134. Shopify joins Libra and the first US crypto bank announced

Simon Taylor is back this week to talk about the latest and greatest news in blockchain, Bitcoin and crypto. Of course, he is not alone, and in this episode, Simon is joined in the studio by Matthew Pollard, founder of Archax and Helen Disney, founder and CEO of Unblocked. This week we kick things off with a discussion about Caitlin Long's future bank called Avanti. The former Wall Street executive helped pioneer Wyoming's progressive blockchain laws and is now taking advantage of them to build what many are calling the first regulated crypto-native bank in the US. Next up, we talk about Shopify joining the Libra Association, the potential for bringing commerce opportunities to developing nations and the possible regulatory implications of this move. A lot can happen in a few weeks, and in this episode, we continue to dig into the latest blockchain and crypto news including: Blockchain Pioneer to Build First Crypto-Native bank in the US (02:52) Shopify joins Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra Association (11:18) Sweden starts testing world's first central bank digital currency (19:07) Bank of England official says it is 'crucial' for central banks to consider digital currencies (23:40) G-20 Urges Countries to Adopt Tough FATF Rules on Cryptocurrencies (33:20) Blockchain-based ID system for credit union members made commercially available (40:00) The Tweet of the Week comes from @mdudas about M&As and the fintech bubble. (48:28) Why not send us your best tweets? See if you can get a shout out on the show! Love fintech? Then sign up for our newsletter, Fintech in Five. A snack-sized selection of the week's biggest stories, longer reads, soundbites and more. Just visit this link to sign up! 11fs.com/newsletter If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! Want to join the conversation on all the topics discussed? Tweet the show at: www.twitter.com/bchaininsider Special Guests: Helen Disney and Matthew Pollard. Links: Blockchain Pioneer to Build First Crypto-Native bank in the US Shopify joins Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra Association Sweden starts testing world's first central bank digital currency Bank of England official says it is 'crucial' for central banks to consider digital currencies G-20 Urges Countries to Adopt Tough FATF Rules on Cryptocurrencies Blockchain-based ID system for credit union members made commercially available Tweet of the Week