339: Global Settlement’s Ryan Kirkley on Interoperability, CBDCs, and Why Stablecoins Aren’t Enough

Ryan Kirkley has been building in crypto since 2013—across protocol development and regulatory compliance. In this episode, we go deep on why true asset ownership is still broken in today’s financial system, why stablecoins aren’t a long-term solution for global commerce, and how Global Settlement Network is approaching interoperability by upgrading existing infrastructure instead of trying to replace it.Key timestamps[00:00:00] Intro: Global Settlement Network + what we cover[00:01:00] Ryan’s journey: crypto since 2013 + compliance background[00:03:00] The thesis: interoperability + regulatory realities[00:04:00] What the financial system lacks: real asset ownership[00:05:00] Why stablecoins aren’t enough globally: autonomy + FX frictions [00:07:00] Primary customers: governments, banks, commodity groups [00:09:00] Why they win deals: regulatory fluency + “upgrade, not replace” [00:10:00] Privacy + compliance: sidechains + ZK rolldowns + vault model [00:12:00] What’s live: tokenization studio + volume metrics + testnet [00:14:00] 2025 trend: fragmentation; 2026 trend: interoperability + consolidation [00:16:00] Regions: HK/Singapore momentum; biggest adoption potential in Africa [00:18:00] USD outlook: slow multipolar shift, not overnight collapse [00:23:00] 12-month roadmap: public testnet, stablecoin studio, TGE window [00:28:00] Ask: partnerships + top engineering talentConnecthttps://globalsettlement.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/globalsettlement/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankirkley/DisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. It would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Get featuredBe a guest on the podcast or contact us – https://www.web3pod.xyz/