CopperCasts

Jeremy Ng - Co-founder at OpenEden - Ep042

In the latest episode of CopperCast, our Head of Research Fadi Aboualfa had an insightful conversation with Jeremy Ng, Co-Founder of OpenEden. This organization has made impressive progress in the tokenization of real-world assets, specifically, short-term Treasury Bills.

The Singapore-based team is among the limited group that has managed to successfully connect real-world assets to the blockchain, while preserving the paper trail's integrity which rests with a qualified custodian. Nearly $15 million in TBill tokens are currently issued and in circulation. Discover how OpenEden has set up their system, and explore what the future could bring, even if treasury rates were to hypothetically drop to zero. 

Eric Chen - Co-Founder & CEO at Injective Labs - Ep041

In the most recent CopperCast our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, spoke to Eric Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Injective Labs, an interoperable layer one blockchain for decentralized financial markets. Fadi and Eric talk about Injective’s developments since launching their mainnet in 2021, their venture goals with the announcement of their $150 million Ecosystem Fund, and philosophical takes on interoperability and scaling the DeFi ecosystem. 

Since recording the podcast, Injective has integrated Polygon [$MATIC], as well as completed the Avalon Mainnet upgrade, improving the DEX’s performance, scalability, and user experience.   

 

Read more about Injective's updates here : https://blog.injective.com/ 

Burak Yenigun and Robert Carver - Stylus Capital - EP040

In the newest episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks to Stylus Capital’s Founder Burak Yenigun and his Research Advisor, Robert Carver.

Stylus Capital is a digital asset hedge fund that relies solely on momentum trading strategies. Burak and Robert may work closely together in developing sound strategies, but their approaches and long-term views differ from one another, even if slightly. The podcast delves into whether the fundamental data available is enough information for traders to make a decision all the way to why exposure to holding native cryptocurrency is a valuable proposition even when cash-settled futures markets are available.  

For regular updates on macro research on cryptocurrency, digital assets and distributed FMI follow Fadi Aboualfa on twitter @fadiaboualfa. And to hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.   

Learn more about Stylus Capital : stylus.digital

Robert Carver's blog : qoppac.blogspot.com

Anthony Scaramucci - Founder & Managing Partner at SkyBridge - Ep039

SkyBridge’s Founder and Managing Partner, Anthony "the Mooch" Scaramucci, joins Copper in a colourful interview where we hear about his bold predictions on Bitcoin and the future of money. Guns blazing, Anthony calls out certain politicians and public figures who have made Crypto unattractive for US organisations looking to make headway in the digital asset space. At any rate, the future is bright and under the sanctity of law, the Mooch believes that the US can comeback in grand style to dominate innovation in the ecosystem. The interview is brought to a close with a special guest, ChatGPT, who had a few questions of its own. 

Gordon Liao – Chief Economist at Circle – Ep038

In this episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks with Gordon Liao, Chief Economist at Circle, about how stablecoins will fundamentally change financial market infrastructure.  

 

“Many people thought that crypto would be a risk to banking, but what we have experienced just now is the reverse of that.” 

 

During this episode, Fadi and Gordon unpack the recent run-on banks in the US and explore the idea that USDC seems to be a safer asset to hold than an actual commercial bank deposit. As the industry re-groups and continues to build an improved financial infrastructure, the need for a good stablecoin is paramount. Gordon explains how he believes a stablecoin should be structured in the future, taking into account the recent events. 

 

For regular updates on macro research on cryptocurrency, digital assets and distributed FMI follow Fadi Aboualfa on twitter @fadiaboualfa. And to hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.  

Lord Hammond – Former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chair at Copper – Ep037

In this episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks with Lord Hammond, British former Chancellor of the Exchequer and now Chair at Copper, about the politics surrounding digital assets.

"It’s a new method of exchange for goods and services. Is there any politics attached to it? You bet there is.” 

During the episode, Lord Hammond discusses his tenured financial and political career, in a nation that has historically played a critical role in the evolution of financial services. It's evident that blockchain and blockchain-based services will be a cornerstone for this next phase of growth in the UK and beyond.  

To hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.

 

Tania Reif – Founder and CIO, Senda Digital Assets – Ep036

Our conversation in this episode is with Tania Reif, founder and CIO of the crypto investment fund, Senda Digital Assets.

 

Tania has a deep understanding of macro markets having built a distinguished career at some of the world’s best known macro hedge funds, including Soros Fund Management, Laurion Capital, Citadel and Alphadyne Asset Management.

 

Hailing from Venezuela, she saw first-hand one of the most severe cases of hyperinflation in modern history before moving to NYC to earn a PhD from Columbia University – writing her dissertation on currency crises.

 

In this discussion, which was recorded end-July (a time the crypto community was reeling from the collapse of Terra-Luna), Tania digs into her concerns of lax risk management practises in the crypto space and the importance of having a detailed understanding of where exactly yield comes from.

 

Everything Tania discusses in this conversation still rings true today, post-FTX collapse.

Kevin de Patoul – CEO, Keyrock –Ep035

Amidst the abrupt collapse of FTX and Alameda, we invited Kevin de Patoul, co-founder of market maker Keyrock to discuss what impact the fallout of one of the biggest disasters in crypto history will have on crypto market liquidity.

Founded in Belgium in 2017, Keyrock is a digital asset market maker, providing liquidity services to tokens, exchanges and brokerages within the digital asset ecosystem. Earlier this year, the firm was ranked by Deloitte as one of the five fastest-growing companies in Belgium during 2022.

 

In this interview, Kevin and host Tyler discussed whether FTX’s downfall will fuel the case for DeFi, with Kevin citing concerns that even though FTX was a 'centralised crisis', it may be DeFi that will face stricter regulatory scrutiny. The two also discussed institutional adoption trends, and what’s needed to restore confidence in the sector. With Keyrock being based in the headquarters of the European Union, MiCA was also naturally a key topic.

 

For his Show & Tell, Kevin describes why in the quest to enhance crypto market transparency and accountability, moving everything on-chain is simply not enough.

Jesper Johansen – Founder and CEO, Northstake – Ep034

With staking rapidly gaining momentum within the crypto ecosystem, we sat down with Jesper Johansen, founder and CEO of Northstake.

 

Founded in 2021, Northstake is a Nordic staking provider that has registered its activity with the Danish FSA. Northstake operates dedicated validator node infrastructure that allows investors to earn rewards through network participation, without having to run their own infrastructure 24/7.

 

In this conversation with host Tyler, Jesper discusses the formation of Northstake, its relationship with Concordium, the flourishing Danish crypto ecosystem, and why post-Merge, staking yields will likely drive strong institutional ETH adoption.

 

For his Show & Tell, Jesper provides an overview of the rapidly growing staking ecosystem – showing that between Oct '19 to '21, the Proof-of-Stake market cap ballooned from $9bn to a staggering $339bn.

Michelle Noyes – Head of Americas, AIMA – Ep033

Episode 33 welcomes Michelle Noyes, Head of Americas at the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), to clear up misconceptions about institutional digital asset investment during this crypto winter.

 

AIMA is the global representative of the alternative investment industry with over 2,000 corporate members in over 60 countries.

 

Michelle recently celebrated her 10th anniversary at AIMA, having joined the organisation in 2012. In this conversation with host Tyler, she discusses seeing AIMA's membership evolve over the last decade, the formation of its Digital Assets Working Group (DAWG), its recent Annual Global Crypto Hedge Fund report and the new Crypto Trading report.

 

Michelle also provides her perspective on the latest frontiers of cryptoasset investing, including the operational and regulatory challenges that need to be bridged for further institutional adoption. She highlights how events of earlier this year have provided the impetus for institutions to adopt more sophisticated due diligence and risk management processes.

 

For her Show & Tell, Michelle explains that despite the current volatility in the crypto sector, allocation to digital assets from AIMA members continues to gain traction – although not exactly at the pace and volumes that some anticipated.