Going Global Means Going Local w/ Irina Chuchkina (Wallet in Telegram)

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, host Chuk Okpalugo sits down with Irina Chuchkina, Chief Growth Officer at Wallet in Telegram, the only wallet natively integrated into a billion-user messenger, and a 20-year payments veteran who launched GrabPay across eight countries in Southeast Asia.They unpack why "distribution is an outcome, not a strategy" when scaling crypto products globally, how running custodial and self-custodial wallets simultaneously works as a coverage strategy for 150 million users, and why the winner of the stablecoin race won't be the next issuer but the infrastructure that makes hundreds of national stablecoins interoperable.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Why distribution is an outcome, not a strategy03:44 Connecting the dots: a user in Thailand and a user in Mexico05:30 Telegram isn't a messenger, it's an economy10:31 "People wake up with it and go to bed with it"13:54 From simple bot to financial platform: tokenized stocks from $121:38 Maslow's hierarchy of financial needs24:35 Two wallets, one app: custodial vs. self-custodial as a go-to-market decision30:10 The Gift Fest playbook: 2M daily players, 1M new wallet users33:38 Tether partnerships and watching what Binance does38:44 Non-USD stablecoins: "every country will have a national stablecoin"41:24 The real winner won't be an issuer43:38 Where to find Irina and Wallet in TelegramConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chukxyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzIrina Chuchkina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinachuchkina/ | https://x.com/pogodasuper | https://x.com/wallettgAbout StableconStablecon (https://stablecon.com/) is the premier gathering for those at the intersection of DeFi, economic policy, financial infrastructure, and institutional integration, and those reinventing global commerce. By convening the brightest minds in fintech and crypto, Stablecon provides attendees with world class thought leadership and fosters unparalleled networking and strategic collaboration across the digital payments industry. Whether you're building, advising, or navigating this new frontier, this is the room where it happens.About BVNKBVNK is the leading provider of stablecoin payments infrastructure, helping businesses move money faster, settle globally, and even launch their own stablecoin products. Head to https://bvnk.com/ to learn more.