Talking Tokens: Crypto, Onchain Finance, Investing

Jacquelyn Melinek, StrataMedia

Talking Tokens is StrataMedia’s flagship podcast and newsletter, delivering two episodes a week to a growing global audience of crypto-native and traditional finance professionals. The award-nominated show features conversations with the founders, investors, market makers, and leaders shaping the onchain economy. Hosted by Jacquelyn Melinek, founder & CEO of StrataMedia and former senior crypto reporter at TechCrunch. Subscribe: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ Follow on X: @_TalkingTokens

  1. 1d ago

    Crypto Grew Despite Bad UX | What Happens When We Fix It?

    In today's episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Edward Woodford, founder and CEO of zerohash, to explore how crypto infrastructure is becoming embedded inside some of the world’s largest banks, brokers, fintechs and payment companies. Zerohash powers digital asset and stablecoin capabilities for companies including Morgan Stanley, Interactive Brokers, Stripe and Visa, helping traditional financial institutions move from crypto trading toward a broader onchain financial stack. Edward Woodford explains why he believes banks will enter onchain finance through wealth and crypto before expanding into stablecoins, tokenized deposits, money market funds and tokenized stocks. They discuss why blockchain usability remains a major obstacle to mass adoption, the importance of abstracting away from chain complexity, how stablecoins could increase the velocity of global money movement, and why Edward has become increasingly bullish on onchain lending and vaults as financial markets move toward faster and more atomic settlement. Timestamps 00:10 Zerohash and the Evolution of Onchain Infrastructure 01:01 From Crypto Trading to Onchain Finance 02:50 How Zerohash Has Changed Since 2017 05:43 Why Blockchain Fragmentation Still Matters 07:44 Solving Crypto’s Usability Problem 08:32 Building Infrastructure for Major Financial Institutions 11:20 How Banks Expand From Crypto Into Onchain Assets 14:26 Why Trust Matters More Than Innovation 17:39 Why Zerohash Says No to Certain Business 20:51 Why Zerohash Stayed Independent 23:47 Building Through Crypto Market Cycles 25:40 How Zerohash Makes Its Biggest Bets 27:27 The Road to Mass Onchain Adoption 30:55 Where Stablecoins Still Have Untapped Potential 33:20 Why Onchain Lending Could Be Next 35:10 Edward’s Advice for Crypto Builders  New episodes every week  https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141  Follow us  Jacquelyn on X: /jacqmelinek  Talking Tokens on X: /_talkingtokens  Talking Tokens on Instagram: /_talkingtokens  Follow Edward Woodford https://x.com/e_woodford https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardwoodford Today’s episode is sponsored by Anchorage Digital, America's first federally chartered digital asset bank and provider of regulated stablecoin issuance. To find out more, visit anchorage.com  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.

    Crypto Grew Despite Bad UX | What Happens When We Fix It?

  2. 3d ago

    How Banks Went From Avoiding Crypto to Building Onchain

    On today's Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn sits down with Andrew McCormick, Head of Institutional and Market Development at Chainlink Labs, to explore how banks, retail brokers and traditional financial institutions are moving deeper into tokenization and why simply putting assets onchain is no longer enough. Andrew explains why institutional conversations have shifted from “what is a blockchain?” to “how can we plug in?” as well as why large Wall Street banks are increasingly exploring DeFi, and how retail brokers that aren't offering tokenized assets by 2030 could be left behind. They also discuss why tokenized equities could become a breakout category, how programmable collateral can make tokenized assets more useful, and how Chainlink is expanding beyond its origins as an oracle network to support data, interoperability, privacy, compliance and financial infrastructure. Plus, Andrew breaks down why crypto price matters less in institutional conversations today, what DTCC's move into tokenized securities could mean for TradFi-DeFi convergence, and why collateral may be one of the biggest unlocks for the next phase of onchain finance. Timestamps: 01:56 How Andrew defines tokenization 02:32 How the meaning of tokenization has changed 03:06 What “institutional” means at Chainlink 04:11 How institutional adoption changed in 2026 05:48 How banks are changing their view of digital assets 07:19 Chainlink's evolution beyond oracles 08:37 How Chainlink positions itself with financial institutions 09:19 Institutional demand behind the scenes 10:30 How long institutional partnerships take 11:59 Which financial firms are moving fastest? 13:06 Will every retail broker offer tokenized assets? 13:32 How early is tokenization today? 14:13 Could public equities move fully onchain? 15:07 Could stocks eventually function like cash? 15:39 Rebuilding financial workflows with blockchain 17:15 Why institutions may have no choice but to follow 18:32 Which tokenized asset category breaks out next? 19:41 Why retail matters as much as institutions 22:26 Why Wall Street is increasingly interested in DeFi 24:09 What's driving institutions toward DeFi 24:54 Why putting assets onchain isn't enough 25:54 What Chainlink's institutional partnerships reveal 27:43 Do institutions trust crypto more now? 28:48 Why crypto prices matter less to institutions 29:37 How TradFi and DeFi could converge 30:07 What DTCC tokenization could unlock 31:35 Chainlink as financial infrastructure 32:31 The next catalyst for tokenization 33:29 From crypto skeptic to blockchain believer 35:23 Why collateral could be the next major unlock 36:13 Andrew's advice New episodes every week  https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us  Jacquelyn on X: /jacqmelinek  Talking Tokens on X: /_talkingtokens  Talking Tokens on Instagram: /_talkingtokens  Follow Andrew McCormick https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-mccormick-70662b88 This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io  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.

    How Banks Went From Avoiding Crypto to Building Onchain

  3. 3d ago

    DeFi Vaults Just Hit $15B | What’s Driving the Boom?

    DeFi vaults are having a breakout year, with roughly $15 billion in value now sitting across the sector. But as Alexander Beaudry from our institutional research team found in his latest survey, rapid growth doesn’t necessarily mean institutional adoption has arrived. In this episode, we break down StrataMedia’s survey of seven industry leaders from Aave, Veda, Sky, Loopscale, Gauntlet, RockawayX, and Space and Time to explore what’s actually driving the rise of DeFi vaults and why one exec calls 2026 “the year of the vault.” Alex breaks down why distribution is emerging as one of the sector’s strongest competitive moats and reveals a striking divide around institutional demand, with survey respondents rating it anywhere from roughly 4 out of 10 to nearly 10 out of 10. We discuss why exchanges, neobanks, and fintechs rather than institutions themselves are currently driving some of the biggest vault use cases, how tokenization could bring more institutional capital onchain, and why track record, transparency, curation, and regulatory clarity may determine what comes next. Timestamps 00:00 DeFi Vaults and the New StrataMedia Research 01:58 Why DeFi Vaults Are Taking Off 03:30 Distribution Is Becoming the Real Moat 05:22 How Strong Is Institutional Demand? 06:18 Who Is Actually Using DeFi Vaults? 07:18 Tokenization Could Be the First Step 08:17 The Biggest Surprise From the Survey 09:47 Why Sophisticated Capital Is Changing 10:50 What StrataMedia Research Is Exploring Next ▫️Check out the full report:  Follow Talking Tokens https://x.com/_TalkingTokens?lang=en https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens-crypto-onchain-finance-investing/id1743669141 https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ Follow Jacquelyn https://x.com/jacqmelinek

    DeFi Vaults Just Hit $15B | What’s Driving the Boom?

  4. Aug 27

    What Happens When 2% of the $100 Trillion Stock Market Moves Onchain?

    On today's episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn sits down with Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, to explore what's next for tokenized assets as institutional adoption grows and Wall Street moves more financial products onchain. Carlos breaks down why tokenization is still in its early innings despite Securitize reaching $5 billion in tokenized AUM, and why just 2% of the more than $100 trillion equities and ETF market moving onchain could have an enormous impact on crypto. They discuss tokenized stocks, BlackRock's BUIDL fund, real-world assets as collateral, the convergence of DeFi and institutional finance, and how Securitize is working with firms including BlackRock, Apollo, Hamilton Lane, Neuberger Berman and Cantor Fitzgerald. They also explore why simply putting assets onchain isn't enough, how tokenization could change IPO access and shareholder ownership, and what needs to happen before tokenized finance reaches mainstream investors. Timestamps: 00:10 Introduction 03:32 Securitize's IPO milestone 04:13 The journey to becoming a public company 06:48 Securitize's Q2 results and $5B tokenized AUM 08:12 What Carlos learned from its first earnings  09:55 Building the tokenized asset market 11:15 How much of the stock market could move onchain? 14:24 Retail vs. institutional tokenization 15:11 Bringing fixed income onchain 17:21 Why investors are chasing yield 17:57 Why tokenized assets stayed resilient during the crypto downturn 18:57 Building the full tokenization stack 20:49 What's still missing from onchain finance? 21:32 What institutions are asking about tokenization now 22:51 How BlackRock and other asset managers are expanding onchain 24:07 Tokenized assets as collateral 26:47 Can RWAs make DeFi safer? 27:37 Where institutional finance meets DeFi 29:44 Why Securitize brought on Brett Redfearn 32:28 Bringing IPO access onchain with Cantor Fitzgerald 35:51 Could IPOs become programmable? 36:17 What will take tokenization mainstream? 38:12 What's coming in 2027? 38:57 Three models for tokenized stocks 41:21 The risks of synthetic tokenized equities 42:31 What Carlos is watching next 43:44 Carlos's advice for investors and builders  New episodes every week  https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us  Jacquelyn on X: /jacqmelinek  Talking Tokens on X: /_talkingtokens  Talking Tokens on Instagram: /_talkingtokens Follow Carlos Domingo https://x.com/carlosdomingo?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/carlosdomingo/?hl=en This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io  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.

    What Happens When 2% of the $100 Trillion Stock Market Moves Onchain?

  5. Aug 25

    Bitcoin Is Back, Scaramucci Says the Real $500K Rally Is Still Ahead

    Anthony Scaramucci still believes Bitcoin can reach $500,000. In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with the SkyBridge Capital founder and SALT chairman to discuss Bitcoin’s path to $500K, institutional crypto adoption and what could drive the next phase of the market. Scaramucci breaks down why banks and major institutions haven’t fully embraced Bitcoin, how blockchain could transform traditional finance and enable 24/7 markets, and why stablecoins could eventually become a larger market than Bitcoin. Plus, he shares which digital assets he believes have lasting utility, how he knows when an investment thesis has broken, and what selling Microsoft, Apple and Google too early taught him about patience and conviction. Timestamps: 03:32 Scaramucci’s $500K Bitcoin Prediction 05:13 Bitcoin vs. Gold: The Path to $500K 10:06 Could Bitcoin Hit $500K in Five Years? 11:16 Which Altcoins Could Survive? 12:47 Why Crypto Resembles the Early Internet 16:58 How Blockchain Could Transform Banking 18:27 Are Financial Markets Going 24/7? 27:42 Could Stablecoins Become Bigger Than Bitcoin? 30:27 Scaramucci’s $50K Investing Mistake 33:17 Has the Bitcoin Thesis Broken? 36:23 Why Selling Apple, Microsoft & Google Was a Mistake 41:00 Scaramucci on Self-Honesty Follow Talking Tokens Jacquelyn Melinek on X: @jacqmelinek Talking Tokens: @_talkingtokens Follow Anthony Scaramucci X: @Scaramucci YouTube: @therealanthonyscaramucci Sponsors Sponsored by Forgd and Anchorage Digital. Learn more at stratamedia.co/token-relations/leaderboard and anchorage.com. 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.

    Bitcoin Is Back, Scaramucci Says the Real $500K Rally Is Still Ahead

  6. Aug 20

    Why Morpho’s CEO Thinks $200 Trillion of Credit Will Move Onchain

    Is it possible for $200 trillion in global credit to move onchain, or is DeFi still trapped in speculation? Today’s guest is Paul Frambot, Co-Founder and CEO of Morpho. We explore the evolution of onchain credit, how decentralized finance is becoming a core technology stack for traditional finance, and what it takes to build a truly global, open credit network. Paul breaks down Morpho's shift from financial origination to pure technological infrastructure, connecting borrowers directly with tens of thousands of lenders at scale. From distribution partnerships with giants like Robinhood Earn and Coinbase to high-stakes institutional deals with Wall Street heavyweights like Apollo Asset Management, regulatory meetings with the SEC in Washington, and defending against North Korea's Lazarus Group with immutable code, Paul paints a compelling, pragmatic picture of how crypto will power the future of global finance Timestamps 00:00 - Intro  00:47 - The Evolution of OnChain DeFi Lending 02:15 - Building Morpho: Challenges and Philosophy 04:07 - Early DeFi Traction and Growth Strategies 05:59 - Morpho: Positioning as an Open Credit Network 07:46 - Vetting Ecosystem Builders and Developers 09:47 - Robinhood Earn Partnership & Mainstream Adoption 15:07 - Institutional vs. Retail Strategies 16:40 - The Apollo Asset Management Partnership 17:35 - How Institutions Evaluate DeFi Risks 19:48 - Navigating SEC Regulation and Compliance 27:02 - Security Strategies: Addressing Lazarus Group Threats 31:56 - Morpho’s Future Roadmap & 5-Year Vision 37:01 - Core Principles for Thriving in the Crypto Industry New episodes every week  https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us  Jacquelyn on X: /jacqmelinek  Talking Tokens on X: /_talkingtokens  Talking Tokens on Instagram: /_talkingtokens Follow Paul Frambot https://fr.linkedin.com/in/paul-frambot/en Today’s episode is sponsored by Anchorage Digital, America's first federally chartered digital asset bank and provider of regulated stablecoin issuance. To find out more, visit anchorage.com  This episode is sponsored by Forgd, visit its Market Maker Leaderboard on Token Relations here: www.stratamedia.co/token-elations/leaderboard  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.

    Why Morpho’s CEO Thinks $200 Trillion of Credit Will Move Onchain

  7. Aug 18

    Your Next Portfolio Manager Could Be an AI Agent

    In today's episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn sits down with Rishin Sharma, Head of AI Growth at the Solana Foundation, to explore how AI agents could reshape payments, commerce, and financial markets and why Solana is positioning itself as financial infrastructure for the emerging agentic economy. Rishin breaks down how agentic payments work today, how pay.sh enables AI systems like ChatGPT and Claude to pay for services using stablecoins, and why checkout could eventually disappear into AI interfaces. They also explore the next frontier of agentic trading, from AI-assisted investing and personalized financial coaching to the possibility of having a portfolio manager in your pocket. Plus, Rishin discusses Solana's role in open, permissionless finance, the future of open-source AI, and what could emerge as AI, stablecoins, and blockchains converge. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:36 What is overhyped in AI?  02:28 Solana's role in the Agentic Economy 06:26 Getting started with Agentic Payments  07:48 Strategic collaboration with Google Cloud 11:08 Merchant adoption on the platform 14:50 The future vision of the agentic economy 17:17 The future of commerce: Checkouts without human intervention? 23:54 Agentic Trading: AI as a financial advisor and strategist 29:39 The open-source AI dilemma: Capitalism vs. Geopolitics 34:24 Integration of stablecoins in AI: Expectations for the next 12 months 39:18 Final advice and vision for builders in the sector  New episodes every week  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141 Follow us  Jacquelyn on X: /jacqmelinek  Talking Tokens on X: /_talkingtokens  Talking Tokens on Instagram: /_talkingtokens  Follow Rishin Sharma https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishinsharma This episode is a part of the Solana Sessions campaign between Token Relations and the Talking Tokens podcast, diving into founders' journeys and startups building on Solana. Check out the accompanying newsletter on www.stratamedia.co/token-relations/solana   Today’s episode is sponsored by Anchorage Digital, America's first federally chartered digital asset bank and provider of regulated stablecoin issuance. To find out more, visit anchorage.com Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only. Views shared are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have financial interests in the discussed content.

    Your Next Portfolio Manager Could Be an AI Agent

  8. Aug 14

    Equity Perps Explained | Can DeFi Really Handle Traditional Stocks?

    Trading Wall Street stocks 24/7 in DeFi sounds like the ultimate financial unlock, but as Alexander Beaudry from our institutional research team points out, the reality is far more complex. In this episode, we dive into Alex's latest report, "Equity Perps Are Nothing Without Equity Spot," to explore why the infrastructure behind tokenized equities is still catching up to the hype. Alex breaks down the staggering 265% YTD growth in the tokenized spot equity market and explains why Equity Perpetual Futures (Perps) have become the most debated trend in DeFi.  While crypto markets can predict TradFi pricing with 85% accuracy over weekends, Alex identifies the critical bottlenecks from centralized Oracle vulnerabilities to the $24M Ostiam exploit that continue to keep institutional capital on the sidelines. We discuss the market consensus on risk and what it will take for tokenized equities to move from a frontier trading tool to a cornerstone of global finance. Timestamps 00:00 The Rise of Equity Perps 01:15 What Are Equity Perpetual Futures? 02:57 Where Equity Perps Work and Where They Fail 04:40 The Biggest Risk With Equity Perps 05:46 How Oracles Determine Equity Prices 07:03 The Risk of Oracle Manipulation 07:40 Why Arbitrageurs Matter for Healthy Markets 09:22 The Problem With Tokenized Equities 10:31 Can Tokenized Equities Become Truly 24/7? 11:44 Why Equity Perps Could Expand Global Market Access 12:26 Final Thoughts Check out the full report: Web: https://stratamedia.co/token-relations/article?slug=stratamedia-research-equity-perps-are-nothing-without-equity-spot-3faff8781eab4cf2X: https://x.com/TokenRelations/status/2088337441979539709?s=20 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/equity-perps-nothing-without-spot-stratamedia-zybhe Follow Talking Tokens https://x.com/_TalkingTokens?lang=en https://open.spotify.com/show/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens-crypto-onchain-finance-investing/id1743669141 https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ Follow Jacquelyn https://x.com/jacqmelinek #RWA #Tokenization #DeFi #Crypto #EquityPerps #OndoFinance #Web3 #TalkingTokens #CryptoNews #WallStreet

    Equity Perps Explained | Can DeFi Really Handle Traditional Stocks?
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Talking Tokens is StrataMedia’s flagship podcast and newsletter, delivering two episodes a week to a growing global audience of crypto-native and traditional finance professionals. The award-nominated show features conversations with the founders, investors, market makers, and leaders shaping the onchain economy. Hosted by Jacquelyn Melinek, founder & CEO of StrataMedia and former senior crypto reporter at TechCrunch. Subscribe: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ Follow on X: @_TalkingTokens

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