
Blockchain Insider Podcast by 11:FS
Blockchain Insider, hosted by Mauricio Magaldi and Cuy Sheffield, is a dedicated podcast specialising in crypto, blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT). Make it your home for cryptocurrency news!
Since the price of Bitcoin has rocketed, and Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin have become household names, Blockchain Insider has charted their rise in a way that's accessible to new listeners.
Blockchain Insider is putting out 2 episodes a month - one news show looking at all the biggest news in the sector, and the other an insights show where we deep dive into a particular subject, topic or trend in the industry.
Whether you're a cryptocurrency expert or you've been avidly following its rise from afar and need to know more - this is the podcast for you!
Latest episodes

Mar 5, 2020 • 53min
134. Shopify joins Libra and the first US crypto bank announced
Simon Taylor is back this week to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. Of course, he is not alone, and in this episode, Simon is joined in the studio by Matthew Pollard, founder of Archax and Helen Disney, founder and CEO of Unblocked.
This week we kick things off with a discussion about Caitlin Long's future bank called Avanti. The former Wall Street executive helped pioneer Wyoming's progressive blockchain laws and is now taking advantage of them to build what many are calling the first regulated crypto-native bank in the US. Next up, we talk about Shopify joining the Libra Association, the potential for bringing commerce opportunities to developing nations and the possible regulatory implications of this move. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:
Blockchain Pioneer to Build First Crypto-Native bank in the US (02:52)
Shopify joins Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra Association (11:18)
Sweden starts testing world's first central bank digital currency (19:07)
Bank of England official says it is 'crucial' for central banks to consider digital currencies (23:40)
G-20 Urges Countries to Adopt Tough FATF Rules on Cryptocurrencies (33:20)
Blockchain-based ID system for credit union members made commercially available (40:00)
The Tweet of the Week comes from @mdudas about M&As and the fintech bubble. (48:28) Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guests: Helen Disney and Matthew Pollard.Links:
Blockchain Pioneer to Build First Crypto-Native bank in the US
Shopify joins Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra Association
Sweden starts testing world's first central bank digital currency
Bank of England official says it is 'crucial' for central banks to consider digital currencies
G-20 Urges Countries to Adopt Tough FATF Rules on Cryptocurrencies
Blockchain-based ID system for credit union members made commercially available
Tweet of the Week

Feb 20, 2020 • 45min
133. The great bZx DeFi exploit
Simon Taylor is in the hosting seat this week to talk all things blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. Of course, he is not alone, and in this episode, Simon is joined by:
Ed Cooper - Head of Crypto at Revolut
Michael Coletta - Head of Blockchain & Emerging Tech Innovation and Strategy at the London Stock Exchange Group
Rhian Lewis - Founder of London Women in Bitcoin
Aman Kohli - Chief Technology Officer at DXC
This week we kicked things off with a discussion about flash loans, bZx and the future of decentralized finance. Following two exploitations and almost a million dollars in ETH lost, we go into why this happened, how it transpired and what this means for the development of DeFi. A lot can happen in a few weeks and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:
DeFi lending protocol bZx exploited and ‘a portion of ETH lost’ (02:16)
JPMorgan in talks to merge blockchain unit Quorum with startup ConsenSys (11:55)
Lightning Labs raises $10M series A to be the ‘Visa’ of Bitcoin (20:51)
ICE snaps up loyalty program provider Bridge2 to boost Bakkt’s consumer play (28:33)
Bitcoin price soars as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell confirms crypto’s threat to U.S. dollar (32:02)
The Tweet of the Week comes from Nathaniel Whittemore (@nlw) about crypto M&As. Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show! (41:05)
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guests: Aman Kohli, Ed Cooper, Michael Coletta, and Rhian Lewis.Links:
DeFi lending protocol bZx exploited and ‘a portion of ETH lost’
bZx attacked again, $645K in ETH estimated to be lost
JPMorgan in talks to merge blockchain unit Quorum with startup ConsenSys
Lightning Labs Raises $10M Series A to Be the ‘Visa’ of Bitcoin
ICE Snaps Up Loyalty Program Provider Bridge2 to Boost Bakkt’s Consumer Play
Bitcoin Price Soars as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Confirms Crypto’s Threat To U.S. Dollar

Feb 6, 2020 • 51min
132. Central bank digital currencies are so hot right now
Simon Taylor is back this week to talk all things blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. This week, with a special focus on central bank digital currencies, Simon was joined in the studio by Eric Van der Kleij, CEO of Frontier Network and Andrew Smith, CTO at RTGS.
This week we kicked things off with a lively discussion about central bank digital currencies and the future of monetary policy if they go ahead. Should central banks issue digital currencies? China has already set the wheels in motion with the proposal of its digital yuan and it looks like other countries want to follow suit with their own. A lot can happen in a few weeks and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including:
Central banks are pursuing 'extensive work' on digital currencies, BIS researchers say (02:05)
Bank of England to assess the potential for digital central bank currencies
Japan’s central bank ‘must be prepared’ to issue digital currency, says deputy governor
The National Banks of Cambodia to launch a digital payments network this quarter
When will we see the digital dollar? ‘Crypto Dad’ says soon
Hyperledger Fabric, the open-source distributed ledger, reaches release 2.0 (30:16)
3 more execs leave Swiss stock exchange’s $100M blockchain project (35:46)
Ripple CEO hints at IPO says more crypto firms will go public in 2020 (31:38)
The Tweet of the Week comes from @EricGraca about Bitpanda and Brexit. (49:32) Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guests: Andrew Smith and Eric Van der Kleij.Links:
Central banks are pursuing 'extensive work' on digital currencies, BIS researchers say
Bank of England to assess the potential for digital central bank currencies
Japan’s central bank ‘must be prepared’ to issue digital currency, says deputy governor
The National Banks of Cambodia Will Launch a Digitial Payments Network this Quarter
When Will We See the Digital Dollar? ‘Crypto Dad’ Says Soon
Hyperledger Fabric, the open-source distributed ledger, reaches release 2.0
3 More Execs Leave Swiss Stock Exchange’s $100M Blockchain Project
Ripple CEO hints at IPO says more crypto firms will go public in 2020
Tweet of the Week

Jan 23, 2020 • 43min
131. The digital dollar
Simon Taylor is back this week to talk all things blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. This week he was joined in the studio by Paolo Ardoino, CTO at Bitfinex and Abbas Ali, Head of Digital Identity at R3. Together the trio discusses the latest and greatest news in the world of blockchain including:
Former CFTC officials ramp up push for digital dollar with Accenture partnership (02:10)
Currency ‘cold war’ takes center stage at pre-Davos crypto confab (10:00)
NBA's Spencer Dinwiddie set to roll out tokenized investment platform (18:50)
Gemini launches captive insurance company and custody insurance solution with leading brokers Aon and Marsh (22:18)
Fidelity is hiring bitcoin mining engineer to scale its operations (29:39)
Crypto asset manager Grayscale posts its best year with over $600m in investments (34:20)
The Tweet of the Week comes from @twobitidiot about the surprising Bitwise financial advisors survey results. Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show! (39:09)
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guests: Abbas Ali and Paolo Ardoino .Links:
Former CFTC Officials Ramp Up Push for Digital Dollar With Accenture Partnership
Currency ‘Cold War’ Takes Center Stage at Pre-Davos Crypto Confab
NBA's Spencer Dinwiddie set to roll out tokenized investment platform
Gemini Launches Captive Insurance Company and Custody Insurance Solution with Leading Brokers Aon and Marsh
Fidelity is hiring bitcoin mining engineer to scale its operations
Crypto asset manager Grayscale posts its best year with over $600 million in investments
Tweet of the Week

Jan 9, 2020 • 39min
130. Crypto M&A & Telegram's Terrible 2020
Simon Taylor is in the hosting seat once again and is joined this week by a returning guest. Joining Simon to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and Crypto is Oliver Von Landsberg-Sadie, CEO at BCB. Together the pair discuss:
How Facebook’s vision for Libra turned into a nightmare (01:43)
Binance CEO says some ‘major’ strategic acquisitions are in the works for 2020 (10:04)
Venezuela to use petro cryptocurrency for oil sales (16:39)
IBM and Fair Trade initiative demo blockchain-based coffee tracking app (23:50)
North America saw the most crypto and blockchain investment in 2019 (27:34)
Secretary-General Says United Nations Must Embrace Blockchain (31:17)
The Tweet of the Week comes from @SpencerNoon about Telegram's decision to not integrate TON natively in the messenger app. (36:28) Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guest: Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie.Links:
How Facebook’s Vision for Libra turned into a Nightmare
Binance CEO says some ‘major’ strategic acquisitions are in the works for 2020
Venezuela to use petro cryptocurrency for oil sales, Maduro says
IBM and Fair Trade Initiative Demo Blockchain-Based Coffee Tracking App
North America saw the most crypto and blockchain investment in 2019
Secretary-General Says United Nations Must Embrace Blockchain

Jan 2, 2020 • 51min
129. Top 10 Blockchain and Crypto Predictions
In this Blockchain Insider predictions show Simon Taylor is joined by Mike Dudas, CEO and founder of The Block. To kick things off, the pair take a look back at last year's predictions. Some worked out great...and others not so much. (01:20)
After the recap, Simon and Mike launch into their predictions for 2020 including: continued Bitcoin dominance, digital currencies turn to digital cash and more crypto mergers & acquisitions. From stablecoin stumbles to Chinese crypto chaos, there's a lot that could happen in the next year of blockchain. (10:13)
All this and so much more on this week's episode of Blockchain Insider!
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guest: Mike Dudas.

Dec 26, 2019 • 54min
128: Has crypto grown up?
In this episode, we’re going to give you some exclusive content that we’ve selfishly kept all to ourselves. From this year's Money20/20 we’ve got an awesome panel on the state of crypto and whether or not it has grown up (00:54).
As legal and regulatory frameworks develop, we hear about how the industry is instilling transparency, integrity, and accountability to demonstrate that crypto is growing up and evolving into a sustainable asset class. The panel was hosted by:
Sandra Ro - CEO of Global Blockchain Business Council
And she was joined on stage by:
Michel Rauchs - Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Lead at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance
Asaf Meir - CEO at Solidus Labs
Max Boonen - CEO at B2C2
If that wasn’t enough, we also talked to Asaf (31:01) and Max (40:49) about their respective companies and what they’re doing in the industry.
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guests: Asaf Meir, Max Boonen, Michel Rauchs, and Sandra Ro.

Dec 19, 2019 • 40min
127. Vampire crypto squids
Simon Taylor is on hosting duties again this week and is joined by returning guest Matthew Pollard, founder of Archax, to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and Crypto including:
The European Central Bank hopes to get "ahead of the curve" on stablecoins (02:14)
Swiss Government Skeptical on Central Bank Digital Currency (10:37)
Fidelity Digital Assets intends to support Ethereum in 2020 (14:00)
Cryptocurrency is most useful for breaking laws and social constructs (19:17)
SEC Charges Founder, Digital-Asset Issuer With Fraudulent ICO (24:23)
3 men are charged in US$722M cryptocurrency fraud (27:33)
Chainalysis to provide Bitfinex with privacy safe tools to combat crime (29:58)
The Tweet of the Week comes from friend of the podcast @JamieJBartlett about his very own 2020 fintech predictions. Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show!
Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guest: Matthew Pollard.Links:
The European Central Bank hopes to get "ahead of the curve" on stablecoins
Swiss Government Skeptical on Central Bank Digital Currency
Fidelity Digital Assets intends to support Ethereum in 2020
Cryptocurrency is most useful for breaking laws and social constructs-
SEC Charges Founder, Digital-Asset Issuer With Fraudulent ICO
3 men are charged in US$722M cryptocurrency fraud
Chainalysis to provide Bitfinex with privacy safe tools to combat crime

Dec 12, 2019 • 45min
126. Are banks banking on crypto in 2020?
Simon Taylor is back in the hosting seat again and this week he's joined by returning guest Aman Kohli, CTO of Banking & Capital Markets UKI at DXC. Together they talk about the latest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and Crypto including:
Brave Passes 10 Million Monthly Active Users and Sees 19% Growth since 1.0 Launch (02:15)
SEC Reveals Telegram’s Communications With Investors, Seeks to Question Advisor (09:45)
With parliament approval, German banks to sell and custody crypto in 2020 (13:01)
China begins Phase 2 of digital yuan roll-out (18:42)
Commerzbank, Credit Suisse and UBS execute first live transactions on the Deutsche Börse-HQLAx securities lending platform (25:28)
Huobi joins China telecom and finance giants to form state-backed blockchain alliance (34:16)
The Tweet of the Week comes from Twitter CEO @Jack about his upcoming move to Africa. Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show! (37:13)
Check out our brand new documentary 11:YEARS - the Rise of UK Fintech now. Head over to 11years.film to watch for free, and share using #11YEARS.
If you enjoyed the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guest: Aman Kohli.Links:
Brave Passes 10 Million Monthly Active Users, and Sees 19% Growth since 1.0 Launch
SEC Reveals Telegram’s Communications With Investors, Seeks to Question Advisor
With parliament approval, German banks to sell and custody crypto in 2020
China begins Phase 2 of digital yuan roll-out
Commerzbank, Credit Suisse and UBS execute first live transactions on the Deutsche Börse-HQLAx securities lending platform
Huobi joins China telecom and finance giants to form state-backed blockchain alliance
Tweet of the Week

Dec 5, 2019 • 57min
125. Jamie Bartlett: Still searching for the Missing Cryptoqueen
Simon Taylor is back this week and is joined by Jamie Bartlett, the author of The Dark Net, People vs Tech, and Radicals Chasing Utopia, and now the host of the hottest new podcast in the crypto community: The Missing Cryptoqueen.
The series, based upon OneCoin’s founding CEO Dr Ruja Ignatova, has had the community at their edge of their seats. Following the hugely successful series’ suspenseful finale, Simon Taylor sat down with Jamie to explore the genesis of the podcast, how the blockchain boom fuelled the rise of Ponzi schemes, and much more!
Check out our brand new documentary 11:YEARS - the Rise of UK Fintech now. Head over to 11years.film to watch for free, and share using #11YEARS.
If you enjoyed the show and, as ever, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review!
Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsiderSpecial Guest: Jamie Bartlett .