Filene Fill-In Ep. 56: Car Ride Conversation with Filene Fellow Bill Maurer

Filene Research Institute

This one is for all of you that love stories about money…where it came from, where it’s going, how it’s going to get there and how our lives will always be impacted by the ways we use physical and digital currencies. Join us on this trip with Bill Maurer -- Filene Fellow for our Center of Excellence on Emerging Technology and Dean and Professor at the University of California Irvine. Literally, it’s a trip -- we recorded this on the road from Chicago to our office in Madison. What you’re about to hear is a rare telling of stories and wide-ranging experiences from someone at the top of their field academically and in real-world application. Bill and I talk about how he once helped an overly enthusiastic computer chip manufacturer better understand the future of money. We talk about the strategies at play with digital payment providers and I got his initial thoughts on Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency. Bill shares a fascinating story about the time when he had a winding and metaphysical conversation with Dee Hock, the founder of Visa, and also that one time when he “quote” “sat around in a room with bagels” redesigning the united states’ currency with the US treasury secretary. Watch for related research coming from our Emerging Technology Center from Bill in the near future. And be sure you’re booked to come to Filene’s big.bright.minds annual event on Nov 19 -20 in Durham to continue gathering insights on this plus many more issues impacting the industry every day. Visit filene.org/events to register.