Welcome to Blockstream Talk. Today's conversation with Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Bitfinex and Tether. Two of the most interesting and probably battle tested companies within the space. To provide additional context, this episode was recorded just hours after the initial hostilities in the Ukraine kicked off. We covered a lot of ground in this one. Everything from Tether and stable coins, why Bitfinex likes Liquid, what it was like to be in the Bitfinex war room after the big 2016 hack and the innovative response to it, and what is the latest on El Salvador and their upcoming Bitcoin Bond. If you find this conversation useful, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share.
Bitfinex
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01:07 Who is Paulo Ardoino?
02:14 Path to finding Bitcoin and working at Bitfinex
13:24 Reasons Bitfinex does not face downtime during high volatility
15:17 Bitfinex being the most battle tested exchange
16:17 What is the Liquid Network value proposition compared to altcoins?
22:03 The origin story of Tether and its success
23:53 Difficulties of running an exchange
25:07 Will Bitcoin become less volatile thus destroying altcoins and stablecoins?
31:10 Why would first world countries not care for Tether and other stablecoins?
35:23 Bitfinex response to their 2016 hack
42:41 Opportunities for Bitfinex Securities
48:39 Why are there so few security token exchanges?
50:38 Other types of assets that are important to Bitfinex
54:57 Updates on the El Salvador Bitcoin Bond
58:31 When will the El Salvador Bitcoin Bond be available?
59:54 Most exciting Bitcoin developments for 2022