Crypto Curry Cast - SoundSage

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Open Banking is ushering in a new era of payments that are laid down by convenience, transparency, and security. New-age solutions such as Sweeping, Paperless & HRMC Payments via Open Banking exemplify a massive improvement in the digital buying experience while being consumer-friendly and cost-effective.

Vince Howard, Senior Digital Marketing Lead of Financial Services, Open Banking talks us through how the landscape is changing and what we can anticipate in the months and years ahead.

What We Discuss:

[00:01:27]Give us a simplified overview of exactly what open banking is — How it works, and also give some examples of where we're seeing open banking on a day-to-day basis already
[00:03:39]Give us just an overview of what you think has been the main trends? And what's next really, in open banking, where do you see this going?
[00:08:06] How mainstream is Open Banking already? Is it something that people or pretty much everyone is already using without necessarily knowing it?
[00:09:40]Do you see any other use cases within crypto/other sorts of crypto wallets/decentralized exchanges/DeFi platforms? Looking at using that, do you know how that would work? Or if that is a target market for Open Banking?
[00:12:39] What else would you see as being the benefits for some of the smaller sort of crypto and DeFi platforms wallets/exchanges for getting into Open Banking? And what would they need to do to go about getting set up?
[00:16:23] Would scaling internationally be something that Open Banking can work on?

Episode Resources:

Open Banking: https://www.openbanking.org.uk/
Vince Howard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardvince/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1wvx54vQAU

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2021 was marked as a spectacular year as crypto assets went mainstream, tied with the rise of NFTs, meme coins, ICOs, and of course, Metaverse towards the end of the year.

In many ways, it was the year of "breakthrough". But what's next for 2022?

Simon Peters, crypto market analyst at Etoro join us for a webinar brought to you by True Layer to discuss the 2022 outlook in this new-age investment class.

What We Discuss

[00:01:57]What were some of the biggest crypto milestones in 2021?
[00:03:10] What's the clear trend for people getting into crypto?
[00:09:51] Bitcoin ETFs - As new players enter the game (ProShares, Fidelity, positive net inflows from institutional investors), what impact does this have on crypto markets broadly?
[00:11:43] Why are more investors allocating to DeFi assets in wake of the metaverse? eToro's 2021 Cryptoasset Leaderboard
[00:13:54] Do you think the trend of crypto going in towards NFT will continue to happen?
[00:14:44] What do you think is needed to get more people involved in crypto-money?
[00:17:55] Outlook for the crypto-verse: What could 2022 hold in store? And what's next for eToro?
[00:19:52] What are you seeing people doing with their crypto? What are you seeing as trends on eToro?

Episode Resources

Etoro: https://www.etoro.com/
Simon Peters: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonjpeters/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ85OyQbz_8

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To ensure we are all ready for the Crypto Tax deadline fast approaching 31 January 2022, we invited Tax Specialist at Accointing, David Canedo, and Personal Tax Director at BKL, Chris Smith to help us navigate our way this season.

And for the majority of us (who still have a few things to do), David and Chris share how exactly we can get a clear actionable list for the upcoming Crypto Tax deadline in the UK with an added bonus of Accointing hosting an #AMA towards the end.

What We Discuss

UK's stand on crypto
Crypto Tax Regulations
When Is Crypto Taxed?
The Best Practices in Crypto Bookkeeping
Crypto Accountants
Tools for Crypto Taxes

Episode Resources

Accointing: https://www.accointing.com/
David Canedo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-canedo/
BKL: https://www.bkl.co.uk/
Chris Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-smith-71879116/#experience

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMgWWSIYaMk

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In essence, crypto’s decentralised nature is a big draw. Which means that while digital money is the future, tougher regulations are needed to be set to prevent it from being used for finance terrorism and money laundering… which by the way, is already happening.

For this reason, crypto exchanges around the world are required to comply with AML and CFT obligations. But what is the scope of regulatory clarity and where are we at that?

Alex Royle, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Regulation at Archax together with Sachin Dutta, Chief Marketing Officer of Coinfirm shares their unique viewpoints on the topic and what they think is the key to bringing the industry together.

What We Discuss:

Where do you see regulation going? And what do you see is needed in how the regulator approaches, the outcomes that we would desire such as money laundering and crypto, for example?
[00:01:52] Alex Royle
[00:03:39] Sachin Dutta
Where do you see that sort of the risk of stifling innovation coming in with regulation? And can innovation be achieved here with regulatory barriers still sort of attached to traditional finance or what is needed?
[00:06:29] Alex Royle
[00:09:43] Sachin Dutta
How can jurisdiction or arbitrage be mitigated? What what do you see is the answer to that?
[00:13:03] Alex Royle
[00:13:23] Sachin Dutta
Would you say that having one regulator, one independent auditor and an industry standard is the answer?
[00:17:04] Sachin Dutta
[00:18:28] Alex Royle
Is there a role where partnerships with other organizations such as the anti-human trafficking network, for example, could play it? Is that the answer to reduce a lot of crime and hopefully reduce the victims that are affected?
[00:22:01] Sachin Dutta
[00:24:10] Alex Royle

Episode Resources:

Coinfirm: https://www.coinfirm.com/
Sachin Dutta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachin-dutta/
Archax: https://archax.com/
Alex Royle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awdr/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19KpW6HaaA

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Open Banking has been around for a few years now but it wasn’t until recently that it gained significant traction. The technology-enabled innovation gives consumers like you and me the power to securely share our selected banking data with accredited third parties. It’s proving itself critical to improving consumer experience and regulators are recognising it as vital in changing the competitive landscape of the banking sector.

In this conversation with Charles Kerrigan, Partner and Global Head of Fintech at CMS, we consider the development of regulations in the open banking space and highlight the regulatory frameworks developing around it. We also touched on how this sector will affect crypto companies as more institutions look to integrate open banking.

What We Discuss:

[00:01:06]Give us an overview of what Open Banking is.
[00:03:02] What were the highlights of Open Banking this 2021, and have there been any major changes in how regulation has addressed it?
[00:06:27] What do you see coming in the year 2022? Are there any new regulations coming in or any changes that you see coming in?
[00:09:42] How do you see open banking and the way it's evolving, affecting some of the crypto companies going forward? Do you see any, any changes there? And are you seeing increased demand for crypto companies looking to use and integrate open banking?
[00:10:59] Did you anticipate more users going to crypto companies if they are bank integrated or to attract newer users? Or how do you see that affecting how users on an individual or on an institutional level?
[00:13:49] For crypto companies, what should they be looking at when it comes to open banking?
[00:15:24] For open banking firms, what is the main thing that they need to be addressing in terms of approaching crypto companies being aware of the differences in licensing and so forth?
[00:16:43] How will open banking come into the DeFi side of the crypto space? And how would that work on a practical and regulatory point of view?

Episode Resources:

CMS: https://cms.law/en/int/
Charles Kerrigan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-kerrigan-77a85b22/

Watch it on Youtube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddSkBN_fXz8

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Consumers are continuously evolving and asking for better, cheaper, and more convenient ways to manage their money. So in an increasingly incalculable post-pandemic world, it looks like banks are doubling down on innovation — you know what they say, if you wish to survive, adapt, and leverage.

Principal at management consulting company, 15Mb Ltd., David Birch sat down with us to demystify what that looks like in a wider financial marketplace where it’s all about crypto and blockchain, along with their implications from 2022 and beyond.

What We Discuss:

[00:01:19] Give us an overview of where open banking fits into crypto? And where are we now in open banking?
[00:08:53] Are you seeing crypto exchanges, or crypto wallets already using open banking? Or are they just starting to look at it now?
[00:09:06] What would be needed for crypto platforms to integrate open banking?
[00:13:13] For companies looking to implement open banking, what realistically would they need to do if they're going to someone like Plaid, for example, what else is needed?
[00:14:12] Do you think decentralised platforms and wallets will stand a chance of getting these setups and getting the regulation in place to get an open banking setup?
[00:16:21]Where will open banking change, and affect crypto over the coming years?
[00:17:21] Last thoughts on the growth of DeFi —What are your predictions?

Episode Resources:

15Mb Ltd.: https://15mb.ltd/
David Birch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgwbirch/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTKHkhHSA0I

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According to Uzair, the financial system should work for all, but the current system is skewed... it favors a few and excludes many, and so his team is on a mission to change that by leveraging new technologies to promote financial inclusion, literacy, transparency, and decentralisation.

Find out what they are doing at Symmetric, and how they are changing the narrative of finance in this episode.

What We Discuss:

[00:01:03] After leaving your MBA, why start working straight away in a blockchain startup years ago?
[00:02:50] How did you see this promise of change in this industry? And what was the kicking moment?
[00:03:49]How did you form an early job in blockchain startup to running your own
[00:05:36] What kept you going despite the various lockdowns during the pandemic season?
[00:07:33] Why choose the decentralised route?
[00:09:55] How did you go from such a sort of a running start to actually having a company and leading that albeit whilst working totally remotely the whole time?
[00:11:09] What has been your biggest win?
[00:11:53] What’s next for you?
[00:13:38] Do you think that working remotely will be the main trend that’s accepted even after the pandemic?
[00:14:57] And how do you see decentralised companies working in DeFi going?
[00:16:02] Is setting up another decentralised exchange and/or another DeFi wallet part of the next challenge for you?
[00:17:05] What’s the most exciting thing about DeFi?
[00:17:58] Where's your go-to for information for trends in the industries changing for new technologies? Where do you go, what do you read?

Episode Resources:

Symmetric: https://symmetric.finance/
Uzair Qidwai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uzair-qidwai-22204022/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXOuXr0xMNs

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The emerging ecosystem of DeFi is constantly evolving, and challenging the centralised financial system. It is shifting the control from middlemen, gatekeepers to the hands of everyday people like you and me using what’s called peer-to-peer exchanges.

Haydn Jones, Director-Senior Blockchain Market Specialist of PWC, and Philipp Pieper, Co-founder of Swarm Markets join us to discuss the strides we are making to bring the securities market onto the blockchain.

What We Discuss:

What are the benefits and challenges of bringing securities onto the blockchain?
[00:01:38] Philipp Pieper
[00:03:18] Haydn Jones
Is the misunderstanding, or lack of clarity around what blockchain can do and even what DeFi is, still one of the main barriers, are you already seeing some moves towards changing that within companies and having a greater understanding of the technology?
[00:05:54] Haydn Jones
[00:07:14] Philipp Pieper
Where does DeFi come in terms of innovating existing securities markets?
[00:10:40] Philipp Pieper
[00:12:53] Haydn Jones
What is needed to help bring more securities onto the blockchain and facilitate greater liquidity in these products?
[00:21:08] Haydn Jones
[00:22:32] Philipp Pieper

Episode Resources:

Swarm Markets: https://swarm.markets/
Philipp Pieper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipppieper/
PWC: https://www.pwc.co.uk/
Haydn Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haydn-jones/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1WjAb7PA54&t=2s

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The modern-day, tech-savvy consumers’ demand for a more avant-garde service, gave rise to what’s now called the open banking revolution. And, it is changing the way transactional data is shared, used, and stored outside Financial Institutions.

This paradigm shift is actively transforming the payments landscape, and with cryptocurrencies squeezing its way toward the innovation space, it looks like it’s set to play a significant role.

We had a chat with the BigONE Exchange Chairman, Anndy Lian to discuss the potentially life-changing opportunities that Open Banking brings and how crypto can be leveraged in this new scene.

What We Discuss:

[00:02:01]Give us an overview of what open banking is. How is this bringing some disruption and some benefits to the traditional roles of things like lending and credit?
[00:04:51] Do you see any other benefits to the area of credit decision?
[00:08:05] How specifically do you see open banking benefiting people who are either looking to get in crypto or who are already in the crypto space?
[00:12:25] Have you seen a large take up for that sort of access of on ramping via open banking on your exchange?
[00:15:58] What are some of the security benefits that open banking brings?
[00:17:51]What do you see is next for open banking in terms of helping the credit, lending space, and the crypto exchanges picking up this technology of using open banking?

Episode Resources:

BigONE Exchange: https://bigone.com/
Anndy Lian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anndylian/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgH2oLqsKBA

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Starting a business is one thing, having support, funding and direction are another. For startups, there is always a steep learning curve and with so much at stake, no wonder founders are constantly walking on eggshells.

If you are a startup founder who’s still in doubt about whether an accelerator program is the right route, Koii Network Founder, and former Outlier Ventures’ Accelerator Program participant, Al Morris takes you through his journey on what it’s like during and after the program.

What is an accelerator program and will it really help your startup have that competitive edge?

What We Discuss:

[00:00:54]Tell us about yourself and what Koii Network does.
[00:02:48]How long did it take for you to get from having 3 to now 30 people?
[00:05:10]How was it working with the mentors from the base camp? What kind of people have you met?
[00:08:40]What kind of people have you seen getting on in Koii Network — is it die-hard traditional crypto users or people coming from other avenues?
[00:09:32] Are you looking at joining any other sort of accelerators or partnership programs?
[00:10:54]For anyone who hasn’t been through an accelerator, what aspects of the base camp have been the most useful?
[00:12:13]What's next for you guys?

Episode Resources:

Outlier Ventures' Accelerator Program: https://outlierventures.io/base-camp/
Koii Network: https://koii.network/
Al Morris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderdmorris/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KMtfKei3gY

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Lawmakers around the world are waking up to digital currency — and everyone is in a race to figure out how to best regulate it. Because, unlike others, crypto is constantly changing and rapidly developing; this is one of the main reasons why it’s difficult from a legislative standpoint.

In this webinar, we’re joined by both sides of the aisle, Philipp Pieper Co-founder of the world’s first regulated DeFi platform Swarm Markets and James Burnie, partner at law firm gunnercooke.

What We Discuss:

Tell us about your experience with different regulators around the world.
[00:01:32] Philipp Pieper
As a lawyer, how was your experience like when it comes to dealing with different regulators?
[00:03:51] James Burnie
What else can regulators look to learn from jurisdictions aside from clarity?
[00:06:50] Philipp Pieper
[00:08:59] James Burnie
What do you see is coming next with the existing crypto security laws?
[00:13:30] Philipp Pieper
[00:16:55] James Burnie
What would make the most difference to the DeFi ecosystem coming from regulators?
[00:23:56] James Burnie
[00:25:47] Philipp Pieper

Episode Resources:

Swarm Markets: https://swarm.markets/
Philipp Pieper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipppieper/
gunnercooke: https://gunnercooke.com/
James Burnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-burnie-frsa-889b09a5/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AT0CKfjG_c

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Time and time again we've seen centralised exchanges lead the charge... until now. Decentralised exchanges are up in the air offering what the former lacked... security, transparency, and accessibility. But is it really?

This webinar with Uzair Qidwai of Cent Finance, Symmetric along with Will Dudenhausen of the Dispute Settlement Center explores and compares the relative pros and cons of each in terms of user participation.

What We Discuss:

Why did you opt to have a decentralised exchange over a centralised exchange? And what would you say are the main benefits of decentralised exchanges?
[00:02:22] Uzair Qidwai
Where do you see autonomy from a user experience point of view? Do you see that it's just a matter of time until centralised exchanges catch up? Or is there more to it?
[00:04:27] Will Dudenhausen
How do you counter the security and custody issues that come with decentralised projects? From a user experience point of view, which one is safer in terms of storing your money?
[00:08:21] Will Dudenhausen
How can decentralised exchanges ensure security and custody, and how can they build up that trust and honor?
[00:10:17] Uzair Qidwai
Do you see the lack of liquidity as a problem when it comes to decentralised exchanges? Or is that just a factor with it being in its early stages?
[00:13:32] Uzair Qidwai
[00:16:15] Will Dudenhausen
Would fewer options when it comes to ramping and offering facilities be a problem in the decentralised space?
[00:18:48] Uzair Qidwai
How far do you see the space is going, in terms of the need to improve the user experience and ease of use especially for people who are new to crypto?
[00:21:22] Will Dudenhausen

Episode Resources:

Symmetric: https://symmetric.finance/
Uzair Qidwai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uzair-qidwai-22204022/?originalSubdomain=uk
Dispute Settlement Center: http://www.disputesettlement.org/
Will Dudenhausen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-dudenhausen-8703606/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzTnmbFScCw

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It’s hard to miss news of the meteoric rise in prices for several coins but crypto’s nature consists of a lot of plunges along the way due to its volatility and unpredictability.

And one of the biggest challenges for investors when it comes to crypto is to not get caught up in the hype… Especially now that we live in an era where a tweet can easily dictate its rise and fall.

If you’re tempted to invest or are looking to have a little exposure to crypto in your portfolio, Anndy Lian, Chairman of the BigONE Exchange lets you in on what to consider before taking the leap.

What We Discuss:

Give us an overview of all the different ways for people and institutions to get involved in crypto. What are some of the different ways that are being offered on the BigONE Exchange?
[00:01:59] Anndy Lian
Do you see any new trends in terms of what type of people or users are being drawn to these products and strategies?
[00:05:17] Anndy Lian
What methods would you say you see to mitigate with as little risk as possible if somebody is new to crypto and sort of cautious to get in?
[00:08:39] Anndy Lian
How do you see institutional investment in crypto going?
[00:13:21] Anndy Lian
What else do you see needs to come in for crypto to be fully ideal for new investors, but also for institutional money aside from the regulation and ease of use?
[00:19:26] Anndy Lian

Episode Resources:

BigONE Exchange: https://bigone.com/
Anndy Lian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anndylian/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ydo8LMwsk

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As cryptocurrency continues to attract mainstream attention, hacks and scams are making it hard for crypto to flinch from the word controversy.

And because of the fundamental role being played by crypto exchanges in the overall ecosystem along with its tie-up with conventional finance, we need to understand what it has to do with regulation, how it is done, and whether you as a crypto exchange should get in line.

To understand the current picture of regulation, Jamie Mcnaught the Founder, CEO, and Lead Engineer of Solidi Digital Currency Exchange gives us a better view.

What We Discuss:

What are the practical implications and the practical benefits for consumers of a crypto business that is regulated and registered with the FCA?
[00:01:25] Jamie McNaught
What are some of the challenges of FCA registered crypto companies and what realistically is required to stop those scams from continuing to affect people and continuing to affect those companies that are registered?
[00:03:43] Jamie McNaught
Why do you think so few companies have been registered so far?
[00:05:24] Jamie McNaught
What reasons do you see would being regulated be considered as fully advantageous?
[00:07:19] Jamie McNaught
Are there any alternatives that you see to registrations that will help businesses enter the market quickly at potentially a lesser cost than going through the registration process?
[00:09:42] Jamie McNaught
How long it would take to get registered in the UK?
[00:12:16] Jamie McNaught
What protections are there for people dealing with crypto exchanges that are registered as opposed to ones that aren’t?
[00:15:02] Jamie McNaught
What are some of the risks for companies who are still on the waiting list to being registered?
[00:18:52] Jamie McNaught
What do you expect to see in the coming 12 to 18 months? Do you expect to see a lot more companies added to that list? Or are you expecting to see the majority of the companies being removed from that?
[00:21:15] Jamie McNaught

Episode Resources

Solidi Digital Currency Exchange: https://www.solidi.co/
Jamie McNaught: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-mcnaught-a1a9731/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFtcJ8Y13rM

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There has been more money flowing into crypto exchanges than ever before. And with celebrities like Elon Musk constantly fueling a media circus, the regard in cryptocurrencies has been at record height.

While having crypto entails cheaper, faster transactions from across the globe, that is also an environment that primes crypto for various criminal activities such as money laundering.

To prevent such cases, strong AML programs should include foolproof KYC processes to root out most if not all suspicious activities. So what KYC processes are crypto exchanges putting in place and what can we expect in the coming year?

Maria Stankevich, the Chief Business Development Officer of Exmo and Policy Advisor at CryptoUK along with Ian Taylor, Executive Director of CryptoUK are here to talk about what they’re doing as a crypto exchange.

What We Discuss:

AML/KYC 2021 Highlights
[00:01:29] Maria Stankevich
[00:03:43] Ian Taylor
AML/KYC 2022 Predictions
[00:07:08] Ian Taylor
[00:09:44] Maria Stankevich
What is one thing that you hope will happen in 2022?
[00:13:03] Ian Taylor
[00:15:07] Maria Stankevich

Episode Resources:

Exmo: https://exmo.com/en
Maria Stankevich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marystankevich/
Crypto UK: https://cryptouk.io/
Ian Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-j-taylor/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz7YWmlkayg

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In recent months, large companies such as Tesla have swapped billions of dollars in cash for Bitcoin. It’s exhilarating to think how this coin is once known for wild speculations increasingly made its way to not just in mainstream media but even started accepting invitations to appear on corporate balance sheets.

In this episode, Director of PKF-Francis Clark, Ben Lee, and CEO, Co-founder of Coinpass.com, Jeff Hancock tackles some of the key questions over cryptocurrency bookkeeping and tax.

How does crypto accounting work? And should you be riding in on this?

What We Discuss:

Stats on firms doing this now — UK or wider jurisdiction?
[00:01:30] Jeff Hancock
[00:03:51] Ben Lee
Process for adding Bitcoin to one’s balance sheet?
[00:04:42] Jeff Hancock
[00:05:53] Ben Lee
Red flags to consider before, during, and after the process
[00:07:54] Ben Lee
[00:08:58] Jeff Hancock
How Crypto Exchanges and Accountants are joining forces to facilitate a smoother go of this for their clients
[00:11:45] Jeff Hancock
[00:13:12] Ben Lee
Best practices for anyone about to embark on this now
[00:16:44] Ben Lee
[00:17:37] Jeff Hancock

Episode Resources:

PKF-Francis Clark: https://www.pkf-francisclark.co.uk/cryptocurrency-tax-advice/
Ben Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blockchainben/
Coinpass: https://www.coinpass.com/
Jeff Hancock: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyrthancock/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk7UCHXsynk

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As regulation continues to become an uphill battle along with its taxing requirements, the one thing that can help you ease the load is having a good relationship with the regulator.

Ex-regulator Daniel Lawlor of Aquest and Shannon Eastman joined us in an interactive discussion and answered the following questions about what to expect (and what not to expect) if you're meeting the regulator anytime soon.

[00:13:46]Will the regulator look negatively if one of the staff is functioning in multiple roles?
[00:17:03]Would it look better if some of the staff are FCA-regulated within a small firm? What is the outcome for a firm that has an FCA-regulated individual vs. a firm that doesn’t have an FCA-regulated individual?
[00:20:33] Do you regulate areas such as GDPR under the financial regulators' remit?
[00:32:09] If my business is based in the UK, but all customers are in Africa, does the regulator see that as a UK serving company?
[00:35:20] How much would it cost to apply to be regulated? What are the fees involved in maintaining your regulatory status
[00:38:49] Can you ask regulatory questions on an anonymous basis? Will confidentiality be guaranteed
[00:41:00] Is the FCA frowning upon companies looking for regulation in other jurisdictions but still wanting to do business in the UK
[00:43:13] Does being regulated in a more crypto-friendly country make passporting any easier?
[00:44:58] How do you think the outcome is influenced by the individual work at our inherent human biases?
[00:46:52] Do decision-makers get pressure from senior management such as the government to make decisions based on their view?
[00:50:36] Do you think the FCA is ready for the crypto industry?

Episode Resources:

Aquest: https://www.aquest.ie/
Daniel Lawlor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-lawlor-64496722/
Shannon Eastman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannoneastman/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIIzyw64-tY&t=3036s

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The battle against money laundering and finance terrorism continues globally in an increasing manner. Because of this, financial inclusion requires an adaptable and commensurate approach to account for the needs of the population that remains unbanked.

In this heated and insightful conversation with Timo Lehes, Managing Director of Swarm Markets, Alexander Royle, Chief Compliance Officer & Head of Regulation at Archax, and Rodney Prescott, CTO of GlobalBlock, they talk about taking these into account, answering the question, is it possible to foster financial innovation while complying with AML/KYC regulations? And when it comes to trading/lending, which weighs heavier — DeFi or CeFi?

What We Discuss:

How do we reach the ideal balance between AML/KYC checks to not stifle innovation?
[00:02:10] Timo Lehes
[00:05:16] Rodney Prescott
[00:08:10] Alex Royle
Trading Strategies: What are the benefits of going for a decentralised vs centralised market structure for lending and trading between equities and other securities?
[00:16:58] Timo Lehes
[00:19:48] Alex Royle
[00:22:05] Rodney Prescott

Episode Resources:

Swarm Markets: https://swarm.markets/
Timo Lehes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timolehes/
Archax: https://archax.com/
Alexander Royle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awdr/
GlobalBlock: https://www.globalblock.co.uk/
Rodney Prescott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/technologistkiwi/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkHYoNkLvoI

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You’ve seen pieces being auctioned at Christie's and Sotheby’s for millions of dollars… But at what point will these million-dollar purchases dissipate from mainstream media?

Irina Karagyaur, crypto advisor at The Cake.Chat and Head of Metaverse Growth at Unique Network together with Timo Lehes, Managing Director of Swarm Markets is here to dig deeper into the role of NFTs and where it is heading.

What We Discuss:

What is the role of NFTS in Financial Services beyond the cultural phenomenon
[00:01:50] Timo Lehes
[00:06:03] Irina Karagyaur
The practical role of NFTs over the next 12-months?
[00:13:35] Timo Lehes
[00:14:54] Irina Karagyaur

Episode Resources:

Swarm Markets: https://swarm.markets/
Timo Lehes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timolehes/
The Cake: https://thecake.chat/
Irina Karagyaur: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-karagyaur/

Watch it on YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjrlAcrnB9o

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One of the biggest questions facing the industry is whether regulation fits in the reputation of decentralised finance?

If so, is it hindering innovation or is it exactly what’s needed for this industry to not only grow but protect it? The answer to those questions helps determine the course of action for many in the field.

So we’ve asked Timo Lehes of Swarm Markets — Managing Director of the world’s first BaFin-regulated DeFi platform and Brian Sanyah Mondoh, esteemed crypto advisor at The Cake, Barrister & Attorney at Law, and Co-Founder at BLOCK6TY & NXTDIMEN$IO with where their head is at with regulation vs. decentralised.

What We Discuss:

Why regulate — what does regulation enable you to do? What are the disadvantages to being regulated?
[00:01:36] Timo Lehes
[00:05:06] Brian Sanyah Mondoh
How do you achieve regulation while pursuing core principles of Defi?
[00:09:11] Timo Lehes
[00:12:30] Brian Sanyah Mondoh
How does the unregulated Goliath adapt to regulation?
[00:19:21] Timo Lehes
[00:20:23] Brian Sanyah Mondoh

Episode Resources:

Swarm Markets: https://swarm.markets/
Timo Lehes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timolehes/
The Cake: https://thecake.chat/
Brian Sanyah Mondoh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmondoh

Watch it in YouTube HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK-188vxy0o

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With Total Value Locked (TVL) teetering at $60bn, “DeFi exposure” is the hot topic amongst Institutional funds and service providers.

But how to approach compliance and risk when KYC is largely missing, trades are executed by decentralised protocols and counter-parties are unknown?

Join our expert panel in discussing:

Why is DeFi so hard to regulate?

Should we be rethinking AML practices in general? Is DeFi the spark for more thoughtful guidance?

How do global regulators differ in their approach?

Which provisions are institutions making to get comfortable with DeFi?

Are protocols evolving their approach to AML risk? How will change be enacted?

Predictions: what happens next?

Can there be institutional grade security in DeFi custody?

And can Custodians be the catalyst for institutional adoption?

With guests:

Alex Batlin - Founder & CEO - Trustology

Ajit Tripathi – Head of Institutional Business - Aave

James Burnie - Partner - Gunnercooke

Joined by panel host Ryan Hanley – Coinfirm & Crypto Curry Club

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Exploring how economic need created by the current crisis could force the next great evolution of the world’s monetary system

We are joined by economic historian Marc Coleman who has written extensively on the history of money, recovery from debt, the effects of Brexit and now of the covid-19 pandemic on the concept of what is money.

Marc will be sharing:

How the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (following Brexit) has impacted money

How this has led to increased digitisation

Where blockchain (and increasingly crypto) comes into this

What is the future of post-pandemic money?

Marc Coleman is an author, award winning broadcaster, economic advisor and commentator on the economy, Ireland and Brexit and debt relief and is the author of the first book on Ireland's recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. He has previously worked for over a decade at the European Central Bank and Irish Department of Finance. Marc has also served as Irish Times Economics Editor and been an influential broadcaster and columnist with Newstalk and the Sunday Independent, respectively.

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Richard Crook, LAB577 founder, and Atul Khekade, XinFin founder, discuss the interoperability challenge across blockchain networks and how LAB577’s DASL has created a bridge for Xinfin’s XDC.

Significance of bridging blockchain networks

There is currently no liquidity or token of value on the Corda Network. Simultaneously, startups with native (e.g. XDC on the XinFin network) or Ethereum based tokens (e.g. any ERC20 or ERC721 token) do not have access to the business networks and financial institutions on the Corda network.

Companies using digital currencies cannot interoperate with the business networks or Financial Institutions on Corda, which is a blockchain of choice for regulated financial institutions with numerous examples including HSBC, ING, Visa, SIX, and many more.

Startups and companies issue a cryptocurrency to raise capital. They have to do this on a network that has liquidity so often choose Ethereum protocols or their native network. However, interoperability with other networks, including Corda, is a challenge.

LAB577's DASL has built a Crypto Bridge feature to wrap native tokens to the Corda network with a Hash Lock Time Contract.

This cryptographic guarantee removes the need for trust in the bridge provider by ensuring the owner can recover their assets should an external error occur.

This opens up the opportunity for traditional financial institutions to hold cryptocurrencies without having to be engaged on anonymous public networks.

Live Chat

XDC, by XinFin, has become the first currency to be used as a store of value within the business networks on Corda by using the DASL Crypto Bridge.

The teams from DASL and XinFin will be joining us in this live chat to discuss bridging crypto tokens between blockchain platforms like Ethereum, XinFin and Corda and the significance of this development.

We make these live chats as interactive as possible so come ready with your questions to ask of Richard Crook, founder of LAB577's DASL and Atul Khekade, Co-founder of Xinfin.

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The internet was founded on the ideals of freedom, democratisation of information and making it easier to stay in touch and interact with loved ones.

However, just a handful of tech companies now dominate the battle for our attention, increasingly adept at using our data to influence the next click, purchase, or even how we vote. We are now glued to a screen on average 11 hours a day (Nielsen)

With increasing research detailing increased anxiety, depression, lack of self esteem and reduced attention spans, is it time to push back against big tech’s current practices?

Bob Wigley - Chair of UK Finance, advisor to the government and an extensive background in investment banking, joins us to discuss:

The true cost of paying for services with our attention

Which societal groups are most affected?

Why have Anti-competition laws failed to restrict big tech's dominance?

Will blockchain/DAOs and decentralised finance disrupt the hegemony?

What practical steps can we put in place to take back control?

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Following the popularity and many questions in our last Crypto Curry Club live chat with crypto tax software firm Accointing.com, they are back to share more and answer more questions:

Keeping Track of Your Crypto Portfolio:

Why is it important?

How can I keep track of all of my wallets and exchanges?

Crypto Bookkeeping:

Managing Your Crypto Portfolio

Where can you get insights of your portfolio?

What are some risks in crypto I could help manage?

Reporting your crypto taxes:

How can you report your crypto taxes in the UK?

What transactions do I need to report in the UK?

Using a crypto tax software

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We are joined in this Crypto Curry Club live chat by Shahad Choudhury, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of OpenBrix and the lovely industry legend that is John Hards, Managing Director of Countrywide Residential Lettings for 35 years and now director of OpenBrix. OpenBrix is a Rightmove 2.0 challenger portal to list properties, simplify applications and save everyone time and money.

`Shahad and John will talk about what could be next for the UK's property rental market, what it means to give tenants a rental record and credit for paying rent on time, for the first time ever, and where blockchain comes into this.

OpenBrix is the first portal to give tenants recognition for paying rent, a factor that had previously not been taken into account by mortgage lenders. The portal gives a record of good credit history and a rental record of what tenants have paid to show to estate agents.

Shahad will share about the OpenBrix platform and how it offers the following, and what this means for tenants, agents and the property industry:

A personal ledger of rental payments validated by Experian and estate agents

Secure document storage that allows tenants to only have to register and submit documents once, valid for all estate agents

Give tenants credit for paying rent, on time, helping tenants secure mortgages and improve credit scores

OpenBrix already has hundreds of estate agents onboarded and is expanding fast.

The much debated question: Does this need blockchain, and if so, why?

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Shahad will share about the OpenBrix platform and how it offers the following, and what this means for tenants, agents and the property industry:

A personal ledger of rental payments validated by Experian and estate agents

Secure document storage that allows tenants to only have to register and submit documents once, valid for all estate agents

Give tenants credit for paying rent, on time, helping tenants secure mortgages and improve credit scores

OpenBrix already has hundreds of estate agents onboarded and is expanding fast.

The much debated question: Does this need blockchain, and if so, why?

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An interactive discussion with Amsterdam based Crypto Fund Icoinic Capital going into industry trends heard around international crypto circles and from the trading floors of the Amsterdam Stock exchange. Artur and Erin will go into what they've heard that's really happening on the frontier of cryptocurrency. This includes the current state of trading, the effects of regulation, the global integration of digital currencies and where we all fit in.

With Ryan Hanley from Coinfirm to help ask all the tough questions and:

Arthur Stolk, founder of Icoinic Capital and Erin Grover, Brand Ambassador at Icoinic Capital.

Icoinic Capital, an investment firm committed to generating exceptional returns for investors through a diversified range of crypto asset portfolios with a long-term investment horizon.

Tired of sales pitches dressed up as podcasts, Ryan Hanley (Coinfirm) & Erica Stanford (Founder of Crypto Curry Club) are asking the big questions uncensored, unedited and with full audience participation. Come armed with your questions!

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Recycled plastic: the good, the bad and the ugly- how Circularise can check for 'fake' recycled plastic and ensure authenticity

Recycled plastic is everywhere now. And yet, how do you know the supposedly recycled plastic that you're wearing is actually recycled?

Recycled plastic a premium product, in demand from many retailers and is worth more than virgin, new plastic. And yet most companies don't know if the plastic they are buying is actually recycled or not.

More than a few plants have opened making new plastic and then 'recycling' it- only adding to the environmental problem of plastic! And there is no way of disproving this plastic.

Circularise have a blockchain-based solution to track plastic recycling and prove the authenticity of recycled plastic -helping companies to achieve the sustainable development goals.

Mesbah Sabur, founder at Circularise shares all- how they track the supply chain, ensure the authenticity of recycled plastic, and what this means for business.

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A debate-style event, with our two teams (CBDC Enthusiasts & CBDC Sceptics) having the opportunity to consider and respond to questions from the moderator as well as live questions from our audience!

Digital currencies present themselves in many forms, ranging from native cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether, through to stablecoins such as Tether and Facebook's Libra, and the emerging Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). They have a variety of use cases, from providing new means of exchange and facilitating better and cheaper cross-border payments, to enabling the development of digital asset markets.

Against this backdrop, our panellists will be discussing the pros and cons of CBDCs. Where can they add benefits? Where do they introduce risks? Are they an insidious threat to the privacy of individual citizens, or a means of enabling a more effective relationship between individuals and the state? Are these mutually exclusive? And is there even a need for CBDC's - or can cryptocurrencies and stablecoins suffice in the digital currency landscape?

Lee Schneider, General Counsel at Block.One, and Olaf Ransome, "The Bankers' Plumber" (and former Chief Commercial Officer at Fnality International) advancing the case for CBDC's.

Adi Ben-Ari, CEO of Applied Blockchain, and Pietro Grassano, Business Development Director (Europe) at Algorand focussing on the risks, challenges and shortcomings of CBDC in the context of the wider digital money, stablecoin and cryptocurrency landscape.

Our two teams are moderated by Dr Nina-Luisa Siedler, a Partner at DWF law firm and an active contributor to European and global DLT / blockchain policy.

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‘Everything will be tokenised’ - The UK’s first FCA Regulated digital securities exchange - live chat with Archax

Liquidity, liquidity, liquidity! There are over 20 million SME’s across Europe yet only 3000 or so listed on a stock exchange and with access to public capital.
Private securities often suffer from a lack of liquidity.

Heavily reliant on intermediaries (brokers, transfer agents, depositories, clearinghouses), costs can become excessive, settlement times drawn out and counterparty risks too great for institutional investors.

How does blockchain change this? And why aren’t we on the blockchain already?

Archax is the first UK FCA regulated digital securities exchange for growth stage SME’s. Graham Rodford (CEO) and Simon Barnby (CMO) join us to discuss:

Why we need an institutional-grade digital securities exchange?

What are the major differences between Archax and the existing solutions?
With new US-based digital security exchanges fledgeling, what makes Archax’s approach different?

What are the types of offerings we will first see listed?

How is the exchange built and what were the major hurdles in receiving the licence from the FCA?

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The rise of DeFi and Tokenomics 2.0 - with Marc Zeller from Aave

The decentralised finance (DeFi) sector is growing at a considerable pace with over $4bn of assets locked across open protocols.

The vision is to shift traditional financial products to a decentralised world and remove unnecessary intermediaries and cost. But is this truly feasible and what are the risks?

Aave is one of the hottest protocols in the space and Jordan Gustave will be giving his unique perspective on the current market and challenges ahead. Marc covers:

Yield farming, flash loans, bonding curves, IDO’s and what these terms mean?

Some of DeFi’s most interesting use cases and the Aave protocol

Hacks! Or more specifically exploits. What are some of the major issues facing DeFi protocols?

Are users actually coming? Incentive tokens are driving large volumes across protocols, but will the users stay?

EIP 1559 and the affect this might have on DeFi?

Aavenomics - Swap from LEND to Aave reducing tokens from 1.3bn to 16m.

What's legal? The grey areas of De-fi and where it's going to get tough for regulators and companies alike.

The hottest area of blockchain with arguably the most advanced protocol in the space. Are you not entertained?!!!

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How a startup is using blockchain to fight plastic waste and provide a digital infrastructure for the circular economy.

Empower is creating a solution to the plastic waste problem by giving plastic a value. We are cleaning up the world while fighting poverty by providing a wage to those in need.

Wilhelm Myrer, founder and CEO of Empower and Chairman of the Oslo Blockchain Cluster will speak on:

Empower, the clean-tech company that uses blockchain to build a global plastic waste deposit system.

How they went from a decentralised banking startup to turning that into a company dedicated to fighting plastic waste in Empower, providing digital infrastructure for the circular economy.

How (and why) they started the leading blockchain community in Oslo

Wilhelm Myrer, CEO Empower & Chairman of the Oslo Blockchain Cluster, Norway is a serial entrepreneur with 15 years experience in starting and building technology and energy ventures. He is currently the Founder & CEO of the clean-tech company Empower based in Oslo, building a global plastic waste deposit system powered by blockchain technology and the Chairman of the Oslo Blockchain Cluster.

This Tech for Sustainability series is sponsored by Tracr.

Tracr is a Connected Value Chain Platform, fostering a culture of innovation, encouraging sustainable business practices and ensuring consumer trust in the diamond industry. Demonstrating provenance, traceability and authenticity of natural diamonds and helping local economies where they are mined

To find out more, visit community.tracr.com

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Crypto Hacks, Crypto in Cybercrime and stories of some of the latest track and trace methods used to uncover crypto hacks.

Last month alone, we saw Garmin pay hackers $10 million in crypto to regain control of their systems, Ledger hardware wallet lost the personal information of 1 million users to an unknown hacker and even Twitter suffered a catastrophic ‘god mode’ attack.

"The logical move from the introduction of bitcoin, is to go short suitcases," - Warren Buffet.

Cash is no longer king if you wish to quickly extort, hack or transfer wealth from criminal activities.

Pawel Kuswowski, CEO of Coinfirm, a leading authority in Anti-Money Laundering, gives us his unique insight into the tools and practices being deployed by financial institutions and exchanges to prevent fraud taking place on their turf. We’ll be covering:

Changes to AML requirements for crypto and how they impact crypto related businesses

Follow the money...the methods used to track and block some of Crypto’s most outlandish hacks

Mixers, privacy coins and the common methods deployed by hackers to cash out

Can DEFI ever be taken seriously without KYC/AML precautions?

CBDC and stablecoins and effective risk management

Pawel’s war stories are second to none. He shares some good stories!

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Everyone can setup Facebook ads, it is designed to be easy to get started. However, finding those special areas where the cost is very low and the return is very high takes time to master and you need to know where to look. We will go through the elements you need to look at to start to get that increased return on ad spend.

Following this, we will run an interactive session where we will ask participants, what are the challenges they are facing with your facebook page and go through each session one by one.

Facebook, the largest social media platform in the world. As of June 2020, 2.60 billion monthly active users use Facebook. It also has 1.73 billion users that are visiting the social networking site on a daily basis. Facebook, is a monster of a social platform and a potential gold mine for businesses.

Along with Facebook, you have Instagram which has seen some monumental growth in the last couple of years

Facebook stats:

Facebook is the leading social platform, reaching 60.6 percent of internet users.

Facebook brought in $17.44 billion in ad revenue in Q1 2020.

More than 80 million small businesses around the world are using Facebook Pages.

Seven out of ten (69%) adults in the U.S. claim that they use Facebook.

65 percent of Facebook users are under the age of 35.

96 percent of active Facebook users accessed the social media platform via mobile devices.

58.5 minutes: the average time users spend on Facebook each day.

With Zeeshan Mallick, founder of YouYaa marketing agency and Facebook & Facebook ads pro.

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$2bn of Eth is currently locked in Defi smart contracts, a number rising exponentially since the start of the year. Aren’t ICO’s dead? (Spoiler: They are..it’s something else this time)

Lex Sokolin of Consensys, one of the most respected voices in Fintech brings us his unique perspective on the state of the market. We’ll be covering:

Money printer goes Brrr.. Stocks go up. Is the new normal sustainable? What are the potential consequences of Covid 19 on crypto and blockchain adoption?
Is it more a question of when, not if CBDC's s will gain mass adoption? How will this come about?
Eth 2.0...it's finally here! (Maybe). What are the wider implications on de-fi and the ecosystem?
Staking as a Service, why is this so important?
Outside of centralised exchanges, where will we find our first Blockchain unicorn?

This one will be busy, reserve your spot as soon as possible!

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The UK property market on blockchain - how this could work, and what this means for buying and selling property and construction with John Reynolds, COO of blockchain proptech startup Coadjute.

Coadjute is a blockchain property technology business headquartered in London. Their open network is designed to cut the cost and increase the speed of property transactions by connecting the businesses that power property market operations. Over the last 18 months we have conducted trials with over 40 leading businesses in the property industry, and they are due to launch the network in the UK later in 2020. Find out more on www.coadjute.com

Coadjute started as a research project, and then successfully won a prestigious contract with HM Land Registry as the delivery partner to their Digital Street project, building POCs to demonstrate how DLT can make the property buying and selling process faster, simpler and cheaper. Following this tremendous milestone with the UK Government, they delivered a corda global distributed application for buying and selling properties which was tested by 40 companies across 20 counties and featured in Bloomberg.

John Reynolds, Coadjute COO has written extensively on how enterprise blockchains can transform marketplaces and is a recognised through-leader and speaker at conferences, having spoken at events including UK Parliament, Singapore Cordacon and World Bank Land and Poverty conference, chairing the blockchain sessions.

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Crypto Curry Clubs guide to Facebook for beginners

Session 1. An introduction to Facebook for business.

You know why you need to be on Facebook but you are not sure how to go about setting up your page, what information needs to go in, how to write a description that is compelling, what to put on the banner and all the all important content strategy.

Following this, we will run an interactive session where we will ask participants, what are the challenges they are facing with your facebook page and go through each session one by one.

Along with Facebook, you have Instagram which has seen some monumental growth in the last couple of years

Facebook stats:

Facebook is the leading social platform, reaching 60.6 percent of internet users.

Facebook brought in $17.44 billion in ad revenue in Q1 2020.

More than 80 million small businesses around the world are using Facebook Pages.

Seven out of ten (69%) adults in the U.S. claim that they use Facebook.

65 percent of Facebook users are under the age of 35.

96 percent of active Facebook users accessed the social media platform via mobile devices.

58.5 minutes: the average time users spend on Facebook each day.

With Zeeshan Mallick, founder of YouYaa marketing agency and Facebook & Facebook ads pro.

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VC Investment into blockchain, what is changing investment attitudes and what aspects of crypto and blockchain are grabbing their attention?

In 2019 UK startups raised over £10bn, a record increase of 44% YoY. Yet Blockchain startups captured <2% of this amount. Pigeon feed! Will 2020 be any different?

Asen Kostadinov of MMC Ventures, one of the UK’s most successful early-stage VC funds, gives us his unique insight into why investment attitudes are changing and the areas grabbing his attention.

Why now? Aren’t VC’s a bit late to the party? What stopped most purchasing tokens?

Why yes? What are the major considerations for MMC when making an investment decision?

What have they learnt? What should startups wanting investment do?

Why has MMC invested in crypto custodian Copper? There are a myriad of Custody solutions on the market. What influenced the Copper decision?

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Finding it hard to trust? Crypto Security: Why Crypto Exchanges get hacked, who tends to be behind it, and how this can be prevented.

$2.5m is the amount lost, stolen or mysteriously disappears from crypto exchanges collectively on a daily basis.

Leading security experts Hartej Sawhney from Zokyo and Brian Spector from Qredo are fighting to make the industry a safer place for Retail and Institutional clients alike.

What causes the hacks on crypto exchanges, who is largely behind them, why do exchanges tend to not report hacks, some of the worst unknown horror stories, what exchanges can do to improve security, and what institutions and financial players need to know about crypto security (and its flaws) before crypto investment can become mainstream.

We’ll be delving into their first hand experience of malfunctioning smart contracts, simple exploits and the exciting wave of Layer 2 solutions.

The latest buzzword in crypto security: MPC.

What is MPC, why do we need to know what it is, and how will it help institutional players enter crypto?

Hartej & Brian will be doing their best to explain some of the terms you may be seeing more regularly.

As always come armed with your pressing questions.

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What is next for property in the next economic storm?

Antony Abell, Managing Director and Co-founder of blockchain-based property exchange TrustMe will be talking about the current shift in the global economic system back to a ‘trusted’ asset based economic system

How they have worked with the UK’s Land Registry using blockchain to make an asset out of property, so that anyone can be an owner of property from a minimum of £250 with title of that property registered at UK Land Registry

How homeowners can protect their wealth without relying on third party lenders or organisations

How new homeowners can buy their home and get homeowner rights at 51% of the value without needing to get or pay a mortgage - how TrustMe are using blockchain to offer an alternative way to make property affordable for new homeowners without relying on banks or mortgages

An opportunity to existing homeowners to go mortgage free by IPO ing their house, sharing a part of a house with the many instead of one controlling mortgage lender, as a hedge against economy and pension funds.

How tokenised property can be used in monetary exchange in the future, to be able to buy other items with property certificates backed up by real world asset instead of cash and bypassing the existing financial system

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Iqbal Gandham, MD of crypto trading firm eToro sharing his thoughts on the future of crypto and what is really needed for mainstream adoption:

Are we wasting our time in crypto, will it ever go anywhere?
Does it have any real-world uses?
If the use case is money...do we need a new form of money?
Will governments really allow this?
And more!

Iqbal has had a unique perspective overlooking crypto from a trading angle, as well as from working with the FCA on a regulatory angle. His views are always well thought out and are good at sparking thoughts and debates.

Tags: cryptocryptocurrencybitcoinblockchainfintechfinance

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Burn out - the causes, why we get it, and what each of us individually can do about that to live a full life with ongoing energy.

Sleep. One of the main complaints and for a while the most searched for hashtag during lockdown #cantsleep - stress, burnout, worry or anxiety, and a few easily changeable environmental factors, are behind disrupted sleep.

Our speakers will be combining psychology with science, distilling down stress (specifically what is known as the burnout phenomenon) and they are going to teach you how to hack it for good.

Jon and Leticia will give three simple steps on how to hack sleep for good, helping you to living a limitless, fulfilling life without feeling burnout that is so common for people in business today.

Get ready to learn why we experience burnout, the real root causes and the antidote and how to hack your sleep for good.

Jon Lipitch is a Professional Certified Coach & Psychologist with 15 years experience of life, executive and business coaching https://www.jonathanlipitchconsulting.com/. Dr Leticia De Mattos-Arruda is a leading MD & Cancer Research Scientist. Jon and Leticia have teamed up to combine coaching and psychology with the science behind the what causes stress, they can measure this directly and teach ways for any individual to overcome this.

Jon and Leticia are Co founders of www.gaburnout.com & specialists in Stress & Worry.

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We are joined by Mark Hipperson, co-founder of Starling Bank and founder of new crypto challenger bank Ziglu on 'How to Start a Bank'.

Mark shares with us answers to the much asked question of how to start a bank - or an EMI. He talks on how to go about getting a license, raising funds, building a bank from zero to 1 and the challenges along the way, why he's now starting a crypto bank after a career in traditional finance, and why he thinks this is the future of banking.

Mark co-founded and was the CTO of Starling Bank where he designed and built the bank's technology platform that now supports over a million customers. He was also responsible with the founding team for raising the funding and obtaining the banking license. He started his career at Barclays where he was Head of Technology for the group for over 10 years, before leaving to found and sell his first fintech business.

Mark is now the Founder and CEO of Ziglu, a new crypto-friendly challenger based on the latest banking technology. This is his second e-money licensed fintech he has run.

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Bobby Ong is Co-founder of CoinGecko, one of the worlds leading analytics platforms for tracking cryptocurrencies and blockchain assets. We’ll be delving into Bobby’s unique take on the Crypto analytics market, combating fake volumes and what Binance’s acquisition of CoinMarketCap means for industry.

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Areiel Wolanow walks us through how DLT is playing a pivotal role in how enterprises and governments around the world are working to gain control over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Areiel shares the current thinking on what technology can and can’t accomplish, and give valuable insight on how to provide the vital diagnostic and epidemiological data that is needed to effectively fight the virus, while at the same time not giving governments a back door into a national ID scheme or a general surveillance tool that is not part of their disease-fighting mandate.

Areiel Wolanow is a long-standing Crypto Currier who has successfully delivered major DLT and machine learning implementations around the world. He is now serving as CTO for Blok Bioscience, and driving the delivery of the technology platform that supports their overall Covid-19 management solution.

Areiel previously led the creation of IBM’s blockchain services practice for the ASEAN region and has solutioned and delivered DLT solutions for Lloyd’s of London, Deutsche Telekom, and others.

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We are very lucky to be joined by two of the most senior figures in the UK property rental market talking about the existing market, how technology is now slowly coming into this sector, the effects that the Coronavirus pandemic are already having on accelerating digital adoption in the estate agency sector, and what the future holds.

John Hards, former managing director of Countrywide Residential Lettings and Adam Pigott, founder of several proptechs touch on:

Old legislation that used to govern housing and rentals, how it affected the market.

How this transformed into current housing law

How estate agency has changed

The reason why tech has been slow in this sector

What the future may hold……….Blockchain... ?

John Hards and Adam Piggott are board member and CEO of blockchain-based Rightmove challenger Openbrix.

John Hards has 45 years experience in property lettings, including 35 years at Countrywide where he was instrumental in growing the lettings side of the business – both organically and through acquisitions – from an insignificant part of the organisation to the giant it has become today and was managing director of Countrywide Residential Lettings for 25 years. He has also been a director of ARLA, NFoPP and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. John has since joined the board of blockchain-based Rightmove challenger Openbrix.

Adam Piggott, CEO of Openbrix also has over 30 years of experience in property and residential lettings, has been founder and director of several proptech starts, before which he was a former independent specialist lettings agent who sold his company to Countrywide in 2014.

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We are joined by HR expert Matt Burns speaking on how companies can use the data they already have available to them to drive profit, scale, streamline their operations and in a marketing capacity to promote their businesses.

People are unique. Though when grouped together in meaningful numbers, we can glean incredible insights that inform important organisational decisions. From identifying the best talent to hire, to how best to engage, inspire and retain them. The results are proven and the cultural implications (employee satisfaction levels) are indisputable.

Despite this, there remains a large gap between opportunity and solution. Still today, many organisations do not have a reliable source of people analytics. Other companies have all the data, but don't know how best to use it to their advantage.

Matt shares some examples of architecting, leading and deploying people analytics strategies inside several multinational organisations, and give tips on how this can be replicated by smaller businesses of all sizes.

Also: his 3 best tactics to convert analytics into action inside any organisation, touching on how neuroscience, psychology and practicality all play a part

The new sources of data and analytics tools available in HR and how companies can take advantage of them

The link between psychology and accountability- why analytics are most-effectively deployed to illuminate opportunities, not punish non-compliance

How to ensure the data is analysed and deployed ethically.

How companies can blend Marketing & HR Strategies to Become More Profitable

Remote Leadership and team motivation in the time of coronavirus

Bio: Matt’s 20-year journey has taken him around the world, supporting organisations in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia & South America. Previously, Matt led an HR team recognised in 2018 as the ‘Canadian HR Team of the Year - Retail / Hospitality’, on the heels of their 2017 award for: ‘Most Innovative Use of HR Technology’.

Now as Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of BentoHR, Matt’s advancing his vision that digital transformation can (and should) be simple, supporting organisations by intentionally integrating strategy, technology and analytics to enhance their performance.

Matt sits on several Boards globally, providing counsel on strategy, innovation and culture. He’s a frequent conference speaker, including recent events in New York City, Copenhagen, and Zurich, and has worked and shared his content with companies including `Unicef, Forbes and LinkedIn.

Matt hosts the Thinking Inside the Box podcast and can (often) be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-d-burns/

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We are joined by Alexander Green, Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Globacap. Alex shares exactly what companies need to know and do to attract investment, digitise to reduce their own admin and cut out errors, future-proof themselves and be ready to scale.

Alex talks us through the benefits of waving goodbye to spreadsheets and saying hello to a fully digitised, future-proof cap table that allows for easy, one-click administration of shares, employee share options, convertibles and bonds, with auto-updates for every transaction.

Spreadsheet-based cap tables cause growing pains as your company scales (in fact, around 70% are broken). If you're about to start a new funding round – and share your journey with potential investors – accuracy is business-critical. This is especially true in times of market uncertainty, with many companies requiring new investment. Alex will explain how companies can save time, resource, and up to 80% in administration costs, and finally get the cap table you deserve – a single source of truth that helps you grow.

Alex also touches on how to look after the regulatory side of your funding round and provide tips on how to automate your KYC and AML.

Discover how Globacap has helped companies not only with securities issuance, but with reducing their admin, and how their software can help companies simplify and automate their entire capital markets life cycle.

Alex’s session will also cover:

The benefits of applying digitisation and blockchain across securities issuance and administration. This applies to anyone looking to reduce administrative layers around private placements (issuances) and cap tables.

Self-encapsulated coding: regulatory checks and automated corporate actions.

Liquidity: one-to-one transfers with immediate, digital, settlement finality – no signatures, no manual overheads. Electronic share certificates or novation agreements are executed automatically, with an immutable audit trail and reporting.

Bio:

Alex is Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Globacap, an automated capital markets platform regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. He leads business development and revenue generation, as well as being the company’s main external representative. Alex is focused on solving problems for clients and establishing a better way of delivering capital markets.

Prior to Globacap, Alex worked for 18 years across Equity Research and Equity Sales at J.P. Morgan and Citigroup. He has raised over $55 billion for emerging market companies managed complex sales cycles across the life cycle of equity products, and has built an extensive network of C-level relationships throughout the investment

About Globacap:

Globacap is a market-leading platform which uses technology and automation to make capital markets simpler, more efficient, and more cost-effective. It enables the issuance, administration and custody of assets to be managed through a simple and intuitive online interface which cuts out costly intermediaries like registrars, custodians and lawyers.

Globacap is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and has integrated checks and balances so that SMEs, VCs and investors in private assets can be sure of full transparency and regulatory compliance - see globacap.com

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We are joined by Richard Norton, founder of Tiny Giant Marketing Agency.

Richard is an expert in using tech to create free and innovative marketing - he's behind some of the most innovative marketing and attention-grabbing campaigns in the UK today.

He focuses on the latest forms of social media and attention-grabbing methods that any individual or company can employ, that don't necessarily cost any money but just some tips about how best to use them.

Richard came to speak at our Crypto Curry Club in Bristol and gave an excellent and very fun talk about how to get your potential customers' attention and make everyone aware of your brand. He was part of the team behind the world's first AI gin, as well as an expert in teaching companies to appeal to and engage with all ages through everything from Snapchat filters to live video.

This webinar with Richard will be on:

CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION: 12 awesome ideas to give your business brand exposure and get you in front of your target customers.

He will suggest a myriad of ways (highly likely to be more than 12) on how not to disappear amid the white noise of pandemic prose.

He will look at how some companies have gone viral in this time and why some others have used Coronavirus to catastrophically ruin their brand image, suggest creative paths into what comes next and look at new ways to engage and inspire your audience.

There’s never been a better time to shake it marketing, get your brand noticed, your company's voice heard and use this time to get your brand in front of your target customer.

BIO: Richard Norton aka Norts is a creative technologist and co-founder of award-winning Bristol marketing tech startup Tiny Giant. Norts began his accidental marketing/advertising career in 1994. Since then, he has worked on three continents as a copywriter and Creative Director. In his time, he has won lots of glittering industry baubles and had a lot of different client experiences. He started life as a musician.

The whole event will last an hour, Richard's talk will be 45 minutes followed by the chance to ask questions.

Richard has created two Snapchat filters for the Crypto Curries and has informed us that these can be worn during Zoom webinars. Brownie points to anyone who has one on for the webinar!!

Here's how to: https://www.bustle.com/p/how-to-use-snapchat-filters-on-zoom-for-some-much-needed-laughs-22660709

CCC HALO filter : https://www.snapchat.com/unlock/?type=SNAPCODE&uuid=bbd676d09c964e1f856088fb46c3ed30&metadata=01

CCC BASEBALL CAP filter: https://www.snapchat.com/unlock/?type=SNAPCODE&uuid=fa00836c2bb946a2a1aa007863024b86&metadata=01

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