S5 E30 - 24th July 2024 Digital Bytes with Jonny Fry and James Tylee ft: James Ramsden KC
Description
Tokenisation and Luxembourg's pioneering role - Luxembourg stands at the forefront of global financial innovation, pioneering asset tokenisation through robust regulatory frameworks. Its Blockchain Laws I, II and III provide clear guidelines for DLT integration in securities management, ensuring legal certainty and operational efficiency. Regulatory alignment under MiCA further supports digital asset growth, overseen by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). Luxembourg's proactive stance fosters transparency and operational resilience thereby attracting Fintech firms and positioning it as a model for global blockchain integration in financial services and shaping a resilient future for capital markets through digital transformation.
AI's deepfake problem: how can blockchains help? - as the internet evolves towards Web3, empowering users with control over their data, a critical question emerges: can we ensure responsible AI development in this new landscape? Deepfakes threaten to erode trust online, but blockchain technology offers a glimmer of hope to tackle such challenges. By creating verifiable records of original content and tracking AI training data, blockchain can combat deepfakes and bias. However, scalability remains a hurdle. So, can blockchain really provide a secure and ethical path forward for AI?
A ‘whale’ of a problem in the crypto class? - crypto whales (owners of large sums of cryptocurrencies), individuals or entities holding massive amounts of cryptocurrency wield significant market power. And, whilst some see them as stabilising forces, others fear their manipulation. By using tools such as Whale Alert and Etherscan, more informed investment decisions can potentially be made. However, questions remain such as, can whales be fully tracked? Also, are they a necessary evil or a threat to a fair market? Hence, understanding these big players is crucial for navigating the ever-evolving crypto landscape.
Stablecoins: are they securities? - stablecoins, especially those that bear interest, could be classified as securities under US law using the Howey Test. Stablecoins generally are not considered securities because their value is pegged, however, interest-bearing stablecoins could complicate this assessment. However, Circle (issuer of USDC) asserts that stablecoins function as currency substitutes, lack profit potential from issuers' efforts and should not be seen as securities. The conclusion is that interest-bearing stablecoins should not be classified as securities.