Why Fintechs May Finally Beat Banks at Their Own Game: DEX in the City episode artwork

EPISODE · May 26, 2026 · 51 MIN

Why Fintechs May Finally Beat Banks at Their Own Game: DEX in the City

from Unchained · host Laura Shin

Banks are about to lose two of their biggest advantages: custody and payments. A new White House EO opening Fed master accounts to fintechs could be the catalyst. Thanks to our sponsor! Coinbase One Get 20% off the first year of your Coinbase One annual plan ⁠⁠coinbase.com/unchained⁠⁠ A White House executive order is pushing the Fed to open its master account system to fintechs and crypto firms, and the implications are bigger than most people realize. Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, Jessi Brooks, and Vy Le trace what it would mean to plug crypto directly into the core plumbing of the US dollar system, why traditional banks should be furious, and where the guardrails are missing. They also dig into the NYT’s scathing CFTC piece and whether the snark undermines the serious allegations. Plus the SEC's delayed innovation exemption, Commissioner Hester Peirce's departure, and the White House AI EO that collapsed in eighteen hours. Jessi maps the four White House factions fighting over AI governance, and argues crypto's "don't trust, verify" model is exactly the accountability layer AI needs. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at StarkWare. Previously held senior legal roles across DeFi and centralized exchanges. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessi Brooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TuongVy Le⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at Veda Timestamps 🏛️ 01:12 Could crypto firms get direct access to the Fed’s payment plumbing? 🏦 07:37 Why traditional banks stand to lose their two biggest advantages ⚖️ 15:57 The prediction market litigation war: Rhode Island, Congress, and the NYT’s CFTC exposé 🔍 30:52 Is leveling the playing field for retail the best case for prediction markets? 📣 32:15 Coinbase: Get 20% off the first year of your Coinbase One annual plan at https://coinbase.com/unchained ⚠️ 35:37 Commissioner Peirce is leaving the SEC. Who fills that role? 🤖 40:14 The AI EO that vanished: four White House factions and what crypto can teach them 🦕 48:06 Good news: the biggest sea creature ever found, and what it says about perspective Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 26, 2026

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Why Fintechs May Finally Beat Banks at Their Own Game: DEX in the City

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