What Financial Markets, Crypto Investing, and Horses Have in Common ft. Joey Krug

This season concludes with one of the most influential voices in the Stellar ecosystem – none other than Stellar Development Foundation co-founder, Jed McCaleb. Since the 3rd grade, Jed’s passion for programming has led him to solve interesting problems. He’s started numerous companies and worked on emerging technology for decades, and now has his sights set on space habitation technologies with Vast, and AI with Astera Institute. In this episode, Denelle and Jed discuss his path as an innovator, the barriers to building that he faced in the early days of blockchain, the importance of setting space as a new frontier for human exploration, and AI as the last science project.

Denelle Dixon, and Alex Holmes, CEO of MoneyGram, unpack MoneyGram's transformative journey from conventional remittance services to a digital powerhouse. Denelle and Alex cover the company’s strategic shifts and pivotal moments in embracing digital innovation, showcasing Holmes' insights into the company's evolution. Dixon emphasizes the collaborative efforts that led to the creation of MoneyGram Access and the recent launch of their non-custodial wallet, unveiling a vision to bridge traditional finance with blockchain technology, revolutionizing cross-border payments and fostering financial inclusion on a global scale. How does a more than 80 year old company adopt new technologies and reshape the financial landscape? Listen to find out. 

Denelle dives into the dynamic world of crypto with Konstantin Richter, the visionary founder of Blockdaemon.  From reflecting on personal growth and lessons learned to exploring the intricate balance between disruption and collaboration, Konstantin shares insights on building trust, navigating the crypto landscape, and Blockdaemon's journey in simplifying crypto infrastructure for major institutions. This conversation provides a thought-provoking glimpse into the evolving future of decentralized technologies and Blockdaemon's pivotal role in shaping it.

In a special Meridian episode of block by block, Tajinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) sat down with Denelle at SDF’s annual Meridian conference to talk regulation, global standards and coordination, and advice for innovators navigating a borderless technology across different regulatory and legal jurisdictions. Tajinder brings a background in technology to his role at IOSCO to help find common ground among regulators by focusing on the basics – investor protection, market integrity and the principle, “same activity, same risk, same regulatory outcomes,” to inform global standards.

Carole House has been behind the scenes on some serious cybersecurity and policymaking efforts for crypto, having served as the Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at the White House National Security Council as well as at the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Now at Terranet Ventures, she sits down with Denelle to discuss crypto’s benefits for financial crime investigations, the pros and cons of enforcement actions, the process of pulling together President Biden’s government-wide strategy for digital currencies, and why the fight for an enabling regulatory environment in the US is worth it.

Follow Denelle on Twitter: @DenelleDixon

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 A longtime investor and founder in the crypto space, Joey Krug understands the upsides (and downsides) of being early and making big bets. Now at the Founders Fund, he’s focused on defining the next decade of the firm’s crypto strategy. In the first episode of season 2, Joey sits down with Denelle to talk about what motivated his early ventures, finding and backing the best founders, and his list of biggest mistakes and lessons learned (literally - he keeps a list). Plus: what horses and poker have to do with financial markets and crypto investing.

Follow Denelle on Twitter: @DenelleDixon

Follow Stellar Development Foundation on Twitter: @StellarOrg

Follow Stellar Development Foundation on LinkedIn

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Anthony Scaramucci knows what it means to take risks to get to where you want to go. He sits down with Denelle to discuss his personal and professional story—from humble beginnings, to investment banking, to his stint in politics, and finding his place in crypto. They also take you behind the scenes into the days he spent with SBF before the FTX collapse, discuss why he’s with crypto and blockchain for the long haul, and the importance of sharing failures and moving past them.

Tribalism is pervasive in the crypto space. It’s not often that two Layer 1 blockchain CEOs get together to talk candidly. In this episode, Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation, sits down with Denelle for an open conversation about what it’s really like leading a blockchain foundation supporting open-source ecosystems, and everything that comes with it.

Janet Foutty, Executive Chair of the Board for Deloitte US, knows what it takes to lead large organizations through meaningful change. As chair and CEO of Deloitte Consulting, she led the digital transformation and growth of the $10B business through investments in digital, AI, and cloud. Janet and Denelle sit down to discuss the breadth of the web3 opportunity that is in front of businesses today, the clients she sees coming to Deloitte looking to engage, creating the backbone companies need to adapt to digital transformation, and advancing women's leadership in this space.

Sigal Mandelker, lawyer and longtime public servant, served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and held many other senior positions throughout her distinguished government career. Now at Ribbit Capital, a VC focused on financial services and technology, she’s leveraging that experience to help change the world of finance. She sits down with Denelle to share what motivated her early on in her career, her approach to engaging with industry for better outcomes, and how that public sector experience impacts her work with founders now.