Is cryptocurrency the next logical evolution of the monetary system? To explore whether we’re at an inflection point, we’ll look back at moments in the history ...
Financial innovation often outpaces regulators’ ability to keep up. This was the case in the 1700s, when the Irish satirist Jonathan Swift decided to give away no-interest, peer-to-peer loans which immediately bore fruit, spawned imitators, and provided liquidity to parts of Ireland where there had been none. Despite these benefits, it took more than a hundred years for Parliament to formalize the network that had sprung up. A similar phenomenon has happened recently in the U.S., where crypto’s rise caught regulators unprepared. But now, as a pro-crypto President and Congress reshape Washington, the industry is hopeful that it can finally achieve what it needs for sustainable flourishing: regulatory clarity.We’ll explore Swift’s innovation before turning our attention to the regulatory and legal issues that have plagued the current crypto space, learning why America has had a uniquely difficult path to regulatory clarity, what’s changing now that there’s a new administration, and the many opportunities — for investors, businesses, and consumers — that regulatory clarity will unlock.
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19:44
Building Bridges with Bitcoin
Oftentimes, even a revolutionary technological advancement is only the beginning of something bigger. Such was the case in the early 2000s, when the Royal Bank of Scotland released a mobile-banking app that precipitated not only the age of mobile banking, but a proliferation of other apps designed to give people easier access to and control over their money. The same phenomenon has happened since the Bitcoin whitepaper appeared: Beginning with a single game-changer, Bitcoin, the crypto space has blossomed with all manner of innovations: Not just other currencies like Ether, but entirely new ways of building, managing, and investing wealth.We’ll learn about the creation of the very first mobile banking app. Then, along with BlackRock’s Samara Cohen, we’ll dive into the world of new opportunities that crypto has opened up, from ETH and the Ethereum network, to smart contracts, tokenization, and the recent wave of crypto ETPs that have brought even more investors into the crypto space.
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18:42
A Faster, Cheaper Way to Pay
For generations, credit cards have set the speed limit for digital payments made by consumers and businesses around the world. From metal “charge plates” used to run up a tab at a department store; to the Diner’s Club card, which created a groundbreaking, cross-business credit network for everyday purchases; to the rise of digital payments connecting all corners of the world… nothing has felt more frictionless than paying with credit.Until now. Because stablecoins (cryptocurrencies that are pegged to a fiat currency) are making digital payments faster and cheaper than they’ve ever been. And they’re changing what’s possible at every scale of our payments ecosystem — from an international corporation making B2B payments, to a small business selling artisanal tree pots, to a parent sending remittances to family members across borders.We’ll learn how the rise of the credit card changed consumer expectations of what it means to pay for goods and services. Then we’ll dive into the concrete uses of stablecoins that could signal a new revolution in the speed and ease of payments and open up new tools for growth and stability across the world.
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16:09
Rebuilding the Creator Economy
For centuries, creators have given up a big share of their earnings for a chance to reach audiences. In 18th century England, authors’ desires to break free of censorship and exercise the power of the written word led to the growth of modern copyright law, a key pillar of the creator economy. But to this day, publishers and distributors of content have enormous power over how creators make money and grow with their audiences.What if that didn’t have to be the case? What if, by “going onchain” through blockchain-based apps and platforms, creators could gain complete ownership over their content and create new revenue models, where they (not publishers or platforms) could set the terms?We’ll examine what it means to create, consume, and connect onchain — and find out how this next evolution of the online world could rebuild the creator economy as we know it.
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18:06
Money Without Borders
Throughout history, financial markets have struggled with the issue of borders. Borders create friction, add cost and cause headaches for anyone who wants to spend money across them. On top of that, various national currencies can be wildly unstable. Could a borderless, global currency ease friction and enhance financial inclusion and stability around the world? Cryptocurrencies offer an intriguing possible solution to money’s border problem. And a particular kind of cryptocurrency, called stablecoins, could become a powerful medium of exchange for international payments - and offer people around the world increased economic freedom.
Is cryptocurrency the next logical evolution of the monetary system? To explore whether we’re at an inflection point, we’ll look back at moments in the history of money when how we paid for things and stored value long-term changed for the better.
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