DACOM Digital Solidus Labs

A week and a half after the much-anticipated spot Bitcoin ETF was approved by the SEC and started trading, Solidus’ Co-founder Chen Arad sits down with three of the industry leaders who helped make it happen, for a report from trenches on how it finally got approved, what it means for crypto market integrity, and what’s next for the industry.

In this episode, we sit down with Imogen Bester from Luno Global, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, to discuss the concrete challenges faced by cryptocurrency exchanges like Luno Global and how market surveillance solutions are playing a pivotal role in securing a more stable and secure crypto landscape.

In the latest episode of Solidus’ DACOM Digital podcast, Andrew Jacobson, VP and Head of Legal at 21Shares parent company 21.co, joins the show to discuss his transition from his past role as a regulator and enforcement attorney with the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to a leading crypto lawyer. Jacobson also speaks about 21Shares’ role as one of the leading crypto-native exchange traded fund (ETF) and product (ETP) issuers, shedding light on its ongoing effort to enable safe and regulated crypto trading.



21Shares’ rule change proposal to allow for the listing of a spot Bitcoin ETF is currently first in line for review by the U.S. SEC.

In this episode of the DACOM Digital podcast, Pamela Draper, the co-founder, CEO, and president of Bitvo, one of Canada’s oldest crypto platforms with a focus on regulation and safety, shares her journey from traditional finance to crypto. Beginning her career in investment banking, Draper shifted to the crypto industry five years ago and has since seen significant changes in the landscape, especially in terms of regulatory frameworks being applied to crypto. She discusses her decision to transition from banking to crypto, the initial challenges faced when starting a new business in a then-unregulated industry, and Bitvo’s commitment to operate within an anticipated regulatory framework even before it was established. Draper believes this early emphasis on regulation helped Bitvo transition smoothly as formal regulations came into effect in Canada. The discussion offers insights into Bitvo’s role in the market and its future plans in the rapidly evolving crypto industry.

In this episode of DACOM Digital, Rija Rameloarison, Chief Compliance and Legal Officer at Meria, shares insights into his journey from studying law and compliance in France to working at a leading regulated crypto platform. He discusses how his experiences growing up in corruption-ridden Madagascar fuelled his passion for regulatory and compliance work. He also explains how challenging it can be for young, crypto-native companies is to quickly adapt to new regulatory requirements. Rameloarison reflects on the French regulators’ progressive approach to regulation, which began with a risk-based methodology focused on anti-money laundering (AML), terrorism financing, and fraud prevention, and has since expanded to encompass market manipulation and consumer protection. Despite the complexity, Rameloarison’s leadership in compliance has helped Meria establish a positive reputation among regulators.

Oasis Pro Market’s CEO Pat LaVecchia joins DACOM Digital to discuss his journey from decades as a Wall Street heavyweight, through deep DeFi work advising MakerDAO on compliance to founding OPM in order to enable DeFi for institutions. LaVecchia speaks to Solidus Co-founder & COO Chen Arad about OPM’s recent oversubscribed funding round and what it means for institutional interest in crypto, the huge opportunity for further institutional adoption of DeFi, as well as the regulatory and operational challenges, and how OPM is solving them. And - what can crypto and DeFi learn from the early days of the internet?