Introducing, Asymmetry
A newsletter unpacking technology-driven asymmetric advantage, specifically covering fintech, decentralisation, geopolitics, and global security.
Welcome to Asymmetry: A newsletter unpacking technology-driven asymmetric advantage, specifically covering fintech, decentralisation, geopolitics, and global security.
Introducing, Asymmetry
Dear friends,
It has been too long since we last connected. Since my last post, the world has dramatically changed. I first started writing this newsletter to try and articulate my vision for the future of decentralised finance and, specifically, how it relates to traditional financial services. Throughout my writing, I realised that my true passion was for understanding the power financial technologies have to shape the world in which we inhabit - a power that went significantly further than I first anticipated.
It is through this expression of power that I continued to question my understanding of the world. I, in collaboration with a few dear friends, concluded that our passion for technology and financial markets boiled down to being left in awe by the asymmetric advantages technology can create in a world of global competition. Reflecting upon my previous posts, it became clear that my writing was both an adoration and an expression of this viewpoint. So, with this being said, I hope to continue exploring this thesis and highlight how enabling asymmetric advantage is at the crux of the major paradigm shifts occurring right before our eyes. This may seem a tad nebulous to many but ultimately I believe that analysis of opportunity and technology through the prism of unlocking asymmetric advantage is a methodology that can thrive over a longer time horizon.
A changing world
I first started writing this newsletter in early 2022: markets were thriving, money was flowing, and folks were operating with an unbridled sense of FOMO. Amongst this scene of chaos, I was writing to try and provide myself mental clarity within a fast-moving and informationally opaque operating environment. A reason I slowed down in posting is that I felt like there was a need to pause and let the dust settle. Since then, the world has shifted: FTX exploded, geopolitics became life or death for many, markets trembled, elections swung, industrial policy is back, and great power competition hurdles forward unabated. With time comes clarity and with clarity comes wisdom.
The front cover of today’s Financial Times (UK Edition, 5 February 2024)
The future of this newsletter will continue to cover the intersection of decentralised finance and fintech but will also broaden to include topics that reflect the changed global operating environment we all live in. Although I tend to already do this in my writing, I will more explicitly call out the macro incentives that drive companies, nations, and markets to pursue certain causes of action. Further, I will unpack the role of the enabling technology required to facilitate change as well as analyse the opportunities hidden within incentive structures. I am tremendously excited for what is to come and I look forward to sharing this with you.
What is asymmetric advantage?
What is ahead
There are several upcoming posts to look forward to and I will try my best to maintain a weekly cadence (worst case, fortnightly). The next few posts will look at late-stage fintech, tokenisation in capital markets, delivering software to government, and a deeper dive into what is asymmetric advantage?
A note of thanks
I sincerely thank each and every one of you who has subscribed and I appreciate your support. The subscriber base is globally diverse and, rest assured, you are all in good company → below is a snapshot of some of the fantastic companies subscribers are currently building.
If you are looking to build or are investing in what’s next, would love to chat - please reach out via DM on Twitter or reply via email 🙏