Around The Coin

Stephen Sargeant and Mike Townsend

Around The Coin is a podcast exploring finance, fintech, and the future of money. Hosted by industry experts, it features deep dives into payments, crypto, banking, and disruptive innovations shaping the global economy.

Subscribe Play latest Open in podnodRSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes20

Newest first

Wednesday · 1 hr 5 min
Investing in AI and Blockchain Startups - Samiz Bayan | ATC #623
Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Samiz Bayan, partner at Draper Dragon, on the state of venture capital and the convergence of AI, blockchain, and tokenization. Bayan outlines Draper Dragon’s early-stage focus on infrastructure, its bridge between Silicon Valley and Asia via the Draper Network, and how that cross-border network supports founders with exchanges, liquidity, and distribution. He shares his path from traditional finance into crypto (via Cardano), lessons from building NFT authentication and peer-to-peer commerce, and what he looks for in founders—receptiveness, execution, recruiting, and distribution moats. The conversation covers a bifurcated VC market dominated by AI (about 65% of venture deals), longer fund timelines, valuation discipline, regulation’s growing importance, and why tokenization must be legally usable and composable to matter. They discuss accelerators, institutional DeFi, agentic payments with stablecoins, AI as an interface, diligence improvements from AI, and emerging interests in health tech like GLP-1s. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
July 29 · 1 hr 2 min
Programmable Compliance for Onchain Finance - Nikhil Raghuveera | ATC #622
Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Nikhil Raghuveera, CEO and co-founder of Predicate, about building real-time, smart-contract-level policy enforcement for onchain finance. Nikhil explains his background in payments and policy, why data from blockchain analytics providers isn’t enough, and how Predicate provides sub-second, non-bypassable “notary”-style approvals for transactions and automated freeze capabilities for assets like stablecoins. They discuss compliance bottlenecks in payments and emerging markets, CBDCs versus stablecoins, secondary-market monitoring debates, safe-harbor needs for issuer discretion, and how Predicate integrates off-chain risk data to enforce AML/CFT, sanctions, and exploit protections. Use cases include M0-powered stablecoins (including MoneyGram), Aleo bridge controls, and KYC/KYB for token sales via Uniswap Labs. They also cover privacy, intents/agentic commerce, regulator engagement with Treasury/FinCEN/OFAC, and how crypto firms are evolving into fintech-like product companies. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
July 22 · 59 min
From Banking to Stablecoin Payments - Wesley Rios | ATC #621
On Around The Coin, host Stephen Sargeant interviews Wesley Rios, US & LATAM Partnerships Lead at Morph Network, about the current state of stablecoin infrastructure and merchant payment rails. Rios shares his career path from Citi, JPMorgan, and 13 years at Mastercard into crypto, arguing stablecoins are shifting the conversation from technology to concrete cost and reach benefits. He cites stablecoin market metrics, the impact of regulatory frameworks, and operational adoption by firms like MoneyGram, while highlighting US-to-emerging-market corridors and SMB pain points such as USD access, reconciliation, and on/off-ramps. Rios explains Morph’s differentiator as owning both settlement and orchestration layers, with partners for compliance, KYC, custody, and local stablecoin issuers. They discuss fragmentation, trust, and why stablecoin rails may fit agentic and physical AI commerce, plus Morph’s merchant dashboard launch (Aug 4) and a design-partner beta. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
July 15 · 58 min
How Blockchain Fixes Ticketing Infrastructure - David Barrick | ATC #620
Host Stephen Sargeant welcomes David Barrick, CTO and co-founder of TIX & KYD Labs, to discuss why ticketing is fundamentally a banking business and how blockchain can fix fees, fraud, and resale chaos. Barrick explains primary vs. secondary ticketing, how venues rely on ticketing companies for underwriting and advances, and why service fees function like “interest” paid by fans. They cover open distribution, speculative ticket listings, and why NFT ticketing failed by ignoring venue financing realities. Barrick introduces TIX, a Solana-based protocol plus a developer platform that lets secondary marketplaces verify ticket ownership, enforce resale rules, and automate royalty settlement without venues managing private keys. KYD Labs currently serves mid-cap New York venues and aims to scale toward larger markets, with a long-term goal of major issuers adopting TIX. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
July 8 · 49 min
The Hidden Problem With Prediction Markets - Seni Thomas | ATC #619
Join our host, Stephen Sargeant, as he welcomes Seni Thomas, CEO and founder of EDGE Markets, to discuss prediction markets and EDGE’s role in compliant, high-velocity fund movement across regulated venues. Thomas covers EDGE’s $29.2M Series A led by CoinFund, the partnership with Kalshi, and why fragmentation into multiple liquidity pools could drive far higher volumes than current projections. He explains EDGE’s origins in gaming money movement, the pivot from leverage to solving banking constraints, and the launch of a limited-use checking account with a $1M debit limit that blocks non-allowlisted transactions to reduce AML risk. The episode also explores EDGE Boost, EDGE Connect, and EDGE Pro, real-time payments via RTP/FedNow, crypto-to-fiat rails via Zero Hash, plans for an FCM license to reduce dead capital, views on evolving state/federal regulation, and responsible gaming tools like universal limits, Copilot social accountability, and a planned disposable-income-based limit feature. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
July 1 · 59 min
How Crypto Onboarding Finally Gets Easier - Aditi Sriram | ATC #618
On Around The Coin, host Stephen Sargeant welcomes Aditi Shriram, COO of Para, to discuss her path into crypto from seeing Vitalik speak and starting at ConsenSys, plus her experience as a venture scout for Bain Capital Crypto. Aditi explains Para’s focus on wallet infrastructure for companies building on-chain financial products, highlighting stablecoin-driven use cases like remittances, embedded finance, payouts, treasury, and early agentic commerce. She details Para’s differentiation through a security-first distributed MPC model, stack neutrality, and modular integrations, and shares Para 3.0 updates driven by global customer needs. The conversation covers reusable KYC and permissioned identity sharing, the challenges of autonomous transaction authorization, views on super wallets, X402’s strengths and gaps, and what it’s like operating launches and roadmap priorities as a product-minded COO. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
June 24 · 57 min
How AI Agents Use Stablecoins - Xen Baynham-Herd | ATC #617
Join our host Stephen Sargeant with Xen Baynham-Herd, Head of Growth and Marketing at Base, on the Around The Coin podcast to discuss Base’s newest launches. Base Ledgers for enterprise-grade private transactions (shielded from the public but visible to regulators/auditors) and Base MCP, which connects chat interfaces like ChatGPT/Claude to a wallet and Base apps so agents can execute DeFi actions with user approval. Xen shares his path from TradFi and five years at Blockchain.com to working with Balaji Srinivasan on The Network State, and explains how Base is growing across trading, lending, payments (including major USDC transfer volume and local-currency stablecoins), and agents. They cover institutional adoption, X402 as an internet payments protocol enabling agentic commerce, Agentic market, and Xen’s approach to global expansion and building founder-driven communities. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
June 17 · 1 hr 7 min
ATC - Itai Turbahn, Co-Founder & CEO of Dynamic and Tal Zackon, Co-Founder & CEO of TRES Finance
Join our host Stephen Sargeant with Itai Turbahn from Dynamic and Tal Zackon from TRES Finance, both now under Fireblocks, for a deep dive into agentic AI and what it means for payments, compliance, cybersecurity, and stablecoins. They explain why today’s human-in-the-loop rails like cards and ACH don’t scale for agent-to-agent microtransactions, and why crypto rails and stablecoins can enable instant, low-cost, high-volume programmable payments that should remain invisible to end users. Tal shares how TRES is using AI tools like Vara and MCP to automate repetitive back-office reconciliation and help compliance teams operate with an “army of agents” while maintaining audit trails. They also discuss agent identity, emerging standards like x402 and MPP, fraud and chargebacks, enterprise treasury efficiencies with stablecoins, and how to stay relevant by learning and building hands-on. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
June 10 · 51 min
How Stablecoins Fix Cross-Border Payments - Chris Mason | ATC #615
Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Chris Mason, founder and CEO of Orbital, about building stablecoin infrastructure and how it can improve cross-border payments compared with traditional correspondent banking and SWIFT. Mason explains Orbital’s background processing stablecoins for seven years, its focus on corporate clients, and why transaction controls, authorizations, segregation of client funds, and compliance (including travel rule and blockchain analytics tools) matter as much as speed. They discuss common use cases like pay-ins, payouts, auto-conversions for firms that want stablecoin speed without holding stablecoins on balance sheet, and growing demand for emerging-market on/off-ramps. The conversation covers licensing burdens, regulatory arbitrage, crypto’s potential for better financial crime detection due to on-chain visibility, stablecoins in crisis or sanctioned-region trade for non-sanctioned goods, and how industry M&A and AI may shape Orbital’s next phase. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
June 3 · 22 min
Why Enterprises Need Their Own Blockchain - Kyle Jenke | ATC #614
Recorded live at EthCC in Cannes, Around The Coin with host Stephen Sargeant sits down with Kyle Jenke, Chief Business Officer at Optimism, about how Optimism’s OP Stack and OP Enterprise help large enterprises build and own their own blockchains for customization, revenue economics, and stronger compliance, privacy, and security. Jenke cites over 50 OP Stack chains and major brands building on Optimism, and highlights Bitpanda’s MiCA-compliant Vision Chain as a European example of regulated adoption. He discusses key customer verticals (fintechs, exchanges, payments, and large financial institutions), rising gas-fee costs and urgency to launch owned infrastructure, and how enterprises use blockchains for product differentiation amid converging financial services. The conversation also covers Security Overwatch SLAs, a menu of compliance/security vendors, AI use across Optimism, and compliance needs like OFAC screening amid geopolitics. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
May 27 · 32 min
Why Institutions Need Confidential Blockchain Transactions - Jeremy Jeremy | ATC #613
Live at EthCC on the Around The Coin podcast, Stephen Sargeant heads to the Zama Villa to speak with Zama COO Jeremy Bradley about fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) and why financial institutions need a confidentiality layer to balance blockchain transparency with selective access for regulators and compliance. Jeremy explains “programmable confidentiality,” Europe’s GDPR-driven focus on data sovereignty, and how Zama enables end-to-end encrypted on-chain transactions while allowing authorized decryption when needed. He cites a partnership with T. Rowe Price/Apex Group, use cases like payroll, supplier payments, and influencer payments, and notes other projects (e.g., Inco, Phoenix) use Zama’s technology. They discuss lessons from Zama’s token launch, KYC/KYB support at scale, hiring in a niche FHE talent pool, internal AI for operations efficiency, and quantum computing risks, noting FHE’s quantum-resistant properties. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
May 20 · 22 min
Will AI Agents Dominate DeFi Trading? - Sergej Kunz | ATC #612
Join host Stephen Sargeant reports live from ECC, where discussions center on wallets, tokenization, real-world assets, regulation, and compliance, and introduces a live Around The Coin episode featuring 1inch co-founder and CEO Sergej Kunz. Kunz recounts 1inch’s start at the 2019 ETHGlobal New York hackathon after conversations with Vitalik Buterin, his early hackathon circuit, and how 1inch grew into a leading DEX aggregator. He explains aggregation, intent-based swaps, limit orders, and a cross-chain atomic swap protocol using hash time lock contracts with KYB/compliance-checked participants, positioning 1inch as infrastructure for institutions. They cover institutional adoption via rebranding, tokenized assets, business model (subscriptions, API, rev share), regulatory direction including wallet screening and potential KYC, and how AI agents and 1inch’s MCP tools may drive Web3 usage. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
May 13 · 21 min
How Crypto Companies Get Media Coverage? - Otto Jacobsson | ATC #611
Join host Stephen Sargeant live from EthCC in Cannes for a special episode of the Around The Coin podcast featuring Otto Jacobson, CEO of YAP Global. Otto shares his journey from investment banking and CFO to leading one of the top PR firms in crypto, blockchain, fintech, and AI. Together, they discuss the evolving media landscape in Web3, the rise of niche content creators, and how crypto companies can effectively communicate their stories in an increasingly crowded market. The conversation also explores major industry trends including stablecoins, tokenization, FX trading on-chain, institutional adoption, and why traditional finance giants are moving deeper into blockchain infrastructure. Recorded live at EthCC, this episode is packed with insights for founders, investors, marketers, and anyone interested in the future of crypto and fintech. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
May 6 · 1 hr 9 min
Why AI Agents Need Blockchain Identity? - Yat Siu | ATC #610
Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, covering his background (German mother tongue, education work) and views on how AI is changing the purpose of school and future jobs, emphasizing creativity, humanities, and entrepreneurship. Siu connects cycles from the dot-com era to crypto, arguing technologies that are better for society ultimately win, and frames Animoca’s evolution from gaming to NFTs, DeFi, RWAs, and institutional efforts including Anchor Point’s stablecoin license in Hong Kong. He explains digital ownership as identity and freedom enabled by blockchain, and outlines Web4/agentic commerce where billions of AI agents need on-chain identity, reputation, and payments. Siu describes Animoca Minds with EtherSwarm as low-cost agent infrastructure and a tokenized marketplace for agent “skills,” and shares a blueprint to get his attention: build with Animoca Minds and post results on X. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
April 29 · 56 min
Is Your Crypto Safe From Hackers? - Dyma Budorin | ATC #609
Join host Stephen Sargeant on this special edition of the Around The Coin podcast as he sits down with Dyma Budorin, CEO of Core3 and co-founder/executive chairman of Web3 cybersecurity firm Hacken—to unpack security transparency, risk analytics, and accountability in crypto. Budorin recounts starting Hacken after a 2017 Kyiv competition led to an ICO, and explains why smart contracts are improving while operational security, key management, and supply-chain risks remain major weaknesses, with audits as the main standard and CCSS as a more crypto-relevant framework than ISO/SOC2. He describes Core3 as a public risk-analytics platform—likened to Moody’s or a “Whoop” score—that evaluates exchanges and protocols using public data (including GitHub, wallet analysis, concentration, and social signals) to encourage better practices, detect wash trading, and support institutional due diligence. Budorin also discusses his whistleblowing contributions about alleged gaps around Sumsub’s ownership, audits, and past ties to Smart Engines, urging regulators to investigate. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
April 22 · 1 hr 3 min
Why Stablecoins Succeed Where Banks Struggle - Arnold Lee | ATC #608
Host Stephen Sargeant interviews Arnold Lee, CEO and co-founder of Sphere Labs, about building stablecoin-enabled payment infrastructure during the 2022 downturn and focusing on real end-user needs rather than “stablecoin” narratives. Arnold explains how Sphere helps businesses move money cross-border faster and cheaper by optimizing banking and compliance plumbing, especially in emerging markets where correspondent banking is weak and documentation expectations don’t match local realities. He discusses learning from events like Luna/Terra and FTX, reading the Bank Secrecy Act to understand why bank requirements exceed written regulations, and why compliance and localized data (IDs, real-time payment systems like Pix/UPI) can determine whether transactions clear. They cover geopolitics and supply-chain volatility as drivers of adoption, the evolving provider landscape, and Arnold’s skepticism about near-term agentic AI payments hype. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
April 15 · 56 min
Are You Reporting Crypto Taxes Correctly? - Lawrence Zlatkin & Wendy Walker | ATC #607
Join host Stephen Sargeant interviews Lawrence Zlatkin, Vice President of Tax at Coinbase, and Wendy Walker, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Sovos, about the fast-changing tax and regulatory landscape for digital assets heading into 2026. They discuss the rollout of US crypto information reporting including Form 1099-DA, the challenges of incomplete cost basis when assets move across wallets and platforms, and the growing burden of high-volume reporting including stablecoin activity, gas fees, and dust transactions. They compare the US approach with global frameworks like CARF and note the lack of parity with traditional finance and the risks of over-reporting and privacy and surveillance concerns. They also cover IRS modernization, real-time and transaction-level validation trends abroad, and how AI could help sift massive datasets and improve compliance and efficiency, plus advice for new tax professionals to pair tax expertise with technology. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
April 8 · 55 min
AI Changing Crypto Compliance and Security - Rick Harmsen | ATC #606
In this episode of the Around The Coin Podcast, host Stephen Sargeant is joined by Rick Harmsen, CTO of DataExpert, to compare key takeaways from two conferences happening at the same time: Chainalysis Links in New York and ECC in Cannes. They discuss the growing convergence of AI, regulation, tokenization, stablecoins, and compliance across both developer and blockchain analytics communities, including how DeFi protocols are increasingly “front-running” regulation by building compliance programs early. Rick shares insights on Chainalysis’ new AI investigation product, the importance of data transparency, and the risks of over-relying on AI without investigative skill. They also cover investigation costs, side-event culture, law enforcement request verification, and preview DataExpert’s upcoming Digital Experience event in Stockholm bringing together law enforcement and private-sector investigators. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
April 1 · 57 min
Retail Crypto Trading Is Driving Markets - Vugar Usi | ATC #605
In this episode of the Around The Coin podcast, host Stephen Sargeant sits down with Vugar Usi, CEO of MEXC, to discuss his path from traditional finance and marketing to running a global crypto exchange. Vugar explains what makes MEXC stand out—serving 40M users across 170+ markets with a 99% retail user base, a “list-first” approach with 3,000+ projects, and near-zero fees that he says returned $1.1B to customers last year. They explore retail trends like tokenized real-world assets (stocks, gold, oil) and shorter, sharper market cycles, plus key risks in leverage trading such as liquidation and slippage. Vugar also covers MEXC’s new prediction market, fragmented global regulation, proof-of-reserves publishing, and a $100M Guardian Fund with plans to grow it. The conversation closes on exchanges evolving into finance super apps and marketing’s focus on user attention, retention, and trust. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud
March 26 · 46 min
How Tokenized Assets Work in Crypto Markets? - Ran Goldi | ATC #604
Stephen Sargeant interviews Ran Goldi, SVP of Payments & Network at Fireblocks, revisiting his earlier prediction that stablecoins would become a dominant payments rail and discussing 2025 as a breakout year for stablecoins. Rand shares lessons from algorithmic trading and First Digital’s rapid 2017 growth, followed by a severe downturn that forced him to cut the team from 70 to 7, and how founder resilience and long-term belief shaped his decisions. He argues stablecoins will keep growing short term but may eventually be displaced by tokenized deposits and new bank-led frameworks, with stablecoins remaining important for certain cross-border uses. Rand explains why Fireblocks was the right acquirer, outlines Fireblocks’ core use cases (secure wallets, treasury/ops orchestration, and ecosystem network), highlights newer areas like vetted on/off-ramp partner coverage, reconciliation via Trusts, and non-custodial wallets via Dynamic, and reflects on institutional adoption, interoperability challenges, AI-driven product velocity, and the next wave toward tokenized real-world assets. We are also available via: Around The Coin — Official Website Buzzsprout Apple Podcast Spotify Player FM Quora Medium X Facebook LinkedIn Tiktok Soundcloud