Unchained

What Fidelity Is Doing With the Bitcoin It's Mined - Ep.200

11.24.2020 - By Laura ShinPlay

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Christine Sandler, head of sales and marketing at Fidelity Digital Assets, talks about how 30 years in traditional finance and an early retirement led her to Coinbase, and, eventually, Fidelity Digital Assets. She discusses the history of Fidelity's involvement in crypto, how they became one of the first to enter the space, and what the future holds. Topics include:

what Fidelity Digital Assets is and Christine's role there

Christine's background in traditional finance, how she was drawn into the world of cryptocurrencies, eventually working at Coinbase, and how she found her way to Fidelity Digital Assets

the role Fidelity sees itself playing in the digital asset space

how the client base for digital assets has changed over time

how Fidelity approaches the difficulties around explaining what bitcoin and crypto is, and the most common questions they receive

how the pandemic has changed the conversation around digital currencies

the types of services and products Fidelity is considering for the future

the differences Fidelity sees in how international investors are approaching digital currency

Fidelity's plans for a Bitcoin index fund and whether they are considering offering futures

how financial institutions and institutional investors fit into a world of decentralized finance founded with the ethos of excluding them

the regulatory improvements Fidelity is hoping to see

what a Bitcoin ETF would mean for Fidelity

how Fidelity might use a central bank digital currency in its business

Fidelity's thoughts on offering proof of stake services

whether a more deflationary Ethereum might attract more institutional investors

and whether Fidelity will offer Ethereum in the future

 

Thank you to our sponsor! 

Crypto.com: https://www.crypto.com

 

Episode links: 

Christine Sandler: https://twitter.com/shoegalnyc

Fidelity Digital Assets: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/overview

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigitalAssets

 

Christine leaves Coinbase for FDAS: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-poaches-coinbase-institutional-sales-head-christine-sandler

 

Fidelity Center for Applied Technology: https://fcatalyst.com/overview

 

Fidelity Digital Assets looking to become prime broker: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/68920/fidelity-digital-assets-eyes-service-for-introducing-crypto-funds-to-big-investors

 

How the client profile has changed: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/42342/the-client-profile-is-changing-fidelity-digital-assets-exec-says-new-players-are-entering-the-crypto-fold

 

How to Explain Cryptocurrencies and Blockchains to the Average Person

Unchained episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-to-explain-cryptocurrencies-and-blockchains-to-the-average-person/

 

Fidelity expands crypto business to Europe: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-to-expand-institutional-crypto-business-to-europe

 

Fidelity obtains New York Trust Charter: https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-gets-a-new-york-trust-charter-to-custody-bitcoin-for-institutions

 

Bitcoin Index Fund: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/08/26/fidelity-president-files-for-new-bitcoin-fund/?sh=13aa335445c9

 

Fidelity survey of 800 institutional investors: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/FDAS/institutional-investor-study.pdf

 

FDAS hiring: https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/articles/engineering-hiring-initiative?ccmedia=owned&ccchannel=social&cccampaign=hiring_blog&cctactics=twitter

 

Kingdom Trust: 

https://www.coindesk.com/fidelity-digital-assets-to-custody-bitcoin-in-kingdom-trust-retirement-accounts

 

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