Even the most hidebound, incurious, old-school banker has heard the word “bitcoin” many times by now, whether from curious customers, well-meaning relatives, or the morning paper (print edition). But bitcoin’s continued association with the unsavory, from drug purchases on the dark web in days past to the seemingly endless string of hacks and breaches today, is a cause for worry for regulated entities, and many bankers go about their business as if bitcoin does not exist.

That’s a mistake, says Margaux Avedisian, EVP at Transform Group & Partner and Co-Founder at CoolPool Fund. Avedisian, known in some circles as the “Queen of Bitcoin,” was involved in perhaps the most notable ICO of all time, Ethereum’s, though as she said on stage at Bank Innovation 2018 in San Francisco last week, she sold her coins too soon. (Didn’t we all? #HODL)

In the video below, Avedisian opens her talk with an explanation of why bitcoin is directly in every banker’s wheelhouse, and why familiarity with it should be a requirement for being a banker today. She starts with the idea that the blockchain is a distributed ledger, and bankers know ledgers.

This video is sponsored by White Clarke Group.