Today, OKCoin is proud to present the inaugural episode of the OK Let’s Chat podcast! We intend to use this space to showcase unique voices in cryptocurrency, discuss fascinating projects, and speculate on where blockchain technologies will take us. As crypto tech continues to undergo rapid development, there will be no shortage of riveting topics to address!
For our first episode, we met Lindsey Maule, the CEO and founding partner behind Luna Capital. In a discussion led by OKCoin’s Alex Feinberg, we take a closer look at 2019’s market climate, the state of regulations, and what institutions need to start investing in cryptocurrency.
You can listen to our entire conversation above, but here are a few highlights to summarize our meeting:
The 2018 crash isn’t the full story
Many people following crypto news in 2018 could have reasonably asked whether the market was on its last leg. To Lindsey, it’s part of a broader narrative of market rises and falls that will continue beyond 2019.
“People who have been in this space for a long time are pretty familiar with stuff like this,” Lindsey told us. “It’s just on a bigger scale because there are so many people involved in this market, and obviously because regulation became more aggressive last year.”
While 2018 certainly wasn’t ideal for investors, it’s also possible it will herald positive changes for crypto markets. “It’s going to change the way that we do investments, the way we trade, and how markets move and behave throughout time.”
Regulation is a big change that will benefit everyone
Bitcoin was brought to light in the aftermath of the 2008 market crash, during a period of intense distrust for financial institutions and government regulations. It’s no wonder that crypto adopters are reluctant to follow new regulations. To Lindsey, however, regulations might prove to be the more liberating approach.
“I got into trading crypto around 2013, and that time was obviously a lot of fun,” Lindsey explained. “I think people are sad that the time has changed .. but I do think that regulation is going to make [cryptocurrency] more legitimate and allow us to do more things in this space.”
Lindsey pointed to AML KYC processes, which are immensely challenging and time-consuming for developers. But if crypto projects adopt regulations, they can begin innovating with shared resources and best practices. And that’s just one example — regulations have the potential to improve everything from insurance sales to consumer data ownership.
“There’s not really much more creativity happening right now. As regulation comes in, we’re going to be able to break more boundaries because we’re not in a grey area anymore.”
Institutional crypto adoption has already begun
One big question on everyone’s mind is when major financial institutions will start adopting cryptocurrency. Lindsey believes this process has already begun, but it’s going to take time for its potential to be realized. Licensing alone often takes four years.
“You’re going to see a lot more institutions and banks start buying crypto,” Lindsey notes. “I think the catalyst already happened. A lot of people [made noise] about it, and a lot of people got away with things they typically wouldn’t get away with in the traditional market. And that kind of forced the government to get into the space. ”
We’d like to thank Lindsey for taking the time to speak with us! Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
