Money Is a Collective Choice | Ryne Saxe on Stablecoin Infrastructure, Currency Access and Building for Optimism

Most people didn't choose their currency. They inherited it. In this episode of Unblock'd, Dr. Jemma Green sits down with Ryne Saxe, Founder of Eco, to talk about what stablecoin infrastructure actually looks like at scale, why currency choice could be the most underpriced idea in crypto, and what it means to build toward optimism.Eco started as the first full-featured stablecoin neobank, backed by a16z, Founders Fund and Pantera Capital. After getting choked out of the US banking system, Ryne rebuilt the company from the ground up as infrastructure for stablecoins. Today Eco runs on Solana, routing stablecoins across chains for fintechs, issuers and institutions.In this episode, we discuss:How Eco built the first stablecoin neobank and why they shut it downThe technology they built but never got to useWhy stablecoin routing is the problem nobody talks aboutWhat $32 trillion in settled volume still gets wrongWhy institutions are moving faster than anyone knowsCurrency choice as a risk mitigator for emerging economiesWhat it means to build toward optimism when the system keeps saying noKey Quotes from the episode:"Money flows like fluid dynamics. If you give it the opportunity, it will choose the path of least resistance, lowest cost, fastest clearance." — Ryne Saxe"Money is a collective choice and clearly a lot of us are forced into the currency we chose at a young age because we live in a particular place." — Ryne Saxe"If you're an early crypto builder, you have an opportunity to build in a way that bends that outcome toward optimism." — Ryne SaxeAbout Ryne SaxeRyne Saxe is the founder and CEO of Eco, a stablecoin infrastructure company routing digital dollars across chains and markets at scale. Eco is backed by a16z, Founders Fund and Pantera Capital and is integrated with Solana, among other major chains. Before Eco's infrastructure pivot, Ryne built and launched the first full-featured stablecoin neobank in the US. He studied physics and law before going all in on crypto in 2018.Find Ryne: @rynesaxe on X | Learn more about Eco: eco.comABOUT Unblock'd:Unblock'd is hosted by Dr. Jemma Green, co-founder of Powerledger and one of the leading voices at the intersection of energy, blockchain and Web3. Each episode goes deep with the builders, founders and thinkers shaping the decentralised future.....................................................................................................................................For more information on Dr. Jemma GreenVisit: https://www.powerledger.io/Or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jemmagreen/