Bitcoin Fortress

Zero-JS Hypermedia Browser

avatar
Bitcoin Fortress
bitcoinfortress@nostrplebs.com
npub122fp...v4h5
Bitcoin Fortress substack and podcast

Notes (20)

Bitcoin as Super Collateral The Next Phase of Financial Evolution When Sean Bill sat down for a recent interview with Grant Gilliam of Cantor Equity Partners, the conversation turned into something much bigger than a personal story. It was a glimpse into the coming transformation of global finance — one where Bitcoin doesn’t just coexist with the existing system, but eventually becomes its foundation. From the Trading Pit to the Bitcoin Standard Bill’s journey began in the frenetic open-outcry pits of the Chicago Board of Trade back in 1994. He learned markets the old-fashioned way — by feeling the heat of volatility and seeing capital flow in real time. Two decades later, as a chief investment officer for a California pension fund, Bill encountered something entirely new: Bitcoin. He began buying in 2016 when it was around $450. By 2018–2019, he was making the case to a board of trustees that a small allocation — even just 1–2% — could significantly improve long-term portfolio performance. “They looked at me like I had three heads,” he recalled. But eventually, the pension carved out a modest 0.45% allocation through Fidelity Digital Assets — becoming one of the earliest institutional adopters. Over the next decade, Bill’s fund delivered a 10.66% net IRR, landing near the top of its peer group. The Bitcoin thesis, at least in miniature, had proven itself. The Institutional Shift Has Begun For years, Bitcoin was treated by most fiduciaries as radioactive. No career-minded pension manager wanted to be the first to recommend “magic Internet money.” But 2024 changed everything. When BlackRock and other major firms launched Bitcoin ETFs, it provided what Bill calls “air cover” — the political and professional permission structure for institutions to act. Suddenly, it was not just acceptable but prudent to hold a small allocation to Bitcoin. We’re now witnessing the early stages of a structural shift. The conversations are changing. Risk committees are no longer laughing. Custodians, accounting firms, and even insurance regulators are getting involved. The groundwork for Bitcoin’s next phase — integration into the heart of capital markets — is quietly being laid. Bitcoin as “Super Collateral” Bill’s most striking concept is that Bitcoin will emerge as “super collateral.” Unlike treasuries or corporate bonds, Bitcoin is: Unencumbered: No counterparty risk, no issuer default. Instantly transferable: Final settlement in minutes, not days. Finite: Capped at 21 million, immune to monetary dilution. In traditional finance, high-quality collateral underpins lending, repo, and derivatives markets. But that collateral today is mostly U.S. treasuries — assets increasingly burdened by political dysfunction and ballooning debt. Bill argues that as trust erodes in fiat instruments, Bitcoin’s neutrality and verifiability make it the ideal replacement. The evolution, he says, will unfold in two stages: Store of Value Phase: Bitcoin continues to serve as hard money and digital gold, with growing use as loan collateral. Monetary Infrastructure Phase: Bitcoin matures into a base layer for yield curves, repo markets, and tokenized capital markets. We’re currently at the cusp between these two worlds. Building a Bitcoin Capital Market To accelerate that future, Bill co-founded the Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company alongside Adam Back, the legendary cryptographer behind Hashcash and CEO of Blockstream. Their vision isn’t simply to hold Bitcoin but to build around it — creating yield strategies, Bitcoin-denominated instruments, and liquidity infrastructure. They’ve already issued the first Bitcoin-denominated PIPE (private investment in public equity) and are planning a convertible note denominated in Bitcoin — both unprecedented moves in U.S. capital markets. Their team is also exploring covered-call strategies on Bitcoin, Lightning liquidity provisioning, and Bitcoin-backed insurance products — all designed to give this new form of money its missing financial plumbing. Meanwhile, new open-source tools like Simplicity, a smart contracting language developed by Blockstream, could make tokenized assets and financial instruments on Bitcoin both transparent and auditable — without needing an altcoin casino. Still Early — But Not Too Early Despite Bitcoin’s price appreciation, Bill argues that we are still early. The total Bitcoin market cap remains microscopic compared to global capital markets — a rounding error in the world of sovereign debt and equity derivatives. He likens the current moment to the early days of high-yield bonds in the 1970s or the nascent Internet in the mid-’90s. Visionaries were laughed at, then later credited as pioneers. Bitcoin, he says, will follow the same arc: ignored, ridiculed, adopted, and then integrated. The message for builders and investors is clear: focus on infrastructure. The biggest opportunities are in the invisible layers — custody, liquidity, repo, tokenization — the pipes through which Bitcoin will flow into the global financial system. A Parallel System Taking Shape Bill’s outlook mirrors a growing sentiment among Bitcoiners: we’re not replacing the old system overnight. We’re building a parallel one that will eventually become dominant by sheer merit. In that world, Bitcoin doesn’t need to compete with the dollar as a medium of exchange. It simply needs to become the asset everyone trusts most — the super collateral that backs the world’s capital. When that happens, finance won’t just look different. It will be different: faster, fairer, global, and permissionless. And that world is coming — one block at a time. Not financial or legal advice, for entertainment only, do your own homework. I hope you find this post useful as you chart your personal financial course and Build a Bitcoin Fortress in 2025. Thanks for following my work. Always remember: freedom, health and positivity! Please also check out my Bitcoin Fortress Podcast on all your favorite streaming platforms. I do a weekly Top Bitcoin News update every week on Sunday, focused on current items of interest to the Bitcoin community. Please check it out if you haven’t already. Also now on Fountain, where you can earn Bitcoin just for listening to your favorite podcasts. Also, check out my books on Amazon: Bitcoin Fortress: A Simple Guide to Bitcoin for Beginners Bitcoin Retirement and Estate Planning The Bitcoin Lifestyle Follow me on Nostr: npub122fpu8lwu2eu2zfmrymcfed9tfgeray5quj78jm6zavj78phnqdsu3v4h5 If you’re looking for more great Bitcoin signal, check out friend of the show nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqgdwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkcqpq09vfayn7595xzzxj5wd7kzgh5pygvf76cl72zmh8mqdvv8hdvrssn6jcze image
2025-11-17 05:01:12 from 1 relay(s) View Thread →