Bitcoin Core v30 and libbitcoinkernel with The Charlatan (bitcoin core dev) | SLP696
In this episode, Stephan Livera discusses the latest developments in Bitcoin Core with The Charlatan, focusing on the significant updates in version 30, including the removal of the legacy wallet, preparations for the Great Consensus Cleanup, and the introduction of the Bitcoin Kernel project. The conversation also covers the implications of alternative implementations, the ongoing data carrier size controversy, evolving fee rate policies, and improvements in initial block download times. Additionally, they touch on the future of the Bitcoin Core GUI and the importance of competition in the Bitcoin ecosystem.Takeaways:🔸Bitcoin Core version 30 introduces significant updates, including a new mining IPC interface.🔸The legacy wallet is being removed to reduce technical debt and improve code maintenance.🔸Preparations for the Great Consensus Cleanup are underway to address long-standing bugs.🔸The Bitcoin Kernel project aims to separate consensus code for better modularity.🔸Alternative implementations of Bitcoin are encouraged to foster competition and innovation.🔸The data carrier size controversy highlights the balance between spam prevention and network performance.🔸Fee rate policies are evolving in response to market dynamics and miner behavior.🔸Improvements in initial block download times are ongoing, enhancing user experience.🔸Address indexing features are being considered to improve wallet usability.🔸The Bitcoin Core GUI is undergoing updates to better serve user needs.Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro(01:30) - Major updates in Bitcoin Core version 30.0(04:58) - Why is the legacy wallet being removed? (09:07) - The preparation for the Great Consensus Cleanup(13:25) - What is the libbitcoinkernel project? (17:36) - Alternate Bitcoin node implementations(23:46) - Sponsors(25:09) - What is the future of competing Bitcoin clients?(31:56) - Charlatan’s views on controversies surrounding Data carrier size(37:50) - Is Bitcoin Core serving the interests of few? (45:45) - What is the impact of Fee Rate Policies?(53:00) - Dust limits & DOS concerns (54:45) - What are the enhancements for Lightning Network transactions? (57:16) - How bad could mining centralization get if left unchecked?; Libre relay and Transaction filtering(1:03:00) - What are the concerns of illegal content in Bitcoin?(1:05:45) - What is the most underappreciated aspect of Bitcoin development? (1:11:10) - Reducing dependencies in Bitcoin Core(1:14:00) - What are the possible future developments in Bitcoin Core?(1:22:42) - What will be the role of competition in Bitcoin implementations?(1:26:00) - Address indexing & Wallet improvements (1:30:08) - Closing thoughtsLinks: https://x.com/the_charlatan_ Sponsor:CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)Stephan Livera links:Follow me on X: @stephanliveraSubscribe to the podcastSubscribe to Substack
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1:30:26
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1:30:26
Sovereign Individuals Spend & Replace Bitcoin with André Loja | SLP695
In this conversation, André Loja discusses the Free Madeira project, which aims to promote Bitcoin adoption through education and community engagement. He highlights the success of merchant adoption on the island, the impact of Bitcoin conferences, and the development of the Basalto Fund, which allows investors to gain residency in Portugal while investing in Bitcoin.The conversation also touches on the future of Madeira as a hub for Bitcoin and related technologies, emphasizing the importance of community and collaboration.Takeaways:🔸Free Madeira is focused on Bitcoin education and adoption.🔸The project has successfully onboarded numerous merchants accepting Bitcoin.🔸Community engagement is key to sustaining Bitcoin adoption.🔸Conferences have significantly raised awareness and interest in Madeira.🔸Sovereign Engineering aims to foster open-source freedom tech projects.🔸The Baselto Fund allows investment in Bitcoin while gaining residency in Portugal.🔸Madeira offers a unique blend of autonomy and EU regulations.🔸Quality of life in Madeira is high, attracting Bitcoiners and expats.🔸The island's infrastructure supports a growing Bitcoin community.🔸Future plans include establishing a physical hub for Bitcoin projects. Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro(01:54) - What is Free Madeira? (08:11) - Has Bitcoin adoption attracted people to visit Madeira? (15:07) - The experience of earning & spending Bitcoin on the island (17:43) - What is Sovereign Engineering?(24:08) - André’s business ventures in Madeira(27:34) - Sponsors(28:36) - HODL only or Spend & Replace Bitcoin?(35:32) - What is the Basalto Fund?(41:07) - Understanding Portugal’s Golden visa process(46:14) - Basalto Fund - Fees and Performance (51:03) - How autonomous is Madeira?; Services and opportunities(56:58) - Future plans and Community development(1:00:37) - Closing thoughts Links: https://x.com/andreloja https://x.com/andreloja/status/1935061124719706410 https://x.com/FREEMadeiraOrg https://sovereignengineering.io/ https://x.com/BitcoinAtlantis https://x.com/BasaltoFund Sponsor:CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)Stephan Livera links:Follow me on X: @stephanliveraSubscribe to the podcastSubscribe to Substack
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1:01:31
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1:01:31
Why aren't people doing self custody? with NVK | SLP694
In this episode, NVK, CEO of CoinKite, discusses the advancements in Bitcoin self-custody solutions, particularly focusing on the Coldcard wallet and its new spending policies. The conversation explores the challenges businesses face in self-custody, the complexities of accounting for Bitcoin transactions, and the growing trend of Bitcoin treasuries among corporations. NVK emphasizes the importance of self-custody, the future of Bitcoin custody solutions, and the evolving landscape of Bitcoin adoption in the financial markets. The discussion also touches on the ongoing debates within the Bitcoin community regarding the Bitcoin Core development and the implications of debt in treasury companies.Takeaways:🔸Spending policies enhance operational security for Bitcoin transactions.🔸Self-custody is crucial for businesses to manage Bitcoin effectively.🔸Accounting complexities hinder Bitcoin adoption for companies.🔸Bitcoin treasuries are becoming a popular choice for corporate investments.🔸The market for Bitcoin collateralized loans is expected to grow.🔸There is a need for more diverse Bitcoin custody solutions.🔸The Bitcoin community is divided on the future of Bitcoin Core.🔸Debt can be a useful tool for Bitcoin treasury companies.🔸The demand for Bitcoin will continue to drive its value up.🔸The evolution of Bitcoin will impact societal structures and power dynamics.Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro(00:41) - What are Coldcard spending policies? How is it useful?(05:19) - Why do companies not prefer self-custody?(07:58) - Operational difficulties in accounting & taxation of Bitcoin(10:29) - Why do BTCTCs not prefer self-custody?; Role of custodians in Bitcoin treasury management(15:51) - How many BTCTCs will we have by EOY?(17:11) - The Bitcoin Leaderboard ft. @BTCtreasuries(20:46) - ‘Winner takes all’ scenarios for BTCTCs?(22:55) - Sponsors(24:39) - The future of financial engineering in Bitcoin(28:11) - Any demand is good for Bitcoin(29:56) - Is Bitcoin being co-opted?; Bitcoin’s power-shift - Economic & Political influence(35:40) - BTCTCs using ‘cheap fiat’ to stack Bitcoin(39:50) - Mindset shifts among Bitcoin OGs; Does everybody care about Bitcoin price?(44:33) - NVK’s thoughts on Core(46:48) - NVK’s thoughts on Knots(51:09) - Should there be multiple Bitcoin implementations?(54:50) - Closing thoughtsLinks: https://x.com/nvk Sponsor:CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)Stephan Livera links:Follow me on X: @stephanliveraSubscribe to the podcastSubscribe to Substack
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56:38
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56:38
Bringin: Europe’s New Bitcoin Gateway with Prashanth Chandrasekar | SLP693
Stephan Livera interviews Prashanth, the CEO and founder of Bringin, a startup focused on providing seamless Bitcoin solutions for users in the Eurozone. Prashanth shares his journey into the Bitcoin space, the pain points he identified regarding Bitcoin liquidity, and how Bringin addresses these challenges through innovative products like virtual IBAN accounts and debit cards. The conversation also touches on user feedback, regulatory impacts, and future developments for Bringin.Takeaways:🔸Prashanth's introduction to Bitcoin began in 2017.🔸The main pain point was the inability to liquidate Bitcoin easily.🔸Bringin offers a virtual IBAN account for seamless transactions.🔸The platform aims to provide a reliable off-ramping solution for Bitcoiners.🔸User experience is optimized for both small and large transactions.🔸The debit card allows users to spend Bitcoin easily.🔸Feedback from users highlights the speed and reliability of the service.🔸Bringin charges a flat fee of 1% for transactions.🔸EU regulations are tightening, impacting compliance for crypto businesses.🔸The Bringin wallet integrates self-custody with easy off-ramping capabilities.Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro(00:52) - When did Prashanth discover Bitcoin?(02:21) - What is Bringin trying to solve?(06:47) - What does Bringin offer and who does it cater to? (10:03) - Building the bridge between self-custody Bitcoin and TradFi Banks; Virtual IBANs (13:26) - How does the Bringin Debit card work?(15:37) - What has been the user feedback?; Fees & Costs for off ramps(18:25) - How are EU regulations impacting Bringin?(20:13) - Sponsors(24:10) - Bringin’s self-custodial Bitcoin wallet(30:18) - Future plans for Bringin (32:39) - Closing thoughtsLinks: https://x.com/prashanthc123 https://x.com/bringinxyzhttps://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/europeans-can-now-live-on-the-bitcoin-standard-with-bringin Sponsor:CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)Stephan Livera links:Follow me on X: @stephanliveraSubscribe to the podcastSubscribe to Substack
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33:19
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33:19
RGB goes live on Bitcoin: Stablecoins and RWA with Anant Tapadia & Federico Tenga | SLP692
In this conversation, Stephan Livera discusses the RGB protocol with Anant and Federico, exploring its significance in the Bitcoin ecosystem. They explore how RGB enables smart contracts on Bitcoin, the role of stablecoins, user experience, and the efficiency of transactions. The discussion also covers the process of creating and managing assets on RGB, comparisons with other Bitcoin protocols, and the future of the RGB ecosystem. The importance of user adoption and the potential for real-world asset integration, while addressing risks associated with asset issuers is also discussed. Takeaways:🔸RGB allows for smart contracts on Bitcoin without side chains.🔸Stablecoins like USDT are crucial for Bitcoin's ecosystem.🔸User experience is key for adoption of RGB assets.🔸RGB transactions are efficient and scalable compared to other protocols.🔸Creating assets on RGB is a straightforward process.🔸RGB offers a peer-to-peer solution without trust trade-offs.🔸The RGB ecosystem includes various wallets and applications.🔸RGB is more efficient than Liquid and Taproot assets.🔸User adoption will depend on the value provided by RGB solutions.🔸The future of RGB looks promising with potential for real-world asset integration.Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro(00:55) - What is RGB?; RGB's functionality and updates(04:25) - Why do we need non-bitcoin assets?(07:45) - What does RGB look like for the end user?; UX of using RGB Tether (09:50) - RGB Lightning(12:09) - What is it like building an RGB wallet?(16:54) - How does one create and transfer an RGB asset?(19:36) - Efficiency of RGB compared to other protocols(23:04) - Is RGB only for stablecoins?; Scope of having Real World Assets on RGB(27:39) - Overview of the RGB ecosystem (29:48) - RGB vs. other Bitcoin solutions (Taproot assets, Liquid, Spark etc.)(34:25) - Sponsors(35:23) - Will there be RGB payment processors in the future?(41:15) - How does RGB compare with altcoins (other Layer 1s)?(43:06) - Risks and Trust in asset issuance(48:24) - Why should users care?; Market fit and adoption(52:40) - Closing thoughts Links: https://x.com/anant_tap https://x.com/FedericoTenga https://rgb.info/ https://x.com/RGB_Hub https://x.com/bitcointribe_ https://x.com/BitcoinTribe_/status/1975061808584302987 Sponsor:CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)Stephan Livera links:Follow me on X: @stephanliveraSubscribe to the podcastSubscribe to Substack
Join Stephan as he interviews the sharpest economic and technical minds in Bitcoin & Austrian Economics to help you understand how money is changing and evolving. Leading names in the world of Bitcoin join the show to share their insights, whether they are developers, CEOs, economists, authors, analysts and more.
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