World Ledger with Coco Kee

To stay updated, subscribe here.

Many people still remember Silicon Valley Bank's sudden collapse affected a significant number of technology companies, including the stablecoin platform Circle, which had $3.3 billion in cash reserves deposited at SVB.

In this episode, I sit down with Ken Wilcox to understand the root causes of Silicon Valley Bank’s downfall and some lingering questions, e.g. why all the lines of defense failed, and why regulators were not more forceful despite being aware of the warning signs.

Ken Wilcox was the CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) from 2001 to 2011, then the CEO of SVB's joint venture with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB-SVB) in Shanghai until 2015, followed by four years as its Vice Chairman.

He is the author of "Leading Through Culture: How Real Leaders Create Cultures That Motivate People to Achieve Great Things" and The China Business Conundrum (Wiley, 2024)

Ken’s Substack Musing on the Middle Kingdom and More

To stay informed, subscribe to BlockchainAsia

Show notes

-Introduction

-Understanding loan-to-deposit ratio

-Impact of COVID-19 on Silicon Valley Bank

-Problem of excess Deposits

-Long-term Treasury Bonds

-Bank run and social media

-Reflections on failures across all lines of defense

-Importance of banking culture and risk control

-Alternatives to Silicon Valley Bank and the joint venture in Shanghai

-Conclusion and new book announcement

This special episode features Coco's observations and findings from her trip to Hong Kong and Mainland China.

- Hong Kong's geographical advantages to becoming a Web3 hub; its unique role as a testing ground and development center of Mainland's ambition to be a key player in Web3

- Economy in Mainland China

- 20% of Bitcoin's hash power in China

- Central government's potential change of plans to legalize crypto assets and the catalysts driving the change

Follow BlockchainAsia on Substack to stay informed. https://blockchainasia.substack.com/

The market is grinding, sentiment has turned bearish, and many are now asking: 'Is the bull market coming to an end?'"

Join me in welcoming back Jupiter Zheng, HashKey Capital, for a timely session about Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and digital asset valuation based on the book “Digital Asset Valuation Framework” by HashKey Capital.

We explore the methodologies used in valuing digital assets, debunk common skepticism, and discuss the intriguing predictions from industry leaders like Cathie Wood.

Learn about the NVT, MVRV, and stock-to-flow models used to evaluate Bitcoin and discover valuation models for Ethereum and other Layer 1 public chains.

We also look at the current market trends and what the future holds for crypto assets.

---------

00:00: Introduction, skepticism surrounding Bitcoin and crypto’s long-term value

02:33: “Digital Asset Valuation Framework” book overview

04:56: Bitcoin valuation framework, key principles and metrics

08:48: Zoom in on the following methods

15:16: How does Cathy Wood project $1M Bitcoin price by 2030

19:08: Ethereum and smart contract Layer 1 valuation

24:06: Data’s reliability and availability for building valuation models

26:26: Warrant Buffett’s mental framework when evaluating stocks and assets

30:27: Current cycle - where are we now and outlook

33:36: Closing

Subscribe to my free newsletter for updates: https://blockchainasia.substack.com/

This discussion session is for educational and informational purposes only, not investment or financial advice, and the speakers' views are their own.

This is a special episode. I put together a trail of the past 10 episodes of BlockchainAsia Podcast.

Revisiting these conversations, I have to say they remain very relevant and insightful.

If you've missed any episodes, you can catch up on

Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter: https://blockchainasia.substack.com/

In this episode, Vera Wu, COO of Numbers Protocol & Capture, founded in 2019, explains how Numbers leverages blockchain to verify the authenticity and origin of digital content, ensure content’s traceability, and empower content creators.

She also shares their collaborations with Reuters and Stanford's Starling Lab in documenting important historical

Numbers is backed by some notable investors including Protocol Labs and founders of YouTube and Twitch, as well as a Silicon Valley VC fund’s general partner.

·       00:00 Introduction and Welcome

·       00:13 Vera's background and journey into blockchain

·       01:34 Overview of Numbers Protocol

·       02:59 Details of Numbers’ blockchain and its cross-chain standards

·       03:57 Numbers’ partnerships and use cases

·       05:59 Addressing trust issues in digital content

·       07:16 Tools and solutions for content verification

·       13:17 AI-Generated content and provenance

·       15:22 Target users and market expansion

·       23:46 Regulatory landscape in Taiwan and Ethical AI Alliance

·       27:04 Conclusion and contact information

Numbers Protocol Website/Discord/TG group (English)

Follow Vera Wu’s LinkedIn

To stay informed, subscribe to my ⁠free newsletter⁠

Disclaimer: The content in Blockchain

In this episode of BlockchainAsia Podcast, I have an engaging dialogue with Ioana.

Our conversation explore a diverse array of topics, from the gradual adoption within large financial institutions to the merits and drawbacks of the EU's regulation-centric approach.

We dive into what makes the Middle East an appealing destination for founders worldwide and compare the contrasting execution mentalities between Asian and European startups.

She sheds light on Domin Network's unique offerings, illustrating how NFTs are evolving beyond speculative collectibles into practical tools for enhancing brands in a scalable manner, along with the company's growth plans.

Ioana also provides insights into events such as Dubai Token2049, Paris Blockchain Week, and NFT:NYC.

Ioana's professional journey, from the European Parliament to Citigroup, and now with Domin Network, is connected by a common theme: a quest for innovative frontiers, with blockchain and crypto emerging as the focal point.

Follow Ioana on LinkedIn and X

To stay informed, subscribe to my free newsletter

Disclaimer: The content in Blockchain Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, represents personal views and opinions, and does not constitute investment advice or recommendations.

Hann Liew, Founder & CEO of Halogen Capital, Malaysia's First Licensed and Shariah-Compliant Digital Asset Fund Manager, joins this episode of BlockchainAsia Podcast and discusses:

- Why he chose to launch a digital asset fund after exiting a Fintech company he founded and built for more than 10 years

- The key regulatory event in Malaysia that has been beneficial to the country’s crypto market

- How his Web2 Fintech expertise becomes an advantage for his new fund

- What he learns about retail and institutional investors in Malaysia when distributing his new fund

- What impact U.S. BTC spot ETF has had and Hong Kong’s ETFs will have on Malaysia’s crypto market

- What is a Shariah-compliant fund and why it offers a unique value proposition

- Things that people may not be aware of about Malaysia, e.g., one of the top 10 Bitcoin mining countries

To learn more about Halogen Capital, visit its website, follow Hann Liew on X (@ooihann)

To get more content in our inbox, subscribe to the free newsletter blockchainAsia.substack.com

In this episode, I sat down with DY, General Manager of Wanxiang Blockchain Labs, and Founder of Future3 Campus, a Web3 incubator, to discuss

With the 4th Bitcoin halving approaching, I interview Leo Wang, Head of Capital Markets and Senior Director of Investor Relations at Canaan, a NASDAQ-listed company, that manufactures Bitcoin mining rigs.

This engaging conversation delves into several intriguing questions:

1) What led an M&A lawyer to transition into a mining machine company?

2) How did a Ph.D. student in China come across Bitcoin, and become an "OG" and a pioneer of ASIC mining machines? What became of Butterfly Labs?

3) What are the predominant challenges facing leading mining machine manufacturers such as Canaan, Bitmain and MicroBT? How is Canaan competing with the dominant player Bitmain?

4) How does each Bitcoin halving impact Bitcoin price, market dynamics, and the operations of Bitcoin miners and mining rig manufacturers?

5) Which country/region is contributing the most hash rate after China lost its dominance?

6) With each halving event, is centralization an inevitable occurrence for the Bitcoin mining industry?

To stay updated, please subscribe to my newsletters on Substack

To contact my guest of this episode Leo Wang, his LinkedIn & Twitter

Disclaimer: The content in Blockchain Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, represents personal views and opinions, and does not constitute investment advice or recommendations.