Around The Coin

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 poin...

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 wit...

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 effect...

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. Re...

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 marr...

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...

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 t...

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...

Description: Mike Townsend sits down with Marc Bhargava. Marc is the founder of Tagomi, the first electronic agency prime brokerage in the digital assets space. We discuss why now is the perfect time to be building in crypto, what Marc's most contrarian crypto views are, and other thought-provoking ideas in the space. Tune in and enjoy! Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and in...

The Great Depression: How the Great Depression impacted our modern financial world. Mike and Brian dissect events that played a major role in the Great Depression such as the telephone, prohibition, food subsidies, bank closures, wage laws and more. We reflect on how each of these policy changes shaped the world we live in today and how you can predict the future by understanding cycles of the pas...

This week Mike Townsend sits down with Jack Jia of Wyre. Jack is the founding employee at Wyre and in this show we talk about the inspiration for the idea which largely came from a PayPal hackathon in 2015. We talk about how Wyre uses bitcoin behind the scene to enable much faster and cheaper foreign exchange. We also spoke about Jack's experience living and doing business in China and how he...

An in depth look at the history of the credit card companies that run our global financial networks. We touch it all, from the founding of American Express in 1850 to charge coins, money orders, traveler's checks, diners club cards, the first credit card US Patent, and the formation of Visa and MasterCard. The origin stories of the financial industry carry lessons that will inspire anyone wor...

The unbanked are often overlooked due to their inability to integrate into the global economic engine. In this episode, we look at who they are, what their life is like, and what obstacles stand in the way for them to join the financial system. Could blockchain based startups like Bloom, Civic, and Spring Labs provide a reliable decentralized credit infrastructure and unlock the economic potential...

This week Behind The Coin Host Nako Mbelle sits down with Tyrone Ross of NobleBridge Wealth. Tyrone has more than a decade of experience in the financial services industry. Tyrone has worked for large wirehouse firms like Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch where he gained investment management and financial planning experience leading him to break away and become an independent investment advisor. C...

In this episode, we get a change to sit down and have a chat with Andy Bryant, who is the COO of bitFlyer Europe. bitFlyer is a licensed cryptocurrency exchange in Japan and holds additional licenses in Europe and the United States. We talk with Andy where we stand today with respect to crypto exchanges and what might we see in the coming months/years as cryptocurrency trading evolves more into ma...

Faisal, Mike, and Brian jump right in the deep end debating the decision of tech giants like Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook to ban people for spreading the wrong ideas. We talk about how ancient civilizations dealt with free speech, and how special and unusual free speech is today. The discussion which was very dynamic and engaging wrapped up with 10 minutes at the end mentioning the top payments...

In this show, the hosts give a special thanks to listeners Kevin McKernan, Scott Dueweke, and Shahid Sharif for their ongoing support. The first topic of discussion seeks to expose the listener to the complexity of our global banking system and how many insiders don't appreciate the big picture of history. From there we debate ideas in cryptocurrency regulation, get a better understanding of...

This week, the trio talk about: Hegelian dielectric (Dialectical materialism), Ted David Christian 2011 History of our World in 18 minutes, Julian Jaynes Breakdown of Bicameral Mind, The impact of psychedelics back into Western Medicine, The global political waves impacting life today, Calcite microcrystals in the pineal gland of the human brain (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12224052) and A...

The trio, Brian Roemmele, Mike Townsend and Faisal Khan are back on air, starting season four of Around The Coin. This week we discuss: Thoughts on why currency evolved, how it shaped the world around us, and the inevitable future direction it will take. Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive developer with staff augmentation through Otter. Redeeem https://redeeem.click/...

In July, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, shared some choice words for centralized cryptocurrency exchanges, hoping they “burn in hell”. These exchanges are some of the most powerful players in the digital currency market, acting as the middleman between buyers and seller, however, according to JPMorgan, one-third of centralized crypto exchanges have been subject to hacks. Over the past year, dec...

To kick things off for Season 4, I'd thought I'd interview someone peculiar. Aaron Silva and I got in touch in which he told me of a very unique story in the banking world, that people don't talk about. To put it bluntly, the oligopoly of the three large CBS (Core Banking System) providers in the United States, i.e. Jack Henry, FIS Global and Fiserv. Amongst these three giants, they...

This week Mike Townsend and Faisal Khan discuss the topic that has been on everyone else’s mind, but we hardly speak of it. The fragmented world of payments and how broken the system is. We discuss with simple examples of why the cross-border money transfer system is broken and how it represents a multi trillion dollar opportunity. Sponsors:Otter Labs www.hireotter.com- Hire great and inexpensive...

The Original Crew: Brian Roemmele, Mike Townsend and Faisal Khan get back on the air. This time we discuss all what is going in the world of payments, especially crypto based regulation. 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...

On this week's podcast, we discuss why common terms like addresses, wallets, pre-mines and forks confuse newcomers and observers in the space. We clear up common misconceptions which is costing many crypto traders millions BTC and ETH. Learning this one "not-well known" recovery process can help you get back any BTC or some alt-coins you may have lost. Lastly, we talk about some of...

Around the Coin got a chance to sit down with both the Co-Founders of Kora, Dickson Nsofor (CEO) and Maomao Hu (COO).Kora is a blockchain company that is focused on bringing low-cost access to financial services to as many people as possible. They are building a blockchain network and embedding into it functionality where it can be accessed by anyone, and helping people access the blockchain witho...