Why you should take stablecoins seriously with Coinbase Singapore Country Director Hassan Ahmed

This special episode, recorded live at the Insignia Ventures Partners office at the Singapore Exchange Centre in Singapore with VP of Strategic Development and Operations Allen Chng, explores a question that feels increasingly urgent: if money is becoming more digitally-native, what happens to the systems built for an earlier era? Drawing on Hassan Ahmed’s experience across traditional finance, fintech, and now Coinbase Singapore, the conversation unpacks why stablecoins are gaining traction, why Singapore matters in that shift, and where new opportunities may emerge for builders and investors.TranscriptTimestamps(02:15) Three Generations of Money(05:47) Stablecoins and Wall Street(11:10) The Role of Singapore for Coinbase in Asia(15:11) Agent Payments and Coinbase's X402(19:01) Builder Risks and Stablecoin Rules(22:56) Future of Payments: Agentic Commerce, Local Stablecoins(26:28) Unbanked to Unbrokered: The Next Big Fintech Innovation Wave(28:37) Outlook for Builders and InvestorsAbout our guestHassan Ahmed is the CEO and Country Director for Coinbase Singapore. Based in Singapore, he leads Coinbase’s operations and strategy in the Southeast Asia region, focusing on expanding the platform’s presence, fostering partnerships, and supporting the local developer ecosystem. Before joining Coinbase, Hassan served as CEO of Coins.ph, a major crypto brokerage in the Philippines, and Head of Strategy for GoPay in Indonesia under GoTo Group. He also held roles in New York, including at eToro USA as Director of Finance & Operations, Venmo as the Head of Business Operations, and Merrill Lynch as the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. Hassan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.Directed by Paulo JoquiñoProduced by Paulo JoquiñoFollow us on LinkedIn for more updatesThe content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund. Any and all opinions shared in this episode are solely personal thoughts and reflections of the guest and the host.