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.  

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.

Episode 32 of CopperCasts welcomes Morgan Stanley Managing Director-turned-startup-founder, Kyle Downey.

Downey launched the digital asset risk management firm Cloudwall in late-2021 shortly after calling time on his 17 year career at Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director in the bank's automated risk trading department.

Based out of NYC and Singapore, Cloudwall is building an industry-leading set of digital asset risk management tools and metrics for institutional investors. The firm’s flagship product, Serenity, will help investors to understand market, liquidity, credit, operational and other risks both at the level of individual assets and whole sectors.

In this conversation, Kyle describes what prompted his interest in digital assets, Cloudwall’s founding story and dives into the challenges the platform is striving to solve. He also discusses the different types of risk in crypto – counterparty, regulatory, stablecoin, smart contract etc – and how institutional investors should be evaluating and assessing these risks.

Don’t forget to check out Kyle’s Show & Tell segment on our YouTube channel for his succinct explanation on the risks, benefits and trade-offs of different models of stablecoins (fiat-collaterised, crypto-collaterised and algo-stablecoins).

Episode 31 of CopperCasts welcomes Dr Niclas Sandström, co-founder and CEO of Hilbert Group, a Nasdaq First North listed digital asset investment firm.

Niclas started paying attention to digital assets whilst working at a large London-based emerging markets hedge fund. He noted that the characteristics that exist in emerging markets – heightened volatility, high-growth and large inefficiencies – also typify crypto markets.

In 2018, Niclas went on to co-found Hilbert, which specialises in quantitative, algorithmic trading strategies in digital assets. Three years later in October 2021, the firm listed on Sweden’s Nasdaq First North Growth Market.

In addition to discussing of all the exciting developments at Hilbert, CopperCasts host Tyler Kenyon and Niclas unpack recent crypto and macro market events, policy developments, DeFi and risk management best practices.

For his Show & Tell, Niclas discusses recent crypto market events and the importance of adopting a holistic approach to risk management.

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

With the Ethereum Merge on the horizon, everybody is talking about staking – a process whereby crypto holders put their digital assets to work and earn passive income without needing to sell them.

Episode 30 of CopperCasts welcomes Lorien Gabel, CEO of one of the most important players in the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) space, Figment.

Founded in 2018, Figment is a Canadian-based PoS infrastructure provider that offers institutional staking and supports various projects with infrastructure and services.

In this conversation, Lorien and CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon, discuss all things staking and the misconceptions around it, what the Ethereum Merge really means for investors, and also how regulations around staking are evolving.

Make sure to also check out Lorien’s Show & Tell on our Youtube channel to hear his explanation as to why over the past two years, PoS has been gaining traction on PoW, and why going forward, Lorien expects PoS to remain the dominant consensus mechanism.