10 Must Watch TED Talks About Blockchain and Crypto

Given the recent boom in the cryptocurrency world, what better time than now to educate yourself about it? Whether you're just learning the ins and outs of cryptocurrency slang or what Bitcoin even is, TED Talks about blockchain and crypto are sure to satisfy your inquisitiveness.

Or even better, if you've been investing in Bitcoin, or just want to know how to make money off Bitcoin without actually owning it, TED Talks offer a wealth of knowledge (hopefully equal to what you earn from cryptocurrency). Professionals from the mining world cover topics that range from building the trust of strangers using technology to radically transforming the economy.

Described as "a thought-leader in the emerging blockchain space," Bettina Warburg's talk titled, "How the Blockchain Will Radically Transform the Economy," is seen as one of the best TED Talks about blockchain and crypto. As both a blockchain entrepreneur and researcher, Warburg discusses the chances of blockchain making institutions like banks and governments less necessary.

This is done through the evolution of the age-old models of finance and commerce. Instead, it will evolve into a transparent autonomous system of exchanging value, eliminating the middleman such as Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba. Blockchain technology will collapse enforcement and institutions in order to return the economic power rightfully back to the people.

Neha Narula, the director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, gives one of the most captivating TED Talks about blockchain and crypto titled, "The Future of Money." Narula speaks about the reinventions that money has undergone.

Much like Warburg's point, Narula pushes the concept of banks and currency exchange bureaus becoming unnecessary with the adaptation of blockchain. Cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin promise an adaptation to our "normal." Though we might not be there yet, the purpose of Narula's speech is to paint her listeners a picture of the future of money.

Rachel Bostman's "We've Stopped Trusting Institutions and Started Trusting Strangers" talk focuses on the fact that technology is opening the opportunity to put trust into unknown people, ideas, and companies. On the other hand, while this new trust is building, the trust in banks, governments, and institutions is deflating.

Technology allows us to trust "the unknown" due to the digital landscape. This is done in the "trust stack." The trust stack builds off of first trusting the idea, then the platform, and finally the other users. This ranges from platforms such as Airbnb and Uber to technologies such as blockchain.

As one of the most positive TED Talks about blockchain and crypto, Don Tapscott speaks with urgency that the technology "represents nothing less than the second generation of the internet and holds the potential to transform money, business, government and society."

A great TED talk for blockchain beginners, Tapscott brings some clarification to the specifics of the technology. Explaining the inner workings of blockchain, Tapscott helps to demystify the specifics, while also focusing on the world-changing and trust-building features that this technology will bring to the world of finance.

Charles Hoskinson is both a technology entrepreneur and mathematician as the Chief Executive Office at Thanatos Holdings, the President at the Hoskinson Content Group LLC, and the Director of The Bitcoin Education Project.

In his TED Talk, "The Future Will Be Decentralized," he says that Bitcoin technology will revolutionize banking, remote education, and crowd-funding. And that's not all. He believes that this technology will also transform property rights and private law for the developing world. Hoskinson offers information in a clear and concise speech, which makes this a good listen for anyone interested in Bitcoin.

With a title like "At the Speed of Money: How Cryptocurrency Will Transform Everything," David Morris has got a lot of explaining to do. Radically changing everything?

Well, in one of the most interesting TED Talks about blockchain and crypto, Morris speaks about "the interaction of technology and culture," in which cryptocurrency will radically alter everything that culture affects. Claiming that Bitcoin technology will change the world, his TED Talk is actually from 2015, proving his dire confidence in the technology, and his vision for the future of Bitcoin, which he explains to be vast.

Richie Etwaru's used his platform on TED Talk to discuss the basics of blockchain. Etwaru is an author, owner of international patents, angel investor, member of advisory boards, thought leader, and founder of multiple ventures. He is also the professor of blockchain management at Syracuse University in New York. Plus, he has delivered over 100 blockchain keynotes all over the world.

As a great TED Talk to watch for beginners, he breaks down each aspect of the technology into bite sized pieces. Simplifying blockchain technology into a concept that can be grasped by each of his listeners, he lays out the state of commerce, focusing on the risk of disruption from blockchain. He also goes over the main things everyone should know about blockchain, so viewers can get all of their bases covered.

Galia Benartzi's talk ranks among the best TED Talks about blockchain and crypto. Titled, "The Value Revolution: How Blockchain Will Change Money & the World," Benartzi speaks about the power of the new movement of digital currencies.

Following the popular theme of the changes that blockchain is expected to make in our world, Benartzi uses her entrepreneur and community builder background to bring her points home. As an intriguing concept, blockchain is expected to change not only the way we process money and finances, but the world as a whole. Benartzi and David Morris have similar thoughts, while both talks highlight their personal ideals and experiences.

As a playful title, "Explaining Bitcoin to a Fifth Grader" by George Donev is meant for beginners looking to learn about the advancing world of blockchain. Using the likable characters of Alice, Bob, and a banana, Donev breaks down the specifics of blockchain in the most simple terms.

Comparing the standard ways of completing transactions, Donev's TED Talk is concise and easy to follow, while still providing the viewer with valuable information. The talk allows viewers to easily grasp the basic concepts of blockchain and cryptocurrency. And finally, he describes the value of this new way to complete transactions and how it is beneficial to our world.

As a much different concept for one of the best TED Talks about blockchain and crypto, Marco Streng uses his own personal experience to express his knowledge and opinion of the Bitcoin world. As the CEO of the largest Bitcoin mining company in the world, Marco is only 27 years old.

After dropping out of university to pursue his cryptocurrency business, Genesis Mining today hosts 300,000 customers a day, which makes it one of the most profitable business models in the mining world. In his TED Talk, "How I Built a Bitcoin Empire," Marco expresses his success and his need to share that success with others by creating one of the most sustainable Bitcoin Cloud models.