Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock`n`roll

The finance podcast between the traditional and the future financial system built on blockchain

Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock´n´RollThe finance podcast between the traditional and the future financial system built on blockchain

Latest 

Episode

21X Journey: Transforming Capital Markets with Blockchain

21X Journey: Transforming Capital Markets with Blockchain

  The idea of 21x sounds deceptively simple: turn days of market settlement into seconds of code. In a recent episode of the BFRR podcast, hosts Stefan Grasmann and Manuel Klein sat down with Max Heinzle, founder and CEO of 21X, to explore whether that vision can survive both regulatory scrutiny and the stubborn realities of liquidity. A veteran of structured products and corporate...

Latest 

Episode

National digital currencies in practice

National digital currencies in practice

Explore how national digital currencies are reshaping global finance through real-world examples from El Salvador and Bolivia, as expert Tristan Thoma shares insights on financial inclusion, sovereignty, and the future of money in this episode of Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock’n’Roll.

Bullish sentiment: Yet another stablecoin? | News

Bullish sentiment: Yet another stablecoin? | News

August closed with a paradox: roaring numbers and a muted mood. Global crypto capitalization hovered near $4 trillion and briefly touched a record $4.2 trillion, yet the fanfare was subdued. Bitcoin set a mid-month high around 124,000 before ending lower; Ether climbed roughly 20 percent to about $4,500 and posted its own record. The indifference to fresh highs was telling. Crypto’s spectacle is giving way to something sturdier—and more consequential: the slow consolidation of power in pipes, rules, and rails. Stablecoins also play an increasing role.

Fighting Bitcoin Fraud: Insights from 21bitcoin’s CEO

Fighting Bitcoin Fraud: Insights from 21bitcoin’s CEO

On a summer evening at the Electric Love Festival in Salzburg, amid pounding basslines and light shows, the conversation turned to one of the quieter but more urgent issues in modern finance: the persistence of crypto fraud. The setting might have been unconventional, but for Daniel Winkelhammer, founder of 21bitcoin, it was fitting.

The Evolution of Digital Currencies

The Evolution of Digital Currencies

In a landmark 350th episode of the Bitcoin Fiat & Rock’n’Roll (BFRR) podcast, a panel of leading voices in institutional finance gathered at the London Blockchain Finance Summit to discuss one of the most pressing questions in global finance today: how digital currencies, assets, and decentralized technologies are reshaping the financial system.

CBDCs at the Crossroads with John Kiff

CBDCs at the Crossroads with John Kiff

At the heart of this transformation are central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), which are now being piloted, reconsidered, or quietly shelved by central banks around the world. One of the field’s foremost experts, John Kiff, formerly of the Bank of Canada and the International Monetary Fund, has been at the forefront of these developments.

US vs EU: The Stablecoin Policy Divide

US vs EU: The Stablecoin Policy Divide

    Stablecoin Policy in the U.S. and the EU are carving different paths in regulating cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and blockchain infrastructure—an ideological and practical split with global consequences. Joining us is Jón Helgi Egilsson, Executive Director and co-founder of Monerium, whose unique vantage point spans central banking, fintech entrepreneurship, and both sides of the Atlantic. With a PhD in economics, leadership roles in central banking, and nearly a decade running a European blockchain finance company, Jón breaks down the core philosophical and strategic differences between...

Permissionless blockchains for financial services

Permissionless blockchains for financial services

  Can permissionless blockchains provide the base layer for the next generation of financial services? In a digital era marked by growing distrust in centralized authorities and increasing complexity in global finance, a debate over the foundational infrastructure of tomorrow’s financial markets is gaining new momentum. At the center of this conversation is a question once relegated to blockchain enthusiasts and DeFi pioneers: Can permissionless blockchains provide the base layer for the next generation of financial services? A recent podcast episode of Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock’n’Roll...

DeFi and DAO Research with Dan Liebau

DeFi and DAO Research with Dan Liebau

In a time of tectonic shifts within global finance, few concepts embody both the promise and peril of innovation as thoroughly as decentralized finance (DeFi) and its organizational counterpart, the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). At the intersection of digital assets and traditional banking, Dan Liebau—founder of Lightbulb Capital and affiliate faculty member at Singapore Management University—is one of the field’s most pragmatic yet forward-thinking voices in the DeFi and DAO research space.

Trends in Digital Asset Infrastructure | News

Trends in Digital Asset Infrastructure | News

  In this month's news episode, we focus on digital asset infrastructure. The financial world may be on the brink of one of its most transformative shifts since the dawn of electronic trading. If the latest industry developments are any indication, the once disparate universes of traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) are no longer headed for collision—but convergence. From Wall Street titans exploring public blockchains to crypto natives adapting to regulatory demands, March has been a month of remarkable alignment. Central to the momentum is a rising focus on...

Dollar Dominance Through Stablecoins

Dollar Dominance Through Stablecoins

  Dollar Dominance Through Stablecoins – In the high-stakes world of digital finance, regulation has become a geopolitical weapon. As the United States charges ahead with a pro-stablecoin agenda under the new administration, Europe finds itself navigating increasingly turbulent waters—caught between safeguarding investor protection and maintaining global competitiveness. Few understand the implications of this shift better than Dr. Hagen Weiß, head of corporate blockchain at Dentons Germany. A former BaFin official and contributor to Germany’s first Electronic Securities Act, Weiß has sat at the...

Scaling B2B Stablecoin Payments: SAP’s Digital Currency Hub

Scaling B2B Stablecoin Payments: SAP’s Digital Currency Hub

  In a shift that could redefine corporate finance, global enterprises are beginning to integrate B2B Stablecoin Payments into their traditional financial systems. The move, driven by increasing frustration over slow and expensive cross-border transactions, is being enabled by enterprise software giant SAP through its Digital Currency Hub. Companies like EY and PayPal are among the early adopters, signaling a major shift in the way businesses handle digital payments. Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Finance and Blockchain For years, one of the biggest challenges in...

Crypto and Digital Assets Business Opportunities in 2025

Crypto and Digital Assets Business Opportunities in 2025

At last week’s Frankfurt Digital Finance 2025 conference, leading figures from Europe’s crypto industry converged for a spirited panel discussion on the burgeoning Crypto and Digital Assets Business Opportunities within digital assets. Moderated by Stefan Grasmann, the session revealed a dynamic picture of an industry poised for rapid innovation and broader institutional acceptance.

Bitcoin’s Quantum Vulnerability

Bitcoin’s Quantum Vulnerability

The financial world and Bitcoin as part of it is on the verge of a technological upheaval that could redefine security, asset management, and economic forecasting. The catalyst? Quantum computing. So let’s take a deep dive into Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerability.

Why the FDP demands a Bitcoin Reserve | German

Why the FDP demands a Bitcoin Reserve | German

We explore why the FDP has included the Bitcoin reserve initiative in their election program

The concept of a „strategic Bitcoin reserve“ is gaining increasing international significance. What Donald Trump brought up in the US election campaign is now being seriously considered by a growing number of nations – including Brazil, Japan, Russia, and China alongside the US.

Smart Contracts in Action: Siemens’ Blockchain Journey

Smart Contracts in Action: Siemens’ Blockchain Journey

  How does Siemens use blockchain technology in cash management and payments In this episode of 'Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock’n’Roll' (BFRR), Co-Host Manuel interviews Heiko Nix, global head of cash management and payments at Siemens Treasury. After a short presentation of his Career at Siemens and how Siemens treasury operates, Heiko explains what cash management at a multinational corporation like Siemens looks like and which challenges such a large corporate brings for payments and cash management. Heiko then explains which blockchain technology Heiko uses and explains the use cases of Blockchain...

Zero-knowledge proofs: The future of privacy?

Zero-knowledge proofs: The future of privacy?

  An Introduction to zero-knowledge proofs: their potential, applications, and challenges In this episode of 'Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock'n'Roll' (BFRR), we explore zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), a technological innovation helping to protect privacy in our increasingly digital world. Co-host Jonas Gross discusses with Johannes Sedlmeir, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, how ZKPs work, their relevance, applications, and potential. They address key terminology and clarify common misconceptions. Johannes illustrates ZKPs through a simple cave analogy: Imagine being trapped in...

Our Predictions for Digital Assets in 2025

Our Predictions for Digital Assets in 2025

  What will the co-hosts focus on in 2025 and what are their predictions for market events and the bitcoin price? In this first episode of the Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock'n'Roll (BFRR) podcast of 2025 and the debut episode of switching the podcast to English you will hear again short intros into the (professional) life of the co-hosts, about their interests and their main focus points for the podcast throughout 2025. We continue with predictions about key events of 2025 in the intersection of Crypto, Blockchain politics and the financial sector where each co-host presents 2 predictions which are...

Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock´N´Roll

The co hosts of the podcast

Dr. Alexander Bechtel

Dr. Alexander Bechtel

Co-Host

Dr. Michael Blaschke

Dr. Michael Blaschke

Co-host

Dr. Jonas Groß

Dr. Jonas Groß

Co-host

Manuel Klein

Manuel Klein

Co-host

Stefan Grasmann

Stefan Grasmann

Co-host

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