The Scoop The Block

Nabil Manji, Worldpay's head of crypto and web3, describes his firm as "one of the largest companies that most people have never heard of," since Worldpay plays a relatively behind-the-scenes role facilitating the "plumbing" of different aspects of the global financial system.
In this episode of The Scoop, Manji discusses how Worldpay is positioning itself to expand its digital asset infrastructure and the ways that traditional financial institutions have adjusted their digital asset strategies in the wake of last year's crypto meltdown. Worldpay was acquired by payment services giant Fidelity National Information Services (FIS), a Jacksonville, Florida based firm in 2019 for $35bn.
According to Manji, many firms from traditional finance are continuing to build out infrastructure for digital assets while also reducing speculative exposure to the asset class:
"If you look at some of the larger financial services technology providers, and in some cases a lot of the larger banks, they're continuing to invest on that technology adoption side even while simultaneously pulling back on the more speculative investment side."
Although many institutions are still following through on plans to provide services for digital assets, Manji also says the problems in the industry exposed over the past year need to be addressed:
"The challenges presented over the past nine months and some of the problems that those of uncovered are very material, and until some or all of those are meaningfully addressed, I do think it's going to delay or postpone the pace at which institutions and enterprises in financial services might have leveraged digital assets or the underlying technology."
During this episode, Chaparro and Manji also discuss:

How CBDC's could be beneficial.

The tokenization of real-world assets.

The future of stablecoins.


This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Circle, Railgun, Flare Network, NordVPN
About Circle
Circle is a global financial technology company helping money move at internet speed. Our mission is to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. Visit Circle.com to learn more.
About Railgun
RAILGUN is a private DeFi solution on Ethereum, BSC, Arbitrum, and Polygon. Shield any ERC-20 token and any NFT into a Private Balance and let RAILGUN’s Zero-Knowledge cryptography encrypt your address, balance, and transaction history. You can also bring privacy to your project with RAILGUN SDK and be sure to check out RAILGUN with partner project Railway Wallet, also available on iOS and Android. Visit Railgun.org to find out more.
About Flare
Flare is an EVM-based Layer 1 blockchain designed to allow developers to build applications that can use data from other blockchains and the internet. By providing decentralized access to a wide variety of high integrity data from other blockchains and the internet, Flare enables new use cases and monetisation models. Build better and connect everything at Flare.Network
About NordVPN
NordVPN is essential for keeping crypto transactions secure, hiding your IP address and protecting your devices from hackers and data theft. Get premium cyber-security on up to 6 devices for the price of a cup of coffee a month. Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal and try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee: Visit https://nordvpn.com/thescoop

The crypto bull market in 2017 inspired journalist Camila Russo to tell the story behind the creation of Ethereum.
Russo's book, "The Infinite Machine," has caught the attention of Ridley Scott, whose production company Scott Free Productions has signed on to co-produce the film adaption. Ridley Scott is best known for helming such blockbusters as "Gladiator", "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Thelma & Louise", among many others.
In this episode of The Scoop, Camila Russo recounts how her personal experience using crypto in South America showed her the advantages of decentralized systems and shares some striking revelations from time spent researching the origins of Ethereum.
According to Russo, an important early dispute among Ethereum's eight cofounders centered around Ethereum's business model:
"It was, 'Are we are we building a foundation to encourage building on top of this open source platform?' or, 'Are we building a for-profit company that's going to make tons of apps on top of this protocol?' . . . At the end of that, Vitalik had to make the call, and he decided that this would be a nonprofit foundation."
One takeaway Russo hopes readers get from her book is the idea that "there is an alternative being built," when it comes to things like the internet (web3) and our financial system (DeFi).
As of yet, there is no release date for the film adaptation of "The Infinite Machine," although the community has created an NFT collection to raise funds for the film.

This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Circle, Railgun, Flare Network, NordVPN
About Circle
Circle is a global financial technology company helping money move at internet speed. Our mission is to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. Visit Circle.com to learn more.
About Railgun
RAILGUN is a private DeFi solution on Ethereum, BSC, Arbitrum, and Polygon. Shield any ERC-20 token and any NFT into a Private Balance and let RAILGUN’s Zero-Knowledge cryptography encrypt your address, balance, and transaction history. You can also bring privacy to your project with RAILGUN SDK and be sure to check out RAILGUN with partner project Railway Wallet, also available on iOS and Android. Visit Railgun.org to find out more.
About Flare
Flare is an EVM-based Layer 1 blockchain designed to allow developers to build applications that can use data from other blockchains and the internet. By providing decentralized access to a wide variety of high integrity data from other blockchains and the internet, Flare enables new use cases and monetisation models. Build better and connect everything at Flare.Network
About NordVPN
NordVPN is essential for keeping crypto transactions secure, hiding your IP address and protecting your devices from hackers and data theft. Get premium cyber-security on up to 6 devices for the price of a cup of coffee a month. Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal and try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee: Visit https://nordvpn.com/thescoop

Since its beginnings as a skunkworks intern project in late 2015, Jump Crypto has developed a multifaceted crypto strategy that spans proprietary trading, venture investing, and infrastructure development. 
Although Jump had some exposure to FTX, the firm says it remains well capitalized. 
In this episode of The Scoop, Jump Crypto President Kanav Kariya reflects on lessons learned during 2022 and analyzes the current state of the industry's capital markets. 
According to Kariya, many crypto market participants struggled with proper collateral management over the course of last year: 
"The perceived maturity of a lot of the participants in the market was clearly way out of line with what the reality was — the quality of the collateral was astonishing across the board." 
Going forward, Kariya envisions deep-pocketed institutions from traditional finance entering the market instead of crypto-native startups. 
As he explains: 
"When it comes to institutional lending and prime brokerage, that feels like an opportunity for a much better capitalized player to step into the market at this point — it's not a startup opportunity in my mind." 
Disclaimer: Beginning in 2021, Michael McCaffrey, the former CEO and majority owner of The Block, took a series of loans from former FTX and Alameda founder Sam Bankman-Fried. McCaffrey resigned from the company in December 2022 after failing to disclose those transactions.
This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Circle, Railgun, Flare Network, NordVPN
About Circle
Circle is a global financial technology company helping money move at internet speed. Our mission is to raise global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. Visit Circle.com to learn more.
About Railgun
RAILGUN is a private DeFi solution on Ethereum, BSC, Arbitrum, and Polygon. Shield any ERC-20 token and any NFT into a Private Balance and let RAILGUN’s Zero-Knowledge cryptography encrypt your address, balance, and transaction history. You can also bring privacy to your project with RAILGUN SDK and be sure to check out RAILGUN with partner project Railway Wallet, also available on iOS and Android. Visit Railgun.org to find out more.
 About Flare
Flare is an EVM-based Layer 1 blockchain designed to allow developers to build applications that can use data from other blockchains and the internet. By providing decentralized access to a wide variety of high integrity data from other blockchains and the internet, Flare enables new use cases and monetisation models. Build better and connect everything at Flare.Network
About NordVPN
NordVPN is essential for keeping crypto transactions secure, hiding your IP address and protecting your devices from hackers and data theft. Get premium cyber-security on up to 6 devices for the price of a cup of coffee a month. Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal and try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee: Visit https://nordvpn.com/thescoop

For The Scoop’s final episode of 2022, Larry Cermak, vice president of Research at The Block, joins host Frank Chaparro to unpack highlights from The Block Research’s 2023 Digital Assets Outlook Report and to break down some of the major events that shaped the crypto market in 2022.
The Block Research’s 2023 Digital Assets Outlook Report offers a deep look into the state of the crypto markets today and analysis on trends that could emerge in the year ahead.
Generally speaking, Cermak says institutional investors are becoming more comfortable with crypto’s extreme volatility:
“The institutional investors understand now that just because we have dropped by 80%, and just because a lot of funds and a lot of companies have gotten destroyed, that doesn't mean that crypto will not come back. They understand the volatility, understand the cycles, and a lot of them want to be in a better position before the next movement.”
Although bear markets are characterized by a lack of exuberance among market participants, “these are really the periods when a lot of new projects are born,” Cermak says. “A lot of new narratives for the industry are going to be born.”
Disclaimer: Beginning in 2021, Michael McCaffrey, the former CEO and majority owner of The Block, took a series of loans from former FTX and Alameda founder Sam Bankman-Fried. McCaffrey resigned from the company in December 2022 after failing to disclose those transactions.
This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Tron, Ledn, Athletic Greens, NordVPN
About Tron
Founded in 2013, Huobi Global is one of the largest virtual asset exchanges in the world. Huobi Global serves millions of users across international markets. Since its establishment, Huobi Global has committed to providing first-class virtual asset investment services. Huobi Global's robust infrastructure, product innovation and capital strength provide a truly customer-centric and secure trading environment to help our international users to achieve their investment objectives. Please refer to Huobi's official website for more information: huobi.com.
About Ledn
Ledn was founded on the unshakeable conviction that digital assets have the power to democratize access to the global economy. We help you to experience the real-life benefits of your Bitcoin without having to sell it. Start a savings account, take out a loan, or double your Bitcoin. For more information visit Ledn.io
About Athletic Greens
Build a Foundation for Better Health. It’s time to reclaim your health and arm your immune system with convenient, daily nutrition! Fill nutrient gaps, promote gut health, and support whole-body vitality with AG1. One daily serving delivers a potent blend of 9 health products—a multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, adaptogens and more—working together to help you feel like your healthiest self. For more information visit AthleticGreens.com/Scoop
About NordVPN
NordVPN is essential for keeping crypto transactions secure, hiding your IP address and protecting your devices from hackers and data theft. Get premium cyber-security on up to 6 devices for the price of a cup of coffee a month. Get your exclusive NordVPN Deal and try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee: Visit https://nordvpn.com/thescoop

Founded in 2013, GSR is one of the oldest crypto market makers and is also an active venture investor.
In this episode of The Scoop, GSR CEO Jakob Palmstierna discusses how his firm is responding to the collapse of FTX and shares his forecast for what a crypto recovery might look like.
According to Palmstierna, GSR covered the losses of all of its customers who had funds stuck on FTX: 
“We announced that customers of ours that had funds locked in FTX, we would reimburse them so they didn't have those losses, which is not ‘effective altruism,’ it's about creating some stability within the market and being here for the future.”
Although 2022 was filled with calamities for the crypto industry, Palmstierna says the underlying technology is continuing to develop:
“Everything that happened over 2022 has very little to nothing to do with the underlying technology of crypto. There are well-funded projects out there, there are really good builders — it's one of the biggest sections of talent density that we have seen since the early internet days.”
Disclaimer: Beginning in 2021, Michael McCaffrey, the former CEO and majority owner of The Block, took a series of loans from former FTX and Alameda founder Sam Bankman-Fried. McCaffrey resigned from the company in December 2022 after failing to disclose those transactions.
Episode 128 of Season 4 of The Scoop was recorded live with The Block's Frank Chaparro and GSR CEO Jakob Palmstierna.
Listen below, and subscribe to The Scoop on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. Email feedback and revision requests can be sent to podcast@theblockcrypto.com.
This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Tron, Ledn, Athletic Greens
About Tron
Founded in 2013, Huobi Global is one of the largest virtual asset exchanges in the world. Huobi Global serves millions of users across international markets. Since its establishment, Huobi Global has committed to providing first-class virtual asset investment services. Huobi Global's robust infrastructure, product innovation and capital strength provide a truly customer-centric and secure trading environment to help our international users to achieve their investment objectives. Please refer to Huobi's official website for more information: huobi.com.
About Ledn
Ledn was founded on the unshakeable conviction that digital assets have the power to democratize access to the global economy. We help you to experience the real-life benefits of your Bitcoin without having to sell it. Start a savings account, take out a loan, or double your Bitcoin. For more information visit Ledn.io
About Athletic Greens
Build a Foundation for Better Health. It’s time to reclaim your health and arm your immune system with convenient, daily nutrition! Fill nutrient gaps, promote gut health, and support whole-body vitality with AG1. One daily serving delivers a potent blend of 9 health products—a multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, adaptogens and more—working together to help you feel like your healthiest self. For more information visit AthleticGreens.com/Scoop

Founded in 2011, Bitstamp has navigated the ups and downs of multiple crypto market cycles over the years.
In this episode of The Scoop, Bitstamp USA CEO Bobby Zagotta discusses Bitstamp’s resilience, and explains how centralized exchanges can restore user confidence in the wake of FTX’s collapse.
According to Zagotta, "proof-of-reserves" is an important step towards giving customers more visibility into how centralized exchanges manage customer assets: 
"On the one hand, the way many exchanges operate is pretty opaque; but on the other hand, blockchain technology creates the opportunity for radical transparency… Proof-of-reserves will allow customers to see that the assets on the exchange exceed the liabilities on the exchange.”
Although large exchanges such as Binance, KuCoin and Crypto.com have all attempted to establish proof-of-reserves, the accounting firm conducting these reports announced last week that it is pausing all work for its crypto exchanges clients, and others around the industry have been skeptical of the legitimacy of these reports.
The current method for proof-of-reserves “is not perfect,” Zagotta says, because “it's a snapshot in time.”
Episode 127 of Season 4 of The Scoop was recorded remotely with The Block's Frank Chaparro and Bitstamp USA CEO Bobby Zagotta.
Listen below, and subscribe to The Scoop on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. Email feedback and revision requests can be sent to podcast@theblockcrypto.com.
This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Tron, Ledn,
About Tron
Founded in 2013, Huobi Global is one of the largest virtual asset exchanges in the world. Huobi Global serves millions of users across international markets. Since its establishment, Huobi Global has committed to providing first class virtual asset investment services. Huobi Global's robust infrastructure, product innovation and capital strength provides a truly customer-centric and secure trading environment to help our international users to achieve their investment objectives. Please refer to Huobi's official website for more information: huobi.com.
About Ledn
Ledn was founded on the unshakeable conviction that digital assets have the power to democratize access to the global economy. We help you to experience the real life benefits of your Bitcoin without having to sell it. Start a savings account, take out a loan, or double your Bitcoin. For more information visit Ledn.io