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.
Why Getting Money Into Blockchains Is Still Broken | Dan Mottice
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Bitcoin to $1,000,000 by 2030? | Muneeb Ali
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
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.
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
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.