Beyond Bitcoin

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 76(video) - Redefining Money for a New Era: Exploring the Future of Finance Beyond Fiat and Scarcity

In this episode of Beyond Bitcoin, we're joined by Kristen Ragusin, SVP of Wealth Management at Raymond James and author of "The End of Scarcity: The Dawn of the New Abundant World." Kristen discusses the flaws in the current fiat-based financial system, which creates dependence on borrowers and results in asset bubbles and rising debt. She differentiates between wealth and money, noting that money should equal people's productive value.
Kristen highlights the historical evolution of money, with asset-backed and producer-backed systems offering stability but being prone to inflation and control. The debate between Central Bank Digital Currencies and cryptocurrencies leaves the future of money uncertain. The ideal form of money should maintain stable value, represent some value, and be flexible. Blockchain technology may offer solutions for a more balanced monetary system, but the way forward is unclear.
 

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 75 (audio) -Seeking regulation direction from the 89-year-old US Security Exchange Act for DEX’s DAO’s DLT’s and highly fungible global digital currencies...

Seeking regulation direction from the 89-year-old US Security Exchange Act for DEX’s DAO’s DLT’s and highly fungible global digital currencies may leave the US well behind.
 
Since the first SEC action in July 2013, the SEC has brought a total of 127 cryptocurrency-related enforcement actions as of December 31, 2022.  In 2023 the SEC appear to be trying to set legal precedents to enact variations to the law using these outdated regulations.  Where to from here for the USA and what opportunities will arise in other more progressive jurisdictions like Switzerland and Singapore?
 

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 75 (video) -Seeking regulation direction from the 89-year-old US Security Exchange Act for DEX’s DAO’s DLT’s and highly fungible global digital currencies...

Seeking regulation direction from the 89-year-old US Security Exchange Act for DEX’s DAO’s DLT’s and highly fungible global digital currencies may leave the US well behind.
 
Since the first SEC action in July 2013, the SEC has brought a total of 127 cryptocurrency-related enforcement actions as of December 31, 2022.  In 2023 the SEC appear to be trying to set legal precedents to enact variations to the law using these outdated regulations.  Where to from here for the USA and what opportunities will arise in other more progressive jurisdictions like Switzerland and Singapore?
 

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 74 (audio) - Cryptocurrencies As Viewed From The US Regulator’s Viewpoint

Join us as we learn from Sam Ten Cate, Managing Director at State Street Digital focused on Governance and Controls and learn about the implications of US regulation in the crypto industry. Sam discusses the challenge of dealing with a principle-based regulation in the US, as opposed to a more prescriptive regulation in Europe, the importance of investor and consumer protection and the role of the US in the global financial system. Sam sees the existing regulatory framework as sufficient, but believes there is still a need for more clarity going forward.  Bullish on DLT and a little Bearish on public blockchains this is an opportunity to hear the views of someone engaged in the world of regulation.
 

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 74 (video) - Cryptocurrencies As Viewed From The US Regulator’s Viewpoint

Join us as we learn from Sam Ten Cate, Director at State Street Digital focused on Governance and Controls and learn about the implications of US regulation in the crypto industry. Sam discusses the challenge of dealing with a principle-based regulation in the US, as opposed to a more prescriptive regulation in Europe, the importance of investor and consumer protection and the role of the US in the global financial system. Sam sees the existing regulatory framework as sufficient, but believes there is still a need for more clarity going forward.  Bullish on DLT and a little Bearish on public blockchains this is an opportunity to hear the views of someone engaged in the world of regulation.
 

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 73 (audio) - While the SEC Appears to Attack the US Based Crypto Industry, the Industry Continues to Grow and Evolve

The cryptocurrency industry has seen some positive developments in recent times, despite the ongoing debate on the SEC versus crypto issue. One of the bright spots is the industry's resiliency, with Bitcoin leading the growth in the market. The Bitcoin protocol, which allows users to inscribe references to digital art or other items, has sparked a lot of debate on whether Bitcoin should be purely a payment system or not. The inscription protocol, called Ordinance, was launched a month ago and has enabled the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which give rise to a massive ecosystem that was previously untouched by the Bitcoin system. NFTs on Bitcoin have brought utility into the system, expanding its use cases beyond being a payment instrument or a store of value. However, Bitcoin maximalists still see NFTs as controversial and against the pureness of Bitcoin.
Other positive developments in the industry include Solana's resurgence, with over 400 projects popping up on the layer one protocol. Helium is also decentralizing telecom networks with HMD tokens, allowing people to host low range, wide area networks and monetize them. The developments in the cryptocurrency industry have shown the industry's resilience and innovative capabilities.

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 73 (video) - While the SEC Appears to Attack the US Based Crypto Industry, the Industry Continues to Grow and Evolve

The cryptocurrency industry has seen some positive developments in recent times, despite the ongoing debate on the SEC versus crypto issue. One of the bright spots is the industry's resiliency, with Bitcoin leading the growth in the market. The Bitcoin protocol, which allows users to inscribe references to digital art or other items, has sparked a lot of debate on whether Bitcoin should be purely a payment system or not. The inscription protocol, called Ordinance, was launched a month ago and has enabled the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which give rise to a massive ecosystem that was previously untouched by the Bitcoin system. NFTs on Bitcoin have brought utility into the system, expanding its use cases beyond being a payment instrument or a store of value. However, Bitcoin maximalists still see NFTs as controversial and against the pureness of Bitcoin.Other positive developments in the industry include Solana's resurgence, with over 400 projects popping up on the layer one protocol. Helium is also decentralizing telecom networks with HMD tokens, allowing people to host low range, wide area networks and monetize them. The developments in the cryptocurrency industry have shown the industry's resilience and innovative capabilities.

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 72 (video) - Is Crypto Under Attack by US Government Agencies? If so will the US be left behind?

 President Biden’s Executive Order on March 9 2022 appears to be the beginning of a new phase in the USA.
In short, it states  
(a) We must protect consumers, investors, and businesses in the United States.
(b) We must protect United States and global financial stability and mitigate systemic risk.
(c) We must mitigate the illicit finance and national security risks posed by the misuse of digital assets. 
(d) We must reinforce United States leadership in the global financial system and in technological and economic competitiveness,
(e) We must promote access to safe and affordable financial services.
 
From Secretary of Treasury to the SEC no less than 17 departments were ordered to review and provide recommendations
 
The outcome so far - In February the SEC heightened its wave of attacks on the industry on Staking, then stable coins and now suggesting it will put restrictions on Hedge Fund Investment into the industry.
Maybe Mahatma Gandhi's great statement is applicable.  "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Enjoy the first of our series on US Regulations friend or foe. Featuring our guest speaker, Lou Kerner.

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 72 (audio) - Is Crypto Under Attack by US Government Agencies? If so will the US be left behind?

 President Biden’s Executive Order on March 9 2022 appears to be the beginning of a new phase in the USA.
In short, it states  
(a) We must protect consumers, investors, and businesses in the United States.
(b) We must protect United States and global financial stability and mitigate systemic risk.
(c) We must mitigate the illicit finance and national security risks posed by the misuse of digital assets. 
(d) We must reinforce United States leadership in the global financial system and in technological and economic competitiveness,
(e) We must promote access to safe and affordable financial services.
From Secretary of Treasury to the SEC no less than 17 departments were ordered to review and provide recommendations
The outcome so far - In February the SEC heightened its wave of attacks on the industry on Staking, then stable coins and now suggesting it will put restrictions on Hedge Fund Investment into the industry.
Maybe Mahatma Gandhi's great statement is applicable.  "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Enjoy the first of our series on US Regulations friend or foe. Featuring our guest speaker, Lou Kerner.

Beyond Bitcoin Ep 71 (audio) - Apollo Crypto talk about the year ahead. They expect this year to be positive for the crypto market but are not expecting new all-time highs.

Regulatory changes, liquidity coming alive, market subsectors getting their time in the sun and inflation not considered as problematic as believed earlier.  There points are setting the investment strategy into crypto for 2023. Recently regulators are pressuring banks not to deal with crypto and Binance US just halted US dollar transfers. These are important on-ramps to the space.  This is balanced by non-bank entities providing solutions in many market sectors and currencies is expected to create a mix of opportunities for global citizens.
 
Correlation: Crypto was once considered uncorrelated with traditional markets but now we are seeing more correlation.  Observation - it is all about the time frame.  Over a few months it may be correlated but over 5 years it has not proven to have a high level of correlation.
Correlated or not, both funds look at what drives blockchain solutions that generate value.  Looking at NFT projects the need to store value, provide statistics and transfer digital assets is seen as important for the future of NFT’s.
Crypto assets have a lot of subsectors within the broader crypto umbrella.  The first use case of smart contracts was DeFi and Apollo considers the next major use cases to be NFT’s so the Apollo team thinks there is going to be an intersection between NFT’s and Defi such as NFT derivatives.  
Much of this knowledge is not understood by the professional or sophisticated traditional investor which is where the value add comes from specialist fund manages such as Apollo Crypto Fund and Portal.
These types of funds attract UHNW and Family offices investors not superannuation and institutions in the Australian market at least.
Surprise – institutional investors are still driven by FUD and FOMO despite their size and sophistication, they are humans and reacting accordingly.
Despite the volatility both Apollo and Portal have had very few redemptions so those that have invested have a much better understanding and therefore tolerance to the volatility of the crypto asset class.  
We continue to believe that “Fortune Favours the Informed”.
#crypto #apollocrypto #crypto2023predictions #portaldigitalfund