Why Yat Siu Believes Altcoins Will Surpass Bitcoin
In Web3, we find ourselves in an age of digital phantoms, a "click-farm" era where identity is flimsy and easily fabricated. But what if reputation could be real, portable, and valuable? Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu returns to explore this very question, detailing a vision for a trust layer built on zero-knowledge proofs.
He reveals plans for a Hong Kong dollar stablecoin, a joint venture with Standard Chartered and HKT awaiting regulatory approval, and unpacks the Mocaverse ecosystem where staking power and airdrops build a verifiable, cross-chain identity. We also explore the future of Web3 gaming, the coming meta shift from GTA 6, and a bold thesis: why the entire altcoin market may one day eclipse Bitcoin.
Tune in to discover how we might build a more trustworthy digital future.
Chapters
00:18 Solving Web3's "Click Fraud" Problem
01:01 Animoca's Plan for a Hong Kong Stablecoin
03:12 Navigating Hong Kong and China's Regulatory Landscape
09:11 The Composability and Promise of Stablecoins
11:09 Introducing the Mocaverse Loyalty SDK
12:56 Building an Interoperable Digital Identity
15:04 The Search for Trust in a Permissionless World
18:34 Data Custody, GDPR, and Self-Sovereignty
21:02 Can Reputation Live Across Multiple Chains?
27:07 The Limits of KYC and Airdrop Farming
28:49 Staking Power and Airdrops as a Form of Credit
40:34 Rumors of a US Listing for Animoca
45:13 The Future of Web3 Gaming and the GTA 6 Effect
56:22 Why Altcoins May One Day Eclipse Bitcoin
How Asia's Crypto Communities View the Tariffs and Trump's Embrace of Crypto
The U.S. is rattled by tariffs, economic uncertainty, and political U-turns on crypto. But across Asia, the response has been … different.
In this episode of Unchained, we check in with two of the sharpest observers of Asia’s crypto landscape: Emily Parker, China and Japan advisor of the Global Blockchain Business Council, and Yat Siu, chairman of Animoca Brands. They unpack how Asia views the Trump crypto pivot, what’s actually happening inside China, why Hong Kong may be the most important jurisdiction in crypto right now, and how Japan and Korea are quietly shaping the future of regulation, stablecoins, and DeFi.
Plus:
Is crypto really banned in China?
Why Korea is lifting its “shadow ban”
Why crypto gaming is thriving in Asia
And what the West can learn from it all
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!
Bitwise
Guests:
Emily Parker, China and Japan Advisor at the Global Blockchain Business Council
Yat Siu, Chairman of Animoca Brands
Links
WSJ: Crypto Is Illegal in China. Binance Does $90 Billion of Business There Anyway.
Timestamps:
🌏 0:00 Introduction
😌 5:43 Why Chinese sentiment around tariffs is calmer than in the U.S.
🗣️ 8:24 What crypto conversations are really about in China right now
🔁 11:28 How Asia reacted to the U.S. crypto U-turn under Trump
🏦 20:13 Are Asian nations quietly building up bitcoin reserves?
📜 23:19 How Asia has more regulatory clarity than the U.S.
📈 25:13 Why crypto adoption in Asia is outpacing that of other regions
🇰🇷 30:22 Why DeFi hasn’t taken off yet in South Korea – Don’t miss this!
🌐 38:05 The potential rise of non-USD stablecoins in Asia
👀 43:52 Is crypto actually banned in China?
💴 55:51 Whether the digital yuan is being adopted
🔓 1:00:28 Korea potentially lifting its “shadow ban” on institutional crypto investment?
📊 1:05:15 Why some Asian companies choose to IPO in the U.S. and whether more are coming
🎮 1:10:21 What’s really happening with Web3 gaming in Asia right now
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Behind the Scenes of the Web3 Gaming Giant | Animoca Brands Co-Founder, Yat Siu
Yat Siu is the co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, a leading force in the Web3 gaming industry. In this episode, Yat Siu shares the story behind the rise of Animoca Brands, discussing its pioneering work in NFTs, blockchain gaming, and the broader Web3 ecosystem. He delves into the company's mission to bring true digital ownership to users through innovative games and platforms. Yat also provides insights into Animoca's strategic investments and its role in shaping the future of the open metaverse, highlighting the transformative potential of Web3 technologies for gaming, culture, and digital property rights.
0:00 Animoca Brands
6:14 Animoca Investments
10:00 Mocaverse
19:32 "Content as a platform"
24:04 Web3 Social
42:55 NFTs
55:25 Metaverse
This episode was sponsored by:
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The dream of digital ownership, powered by the metaverse | Yat Siu
Technologist Yat Siu believes the "open metaverse" -- a decentralized version of the internet also known as web3 -- is laying the foundation for a freer, fairer, more prosperous society. In a future-focused talk, he explores the transformative possibilities of web3, from enabling digital ownership and the creator economy to providing a much-needed update to capitalism.
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