Austin Campbell: A Primer on Stablecoins - [Web3 Breakdowns, Replay]

Austin Campbell: A Primer on Stablecoins - [Web3 Breakdowns, Replay]

Author: Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts September 15, 2023 Duration: 1:02:01

Today we are revisiting my conversation with Austin Campbell. After my interview with Mike Dudas, I had asked, who is the smartest person I can talk to about Stablecoins? He instantly responded, you need to speak with Austin, and as you'll hear, I think he's right.

Austin spent 15 years in traditional finance before managing $22bn of Stablecoin reserves for Paxos. Today, he's an Adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and the managing partner at Zero Knowledge Consulting. In this conversation, Austin helps me break down the nuts and bolts of how Stablecoins work. We also discussed the lessons crypto should learn from the traditional finance world and how the current US regulatory crackdown will shape the ecosystem going forward. Please enjoy this Stablecoin primer with Austin Campbell.


For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here


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Show Notes

[00:03:21] - [First question] - What can be learned from TradFi and applied to crypto

[00:05:13] - The basics of Stablecoins and why they are important

[00:07:39] - The logistics and mechanics of Stablecoins from the ground up

[00:17:14] - Time-delay and infrastructure problems when trading with Stablecoins

[00:21:18] - Liquidity, time sensitivity, and credit risk for issuers and buyers of Stablecoins 

[00:24:59] - The roles, challenges, and faults of regulators in the space 

[00:33:04] - The extent to which he sees regulators favored versus fouled by crypto natives

[00:34:50] - The SEC’s imposition that qualified custodians are needed to exchange crypto assets

[00:37:53] - His takes on news regarding Paxos and the BUSD

[00:43:01] - Concerns regarding Binance and its Stablecoin consolidations

[00:46:30] - Aspects of global Stablecoin regulation he’s optimistic about

[00:49:01] - Why the US may not be a promised land for crypto

[00:50:21] - The positives and potential impact of Stablecoins broadly, despite the pushback

[00:54:03] - The possibility of traditional assets using crypto rails

[01:00:04] - What he’s most excited to see built over the next six months and six years

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Eric Golden hosts Making Markets, a podcast that digs into the often unseen mechanics and human behaviors driving how value is assigned and traded. Rather than just analyzing charts or headlines, conversations focus on the underlying architecture-the rules, relationships, and psychology-that defines how any marketplace functions. This approach means that one episode might dissect the familiar terrain of bonds or equities, while the next ventures into the specialized worlds of fine art, cryptocurrency, or even vineyard acquisitions. The common thread is a curiosity about the actual transactions and the people who facilitate them, providing a tangible sense of what occurs when assets change hands. By speaking with practitioners and experts each week, the show demystifies the complex systems that form the backbone of global commerce, offering listeners a clearer picture of economic forces at work. As part of the Colossus network of investing and business podcasts, Making Markets builds a comprehensive library of knowledge, turning abstract concepts into accessible narratives. It’s for anyone who has ever wondered about the real-world machinery operating behind the curtain of daily financial news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Making Markets
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