Posts tagged Solana
Pioneering Crypto ETPs to $3B in assets in 3 years, with 21Shares CEO Hany Rashwan
Pioneering Crypto ETPs to $3B in assets in 3 years, with 21Shares CEO Hany Rashwan

In this conversation, we chat with Hany Rashwan – the founder of Amun and 21Shares. Hany built the company that put out the first physically backed crypto Exchange Traded Product (ETP). In simpler terms, he created a vehicle for people to buy crypto assets, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, on the stock market. Alongside Cathie Wood of ARK, 21Shares recently submitted a Bitcoin ETF to the SEC. While he waits for the US to get on board, Hany's products are already offered all over Europe, with more than $3 billion under management.

More specifically, we touch on his early entrepreneurial mindset which lead him to building successful businesses, how currency devaluation in Egypt pushed him to create 21Shares, what an Exchange Traded Product (ETP) is and how it related to Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), the regulatory landscape for crypto-backed ETPs, and so so much more!

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asset management, crypto, digital investing, digital securities / STOLex Sokolin21Shares, Amun, Ethereum, Bitcoin, RuneScape, World of Warcraft, Neopets, MapleStory, PowerPets, Kout, PayPal, Stripe, Ribbon, Payout, Kleiner, Netflix, Blockbuster, Deutsche Borse, Axie Infinity, Solana, Polygon, Cardano
What Goldman's institutional financial cloud on Amazon means for embedded finance
What Goldman's institutional financial cloud on Amazon means for embedded finance

In this analysis, we focus on Goldman Sachs launching an institutional embedded finance offering within Amazon Web Services, and Thought Machine raising a unicorn round for its cloud core banking platform. We explore these developments by focusing on the emerging role of cloud providers as distributors of third party software, think through some of the implications on standalone fintechs and open banking, and check in on AI company Kensho. Last, we highlight the difference between Web3 and Web3 approaches to “cloud”, and suggest a path as to how those can be rationalized in the future.

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exchanges / cap mkts, mega banks, neobank, open banking / PSD2, open source, embedded finance, enterprise blockchain, digital transformationLex SokolinGoldman Sachs, Marcus, Kensho, Thought Machine, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Ethereum, Binance, Solana, Polygon
The principle behind Mastercard's CipherTrace acquisition, L1 growth, and IRS getting your bank data
The principle behind Mastercard's CipherTrace acquisition, L1 growth, and IRS getting your bank data

Paying attention is the path to seeing and doing. Mastercard has bought CipherTrace to see blockchain-based finance, to launch new businesses, and to plug in more networks into its nexus. The crypto networks proliferate at every layer, creating more computation on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Fantom, and Solana. The US executive seeks to see more too, asking the banks for their records of financial transactions to enforce taxation compliance.

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paytech, civilization and politics, exchanges / cap mkts, crypto, regulation & complianceLex SokolinMastercard, Visa, CipherTrace, Chainalysis, IRS, Plaid, Finicity, Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Fantom, Solana, American Bankers Association, Bank Policy Institute, Consumer Bankers Association
Building the best payments fiat to crypto onramp, with Ivan Soto-Wright of MoonPay
Building the best payments fiat to crypto onramp, with Ivan Soto-Wright of MoonPay

In this conversation, we have a really cool conversation on fintech, crypto assets, payments and all the things around it with Ivan Soto-Wright, the CEO and Co-founder of MoonPay.

More specifically, we discuss Liability-driven Investment (LDI), the proliferation of AI in personal finance to drive sound decision-making, innovation in finance is following the same trajectory that resulted in VOIP for the telecommunication industry, the geographical maze of crypto KYC, payment networks, and crypto payment processing.

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digital lending, artificial intelligence, crypto, paytech, chatbots & other robots, regulation & complianceLex SokolinMoonPay, Saveable, FCA, Plum, Binance, Coinbase, Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin
Lessons from Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Galaxy Digital, and the emerging DAOs for building a Fintech empire
Lessons from Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Galaxy Digital, and the emerging DAOs for building a Fintech empire

This week, we cover these ideas:

  • The difference between building a Fintech company, and building an empire to transform the world

  • How Warren Buffett is the best in the world at getting leverage through third party capital to grow

  • How Elon Musk is the best in the world at re-investing capital into his own judgment and view of the future

  • The $1.2B BitGo acquisition by Galaxy Digital, and the growing footprint of Alameda Research

  • DAOs as a way for all of us to participate

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DAOs, venture capital, monetization / commercial, philosophy, entrepreneurshipLex SokolinWarren Buffett, Elon Musk, Galaxy Digital, BitGo, Alameda Research, FTX, Blockfolio, Solana, ConsenSys