Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock'n'Roll

Public blockchains promise open, interoperable financial infrastructure. But can they meet the demands of regulated institutions? We explore the key challenges around compliance, privacy, security and trust.

Why do stablecoins matter most where traditional banking works least? Nick Philpott explains how stablecoins are reshaping cross-border payments, FX and access to global money.

Why have stablecoins not transformed payments yet? Jai Massari explains what Libra got right, how stablecoins differ from tokenized deposits and what still needs to change for mainstream adoption.

September’s digital money briefing: Pontes launches, banks build tokenized deposit networks, stablecoins expand into banking, and tokenized equities bring crypto, exchanges and Wall Street closer together.

Who actually holds power in the global financial system, and how is digital money quietly rewiring it? To find out, Stefan sits down with Marieke Flament, an independent board director, strategic advisor and co-author of Currency of Power, who has had a front-row seat to almost every chapter of money's transformation. She was Managing Director for Europe at Circle, the company behind the USDC stab...

Co-host Michael Blaschke’s solo stocktake after Sonja Davidovic (IMF) and Peter Grosskopf (AllUnity). Where stablecoins win, where cards keep chargebacks, and why PSD2 can’t tell you if your agent’s payment was authorized.

What are commercial bank money tokens, and why do corporates need them? Manfred Richels and Tim Bailey explain how CBMTs work and where they fit alongside stablecoins and CBDCs.

Bitcoin rallied 25%, a hardware wallet flaw shook self-custody, and Citi entered crypto custody. A fast recap of August’s biggest moves in Bitcoin, stablecoins, and digital money.

AllUnity’s Peter Grosskopf joins us on agentic payments. From launching a euro stablecoin (plus Swiss franc and Swedish krona) to real-world use cases, hear where machine-driven payments are heading.

Every crypto holder relies on one thing and rarely thinks about it until it fails: how the keys are kept safe. Just days after the Coldcard hack drained over $100 million from users who appeared to do everything right, Ledger's Head of EMEA Kasper Luyckx joins Stefan to explain what really keeps digital assets safe, from hardware signers to bank-grade HSMs. Kasper, who has seen custody from both s...

What are agentic payments, and how will they change payments? Sonja Davidovic explains the architecture, opportunities and challenges of AI agents initiating payments on our behalf.

OUSD launches with 140 firms, Swift’s ledger pilots with 17 banks, Circle gets a US bank charter, and the Digital Euro enters trilogue. July 2026 in full.

RL1 goes live. SWIAT CTO Ivica Aračić on building a neutral cooperative platform where assets, services, and central bank money finally meet—and why Canton is the real rival.

Joey Garcia discusses Libra's legacy, OpenUSD and why stablecoin regulation is evolving differently around the world. A global perspective spanning MiCA, the GENIUS Act and beyond.

Fireblock’s Ran (Goldi) Goldshtein explains why the blockchain and crypto space has "won", what comes next with the OpenUSD stablecoin consortium, and how AI agents could reshape the future of payments and financial infrastructure

BFRR hits 400 episodes. The team reflects on seven years covering institutional DLT, then shares hot takes from 15 guests at PZF 2026 on governance, stablecoins, and monetary sovereignty.

June was brutal for crypto, yet the real story sits underneath: Saylor selling, Vitalik's privacy pivot, Stablecoin projects continue, and a sharpening transatlantic split over who anchors tokenized money.

Libra architect Christian Catalini discusses stablecoins, AI agents, the role of Bitcoin and why the future of money may be built on open networks, leveraging programmability and open standards.

GFTN’s Pat Patel on building Point Zero Forum, the future of stablecoins and agentic AI, and why coexistence beats winner-takes-all in the next wave of digital money.

Why would PayPal's former Head of Crypto join Stellar? José Fernández da Ponte explains why stablecoins, tokenization and open blockchain infrastructure are reaching a tipping point.

Stablecoins took over May. We unpack Kivalis’ 25-bank expansion, AllUnity’s agentic payments, Lagarde’s bearish take, the MiCA review, and the Clarity Act’s path through the Senate.

Clearstream’s Thilo Derenbach explains how Deutsche Börse is building hybrid market infrastructure for tokenised securities, digital assets and collateral mobility.

Circle’s Dante Disparte on regulatory wins, its own Arc blockchain, agentic payments and tokenized money's place in the global financial system.

Anika Patz, Partner at lawfirm YPOG, provides an overview of Europe’s Market Integration and Supervision Package (MISP) that will significantly change European financial market regulation and embed DLT.

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? The New York Times suggests a new candidate—but does it matter? Plus: stablecoins gain traction in Europe, and Bhutan sells most of its Bitcoin.