From the Federal Reserve to Circle: What Most People Are Getting Wrong About Onchain Finance | Gordon Liao
On today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Gordon Liao, Chief Economist and Head of Research at Circle, to talk about why traditional financial plumbing is still the biggest bottleneck in money movement globally. We discuss Arc, Circle's new institutional blockchain, which is being built from the ground up to handle everything from agentic nano payments to quantum-resistant encryption. Gordon believes that Arc being quantum-ready from day one isn't just a nice-to-have but a decision that could define whether the network and its users survives the next decade of security threats. Gordon also breaks down the three things he thinks the market is underestimating right now and how 99.5% of x402 payment protocol volume is already running through Circle’s USDC.
TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to Gordon and His Background 02:45 The Future of Onchain Finance 05:56 USDC and Its Market Position 08:54 Agentic Commerce and AI Integration 11:57 The Launch of Arc and Its Vision 15:00 Challenges in Blockchain Adoption 17:55 Privacy and Security in Blockchain 20:57 Quantum Computing and Its Implications 24:10 Market Perspectives and Economic Insights 30:02 Final Thoughts and Advice 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.
From the Federal Reserve to Circle: What Most People Are Getting Wrong About Onchain Finance | Gordon Liao
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Is OUSD Really Just Stripe's Stablecoin? | Alex Beaudry, Strata Research
On this edition of Strata Research, Jacquelyn sits down with our Institutional Research Analyst Alex Beaudry to dig into the OUSD announcement that resulted in Circle's stock dropping and had the crypto world convinced a new stablecoin competitor had arrived. After looking into the details, Alex argues this is just Stripe's stablecoin wrapped in a consortium for competitive cover, then he walks through why the 140 company list is largely a marketing move before getting into which of the two paths to success for OUSD he actually thinks will play out. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction to OUSD and Its Impact 02:46 The Role of Stripe in OUSD 05:33 The Consortium of 140 Companies 08:00 Market Dynamics and Competition 10:15 Investor Reactions and Market Implications 13:20 Paths to Success for OUSD Check out the associated Strata Research report for more details: https://www.token-relations.com/p/who-really-owns-ousd 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.
Binance Founder CZ on what it took to build the world's largest crypto exchange and stay #1
On today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with CZ, founder and former CEO of Binance, on the exchange's ninth anniversary to talk about what he got right, what he missed, and why he thinks AI handling payments in crypto is coming within months, not years. CZ breaks down why he once thought stablecoins were a temporary patch job, how he sees blockchain technology as one of three foundational technologies alongside the internet and AI, and why crypto wealth penetration is still well under 1%. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 AI, Crypto, and the Future of Payments 00:33 Building Binance in 2017 and Moving Faster 03:44 How Binance Reached the Top 05:48 Building a Community-Driven Platform 08:27 Creating Products People Return To 10:31 Crypto as Foundational Technology 11:33 Where AI and Crypto Intersect 14:26 Using AI as a Productivity Tool 18:37 The Next Opportunities in Crypto 21:21 Building at the Intersection of Skills and Value 21:53 The Future of Traditional and On-Chain Finance 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 Franklin Templeton Has Been Eyeing Tokenization for a Decade and What Comes After Money Funds | Roger Bayston
On today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Roger Bayston, Head of Digital Assets at Franklin Templeton, to discuss his 35-year journey at the firm and how tokenization became the focal point to his career there today. Roger breaks down how he sees blockchain less as a new financial system and more as a long overdue infrastructure replacement, why BENJI’s ability to transfer and accrue interest in real time is a bigger deal than it sounds, and why investors should stop sleeping on a specific asset class with $25 to $30 trillion in activity. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction to Tokenization and Franklin Templeton 03:02 Roger Bayston's Journey in Finance 05:45 The Vision for Tokenization in Asset Management 09:11 State of Tokenization Today 11:46 The Evolution of BENJI and Its Impact 15:01 Future Outlook for Tokenization 17:57 The Integration of Traditional Finance and Blockchain 21:05 The Future of Investment Products 21:59 Resurrecting SPVs and Trust in Finance 25:07 Building Trust in Digital Assets 28:21 Institutional Interest in Blockchain 30:46 Investing in Networks and Blockchain Opportunities 33:45 Tokenization and New Asset Classes 39:31 The Future of Banking and Tokenization 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.