Onchain Culture - Digital Assets Special

In this episode of the Onchain Culture Podcast, we dive deep into the world of digital asset investment products with Duncan Moir, the new President of 21Shares. Join us as we explore 21Shares' strategic vision and market positioning in the evolving crypto ETP landscape. We discuss the impact of traditional finance entering the space, key regulatory developments, and the changing dynamics of crypto assets. Duncan shares insights on institutional adoption trends and the transformative potential of blockchain technology in asset management. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction and Duncan's transition to 21Shares 4:33 - Strategic vision and restructuring at 21Shares 8:44 - 21Shares' market position and product innovation 13:41 - Competition from traditional finance and impact on crypto ETPs 21:45 - Market outlook for 2025 and significant narratives 24:56 - Institutional adoption trends and pension fund involvement 30:21 - Divergence in crypto assets and market categorization 33:31 - Blockchain technology's impact on asset management 35:47 - Approaches to DLT adoption in asset management 38:15 - Exciting developments for 2025 and industry outlook What is the Digital Assets Season 2025? The Digital Assets Season (presented by w3.vision x Blockstories) is Europe’s largest educational campaign on exploring the next drivers of institutional adoption in digital assets. From January to March 2025, 8 leading industry partners are hosting a 10-week immersive series designed to equip financial institutions with the strategies and playbooks needed to succeed in digital assets in 2025. Watch, read and participate in our events here: https://www.w3.vision/ Get in touch: Duncan Moir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-moir/ 21Shares: https://www.21shares.com/en-eu Vicktoria Klich: www.linkedin.com/in/vicktoriaklich Maximilian Vargas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-vargas/ Relevant Links for the Digital Assets Season 2025: Podcast: https://www.onchainculture.xyz/ Newsletter: https://ccd.beehiiv.com/ Event Calendar: https://lu.ma/DigitalAssetsSeason2025 Edited by: Viktor Foos: https://linktr.ee/viktorfoos

As a pioneering institution in Germany, Deka is leading the charge in blockchain technology and financial ecosystem development. We are exploring Dekas strategic vision for tokenization, their journey in digital assets, and the challenges and opportunities in institutional adoption. Michael Cyrus guides us through the potential of blockchain in reshaping financial infrastructures and the exciting prospects for stablecoin solutions. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 0:19 - Blockchain's role in finance 0:37 - Deka's Blockchain efforts 1:29 - Michael Cyrus and Deka's initiatives 5:06 - Blockchain-based securities lending 8:01 - Business model shifts 11:03 - Niche for digital assets 16:35 - Cost-saving in securities lending 19:02 - Automating with smart contracts 21:00 - Digital securities progress 24:33 - Delivery versus payment 27:01 - Stablecoin solutions 31:02 - Liquidity challenges 35:02 - Overcoming fragmentation 41:00 - Asset tokenization strategies 50:02 - Deka's 2025 roadmap What is the Digital Assets Season 2025? The Digital Assets Season (presented by w3.vision x Blockstories) is Europe’s largest educational campaign on exploring the next drivers of institutional adoption in digital assets. From January to March 2025, 8 leading industry partners are hosting a 10-week immersive series designed to equip financial institutions with the strategies and playbooks needed to succeed in digital assets in 2025 .Watch, read and participate in our events here: https://www.w3.vision/ Get in touch: Michael Cyrus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-cyrus-635a0036/ Deka Website: https://www.deka.de/privatkunden Vicktoria Klich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicktoriaklich/ Maximilian Vargas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-vargas/ Relevant Links for the Digital Assets Season 2025: Podcast: https://www.onchainculture.xyz/ Newsletter: https://ccd.beehiiv.com/ Event Calendar: https://lu.ma/DigitalAssetsSeason2025 Edited by: Viktor Foos: https://linktr.ee/viktorfoos

In this episode of the Onchain Culture Podcast, we chat with Nils Schoenaich-Carolath from tradias, a German-regulated securities trading bank leading in digital asset trading, market making, and tokenization. We explore tradias' role in Germany's Bitcoin sell-off, their innovative OTC trading and tokenization efforts, and their outlook on MiCA regulation and institutional adoption. Whether you're in crypto or traditional finance, this episode offers key insights into the future of digital assets in Europe. Timestamps: 0:00 - 1:24 - Intro to tradias and their OTC, market making, and tokenization work 1:24 - 2:45 - Insights into Germany's Bitcoin sell-off 2:45 - 5:10 - Nils' role at tradias and their mission in digital assets 5:10 - 8:28 - 2024 milestones and expansion plans 8:28 - 12:14 - Large OTC trades without moving markets 12:14 - 17:25 - Challenges of media scrutiny during the Bitcoin sell-off 17:25 - 20:49 - Future of nation-state Bitcoin reserves and institutional adoption 20:49 - 26:07 - tradias' work in tokenization and scaling challenges 26:07 - 31:00 - Plans for a lending desk and risk management in crypto lending 31:00 - 36:52 - Impact of MiCA regulation and tradias' expansion strategy 36:52 - 42:55 - Outlook for 2025: Institutional adoption and Euro stablecoins4 2:55 - 46:25 - Closing thoughts and how to connect with tradias What is the Digital Assets Season 2025? The Digital Assets Season (presented by w3.vision x Blockstories) is Europe’s largest educational campaign on exploring the next drivers of institutional adoption in digital assets. From January to March 2025, 8 leading industry partners are hosting a 10-week immersive series designed to equip financial institutions with the strategies and playbooks needed to succeed in digital assets in 2025. Watch, read and participate in our events here: https://www.w3.vision/ Get in touch: Nils von Schoenaich-Carolath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nils-schoenaich-carolath/ tradias Website: https://www.tradias.de/ Vicktoria Klich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicktoriaklich/ Maximilian Vargas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-vargas/ Relevant Links for the Digital Assets Season 2025: Podcast: https://www.onchainculture.xyz/ Newsletter: https://w3-news.beehiiv.com/ Event Calendar: https://lu.ma/DigitalAssetsSeason2025 Edited by:Viktor Foos: https://linktr.ee/viktorfoos

NEAR is pioneering the integration of AI with blockchain, creating a platform that supports decentralized, user-owned AI applications. We invited the Co-Founder of NEAR, Illia Polosukhin, to explore their innovative chain abstraction technology, its strategic approach to interoperability, and its vision for a decentralized AI-driven future. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction and Icebreaker 2:02 Introduction to Illia Polosukhin and NEAR Protocol 4:28 The Role of AI in Transforming Computing 6:05 Vision and Strategy 8:02 AI as the Frontend, Blockchain as the Backend 10:00 Chain Abstraction and User Experience 12:04 Integrating AI and Blockchain for Global Reach 14:19 Strategic Thinking Behind Chain Abstraction 16:00 NEAR's Technological Innovations 18:03 AI's Role in the Future of Blockchain 20:00 Addressing Interoperability Challenges 24:05 Chain Abstraction Cohort and Developer Incentives 26:07 Token Economics and Omni Bridge 28:13 Connecting Traditional Finance with Blockchain 32:01 The Concept of Intents in Blockchain 36:00 The Intersection of AI and Crypto 40:00 The Role of AI Agents in the Future 44:00 Current Iterations of Onchain AI Agents 48:06 Roadmap for 2025 54:05 Closing Remarks and Contact Information What is the Digital Assets Season 2025? The Digital Assets Season (presented by w3.vision x Blockstories) is Europe’s largest educational campaign on exploring the next drivers of institutional adoption in digital assets. From January to March 2025, 8 leading industry partners are hosting a 10-week immersive series designed to equip financial institutions with the strategies and playbooks needed to succeed in digital assets in 2025. Watch, read and participate in our events here: https://www.w3.vision/ Get in touch: Illia Polosukhin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/illia-polosukhin-77b6538/?originalSubdomain=pt Illia Polosukhin on X: https://x.com/ilblackdragon NEAR Website: https://near.org/ Vicktoria Klich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicktoriaklich/ Maximilian Vargas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-vargas/ Relevant Links for the Digital Assets Season 2025: Podcast: https://www.onchainculture.xyz/ Newsletter: https://w3-news.beehiiv.com/ Event Calendar: https://lu.ma/DigitalAssetsSeason2025 Edited by:Viktor Foos: https://linktr.ee/viktorfoos