Money Code

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo sits down with Ben Milne, founder and CEO of Brale and founder of Dwolla, to talk about the stablecoin shift hiding inside payments P&Ls.Ben explains why issuance becoming "a non event" changes who can compete, how prefunding can turn stablecoins into a balance-sheet tool, and why payments companies may need to stop monetizing money movement and start building higher-margin services on top.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Why stablecoin issuance changes banking strategy01:14 From credit card fees to payment infrastructure02:31 Brale's pitch: issue a stablecoin in a minute03:58 From $100M to $1: issuance becomes a non-event05:45 The four markets pulling stablecoins forward07:57 Prefunding: the hidden P&L lever in payments10:01 Capital efficiency changes who can compete12:49 "There is no basis point" in internet payments14:33 Bank cores, protocols, and better financial infrastructure18:21 Regulation gives banks permission to move22:14 Why bank pilots now take weeks, not years25:49 Non-USD stablecoins need local distribution29:01 Where to find Ben and BraleConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | https://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzBen Milne: https://x.com/bpmilne | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bpmilne/ | https://benmilne.com | https://brale.xyzAbout 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.

In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Ryan Bozarth, co-founder and CEO of Dakota, to unpack how Dakota went from building its own neobank to selling the regulated infrastructure layer behind the next generation of stablecoin-native fintechs.They dig into why building a neobank has shifted from a 12-18 month, multimillion-dollar project to something teams can test in weeks, and why the next bottleneck is domain expertise, distribution, and knowing which underserved market is worth building for.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Dakota's path from neobank to infrastructure01:18 What "neobank" means on stablecoin rails03:39 The new build math: weeks, not years05:48 Community banking comes back through niches08:28 Global rails, niche markets, and real experiments10:47 Dakota's earned pain: onboarding and compliance as code13:45 AI-native builders and marketplace distribution17:48 When the neobank becomes a feature21:57 Distribution is still the hard part27:42 GENIUS, PACE, and the payment-institution lane31:29 Why non-bank payments companies could win34:49 Banks have to choose their game37:15 Who benefits from the regulatory shift41:33 Money becomes code44:45 The offline niches nobody on crypto Twitter sees46:00 Where to find Ryan and DakotaConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chukxyz/ | https://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzRyan Bozarth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanbozarth | https://x.com/ryanbozarthDakota: https://dakota.xyz | https://x.com/dakotaxyzAbout 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Amir Sarhangi, CEO and co-founder of Skyfire and former Ripple VP of Product, building the identity layer that lets AI agents transact on the existing web.They unpack why payments is the easy step in agentic commerce, how Skyfire's KYA token threads the existing web security stack instead of replacing it, and why "anonymous is not a good thing" in the world of AI.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Access, login, checkout: the three problems agents must clear02:32 The Bose headphones demo: what actually breaks for agents06:04 KYA: binding human, agent, and enterprise into one token08:07 Three layers an agent must clear: bot detection, fraud, login10:35 "Agentic commerce has been happening. It's just been illegal."14:11 Why Skyfire pivoted from anonymous crypto payments to identity21:30 Experian's trust score: credit reporting for agents24:39 Bank logins and the enterprise access problem27:50 The Plaid analog for long-tail bank access30:30 Same KYA token, three architectures: web, MCP, agent-to-agent35:37 Three adoption phases and OpenAI's buy-button problem41:04 The white space: vertical execution layers43:37 Where to find Amir and SkyfireConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | https://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzAmir Sarhangi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asarhangi/ | https://x.com/amirsarhangi | https://x.com/trySkyfire | https://skyfire.xyzAbout 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Anthony Soohoo, Chairman and CEO of MoneyGram, who joined the company to refound its 85-year-old network for the stablecoin and AI era.They unpack how MoneyGram's network of 500,000 retail locations across 200 countries is becoming an API layer for stablecoins, why "cash is our inventory" reframes treasury for the blockchain era, and why building this kind of regulated footprint takes "three or four decades" to map the world.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Refounding MoneyGram: thinking like a founder at 8505:30 "Stablecoin is the killer app for crypto"09:18 500,000 retail locations: Starbucks, McDonald's, Subway combined14:19 Cash is our inventory: turning T+N settlement into 24/718:57 The switchboard in the middle: stablecoin as another currency21:29 Programmable money needs a programmable network23:10 The Kraken off-ramp: stablecoins to cash in 100 countries26:10 Why easier off-ramps make stablecoins worth more30:33 The licensing moat: three or four decades to map the world33:35 "You can't Claude code 500,000 retail locations"39:50 AI magnifies dysfunction: fix the org first45:30 From closed to open: what MoneyGram does next47:50 Where to find Anthony and MoneyGramConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzAnthony Soohoo: https://x.com/anthonysoohoo | https://x.com/MoneyGram | https://www.moneygram.com | https://www.moneygram.com/us/en/rampsAbout 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.

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.

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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Davi Strazza, Chief Business Officer at Lightspark, an 11-year Adyen veteran who helped grow the company from $30B to over $1.3T in payments volume before joining a 50-person startup building on Bitcoin rails.They unpack why Davi believes the moment to rebuild payments infrastructure from first principles is now, how Lightspark uses Bitcoin as an invisible transport layer to move money across 65 countries, and why crypto will never reach the scale it deserves unless it becomes as easy as tapping a card.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Why leave $1.3T in payments for a 50-person startup?02:44 Three problem spaces, one infrastructure play05:55 The Bitcoin sandwich: fiat in, crypto transport, fiat out09:41 "Bitcoin is volatile" — why sub-second settlement changes the math12:39 The import-exporter who flies cash on planes17:02 B2B is the bigger prize: treasury, payroll, creator payouts21:39 "The plumbing is necessary — it's just not sufficient"26:47 Are we innovating in the right place?30:38 Adyen lessons: education is the go-to-market bottleneck34:35 The Frankenstein problem: why global expansion is cultural38:37 Agentic payments: infrastructure is ahead of product44:40 Fintech is 1% built — where does all the money go?Connect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzDavi Strazza: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davistrazza/ | https://x.com/davistrazzaAbout 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Erik Reppel, Head of Engineering for Coinbase's Developer Platform and the creator of x402 — the open payment protocol that just joined the Linux Foundation with Google, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, AWS, and Cloudflare as founding members.They unpack why Erik designed x402 to capture zero value, how "the wallet is a universal API key" that eliminates sign-up friction for a new class of non-technical builders, and what the "agentic premium" means for companies leaving money on the table with free tiers.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 The Foundation: "phase two of three of our secret master plan"02:03 What x402 actually does: "a standard way of telling a computer how to pay you"03:36 The mechanism: how declaration is decoupled from the rail06:03 Inside the stack: facilitators, SDKs, and 13 live implementations09:09 Why agents can't be on both sides of every payment integration16:50 The ad model is breaking — how publishers monetize agent traffic20:38 The Claude cowork class: "the people who find x402 most valuable are not developers"24:51 "The wallet is a universal API key"30:44 The agentic premium: charging more per request than subscriptions32:54 Where to build: Solana at 65% of volume and why it's hard to measure39:59 Value creation, not value capture: why one open standard is the goal44:41 VHS vs Betamax: simplicity as the path to critical mass48:17 Where to find Erik and x402Connect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzErik Reppel: https://x.com/programmer | https://x402.org | https://cdp.coinbase.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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Sam Broner, co-founder and CEO of the Better Money Company and former investment partner at a16z crypto.They unpack why swapping one stablecoin for another today is like "selling Wells Fargo dollars to buy Bank of America dollars," why fungibility is the missing layer that turns stablecoins into real money, and what changes when AI agents show up needing to pay without a credit history.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 The stablecoin clearinghouse: BMC's 30-second pitch01:24 "Selling Wells Fargo dollars to buy Bank of America dollars"04:41 M&A merry-go-round: who builds vs. who buys07:24 "We sell trust" — what payments companies actually need10:05 Tourists in the Bazaar: why agents can't use credit rails14:07 From ChatGPT to Cisco: how agent payment terms evolve16:03 Protocol wars and intelligence at the edge18:30 The incentive puzzle: why interchange fees exist22:10 Emerging vs. developed markets: two different products24:32 The innovator's dilemma: incumbents won't cannibalize26:53 Five Bells Tavern: 200 years of clearing history in 5 minutes29:15 Custom stablecoins, treasury management, and the partner list35:49 No slippage vs. no fee: how BMC makes money40:59 The endgame: "just see your dollar balance"Connect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzSam Broner: https://x.com/SamBroner | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sambroner/ | https://bettermoney.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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In episode 27 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Rowland Berry, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Payoneer, a cross-border payments platform that moves $90B annually for nearly 2 million small businesses across 190+ countries.They unpack what 18 months of evaluating the stablecoin space revealed: where stablecoins genuinely upgrade cross-border infrastructure, why off-ramps remain the hardest unsolved problem, and how Payoneer's closed-loop token PAYO-USD will work inside the wallet flows their customers already use.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Two big moves: Bridge partnership and an OCC trust charter02:05 How Payoneer actually works: $90B, 2M SMBs, 20 years of rails06:13 Separating signal from noise: where stablecoins deliver real value08:49 "Will it get cheaper?" — what the waitlist customers actually asked10:16 Off-ramps aren't solved: last-mile delivery as the real unlock14:28 Not a new business model — an infrastructure evolution16:34 Why Bridge was a speed-to-market play19:25 "They want trust, not keys" — what SMBs actually need24:34 The OCC trust charter and what PAYO-USD unlocks30:44 "Yield is not the north star" — reserve management philosophy36:10 Stripe, PayPal, SoFi: how the market is evolving43:26 Builder advice: unhappy flows and building with ambiguityConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzRowland Berry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowlandberry/About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Itai Turbahn, founder and CEO of Dynamic (now part of Fireblocks), where his team builds the embedded wallet infrastructure that lets developers spin up global money movement in hours instead of years.They unpack why the world's largest companies are building their own payment networks (YouTube alone has paid out billions to creators), what happens when the tech cost approaches zero but cryptography, security, and compliance stay hard, and why the M&A frenzy from Mastercard-BVNK to Fireblocks-Dynamic has every player attacking global finance from a different angle.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 What is Dynamic? Embedded wallets as the Twilio of money movement02:15 From crypto-native UX fix to global financial primitive07:37 The full stack: wallets, on/off ramps, liquidity, licensing - and why enterprises don't want Lego blocks10:52 "Build a global Venmo in an hour": remittance, payroll, B2B, and the CeFi-DeFi bridge14:23 Earn yield, issue a card, off-ramp to local currency - the embedded wallet bundle17:55 "Don't roll your own cryptography": what AI and cloud code can't solve22:36 "Our industry should be boring" - trust at scale and the fintech reframe25:35 YouTube's $100B payout problem: payments as innovation, not risk management29:42 No winner-take-all: why M&A is chaotic and that's the point36:22 "More opportunities to build now, not less"Connect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzItai Turbahn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turbahn/ | https://x.com/turbahn | https://dynamic.xyz | https://fireblocks.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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 25 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Chris Dean, CEO and co-founder at Treasury Prime. They unpack why bank “slowness” is mostly a risk and proof problem, how fintechs actually use banks for deposits/credit/payments, and how stablecoins and newer, tech-first banks will reshape the US banking landscape.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Banks are slow because change equals risk02:26 Which banks move fast and why leadership matters05:33 Treasury Prime’s role between banks and fintechs09:16 The 3 fintech JTBD buckets: deposits, credit, payments12:09 How fintech partnerships defend community banks from big-bank pressure15:01 Stablecoins as deposit threat vs “just another rail”17:43 The banker pitch: stablecoins are already in your flows24:22 Where US banking goes next: de novos, charters, consolidation27:21 Why running a bank stays expensive even with AI32:25 What a “core” actually is and why regulators resist replacement35:23 Are blockchains the answer, or do they create new reconciliation failure modes?44:17 The practical playbook: start with stablecoin pay-in/pay-outConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Chris Dean: https://www.treasuryprime.com/ About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In this Special Edition episode of Money Code we break down MasterCard’s planned acquisition of BVNK and what it signals about stablecoins shifting from a niche rail to mainstream payments infrastructure. We hear why bridging fiat and stablecoins, plus interoperability and compliance, is the real work behind faster global money movement.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here: https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSN0:00 Opening0:13 Breaking News On The Acquisition0:41 MasterCard’s Digital Currency Strategy2:31 Why Stablecoin Payments Are Growing5:35 Crypto Cards And Stablecoin Settlement9:39 What BVNK Gains From MasterCard12:27 Interoperability And Tokenized Deposits15:30 Closing Timeline And Final TakeawaysConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with May Zabeneh, SVP and GM of Crypto at PayPal, where she's building the playbook for how a major fintech embeds stablecoins into existing payment infrastructure.They unpack how PayPal enabled stablecoins in millions of wallets and the bets they hope to pay off, how "disrupting yourself is painful but important for long-term success," and why the best stablecoin strategy might be one where nobody needs to say the word "crypto."Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 PYUSD goes live in 70 countries - and users don't need to do anything01:48 Why custodial stablecoins are harder than open wallets04:25 "They can't even hold balance today": the utility unlock07:52 Should crypto and stablecoins even share a name?11:23 Foundations before flywheel: hold, earn, send, spend - in that order14:56 Payouts as the Trojan horse: gig workers and Google creators17:36 "There were times we were trying to do too much"20:15 No playbook existed - PayPal had to write it23:50 Disrupting yourself inside a public company28:12 "You don't need to touch crypto": abstracting it away for merchants32:37 The Skype analogy: interoperability as the real growth driver35:42 AI agents will need programmable money - but not yet41:50 Success means stablecoins become invisible infrastructureConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzMay Zabeneh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayzabaneh/ | http://paypal.com/About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Zach Abrams, co-founder and CEO of Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure company acquired by Stripe that grew several multiples in 2025.They unpack why Zach calls himself "the founder equivalent of a child of the Great Depression," how following developers into the "fog of war" built five businesses in two years, and why stablecoins won't realize their potential unless someone forces the economics away from existing issuers and back to consumers.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 How Bridge went from early adopters to mainstream in three months02:54 "The founder equivalent of a Great Depression child"06:09 Why stablecoins are the first global financial building block07:30 Agentic payments: planting seeds for the next cycle14:30 How one use case kept pulling Bridge into the next18:45 The $10B ceiling that forced a bank charter22:50 "Everyone is competing on maximal regulation"31:42 Why "focus" is wrong advice for this market36:17 The Stripe acquisition made things harder, not easier43:42 How one customer becomes five products49:30 Why tokenized stocks beat real ones at half the borrowing cost52:55 "If we don't build it, no one else will"58:47 Where to find Zach and BridgeConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzZach Abrams: https://x.com/zcabrams | https://bridge.xyzAbout 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK.In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Ayo Omojola, General Partner at Refract VC, former Cash App banking lead, and organizer of A Very Stable Conference. They unpack why the biggest stablecoin opportunity isn't in the US, where Chase is "ferocious" and payments feel good enough, but in serving billions of people worldwide who can now access dollar-denominated savings from an app store, and why $300B in circulating supply is still peanuts compared to what's coming.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Investing in stablecoins: why people matter more than tech03:30 The wealth flight thesis: why rich people move money to Switzerland08:00 Agentic payments: real or overhyped?12:35 A Very Stable Conference: catching lightning in a bottle19:20 The Jamie Dimon problem: competing with Chase26:00 Why long sales cycles are a product problem28:50 Cash App parallels: "we knew a secret"34:15 $300B is peanuts — the real market sizing math37:15 Why incumbents have paper-thin advantages42:45 "Fish don't feel the water as wet"49:20 Non-USD stablecoins: institutional gaps as the foothold54:30 Where to find Ayo and A Very Stable ConferenceConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.comRaj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyzAyo Omojola: https://x.com/ay_o | https://kunle.appAbout 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 21 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Prabhakar Reddy, Co-Founder & CEO at OpenFX. They explain why “instant FX” can’t be achieved with bank API wrappers alone, and how OpenFX combines end-to-end automation, regional liquidity, local rails, and stablecoins as a routing leg to settle large cross-border transfers in minutes, with bank access and balance sheet constraints setting the ceiling at global scale.Chapters00:00 $45B proves the point: what’s broken in FX03:20 The three unlocks: ICP, automation, 24/7 team06:30 What OpenFX sells: “money moves like SMS”09:45 Working capital and prefunding: the hidden tax on fintech FX12:40 Stablecoins as a routing leg, not the product15:50 Currency expansion playbook: demand, regulation, bank rails, automation21:15 Why FX wrappers can’t fix bank cutoffs and float incentives26:40 Why crypto exchanges fail at $10M+ size29:05 The $10M walkthrough: fiat → stablecoin leg → fiat in minutes34:45 What has to be true: licenses, liquidity, automation, security, balance sheet38:30 Defensibility: regional liquidity + utility pricing + 24/7 ops42:25 What breaks next: bank access and balance sheet ceiling44:40 The future: AI agents, and why non-USD stablecoins lagConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Prabhakar Reddy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prabhakar2reddy/  | https://x.com/prabhakar2reddy | http://openfx.com/ About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 20 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Chris Harmse, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at BVNK, and Anthony Yim, Co-Founder and CTO at Artemis. They dive into BVNK and Artemis’ new YouGov survey on stablecoin usage to show how demand for “normal payments” is outpacing real-world access, and why the next adoption wave is less about ideology and more about embedding stablecoin rails into the fintech apps people already trust.Chapters00:00 Why this survey matters right now04:42 Stablecoins as everyday money (paid + spend)07:52 The 77% signal: stablecoins inside fintech apps15:35 Enterprise reality: sub-1% penetration, fast growth19:03 Demand outpaces access: the integration gap23:58 Do users want stablecoins or just faster payments?31:53 Instant cash-out mechanics and why legacy rails tax speed36:46 Closing takeaways + where to find BVNK and ArtemisConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Chris Harmse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisharmse/ | http://bvnk.com/ Anthony Yim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyyim/ | https://x.com/anthonyyim | https://www.artemisanalytics.com/ About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 19 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Mike Hudack, Co-founder and CEO at Sling Money. They unpack why stablecoins function as a shared ledger layer that turns cross-border payments from a prefunding and reconciliation problem into an interoperability problem, and why the real hard parts become ramps, localization, and fincrime controls rather than “the blockchain.”Chapters00:00 Money never became an internet good04:07 Sling’s “global Venmo” origin story05:05 End-to-end Sling flow across 120 countries08:33 Why global availability is the default, not the goal10:30 What self-custody actually means in practice13:29 Ramp strategy: regulation plus local partners15:33 Abstraction versus trust in the UX20:26 Generations of cross-border and shrinking float25:11 Localization is distribution, not translation28:49 Compliance is a product, not a checkbox36:44 Stablecoin choice43:22 Sling’s mission and the line between money apps and banksConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Mike Hudack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhudack | https://x.com/mhudack | https://sling.money/About 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. 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 18 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Cooper Thompson, Head of Innovation for Embedded Finance and Digital Assets at Fiserv. They argue that stablecoins won’t replace bank cores but will connect them, and that the real bottleneck for bank adoption is the liability side: if reserves sit in Treasuries or at GSIBs, stablecoins undermine deposit-funded lending unless “fiat-layer” designs keep backing deposits distributed across smaller institutions.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 The bank funding problem stablecoins create00:55 Why Fiserv is in the “implementation layer”02:36 What banks want: trust, reliability, and constraints04:54 “Not everything moves onchain; cores stay”06:38 Why FIUSD: stablecoins ignored fiat-layer innovation10:33 FIUSD distribution: regulated-network cash, not DeFi liquidity12:12 Domestic rails vs cross-border wins, and where programmability matters17:36 Tokenized deposits vs payment stablecoins21:14 StoneCastle and the deposit network mechanism31:33 What products move onchain first: multi-party coordination36:45 Privacy on public ledgers: ZK, audit keys, and institution-grade needs39:49 Parting advice: when to adopt, and staying educatedConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Cooper Thompson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-thompson-963a01171/ | https://www.fiserv.com/ About Money CodeMoney Code is the show that decodes stablecoins and the evolution of programmable money for builders, investors, and decision-makers. Each week, join hosts Chuk Okpalugo, Author of Stablecoin Blueprint and Raj Parekh, Head of Payments/Stablecoins at Monad Foundation as they break down the systems and strategies of seasoned operators in the space, revealing the insights you need for better build and buy decisions.About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 17 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Jess Houlgrave, CEO at WalletConnect. They use the recent Ingenico partnership to unpack what it really takes to scale stablecoin payments at the physical checkout: incentives that move behavior, compliant routing from on-chain to fiat, UX that feels like Web2, and privacy constraints that shape whether merchants and consumers will ever choose on-chain settlement.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters01:08 WalletConnect as the “messaging layer” between apps and wallets02:49 Why crypto checkout feels wrong and what WalletConnect Pay changes04:34 The coffee shop walkthrough: QR, wallets, assets, chains07:40 Where funds go after on-chain payment: transit accounts and off-ramps10:03 The supply-side reality: merchants, acquirers, and incentives to enable14:42 Which merchants care first: luxury, cross-border, LATAM QR familiarity19:18 Why B2C is harder25:38 Incentives and “on-chain interchange” to shift consumer behavior35:15 Privacy: why transparent ledgers collide with payment norms38:19 The end-state: tap-like UX and settlement routing users never seeConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Jess Houlgrave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/houlgrave/ | https://x.com/Houlgrave | https://walletconnect.network/ About Money CodeMoney Code is the show that decodes stablecoins and the evolution of programmable money for builders, investors, and decision-makers. Each week, join hosts Chuk Okpalugo, Author of Stablecoin Blueprint and Raj Parekh, Head of Payments/Stablecoins at Monad Foundation as they break down the systems and strategies of seasoned operators in the space, revealing the insights you need for better build and buy decisions.About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 16 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Joao Del Valle, CEO and Co-founder at EBANX, and Chris Harmse, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at BVNK. They break down why and how EBANX is incorporating stablecoins into its global money movement stack and share views for how to potentially seed non-USD liquidity via tokenized asset settlement rather than retail payments.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 EBANX’s origin: local acceptance, foreign settlement03:00 Pay-ins vs payouts across fragmented emerging-market rails05:01 Stablecoins as a “100-country APM” with one integration09:06 The regulatory mood shift: CBDCs down, stablecoins normalized11:55 2025 breakout: checkout + payouts + embedded dollar wallets14:39 Expansion playbook: merchant-led, but regulation is the bottleneck17:58 Liquidity and VASP rules: stablecoins as common language24:07 Domestic RTPs are great, interconnectivity is the real gap26:47 Visa stablecoin settlement: sponsor banks unlock US scale29:52 Non-USD stablecoins: tokenization seeds the cash leg and liquidity37:48 Treasury ROI: speed, predictability, and visible payment status42:43 Compliance vs privacy: what flows need opacityConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Chris Harmse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisharmse/ | http://bvnk.com/ João Del Valle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaodelvalle/ | https://www.ebanx.com/ About Money CodeMoney Code is the show that decodes stablecoins and the evolution of programmable money for builders, investors, and decision-makers. Each week, join hosts Chuk Okpalugo, Author of Stablecoin Blueprint and Raj Parekh, Head of Payments/Stablecoins at Monad Foundation as they break down the systems and strategies of seasoned operators in the space, revealing the insights you need for better build and buy decisions.About 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.

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 15 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Jackie Reses, Chair and CEO at Lead Bank. They break down why stablecoin payments quietly depend on banks as regulated “plumbing,” how compliance automation becomes a product advantage, and why the biggest second-order risk of stablecoin growth may be destabilizing community-bank deposit bases before local credit creation has a replacement.Subscribe and listen to the Money Code podcast here:https://lnk.to/MoneyCodeSNChapters00:00 Stablecoins don’t work without the banking layer01:28 Why Lead Bank was built from scratch04:27 How you earn regulator trust in modern banking11:25 Onboarding “too tricky” clients and scaling with them13:34 Compliance as a front-of-house product17:44 Why Lead acquired Loop Crypto20:02 Lead’s API primitives and composable banking stack22:49 How different banks should think about stablecoins24:41 The community bank risk: deposit flight and local lending34:25 Tokenized deposits vs stablecoins as rails39:26 The “Hunger Games” phase of fragmentation44:30 Builder advice: precision, scale, and no hyperboleConnect with the Hosts & GuestChuk Okpalugo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuk-okpalugo/ | https://x.com/chuk_xyz/ | http://stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajparekh7/ | https://x.com/rajparekh | http://monad.xyz Jackie Reses: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-reses-938b7850/

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 14 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpolugo and Raj Parekh are joined by José Fernández Da Ponte, President and Chief Growth Officer at the Stellar Development Foundation.They unpack why stablecoins are first transforming treasury and capital markets rather than consumer payments, what drives institutional adoption, and why non-USD stablecoins are critical to global trade infrastructure.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 13 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Daniel Vogel, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitso.Daniel explains how stablecoins have quietly become core cross-border payment infrastructure in Latin America, how Bitso scaled to over $80B in annualized volume, and why local-currency stablecoins like MXNB and BRL1 are less about speculation and more about moving finance onchain.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNK. In episode 12 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Paul Frambot, CEO of Morpho, a leading lending protocol.Paul explains how Morpho became the lending stack behind players like Coinbase by acting as infrastructure, not a fund, and by letting curators design their own markets. He lays out how open ledgers, enterprise-grade code, and competitive underwriting could turn onchain vaults into the savings and credit layer for fintechs, banks, and allocators.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon; Powered by BVNKIn episode 11 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Chris Maurice, Founder and CEO of Yellow Card, a leading stablecoin payments company serving emerging markets.Dollar liquidity is the choke point of emerging-market commerce, and the traditional system forces businesses into informal FX networks just to survive. Chris explains how stablecoins have replaced cash as the form factor for the dollar in Africa and other frontier markets, why the shift happened so violently fast, and what it means for banks, corporates, and fintech builders now racing to catch up.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon, Powered by BVNKIn episode 10 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Tarun Chitra, Co-Founder and CEO of Gauntlet, a leading vault curator.We explore DeFi’s evolution and how the industry has converged on “vault curation”. DeFi vaults are the onchain analogue of ETFs or credit funds, but with 24/7 liquidity, programmable risk constraints, and hardened sandboxes that can safely support agentic/algorithmic asset management. We discuss what vaults solve for, how fintechs should navigate yield options, and where DeFi and asset managers intersect as the world moves toward tokenized money and fully electronic credit markets.If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor, share it with someone you know, or give us a five star rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon Media and Powered by BVNKIn episode 9 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parej are joined by Visa’s Cuy Sheffield to discuss how stablecoins move from speculation to real-world finance: dollar access at global scale, stablecoin-linked cards, cross-border flows, and the next frontier (onchain lending and agentic payments) plus what banks, fintechs, and regulators must build to compete.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon Media and Powered by BVNKIn episode 8 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh are joined by Naveen Mallela, Global Co-Head of Kinexys at J.P. Morgan. They discussed the vision for Kinexys, how deposit tokens like JPMD differ from stablecoins, and how interoperability, credit creation, and just-in-time liquidity will reshape global finance.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon Media and Powered by BVNKIn episode 7 of Money Code, we speak with Mark Lenhard, CEO of Zepz Group, the parent company behind WorldRemit and Sendwave, to explore the evolution of remittances and the role of stablecoins in transforming financial services. We discuss the challenges of traditional remittance systems, and how remittances are shifting from one-off transfers to consumer wallets: sending digital dollars that users can hold, save, and spend, unlocking savings, credit, and other services across the Global South.Learn more about the newly released Sendwave Wallet (https://zepz.io/press/zepz-launches-sendwave-wallet-to-give-customers-the-power-of-stablecoins-in-everyday-transactions/)About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon Media and Powered by BVNKIn this episode of Money Code, we sat down with Paul Faecks, CEO of Plasma on launching a stablecoin-first payments chain and why distribution beats raw TPS. We cover Tron’s cost creep, pulling USDT into DeFi, token incentives that taper, and Plasma One’s “earn, spend, save” neobank play.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon Media and Powered by BVNKIn this episode of Money Code, we chat with Triple-A founder and CEO Eric Barbier who explains how web 2 merchants accept crypto/stablecoins without touching them, why B2B payouts are exploding, and what really unlocks global scale: bank relationships, licenses, and compliance.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon Media and Powered by BVNKIn episode 4 of Money Code, we spoke with Luca Prosperi, CEO and Co-Founder of M0 — the stablecoin issuance protocol behind MetaMask USD and USD.AI, now surpassing $870 million in supply in aggregate.We discussed how M0 is redefining the stablecoin stack: separating issuance from distribution, building a shared liquidity layer, and enabling any platform to “own its dollar” on non-custodial rails. Luca also shared how MetaMask USD came together with Bridge (Stripe), the philosophy behind M0’s reserve model, and what this shift means for Circle, Tether, and the broader market.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

In this episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh discuss the evolving landscape of stablecoins and their impact on the financial sector with Chris Harmse, co-founder of BVNK. The conversation covers the significant growth in stablecoin payment volumes, the importance of crafting effective stablecoin strategies for enterprises, and the challenges faced in consumer payments. Chris shares insights on the future of stablecoins, regulatory considerations, and the need for abstraction in blockchain payments to drive adoption. The episode concludes with reflections on customer insights and the path towards achieving a trillion-dollar payment volume.TakeawaysStablecoins are experiencing rapid growth, with BVNK hitting $20 billion in annualized payment volume.Enterprises are increasingly moving from curiosity to implementation of stablecoin strategies.The key to successful stablecoin adoption is to start with one use case and build from there.Stablecoins are becoming essential infrastructure for new fintech products.Consumer payments face challenges such as chargebacks and refund mechanisms that need to be addressed.Regulatory clarity is crucial for the growth of stablecoins in various markets.Local regulations may impact the adoption of stablecoins, especially in emerging markets.The future of stablecoins will depend on mainstream consumer payments and point-of-sale solutions.Abstraction of blockchain complexity is necessary for traditional players to enter the market.The acceleration of enterprise interest in stablecoins is a positive sign for the industry.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Presented by Stablecon and Powered by BVNKIn episode 2 of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Farooq Malik, co-founder and CEO of Rain, to explore how stablecoins are moving from speculation to real adoption. They discuss how Rain abstracts away complexity for users, why global platforms need global partners, and how a crypto-native company can win traditional finance clients by offering a better global solutions.#Stablecoins, #stablecoinlinkedcards, #Rain, #Visa, #cardnetworks, #fintech, #digitalcurrencies, #globalfinancialservicesAbout Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

Powered by BVNKIn the inaugural episode of Money Code, hosts Chuk Okpalugo and Raj Parekh sit down with Simon Taylor — writer of Fintech Brainfood and now at Tempo, the new payments-focused Layer 1 incubated by Stripe and Paradigm. Simon shares his journey into blockchain, the cycles of innovation in TradFi, and why stablecoins are the “internet’s native money.” Together, they unpack Tempo’s vision, the trade-offs between neutrality and distribution, and the real-world use cases that could bring trillions in payments on-chain.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz

It's Stablecon's flagship podcast launch!  The future of finance is digital.   Welcome to Money Code, the show that decodes stablecoins and the evolution of programmable money for builders, investors, and decision-makers. Each week, join hosts Chuk Okpalugo, Author of Stablecoin Blueprint and Raj Parekh, Head of Payments/Stablecoins at Monad Foundation as they break down the systems and strategies of seasoned operators in the space, revealing the insights you need for better build and buy decisions.About Stablecon Stablecon (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 BVNK BVNK 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. Connect with the Hosts & Guest Chuk Okpalugo: LinkedIn, X, stablecoinblueprint.com Raj Parekh: LinkedIn, X, monad.xyz