Jonny Fry / James Tylee of Digital Bytes by Team Blockchain on Cyber.FM featuring Rob Gaskell CEO of Applod DeFi Ltd.

Welcome to this week's edition of Digital Bytes which has analysis on the following topics:

Russia using cryptocurrencies to avoid sanctions: myth or reality? - the economic sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine are naturally causing harm to the Russian economy. Their intended target though is to hit those Russian elites who support wars where it hurts most. The sanctions strategy aims to prevent these individuals from using or moving their wealth around by freezing the assets they hold overseas and by blocking financial transactions. However, the continued operation of cryptocurrency exchanges in Russia is worrisome to US officials. Can the use of cryptos actually help Russians to avoid financial sanctions?

How can blockchain help small to medium-sized businesses? - in many countries, small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of their economies. Their role cannot be overlooked since they are crucial to the world's economic and social development; worthy of note is that more than half the world's population is employed in such businesses and companies. At times, SMEs struggle to compete effectively with larger companies since they invariably have more sophisticated systems and access to data. However, as governments and larger companies use blockchain-powered platforms, SMEs are likely to follow suit and use Blockchain technology themselves.

Metaverse coins - as the metaverse evolves by the day, so are investments in this new industry. However, new entrants and enthusiasts worry as to why main cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, are nowhere in sight on the metaverse. Nonetheless, an assortment of tokens is in fact being used in various metaverses and, indeed, we are already seeing well-known global brands engaging as awareness and the number of users in these virtual worlds expands.

Fraud and security in DeFi: how do investors manage these risks? - sadly, fraud and security risk are traits found in traditional markets despite ever-increasing rules and regulations from governments, regulators and financial intermediaries. Unfortunately, decentralised finance is not immune to this either. In the absence of mainstream regulation and intermediary operating procedures, the emphasis falls on the market participants to accept a degree of risk premium whilst educating themselves in maximising due diligence before transacting. So, where are we now with navigating risk in the DeFi markets?

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