The Hoover Institution’s Niall Ferguson* is one of the world’s most accomplished historians. He’s the best-selling author of many books, including the seminal work, “The Ascent of Money.” 

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2023, Niall joined Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of money, credit, central banks, and some of the values that guide innovation. Together, they put current developments in the crypto ecosystem into a broader historical context.

👉 [0:42] Influences on Niall’s academic work

👉 [4:07] Competition in currencies

👉 [6:05] The state’s monopoly on money

👉 [8:29] The medieval version of cryptography

👉 [12:40] Great waves of inflation

👉 [13:34] Central banks’ ultimate ambition

👉 [18:05] The physics of money

👉 [20:10] The theory of financial evolution

👉 [26:00]: Tensions over an open Internet

👉 [28:28]: Niall’s nightmare vision

👉 [32:53] The enemies of liberty

👉 [37:35] The power of direct connectivity

👉 [41:02] The importance of educated citizenry

👉 [45:46] Legacy financial systems

If you’re interested in learning more about the evolution of money and the structural tension that often exists between individual liberty and state control in this realm, tune in to this episode of The Money Movement. 

 *Circle compensated Niall Ferguson for his appearance in this podcast. His views are his own honest beliefs and do not necessarily reflect the views of Circle.

👉 YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lUcJFN 

👉 Apple: https://apple.co/3G3CrPZ 

👉 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3lUd6jF 

👉 Email: https://bit.ly/3aXWYY5 

👉 Twitter: @nfergus 

👉 LinkedIn: niall-ferguson

👉 Personal Website: www.niallferguson.com

👉 Website: https://www.hoover.org/

The global economy is experiencing unprecedented challenges and change. Business leaders everywhere are grappling with how to transform their companies to become more digital, resilient, and efficient. As we face this change, a new global movement is building around the promise of digital currencies and blockchains — forming a new architecture for the global economy and creating new opportunities for companies everywhere. The Money Movement explores the issues, ideas, and icons driving this transformation in how we spend, send, save, and store value.

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