Messari's Unqualified Opinions

In this double header, we dive into two midcap projects across the privacy and smart contract sectors. First we talk to Zcoin founder Reuben Yap and learn about how Zcoin is differentiated from other privacy protocols like Monero and Zcash. Reuben details how Zerocoin’s protocol works and discusses its focus on building community throughout Asia. Then we talk to Zilliqa Head of Marketing Colin JG Miles who details their plan for ascending through a crowded smart contract field by taking a localized focus on open finance, stablecoins and remittances.  --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the promo code "MESSARITAX" and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

As long as there have been blockchains there has been talk of “banking the unbanked”. Backed by a16z and Polychain, Celo aims to deliver financial inclusion through a mix of on-chain collateralized stablecoins and easy to use mobile applications built with the unbanked in mind. In this conversation, Celo founder Rene Reinsberg describes how Celo’s solutions differ from Libra, where he sees Celo’s open and permissionless approach taking root, and why stablecoins are on the verge of exploding in popularity and usage. --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Paxos founder and CEO, Chad Cascarilla, is one of crypto’s longest standing entrepreneurs who first fell down the bitcoin rabbit hole in 2010. Paxos is the first crypto company to receive a NY Trust charter and has blazed a trail as one of the few regulated financial settlement and custody platforms outside of the legacy banking system.  In this conversation, Chad details how Paxos is playing the long game with respect to regulation. Where Paxos currently offers regulated trading and custody for top assets, PAX stablecoin and PAX gold, their long term ambitions lie with providing the financial and regulatory infrastructure that others can leverage to rebuild the financial system. He explains why and how they’re pursuing tokenized securities with cooperation from giants like Credit Suisse. Chad also shares how he’s navigating Paxos through the current economic crisis and who he’d want to play him in the eventual crypto-movie.  --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Today’s episode with Ray Youssef covers his path to founding Paxful after immigrating to New York from Egypt, founding 2 successful startups and 11 failed ones before temporarily becoming homeless while finding his way to bitcoin. He details how he sees Bitcoin moving beyond a speculative instrument and returning to its roots, with payments, e-commerce and wealth preservation in emerging markets. Lastly, he predicts that peer-to-peer bitcoin transactions will eclipse exchange volume within two years and that crypto’s future is African.   --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Backed by Visa, Andreesen Horowitz and Blockchain Capital, Anchorage has emerged as one of the largest custodians in crypto. In this conversation, Anchorage CEO Nathan McCauley details the origins of the company and their early involvement with the Libra Association where Nathan saw Facebook’s engineering and legal might up close and personal. He relays what he’s seeing from institutional buyers with respect to bitcoin and the coronavirus crisis, their recent support for XRP and why he sees crypto M&A picking up in a big way when the dust from the crisis settles.   --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Ben Hunt  is the author of Epsilon Theory; a newsletter and website that examines markets through the lenses of history and game theory. In this wide ranging discussion, Ben discusses what our government's response to the COVID-19 crisis revealed about those in power and why we need to take a different approach to hedging against catastrophic risk. He shares his affinity for what crypto stands for and his fear that its focus on money will inevitably lead the powers that be to co-opt it. Lastly, he shares his belief that the recent actions from Central Banks around the world is simply the beginning phase of governments redefining money to support political power.  --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

While BitGo may not be as much of a household name as Coinbase and Binance, they’re easily one of the industry’s most important institutional custodians. BitGo supports custody for over 200 assets and In 2019 alone, accounted for 20% of all transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain. In this conversation, CEO Mike Belshe shares his views on the role of custodians in the industry, BitGo’s approach to asset selection, and how he views Bitcoin’s prospects in light of the current economic crisis.    --- Special thanks to our sponsors: Lukka - Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Overstock is known in crypto circles as one of the first major online retailers to accept Bitcoin payments. On top of being an early adopter, Overstock has invested heavily into blockchain technology through its subsidiary, Medici Ventures. In this conversation, Overstock CEO and President of Medici Ventures, Jonathan Johnson, details why the company is betting heavily across blockchain’s application in capital markets, banking, identity, property, voting and supply chains.    --- Special thanks to our sponsors Nexo: Borrow, lend and grow your crypto. Lukka: Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Catherine Coley is the CEO of Binance US and former Head of XRP Institutional Liquidity at Ripple. In this conversation, Coley details her early days working for Morgan Stanley on the Forex trading floor in Hong Kong where she got a first hand look at how money really moves around the globe. She recounts her time at Ripple and her path to Binance.US, where she sheds light on the relationship between her company and the world’s largest crypto exchange.   --- Special thanks to our sponsors Nexo: Borrow, lend and grow your crypto. Lukka: Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io

Christopher Giancarlo earned the moniker “Crypto Dad” by advocating for sensible crypto regulation during his time as CFTC Commissioner. He’s since joined the advisory board to the Chamber of Digital Commerce to advocate for the Digital Dollar Project. In this conversation, Christopher recounts his experiences regulating Bitcoin futures and details why he thinks the US is at its Sputnik moment with respect to issuing a digital currency. On the heels of a House stimulus bill proposing a digital dollar, this conversation sheds light on how the US could actually pull it off. --- Special thanks to our sponsors Nexo: Borrow, lend and grow your crypto. Lukka: Crypto taxes made simple. Use the code messaritax and get $5 off the normal price of $19.95  Crypto.com - The best place to Buy, Earn, Pay with Crypto. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io