

Around The Coin
Stephen Sargeant and Mike Townsend
Around The Coin is a podcast exploring finance, fintech, and the future of money. Hosted by industry experts, it features deep dives into payments, crypto, banking, and disruptive innovations shaping the global economy.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 16, 2019 • 40min
Interview with Kyle Hill - Founder of Redeeem.com
In this interview Mike Townsend talks to Kyle Hill, which is a special episode because Kyle and Mike are co-founders of Redeeem (trusted peer-to-peer crypto gift card exchange), and have started 3 startups over the last 8 years together. Previous to Redeeem, they raised $23M for HomeHero, a tech-enabled home care marketplace. They talk about how to work successfully together as a team, the mission and story of Redeeem, as well as a variety of topics related to bitcoin, government regulation, and upcoming exciting blockchain projects.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 11, 2019 • 40min
Interview with Ethan Kravitz, Partner at AGE Crypto Hedge Fund
In this interview Mike Townsend interviews Ethan, who talks about his journey from CTO of VC funded startup, Overnight, to partner of AGE Crypto hedge fund. Learn about the differences between a VC fund and a crypto hedge fund, as well as how many exist what specific methods hedge funds use to provide returns for their LPs. Ethan walks us through a typical day, researching github projects, talking to developers of tokens, building tools that automate crypto trading, as well as much more.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 11, 2019 • 1h 13min
Interview with Yan Pritzker the author of Inventing Bitcoin
In this podcast, Nako Mbelle interviews Yan Pritzker the author of Inventing Bitcoin and I discuss what makes bitcoin a revolutionary tech; and why he left his full-time CTO position at his startup to devote 100% of his time to Bitcoin. Yan’s book Inventing Bitcoin is written for non-technical people who want to better understand bitcoin at a deeper level and go beyond the superficial talking points of price and profit.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 18, 2019 • 32min
Interview with SFOX Team
In this episode Mike Townsend visited the offices of SFOX to interview Founder George Melika and Head of Growth Danny Kim in their offices in Playa Vista, California. SFOX raised $23M in VC from Y Combinator, Social Capital, Tribe Capital among others to build the easiest tool to access the digital cryptocurrency market.We discussed exchange trading, how crypto companies can successfully work with banks, and underrated projects and people working in crypto. Hope you enjoy the conversation and let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions for our next episode.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 19, 2019 • 37min
FATF: Creating Gold Standards and Paper Realities?
This show focuses on the FATF, the Financial Action Task Force. We discuss why the organization – that remains unknown to many finance and payments professionals and even to AML/CFT compliance specialists, is so powerful and important. We discuss the basics: why was it created? What are FATF’s goals? What are the down sides or unintended consequences of the standards it sets? We discuss the effects of non-compliance on countries and the inner workings of the mutual evaluation process that countries go through. Finally, we touch upon the questions of political influence, organizational overreach and even bullying through FATF decision making.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 14, 2019 • 1h 20min
Interview with Bitcoin critic David Gerard about everything he finds wrong with Bitcoin
Nako interviews David Gerard, a Bitcoin critic. They talk about the technological superiority complex of some Bitcoin maximalists; Bitcoin's energy inefficiencies and whether crypto mass adoption is a pipe dream or closer to becoming a reality because of the Lightning Network.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 27, 2019 • 38min
The birth of AML/CFT
This week Faisal Khan sits down with Dr. Mara Wesseling (our newest co-host) and we discuss the world of compliance. This show offers a first introduction to AML/CFT compliance (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism). It touches upon what compliance stands for and who needs to do it. How big and relevant is today's compliance industry? What to make of the unhappy marriage of placing AML and CFT under one legal umbrella? The show also looks into the history of the AML/CFT legal framework and what makes it important now. By reflecting upon the past 30 years of AML regulation and almost 20 years of the War on Terrorism Financing, the effectiveness question remains on the table and the call for a new approach - AML/CFT 2.0 - becomes louder.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 26, 2019 • 44min
Understanding the Lightning Network
In this episode of Around The Coin, Faisal & Nako get on the air to continue with their BTC (Behind The Coin) series. We discuss the very basics of the Lightning Network and what it means for normals folks like you and I (not to mention Bitcoin enthusiasts). We try to cover this without getting technical. Let us know how we did?Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 24, 2019 • 39min
Back to basics - Financial Inclusion
In this episode, Faisal and Malini discuss financial inclusionbeyond its basic definition, and talk through the fundamentalbuilding blocks required for a more financially 'inclusive'world.Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 24, 2019 • 1h 23min
Economic Literacy Crash Course
This week the trio is back on the air. Brian and Mike discuss what does capitalism and socialism mean in today's world? (Faisal unfortunately, dropped out due to technical reasons). We discuss the role of centralized governments and economic frameworks in areas such as healthcare, education, and much more. A wide-ranging high paced conversation that could have lasted for hours!Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter.Redeeem https://redeeem.click/qdza- Redeeem is a decentralized peer-to-peer exchange that lets you save 15% or more on gift cards using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


