Waters Wavelength Podcast Episode 80: All About Digital Currencies (And Some Libor, Politics & Game of Thrones)
There were major moves in the crypto space this week, which James has covered closely. They also discuss Libor's future phase-out, talk politics and analyze Game of Thrones.

This week there were several big announcements surrounding bitcoin and digital currencies. Anthony and James delve into those stories and look at James’ all-encompassing feature—which was published on Thursday—that looks at some of the issues hindering the cryptocurrency space. James next gives a breakdown of the FCA’s announcement that it will phase-out the Libor benchmark and what it will mean for the industry. They then talk about the dramatic scene that played out in the US Senate in the wee hours of Friday morning, and end things by discussing episode two of Game of Thrones.
1:00 First, an amusing story about how James got “scooped” by the SEC.
3:30 A quick tutorial on how digital currencies are traded.
6:00 A look at the biggest challenges facing adoption.
9:30 Circuit breakers and order limits—are those the solutions?
11:00 What does the SEC announcement mean for future bitcoin investment?
14:00 The CFTC approves LedgerX Bitcoin CCP.
16:00 FCA puts Libor on notice for 2021 phase-out.
20:00 What’s the tech component of this announcement?
21:45 POLITICS! (Be forewarned.)
31:30 GAME OF THRONES! (Spoiler alert.)
Contact Info
As is the case with everything we do, we'd love to get some feedback from our listeners. Feel free to reach out to Anthony via Twitter or email.
Anthony: @a_malakian; Anthony.Malakian@incisivemedia.com
James: @JimRundle; James.Rundle@incisivemedia.com
Past 10 episodes:
Episode 70: A Look at Liquidnet's Acquisition of OTAS
Episode 71: Social Data, Analytics and Trading
Episode 72: An Examination of the Muni Bond Market
Episode 73: The UK Election, Brexit & Fintechs; the Bloomberg Point-Port Integration
Episode 74: The RegTech Craze; Clearing Concerns
Episode 75: An Update on the Julia Programming Language; AI & Alternative Data; Digital Currencies
Episode 76: Radziemski Talks Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation & Public Cloud Adoption
Episode 77: A Look at Mifid II Developments & the Use Cases for Behavioral Analytics
Episode 78: JavaScript Challenges & CFTC Revisits Reporting Regs
Episode 79: IBM's Major Moves & FCA Worries about Mifid II Readiness
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Regulation
How to navigate regional nuances that complicate T+1 in Europe
European and UK firms face unique challenges in moving to T+1 settlement, writes Broadridge’s Carl Bennett, and they will need to follow a series of steps to ensure successful adoption by 2027.
Nasdaq leads push to reform options regulatory fee
A proposed rule change would pare costs for traders, raise them for banks, and defund smaller venues.
The CAT declawed as Citadel’s case reaches end game
The SEC reduced the CAT’s capacity to collect information on investors, in a move that will have knock-on effects for its ongoing funding model case with Citadel.
Waters Wavelength Ep. 305: Cato Institute's Jennifer Schulp
Jennifer joins to discuss what regulatory priorities might look under Paul Atkin's SEC.
Examining Cboe’s lawsuit appealing SEC’s OEMS rule rejection
The Chicago-based exchange has sued the regulator in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals after the agency blocked a proposed rule that would change how Silexx is classified.
European exchange data prices surge, new study shows
The report analyzed market data prices and fee structures from 2017 to 2024 and found that fee schedules have increased exponentially. Several exchanges say the findings are misleading.
Regis-TR and the Emir Refit blame game
The reporting overhaul was been marred by problems at repositories, prompting calls to stagger future go-live dates.
FCA: Consolidated tape for UK equities won’t happen until 2028
At an event last week, the FCA proposed a new timeline for the CT, which received pushback from participants, according to sources.