The CryptoNewsAudio Podcast

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital and former White House Communications Director under the Trump administration.

SkyBridge Capital is a global alternative investment firm specializing in hedge fund solutions and opportunistic investment vehicles. Scaramucci founded SkyBridge in 2005, following a stint at Goldman Sachs and the sale of an investment firm he cofounded.

He guided Skybridge into cryptocurrency investments following his experience in Washington D.C., and only after extensive research, as Scaramucci detailed during the interview.

“When I was unceremoniously fired from the White House, the first thing I did was register the URL SkybridgeBitcoin.com. The reason I did was, my experience in Washington led me to believe that the U.S. dollar would eventually be digitized,” he said. “We heard, even back then, four-plus years ago, that the Chinese currency, the renminbi, was going to be digitized. Bitcoin at that point was accelerating. The bubble had popped at $20,000, and it was heading back down to $3,000. I said we’re going to do extensive research on this, because I believe this is going to be a big part of our future.”

Still, Scaramucci said, some very specific criteria would have to be met before Skybridge would open a bitcoin fund to investors.

“I said in my notes from 2017 if three things happen to bitcoin then I would be an investor, and I would build a bitcoin product,” he said. “One, it must continue to scale. I arbitrarily picked the number 100 million users. I think we’re well over that now. Two was regulation. How would the government regulate bitcoin and other digital assets? I think the regulation has been more or less benign. The third thing, equally important, was storage. Were we going to be able to store hundreds of millions of dollars of bitcoin and not have to worry that our keys would be stolen, our passwords taken, or we would be hacked? So now we’re storing our bitcoin at Fidelity.”

Scaramucci said he stands by the bitcoin price prediction he made earlier this year.

“I said a month or two back when bitcoin was at, call it the low 40s, that it would reach $100,000 by the end of the year. It shot up to $64,000, so I said, ‘It looks like it’s getting there more quickly than I expected.’ I’m going to maintain that prediction, $100,000, because I’m looking at the exponential growth of wallets, and bitcoin users and bitcoin owners. It makes me think there’s nowhere for the price to go, long-term, other than up because of the supply and demand imbalance.”

Join InvestorBrandNetwork’s Jonathan Keim and Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, as they discuss why Skybridge chooses not to hedge its bitcoin position, Scaramucci’s reaction to Elon Musk’s recent tweets regarding bitcoin and why he prefers to invest in bitcoin over other cryptocurrencies. 

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital and former White House Communications Director under the Trump administration.

SkyBridge Capital is a global alternative investment firm specializing in hedge fund solutions and opportunistic investment vehicles. Scaramucci founded SkyBridge in 2005, following a stint at Goldman Sachs and the sale of an investment firm he cofounded.

He guided Skybridge into cryptocurrency investments following his experience in Washington D.C., and only after extensive research, as Scaramucci detailed during the interview.

“When I was unceremoniously fired from the White House, the first thing I did was register the URL SkybridgeBitcoin.com. The reason I did was, my experience in Washington led me to believe that the U.S. dollar would eventually be digitized,” he said. “We heard, even back then, four-plus years ago, that the Chinese currency, the renminbi, was going to be digitized. Bitcoin at that point was accelerating. The bubble had popped at $20,000, and it was heading back down to $3,000. I said we’re going to do extensive research on this, because I believe this is going to be a big part of our future.”

Still, Scaramucci said, some very specific criteria would have to be met before Skybridge would open a bitcoin fund to investors.

“I said in my notes from 2017 if three things happen to bitcoin then I would be an investor, and I would build a bitcoin product,” he said. “One, it must continue to scale. I arbitrarily picked the number 100 million users. I think we’re well over that now. Two was regulation. How would the government regulate bitcoin and other digital assets? I think the regulation has been more or less benign. The third thing, equally important, was storage. Were we going to be able to store hundreds of millions of dollars of bitcoin and not have to worry that our keys would be stolen, our passwords taken, or we would be hacked? So now we’re storing our bitcoin at Fidelity.”

Scaramucci said he stands by the bitcoin price prediction he made earlier this year.

“I said a month or two back when bitcoin was at, call it the low 40s, that it would reach $100,000 by the end of the year. It shot up to $64,000, so I said, ‘It looks like it’s getting there more quickly than I expected.’ I’m going to maintain that prediction, $100,000, because I’m looking at the exponential growth of wallets, and bitcoin users and bitcoin owners. It makes me think there’s nowhere for the price to go, long-term, other than up because of the supply and demand imbalance.”

Join InvestorBrandNetwork’s Jonathan Keim and Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, as they discuss why Skybridge chooses not to hedge its bitcoin position, Scaramucci’s reaction to Elon Musk’s recent tweets regarding bitcoin and why he prefers to invest in bitcoin over other cryptocurrencies. 

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Peter McCormack, host of What Bitcoin Did, the #1 bitcoin podcast.

The What Bitcoin Did podcast is a twice-weekly podcast focused on cryptocurrency. Episodes feature exclusive interviews with experts in the world of bitcoin development, privacy, investment and adoption. Since its launch in November 2017, What Bitcoin Did has produced nearly 200 episodes featuring a broad array of guests who serve as a testament to the diversity of knowledge and opinions that exists across the broader bitcoin community. McCormack also hosts Defiance, a podcast focused on investigative journalism.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Peter McCormack, host of What Bitcoin Did, the #1 bitcoin podcast.

The What Bitcoin Did podcast is a twice-weekly podcast focused on cryptocurrency. Episodes feature exclusive interviews with experts in the world of bitcoin development, privacy, investment and adoption. Since its launch in November 2017, What Bitcoin Did has produced nearly 200 episodes featuring a broad array of guests who serve as a testament to the diversity of knowledge and opinions that exists across the broader bitcoin community. McCormack also hosts Defiance, a podcast focused on investigative journalism.

LOS ANGELES, December 23, 2020 (via InvestorWire) InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”), a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting public companies to the investment community, is pleased to announce the release of the latest CryptoCurrencyWire Audio Production as part of its sustained effort to provide specialized content distribution via widespread syndication channels.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Andy Flury, founder and CEO of AlgoTrader.

Flury is a former Swiss Air Force pilot. He led projects at the Swiss intelligence Agency and various major banks. In 2010, Flury became partner and Head of Algorithmic Trading at Linard Capital AG, a Switzerland-based quantitative hedge fund. In 2014, Andy started AlgoTrader, a comprehensive algorithmic trading platform that enables buy side and sell side trading firms to rapidly develop, simulate, backtest and deploy automated quantitative trading strategies. Initially designed for global equities, futures, forex and options, AlgoTrader has fully supported automated trading of cryptocurrencies since 2017.

LOS ANGELES, December 23, 2020 (via InvestorWire) InvestorBrandNetwork (“IBN”), a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting public companies to the investment community, is pleased to announce the release of the latest CryptoCurrencyWire Audio Production as part of its sustained effort to provide specialized content distribution via widespread syndication channels.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features Andy Flury, founder and CEO of AlgoTrader.

Flury is a former Swiss Air Force pilot. He led projects at the Swiss intelligence Agency and various major banks. In 2010, Flury became partner and Head of Algorithmic Trading at Linard Capital AG, a Switzerland-based quantitative hedge fund. In 2014, Andy started AlgoTrader, a comprehensive algorithmic trading platform that enables buy side and sell side trading firms to rapidly develop, simulate, backtest and deploy automated quantitative trading strategies. Initially designed for global equities, futures, forex and options, AlgoTrader has fully supported automated trading of cryptocurrencies since 2017.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features John Truman Wolfe, number one best-selling and international award-winning author of The Coming Financial Crisis: A Look Behind the Wizard's Curtain and The 99 Strongest Banks in America. Wolfe is also the editor and publisher of Strategic Financial Intelligence, a monthly newsletter dealing with investing, politics and the economy.

CryptoCurrencyWire’s latest audio production features John Truman Wolfe, number one best-selling and international award-winning author of The Coming Financial Crisis: A Look Behind the Wizard's Curtain and The 99 Strongest Banks in America. Wolfe is also the editor and publisher of Strategic Financial Intelligence, a monthly newsletter dealing with investing, politics and the economy.

Blockchain and cannabis stocks enjoyed an impressive market run in 2017 and industry analysts expect the trend to continue in 2018. As these industries continue to grow, innovators are finding ways to integrate this growth and address areas of need in different verticals. Case in point, India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE American: IGC), the developer of a patent-pending cannabis-based combination therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, recognizes the need for accurate labeling of cannabidiol products online. In response, the company is developing blockchain technology-based solutions for the cannabis industry. With this endeavor, the company is participating in the rampant growth and application of blockchain benefits, alongside Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: KODK), BTL Group Ltd (OTC: BTLLF), Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) and China Information Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNIT).

CurveBlock, a real estate development company that uses blockchain and security tokens to share profits with investors, today announces it is the first security token company in the UK to be accepted into a commercial bank accelerator program.

The company’s acceptance into UK NatWest Bank’s Accelerator programme reflects the paradigm shift in today’s banking industry and the financial shifts taking place in this digital age.

As cryptocurrency seeks a route to mainstream adoption, ATMs may pave the way just as they have with other non-cash forms of payment in the past.

ATMs encouraged the adoption of electronic payments through a gradual move away from cash. Cryptocurrency ATMs may offer a similar route for cryptocurrency into the mainstream. Focus on overcoming challenges to adoption, including technological practicality.

Previously only usable on the internet, cryptocurrencies are becoming a mainstream option through the proliferation of specialist ATMs such as those provided by Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP). These establish a crypto equivalent to the ATMs of companies such as Diebold Nixdorf Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), the provider of a third of the world’s ATMs. Cryptocurrency is also appearing in other electronic payment systems, such as the point-of-sale solutions of Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP), which is looking to add blockchain payments to its technology. Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), whose technology turns phones and computers into point-of-sale systems, is also looking at adding bitcoin to its services. Meanwhile, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) continues to expand upon its established electronic payment system, showing how smooth integration with everyday life can lead to swift adoption of new technology.

According to a new paper from researchers at Imperial College London that suggests digital currencies are now primed for mass adoption, Bitcoin (Crypto: BTC) and other cryptocurrencies will become mainstream forms of payment within the next decade for goods and services on the strength of their increasing suitability for the role.

• Outsiders and even insiders struggle to maintain accurate understanding of rapidly evolving space
• Ratings agencies, indexes and industry analyst sites cropping up to address information verifiability deficits
• “Spendability” and usability emerging as acid tests for cryptos, ICOs and blockchain tech

Key factors driving the mainstream adoption of digital currencies, such as the ability to act as a store of value or function as a technologically superior medium of exchange amid the rapid rise of contactless and mobile payments, have already cemented crypto as a permanent fixture of the payments landscape. However, it is difficult for even well-versed investors to understand and evaluate the legitimacy of individual cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs) and blockchain technology companies. This challenge has led to the emergence of ICO rating agencies and market analysis sites such as Cointelligence. Some of the key players helping to make sense of this increasingly complex space include payment solution developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), Worldpay, Inc. Class A (NYSE: WP) and Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), as well as online credit marketplace developer LendingClub Corp. (NYSE: LC) and investor-focused fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR).

Blockchain technology has the potential to transform the way the global economy works.

• Blockchain is the basis of the first global currencies.
• It can be used to remove barriers to international trade.
• By keeping all records on a single platform, it speeds up financial transactions.
• Ten years after their creation, blockchain currencies can be used on high streets through ATMs and apps.

One of the companies making blockchain payment accessible is Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), whose ATM and point-of-sale systems are user friendly and offer distinct advantages over their competitors. Lending facilitator LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), which has already helped millions find the financing they need, is looking at ways to incorporate blockchain into its systems. Point-of-sale specialist Worldpay Inc. Class A (NYSE: WP) is also experimenting with the addition of blockchain to its integrated payment systems. Mobile payment company Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is testing the integration of premier blockchain currency bitcoin into its technology. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) has followed a successful pilot with the acquisition of a patent for proxy voting and repurchase agreements based on blockchain technology.

Emergent fintech such as distributed ledger-based blockchain technology and the cryptocurrencies built thereupon are rapidly transforming the face of the financial industry, reshaping how money is used at an essential level. An explosion of fintech companies marks the dawn of this new era, quickly turning the financial institutions that historically have played middlemen into dinosaurs as an increasing number of businesses and individuals turn to peer-to-peer (P2P) and peer-to-business (P2B) transaction options. This is a hot market for disruptive fintech developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTC: VRCP), with its cryptocurrency transaction confirmation application programming interface (API) Bit4Sure, real-time cryptography-based algorithmic cryptocurrency transaction validation engine NetoBit and crypto point-of-sale (POS) offerings such as NetoBit Pay that use the NetoBit application. For payment tech giants such as Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) and Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP), or P2P lending innovators such as LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), the iron is now ready to strike and blockchain powerhouses, such as Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), will add considerable force to the hammer blows as the industry forges a new future for money.

While there remains some uncertainty about how forthcoming cryptocurrency and virtual currency regulations will shake out, “cryptocurrency is here to stay,” said Jason Huang, CEO of graphics card giant NVIDIA during a recent CNBC Mad Money interview. Factors sustaining this looming permanency include the need more than 2 billion people worldwide who are unbanked have for financial services — 15.6 million of those individuals in the United States, according to MoneyGram. ATMs offering cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (Crypto: BTC) are rapidly emerging as an alternative banking paradigm, but only around half of the bitcoin ATMs support altcoins such as litecoin (Crypto: LTC) or ethereum (Crypto: ETH). There is substantial opportunity here for developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (VRCP), with its cryptocurrency transaction validation and ATM/POS (point of sale) offerings. Naturally, opportunity also encompasses risk for payment-processing tech developers such as PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL), Square, Inc. (SQ)and Green Dot Corp. (GDOT), or blockchain developers such as financial services industry heavy-hitter Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (BR).

The freelance employment market now comprises 34 percent of the United States workforce, according to a recent report, with freelance workers contributing approximately $1.4 trillion to the nation’s economy. Intrinsically connected with today’s freelance market, digital services has a compound annual growth rate of 6 percent and may be poised to become one of the next global economic drivers. Blockchain is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to fuel the growth of the digital freelance services market by enabling secure, transparent and rapid transactions. Companies bringing “Blockchain” to new industries include Bitcoin Investment Trust (OTC: GBTC), MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (OTCQB: MGTI), HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (OTC: HVBTF) (TSX-V: HIVE), Global Blockchain Technologies Corp. (OTC: BLKCF) (CSE: BLOC) and Victory Square Technologies, Inc. (OTC: VSQTF) (CSE: VST).

Ever since it was introduced five years ago, virtual reality (VR) technology has been underwhelming due to the lack of content and the exuberant costs of headsets like Oculus. But this year, the VR market could grow by 25 percent, according to the Consumer Technology Association, thanks to new products announced by Google and others in the tech world. VR enthusiasts are also predicting that Steven Spielberg’s newest film, which depicts a futuristic VR universe, could push the technology into mainstream. However, the biggest boost to VR technology potentially comes from the integration of blockchain technology. This is where blockchain companies could bring the true potential of VR into life. Companies at the forefront of this technology include Victory Square Technologies, Inc. (OTC: VSQTF) (CSE: VST), 360 Blockchain, Inc. (CSE: CODE), Hashchain Technology, Inc. (TSX-V: KASH), BTCS, Inc. (OTC: BTCS), and Marathon Patent Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA).

SinglePoint Inc. (OTCQB:SING) (“the Company”) announces the acquisition of ShieldSaver, which expands the Company’s blockchain initiatives into the automotive industry in an exciting way.

ShieldSaver is a technology company disrupting the automotive repair and maintenance industry. A trojan horse within the automotive industry, ShieldSaver has unique permissions—through contracts with multiple companies—to enter locations that are typically off limits, obtain critical vehicle data at those locations, and then make contact with vehicle owners regarding needed repairs on their cars. For instance, ShieldSaver is able to access vehicles parked in airport lots at Sacramento International Airport, Denver International and others; assess potential repair needs for those vehicles; and then leave information regarding the vehicle’s issues, along with ShieldSaver company contact information, for the vehicle owners. This is something that, currently, no other company is able to do.

As blockchain becomes better established, companies across a wide range of industries are finding ways to benefit from the technology. Payment solutions company Global Payout, Inc. (GOHE) is providing blockchain services for logistics, payment, and high-risk businesses through a set of subsidiaries. Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) is seeing a period of growth as demand for its processing hardware rises to support blockchain software. Shopping chain Walmart, Inc. (WMT) has taken out a patent for blockchain-based package tracking and is working with IBM on blockchain food supply chains. United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) has also taken an interest in using the technology to track deliveries, investing in the future through the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance, and even oil giant BP plc (BP) has a pilot program to explore how blockchain could improve energy supplies and trades.

As investors enter the second quarter looking for signs of growth sectors, cryptocurrencies and blockchain-related markets remain at the top of the list in potential. In particular, the advantages of blockchain technologies and their secure, immutable shared ledgers are rapidly gaining recognition in the international trade and finance, security, gaming and healthcare sectors. Several companies are advancing programs to educate the broader investing public about blockchain technology. Those companies include SinglePoint, Inc. (SING), which has been aggressively making strategic acquisitions and building a diverse portfolio in the blockchain space. Other public companies pursuing opportunities in the expanding blockchain sector include Longfin Corp. (LFIN), Accenture PLC (ACN), Marathon Patent Group, Inc. (MARA) and Overstock.com, Inc. (OSTK).