. And as you would expect from a music NFT market place; Collectors can search tracks, artists, and genres to build their NFT libraries which they can showcase to the community or trade on the open market. The TRAXX token sale is scheduled for the 14th March 2022.  It will also provide holders with benefits and be used as an incentive for a platform use rewards program. Supporting links TokenTraxx 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.

Aera Force is a Venture DAO focused on web3 x climate projects. The DAO is made up of climate investors, founders, scientists and civic leaders investing in accelerating towards a regenerative world through web3. Why you should listen Aera Force is a Venture DAO focused on web3 x climate projects. Aera Force is a learning experiment co-founded by Gotham Labs, New York-based creator of the DreamDAO and Auckland-born global climate venture fund Aera VC founded by Derek Handley. The DAO is made up of climate investors, founders, scientists and civic leaders investing in accelerating us towards a regenerative world through web3. They’re raising a 2000ETH fund and community to engage the world on our mission to back iconic ideas and teams building a brighter future. Aera Force is investing in new web3 frameworks, protocols and concepts to accelerate a regenerative future. Aera Force has teamed up with Kenneth Alexander to create 200 unique pieces for the Investment Ticket NFTs. The NFTs incorporate SolarPunk art – a movement which envisions how the future might look if we lived in harmony with nature in a sustainable and egalitarian world. Supporting links Aera Force 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.

Sandy Carter is SVP at digital identity platform Unstoppable Domains. The Unstoppable domain names are minted as NFTs and allow users to replace awkward cryptocurrency addresses with a single human-readable name that simplifies crypto transfers. The domains can also host decentralized websites, act as a chat ID and more. NFT Domains are user owned and controlled, and have no renewal fees. Why you should listen Unstoppable Domains is on a mission to return the power of the internet to people. To accomplish this, they are creating NFT domains that put users back in control of their data. These aren’t just traditional domains, these are domains with superpowers. Supporting links Unstoppable Domains 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of Crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points.  Bitcoin is back to $42,000 and Ukraine is deploying a potent mix of crypto donations and an NFT drop in its war effort, with assistance from Elon Musk. Supporting links: 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.

David Puth is CEO, and Kim Hamilton Duffy is Director of Identity and Standards at Centre, an open-source technology project launched by founding members Circle and Coinbase. Centre has launched a set of decentralized identity protocols designed to give users direct control over how, when, and where their personal information is shared when doing business in the crypto economy. Why you should listen: Verite is a set of open-source identity protocols, built to enable trust, transparency and interoperability within the crypto ecosystem.  Verite’s flexible architecture interacts with the increasingly open and interoperable world in which we live. Users will be able to custody their own credentials and maintain their privacy by sharing only the information necessary to verify a particular claim. Verite will enable the privacy-preserving issuance and validation of Know Your Customer (KYC) credentials, allowing users and organizations to validate their identity across the crypto ecosystem. Centre Consortium founding member Circle and launch partner Block, and a number of other leading crypto-focused companies have already announced their intention to develop products using Verite standard credentials. Supporting links: Centre Verite 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.

Zeb Rice is a Co-Founder and Partner at King River Capital, in Surrey Hills, Sydney where he leads investments in companies that are redefining key sectors of the economy across the US and Australia. His current focus areas include Web3 infrastructure, software as a service, eCommerce, and digital health.   Why you should listen: King River invests in high-growth technology businesses that are solving critical problems in large markets. The fund invests in both equity and digital assets where they see compelling Web2 and Web3 opportunities. King River Capital has a new fund focused on Web3 opportunities, with plans to buy into fast-growing cryptocurrency related projects. “The next waves of innovation aren’t traditional and the way they’re funded isn’t traditional either,” says Zeb. King River Capital’s current investments include the fast growing coms and social platform Discord, home to countless crypto communities, and Immutable, the Aussie start-up that is scaling Ethereum. Supporting links: King River Capital 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.

Robbie Heeger is President and CEO of Endaoment, the first fully on-chain 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity providing a wide range of philanthropic financial services. Crypto investors and orgs can use Endaoment to donate crypto to nearly any US nonprofit. Why you should listen: Endaoment accepts more than 150 different crypto assets as donations. Endaoment has experienced massive growth over the past year, including more than 100x growth in donations received and grants distributed. Its growth exemplifies a larger trend in crypto philanthropy in 2021, during which time cryptocurrency charity donations increased by nearly 600%. Supporting links: Endaoment 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.

Matthew Savare, a partner at the law firm Lowenstein Sandler, joins Andy to explore the important legal issues surrounding the use of someone’s likeness in an NFT. Why you should listen: The state of the law regarding name, image, and likeness issues (“NIL” or right of publicity) was once described as a “haystack in a hurricane.” For creators, developers, and brands seeking to incorporate any of these elements into their NFTs, the current state of affairs is even more chaotic and confusing. Matt joins Andy to explore the important legal issues surrounding the use of someone’s likeness in an NFT. Supporting links: Haystack in a Hurricane  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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of Crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points.  Bitcoin is back down to $38,500 as negative news headlines continue to impact the markets. The Queen and Justin Bieber both have COVID and Russia appears set to invade the Ukraine.    Supporting links: 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.

Richerd is a professional NFT Degen, a smART contract artist, and the co-founder of Manifold. Manifold enables web3 creators to have true creative ownership, preserve on-chain provenance, and interoperate with all major NFT marketplaces.  Why you should listen: Manifold Creator includes a powerful extension framework that allows creators to install blockchain “apps” into their creator contract. This allows creators to create products beyond just visual and audio NFTs and support features beyond just minting. Manifold Studio combines the power of a Manifold Creator Contract with a seamless user interface to mint your own NFTs with zero coding required. Manifold Studio allows creators to mint original high-quality NFTs while retaining true ownership and provenance of their work. Manifold is advocating for what's called creative sovereignty, the idea that as a creator, you have full ownership over your creative output. Supporting links: Manifold 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.

Milana Valmont and Mateusz Grzelak are the co-founders of KIRA, a financial hub connecting decentralized Web3 applications. Why you should listen: KIRA is a decentralized network secured by both cryptocurrencies and real-world assets at stake thanks to its proprietary Multi-Bonded-Proof-of-Stake (MBPoS) consensus mechanism. Positioned within the Interchain and Web3 ecosystems KIRA makes it safer and easier to gain access to decentralized financial applications and unlock the economic potential of your capital to generate yield. As part of the Web3 stack, KIRA enables value settlement between dApps and the largest interconnected networks in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Supporting links: Kira Network 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.  

Fran Strajnar is the co-founder of Techemynt, the issuer of the NZDS, a New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Stable Coin backed 1:1 with physical New Zealand Dollars in a cash and cash equivalent treasury managed by a New Zealand registered financial services provider. Guest: Fran Strajnar  Why you should listen: NZDS was launched in March 2021 by Techemynt, a registered New Zealand Financial Services provider, using the FiatToken framework developed by Centre that is the basis for USD-Coin (USDC).  New Zealand’s currency is a leader in adaptability, resilience, and market trustworthiness. NZD is the 10th most traded currency globally. The NZDS stable coin offers cryptocurrency users the stability and utility of the New Zealand Dollar with the versatility of a cryptocurrency. The NZDS can be used through a variety of Ethereum wallets including Metamask. Once added to an Ethereum wallet, the NZDS token can be used for making payments and interacting with a variety of applications on the Ethereum blockchain network. An example of a decentralized application where NZDS can be used is on DFX, a stablecoin exchange, and finance platform.  High yield is available for liquidity providers. The NZDS/USDC pool on the Automated Market Maker-based decentralized exchange, DFX, offers liquidity providers APYs of 10-25%. This is impressive given the average rate for 1-5 year term deposits in New Zealand is ~3%. The pool currently has US$4.2 million worth of assets locked into it by the DFX community. Supporting links: Techemynt 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of Crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points.  Bitcoin is back above $44,500 and firmly in an uptrend for the first time since November. Plus, the strange circumstances surrounding the theft of 120,000 Bitcoin from Bitfinex back in 2016. Heather Morgan, one of the two people arrested after the DOJ recovered the Bitcoin is a rapper who describes herself as an expert in social engineering. Supporting links: 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.

Phil Ingram is CMO of Lepricon, a community-governed games platform working to accelerate the blockchain gaming revolution.  Guest: Phil Ingram Why you should listen: Lepricon is a blockchain-driven ecosystem of DeFi, games, and NFTs delivered on their gas-free Ethereum compatible side chain, Leprichain. Lepricon believe that the world of video games, from AAA titles for PC and console to the casual games you play on your phone, will be the first killer on-ramp to blockchain for mainstream audiences. Lepricon’s mission is to provide the technology and know-how that enables mainstream game developers to incorporate blockchain into their games to improve player utility and experience.  Key takeaway: While blockchain gaming and ‘Play to Earn’, is all the rage, it has limitations and does not appeal to traditional gamers. The real opportunity is when the gaming industry adopts blockchain. This monumental change will lead to player-run economies with tens of millions of players, not tens of thousands. However, for this to happen, the technology has to develop to meet the needs of the consumer. It has to be about the game, not blockchain. It’s the experience that matters, not the technology. Technologies that allow AAA game developers to incorporate blockchain utility into their games will need to move beyond the ideology of DeFi, and the complex interplay of wallets and expensive NFT sales that count as the onboarding process. Players should not notice the difference when getting into a new game for the first time from any game they have played before, just the extra things they can do in their new player-owned economy. Supporting links: Lepricon 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.

Alex Svanevik is CEO of Nansen, an analytics platform for smart contract blockchains. Nansen combines on-chain data with a database of millions of wallet addresses. Nansen helps institutional and retail investors surface the signal from the noise. Guest: Alex Svanevik Why you should listen: Alex Svanevik is the CEO of Nansen. Nansen gives its users better understanding of the activity of different participants on a blockchain network. Using Nansen dashboards users can get unique insights into different sectors of the market such as DeFi and NFTs, such as what the smart money and biggest wallets are doing. Key takeaway: Blockchains represent radical transparency. Investors are able to get real-time direct access to what is happening in the markets, something that is not available in the traditional markets. This radical transparency has advantages and disadvantages. On the negative side, some entities would prefer to hide their movements, whether that be purchases, investments or trades, so there is a lack of privacy to some degree. On the positive side, this transparency creates a higher degree of trust, and we can see what other entities are doing on-chain. Supporting links: Nansen 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.

Alejandro Gutierrez is Co-Founder and Operations Lead at Defactor, an integration layer and suite of tools for traditional businesses to leverage Defi using the systems they already have in place.  Why you should listen: Defactor is a bridge between decentralized and traditional finance. Defactor is an integration layer and suite of tools for traditional businesses to leverage Defi using the systems and processes which they already have in place. The platform enables asset originators to digitise their data and plug into the liquidity available through defi lending protocols. Defactor developed Springpad to help SMEs determine if DeFi is right for them. Springpad runs every quarter. Supporting links: Defactor Springpad 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.

Jessica Manins and Anton Mitchell are co-founders of Beyond a VR studio in Wellington, New Zealand. Beyond has worked with Weta Workshop, and now Flufworld, to create the Burrows, the 3D VR immersive environments for the Flufworld NFTs to live. Why you should listen: Concept designer Imery Watson (Lord of the Rings, Batman Begins, Sweeney Todd, and Guardians of the Galaxy) created the concepts for Flufworld Burrows. The Jessica and Anton and the Beyond team used a variety of tooling including the Unrreal Engine to evolve the concepts into 3D environments. iOS and Android apps will be released in February with the full VR experience to follow later this year.  The top tier burrow is a collab with Snoop Dogg that features a nightclub and production studio. Supporting links: Beyond Burrows 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.

Paolo Ardoino is CTO at Bitfinex and Tether. Paolo and the team at Bitfinex Securities have worked with Blockstream and Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador to create the Bitcoin Bond. This is a key component in El Salvador’s Bitcoin strategy. Why you should listen:   Bitfinex Securities is a unique way for the modern trader to access tokenized equities, bonds, and investment funds. iFinex Inc., the parent company of Bitfinex has entered into an agreement with the Government of El Salvador to create digitized financial instruments to promote the growth of the cryptocurrency sector in El Salvador. The $1 billion “Bitcoin Bond” will be issued on the Liquid Network. The $1 billion US raised will be split between a $500M allocation of bitcoin (BTC) and a $500M infrastructure spend for building out energy and Bitcoin mining infrastructure in El Salvador. Plus hear Paolo's favorite science-fiction, his opinions on the importance of the Lightning Network, and whether other nation states are poised to follow El Salvador's lead.   Supporting links: Bitfinex 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.

Evan Cheng is co-founder at Mysten Labs. Mysten is building the foundational infrastructure to accelerate Web 3.0 adoption. The founding team recently left their positions at Facebook (Meta), where they developed Diem, Novi – Facebook's digital wallet, as well as highly composable blockchain language, Move. Why you should listen: It’s early, but Web3 has arrived. Innovators are reimagining new kinds of products, services, and business models. The opportunities to leverage programmable assets and open, decentralized infrastructure are endless. But first, infrastructures must get out of the way, and developer tooling needs to be modernized. Mysten Labs is built to accelerate the adoption of web3.  Under the assertion that true asset self-sovereignty will be the foundation of economics in the Metaverse, Mysten plans to unveil a new blockchain design allowing users to move NFTs across digital worlds while maintaining their functionality and history. In December, they drew $36M in funding from a16z and Coinbase Ventures. Supporting links: Mysten Labs 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.

Luis Molina is co-founder at Superalgos, a trading bots platform that aims to empower a decentralized trading community like WallStreetBets - but being able to mobilize within a couple of minutes. Why you should listen: Superalgos allows Algo traders to design, test, and deploy strategies using the #1 trading bots platform on GitHub.com. The Superalgos platform integrates crypto trading automation in a visual scripting environment accessible to all and optimized for developers. The leading design principles are maximum power and flexibility. The software is free and open-source, running on your premises so that you have complete control, no third-party risks, and no limitations. Superalgos is pioneering Decentralized Trading with an open network designed for dominance! The ecosystem's design of incentives turns Superalgos into an ever-evolving technology infrastructure capturing ever-increasing amounts of talent. Supporting links: Superalgos 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.

On our most recent episode, we offered regular listeners the chance to win a Crypto Coral Tribe NFT.  Did you win? Listen to find out! Crypto Coral Tribe is a creative hub and NFT project leveraging art and tech to protect the natural world - the Crypto Coral Tribe invests 50% of all proceeds in a community-led Impact Fund driving marine and wildlife restoration. Supporting links: Crypto Coral Tribe 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.

The Crypto Coral Tribe is a creative hub and NFT project leveraging art and tech to protect the natural world - the Crypto Coral Tribe invests 50% of all proceeds in a community-led Impact Fund.  Why you should listen: The Crypto Coral Tribe aims to have a positive impact on the world by driving marine and wildlife restoration, and ethical art. NFTs are a perfect vehicle for driving change. NFTs allow verifiable collaboration on an unprecedented scale.  The inspiration for the Crypto Coral Tribe art and mission stems from nature. The founders have grown up on coasts all over the world and have a deep connection with the ocean.  The NFT collection will be on Solana due to its close-knit community and energy efficiency. Solana consumes approx 1,837 Joules of energy per TX; less than the environmental impact of two Google searches.  At the heart of the project lies the Impact Fund, an environmental investment fund. The IF will be seeded with 50% of mint proceeds and all future revenues. The goal is to use blockchain technology to create a community-led fund that proposes, discusses, and votes on how the investments are made. By holding a Crypto Coral NFT you will have a voice in how the capital is allocated. The IF’s first pledge is to plant 3,000 corals across 3 continents. Coral reefs are expected to decline by up to 90% over the next 20 years. This is an existential threat to our global ecology. Supporting links: Crypto Coral Tribe 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.

Kieran Nolan is a Melbourne-based educational technologist and blockchain expert. Based on the concept of a DAO, Kieran is building a decentralized autonomous education system (DAES) - a dynamic open-source curriculum and learning network with financial literacy at the core as the only didactic part of the system. Why you should listen: Kieran has extensive industry experience, specializing in education, technology, and blockchain application in Melbourne. He worked with students at Wooranna Park Primary School and taught them how to use blockchain tech to create their own encrypted digital currency. Under the supervision of Nolan, the students created a new currency called "WoorannaCoin." Financial literacy is not taught in schools but it is one of the most important skills to learn. This will be the only didactic aspect of the DAES. Nolan says that we need to teach our kids not only numeracy and literacy but also financial and digital literacy, as well as coding and networks.   Supporting links: The School of Bitcoin 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.

JP Richardson is the CEO and co-founder of Exodus, one of the crypto ecosystems' most popular crypto wallets with over 2.3 million users. The Exodus team prides itself on providing a beautiful, delightful experience for its users. Why you should listen: Exodus aims to help in the mission to onboard half of the planet into crypto by 2030. As well as providing a seamless, delightful wallet experience, Exodus users can stake their assets from within Exodus, access a variety of dapps, and even trade Solana NFTs on the Magic Eden marketplace.  Supporting links: Exodus 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.

After a gloomy start to 2022 that saw the crypto markets in the doldrums, high inflation figures helped fuel a minor rally in the markets today. Why you should listen: Andy looks at the most important data points and narratives driving the crypto news cycle this week. Inflation in the US jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains, and heaping pressure on the Federal Reserve. Supporting links: Prime XBT 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.

We’re revisiting the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2021. Jules Urbach is the CEO of OTOY, a leading cloud graphics company that is pioneering technology to redefine content creation and delivery. The work of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is being cataloged in a new digital archive by OTOY.  Why you should listen: RNDR, whose partners include Amazon, Google, Apple, and HBO, developed a cutting-edge platform based on underlying OTOY technology that allows individuals to create graphics at the same level as Hollywood studios. RNDR is revolutionizing visual effects by using the cloud to democratize GPUs and other rendering resources and also seeks to provide energy-efficient solutions for creating NFTs.  Jules' best friend from childhood is Rod Roddenberry. Jules is working on a new digital archive of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s legacy. The Roddenberry Archive will feature the flagship Star Trek series, original films, and spinoffs in a variety of formats including digital and holographic renderings, documents, images, models, and blueprints.  The archive will capture deep 3D asset metadata from assets, images, blueprints, and models using RNDR, OTOY's blockchain GPU computing network. In order to capture original studio and physical assets at the highest level of photographic fidelity, the archive will leverage OTOY's LightStage Academy-Award-winning facial scanning service, generating the first comprehensive lighting and reflectance data set for future archival use. Iconic artist Mike "Beeple" Winklemann is joining the Roddenberry Archive project as a creative consultant, and, alongside legendary painter and illustrator Alex Ross, will help commemorate the Roddenberry Archive and cross-link it to both the Alex Ross and Beeple RNDR Archives. Supporting links: OTOY Prime XBT Jules 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.

We’re revisiting the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2021. Tom Bilyeu is the CEO of Impact Theory and one of the world’s leading motivational speakers. Tom is committed to pulling people out of the matrix. A successful multi-business entrepreneur, Tom’s goal is to impact culture at scale. He plans to do this by building the next Disney. Impact Theory produces comics, graphic novels, books, television, film, interview talk-shows and more. Tom is building an NFT universe that will leverage the unique properties of Manga, Anime and blockchain to take Impact Theory to the next level. Why you should listen: Impact Theory is a revolutionary studio that produces original content on themes of empowerment, by bringing together some of the most talented creators, writers, and artists. The studio was started by CEO Tom Bilyeu, one of the planet’s most successful entrepreneurs. Impact Theory distributes content across digital platforms including the emerging NFT space. The studio has built a loyal audience in the millions with over one billion social media impressions, and its catalog of content has over hundreds of millions of views.    Supporting links: Impact Theory Matthew Ball on the Metaverse Prime XBT Tom 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.

We’re revisiting the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2021. Bobby Lee is the Founder of Ballet Crypto, co-founder of BTCChina, and he is the author of a superb new book called The Promise of Bitcoin: The Future of Money and How It Can Work for You. Why you should listen: With a software engineering and computer science background, Bobby Lee has always been technologically inclined. So when his brother Charlie Lee introduced Bobby to Bitcoin in 2011, he understood its significance immediately. After dedicating himself to Bitcoin for the last ten years, Bobby has written a book that tells his story and explains why Bitcoin’s journey has only just begun.  Key takeaway: Bobby says that understanding and projecting the value of Bitcoin can be daunting - while the path is never a straight line, Bitcoin continues to grow in interest and appreciate in value. While Bitcoin is still working out its kinks - corporations and governments are likely to become more interested in Bitcoin, and interested in acquiring it as an asset. Supporting links: Prime XBT Bobby Lee Ballet Crypto Bobby 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.

We’re revisiting the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2021. Sergey Nazarov is the co-founder of Chainlink where he is spearheading the smart contract oracle revolution. In this podcast, Sergey lays out his current thinking on DeFi (Decentralized Finance), how it improves on CeFi, the role of oracles in decentralized finance, and the fast and slow cases on what is needed for DeFi to go mainstream. Sergey says “decentralized finance is the thing that people want. They just don't know that they want it yet.” Why you should listen: Sergey says the recent Robinhood r/Wallstreetbets phenomenon has injected new realizations into society's collective consciousness. People are waking up to the realization that in the legacy financial system - they don't have full control of their financial assets and trading accounts. And they have seen that the ability of the average person to participate in a system that they were told was fair can be taken away by those who hold the power.  Sergey says that in the financial world if enough people believe in something, it starts to occur. If enough people decide to buy GameStop stock, something happens. If enough people decide to shift from one platform to another, something significant happens.  Social media, digital platforms, and decentralized blockchain applications make fast collective action possible in new ways. DeFi is the system that people want. Sergey thinks it is only a matter of time before this becomes self-evident and people begin to move to DeFi applications at scale.  Key takeaway: Sergey says the increasing mainstream adoption of DeFi will happen through the search for yield and the transparency and control of one's assets. With fiat interest rates low and the returns of DeFi much higher, eventually, even the legacy financial system is likely to build interfaces that flow value into DeFi to capture yield. Everybody wants to at least maintain their wealth. And so any place where they can do that will become popular, and eventually, there will be a tipping point. Sergey says there is a slow case and a fast case for how this evolves. “The slow case for DeFi is what we're experiencing now, as unbelievable as that sounds going from something like 20 billion to 40 billion in assets in DeFi over the last month.”  This is the slow case as only about 2.6% of the crypto value that could be in DeFi, is in DeFi. The slow case will be accelerated by events such as Robinhood. “It's slow because there is friction to using DeFi, but it will slowly be accelerated through better and better user interfaces. Eventually, someone will figure out a way to just make it seamless for people to interact with DeFi, and the tipping point will be reached.” The fast case is a rapid succession of failures in the traditional financial system. This will create a fear of counterparty risk and a newfound cynicism about the solvency of traditional financial institutions. This would lead a majority of people to seek alternatives even if there is still some friction in the DeFi user experience. Supporting links: Prime XBT Chainlink 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.

We’re revisiting the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2021. Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci is best known for his short-lived, but very entertaining tenure as the White House communications director under President Trump. Anthony has had a long career in investment banking and he is the founder of Skybridge Capital, a global investment fund that has just launched the Skybridge Bitcoin fund. Why you should listen: Anthony says investors have a Eureka moment when they begin to understand that Bitcoin is a monetary network. “Just like there is a retail network, Amazon, a social network, Facebook, like there is a search network, Google. Bitcoin is the monetary network, and that makes it potentially very valuable. Think about where Apple or Amazon or Google were ten years ago, maybe that is where Bitcoin is at today.”  Key takeaway: Anthony says that Bitcoin is the only thing in our society right now, where if the demand goes up, there's no increase in supply. “When people want Tesla shares, there's a sausage factory in the back of Tesla. They're printing out Tesla shares. Do people want dollars? They're printing out dollars. If oil prices are going up, we're drilling for oil everywhere to meet that demand and produce more oil, but that can’t be done for Bitcoin. And so that's the Eureka moment.”  Anthony says that President Trump was out of control. “He was a full-on liar. He added a trillion dollars to the deficit and his legacy will be that he made our country weaker, sicker, and poorer. He had malpractice on the pandemic and then on the way out the door, he tried to undermine our democracy.” Anthony says that Joe Biden, “whether you like him or not, what does he represent as a pillar of Democratic party politics? He represents centrism. He represents core bureaucratic competence. To me this was a seismic change for good. Do I love the excess regulation? I don't. Do I love ponderous government? I don't. But do I like competent people in positions? I do. And so I like Joe Biden.”   Supporting links: Prime XBT Skybridge Bitcoin Fund Anthony 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.

We’re revisiting the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2021. In this episode, we talk to Jeff Zirlin, co-founder Axie Infinity, a Pokémon-inspired blockchain-based digital pet universe where players can earn tokens through gaming. Players can battle, collect, breed, and build a kingdom for their pets. Like CryptoKitties, Axies are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represented as cryptographically unique characters that can’t be replicated. And like Pokémon, they are born to battle. While Axie can be just a game, it has built a strong social network, passionate community, and emerging jobs platform due to the play to earn opportunities it is generating.    Why you should listen: Jeff grew up playing games like Neopets, Pokémon, and World of Warcraft. “I played so much WOW that my parents sent me to boarding school,” he says. “I’ve always been a collector. As I kid my dad and I would collect fossils and insects. And as a lifelong gamer, I’m a digital collector as well, so I was predisposed to be interested in blockchain gaming.”  The blockchain gaming play to earn revolution started to gain traction after it emerged that a large community of players in the Philippines was earning money playing Axie Infinity. Jeff says "Most game companies sell in-game resources, items, and upgrades. With Axie there's an in-game resource that you need to create more Axies and it's called the love potion. So most game developers would sell this love potion, and people would pay for it. In Axie we don't sell it ourselves, the only way that love potions can be created is by people playing the game. Players who have big Axie collections need the love potion to breed Axies and have to buy the token from a liquidity pool on UniSwap or from Binance. So players can earn a basic income and we've seen that with the rise in value of ETH, this can appreciate significantly.” Key takeaway: The power of blockchain games is that they're becoming more than games. They're becoming places that we can live, work and play. The eventual vision is to create a Metaverse similar to Ready Player One where people spend the majority of their time.  “We believe in a future where work and play become one,” says Jeff. “And we believe in empowering our players and giving them economic opportunities.” To do this the Axie team is committed to aligning the incentives of the Axie community. Players can earn the AXS governance token. The token economics were designed by Delphi Digital. Delphi Digital has invested a significant amount of capital in buying several extremely rare Mystic Axies. If Axie Infinity continues to gain traction Mystic Axies will grow in value in the future.  Jeff says “We’re seeing the rise of Mystic Axies and other NFTs as a true asset class. This trend accelerated when Delphi Digital picked up some of the rarest Axies in the game, like quadruple Mystics, triple Mystics. You can think of Mystics as rare and valuable skins. It makes sense that there's a lot of interest around NFTs and it makes sense because we live in a digital world.” Supporting links:   Axie Infinity  Prime XBT Delphi Digital on Axie Jeff 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.

We’re a few days out from Xmas and it’s time for this week’s crypto market sentiment report. Plus, Jack Dorsey is not a fan of Web3. Why not? Why you should listen: As we move into the Xmas period Bitcoin is holding steady at just under $50,000 with ETH just over $4,000. The market is in a cooling-off period for now. Meanwhile, on Crypto Twitter, Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk are ruffling feathers with their takes on Web3. Supporting links: Prime XBT 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.

Andrew Cordle is an American entrepreneur,  wealth strategist, and in-demand speaker. Andrew is the founder and CEO of Money Is, a company and show dedicated to sharing the secrets of the wealthy 1% and sparking authentic conversations about money.  Why you should listen: Andrew Cordle is an acclaimed author and international speaker, and host of the Money Is show where he hosts today’s leaders and influencers in authentic conversations about money. He has interviewed hundreds of experts, including Kevin O’Leary, Gary Vaynerchuck, and Grant Cardone. Andrew also contributes as a partner in a multi-billion dollar enterprise; made up of twenty-three current companies. One of which is a real estate development with a portfolio of over 1.5 Billion. Passionate about the benefits of mentorship in business, he founded Power Room, a CEO mastermind where today’s top thought leaders combine forces to help teach entrepreneurs how to achieve success. Andrew is an enthusiastic crypto investor and trader of NFTs. Supporting links: Prime XBT Andrew Cordle 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.

Aaron McDonald and Brooke Howard-Smith are leading the teams behind some of 2021’s biggest NFT projects. Fluf World, Altered State Machine, Thingies, and now, Party Bears… a pack of loose unit DJs about to bring the party to the metaverse… Why you should listen: 2021 was the year NFTs went mainstream. Andy, Aaron, and Brooke reflect on a huge year and look at what happens next for Fluf World, Party Bears, and the wider web3 ecosystem. Supporting links: Prime XBT Party Bears 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.

Janine Grainger is the CEO and co-founder of Easy Crypto, a New Zealand-based digital currency retailer, and Vault International Bitcoin Fund (VIBF) a New Zealand-based Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE) Fund that provides investors with exposure to offshore listed Bitcoin funds and ETFs. Why you should listen: Vault Digital Funds Limited was founded in 2021 in partnership with Easy Crypto, New Zealand's largest cryptocurrency brokerage. The Vault International Bitcoin Fund (VIBF) is the first digital asset fund to be launched under the Vault Digital Funds registered scheme. VIBF is a New Zealand-based Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE) Fund that provides investors with exposure to offshore listed Bitcoin funds and ETFs, taxed under the FDR methodology. Investors can gain exposure to digital assets investing without the challenges of buying, storing, and safekeeping digital currencies directly. The Vault International Bitcoin Fund is a Multi-rate Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE) that will be taxed in accordance with the Fair Dividend Rate method. Given the PIE fund will own fund(s) listed on an offshore exchange, the underlying investment will be treated as a global equity for tax purposes. In effect, this means there is no capital gains tax on any gains made on the VIBF. There will be an annual “deemed” dividend of 5% per annum, and investors would pay a maximum of 28% of tax on that 5% dividend, so an effective maximum tax rate of 1.4%pa. Supporting links: Prime XBT Easy Crypto Vault Digital Funds 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.

Rekt Capital, a Forbes featured crypto technical analyst and trader returns to the Crypto Conversation. With Bitcoin dumping to $46,000 REKT and Andy discuss the current market conditions - is the bull market over? Why you should listen: December has failed to live up to the bulls' expectations with Bitcoin dropping to $46,000 and bear sentiment growing. With Bitcoin hashrate at an all-time high and the liquid BTC supply on exchanges dropping, is it too soon to get bearish? Rekt suggests we may have to enter a consolidation period before an eventual resumption of the BTC uptrend. Supporting links: Prime XBT Rekt Capital 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.

Pat Doyle is the co-founder of Pink Swan Trading, the holding company of Genesis Volatility and Degen Data. The former caters for sophisticated options traders while the latter provides analysis of NFT projects.  Why you should listen: Genesis Volatility is an institutional-grade crypto analytics platform, providing live statistics, historical data, DeFi analytics, and API solutions for traders, investors, and speculators alike. Genesis provides detailed information to help identify opportunities and mitigate risk in the booming crypto options market.  Degen Data is a data lab for NFT projects. The platform will be put up for sale in the medium term. The platform will come with an associated Crypto Punk. Supporting links: Prime XBT Genesis Volatility  Degen Data 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.

On Friday Bitcoin dropped 25% in one day, one of the steepest drops since March 2020. With the market sentiment now in extreme fear, is the bull market over? Why you should listen: The Bitcoin stock to flow model is in danger of being invalidated, $100K targets for December are off the table. There seems to be an increasing acceptance that clear bear and bull market cycles may be a thing of the past. As bitcoin matures into a mature, liquid asset, we may see diminishing returns eth faster bull and bear peaks and troughs. Supporting links: Prime XBT 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.

Bill Ottman is CEO and founder of Minds - an alternative social network with over 5M users. Minds is building an open-source and decentralized app that shares revenue and crypto with its community.  Why you should listen: Minds is an alt-tech blockchain-based social network. Users can earn money or cryptocurrency for using Minds, and tokens can be used to boost their posts or crowdfund other users. The Minds token can be used to reward users for their engagement on the social network and to both promote and receive payment for content. Minds has been described as more privacy and free speech focused than mainstream social media networks. Bill Ottman is passionate about free speech and open source technology protocols. In September Minds announced that it had converted 25% of its balance sheet, or around $2.5 million, into cryptocurrencies. Supporting links: Prime XBT Minds 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.

Andras Kristof is CEO and founder of Ether Cards - a platform that provides tools for gamifying and supercharging your NFTs. Ether Cards are advanced NFT cards that allow the community to use the platform and its features with increased benefits.  Why you should listen: Ether Cards is a limited-edition collection of dynamic NFT cards that activate discounts, enable access, unlock features, connect to physical items, and grant upgrades. They can even trigger changes based on real-world events using Chainlink oracles and VRF.  The Ether Cards platform is a community-driven NFT framework. It enables every creator to maximize the value of their NFT asset or series by expanding the capability of any NFT Marketplace. It allows anyone to set up tickets, puzzles, bounties, and a dozen other different events for any NFT asset of their choice. Supporting links: Prime XBT Ether Cards 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.

Jake Sally is the COO of Jadu, an AR platform and narrative layer for Web3 and the metaverse. Jadu is pioneering the functionality of digital assets in AR and the physical world by converting 3D NFTs into playable avatars and objects that can interact with each other in an ever-expanding AR game world. Jadu is minting 5555 hoverboard NFTs in December. Why you should listen: Jadu’s vision is to build unparalleled 3D utility for NFTs, partnering with key players in the crypto community to deliver a virtually native future where creation of content is democratized, decentralized, and creator-owned in a world where players can mobilize in Web 3 and build valuable communities. Jadu Hoverboards are NFTs that can be used to fly your avatars in the Metaverse and in Augmented Reality. Along with Jadu Jetpacks, they will also function as key transport mechanisms in Jadu’s AR Mirroverse game next year.  Jadu’s NFT Hoverboards will include collaborations with Lewis Hamilton; GRIMES; Snoop Dogg; Mimi Onuoha and NFT curator, Trippy. These artists will work with Jadu to design and release 5555 Jadu Hoverboard NFTs which go on sale December 12 for a cost of 0.222 ETH. Supporting links: Jadu 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.

Bitcoin price action is subdued this week with Mt Gox jitters spooking the market. Blockstream has partnered with El Salvador to issue $1B in Volcano Bonds. It’s this week’s crypto market sentiment report. Why you should listen: Andy looks at the most important data points and narratives driving the crypto news cycle this week. The Mt Gox Trustee's pool of bitcoins (about 141,000 BTC) appears to be getting ready to be distributed. Blockstream has partnered with El Salvador to issue $1B in Volcano Bonds. Zhu Su says he has “abandoned” Ethereum due to the chain's failure to scale and is there a connection between ​​Snow Crash author Neal Stephenson and Satoshi Nakamoto. Supporting links: 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.

Artist Grace Ng is about to launch Crash Punks - an NFT collection on Stacks/Bitcoin. Crash Punks is inspired by sci-fi, anime, and Snow Crash, the iconic 1992 novel by Neal Stephenson. Snow Crash has been an inspiration for the Stacks and Bitcoin communities and is considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time. Why you should listen: Grace Ng is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor, neuro-artist, co-founder of Lean Startup Machine, and VP at the Stacks Accelerator. Grace is the creative force behind Crash Punks, an NFT collection of 10,000 unique art profile pictures on Bitcoin/Stacks. Crash Punks is inspired by the 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.  Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work explores mathematics, cryptography, linguistics, philosophy, currency, and the history of science. "Computers rely on the one and the zero to represent all things. This distinction between something and nothing-this pivotal separation between being and nonbeing-is quite fundamental and underlies many Creation myths," Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash Supporting links: Crash Punks Stacks Accelerator Is Neal Stephenson Satoshi Nakamoto? 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.

Cecil Pang and IIan Klein are co-founders at Open Art Source, a blockchain-supported marketplace where artists can sell their works. It provides the tools necessary for artists to showcase their works and for collectors to research their purchases. The Arties is an NFT collaboration between Open Art Source, Shaderverse, and NFT artist Spencer Terry. The project is funding the development of the Open Art Source platform, which brings a blockchain data layer to the physical art market.  Why you should listen: The Arties is an NFT collaboration between Open Art Source, Shaderverse, and NFT artist Spencer Terry. Open Art Source and Shaderverse came together in the Stacks Accelerator. The Arties is the first 3D NFT project on Stacks, and they’re attached to specific benefits on the Open Art Source platform. Shaderverse has developed AR 3D game-ready assets for each Artie in the collection, and these assets will be sent to Artie holders for Christmas/Chanukah. Arties are minting now on STX. Cecil Pang is an artist; a technologist, and a world-class computer scientist. With CS credentials from Stanford and Columbia and art credentials from Parsons School of Design, he’s the perfect person to tackle the structural injustices of the art world. Supporting links: Arties Mint Arties Open Art Source Hyperspace 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.

Sam Zou and James Bayly head the team at SubQuery, a decentralized data aggregation, indexing, and querying layer between Layer-1 blockchains and decentralized applications. SubQuery is focused on the fast-growing Polkadot ecosystem.  Why you should listen: The team had experienced first-hand the difficulties of testing, deploying, and managing blockchain infrastructure. The team founded OnFinality to solve key pain points around decentralized infrastructure management and automate the deployment of Polkadot/Substrate based networks to the cloud. In 2020, while helping key Polkadot parachain teams, the team listened to requests for a data indexing service to help the teams better understand their chain data. Additionally, these teams wanted this in place to ease the barriers to entry for their future development communities.  After a period of research, the team formally established the SubQuery project at the end of 2020 through a Web3 Grant, delivered the first open source version in January, and announced the platform to the world in February 2021. It now has backing from Arrington Capital and Digital Currency Group. Supporting links: SubQuery 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.

Stacks 2.0 (formerly Blockstack) is a layer-1 blockchain that connects to Bitcoin and brings smart contracts, DeFi, NFTs, and decentralized apps to Bitcoin. Smart contracts and apps developed on the Stacks platform are natively integrated with the security, stability, and economic power of Bitcoin. Why you should listen: Trevor Owens is the managing director at Stacks Accelerator. The Stacks Accelerator works with the Stacks Foundation's Grants program to deliver flexible, fair, and efficient funding options. It invests $50K at a no-valuation cap into teams solving real-world problems on Stacks. Stacks 2.0 implements a new mining mechanism called Proof of Transfer (PoX). PoX is a consensus algorithm between two blockchains. It uses an established blockchain (in this case Bitcoin) to secure a new blockchain (Stacks). PoX connects to Bitcoin with a 1:1 block ratio, meaning anything that happens on the Stacks blockchain can be verified on the Bitcoin Blockchain. Instead of burning electricity on proof of work, PoX reuses already minted bitcoins as "proof of computation" and miners represent their cost of mining in bitcoins directly. Clarity is a new language for smart contracts on the Stacks 2.0 blockchain. The Clarity smart contract language optimizes for predictability and security. Stacks 2.0 anchors clarity smart contracts to Bitcoin making it possible for smart contracts to operate based on actions seen on the bitcoin blockchain. Crash Punks are a 10,000 collection of unique and generative art profile pictures as Bitcoin/Stacks NFTs, inspired by the novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It's the first major collection by entrepreneur and crypto artist Grace Ng and will be the community dedicated to all of her future artistic work related to AR/VR, 3D, visual art, music, and neuro-feedback art. Supporting links: Stacks Accelerator Crash Punks 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.

Nick, the lead developer at ENS, the Ethereum Naming Service joins Andy for a wide-ranging discussion on ENS, DAOs, Proof of Stake Vs Proof of Work, and why Cory Doctorow is wrong about NFTS. Why you should listen: ENS is a decentralized naming system for crypto addresses, wallets, websites, and more. ENS is moving towards decentralization and has passed ENS governance to the community through their new governance token, ENS. The token was distributed by an air drop to ENS users. Community members could apply to be ENS delegates and delegate their voting rights to others. Supporting links: ENS 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.

Markets are on the edge, torn in opposite directions by two big news events. Inflation hit 6.2% hitting earners and shoppers in their wallets. In response, Bitcoin was poised to smash through $69,420 before Evergrande headlines spoiled the party. Why you should listen: Bitcoin got tantalizingly close to the mythical $69,420 level today as investors continue to seek exposure to Bitcoin to hedge against inflation. However, news that Evergrande may default on its next interest loan payments sent all global markets into a spin. Supporting links: 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.

Shiba Inu (SHIB), a dog-based crypto memecoin, has defied all expectations to become the best-performing asset of 2021. In the last year, the token is up ~75,000,000%, and for the last month, it has felt like everybody wants a piece of it. What is the bull and bear case for Shiba Inu? Why you should listen: Brave New Coin analyst Aditya Das joins Andy to discuss the fascinating, controversial history of crypto’s current Memecoin of the moment, Shiba Inu. Has SHIB topped out? Or are there more gains to come? Supporting links: 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.

Memecoins are dominating the crypto markets while Bitcoin takes a breather. U.S. politicians from all sides are warming up to Bitcoin, with some even taking part of their salaries in BTC. It’s the weekly Crypto market update. Why you should listen: First, there was DOGE. Then SHIBA. Then SQUID. Memecoins are dominating the frothy end of the market as the meme narrative attracts new retail investors. Bitcoin is cooling off after the surge following the approval of the ProShares Bitcoin ETF. Pressure is mounting for the U.S. to next approve a spot-based ETF but it’s not likely in the short term. Supporting links: 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.

Checkmate is the lead on-chain analyst at Glassnode, an on-chain data and intelligence platform for the crypto markets. Checkmate joins Andy to discuss the edge that on-chain data can provide and why he is bullish for Q4 and beyond. Why you should listen: With a background in data and engineering, when Checkmate discovered blockchain he was immediately drawn to the data-driven insights that on-chain analytics can provide.  Checkmate says that the dip in mid-2021 can be viewed as a mini bitcoin bear market. We are now at the beginning stages of a new Bitcoin bull market. Due to the inefficiencies in the fiat system, one way of viewing Bitcoin in the long term is that there is no top.  Supporting links: Glassnode 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.

After the approval of a long-awaited Bitcoin ETF U.S. investors finally have an easy means to invest in Bitcoin. What is the likelihood that a Bitcoin spot-based ETF will be approved next? Andy speaks to Brave New Coin analyst Aditya Das to assess the evolving Bitcoin ETF landscape in the U.S. Why you should listen: The launch of the first-ever Bitcoin ETF by ProShares in the United States was the trigger that pushed the price of Bitcoin to new all-time highs in October. On October 18th, the day of the ETF launch, ‘Bitcoin ETF’ was the sixth trending Google Search term in the United States just below searches for ‘Kanye West’. Demand for the ETF has already exceeded expectations. Upon opening for trading, it broke the record for the largest day-1 ETF launch ever by natural volume. BITO assets under management (AUM) hit US$1.1 billion after its 2nd day of trading, making it the fastest ETF to get to $1b, breaking an 18-year-old record previously set by gold. Supporting links: The Bitcoin ETF Story 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.

Battle Drones is a collection of 10,000 programmatically generated collectible artworks, hovering on the Solana blockchain. Each Battle Drone provides access to the Battle Drones ecosystem and play-to-earn game. A console Battle Drones game is coming in 2022. The artwork is inspired by the founders' PhD studies in the field of human drone interaction at the University of Auckland.  Why you should listen: Battle Drones was inspired by the background of the founders. They are PhD students and engineers who have studied drone flight and human drone tactile interaction. Battle Drones 2D artwork will be developed into a Metaverse character when the PC and Console game is launched in 2022. To engage the community in the lead up to that point, Battle Drones will launch community challenges, including browser-based minigames. Once the 3D avatar is airdropped users can lend them to other people around the world for a fee to play within the Battle Drones metaverse. By doing this the community members will make their NFTs more valuable as they progress within the rankings. Supporting links: Battle Drones 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.

Les Borsai is the Chief Strategy Officer at Wave Financial Group. Les began his career as a rave promoter in the Southern California underground scene of the late 1980s. Earlier this year Wave launched the world’s first-ever traditional NFT fund. Why you should listen: Les held positions at Avalon Attractions (now Live Nation Entertainment|Live Nation), MCA Records, and Bill Silva Entertainment before starting the musician management company Modern Artist Management. His client list includes country singer Wynonna Judd. After being an early investor in cryptocurrency platform Ethereum, he served as an advisor to blockchain companies and in 2018 co-founded Wave Financial, a digital asset management firm. Wave Financial offers early-stage VC investment, asset management, treasury management, and strategic consulting in the blockchain ecosystem. It has a number of funds including Index funds, a Whisky fund, and an NFT fund. The NFT fund takes an analytical approach including analysis based on the rarity of traits, focusing on unique content and scarcity in properties as value drivers. Supporting links: Wave Financial Group 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.

Michael Wagner is the CEO and co-founder of Star Atlas, a next-gen gaming metaverse emerging from the confluence of state-of-the-art blockchain, real-time graphics, multiplayer video game, and decentralized financial technologies. Why you should listen: Star Atlas - Star Atlas is a space-themed video game metaverse of grand strategy, open world exploration, territorial conquest, and political domination. Underlying technology consists of the latest in hi-fidelity game development, Unreal Engine, stunning visuals, and a blockchain baselayer utilizing Solana. The metaverse represents an alternative world of economic and political strategy, with player ability to generate real-world wealth transcending video game assets. Non-fungible tokens obtained and traded within Star Atlas creates an economy that replicates the tangibility of real-world assets and ownership.  Supporting links: Star Atlas 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.

ArrowHaven and OpalAbyss from the Witchz NFT project join Andy for a Crypto Conversation Halloween special. The 6666 Witchz pay homage to the Witches of North America and Europe and take inspiration from films, Wicca, mother nature, and the four elements of the universe.  Why you should listen: 6666 unique digital art Witchz are conjuring at 00:00 UTC 24/10/21 for 77 Matic on Polygon. Witchz are airdropping 10% of the mint back to the Witchz Coven. Anyone holding a Witchz NFT and matching Elementz NFT will be eligible for the airdrop. The Witchz art was created by AmethystMoon. She began her artistic journey on the page with watercolour, pencil, and acrylics. The Witchz are generated from a vast array of detailed traits. 27,563 brushstrokes went into creating this collection. Supporting links: Witchz 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.

Luke Ryan is the founder of the Titan Tiki Tribe - an NFT collection taking Māori culture to the metaverse. The Titan Tiki team has an indigenous Māori background, deep respect for the protocols of Māori, and is proud to show the wairua (energy) of the Titan Tiki Tribe. Bill Takarei is a respected Kaumatua (Māori elder) and spiritual guide to the Titan Tiki, ensuring Māori culture is represented according to custom. Why you should listen: The Titan Tiki Tribe is a unique NFT collection of 1000 Tiki. The collection includes rarity traits such as Pounamu Mere and Taiaha Weapons, traditional Korowai cloaks, Paua eyes, and Pukana forked tongues. Tiki come as Green Navigators, Blue Priests, Gold Chiefs, or Brown Gatherers. The Titan Tiki mission is to preserve and protect Māori culture while expressing it to the world via the new digital medium of the Metaverse. Supporting links: Tiki Quest Titan Tiki on OpenSea 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of Crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points.  Bitcoin is poised for further upside as the first two futures-based Bitcoin ETFs prepare to start trading on the New York Stock Exchange. On Tuesday the ProShares ETF goes live with the Valkyrie ETF due to begin trading later this week. Will Bitcoin hit a new all-time high? Or is this a sell-the-news event? Either way, this is set to be a historic week for Bitcoin. Supporting links: 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.

Ethan Lou is a Canadian journalist and the author of a new book called Once a Bitcoin Miner: Scandal and Turmoil in the Cryptocurrency Wild West. The book explains how Ethan had gone to North Korea and met the Ethereum Foundation's Virgil Griffith — the man later arrested for allegedly trying to help the totalitarian state break sanctions through blockchain. Griffith pleaded guilty last Monday, and this book grants an exclusive insider's look into those seven nights in Pyongyang. Why you should listen: As well as covering Ethan’s adventures in North Korea, and stories from the early days of bitcoin, Ethan takes stock of a world that is sometimes hostile. Ethan's millennial generation sees itself as inheriting a collapsing world, weighed by dread and meaninglessness. Stylistically evoking the western genre, this book presents Bitcoin and its insular community, bursting with wealth, as representing a new form of the frontier myth. The book is an example of the sort of gonzo, adventure journalism for which Ethan has been known. Field Notes from a Pandemic, an accidental journey around the world at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, was named among the CBC's best domestic nonfiction of the year and shortlisted for Kobo's emerging writer award. Supporting links: Ethan Lou 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.

John Light is head of product at Sovryn, a decentralized Bitcoin trading and lending platform. Sovryn is one of the first platforms to bring decentralized finance products to the Bitcoin protocol. Why you should listen: Bitcoin was the first and original cryptocurrency, but it is slow, and limited in functionality. Competitors such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain(BSC) and Solana have now become the primary destination for developers looking to build dapps and DeF ecosystems. Bitcoin remains the biggest and most decentralized cryptocurrency and the hardest form of money. Now developers are bringing DeFi to Bitcoin.  Sovryn is built on the Rootstock (RSK) platform, a Bitcoin sidechain compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine that can support the smart contracts protocol. RSK is the most permissionless and censorship-resistant Bitcoin sidechain: RSK is permissionless and its consensus mechanism is merge-mined PoW with about 50% of Bitcoin’s hashpower currently mining RSK. This means that RSK is mined by more hashpower than any other chain, except Bitcoin itself. Supporting links: Sovryn 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.

Josh Olszewicz is the lead analyst at Brave New Coin. Josh joins Andy to discuss Bitcoin’s bullish start to Q4 and the likelihood that the bull trend will continue. Josh says he is targeting $100K Bitcoin before the end of the year. Why you should listen: "If we can hold $50K, I like six figures easily by the end of the year. Definitely. Maybe $120k, $130k, $140k, but definitely six figures by the end of the year." Yes indeed, Josh is bullish. How bullish? Josh says, “If we get an ETF approved that will be massive for price. We have seasonality on our side. And the on-chain metrics are bullish with continuous upticks in active address and transaction counts since the end of July. What else do you need? When you line up the fundamentals and the technicals and the on-chain stuff Bitcoin looks amazing to me.” Listen to the show to hear what would need to happen for the bull thesis to falter, plus Josh and Andy chat hash rate, NFTs, altcoins, the funds Josh trades for Techemy Capital, and why they’re watching Netflix at 2x speed. Supporting links: Techemy Capital 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.

Tushar Aggarwal is the CEO of Persistence, an interoperable protocol built to facilitate the creation of next-gen financial products. Tushar is a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia club. Why you should listen: Persistence is an ecosystem of multi-chain DeFi products designed to stimulate global liquidity and enable seamless value exchange. Persistence is bringing different asset classes into DeFi through its products – Proof-of-Stake assets (pSTAKE), Commodities synthetic assets (Comdex), and NFT assets (Asset Mantle). Persistence’s Core mainnet is a Proof-of-Stake chain powered by Tendermint BFT consensus engine. Persistence multi-chain tech stack (currently supporting Cosmos, Ethereum and other Tendermint-based chains) abstracts away the complexities for developers and enables them to create DEXs, marketplaces, lending/borrowing platforms etc.  Supporting links: Persistence 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.

After a bearish September, Uptober has begun and in the first week of Q4 Bitcoin has soared 20% in one week to $51,000. Technical analyst Rekt Capital returns to give us his predictions for Q4.  Why you should listen: Rekt Capital is an astute analyst who specializes in technical analysis and trading psychology. After a bearish September saw Bitcoin battling another round of China FUD, expectations are high for a bullish Q4. Andy and Rekt discuss Bitcoin stock to flow, the effect a Bitcoin Futures ETF approval would have on the market, and what needs to happen for altcoins to outperform. Supporting links: REKT Capital 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.

Adam De Cata is the head of partnerships at Decentraland, a virtual social world, created and owned by its users. Decentraland is an early version of the metaverse. Why you should listen: Decentraland is a decentralized virtual reality platform powered by the Ethereum blockchain. Within the Decentraland platform, users can create, experience, and monetize their content and applications. The finite, traversable, 3D virtual space within Decentraland is called LAND, a non-fungible digital asset maintained in an Ethereum smart contract. Land is divided into parcels that are identified by cartesian coordinates (x,y). These parcels are permanently owned by members of the community and are purchased using MANA, Decentraland’s cryptocurrency token. This gives users full control over the environments and applications that they create, which can range from anything like static 3D scenes to more interactive applications or games. Decentraland is made up of parcels of LAND, each 16 meters by 16 meters. A scene is an experience that is built on one or several parcels. Scenes are displayed one next to the other and players can freely walk from one to the other. Each scene is its own little world, items from one scene can’t extend out into another scene, and the code for each scene is sandboxed from all others. Decentraland is working with brand partners such as WallStreetBets who are building a community within Decentraland. WSB has released Diamond Hands NFTs with unique utility for accessing events in the metaverse. Supporting links: Decentraland WSB Collectibles 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of Crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week Bitcoin continues to fall and remains in danger of breaking the key US$40,000 price level. The latest bearishness was triggered by China’s latest ban on crypto, and uncertainty across all markets. PlanB, creator of the Stock to Flow model remains bullish for Q4, while technical analyst Davethewave sees the current correction continuing until December.   Supporting links: 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.

Joel Dietz is a technology entrepreneur and early contributor to Ethereum. The founder of Swarm Network Joel is researching blockchain network topologies, swarm intelligence, and holonic philosophy. Joel is working on Art Wallet, a smart wallet for NFTs. Why you should listen: Art Wallet is a one-stop solution for the NFT markets and the Metaverse. ArtWallet provides a solution for storing and owning NFTs with a simple gateway to NFT marketplaces. ArtWallet provides a media delivery vehicle for the playback of unique audio/visual content. Created with Data Persistence and Authenticity Verification in mind, the protocol acts as a useful gateway to the most reputable NFT platforms while also providing a media delivery vehicle for unique audiovisual playback. ArtWallet even supports NFT content rental, introducing a new primitive in the market and giving users the convenience of only paying for the time they use the material itself. The protocol’s media delivery vehicle supports exclusive content locked to specific consumers: raising the possibility of accessing fan sites via non-fungible tokens. Holonic philosophy is an evolution of jurisprudence, data-driven approaches to innovation, and smart city data architecture. Supporting links: Art Wallet 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week Bitcoin continues to fall and is now in danger of breaking the key US$40,000 price level. The fall was triggered by the China Evergrande crisis which has put traders into risk-off mode. Meanwhile, in the U.S. Gary Gensler has continued his war of words against crypto projects. He has made it clear that the overwhelming majority of altcoins are securities and in danger of being regulated as such.  Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Frank Miller is a legend in comics, graphic novels, and film. Known for his hard-boiled storytelling and gritty film noir aesthetic, Frank is the creative force behind iconic titles such as The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil, 300, and Sin City. Frank is about to drop an NFT collection based on the Sin City universe. Why you should listen: The Sin City books have won numerous awards, including six Eisner Awards, for Best Writer/Artist, Best Graphic Novel Reprint, Best Cartoonist, Best Cover Artist, Best Limited Series, and Best Short Story. Miller made his feature film directorial debut in 2005 with Sin City, the adaptation of his graphic novel, which he co-directed with Robert Rodriguez. The critically acclaimed film was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. The Sin City NFTs will be available September 29 from www.FrankMiller.io. There are 11 pieces, staggered over time, some are open editions, some are auction-based.  The first NFT will be one of Frank’s favorite pieces - an in real life, laser engraved Crystal piece featuring Marv limited to 1000.   Supporting links: Frank Miller 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week Bitcoin is back at $48,000 and just posted a Golden Cross. Is Bitcoin warming up for a bullish Q4? Meanwhile, Gary Gensler is in a war of words with Coinbase, and OpenSea’s head of product was caught insider trading NFTs. Supporting links: 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.

Chris Fortier is Vice President of Product at Rally, a project built on Ethereum that helps creators develop economic relationships with their audiences by launching their own crypto social tokens and NFTs. Why you should listen: Rally builds tools for creators to launch and grow their crypto economies. Rally started with social tokens but has always imagined a world where a creator’s crypto economy included both fungible tokens and NFTs. Fans want reasons to buy, use and hold social tokens and creators have pioneered countless ways to power experiences with those tokens. But they also want tangible goods and services — as well as experiences — that they can own in exchange for those social tokens. NFTs and social tokens paired together tie the creator’s crypto economy into a cohesive whole. Rally is building NFT capabilities that allow creators to focus on utility and collectability versus scarcity. They believe that the true economic value of NFTs will come from creators and their fans using NFTs to drive connections, particularly if creators allow more of their fan-base to participate. By enabling these utility-based NFT use cases, Rally is opening up a world for creators to experiment in their engagements with their fans and focus on offerings that delight their broader fan base rather than a small set of deep-pocketed speculators. Supporting links: Rally 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.

Maestro Bignose is a co-founder of Elyseos, a decentralized ecosystem designed to support the evolving Sacramental Medicine space. Sacramental medicines include psychedelic plants and fungi. The Elyseos DAO supports the evolving ecosystem with compassionate feedback loops incentivizing collaboration and decentralization. Why you should listen: As people search for meaning, and alternative ways of healing, Sacramental Medicines are bursting into the mainstream. The risks in this emergence include dilution, corruption, decay, centralization, control, and capture. Middlemen and ‘authorities’ can excessively appropriate the value generated while excluding dedicated servants, discoverers, and long-time practitioners. Maestro Bignose compares the new world of blockchain and Web3 to the ancient world of shamans. He says, “It is a wonderful meeting between one unregulated sphere so ancient it is forgotten by the mainstream and another unregulated sphere just birthing and completely nascent. Decentralized ledgers bypass the legacy system, whose top-down hierarchical control structures tend to be resistant and inimical to what shamanic medicines represent. These two universes share in being fundamentally distributed, robust, private, and by their nature not amenable to capture and control. They often escape. They both teach us to take deep responsibility for our agency rather than handing it off to a third party. Control your set and setting is similar to not your keys, not your coins.” Elyseos is built on the Fantom network. This ecosystem will use a utility token - ELYS which you can buy on ZooDEX. To buy ELYS you will need MetaMask installed with the Fantom Opera network active on it. Supporting links: Elyseos 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week Bitcoin crashed overnight dropping 10% to US$43,000. The dump happened on the same day that El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender and became the first nation-state to buy Bitcoin.  Supporting links: 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.

Jules Urbach is the CEO of OTOY, a leading cloud graphics company that is pioneering technology to redefine content creation and delivery. The work of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is being cataloged in a new digital archive by OTOY.  Why you should listen: RNDR, whose partners include Amazon, Google, Apple, and HBO, developed a cutting-edge platform based on underlying OTOY technology that allows individuals to create graphics at the same level as Hollywood studios. RNDR is revolutionizing visual effects by using the cloud to democratize GPUs and other rendering resources. It also seeks to provide energy-efficient solutions for creating NFTs.  Jules' best friend from childhood is Rod Roddenberry. Jules is working on a new digital archive of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s legacy. The Roddenberry Archive will feature the flagship Star Trek series, original films, and spinoffs in a variety of formats including digital and holographic renderings, documents, images, models, and blueprints. The archive will capture deep 3D asset metadata from assets, images, blueprints, and models using RNDR, OTOY's blockchain GPU computing network. In order to capture original studio and physical assets at the highest level of photographic fidelity, the archive will leverage OTOY's LightStage Academy-Award-winning facial scanning service, generating the first comprehensive lighting and reflectance data set for future archival use. Iconic artist Mike "Beeple" Winklemann is joining the Roddenberry Archive project as a creative consultant, and, alongside legendary painter and illustrator Alex Ross, will help commemorate the Roddenberry Archive and cross-link it to both the Alex Ross and Beeple RNDR Archives. Supporting links: OTOY Jules 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.

DFX is an Ethereum-based decentralized exchange protocol with a dynamically tuned bonding curve optimized for fiat-backed stablecoins using real-world FX price feeds. Mainstream adoption of Web 3.0 requires assets that are protected from price volatility. By focusing on fiat-backed stablecoins on the Ethereum blockchain, DFX leverages the existing defi ecosystem to bootstrap humanity's next-generation foreign exchange. Why you should listen: DFX is a decentralized foreign exchange protocol optimized for stablecoins. In building the protocol, DFX will bring liquidity and volume to fiat-backed stablecoins globally. The next generation of global finance cannot rely solely on USD-pegged stablecoins. A decentralized protocol where users can efficiently exchange stablecoins pegged to various foreign currencies is not only important but necessary. DFX has added the NZDs, the New Zealand Dollar Stable Coin to the protocol. NZDs is a New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Stable Coin backed 1:1 with physical New Zealand Dollars in a cash and cash equivalent treasury managed by a New Zealand registered financial services provider. New Zealand’s currency is a leader in adaptability, resilience, and market trustworthiness. NZD is the 10th most traded currency globally. The NZD stable coin will offer cryptocurrency users the stability and utility of the New Zealand Dollar with the versatility of a cryptocurrency. The NZDs is issued by Techemynt. Supporting links: DFX NZD Stablecoin Techemynt Castle Island Stablecoin paper 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.

Aaron McDonald and Brooke Howard-Smith are co-founders at Non-Fungible Labs, the team behind the FLUF World NFTs. FLUF World is home to 10,000 unique 3D animated rabbits. The FLUF metagame describes the emerging, expanding metaverse treasure hunt that the FLUFs exist in.  Why you should listen: FLUFs have been programmatically generated from 270 attributes across 14 categories to be entirely unique by at least three degrees of separation. This also excludes their expression, dance, scene, and soundtrack. Non-Fungible Labs have an exciting roadmap that will continue to unlock ever-increasing, advanced functionality for FLUFs. The future of the digital world will be expansive and complex. Smart agents are needed to help navigate these always-on spaces. Altered State Machine is a framework to track ownership of AI agents in any digital environment.  Supporting links: FLUF World Altered State Machine Non-Fungible Labs Aaron talks Centrality 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.

Konstantin is the founder and CEO of Vaulty Finance - a vault that bridges Defi and NFTs on the Binance Smart chain. The Vaulty platform is a yield aggregator that offers multiple strategies to optimize yield farming through regular auto-compounding. Why you should listen: Vaulty is a decentralized platform designed to enable automatic asset allocation across DeFi instruments. Every vault has its own smart contract with predetermined logic. Choose your vault and passively earn yields or NFTs stress-free. Vaults allow users to minimize network fees and time spent researching the best instruments. Vaulty unites the power of DeFi and NFT. Vaulty is a unique profit-sharing yield aggregator that incorporates both traditional DeFi and NFT yield strategies into the same decentralized platform. Konstantin shares some fascinating stories on what it was like to grow up in rural Russia and why so many talented poker and chess players are Russian. Supporting links: Vaulty 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.

Bill Barhydt is the CEO of Abra, a platform that enables crypto banking services for consumers and institutions in over 100 countries. Abra’s mission is to become a crypto bank that replaces the need for legacy banking services. Bill was a member of the Cryptography Mailing List where Satoshi first released the Bitcoin White Paper. Bill started his career working in cryptography for the CIA.  Why you should listen: Abra is making cryptocurrency investing simple. Abra operates an easy-to-use smartphone-based wallet, exchange, high yield interest accounts, and lending service supporting 125 digital assets. Users can buy, sell, store, and invest in cryptocurrencies and manage their crypto investments, in one app. Their vision is an open, global financial system that is easily accessible to everyone. Bill is a globally recognized technology pioneer with a unique perspective on the early days of the internet and blockchain. Bill started his career working in R&D at the CIA and NASA. Bill was one of the early team members at Netscape where he was involved in building the core infrastructure that helped grow the consumer Internet we use today.  Supporting links: Abra 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week Morgan Stanley’s SEC Filings reveal it has purchased a large holding of Bitcoin via the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. Only Fans has reversed its decision to ban sexually explicit content, and the NFT market continues to boom as a new wave of Generative Art is released.  Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Zach Burks is the CEO and founder of NFT marketplace Mintable. Mintable is the first NFT platform to pioneer ‘gasless minting’, enabling content creators to mint NFTs without prohibitive transaction fees. Zach says he is building Mintable with Mom in mind. If his Mom finds it easy to use Mintable to mint and trade NFTs, then anyone can use Mintable. Zach is applying the best features from e-commerce sites such as Amazon to make Mintable one of the most exciting and feature-rich marketplaces of the future. Why you should listen: Mintable is the first NFT platform to pioneer ‘gasless minting’, enabling content creators to mint NFTs without being burdened by prohibitive transaction fees. When the Mark Cuban-backed platform recently completed its US$13 million Series A funding round, it also announced an upcoming integration with Ripple’s XRP ledger to enable a new breed of ecologically friendly NFTs.  Supporting links: Mintable 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.

Manu Alzuru is a humanist, a solarpunk, and the founder of DoinGud - a next-gen NFT platform designed to empower creators and collectors to create meaningful impact.  Why you should listen: DoinGud is an NFT ecosystem where passion has the ability to create social impact. NFT creators can donate at least 5% of their profits from every sale to charitable causes benefiting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. These goals include creating gender equality, ending world hunger, ensuring all individuals have good health and well-being, and quality education for all.  Invited creators can onboard colleagues. Brands and communities can open meta-galleries to house their artists. Anyone can submit their artwork to a pool to be represented by a community gallery. Solarpunk is an art movement that envisions how the future might look if humanity succeeds in solving climate change. The iconography of Solarpunk focuses on renewable energies such as solar and wind power. It is the flipside to Cyberpunk.  Supporting links: DoinGud Solar Power 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.

Victor David is co-founder and CEO of Epik, a global agency that connects brands with video games to offer unique and immersive digital experiences using NFTs. Why you should listen: Epik is putting brands into video games to offer unique and immersive digital experiences to more than a billion fans worldwide. Epik is solving the problem of building interconnectivity between metaverses so that metaverses will be able to talk to each other in ways never possible before. Called the “Epikverse,” this technology will span across multiple virtual worlds, including, one day, Facebook. Epik’s core mission is to improve the experience of gamers, making them feel the nostalgia of collecting in-game items that are accessible across different games, allowing them to interact with their assets outside of the game, and be able to trade them anytime. The opportunities we see in NFTs are not only limited to arts and music. Most of our NFT collections are based on collaborations with the leading gaming companies, and these unique digital assets will give the players distinctive benefits when playing the game (special offers, skins, accessories, playable characters, etc) giving real-world value in real life. Supporting links: Epik Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week Bitcoin breaks US$46,000 while the U.S. senate has included draconian restrictions on the crypto ecosystem in the infrastructure bill. On the positive side, the last week has seen an awakening of political support for crypto, from all sides. Following the successful implementation of EIP-1559, can Ethereum become ultra sound money? Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Dave the Wave is a pseudonymous investor, trader, and technical analyst. A contrarian, Dave is respected on Crypto Twitter for his objective, rational approach to technical analysis. Dave’s thesis is that Bitcoin is following his Logarithmic Growth Curve model. Logarithmic growth suggests exponential gains at the beginning that slowly taper off towards a plateau in the long term. Why you should listen: Dave the Wave has a gentleman’s agreement with Plan B (stock to flow). If Bitcoin achieves a price above $100K by December this year, the stock-to-flow model will remain valid, and Dave’s Logarithmic Growth Curve will be invalidated. If Bitcoin fails to break $100K by December, then stock-to-flow is invalidated and the Logarithmic Growth Curve remains valid. Dave says that Bitcoin is a nascent currency in the process of capitalization. There are periods of volatility in both directions as new people add and subtract liquidity in adoption waves. Bitcoin is following the path of gold that was capitalized over hundreds if not thousands of years, Bitcoin has already reached a market cap of 1T in just 12 years. Despite sometimes being misunderstood as bearish, Dave says that if Bitcoin follows the Logarithmic Growth Curve, Bitcoin will hit somewhere between $500k and $1million in approx ten years' time.  Supporting links: Dave the Wave  The Logarithmic Growth Curve Dave on Twitter The Bitcoin Liquid Index Nexo 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.

Jamie Burke is the Founder & CEO of Outlier Ventures. Jamie and his team are investors in and authors of The Open Metaverse thesis which explores how the Web 3.0 Stack extends beyond financial services into virtual worlds, gaming and decentralized economies.  Why you should listen: Outlier has created a framework to assess and interrogate Metaverses, and a toolkit to design alternatives based on the principles of user centricity and sovereignty of identity, data and wealth. They call it the Open Metaverse OS, a shared and open operating system built upon the success of decentralized protocols, in particular DeFi and NFTs emerging in The Web 3 Stack. Jamie says it is important to understand that the beginnings of the Metaverse are already here and if we think of it as a far-off destination we will sleepwalk into not addressing some fundamental design choices and replicate what is broken about the Web today. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeny said “The Metaverse is going to be far more pervasive and powerful than anything else. If one central company gains control of this, they will become more powerful than any government, and be a god on Earth.” For this reason, it is crucial that the metaverse is designed on open and permission protocols.  Supporting links: Outlier Nexo 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.

Mark Berisha is the CEO of APEcoin and MemeFarm, and a founding member of the BustaBNB DAO. APECoin embraces the viral nature of memes and builds DAO-based perpetual utility machines. Apecoin is developing BustaBNB for the Binance Smart Chain and they have just launched a new NFT marketplace and NFT-OTC solution.  Why you should listen: APEcoin is an ecosystem for crypto enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who are building DAO-based perpetual utility machines. APEcoin incubates projects which focus on automated Defi solutions. MemeFarm is designed to automate the NFT ecosystem and allow users to mint, auction, buy and sell NFTs on the Binance smart chain. By using the NFT marketplace, users can solve many of the problems that exist in the altcoin OTC trading space. BustaBNB is an online crypto crash game with BNB as the primary play token. Users place a bet, watch the multiplier curve increase exponentially and click before the crash. BustaBNB was influenced by games like Bustabit, and Satoshi Dice. A BUST airdrop will occur for existing APE holders. Supporting links: APEcoin MemeFarm BustaBNB Nexo 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.

Iqbal V Gandham is VP of Payments & Transactions at Ledger. One of the best-known companies in crypto, Ledger has sold more than 3 million hardware devices and secures an estimated 15% of all crypto assets. Ledger is now preparing to make inroads into Web3. Why you should listen: As we move towards a world where all types of assets will be digitized, providing users with the most complete and secure user experience will be more important than ever. Ledger Live is an all-in-one digital asset management application that allows users to exchange, stake, and lend their crypto, interact with dapps and manage NFTs. When combined with Ledger’s hardware, Ledger Live provides best-in-class security for users in the digital asset environment. Iqbal hints that a new Ledger hardware wallet is coming in 2022. Supporting links: Ledger Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week markets are up as Amazon rumors and a short squeeze pump Bitcoin. Plus Elizabeth Warren says shadowy super coders are threatening the financial system, Tether is in the regulatory firing line, and CZ is ready to work with regulators. Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Tom Bilyeu is the CEO of Impact Theory and one of the world’s leading motivational speakers. Tom is committed to pulling people out of the matrix. A successful multi-business entrepreneur, Tom’s goal is to impact culture at scale. He plans to do this by building the next Disney. Impact Theory produces comics, graphic novels, books, television, film, interview talk shows and more. Tom is building an NFT universe that will leverage the unique properties of Manga, Anime, and blockchain to take Impact Theory to the next level. Why you should listen: Impact Theory is a revolutionary studio that produces original content on themes of empowerment, by bringing together some of the most talented creators, writers, and artists. The studio was started by CEO Tom Bilyeu, one of the planet’s most successful entrepreneurs. Impact Theory distributes content across digital platforms including the emerging NFT space. The studio has built a loyal audience in the millions with over one billion social media impressions, and its catalog of content has hundreds of millions of views.  Supporting links: Impact Theory Matthew Ball on the Metaverse Nexo Tom 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.

Tess Rinearson is VP of Engineering at Interchain where she leads the team responsible for Tendermint Core, the leading BFT engine for building blockchains. Why you should listen: Interchain is responsible for stewarding foundational infrastructure for blockchain ecosystems. Their work helps secure billions of dollars in value across a variety of major blockchain projects, including Cosmos. The team is pioneering new protocols for interoperability across the entire blockchain ecosystem. The vision is to create a new interconnected ecosystem, a new internet of blockchains: The Interchain. In 2017 Tess published a popular Bitcoin explainer guide using emojis. Supporting links: Interchain Bitcoin Explained with Emoji Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week markets are down as rising inflation pushes up food costs and the delta variant worsens the pandemic. Plus AXIE keeps mooning, stablecoins are in the regulatory firing line, and is CZ willing to work with regulators?   Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Dean Tribble is the CEO of Agoric, the JavaScript-native smart contract platform with backing from Naval and Polychain Capital. Dean co-designed the negotiation process and contract for the first smart contracting system, AMiX. As a Principal Architect at Microsoft, he co-designed the Midori distributed object-capability operating system. As founder and CTO for Agorics, he architected the brokerage information system for Schwab’s active traders and the WebMart electronic contract system for SunLabs. Dean has a fascinating perspective on the past, present, and future of blockchain. Why you should listen: Dean’s life work can be described as creating software that lets humans cooperate better. He wants to use technology to give humanity leverage to accomplish our goals and create a more cooperative world. A Proof of Stake blockchain and JavaScript-native smart contract platform, Agoric offers developers and enterprises an interoperable ecosystem for deploying and managing DeFi applications. Agoric is a robust architecture for building secure smart contracts based in JavaScript for maximum reach. Agoric empowers developers to execute transactions, establish new markets, and craft novel exchanges — without centralized control. Agoric uses an object-capability (ocap) security architecture, in which access to a programming object itself is the authority to use the object. All kinds of digital assets can be created, but importantly, they can be transferred in exactly the same ways, with exactly the same security properties. Agoric’s composable smart contract development environment provides reusable governance, lending, and trading components to propel the creators of the multi-chain DeFi economy.  Supporting links: Agoric Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points. This week we look at Shapeshift’s announcement that it will decentralize and give FOX tokens away in an airdrop to a million users. Plus what’s behind the AXIE blockchain game boom, and more signs of the emerging Metaverse...  Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Molly Mackinlay is Network Lead at Protocol Labs, an open-source research, development, and deployment laboratory. Protocol Labs projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and more. The team aims to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology.  Why you should listen: Molly is project lead at IPFS, The InterPlanetary File System, a peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol designed to preserve and grow humanity's knowledge by making the web upgradeable, resilient, and more open.  Filecoin is an open-source, public cryptocurrency and digital payment system intended to be a blockchain-based cooperative digital storage and data retrieval method. It is made by Protocol Labs and builds on top of InterPlanetary File System, allowing users to rent unused hard drive space.  Supporting links: Protocol Labs IPFS Filecoin Nexo 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.

James Gillingham is the Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of FINXFLO, the world's first Regulated Hybrid Liquidity Aggregator. The platform is launching in August but traders can sign up now. Why you should listen: After an injury brought a promising football career to an end, James worked at Close Brothers, and International Asset Management, before founding JageroFX, a startup delivering automated trading algorithms. Having spent his career identifying problems in the financial markets, James then founded FINXFLO to provide solutions for crypto traders. FINXFLO is described as the world's first hybrid DeFi/CeFi liquidity and protocol aggregator. Using only one account with one KYC, users are now able to utilize liquidity from 25+ CeFi and DeFi platforms through a single user interface.  Supporting links: FINXFlow Nexo 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.

Simona Pop is Head of Community at Status, a secure messaging platform that also functions as a crypto wallet and Web3 browser. Status is designed to enable the free flow of information, protect the right to private, secure conversations, and promote the sovereignty of individuals. Why you should listen: Status aims to be a decentralized, secure by design communication tool. The true benefit of Web3 is the ability to transact and communicate on our own terms – without middlemen. In order to enjoy this type of free communication, we must be confident that our messages, transactions, identities, and funds are safe and secure.  Status has been hosting workshops in Latin America to provide educational resources to local creators on how to get involved with NFTs - from minting to collecting - in a variety of native languages. Looking ahead, the team is also examining how crypto-based social applications are a key component of crypto’s evolution. Status believes creating social platforms that uphold crypto’s values of decentralization, privacy, and user rights is the next step.  Simona is an NFT collector and inverse meme aficionado. To find what an inverse meme is, listen to the show! Supporting links: Status Read Simona’s blog story Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points of the last week. June was a huge month with Bitcoin’s antifragility put to the test. Bitcoin’s market cap dropped by 50%, hash rate dropped by 50%, China stepped up its crackdown on mining and exchanges, and everyone from Nassim Taleb to Elizabeth Warren had a crack at Bitcoin. What happens next? Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Benjamin Sauter is a partner at Kobre and Kim, a legal firm that specializes in International Disputes and Investigations. The firm prides itself on its aggressive, trial-ready approach. Ben’s role is to aggressively defend clients in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries against high-stakes government enforcement actions.  Why you should listen: Ben and his colleagues wrote a piece for Brave New Coin called The U.S. govt is aggressively prosecuting crypto cases - how to defend yourself. The article summary reads: Thinking Beyond The Government Playbook - how crypto holders can proactively plan for and respond to aggressive U.S. Government enforcement tactics. Ben says the high level takeaway is that U.S. prosecutors are becoming increasingly aggressive in their attempts to police digital asset markets — and more creative in their ability to follow through. Recent events highlight the ability of prosecutors not only to collect actionable intelligence about digital assets, but also to use that information to achieve law enforcement objectives across international borders. By recognizing these tactics and acting proactively, individuals with digital-asset wealth can reduce the risk of falling afoul of the authorities.  With U.S. prosecutors adopting an aggressive approach towards enforcement against cryptocurrency market players, companies and individuals who are concerned that they may be the target of a government investigation should prepare to mount a creative defense. That means hiring counsel who understands criminal defense and trial strategy, and the technical issues raised by digital asset holdings, including blockchain forensics, and asset forfeiture procedures. Supporting links: Kobre & Kim Ben’s piece on Brave New Coin Nexo 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.

Charlie Silver is the founder and CEO of Permission, a crypto startup that gives individuals a way to monetize their data and get paid in ASK, the crypto asset that powers the Permission ecosystem. Why you should listen: Permission.io has developed the infrastructure for a new engagement model based on permission and value exchange.  The Permission platform runs on ASK, a new currency created to pay users for your engagement. ASK allows users to be compensated for data shared while doing the things users normally do online. ASK is a currency that users can spend on Permission.io and on other sites that accept ASK. The company has created the Permission Coin (“ASK”) to enable individuals to securely grant permission and monetize their personal data across a decentralized eCommerce ecosystem. Advertisers reward consumers with ASK for interacting with brands and content, building loyalty and trust. By transferring value back to consumers along the buying journey, away from big tech’s exploitation of data, Permission is bringing change to the current Internet business model. The company has launched a Google Chrome browser extension that enables members to monetize their data while browsing the web. Supporting links: Permission Nexo 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.

BTSE is a crypto asset exchange and futures trading platform. BTSE has partnered with Brave New Coin to create two indices - the BBCX and BBAX, around which BTSE has developed futures trading products. BTSE co-founder Brian Wong explains what makes BTSE one of the most compelling crypto trading solution providers.  Why you should listen: BTSE offers a suite of sophisticated futures trading products. BTSE traders can now use index perpetuals to build market-neutral strategies, and target risk profiles. Index perpetuals allow traders the ability to hedge out unwanted exposures, such as the broad crypto market or a particular sector.  BTSE has partnered with Brave New Coin to create several indices. An index is a way to track the value of a broad market or sector, via a single price. The BNC-BTSE Composite Index (BBCX) tracks the real-time market performance of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. The BNC-BTSE Alt Coin Index (BBAX) tracks the real-time market performance of Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and EOS. Both indices have outperformed their largest constituents in the year to date 2021. Supporting links: BTSE Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points of the last week. And what a week it was - China has stepped up its crackdown on all parts of the crypto ecosystem. As a result, miners are moving out of China, and the Bitcoin hashrate is dropping. The markets are down in response, but ultimately, is this good for the bitcoin network? Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Sebastián Milla is Chief of Special Projects at Exodus, one of the most popular blockchain wallets in the world. Exodus has 1.6 million users and completed a fund-raising round by issuing stock tokens to Exodus users on Algorand.  Why you should listen: The internet is the future of experiences. The Exodus product and design teams are focused on delivering these experiences now. By focusing relentlessly on UI/UX Exodus has grown swiftly, developing a cryptocurrency wallet experience that surprises and delights its users. Supporting links: Exodus Nexo 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points of the last week. And what a week it was, Andy looks at El Salvador’s decision to make Bitcoin legal tender, which countries might be next, and is Elon Musk warming back up to Bitcoin?  Supporting links: Nexo 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.

Oliver Gale is the CEO and co-founder of Panther Protocol, an end-to-end privacy protocol for digital assets, which can be deployed in a compliant way on any public blockchain. After pursuing a hip-hop career in the Caribbean, Oliver entered the world of start-ups and blockchain.   Why you should listen: Panther Protocol is an interoperable privacy solution focused on the needs of decentralized finance traders and investors. Due to the immutable and transparent nature of public blockchains, DeFi users are subject to surveillance and economic espionage. Transactional privacy is in high demand, as it allows retail, whales, and institutional users to protect their competitive advantages by not allowing adversaries to reverse engineer and front-run their strategies. Traders lose their alpha very quickly in DeFi, and Panther’s value proposition is to help traders protect that alpha. Key Takeaway: Panther Protocol is an end-to-end privacy protocol for DeFi. Panther provides DeFi users with fully collateralized privacy-enhancing digital assets, leveraging crypto-economic incentives and zkSNARKs technology. Users are able to mint zero-knowledge zAssets by depositing digital assets from any blockchain into Panther vaults. zAssets will become an ever-expanding asset class for users who want their transactions and strategies the way they should always have been: private. Supporting links: Panther Protocol 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.

Aaron McDonald is the CEO and co-founder of Centrality, a tech ventures ecosystem building the infrastructure for the emerging decentralized web. Why you should listen: One of Centrality’s mission statements is to UnF**ck the world. To achieve this they are building a suite of decentralized technology solutions that allow the world’s citizens to interact with each other on a more even playing field.  Key Takeaway: The CENNZ blockchain is part of the Centrality ecosystem. It is the world’s first natively permissioned public blockchain. A “permissioned” blockchain provides specific access or privilege for certain participants of the network. So by making the permissioning native, you can be certain that the access control functionality is aligned with all the services. In practical terms, this means CENNZnet is one of the most secure blockchains in the world with higher performance and fewer issues. Supporting links: Centrality Aaron 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.

Johan Unger is the CEO of Meme.com, a memetic asset protocol that acts as a story layer of the internet. Operating at the intersection of memes, NFTs, and social media, the platform describes itself as what would happen if Doge and Wikipedia had a baby. Why you should listen: Meme.com uses crypto and entertainment to measure the value of internet content. It enables people to mint memetic coins, which are priced based on the perceived value of the trend or meme they represent, like a CoinMarketCap for memes. Key Takeaway: Memes are the soul of the internet, a new way to communicate complex ideas, and fun to make, trade and collect. Johan thinks of memes in the way that Richard Dawkins originally described them: that any idea that spreads is a meme. So a song, a YouTube video or a tweet can be memes if they spread. Meme.com is building the meme economy.  Supporting links: Meme.com 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.

Matthew Graham is the CEO of Beijing-based Sino Global Capital. Matthew is a prominent personality on Crypto Twitter, an authority on China’s ever-shifting attitude to blockchain, and an outspoken critic of Elon Musk and Bitclout. Why you should listen: Sino Global Capital is an investment firm based in China that invests in decentralized technologies that have a strategic connection to the mainland Chinese market. Matthew says the firm is very bullish on DeFi, and the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems. While he comes from a traditional finance background and describes himself as an intense personality and a suit and tie guy, Matthew has embraced crypto’s meme culture.  Key Takeaway: China sees blockchain as a key strategic technology pillar critical to the next decade of growth. China is moving forward with its digital currency initiative and continuing to hold trials across the country. While headlines that say China is banning bitcoin or banning crypto mining can be alarming and market-moving, there is always much more nuance behind the scenes and headlines shouldn’t be taken at face value. Supporting links: Sino Global Capital Matthew 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.

Lin Dai is the CEO and co-founder of OneOf, a green NFT platform for music NFTs, built on Tezos, with backing by Quincy Jones. Why you should listen: OneOf was co-founded by tech entrepreneur Lin Dai, digital media executive Joshua James, and music industry veteran Adam Fell, in partnership with Quincy Jones. Launching in June, the platform will feature exclusive NFT drops from top music artists such as Whitney Houston, Doja Cat, H.E.R., Quincy Jones, John Legend, and TLC. Key Takeaway: Non-fungible token (NFT) platform OneOf raised $63 million in a seed round from prominent tech and music industry veterans. Its mission is to become a more environmentally sustainable marketplace for artists and fans. OneOf is built on the Tezos blockchain. Minting an NFT on OneOf uses an order of magnitude less energy than platforms on the Ethereum Network. Supporting links: OneOf 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.

Andy Pickering is here with a weekly crypto market update where we look through the volatile world of crypto Twitter to tease out the most important narratives and data points of the last week. We look at Elon Musk and the new Bitcoin Mining Association, the price volatility, and the news out of China - bullish or bearish for Bitcoin? Supporting links: Watch this podcast on YouTube 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.

Erica Stanford is the founder of the popular Crypto Curry Club in the UK and the author of a new book called Crypto Wars: Faked Deaths, Missing Billions and Industry Disruption. Why you should listen: With time on her hands during lockdown, after listening to the BBC podcast The Missing Crypto Queen about the infamous Onecoin crypto scam, Erica decided to write a book about crypto scams. The book covers everything from Onecoin to Bitconnect, the ICO bubble, and the various exchange exit scams. Supporting links: Crypto Wars on Amazon The Crypto Curry Club 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.

Colin Pape is the founder of Presearch, a community-powered, decentralized search engine that provides better search results while protecting privacy and rewarding users with crypto when they search. Why you should listen: Colin says the best way to compete with Google is to build a framework that enables people from all over the world to collaborate on an open and decentralized search engine. Presearch is preparing to release its first decentralized technology – a new search engine experience that runs on node servers operated by Presearch community members. The new Presearch Engine offers results that are as good as the world’s top search engines. It also provides an additional layer of data through community packages which makes those results even better. For example, you can search Presearch for “Bitcoin” to see what the crypto package looks like. Over time, there will be additional results provided by a user-curated supplementary index. Key takeaway: Presearch is dedicated to creating significant value for marketers who want to reach Presearch users. Advertisers can stake their PRE to a keyword, and whichever advertiser stakes the most tokens will have its ads displayed when a user searches on the term selected. Advertisers confer the most external value on PRE, so their success is important to the ecosystem. Supporting links: Presearch 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.

Ben Pousty is the US Marketing Lead for Bitstamp, a crypto exchange with offices in Luxemburg, London and New York. We talk to Ben about Bitstamp’s new "For All The Ways We Crypto" campaign, the challenges of crypto marketing, Bitcoin’s unit bias issue, and more. Supporting links: Bitstamp Bitstamp U.S. expansion 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.

Last week Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin. He said that Tesla is concerned about the increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining. In response, the crypto markets crashed with Bitcoin falling to $42,000. Let’s look at the subsequent tweets from Elon, reaction from the Bitcoin community, the Doge angle, and speculate on what happens next. Supporting links: Bitcoin is key to an abundant energy future The Investors Guide to Bitcoin and the Environment Is this Elon’s Doge wallet? Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Elon Musk tweeted today that Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin. He said that Tesla is concerned about the rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining. In response, the crypto markets crashed with Bitcoin falling 12% to $49,000. In this podcast, Andy reacts to Elon’s tweets and suggests some resources that argue that Bitcoin mining incentivizes a renewable energy future. Supporting links: Bitcoin is key to an abundant energy future Bitcoin Mythology The Investors Guide to Bitcoin and the Environment 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.

Owl is the cofounder of 0x_nodes, a cross-chain yield aggregation network. 0x_nodes is a network of deployed systems that allow users to move, acquire, and build yield-bearing strategies with non-native assets across EVM and non-EVM-based blockchains. Why you should listen: One of the fundamental problems across the crypto ecosystem is the lack of interoperability between blockchains. The ability to easily move value between blockchains will unlock the next growth cycle in decentralized finance. This is the problem that 0x_nodes seeks to solve. To the non-technical, Web 3.0 feels seamless. Video streaming, global zoom conferences, smartphone apps, gaming, and social media. Everything is integrated and it all just works. Through innovation and fast development cycles, 0x_nodes aims to end the fragmentation of the Ethereum network — and make interoperability commonplace for all. Key takeaway: 0x_nodes is a cross-chain protocol that allows synthetic asset movements between blockchains — enabling broader yield aggregation strategies. Being able to seamlessly move value between blockchains will open up a new world of financial products and services. 0x_nodes will start on the Ethereum mainnet first — deploying nodes throughout the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) ecosystem.  Instead of utilizing a spoke network topology, 0x_nodes will be comprised of a core mesh network between EVM ecosystems — and will bridge the EVM network with external blockchain networks. This unidirectional yield aggregation pulling from EVMs to the mainnet will create new opportunities for yield, while simplifying the experience for the user. Supporting links: 0x_nodes 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.

Bette Chen is the co-founder of Acala - the DeFi hub of Polkadot, powering open finance applications and removing the need for financial intermediaries. Guest: Bette Chen Why you should listen: The mission of the Acala project is to support and nurture the financial applications of the decentralized web. The drivers of this mission are delivering financial stability, liquidity, and accessibility for all. Key takeaway: Acala offers a suite of financial primitives, including: a trustless staking derivative (liquid DOT - LDOT), a multi-collateralized stablecoin (aUSD) backed by cross-chain assets, and an AMM DEX  – all with micro gas fees that can be paid in any token. Acala is a blockchain platform custom-built for DeFi and powered by ACA.  Supporting links: Acala 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.

Dogecoin, a memecoin that was abandoned by its founders, is the best performing crypto asset of 2021, appreciating more than 12,000% YTD. With high-profile backers such as Elon Musk and Mark Cuban, can Doge stay the course or is it set to crash and burn? Why you should listen: Andy takes a deep dive into a new report by Galaxy Digital that takes a 360 angle look at Dogecoin’s fundamentals. The report finds a large number of positives and some serious negatives as well. Dogecoin may have always been a joke, but it’s a joke that keeps getting both funnier and more serious too.  Key takeaway: On the positive side of the ledger, Doge is the best performing major digital asset year to date. More people own Doge than at any other time. Doge is dominating the cultural conversation thanks to memes and to Elon Musk.  There are negatives. Dogecoin has zero development. Few people run full nodes and those who do have difficulty downloading the chain or staying synced with the network. There’s no market infrastructure, barely any wallet software, and despite being more than 7 years old, many exchanges don’t support it. There is no long-term narrative or use-case supporting its wide adoption. And it’s not clear whether DOGE holders are dogmatic about the coin’s long-term prospects.  Supporting links: Galaxy Digital Doge Report 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.

Alex Wearn has a background in product development for tech companies such as Amazon. He now brings a user-first product lens to decentralized exchanges. Alex is the CEO and co-founder of IDEX, one of the first decentralized exchanges. Guest: Alex Wearn Why you should listen: The IDEX goal is to create a non-custodial exchange that has the same user experience as a centralized exchange, eliminating the choice that users have to make today between functionality and fund safety. Key takeaway: IDEX has just announced the IDEX Hybrid Liquidity model. This new innovation is a response to the rise of AMM based DEXes. However, AMMs have issues with failed transactions, high slippage, front-running bots, and high gas fees. These issues are a result of users being close to the blockchain. The IDEX Hybrid Liquidity approach attempts to smooth out these issues while still maintaining the core ethos of a DEX - remaining non-custodial. Supporting links: Bobby Lee Ballet Crypto Bobby 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.

Bobby Lee is the Founder of Ballet Crypto, co-founder of BTCChina, and he is the author of a superb new book called The Promise of Bitcoin: The Future of Money and How It Can Work for You. Why you should listen: With a software engineering and computer science background, Bobby Lee has always been technologically inclined. So when his brother Charlie Lee introduced Bobby to Bitcoin in 2011, he understood its significance immediately. After dedicating himself to Bitcoin for the last ten years, Bobby has written a book that tells his story and explains why Bitcoin’s journey has only just begun.  Key takeaway: Bobby says that understanding and projecting the value of Bitcoin can be daunting - while the path is never a straight line, Bitcoin continues to grow in interest and appreciate in value. While Bitcoin is still working out its kinks - corporations and governments are likely to become more interested in Bitcoin, and interested in acquiring it as an asset. Supporting links: Bobby Lee Ballet Crypto Bobby 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.

Camilla Churcher is the Global Head of Business Development at Celsius Network. Why you should listen: After a successful career in traditional finance with stints at Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, and Bank of America, Camilla made the move into crypto. She has been at Celsius since March 2020. Camilla sees crypto regulations as a positive that allow more users and institutions to enter the crypto ecosystem. She thinks there is a 75% chance that a Bitcoin ETF is approved in 2021. Key takeaway: The Celsius platform lets users earn interest on their crypto assets and use it as collateral to get fiat loans. Celsius offers a platform of curated financial services and can be thought of as a crypto bank. Their goal is to disrupt the financial industry, one user at a time, and introduce financial freedom through crypto. Supporting links: Celsius Network 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.

Techemy Capital has launched two actively managed portfolios that allow investors to gain exposure to BTC/ETH price action and the DeFi sector. Trades are executed by Techemy Capital’s Josh Olszewicz. Investors can take advantage of crypto price moves without having to trade themselves - and because Techemy’s products are non-custodial - without releasing control of their assets. Guest: Josh Olszewicz Why you should listen: Trader Josh Olszewicz joins Andy to talk about the two actively managed portfolios that Techemy Capital has deployed on Enzyme Finance. Individuals can invest into the portfolios in a non-custodial manner that gives them exposure to Josh’s professional trading strategies. Key takeaway: Enzyme Finance is an on-chain asset management platform. Because everything is on-chain all trades are transparent and recorded on the blockchain. Rather than have to learn the stress of trading themselves, investors can simply buy into either portfolio and capture the gains or losses that the portfolios achieve over time. Investors can enter or leave the portfolios at any time. Supporting links: Techemy Capital Enzyme Finance 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.

Market optimism around the soon-to-be-implemented Ethereum Improvement Proposal, EIP1559, is high. The Ethereum EIP will arrive as a part of the London network Hard Fork in July and will overhaul Ethereum’s fee structure. Andy is joined by Brave New Coin analyst Aditya Das to discuss the implications of EIP1559 for users, investors, and miners. Guest: Aditya Das Why you should listen: EIP1559 was first proposed by Vitalik Buterin in 2018. It will replace the variable first-price auction model currently used to decide Ethereum transaction fees with a more deterministic base fee model. It is hoped this will remove much of the volatility and uncertainty associated with paying the Gas fees required to successfully conduct a transaction on the network. It will also introduce a fee burn model for each transaction, that may add a deflationary element to the ETH currency and increase its appeal as a safe-haven, hard asset. Key takeaway: EIP1559 will solve four key problems with the current gas model: Making transaction fees more predictable Reducing delays in transaction confirmation Improving user experience by automating the fee bidding system Creating a positive feedback loop between network activity and the ETH supply. Supporting links: EIP 1559 Leverj 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.

Vasja Veber is the co-founder of music tech company Viberate. Vibrate has been building blockchain solutions for the music industry since 2017 and are positioning as market leaders in the music data sector. They have just entered the NFT space. Techno DJ UMEK is also a co-founder and is about to execute a live event NFT.  Guest: Vasja Veber Why you should listen: On April 29 Viberate co-founder and Techno producer UMEK will mint the first-ever live performance and live stream NFT. If the release is successful, Viberate plans to enable their half a million verified artists database to mint gig NFTs, secure future bookings, and create a new revenue stream.  Key takeaway: With this drop, UMEK aims to disrupt the live event industry, minting the first-ever live gig NFT and the first-ever livestream NFT, as well as minting three unique remixes of his track Lanicor.  During the pandemic, UMEK, like all touring artists, has resorted to live streams and online fan interaction. Still searching for new ways of expression and exploring the digital space, he wants to push the boundaries of NFTs and create something unique. With the live gig NFT, he aims to disrupt the booking industry and offer promoters and artists a safety net until events are up and running again. Live streams have proven they’re here to stay. NFTs have the power to create a brand new market for them, offering musicians a new revenue stream and enabling fans to support and book their favorites. Supporting links: Vibrate UMEK NFT Leverj 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.

Robbie Ferguson is the co-founder of Immutable, best known for launching the Gods Unchained blockchain game, one of the most successful blockchain games in the wild. Robbie is now focused on Immutable X, a decentralized gas-free layer-2 protocol for Ethereum NFTs. Guest: Robbie Ferguson Why you should listen: Immutable X is the first Layer 2 scaling solution for NFTs on Ethereum. It seeks to solve the key challenges facing the Ethereum NFT ecosystem such as scaling, UX, fees, and environmental impact. Immutable X has instant trade confirmation, massive scalability (9,000 TPS+), and zero gas fees - without compromising user custody. The largest NFT marketplace OpenSea is one of many NFT projects working with or supporting Immutable X including: SuperfarmDAO (defi NFT farm),  Epics.GG (collectibles), Illuvium (auto battler RPG), Lucid Sight (MLB Champions Baseball, Crypto Space Commander), War Riders (post-apocalyptic MMO), Gods Unchained (TCG), Guild of Guardians (mobile RPG), and Mintable (NFT marketplace). Key takeaway: Robbie is a passionate supporter of the Ethereum community. He says it best represents the philosophy of trustless, decentralized asset ownership. It has prioritized decentralization and network health over short-term scalability upgrades. Immutable X lets projects stay on Ethereum while massively boosting their scalability and liquidity. Supporting links: Immutable The Three-Body Problem The Culture Series Leverj 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.

Chainlink has released a new whitepaper called Chainlink 2.0: Next Steps in the Evolution of Decentralized Oracle Networks. The new whitepaper outlines an ambitious vision for the future of smart contracts. We talk with Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov who explains the implications for the next generation of blockchain ecosystems. Guest: Sergey Nazarov Why you should listen: Chainlink’s new whitepaper outlines a long-term, multi-year vision for the future of oracle-enabled smart contracts. The paper states that “Decentralized Oracle Networks will create a decentralized meta-layer that enhances smart contracts with highly scalable, confidential, and secure forms of off-chain computation, in addition to the external data feeds that Chainlink powers today.” Key takeaway: The Chainlink 2.0 Whitepaper is over 100 pages long and represents a year of work by the Chainlink team. It was written by a team of academic researchers from computer science fields such as security, cryptography, distributed systems, game theory, and mathematics. The paper outlines a new architecture for building hybrid smart contracts where Decentralized Oracle Networks offer all of the capabilities that blockchains cannot, serving as an off-chain computation layer that is anchored to blockchains for security while operating with the feature-richness and scalability of off-chain systems. The new layer enables a product suite of Chainlink Decentralized Services that power a variety of secure, smart contract applications capable of supporting a wider set of use cases than is currently available today. Supporting links: Chainlink Chainlink 2.0 whitepaper Leverj 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.

Jaime Rogozinski was the original founder of the r/wallstreetbets subreddit. WSB is notorious for its community of young traders who executed risky trading strategies. WSB played a key role in the GameStop short squeeze that caused losses on short positions in U.S. firms topping US$70 billion in early 2021. VIX is the CEO of the new WSB Dapp, a decentralized Dapp that is launching a token. Token funds will be used by a WSB DAO to buy token portfolios (ETPs) voted on by the community. Guest: Jaime Rogozinski and VIXX Why you should listen: The Wall Street Bets subreddit is described as "Like 4chan found a Bloomberg terminal." Known for its aggressive trading strategies, members are generally young retail traders prepared to take on high amounts of risk. The community is fond of meme stocks that capture the zeitgeist. The subreddit is also known for its memes, with traders self-identifying as degenerate apes who trade stonks for tendies (profits). Key takeaway: The WSB movement for financial democracy began on Reddit and has become a global phenomenon. The WSB Dapp was created to give this decentralized community a tool to voice their opinions as retail investors so that anyone, anywhere can YOLO together as one.  The WSB Dapp allows for index-fund type instruments to exist on the blockchain. $WSB governance token holders vote to decide on the rebalancing and exposure of each community-controlled instrument.  The ETPs are wholly collateralized, instantly redeemable, and self-custodial. Supporting links: WSB Dapp Leverj 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.

Michael Anderson is a co-founder and partner at Framework Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on building the value of blockchain networks through strategic investment and infrastructural support. Before founding Framework, Michael built and sold Hashletes the first and only NFLPA-licensed digital collectibles, with co-founder Vance Spencer. Michael’s prior experience bridges investment banking and consumer tech, with experience from Snap, Inc., Dropbox, and Barclays Capital. Guest: Michael Anderson Why you should listen: Framework Ventures is a team of technologists, researchers, and investors who participate in open crypto networks to build open-source finance. Framework is a technology company, building products and services to support the open blockchain networks that they invest in. The firm has backed many key companies in the decentralized finance space, including Synthetix, Chainlink, Aave, and The Graph. Key takeaway: Framework Ventures believes a new age of venture capital is here. They call this thesis Network Capital. Rather than just hold onto an asset, this type of investing aims to be more hands-on. In the new era of open-source decentralized finance, the best investing requires a new hybrid model where stakeholders are investing, market-making, staking, validating, and participating across all aspects of the ecosystem. Supporting links: Framework Ventures Leverj 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.

Jonathan is the lead developer and ceo of Aleph - Aleph is a cloud computing platform that makes it easy for DeFi and Web3 dapps to securely access trusted off-chain data or computation. One of their current projects is working to solve the problem of NFT security standards and ownership. Guest: Jonathan Why you should listen: Many NFTs point to a URL on the internet or an IPFS hash. In many circumstances, this references an IPFS gateway on the internet run by the startup you bought the NFT from. the URL is not the media. That URL is a JSON metadata file. The problem with that is that if the marketplace goes bust… so does your NFT. Key takeaway: Aleph has a solution - just like an Internet wayback machine backs up website versions over time, Aleph creates snapshots of NFTs at a certain point in time. Using decentralized storage capacities, the Aleph NFT Backup dApp allows any holder to save their NFT content on the Aleph network that is secured currently by nodes which all are incentivized to store the data and pin it on IPFS. The Interplanetary File System, or IPFS, is used by most NFT minting platforms to store their NFTs. Supporting links: Aleph The problem with NFTs Leverj 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.

Li Jun is the founder of Ontology, a decentralized system that protects data integrity and security. After launching its mainnet in June 2018, Ontology has continued to press forward, building a key partnership with Daimler.  Guest: Li Jun Why you should listen: Ever since the early days of the internet, questions have swirled about the nature of our online selves. We all have large digital footprints that represent your digital identity, fragmented, unrecognizable, and trackable. We have provided social networks and service providers with our most valuable asset — our information — and we’ve done so free of charge.  Ontology wants to change this. Blockchain’s ability to store information on either a public or private network enables key parties to access critical information, and then only what the individual allows. This way, the power is placed back into the hands of the individual, where they can choose who they share their data with, and to what extent.  Key takeaway: The solution is a concept called Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), which places control of personal information with the user, enabling them to log in to all of their online services using just one ID. No more forgotten passwords or having to hand over all your personal information; this is a concept that could dramatically change how we use the internet.  Supporting links: Ontology Leverj 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.

Tim Frost is the CEO of YIELD App. The YIELD mission is to provide anyone with access to the best investment opportunities, regardless of their financial or technical knowledge. The YIELD platform is a bridge between FinTech and DeFi. Guest: Tim Frost Why you should listen: YIELD is a FinTech company that enables anyone to invest in decentralized finance with the touch of a button. This allows users around the world to earn returns from DeFi products without having to go through a complex learning process. Key takeaway: App users can deposit and withdraw stablecoins USDT and USDC, as well as the native YLD token. The team is now working on YIELD 2.0 which will bring new improvements and updates. Supporting links: YIELD Leverj 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.

The Binance Smart Chain is a fork of Ethereum. However, BSC transactions are much faster and cheaper than Ethereum. As a result, it is onboarding millions of users at an eye-watering pace. Brave New Coin’s Aditya Das joins Andy to answer the question - Is Binance Smart Chain an Ethereum killer? Why you should listen: The Binance Smart Chain is cheaper and faster than Ethereum by an order of magnitude. However, this speed comes at the cost of decentralization. Binance CEO CZ calls this ‘CeDeFi’ or Centralized DeFi, DeFi with training wheels. Key takeaway: As the Binance Smart Chain is a fork of Ethereum, it uses popular tools like MetaMask that any user who has experimented with Ethereum is likely to be familiar with. In addition, the BEP20 smart contract standard for issuing new tokens on BSC is similar to the ERC20 smart contract standard that was originally developed for Ethereum. As a fork of Ethereum, the BSC can also run the same smart contracts that Ethereum can. This has helped the network bootstrap quickly by forking popular existing Ethereum DeFi protocols. For example, Uniswap becomes PancakeSwap, Compound becomes Venus and Zapper becomes Yield Watch.  Supporting links: Is BSC the Ethereum Killer? Leverj 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.

Marouane Hajji is the protocol lead at Unslashed Finance, a decentralized insurance protocol built on Ethereum. Insurance is a part of the decentralized finance stack that has received less attention. However, crypto is no different from any other industry - there are many risks. Smart contract hacks, exploits, oracle manipulation, data breaches, theft, and so on. Creating an insurance protocol requires both technical skills and a deep understanding of risk modeling. Why you should listen: Unslashed clients include decentralized exchange aggregator ParaSwap, infrastructure provider Lido Finance, decentralized on-chain asset management platform Enzyme, and several crypto hedge funds such as Techemy Capital who leverage insurance to hedge a certain number of risks. Individual traders can also use Unslashed to hedge their risk profiles. Key takeaway: Unslashed uses a quantitative approach to model the risks and build out a decentralized insurance protocol that enables almost instant liquidity to insurance buyers and risk underwriters, ensures constant collateralization, and guarantees transparency.  In the Crypto Conversation hot take round Marouane reveals that he is a mega-fan of Battlestar Galactica.  Supporting links: Unslashed Finance Unslashed on Medium Leverj 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.

Craig MacGregor is the founder of Taxoshi, a cryptocurrency tax calculator that helps Kiwis understand their crypto tax position. Taxoshi’s algorithms automate the currency conversions and calculate your trading and mining loss and profit in accordance with the cryptocurrency guidance from the New Zealand IRD. Use the discount code “bravenewcoin” to get a 10% discount if you use Taxoshi. Why you should listen: Craig has been in the blockchain space for a number of years and is a co-founder of the Navcoin project. After making some capital gains from early crypto trading, Craig wanted to declare these to the IRD. He saw that there was a need for a simple solution that could help other Kiwis calculate their tax position quickly and easily. He built Taxoshi as that solution.  Key takeaway: The IRD’s position is that any time an individual makes a crypto to crypto trade, that is a taxable event that should be declared. The IRD estimates that there are between 25,000 and 100,000 people in New Zealand who have a tax obligation on their crypto assets. If you’ve never filed before, the IRD is currently allowing for voluntary disclosures from previous years. Supporting links: Taxoshi Navcoin IRD Crypto Tax Guidance Leverj Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Richard Sanders is a co-founder and lead investigator at CipherBlade, an elite blockchain investigation agency that works closely with top crypto exchanges, blockchain protocols, and the FBI. In this episode, Rich explains his views on the sometimes shady world of crypto ATM operators, the confusing new BitClout platform, and we cover best practice crypto security tips. Guest: Rich Sanders Why you should listen: CipherBlade uses a potent mix of on-chain and off-chain analytics and investigative techniques to track the most sophisticated cybercriminals on the planet. Using these techniques he has been tracking the transactions from crypto ATMs. Rich says many of these transactions are being sent to wallets linked to scammers.  Key takeaway: Rich says just because VCs are involved with a project, it doesn’t mean retail investors won’t get burned. In fact, the ones with public team members are the soft exits that often end up mismanaged/shady. People think of this binary, like "it's a scam or not", where "scam" is defined as rug pull, it's a lot more nuanced. The range of scammers and bad actors in the blockchain ecosystem runs the full gamut from the lowest to the highest basket of sophistication. The least sophisticated are Twitter and Telegram impersonation scammers, often based out of Nigeria. Many of these scammers don’t use VPNs, they don't always use mixers and sometimes they use direct deposit addresses for exchanges. At the other end of the scale, you have very sophisticated hacking groups out of North Korea that use sophisticated mixing and crypto hopping techniques. What scammers have in common is they play on human greed, stupidity, and laziness. Supporting links: CipherBlade Richard on Twitter Guide to Crypto Scams Breach vectors used by scammers What to do if you get SIM-Swapped Leverj Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin

Andy is joined by Samson Mow, CSO at Blockstream. Samson discusses the partnership between Blockstream and Seetee, a new Bitcoin company started by a 100-year-old company from Norway. He talks about the drop in hash power from Chinese miners as American miners increase, and he explains why he thinks Bitcoin will hit $100k in 2021 and could go even as high as $300K leaving $100K as the new price floor. Why you should listen: Two weeks ago, Aker, a 100-year old Norwegian company announced that it had established ("Seetee"), a new company dedicated to investing in projects throughout the Bitcoin ecosystem. Seetee said, “Bit­coin has in­spired us to chal­lenge our in­tu­itive un­der­stand­ing of money. Hav­ing fol­lowed the cryp­tocur­ren­cy dis­course for a while, we de­cid­ed to reach out to the en­gi­neers who made it their mis­sion to change the inner work­ings of mon­ey more than two decades ago. See­tee has formed a part­ner­ship with Block­stream, a glob­al leader in Bit­coin and blockchain tech­nol­o­gy. Blockstream’s lead­er­ship in­cludes Adam Back, the in­ven­tor of Hash­cash, a 1997 pre­cur­sor to Bit­coin. With Block­stream as our part­ner, we are confi­dent that we can nav­i­gate this in­dus­try.” Key Takeaway: Samson talks Blockstream, Liquid, why NFTs might be in a bubble and he gives the background and progress to Infinite Fleet, the epic sci-fi massively multiplayer online (MMO) strategy game he founded. Plus listen to the end of the show for a very special sci-fi easter egg! Supporting links: Blockstream Seetee Letter Infinite Fleet Seetee Ship 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.

Andy is joined by Zack Burks, CEO at the Mintable NFT marketplace, and Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine, grandson of the legendary Ukrainian, Russian and French painter. Mintable is hosting an exclusive NFT based collection of 10 drops, 4 auctions, and 1 original 96-year-old physical painting, all by Baranoff-Rossine. It’s a historic first where avant-garde art meets the brave new world of NFTs. Guests: Zach Burks and Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine Why you should listen: Zach and Wladimir have teamed up to create a collaboration that represents a piece of fine art and NFT history. The Mintable auction goes live on March 25 and is expected to attract interest from digital art collectors, the NFT ecosystem, and fine art connoisseurs. Listen to the episode to hear Zach talk about the new NFT creator economy, why we are not in an NFT bubble, and Wladimir explains the unique history of the pioneering artwork of his grandfather. Supporting links: Mintable Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine 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.

Jonas Simanavicius is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Syntropy. Syntropy, based in San Francisco, transforms the public internet into a secure and user-centric internet, where encryption and optimized performance are built-in and automatically enabled for anything and everything connected to it. Guest: Jonas Simanavicius Why you should listen: Prior to founding Syntropy, Jonas worked on the engineering and application development teams of Royal Bank of Scotland and JPMorgan Chase. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Edinburgh. Syntropy Stack is a collection of tech and tools that allows anyone to build and deploy applications on Syntropy, with all connections optimized-for-performance and encrypted-by-default. It is compatible across millions of devices and services, including cloud, on-premise, and edge infrastructure. Syntropy Stack gives every developer the power and control to build on Syntropy’s unifying layer. Supporting links: Syntropy Syntropy Stack Jonas 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.

Alex Mashinsky is the CEO and founder of Celsius, the platform that lets you earn interest on your crypto and use it as collateral to get fiat loans. Celsius offers a platform of curated services that have been abandoned by big banks – fair interest, zero fees, and fast transactions. Their goal is to disrupt the financial industry, one user at a time, and introduce financial freedom through crypto. Guest: Alex Mashinsky Why you should listen: Alex explains the successful journey that has seen users deposit $10B in assets with Celsius. The Celsius token was one of the best-performing crypto assets in 2020. Key takeaway: Alex says Celsius is a supporter of DeFi and they are the bigger user of Aave, as one example. Celsius is aimed at noobs or everyday holders of Bitcoin and Ethereum and allows them to generate yield or get loans without the risk and knowledge barrier of DeFi.  Supporting links: Leverj Celsius Previous podcast with Alex 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.

Dr. Marc Fleury is the founder and CEO of Two Prime, a digital assets investment firm that invests in BTC and ETH. Marc has a PHD in theoretical physics and he is an open-source evangelist. Two Prime uses a variety of sophisticated hedging strategies to help high net worth individuals gain exposure to the upside potential of BTC and ETH but remain hedged against downside risk.  Why you should listen: Dr. Marc Fleury joins Andy for a fascinating and wide ranging discussion on why Bitcoin is the most important decentralized, open-source project on the planet. Marc explains why he is involved with the Mont Pèlerin Society, a group of economists and intellectuals advocating for an open society and economy driven by free-market principles, personal and political liberty, and freedom of expression. Marc shares his views on post-capitalism, UBI, a world of abundance, and how we evolve to a sci-fi future.  Supporting links: Two Prime Universal Paperclips Leverj 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.

Mark Berisha is the CEO of APECoin and the MemeFarm and BustAbnb ecosystems. APECoin embraces the humor and viral nature of memes to bring new participants into crypto. Apecoin is developing a game called “Bust-a-BNB” for Binance Smart Chain (BSC). An airdrop will occur for existing APE holders on March 14. GO APE! Why you should listen: The exponential growth of DeFi in the past nine months has sparked a flood of experimentation in smart-contract and Dapp design. The APEcoin Dev team realized the world is already farming memes, and created MemeFarm.io to get involved.  Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) can extend digital scarcity beyond currency to art, music, and design — any other form of expression that can be digitized. Suddenly, the control of scarcity and the ability to create a single verifiably unique version of anything digital is in the hands of the artists and creators where it belongs.  Today, artists and makers have few choices as to how they commercialize their NFTs. They can either find buyers themselves or set up an auction through platforms like Rarible — where their success will depend on how well they market their creations and how hard they work to establish a market price. Mark thinks there is a better way. They could bootstrap the price discovery through a novel curation farming mechanic. Mark calls it the NFT DAO, and it could revolutionize how these trends interact on a whole new level. NFT DAO offers a new choice to makers and artists: They can submit their NFTs to the NFT DAO. MemeFarm token holders vote to accept or reject submitted NFTs. The artists of the accepted NFTs then receive their share of NFT DAO’s monthly rewards. And the farmers compete to ‘mine’ those NFTs. Supporting links: APEcoin Meme Farm BustABNB Leverj 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.

Norwegian Billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke says that Aker ASA, his Norwegian fishing, oil, and engineering company has established Seetee, a new company dedicated to investing in projects and companies in the Bitcoin ecosystem. Seetee will keep all its liquid investable assets in bitcoin.  To announce this decision, Mr Røkke wrote a letter to shareholders. The letter is one of the most bullish Bitcoin letters published this year and points towards the changing narratives around Bitcoin mining and how Bitcoin may help speed up the global transition to renewable energy.  Supporting links: The Letter Leverj 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.

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) is one of the most exciting narratives in crypto in 2021. The collectible digital art world has exploded with some pieces selling for millions of dollars. The market is frothy and might be in bubble territory but over the next decade, NFTs have the potential to bring millions of people into crypto and help build out the metaverse.  Guest: Aditya Das Why you should listen: Aditya Das is a blockchain analyst and researcher at Brave New Coin. He joins Andy to discuss NFTs. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique, digital assets that can be owned, bought, sold, and traded on a blockchain. A non-fungible token is a type of cryptographic token that represents something unique. People often refer to them as “Provably rare digital assets.” If we are going to build a Ready Player One metaverse, it is important that it is built on a neutral platform where individuals can own their own items and not be at risk of censorship. If one central company gains control of the metaverse, it will become more powerful than any government and be a god on Earth. Key takeaway: Right now, NFTs mostly exist in the world of art, music, and gaming. But It’s about to get a whole lot crazier, with NFTs poised to explode across the digital economy.  The NFT art scene has boomed in the last few months. Marketplaces like SuperRare, Rarible, and Nifty Gateway are seeing record volumes. In January, a piece of artwork by Mike Winkelmann, a digital artist also known as Beeple, sold for $6.6 million at Nifty Gateway. A digital art piece by Beeple called The First 5000 Days is being auctioned by Christie’s. The current bid is USD 3,750,000, and the auction closes in 4 days. People are finding new ways to tokenize anything digital. You can now buy tweets as NFTs and Jack Dorsey’s original tweet is valued at USD 2.5 million. Supporting links: Leverj 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.

CME Group has launched its Ether Futures product offering. The new contract is cash-settled, and based on the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate. Tim McCourt, CME Group Global Head of Equity Index and Alternative Investment Products, joins Andy to talk Ether Futures.  Guest: Tim McCourt Why you should listen: Andy and Tim discuss the CME Futures markets, the role of futures in global price discovery, and how market participants use Futures to hedge their positions. Tim says, “Based on increasing client demand for our Bitcoin futures and options markets, we see the addition of Ether futures as a valuable tool to trade and hedge this growing cryptocurrency. Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency by both market capitalization and daily volume. The introduction of listed Ether futures will help create a forward curve so Ethereum market participants can better manage price risk.” Tim McCourt serves as CME Group’s Managing Director and Global Head of Equity Index and Alternative Investment Products.  He is responsible for leading the development and execution of the company’s global Equity Index, Commodity Index, and Cryptocurrency product strategies. He serves on the CME Ventures Investment Committee and the S&P Dow Jones Indices U.S. Advisory Panel.  Key takeaway: Andy asked Tim how CME Group thinks about open-source decentralized protocols such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Tim said, “When we look at cryptocurrencies we think it’s interesting in the way they are pushing out the frontier of finance. CME Group is a two-century-old institution with an innovative history itself. We’ve introduced all sorts of innovative financial products across that 200-year history. So when we see new technologies that can help our clients engage with markets in new ways, we adapt and innovate, and look for new ways to serve the risk management needs of our customers. I think it’s exciting and interesting and I look forward to seeing how this continues to evolve.” Supporting links: CME Group 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.

Rekt Capital, a Forbes featured crypto technical analyst and trader returns for his third appearance on the Crypto Conversation. With Bitcoin and Ethereum continuing to hit new all-time highs, REKT and Andy discuss the current bull market. Guest: Rekt Capital Why you should listen: Rekt Capital is an astute analyst who specializes in technical analysis and trading psychology. He has written several research articles analyzing the effect of the Bitcoin Halving, and the Crypto Money Flow Cycle to track the movement of capital from Bitcoin to mid-caps to small-caps and back. Key takeaway: Andy and REKT talk about the psychological toll that crypto volatility can have on traders, what new investors to crypto need to know, and the clever ways that Elon Musk and Michael Saylor influence the markets.  Want to get $20 OFF Rekt Capital’s Technical Analysis course? Simply follow this link and use the discount code “cryptoconversation” in the Discount Code field. Supporting links: The Bitcoin Halving with REKT Capital What to expect from the 2021 Bull Cycle The Dash Market Cycle Bitcoin Corrections REKT Capital Trading Course Rekt Capital Newsletter 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.

Josh Olszewicz, lead analyst at Brave New Coin joins Andy to discuss the recent crypto correction and today’s recovery. Is the correction over? Will the bull run continue? Is the NFT boom a sign of market froth? Why you should listen: Josh and Andy share their plans for creating more crypto content as a response to the growing audience demand that a bull market generates.  For crypto investors wanting to copy trade Josh, there’s an easy solution via Techemy Capital’s holistic ETH/BTC portfolio via Enzyme Finance. Key takeaway: After a swift run up in price, you should expect a swift correction. We’ve had two 30%+ corrections this year, however, this is normal in a bull market. Bitcoin continues to look strong with a series of bullish news events driving new buyers to Bitcoin. Supporting links: Josh 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.

Techemy Capital has launched Decentralized Exchange-Traded Portfolios (ETPs) on Balancer, starting with a DeFi ETP. We’re joined by Techemy Capital CEO Fran Strajnar, and Balancer CEO Fernando Martinelli who discuss why these ETPs are a potential game-changer, how to invest, and what this means for DeFi. Guests: Fran Strajnar and Fernando Martinelli Why you should listen: “Digital asset investors and traders are seeking more advanced ways to gain exposure to popular DeFi assets,” says Fran Strajnar, CEO at Techemy Capital. “BNC’s DeFi Index and ETP provides this, all with industry-leading security, transparency, and speed. Rather than having to pick one DeFi winner and hope for the best, investors can now get exposure to the success of the entire sector.”  Fernando says it is validating to see funds such as Techemy Capital be early adopters of Balancer. "We're about to launch Balancer V2 which will bring massive gains in cost efficiency for gas fees. It's an exciting time for crypto and for DeFi and brilliant to see Techemy Capital provide a use case for Balancer that we foresaw from day one.” Key takeaway: The DeFi ETP is a physical representation of Brave New Coin’s Blue-Chip DeFi Index ( a portfolio of 8 key assets). The DeFi ETP gives traders non-synthetic exposure to assets in the BNC DeFi Blue-Chip Index: Yearn Finance ($YFI), Compound Finance ($COMP), Aave Protocol ($AAVE), MakerDAO ($MKR), Synthetix ($SNX), Uniswap ($UNI), SushiSwap ($SUSHI) and Uma Project ($UMA).  Issued on Balancer Protocol, the new DeFi ETP mimics the constitution and weights of the BNC Blue-Chip DeFi Index. It is rebalanced in alignment with the index, providing traders an opportunity to get non-synthetic exposure to the assets that make up the index, and/or to speculate or arbitrage between the price parity of the index-powered perpetual swaps [offered by third parties such as BTSE] and the spot market for the ETP.  The DeFi ETP is non-custodial, transparent, on-chain, wholly collateralized, highly liquid, and instantly redeemable.  Supporting links: Techemy Capital Balancer Previous Techemy Capital podcast Previous Balancer podcast Leverj 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.

Multichain Ventures is the parent company of The Tokes Platform. Multichain produces blockchain-focused products including cryptocurrency-based payment processing and supply chain visibility tools for the cannabis industry.  Guests: Michael Wagner and Pablo Quiroga Why you should listen: The Tokes Platform builds software solutions for the merchant adoption of cryptocurrency and the data provenance of supply chains in the legal cannabis industry. The platform was developed as a solution to the cash-only problem caused by federal prohibition resulting in banking restrictions. To solve this issue, Tokes created software for tokenized transactions encompassing consumer to business, business to business, and business to state transactions. Blockchain provides utility for more than payments, as ensuring the provenance and transparency of cannabis supply chain data from seed-to-sale is not only a preferred scenario for consumers but regulated by state agencies. Tokes produces supply chain visibility solutions on blockchain for integration with seed-to-sale software to ensure the accuracy and availability of cannabis data for regulators and business stakeholders. Key takeaway: Multichain recently secured a public sector contract with the State of Nevada to fulfill the requirements of Assembly Bill 466. The Bill creates a Pilot Program and legal framework within which legal cannabis entities and supporting businesses can eliminate the necessity of transacting exclusively in cash, through the implementation of blockchain-based services. Multichain’s contributions to the B466 date back to  2018. Early discussions centered on a variety of potential alternative solutions to issues facing cannabis operators and how tokenized ecosystems might help solve these issues. Multichain is working on Star Atlas, a space-themed metaverse of grand strategy, open world exploration, territorial conquest, and political domination. Underlying technology consists of the latest in hi-fidelity game development, Unreal Engine, stunning visuals, and a blockchain baselayer utilizing Solana. The metaverse represents an alternative world of economic and political strategy, with the ability to generate real-world wealth transcending video game assets. Supporting links: Tokes Platform Multichain Ventures Star Atlas 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.

Sergey Nazarov is the co-founder of Chainlink where he is spearheading the smart contract oracle revolution. In this podcast, Sergey lays out his current thinking on DeFi (Decentralized Finance), how it improves on CeFi, the role of oracles in decentralized finance, and the fast and slow cases on what is needed for DeFi to go mainstream. Sergey says “decentralized finance is the thing that people want. They just don't know that they want it yet.” Guest: Sergey Nazarov Why you should listen: Sergey says the recent Robinhood r/Wallstreetbets phenomenon has injected new realizations into society's collective consciousness. People are waking up to the realization that in the legacy financial system - they don't have full control of their financial assets and trading accounts. And they have seen that the ability of the average person to participate in a system that they were told was fair can be taken away by those who hold the power.  Sergey says that in the financial world if enough people believe in something, it starts to occur. If enough people decide to buy GameStop stock, something happens. If enough people decide to shift from one platform to another, something significant happens.  Social media, digital platforms, and decentralized blockchain applications make fast collective action possible in new ways. DeFi is the system that people want. Sergey thinks it is only a matter of time before this becomes self-evident and people begin to move to DeFi applications at scale.  Key takeaway: Sergey says the increasing mainstream adoption of DeFi will happen through the search for yield and the transparency and control of one's assets. With fiat interest rates low and the returns of DeFi much higher, eventually, even the legacy financial system is likely to build interfaces that flow value into DeFi to capture yield. Everybody wants to at least maintain their wealth. And so any place where they can do that will become popular, and eventually, there will be a tipping point. Sergey says there is a slow case and a fast case for how this evolves. “The slow case for DeFi is what we're experiencing now, as unbelievable as that sounds going from something like 20 billion to 40 billion in assets in DeFi over the last month.”  This is the slow case as only about 2.6% of the crypto value that could be in DeFi, is in DeFi. The slow case will be accelerated by events such as Robinhood. “It's slow because there is friction to using DeFi, but it will slowly be accelerated through better and better user interfaces. Eventually, someone will figure out a way to just make it seamless for people to interact with DeFi, and the tipping point will be reached.” The fast case is a rapid succession of failures in the traditional financial system. This will create a fear of counterparty risk and a newfound cynicism about the solvency of traditional financial institutions. This would lead a majority of people to seek alternatives even if there is still some friction in the DeFi user experience. Supporting links: Chainlink 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.

Enzyme Finance is an Ethereum-based protocol for decentralized on-chain asset management. Enzyme empowers anyone to set up, manage and invest in customized on-chain investment vehicles. Techemy Capital has launched the non-custodial Holistic ETH-BTC Portfolio on Enzyme. This actively traded portfolio provides exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum price action using Long/Short trading strategies designed and executed by Josh Olszewicz. Guests: Mona El Isa and Josh Olszewicz Why you should listen: Traditionally, starting and managing investment funds has been complicated, and costly. Enzyme Finance has disrupted the old model by making it possible for anyone to set up their own on-chain fund that others can invest in. With a 5 minute set-up time and streamlined processes, Enzyme allows anyone to create or invest in an investment fund without asking for permission. This is a game-changer because historically there have been massive barriers to entry in the fund industry, both for fund managers and investors. Each fund on Enzyme is transparent and on-chain and its past performance and trading history, asset allocation, and the ruleset which describes its operations are all public and available for anyone to inspect.  Josh Olszewicz is a trader at Techemy Capital. He says that Enzyme Finance is a game-changer. “Everyone is interested in trading now. They want exposure to markets. What I like about Enzyme is that everything is open and transparent. It's effectively like on-chain copy trading.” The next Techemy Capital product to be released on Enzyme is an actively managed DeFi portfolio. Key takeaway: Mona says “You can think of Enzyme Finance as a technology protocol that enables fund managers to customize the set-up of their own unique fund. Managers can pre-define all sorts of rules from fees, to the number of positions, types of assets, risk management, and so on. They can build and scale investment strategies from discretionary and robo to ETFs and market-making. The protocol takes care of investments and redemptions, NAV calculations, and enforces the rules that managers have in their funds. Everything is automated using smart contracts. Users can write as many rules as they want, so they can create uniquely individual funds.” Supporting links: Enzyme Finance Techemy Capital Mona on Twitter Josh on Twitter Leverj 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.

Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci is best known for his short-lived, but very entertaining tenure as the White House communications director under President Trump. Anthony has had a long career in investment banking and he is the founder of Skybridge Capital, a global investment fund that has just launched the Skybridge Bitcoin fund. Why you should listen: Anthony says investors have a Eureka moment when they begin to understand that Bitcoin is a monetary network. “Just like there is a retail network, Amazon, a social network, Facebook, like there is a search network, Google. Bitcoin is the monetary network, and that makes it potentially very valuable. Think about where Apple or Amazon or Google were ten years ago, maybe that is where Bitcoin is at today.”  Key takeaway: Anthony says that Bitcoin is the only thing in our society right now, where if the demand goes up, there's no increase in supply. “When people want Tesla shares, there's a sausage factory in the back of Tesla. They're printing out Tesla shares. Do people want dollars? They're printing out dollars. If oil prices are going up, we're drilling for oil everywhere to meet that demand and produce more oil, but that can’t be done for Bitcoin. And so that's the Eureka moment.”  Anthony says that President Trump was out of control. “He was a full-on liar. He added a trillion dollars to the deficit and his legacy will be that he made our country weaker, sicker, and poorer. He had malpractice on the pandemic and then on the way out the door, he tried to undermine our democracy.” Anthony says that Joe Biden, “whether you like him or not, what does he represent as a pillar of Democratic party politics? He represents centrism. He represents core bureaucratic competence. To me, this was a seismic change for good. Do I love the excess regulation? I don't. Do I love a ponderous government? I don't. But do I like competent people in positions? I do. And so I like Joe Biden.” Supporting links: Skybridge Bitcoin Fund Anthony on Twitter Leverj 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.

Edmund Lowell is the CEO of KYC-chain and the Selfkey network - a blockchain startup developing digital identity solutions that empower individuals to take back ownership of their identity data.  Guest: Edmund Lowell Why you should listen: Everyone’s data is concentrated in the hands of a few large institutions. They store information about your browsing history, shopping habits, location data, bank statements, medical history, and more. With the growing threat of data breaches, and the loss of privacy - our information is increasingly at risk. One of the reasons for this is because rather than the individual controlling their data, it is instead tech companies and government databases that store data. This is at risk of being hacked and leaked. For example, last year hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger was data hacked. The data consisted of a list of one million email addresses, as well as a list of 272,000 individual customers, containing emails, phone numbers, and physical addresses. Those customers have since been targeted with phishing attempts by scammers sending fraudulent emails claiming that their "cryptocurrency assets are at risk", prompting them to download a fake version of Ledger Live that would then ask for the user's seed phrase. Key takeaway: Current identity systems have failed to deliver the most basic requirements for a successful identity system: security, privacy, ownership, access, protection, interoperability, or linked data portability to identity owners.   SelfKey’s mission is to empower individuals to own, control, and manage their personal data; and to help businesses protect personal data entrusted to them by users, and stay compliant with privacy regulators. SelfKey envisions a safer world where individuals are freer because their personal data and privacy is protected and under their control. Supporting links: Selfkey Leverj 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.

Axie Infinity is a Pokémon-inspired blockchain-based digital pet universe where players can earn tokens through gaming. Players can battle, collect, breed, and build a kingdom for their pets. Like CryptoKitties, Axies are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represented as cryptographically unique characters that can’t be replicated. And like Pokémon, they are born to battle. While Axie can be just a game, it has built a strong social network, passionate community, and emerging jobs platform due to the play to earn opportunities it is generating.  Guest: Jeff Zirlin Why you should listen: Jeff grew up playing games like Neopets, Pokémon, and World of Warcraft. “I played so much WOW that my parents sent me to boarding school,” he says. “I’ve always been a collector. As I kid my dad and I would collect fossils and insects. And as a lifelong gamer, I’m a digital collector as well, so I was predisposed to be interested in blockchain gaming.”  The blockchain gaming play to earn revolution started to gain traction after it emerged that a large community of players in the Philippines was earning money playing Axie Infinity. Jeff says "Most game companies sell in-game resources, items, and upgrades. With Axie there's an in-game resource that you need to create more Axies and it's called the love potion. So most game developers would sell this love potion, and people would pay for it. In Axie we don't sell it ourselves, the only way that love potions can be created is by people playing the game. Players who have big Axie collections need the love potion to breed Axies and have to buy the token from a liquidity pool on UniSwap or from Binance. So players can earn a basic income and we've seen that with the rise in value of ETH, this can appreciate significantly.” Key takeaway: The power of blockchain games is that they're becoming more than games. They're becoming places that we can live, work, and play. The eventual vision is to create a Metaverse similar to Ready Player One where people spend the majority of their time.  “We believe in a future where work and play become one,” says Jeff. “And we believe in empowering our players and giving them economic opportunities.” To do this the Axie team is committed to aligning the incentives of the Axie community. Players can earn the AXS governance token. The token economics were designed by Delphi Digital. Delphi Digital has invested a significant amount of capital in buying several extremely rare Mystic Axies. If Axie Infinity continues to gain traction Mystic Axies will grow in value in the future.  Jeff says “We’re seeing the rise of Mystic Axies and other NFTs as a true asset class. This trend accelerated when Delphi Digital picked up some of the rarest Axies in the game, like quadruple Mystics, triple Mystics. You can think of Mystics as rare and valuable skins. It makes sense that there's a lot of interest around NFTs and it makes sense because we live in a digital world.” Supporting links: Axie Infinity  Delphi Digital on Axie Leverj Jeff 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.

The legendary Bitcoin evangelist, educator, and advocate Andreas M. Antonopoulos returns for his second appearance on the Crypto Conversation. Topics of discussion include the Ledger data breach, crypto security, the proposed new FinCEN regulations, techno-optimism, and why decentralized blockchains are a source of hope.  Why you should listen: “I'm a techno-optimist,” says Antonopoulos. “I believe that technology has freed people from the constraints of the past. It has empowered individuals and improved the lives of billions. The world is a more equitable place as a result. Technology itself is a neutral tool that we can use for good or evil. You have to take the base assumption that the vast majority of human beings are good. There are exceptions, of course, but the exceptions validate this truth. Technologies that are truly decentralized and go directly into the hands of empowering individuals, they will be used by those individuals to do good. And so when I look at a technology that can be used at scale by lots of people and based on my understanding of human nature, I see immense hope. I see immense hope that if you allow people to act on their own impulses and give them power in the form of technology, the outcomes are massive good on a massive scale.” Key takeaway: Antonopoulos, never one to mince words, says the proposed FinCEN regulations are an attempt to extend a totalitarian financial surveillance structure over the entire world. “They are acting with complete disregard for the consequences and side effects on billions of innocent people,” he says. “This is wrapped up in the self-righteous and easy to sell idea that this prevents crime. Of course, they bundled in all of the worst kinds of crimes, such as terrorism and child pornography. The truth is, however, that for decades now, every study that has ever looked at the effectiveness of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, these kinds of customer regulations prevent a vanishingly small amount of those activities.” Supporting links: Aantonop Leverj Andreas 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.

We’re revisiting some of the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2020. In this episode, we talk to Bharath Rao and Swapman from LEVERJ, the world’s first scalable decentralized derivatives exchange​. LEVERJ is a trading platform created to perform like traditional financial exchanges while maintaining the critical function of security. Built on Gluon, a Plasma sidechain, LEVERJ is self-custodial by design, meaning that users always control their private keys and funds. Gluon is the first fully operational Ethereum Layer 2 chain, giving LEVERJ the high-transaction throughput to work as fast as centralized exchanges.  Why you should listen: LEVERJ is a self-custodial decentralized derivatives exchange that provides up to 100x leverage. High speed, decentralized spot trading went live on mainnet in 2019 while futures trading went live in September. The first tradable futures products are ETH-USD and BTC-USD perpetual swaps with many more products in the pipeline. LEVERJ has partnered with Brave New Coin to roll out a pipeline of innovative exchange traded products. Some examples of these are sub-sector specific tradable products such as a DeFi index, a privacy coin index, volatility indices and more. “Most exchanges self-index, which introduces unnecessary risk,” says LEVERJ CEO Bharath Rao. “By partnering with Brave New Coin, we give our users more transparency in the benchmark methodology and instrument design process as well as a greatly expedited product roadmap. It’s our goal to bring the best practices of capital markets into the DeFi space, thus attracting new institutions.” Key takeaway: Interest in DeFi exploded in 2020. To cater to this demand, LEVERJ has built a high-frequency, multi-currency spot and futures trading platform.  The explosion of DeFi in 2020 has seen Ethereum gas prices rise significantly. The huge spike in demand for transaction space on the Ethereum chain has put a strain on the Ethereum and DeFi ecosystems. Centralized cryptocurrency exchanges have faced challenges with security and performance, often falling short of the standards set by traditional financial exchanges.  LEVERJ solves these challenges with the Gluon sidechain, a mathematically rigorous protocol preventing fraud, compromise, and collusion to provide the benefits of blockchain without the limitations. Gluon is an advanced, fully operational Ethereum Layer 2 chain, giving LEVERJ high-transaction, low-latency throughput similar to centralized exchanges.  Other developers can also build decentralized applications using Gluon, including their own decentralized exchanges. Gluon has been in development for over three years and is currently the only Layer 2 solution purpose-built for high-capacity trading, that has instant-finality, strong composability, and conventional APIs for sophisticated traders to feel like they are using a regular centralized exchange without counterparty risk. Supporting links: LEVERJ LEVERJ 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.

We’re revisiting some of the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2020. In this episode, we talk to DJ J-SCRILLA, a critically acclaimed hip-hop producer from Washington DC. DJ J-SCRILLA has released a new hip-hop album called Sound Money that tells the story of Bitcoin. Here it is, the official hip-hop edition of the Crypto Conversation…. Yeah boi! Why you should listen: Sound Money by DJ J-SCRILLA is a body of Bitcoin art combining audio clips, samples, dirty drums and some of the hip-hop underground’s best rappers. The album serves as a soundtrack for Bitcoiners and serves up audio inspiration for no-coiners interested in the future of decentralized money. This podcast features music highlights from the album including the new crypto anthem ‘Faith In My Money (Money Printer Go Brrr)’. Key takeaway: On the hip-hop edition of the Crypto Conversation podcast, we discuss the lockdown trend that has seen top rappers engage in Instagram battles, such as the recent soundclash between DJ Premier and RZA.  DJ J-SCRILLA says “the album is not a foolishly positive take on Bitcoin. It’s a rational angle that condemns the abuses of central banking and portrays Satoshi Nakamoto’s currency as an alternative.” Following the Crypto Conversation hot take round, DJ J-SCRILLA shares his top 5 hip-hop albums. Sound Money is available on major streaming services. Supporting links: Rarescrilla.com Money Printer Go Brrr DJ J-Scrilla on Twitter Sound Money on Spotify Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin LEVERJ 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.

We’re revisiting some of the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2020. In this episode, we talk to Robert Breedlove, one of the deepest and most insightful thinkers on Bitcoin. Robert is the author of The Number Zero and Bitcoin. Robert says Satoshi gave the world Bitcoin, a true “something for nothing.” This discovery of absolute scarcity for money is an unstoppable idea that is changing the world tremendously, just like its digital ancestor: the number zero.  Guest: Robert Breedlove Why you should listen: Robert says that Satoshi gave the world Bitcoin, a true “something for nothing.” This discovery of absolute scarcity for money is an unstoppable idea that is changing the world tremendously, just like its digital ancestor: the number zero. Like the invention of zero, which led to the discovery of “nothing as something” in mathematics and other domains, Bitcoin is the catalyst of a worldwide paradigmatic phase change. What numeral is to number, and zero is to the void for mathematics, Bitcoin is to absolute scarcity for money: each is a symbol that allows mankind to apprehend a latent reality (in the case of money, time). More than just a new monetary technology, Bitcoin is an entirely new economic paradigm: an uncompromisable base money protocol for a global, digital, non-state economy. Key takeaway: Robert says that many believe that Bitcoin is “just one of thousands of crypto assets”—this is true in the same way that the number zero is just one of an infinite series of numbers. In reality, Bitcoin is special, and so is zero: each is an invention which led to a discovery that fundamentally reshaped its overarching system—for Bitcoin, that system is money, and for zero, it is mathematics. Since money and math are mankind’s two universal languages, both Bitcoin and zero are critical constructs for civilization. Zero and Bitcoin are unstoppable ideas gifted to mankind; gestures made in the spirit of “something for nothing.” In a world run by central banks with zero accountability, a cabal that uses the specious prospects of “infinite cash” to promise us everything (thereby raising the specter of hyperinflation), nothingness may prove to be the greatest gift we could ever receive… Supporting links: The Number Zero and Bitcoin An Open Letter to Ray Dalio Robert’s Tweet Storm Sapiens Interstellar The Sovereign Individual  Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Leverj

We’re revisiting some of the best Crypto Conversation podcast episodes of 2020. In this episode, we talk with Torsten Hoffmann a documentary filmmaker. His new film Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet is now available online.  Why you should listen: After writing a research paper on alternative currencies as part of his MBA at Oxford University, Torsten was intrigued by Bitcoin. In 2014 he started working on Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know it, his first documentary. Hoffmann’s award-winning first film looks at Bitcoin in the context of the history of money. His new film, Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet is a bigger budget, ambitious follow up that takes a 360 wide-angle approach to the technology that may define Web 3.0. “Since the release of the first film, the industry has grown by a factor of 100. Bitcoin has been called one of the most disruptive technologies of our time. However, media coverage is often misinformed and the general public is still confused about the technology and its implications,” says Hoffmann. “Can this technology, designed to operate independent of trust and within a decentralized network, really provide a robust alternative? Or are cryptocurrencies just as unfairly distributed, easily manipulated, and dangerous as our current systems? That was my starting point.” Key takeaway: Filmed over two years Torsten says the new documentary has three arcs. "First we look at Bitcoin, then we look at the ecosystem, public / private blockchains and ICOs, and then we look forward at the potential of blockchain to unlock Web 3.0." He interviewed some of the ecosystem’s biggest brains and biggest egos including Andreas Antonopoulos, Roger Ver, Charlie Lee, Samson Mow, Craig Wright, Preethi Kasireddy, and Wences Casares. While the film has a global feel, with filming taking place on four continents in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Switzerland, and Melbourne, Hoffmann says the highlight of the filming schedule was being granted access to the Xapo vault located in a top secret location buried deep in the Swiss mountains. Founded by Bitcoin entrepreneur Wences Casares, the Xapo vault is a decommissioned military bunker dug into the mountainside in a remote part of Switzerland. Its exact location is secret, and access is protected by a complex series of security measures. “The bunker scene was a highlight and we are the only film crew to be allowed inside. Allegedly up to 10% of all Bitcoin private keys are stored in the Xapo vault. It was a James Bond style adventure to get clearance and film inside the bunker,” said Hoffmann. Supporting links: Cryptopia Film Torsten on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Leverj

Bitcoin achieved a new all-time high today of USD $20,800. Bitcoin is now in full price discovery mode and looks set to continue as the bull market heats up. With a reduction in supply following May’s halving, increasing demand from institutions, and a strong narrative that Bitcoin is a store of value, Bitcoin’s future has never looked brighter.  Why you should listen: Josh says “I think that $33k by July 2021 is more viable and possible than ever. I don’t think it is likely we’ll see a bear market any time soon, we’re now in possible multi-year bull market territory. This is good for BTC, this is good for ETH, this is good for all of crypto.” Key takeaway: If you’re reading this, you are probably a bitcoiner - good for you. Give yourself a pat on the back for believing in and participating in the birth of a brand new asset class, this is just the beginning. Andy and Josh also discuss ETH, DeFi and the growing NFT and collectible digital art scene. Supporting links: Leverj Josh 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.

Haseeb Awan is a cellphone security expert and the CEO of efani - America's most secure & private cellphone service. Haseeb was the creator of the 1st Bitcoin ATM in the U.S. Why you should listen: Haseeb has a background in Telecom Engineering. After being targeted by a sim swapper he looked at the weaknesses in existing mobile operators. He then designed a secure solution for his personal use. After growing interest from his network, Haseen founded efani, the most secure, private mobile operator in the U.S. The potential ROI for sim-swap attackers is massive. Crypto is an attractive target that can be turned into dollars. The sim-swap attack is easy to execute and doesn’t require coding skills. Once an attacker has control of a phone account, they are often able to gain access to a victim’s email account, Google Drive, passwords, and more.  Key takeaway: With crypto prices tracking up, it’s an excellent time to review your security practices. If prices continue to rise more bad actors will be incentivized to target crypto holders. Mobile phone support staff are underpaid and overworked and are not well trained against sophisticated social engineering attacks. All of the information an attacker needs to know to begin a social engineering attack can be purchased on the dark web. efani will transfer your existing number to efani and separate your personal information from your telephone number. Efani enforces 11-layers of military-grade client-side integrity, privacy and authentication protection. Efani is not for everyone, the company is a boutique solution for those who understand the value of privacy and security.  Supporting links: Efani Haseeb 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.

Richard Sanders is a co-founder and lead investigator at CipherBlade, an elite blockchain investigation agency that works closely with top crypto exchanges, blockchain protocols, and the FBI. The agency uses a potent mix of on-chain and off-chain analytics and investigative techniques to track the most sophisticated cybercriminals on the planet.  Guest: Richard Sanders Why you should listen: Richard Sanders and his team at CipherBlade are the 911 that the blockchain industry calls for cryptocurrency scam and hack investigations. Richard says “We'd prefer it if people came to us before they get hacked, rather than after they get hacked. We provide security audits for exchanges and high net worth individuals and can provide extensive training for companies and individuals.” Blockchain investigators use a variety of tools that allow them to visualize the blockchain. A block explorer does something similar, the difference with professional tools is they take those visualizations to the next level and significantly increases the information and attribution that can be analyzed. Richard says he is also adept at off-chain investigative skills. “Social engineering is a good example of this. I pretended to be a female gamer on Discord and that helped me identify one of the Ian Balina scammers. At the end of the day, the blockchain is the best source of data, if you can follow a set of transactions to a KYCed account on an exchange, that is the best place to start. There are some elements on the psyops side that can come into play. For example, you might look at indicators of behavior. If a person of interest has a history of speeding tickets and gambling, then those would be red flags, just as an example.”   Key takeaway: Richard describes himself as a Realistic-Libertarian-Contrarian-Cyborg. Despite his intensive military background and strong working relationship with the FBI, Rich is also a cryptocurrency advocate, a staunch supporter of Monero, and a passionate believer in privacy.  Richard says “I love the idea of privacy by default. As a realist, I understand that there will be an increase in diligence on people using crypto platforms and if you're making deposits you'll need to explain your source of funds. Monero has never tried to advertise using Monero for nefarious purposes. They don't need to. Privacy is a strong enough use case for adoption in and of itself. The question is, how do we have privacy by default but in the interests of public safety? We need to have this conversation as an industry so we can figure this out before governments are forced to do it for us.”  The range of scammers and bad actors in the blockchain ecosystem runs the full gamut from the lowest to the highest basket of sophistication. The least sophisticated is Twitter and Telegram impersonation scammers, often based out of Nigeria. Many of these scammers don’t use VPNs, they don't always use mixers and sometimes they use direct deposit addresses for exchanges. At the other end of the scale, you have Lazarus, a very sophisticated hacking group out of North Korea that uses sophisticated mixing and crypto hopping techniques.  What scammers have in common is they play on human greed, stupidity, and laziness. Richard says a significant portion of the industry is in it for the money. “There's a meme that says I'm in it for the technology but come on. It's fine to want to make money, but it gives people an unrealistic impression that crypto is a way to get rich quick and this makes them more vulnerable to these scams where people promise high returns.” It’s not just scammers that are having a negative effect on the industry. When considering the broader topic of crypto exchanges - think about what the perception is of our industry is from the outside. Exchanges get hacked left and right, scams abound, and there is a lax level of KYC and AML. Critics of crypto like to say that Bitcoin is only used for illegal activity, and while in the industry we know that is not true, it doesn't help to combat that narrative when exchanges get hacked and don't do enough to stop engaging with transactions from bad actors. In less than half an hour, Richard was able to identify several OKEx deposit addresses that received deposits from addresses associated with darknet markets. Any exchange with a simple compliance tool would pick these transactions up.  Compliance professionals at compliant exchanges have access to know your transaction (KYT) tools. These tools show sending and receiving exposures, and break these down by category. If a transaction comes from a darknet market, the tool will identify this. These tools are not expensive for an exchange, they are usually charged by volume, so they are affordable for exchanges but out of the reach of individuals.   Supporting links: CipherBlade Richard 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.

Nansen is an analytics platform for the Ethereum blockchain. Nansen combines on-chain data with a massive database of millions of wallet addresses. Nansen helps crypto investors and product teams surface the signal from blockchain data.  Guest: Alex Svanevik Why you should listen: Alex Svanevik and his co-founders have worked in the blockchain data space since 2017 and kept seeing the same problem. There was a need to get a better understanding of who the different participants were on a blockchain network. This challenge of trying to understand the different addresses on the Ethereum blockchain was unsolved. The Nansen team knew that knowledge about network participants would be valuable to crypto product builders and potential investors. Alex says “that was our big idea, to help those two customer profiles better understand Ethereum blockchain activity to inform their decision making. Crypto is information inefficient which means there are opportunities to be gained if you are able to gain an insight into blockchain activity.” Alex and his team have been tracking the deposits into the Ethereum 2.0 smart contract and he is excited by the potential of Ethereum 2.0. “I hope that people understand that the transition from Ethereum 1.0 to 2.0 is going to be a long and slow process but many of the challenges that Ethereum has faced will be addressed with 2.0.” Alex says DeFi has had a promising year in 2020 and it has a sustainable future, something that wasn't the case with ICOs. Despite the many smart contract exploits, Alex is not concerned and sees these as part of the evolutionary process and a result of early adopters experimenting and taking risks. “Everything is in an experimental learning phase at the moment that is fraught with risk,” he said. “Right now DeFi is complex and difficult to use. The future of DeFi will be a mix of centralized exchanges that integrate with DeFi protocols. This will improve the user experience and benefit all participants.”  Key takeaway: Blockchains represent radical transparency. Investors are able to get real time direct access to what is happening in the markets, something that is not available in the traditional markets. This radical transparency has advantages and disadvantages. On the negative side, some entities would prefer to hide their movements, whether that be purchases, investments, or trades, so there is a lack of privacy to some degree. On the positive side, this transparency creates a higher degree of trust. If you send your money to a centralized exchange, once your assets arrive with them, it is harder to trust that they are safe. However, decentralized on-chain platforms such as Aaave and Compound are inherently transparent and the user can see their transactions and assets on-chain at all times.  Supporting links: Nansen Alex 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.

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. Why you should listen: Mark says that Bitcoin is the most elegant savings technology ever invented. In a world where consumption is emphasized you become a slave to money. In a world where money is working for you, like with Bitcoin, your savings power is strengthened. With Bitcoin back at high prices, anyone who bought Bitcoin any day across the last 11 years, except for 5 days in December 2017, is now in profit. Marks says “What that tells me is that if you're a fiduciary, family office or individual, you don't need to pick a day to buy. It might be easier and less stressful to adopt a dollar cost average strategy. Buy some every day. Or every week. Or every month. Think of Bitcoin as savings technology, so instead of putting all of your money in the bank, put some in the bank, and some into Bitcoin.  Key takeaway: Mark says it is not too late for people who have not already taken a position in Bitcoin. "Like Churchill said, this is not the end, this is not the beginning of the end, it may perhaps be the end of the beginning,” says Mark. “But people haven't missed anything. The fact that we went from 0.003 cents in 2009 to where we are today, at $18k that's not the miracle. The miracle is that we went from 0.003 cents to one dollar and that Bitcoin survived all the attempts to kill it in those early years. The miracle is that Bitcoin found critical mass and it was elegantly constructed so that it could reach critical mass and then the network effects kicked in from there.  Mark says that with prices now close to all time highs, it’s important for new investors not to FOMO. “A better idea is to dollar cost average in overtime, have some discipline to it. Allocate some % of your portfolio to Bitcoin over time. The younger you are, the higher that % can be. Just remember that concentration makes you rich and diversification keeps you rich. And Bitcoin is one of the great diversifying assets on the planet so adding a small amount to a portfolio can pay great dividends. You have to embrace technological innovation, and that’s what Bitcoin is, and that is why it is time to #GetOffZero.” Supporting links: Morgan Creek Mark on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Leverj 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.

Decred is a hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake store of value crypto asset for the digital age. It has strong governance, good security, privacy, and an innovative incentive alignment. If Bitcoin is about being your own bank, Decred is about being your own bank and having a say in bank policy. Decred has launched a new DEX with no trading fees. Guest: Jake Yocom-Piatt Why you should listen: Decred is an experimental project to redefine governance using blockchain technology. Instead of electing officials, Decred uses a rolling opt-in lottery to make policy decisions. Decred aims to create a fairer financial system driven by sound money, where the community makes decisions and every decision-maker has skin-in-the-game. Decred has just launched the DCRDEX, a decentralized crypto exchange. DCRDEX does not collect trading fees and utilizes an order matching system to level the playing field between retail and professional traders. The DCRDEX is permissionless and non-custodial. The first assets available to trade are Decred, Bitcoin, and Litecoin. However, DCRDEX plans to allow all crypto assets, putting projects on an equal footing by not charging a listing fee. Projects can get their crypto asset supported by adding support for atomic swaps. Key takeaway: Jake says “The goal with DCRDEX is to bring the same principles that we support in Decred, like sound money and strong governance, and create a fairer system for trading crypto. We want to make sure that the DCRDEX is true to the spirit and ethos of the cryptocurrency movement. That’s why it is non-custodial, there is no KYC, and it is secure. Instead of turning DCRDEX into a business that is driven by fees and rent-seeking, we aim to create an email-like user experience for the exchange process, where anyone can operate a server and exchange any crypto they want.” Supporting links: Decred DCRDEX Decred 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.

Jed McCaleb is the co-founder and Chief Architect of the Stellar Development Foundation, an open network working to connect the world’s financial infrastructure. In 2014, Jed created Stellar, an open-source blockchain network designed to democratize economic participation by making money more fluid, markets more open, and people more empowered.  Why you should listen: Jed's history is the story of crypto itself. An early pioneer of decentralized systems, he created eDonkey2000 one of the first file-sharing networks.  In July 2010, after reading about Bitcoin on Slashdot he became fascinated and founded the mtgox.com Bitcoin exchange.  "I wanted to get some Bitcoin and the only way you could do that at the time was to mine it or go on internet forums. So I started the Gox exchange so I could learn more about Bitcoin as a system, and buy bitcoins. It was something that was needed by the community at the time and I knew it could build it so I did. I didn't run it for very long before Mark Karpeles took over and everyone knows what happened after that.” In 2011 McCaleb founded the crypto asset company Ripple and served as CTO until 2013. McCaleb then parted ways with Ripple but as part of a settlement, he was granted a large amount of XRP tokens. At the height of the January 2018 altcoin boom, McCaleb was briefly the 40th wealthiest person on the planet based on the value of his XRP tokens. McCaleb founded Ripple and then Stellar to try and improve on the promise of Bitcoin. “Bitcoin is an awesome idea,” says McCaleb, “But software is iterative and can always be improved. One of the things that bothered me about Bitcoin is the mining aspect. There are literally billions of dollars spent on mining which is a shame. I thought if there is another way we can solve the consensus problem, then we should explore it. So with Ripple and now Stellar, this is a way to solve consensus without the proof-of-work mining process so transactions can be sent in a much cheaper, faster, more energy-efficient way." Key takeaway: McCaleb says the current financial system is clunky and inefficient. “The problem with the way that money moves around the planet, is that the rails were built pre-internet so none of it was designed to interoperate. And the beauty of the internet is that with email, for example, it doesn't matter who runs your email server, they all speak the same language so you can seamlessly and instantly send an email to anyone in the world. There is really no reason why money can't work the same way. That’s what Stellar is, it is an interoperable payment protocol between payment networks.   McCaleb says that Stellar is intended to enhance rather than replace the existing financial system. Whereas, say, the Bitcoin network was made for trading only bitcoins, Stellar is a decentralized system that’s built for trading any kind of money in a transparent and efficient way. “Stellar is designed as an upgrade to the existing financial structure,” says McCaleb. “It will be a long time, if ever before everyone is using one cryptocurrency. So instead, the better route is to build something that makes the current system easier, cheaper, reduces friction, and enables value transfer between people that wasn't possible before. Once we connect these networks of information in a frictionless way that will allow people to build all these interesting things on top of the network. Once you can send 10 cents from the U.S. to Vietnam, with no problem, that's when innovation happens. Right now we're building the plumbing for everything to be built on top of.” Supporting links: Stellar Stellar Meridian Conference The Three-Body Problem 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.

Rekt Capital, a Forbes featured crypto technical analyst and trader returns for his second appearance on the Crypto Conversation. As Bitcoin surges through $15,000 to hit its highest price since January 2018, Rekt Capital says this bull cycle is just getting started.  Guest: Rekt Capital Why you should listen: Rekt Capital is an astute analyst who specializes in technical analysis and trading psychology. He has written three recent research articles, analyzing the effect of the Bitcoin Halving on price, dissecting Bitcoin’s Four Year Cycle to better understand Bitcoin’s price trajectory, and the Crypto Money Flow Cycle to track the movement of capital from Bitcoin to mid-caps to small-caps and back. Key takeaway: Rekt Capital says that if we assume the rate of diminishing Post-Halving returns remain constant, Bitcoin could rally exponentially to a relatively conservative new all-time-high of ~$90,000 in 2021. However, this conservative extrapolation of current Post-Halving bull trends by the standards of Bitcoin’s price history doesn’t account for upside wicks past key resistances. This means Bitcoin could overextend past $90,000 and even beyond the psychological level of $100,000 before finally rejecting. Want to get $50 OFF Rekt Capital’s Technical Analysis course? Simply follow this link and use the discount code “cryptoconversation” in the Discount Code field. Supporting links: Bitcoin After The Halving Bitcoin’s Four Year Cycle Crypto Money Flow Cycle Rekt Capital Newsletter 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.

Trality is building a marketplace where creators can publish crypto trading bots and get paid rent by anyone wanting to piggyback on their trades. The creator’s algorithmic secret sauce remains top secret. Guests: Moritz Putzhammer and Christopher Helf Why you should listen: While working as an assistant professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Moritiz Putzhammer was trading crypto on the side and working on a PHD. He realized that any individual actively trading crypto would at some point lose sleep, and money. Wanting to devise a system that would allow him to trade without having to be in front of the screen he reached out to his friend Christopher Helf, who has a background in computer science. After reaching his limit as a trader with an economics background, Putzhammer worked with Helf to automate his trading. The pair began by writing basic utility scripts that soon evolved into a useful set of automated trading tools. The pair realized that they had a product that could help other traders and decided to build a product. Key takeaway: Trality is a platform for anyone to create and invest through algorithmic trading bots. The platform is aimed at two groups. The first group are “creators” who have access to state of the art tools to build the best possible bots and the data to test and improve them. Creators can deploy their bots on the Trality cloud platform and on the Trality marketplace. The second group, called “followers” can access the marketplace and choose what bot they want to use, and copy trade that bot. The Trality team believes that in the near future everything will be automated, from your car to your home, to work and investment tools. Trality wants to be the platform for automated private investments. Trality has launched a trading bot competition. It has a submission period of 30 days and then a competition period that runs for 45 days. Bots are simulated in a live environment where the best performing bots will win a cash price. Got to trality.com Supporting links: Trality Trality 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.

Bruce Pon is the founder of Ocean Protocol. Ocean helps developers build marketplaces so that organizations can privately and securely publish, exchange, and consume data. Ocean protocol is building the new data economy. Guest: Bruce Pon Why you should listen: Ocean protocol enables the monetization and tokenization of data. This gives power back to data owners, enabling them to gain value from their data and allow it to be used in ways that benefit the world.  Pon says the data economy already exists but there are powerful gatekeepers such as the FAANG companies in the West, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent in China, and data publishers such as Bloomberg and Reuters. “The data economy is any economic value that can be created from the use of data,” says Pon. “It's all around us and it is potentially worth trillions. Data can be reused, optimized and improved over time. Data can be used in countless different ways for different purposes. So as the world goes digital, the potential to turn this data into something truly valuable is immense.” Key takeaway: There is a growing understanding that from a macro world level to an industry sector level, to the government and institutional level, to the city, to company, and the individual - all are data producing machines. We now have the tools to collect and analyze this data and there are huge learnings and breakthroughs that can be teased out of the data. This is what makes data incredibly valuable. Pon says that Ocean Protocol Version 3 is the culmination of all of the learnings from version 1 and 2. “The space has advanced a lot since we began building in 2017,” he explained. “The architecture that we designed early on can now be simplified and optimized to integrate with the current state of the art. So with a light weight model we can integrate with the web 3.0 infrastructure and make full use of AMMs like Balancer and Uniswap to create data tokens. We always talked about turning data streams into value streams and it is now possible. We have the ability to create ERC20 tokens that represent data streams. The tokens can be used to access the data, and they can also be traded or speculated on. We can even create mutual data funds that can track various types of health data or automotive data for example. That's what Ocean enables.”  Supporting links: Ocean Protocol Ocean Protocol on Twitter Bruce 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.

Josh Olszewicz is a professional crypto trader and analyst. In this episode Josh explains why he thinks a Bitcoin price target of $20K by January is reasonable. Plus Josh gives his views on DeFi, Monero, and announces his new crypto analysis YouTube channel for Brave New Coin. Guest: Josh Olszewicz Why you should listen: As we close out a volatile year, Bitcoin is looking extremely bullish. Josh says it is very possible that Bitcoin reaches a new all time high in the near future. “The way I look at it is to ask what is the rate of change in the current trend? That gives us a timeline for price expectation. This suggests that if the current rate of change continues we can expect that by January price should be somewhere around $18-$20k. Those numbers sound insane but as long as the trend remains intact, there aren’t many reasons to be bearish right now." Bitcoin has only a short history of the price being in five figures. The time it has spent above $12k is even shorter, just 61 days or so. To put this in context Josh says it’s important to note that “the biggest thing we're doing now is normalizing five digits versus four digits. In 2017 it was more of a parabolic rise, there were simply more buyers than sellers and price didn't really matter. When they aren't enough sellers to meet the demand the price just keeps going up. When you have a bull trend you have to let a runner run. If this goes to 20K people will feel euphoric, but it's just a number, it could go much higher.” Key takeaway: Josh has started a series of four new weekly videos for the Brave New Coin YouTube channel. Monday features Josh’s trading set-up for the week, Tuesday is trading tip Tuesday with a weekly trading tool breakdown, Wednesday is a DeFi roundup focusing on chart action for the leading DeFi tokens, and Thursday sees Josh look at the legacy charts such as equities and precious metals.  Supporting links: Brave New Coin on YouTube Josh 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.

Fernando Martinelli is the founder and CEO of Balancer, an automated asset management platform for programmable liquidity. Balancer allows anyone to create public or private liquidity pools for up to 8 assets with customizable weighting.  Guest: Fernando Martinelli Why you should listen: Balancer began as a research project in 2018. By exploring multidimensional invariant surfaces, Fernando and his team came up with a powerful mathematical framework that enables continuous portfolio rebalancing while also generating fees. Fernando says “the formula itself is quite simple and easy to express mathematically. The way it works and the way it proves self-balancing in liquidity pools is the trickier part. It’s a function of mathematical expression whose value cannot change when trades are done. The same way Uniswap relies on X x Y = K, we have something similar but slightly more complex. And if you think of each of the balances as a dimension and then if you have a pool with three balances, then you have a 3-dimensional surface, which is actually in the fourth dimension because the surface itself is the energy value of this function that has three inputs and one output.” Balancer is similar to Uniswap. However Fernando says that one of the main differences is that “our main focus is on the asset management side of things where Uniswap’s focus is more on the decentralized exchange. So our focus is to make sure we meet the needs of liquidity providers so they will come to Balancer to put their crypto to work, and rebalance their portfolios. We want to be a flexible primitive where people can be as creative as they want.” Asked about one of the key Defi themes in 2020, Fernando said, “Liquidity mining is a mechanism to get a platform to a decentralized stage. Balancer started with investors, advisors, founders, and this was at a time when there wasn’t really an idea of a fair launch. It’s just the way it worked out. There are pros and cons but ultimately you need capital to bootstrap but we don’t want to be a VC coin we want to be decentralized and that’s our goal.” Key takeaway: Balancer is a financial primitive that serves as a fundamental building block in decentralized finance. However, it is also an asset management platform, and it is an automated market maker (AMM) providing programmable liquidity. This in turn makes other features such as decentralized asset exchange, automated portfolio management, DAO-governed treasuries, and fair token distributions possible. Fernando says this is an important point, and that as a permissionless platform, Balancer allows any developer to leverage its infrastructure to build financial products and services. “Balancer wouldn’t work if there wasn’t the other side of the market. So you have the liquidity providers who want to have their index funds rebalanced, and make some money with fees. And that’s up to them to decide. And the other side of the equation is the DEX. So all the pools on Balancer allow anyone to trade in any direction on any pair that that pool contains. The fact that we have a two sided market means we need both actors for the system to work.” Balancer Smart Pools are private pools controlled by a smart contract. These pools can be made of two to eight token constants, and customized with configurable weights that represent the desired ratio of each token in a pool. The smart contract acts as a controller for the liquidity in that pool. Fernando describes smart pools as “Uber for liquidity pools, whereas what we’ve had to date has been taxis. It’s about matching demand to supply.”  For example, the RealT smart pool – essentially a real estate index fund building on all their tokenized real-estate – where the smart pool ERC20 tokens represent ownership of the whole index. Finally Fernando says “DeFi is a revolution that is just getting started. It will have cycles and some serious ups and downs but it is going to keep growing I believe.”  Supporting links: Balancer Balancer on Twitter Fernando on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin The Three-Body Problem 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.

Anton Bukov is the co-founder and CTO of the 1inch exchange. 1inch is a DEX aggregator that executes a swap of tokens at the best price in one single transaction. Anton is a software developer with more than 15 years experience. Why you should listen: The 1inch exchange began life as a hackathon project which was presented at ETHNewYork in 2019. 1inch was created and developed by Sergej Kunz (co-founder & CEO) and Anton Bukov (co-founder & CTO). After receiving positive feedback, Kunz and Bukov kept working to improve the project to the point that it became their primary work focus.   Bukov says “1inch is a DEX aggregator that executes a swap of tokens at the best price in one single transaction. With some DEXes there has been a lack of liquidity, and the more liquidity there is, the better it is for everyone. So 1inch addresses the liquidity problem through an optimizing algorithm that splits up the trade across different exchanges. We see 1inch as unifying all of the layer one DEXes into one single highly liquid DEX, so the purpose of 1inch is to create one super DEX with the highest possible amount of liquidity and best possible fees on layer one.”  Key takeaway: Bukov revealed that 1inch is working on a 1inch token that will arrive this year. "In 2017 users paid money to get ICO tokens and after three years we see that most of those projects have failed. Now, projects start with the opposite model. They are not selling tokens, they give tokens away to the users of the platforms. So users who provide liquidity to the platform are rewarded with the token. You can see this as payment for market making. This idea of a far launch is nice because it means that the supply that exists is fairer, there is no pre-mine and it is less likely that someone can dump a large amount of tokens. Yes we are considering a 1inch token - we have worked on the tokenomics and the token will do some interesting things, it’s not just a governance token. But for it to work, there is a new product we need to launch that we are building now. We are trying to deliver this token and product this year.” Bukov says “the most interesting thing about DeFi is the way the protocols work with each other - composability - anyone can build an amazing product on a protocol. The creativity that this allows is amazing and you don't have to ask anyone permission. This is a very powerful idea.”  Bukov says that he believes that “crypto is the missing piece of the puzzle for how money should work. Visa, Mastercard and the current banking system is the wrong idea. We are building a new system and every banking system on the planet will eventually use it. It won't happen overnight, it might take up to 20 years.” Supporting links: 1inch 1inch on Twitter Anton 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.

Shayne Coplan is the founder of Polymarket, an information markets platform. Speculators can bet on the world's most highly-debated topics like the upcoming US elections, COVID-19, DeFi, cryptocurrencies, and more.  Guest: Shayne Coplan Why you should listen: In 2014 Coplan was a teenager interested in music, technology, and the peer-to-peer file sharing scene. He had started mining crypto assets like Litecoin using the early GPU miners. When the website for the Ethereum presale went live he became inspired by the Ethereum vision and at 16 years old, Coplan was one of the youngest participants in the Ethereum presale. “It seemed really cool to me. I didn’t have a lot of capital to put into it but it was really exciting and it has been fantastic to be part of the journey so far.” Prediction markets are exchange-traded markets created for the purpose of trading the outcome of events. They date back to the 1500s and started as simple bets. Some forms of information markets such as dead pools or assassination markets are part of the Cyberpunk literature.  Polymarket is an Information Markets platform built on Ethereum. Speculators can harness the power of free markets to bet on the outcome of real world events. Coplan says, “I’ve always loved markets. I’m a fan of liquid markets and I’m fascinated by shadow economies and different market structures. I’m a believer in markets as the most effective mechanism for aggregating information. I have a tough time believing everything I read in the media. I think a market is a much more reliable aggregator of truth. If you have a lot of different participants acting on their beliefs, a market is the best way we can distill that information into one equilibrium or signal.” Key takeaway: One of the problems with social media is a lack of accountability. Everyone has an opinion to share and there’s not much downside to being wrong. This makes it hard for regular people to find out what’s fact and what’s fiction. 2020 has showcased just how bad the consequences can be. Ploymarket thinks that one part of the solution is to let people bet on current events. Free markets are the best method of aggregating disparate information in real time (see: Hayek, stock market, EMH). Coplan says “one of the best use-cases for a blockchain and a generalized smart contract platform is the ability to create markets on arbitrary topics that can be easily created, traded, and resolved. For a couple of dollars you can create a market on anything and avoid the bureaucratic risk that is inherent to creating these markets in the legacy financial system. On Polymarket, speculators bet on future event outcomes and profit from accuracy. With all the conflicting ‘expert’ opinions on social media, Polymarket lets people put their money where their mouth is, have skin in the game, and profit from being correct. Supporting links: Polymarket Polymarket on Twitter Shayne on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Mind Game   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.

Steve Kokinos is the CEO at Algorand. Algorand is an open, permissionless, pure proof-of-stake blockchain protocol that wants to usher in a new era of serious DeFi. Similar to how AWS (Amazon Web Services) has made cloud computing accessible, Algorand is building an ecosystem to unleash the potential of DeFi. Why you should listen: Led by Turing award-winner Silvio Micali and a team of cryptographers, engineers, and mathematicians that claim to have solved the blockchain trilemma, Algorand is committed to the development of solutions for the future of economic exchange. Impressed by the Bitcoin whitepaper and its deployment, computer science professor Silvio Micali thought that Bitcoin represented a fascinating use of cryptography and distributed systems science. However, he felt that the high costs of mining coupled with its low performance features left room for improvement. His work with Algorand is concentrated on improving the  fundamental properties of blockchain. Key takeaway: After a successful career in tech, Steve Kokinos met Silvio Micali and impressed with his vision for Algorand he joined the company as CEO in 2018.  Steve says we are moving toward a multi-blockchain world. “There will be a handful of platforms and public networks that can be used for different purposes and they can all be winners here. Other tech waves have shown that there can be several winning platforms or several winning new technologies that are adopted. In the same way that when a user fires up Spotify or Netflix there isn't an AWS logo saying they're running the back end, and that's how we see Algorand, we want to be the utility in the background that people can build great applications on.” Ethereum currently supports around 15 transactions per second, Bitcoin is a little slower. Steve says that Algorand today can process 1100 tps and over the next coming releases they want to scale that up 10,000 tps. “It's important for us to understand what people are using blockchains for and to build the functionality that they need into layer one primitives. At Algorand we’re focused on layer one primitives, that might be financial applications, programmable money or building dapps. We've also announced a layer 2 smart contract platform where the initialization of the contract will be on layer 1 but will then run-off-chain. We think the way to do that is run the computation off-chain, make sure it's provably true and then bring it back to the main again.” Algorand is permissionless so anyone can build on it. Steve says, “Our layer 1 pure proof of stake approach lends itself to different forms of financial applications. Use cases include  DeFi, more traditional payment assets, and bank transfers and post-trade settlements. And then the third use case is central bank digital currencies. The Marshall Islands has launched a CBDC on Algorand. There are 400 companies that have deployed projects on Algorand. One is Planet Watch, which has sensors in homes and businesses across the world to capture air quality data around the globe and then compare that to govt guidelines and regulations.  The ALGO token is the prime asset of the public network. It is used to pay transaction fees and run smart contracts. As part of the pure proof of stake protocol every token holder can be called upon to propose a block, and every token holder can vote on upgrades via its use as a governance token. Asked about his favorite piece of sci-fi, Steve picks Snow Crash directed by Neal Stephenson. Supporting links: Algorand Steve on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Snow Crash 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.  

Peter McCormack is the host of the popular What Bitcoin Did podcast and the new Defiance podcast. After starting the podcast in late 2017, What Bitcoin Did has grown steadily and recently achieved an impressive 5 million downloads.  Why you should listen: Before the pandemic, Peter traveled regularly preferring to do his interviews in-person. With global travel now on hold, Peter is based out of his home in Bedford, UK. Peter says that he has used the time to focus on his craft and keep refining his content production. He has also given up booze and redone his garden.  Peter says the Libertarian argument against lockdowns is stronger now and as countries get hit by a second wave it will likely be more difficult to enforce new lockdowns without social unrest. Peter is impressed by the leadership of New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Key takeaway: Peter started podcasting almost by accident after spending time at a retreat in Italy with podcaster Rich Roll. After telling Roll about his growing interest in Bitcoin, Roll encouraged McCormack to start a Bitcoin podcast. In the three years since McCormack has traveled to 30 countries and interviewed hundreds of people. The success of the podcast means McCormack now has the freedom to pursue topics that he is genuinely interested in. What Bitcoin Did will continue to focus on the Bitcoin ecosystem. Peter says, “If you're into lots of different coins you get called a shitcoiner and if you’re into Bitcoin only, you get called a maximalist. So at one point I took a step back and thought ‘what is it I want to do?’ I looked at my portfolio and I only hold Bitcoin. Why? Because I believe in it and because I understand it, and because I think it can be a useful tool for a lot of people. I'm also interested in the human rights angle, so if I focus on Bitcoin - it allows me to cover other topics such as Ross Ulbricht of Silk Road and Venezuela.”  In some circumstances, Peter will cover other blockchains if it is of interest to bitcoiners. For example, his recent episodes on Ethereum were relevant because there are people who are wrapping Bitcoin on Ethereum so it's important for people to understand what Ethereum is. "Does that mean I'll cover Tron? No. Does it mean I'll cover Binance Chain? No. I will cover Ethereum because there is a significant amount of Bitcoin that is wrapped on it and people need to understand the risks." Asked about his favorite piece of sci-fi, Peter picks Alien 3 directed by David Fincher. Supporting links: What Bitcoin Did Peter on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Alien 3 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.

Piers Ridyard is the CEO of Radix, a layer-one protocol built for DeFi. DeFi applications are currently built on protocols that were not designed to scale. Radix has built a scalable, secure, high-throughput protocol for building applications and tokens. Building on the successes of existing public ledgers, Radix’s protocol is a permissionless framework on which DeFi services can be developed and run. Radix claims to have solved two of the biggest challenges in DeFi - scalability, and security.  Why you should listen: Radix has raised $6 million in funding, including $4.1 million in 2020 from the founder of TransferWise, Taavet Hinrikus.  The value of DeFi is over $8 billion. However, for DeFi to reach its full potential, it needs fast, low-cast transactions and secure by design systems. It’s critical that DeFi applications are scalable and composable. Piers says that protocols such as Ethereum 2,0, Polkadot and Cosmos are solving the wrong scaling problems, and not addressing others. Piers says that mainstream DeFi needs a DLT platform designed bottom-to-top to make DeFi just work – for users, and for developers. This is the aim of Radix.  For the DeFi ecosystem to continue to grow incentives are needed to attract developers. Radix has an innovative developer incentive program that allows developers to profit from the applications they contribute to. Key takeaway: Radix features two core innovations, firstly Cerberus, the scalable consensus protocol. Cerberus is capable of processing massive numbers of transactions in parallel due to its highly sharded data structure and unique application layer.  The second innovation is the Radix Engine, a developer interface that allows quick public ledger deployments in a secure environment. The Radix Engine is Radix’s application layer.  In the Crypto Conversation hot take round Piers says that he expects DeFi to have more liquidity than any other single exchange in the transitional market within the next ten years. “The fundamental component of DeFi is the way that liquidity can move between applications and products.” Asked about his favorite piece of sci-fi, Piers picks Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Supporting links: Radix Radix on Twitter Piers on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin Rendezvous with Rama 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.

Douglas Borthwick is Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at INX. INX is building a regulated cryptocurrency, security token, and derivatives trading platform in the U.S. INX has just launched the world’s first fully regulated Security Token based IPO.  Why you should listen: Douglas has a long career in finance including roles with Morgan Stanley, managing foreign exchange derivatives trading groups, and running the strategic trading desk at Merrill Lynch. He is part of an impressive team of financial market, crypto asset and technology experts at INX.  INX is building a fully-licensed and regulated cryptocurrency, security token and derivatives trading platform. The goal is to be a leader in the regulated security token platform space. INX aims to enable the listing and trading of both regulated security tokens and cryptocurrencies for institutional and retail investors.  Security tokens give investors the ability to trade fractionalized assets, specific income streams, particular business lines, or assets that could not be traded before. This brings new liquidity and efficiencies to the markets. Key takeaway: The INX blockchain asset trading solution has been developed and is ready for launch following the completion of the IPO. After launch INX traders will be able to buy/sell crypto assets as well as security tokens and their derivatives.  INX announced in January 2018 its submission of a draft registration statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering of the INX Token. In August this year, INX announced that the SEC declared as effective the registration statement on Form F-1 filed in connection with the initial public offering of up to 130 million INX Security Tokens. INX has set the offering price at $0.90 per Token with a minimum investment of $1,000.  The offering began August 25, 2020. INX intends to use a portion of the net proceeds raised from the sale of INX Tokens in the offering for the continued development and operation of INX Trading Solutions, and for the establishment of a cash reserve fund. Investors in the tokens are entitled to receive pro rata distributions of 40% of the Ccmpany’s cumulative adjusted operating cash flow. Supporting links: INX INX on Twitter Douglas 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.

The next big thing in DeFi is LEVERJ - the world’s first scalable decentralized derivatives exchange​. LEVERJ is a trading platform created to perform like traditional financial exchanges while maintaining the critical function of security. Built on Gluon, a Plasma sidechain, LEVERJ is self-custodial by design, meaning that users always control their private keys and funds. Gluon is a mathematically rigorous solution preventing fraud, compromise, and collusion to provide all the benefits of blockchain without the limitations. Gluon is the first fully operational Ethereum Layer 2 chain, giving LEVERJ the high-transaction throughput to work as fast as centralized exchanges. Why you should listen: LEVERJ is a self-custodial decentralized derivatives exchange that provides up to 100x leverage. High speed, decentralized spot trading went live on mainnet in 2019. Futures trading is available on testnet and will launch on mainnet at the end of September. The first tradable futures products are ETH-USD and BTC-USD perpetual swaps with many more products in the pipeline. LEVERJ has partnered with Brave New Coin to roll out a pipeline of innovative exchange traded products. Some examples of these are sub-sector specific tradable products such as a DeFi index, a privacy coin index, volatility indices and more. “Most exchanges self-index, which introduces unnecessary risk,” says LEVERJ CEO Bharath Rao. “By partnering with Brave New Coin, we give our users more transparency in the benchmark methodology and instrument design process as well as a greatly expedited product roadmap. It’s our goal to bring the best practices of capital markets into the DeFi space, thus attracting new institutions.” Key takeaway: Interest in DeFi has exploded in 2020. Trading on decentralized exchanges reached $4 billion in July. To cater to this demand, LEVERJ has built a high-frequency, multi-currency spot and futures trading platform.  The explosion of DeFi in 2020 has seen Ethereum gas prices rise significantly. The huge spike in demand for transaction space on the Ethereum chain has put strain on the Ethereum and DeFi ecosystems. Centralized cryptocurrency exchanges have faced challenges with security and performance, often falling short of the standards set by traditional financial exchanges.  LEVERJ solves these challenges with their Gluon sidechain, a mathematically rigorous protocol preventing fraud, compromise, and collusion to provide the benefits of blockchain without the limitations. Gluon is an advanced, fully operational Ethereum Layer 2 chain, giving LEVERJ high-transaction, low-latency throughput similar to centralized exchanges.  Other developers can also build decentralized applications using Gluon, including their own decentralized exchanges. Gluon has been in development for over three years and is currently the only Layer 2 solution purpose built for high-capacity trading, that has instant-finality, strong composability and conventional APIs for sophisticated traders to feel like they are using a regular centralized exchange without counterparty risk. Supporting links: LEVERJ LEVERJ 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.

Mona El Isa is the founder of the Melon protocol. Melon is an Ethereum-based protocol for decentralized on-chain asset management. Melon empowers anyone to set up, manage, and invest in customized on-chain investment vehicles. The process of setting up an investment fund on Melon costs less than $60 and takes ten minutes using the Melon terminal.  Why you should listen: After spending a decade building a career as a successful trader at Goldman Sachs and at a hedge fund, Mona was approached to set up and run her own investment fund. It did not work out. Mona realized that successful traders at investment funds were shielded from the many administrative processes required. Companies like Goldman hire entire teams of people to look after the many legal and financial requirements needed to run a fund. This means that setting up a new fund is out of reach except for those with the resources to do so.  Melon is a decentralized protocol to set up and manage on-chain investment funds. By automating the back and middle office processes of fund management through the use of smart contracts, Melon enables fund managers to create their own tokenized funds.  Managers can write a fund prospectus in code. Mona says “You can think of Melon as a technology that helps managers customize the set-up of their fund. You can pre-define all sorts of rules from fees, to number of positions, types of assets, risk management etc.” The protocol takes care of investments and redemptions, it takes care of the NAV calculations, it enforces any of the rules that managers have in their funds. And everything is automated using smart contracts. Users can write as many rules as they want, so they can create uniquely individual funds.  The process of setting up an investment fund on Melon costs less than $60 and takes ten minutes using the Melon terminal.  Key takeaway: The Melon target market is what Mona describes as the “long tail of investment managers”. This could be any fund below $150 million dollars. 90% of new funds in this category fail, many due to the high level of compliance, fees and processes involved.  It will soon be possible to set up a Melon fund that has a yield-farming strategy, or lends to market-making pools, or a DAO that invests in other Melon funds, or can interact with synthetic assets.  No other protocol is permissionless in the way that Melon allows any non-technical person to set up an on-chain investment fund in a matter of minutes.  Ethereum Gas prices are putting a strain on DeFi. The Melon team is slimming down contracts to make them more efficient and less gas-intensive for V2. Medium-term the team are looking at layer two solutions to mitigate against high gas prices. Supporting links: Melon Protocol Melon Terminal Melon on Twitter Mona 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.

Kosala Hemachandra is the founder and CEO of MyEtherWallet, one of the original and most popular Ethereum wallets. MEW is now at the center of a fast growing ecosystem designed to become the nexus of Ethereum. Why you should listen: MyEtherWallet was founded in 2015, ten days after the launch of Ethereum - as one of the first client-side interfaces for the Ethereum blockchain. With first-mover advantage, it became the default Ethereum wallet for the first users of Ethereum. MyEtherWallet was a popular and user-friendly wallet that supported ERC-20 tokens — important for engaging with ICOs. As a result, MEW attracted a large user-base during the ICO boom of 2017. Kosala says, “the MEW motto is that if it works with Ethereum it works with MEW. Our goal is to become the nexus of Ethereum.” MEW is the umbrella brand for the MEW ecosystem that includes MEWwallet, MEWtopia, and MEWconnect. Key takeaway: Kosala says there are some similarities between the ICO boom of 2017 and the current interest in DeFi. He says that is human nature to be attracted to hype and speculation. However, he says he is excited by the promise and potential of DeFi as a technology and what it brings to Ethereum.  The first MyEtherWallet DeFi integrations are with Ren and Aave, with more to come. The new MyEtherWallet DeFi integrations use MEWconnect, a connection protocol designed to let Dapp developers make their Dapps available to MEW users. Dapp developers can make their products available to a large user base while MEW users can access the growing suite of decentralized tools and apps designed to navigate the Ethereum ecosystem.   Supporting links: My Ether Wallet MEWwallet 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.

Josh Olszewicz is a professional crypto trader at Techemy Capital and the lead analyst at Brave New Coin. On this episode of the Crypto Conversation Josh joins Andy to discuss the recent positive price action, the TokenSets platform, and Josh confirms that we’re in a crypto bull market.  Why you should listen: Josh says that the technical indicators are looking very strong for BTC with strong echoes of 2017. “There is a possibility we’re set for a multi-year bull run, especially post-halving. It’s almost eerie the similarities we’re seeing in the price chart and in the fundamentals to 2017. It’s ramping up for quite an exciting situation. With Gold at all-time highs, ongoing money printing, and with chaos in the world, it’s an ideal macro backdrop for BTC to perform well.” Josh says that for ETH, a price target of $750 is on the cards, and for BTC $13K might happen in the next two weeks. “$33k sounds like a ridiculous target, but for me, that is where we are headed. One of the big banks released a target recently of $125K based on the 2017 bull run, so all of a sudden my targets are low compared to traditional financial analysts. All the signs are converging, so seeing BTC at an all-time-high soon is an expectation. It’s not that I think it might happen, at this point I‘m expecting it will happen.” Key takeaway: Josh says that while it is an uncertain time in the world, the U.S. election might not be too disruptive to the markets. “As soon as Bernie lost the nomination, traditional financial markets exhaled dramatically. He was the potential change agent for anything that would affect them. But now, with Biden and Trump, they don’t mind too much, either is fine at this point. Biden is not going to rock the boat and Trump is Trump.” Josh is a pro trader at Techemy Capital who has just launched two actively managed investment portfolios on the TokenSets automated asset management platform. This allows investors to gain exposure to BTC and ETH price action. Investors are now able to take advantage of the crypto market’s price moves without having to trade themselves - and because Techemy’s new products are non-custodial - without having to release control of their crypto assets to a third party.  Techemy Capital’s BTC and ETH portfolios are actively traded using strategies designed to generate capital gains. Trades are executed by Techemy Capital’s professional in-house trading team, led by Rob Brewis and Josh Olszewicz.   Supporting links: Techemy Capital TokenSets Josh 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.

James Beattie is the CEO of the Toronto Futures Options Swaps Exchange (tFOSE), a new Canadian-based derivatives exchange and clearinghouse. tFOSE is currently seeking regulatory approval in Canada and plans to open for trading in early 2021.   Why you should listen: Canada has been slow to bring institutional-grade crypto asset products to market. The Canadian exchange-traded derivatives market is ripe for disruption. Issues include a lack of liquidity driving order flow out of Canada, high FX cost and currency risk, high trading fees, and a lack of product innovation. There’s a growing demand for traders to diversify their portfolios and exposure, hedge risk, and access an emerging asset class without having to directly hold the underlying crypto assets. tFOSE aims to provide a solution to these issues.   James Beattie, tFOSE CEO says they are working closely with regulators in Canada. “Regulators have put forward a definitive affirmative effort to understand crypto. It's incumbent on ecosystem participants to build the right way. If they want the benefits of regulation, they should understand process and due diligence. You must play by the rules, there is no downside to transparency.”   Key takeaway: tFOSE CEO James Beattie says the team is committed to new derivative solutions that will repatriate order flow to Canada and unlock new global markets. Brave New Coin has signed a contract with tFOSE to design, calculate, and administer a suite of crypto indices to power tFOSE’s cash-settled options trading. tFOSE expects production on the indices to be completed during Q3 2020 with cash-settled crypto options trading beginning in early 2021. James says Brave New Coin was selected as tFOSE crypto index builders after a due diligence process. ”BNC meets all of our needs,” he said, “taking a unique approach to index design, methodology, and governance that will help tFOSE meet the specific, exacting needs of both our retail and institutional investors.” Supporting links: tFOSE Crypto Indices Program Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro   The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account.

Loi Luu is the CEO and Co-Founder of Kyber Network - one of the best used Defi protocols in the world. Kyber is an on-chain liquidity protocol that powers decentralized applications, exchanges, funds, and DeFi lending protocols.    Why you should listen: Loi Luu has a PhD in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore, where he worked to improve the base technical layers of decentralization, scalability and security for the public blockchain infrastructure. His work benefits many blockchain companies and projects world wide and collectively these companies are worth tens of billions of US dollars. The idea for Kyber Network came from Loi’s belief that he could bring the benefits of decentralized technologies to a bigger audience and facilitate real-world use cases. When a project approached him to accept a different token in addition to Ethereum, Loi realized that there was no practical solution to this problem. He then began work on developing the liquidity infrastructure for what would become known as the decentralized finance ecosystem.   Key takeaway: Kyber is the liquidity infrastructure for decentralized finance (DeFi). Kyber aggregates liquidity from diverse sources into a single pool, which provides the best rates for takers such as DApps, wallets, and DEXs. Kyber is a fully on-chain liquidity protocol that enables the decentralized exchange of crypto assets in any application. Liquidity providers are integrated into one single endpoint for takers and users. When a user requests a trade, the protocol will scan the entire network to find the reserve with the best price and take liquidity from that particular reserve. Kyber was the most used project in DeFi in 2019. To date, more than 100 blockchain projects have integrated Kyber for their liquidity needs.   Supporting links: Kyber Network Loi Luuu on Twitter Kyber on Twitter The DeFi Liquidity Vortex Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro   The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Hugh Karp is the founder and CEO of Nexus Mutual - a people-powered alternative to insurance. Nexus Mutual uses the power of Ethereum so individuals can share risk together without the need for an insurance company.  Why you should listen: Hugh is an insurance professional and actuary with 15 years of experience. An actuary is a business professional who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries are employed by insurance companies or risk management firms to calculate the "risks" associated with insuring individuals against downside events.  A mutual is simply a group of people coming together to share risk. Hugh says the only reason we’ve moved away from a mutual (in legacy systems) to shareholders is that it’s a more efficient way of connecting capital with people. However, thanks to smart contracts, we can start to do that in a peer to peer fashion which optimizes for efficiency when it comes to capital pooling. When joining the mutual you become a legal member of a UK company. All members have legal rights to the pool of funds. Key takeaway: Hugh first became interested in blockchain technology in 2011. He became fascinated by the emergence of Ethereum. Hugh recognized that the traditional insurance industry wasn’t yet prepared to provide any meaningful cover for crypto-related risks. Hugh watched the DAO being drained live and realized there was a need for a company like Nexus Mutual to provide cover against Smart Contract risks.  Smart Contract Cover is not an actual contract of insurance but rather an insurance like product. Members of the mutual vote to decide on claims. Claims payments are enforced by token economic incentives rather than placing trust in an insurance company.  In DeFi there are three primary risk categories; technical smart contract risk, external risk, and economic incentive failure risk. It’s important to understand these risks are in addition to the normal use of the particular smart contract. For example, if you use a gambling app there is a risk you could lose all of your money through the normal usage of the system. Nexus Mutual is focused on the more severe risks, and provides cover against system failure. Supporting links: Nexus Mutual  Nexus Mutual on Twitter Hugh Karp on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Why you should listen: Vallas says “the promise of the Blockchain industry is extraordinarily expansive. Before we build out that capability we need a renewed focus on establishing confidence. Confidence in our vision, confidence in the regulatory frameworks that underpin this emergent technology, and confidence in the people and organizations that will drive the uptake in this space.” Key takeaway: As the new CEO of Blockchain Australia, Vallas says he is focused on building confidence in blockchain and improving the image of blockchain technology among businesses and governments. He says Blockchain Australia’s success will be judged by its ability to educate (grassroots to the boardroom), elevate (drive innovation), and leverage partnerships (with industry leaders across the economy). In February, the Australian government released a National blockchain roadmap titled “Progressing towards a blockchain-empowered future.” The report projects that Blockchain technology will generate an annual business value of over US$175 billion by 2025 and in excess of US$3 trillion by 2030. The roadmap identifies three key areas where blockchain technology can provide solutions. These are in supply chains, trusted credentials in the university sector, and transferable customer checks in the finance sector.  Steve says his personal vision is for Australian stakeholders to gain confidence in blockchain tech. He wants developers to keep building, and for industry and investors to get buy-in.  Supporting links: Blockchain Australia Australia’s blockchain roadmap Steve on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Eden Dhaliwal is the Global Managing Director at Conflux Network, a high-performance, layer-1 blockchain protocol designed for scalability, security, and extensibility for the next generation of open commerce, decentralized applications, and Web 3.0. Conflux is the most endorsed DLT project in China. Why you should listen: Conflux Network is an open protocol for a new world of Dapps, finance, and Web 3.0. As a fast and secure public blockchain, Conflux Network combines Proof of Work and a Tree-Graph structure to power a new generation of decentralized commerce.  Prior to joining Conflux, Eden was a Partner at Outlier Ventures, where he worked on crypto tokenomics. Eden helped develop Outlier’s Convergence Thesis - the Convergence Stack is a set of privacy-protecting, peer-to-peer, open-source technologies that will decentralize the cloud and unbundle internet platforms to build Web 3.0. Key takeaway: Founded in 2018, Conflux Network raised $35 million in capital from investors including Sequoia China, Metastable, Baidu Ventures, F2Pool, Huobi, IMO Ventures. Conflux Network has backing from the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission. Currently in Testnet, Conflux Network seeks to provide the security of a POW network with transaction speeds an order of magnitude faster. The key enabler technique is a novel DAG-based ledger structure together with an optimistic concurrency control to achieve a consistent order of transactions among all the nodes in the network. In Conflux, the throughput bottleneck is no longer at consensus layer. Unlike other scalability solutions such as DPOS and hybrid consensus, the Conflux consensus algorithm is decentralized and permissionless without any hierarchy. Supporting links: Conflux Network Conflux Network on Twitter Eden on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro   The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Techemy Capital and TokenSets have collaborated to launch a suite of DeFi-based investable products to help investors tap into the open finance ecosystem. Hosted on the TokenSets automated asset management platform, Techemy has created two actively managed investment portfolios that allow investors to gain exposure to BTC and ETH price action. Investors can take advantage of the crypto market’s price moves without having to trade themselves - and because the products are non-custodial - without having to release control of their crypto assets to a third party. Guests: Fran Strajnar and Anthony Sassano Why you should listen: Anthony Sassano, Product Marketing Manager at TokenSets, says “Holding is no longer enough. If you want to get outsized returns in crypto, you can play in the altcoin market, which is basically like a casino. Trying to pick the ones that will do well, and knowing when to sell is extremely difficult. Most users don’t want the stress and pressure of having to make trading decisions themselves. They want to make a return, and they want someone else or an algorithm to do the trading for them. That’s where TokenSets comes in.”    Key takeaway: DeFi refers to the interconnected crypto assets, smart contracts, protocols, and decentralized applications built on the Ethereum blockchain. Run by programmable code, DeFi reduces friction and capital inefficiency and offers the possibility of higher yields.  Fran Strajnar, CEO at Techemy Capital says, “We’ve been talking about DeFi being a game-changer since 2014. It has taken until now for the infrastructure to mature enough for innovative investable products that can scale globally. Money and value are now woven into the fabric of the internet. Liquidity is abundant and risk is manageable. This has created an environment that is appealing to many investor classes.”  Hosted on the TokenSets automated asset management platform, Techemy’s new offering consists of two actively managed investment portfolios that allow investors to gain exposure to BTC and ETH price action. Investors are now able to take advantage of the crypto market’s price moves without having to trade themselves - and because Techemy’s new products are non-custodial - without having to release control of their crypto assets to a third party.  Techemy Capital’s BTC and ETH portfolios are actively traded using strategies designed to generate capital gains. Trades are executed by Techemy Capital’s professional in-house trading team, led by Rob Brewis and Josh Olszewicz. A third portfolio that Techemy will launch soon on TokenSets is a passive yield portfolio based on the yield-bearing cDAI/cUSDC stablecoin pair. This portfolio protects against price volatility and offers other benefits including the ability to earn interest through the Compound Finance network. Techemy’s new portfolio products are aimed at investors already familiar with digital assets and those entering the market for the first time. While the former can interact with the new portfolios with ease due to the seamless user experience, for users needing additional support Techemy offers personalized services - from custody to OTC and wallet management.  Supporting links: Techemy Capital TokenSets Techemy Capital on Twitter TokenSets on Twitter Fran On Twitter Anthony on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Torsten Hoffmann is a documentary filmmaker who has completed two full length blockchain films. Bitcoin: The End Of Money As We Know It from 2015, and his new film Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet which is now available online.  Why you should listen: After writing a research paper on alternative currencies as part of his MBA at Oxford University, Torsten was intrigued by Bitcoin. In 2014 he started working on Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know it, his first documentary. Hoffmann’s award-winning first film looks at Bitcoin in the context of the history of money. His new film, Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet is a bigger budget, ambitious follow up that takes a 360 wide-angle approach to the technology that may define Web 3.0. “Since the release of the first film, the industry has grown by a factor of 100. Bitcoin has been called one of the most disruptive technologies of our time. However, media coverage is often misinformed and the general public is still confused about the technology and its implications,” says Hoffmann. “Can this technology, designed to operate independent of trust and within a decentralized network, really provide a robust alternative? Or are cryptocurrencies just as unfairly distributed, easily manipulated, and dangerous as our current systems? That was my starting point.” Key takeaway: Filmed over two years Hoffmann says the new documentary has three arcs. "First we look at Bitcoin, then we look at the ecosystem, public / private blockchains and ICOs, and then we look forward at the potential of blockchain to unlock Web 3.0." He interviewed some of the ecosystem’s biggest brains and biggest egos including Andreas Antonopoulos, Roger Ver, Charlie Lee, Samson Mow, Craig Wright, Preethi Kasireddy, and Wences Casares. While the film has a global feel, with filming taking place on four continents in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Switzerland, and Melbourne, Hoffmann says the highlight of the filming schedule was being granted access to the Xapo vault located in a top secret location buried deep in the Swiss mountains. Founded by Bitcoin entrepreneur Wences Casares, the Xapo vault is a decommissioned military bunker dug into the mountainside in a remote part of Switzerland. Its exact location is secret, and access is protected by a complex series of security measures. “The bunker scene was a highlight and we are the only film crew to be allowed inside. Allegedly up to 10% of all Bitcoin private keys are stored in the Xapo vault. It was a James Bond style adventure to get clearance and film inside the bunker,” said Hoffmann. Supporting links: Cryptopia Film Torsten on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro   The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

A New Zealand software engineer, Sam Blackmore is the CEO and co-founder of Vimba, a platform that makes it easy for users to save Bitcoin using an automated dollar cost average strategy.  Why you should listen: After growing up as a surf photographer, Sam moved to Bristol in the early 2000s where he documented the street art culture popularized by Banksy. As a software engineer, Sam became fascinated by open source technology such as Linux. He first discovered Bitcoin when he saw a headline on a Linux magazine that described Bitcoin as the most powerful open-source technology ever created. Intrigued, Sam became fascinated by Bitcoin’s philosophy and potential. He created Vimba to make it possible for friends and family to easily accumulate Bitcoin without having to join an exchange. Vimba is now available in over thirty countries, making it easy for anyone to save in Bitcoin using an automated dollar cost average strategy. Key takeaway: To scale Vimba, Sam moved to the UK to leverage the UK’s open banking framework and FinTech friendly regulations. The 2018 open banking legislation forced banks to open up their APIs so that users can share their data with other services. This has allowed a wave of innovative new financial products. Vimba will integrate with these products allowing users to easily purchase Bitcoin or use it as collateral. Vimba’s mission is to make it as normal to accumulate BTC as it is to save dollars. A recent survey suggests that 42% of millennials are planning to buy BTC in the next 5 years. Banksy is anonymous. Satoshi Nakamoto is anonymous. This anonymity allows Banky’s artwork and Satoshi’s Bitcoin to be judged on their own merits without being tainted by the individual creator and their beliefs or flaws. Supporting links: Vimba Vimba on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro Neuromancer Banksy The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

An OG Bitcoiner from Colorado with a background in precious metals, Stephen Macaskill is the co-founder and CEO of the Dasset digital asset exchange. Based in New Zealand, Dasset has announced a strategic partnership with the U.S. based Bittrex exchange. The new partnership will give Dasset users access to deeper liquidity. Why you should listen: Stephen says the impetus for Dasset came from the realization that there was a gap in the local crypto market. “When we looked at the New Zealand market four years ago, there was a 20% premium over the global spot prices of crypto assets in New Zealand due to a lack of liquidity, and a lack of local exchanges,” he said. “Dasset has helped that situation, so the spread has dropped by around 80%. That means that compared to global spot prices, New Zealanders can now access rates that are within 1-3% of those prices.” Key takeaway: Dasset provides the ability for New Zealanders and Australians to buy, sell, and trade over thirty different crypto assets. Stephen says that Dasset provides the on-ramps and off-ramps between the legacy financial system and the digital asset financial system. Stephen is a Bitcoiner who pays his bills in crypto. He says he has opted out of the legacy financial system and uses crypto for all of his financial transactions. While Stephen is a passionate supporter of Bitcoin as the world’s largest decentralized digital currency, he says ultimately it is up to the market to decide which digital asset will win the future.  Supporting links: Devs The Sovereign Individual Bitcoin Billionaires Dasset on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Framework Ventures is a San Francisco based venture firm with a strong DeFi thesis. Framework believes a new age of venture capital is upon us, known as ‘Network Capital.’ Rather than just hold onto the asset, this type of investing aims to be more holistic. “If you're going to be investing in decentralized networks, this requires a new hybrid model where the stakeholders can participate in market-making, staking, and governance.” Framework is a major holder of Chainlink’s LINK token. Why you should listen: Framework Ventures is a thesis-driven venture firm that partners with founders and teams to build token-based networks and develop the requisite cryptoeconomics, governance, and community to scale. Framework are very bullish on the DeFi space in general, and particularly on Chainlink and Synthetix. Vance Spencer, a co-founder at Framework, spent time as head of strategy for Netflix Japan. His co-founder Michael Anderson spent time at Snapchat and Dropbox. This gives Framework unique insight into digital products and networks which they apply to DeFi. Key takeaway: Vance says DeFi is still early and just needs time to mature. Chris Dixon said that most new disruptive technology starts out looking like a toy. This is a good analogy for DeFi right now. As DeFi building blocks start to be put together in new and increasingly useful ways, exciting new use cases will be unlocked. Framework doesn’t invest in Bitcoin and it doesn't invest in Ethereum killers. Framework is long Ether as a core position. Ethereum built liquidity for Ether, it built tooling for Solidity, and it built a passionate dev community. These are significant achievements. 2000 ETH devs dancing on stage at Devcon is not something you can easily replicate. The ETH community is hard to disrupt. Supporting links: Framework Ventures Aggregation Theory The next big thing will start out looking like a toy Donnie Darko Framework Ventures on Twitter Vance on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Robert Breedlove wrote The Number Zero and Bitcoin. Robert says Satoshi gave the world Bitcoin, a true “something for nothing.” This discovery of absolute scarcity for money is an unstoppable idea that is changing the world tremendously, just like its digital ancestor: the number zero. Robert is the CEO of Parallax Digital, a firm specializing in digital asset investments. The company is founded on the premise that Bitcoin will radically reshape the global economy.  Why you should listen: Robert says that Satoshi gave the world Bitcoin, a true “something for nothing.” This discovery of absolute scarcity for money is an unstoppable idea that is changing the world tremendously, just like its digital ancestor: the number zero. Like the invention of zero, which led to the discovery of “nothing as something” in mathematics and other domains, Bitcoin is the catalyst of a worldwide paradigmatic phase change. What numeral is to number, and zero is to the void for mathematics, Bitcoin is to absolute scarcity for money: each is a symbol that allows mankind to apprehend a latent reality (in the case of money, time). More than just a new monetary technology, Bitcoin is an entirely new economic paradigm: an uncompromisable base money protocol for a global, digital, non-state economy. Key takeaway: Robert says that many believe that Bitcoin is “just one of thousands of crypto assets”—this is true in the same way that the number zero is just one of an infinite series of numbers. In reality, Bitcoin is special, and so is zero: each is an invention which led to a discovery that fundamentally reshaped its overarching system—for Bitcoin, that system is money, and for zero, it is mathematics. Since money and math are mankind’s two universal languages, both Bitcoin and zero are critical constructs for civilization. Zero and Bitcoin are unstoppable ideas gifted to mankind; gestures made in the spirit of “something for nothing.” In a world run by central banks with zero accountability, a cabal that uses the specious prospects of “infinite cash” to promise us everything (thereby raising the specter of hyperinflation), nothingness may prove to be the greatest gift we could ever receive… Supporting links: The Number Zero and Bitcoin An Open Letter to Ray Dalio Robert’s Tweet Storm Sapiens Interstellar The Sovereign Individual  Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Stephen Stonberg is the COO/CFO at Bittrex Global, a digital asset exchange based in Liechtenstein. Bittrex Global is a spin-off from one of the OG crypto exchanges, the original Bittrex, based in the U.S. Bittrex Global serves all Bittrex users based outside of the U.S. Why you should listen: Stephen Stonberg is a graduate of Harvard who spent time at Goldman Sachs. Working in the finance industry in London, Stephen became interested in the potential of the crypto asset class in 2017. After a short stint working in business development in the early days of Binance, Stephen moved to Bittrex where he is now as COO/CFO at Bittrex Global.  Key takeaway: Bittrex Global moved from Malta to Liechtenstein. The Liechtenstein Blockchain Act that was passed in January is a good piece of legislation that best supports their exchange activities.  Liechtenstein is a professional financial services hub and is a much better fit than Malta for Bittrex Global. Bittrex Global aims for the highest possible standards of regulation, security, and compliance to protect itself and its users. A new Bittrex Global exchange token is coming soon. Supporting links: Bittrex Global Bittrex Global on Twitter Stephen On Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro   The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Jeff McDonald is the co-founder of the NEM Foundation. Jeff was one of the first members of the NEM community and has helped build the NEM project to where it is today. NEM is preparing for the launch of Symbol (codename Catapult), the second generation of the NEM blockchain.  Why you should listen: Jeff McDonald shares recollections of the NEM journey to date. NEM was one of the earliest enterprise blockchains and began life as a thread on the BitcoinTalk forums before growing into a top 5 market cap asset with NEM communities all over the globe. Symbol (codename Catapult) represents a full rewrite of the NEM protocol. NEM core dev Jaguar recently published an update that unifies the governance plans for all NEM ecosystem entities to support one goal - the launch of Symbol later in 2020. Key takeaway: In building Symbol, Jeff says NEM has applied all the learning that comes from running version 1 of their blockchain in production for four years. Symbol is a more performant, scalable, and feature-rich protocol as a result. It will become the core NEM engine, powering both private and public blockchains. Jeff says the 3 other blockchain projects that he sees as the most formidable competitors are Libra, Hyperledger, and Ethereum. Supporting links: Symbol Roadmap Nem Ecosystem Updates  Nem.io Nem on Twitter Jeff on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

Chris Brookins is the founder of Valiendero Digital Assets, a quantitative cryptocurrency investment fund. Chris is the co-author of a new report titled Safe Havens - How gold and bitcoin can adapt to a new paradigm. In the current global crisis - the world is trending towards negative interest rates, money printing, and a decline in cash - traditional safe-haven assets are being turned on their head. The report explores what the function of a 21st-century safe haven should be. Why you should listen: Bitcoin is on the path to becoming a store of value. The narrative of bitcoin being uncorrelated with any other asset class, and being a safe haven store of value took a hit on March 12, black Thursday when it crashed along with other global markets. However, Bitcoin has since recovered, proving itself surprisingly resilient, and its recovery didn’t require central bank intervention or a government bailout.  Key takeaway: The COVID-19 pandemic is a black swan event that will impact all industries. It will affect the economy, supply chains, and political and social systems. Bitcoin is antifragile and may benefit from the current global uncertainty. However, as a risk asset, due to rising unemployment retail investors will likely have less income to buy Bitcoin. Expectations of risk to the global economy based on historical events are underestimated because events are inherently fat-tailed and because the tail has become fatter with increased connectivity. In other words high impact, low probability events are becoming more probable. Supporting links: Safe Havens - How gold and bitcoin can adapt to a new paradigm Valiendero Digital Assets Chris on Twitter Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin BNC Pro The Crypto Conversation is sponsored by BNC Pro, the new digital wealth platform featuring an all-in-one suite of customizable, institutional-grade applications that help you manage your crypto investments. Research, chart, screen, analyze, optimize, report, and more. BNC Pro is the ultimate portfolio tool for individual or enterprise use. Streamline your workflow, manage your crypto, and master this brave new asset class with BNC Pro. Go to BNC-Pro.com to create your free account. 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.

DJ J-SCRILLA is a critically acclaimed hip-hop producer and illustrator from Washington DC. His discography includes hall of fame rappers Killer Mike, Raekwon, and Smif N Wessun. DJ J-SCRILLA has released a new hip-hop album called Sound Money that tells the story of Bitcoin, and samples John Mcafee, Hotep Jesus, and Andreas Antonopoulos. Why you should listen: Sound Money by DJ-SCRILLA is a body of Bitcoin art combining audio clips, samples, dirty drums, and some of the hip-hop underground’s best rappers. The album serves as a soundtrack for Bitcoiners and serves up audio inspiration for no-coiners interested in the future of decentralized money. This podcast features music highlights from the album including the new crypto anthem ‘Faith In My Money (Money Printer Go Brrr)’. Key takeaway: On the hip-hop edition of the Crypto Conversation podcast, we discuss the lockdown trend that has seen top rappers engage in Instagram battles, such as the recent soundclash between DJ Premier and RZA.  DJ J-SCRILLA says “the album is not a foolishly positive take on Bitcoin. It’s a rational angle that condemns the abuses of central banking and portrays Satoshi Nakamoto’s currency as an alternative.” Following the Crypto Conversation hot take round, DJ J-SCRILLA shares his top 5 hip-hop albums. Sound Money is available on major streaming services. Supporting links: Rarescrilla.com Money Printer Go Brrr DJ J-Scrilla on Twitter Sound Money on Spotify 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.

Hugo Renaudin is the CEO and co-founder of LGO Group, a digital asset exchange for institutions. Hugo says that Bitcoin has a fascinating market infrastructure. It is both revolutionary, but imperfect. Hugo says the Black Thursday crash revealed underlying problems with Bitcoin's market infrastructure. The crash triggered a wave of liquidations that could have sent BTC to zero. What can be done to avoid this risk? Why you should listen: The Bitcoin and crypto markets have a fascinating market infrastructure that is potentially revolutionary, and a vital part of the capital markets 2.0. However, there are serious problems with Bitcoin's market infrastructure due to the centralization of existing trading platforms. These problems surfaced on Black Thursday, March 12, when the global markets crash triggered a wave of liquidations that could have sent BTC to zero on Bitmex.  Key takeaway: Volatility is a natural part of markets but the potential for volatility remains extreme in the crypto markets. The current financial crisis means that the months and years ahead are a make or break time for Bitcoin and the digital asset space. Bitcoin emerged out of the 2008 financial crisis and it now has the potential to establish itself in the current COVID-19 economic crisis. Bitcoin is not controlled by governments, it has a fixed supply, limited inflation, and it is decentralized. That makes Bitcoin uniquely positioned as a hedge when central banks are forced to inject new fiat into the system. Supporting links: LGOGroup on Twitter Hugo 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.

Loong Wang is the CTO and co-founder of Ren, a DeFi protocol that enables the private, permissionless transfer of value between any blockchain. Ren is solving the blockchain interoperability problem. Why you should listen: Loong studied computer science and distributed systems and then became increasingly interested in the potential of blockchain and decentralized finance. The goal of Ren is generic interoperability to enable the trustless, permissionless transfer of value between blockchain. Ren is part of the DeFi ecosystem but Loong sees Ren as helping to build out the decentralized future internet.  Key takeaway: Ren will make it possible to exchange value between different blockchains. The launch of the Ren mainnet is one month away. The goal of interoperability is to make it possible for users to exchange value on any chain, without even knowing that they are interacting with a blockchain. Everything should happen seamlessly in the background. Blade Runner is Loong’s favorite sci-fi movie, a masterpiece of patient world-building and story-telling. 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: Ren Project Ren on Twitter Loong 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.

Marco Streng is the CEO of Genesis Mining, one of the largest Bitcoin cloud-mining companies. Genesis has mining locations in Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and Europe. Marco studied mathematics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He set up a Bitcoin mining operation in his dorm room that ended when the electricity bill arrived. Why you should listen: Bitcoin mining is a contest for cheap energy and efficient mining rigs. Miners who are able to operate for long time frames at low costs are in the best position. All other miners are at risk of being buffeted by external market forces.  Key takeaway: Any professional miner is well prepared for the Bitcoin halving in May. It is a known event therefore competent miners are able to prepare for all scenarios well in advance.  Marcos says that worries about Bitcoin’s energy footprint are overblown due to Bitcoin mining’s increasing use of cheap renewable energy.   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: Genesis Mining Genesis on Twitter Marco on Twitter Marco on VICE Life 3.0 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.

Diogo Monica is the president and co-founder of Anchorage, the leading crypto custodian for institutional investors. Anchorage was selected as a founding member of the Libra Association and recently completed a $40m Series B fundraise, led by Visa.  Why you should listen: Diogo says that custody needs have evolved beyond simple cold storage. With proof-of-stake assets allowing on-chain governance and 24/7 trading opportunities, there’s a need for a custody solution that allows institutional-grade security as well as near-instant access to assets. Anchorage aims to be the leading provider of that solution. Key takeaway: Anchorage uses multiple types of biometric signals and behavioral analytics about the client and device to verify their identity. This is the cutting edge of crypto custody.  Digo thinks that Facebook’s Libra stablecoin will launch in some form in 2020. Anchorage is a founding member of the Libra Association.  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: Anchorage Anchorage on Twitter Diogo on Twitter Glacier Protocol The Way of Kings 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.

Muneeb Ali is the co-founder and CEO of Blockstack, a decentralized computing network that gives users control of their data. Muneeb talks about the limits of Web 2.0 and how that led to an intrusive ad model, and how web 3.0 changes this model by giving individuals control of their digital sovereignty. Why you should listen: Muneeb explains that over a dinner with Balaji S. Srinivasan in February, Balaji convinced him that COVID-19 was about to crash the world and all precautions should be taken. Balaji was right. The simple but robust protocol design for the Internet Protocol (IP) took the internet to 15B connected devices through the period of the fastest technological change in history. Muneeb says Bitcoin’s protocol has the same properties - it is simple and robust - that’s why Bitcoin is the ideal narrow waist for Web 3. Key takeaway: Blockstack completed its capital raise six months ago and rebalanced its portfolio in February - leaving them in a strong position to keep building in these turbulent times. Blockstack aims to be simple and powerful - like Bitcoin. Blockstack can be thought of as the inverse of the world computer - or platform blockchains such as Ethereum and EOS. Muneeb says that in trying and uncertain times - it is important for individuals to have a sense of purpose to help them keep pushing forward. Snow Crash is Mnueeb’s fav sci-fi novel and it informs his thinking about Web3 and Web4. 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: Blockstack Blocktack Blog Bitcoin as the narrow waist for Web3 Fireside chat with Balaji S. Srinivasan Snow Crash Simulation Theory Why Decentralization Matters Google creepily records you Muneeb 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.

Trent McConaghy is a data and statistical modeling expert. Alarmed at the exponential spread of COVID-19, Trent became concerned that if the virus followed the same trajectory as in Wuhan and Lombardy - other cities would be similarly overwhelmed. Trent created a model to answer the question - how long before hospital capacity gets overwhelmed; at which point the death rate jumps? The focus of the modeling is on the hot zones of the U.S. and Germany: Washington state (WA) and Berlin. According to the model WA will hit capacity by March 25, and Berlin by April 5.  Why you should listen: There are things we can do now, as citizens, organizations and governments, to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to bound the downside. If we don’t, the downside could be severe. Trent has a Ph.D. in EE from KU Leuven, Belgium. He undertook machine learning research for the Canadian Department of National Defense. He is the founder of Ocean Protocol, a decentralized data marketplace.  COVID-19 is a Black Swan. It’s gone from highly unlikely, to likely, to happening. No one has perfect models of how it will unfold, exactly. But, we can identify possible worst-case scenarios and take action to minimize the negative impacts if those scenarios do occur. The most rational thing that we can do is to bound the downside. Key takeaway: The virus will not hit nations in a uniformly spread fashion. It will take out one city at a time, not one country at a time. In China, Northern Wuhan was taken out first. In Italy, it was Lombardy, Venice, and Milan. So while we can start with analyses at the national level (USA, Germany), it’s critical to drill into specific hotspots (Washington state, Berlin) which will experience capacity constraints sooner than the national average. What can be done? For starters, get more beds. Cancel large gatherings, start remote work, and accelerate universal testing. We should act now. We can learn a lot from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. 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: When does hospital capacity get overwhelmed What we can do about Coronavirus Systemic Risk of Pandemic via Novel Pathogens Ocean Protocol Trent 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.

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