Talking Tokens

Jacquelyn Melinek, Token Relations

Talking Tokens is a podcast focused on interviewing the best crypto leaders, startups, market players and up-and-coming founders that are changing the industry. Join Jacquelyn Melinek, an award-nominated host and seasoned crypto journalist-turned-entrepreneur, to dive into the best talks in crypto in an easy-to-understand way. The episodes will air every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X and more. For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens

  1. 1D AGO

    Banks are Ditching Old Databases for Blockchains | Scott Dykstra

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Scott Dykstra, co-founder and CTO of Space and Time, about how the crypto market has evolved from the 2021 NFT craze to the 2026 institutional era. Scott explains why almost every bank is now writing smart contracts, how Space and Time helps financial institutions connect offchain data to onchain markets, and why blockchains are fundamentally better transactional databases than traditional systems like Oracle.He walks through the shift from early crypto startups to mature DeFi protocols to enterprise clients, how banks are building pilots for stablecoins and tokenizing real-world assets, and why the Wells Fargo data manipulation case proves the need for verifiable compute. The conversation covers Space and Time's Proof of SQL technology, how the company enables stablecoin yields institutions' need for offchain data, and why AI agents buying their own services with stablecoins may be the next frontier for crypto adoption.TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(01:31) How WisdomTree defines tokenization as recordkeeping technology(04:16) Growth from $30M to $770M in tokenized assets within one year(06:13) Three use cases: stablecoin reserves, treasury management, and DeFi collateral(08:01) Talking to Aave and Morpho about integrating tokenized funds as collateral(09:17) Why its tokenized money market fund could become WisdomTree's largest fund overall(10:17) SEC approval for 24/7 trading and instant settlement: the big unlock(13:11) Why 24/7 trading only works with tokenized funds, not traditional infrastructure(16:02) DeFi and TradFi convergence: partnership not competition(18:28) Customer journey: wallet-first users, not brokerage account holders(27:42) Why liquid assets benefit more from tokenization than illiquid real estateESSENTIALS 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.

    36 min
  2. How Tokenized Money Market Funds Hit $10B | Will Peck

    6D AGO

    How Tokenized Money Market Funds Hit $10B | Will Peck

    In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Will Peck, head of digital assets at WisdomTree, about the firm's explosive growth in tokenized real-world assets from $30 million to $770 million and its recent SEC approval for 24/7 trading and instant settlement. Will explains how WisdomTree's tokenized money market fund serves three key use cases:, stablecoin reserve management, crypto-native treasury management, and DeFi collateral and why the company believes this fund could become their largest across the entire business. He walks through the SEC exemptive order that unlocks nonstop trading, how tokenization brings instant settlement that traditional recordkeeping cannot replicate, and why WisdomTree focuses on liquid assets like treasuries rather than illiquid real estate. The conversation covers WisdomTree Prime's retail app and WisdomTree Connect's institutional platform, potential partnerships with DeFi protocols, why Europe presents unique regulatory complexity and strong opportunity, and the two critical unlocks needed for tokenization to 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(01:31) How WisdomTree defines tokenization as recordkeeping technology(04:16) Growth from $30M to $770M in tokenized assets within one year(06:13) Three use cases: stablecoin reserves, treasury management, and DeFi collateral(08:01) Talking to Aave and Morpho about integrating tokenized funds as collateral(09:17) Why its tokenized money market fund could become WisdomTree's largest fund overall(10:17) SEC approval for 24/7 trading and instant settlement: the big unlock(13:11) Why 24/7 trading only works with tokenized funds, not traditional infrastructure(16:02) DeFi and TradFi convergence: partnership not competition(18:28) Customer journey: wallet-first users, not brokerage account holders(27:42) Why liquid assets benefit more from tokenization than illiquid real estate 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.

    34 min

  3. MAR 3

    Palmer Luckey Just Built a Bank for Crypto, AI and Defense | Diogo Mónica

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Diogo Mónica, general partner at Haun Ventures, executive chairman and co-founder of Anchorage Digital, and board member of Erebor. Diogo explains how stablecoins, tokenized equities, and generative finance are evolving and why Haun Ventures invested in Palmer Luckey's Erebor Bank, which received the first national bank charter under the second Trump administration. He walks through why Erebor raised $635 million in committed capital to serve AI, crypto, and defense, how OCC-chartered banks differ from fintech apps that operate through partner banks, and why getting a proper federal charter matters for building trust. The conversation covers the founding team's expertise spanning Oculus, Anduril, Circle, and compliance backgrounds, how Erebor secured its charter in under eight months, and why this marks a shift toward more crypto-friendly banking regulation. TIMESTAMPS  (00:00) Intro(01:44) Why institutions are here but crypto tokens aren't going up(03:23) Generative finance: turning language directly into financial products with AI(05:31) Why Haun Ventures invested in Erebor, Palmer Luckey's new bank(09:10) How Erebor secured its OCC charter in under eight months(12:22) What an OCC charter means and why it matters for crypto banking(14:08) How Erebor differs from fintechs like Mercury that aren't actual banks(17:43) The future of banking: will new rails beat old incumbents(19:24) Building trust in crypto banking after historical de-banking experiences(21:07) The challenge of opening bank accounts with "crypto" in company names(22:07) Behind Erebor's founding team 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. FEB 26

    Why VC Consolidation Signals Crypto Maturation | Mason Nystrom & Daniel Marin

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Mason Nystrom, partner at Pantera Capital who hosts the Stateful podcast, and Daniel Marin, CEO of Nexus, about the state of crypto venture capital, the consolidation phase happening across markets, and what it takes to launch a blockchain in 2026. Mason explains why 2025 saw record venture dollars deployed into fewer deals, signaling maturation and companies finding product-market fit, while Daniel shares insights from building Nexus from a team of 10 to launching a specialized L1 blockchain focused on verifiable finance. They discuss how cycles of consolidation lead to expansion, why specialization beats general-purpose blockchains, the return to fundamentals with revenue-generating protocols, and how stablecoins and perpetual exchanges are driving the shift toward verifiable finance. The conversation covers Nexus' partnership with M0 for its native stablecoin, the future intersection of permissionless systems and walled gardens, what characterizes a winner in crypto, and final advice to think independently and build conviction during uncertain markets. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(01:27) Why 2025 was an era of consolidation with record VC dollars into fewer deals(03:20) Cycles of consolidation and expansion across crypto and AI markets(04:05) Pantera as investor in Nexus' Series A(04:39) What's changed for Nexus since raising: from 10 people to launching mainnet(05:47) Announcing Nexus Exchange and USDX stablecoin partnership with M0(06:59) Return to fundamentals and revenue-generating protocols driving the market(09:16) Why specialization beats general-purpose blockchains(13:53) Verifiable finance and building purpose-built L1s for financial applications(21:39) How permissionless systems and walled gardens will coexist(28:13) What characterizes a winner in crypto: urgency and relentless building(32:15) Final advice: think independently and build conviction during uncertainty 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.

    34 min

  5. FEB 24

    How Stablecoins Can Export U.S. Capital Markets to the World | Nick van Eck

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Nick van Eck, co-founder and CEO of Agora, about how the stablecoin infrastructure platform is building the financial fabric for enterprises to operate entirely onchain. Nick explains why Agora launched as a neutral horizontal player to serve enterprises beyond the USDT and USDC duopoly, and how the company's white-label model allows partners to launch branded stablecoins on top of AUSD - while sharing revenue and network effects. He walks through the waves of stablecoin adoption from crypto governance tokens to DeFi to emerging markets and why their adoption is already here due to stablecoins being 100 times better than local alternatives, and how Agora is solving payment workflows. The conversation covers how the Genius Act and Bridge acquisition accelerated Fortune 500 interest, why stablecoins export U.S. capital markets and stability to regions with high inflation and poor financial services. TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro(01:23) Why Nick started Agora to serve enterprises beyond the Tether-Circle duopoly(02:13) Competing in waves of adoption rather than directly challenging existing players(03:37) Focusing on net new markets: institutional assets, DeFi, and emerging markets(04:54) Solving entire payment workflows from treasury to cross-border disbursements(06:09) What keeps companies onchain?(08:42) Agora's white-label business model and revenue sharing with partners(12:46) Custody solutions for the next trillion dollars in stablecoins(18:26) Traditional businesses adopting stablecoins faster outside the US(19:44) Stablecoins as means for exporting U.S. capital markets to emerging markets(22:36) Fortune 500 focus and preparing for Genius Act implementation(23:16) Final advice: operate with integrity and play the long game 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.

    24 min

  6. FEB 19

    Why Bitcoin-Backed Lending Will Reach $200 Billion | Sid Powell

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Sid Powell, co-founder and CEO of Maple Finance, about how its onchain asset management platform grew from $500 million to over $4 billion in AUM through disciplined risk management and institutional-grade lending infrastructure. Sid explains how Maple evolved from its original 2019 vision of tokenized bonds to becoming a direct lender serving prime brokers, asset managers, and trading firms, and why the platform pivoted multiple times to find product-market fit. He walks through the growth of syrupUSDC and syrupUSDT as yield-bearing stablecoins, why bitcoin remains the dominant collateral for institutional lending, and how Maple is bridging crypto-native institutions with traditional finance players. The conversation covers the future of tokenized securitization, native onchain issuance vs wrapped assets, why onchain lending could scale to hundreds of billions of dollars, and Sid's advice during down markets. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 01:25 – Why Sid launched Maple in 2019 and his banking background 02:44 – How Maple evolved from tokenized bonds to direct institutional lending 03:53 – Pivoting to institutional market makers during DeFi summer 05:28 – Launch of syrupUSDC and syrupUSDT as DeFi products for retail 06:41 – Traditional asset managers and banks engaging with crypto, despite long sales cycles 08:00 – How Maple manages risk and maintains 99%+ repayment rate through overcollateralization 10:08 – Why bitcoin dominates as collateral due to ETF adoption and deep derivatives markets 14:37 – Institutional demand driving Maple's growth from $500M to $4B in AUM 18:44 – Active asset management approach and institutional-grade compliance frameworks 22:18 – Future of tokenized securitization and CLO structures on blockchains 25:01 – Native onchain issuance vs wrapped tokenization and his cinema analogy 26:40 – Competing with Blackstone, and Apollo by riding the stablecoin technology wave 28:00 – Final advice: persist and build during down markets when others are leaving 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

  7. FEB 17

    Why Price Discovery Will Move Onchain Within 3 Years | Saeed Badreg

    In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Saeed Badreg, CEO of Wormhole Labs, about how the incubated Sunrise project helps asset issuers gain distribution and reach users across blockchains, with a particular focus on the Solana ecosystem. Saeed explains why the team built Sunrise as a turnkey solution for projects struggling to penetrate closed blockchain ecosystems, and how Wormhole's Native Token Transfer (NTT) framework enables assets to move across chains without wrapped tokens or fragmented liquidity. He walks through the difference between wrapped and native tokens, why provenance and trust matter more than marketing terminology, and how Sunrise launched with Monad's MON token, among others, to provide day-one liquidity on Solana. The conversation covers why global institutions are accelerating crypto adoption faster than expected, how countries are modeling regulatory frameworks after the US Genius Act and pending Clarity Act, when price discovery for major assets will move onchain, and Saeed's three-part framework for evaluating teams.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(01:49) What Sunrise is and how it helps asset issuers with distribution(02:40) Pain points preventing non-native tokens from creating great trading markets on other chains(03:00) What distribution means for asset issuers across blockchain ecosystems(04:08) Why Solana is hard to penetrate, despite being the second biggest blockchain(04:46) How Sunrise provides turnkey solutions for reaching Solana's user base and enabling free flow of capital(06:01) Why Wormhole cares about economic activity in crypto in aggregate(06:23) Wrapped versus native tokens and why provenance matters more than marketing speak(07:11) Who controls assets on different blockchains and trust in intermediaries(08:14) How Wormhole's Native Token Transfer framework works(09:38) Why liquidity fragmentation is the challenge for tokens bridging across chains(11:06) Sunrise solving distribution, go-to-market, and technical challenges(12:34) Monad's MON token as Sunrise's first major launch(14:21) Why centralized exchanges still dominate price discovery today(16:02) When liquidity onchain will compete with centralized venues(17:35) How Wormhole measures success and adoption(19:43) Regulatory environment improving and institutional adoption accelerating globally(21:58) Countries modeling crypto regulation after the US Genius Act(24:06) Building for volatility and focusing on 1-2 year product roadmaps(26:37) Wormhole's technology solving real problems for customers(28:44) Vision for assets, liquidity, and markets to move freely across ecosystems(30:52) Expansion plans for Sunrise beyond crypto to commodities, stocks, and RWAs(33:00) How Saeed's vision evolved since becoming CEO in 2023(34:35) Surprising pace of global institutional adoption over the past year(36:20) What Saeed is focused on in 2026(36:41) Timeline for price discovery moving onchain: within three years(38:15) Three-part framework for evaluating teams: technical soundness, go-to-market acumen, and understanding financial markets 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 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.

    41 min
  8. Why Bitcoin’s Price Isn’t Affecting Institutional Interest in Tokenization | Thomas Cowan

    FEB 12

    Why Bitcoin’s Price Isn’t Affecting Institutional Interest in Tokenization | Thomas Cowan

    In this episode of Talking Tokenization, Jacquelyn Melinek speaks with Thomas Cowan, head of tokenization at Galaxy, about how blockchain technology is upgrading decades-old financial infrastructure and why institutional commitment to tokenization remains strong, despite crypto market volatility. Thomas explains how tokenization connects information and value the way physical cash does, why the convergence of regulatory clarity, technical maturity, and institutional presence is creating unprecedented momentum, and how Galaxy's partnership with State Street demonstrates traditional finance's long-term commitment to onchain capital markets. He explains why understanding the "singleness of money" matters as stablecoins proliferate, how tokenization will upgrade the existing financial system, and why price action no longer dictates institutional tokenization strategies heading into 2026. This episode is sponsored by Securitize, the proven leader in tokenized funds, equities, and private markets. Discover more at securitize.io. TIMESTAMPS (0:00) – Intro (1:21) – Defining tokenization (1:40) – Connecting information and value like physical cash (1:59) – Instant settlement vs credit card transactions (2:23) – Thomas's background at Paxos, Ripple, and Boston Fed (2:44) – Backend financial networks are 50-60 years old (3:07) – Tokenization upgrades rather than upends the system (3:26) – Understanding the singleness of money concept (4:03) – Why all dollars aren't equal on the backend (4:40) – Stablecoin explosion in 2026 and dollar fungibility (4:59) – Comparing stablecoin reserves to bank deposits (5:47) – Why CBDCs, real-time payments, and stablecoins will coexist (6:05) – What tokenization unlocks beyond instant settlement (6:38) – Tech disruption: improving processes then new use cases (6:48) – Three pillars: regulatory clarity, tech maturity, institutions (9:03) – Why this cycle feels different (10:22) – Balancing short-term narratives with long-term conviction (10:56) – Advice for crypto builders navigating uncertainty (11:47) – Galaxy's infrastructure and onchain capital markets (14:03) – Building capital markets within a bank (15:15) – Why blockchains are more than database upgrades (16:39) – Smart money deploying capital onchain (18:38) – 24/7 global markets and reducing settlement risk (20:25) – Building institutional-grade infrastructure (21:58) – Stablecoins and tokenized funds leading product-market fit (23:42) – Industry maturation beyond crypto-native use cases (25:04) – Bridging traditional finance with crypto-first tech (26:48) – How different institutions approach tokenization (29:01) – Standardization enabling innovation (30:44) – Traditional finance bringing new ideas to Galaxy (31:57) – Regulatory tailwinds and institutional curiosity (32:49) – What success looks like for Galaxy in 2026 (33:54) – State Street partnership and tokenized money market fund (34:51) – Traditional finance bringing unexpected use cases (35:42) – Institutional long-term planning vs crypto short-termism (36:22) – Price action no longer shifts institutional sentiment (37:06) – Industry reaching maturation (37:44) – Go deep on Twitter and Discord to understand the tech 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/0LOgWxIQ0NnNUD5eXsSuoZApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-tokens/id1743669141Follow us on X Jacquelyn: https://twitter.com/jacqmelinekTalking Tokens: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokensFollow 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.

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Talking Tokens is a podcast focused on interviewing the best crypto leaders, startups, market players and up-and-coming founders that are changing the industry. Join Jacquelyn Melinek, an award-nominated host and seasoned crypto journalist-turned-entrepreneur, to dive into the best talks in crypto in an easy-to-understand way. The episodes will air every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, X and more. For more updates, subscribe to the Talking Tokens newsletter here: https://talkingtokens.beehiiv.com/ Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/_TalkingTokens

Information

  • Creator
    Jacquelyn Melinek, Token Relations
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    193
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jacquelyn Melinek, Token Relations
  • Show Website
    Talking Tokens

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