Podcast
Talking Tokens
Hosted by Talking Tokens with Jacquelyn Melinek · EN
Talking Tokens is StrataMedia's flagship podcast and newsletter, delivering two episodes per week to a rapidly growing global audience of crypto-native and traditional finance professionals. We’ve been nominated for multiple awards and have become one of the most-watched crypto podcasts in the market.
Hosted by Jacquelyn Melinek, an award-nominated podcaster, founder & CEO of StrataMedia, and former senior crypto reporter at TechCrunch.
For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/
Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Every Institution Should Be Staking ETH | Kean Gilbert, Lido
Yesterday00:34:48Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn sits down with Kean Gilbert, Head of Institutional Relations at the Lido Ecosystem Foundation, to talk about how liquid staking is finally breaking into traditional finance. From the WisdomTree staked ETH ETP in Europe to VanEck's recently filed S-1 for a Lido staked ETF in the US, Kean breaks down why institutions are asking sharper questions than ever before, how depth of liquidity is the single biggest driver behind Lido winning institutional mandates, and why he sees there's no good reason to hold unstaked ETH when you can get the same exposure with 3%.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction to Lido03:00 Growth of Ethereum Staking and Institutional Interest05:59 Understanding DAO Structures and Institutional Education09:05 Tokenization and Its Impact on the Industry11:58 The Role of Custodians in Institutional Crypto14:58 Risk Management in Staking and Smart Contracts17:56 The Role of Staking in Current Markets19:04 Integration of Staking with Traditional Finance20:04 Regional Perspectives on Staking Adoption21:55 Timeline for Global Adoption of Staking22:22 Market Outlook and Building in Bear Cycles24:43 ETF Interest and Market Dynamics25:54 The Importance of Retail in Staking27:17 Unlocking the Next Wave of Adoption28:56 Impact of Tokenization on Business Operations30:41 The Evolution of Institutional Conversations33:40 Long-Term Thinking in CryptoYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →From the Federal Reserve to Circle: What Most People Are Getting Wrong About Onchain Finance | Gordon Liao
6d ago00:44:19Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Gordon Liao, Chief Economist and Head of Research at Circle, to talk about why traditional financial plumbing is still the biggest bottleneck in money movement globally. We discuss Arc, Circle's new institutional blockchain, which is being built from the ground up to handle everything from agentic nano payments to quantum-resistant encryption. Gordon believes that Arc being quantum-ready from day one isn't just a nice-to-have but a decision that could define whether the network and its users survives the next decade of security threats. Gordon also breaks down the three things he thinks the market is underestimating right now and how 99.5% of x402 payment protocol volume is already running through Circle’s USDC.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction to Gordon and His Background02:45 The Future of Onchain Finance05:56 USDC and Its Market Position08:54 Agentic Commerce and AI Integration11:57 The Launch of Arc and Its Vision15:00 Challenges in Blockchain Adoption17:55 Privacy and Security in Blockchain20:57 Quantum Computing and Its Implications24:10 Market Perspectives and Economic Insights30:02 Final Thoughts and AdviceYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →Taking Crypto Mainstream with Nostalgia & Creative Marketing | Dakota Campbell, Collector Crypt
1w ago00:44:25Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Dakota Campbell, Head of Marketing at Collector Crypt, the platform that generated $165 million in volume in April alone by putting trading cards and physical collectibles onchain with Solana. Dakota explains the resurgence of physical collecting is what's actually pulling people toward digital ownership, and why Solana's low fees were the thing that finally made tokenizing a five-dollar card make sense after years of the idea being cost-prohibitive on Ethereum.He also dives into how he thinks about marketing to everyday collectors vs crypto audiences, what it took to scale the business over the past few years and expansion beyond trading card games.This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign that Token Relations and the Talking Tokens podcast are doing, diving into founders' journeys and startups building on Solana. Check out the accompanying newsletter on www.token-relations.com TIMESTAMPS00:00 The Evolution of Collectibles02:55 Digital Collectibles and Nostalgia06:12 Collector Crypt's Success and Market Dynamics09:02 The Role of Solana in Collector Crypt12:02 User Experience: Crypto Native vs. Mainstream Collectors15:14 Marketplace Dynamics and Price Discoverability17:45 Attracting Non-Crypto Collectors21:01 Marketing Strategies for Diverse Audiences25:21 Understanding Audience Engagement28:41 Navigating Marketing in the Crypto Space33:34 Expanding Beyond Trading Card Games37:18 Rapid Fire Insights on CollectiblesYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →What the Last Decade of Fintech Got Wrong | A Look Into Crypto Neobanks
2w ago00:07:27Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Strata Research, presented by Talking Tokens & Token Relations, Jacquelyn sits down with Institutional Research Analyst Alex Beaudry to dig into crypto neobanks. Apps are rebuilding what Chime and Revolut did a decade ago, but on stablecoin rails and Alex explains how founders can set themselves up for success. Alex’s insights cover why the float and yield model is both the most lucrative and the hardest to sustain through a bear market, and where the real opportunity sits for anyone watching this space over the next 12 to 24 months.Check out the associated newsletter for more details: https://www.token-relations.com/p/the-neobank-playbook TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction to Crypto Neobanks02:59 Revenue Models and Market Dynamics06:02 Challenges and Risks in Crypto Neobanking08:04 Future Trends and ConsiderationsYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →Why Institutional FOMO Is Now the Biggest Force in Crypto | Morgan Krupetsky, Ava Labs
2w ago00:44:17Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Morgan Krupetsky, VP of Onchain Finance at Ava Labs, to break down where institutional adoption of blockchain actually stands right now. They discuss why Morgan thinks the industry has officially crossed the chasm from experimental pilots to in-production deployments. Morgan deep dives into the embedded finance stack she's seeing resonate across global markets, why private credit and asset-backed finance are better suited for blockchain rails than equities, and why the deals being announced today were quietly in the works 12 to 18 months ago.TIMESTAMPS00:00 The Shift in Institutional Crypto Adoption10:08 Understanding Institutional Strategies20:22 Tokenization and Its Impact on Financial Markets30:07 Stablecoins: The Gateway to onchain Finance40:54 Future Innovations in onchain FinanceYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →Are Tokenized Stocks the Next Big Catalyst? | Brett Redfearn
2w ago00:48:32Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn sits down with Brett Redfearn, President of Securitize and former SEC Director of Trading and Markets, to trace how tokenization has evolved from floor-based trading rooms to onchain capital markets. Brett explains why he thinks we're entering the most transformative market structure shift in 20 years, why tokenized stocks might be the next major frontier, what the SEC's expected innovation exemption could unlock, and why there are conversations happening right now with bulge bracket banks about bringing tokenized IPOs to onchain investors within the next year or two.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Understanding Tokenization02:44 The Evolution of Capital Markets05:09 Regulatory Landscape and Innovation09:11 Institutional Adoption of Tokenization13:22 Brett's Transition to Leadership at Securitize16:15 Growth Opportunities for Securitize20:12 Advice for Traditional Firms Entering Digital Assets21:56 The Importance of Networking in Crypto Events24:26 The Shift of Tokenization from Disruption to Integration27:09 Bridging Traditional Finance and Blockchain30:07 Understanding the Landscape of Tokenization32:33 The Future of Tokenized Assets39:42 Regulatory Perspectives on Tokenization42:47 Envisioning the Future of TokenizationYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guest may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →Why Focusing on Tailored Approaches in Emerging Markets is the Move | Torab Torabi
3w ago00:44:24Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Torab Torabi, CEO of Move Industries, to discuss Movement’s strategic reorientation toward becoming a stablecoin settlement and yield layer for emerging markets. Torab shares what he learned from sitting down with the Ethiopian president and Ministry of Finance, why governments in these markets don’t want an unchecked flight to dollars, and why he thinks most teams chasing emerging markets with tokenized stocks or T-bill yields are headed straight for a brick wall.Torab also discusses the Movement Network Foundation repurchasing approximately 19% of MOVE tokens previously allocated to investors and what it means for the tokenholders going forward.TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction to Move Industries and Torab Torabi02:07 Evolution of Move Industries and Market Dynamics05:07 Why the Foundation Bought Tokens Back08:12 Focus on Emerging Markets and Government Engagement12:12 Security Concerns in DeFi and User Fund Protection15:19 Differentiating Markets: Developed vs. Emerging19:04 Stablecoins and Gold in Emerging Markets23:09 Sharia Compliance and Financial Products for Emerging Markets24:30 Tokenization and Emerging Markets26:24 Understanding Compliance in Financial Products28:34 The Role of Government in Financial Scalability31:48 Challenges in Currency Exchange and Adoption34:09 Key Metrics for Success in Emerging Markets36:10 Institutional Adoption vs. Emerging Market Focus40:58 Strategic Reorientation and Future PlansYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →What Wall Street Actually Wants from Crypto | Bart Smith & Laine Litman
3w ago00:38:28Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Bart Smith and Laine Litman, CEO and COO of AVAT, the Avalanche Treasury Company, two traditional finance veterans who both spent years watching institutions talk about crypto before finally deciding to go all in themselves. Bart and Laine get into what makes AVAT different from the pile of treasury companies trying to copy the MicroStrategy model, and why their bet is on giving investors exposure to the whole Avalanche ecosystem rather than just stacking the token. Institutional conversations almost always start as investment discussions and quickly turn into implementation discussions, but the Clarity Act might be the unlock most people aren't paying close enough attention to. TIMESTAMPS 02:49 From ETFs to Crypto05:48 Laine's Path from Voice Trading to Blockchain09:00 Why AVAT Is Not Another MicroStrategy13:40 The Private Market Problem14:57 What Institutional Conversations Look Like Right Now28:43 The Role of Debt Structure in a Bear Market35:39 AI, Agentic Payments, and What to Watch in 2026You can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →The 4 Things That Need to Happen Before AI Agents Can Actually Spend Money | An Agentic Payments Explainer
4w ago00:13:43Tap to summarizeOn our first episode of Strata Research presented by Talking Tokens & Token Relations, Jacquelyn sits down with Institutional Research Analyst Alex Beaudry to breakdown agentic payments. Alex walks through why it isn't one market but three distinct payment flows, each with completely different infrastructure requirements, and why the machine-to-machine category is where stablecoins have a real structural edge over traditional rails. They also get into the four things that actually need to happen before this market scales, and why the narrative is still running well ahead of the transaction volumes to back it up.Check out the associated newsletter for more details: https://www.token-relations.com/p/agentic-payments-where-we-are-and-where-we-re-going TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction Strata Research01:24 Understanding Agentic Payments04:54 The Flows of Agentic Payments07:24 Challenges and Frameworks for Scaling11:39 Recent Developments and Future OutlookYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
Transcribe →USDT0's Co-Founder on Moving $90B Cross-Chain, the Agent Economy, and Tether's Untouchable Moat
4w ago00:42:26Tap to summarizeOn today's Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Lorenzo Romagnoli, co-founder of USDT0, a stablecoin protocol that has moved over $90 billion in USDT across 25+ blockchains since launching in January 2025. Lorenzo makes the case that stablecoins were not just built for Americans or Europeans but for people in emerging markets across Africa, Latin America, and Asia who needed a way out of crushing inflation, and explains why that's the core reason Tether's dominance is so hard to compete with. They also get into what it will actually take for AI agents to transact onchain at scale, and why Lorenzo believes the teams still building with true decentralization in mind are the ones worth watching.TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to USDT Zero and Its Founders02:31 The Evolution of USDT and Decentralized Finance05:36 Understanding the Mechanics of USDT Zero08:33 User Behavior and Volume Trends11:34 Tether's Role in the Global Financial Ecosystem15:38 Targeting Emerging Markets with Stablecoins18:45 The Competitive Landscape of Stablecoins21:12 The Future of Stablecoins24:05 Global Adoption and Use Cases27:32 The Rise of USDT and Market Dynamics30:11 Innovation and Staying Ahead34:23 The Role of Decentralization in Finance39:45 Advice for Future InnovatorsYou can subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple or YouTube. If you enjoy the show, please leave a review — it really helps. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTokens Follow us on X Jacquelyn: / jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: / _talkingtokens Follow us on Instagram / _talkingtokens Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in discussed content.
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