
Why MoneyGram Built Its Own Stablecoin Instead of Using Someone Else's | Anthony Soohoo, MoneyGram
On today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with MoneyGram CEO Anthony Soohoo to talk about MGUSD, the company's new dollar-backed stablecoin built on Stellar with help from Bridge, Fireblocks, and M0.
Anthony explores why launching MoneyGram decided to have its own stablecoin and breaks down how its 60 million active customers and nearly 500,000 retail locations across 200 countries play a role in it. Jacquelyn and Anthony also discuss why the real winners in this space might be the ones who make stablecoins disappear into the background entirely and how the asset can have a dual role in finance.
TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to MGUSD and MoneyGram's Vision 03:04 The Complexity of Cross-Border Payments 06:31 Leveraging Existing Infrastructure for Adoption 10:15 The Role of Cash in a Digital Future 12:35 Stablecoins as a Preferred Payment Method 14:09 Self-Custody and User Education 18:22 The Future of Stablecoins and Consumer Adoption 21:33 Navigating Regional Differences in Adoption 24:07 Stablecoins vs. Traditional Banking 25:52 Choosing the Right Partners for MGUSD 28:40 The Dual Role of Stablecoins in Finance 31:21 Lessons from the Crypto Industry 34:51 Advice for Success in the Financial Space
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 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _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 MoneyGram Built Its Own Stablecoin Instead of Using Someone Else's | Anthony Soohoo, MoneyGram
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Why Crypto Has a Brain Drain Problem | Dom & Phil Kwok
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Why Tokenized Equities Need Another BlackRock Moment and Who Could Trigger It | Suzy Singh, Securitize
On today's Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn sits down with Suzy Singh, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Securitize, to pull back the curtain on what institutional tokenization interest looks like day to day. Suzy outlines why everything you're seeing announced publicly has been in the works for six to twenty-four months behind the scenes, then breaks down why Securitize tokenized its own equity on day one of going public. Then Suzy gets into what its recent Cantor Fitzgerald partnership is really trying to unlock for blockchain-based IPOs, and why she thinks the next major wave of adoption in this space isn't going to come from institutions. TIMESTAMPS: 0:01 What tokenization means and why it matters 01:03 Why more institutions are talking about tokenization 03:25 Where demand is coming from across financial firms 05:28 The long timeline from first conversation to launch 09:11 How going public changed Securitize’s credibility 14:20 Why issuer-sponsored tokenized equities matter 19:56 IPOs, retail adoption, and the future of onchain markets You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _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 Anchorage Is Becoming the Infrastructure Layer for All of TradFi | Nathan McCauley & Kevin Wysocki
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