Blockchain Explained

Within 72 hours of returning to the White House, President Donald Trump issued a landmark Executive Order aimed at reshaping US cryptocurrency policy and positioning America as a global leader in digital assets, blockchain innovation, and financial technology. Listen to a selection from a recent Digital Assets Forum briefing analyzing the order's impact, in which we explore what is changing an...

Join our co-hosts for a conversation with Michael Greenwald, AWS Global Head of Financial Innovation and Digital Assets, and Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase Global, to talk about the intersection of AI and blockchain. Michael and Paul cut through the buzz and hype to talk about how AI is actually driving better security, more efficient user onboarding, and better business practices fo...

Join co-hosts Alan Rechtschaffen and Kellee Wicker for a wrap-up of 2024 and a brief review of what's ahead in 2025, in an episode recorded just before the close of 2024. Hear more about our take on the renewed focus on monetary and fiscal policy implications of crypto in the new administration, which is putting up pro-crypto picks for key roles, and why we think this is the year we'll see wider a...

Join our co-hosts for a conversation with Chris Giancarlo, former chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and reported candidate for "crypto czar" in the incoming Trump administration. Giancarlo, known as Crypto Dad after his plea to Congress in support of cryptocurrencies, shares a vision for using cryptocurrencies as anchors for the US dollar, drawing parallels to historical go...

Join our co-hosts for a conversation with Daniel Goldsmith, CEO of Heights Labs, on how forensic analytic labs like his help law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels crack down on illicit uses of blockchain and cryptocurrency. Daniel talks about how mapping and tracing of these very transparent ecosystems can thwart even sophisticated bad actors who are setting up multiple accounts...

Join our co-hosts for a conversation with Kyle Hauptman, Vice Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration, on how blockchain and crypto represent an opportunity for financial institutions. We discuss how crypto presents an opportunity for income not sensitive to interest rates as well as a simplification of key processes like title transfers, and how the development of a path to access cr...

Join us to hear from Ross Venokur, an artist, director, blockchain innovator, and the Chief Creative Officer of Driver Studios. Ross talks about his work to harness blockchain technology and NFTs to put creators back in the driver's seat, connecting fans to the artists they love and allowing them to support their work directly. He talks about some of the obstacles to crossing the bridge from w...

Our co-hosts are joined by Chris Cummings, Founder and CEO of Iconic Moments, to talk about how he uses blockchain and NFTs to help museums and cultural institutions reach more people in the digital age. Hear more from Chris about using NFTs to bring art to people, like their series of pieces featuring sections of Jackson Pollock's studio floor, and the role that NFTs can play in proving prove...

Co-hosts Kellee Wicker and Alan Rechtschaffen briefly discuss current events in blockchain, including the recent Bitcoin ETF and Ethereum's latest upgrades, and how they're affecting the conversation in Washington DC in this election year. Listen now for thoughts on how a bull market for crypto is driving new interest in the technology, and the continued obstacles presented by a lack of re...

Join our co-host for a wide-ranging conversation with Jared Ronis, digital assets analyst and advisor for SeedAI. In this episode, Jared talks about the power of using blockchain for verification, how it can close the gap on key AI problems, and why blockchain's time is now. For more, don't miss Jared breaking down the basics in our ongoing Blockchain Brief series, available online at  htt...

Join our co-hosts for a conversation with Amazon Web Services’ Global Head for Financial Innovation and Digital Assets, Michael Greenwald. In this episode, AI Meets Blockchain, Michael Greenwald shares his predictions for Blockchain and digital currencies in 2024, the basket of currencies approach to finance, and more.

Join Blockchain Explained co-hosts Alan Rechtschaffen and Kellee Wicker to reflect on a big year in blockchain and consider what major themes we'll be watching in 2024.

Join our co-hosts for a conversation with Stellar Development Foundation's Lesley Chavkin and PwC's Kurt Fields on the potential for blockchain to offer solutions for increased financial inclusion around the world, and how financial service providers can assess whether new solutions fit a particular challenge. Our guests discuss case studies from four countries where blockchain is already...

Join our podcast co-hosts for the latest episode of Blockchain Explained: Tackling Global Financial Inclusion. The World Bank's Harish Natarajan shares his perspective on the obstacles in dissolving the gap in access to transaction accounts and other financial tools, what blockchain-based tools can already do to close the gap, and the obstacles that still remain to achieve true financial inclu...

In part of an ongoing struggle to determine how cryptocurrency fits into existing financial structures, a federal judge issued a July 2023 judgment around whether XRP, the native crypto token for Ripple Labs, was a security or not. The verdict? Depends on the transaction in question. Join us to unpack what is really going on in the Ripple decision with Colin Lloyd, partner in Sullivan Cromwell&#39...

The future of U.S. decentralized finance, one of blockchain's key use cases, in many ways depends on how Congress decides to act. Hear from Senator Cynthia Lummis, a co-founder of the Digital Asset Caucus, about how Capitol Hill is talking about blockchain, the clarity her legislation would provide for both the industry and enforcing agencies, and her thoughts on the advantages offered by cryp...

Join Alan Rechtschaffen, Chair of Wilson’s Digital Assets Lab & Forum, and Jordan Walbesser, Director of Legal & Business Affairs at Mattel, as they discuss the evolution of blockchain technology in the context of NFT’s, Digital Collectibles, and the Metaverse. During this episode, Alan and Jordan discuss the differences between Digital Collectibles and Digital Assets, identify technologie...

This episode, hear from Laura Shin, journalist, podcaster, and author of The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze. She joins the podcast to talk foundational concepts in blockchain, from smart contracts to the role cryptocurrencies play in a blockchain's work as a decentralized ledger. Listen now to hear her take on the key thing you should k...

Meet your co-hosts for Blockchain Explained, Alan Rechtschaffen and Kellee Wicker! Hear more from Alan and Kellee about the podcast's mission to educate a wide audience about the opportunities and challenges of blockchain, study use cases, and assess the current and coming regulatory landscape. Listen now for more on what to expect from this series, and to hear what our hosts find most excitin...