Caitlin Long on Coronavirus, Crypto Custody and Building a Bank

A new crypto bank tries to address some of the most fundamental issues for institutions who want to get into the space.

AccessTimeIconFeb 24, 2020 at 8:10 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 13, 2021 at 12:20 p.m. UTC
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A new crypto bank tries to address some of the most fundamental issues for institutions that want to get into the space. 

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An incredible amount of work has gone into convincing institutional investors that bitcoin (BTC) and other crypto should be on their radar. Now that many are convinced, however, they face some significant limitations in the infrastructure. 

A new crypto bank out of Wyoming is designed to address those problems. Founded by Caitlin Long, Avanti is apply for a special purpose depository institution (SPDI) charter and already has eight products in its pipeline not currently available to U.S. investors. 

In this interview, Caitlin and @nlw discuss:

  • Why Avanti is needed
  • Why Avanti will have 100 percent of assets in reserve at all times
  • Why the right model for crypto custody is more akin to valeting a car than current financial market models
  • Why building a crypto bank is important in the context of macro market turmoil
  • How coronavirus is exposing pre-existing problems in the global economy

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