Paxful co-founder and peer-to-peer Bitcoin entrepreneur discussing the platform's mission, compliance history, shutdown, and the federal prosecution he now faces.
View Ray's profile →
E003 coming soon ↗Episode 003 · Upcoming premiere
Peer-to-Peer
Money
Ray Youssef on Paxful, Bitcoin as electronic cash, financial access across borders, compliance, and the federal case against him.
Mark EdgeRay Youssef
October 6 · 8:00 PM ET
The conversation
What happens when peer-to-peer money collides with financial regulation?
Mark Edge speaks with Paxful co-founder Ray Youssef about the original promise of Bitcoin as electronic cash, the difficulty of moving money across disconnected banking systems, third-party payments, Paxful's compliance history, and Youssef's account of the criminal case against him.
“The Bitcoin dream, at least for me, was always peer-to-peer electronic cash.”
BitcoinPaxfulFinancial accessHawalaComplianceFederal prosecution
In this episode
A first-person account of building—and defending—a peer-to-peer marketplace.
Hosted by
Mark Edge
Mark examines the practical, legal, and philosophical claims behind the Paxful story while allowing the guest's complete account to remain on the record.
View host profile →Show notes + sources
References from the conversation.
Federal case and Paxful corporate resolution
The corporate resolution and the allegations against Ray Youssef are legally distinct. The episode presents Youssef's account; the source record should be read alongside it.
U.S. Department of Justice ↗Paxful: Crypto for all
Background on Paxful's growth, reach, and financial-education work before the company's later legal resolution.
TIME100 Companies ↗Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Near the end of the conversation, Youssef places Goethe in a list of historical figures. The surrounding references may be interpreted in different ways.
Biographical reference ↗