Poundcast Poundcast

In episode 8, our host Jannah speaks to Sarah Palurovic, Executive Director of our partner organisation, the Digital Euro Association. Sarah is also an economist and research assistant at the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center. Her focus is on executive education in blockchain and digital assets, specializing in the economics of cryptocurrencies and emerging business models. Jannah and Sarah discuss progress towards a digital Euro as well as a digital Pound. How do these compare and what impact will they have on one another?

In this episode, Jannah Patchay, Policy Lead at the Digital Pound Foundation is in conversation with Varun Paul, Central Bank Digital Currency and Market Infrastructure Director of Fireblocks. They discuss private sector objections to retail Central Bank Digital Currency - how does the recent Bank of England and HM Treasury consultation address these as regards the UK? They also look at non-interest bearing - and its limits - how will this address concerns of outflows from commercial bank deposits. They also ask how will a digital Pound support private sector innovation and how might such a currency be designed?

In episode 6, our host Jannah Patchay, Policy Lead and one of the originating members of the Digital Pound Foundation, speaks to James Pomeroy, Global Economist at HSBC. In a time where many regions around the world are increasingly moving away from cash, Central Bank Digital Currencies can offer people similar levels of privacy and accessibility, however, there’s often a misconception that governments and central banks will use the technology to oversee and control what people can spend their money on. In this podcast, James explains why such an overreach by governments and central banks is highly unlikely, and on the contrary, could provide the mechanism to deliver faster and more targeted support for people and families, as well as the all-important data, in real-time, to help avoid periods of high inflation and recession.

In episode 5, Jannah Patchay, Policy Lead and one of the originating members of the Digital Pound Foundation, speaks to Nick Philpott, COO of Zodia Markets. In this episode, Jannah and Nick discuss how digital currencies could help undo “the internet’s original sin”, explore his experiences with the Libra project and talk about how the stablecoin landscape has developed from a policy / regulatory perspective, as well as examining the top wholesale use cases for stablecoins.

In this episode, our host Jannah Patchay, policy lead and one of the originating members of the Digital Pound Foundation, interviews Teana Baker-Taylor, Vice President, Policy & Regulatory Strategy, UK/EU at Circle, on stablecoins and the policy and regulatory challenges they present, as well as how they relate to Central Bank Digital Currencies. How should new forms of digital money be regulated and what are different jurisdictions doing to address issues surrounding market conduct. And last but not least what are the prospects for a digital Pound, perhaps in the form of a privately-issued stablecoin?

In episode 3, our host Jannah Patchay, Policy Lead and originating member of the Digital Pound Foundation, speaks to Olaf Ransome, founder of 3C Advisory and also known as The Banker’s Plumber. In this interview, we turn our attention to the applications of new forms of digital money in wholesale markets. As we'll see, the potential of digital currencies to improve settlement times has massive implications for liquidity and funding across the financial system. 

In the digital asset space there are new exchanges or execution venues and new custody solutions. Settlement processes also need a means of payment. The line to date is that if the assets are on-chain then we need that means of payment to be on-chain. What are the requirements for something to be a widely accepted means of payment and settlement? And does it have to be central-bank issued or backed by reserves held at a central bank?