This podcast explores the weird intersection of finance, technology, innovation, public policy, and (because it's crypto) probably some memes.
Tune in to listen to the panel discussion entitled ‘Collateral Mobility in Crypto: Security and Capital Efficiency', as part of the Digital Asset Summit 2024. This is a live recording of the discussion which includes Copper's Michael Roberts, (Global Head of Sales), Luuk Strijers (CCO of Deribit), Paul Kremsky (Global Head of Business Development of Cumberland), Leo Mizuhara (CEO of Hashnote), and Michael Ippolito (Co-Founder of Blockworks & Moderator).
Tune into our latest Coppercast as Shaun Fernando, Chief Risk Officer at Deribit, joins our series 'Exchanges that have nothing to hide - conversations with the ClearLoop network'. Simon Morgan and Fragkiskos Gonidis of Copper speak with Shaun about risk management frameworks, tokenisation, and the increasing efficiencies blockchain provides compared to the traditional market infrastructure.
This is the first episode in our new series Exchanges that have nothing to hide - conversations with the ClearLoop network. Join Simon Morgan and Fragkiskos Gonidis of Copper as they speak with David Lo, Head of Financial Products and Wealth Management at Bybit about the maturing market infrastructure, the growing number of institutionally viable investment vehicles, and what seems to be a promising year ahead for crypto. The conversation goes into detail about ClearLoop, Coppers off-exchange settlement solution as well as Bybit Institutional's fund pools and structured products.
Why are blockchain and cryptocurrency important to democracy? Join Eva Gustavsson, Copper's Head of Public Affairs and Jennifer Ewing, Head of Strategy at the Center For Digital Assets And Democracy (CFDAAD) and Founder, Ottersea Advisors. CFDAAD is built on the principle that everybody should own and control their own assets, with the state and its agencies acting as enabling and directly accountable public servants. Together, Eva and Jennifer discuss how blockchain and cryptocurrency could be a tool for democracy, ownership of assets, and prosperity.
Listen to Henri Arslanian, a lawyer who defines his passion in life as the future of money and the financial industry. Henri is the cofounder of Nine blocks capital - a crypto hedge fund for institutions. Nine blocks received $75 million in its first close and has spent the last 2 years deploying to digital assets. With Fadi Aboualfa, Copper's Head of Research, this episode touches on the importance of due diligence for crypto-focused funds, regulation in the blockchain space, the potential of distributed ledger technology for the tokenisation of real world assets and the future impact of DLT and blockchain technology.
Dive deep into the world of on-chain data and the potential of CBDCs with our latest CopperCast episode. Join Fadi Aboualfa, Copper's Head of Research, as he engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Jonathan Reiter, Co-founder of Chainargos, and Patrick Tan, General Counsel. Together, they unravel questions that are reshaping the financial landscape: How will DeFi evolve? What insights do stablecoin movements offer us? What's the trajectory for blockchain adoption?
In the latest episode of CopperCast, our Head of Research Fadi Aboualfa had an insightful conversation with Jeremy Ng, Co-Founder of OpenEden. This organization has made impressive progress in the tokenization of real-world assets, specifically, short-term Treasury Bills. The Singapore-based team is among the limited group that has managed to successfully connect real-world assets to the blockchain, while preserving the paper trail's integrity which rests with a qualified custodian. Nearly $15 million in TBill tokens are currently issued and in circulation. Discover how OpenEden has set up their system, and explore what the future could bring, even if treasury rates were to hypothetically drop to zero.
In the most recent CopperCast our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, spoke to Eric Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Injective Labs, an interoperable layer one blockchain for decentralized financial markets. Fadi and Eric talk about Injective's developments since launching their mainnet in 2021, their venture goals with the announcement of their $150 million Ecosystem Fund, and philosophical takes on interoperability and scaling the DeFi ecosystem. Since recording the podcast, Injective has integrated Polygon [$MATIC], as well as completed the Avalon Mainnet upgrade, improving the DEX's performance, scalability, and user experience. Read more about Injective's updates here : https://blog.injective.com/
In the newest episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks to Stylus Capital's Founder Burak Yenigun and his Research Advisor, Robert Carver. Stylus Capital is a digital asset hedge fund that relies solely on momentum trading strategies. Burak and Robert may work closely together in developing sound strategies, but their approaches and long-term views differ from one another, even if slightly. The podcast delves into whether the fundamental data available is enough information for traders to make a decision all the way to why exposure to holding native cryptocurrency is a valuable proposition even when cash-settled futures markets are available. For regular updates on macro research on cryptocurrency, digital assets and distributed FMI follow Fadi Aboualfa on twitter @fadiaboualfa. And to hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co. Learn more about Stylus Capital : stylus.digital Robert Carver's blog : qoppac.blogspot.com
SkyBridge's Founder and Managing Partner, Anthony "the Mooch" Scaramucci, joins Copper in a colourful interview where we hear about his bold predictions on Bitcoin and the future of money. Guns blazing, Anthony calls out certain politicians and public figures who have made Crypto unattractive for US organisations looking to make headway in the digital asset space. At any rate, the future is bright and under the sanctity of law, the Mooch believes that the US can comeback in grand style to dominate innovation in the ecosystem. The interview is brought to a close with a special guest, ChatGPT, who had a few questions of its own.
In this episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks with Gordon Liao, Chief Economist at Circle, about how stablecoins will fundamentally change financial market infrastructure. “Many people thought that crypto would be a risk to banking, but what we have experienced just now is the reverse of that.” During this episode, Fadi and Gordon unpack the recent run-on banks in the US and explore the idea that USDC seems to be a safer asset to hold than an actual commercial bank deposit. As the industry re-groups and continues to build an improved financial infrastructure, the need for a good stablecoin is paramount. Gordon explains how he believes a stablecoin should be structured in the future, taking into account the recent events. For regular updates on macro research on cryptocurrency, digital assets and distributed FMI follow Fadi Aboualfa on twitter @fadiaboualfa. And to hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.
In this episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks with Lord Hammond, British former Chancellor of the Exchequer and now Chair at Copper, about the politics surrounding digital assets. "It's a new method of exchange for goods and services. Is there any politics attached to it? You bet there is.” During the episode, Lord Hammond discusses his tenured financial and political career, in a nation that has historically played a critical role in the evolution of financial services. It's evident that blockchain and blockchain-based services will be a cornerstone for this next phase of growth in the UK and beyond. To hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.
Our conversation in this episode is with Tania Reif, founder and CIO of the crypto investment fund, Senda Digital Assets. Tania has a deep understanding of macro markets having built a distinguished career at some of the world's best known macro hedge funds, including Soros Fund Management, Laurion Capital, Citadel and Alphadyne Asset Management. Hailing from Venezuela, she saw first-hand one of the most severe cases of hyperinflation in modern history before moving to NYC to earn a PhD from Columbia University – writing her dissertation on currency crises. In this discussion, which was recorded end-July (a time the crypto community was reeling from the collapse of Terra-Luna), Tania digs into her concerns of lax risk management practises in the crypto space and the importance of having a detailed understanding of where exactly yield comes from. Everything Tania discusses in this conversation still rings true today, post-FTX collapse.
Amidst the abrupt collapse of FTX and Alameda, we invited Kevin de Patoul, co-founder of market maker Keyrock to discuss what impact the fallout of one of the biggest disasters in crypto history will have on crypto market liquidity. Founded in Belgium in 2017, Keyrock is a digital asset market maker, providing liquidity services to tokens, exchanges and brokerages within the digital asset ecosystem. Earlier this year, the firm was ranked by Deloitte as one of the five fastest-growing companies in Belgium during 2022. In this interview, Kevin and host Tyler discussed whether FTX's downfall will fuel the case for DeFi, with Kevin citing concerns that even though FTX was a 'centralised crisis', it may be DeFi that will face stricter regulatory scrutiny. The two also discussed institutional adoption trends, and what's needed to restore confidence in the sector. With Keyrock being based in the headquarters of the European Union, MiCA was also naturally a key topic. For his Show & Tell, Kevin describes why in the quest to enhance crypto market transparency and accountability, moving everything on-chain is simply not enough.
With staking rapidly gaining momentum within the crypto ecosystem, we sat down with Jesper Johansen, founder and CEO of Northstake. Founded in 2021, Northstake is a Nordic staking provider that has registered its activity with the Danish FSA. Northstake operates dedicated validator node infrastructure that allows investors to earn rewards through network participation, without having to run their own infrastructure 24/7. In this conversation with host Tyler, Jesper discusses the formation of Northstake, its relationship with Concordium, the flourishing Danish crypto ecosystem, and why post-Merge, staking yields will likely drive strong institutional ETH adoption. For his Show & Tell, Jesper provides an overview of the rapidly growing staking ecosystem – showing that between Oct '19 to '21, the Proof-of-Stake market cap ballooned from $9bn to a staggering $339bn.
Episode 33 welcomes Michelle Noyes, Head of Americas at the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), to clear up misconceptions about institutional digital asset investment during this crypto winter. AIMA is the global representative of the alternative investment industry with over 2,000 corporate members in over 60 countries. Michelle recently celebrated her 10th anniversary at AIMA, having joined the organisation in 2012. In this conversation with host Tyler, she discusses seeing AIMA's membership evolve over the last decade, the formation of its Digital Assets Working Group (DAWG), its recent Annual Global Crypto Hedge Fund report and the new Crypto Trading report. Michelle also provides her perspective on the latest frontiers of cryptoasset investing, including the operational and regulatory challenges that need to be bridged for further institutional adoption. She highlights how events of earlier this year have provided the impetus for institutions to adopt more sophisticated due diligence and risk management processes. For her Show & Tell, Michelle explains that despite the current volatility in the crypto sector, allocation to digital assets from AIMA members continues to gain traction – although not exactly at the pace and volumes that some anticipated.
Episode 32 of CopperCasts welcomes Morgan Stanley Managing Director-turned-startup-founder, Kyle Downey. Downey launched the digital asset risk management firm Cloudwall in late-2021 shortly after calling time on his 17 year career at Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director in the bank's automated risk trading department. Based out of NYC and Singapore, Cloudwall is building an industry-leading set of digital asset risk management tools and metrics for institutional investors. The firm's flagship product, Serenity, will help investors to understand market, liquidity, credit, operational and other risks both at the level of individual assets and whole sectors. In this conversation, Kyle describes what prompted his interest in digital assets, Cloudwall's founding story and dives into the challenges the platform is striving to solve. He also discusses the different types of risk in crypto – counterparty, regulatory, stablecoin, smart contract etc – and how institutional investors should be evaluating and assessing these risks.r Don't forget to check out Kyle's Show & Tell segment on our YouTube channel for his succinct explanation on the risks, benefits and trade-offs of different models of stablecoins (fiat-collaterised, crypto-collaterised and algo-stablecoins).
Episode 31 of CopperCasts welcomes Dr Niclas Sandström, co-founder and CEO of Hilbert Group, a Nasdaq First North listed digital asset investment firm. Niclas started paying attention to digital assets whilst working at a large London-based emerging markets hedge fund. He noted that the characteristics that exist in emerging markets – heightened volatility, high-growth and large inefficiencies – also typify crypto markets. In 2018, Niclas went on to co-found Hilbert, which specialises in quantitative, algorithmic trading strategies in digital assets. Three years later in October 2021, the firm listed on Sweden's Nasdaq First North Growth Market. In addition to discussing of all the exciting developments at Hilbert, CopperCasts host Tyler Kenyon and Niclas unpack recent crypto and macro market events, policy developments, DeFi and risk management best practices. For his Show & Tell, Niclas discusses recent crypto market events and the importance of adopting a holistic approach to risk management. To hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our site, copper.co.
With the Ethereum Merge on the horizon, everybody is talking about staking – a process whereby crypto holders put their digital assets to work and earn passive income without needing to sell them. Episode 30 of CopperCasts welcomes Lorien Gabel, CEO of one of the most important players in the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) space, Figment. Founded in 2018, Figment is a Canadian-based PoS infrastructure provider that offers institutional staking and supports various projects with infrastructure and services. In this conversation, Lorien and CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon, discuss all things staking and the misconceptions around it, what the Ethereum Merge really means for investors, and also how regulations around staking are evolving. Make sure to also check out Lorien's Show & Tell on our Youtube channel to hear his explanation as to why over the past two years, PoS has been gaining traction on PoW, and why going forward, Lorien expects PoS to remain the dominant consensus mechanism. Note: This episode was recorded on 24 April 2022.
Daniel Masters, Chairman of CoinShares, Europe's largest and longest standing digital asset investment firm, joins the pod to provide his perspective on the state of the crypto market. CoinShares needs no real introduction. Since its inception, the firm has been a pioneer in digital assets by offering a suite of financial products and crypto ETPs, enabling digital asset exposure for investors on traditional exchanges such as Euronext, Börse Xetra, Six Swiss Exchange. In this wide-ranging conversation with Tyler, recorded on May 2022, Daniel discusses his long and distinguished career in commodities trading, how he stumbled upon bitcoin, his conviction in DeFi as the future of global finance, why crypto is anti-fragile, and all the cool things happening at CoinShares – including the firm's strategic plan to build an investment-crypto friendly bank. Make sure to check out Daniel's Show & Tell on our YouTube channel, where he discusses the business models that Web3 is powering.
There are very few people in crypto who have transitioned from the Metropolitan Opera to digital assets. Joseph Cox, COO at XMonetae Capital, is one of them. XMonetae is an NFA and SEC registered asset management firm specialising in digital asset trading for sophisticated and institutional investors. In this conversation with CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon, Joe speaks about rising institutional interest in crypto as a digital asset class, how XMonetae approaches risk management, the challenges of staying focused in a sector abound with endless opportunities, and the areas of the industry he believes hold the most potential in the years to come. Don't forget to check out Joe's Show & Tell on our Youtube where he shares why digital assets present a historic market opportunity. In this clip, Joe explains that the cryptoasset market cap being relatively tiny compared to traditional asset classes such as gold, US public equities and US bonds, demonstrates the vast amount of room there is for the digital asset industry to run. Don't forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Episode 27 of CopperCasts welcomes Glenn Morgan, Digital Asset Practice Leader, at Aon. Aon is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk solutions for a range of businesses, including crypto firms. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In this audio-only conversation with CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon, Glenn discusses crypto's evolving risk landscape and the challenges the industry presents for insurers in underwriting policies. He details the different types of insurance coverage that are tailored to crypto unique risk profile include D&O insurance, crime insurance, staking and slashing insurance, and more. In his Show & Tell, Glenn explains the evolution of insurance in digital assets, why insurance appetite waned after 2017, and how Aon is addressing this sector as it continues to transform.
In recent months, crypto has certainly received more than its fair share of attention from regulators and policymakers. The enormity of this interest was evidenced at the DC Blockchain Summit in downtown Washington in May. Attended by over 800 people – including many of the country's top lawmakers, regulators and crypto lobbyists – the conference was the largest gathering of the crypto industry in Washington to date. Ahead of the summit, Tyler sat down with Perianne Boring, the founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, which hosted the summit. As our long term listeners are aware, CopperCasts are split into two parts; a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space, followed by a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In her conversation with Tyler, Perianne explains that coming from a small town in Florida, the ripple effect of the housing crisis in 2008 was severe in her town. So when shortly afterwards a friend introduced her to bitcoin, she was immediately attracted by the asset's monetary properties. In 2014, Perianne founded the first national trade association for the industry, working to help policymakers in DC make sense of blockchain technology and what it can do for the country. In her Show & Tell, Perianne provides an overview of the regulatory landscape for digital assets in the United States, explaining that although there are a panoply of regulators overseeing the crypto space, the industry is lacking a coordinated approach to regulation. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated Permissionless conference on Tuesday 17 May, we invited Blockworks co-founder and popular industry commentator, Jason Yanowitz, to meet Tyler in NYC. Since its first event – a seven-person Happy Hour – Blockworks has ballooned into a cornerstone of the industry, creating and distributing quality educational content, in addition to organising some of crypto's most impressive events tailored to institutional investors. In this conversation with Tyler, Jason sheds light into how BlockWorks came to be and what some of the factors driving its success are. The two also discuss Blockwork's wildly popular newsletter and Jason explains that keeping a close eye on who consumes Blockworks content can be highly revealing. He discloses that week prior to JP Morgan making public a major crypto announcement, 120+ employees of investment bank had signed to the newsletter. Also make sure to check out Jason's Show & Tell, where he details why investors should be excited about 'The Merge' aka Ethereum's move to PoS. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Episode 24 of CopperCasts comes to you from the Big Apple! Tyler sat down with Mirza Uddin, Head of Business Development at Injective Labs – the first universal DeFi protocol for cross-chain derivatives trading. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second part is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In the audio-only conversation, Mirza talks about his transition from the venture capital industry into the crypto space, discussing many of the exciting things that Injective Labs are working on. He also describes the key driving factors behind DeFi, and what it'll take to draw TradFi institutions to the ecosystem. For his Show & Tell, Mirza discusses the growth and maturation of the crypto derivatives market. He explains that as more institutions come on board, crypto derivatives will soon eclipse the spot market – as in traditional finance. Most interestingly, Mirza adds that a lot of the derivatives volume is now is moving away from CEXs and into DEXs. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
In the crypto exchange world, it doesn't get more OG than Bitstamp – the longest-running exchange out there. Episode 23 welcomes its CEO, Julian Sawyer, to discuss Bitstamp's evolution throughout the years, as well as the wider crypto market's growth. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In this audio interview, Julian dives deeper into the sector's demographic shift. He also shares his personal crypto origin story, Bitstamp's vigorous listing process and even why he feels sorry for regulators. You can listen to Tyler's conversation with John by searching 'CopperCasts' on Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to check out Julian's Show & Tell segment on our Youtube page. In it, he describes the digital asset industry's changing demographic, explaining that a mere year ago, approximately 8% of Bitstamp's customers were female. Today, this figure stands at 18%. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Welcome to another episode of CopperCasts. Our guest for the 22th edition is Fadi Aboualfa. Fadi is well-known in crypto circles as the founder of Diar, a (now retired) newsletter providing market intelligence for the digital asset sector. Since 2021, Fadi has served as the research lead here at Copper, delivering detailed analysis of the crypto market to Copper's institutional clients via various reports: the monthly Analyst Retrospective, In-Depth, Op-Ed and the Technical Analysis series. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In this wide-ranging conversation with host, Tyler Kenyon, Fadi details the origins of his interest in crypto, the industry's future in politics, and thoughts on how public blockchains can support a robust, secure and transparent digital economy. Don't forget to check out Fadi's Show & Tell on our Youtube channel. Here, he explains that despite institutions spending $300bn+ annually to combat financial crimes, only 0.1% of criminal funds are recovered because of these anti-money laundering measures. Perhaps, though, better solutions exist? Don't forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Episode 21 of CopperCasts is brought to you from Zurich, Switzerland – a region where an investment vehicle innovation called Actively Managed Certificates (AMCs) is massively accelerating the adoption of digital assets. Host, Tyler Kenyon, sits down with Philippe Naegeli, founder of the Zurich-based securitisation specialist, GenTwo, and its subsidiary, GenTwo Digital, to discuss how digital assets can be securitised with a Swiss ISIN. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In the interview part of the podcast, Philippe sheds light on the GenTwo AMC ecosystem, bridging the TradFi and crypto worlds, and why it took time for Crypto Valley to warm to the concept of securitising cryptoassets. He also provides colour on how the regulatory landscape in Switzerland is evolving and shares what he's seeing that has him excited about the future of crypto. Make sure to check out Philippe's Show & Tell on our Youtube channel. Here, he discusses the astronomical growth of GenTwo, which today boasts more than $1.6bn in assets under service and works with over 5% of all financial intermediaries in Switzerland.
Episode 20 of CopperCasts welcomes Patrick Zielbauer of Blockfills. Blockfills is a cryptoasset electronic market making, trading and prime brokerage firm with over 600 institutional clients that has seen an explosion of growth. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In his conversation with host, Tyler Kenyon, Patrick explains the origins story of Blockfills and how the organisation build out its derivatives, structured products and mining pool solutions in-house. He also shares his thoughts about the future of the digital asset space and what he's most excited about. Make sure to check out Patrick's Show & Tell on our Youtube channel to hear Patrick explain why institutional investors should be demanding the same white glove service from crypto service providers that they are used to receiving in the legacy markets. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Episode 19 of CopperCasts welcomes DeFi entrepreneur, Mona El Isa, who joins us at our London office to discuss her popular on-chain asset management protocol, Enzyme Finance. Enzyme empowers individuals to set up, manage and invest in customised on-chain investment vehicles. According to DeFi Pulse, the protocol currently has over $138m in assets committed to the platform. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In this audio-only conversation, Mona talks to host, Tyler Kenyon, about her background as a trader at Goldman Sachs and a fund manager, and the struggles she faced in TradFi. She then details what attracted her to the world of crypto, the origin story of Enzyme and also discusses the protocol's new Sulu release. Make sure to check out Mona's Show & Tell on our Youtube channel to hear Mona discuss the asset management tech stack for DeFi and the growth of the Enzyme protocol. Don't forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Episode 18 of CopperCasts welcomes Nate Hindman, Head of Growth at Bancor. Bancor is an on-chain liquidity protocol that enables automated, decentralised exchange on the Ethereum network. Bancor is perhaps most famous for pioneering the world's first blockchain-based automated liquidity pool, or automated market maker (AMM). CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can search for in all the usual places. In this audio-only conversation with CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon. Nate details Bancor's history, what sets it apart from Uniswap and SushiSwap as an automated market maker, the protocol's pioneering role in protecting against impermanent loss, and the upcoming release of Bancor V3 In his Show & Tell, Nate dives deeper into the issue of impermanent loss and how Bancor is able to provide IL protection.
In somewhat of a departure from our regularly scheduled programming, we bring you a unique episode of Coppercasts with our special guest, award-winning actress Rebecca Ferguson. Copper recently released its first foray into the world of television advertising, with a 30 sec exclusive spot on Bloomberg. In this episode we speak to our leading lady about her star-studded career, growing up in Sweden, shooting her newest film Dune (out now, and amazing!), NFTs, and crypto writ large. I can honestly say I've never had this much fun talking about crypto. We don't have our usual Show & Tell element, but in this case we have something better. Check out Rebecca and Copper's first TV commercial here. Don't forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Welcome to episode 16 of CopperCasts. This interview is with Jakob Palmstierna, partner at GSR. Founded in 2013, GSR is a leading global market maker for cryptocurrency spot and crypto derivative markets. In this conversation, CopperCasts host Tyler Kenyon and Jakob go into detail about the expansion of the crypto derivatives and options markets. Jakob also sheds lights on derivatives within the DeFi space, the crucial role GSR will play in DeFi options, as well regulatory complexities in the wider crypto markets. Make sure to also check out Jakob's Show & tell on our Youtube channel. In this 2 minute clip, he examines the growth of the crypto derivatives and options, detailing why he believes that these markets may eventually outsize the spot markets 10 to 1 in the years to come.
Many people think of Bitcoin as a 'finished product' that does not require technical improvements. This couldn't be further from the truth. Today, it is estimated that there are around 20-30 developers fixing bugs, improving performance and adding new features to Bitcoin. Episode 15 of CopperCasts welcomes John Newbery, one such developer who for over five years has been working on enhancing the security of the most sophisticated software of our time. In 2020, John founded Brink, a non-profit organisation that supports Bitcoin's open source developer community and has already funded six developers through its grants and fellowship programs. In this fascinating conversation with Tyler, John explains the inner workings of bitcoin core development, highlights the challenges that Brink is tackling and also describes Bitcoin's upgrade path. Make sure to check out John's Show & Tell on our Youtube channel where he unpacks how Brink is contributing to Bitcoin's long-term success in a 3min explainer. Don't forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
The latest CopperCasts episode welcomes Philip Gradwell, Chief Economist at Chainalysis, the blockchain analysis company. In this conversation, you’ll get a glimpse of how difficult it is to link a wallet address to real identities, how privacy coins such as Monero work, Chainalysis’ plans in DeFi, the true scale of illicit activity occurring on the network, and buying socks with Bitcoin (which Philip once did!). Make sure to also check out Philip’s Show & Tell on our Youtube channel, which looks at institutional inflows into the space. Philip describes that since November, large whales have bought 1.7m Bitcoin in total at an average cost of $35k per Bitcoin. He concludes that the willingness to buy the digital asset at this price level likely puts a new floor on the Bitcoin price of at least $35k. Don’t forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Welcome to another episode of CopperCasts, where we recently had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Hugo Philion, CEO and co-creator of Flare Network. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can stream at the bottom of this page, or search for it in all the usual places. In this longer conversation with our host, Tyler Kenyon, Hugo dives in and lays out all the facts on what Flare is. He explains how Flare is able to provide assets such as Ripple, Litecoin, Stellar and Dogecoin a trustless way of accessing smart contracts, so that these assets can enter the exciting world of NFTs and all of the future developments that smart contracts bring. Tyler and Hugo also touch on other topics such as regulation, celebrity endorsement of the space and what we can expect in the near future. Short on time but keen to hear what Flare is from the horse’s mouth? Make sure to check out Hugo’s Show & Tell on our Youtube Channel for a 2min description of Flare and the value it can bring to the crypto community. Don’t forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
Welcome to episode 12 of CopperCasts, where we're joined by Stani Kulechov, the founder and CEO of Aave. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you'll know that Aave is a wildly popular decentralised finance (DeFi) platform for lending and borrowing assets. In August 2020, it became the second DeFi protocol to hit $1 billion in total value locked (TVL). Six months later, this figure has swollen to an astounding $6 billion TVL. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can stream at the bottom of this page, or search for it in all the usual places. Stani’s Show & Tell segment focuses on the exponential growth of DeFi and how TVL (the most popular metric for DeFi) works. He also provides a primer on what Aave is why it continues to grow market share at an incredible place. In the longer audio-only podcast, Stani and Tyler leave no stone unturned, discussing Aave's exciting new projects in the pipeline, emerging trends such as reg-tech and Stani's experience as an angel investor. Don’t forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
In episode 11 we speak with David Marsh, a financial specialist, author and commentator on political, economic and monetary issues. David Marsh worked for more than 20 years as a reporter for outlets including Reuters and the Financial Times. He then turned to a career in investment banking. Currently he serves as Chairman of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), an independent think tank organisation concerned with central banking and economic policy. In the Show & Tell segment which you can find on our Youtube channel, David identifies ways that central banks can evolve to keep up with the horsemen of fintech. He also calls for partnership ecosystems between CBs and new private sector payment technologies to preserve fair competition and drive further efficiency in payments. In this longer audio-only podcast, David and Tyler delve deeper into the key changes that big tech is driving in central banking, including the development of central bank digital currencies and their role in promoting financial inclusion. You can follow David and OMFIF on twitter.
This week's Coppercast comes to you from the Finnish seaside city of Helsinki, where we met with the dynamic Yichen Wu, CEO and co-founder at Tesseract Investment. Tesseract is a forerunner in the rapidly growing digital asset lending market, enabling individuals or institutions to earn passive income on their cryptocurrency assets. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can stream at the bottom of this page, or search for it in all the usual places. The Show & Tell segment sees Yichen outline some of the inefficiencies in the crypto lending space, and explain how Tesseract and Copper are solving these issues. In the longer conversation, Yichen talks about the trends he is seeing in institutional crypto borrowing and lending, why regulators are right to take a slow and prudent approach to digital assets, nurturing the 'shallow' crypto talent pool, and why CrossFit is like airline food... Don’t forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.
In the hot seat this week is Konstantin Anissimov, Executive Director of CEX.IO, one of the oldest and most established cryptocurrency exchanges. CopperCasts are split into two parts. The first is a short (2min) video in which our guest shares with us something they find unusual or inspiring about the digital asset space. The Show & Tell segment sees Konstantin outlines the factors driving the growth of DeFi, highlighting that even in its nascency, the sector has already left an indelible mark on the global financial landscape. The second half is a traditional audio-only podcast, which you can stream at the bottom of this page, or search for it in all the usual places. In the longer conversation, Konstantin describes navigating the minefield of grey areas in exchange regulation, witnessing a growing wave of institutional funds flowing into the digital asset space, the soap opera that is DeFi and also shares his take on what’s in store for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). You can follow Konstantin on Twitter: @anissimovk1 Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and please subscribe! You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
If you consider yourself an avid networker, chances are you are already familiar with our latest Coppercasts guest. The eighth episode welcomes Erica Stanford, founder of the popular Crypto Curry Club – the UKs no 1 rated networking lunches and educational events for leaders in blockchain, crypto and emerging tech. In her Show & Tell segment, Erica presents a passionate argument for how 2.5 billion of the world’s poorest population are poised to benefit from crypto by sending money to anyone, anywhere, instantly – for free. In our longer conversation, Erica and Tyler discuss her journey with crypto, its real value and how the market is dramatically evolving. Erica also sheds light on the difficulties she faced travelling across Asia and South America – having to learn the hard way just how extortionate remittance companies are. Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and please subscribe! You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
It’s easy to read about institutional investment in crypto, but what’s it like to live it? For episode seven of CopperCasts we speak with Michael Hall, the co-founder and CIO of Nickel Digital. One of the most successful crypto hedge funds going. In his Show & Tell segment, Michael gave us a sneak peak of their recently launched Digital Factors Fund, a multi-strategy approach for startup funds that leverages the infrastructure and relationships that Nickel has already built up and which smaller funds wouldn't be able to afford on their own. Here, in our longer conversation, we delve a little deeper into some of the challenges startup funds face in this space. We explore the similarities between institutional crypto now and the world of hedge funds in the 1990s. We talk regulations, CBDCs, Libra, automation, corporate treasury reserve assets, DeFi, and how you respond to a pandemic. We left no crypto stone unturned! Michael and the team at Nickel Digital are easily some of the most experienced and successful digital asset managers around. It's a great episode and we look forward to getting an update on the Digital Factors Fund in Q1 2021. In the meantime, you should follow Nickel on Twitter. Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and please subscribe. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
Layer one protocols are at the heart of everything in our industry, which is why it was such a pleasure to speak with Iain Wilson, the CFO of the NEM Project, for episode 6 of CopperCasts. In his Show & Tell segment, which you can catch on Youtube, Iain talks about the tokenisation of the world and what the projected market cap of tokenised assets could be before the decade is out In our longer conversation we talk about the whole NEM ecosystem, it’s evolution from NIS1 to Symbol, the impact of CBDCs and stable coins, and what that means for reshaping the whole financial markets infrastructure. You can follow Iain and the NEM project on Twitter: @NEMofficial. Don’t forget to download the full podcast on your preferred streaming platform, and please subscribe. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
With artificial intelligence only becoming more pervasive in our lives, in CopperCasts episode 5 we welcome the globally-recognised innovation specialist and author, David Shrier. In his Show & Tell segment, which you can find on our YouTube channel, the Oxford and MIT futurist highlights the astonishing adoption rate of crypto vs the adoption rate of the internet and 150 years of technological advancements. In this second part of the podcast, a wide ranging talk with host Tyler Kenyon, David dives deep into blockchain from his AI-centric perspective, discusses his new book and candidly reveals why he has no regrets in not investing in Bitcoin at $400. You can follow David on Twitter: @DavidShrier, and you can pre-order his new book Augmenting Your Career: How to Win at Work In the Age of AI, from Amazon. Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and please subscribe. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
In episode 4 we speak with Piers Ridyard, the CEO of Radix DLT In his Show & Tell segment, which you can find on our YouTube channel, Piers highlights the insane growth of assets locked into DeFi projects, and the impact that is having on Ethereum, the primary layer one protocol DeFi projects are currently built on. In this part of the podcast, Piers digs deep into the big topics: What is DeFi? What’s holding DeFi back from wider adoption? How do we achieve scalability and composability using DLT? How do you build a sustainable community of security-minded developers on a new layer one protocol? And why it’s important to get a good night’s sleep You can (and should!) follow Piers and Radix on Twitter. Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and please subscribe. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
In episode 3 we speak with Jeff Hancock, an IT Security expert turned crypto startup founder. In his Show & Tell segment, which you can find on our YouTube channel, Jeff looks at how pound cost averaging (or dollar cost averaging) can make investing in digital assets easier over the long run. Specifically he looks at how this strategy would have served a FTSE100 investor and a BTC investor over the last ten years. The results are, how shall we say, compelling! In this part of the podcast, Jeff discusses the current state of the UK’s retail crypto industry, and we speculate on where it will be in a year or ten year’s time. You can follow Jeff on Twitter: @Jeff_coinpass PLUS - Just for listeners of CopperCasts: if you sign up to Coinpass using this link and deposit £100, Coinpass will give you an additional £10! Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and subscribe. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
In episode 2 we speak with Geoff White, an experienced tech reporter who has been covering information security and crypto for more than a decade. In his short Show & Tell segment, which you can find on our YouTube channel, Geoff explores the correlation between ransomeware attacks and the global Covid-19 pandemic. He asks, has there been more cyber crime during lockdown? Has it been more successful? How do we measure this? In this longer conversation, Geoff discusses some of the history of cyber crime, what motivates it, and how you as an individual can protect yourself from it. He also discusses his interest in Bitcoin and where he sees the industry going. You can follow Geoff on Twitter: @GeoffWhite247, and you can buy his best selling new book Crime Dot Com, from Amazon. Don’t forget to download the full podcast, and subscribe. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights
Does Bitcoin live in its own universe? How does it respond to central bank liquidity? Where is it correlated? To gold? To the S&P500? Or should it be viewed as an internet stock? In this first episode of CopperCasts, we speak with Charlie Morris, the founder and CIO of ByteTree.com about how he got into Bitcoin, where he sees it in the market now, where it’s headed, and why it’s desperately needed. If you haven’t seen Charlie’s Show & Tell presentation, please jump on our Youtube Channel (and subscribe!). There, Charlie shows in two minutes just how correlated BTC has been to social media stocks over the last 8 years. This podcast is produced by the team at Copper, if you’d like to learn more you can find us @CopperHQ, or https://copper.co