World Ledger with Coco Kee

In this conversation with Luca Prosperi, Co-founder and CEO of M^0, we discuss how M^0 is helping builders create stablecoins different from most of the existing ones such as Tether and Circle. M^0 is backed by Pantera Capital, Bain Capital, Galaxy Digital, Wintermute, SCB10X, GSR and others.Follow Luca's blog Dirt Roads: https://dirtroads.substack.com/Subscribe to World Ledger newsletter:https://worldledger.substack.com/Timestamps:00:00: Introduction 00:49: From TradFi to DeFi, from surviving blood cancer to becoming an entrepreneur 03:28: From Maker to M^0, successful fund raise 06:43: Maker‘s innovation and its limitations07:51: M^0‘s vision and aspiration 12:23: Use Stripe as an example to illustrate how M^0 works 15:22: Differences between Paxos and M^0 16:54: Clients and real use cases18:46: Opportunities and challenges with DeFi and traditional companies20:59: Address counterparty risks of traditional banks25:14: Real-time attestation of reserves25:46: Fees, yields, spread28:14: Embrace regulations and understand their limitations31:00: Tether and its future32:34: M^0 and its markets34:38: MiCA and GENIUS Stablecoin Bill37:26: Regulations and their potential impact on M^0’s growth38:08: Closing remarks

No better time than now to take a step back and explore the global economy from a broader perspective. In this engaging new episode, I sit down with Shengbei Guo, CEO of New York-based GSB Podium Advisors, to unpack some of the most critical economic developments shaping the world. With his unique experience spanning the U.S., Japan, and China, Shengbei brings a global lens to these complex topics.Here is what we cover in this episode:China’s economic challenges: We dig into the root causes behind its current struggles and what they mean for the global economy. Monetary and fiscal strategies: How is China working to revitalize its economy and what’s the potential outlook?Gold and Bitcoin rallies: We explore the driving forces behind these surges and what they signal for investors. The U.S. dollar’s dominance: Is its position as the world’s reserve currency under threat? We weigh the evidence.The global outlook: Shengbei shares his predictions for the economy and key asset classes moving forward.Follow Shengbei:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shengbei-guo-9362811/X:https://x.com/Shengbei3Subscribe to my newsletter: worldledger.substack.comTimestamps:00:59 Challenges Facing China's Economy02:07 The Unique Growth Model of China04:48 The Turning Point: 202110:45 China's Transition to New Growth Engines16:53 Monetary and Fiscal Policies25:21 Global Trade and U.S. Dollar as a Reserve Currency27:28 The Gold Rally, Bitcoin and MicroStrategy39:17 2025 Economic Outlook and Asset Classes42:51 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Converting or swapping assets between Bitcoin and other blockchains has never been easy. Often, people rely on third parties or bridges for assistance. These bridges are typically centralized and operated by a small number of validators, making them vulnerable to hackers and fraud. Moreover, Bitcoin asset owners must relinquish self-custody.I was joined by Niusha and Mahyar, Co-founders of TeleSwap, to discuss how they conceived the idea of TeleSwap and why they believe they have a better solution. Enjoy our conversation!Follow Niusha (@__nemo__omen), Mahyar (@mahyar_daneshpajooh) and TeleSwap (@Tele_Swap) on XTo stay updated, subscribe to my newsletter: worldledger.substack.comShow Notes:01:00 Introductions01:20 Two co-founders’ educational & professional backgrounds 06:21 TeleSwapbusiness concept genesis and development07:17 Pain points that TeleSwap addresses 10:00 Differences between trustless and centralized bridges; 11:27 Mechanism how TeleSwap works as a trustless bridge 19:36 Expanding TeleSwap's reach 22:09 Meme coins on Bitcoin 24:27 Teleswap’s user profile and hurdles to overcome33:50 Its competitors34:39 Investors and backers36:32 Recommendations for founders in different market cycles30:00 Their plans for TST39:44 Future vision, market sentiment, AI43:10 Closing remarks

Welcome back. I am Coco. BlockchainAsia has been rebranded as World Ledger.I am excited to share this new podcast episode featuring Xin Yan, co-founder of Sign. We discuss his journey from training as an electrical engineer to co-founding Sign, an omni-chain attestation protocol.We explore Sign’s product offerings, clients, and revenue model — yes, we talk about how to make money! Xin also shares his vision for Sign and the industry and the company’s fundraising experience, and offers advice for fellow founders.Founded in 2021, Sign is already profitable! Tim Draper wrote a blank check for the pre-seed round, and Sequoia’s U.S., China, and India entities all participated in its Seed Round. Most recently, Binance’s venture arm led Sign’s $16M Series A round. Notably, Sign does not have a token.Enjoy our conversation and discover why such prominent investors readily invested in Sign.01:35 Introduction and launch of the business03:50 Sign Protocol and Product Offerings – EthSign, SignPass, Token Table08:21 How EthSign works14:56 How SignPass works and its clients17:48 Adoption of blockchain technology and its impact on developing countries21:02 Examples of EthSign users22:44 Sign’s business model23:42 Token Table’s business model in detail26:49 How Token Table can help improve airdrop mechanism28:24 The role of Token Table in global markets outside of crypto32:17 The dynamics of different roles played by Sign Protocol and Token Table34:02 Target markets34:37 Fundraising journey from pre-seed to seed to Series A36:45 Advice for fellow foundersTo receive updates, subscribe to my newsletter: worldledger.substack.com

I officially launched BlockchainAsia Podcast in February 2024. Since then, I have interviewed eight insightful guests from the U.S., Europe, and Asia. These include the former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, two C-suite executives of Taiwanese companies that deliver real-world use cases of blockchain, the founder of a Web3 incubator in Hong Kong, a partner from a VC Fund headquartered in Singapore, the Founder and CEO of Malaysia’s first licensed digital asset fund manager, and the Head of Capital Markets for the Nasdaq-listed first ASIC bitcoin mining rig manufacturer headquartered in Singapore. I've collected some highlights to showcase these engaging conversations. To stay informed, subscribe to my free newsletter The information in the podcast is for educational and informational purposes only, not investment or financial advice, and the speakers' views are their own.

In this episode, I explore AI technology to convert one of my blog posts into a podcast! Any differences between my written post and the AI-generated audio version do not necessarily reflect my views To stay updated, subscribe here.

Many people still remember Silicon Valley Bank's sudden collapse affected a significant number of technology companies, including the stablecoin platform Circle, which had $3.3 billion in cash reserves deposited at SVB. In this episode, I sit down with Ken Wilcox to understand the root causes of Silicon Valley Bank’s downfall and some lingering questions, e.g. why all the lines of defense failed, and why regulators were not more forceful despite being aware of the warning signs. Ken Wilcox was the CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) from 2001 to 2011, then the CEO of SVB's joint venture with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB-SVB) in Shanghai until 2015, followed by four years as its Vice Chairman. He is the author of "Leading Through Culture: How Real Leaders Create Cultures That Motivate People to Achieve Great Things" and The China Business Conundrum (Wiley, 2024) Ken’s Substack Musing on the Middle Kingdom and More To stay informed, subscribe to BlockchainAsia Show notes -Introduction -Understanding loan-to-deposit ratio -Impact of COVID-19 on Silicon Valley Bank -Problem of excess Deposits -Long-term Treasury Bonds -Bank run and social media -Reflections on failures across all lines of defense -Importance of banking culture and risk control -Alternatives to Silicon Valley Bank and the joint venture in Shanghai -Conclusion and new book announcement

This special episode features Coco's observations and findings from her trip to Hong Kong and Mainland China. - Hong Kong's geographical advantages to becoming a Web3 hub; its unique role as a testing ground and development center of Mainland's ambition to be a key player in Web3 - Economy in Mainland China - 20% of Bitcoin's hash power in China - Central government's potential change of plans to legalize crypto assets and the catalysts driving the change Follow BlockchainAsia on Substack to stay informed. https://blockchainasia.substack.com/

Jupiter Zheng from HashKey Capital, an expert in cryptocurrency valuation, dives into the current state of the Bitcoin market. He discusses various valuation models like NVT and MVRV, alongside the stock-to-flow method. The conversation reveals intriguing predictions, including Cathie Wood's projection of Bitcoin reaching $1M by 2030. Jupiter also addresses skepticism surrounding digital assets and the evolving methodologies needed to evaluate them effectively, highlighting challenges and future trends in the crypto landscape.

This is a special episode. I put together a trail of the past 10 episodes of BlockchainAsia Podcast. Revisiting these conversations, I have to say they remain very relevant and insightful. If you've missed any episodes, you can catch up on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube Podcasts. Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter: https://blockchainasia.substack.com/