Ethereum ETFs, Tokenization & The Future of Digital Treasuries | Joseph Chalom

On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sits down with Joseph Chalom, CEO of SharpLink and former Head of Digital Assets at BlackRock.Joseph shares how he went from leading BlackRock’s digital asset strategy to running one of the first publicly listed digital asset treasuries on Nasdaq. He explains what inspired him to leave BlackRock after 20 years, how institutional demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum has evolved and what makes a good DAT. They dive deep into Ethereum’s role as the global settlement layer for finance, why tokenization is the next major market structure shift, and how SharpLink’s treasury model creates exposure to Ethereum, while actively managing yield through staking and DeFi. Joseph also discusses regulation, market cycles, tokenized equities, and the growing interest from Asia-based institutions.

Timestamps

(00:00) - Intro (01:06) - Life after 20 years at BlackRock & how his role at SharpLink began (02:47) - Building BlackRock’s digital asset division and early learnings (04:28) - Why institutional adoption took time: regulation & infrastructure gaps (05:53) - ETF demand, client-first strategy & product-market fit for crypto (07:55) - Who’s really driving today’s crypto markets: investors vs traders (09:11) - Why Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins dominate institutional portfolios (10:39) - Ethereum as the programmable settlement layer for global finance (12:19) - Stablecoins, tokenization & the trillion-dollar opportunity ahead (13:24) - Institutions entering DeFi and why the rails are shifting fast (14:09) - What Ethereum’s consistency, security & liquidity mean for investors (15:25) - Tokenization: which assets should actually move onchain (17:00) - How stablecoins threaten bank margins but benefit the U.S. economy (18:34) - Treasury management & the opportunity for onchain balance sheets (19:34) - SharpLink’s mission: institutional access to Ethereum exposure (21:12) - Turning ETH into a productive asset through staking and DeFi (23:03) - Building an institutional team with trust & long-term credibility (25:22) - Market cycles, ETH accumulation & thesis-driven treasury strategy (27:48) - Managing a Nasdaq-listed crypto company responsibly (30:12) - Lessons from BlackRock: transparency, controls & investor trust (32:58) - The rise of other digital asset treasuries & what sets SharpLink apart (35:03) - Global expansion: insights from Korea, Singapore & Hong Kong (38:15) - How Asia’s retail energy outpaces Europe’s institutional caution (41:10) - What he learned from 70+ investor meetings across four continents (43:03) - Why DeFi collaboration matters more than competition (45:09) - Final advice: play the long game, manage risk, and lead with integrity

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