Talking Tokens

Talking Tokens with Jacquelyn Melinek
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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

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    What goes on behind $30B in tokenized assets | Jason Barraza

    In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Jason Barraza, head of institutional business development at RedStone, about why blockchain oracles are evolving from simple price feeds into the institutional intelligence layer that tokenized finance still needs. Jason, who previously served as COO at Security Token Market where he helped track over 800 tokenized real world assets, explains how RedStone powers NAV feeds for BlackRock, Apollo, and Franklin Templeton, and why the firm's acquisition of Credora for onchain risk ratings is part of building a full-stack intelligence platform. He walks through why RWAs as DeFi collateral is the next big unlock and why the buy-build-or-lease question is splitting institutions into fundamentally different infrastructure strategies. The conversation covers why private credit is gaining so much attention, how Securitize’s Computershare partnership lowers barriers for corporates wanting to tokenize, and why standardization around compliance and portable identity is the key to scaling institutional adoption. This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(01:36) What feels materially different from the last cycle(02:08) What RedStone does: oracles, risk ratings, and the institutional intelligence layer(03:13) Where oracle demand is highest right now: NAV feeds and RWAs as collateral(04:21) How Credora's risk ratings help institutions compare vaults yielding the same returns(05:16) DeFi exploits and how RWAs with transfer agents offer a safety net(07:27) Balancing speed and safety: co-creating solutions with institutions(08:49) What's coming in the next 6-18 months(10:12) Why vaults are gaining traction as streamlined fund infrastructure(12:12) Where institutional capital is being deployed today: money markets, stablecoins, and private credit(14:14) Tracking 800+ tokenized asset and what surprised him(16:01) Crypto native vs traditional institutions: the split in tokenization adoption(17:11) Buy, build, or lease: how institutions are choosing their tokenization infrastructure(20:31) What real institutional adoption looks like: full lifecycle onchain(22:10) Why collateral is the new conversation, not just tokenization for its own sake(24:40) Final advice to get educated and get on board ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    27 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    SoFi Wants to Be the Stablecoin Liquidity Hub for Banks | Ben Reynolds

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Ben Reynolds, SVP and head of Big Business Banking at SoFi, about why the company launched its SoFi USD stablecoin on Solana and what it means for the firm’s broader vision to become a stablecoin liquidity hub. Ben, who joined Silvergate in 2016 and helped build the Silvergate Exchange Network before the bank shut down in 2023, explains how commercial banks are finally building in the space now that the regulatory environment has changed under the current administration. He walks through why SoFiUSD reserves are held in a Fed master account with zero credit, liquidity, or duration risk and why stablecoin infrastructure is still far less mature than people think. He also explains how the next catalyst for onchain payments could come top down from banks with built-in network effects rather than bottoms up from crypto companies. The conversation covers why non-dollar stablecoins at scale would transform cross-border payments, how SoFi's 15 million users and card processing business create unique synergies, and why building stablecoin-agnostic infrastructure is the smartest strategy right now. 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 TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:04) Ben's journey from: Silvergate in 2016 to joining SoFi six months ago (02:33) How commercial banks think about digital assets today vs 10 years ago (03:29) Launching SoFiUSD on Solana: cost, settlement speed, and throughput (04:30) Catalysts for onchain payments: non-dollar stablecoins, DeFi friction, and regulatory clarity (07:07) Stablecoin liquidity is overestimated: the emerging market conversion problem (08:07) Advice for big banks: build stablecoin-agnostic and understand the risk differences (09:26) Why SoFi USD reserves sit in a Fed master account (10:06) How Operation Choke Point 2.0 chilled bank building and why the environment is different now (10:44) Biggest realization at SoFi: how early stablecoins still are and how fast SoFi ships (12:18) The big vision: SoFi as the stablecoin liquidity hub for big business banking ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    15 min

  3. 14 MAY

    What Risk Frameworks are Needed for Institutional Adoption | Mike Silagadze & Joseph Chalom

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Mike Silagadze, founder and CEO of EtherFi, and Joseph Chalom, CEO of SharpLink, following SharpLink’s deployment ofed $200 million of its $2 billion ether treasury into EtherFi in January and what the due diligence process actually looked like from both sides. Mike explains why EtherFi is building a ‘DeFi bank,’ an end-to-end self-custody alternative to traditional banking with hundreds of thousands of users and over $5 billion in deposits.Joseph, who spent two decades at BlackRock before joining SharpLink, walks through how his team hired people from Bridgewater and FalconX specifically to underwrite DeFi risk, why tail risk is still risk, and how its permanent capital gives SharpLink an advantage most crypto allocators don't have. The conversation covers why the recent wave of DeFi exploits could have been stopped with basic intervention tools, why stablecoin rails will be the main way crypto reaches the real economy, and tokenization growing as NYSE and Nasdaq opens for 24/7 trading. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(01:30) The relationship between EtherFi and SharpLink and why they work together(01:46) What EtherFi is building: the DeFi bank with $5-6 billion in deposits(02:24) SharpLink's $2 billion Ethereum treasury and why they deployed $200 million into EtherFi(03:38) Balancing speed and safety: why the DeFi risk playbook hasn't been written yet(05:28) Why institutions move slow deploying, but go fast when monitoring problems(07:25) How EtherFi approaches security: in-office teams, formal verification, and constant audits(08:26) Decentralization theater: why performative decentralization makes protocols less safe(09:17) Why EtherFi is building an emergency “red button” intervention system without compromising self-custody(10:53) How SharpLink's team underwrites DeFi risk(13:28) Why institutions are still in the first inning of DeFi adoption(17:28) How tokenized securities will unlock DeFi at a scale far beyond bitcoin and ether(22:11) Qualified custody with Anchorage and why ops alpha matters for institutional DeFi(23:09) What's next for EtherFi: global licensing and becoming a viable alternative to banks(25:56) Stablecoin rails as the main way crypto reaches the real economy(28:31) Tokenization about to expand as NYSE, Nasdaq, and DTCC opening up 24/7(29:44) Final advice: stay safe, don't chase yield, and invest in young builders ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    32 min

  4. 12 MAY

    What's Overhyped, Underhyped, and Actually Happening in Crypto Right Now

    In this special episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with eight crypto leaders at an event in Miami hosted by StrataMedia alongside GSR and Alpaca for a rapid-fire mini interview series. Each guest is asked a similar set of questions: what their company is working on, how they describe the state of the crypto market, whether bearish sentiment is overhyped, what they would tokenize if they could tokenize anything, and what else they're paying attention to that listeners should be watching too. Guests include Asheesh Birla (CEO, Evernorth), Phil Fogel (CEO and co-founder, Cork Protocol), Neil Chopra (head of strategy and BD, Fireblocks), Scott Dykstra (co-founder and CTO, Space and Time), David Reising (founder and CEO, Lotus Protocol), Yoshi Yokokawa (co-founder and CEO, Alpaca), Tom Murphy (head of communications, Securitize), and Jakob Palmstierna (president, GSR). Answers range from wanting to tokenize chickens and avocados to entire balance sheets, and the through line is clear: institutions are here, the infrastructure is maturing, and the people still building through a tough market are the ones who will define what comes next. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(00:32) Asheesh Birla, CEO of Evernorth, on active XRP treasury management and tokenizing compute(05:48) Phil Fogel, CEO and co-founder of Cork Protocol, on risk infrastructure DeFi is still missing(12:08) Neil Chopra, head of strategy and BD at Fireblocks, on convergence of crypto native and traditional markets(18:10) Scott Dykstra, co-founder and CTO of Space and Time, on its new institutional Virtual Vvaults and decentralization after exploits(21:56) David Reising, founder and CEO of Lotus Protocol, on tranched lending and DeFi insurance(24:36) Yoshi Yokokawa, co-founder and CEO of Alpaca, on tokenization infrastructure and the paradigm shift ahead(28:11) Tom Murphy, head of communications at Securitize, on its new Jump and Jupiter partnership, Computershare announcement, and tokenized stocks(34:38) Jakob Palmstierna, president of GSR, on market structure evolution and tokenized equities trading 24/7 ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    40 min

  5. 7 MAY

    How Crypto Is Slowly Taking Over Wall Street Territory | Kevin Beardsley

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek does an exclusive interview with Kevin Beardsley, the new head of institutional growth at Jito Foundation, in his first interview since announcing the role. Kevin, who previously held senior positions at Kraken and Ctrl Wallet, explains why institutions want Solana exposure but still struggle to actually use the technology, and how the 18-month education process behind every big institutional deal is invisible from the outside. He walks through the process of liquid staking tokens solving the trade-off between earning yield and maintaining capital efficiency, why crypto-native companies are increasingly taking territory from traditional banks rather than the other way around, and what Jito's institutional integrations with Anchorage, FalconX, and others actually look like in practice. The conversation also covers why meme coins created real perception damage for institutional adoption, the branding problem crypto still hasn't fixed, and why AI-enabled wallets are the next thing worth watching. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(00:33) How Xin defines tokenization(02:46) GSR's origin story as a market maker for Ripple's XRP in 2013(06:00) How options evolved from a backwater to a core crypto market(09:12) The crypto gap GSR is trying to fill: building a full-service investment bank(14:29) Acquisitions of Architech and Autonomous and his bear market M&A thesis(17:27) Why the infrastructure bridge between traditional finance and onchain markets still needs work(21:24) Who tokenization actually serves: the underbanked, 24/7 traders, and AI agents(24:28) Will tokenized assets steal market share from bitcoin over time?(27:57) Stablecoin proliferation post-Genius Act and the yield pass-through debate(30:13) How GSR's role evolves as more real world assets get tokenized(33:49) Tokenized equities: wrapped vs issuer-led approaches and what's winning(41:17) Standard Chartered Ventures investment and what banking rails unlock for crypto(49:46) What Xin is watching: AI and blockchain intersection(52:07) Final advice: grit, patience, and keep building through the lows ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    22 min

  6. 5 MAY

    Tokenization Will Eat Capital Markets. Here's How. | Xin Song

    In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Xin Song, CEO of GSR, about how the firm is evolving from a crypto market maker into a full-service digital asset investment bank. Xin, who started his career at BlackRock before later running his own crypto derivatives hedge fund and joining GSR in 2019, explains why tokenization will eat the capital markets world and why the firm acquired Architech and Autonomous to build end-to-end advisory, origination, and distribution capabilities. He walks through how GSR got its start as a market maker for Ripple, how options and prediction markets are converging to unlock new liquidity, and why the real tokenization opportunity is distributing fund products to crypto-native foundations rather than trying to bring traditional institutions onchain. The conversation covers the Standard Chartered Ventures investment and what banking rails unlock for crypto, why the wrapped equity model is winning over issuer-led approaches, and how he sees the current altcoin drawdown as worse than post-FTX - by some measures. This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(00:33) How Xin defines tokenization(02:46) GSR's origin story as a market maker for Ripple's XRP in 2013(06:00) How options evolved from a backwater to a core crypto market(09:12) The crypto gap GSR is trying to fill: building a full-service investment bank(14:29) Acquisitions of Architech and Autonomous and his bear market M&A thesis(17:27) Why the infrastructure bridge between traditional finance and onchain markets still needs work(21:24) Who tokenization actually serves: the underbanked, 24/7 traders, and AI agents(24:28) Will tokenized assets steal market share from bitcoin over time?(27:57) Stablecoin proliferation post-Genius Act and the yield pass-through debate(30:13) How GSR's role evolves as more real world assets get tokenized(33:49) Tokenized equities: wrapped vs issuer-led approaches and what's winning(41:17) Standard Chartered Ventures investment and what banking rails unlock for crypto(49:46) What Xin is watching: AI and blockchain intersection(52:07) Final advice: grit, patience, and keep building through the lows ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    56 min

  7. 30 APR

    Talking Tokenization EXCLUSIVE: BlackRock Digital Assets Director Shares Strategy for Tokenization, Bitcoin Stablecoins, and More | Max Stein

    In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Max Stein, a director on the digital assets team at BlackRock, about how the firm translates crypto and tokenization ideas into actual products, and why tokenized cash still has a long way to run. Max, who previously spent four years at ConsenSys and invested at Sino Global Capital before joining BlackRock, explains how the firm's tokenization work actually accelerated after the FTX collapse, and why its BUIDL fund was designed to prove that tokenization could be commercial rather than just a proof of concept. He walks through how BlackRock chose Securitize over other tokenization platforms, why stablecoins and tokenized money market funds are complementary as the payment and savings assets of crypto, and why the real growth driver for stablecoins will be non-crypto use cases. The conversation covers why DeFi exploits shook $15 billion out of lending markets and what that means for tokenized asset design, how AI agents may prefer onchain rails over traditional ones, and why privacy solutions will eventually be necessary for institutional scale. This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(01:18) How Max defines tokenization and his role at BlackRock(01:40) How BlackRock goes from idea to product in digital assets(03:16) Regulatory environment and how it affects the pace of product development(05:21) Stablecoins at BlackRock: reserve management and internal use(06:17) Why BlackRock chose Securitize and how BUIDL was designed(07:54) How the FTX collapse actually accelerated BlackRock's tokenization work(08:54) Why tokenized cash is still the biggest opportunity(14:09) The shift from private chains to public networks and the hybrid model(22:17) Stablecoins as utility: programmable money, flash loans, and same-rail settlement(27:36) His thoughts on DeFi exploits, contagion, and what it means for tokenized asset design(33:13) How AI agents may prefer onchain rails and accelerate crypto adoption(38:50) Final advice: small decisions shape whether a product scales or sits on a shelf ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141 Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    40 min

  8. 28 APR

    Inside PayPal’s Bet on Stablecoins | May Zabaneh

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with May Zabaneh, SVP and GM of Crypto at PayPal, about why today’s payment systems still suffer from hidden inefficiencies and how stablecoins are emerging as the next layer of financial infrastructure. May explains that while payments today work, they remain slow, costly, and fragmented especially across borders. She breaks down how stablecoins enable faster, cheaper, and more flexible global transactions, and why their real impact may come not from user-facing products, but backend rails powering money movement. The conversation explores what “programmable money” actually means, how agent-driven commerce could automate transactions, and why simplicity and trust are the biggest barriers to adoption. Maye also shares where stablecoins are already working at scale, from peer-to-peer payments to global payouts and how businesses benefit from faster settlement and improved capital efficiency. They also discuss generational shifts in crypto adoption, the role of stablecoins in emerging markets, and why access to stable currency is becoming increasingly important globally. The episode closes with how PayPal is approaching the space differently: focusing on PYUSD distribution, real-world usage, and integrating stablecoins into everyday financial systems. TIMESTAMPS  (00:00) Introduction (02:13) PayPal’s Hidden Advantage in Crypto (04:38) Payments Are “Easy”… But Still Messy (07:34) The Real Stablecoin Unlock: Cross-Border Efficiency (10:49) Paypal’s outlook on Stablecoins (13:21) Forgd Ad (13:46) The Inflection Point With: Programmable Money (15:54) The First Real Use Case of Agents + Payments (20:57) The Trust Barrier (And How It Breaks) (24:59) The Business Case For: Margins, Speed, and Survival (26:49) The Endgame: Invisible Financial Infrastructure (28:02) PayPal vs The Broader Stablecoin Market ESSENTIALS You 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/id1743669141  Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinek  Talking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens  Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/_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.

    29 min
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Talking Tokens with Jacquelyn Melinek
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    214
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Talking Tokens with Jacquelyn Melinek
  • Show Website
    Talking Tokens

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