Understanding the complexity surrounding cryptocurrencies is essential in making the correct decisions regarding investing in DeFi technology. To help us understand the basics, we talked to Dr. Igor Makarov who is an expert on cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, particularly Bitcoin and the associated mining processes. He is based at the London School of Economics, where he serves as an Associate Professor of Finance. Dr. Makarov is also the author of several papers focusing on DeFi and crypto markets in general and has provided new insights surrounding governance and mining processes. In today’s show, we learn about the basics of cryptocurrencies, mining and the future of DeFi. In particular, we talk about the role of intermediaries, what drives the prices of Bitcoin, how concentrated mining processes are, the role DeFi in increasing governance, the upsides and downsides of cryptocurrencies, and much more. Tune in to make sure you don’t miss out on advice from a respected figure in the industry, Dr. Igor Makarov! Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:01 Traditional Financial Systems 17:50 Overseeing Blockchain 32:00 Blockchain Ecosystem 46:55 Bitcoin Transactions 1:14:45 Bitcoin Mining 1:40:30 Bitcoin for the People? Participate in our Community Discussion about this Episode: https://community.rationalreminder.ca/t/understanding-crypto-2-discussion-thread/17381 Links From Today’s Episode: Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582. Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/ Shop Merch — https://shop.rationalreminder.ca/ Join the Community — https://community.rationalreminder.ca/ Follow us on Twitter — https://twitter.com/RationalRemind Follow us on Instagram — @rationalreminder Benjamin on Twitter — https://twitter.com/benjaminwfelix Cameron on Twitter — https://twitter.com/CameronPassmore Dr. Igor Makarov — http://personal.lse.ac.uk/makarov1/research.html 'Blockchain Analysis of the Bitcoin Market' — https://www.nber.org/papers/w29396 22 in 22 Reading Challenge — Join the Rational Reminder’s 22 in 22 reading challenge! Ben’s Reading Code (22 in 22 Challenge): 7XWESMK Cameron’s Reading Code (22 in 22 Challenge): N62IPTX