Stephan Livera Podcast

Hosted by Stephan Livera

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Episodes

764

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

Join Stephan as he interviews the sharpest economic and technical minds in Bitcoin & Austrian Economics to help you understand how money is changing and evolving. Leading names in the world of Bitcoin join the show to share their insights, whether they are developers, CEOs, economists, authors, analysts and more.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 25, 2026Episode 76729 min

Wallet Playground for learning Bitcoin self custody with Piers Macrae | SLP767

In this episode, Piers Macrae demonstrates Wallet Playground and explains why hardware wallets are signing devices, not wallets. Timestamps: 01:10 — Teach Me vs Do It For Me 03:23 — Test Any Wallet Free in Browser 09:09 — Coldcard Drama Forced Early Release 14:03 — Generate Seeds Using Your Webcam 17:52 — Hardware Wallets Aren't Real Wallets 21:52 — Only 1% Use Multisig for Life Savings 25:33 — Self-Custody Like Firearms Drilling? 27:30 — Only Tiny Percentage Will Self-Custody Links: X: @mineracks — https://x.com/mineracks Wallet Playground: https://walletplayground.com/ mineracks: https://www.mineracks.com/ Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

August 22, 2026Episode 76652 min

Dice Rolls, Entropy, and SeedSigner | Keith Mukai SLP766

In this episode, Keith Mukai of SeedSigner joins to explain why 1.4 percent variance in cheap dice still delivers full 128-bit entropy and how to verify rolls across devices. Timestamps: 03:10 — Cheap Dice Only 1.4% Unfair? 06:29 — Shake Multiple Dice in a Box 08:26 — Verify Dice Rolls Across Devices 11:02 — Verify Dice Seeds With Fake Rolls 13:50 — Multiple Test Rounds Foil Attackers 16:36 — 90% Users Choose Easy RNG Mode 19:08 — Jade's D&D Dice Method? 21:53 — Build Your Own: Avoid Mailing List Leak 24:48 — Stateless Device: Evil Maid Gets Nothing 26:45 — Hand-Drawn SeedQR: Skip Typing 24 Words 29:02 — SeedSigner: Built for Long-Term Cold Storage 31:30 — Evil Maid SD Card Swap Destroys Security 35:27 — Why Multisig Beats Single-Sig + Passphrase 37:14 — Scan Sparrow PDF QR to Load Multisig 42:16 — No One-Size-Fits-All Security 46:41 — Understand Dice Rolls Yourself 49:13 — Take Baby Steps to Multisig Links: https://seedsigner.com/ https://x.com/keithmukai https://x.com/SeedSigner Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

August 19, 2026Episode 76527 min

Jade for Single-Sig or Multisig | Rich SLP765

In this episode, Rich from the team at Blockstream explains Jade, offline dice entropy, blind oracle protection, multisig descriptor recovery and the new Blockstream Swaps beta. Timestamps: 00:45 — AI Scans & Audits Secure Jade 03:21 — Jade Core $99, Plus Up to $169 05:51 — Roll Dice for Offline Seed Entropy 08:23 — Blind Oracle: Remote Secure Element Explained 11:15 — Seed QR: Hand-Draw Your Recovery Phrase 15:24 — Jade Sends Back Lost Multisig Descriptor 19:40 — People Choosing Multisig Over ETFs 25:03 — Blockstream Swaps Beta: Lightning to Liquid Links: blockstream.com/jade https://x.com/blockstream https://x.com/blockstreamjade Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

August 14, 2026Episode 76450 min

Wavelength Delivers Ark-Based Lightning Without Node Overhead | Roasbeef & Michael Levin SLP764

Lightning Labs built Wavelength to deliver self-custodial Lightning payments without forcing users to run nodes, manage channels, or handle liquidity. Olaoluwa Osuntokun, CTO and co-founder of Lightning Labs, and Michael Levin, VP of Product, join me to detail the design choices behind their Ark implementation. They explain why Ark was selected, how hop hints let every payment use ordinary Lightning invoices, and why the four-endpoint SDK targets AI agents and vibe coders. The conversation covers sub-dust vouchers, unilateral exits, offline payment delivery, and one-basis-point alpha pricing. Wavelength shows that self-custodial Lightning can match the integration ease of custodial services while preserving Bitcoin sovereignty. Timestamps 01:28 — Why Wavelength: Lightning Without Node Pain 03:00 — Why Ark? 05:28 — No New Addresses: Just Lightning Invoices 08:40 — Targeting Vibe Coders & AI Agents 13:06 — Lightning Beats Credit for LLM APIs 17:51 — Receive Sub-1k Sat Vouchers Seamlessly 19:32 — Normal User Spins Up Ark Wallet Fast 23:02 — Build Wallets with Just 4 Endpoints 24:46 — Telegram Self-Custodial Wallets Already Live 26:21 — Offline Payments Still Arrive Automatically 29:17 — Drop-In SDK for iOS and Android 31:26 — Can Servers Steal Your Funds? 33:36 — Wavelength Alpha: Just 1 Bip Fees 37:57 — AI Attacks Targeting Bitcoin Services? 44:05 — Bug Bounties Shift to Token Spending 48:36 — Self-Custody as Easy as Custodial Links: https://x.com/roasbee https://x.com/MichaelLevin Wavelength Announcement: https://x.com/lightning/status/2079620936567779707 Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

August 13, 2026Episode 76344 min

Bitcoin Custody Rules Have Changed | Michael Tanguma SLP763

Old self-custody approaches collapse once Bitcoin reaches six figures, physical threats rise, and AI tools proliferate. Single hardware wallets and mattress myths no longer match the scale or risks that large holders now face. Michael Tanguma, CEO and co-founder of Onramp, returns to examine how custody must adapt to family obligations, mortality, and market structure that turns concentrated holdings into targets. The discussion covers why repeated exchange failures keep Bitcoin looking speculative to outsiders, how multi-institution setups reduce scam ROI, and the limits of adding more dice or vendors in an AI era. It also addresses custody pricing models and the practical question of whether any current setup survives a tenfold price increase. Game theory now requires diversified institutional layers rather than pure self-reliance for serious stacks. Timestamp: 03:43 — Bitcoin Custody Won't Work Like 2012 05:49 — Self-Custody Rules Changed With Your Life 07:19 — Why Bitcoiners Must Stop the Mattress Myth 09:01 — Bitcoin's Asset Layer Makes It Unstoppable 11:22 — Private Keys Are Like Firearms 15:40 — Custody Losses Keep Bitcoin Speculative 18:56 — AI Just Changed Self-Custody Forever 21:41 — Why Bitcoin Robberies Are Skyrocketing 25:41 — Multi-Institution Custody Kills Pig Butchering 27:57 — Bitcoin at $650K: Security Nightmare? 29:30 — Game Theory Demands Multi-Custody Bitcoin 32:03 — Centralized Custody: The Honeypot Risk 37:56 — Why Custody Fees Should Be Zero 39:51 — Full Bitcoin Custody for $100/Month 42:51 — Would Your Setup Survive 10x Bitcoin? Links: https://x.com/mtanguma https://x.com/OnrampBitcoin Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack #Bitcoin #SelfCustody #Custody #OnrampBitcoin #StephanLivera #StephanLiveraPodcast #BitcoinSecurity #MultiSig

August 12, 2026Episode 76234 min

Breez Ships Glow — A Super Simple Bitcoin Wallet | Roy Sheinfeld SLP762

Roy Sheinfeld of Breez returns to walk through Glow, the team's new reference wallet built using Spark. It’s designed so non-custodial Bitcoin feels simple: send, receive, and go. Glow uses passkey onboarding (no seed phrase to write down), automatic backup via the passkey provider, and a single-balance UX so users can pay Lightning, on-chain, and stablecoin destinations without wrestling settings. They also cover client-side swaps (Flashnet, multi-vendor architecture after Boltz), AI-driven attacks on swap providers, where Lightning volume actually comes from, Spark unilateral exits, and how AI plus the Breez SDK lets non-developers ship Bitcoin apps from a prompt. Timestamps 04:21 — Bitcoin Wallet Onboard with One Passkey 08:05 — Stables on Lightning: Overhyped? 09:59 — Swaps Needed Even With Lightning Stables 11:48 — AI Attacks: Cheaper to Attack Than Defend 15:07 — Why Small Teams Get Hacked First 17:15 — Swaps Going Private to Survive? 19:17 — Backends Drive Most Lightning Volume 21:32 — 80/20 Rule: B2B Drives Lightning Volume 25:13 — Making Unilateral Exit Economically Viable 29:48 — Spark Public Mode 31:38 — One Prompt Builds a Bitcoin App 33:13 — Non-Technical Users Now Ship Bitcoin Apps Links: https://x.com/roy_breez https://x.com/breez_tech https://breez.technology/glow/ Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

August 7, 2026Episode 76136 min

Bitcoin Multi Sig vs Secure Single Sig with Nick Neuman | SLP761

In this episode, Nick Neuman of Casa argues that it’s not the end of self-custody. Instead, it highlights why multisig with multiple vendors provides stronger protection without the hidden complexity of passphrases or dice rolling for single sig setups. Timestamps: 03:12 — Not the End of Self-Custody 06:14 — Single Sig Is Actually More Complex 08:45 — Multisig Simpler Than Secure Single Sig 15:37 — $1K Single Sig, $10K Multisig? 17:32 — Casa's $250 2-of-3 Multisig Plan 20:01 — Private Clients Get Dedicated Advisors 22:21 — Bitkey vs Casa 27:36 — Going Closed Source Versus AI Attacks 30:23 — AI Code Audits Now Cost $1K 33:04 — Auto-Rejecting Unknown Callers Saves You 34:35 — Guardian Mode Requires Video Verification Links: https://x.com/Nneuman https://x.com/CasaHODL https://casa.io/ Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

August 6, 2026Episode 76028 min

Kruw on Wasabi 2.8 and Upcoming Forks | SLP760

Kruw (@kruwed) runs one of the highest-volume WabiSabi coordinators, giving him direct insight into how the protocol handles liquidity, Sybil resistance, and real-world usage. Timestamps: 00:42 — Wasabi 2.8 Privacy Features 02:45 — Taproot As Wasabi's Default Address 07:25 — Pay Inside CoinJoin Saves 40 Minutes 10:26 — Auto CoinJoin 12:21 — WabiSabi Blocks Whale Sybil Attacks 14:31 — Payjoins 16:37 — ClusterMempool Wins for CoinJoins 20:00 — Upcoming forks 21:14 — CoinJoin: Free Replay Protection Hack 22:53 — CoinJoin Ban Myth Debunked 25:41 — Black Hole: Earn While Mixing Links: https://x.com/wasabiwallet https://x.com/Kruwed https://wasabiwallet.io/ Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

July 28, 2026Episode 75945 min

Bitcoin Security Consortium with Mike Schmidt | SLP759

In this episode, Mike Schmidt executive director of Brink, and volunteer coordinator for the consortium, explains how the group formed, autonomy over funding, and how it plans to avoid repeating earlier centralized roadmap fights. Timestamps: 00:55 — Quantum Risk and the Consortium Pledge 03:10 — The Nine Consortium Members 11:40 — Publishing Quantum Research Publicly 13:39 — Brink Role and Funding Concerns 16:20 — Defining Early Success Metrics 19:00 — Informing the Public on Quantum Progress 21:17 — Institutional Influence and Protocol Concerns 25:13 — Research First on Quantum Signatures 29:25 — Expanding Quantum Expertise 33:14 — Scope Beyond Quantum Security 35:31 — Why Quantum Motivates Corporate Involvement 37:43 — Debates Over Development Funding 40:30 — No Protocol Roadmap From the Consortium 42:57 — Three-Year Goal: Mature Proposals Links: Press release: https://www.strategy.com/press/leading-financial-institutions-bitcoin-companies-launch-the-bitcoin-security-consortium_07-23-2026 Mike’s thread: https://x.com/bitschmidty/status/2080263159152091455 Consortium X: https://x.com/BTCconsortium Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack

July 23, 2026Episode 75857 min

Daniel Buchner: Why BIP 110 Cannot Stop Bitcoin Spam | SLP758

Buchner, known for his work on decentralized identity at Proof, brings a technical and game-theoretic lens to the debate over Bitcoin's monetary focus versus attempts to restrict arbitrary data. The conversation covers narrative shifts driving spam to Bitcoin, the limits of relay policy versus consensus rules, why the house analogy fails, economic node power over basement operators, and the lack of miner or buyer support that dooms the proposal. Timestamps: 01:31 — Locusts Flock to Bitcoin's Last Pasture 03:32 — Core Policy Tweaks Aren't Consensus Rules 08:44 — Spam Hides in Any Public Key or Hash 11:12 — Spammers Adapt in a Day, Consensus Can't 14:59 — BIP110 Debate Exposes Major Inconsistency 20:44 — Why the House Analogy Totally Fails 25:25 — Nodes Get Cheaper Even With Max Spam 28:08 — Set Tolerances Assuming Worst Case 30:35 — No Legal Liability for Bad Chain Data 33:04 — Filter Regime Creates Government Backdoor 35:13 — BIP 110 Risks Centralizing Devs Around Luke 37:33 — Economic Incentives Trump 'Good Guy' Miners 39:03 — Economic Nodes Outweigh Basement Node Runners 43:49 — BIP 110 Has Near-Zero Economic Support 48:43 — Why Game Theory Kills BIP 110 55:52 — BIP 110 Fork Dies With a Whimper Links: https://x.com/csuwildcat Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast Subscribe to Substack