The Crypto Explorer - by Sygnum Bank AG

In times of market turbulence, its nice to hear it straight from the experts.  What explains the movements we see, how are investments valued and what possibly could be the way forward. It was a pleasure to sit down with Daniel Egger and Katalin Tischhauser to make some sense of all the noise. Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

Bear season = Build season. As the crypto universe recovers from recent turbulence - it is a good time to revisit the power of the tech stack. In discussion with Ralf Kubli from Casper Labs and Dominic Lohberger from Sygnum Bank, we dig into the interesting applications for blockchain in the finance world, and the power of smart financial contracts: far beyond defi as we know it today! This is unchartered, unexplored territory - so of course, full of immense possibility!  We dig into questions like: What are some interesting ways smart contracts have been used to fuel further blockchain innovation?Where do we see possible use cases for smart contracts in financial infrastructure?Derivatives on chain – how can smart contracts be applied in there?  What are the dangers of decentralized financial smart contracts?How can you address non-chain data needed for fulfillment of contracts?Current systems seems work fine, but what’s the big bonus of moving on chain?DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content. Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

In a turbulent market environment, it seems wise to revisit the fundamentals. Thinking about investing in crypto is already challenging during exciting bull markets - and when we see  multiple black swan events play out, things get a lot harder. So, it made sense to sit down with Mike Taormina from Indexcoop and Stefan Edelman from Sygnum Bank, to look at different ways the megatrend can be assessed  - and consider simplified ways to develop broad exposure. We looked at questions like:What megatrends or sectors do you see within crypto? Considering DeFi as one of the biggest trends, where do you see the opportunities for investors?  How do you approach the building of an index?How can an investor get exposure to different sectors? Active vs. Passive; Diversified solutions vs. Single token selectionHow did the both of you approach building a diversified portfolio across crypto?DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

At its origins, crypto was designed to live outside of government regulation. However, the last decade has seen slow but clear frameworks evolve in regulating with Web3. At the forefront of this evolution has been Luka Mueller (MME) - starting from the set up of the Ethereum foundation in Zug back in 2014. In our new episode, we speak to Luka and  Magdalena Boskic (Head of Regtech at Sygnum) about how crypto regulation unfolded and how it continues to evolve as the market grows, covering topics like: Early days of crypto regulation: setting up the ETH foundation How has regulation in the crypto world evolved since 2017 Governing the ungovernable: Regulation by definition is a centralized endeavor; How successful can it be in the world of crypto? We have seen regulators race to keep up with crypto. But do we perhaps need law 2.0 and not just an update of our aging legal frameworks to cope with the opportunities the technology provides? Are smart contracts the future of legal work? Anonymity in crypto: the current political climate has seen crypto be blamed  as a vehicle to circumvent sanctions - what do you think?DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

Have you also been a bit bewildered by all the big headlines about major luxury brands engaging with NFTs?  Seeing Dolce and Gabbana, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Burberry all jumping into the fray, we decided it was time to sit down with Kelly Vero and Elena Baltaga, to understand the market opportunity, how NFTs are standardized, and what kind of role NFTs can play in the luxury market, exploring questions like: What makes a good NFT? What is the point of standardizing NFTs? Isnt the point of Web3 to have open markets? How do traditional companies enter and use the NFT market, beyond just marketing?What are good examples we have seen of effective usage / what upcoming uses are you excited about?What are the possibilities for luxury brands in particular to engage? Why should they care? Skeptics would say this just a cash grab? DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

NFTs have created whole new world of possibilities for a series of new use cases: from the worlds of gaming and art to product and brand engagement. There is something here for everyone, and so to learn more about it, we sat down with Jan Albers from Tezos and Nigel Fillep from Sygnum Bank, to explore the idea of NFTs and the opportunities they create. We dove into questions like: What is an NFT -   and why do you think they're important? Use cases developing for NFTs – combined with physical assets vs. only used on the Metaverse How do traditional companies enter and engage with NFTs, beyond just marketing? Discovering new customer journeys with NFTs: Use cases still in development DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

With all the exciting opportunities around of the Metaverse, it was about time to sit down with Adam DeCata from Decentraland and Darius Mouktarzadeh, and dive into it. Exploring its origin and evolution, we take a look at how  Web 3 impacts applications and use cases for the metaverse, considering questions like:How would you define the metaverse? How is this different from SIMs / WoW (open world games from the early 00s)? I could own stuff there too!What is the point of virtual ownership? Both in terms of land / collectibles?What sort of use cases do you see emerging in the metaverse? business use cases / social networksWhy does the metaverse need a blockchain infrastructure? What are the benefits of decentralizing this?How do you see the synergies of NFTs, metaverse, blockchain based games – how will they all play together?How long until the metaverse ‘exists’? DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

What are stable coins? and why does an ecosystem so determined to achieve decentralisation still rely on them? In conversation with Nadia Alvarez from Maker Dao, and Nestor Palao from Sygnum Bank we dive into the role of stable coins in def and how the market is evolving, particularly with the rise of CBDCs and governments experimenting with crypto. What is the role of stable coins in the crypto market, particularly in defi-lending?How does a DAO-driven stable coin differ from other more centralized players in the sector?How does a decentralized coin that is independent survive against the upcoming CBDCs? Do stable coins offer a potential solution for markets where the economies are less stable?  DisclaimerBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

What is yield farming? Why might this be a game changer in managing your money? In conversation with Julien Bouteloup (Founder of StakeDao) and Graham Nelson (Defi at Sygnum) we look at yield farming in the world of Defi, diving into questions like: 1. How is the yield actually generated? what opportunities exist beyond simple lending pools?  2. People are able to make higher yields using inefficiencies in the market - am i already too late to the game? 3. Does this have the potential to harm to average retail clients? How do retail users coexist with Powerusers & degens?5. With the recently sky-high transaction fees, how can defi go to the masses? Whats the easiest way to get started?Because Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content. Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer

What is "Custody" really,  in the world of crypto?In conversation with the Founder and CEO of METACO, Adrien Treccani and Sygnum Custody expert Thomas Brunner, we look at the world of crypto custody, and why choosing where to hold your crypto assets isn't as simple as you think.  This episode looks at questions like:  What does custody mean in crypto? How does it differ from traditional banking Hot, cold, warm, HSM, MPC, Institutional custody vs private ledger – what makes the most sense, why? Biggest mistakes  and challenges in custodizing crypto?How the industry is moving from simple custody to defi, staking and DAO GovernanceBecause Sygnum is a bank and some of the information in the podcast relates to financial and investment topics, we want you to understand that we do not create a bank client relationship with you when you listen to the podcast. By listening to the podcast, you agree that the information on this podcast does not constitute professional advice and no bank-client or other relationship is created between you and Sygnum. Do not consider the podcast to be a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified investment advisor. The information in the podcast may be changed without notice and is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up-to-date. All information you hear is never considered to be a solicitation for any purpose, in any form or content.Read the disclaimer here: https://www.sygnum.com/disclaimer