The Agenda Podcast: Decoding Crypto

Meanwhile director of wealth management Danny Baer explains how Bitcoin has found a new use case in the life insurance industry, and how BTC holders can use life insurance to enhance the tax efficiency of their investment portfolio. 

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

[00:00:00] Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
[00:01:47] What’s so special about Bitcoin-based life insurance?
[00:03:58] Payment options for policy holders
[00:06:43] Meanwhile’s origin story
[00:14:26] How is Bitcoin life insurance regulated?
[00:16:43] What Meanwhile “does” with policyholders' Bitcoin
[00:33:27] What happens if Meanwhile goes out of business
[00:35:43] Danny’s views on the ideal policy size
[00:40:08] When does the policy payout and can clients borrow from their policy?
[00:48:58] How do beneficiaries receive their payouts?
[00:51:44] How is client Bitcoin secured? 

Follow Danny Baer on X at @dbaer7.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Mercy Corps chief investment officer Scott Onder explains how the international NGO uses blockchain to streamline aid relief and breaks down its strategy for investing in crypto projects in emerging markets, particularly in the Global South, to help build community resilience and fight climate change.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Time codes:
(00:00) Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(01:20) What is Mercy Corps? What does it do?
(03:41) Why Mercy Corps dove into crypto and blockchain
(08:56) How blockchain improves aid delivery in the Horn of Africa
(13:51) Are most NGOs interested in blockchain?
(16:10) How crypto is perceived in emerging markets
(22:18) What is the Mercy Corps Ventures fund?
(25:23) What is the Crypto For Good Fund?
(31:38) Lessons learned for future builders
(34:57) How Web3 can fight climate change
(40:55) Can crypto help migration crises?
(44:54) Scott Onder’s proudest accomplishments
(46:07) Benefits of decentralization in general
(48:18) Mercy Corps’ 2025 agenda

Follow Scott Andor on X at @scottonder.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO and chief scientist at SingularityNET, explains why decentralizing AI is critical to the development of artificial general intelligence. He also explores AI’s potential to solve human aging and shares his thoughts on what sentience might look like in an artificial general intelligence.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow Ben Goertzel on X at @bengoertzel

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(02:56) - AI’s journey from the 1950s to today
(06:16) - How AI eventually evolves to the level of superintelligence
(07:10) - Does AI really pose a risk to humanity?
(12:25) - The importance of decentralizing artificial intelligence
(15:37) - In the future, who will “own” the AI?
(25:31) - What Hollywood got right and wrong about AI
(35:53) - Will AI help humans become immortal?
(40:46) - Dr. Goertzel explains The Consciousness Explosion

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Sebastian Rodriguez, chief product officer at Privado ID, breaks down how services and users alike can verify their identities while maintaining privacy in a trustless environment using blockchain technology. He also explains how Privado ID differs from Worldcoin, how it can help fight misinformation online, and the security risks of biometric databases.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow Sebastian on X at @PolygonSSI and Privado ID at @PrivadoID.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(01:54) - What is Privado ID?
(04:55) - How businesses and services use Privado ID
(08:07) - Why and how Privado ID uses blockchain
(10:46) - What are the risks with biometric databases?
(14:54) - Does Privado ID issue credentials?
(18:05) - Is there a global framework for ID verification?
(20:44) - Fighting misinformation vs. maintaining privacy
(29:25) - Privado ID vs. Worldcoin
(33:54) - The ethics of trading biometrics for crypto
(36:12) - Privado ID’s business and revenue model

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Aldo de Pape, co-founder and CEO of Genomes.io, joins The Agenda podcast to discuss the genomic mapping industry’s privacy challenges and their impact on users, including why people should be more cautious with their genetic data amid an atmosphere of hacks and companies selling your DNA data.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow Aldo on X @aldodepape and Genomes.io at @genomesdao.
Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

(00:00:00) Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(00:01:34) What is genetic sequencing?
(00:03:21) What sets Genomes.io apart from its competitors?
(00:07:29) The genomic sequencing industry is still the Wild West
(00:14:13) Aldo’s thoughts on why the industry needs a universal regulatory framework
(00:16:06) Not protecting your data could make you the next Henrietta Lacks
(00:18:56) How do users know that the Genomes.io platform is secure? 
(00:22:29) How Genomes.io data sourcing and compensation work
(00:25:04) Genomic mapping use case examples
(00:27:47) Why does the project have a token and a DAO?
(00:42:06) The future role of AI and quantum computing in genomics

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Three of The Agenda’s first guests return to the podcast to update us on the wins and losses of the last year and their goals and vision for 2025. CryptoHarlem founder Matt Mitchell, OriginTrail co-founder Tomaž Levak, and Blockchain Radicals author Joshua Dávila sit down with Ray and Jonathan for the second half of this two-part episode.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow CryptoHarlem on X at @cryptoharlem, Tomaž at @TomazOT, and Joshua Dávila at @TBSocialist.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to The Agenda podcast and Matt Mitchell of CryptoHarlem
(01:00) - CryptoHarlem and the global political changes influencing the hacktivist community
(03:13) - What motivates Matt Mitchell?
(04:44) - Defining hacktivism and examples of hacktivism
(07:48) - AI and surveillance
(16:08) - Final thoughts and Matt’s positive outlook
(18:42) - Introduction to Tomaž Levak of OriginTrail
(20:06) - The Importance of trusted knowledge in AI systems and OriginTrail’s expansion into the aviation industry
(26:07) - The problem of AI hallucinations
(29:25) - The definition of edge nodes and how they represent the future of OriginTrail
(34:53) - Final thoughts and the future of OriginTrail
(38:05) - Introduction to Joshua Dávila, aka the Blockchain Socialist, and his book, “Blockchain Radicals”
(40:53) - The politicization of crypto in the 2024 election cycle
(44:37) - The media’s role in the crypto narrative
(48:35) - The role of blockchain in times of crisis
(52:21) - Overview of Breadchain and its future plans
(56:31) - Final thoughts and Joshua’s optimism for 2025 and the future of crypto

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Five of the Agenda's first guests return to the podcast to update us on the wins and losses of the last year and their goals and vision for 2025. Allie Rae from WetSpace, Nym's own Harry Halpin, LaborDAO founder Larry Williams, Jr., and Cryptonauts host Nathan Leung sit down with Ray and Jonathan for Part 1 of a two-part episode.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow Cryptonauts on X at @CryptonautsShow, LaborDAO at @thelabordao, Harry Halpin at @harryhalpin, and Allie Rae at @mrsallierae.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
[00:01:40] Cryptonauts thoughts on community in Web3 and 2025 plans
[00:03:15] Where’s the hype in this bull market? 
[00:06:24] New trends driving investor interest in the crypto market
[00:13:40] LaborDAO analyzes what’s wrong with DAOs 
[00:22:00] NYM CEO Harry Halpin says interest in decentralized VPNs is growing
[00:24:00] Speed or privacy? The challenges of VPN scaling
[00:25:26] AI and VPNs
[00:28:05] NYM’s 2025 plans
[00:30:02] Allie Rae on WetSpace growth in 2024
[00:33:10] Payments and banking remain a problem, but crypto provides a way
[00:36:30] How WetSpace thrives during bull markets
[00:40:15] Allie’s thoughts on AI and content creation
[00:43:46] How PornHub and OnlyFans bans in some US states impacts WetSpace
[00:47:00] WetSpace’s new plans for 2025

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Ramon Recureo, co-founder and CEO of Kinto, joins The Agenda podcast to explain how tokenized real-world assets open up new opportunities for institutional and retail investors and how tokenization will eventually integrate blockchain into all areas of the financial industry.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow Ramon Recuero on X at @ramonrecuero.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(01:38) - What are real-world assets (RWAs), and what is Kinto?
(08:37) - How do RWAs and Kinto differ from Robinhood and Fidelity?
(14:43) - How secure are tokenized assets?
(16:24) - How do we know RWAs are not another “crypto bubble?”
(22:38) - RWAs unlock fragmented liquidity in assets
(23:57) - DeFi is actually “safer” than traditional finance
(31:30) - RWAs will unlock trillions, but when?
(33:44) - Are there limitations to tokenizing everything?
(46:30) - Are RWAs and KYC laws compatible?
(49:50) - The role of governance at Kinto

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

The Agenda podcast is joined by John Wingate of BankSocial and Azeem Khan of Morph to discuss the ways blockchain and crypto can be used to financially empower regular people and make the world a better place through DeFi-focused credit unions and value-driven layer 2s.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow John Wingate on X at @PresidentHODL and Azeem Khan at @azeemk_.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(01:43) - What is BankSocial, and what is its mission?
(07:04) - Are there securities and regulatory risks for users?
(10:03) - What a DeFi-focused bank actually does
(12:37) - How BankSocial handles banking and blockchain challenges
(17:08) - What is the Morph layer-2 blockchain?
(19:01) - Bringing DeFi to places that lack banking infrastructure
(22:05) - What type of projects will be built on Morph?
(23:56) - What the UNICEF CryptoFund does
(26:08) - Why Azeem first got into blockchain
(29:39) - Can Morph help with international aid delivery?
(32:03) - Morph and the future of AI
(33:49) - Will the AI revolution overall hurt or help people?
(34:56) - Can billionaire philanthropists save the world?
(37:40) - Can crypto address global poverty?

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Nym CEO Harry Halpin joins The Agenda to discuss the state of privacy and civil liberties in 2024, including the sentencing of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev, the power of AI to increase and expand surveillance, the censorship risks of central bank digital currencies, and more.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on X (Twitter) at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art.

Follow Harry Halpin on X at @harryhalpin.
Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
(01:40) - Complying with regulations and sanctions as a privacy project
(05:50) - Reaction to Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev’s jail sentence
(09:44) - The future of privacy around the world
(12:22) - Are CBDCs a privacy nightmare?
(15:51) - The politicization of CBDCs
(18:47) - Are AI fears accurate or overblown?
(22:08) - How Ukranians use Nym VPN to stay safe
(25:43) - Mixnets vs. traditional VPNs

If you like what you heard, rate us and leave a review!

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.