Why Institutions are Waiting on the Crypto Sidelines

Zarya has extensive experience in the investment and cryptocurrency sector, pioneering electronic trading technology in emerging markets, notably Russian, India and China.

by Liz Coyne /

December 23, 2021 02:00 pm

George Zarya, CEO, Bequant; Source: Bequant

Newsletter

Subscribe to The Breakdown

In this video, Blockworks’ “Forward Guidance” podcast host Jack Farley sat down with George Zarya, CEO, Bequant, at Blockworks Digital Asset Summit in London to talk about why institutions are waiting on the sidelines when it comes to moving into digital assets.

Zarya has extensive experience in the investment and cryptocurrency sector, pioneering electronic trading technology in emerging markets, notably Russian, India and China. Over the years he has led several successful large investment banking teams as well as running his own business and has spent his entire career in disruptive technology and finance.

Watch the full interview below.

Get the day’s top crypto news and insights delivered to your inbox every evening. Subscribe to Blockworks’ free newsletter now.

Tags

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Digital Asset Summit 2025

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

buy tickets learn more

Permissionless IV

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

buy tickets learn more

Permissionless IV Hackathon

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

learn more

recent research

Research

Sonic Ecosystem Apps: How Incentives Propel DeFi Leaders

The Sonic blockchain is leveraging redesigned airdrop incentives and its FeeM program to propel DeFi activity and attract institutional capital, setting the stage for ecosystem growth. Within this environment, leading protocols Shadow Exchange and Silo are poised to asymmetrically benefit due to innovative features and favorable valuations, despite facing ecosystem dependency and competitive pressures. This positions them as compelling, potentially shorter-term, investment opportunities contingent on Sonic's sustained success.

by Daniel Shapiro