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Blockchain technology is about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity, from health care to our Internet of Things devices. In this podcast, host Laura Shin talks with industry pioneers across tech, financial services, health care, government and other sectors about how the blockchain and cryptocurrency will open up new opportunities for incumbents, startups and everyday people to interact more efficiently, directly and globally.

Oct 16, 2018

This week, because I was busy with my TEDx talk and my book, I decided to do an episode in which I answer your questions. Thank you to everyone who submitted one, and I'm so sorry I didn't get to all your questions. In this episode, I talk about what's necessary to gain wider adoption, how I think the next bull run will manifest and how Bitcoin would behave in a serious financial crisis. Plus, I reveal which areas of the industry I think will blossom, and which areas I'm less optimistic about. I also answer what people who are just getting into the technology can do in the space, why the oracle problem is so challenging and how it can be resolved, and what the velocity problem is, and whether it applies especially to Ethereum. I also delve into privacy coins, whether or not the lower overall crypto market volatility we're seeing now will continue, and where this trend with stablecoins is going. There are a LOT of episode links -- be sure to check them out!

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Altlending: https://altlending.com

Blockdaemon: http://blockdaemon.com/unchained/

Episode links:

Senate hearing on cryptocurrencies: https://www.c-span.org/video/?452837-1/senate-banking-panel-explores-cryptocurrencies-blockchains

Tweets with me, Nouriel and Vitalik: https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1050782831859752960

My conversation with Soona Amhaz of Token Daily about Nouriel Roubini on Unconfirmed: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/how-were-misusing-the-word-decentralization-ep041

Milken Institute panel featuring Nouriel Roubini: http://www.milkeninstitute.org/videos/view/cryptocurrencies-irrational-exuberance-or-brave-new-world

Skeptics' Episodes:

Preston Byrne & Angela Walch: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-skeptics-episode-preston-byrne-and-angela-walch-on-what-the-industry-and-regulators-get-wrong-in-crypto

Meltem Demirors & Jill Carlson: http://unchainedpodcast.co/episode-74

Singularity University episode discussing usbaility: http://unchainedpodcast.co/singularity-university-global-summit-how-do-we-get-consumer-adoption-ep83

My Forbes article on phone hijacking: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#2ada233b38ba

USV blog post on apps and infrastructure: https://www.usv.com/blog/the-myth-of-the-infrastructure-phase

CryptoKitties episode: http://unchainedpodcast.co/what-makes-a-cryptokitty-worth-140000-ep75

Token Foundry standards: https://blog.tokenfoundry.com/token-foundry-standards/

Civil: https://civil.co

Forbes magazine feature on blockchain not Bitcoin, featuring Chain: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/09/09/bitcoins-shared-ledger-technology-moneys-new-operating-system/#66bb2f4c7dd1

Recent episode with Barry Silbert: http://unchainedpodcast.co/barry-silbert-on-what-wall-street-says-privately-about-crypto-vs-what-it-says-publicly-ep87

Decentralized Finance series:

0x: http://unchainedpodcast.co/will-warren-of-0x-on-why-decentralized-exchanges-are-the-future

Dharma: http://unchainedpodcast.co/nadav-hollander-on-how-dharma-could-create-new-forms-of-debt-ep80

Compound: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-youll-earn-interest-on-your-crypto-with-compound-ep82

dYdX: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-dydx-allows-you-to-take-a-short-position-in-one-token-ep86

Institutional money:

The Information article on university endowments investing in crypto: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/harvard-stanford-mit-endowments-invest-in-crypto-funds

Unchained episode with Tuur Demeester: http://unchainedpodcast.co/tuur-demeester-on-why-hes-a-bitcoin-maximalist-and-bearish-on-ethereum-ep81

Fortune article on Bakkt: http://fortune.com/longform/nyse-owner-bitcoin-exchange-startup/

Custody solutions:

BitGo becomes a qualified custodian: https://www.coindesk.com/bitgo-receives-regulatory-approval-to-custody-crypto-assets/

Unchained episode with Mike Belshe of BitGo: http://unchainedpodcast.co/mike-belshe-on-what-bitgos-kingdom-trust-acquisition-means-for-crypto-and-how-security-will-develop-in-the-future

Coinbase Custody opens: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-custody-is-officially-open-for-business-182c297d65d9

Potential recession:

Oslo Freedom Forum episode on uptake of bitcoin in Venezuela: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-oslo-freedom-forum-in-new-york-why-decentralization-matters-ep85

Fortune article on Chainalysis: http://fortune.com/2018/10/10/can-the-whales-of-bitcoin-tank-the-market/?ref=tokendaily

Trends I think will blossom:

First Unchained episode with Kathryn Haun: http://unchainedpodcast.co/federal-prosecutor-kathryn-haun-on-how-criminals-use-bitcoin-and-how-she-catches-them

Unchained episode with Chris Dixon of a16z crypto: http://unchainedpodcast.co/chris-dixon-on-how-trust-is-the-best-lego-block-ep70

Unchained episode with Zooko Wilcox of Zcash: http://unchainedpodcast.co/zcashs-zooko-wilcox-on-why-he-believes-privacy-coins-will-be-used-more-for-good-than-bad

JPMorgan Chase using Zcash technology: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/22/jpmorgan-chase-to-integrate-zcash-technology-to-its-enterprise-blockchain-platform/

Enterprise blockchains:

NYT article I wrote on enterprise blockchains: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/business/dealbook/industries-blockchains-efficiency.html

Oracles:

Ether flash crash on GDAX: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/22/ethereum-price-crash-10-cents-gdax-exchange-after-multimillion-dollar-trade.html

Medium article on oracles:  https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/22/ethereum-price-crash-10-cents-gdax-exchange-after-multimillion-dollar-trade.html

Episode with Joey Krug of Augur: http://unchainedpodcast.co/joey-krug-on-how-augur-is-like-any-other-tool-ep79

Episode with Danny An of TrustToken: http://unchainedpodcast.co/harbor-and-trusttoken-on-why-they-dont-mind-being-unsexy-ep77

Velocity problem:

Chris Burniske on how to value a crypto asset, on Unchained: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-to-valuate-a-crypto-asset-s3e08

Ethereum post on reducing block reward: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/22/ethereum-price-crash-10-cents-gdax-exchange-after-multimillion-dollar-trade.html

Privacy coins:

Good post on Monero vs. Zcash: https://medium.com/digitalassetresearch/zec-best-in-class-privacy-in-a-public-blockchain-1df2a3728739

Episode on illicit use of cryptocurrencies: http://unchainedpodcast.co/how-widespread-is-money-laundering-in-crypto-ep72

Carlotta Perez book, Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: http://www.carlotaperez.org/pubs?s=tf&l=en&a=technologicalrevolutionsandfinancialcapital

Unchained episode on stablecoins: http://unchainedpodcast.co/why-its-so-hard-to-keep-stablecoins-stable

Unconfirmed episode with Rune Christensen of MakerDAO: http://unconfirmed.libsyn.com/rune-christensen-of-makerdao-on-its-15-million-from-andreessen-horowitz-ep039

Unchained episode with Circle that describes their stablecoin: http://unchainedpodcast.co/circles-jeremy-allaire-and-sean-neville-on-why-crypto-will-be-bigger-than-the-web-ep71