It's Not Stablecoins vs. Banks. It's Stablecoins With Banks. w/ Kirill Gertman (Conduit)

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, host Chuk Okpalugo sits down with Kirill Gertman, co-founder and CEO of Conduit, the cross-border payments orchestrator building stablecoin infrastructure across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.They unpack why the stablecoin sandwich is actually a "spaghetti-filled taco" — where chain selection, local rail access, and geography-specific liquidity make cross-border payments far messier than the narrative suggests — how non-USD stablecoins only work when "designed to move, not to hold," and why the winners won't be banks or crypto companies alone, but the T-shaped players who specialize deeply and stay open to everyone else.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 The stablecoin sandwich is actually a spaghetti-filled taco03:21 "Within 10 years, vast majority of cross-border will be blockchain-based"08:58 What Conduit actually does: orchestration across LatAm, Africa, and SE Asia12:05 Bottom-up adoption: individuals hedging, then SMEs, then enterprise18:52 The K-shaped market: enterprise buyers on one end, vibe coders on the other20:26 "The UI is super nice… but the money doesn't move": compliance as the real bottleneck27:28 Three unsolved problems: trade finance, identity, and AI deepfake fraud37:20 Why a stablecoin skeptic changed his mind on non-USD stablecoins42:00 The BBRL walkthrough: fiat → mint → on-chain swap → off-ramp in seconds49:12 Don't build your own chain: why banks should be T-shaped, not vertically integratedConnect 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.xyzKirill Gertman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirillgertman/ | https://x.com/kirillgertman | https://conduitpay.comAbout 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.