Software is disrupting financial services – a renaissance is emerging as the closed proprietary systems of Traditional Finance (TradFi) converge with permissionless, open-source Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols on public blockchains. The wider impact on society is presently unnoticeable to the general public. However, as EVERY asset continues to be tokenized, from commodities to intellectual property, massive amounts of users will move onchain. Is the “TradFi in the front, DeFi in the b...

Digital assets experienced a remarkable surge in 2024. The prospect of regulatory clarity and a “crypto-friendly” U.S. Administration propelled the total market capitalization of the sector to an all-time high of +$3.79 trillion with the price of bitcoin reaching +$108,000 in December 2024. Lawmakers calling for a national Bitcoin Strategic Reserve have gained traction in several countries including the United States, Japan, Poland, and Brazil where a bill was proposed to hold up to 5% of the...

In September, the Federal Reserve initiated a fresh liquidity cycle, reducing the federal funds rate half a percentage point from a 23-year high. This unwinding of the economic tightening cycle follows 11 rate hikes dating back to March 2022 and similar measures from several Central Banks including the Bank of England, European Central Bank, and People’s Bank of China. Following the Federal Reserve’s statement, China announced fiscal and monetary stimulus measures “bold by historical standard...