The Regulatory Landscape of Crypto Hedge Funds

Has Dubai’s crypto regulatory licensing process become the most stringent in the world?

In this episode,  Ian Andrews (CMO, Chainalysis) gets the answer from crypto media personality and thought leader, Henri Arslanian (Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Nine Blocks Capital Management)

Henri discusses the recent news of Nine Blocks Capital becoming the first licensed crypto hedge fund in Dubai and stresses the stringent regulatory framework put in place by the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA). 

He also shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities faced by crypto asset managers during market downturns and the growing role of stablecoins and DeFi in the industry.

Ian concludes the conversation with grading Henri’s Top 10 crypto predictions for 2023 and his thoughts on the metaverse, crypto gaming and the need to utilize some of TradFi’s best practices.

Minute-by-minute episode breakdown

• (2:10) - Discussion of NineBlocks Capital's licensing by VARA (Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority) in Dubai 
• (3:58) - Dubai's transformation into a crypto hub and the strict regulatory oversight
• (8:40) - NineBlocks' success in attracting investments and achieving growth in crypto industry during a downturn in the market
• (14:25) - Managing risk and counterparty exposure in trading strategy and broader crypto ecosystem
• (21:27) - Future debate on privacy and transparency in crypto transactions
• (25:50) - Concentration and counterparty risk in the crypto ecosystem
• (29:45) - Hong Kong's resurgence and its position in Asia's crypto scene
• (32:02) - Recap of Henri’s 2023 top 10 crypto predictions 
• (33:35) - Predictions on TradFi best practices, CBDCs and stablecoins as safe haven
• (35:44) - Predictions on Ethereum domination, regulatory tsunami and growth of DeFi
• (39:29) - Prediction on lack of crypto gaming surge, global metaverse strategies and self custody make a comeback and NFTs become more mainstream

Related resources

Check out more resources provided by Chainalysis that perfectly complement this episode of the Public Key.

• Website (Henri - Personal):  Learn about Bitcoin, NFTs, DeFi & the Future of Money
• Website (Nine Blocks Capital): The leading institutional grade crypto asset management firm
• Podcast:  The Future of Money Podcast (with Henri Arslanian)
• Article: Special Issue: My Top 10 Crypto Predictions for 2023
• Newsletter: The Chainalysis 2023 Crypto Crime Report (Available Now)
• Book: The Book of Crypto: The Complete Guide to Understanding Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets (Available Now)
• Event: Chainalysis Links Conference NYC 2024 (Apr. 9-10, 2024) - Early Bird Pricing On Now!
• LinkedIn Post: Compromise of the SEC's official X/Twitter account
• Blog: Executive Corner: Welcoming Omesh Agam as CISO
• YouTube: Chainalysis YouTube page 
• Twitter: Chainalysis Twitter: Building trust in blockchain
• Tik Tok: Building trust in #blockchains among people, businesses, and governments.
• Telegram: Chainalysis on Telegram    

Speakers on today’s episode

• Ian Andrews * Host * (Chief Marketing Officer, Chainalysis) 
• Henri Arslanian (Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Nine Blocks Capital Management)

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