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Digital identity will matter more than money itself. David Birch, author and fintech futurist, explains why reputation economies, AI-to-AI payments, and smart wallets controlled by bots are reshaping the financial infrastructure—and why most people are looking at the wrong signals.

In this episode of Curiosity Code, host Alex Khomyakov sits down with David G.W. Birch to explore the unseen forces driving the future of finance. We go beyond payments and blockchain hype to examine the foundational shifts: identity as commerce infrastructure, the twilight of traditional money, and what happens when AIs start transacting with each other.

📌 KEY TOPICS & TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Introduction: Trust, Infrastructure & the Future of Money
4:47 — Will We Ever Have Universally Trusted Digital Identity Infrastructure?
7:25 — The Biggest Myths About Money in the Digital Age
14:55 — Why AI-to-AI Payments Are Using Stablecoins Now
19:51 — Can Regulation Be Both Innovation-Friendly and Resilient to Crime?
22:41 — Societal Implications of Fintech: Privacy, Surveillance & AI Agency
25:38 — The Future Isn't a Single Currency: What Comes Next?

We cover:
→ Identity as the foundation of future commerce and reputation economies
→ Why smart wallets are designed for bots, not humans
→ The critical difference between CBDCs and stablecoins (and why it matters)
→ How central banks could design resilient, inclusive digital money systems
→ Zero-knowledge infrastructure and why most regulation debates miss the point
→ The ethical evolution from surveillance capitalism to AI-driven financial agency
→ AI as a strategic event horizon for financial services

👤 ABOUT THE GUEST

David G.W. Birch is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, author, advisor, and commentator on digital financial services. He's co-author of "Money in the Metaverse" and has spent decades advising central banks, fintech startups, and financial institutions on the future of money, identity, and digital infrastructure.

Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgwbirch

#Fintech #DigitalIdentity #AIPayments #CBDCs #Stablecoins

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