Final Settlement E012: MENA's Synergistic Embrace of Bitcoin with Ralph Gebran
August 27, 2024
Final Settlement is co-produced by Onramp and Early Riders to explore the bitcoin thesis and its real-world applications. In this episode, guest Ralph Gebran joins hosts Brian Cubellis and Michael Tanguma to discuss bitcoin adoption across the Middle East and North Africa, including its alignment with Islamic finance. Onramp Media publishes the conversation for educational purposes.
Final Settlement hosts Brian Cubellis and Michael Tanguma speak with guest Ralph Gebran about bitcoin adoption across the Middle East and North Africa. The conversation covers fiat currency, Dubai's approach to innovation, market structure and investment culture in MENA, multi-jurisdictional custody, bitcoin's alignment with Islamic finance, inheritance, and building a bitcoin-only company in the region. Final Settlement is editorial commentary and is not investment advice.
Chapters
0:00 - Introduction to Ralph Gebran & Onramp MENA 7:58 - A message from Onramp 8:41 - Understanding fiat currency & financial privilege 14:40 - Dubai's forward-thinking approach & innovation 25:23 - Market structure & investment culture in MENA 35:16 - Benefits of multi-jurisdictional custody 37:38 - Bitcoin’s conservative & alignment with Islamic Finance 47:30 - Onramp Multi-Institution Custody 48:59 - Takeaways from Jackson Hole last week 1:00:31 - The appeal of energy-backed money in MENA 1:04:40 - Solving for the problem of bitcoin inheritance 1:07:38 - Building the first bitcoin-only company in MENA 1:14:15 - Final thoughts & wrapping up 1:16:19 - Outro
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this Final Settlement episode discuss?
Guest Ralph Gebran and hosts Brian Cubellis and Michael Tanguma discuss bitcoin adoption in the Middle East, Dubai's approach to innovation, and MENA market structure (00:00, 14:40, 25:23).
How does the episode connect bitcoin and Islamic finance?
Around 37:38 the discussion covers bitcoin's conservative properties and their alignment with Islamic finance. This reflects the guest's and hosts' views, not investment advice from Onramp.
Does the episode cover bitcoin inheritance?
Yes. Near 01:04:40 the conversation turns to solving bitcoin inheritance, and at 35:16 to the benefits of multi-jurisdictional custody.
Who is the guest?
The guest is Ralph Gebran, who discusses building what the episode describes as the first bitcoin-only company in the MENA region (01:07:38).
This episode is editorial and educational content. Onramp does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice. Bitcoin is volatile and may lose value. Past performance does not guarantee future results.