Mauricio di Bartolomeo, Co-founder and CSO of Ledn, shares his journey from Venezuela's hyperinflation to the forefront of crypto-backed loans. He discusses the explosive rally of Bitcoin and the effects of growing institutional interest, particularly from MicroStrategy. The panel dives into how Bitcoin facilitates capital flight amid global economic shifts and the implications for crypto dynamics as 2024 approaches. Mauricio also highlights the regulatory landscape and the increasing demand for Bitcoin loans, painting a vivid picture of the evolving financial ecosystem.
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Ledn's Origin Story
Mauricio di Bartolomeo's family mined Bitcoin in Venezuela to combat hyperinflation and capital controls.
After facing government pressure, they left, leading him to co-found Ledn, a crypto lending platform.
insights INSIGHT
Ledn's Risk Management
Ledn avoids rehypothecating collateral and ring-fences products with credit risk.
This protects users from losses in other areas, unlike platforms like Celsius and BlockFi.
insights INSIGHT
Ledn's Growth in 2024
Ledn has seen substantial growth in 2024, especially from US customers using Bitcoin-backed loans for real estate.
New Bitcoin investors are also using Ledn's loans, indicating long-term investment strategies.
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This book is derived from a series of television interviews between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, aired in 1988. It delves into the universal themes and functions of myths across various cultures, highlighting their role in uniting communities, explaining social, cosmological, and spiritual realities, and guiding individuals through life's significant stages. Campbell discusses how myths help people understand common human experiences such as love, death, and the search for meaning. He also addresses the modern world's disconnection from mythological narratives and the consequences this has on individual and societal well-being. The book emphasizes the importance of myths in providing a framework for life, fostering community identity, and helping individuals navigate life's transitions and challenges[1][2][4].
A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles
The book follows Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who narrowly escapes execution during the Russian Revolution due to a revolutionary poem he wrote. Instead, he is sentenced to house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. Over the next thirty-two years, the Count adjusts to his new life, forming friendships with the hotel's staff and guests, and navigating the changing political landscape of the Soviet Union. The novel explores themes of parental duty, friendship, romance, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity[1][4][5].
Bitcoin’s 2024 rally has been explosive, but is the next phase just beginning? In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts Noelle Acheson, Ram Ahluwalia, and Alex Kruger are joined by Ledn’s Mauricio di Bartolomeo to unpack the forces shaping the crypto market as the year comes to a close.
Mauricio explains how Ledn has grown amidst regulatory and economic shifts, and shares insights on why the “Trump put” is creating a new trading setup for crypto. The panel dissects the undercurrents behind Bitcoin’s surge, explores how MicroStrategy’s presence on the NASDAQ creates unique market dynamics, and debates how much higher BTC could climb. But they warn not to expect “buy” ratings on MSTR.
Plus, they dive into why Solana underperformed in recent weeks, how Bitcoin enables capital flight (and how they may be happening from China), and what 2025 could hold for crypto. Packed with data, opinions, and a few book recommendations (well, except from Alex), this episode offers sharp analysis as 2024, a pivotal year for crypto, wraps up.
Show highlights:
Mauricio’s background and how Venezuela’s regime led him to crypto
How Ledn works and how it’s seen substantial growth since the elections
What’s driving this wave of growth in the price of bitcoin
How much higher BTC will go and what the effects of the end-of-year portfolio rebalancing will be
What the risks are for the U.S. economy
How BTC is the easiest way to trade the Trump bump
Whether the Chinese macro matters for crypto
How MicroStrategy has become a Trojan horse
Why Alex likes XRP and ENA and why SOL has been underperforming recently
2024 wrap-up: what everyone was most surprised about
Book recommendations from everyone, except Alex, who’s only focused on shitcoins
Hosts:
Noelle Acheson, Author of the “Crypto Is Macro Now” Newsletter
Unchained 
