Talking Tokenization: Why Every Internet Company Must Tokenize in 2026 | Yat Siu
In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands, to discuss why he believes altcoins will outperform bitcoin, how tokenization will reshape global markets, and why Animoca is preparing to go public through a reverse merger. Yat explains why he thinks utility tokens are entering a new era, how regulatory clarity will unlock mass tokenization, and why memecoins emerged from regulatory arbitrage. He also breaks down Animoca’s strategy as one of the largest investors in web3, the logic behind owning liquid tokens, why gaming hasn’t yet translated to token performance, and how investor relations is forming in crypto. The conversation also explores DAOs, consolidation of crypto IPOs, his experience on the ground with institutions in the US, Europe and Asia, and why Gen Z treats trading as entertainment. Yat closes with long-term market outlooks for 2026 and personal advice for surviving the volatility of crypto.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 (00:53) – Yat on market evolution across 620 portfolio companies (01:40) – Institutional era of crypto and why Animoca is preparing to go public (02:58) – Bitcoin’s macro correlation and institutional support (03:53) – Regulatory clarity in 2026 and the coming tokenization wave (04:33) – Utility tokens absorbing memecoin culture and why the memecoin era is ending (07:19) – Why Animoca now buys undervalued liquid tokens over early-stage deals (08:54) – Real revenue from small gaming projects & token utility reconnecting value (10:22) – How funds now evaluate tokens beyond momentum trading (13:10) – Good products ≠ good tokens: investor relations challenges (16:01) – DAOs aren’t built to run like public companies — consolidation ahead (18:36) – Liquidation risks, Bitcoin DAOs, and tokenized asset buyouts (20:00) – Every major token needing a DAO or ETP for institutional access (24:02) – Animoca’s reverse merger and improving public investor access (27:07) – Altcoins as crypto’s growth engine and unlocking real utility (29:03) – Crypto today = early internet: funds miss upside (31:00) – Ethereum, Solana, and the value they don’t capture (33:47) – Making private web3 exposure available to public investors (37:00) – Regional institutional demand: US vs Europe vs Asia (42:05) – Trump, volatility, and shifting capital pools in tokens and prediction markets (45:14) – Finance as entertainment: Gen Z’s gamified investing mindset (46:42) – 2026 outlook: political stability and institutional flows (51:01) – Yat’s long-game advice: don’t overleverage, know your edge 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/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us on XJacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinekTalking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on InstagramTalking 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.
Talking Tokenization: Why Every Internet Company Must Tokenize in 2026 | Yat Siu
Subscribe & Listen
How Solmate Is Merging Treasury Scale with Real Infrastructure | Marco Santori
Why DeFi Needs Onchain Prime Brokerage | MacBrennan Peet
More from Talking Tokens
Why Public Markets Are About to Move Onchain | Michael Tannenbaum
In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Michael Tannenbaum, CEO of Figure, about how the company processes over $1 billion in mortgages monthly and why it went public in 2025. Michael, who was first employee at Brex and chief revenue officer at SoFi before joining Figure in 2024, explains why the company tokenized its own stock first to prove the model works before approaching other issuers. He walks through Figure's 100% year-over-year growth with 50% margins by using blockchain tech to cut mortgage origination costs, why tokenization is now part of the buying criteria for capital markets, and the difference between creating liquidity versus just tokenizing assets. The conversation covers the Provenance blockchain, OPEN launch and demand, its DeFi marketplace, and why private credit needs institutional owners for long-term assets rather than retail investors. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:17) Career path: SoFi chief revenue officer, first employee at Brex, now Figure CEO (03:21) Why Michael bet on Brex (05:09) Reconnecting with Mike Cagney on Figure (08:41) His framework for building through crypto and fintech cycles (10:34) Figure's IPO timing and being publicly traded while building onchain markets (15:56) Why Figure tokenized its own stock first before approaching other companies (18:35) Liquidity in tokenization: just because you tokenize doesn't mean it's liquid (22:00) Launching with Figure’s own inventory to avoid guinea pig problem (23:26) What it means to have “hair on fire” problems (25:37) When to emphasize blockchain benefits versus meeting skeptics where they are (27:26) Breaking the rule of 40: 100% growth with 50% margins using blockchain technology (28:27) Revenue growth: 100% year-over-year across mortgages, stablecoins, and DeFi marketplace (33:11) Capital markets highway thesis: blockchain infrastructure not SaaS as next fintech model (46:26) Watching private credit nervousness around retail investor redemptions 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.
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.
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.