Five Questions with Matt Mamigonian from Bitstamp

Matt Mamigonian: Being the longest standing exchange globally means we have the responsibility of providing a mature approach to the way we run our business and the relationships we pursue and maintain. We work with an incredibly large number of clients globally and ensure that security, reliability, and ease of use are all at the forefront of the client experience. Finally, since we operate with a compliance first approach, global regulation and operating within the letter of the law is of utmost importance.  

Matt Mamigonian: To say that I am bullish on crypto would be an understatement. The current total market cap of the asset class currently sits at about $2.1 Trillion, which is less than the market cap of Microsoft or Apple. Traditional financial infrastructure will be disrupted, the capital raising process will look different, and more value will accrue to the end users and not the rent seekers. Capital markets will truly become global in nature and we haven’t even seen more than 1-2% of what this space is capable of achieving.

Matt Mamigonian: I believe that we will need to continue to innovate, add products and services, and expand our platform to keep our current institutions and clients happy as well as win more business. We continue to look at new products and services to offer – within the regulated framework we operate – and derivatives, futures, and options could be considered. We currently offer a margin product in partnership with Silvergate Bank and we have onboarded many firms who are using it day in and day out.

Matt Mamigonian: There are a few themes that stand out. Startups and fintech players are seeking to more natively build crypto into their product at launch vs. adding features after they’ve been established. They want to build more natively in crypto – and want that to be the foundation or building blocks of their product or service. It’s become much more accepted, and dare I say, mainstream then it was a few years ago as well. Another theme would be building certain products and services to fit a market – or said differently – localizing a product. My role hasn’t changed that much in the last six months; however, I would say it’s only expanded and now encompasses a larger variety of incumbents.  

Matt Mamigonian: The next few months are going to be incredibly busy for us and there isn’t anything I can formally announce right now. The best way to follow us would be our Twitter Handle @Bitstamp or our Blog!