About – RT Davies

About me...

Hi, I'm Robin, a financial professional turned crypto educator and author. With experience of more than two decades working across capital markets in the City of London - as an investment banker, asset manager and senior executive - I have also gained a deep understanding of the world of digital assets. I took a sharp left turn down the Bitcoin and Crypto rabbit hole in 2017 and what began as a personal exploration of this new asset class quickly turned into a strong conviction about the future direction of the financial markets. Over the last 8 years, I have fully immersed myself in the crypto universe - both professionally and personally - gaining direct experience and expertise in investing, staking, running nodes, experimenting and messing around with DeFi.

Generally sensible but sometimes prone to bouts of degen, I have learned the hard way and ridden my fair share of volatility. From this perspective, I believe I bring a rare combination of institutional experience and crypto-native insight, with a focus on Bitcoin, proof-of-stake networks and the deeper questions challenging our preconceived ideas of money and macroeconomics.

With all the knowledge I have gained, I started building educational resources and writing books to help others make sense of this fast-moving space. As you will have seen, I now write under the name R. T. Davies, drawing on my deep experience in both tradfi and digital assets to explain the fast-changing world of crypto with clarity, realism and the odd touch of scepticism and humour!

How did I get into Crypto?

I first learned about Bitcoin in 2013 whilst working in an investment bank and watching Bloomberg all day long. Stupidly, I didn’t buy any and was one of those cynics who was put off by the negative press surrounding the darknet and Silk Road. The price volatility didn’t help.
I’ve made some good investments in my time; and some bad ones. In 1997 I was researching the tech market as the internet started to make headway in our lives. I asked a broker in the UK if I could buy shares in a few little-known US stocks listed on Nasdaq: Amazon, Yahoo, AOL. He bemoaned how difficult it was to invest directly in US stocks at the time. Stupidly, I allowed him to put me off in favour of a few technology mutual funds. When $1000 in 1997 vintage Amazon stock surpassed a million bucks, I could have throttled the guy! Don’t get me wrong - the funds did really well, but I didn’t get to retire early on the gains. If only…

So what did I learn?

The value of research is never wasted.
Trust your instinct and the strength of your convictions.
Invest in the early stages of major developments that you believe are going to change the world.

In mid-2017 I was having a beer with a guy working in the blockchain space. He was telling me how crypto and the blockchain was at a similar stage to the internet in the mid-90s. A light went on in my head straight away (I refer you to my earlier experience with the Dot Com boom). At that point I knew I needed to get into crypto. I started researching everything I could and getting input from a colleague who was trading altcoins. I’ll be honest with you, for a normal person (i.e. not a computer science grad, cryptographer or cypherpunk) it was pretty daunting and complex at first. I spent some time researching prices and price history, wallets, exchanges, different coins and how to on-ramp. As I was doing this research and getting ready to buy in, the rocketship launched. It was December 2017 and the crypto markets went to the moon.

I held off and waited, taking the time to further my knowledge, understanding and confidence while everyone else rode the rollercoaster. Some bought Bitcoin at $20k and got REKD (ouch!), some sold at the top and retired. There were suddenly all these paper millionaires in their twenties, just like there had been in the Dot Com boom. So, the question you’re asking is: had I missed out again? In my opinion – definitely not.

The main factors about crypto that got me interested were the stage of evolution in the cycle and the potential of the underlying technology. I have some strong convictions: that the blockchain and smart contracts will transform banking, insurance and the legal industries; that fintechs, apps and dapps will disrupt the longstanding dominance of the world’s major financial corporations; and that decentralised digital currencies, with global reach and low transaction fees, will rock the financial sector to its core.

It’s not too late. Just like the late nineties, there will be winners (Amazon, Yahoo, Ebay) and losers (Netscape, Lycos, Pets.com). Think about it. Even if you had bought Amazon stock at the peak of the tech bubble in December 1999, you would still be up more than 1,500% on that investment. It's an important lesson. Investors often undervalue fast-growing companies with massive opportunities to expand. Just because a stock (or coin) looks overvalued, doesn't mean it is.

As for my crypto journey, it's been a rollercoaster for sure. I bought some early and bought some dips. They’re not that hard to spot. In crypto, you have to invest what you're willing to lose and buy in at prices you're willing to invest at. I have personally favoured a long term value investing and portfolio approach, but believe that Bitcoin is the winner. I have punted a bit on a few obscure altcoins, some with success and some got me burned. I have done 'Degen' and it always ends in tears, so I've learned to stick to quality teams and projects with a genuine use case. My primary area of interest (no pun intended) is yield generation via staking and I even started mining. I have taken advantage of free crypto opportunities over the years and I’m always learning more each day. I’m passionate about this space and you never know...it may just pay off big time!

Away from my desk and the screens...

Husband, father, family guy and hard working businessman. My switch-off somes from a huge passion for fly-fishing and the Great Outdoors. Born and brought up in Wales and now living in England, I developed a love of trout fishing as a kid on family holidays in the Highlands of Scotland. I’ve always been drawn to the outdoors and the wonders of nature. I’ve been a game ranger in Africa, qualified as a Mountain Leader and served in the British Army. I’ve founded a couple of businesses and had a varied career. I’ve lived and worked on 3 continents and I’ve travelled to more countries than I can keep count of – usually finding a way to pack a fishing rod. I'm mad about sports and my crazy cocker spaniel.

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