Opinions My Own: Risk, FinTech and the Law Zila Acosta-Grimes & Paul Caulfield

Scene One: Industry Conference





Moderator: "What keeps you up at night?"

CEO: Cybersecurity.



Scene Two: Company conference room

CISO: Well done, everyone. Great tabletop exercise.



I discuss with the former CISO of the Israel Defense Forces, Gad Abadi, the root cause of Scenario One, so many CEOs' sleepless nights, and the glaring blind spot with Scenario Two, which overemphasizes the CISO, CIO and the technical SMEs but largely ignores the other C-Suite players and their teams critical to timely recovery, firm reputation and client servicing.



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Thanks for listening.



Paul Caulfield



Guest: Gad Abadi, Lieutenant Colonel, former CISO, Israel Defense Forces



Time: 48 minutes

When do you need a lawyer? As a company engaged in blockchain, crypto or other innovative areas there are many instances when you might need to call a lawyer for advice on how to proceed in these uncharted waters. Throughout the previous episodes we have hinted at hiring lawyers and in this episode we speak to one of the lawyers you might need to hire - Lilya Tessler.  Lilya is a partner and head of Sidley Austin’s FinTech and Blockchain group. If you need advice on regulations and the legal implications of business decisions in the FinTech/Blockchain space she is who you should call. We have a conversation in this episode about her approach to the law, her clients and what pressing legal questions start-ups have.

NO ONE IS WALKING THE #AML BEAT IN VIDEO GAMES, and the bad guys know it. Elsewhere...in cryptocurrencyland, the media, law enforcement, Capitol HIll, OK...everyone is talking about the newest, shiny ball. Regulation and enforcement will soon kick into overdrive as mainstream market adoption of crypto assets explodes. Just check out the Twitter feeds of Michael Saylor (MicroStrategy) and Gary Gensler (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair). Don’t even get us started about Bloomberg LP (news not the man). 

Not so in Decentraland, Fortnite, or Counter Strike: Global Offensive, or on Twitch or Steam where millions are being laundered and an untold number, defrauded. Welcome to the #TradeableEconomy, and be they skins, emotions (emotes), virtual weapons, in-game currencies or keys, this lesser known, secondary market has been running unchecked for more than a decade. These digital assets are flying under the radar, and we better wake up.    

In this episode, "Ready Player NONE: This is Not a Game", Jean-Loup Richet, Associate Professor, IAE Paris - Sorbonne Business School and Advisory Member to the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol and Benjamin (Benji) Preminger, cyber threat intelligence special and product manager at Cybersixgill discuss the money laundering techniques and recent crimes that should make law enforcement and Capitol Hill sit up, pay attention and devote more of their energy to this active and effective crime channel.

Thanks for listening. 

Zila Acosta-Grimes & Paul Caulfield

Time: 
46 minutes

We’re big Prince fans here at Opinions My Own, and in honor of his best album turning 30, we sought out Don Palmieri, master gemologist, world renowned appraiser and decorated Vietnam veteran. As we’ve said, the diamonds and jewels industry needs some much needed light shined on (or is it through?) it - conflict diamonds, child labor, fraud, AML, corruption. In this, the enlightened age of ESG, our interview with Don, a 50 year veteran in the field, does just that. 

Please enjoy, share and like. Find us on YouTube, streaming on Spotify, iTunes and @Twitter. And, keep sending us those topics!

Oh, and here’s Prince & the NPG’s own Diamond & Pearls.

Thanks for listening.

Zila & Paul

Guest:

Don Palmieri, Diamonds & Jewels Ninja

Time:

57 minutes

That’s Amanda Wick on America’s early frontier, the real Wild West. But in crypto, where the likes of tech bros haven’t yet fully dominated the field, Wick sees hope. But she’s got some hard scrabble advice…

The first of our “Women Our Own” series, Amanda offers not-to-be missed insights on women in law and technology, especially cryptocurrency. Former federal prosecutor, current practitioner of Krav Maga and fierce advocate for women in [insert ANY industry here], Amanda isn’t mincing words: “What is your solution to fix things?”

Please enjoy this spotlight episode on Women in AML, FinTech & the Law. Find us on YouTube, streaming on Spotify, iTunes and @Twitter. Like, share and, if interested in a topic, let us know.

Thanks for listening.

Zila & Paul

Guest:

Amanda Wick, recent Chief of Legal Affairs of Chainalysis Inc., former DOJ Attorney, Senior Policy Advisor at FinCEN

Time:

19 minutes

Guest:

Amanda Wick, Chief of Legal Affairs of Chainalysis Inc., former DOJ Attorney, Senior Policy Advisor at FinCEN,

Overview:

"I personally think that bitcoin is worthless," Jamie Dimon, CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Monday, October 11, 2021 at the Institute of International Finance.

“A Ponzi scheme from the jump.” That’s what cryptocurrencies are...right? In this episode, Zila and Paul speak with Amanda Wick, Chief of Legal Affairs at Chainalysis Inc. about her career in law and migration to blockchain and crypto. Amanda helps bust some common myths while offering candid opinions about the state of the public sector’s understanding of this revolutionary technology.

Time:

42 minutes