
How Avalanche Approaches Scaling, Tokenization & Institutional Growth | John Nahas
In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with John Nahas, Chief Business Officer at Ava Labs. John discusses Avalanche’s approach to scaling through purpose-built L1s, how dedicated infrastructure supports institutional and enterprise adoption, and why many organizations are shifting toward onchain-first products. The conversation explores Avalanche’s burn-based token model, the role of instant finality in real-world asset tokenization, and how stablecoin clarity is shaping global strategies heading into 2026. John also breaks down regional differences across Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S., and shares insights on Avalanche’s priorities for users, transactions, and L1 distribution.This episode is sponsored by Forgd. Thousands of Web3 projects leverage Forgd’s free tools to design smarter tokenomics, engage market makers on fair terms, plan listings strategically, and monitor liquidity after launch. Start using the Forgd platform for free, or sign up for white-glove advisory services, at Forgd.com Timestamps (00:00) - Why the industry still struggles with token purpose (01:00) - John Nahas returns to the show (02:11) - Avalanche’s approach vs Ethereum and Solana (03:30) - Why the industry lacks clear onchain applications (04:52) - Purpose-built L1s and long-term scalability (06:24) - How Avalanche’s many L1s work together (08:16) - What early assumptions about “everyone needing a chain” got wrong (11:59) - How Avalanche handles shifting market narratives (15:26) - AVAX burn mechanism and value accrual (18:02) - Tokenization momentum and institutional partnerships (23:56) - Stablecoin clarity and 2026 adoption trends (35:25) - Avalanche’s top priorities: users, assets, transactions (37:01) - Strengthening Avalanche’s identity and narrative Essentials You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcast: 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 Talking Tokens: https://www.instagram.com/_talkingtokens/ Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.
How Avalanche Approaches Scaling, Tokenization & Institutional Growth | John Nahas
Subscribe & Listen
How Harmonic Solved Solana's Biggest Problem | Ben Coverston
Monad’s Airdrop Strategy Explained | Eunice Giarta
More from Talking Tokens

Inside PayPal’s Bet on Stablecoins | May Zabaneh
In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with May Zabaneh, SVP and GM of Crypto at PayPal, about why today’s payment systems still suffer from hidden inefficiencies and how stablecoins are emerging as the next layer of financial infrastructure. May explains that while payments today work, they remain slow, costly, and fragmented especially across borders. She breaks down how stablecoins enable faster, cheaper, and more flexible global transactions, and why their real impact may come not from user-facing products, but backend rails powering money movement. The conversation explores what “programmable money” actually means, how agent-driven commerce could automate transactions, and why simplicity and trust are the biggest barriers to adoption. Maye also shares where stablecoins are already working at scale, from peer-to-peer payments to global payouts and how businesses benefit from faster settlement and improved capital efficiency. They also discuss generational shifts in crypto adoption, the role of stablecoins in emerging markets, and why access to stable currency is becoming increasingly important globally. The episode closes with how PayPal is approaching the space differently: focusing on PYUSD distribution, real-world usage, and integrating stablecoins into everyday financial systems. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Introduction (02:13) PayPal’s Hidden Advantage in Crypto (04:38) Payments Are “Easy”… But Still Messy (07:34) The Real Stablecoin Unlock: Cross-Border Efficiency (10:49) Paypal’s outlook on Stablecoins (13:21) Forgd Ad (13:46) The Inflection Point With: Programmable Money (15:54) The First Real Use Case of Agents + Payments (20:57) The Trust Barrier (And How It Breaks) (24:59) The Business Case For: Margins, Speed, and Survival (26:49) The Endgame: Invisible Financial Infrastructure (28:02) PayPal vs The Broader Stablecoin Market 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 Crypto Token Launches Are Broken and How to Fix Them | Shane Molidor
In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Shane Molidor, founder and CEO of Forgd, about why token launches keep failing and what it would actually take to fix them. Shane, who previously led trading desks at Gemini, AscendEX, and FBG Capital before founding Forgd, explains why the structural gaps that bull markets used to hide are now fully exposed, and why founders, VCs, and public sale participants are all down bad as a result. He breaks down how IPOs are engineered with book building and underwriters while crypto launches rely on hope, retail speculation, and market makers that overpromise and underdeliver.He walks through how Forgd's free-to-use benchmarking tool tracks over 600 market maker engagements across 35+ desks, why data-driven RFQs are replacing voice brokerage, and how the exchange listing decision between Binance and OKEx can meaningfully change the shape of a token's chart. The conversation covers why institutional demand for new launches is near zero, why active market making is a glorified pump and dump, and what a fundamental shift to fundraising and book building would actually look like. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:06) State of token launches four months after crypto’s all-time highs (02:03) Structural gaps bull markets hide: who is getting hurt and how (05:23) Why IPOs are engineered and crypto launches are improvised (06:56) Should crypto adopt IPO-style book building and will it happen (08:41) Is now a good time to launch a token? The double-edged sword argument (10:27) Tools Forgd is seeing increased demand for right now (12:30) How Forgd’s benchmarking tool works: 600 engagements, 35+ market makers (15:43) How reputation plays into market maker selection and what changes it (17:46) Why data-driven RFQs are replacing legacy voice brokerage (21:39) Why Shane built Forgd after running a trading desk and seeing the gap firsthand (26:51) Top performing market makers on the leaderboard right now (29:35) How founders say the historical data has changed their decision making (30:43) Forgd’s 2026 roadmap: exchange listing tools, tokenomics simulations, and AI (33:40) Exchange listing strategy: what the data says about Binance vs OKEx vs Coinbase (39:30) How institutional demand for new launches has collapsed and what teams are doing instead (42:22) What the actual solution looks like: rethinking fundraising and book building (44:57) Final advice: use data, not gut instinct, when selecting market makersEpisodes air every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X and more. For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ And follow us on X: Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations This podcast is built by Token Relations. Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

Most RWAs Are Built Wrong | Ayyan Rahman
In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Ayyan Rahman, co-founder and chief growth officer at OnRe, about why most real-world asset (RWA) projects in crypto are fundamentally misaligned with how DeFi actually works.Ayyan explains that tokenization alone isn’t enough and that many RWAs today function more like repackaged traditional finance than truly composable on-chain assets. He breaks down why this creates a risk of “Wall Street exit liquidity,” and what it actually takes to build an asset that integrates properly into DeFi systems.The conversation explores why reinsurance offers a unique source of uncorrelated yield, how tokenization can unlock more efficient capital scaling, and why liquidity, redemption mechanics, and risk modeling need to be rethought for on-chain markets.They also discuss the impact of Drift Protocol’s exploit on market confidence, what stress reveals about DeFi systems, why the idea of “risk-free yield” is flawed, and how institutional capital is evaluating onchain opportunities. The episode closes with a broader look at where crypto is heading from speculative markets toward more structured, resilient financial systems built around real assets.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 https://www.token-relations.com/investor-updates/all?network=Solana TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction00:32 The Tokenization Illusion01:59 Tokenization vs Reality03:15 Why Reinsurance Actually Matters06:22 The Real Unlock: Scaling Capital09:05 Building a DeFi-Compatible Asset12:14 What Breaks DeFi Under Stress17:13 The Question That Actually Matters22:07 Redefining Risk in DeFi23:49 The Yield Trap29:06 Best Gameplan for Growth36:37 Where Adoption Actually Comes FromEpisodes air every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X and more.For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ And follow us on X: Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Token Relations: https://twitter.com/Token_Relations This podcast is built by Token Relations.Please note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.