CopperCasts

Tune into our latest Coppercast as Shaun Fernando, Chief Risk Officer at Deribit, joins our series 'Exchanges that have nothing to hide - conversations with the ClearLoop network'. Simon Morgan and Fragkiskos Gonidis of Copper speak with Shaun about risk management frameworks, tokenisation, and the increasing efficiencies blockchain provides compared to the traditional market infrastructure.  

This is the first episode in our new series Exchanges that have nothing to hide - conversations with the ClearLoop network.  Join Simon Morgan and Fragkiskos Gonidis of Copper as they speak with David Lo, Head of Financial Products and Wealth Management at Bybit about the maturing market infrastructure, the growing number of institutionally viable investment vehicles, and what seems to be a promising year ahead for crypto. The conversation goes into detail about ClearLoop, Coppers off-exchange settlement solution as well as Bybit Institutional's fund pools and structured products. 

Why are blockchain and cryptocurrency important to democracy? Join Eva Gustavsson, Copper's Head of Public Affairs and Jennifer Ewing, Head of Strategy at the Center For Digital Assets And Democracy (CFDAAD) and Founder, Ottersea Advisors. CFDAAD is built on the principle that everybody should own and control their own assets, with the state and its agencies acting as enabling and directly accountable public servants. Together, Eva and Jennifer discuss how blockchain and cryptocurrency could be a tool for democracy, ownership of assets, and prosperity.  

Listen to Henri Arslanian, a lawyer who defines his passion in life as the future of money and the financial industry. Henri is the cofounder of Nine blocks capital - a crypto hedge fund for institutions. Nine blocks received $75 million in its first close and has spent the last 2 years deploying to digital assets. With Fadi Aboualfa, Copper's Head of Research, this episode touches on the importance of due diligence for crypto-focused funds, regulation in the blockchain space, the potential of distributed ledger technology for the tokenisation of real world assets and the future impact of DLT and blockchain technology. 

Dive deep into the world of on-chain data and the potential of CBDCs with our latest CopperCast episode.  Join Fadi Aboualfa, Copper's Head of Research, as he engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Jonathan Reiter, Co-founder of Chainargos, and Patrick Tan, General Counsel. Together, they unravel questions that are reshaping the financial landscape: How will DeFi evolve? What insights do stablecoin movements offer us? What's the trajectory for blockchain adoption?

In the latest episode of CopperCast, our Head of Research Fadi Aboualfa had an insightful conversation with Jeremy Ng, Co-Founder of OpenEden. This organization has made impressive progress in the tokenization of real-world assets, specifically, short-term Treasury Bills. The Singapore-based team is among the limited group that has managed to successfully connect real-world assets to the blockchain, while preserving the paper trail's integrity which rests with a qualified custodian. Nearly $15 million in TBill tokens are currently issued and in circulation. Discover how OpenEden has set up their system, and explore what the future could bring, even if treasury rates were to hypothetically drop to zero. 

In the most recent CopperCast our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, spoke to Eric Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Injective Labs, an interoperable layer one blockchain for decentralized financial markets. Fadi and Eric talk about Injective’s developments since launching their mainnet in 2021, their venture goals with the announcement of their $150 million Ecosystem Fund, and philosophical takes on interoperability and scaling the DeFi ecosystem.  Since recording the podcast, Injective has integrated Polygon [$MATIC], as well as completed the Avalon Mainnet upgrade, improving the DEX’s performance, scalability, and user experience.      Read more about Injective's updates here : https://blog.injective.com/ 

In the newest episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks to Stylus Capital’s Founder Burak Yenigun and his Research Advisor, Robert Carver. Stylus Capital is a digital asset hedge fund that relies solely on momentum trading strategies. Burak and Robert may work closely together in developing sound strategies, but their approaches and long-term views differ from one another, even if slightly. The podcast delves into whether the fundamental data available is enough information for traders to make a decision all the way to why exposure to holding native cryptocurrency is a valuable proposition even when cash-settled futures markets are available.   For regular updates on macro research on cryptocurrency, digital assets and distributed FMI follow Fadi Aboualfa on twitter @fadiaboualfa. And to hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.    Learn more about Stylus Capital : stylus.digital Robert Carver's blog : qoppac.blogspot.com

SkyBridge’s Founder and Managing Partner, Anthony "the Mooch" Scaramucci, joins Copper in a colourful interview where we hear about his bold predictions on Bitcoin and the future of money. Guns blazing, Anthony calls out certain politicians and public figures who have made Crypto unattractive for US organisations looking to make headway in the digital asset space. At any rate, the future is bright and under the sanctity of law, the Mooch believes that the US can comeback in grand style to dominate innovation in the ecosystem. The interview is brought to a close with a special guest, ChatGPT, who had a few questions of its own. 

In this episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks with Gordon Liao, Chief Economist at Circle, about how stablecoins will fundamentally change financial market infrastructure.     “Many people thought that crypto would be a risk to banking, but what we have experienced just now is the reverse of that.”    During this episode, Fadi and Gordon unpack the recent run-on banks in the US and explore the idea that USDC seems to be a safer asset to hold than an actual commercial bank deposit. As the industry re-groups and continues to build an improved financial infrastructure, the need for a good stablecoin is paramount. Gordon explains how he believes a stablecoin should be structured in the future, taking into account the recent events.    For regular updates on macro research on cryptocurrency, digital assets and distributed FMI follow Fadi Aboualfa on twitter @fadiaboualfa. And to hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.  

In this episode of CopperCasts our Head of Research, Fadi Aboualfa, speaks with Lord Hammond, British former Chancellor of the Exchequer and now Chair at Copper, about the politics surrounding digital assets. "It’s a new method of exchange for goods and services. Is there any politics attached to it? You bet there is.”  During the episode, Lord Hammond discusses his tenured financial and political career, in a nation that has historically played a critical role in the evolution of financial services. It's evident that blockchain and blockchain-based services will be a cornerstone for this next phase of growth in the UK and beyond.   To hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our website, copper.co.  

Our conversation in this episode is with Tania Reif, founder and CIO of the crypto investment fund, Senda Digital Assets.   Tania has a deep understanding of macro markets having built a distinguished career at some of the world’s best known macro hedge funds, including Soros Fund Management, Laurion Capital, Citadel and Alphadyne Asset Management.   Hailing from Venezuela, she saw first-hand one of the most severe cases of hyperinflation in modern history before moving to NYC to earn a PhD from Columbia University – writing her dissertation on currency crises.   In this discussion, which was recorded end-July (a time the crypto community was reeling from the collapse of Terra-Luna), Tania digs into her concerns of lax risk management practises in the crypto space and the importance of having a detailed understanding of where exactly yield comes from.   Everything Tania discusses in this conversation still rings true today, post-FTX collapse.

Amidst the abrupt collapse of FTX and Alameda, we invited Kevin de Patoul, co-founder of market maker Keyrock to discuss what impact the fallout of one of the biggest disasters in crypto history will have on crypto market liquidity. Founded in Belgium in 2017, Keyrock is a digital asset market maker, providing liquidity services to tokens, exchanges and brokerages within the digital asset ecosystem. Earlier this year, the firm was ranked by Deloitte as one of the five fastest-growing companies in Belgium during 2022.   In this interview, Kevin and host Tyler discussed whether FTX’s downfall will fuel the case for DeFi, with Kevin citing concerns that even though FTX was a 'centralised crisis', it may be DeFi that will face stricter regulatory scrutiny. The two also discussed institutional adoption trends, and what’s needed to restore confidence in the sector. With Keyrock being based in the headquarters of the European Union, MiCA was also naturally a key topic.   For his Show & Tell, Kevin describes why in the quest to enhance crypto market transparency and accountability, moving everything on-chain is simply not enough.

With staking rapidly gaining momentum within the crypto ecosystem, we sat down with Jesper Johansen, founder and CEO of Northstake.   Founded in 2021, Northstake is a Nordic staking provider that has registered its activity with the Danish FSA. Northstake operates dedicated validator node infrastructure that allows investors to earn rewards through network participation, without having to run their own infrastructure 24/7.   In this conversation with host Tyler, Jesper discusses the formation of Northstake, its relationship with Concordium, the flourishing Danish crypto ecosystem, and why post-Merge, staking yields will likely drive strong institutional ETH adoption.   For his Show & Tell, Jesper provides an overview of the rapidly growing staking ecosystem – showing that between Oct '19 to '21, the Proof-of-Stake market cap ballooned from $9bn to a staggering $339bn.

Episode 33 welcomes Michelle Noyes, Head of Americas at the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), to clear up misconceptions about institutional digital asset investment during this crypto winter.   AIMA is the global representative of the alternative investment industry with over 2,000 corporate members in over 60 countries.   Michelle recently celebrated her 10th anniversary at AIMA, having joined the organisation in 2012. In this conversation with host Tyler, she discusses seeing AIMA's membership evolve over the last decade, the formation of its Digital Assets Working Group (DAWG), its recent Annual Global Crypto Hedge Fund report and the new Crypto Trading report.   Michelle also provides her perspective on the latest frontiers of cryptoasset investing, including the operational and regulatory challenges that need to be bridged for further institutional adoption. She highlights how events of earlier this year have provided the impetus for institutions to adopt more sophisticated due diligence and risk management processes.   For her Show & Tell, Michelle explains that despite the current volatility in the crypto sector, allocation to digital assets from AIMA members continues to gain traction – although not exactly at the pace and volumes that some anticipated.

Episode 32 of CopperCasts welcomes Morgan Stanley Managing Director-turned-startup-founder, Kyle Downey. Downey launched the digital asset risk management firm Cloudwall in late-2021 shortly after calling time on his 17 year career at Morgan Stanley, where he was a managing director in the bank's automated risk trading department. Based out of NYC and Singapore, Cloudwall is building an industry-leading set of digital asset risk management tools and metrics for institutional investors. The firm’s flagship product, Serenity, will help investors to understand market, liquidity, credit, operational and other risks both at the level of individual assets and whole sectors. In this conversation, Kyle describes what prompted his interest in digital assets, Cloudwall’s founding story and dives into the challenges the platform is striving to solve. He also discusses the different types of risk in crypto – counterparty, regulatory, stablecoin, smart contract etc – and how institutional investors should be evaluating and assessing these risks. Don’t forget to check out Kyle’s Show & Tell segment on our YouTube channel for his succinct explanation on the risks, benefits and trade-offs of different models of stablecoins (fiat-collaterised, crypto-collaterised and algo-stablecoins).

Episode 31 of CopperCasts welcomes Dr Niclas Sandström, co-founder and CEO of Hilbert Group, a Nasdaq First North listed digital asset investment firm. Niclas started paying attention to digital assets whilst working at a large London-based emerging markets hedge fund. He noted that the characteristics that exist in emerging markets – heightened volatility, high-growth and large inefficiencies – also typify crypto markets. In 2018, Niclas went on to co-found Hilbert, which specialises in quantitative, algorithmic trading strategies in digital assets. Three years later in October 2021, the firm listed on Sweden’s Nasdaq First North Growth Market. In addition to discussing of all the exciting developments at Hilbert, CopperCasts host Tyler Kenyon and Niclas unpack recent crypto and macro market events, policy developments, DeFi and risk management best practices. For his Show & Tell, Niclas discusses recent crypto market events and the importance of adopting a holistic approach to risk management. To hear more from the Copper team, follow @CopperHQ on Twitter, or visit our site, copper.co.

With the Ethereum Merge on the horizon, everybody is talking about staking – a process whereby crypto holders put their digital assets to work and earn passive income without needing to sell them. Episode 30 of CopperCasts welcomes Lorien Gabel, CEO of one of the most important players in the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) space, Figment. Founded in 2018, Figment is a Canadian-based PoS infrastructure provider that offers institutional staking and supports various projects with infrastructure and services. In this conversation, Lorien and CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon, discuss all things staking and the misconceptions around it, what the Ethereum Merge really means for investors, and also how regulations around staking are evolving. Make sure to also check out Lorien’s Show & Tell on our Youtube channel to hear his explanation as to why over the past two years, PoS has been gaining traction on PoW, and why going forward, Lorien expects PoS to remain the dominant consensus mechanism. Note: This episode was recorded on 24 April 2022.

There are very few people in crypto who have transitioned from the Metropolitan Opera to digital assets. Joseph Cox, COO at XMonetae Capital, is one of them. XMonetae is an NFA and SEC registered asset management firm specialising in digital asset trading for sophisticated and institutional investors. In this conversation with CopperCasts host, Tyler Kenyon, Joe speaks about rising institutional interest in crypto as a digital asset class, how XMonetae approaches risk management, the challenges of staying focused in a sector abound with endless opportunities, and the areas of the industry he believes hold the most potential in the years to come. Don’t forget to check out Joe’s Show & Tell on our Youtube where he shares why digital assets present a historic market opportunity. In this clip, Joe explains that the cryptoasset market cap being relatively tiny compared to traditional asset classes such as gold, US public equities and US bonds, demonstrates the vast amount of room there is for the digital asset industry to run. Don't forget to download the full episode, and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can hear more from the Copper team by following @CopperHQ, or visit our site and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, copper.co/insights.

Daniel Masters, Chairman of CoinShares, Europe's largest and longest standing digital asset investment firm, joins the pod to provide his perspective on the state of the crypto market.    CoinShares needs no real introduction. Since its inception, the firm has been a pioneer in digital assets by offering a suite of financial products and crypto ETPs, enabling digital asset exposure for investors on traditional exchanges such as Euronext, Börse Xetra, Six Swiss Exchange.   In this wide-ranging conversation with Tyler, recorded on May 2022, Daniel discusses his long and distinguished career in commodities trading, how he stumbled upon bitcoin, his conviction in DeFi as the future of global finance, why crypto is anti-fragile, and all the cool things happening at CoinShares – including the firm's strategic plan to build an investment-crypto friendly bank.    Make sure to check out Daniel’s Show & Tell on our YouTube channel, where he discusses the business models that Web3 is powering.