Talking Tokens

Talking Tokens

Talking Tokens is a podcast focused on interviews with crypto leaders, startups, market participants, and up-and-coming founders changing the industry. Hosted by Jacquelyn Melinek, the show publishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X, and more.

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Framework Ventures Is Deploying $2.5 Billion Into Institutional-Grade Yield | Parker Edwards

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Framework Ventures Is Deploying $2.5 Billion Into Institutional-Grade Yield | Parker Edwards

Framework Ventures Is Deploying $2.5 Billion Into Institutional-Grade Yield | Parker Edwards

In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Parker Edwards, partner at Framework Ventures, about deploying a $2.5 billion mandate to bring institutional-grade yield onchain through Obex, a Sky-focused incubator. Parker announces the first cohort where it’s deploying $1 billion across eight companies including Maple, Centrifuge, Securitize, River, and Better Home & Finance, spanning areas like structured credit, mortgages, energy, and AI infrastructure. He explains why real-world assets are finally reaching institutional scale, with players like Apollo and BlackRock actively participating. The conversation covers why established companies with deep domain expertise are better positioned to scale with Obex than early-stage startups, how Sky grew to $11.5 billion in USDS stablecoin supply, and the plan to hit $20 billion by 2026.This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro with Parker Edwards, partner at Framework Ventures (00:25) What is Obex and its $2.5 billion mandate to deploy capital into Sky ecosystem (01:09) Sky's growth to $11.5 billion in stablecoin supply as third largest stablecoin (02:06) Why Framework Ventures is administering the Obex incubator (02:52) First cohort: Maple, USD.ai, Centrifuge, Securitize, River, Better, and others deploying $1 billion (04:12) Why it chose more established players over early-stage startups for day-one scale (06:06) State of RWAs: institutional-grade founders with deep domain expertise entering the space (08:03) Asset manager mandates: structured credit, private credit, energy, and AI infrastructure (10:05) Why Better Home & Finance chose to build on Sky for mortgage tokenization (13:33) Real cash-flowing assets onchain without artificial yield incentives (15:15) How DeFi is competing with banks and credit funds on quality assets (17:13) Apollo and BlackRock participating onchain (20:16) Sky's recent $435 million revenue and $20 billion stablecoin target by end of 2026 (22:20) Why USDS won't replace USDC or USDT but serves different institutional roles (27:26) Final advice ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Why Getting Money Into Blockchains Is Still Broken | Dan Mottice

Why Getting Money Into Blockchains Is Still Broken | Dan Mottice

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Dan Mottice, head of stablecoins at Modern Treasury and founder of Beam, a stablecoin payment platform it acquired in October 2025. Dan, who previously led Visa's crypto products before building Beam, explains how payment infrastructure is evolving to treat stablecoins as a default rail alongside traditional fiat systems. He walks through why moving money remains hard, how 24/7 liquidity will transform cross-border and domestic payments, and why the layer between fiat and crypto is the real bottleneck. The conversation covers stablecoin clearinghouses as an emerging opportunity, why stablecoin neobanks need to match incumbent features and where value will accrue in the payment stack. Dan also shares lessons from building consumer versus B2B products and his advice for staying focused on the builders who stick around during bear markets.This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Token Relations and the Talking Tokens podcast are doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana. Check out the accompanying newsletter on www.token-relations.com TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:40) Dan's background at Visa and building Beam (03:36) Modern Treasury acquiring Beam in October 2025 and the vision for stablecoins as a rail (04:16) How Visa and stablecoin platforms will become symbiotic, not competitors (06:13) Current payment systems: pretty well solved domestically, room for improvement cross-border (08:12) Why 24/7 liquidity will dramatically improve both domestic and cross-border payments (09:54) Where value accrues: infrastructure layer vs customer relationship ownership (13:04) If starting over today: building a global liquidity protocol or stablecoin clearinghouse (17:24) Biggest misconceptions about payments and how hard it is to get money in and out of blockchains (20:01) Why stablecoin neobanks need FDIC insurance and customer support to beat incumbents (31:26) What Dan wants to see builders create with new onchain money movement primitives (32:14) Final advice: focus on the people who stick around during bear markets You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Bitcoin to $1,000,000 by 2030? | Muneeb Ali

Bitcoin to $1,000,000 by 2030? | Muneeb Ali

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Muneeb Ali, founder of Stacks, about navigating his fourth bear market and why this one feels different as AI could potentially offer higher growth than crypto for the first time. Muneeb explains why quantum computing poses a real threat to Bitcoin even before quantum computers exist, and why some Bitcoin hardliners refuse to acknowledge the problem. He walks through the evolution of Bitcoin DeFi from peak excitement in 2024 to maturation in 2025, why BTC yield has product-market fit, and how Stacks is launching self-custodial Bitcoin staking with 3-7% yields. The conversation covers its $400M+ in BTC rewards already paid out, why institutions want Bitcoin-denominated returns and why Bitcoin maturing with yield capabilities will help traditional banks offer it to clients even if hardliners don't like BlackRock's involvement. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:24) How his 4th bear market feels different with AI competing with crypto (04:47) Quantum computing threat to Bitcoin and why hardliners won't acknowledge it (07:04) Bitcoin's path to quantum resistance (12:26) What happens to Satoshi's Bitcoin and lost coins in quantum future (14:44) Bitcoin to $1M by 2030: conviction despite slower appreciation rates (17:27) Bitcoin DeFi evolution from 2024 to 2025 (21:06) Bitcoin collateral: yield and lending product-market fit (28:55) Why institutions want BTC-denominated yields (31:10) What changed culturally to make Bitcoin staking acceptable to holders (34:55) Self-custodial Bitcoin staking: earn 3-7% with BTC in your hardware wallet ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Why RWAs and Tokenized Stocks Are Unlocking DeFi for Institutions | Jonathan Han

Why RWAs and Tokenized Stocks Are Unlocking DeFi for Institutions | Jonathan Han

In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Jonathan Han, CEO of Euler Finance, about building the credit layer of the internet and making DeFi lending accessible to retail and institutional users alike. Jonathan, who previously worked at Bridgewater Associates explains how Euler's lending framework is evolving from a permissionless protocol to one serving both crypto natives and traditional finance partners. The conversation covers why traditional mortgage applications can take months when crypto lending can happen in seconds, how tokenized funds like Apollo provide diversification against bitcoin volatility in DeFi lending markets, and why Euler integrated Securitize’s digital securities (DS) protocol, which allows for DS tokens to be used as collateral in “curated, risk isolated lending markets.”. Jonathan also discusses the institutional pivot happening across DeFi, why fixed-rate lending and compliance features are key for enterprise partners, common misconceptions about institutional adoption timelines, and how AI agents are beginning to execute trades and deploy portfolios across lending markets. He also shares insights from building Euler to over $4 billion in deposits within a year after the protocol's recovery from a 2023 hack.This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:19) From Bridgewater Associates to crypto (04:04) Becoming Euler CEO after leading partnerships and institutional growth (04:47) Building the credit layer of the internet: democratizing access to credit (07:26) Why crypto lending unlocks liquidity in seconds vs months for mortgages (08:12) Euler's evolution from permissionless DeFi to serving institutions and fintech (10:06) Making financial tools accessible without requiring a finance degree (14:57) RWAs as diversification: Apollo funds performing independently of bitcoin volatility (20:06) How tokenized treasuries and private credit reduce liquidation risk in DeFi (22:45) Euler launching tokenized stock lending following Nasdaq, Kraken partnership (24:00) What institutional partners actually ask: fixed-rate products and compliance (26:41) Biggest misconceptions: crypto moving too fast vs traditional cycles (29:45) Measuring success by: plugging Euler into stablecoin issuers and fintech platforms (35:20) Retail investors accessing exotic financial tools through education and AI (37:20) How Jonathan uses AI agents for portfolio deployment and market summaries ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Why Across Wants to Turn its ACX Token into Equity

Why Across Wants to Turn its ACX Token into Equity

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Hart Lambur, co-founder of Across Protocol and UMA, in two segments: breaking news about Across's token-to-equity proposal and a conversation from ETH Denver. Hart first unveils the Bridge Across proposal, a first-of-its-kind "token buyout" where, if approved, ACX holders can exchange tokens for equity in a new C Corp at 1:1 ratio or redeem for USDC. He explains why the DAO structure has become a bottleneck as institutional demand grows, why long tail tokens are undervalued, how enterprise partners need enforceable contracts DAOs can't provide, and addresses concerns around US security law restrictions before the two-week community discussion period. The ETH Denver segment covers why competition from Stripe's Tempo and Circle's Arc will push Ethereum into "war mode" and drive innovation, the evolution of the Open Intents framework and two-second bridging experiences, how the L2 thesis didn't stick while EVM architecture remains strong, whether stablecoins will be consumer-facing or backend infrastructure for fintechs, the power law distribution of stablecoins as a key competition metric, and why AI agent-to-agent payments are a natural fit for crypto rails. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:54) The Bridge Across proposal for token-to-equity exchange or USDC buyout options (02:40) Why DAOs can't sign enterprise contracts and long tail tokens are undervalued (08:52) Across Protocol maintaining decentralized governance and non-custodial protections (10:46) What happens next: two-week discussion period before snapshot vote (14:13) Intro to ETH Denver conversation (15:27) Energy in bear markets: focus on building over hype and token prices (16:05) Ethereum going into "war mode" with competition from Tempo and Arc (17:22) How blockchain fragmentation benefits Across while challenging user experience (18:23) Open Intents framework's evolution since launch (20:18) L2 thesis not sticking as expected, but EVM architecture remains strong (24:33) Future of blockchain interoperability and solving fragmentation for users (29:12) Stablecoins as consumer products versus backend fintech infrastructure (34:48) How Robinhood and Stripe are approaching stablecoin adoption differently (38:23) Power law distribution of stablecoins as key metric for competition (42:28) AI agents and agent-to-agent payments as natural crypto use case (43:32) Final advice: stay the course through bear markets ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Banks are Ditching Old Databases for Blockchains | Scott Dykstra

Banks are Ditching Old Databases for Blockchains | Scott Dykstra

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Scott Dykstra, co-founder and CTO of Space and Time, about how the crypto market has evolved from the 2021 NFT craze to the 2026 institutional era. Scott explains why almost every bank is now writing smart contracts, how Space and Time helps financial institutions connect offchain data to onchain markets, and why blockchains are fundamentally better transactional databases than traditional systems like Oracle.He walks through the shift from early crypto startups to mature DeFi protocols to enterprise clients, how banks are building pilots for stablecoins and tokenizing real-world assets, and why the Wells Fargo data manipulation case proves the need for verifiable compute. The conversation covers Space and Time's Proof of SQL technology, how the company enables stablecoin yields institutions' need for offchain data, and why AI agents buying their own services with stablecoins may be the next frontier for crypto adoption.TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:31) How WisdomTree defines tokenization as recordkeeping technology (04:16) Growth from $30M to $770M in tokenized assets within one year (06:13) Three use cases: stablecoin reserves, treasury management, and DeFi collateral (08:01) Talking to Aave and Morpho about integrating tokenized funds as collateral (09:17) Why its tokenized money market fund could become WisdomTree's largest fund overall (10:17) SEC approval for 24/7 trading and instant settlement: the big unlock (13:11) Why 24/7 trading only works with tokenized funds, not traditional infrastructure (16:02) DeFi and TradFi convergence: partnership not competition (18:28) Customer journey: wallet-first users, not brokerage account holders (27:42) Why liquid assets benefit more from tokenization than illiquid real estateESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

How Tokenized Money Market Funds Hit $10B | Will Peck

How Tokenized Money Market Funds Hit $10B | Will Peck

In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Will Peck, head of digital assets at WisdomTree, about the firm's explosive growth in tokenized real-world assets from $30 million to $770 million and its recent SEC approval for 24/7 trading and instant settlement. Will explains how WisdomTree's tokenized money market fund serves three key use cases:, stablecoin reserve management, crypto-native treasury management, and DeFi collateral and why the company believes this fund could become their largest across the entire business. He walks through the SEC exemptive order that unlocks nonstop trading, how tokenization brings instant settlement that traditional recordkeeping cannot replicate, and why WisdomTree focuses on liquid assets like treasuries rather than illiquid real estate. The conversation covers WisdomTree Prime's retail app and WisdomTree Connect's institutional platform, potential partnerships with DeFi protocols, why Europe presents unique regulatory complexity and strong opportunity, and the two critical unlocks needed for tokenization to scale. This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:31) How WisdomTree defines tokenization as recordkeeping technology (04:16) Growth from $30M to $770M in tokenized assets within one year (06:13) Three use cases: stablecoin reserves, treasury management, and DeFi collateral (08:01) Talking to Aave and Morpho about integrating tokenized funds as collateral (09:17) Why its tokenized money market fund could become WisdomTree's largest fund overall (10:17) SEC approval for 24/7 trading and instant settlement: the big unlock (13:11) Why 24/7 trading only works with tokenized funds, not traditional infrastructure (16:02) DeFi and TradFi convergence: partnership not competition (18:28) Customer journey: wallet-first users, not brokerage account holders (27:42) Why liquid assets benefit more from tokenization than illiquid real estate ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Palmer Luckey Just Built a Bank for Crypto, AI and Defense | Diogo Mónica

Palmer Luckey Just Built a Bank for Crypto, AI and Defense | Diogo Mónica

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Diogo Mónica, general partner at Haun Ventures, executive chairman and co-founder of Anchorage Digital, and board member of Erebor. Diogo explains how stablecoins, tokenized equities, and generative finance are evolving and why Haun Ventures invested in Palmer Luckey's Erebor Bank, which received the first national bank charter under the second Trump administration. He walks through why Erebor raised $635 million in committed capital to serve AI, crypto, and defense, how OCC-chartered banks differ from fintech apps that operate through partner banks, and why getting a proper federal charter matters for building trust. The conversation covers the founding team's expertise spanning Oculus, Anduril, Circle, and compliance backgrounds, how Erebor secured its charter in under eight months, and why this marks a shift toward more crypto-friendly banking regulation. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:44) Why institutions are here but crypto tokens aren't going up (03:23) Generative finance: turning language directly into financial products with AI (05:31) Why Haun Ventures invested in Erebor, Palmer Luckey's new bank (09:10) How Erebor secured its OCC charter in under eight months (12:22) What an OCC charter means and why it matters for crypto banking (14:08) How Erebor differs from fintechs like Mercury that aren't actual banks (17:43) The future of banking: will new rails beat old incumbents (19:24) Building trust in crypto banking after historical de-banking experiences (21:07) The challenge of opening bank accounts with "crypto" in company names (22:07) Behind Erebor's founding team ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Why VC Consolidation Signals Crypto Maturation | Mason Nystrom & Daniel Marin

February 26, 2026

Why VC Consolidation Signals Crypto Maturation | Mason Nystrom & Daniel Marin

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Mason Nystrom, partner at Pantera Capital who hosts the Stateful podcast, and Daniel Marin, CEO of Nexus, about the state of crypto venture capital, the consolidation phase happening across markets, and what it takes to launch a blockchain in 2026. Mason explains why 2025 saw record venture dollars deployed into fewer deals, signaling maturation and companies finding product-market fit, while Daniel shares insights from building Nexus from a team of 10 to launching a specialized L1 blockchain focused on verifiable finance. They discuss how cycles of consolidation lead to expansion, why specialization beats general-purpose blockchains, the return to fundamentals with revenue-generating protocols, and how stablecoins and perpetual exchanges are driving the shift toward verifiable finance. The conversation covers Nexus' partnership with M0 for its native stablecoin, the future intersection of permissionless systems and walled gardens, what characterizes a winner in crypto, and final advice to think independently and build conviction during uncertain markets. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:27) Why 2025 was an era of consolidation with record VC dollars into fewer deals (03:20) Cycles of consolidation and expansion across crypto and AI markets (04:05) Pantera as investor in Nexus' Series A (04:39) What's changed for Nexus since raising: from 10 people to launching mainnet (05:47) Announcing Nexus Exchange and USDX stablecoin partnership with M0 (06:59) Return to fundamentals and revenue-generating protocols driving the market (09:16) Why specialization beats general-purpose blockchains (13:53) Verifiable finance and building purpose-built L1s for financial applications (21:39) How permissionless systems and walled gardens will coexist (28:13) What characterizes a winner in crypto: urgency and relentless building (32:15) Final advice: think independently and build conviction during uncertainty You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

How Stablecoins Can Export U.S. Capital Markets to the World | Nick van Eck

February 24, 2026

How Stablecoins Can Export U.S. Capital Markets to the World | Nick van Eck

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Nick van Eck, co-founder and CEO of Agora, about how the stablecoin infrastructure platform is building the financial fabric for enterprises to operate entirely onchain. Nick explains why Agora launched as a neutral horizontal player to serve enterprises beyond the USDT and USDC duopoly, and how the company's white-label model allows partners to launch branded stablecoins on top of AUSD - while sharing revenue and network effects. He walks through the waves of stablecoin adoption from crypto governance tokens to DeFi to emerging markets and why their adoption is already here due to stablecoins being 100 times better than local alternatives, and how Agora is solving payment workflows. The conversation covers how the Genius Act and Bridge acquisition accelerated Fortune 500 interest, why stablecoins export U.S. capital markets and stability to regions with high inflation and poor financial services. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:23) Why Nick started Agora to serve enterprises beyond the Tether-Circle duopoly (02:13) Competing in waves of adoption rather than directly challenging existing players (03:37) Focusing on net new markets: institutional assets, DeFi, and emerging markets (04:54) Solving entire payment workflows from treasury to cross-border disbursements (06:09) What keeps companies onchain? (08:42) Agora's white-label business model and revenue sharing with partners (12:46) Custody solutions for the next trillion dollars in stablecoins (18:26) Traditional businesses adopting stablecoins faster outside the US (19:44) Stablecoins as means for exporting U.S. capital markets to emerging markets (22:36) Fortune 500 focus and preparing for Genius Act implementation (23:16) Final advice: operate with integrity and play the long game ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Why Bitcoin-Backed Lending Will Reach $200 Billion | Sid Powell

February 19, 2026

Why Bitcoin-Backed Lending Will Reach $200 Billion | Sid Powell

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Sid Powell, co-founder and CEO of Maple Finance, about how its onchain asset management platform grew from $500 million to over $4 billion in AUM through disciplined risk management and institutional-grade lending infrastructure. Sid explains how Maple evolved from its original 2019 vision of tokenized bonds to becoming a direct lender serving prime brokers, asset managers, and trading firms, and why the platform pivoted multiple times to find product-market fit. He walks through the growth of syrupUSDC and syrupUSDT as yield-bearing stablecoins, why bitcoin remains the dominant collateral for institutional lending, and how Maple is bridging crypto-native institutions with traditional finance players. The conversation covers the future of tokenized securitization, native onchain issuance vs wrapped assets, why onchain lending could scale to hundreds of billions of dollars, and Sid's advice during down markets. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 01:25 – Why Sid launched Maple in 2019 and his banking background 02:44 – How Maple evolved from tokenized bonds to direct institutional lending 03:53 – Pivoting to institutional market makers during DeFi summer 05:28 – Launch of syrupUSDC and syrupUSDT as DeFi products for retail 06:41 – Traditional asset managers and banks engaging with crypto, despite long sales cycles 08:00 – How Maple manages risk and maintains 99%+ repayment rate through overcollateralization 10:08 – Why bitcoin dominates as collateral due to ETF adoption and deep derivatives markets 14:37 – Institutional demand driving Maple's growth from $500M to $4B in AUM 18:44 – Active asset management approach and institutional-grade compliance frameworks 22:18 – Future of tokenized securitization and CLO structures on blockchains 25:01 – Native onchain issuance vs wrapped tokenization and his cinema analogy 26:40 – Competing with Blackstone, and Apollo by riding the stablecoin technology wave 28:00 – Final advice: persist and build during down markets when others are leaving ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

Why Price Discovery Will Move Onchain Within 3 Years | Saeed Badreg

February 17, 2026

Why Price Discovery Will Move Onchain Within 3 Years | Saeed Badreg

In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Saeed Badreg, CEO of Wormhole Labs, about how the incubated Sunrise project helps asset issuers gain distribution and reach users across blockchains, with a particular focus on the Solana ecosystem. Saeed explains why the team built Sunrise as a turnkey solution for projects struggling to penetrate closed blockchain ecosystems, and how Wormhole's Native Token Transfer (NTT) framework enables assets to move across chains without wrapped tokens or fragmented liquidity. He walks through the difference between wrapped and native tokens, why provenance and trust matter more than marketing terminology, and how Sunrise launched with Monad's MON token, among others, to provide day-one liquidity on Solana. The conversation covers why global institutions are accelerating crypto adoption faster than expected, how countries are modeling regulatory frameworks after the US Genius Act and pending Clarity Act, when price discovery for major assets will move onchain, and Saeed's three-part framework for evaluating teams.This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Token Relations and the Talking Tokens podcast are doing, diving into founders’ journeys and startups building on Solana. Check out the accompanying newsletter on www.token-relations.com TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:49) What Sunrise is and how it helps asset issuers with distribution (02:40) Pain points preventing non-native tokens from creating great trading markets on other chains (03:00) What distribution means for asset issuers across blockchain ecosystems (04:08) Why Solana is hard to penetrate, despite being the second biggest blockchain (04:46) How Sunrise provides turnkey solutions for reaching Solana's user base and enabling free flow of capital (06:01) Why Wormhole cares about economic activity in crypto in aggregate (06:23) Wrapped versus native tokens and why provenance matters more than marketing speak (07:11) Who controls assets on different blockchains and trust in intermediaries (08:14) How Wormhole's Native Token Transfer framework works (09:38) Why liquidity fragmentation is the challenge for tokens bridging across chains (11:06) Sunrise solving distribution, go-to-market, and technical challenges (12:34) Monad's MON token as Sunrise's first major launch (14:21) Why centralized exchanges still dominate price discovery today (16:02) When liquidity onchain will compete with centralized venues (17:35) How Wormhole measures success and adoption (19:43) Regulatory environment improving and institutional adoption accelerating globally (21:58) Countries modeling crypto regulation after the US Genius Act (24:06) Building for volatility and focusing on 1-2 year product roadmaps (26:37) Wormhole's technology solving real problems for customers (28:44) Vision for assets, liquidity, and markets to move freely across ecosystems (30:52) Expansion plans for Sunrise beyond crypto to commodities, stocks, and RWAs (33:00) How Saeed's vision evolved since becoming CEO in 2023 (34:35) Surprising pace of global institutional adoption over the past year (36:20) What Saeed is focused on in 2026 (36:41) Timeline for price discovery moving onchain: within three years (38:15) Three-part framework for evaluating teams: technical soundness, go-to-market acumen, and understanding financial markets ESSENTIALS You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.

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