Hello and welcome to the Fiscally Challenged podcast!

In this episode I sit down with Yathu (he/him), a lecturer in the Anthropology of Enterprise and specialist in cryptocurrency, blockchain and social media from University College London (UCL). He's here to give us the 101 on the complex world of cryptocurrency and explore its impact on our understanding of money.

Yathu explains crypto mining in a language that I can (finally) understand, and introduces the concept of "hope money". This concept explains how crypto represents more than just an investment, but a way to have control of and rewire one's financial future. It’s a mix of hope, risk, and honestly, a bit of luck. But with every risk comes potential pitfalls, and Yathu shares real stories about notorious financial scams, including the infamous OneCoin fraud.

We also dive the cultural side of money - how our upbringings, society, waged labour, the anointed gatekeepers and the internet have influenced our relationship with money. From looking into the darker side of the often unregulated but highly marketed crypto culture, Yathu gives us insight into why some of us see crypto (and traditional gambling) as their golden ticket and why others (like myself) approach it with trepidation.

Yathu shares personal insights into how money has influenced his life and why we fetishise money in the first place. We discuss everything from what it means to work, the emotional side of our finances and why Dolly Parton re-released her anti-capilalist hit song 9-5 to reflect the current state of affairs.

Hit the FOLLOW and the notification buttons to be the first to know when a new episode drops every Thursday, and follow Fiscally Challenged on: Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.