CRYPTO 101 Ep. 682: How Stablecoins are Revolutionizing the Crypto World

Date: October 10, 2025
Host(s): Brandon Viehman (w/ opening by Bryce Paul)
Guest: Lorenzo, Co-founder of USDT0

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into the rapid revolution of stablecoins in the crypto world, focusing especially on their evolution beyond mere trading tools and into essential instruments for financial access, cross-chain liquidity, and even global economic stability. Host Brandon is joined by Lorenzo, co-founder of the interoperability-focused USDT0 project, to explore how stablecoins are shaping the new financial landscape, facilitating real-world use, and tackling both technical and societal challenges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Expanding Role of Stablecoins

• Stablecoins have moved from being a niche tool for traders to a central pillar in both decentralized finance (DeFi) and global financial inclusion.
• Their adoption is no longer limited to crypto insiders; they are now being utilized as a primary means of exchange and savings in developing countries facing inflation and banking instability.

Notable Quote:

“There’s very few technologies in crypto that can be put on the same level as stablecoins when it comes to the changes and the ripple effect that they create.”
— Lorenzo, (07:05)

2. Lorenzo’s Background and Motivation

• Lorenzo first entered DeFi through projects in lending markets and decentralized AMMs before focusing on stablecoins, particularly Tether-related products.
• His work on Alloy—a stablecoin backed by Tether Gold—led him to recognize the need for seamless interoperability, spawning USDT0.

Notable Quote:

“Our pitch is very simple. There’s one amazing asset that works basically flawlessly, which is USDT. And we just make it 1% better by making it fully interoperable between networks.”
— Lorenzo, (04:30)

3. Regulatory Shifts & U.S. Adoption

• The U.S. has grown more receptive to crypto and stablecoins recently, spurring a surge in institutional and governmental interest worldwide.

Notable Quote:

“It’s been quite clear to me that the positions that the US has taken on stablecoins and stablecoin expansion have been directly tied to the big growth that the whole stablecoin world is seeing.”
— Lorenzo, (06:04)

4. Stablecoins as a Safe Haven in Developing Nations

• Stablecoins—mostly USDT—are a lifeline in economies plagued by high inflation and weak banking systems.
• Lorenzo emphasizes stablecoins weren’t designed for Western users with robust banking, but for those in regions with failing currencies.

Notable Quote:

“All of Africa, all of India, and all of Latin America and a good part of Asia runs on Tether. ... For them, saving in USDT is basically a safe haven and the only thing they can do to maintain purchasing power.”
— Lorenzo, (13:03)

5. What Makes USDT0 Different? (Unified Liquidity Layer)

• USDT0 serves as a unified liquidity layer for USDT, allowing seamless, permissionless, and free movement of USDT between multiple chains, eliminating traditional fragmentation.
• USDT0 achieved major adoption quickly, moving over $13.5 billion USDT across multiple ecosystems within months after launch.

Notable Quotes:

“USDT0 is built on Layer 0, ... the leading and most used messaging protocol in all of crypto.”
— Lorenzo, (15:50)
“The moment you give this technology to users and allow them to move their assets between networks without barriers ... adoption just skyrockets.”
— Lorenzo, (17:03)

6. The Case for Interoperability and a Multi-Chain World

• Interoperability isn’t just for beginners—institutions, payment processors, and DeFi builders also benefit by avoiding fragmented liquidity.
• USDT0 enables exchanges and fintechs to consolidate treasury management and user experience.

Notable Quotes:

“Everyone will come up with their own ecosystem ... we shouldn’t pick winners in this. We should be agnostic and ... create a unified liquidity layer.”
— Lorenzo, (22:15)

7. Stablecoins and Institutional Growth

• Tether’s hiring of prominent figures (like a former White House advisor) signals belief in stablecoins' critical future role.
• Governments, institutions, and retail all benefit: governments find new buyers for their debt; institutions bypass legacy banking delays for settlements; retail gets financial freedom.

Notable Quotes:

“[Tether is] building products with one goal in mind, and that goal is freedom—freedom of speech, monetary freedom, freedom of information.”
— Lorenzo, (23:58)
“If you’re asking me, there’s no better tooling than a US dollar based stablecoin to benefit the US dollar regimen in the world.”
— Lorenzo, (25:17)

8. The CBDC Debate and Regulatory Outlook

• Lorenzo is firmly against central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), arguing they contradict the ethos of decentralization and privacy.
• Ongoing regulation, when clear and consistent, is seen as a positive development for healthy adoption and innovation.

Notable Quotes:

“I’m really, really scared about CBDCs ... it’s the exact opposite of what the crypto space stands for.”
— Lorenzo, (33:46)
“The more regulations ... the better it is for everyone. At least we have clear guidelines.”
— Lorenzo, (36:10)

9. Tokenization & Real World Assets (RWA)

• Tokenization is a new hot trend: mainstream brokerages are interested, and every RWA needs reliable stablecoin pairs.
• Tether’s “Hadron” tokenization platform and gold-backed stablecoins like Alloy represent the next frontier.

Notable Quotes:

“Each one of those tokenized assets ... will need to be paired against a stablecoin ... that is stable and proven.”
— Lorenzo, (37:21)

10. Gold, Crypto & Portfolio Strategy

• Gold and Bitcoin are not competitors, but complementary stores of value—gold fights the dollar, not Bitcoin.
• Alloy, a gold-backed stablecoin, is positioned as an “apocalypse protocol” for ultimate financial resilience.

Notable Quotes:

“I have everything I have in bitcoin, and everything I don’t have in bitcoin is either in USDT or gold. ... I think they work synergetically.”
— Lorenzo, (42:56)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the impact of stablecoins:
  “... stablecoins are effectively the safe haven, and the only thing that can save [people] from the failing countries ...”
  — Lorenzo (12:40)

• On technical innovation:
  “We’re trying to give more freedom to the users. … It’s too complex, too convoluted. With USDT0 … at least it makes it a little bit better.”
  — Lorenzo (29:23)

• On payment adoption and usability:
  “In the next five to ten months … you’re just going to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m accepting USDT on any EVM network …,’ automatically, you’ll receive USDT0 on any network and converge it wherever the merchant wants.”
  — Lorenzo (30:32)

• On CBDCs and privacy:
  “We cannot allow CBDCs to happen. We cannot allow central banks to control the monetary supply in that way.”
  — Lorenzo (34:21)

• On gold’s position:
  “Bitcoin is a better version of gold because it’s mathematically scarce ... but the reasoning behind it is the same: not easily inflatable by human greed.”
  — Lorenzo (43:06)

Timeline & Timestamps of Important Segments

• [01:54] - Episode intro, stablecoin context, guest welcome
• [03:53] - Lorenzo introduces background, focus on DeFi and stablecoins
• [05:49] - Regulatory climate shift and US stablecoin adoption
• [10:27] - Stablecoin use in developing economies vs. the West
• [14:23] - USDT0 vs Tether: The interoperability solution explained
• [17:38] - Bridging, interoperability, and user experience
• [21:32] - Multi-chain future vs “one chain wins” narrative
• [23:25] - Why talent chooses Tether and future importance
• [25:01] - Which sectors benefit most from stablecoins
• [31:41] - Payment processing and centralized exchanges with USDT0
• [32:43] - Wyoming’s Frontier stablecoin and CBDC dangers
• [36:25] - RWAs, tokenization, and stablecoin necessity
• [39:45] - Alloy: gold-backed stablecoin motivation and story
• [42:08] - Crypto vs. gold: market cap, synergy, and future
• [44:13] - Stablecoins as tomorrow’s checking accounts

Conclusion & Where to Follow

Lorenzo concludes by encouraging interested listeners to follow USDT0’s progress on X/Twitter (@USDT0_). For more crypto, stablecoin, gold—and even Pokémon card—discussions, he’s at @zerolore.

Final Word:

“We’re still very early on in this technology … I try every day to live my life only spending USDT, USDT0, and Bitcoin. It’s hard, but it’s getting better. We’re building towards freedom and simplicity—one chain at a time.”
— Lorenzo (29:10)

This summary excludes advertisements and non-content banter to focus exclusively on the thought-provoking meat of the episode.