This episode features Stephanie Larivee, a director at Cork Gully, who deals with, amongst other corporate recovery matters, distributions of crypto assets following insolvency of exchanges and trading platforms.

Cork Gully's website is https://corkgully.com

In this recording Matt and Stephanie consider:

- Liquidator's roles when dealing with insolvent crypto companies and why these outfits often become insolvent

- Who the creditors often are and why obtaining crypto funds can be tricky if not experienced

- How distributions work, including how to talk to creditors around the world, and the steps taken to ensure an ongoing dialogue

- The process of asset recovery and the role of blockchain analytics firms

- Stephanie's experience distributing USDC, and the different distributions models

- Details on timelines and payment journeys for creditors

- Challenges in crypto recovery matters in comparison to more traditional financial services cases. As many of Cork Gully's cases are live, Stephanie was unable to provide names and specific details of the insolvent, and should you want to learn more, please speak to Stephanie directly.

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In Early is a podcast hosted by Matt Green who speaks to those at the forefront of the digital assets and technology sectors, telling real life stories, considering the growth and growing pains of the industry, and exploring how blockchain and other technology has made an impact on people's lives.

With guests including household names like Coinbase, BitGo, The Law Commission of England and Wales, Crystal Blockchain and Lockton, to more specialised enterprises like fractional mining farms for NFTs, to authors, artists and developers, from stable coin issuers backed by real estate, to Web3 gaming and sports projects, and forensic investigators to law makers, the podcast is a dialogue with those servicing, developing and implementing technology.

In Early was featured in The Lawyer's Briefing Room.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-early-podcast/

Instagram: @inearlypodcast https://tinyurl.com/mryjcw2p X/

Twitter: @inearlypodcast https://x.com/inearlypodcast?s=21

This podcast is produced by Matt Green and Luke Carey. All rights reserved

#blockchain #cryptocurrency #digital #digitalassets #bitcoin #legal #interview #technology #nft #podcast #innovation #inearly #inearlypodcast #stablecoins #cbdc #memecoins #tokenization #dlt #gaming #fintech #stablecoins #MiCA

This episode features Stephanie Larivee, a director at Cork Gully, who deals with, amongst other corporate recovery matters, distributions of crypto assets following insolvency of exchanges and trading platforms.

Cork Gully's website is https://corkgully.com In this recording

Matt and Stephanie consider:

- Liquidator's roles when dealing with insolvent crypto companies and why these outfits often become insolvent

- Who the creditors often are and why obtaining crypto funds can be tricky if not experienced

- How distributions work, including how to talk to creditors around the world, and the steps taken to ensure an ongoing dialogue

- The process of asset recovery and the role of blockchain analytics firms

- Stephanie's experience distributing USDC, and the different distributions models - Details on timelines and payment journeys for creditors

- Challenges in crypto recovery matters in comparison to more traditional financial services cases.

As many of Cork Gully's cases are live, Stephanie was unable to provide names and specific details of the insolvent, and should you want to learn more, please speak to Stephanie directly.

------

In Early is a podcast hosted by Matt Green who speaks to those at the forefront of the digital assets and technology sectors, telling real life stories, considering the growth and growing pains of the industry, and exploring how blockchain and other technology has made an impact on people's lives.

With guests including household names like Coinbase, BitGo, Law Commission of England and Wales, Crystal Blockchain and Lockton, to more specialised enterprises like fractional mining farms for NFTs, to authors, artists and developers, from stable coin issuers backed by real estate, to Web3 gaming and sports projects, and forensic investigators to law makers, the podcast is a dialogue with those servicing, developing and implementing technology.

In Early was featured in The Lawyer's Briefing Room.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-early-podcast/

Instagram: @inearlypodcast https://tinyurl.com/mryjcw2p X/

Twitter: @inearlypodcast https://x.com/inearlypodcast?s=21

This podcast is produced by Matt Green and Luke Carey. All rights reserved

#blockchain #cryptocurrency #digital #digitalassets #bitcoin #legal #interview #technology #nft #podcast #innovation #inearly #inearlypodcast #stablecoins #cbdc #memecoins #tokenization #dlt #gaming #fintech #stablecoins #MiCA

This episode features Ismael Dainehine, co-founder and CEO of EverGive, which enables charitable bitcoin donations.

The vision is to ensure funds compound and last forever, creating a reserve of funds for charities with a long term vision.

Donations can be made via https://www.evergive.com/ and for more on the project visit the https://www.evergive.com/#faqs, including the How Does This Work Section.

In this recording Matt and Ismael consider:

- Ismael's earlier businesses Givematch and Shamaazi.

- What problem EverGive looks to solve, what Ismael believes are issues with charitable giving, and how EverGive solves that problem.

- Why anyone would donate via EverGive and in bitcoin - How this initiative works, including the role of a Donor Advised Fund who ensures payments are made to held at the right places.  

- Regulatory issues, and how EverGive avoids bitcoin ending up in the wrong or sanctioned hands.

- How EverGive makes money, and how charities who might not have a good understanding of bitcoin, receive funds.

- Why EverGive is not a charity but a means to give to charity.

This episode is also published on YouTube: https://youtu.be/29wbbv48NF4

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In Early is a podcast hosted by Matt Green who speaks to those at the forefront of the digital assets and technology sectors, telling real life stories, considering the growth and growing pains of the industry, and exploring how blockchain and other technology has made an impact on people's lives.

With guests including household names like Coinbase, BitGo, Coincover, Crystal Blockchain and Lockton, to more specialised enterprises like fractional mining farms for NFTs, to authors, artists and developers, from stable coin issuers backed by real estate, to Web3 gaming and sports projects, and forensic investigators to law makers, the podcast is a dialogue with those servicing, developing and implementing technology.

In Early was featured in The Lawyer's Briefing Room.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-early-podcast/

Instagram: @inearlypodcast https://tinyurl.com/mryjcw2p

X/ Twitter: @inearlypodcast https://x.com/inearlypodcast?s=21

This podcast is produced by Matt Green and Luke Carey. All rights reserved #blockchain #cryptocurrency #digital #digitalassets #bitcoin #legal #interview #technology #nft #podcast #innovation #inearly #inearlypodcast #stablecoins #cbdc #memecoins #tokenization #dlt #gaming #fintech #stablecoins #MiCA

This episode features Ben Elvidge, Head of Commercial Appliances at Trilitech, which runs https://uranium.io/en and is behind the xU3O8 token, which represents unenriched uranium, or "yellow cake".

This is a genuine use case of tokenisation, and a means by which retail can hold an otherwise remote asset.

Following a launch event alongside Figment and Crypto Collective detailing tokenisation, nuclear energy and the digital revolution, Matt Green and Ben Elvidge recorded this episode to consider:

- Uranium Oxide as an investible commodity, as opposed to the fuel for nuclear facilities

- Why uranium is being tokenised and whether there is an appetite for investment in uranium in retail, considering investment in small modular reactors, and Meta's investment in Illinois

- What "custody ready asset, with global pricing benchmarks" means in the context and what rights the xU3O8 token gives holders

- How to overcome KYC and AML compliance issues and prevent bad actors obtaining rights to uranium via the site

- How to think about this product and service, not as crypto but as a means to interact with a commodity, and how to rebrand uranium ownership

- The token itself, where to buy it and its pricing.

------

In Early is a podcast hosted by Matt Green who speaks to those at the forefront of the digital assets and technology sectors, telling real life stories, considering the growth and growing pains of the industry, and exploring how blockchain and other technology has made an impact on people's lives.

With guests including household names like Coinbase, BitGo, Coincover, Crystal Blockchain and Lockton, to more specialised enterprises like fractional mining farms for NFTs, to authors, artists and developers, from stable coin issuers backed by real estate, to Web3 gaming and sports projects, and forensic investigators to law makers, the podcast is a dialogue with those servicing, developing and implementing technology.

In Early was featured in The Lawyer's Briefing Room.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-early-podcast/

Instagram: @inearlypodcast https://tinyurl.com/mryjcw2p

X/ Twitter: @inearlypodcast https://x.com/inearlypodcast?s=21

This podcast is produced by Matt Green and Luke Carey. All rights reserved

#blockchain #cryptocurrency #digital #digitalassets #bitcoin #legal #interview #technology #nft #podcast #innovation #inearly #inearlypodcast #stablecoins #cbdc #memecoins #tokenisation #dlt #gaming #fintech #stablecoins #MiCA

This episode features Oliver Tonkin of BCB Group, Europe's leading payment service provider for the digital asset economy.

He notes "crypto within FSMA is the right thing to do, it's financial services and investments... I am not convinced about bringing stable coins into the FSMA regime".

Having just won "Best Provider of Crypto Innovation" at the Global Crypto Awards, Oliver explained the business, and his views on the industry:

- BCB's tagline "Pay, store, trade and earn fiat, stable coins and digital assets globally";

- The status quo on payments, including what SWIFT and CHAPS are;

- BCB's liquidity services and his views of Ripple's then failed attempt to buy Circle; - Reasons why people are using stable coins, and whether businesses are actually adopting them;

- Why BCB is a French Digital Asset Service provider, and what "your crypto assets are stored in our institutional- grade custody solution, secured with HSM technology" means;

- Oliver's own views on UK Treasury's draft legislation on the treatment of stablecoins under amendments to the The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Cryptoassets) Order 2025- defining:   “qualifying cryptoassets” as “any cryptoassets which are fungible and transferable and not subject to one of the exceptions” and “qualifying stablecoins” as “is a subset of qualifying cryptoassets, which are referenced against a fiat currency, and purport to maintain a stable value in relation to that fiat currency, by holding or arranging for the holding of fiat currency or fiat currency and other assets.

- His views on the exceptions to "specified kind of activity" to carve out dcesigijg and minting, and the impact this statutory instrument may have on his business; and

- BCB's collaboration with Circle on global payment networks.

------

In Early is a podcast hosted by Matt Green who speaks to those at the forefront of the digital assets and technology sectors, telling real life stories, considering the growth and growing pains of the industry, and exploring how blockchain and other technology has made an impact on people's lives.

With guests including household names like Coinbase, BitGo, Coincover, Crystal Blockchain and Lockton, to more specialised enterprises like fractional mining farms for NFTs, to authors, artists and developers, from stable coin issuers backed by real estate, to Web3 gaming and sports projects, and forensic investigators to law makers, the podcast is a dialogue with those servicing, developing and implementing technology.

In Early was featured in The Lawyer's Briefing Room.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-early-podcast/

Instagram: @inearlypodcast https://tinyurl.com/mryjcw2p

X/ Twitter: @inearlypodcast https://x.com/inearlypodcast?s=21

This podcast is produced by Matt Green and Luke Carey. All rights reserved

#blockchain #cryptocurrency #digital #digitalassets #bitcoin #legal #interview #technology #nft #podcast #innovation #inearly #inearlypodcast #stablecoins #cbdc #memecoins #tokenization #dlt #gaming #fintech #stablecoins #MiCA

This week Matt speaks to Dr Ann Sofie Cloots, Senior Policy Advisor at Coinbase and Affiliate Lecturer on AI, DLT and Web3 at the University of Cambridge. 

They speak about:

- Coinbase's position in the market, the role of Senior Policy Advisor and the role it plays in shaping Coinbase's global strategy;

- The company's response to then Financial Stability Board's Global Regulatory Framework for Crypto Asset Activities, designed to promote regulatory homogeny worldwide, and why Coinbase was critical of the paper. 

- The Digital Economy Course at the university, and the AI and crypto interplay

- Ann Sofie's time on the Advisory Panel of the DAO Project of the Law Commission, considering last year's scoping paper;

- Experience within the DLT Working Group at the UK Crypto Business Council, and her thoughts on incentivising there UK government to take DLT technology seriously.

This episode features Scott Pounder, Founder and CEO of Prometheus Insights https://prometheus-insights.com/About/

Formerly of the Met Police, Head of Investigations at Crystal Intelligence, then at FTI Consulting as a director, Scott now runs his own operation, providing expert reports for crypto investigations and blockchain analytics, asset recovery and insolvency support, as well as cybercrime intelligence and wealth verification.

This episode features Rachel Wolcott, a founding editor of Compliance Corylated, writing on financial fraud, market abuse, and of course cryptocurrency.

This episode covers both (i) the state of industry onboarding, including know-your-client and anti-money laundering checks and well as (ii) fraud repayment initiatives.

Matt and Rachel speak about:

👉 Why there are so many fines and bad practices including:

🚩 KuCoin’s fine of $297 million for unlicensed money transmission charges, amongst other things https://tinyurl.com/5b8er5f4;

🚩OKX’s fine of over $500million for AML violations, following facilitation of over five billion dollars’ worth of suspicious transactions and criminal proceeds https://tinyurl.com/mr2v2dda; and

🚩Last year’s judgment in D’Aloia which included “BitKub’s customer not only received laundered funds but also had some active involvement in the fraud, whether as a perpetrator of it or as a money mule who lent the use of her account to those behind the fraud” https://tinyurl.com/5x9a53xb;

👉 Rachel’s article from 22 January 2025 which notes that the FCA have relied on powers under the Money Laundering Regulations 45 times since 2020.

👉 Her Thomson Reuters article about a KYC provider, with links to the Russian government;

👉 The T3 Financial Crime Unit between Tether, TRON and TRM Labs, and why that might seem odd given TRM’s criticism of Tether https://tinyurl.com/2m7c3cpb and https://tinyurl.com/urc55sth

👉 Rachel’s views on Mercuryo and Baanx, offering Mastercard debit cards https://tinyurl.com/cyrwtzs4;

👉 The Authorised Push Payment reimbursement scheme, introduced in October 2024

 👉 The ACAMS Global AFC Threats Report 2025 considers “[o]rganised crime harnessing the power of technology” and nots “tools like social media, messaging apps, generative AI and crypto assets enable criminals to scale their operations and profits, while governments, law enforcement, and industry are struggling to keep up”.

This episode features Dr Lisa Cameron, a Member of Parliament between 2015 and 2024, and previous chair of the Crypto and Digital Assets All Parliamentary Group. Now the founder of Global Legislators Forum in Digital Assets, this episode explores:

- Dr Cameron’s tenure whilst an MP, including previous governments' appetite for promoting this sector and the comradely between those representing more regional seats;

- The creation of the APPG, and which parties and individuals were key contributors;

- Thoughts on the digital pound and the Bank of England’s trajectory;

- Whether Dr Cameron felt previous governments had met their promises to make the UK a digital assets hub, including:

“moves that will see stablecoins recognised as a valid form of payment as part of wider plans to make Britain a global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment”

"measures include legislating for a ‘financial market infrastructure sandbox’ to help firms innovate, an FCA-led ‘CryptoSprint’, working with the Royal Mint on an NFT, and an engagement group to work more closely with industry”

that “the UK will proactively explore the potentially transformative benefits of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in UK financial markets, which enables data to be synchronized and shared in a decentralised way to potentially achieve greater efficiency, transparency and resilience”

see announcement from April 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-plan-to-make-uk-a-global-cryptoasset-technology-hub

- Where the new-ish Labour government will head and some future gazing;

- More about the Legislators Forum, including why it was set up, its aims and how it hopes to achieve them; and

- Dr Cameron’s role in KobeLab, which deals with blockchain technology and real estate, including their recent award win.

This week Matt speaks to both Marcin Zarakowski and Roman Bieda, of Token Recovery, a Swiss outfit specialising in "combining technical expertise, legal proficiency and a swift, discreet, end-to-end process devised to get your property back”.

Matt asks them about their backgrounds at BSV and Coinfirm respectively, and more about the operation, how Token Recovery take on victims of fraud where crypto assets are lost following a hack or scam, and how they work with lawyers, like me, law enforcement, and blockchain analytic services like Global Ledger to navigate the recovery process.