Crypto Cast

How does AI work without an internet connection? 

James Burnie speaks to Dr Andrew Burnie, CEO of AskGaius, about running AI locally and how this differs from using cloud-based services. 

They discuss AskGaius’s portable offline AI device, data storage and access, the costs of AI infrastructure, and approaches to trust and ownership in AI and crypto.

Andrew also shares his perspective on how principles used in crypto could inform the development of AI systems...

 Disclosure: James Burnie is a director of AskGaius. 

This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

In 2024, a UK pension scheme allocated to Bitcoin for the first time, with Cartwright as its adviser. So how did the trustees get comfortable?
 
In this episode, James Burnie sits down with Sam Roberts, Director of Investment Consulting at Cartwright, to find out. Cartwright has spent 40 years advising and administering UK pension schemes, and also helps companies, charities and funeral trusts make investment decisions.
 
They get into why pension trustees have to be so careful when it’s other people’s money on the line, the moment that first made Sam take Bitcoin seriously, and the risk he thinks the pensions industry doesn’t talk about enough.

This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

Switzerland has maintained a prominent position in the global crypto and digital assets landscape for over a decade. With new regulation in the pipeline, a bilateral financial services agreement with the UK, and growing interest in Swiss tokenisation structures, the jurisdiction continues to attract significant attention from firms operating in the space. 

In this episode of Crypto Cast, James Burnie speaks with Martin Liebi, Financial Services, Digital & Commodity Partner at gunnercooke and head of the firm's Swiss practice, with 25 years of experience across banking, capital markets, funds, derivatives, and digital assets. Martin has been involved in creating first-in-the-world token structures and financial products listed on exchanges in Switzerland and the EU. 

They cover: 

• Why Switzerland continues to attract crypto firms and capital and the role geopolitical stability plays in that 
• The incoming Swiss stablecoin regulation and how it compares to the approaches taken in the EU and UK 
• What the Berne Financial Services Agreement is and how firms can use it to passport services across borders 
• What a Swiss AMC is, how it works, and where it is being applied for real world asset tokenisation 
• How to distribute AMC products directly to professional investors under Swiss law… 

This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

Crypto began at the margins of finance. Today, institutions, regulators, and global financial markets are increasingly engaging with it. So how did that shift happen? 

In this episode of Crypto Cast, PK sits down with Mauricio Magaldi, a venture builder at Input Output with over 12 years in crypto and 20 years in financial services, and the host of BlockDrops Podcast. 

Together they explore where crypto has come from – from the cypherpunk origins of Bitcoin to where it’s heading, with the rise of institutional capital, AI, and on-chain regulation. 
 
They cover: 
 
→ Why the origins of Bitcoin and the institutional present aren’t as contradictory as they seem 
→ How regulators are finally starting to engage with crypto – and why most still don’t understand composability 
→ Why stablecoins are the natural settlement layer for the agentic economy 
→ The real risk of AI agents with access to wallets – and what guardrails are actually needed 
→ Whether the agentic economy is economically viable once VC stops subsidising it…

CRYPTO CAST

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This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

What happens when billions of dollars meant for communities in need barely reaches them?

In this episode of Crypto Cast, James speaks with Chris Turner, Co-Founder of Kula – a decentralised impact investment company using smart contracts and blockchain governance to ensure capital reaches the people and projects it was designed to serve. 

With over two decades of experience in international development, sustainable finance, and emerging technology, Chris has watched first-hand as vast sums of aid and investment money get lost before reaching the grassroots – and built Kula to change that.

Together, Chris and James explore what real-world asset tokenisation means in practice, why most DAOs fail at governance, and how Krula’s ‘Web 2.5’ model is bridging institutional compliance with genuine community participation across Africa and Asia.

They cover:

→ How Chris witnessed a $2 billion project deliver just $300K to the communities it was designed to help – and what that moment led to

→ Why most DAOs are either dictatorships in disguise or descend into anarchy – and how Krula built a better governance model

→ What ‘Web 2.5’ means and why hiding blockchain complexity from end users is the key to mainstream adoption

→ The real risks in real-world asset tokenisation that retail investors often don’t understand

→ How Krula navigated nine jurisdictions to find a regulatory home – and what that journey revealed…

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This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

Is your understanding of blockchain regulation across global jurisdictions up to date?

In this episode of Crypto Cast, James speaks with Claire Oxborrow, Content Management Director at Chambers and Partners – one of the world’s most trusted legal directories. Chambers has spent decades ranking the best lawyers and law firms globally, and its Global Practice Guides bring that expertise directly to in-house counsel and business leaders who need actionable legal intelligence across jurisdictions.

Together, they explore how the Chambers Global Practice Guides work, why they matter to the blockchain industry, and what the 2026 Blockchain Guide is expected to reveal about a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape.

They cover:

→ How Chambers selects its contributing editors and authors from the world’s leading legal experts

→ Why 75% of Global Practice Guide readers come from outside the legal profession

→ The shift from unregulated to regulated crypto markets – and what that means for founders and businesses

→ Why the ‘launch in one country and go global’ model is becoming increasingly difficult

→ How the guides stay current in fast-moving practice areas like blockchain and AI…

CRYPTO CAST

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This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

Is your Web3 startup spending big on marketing before figuring out who you’re actually selling to? 

In this episode of Crypto Cast, James speaks with Tanya Dias, CEO and Founder of Web3 Growth Engine, a structured end-to-end GTM program built to give Web3 and AI founders the commercial foundation they need to get repeat revenue. With over 15 years of experience across startups growth, Tanya has seen the same costly patterns play out time and again - and built a framework to to prevent that from happening for new startups. 

Together, they explore what separates Web3 projects that survive, from those that disappear. 

They cover: 

→ Why so many Web3 startups burn through their runway on marketing before finding product-market fit 

→ The danger of a scattergun marketing approach and how to avoid it 

→ How to define your ideal customer and sharpen your commercial narrative

→ Where influencers fit in and why timing is everything 

→ The intersection of AI, Web3, and what it means for the industry’s future… 

CRYPTO CAST

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This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

Are DAOs dead or just growing up?

In this episode of Crypto Cast, Kathryn sits down with Adam Miller, CEO and Co-founder of MIDAO, the organisation behind the Marshall Islands DAO LLC framework. With over 250 DAOs registered under their model, Adam is building the legal infrastructure that on-chain organisations need to survive and scale.

Together, they explore what DAOs look like in 2025 and where they're heading next.

They cover:

→ Why early DAO models failed, and what's changed

→ Legal structure, liability protection, and why they matter more than ever

→ Hybrid operating models and institutional adoption

→ Stablecoins and the evolution of on-chain financial infrastructure

→ AI agents, legal personhood, and the next frontier of Web3

CRYPTO CAST

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This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

In this episode of Crypto Cast, host James Burnie is joined by Tobias Van Amstel, Founder and CEO of Altitude, a DeFi protocol platform that unifies established DeFi lending rails to make borrowing more efficient. Tobias founded Altitude to create a platform that focuses on simplicity, automation, and solving real user problems whilst removing unnecessary complexity. Tobias’ own use of DeFi, experience in building successful web 2 technology companies, and his user-first approach has helped to shape Altitude into creating a DeFi platform like no other. 

James and Tobias discuss the difference between CeFi and DeFi, the latest from the FCA and the role of AI – how much control can we really give an AI agent? The conversation also looks at how DeFi’s transparency and smart contract infrastructure are reshaping how lending works, and what the next phase of growth in the sector could look like.

This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.

In this episode of Crypto Cast, host Kathryn Dodds is joined by Karl-Martin Ahrend, Founding Partner of Areta, a leading Web3-focused investment bank, to explore the rapidly accelerating world of crypto M&A.

Kathryn and Karl uncover the current state of crypto M&A, revealing the trading infrastructure and sectors that are driving the deals reshaping the crypto landscape. Kathryn and Karl-Martin dig into the negotiation dynamics between buyers and sellers, explaining why crypto founders often find themselves at a disadvantage and how the right advisory can level the playing field. Karl-Martin also discusses the emerging trend of token-based M&A, predicting that protocol treasuries will become increasingly active buyers and potentially trigger a new wave of consolidation. 

Crypto Cast is the leading podcast for crypto founders and leaders. Join hosts Pavan ‘PK’ Kaur, James Burnie, Kathryn Dodds and Bart Kacicki, a team of specialist crypto advisors and lawyers at international firm gunnercooke. The team chat to some of the biggest industry names about everything you need to know on the business of web3, NFTs, DAOs, AI and blockchain. From regulatory updates to building the tech, and from marketing and tokenomics to gearing up for a successful exit, you’ll hear all the hot takes on the future of crypto. gunnercooke has one of the largest full-service crypto teams in Europe and the US, specialising in blockchain, Web3, crypto assets, DAOs, AI and DeFi, who have helped shape the legal and regulatory frameworks central to today’s crypto landscape.   

CRYPTO CAST

⬜ Click here to receive every podcast straight to your inbox

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This podcast and the accompanying notes are provided by gunnercooke for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice, or an invitation or inducement to buy, sell or hold any asset, including any cryptoasset. Listeners should seek independent professional advice tailored to their own circumstances before making any decision. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of gunnercooke or of the guests’ own firms. gunnercooke accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the content of this podcast. Cartwright Financial Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and advises professional and institutional clients only. Nothing in this episode is advice to retail investors.