In this episode of The Clear Crypto Podcast, we step into the legal trenches of crypto with Peter Van Valkenburgh, executive director at Coin Center. From pushing back against the centralization of digital payments to defending the right to publish open-source code, Peter breaks down the legal and civil-liberties fights that could define the future of digital finance.
This isn’t just about crypto, it’s about whether freedom, privacy and innovation can survive in a world still trying to understand what code really is. Produced by Tonal Media.

(00:00) Introduction and show opening
(01:00) Meet Peter Van Valkenburgh
(02:00) Coin Center’s mission and evolution
(03:00) The double-edged sword of crypto's success
(04:00) Defending core crypto values
(06:00) Global impact of US crypto policy
(08:00) From car rant to crypto: Peter’s philosophy
(10:00) The crypto connection to human interaction
(12:00) The dangers of financial intermediation
(15:00) Everyday examples of intermediation problems
(18:00) Questions for crypto builders
(20:00) Privacy challenges in crypto
(22:00) Zero knowledge proofs and the future of privacy
(25:00) Identity and privacy in the digital age
(27:00) Peter’s interactions with lawmakers
(28:00) Bridging past and future
(29:00) Closing and show information
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