Blockchain Won't Save the World

The Netherlands was destined to be a leader in Blockchain and decentralised technology. A global hub for trade, financial services and payments innovation, and with a fascinating history steeped in working together to fight back the water; the Netherlands has all the ingredients to be a Blockchain super power. And they haven't been slacking... This episode cites more than 50 examples of projects or organisations working with Blockchain, as well as some important initiatives like the Dutch Blockchain Coalition that have been driving public-private partnerships locally and globally. This is one for the culture: colourful characters, medieval history, influential start-ups, mega-corporations, government experts and so much more. Shout to an amazing set of guests for this episode:  Arne Rutjes, Jacob Boersma, Olivier Rikken, Marloes Pomp, Robert Verwayen, Simon Lelieveldt, Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt, Bob Gravestiyn, Aljosja Beije, Sabine Brink, Thibault Schrepel, Rutger van Zuidam, Rudolf van Ee, and Anna Klaapwijk On-air shouts to a huge number of companies, organisations and projects: IBM, WBNode, Dutch Blockchain Coalition, Ledger Leopard, Keen Ventures, ABN-Amro, ING, Rabobank, BlockLab, Port of Rotterdam, Shell, TheNewFork, Odyssey, University of Utrecht, Blockchain Netherlands, Deloitte, 2 Tokens, MDex, Bitonic, Python, Philips, Dutch Digital Delta Blockchain Experts Group, Sphereon, WordProof, TomTom, Booking.com, Adyen, Takeaway.com, Guts Tickets, Albert Heijn, Axiom, Equigy/Tennet, Vinturas, Samsung SDS, VAKT, Komgo, We.Trade, Marco Polo, Hyfen, Port XL, T-Mining, Biconomy, Tribe, Port of Singapore, Tu Delft, TU Eindhoven, Groningen University, Nijmegen University, Tilbert University, Maastricht University, Netherlands Bank, Rise, and Female Ventures

What do Blockchain, Banksy, concert tickets, sex tapes, baseball cards and Batman have in common?... It's the roast of Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and I'm joined by 5 Blockchain superstars who bring different perspectives on the good to the very, very bad of how companies and individuals are looking to transform the world with NFTs and tokens. In this show we cover: - The basics of Blockchain and token technology - The established model for physical collectibles and what we need to consider in the digital world - Digital twins for real-world assets (crypto chips, stickers, wallets and custody) - Legal considerations for tokens, copyright and IP - And a VERY diverse set of NFT examples in the roast (virtual collectibles, ticketing, art, trash art, airlines, postage stamps, malicious calls, tweets, 'intimate' tapes, and more...) Shout to my amazing guests - please go give them a follow: Brendan Cooper, Irina Heaver, Keir Finlow-Bates, Anne Griffin and Sebastian Becker

A country the size of India deserves serious attention, and with 17 Blockchain veterans on this episode, we uncover the fascinating past and the bright future of Blockchain in India. We go all the way back to 2012 and discuss everything from crypto folklore to huge government interest to the army of Blockchain talent that is transforming the tech landscape in every sector in India today. In this episode we cover: - A brief history of Blockchain in India from 2012 to today - Use cases including telecoms, digital identity, life sciences, banking, payments, DeFi, agritech and much more - The Blockchain community from OGs like Polygon (Matic) to AgroTrust, Hyperledger and the Bosch Blockchain Centre of Excellence - The importance of Crypto to Indians, implications of the impending crypto ban, and government interest in CBDC - How huge state governments and the national Blockchain roadmap are shaping India's Blockchain future - How 4 Million software developers get access to Blockchain training from formal and informal settings - The importance of diversity in the India Blockchain community, some positive examples and where more work is needed - Important learnings for scaling Blockchain in terms of capability, leadership, language and regulation A huge shout to the amazing Indian Blockchain leaders who contributed to this episode: Swati Bhide (IBM), Sunil Sharma (SquadX), Gokul Alex (Gigamesh Garage Ventures), Prasanna Lohar (DCB Bank), Debajani Mohanty (My Earth ID), Rajesh Dhuddu (Tech Mahindra), Kamlesh Nagware (Snapper Future Tech), Richa Joshi (Ethereum Push Notification Service), Kalyan Kulkarni (AyanWorks), Gaurav Somwashni (AgroTrust), Krishnan Mohan (Bosch), Raj Kapoor (India Blockchain Alliance), Ishan Roy (Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency), Srinivas Mahankali (National Insitute for Smart Government), Gnana Lakshmi (WileyNXT), Vinod Kashyap (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India), and Sandeep Shukla (Indian Institute of Technology)

Germany is a fascinating example of how Blockchain technology can evolve and scale in unexpected ways. Driven by a mix of the cosmopolitan crypto community, engineering-focused start-ups and a national Blockchain strategy (and a few lawyers...) this is not the stereotypical German story you might be expecting. In this episode we cover: - The diverse Blockchain community from Berlin to Bavaria - Germany's little-know history in the emergence of Ethereum and DeFi - The national Blockchain strategy and what it means for enterprise and government - Deep dives into Blockchain at Daimler, The German Energy Authority and Bitwala - The role of academia in accelerating the Blockchain talent pool and research - The importance of the Blockchain Lawyer, and much more... Shout to all my guests on this episode (in order of appearance): Katharina Gehra (Immutable Insight), Florian Glatz (Bundesblock), Dennis Hillemann (KPMG Law), Christoph Iwaniez (Bitwala), Philip Sandner (Frankfurt School Blockchain Centre), Sebastian Becker (Riddle & Code), Philipp Richard (DENA), Harry Behrens (Daimler), Sven Hildebrandt (DLC), Nina Siedler (DWF and INATBA), Bruce Pon (Ocean Protocol), Thomas Jarzombek (German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), Wolfgang Prinz (Fraunhofer Institute). Also a special shout out to Mr. Bojangles for the fresh beats - love you cuz...

We take a closer look at Israel, known by many as 'Start-up Nation'... A country famous for its production line of entrepreneurs, military-inspired tech, cryptography and most recently Blockchain. Home to over 250 global R&D centres, 6,000 tech companies and 150 Blockchain businesses, Israel has a unique recipe for success in tech - and Blockchain is no exception.  In this episode we cover:  - The rapid adoption of Blockchain in Israel from Bitcoin to ICOs to creating leading global players - The story behind 'Start-up Nation' and why Israel's entrepreneurs are so successful - The diversity and make-up of the Israeli Blockchain community  - Country-specific use cases around Financial Services, Trade, Identity and Healthcare - Chutzpah: the secret, intangible ingredient behind all Israeli successes - And a rare cameo from the legendary Aviv Lichtigstein - Founder of 101 Blockchains Shout to the amazing guests who made this show possible: Yael Rozencwajg, Odelia Torteman, Rena Thomas, Igal Nevo, Kfir Nissan, Gabi Zodik, and Aviv Lichtigstein

In this episode we uncover the surprising ingredients behind Malta's rise as one of the 'go to' destinations for Blockchain businesses. It's a story of economics, politics, law, technology, a little bit of hype, and the critical issue of how to virtual world of protocols and digital assets co-exists with the physical world or national borders and regulation. This is one of the deepest episodes yet, and there are some fundamental Blockchain learnings in here that everyone needs to know! In this episode we cover: - Malta's constant struggle to find it's economic niche, and how its specialty in technology and law created advantage - The role Malta played in supporting Blockchain businesses during the emergence of Bitcoin, ICOs and virtual financial assets - The founding of the Maltese Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) and how it evaluates Blockchain companies against Maltese regulation - The rush of ICOs, crypto and Blockchain businesses to Malta, and the 'thinning of the heard' since 2016 - Blockchain use cases for the island of Malta, including Financial Services, Real Estate and Social Care - Examples of Blockchain businesses in Malta, and their experience of trying to become regulated - The role of the Blockchain community and academia in supporting further scaling of Blockchain in Malta - The future of Blockchain and Virtual Financial Assets, and how Malta's law and regulation may yet play a global enabling role Shout to all the amazing guests who were part of this episode: Max Ganado, Joshua Ellul, Dave Pulis, Beata Young, Kenneth Farugia, Jonathan Galea, Sandro Psaila and Jean-Michelle Azzopardi

Welcome to Season 2! New theme music, more guests, and a different way of looking at Blockchain technology, culture and community through the eyes of Blockchain experts in the less-publicised nations around the world - and we're starting with Brazil. There is more Blockchain activity happening in Brazil than almost anywhere in the world, and Brazil has produced some of the most talented minds in Blockchain. Adoption of the technology is tightly linked to the strengths and deficiencies of Brazil as a nation, and it's fascinating to observe. In this episode we cover: - Brazil's relationship with technology, and how Brazil is a Blockchain leader despite lagging behind tech adoption in other areas - Examples of national Blockchain use cases in Public and Private sector - from National Identity to Agri Business to Finance and Crypto Assets - How Blockchain is spoken about in society and the press - The make-up of Brazil's Blockchain community: Fintechs, Cypherpunks, Gov-techs and Enterprise Adopters - The main personalities in Brazilian Blockchain, and who you should be following - Case studies on start-ups in Agri-business and Renewable Energy, and Henkel's 'Reci-Chain' for Recycling - What more is needed to bring Blockchain initiatives to scale in Brazil, and key learnings for other countries Shout to my guests: Mauricio Magaldi, Rosine Kadamani, Gladstone Arantes, Tatiana Revoredo, Renato Lopes, Deborah Aguirre, Kiko Duarte, Isaque Eberhardt and Igor Ferreira

After 22 episodes and 1 Roast, I've learned a lot more about Blockchain and DLT from those in the industry doing real work, running global platforms, and taking the technology into production. I've tried to summarise 10 new or updated observations about Blockchain in enterprise from Season 1. Some of the key topics include: - Strategies for scaling - Blockchain for social impact - UX challenges with Public Blockchains - Self-sovereign Identity - My favourite quote from Season 1 - How to think about Token business models - Scaling IoT and Blockchain - How to solve problems in your sleep Thanks to all my guests from Season 1, and thanks to all those listeners from around the world you provided feedback and ideas to help improve the series. See you all for Season 2!

What do JP Morgan, Sex  Workers, Squirrels, Timestamping, Space Force and 'The Power of  Ethereum' have in common?... It's the Roast of Blockchain, and you're  about to find out... I'm joined by Keir Finlow-Bates (inventor), Irina Heaver (lawyer), Samson Williams (start-up / space cadet), Anne T. Griffin (product manager), Marta Piekarska-Geater (Hyperledger ecosystems) and Antonio Senatore (Deloitte CTO) to talk through Blockchain's most epic fails, and also where the experts see Blockchain technology is likely to succeed. In this roast we cover: - Which super heros do my guests think are most like them - Blockchain for Blockchain's sake - Tokens for tokens' sake - Not considering scaling and commercial models for Blockchain platforms - How Banks turned from hate to love on Blockchain and digital assets - KYC and Digital Identity for Sex Workers (and their customers) - The questionable use of private timestamping - Intermediaries using Blockchain to disintermediate themselves - Where Blockchain will have the most positive impact in the years to come Please take the time to check out and follow my guests, and we'll be back for Season 2: Keir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keirf Irina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinaheaver Samson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samson-williams-axesandeggs Anne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetgriffin Antonio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-senatore-b759273 Marta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martapiekarska

The potential for decentralised networks and using protocols to open the floodgates for transparent and fair data monetisation has been a promise made by many over the years.... Streamr are the latest to take on the challenge, focusing initially on Telecoms, Banking and IoT, and are making use of Blockchain within their platform, but possibly not the way you'd expect. Shiv Malik takes us through the opportunity for decentralised data monetisation and the unique concept of Data Unions that Streamr are trying to enable. In this episode we cover: - The opportunity for individuals and enterprises around data monetisation - The role of Blockchain in enabling large scale data monetisation - Definitions of Data Unions and Data Cooperatives - Case study examples of data monetisation in Telco and Banking, and scaling decentralised IoT networks for Smart Cities - Creating 'Monoplasma' side chains for micro payments  - Overcoming scaling and pricing issues with Ethereum  - Comparing Streamr's architecture with DAGs and DAOs - is it one, the other, or both? - How to form, price and scale your own enterprise Data Union Links to topics discussed in the show: Shiv's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivmalik Shiv's Twitter: @shivmalik Streamr: https://streamr.network/